Maryland (16-6, 4-5 ACC at Virginia Tech (11-10, 2-6 ACC)

Thursday, February 7, 2013 • 9 p.m. ET

Game #23 • Road Game #6 • Blacksburg, Va. • Cassell Coliseum

TV: ACC Network – Steve Martin (Play-by-Play) and Mike Gminski (Analyst). Locally, the game can be seen on WNUV in Baltimore and WDCA in Washington, D.C. For a complete affiliate listing, click here.

Storyline

• Maryland takes to the road for the fifth time in the conference season when it takes on Virginia Tech Thursday at 9 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va. In the teams’ previous meeting, the Terps defeated the Hokies, 94-71, on Jan. 5 in College Park. Seth Allen and Jake Layman led the way in Maryland’s second-largest conference win of the year, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively.

• Against Wake Forest last Saturday, Maryland rode 67.3 percent shooting to its biggest league win in terms of point margin this season. That mark is the fifth-best field goal percentage in a game in program history and the best since the Terps shot 73.9 percent against Wake on Jan. 28, 1986.

• In the 86-60 victory, the Terps had six players score in double figures for the first time since Feb. 9, 2011. Logan Aronhalt led the way with 13, Allen, Layman, James Padgett and Alex Len had 12 each, and Dez Wells had 11. Wells, who is second on the team in scoring (12.2 points per game), has been at his best on the road. In Maryland’s five road games, the sophomore is averaging 18.8 points per contest, including 21 at North Carolina and 19 at Florida State.

• Despite experiencing a four-game shooting slump in January, Maryland has been one of the better shooting teams in the conference this season. Sans the four-game stretch from Florida State (Jan. 9) to North Carolina (Jan. 19), the Terps have shot better than 40 percent in 16 of 18 games. Maryland ranks second in the league and 24th nationally with a 47.5 shooting percentage, and is 12-1 when shooting above 45 percent this season.

• The Wake Forest game also marked a return of Maryland’s defensive control. The Terps held Wake to 34.4 percent shooting, including just 25.8 percent in the first half in building a 42-25 halftime lead. That marked the seventh time in nine league games that Maryland has held the opponent under 40 percent shooting.

Maryland-Virginia Tech Series History

• Maryland leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 29-10, which dates back to 1926. On the road, Maryland leads the series 10-6.

• The series has gone back and forth since Virginia Tech joined the ACC. The teams have split the 12 meetings since 2005, with Maryland currently on a two-game winning streak.

• In Maryland’s 94-71 win over Tech in the conference opener on Jan. 5, the Terps shot 51.7 percent, including 10 of 23 from 3-point. Seth Allen (21) and Jake Layman (20) set season highs, while Alex Len added 16 and Dez Wells had 12. Virginia Tech’s Erick Green scored a game-high 28.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After completing regular season non-conference play with an 81-63 win over IUPUI on Tuesday, Maryland opens the conference portion of its schedule as Virginia Tech visits Comcast Center Saturday at noon. The Terps enter the game with a 12-1 mark, their best record entering conference play since 1998-99, when they were 13-1.

Storyline

• In their 12-game winning streak, the Terps have evolved into one of the better shooting teams in the nation. Maryland ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage at .503, and has connected on better than 50 percent of its shots in eight of the last 11 games. Over the past four games, Maryland is shooting 55.6 percent, including 39.7 percent from 3-point range. That’s helped Maryland outscore opponents by an average margin of 17.2 points per game this year, a mark which ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

• The Terrapins’ depth, which has been an asset all season, showed in the 81-63 win over IUPUI. All ten players who are in the regular rotation received double-digit minutes and all made at least two field goals. Eight Terps scored at least seven points in the game, with Seth Allen (13) and Logan Aronhalt (10) leading the way. Aronhalt knocked down 3-of-4 3-pointers in the game and is shooting 55.8 percent on the season. That mark would lead the conference, but Aronhalt doesn’t have enough attempts to qualify.

• Although Maryland started slow against IUPUI, trailing 14-3 early in the game, the bench once again provided a lift. Maryland’s non-starters outscored IUPUI’s 43-2 in the game, and on the season the bench is outscoring opponents by an average margin of 29.1 to 11.5.

• The Terps continue to be one of the better teams in the country in terms of field goal percentage defense. They entered the week ranked second nationally in field goal percentage defense. After allowing three of the first four opponents this season to surpass 70 points, the Terps have held the last nine opponents under 70.

On a Streak

• Maryland won its 12th straight game on Jan. 1 with a 81-63 victory over IUPUI. Its the 11th time in school history the Terps have a winning streak of at least 10 games. The current winning streak is going on 55 days.

• The longest winning streak in school history was a 14-game streak in 1931-32. In the past 30 years, Maryland has put together a 10-game winning streak on six occasions (including this year). Each of the previous seasons, they’ve gone on to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Field-Goal Percentage Defense

• Maryland entered this week ranked second nationally in field goal percentage defense at .344. That number now stands at .351 after IUPUI shot .444. That’s a major improvement over last year, when opponents shot 42.8 percent and were held under 35 percent on just four occasions. The Terps have held seven of the last nine opponents under 35 percent shooting, with Stony Brook and IUPUI being the exceptions.

• Since 2000, five Terrapin teams have held the opponent under 40 percent shooting. Of those five, four went on to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Quick Hitters

• Maryland is 7-5 in conference openers since 2000, though the Terps have lost their last two ACC openers. The last win in a conference opener was against Florida State in the 2009-10 season. Head coach Mark Turgeon is 9-5 in league openers in his career.

• Charles Mitchell earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 31 for his play against Delaware State on Dec. 29. Mitchell came off the bench to score 19 points and grab 14 rebounds, both career highs. Mitchell is the second Terp to earn weekly ACC honors; Alex Len was Player of the Week on Nov. 12.

• Seven of the 10 players in Maryland’s regular rotation are underclassmen and 77.9 percent of Maryland’s scoring (56.9 of 76.5 points) is coming from underclassmen.

• When Seth Allen, Jake Layman and Shaquille Cleare drew starts against UMES, it marked the first time Maryland started three true freshmen since Dec. 28, 1993, when Keith Booth, Matt Kovarik and Joe Smith did vs. Hofstra.

• In Maryland’s 12-game winning streak, the Terps have assisted on 223 of 337 field goals (66.2 percent).

• The Terps have made more free throws than the opponent has attempted this season (200 to 169).

• At least eight players have scored in 12 of Maryland’s 13 games this year. The exception is vs. George Mason, when just seven players scored.

Dominating the Paint

• Maryland has enjoyed an advantage in points in the paint throughout the year. The Terps have outscored the opponent in 11 of 13 games; the exceptions are Morehead State (28-28 tie) and Stony Brook (28-32). On average, Maryland is scoring 40.0 points in the paint while holding its opponent to 21.7 points.

Super Subs

• Maryland’s bench has been an asset all season, as the Terps’ non-starters have outscored the opponents non-starters in 11 of 13 games (exceptions are Kentucky & George Mason). Most recently, the bench outscored IUPUI’s 43-2 to help overcome an early 14-3 deficit, as Maryland went on to win 81-63.

• On the year, Maryland’s bench has a 378-149 (29.1 to 11.5 per game) advantage over the opponent. The biggest advantage Maryland has had this season was against UMES on Dec. 5 (55-7).

• Seth Allen (7.2 ppg), Charles Mitchell (6.5 ppg), Logan Aronhalt (6.0 ppg), and Shaquille Cleare (5.6 ppg) have been the biggest contributors.

• Aronhalt is the long-range specialist. He is two 3-point field goals made of qualifying for the ACC lead, but his .558 mark from beyond the arc would lead the league. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 11 of 13 games this season.

Sophomore Jump

• After averaging 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, Alex Len has developed into Maryland’s most consistent scoring threat as a sophomore. Len is averaging 13.3 points per game, which ranks first in the ACC among centers and t-15th overall. His 8.0 rebounds per game rank sixth. Len also ranks second in the league with 2.3 blocks per game. He has three double-doubles this season: against Kentucky (23 & 12), Northwestern (13 & 13) and Monmouth (14 & 10).

More on Assists
• Maryland is tied for fourth nationally with 18.5 assists per game behind Notre Dame (19.5), North Carolina (19.5), Pittsburgh (19.1) and tied with UCLA (18.5).

• Pe’Shon Howard, who ranks second in the ACC with 5.8 assists per game, would be in some rare company if he can average 6.0 assists per game this season. In the past 25 years, just three players have averaged more than 6.0 assists per game at Maryland: Terrell Stokes in 1998-99, Steve Blake from 1999-2003, and Greivis Vasquez in 2007-08 and 2009-10.

• Maryland’s 28 assists against LIU Brooklyn were nine more than the team’s season-high of 19 last year. In fact, the last time a Maryland team had more assists in a game was in the 2002-03 season, when the Terps had 29 on two occasions. The Terps also had 28 assists in a game on 2/9/11 vs. Longwood and 12/31/05 vs. VMI. The school record for assists in a game is 37.

• Howard’s 13 assists vs. LIU Brooklyn are tied for the fourth-most in a single game by a Terp. The only better performances are: Greivis Vasquez (2008) and Terrell Stokes (1998) with 15; and Steve Blake (2002) and Terrell Stokes (1996) with 14.

Force on the Boards
• Maryland leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks third nationally in rebounding margin at plus-13.5 per game. Just Colorado State (plus-14.2) and Missouri (plus-14.2) rank above that. Maryland is the only ACC school with a double-figure advantage in rebounding margin; North Carolina is second at plus-6.2.

• The Terps have built advantages on the boards in all 13 games this season.

• Alex Len and Charles Mitchell are the biggest factors in that; Len averages 8.0 rpg and Mitchell averages 6.8. Len ranks sixth in the conference and Mitchell ranks 13th, including second among freshmen. There are five Terps averaging at least 3.9 rebounds per game (also Dez Wells, James Padgett and Nick Faust).

• Len ranks second in the conference with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, and the Terps are averaging 13.6 offensive rebounds per game as a team, second in the league behind North Carolina (16.3).

• Mitchell made an impressive debut by grabbing 10 rebounds in his first career game, against No. 3 Kentucky. That’s the most rebounds by a Maryland freshman in his debut since Buck Williams had 13 against Bucknell in 1978. Williams went on to lead the ACC in rebounding that year (10.8 pg) en route to capturing ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

Maryland (13-7, 3-3) at Miami (12-7, 3-3)
Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 | 8 p.m. | Miami, Fla.
ACC Network (WNUV 54 in Charm City) | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — University of Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon believed that despite entering Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech at the Comcast Center on a three game losing streak his team had been playing much better.

In looking for a message his team could use to turn solid play into actual victories, he channeled a coaching icon.

“My line today (and I’ll give my wife and mother in law credit-my mother in law went to Penn State), Joe Paterno said (in an article) ‘hustle and good things happen’” Turgeon said after Saturday’s game. “So my thought for the day yesterday was ‘have fun, hustle and good things will happen. That was kind of our approach for the last two days. ‘Try to have fun, hustle, and good things will happen’ and it did for us.”

The Terrapins’ 73-69 win over Virginia Tech will never be viewed as iconic itself, but the message was clearly effective. The Terps (13-7, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) hustled out to a 32-19 halftime lead over the Hokies (12-9, 1-5 ACC), then had fun as they held on for the victory-a very good thing after setbacks at Florida State and Temple then at home Wednesday night to Duke.

Turgeon said the aftermath of the lost in Tallahassee sparked a turnaround in his team which finally delivered a victorious result.

“I started getting after them after we lost to Florida State because I didn’t think we played well down there, especially in the second half-we were doing the same things” Turgeon said after the win. “They went in the shower after that game just laughing and joking-and it’s not that way. I say I don’t care about winning and losing, but (Maryland players) know better than that.”

“We talked about giving more and preparing harder, doing what you’re doing and being a better teammate” Turgeon added.

After tough losses to the Owls and Blue Devils, the Terrapins’ improved play finally got them into the win column Saturday. The win came thanks largely to sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin, who again lead the team in scoring with 28 points. Most importantly, Stoglin drilled four 2nd half three-pointers as VT attempted to seize momentum.

“He’s got a will to win” Turgeon said. “He hit those back-to-back three’s for us and those were huge.”

Even bigger was a step-back three Stoglin hit with 2:45 left in the game after the Hokies’ had trimmed Maryland’s lead all the way down to five points.

“I just felt they had the momentum” Stoglin said. “I just wanted to make a bucket. I initially wanted to go to the basket but I saw (the defender) was off me, so I just went to pull up. I was really confident in that shot. You get that feeling. They had the momentum, I just wanted to stop it. That’s all it was. I just concentrated on my shot. I knew it was a big shot for my team, I wanted to take it.”

Turgeon’s Paterno-esque message was delivered after what he described as a week where his team (between practice, meetings and games) gave him four good days out of five. Stoglin said the message included a defensive stress.

“He told us after the Duke game he felt our effort was there but it could have been more. He just told us that he wanted our defense to be there tonight and it was.”

“It has been pretty intense and I think that you can see that” Turgeon concurred. “I think you see a team that really cares about each other. Our preparation for the last three games has been off the charts, and this one has by far been the best. It showed by the way we defended and our preparation. I don’t want to brag about them too much because we’ve had three games in one week and we lost two of them, (but) it’s a lot more fun to be around and it’s a lot more fun to coach.”

Beating Virginia Tech by no means puts Maryland back on track to reach the NCAA Tournament, but it is quite possibly the positive step needed to get a team back on track during an unforgiving conference schedule.

Perhaps the message should stay the same. If Maryland continues to have fun and hustle, you’d assume more good things would happen.

-G

Tipping Off: Maryland snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 13-7 overall and 3-3 in the ACC, while Virginia Tech fell to 12-9 and 1-5 in the conference … the Terps also snapped a two-game losing streak to the Hokies and now lead the all-time series 28-10, including 18-4 at home.

Stoglin Hits 20, Moves Up List: Terrell Stoglin reached the 20-point mark for the 14th time this season. Stoglin led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Maryland is 10-4 when Stoglin scores 20 or more. The sophomore also connected on four 3-pointers to move up to a tie for 17th on Maryland’s career 3-pointers made list (tied with John Gilchrist at 85).

3-Point Prowess: Virginia Tech entered the game leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.251), but Maryland was able to connect on 41.2 percent (7 of 17). Terrell Stoglin was 4 of 10, Sean Mosley was 2 of 4 and Pe’Shon Howard was 1 of 3.

Pankey Just Misses Double-Double: Ashton Pankey was in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game and had another solid performance. After contributing eight points and eight rebounds against Duke, the redshirt freshman had eight points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds today. It’s the third time this season the redshirt freshman has reached double figures in rebounds. The 11 boards tied for the most by a Terrapin this season (Alex Len at NC State, Pankey vs. Iona).

3,000: After logging 32 minutes today, Sean Mosley became just the 21st player in Maryland basketball history to play 3,000 minutes in his career. Mosley has played 120 games in his career, 96 of them starts. He scored 15 points for his ninth double-figure scoring game of the season and 43rd of his career.

First-Half Notes: Maryland held Virginia Tech to just 19 points on 24 percent shooting (6-25) in the first half. It’s the second time in conference play the Terps held their opponent under 20 points in the first half (also Georgia Tech with 19) … Terrell Stoglin was Maryland’s leading scorer with seven points, and seven of nine Terps that saw action scored at least three … Maryland held a 10-6 advantage in points in the paint.

Second-Half Notes: Terrell Stoglin scored 21 points in the half, the second time in his career he has scored 20 or more points in one half (also vs. Colorado, 2nd half) … Sean Mosley had nine of his 15 points including five clutch free throws in the last 1:09 … Maryland was outscored 28-10 in the paint and 14-2 in bench points … both teams shot 50 percent … Maryland made 15 of 21 free throws (.714).

Trends: Maryland improved to 13-2 when making more free throws than its opponent (22-15) … the Terps are 11-1 when outrebounding the opponent … Maryland is now 4-0 when holding its opponent to under 40 percent shooting.

Tidbits: Maryland used a starting lineup of Pe’Shon Howard, Terrell Stoglin, Sean Mosley, James Padgett and Ashton Pankey for the second straight game … Maryland opened the game on an 8-2 run and never trailed … the Terps’ largest lead was 15 (in the 2nd half).

Virginia Tech (12-8, 1-4) at Maryland (12-7, 2-3)
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 | 2:30 p.m. | Comcast Center
ACC Network-WNUV 54 in Baltimore | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

Wake Forest (10-5, 1-0) at Maryland (10-4, 0-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 | 7 p.m. | Comcast Center
RSN/CSN-Plus | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

The Wake Forest game on 1/11 will begin at 7 p.m. due to television commitments, a departure from Maryland’s normal 8 p.m. weeknight starts. Fans are encouraged to arrive on campus early and to pay attention to area traffic reports. Campus Public Safety officials suggest avoiding the Campus Drive entrance off U.S. Route 1.

Maryland returns to Comcast Center for the first of back-to-back home games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents when it plays host to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Terrapins lost their ACC opener at NC State on Sunday, 79-74, while the Demon Deacons won at home, 58-55, over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Redshirt freshman center Alex Len earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Monday after posting his first career double-double against NC State. Len had 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Wolfpack, also adding two blocked shots. In his four games so far, Len has missed only six shots from the floor (20-for-26, .769) and is averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin continues his hot streak for the Terrapins. He had six 3-pointers against the Wolfpack, marking the third time in the last four games he’s had six treys in a game. Stoglin has moved into second place in the league in 3-point percentage (.429) and third in the ACC in 3-pointers per game (2.6). He is 20-for-36 (.556) behind the arc in the last four games.

Stoglin remains atop the ACC in scoring, now with a 21.4 ppg average. He is sixth in the nation in scoring through last Sunday’s games, and has scored at least 20 points in an ACC-best 10 games this season. His +9.8 improvement in scoring average from a year ago is also tops in the league this season.
 

Senior forward Sean Mosley had 12 points Sunday against the Wolfpack, marking his second straight game with double figures in scoring (also a team-high 19 vs. Cornell). He is now 11 rebounds away from becoming the 40th Terrapin in history with 500 career rebounds. Mosley already ranks among the Terrapins’ top 20 in career steals, now with 129.

Maryland’s improved play of late has come both in defense and rebounding – two keys to success for Mark Turgeon-coached teams. In their last six games, Maryland is allowing opponents a .406 shooting percentage, while the Terps have held an advantage or matched their opponents’ rebounds seven times in the last eight games.

Maryland leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 64-56, including a sweep of the two games last season. The Terrapins are 7-2 against the Deacs in their last nine outings and own a 4-2 edge in Comcast Center.

Scouting the Demon Deacons

Wake Forest is 10-5 overall and 1-0 in the ACC after dispatching Virginia Tech 58-55 on Saturday… The Demon Deacons have won four of the last five, with the only loss over the last three weeks coming at home to Wofford.

Wake possesses two of the top four scorers in the league in C.J. Harris and Travis McKie… Harris, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, ranks second in the conference with 18.3 ppg, while McKie, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, ranks fourth with 17.5 ppg… Combined, the duo accounts for a shade over 51 percent of the team’s scoring, and both are efficient shooters – Harris ranks fifth in the league in FG% (.551) and McKie ranks seventh (.503)… Additionally, Harris has made 27 of 49 attempts (.551) from 3-point range this season.

The third scoring option for the Demon Deacons is sophomore guard Tony Chennault, who is averaging 11.1 ppg and leads the team with 40 assists and 19 steals.

The Demon Deacons have size up front with a pair of 7-foot centers in Carson Desrosiers and Ty Walker… Desrosiers ranks third in the conference with 40 blocks and had four in the win over Virginia Tech despite playing just 16 minutes… Walker, a senior, earned his first start of the season against the Hokies and is averaging 4.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg… Despite that, Wake ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding margin (minus-3.6 rpg).

Upcoming

Maryland returns to Comcast Center for back-to-back conference games against Wake Forest (Wednesday, 1/11, 7 p.m.) and Georgia Tech (Sunday, 1/15, 4 p.m.) before heading back out on the road at Florida State (Tuesday, 1/17, 9 p.m.) and at Temple (Saturday, 1/21, 11 a.m.) the next week.

Notable

The 9th annual coat drive, hosted by Shawne Merriman’s “Lights On Foundation,” will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 11 during the men’s basketball game with Wake Forest. Fans are encouraged to donate any new or gently-used coats, hats, scarves and mittens for distribution to those in need through the local area.

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)

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 Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations..

1. The Packers are the best team in the NFL, but you already knew that

I’m not really sure what else can be said about Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is amazing. The team is incredibly deep.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=begTfGMrsq8[/youtube]

I was wondering the other day why the NFL wouldn’t put a Super Bowl at Lambeau Field if they’re going to have one in New Jersey. Then I had a sandwich. It was quite a day.

Side note: I’m extremely jealous of sports fans in Wisconsin. They the Packers, the Badgers (more on them next) and the Milwaukee Brewers rocking and rolling. SportsGrid.com noted that Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel headline is the happiest in sports history…

2. Kellen Moore leads the way, but Trent Richardson and Russell Wilson have joined my personal Heisman Trophy Top 5 list

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5lG8G67UFY[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tnWKrQvss0[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysCN4yA8hhs[/youtube]

The others in my Top 5 are South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore and Baylor QB Robert Griffin III. Lattimore had a tough day Saturday and Griffin threw his first interception of the year (really) in the Bears’ loss to Kansas State. After you watch the profile ESPN’s College Gameday did of him Saturday morning you’ll certainly forget that ever happened…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhyqhn1LJps[/youtube]

3. It’s clearly a mistake that I DON’T have Andrew Luck or Tyrann Mathieu on my Heisman Trophy Top 5 list right now

Andrew Luck is a quarterback. So explain to me how he did THIS in Stanford’s win over UCLA Saturday night…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89wGMqET3AM[/youtube]

Side note: A few sites found this video of the ESPN ticker showing an odd UCLA-Stanford score during the Nebraska-Wisconsin game. I don’t believe it was accurate…

Few people know who Tyrann Mathieu is. Fewer know how to pronounce his name. No one knows how to spell it. But Kentucky fans will never forget any of those things about the LSU CB I assume…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnWQp_V_dXc[/youtube]

4. It’s crazy how good Devin Hester is at returning punts

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OjqEZQmZwo[/youtube]

Also stemming from Sunday in the Windy City…

-I don’t know if Steve Smith is still happy the Carolina Panthers didn’t trade him, but it was the absolute right decision based on wanting to develop Cam Newton.

-Matt Forte also ran all over the place and the Chicago Bears looked good in a win. I’m still not buying into them, but I’m a Jay Cutler hater so my opinion should only matter so much.

-Here’s Marion Barber faceplanting after attempting a backflip when he scored a touchdown in the game. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c30cSwjPDk[/youtube]

5. Maybe the Tennessee Titans CAN survive without Kenny Britt?

Nate Washington looked good and Jared Cook finally showed why I drafted him to my fantasy team this year (although I already dropped him needing depth), but I’m still not convinced they can keep treading water without Britt…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1kY2FO2wxk[/youtube]

…in other news, I told Cleveland Browns fans last week to take a picture of the AFC North standings. I hope they took my advice.

6. I want to put Tajh Boyd on my Heisman watch list too. Can I have a Top 10 instead of a Top 5?

I’m confused. Clemson looked good against Auburn, then again against Florida State, then AGAIN against Virginia Tech. Who are these Tigers and what have they done with the roller coaster team we’ve all come to know and not love?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRRc3n4D-Cc[/youtube]

I still think the Hokies are a factor in the ACC before the season is over. I think a lot of things. Like for example, who is Melissa Giraldo and why is this the first I’ve heard of her? (Thanks Busted Coverage!)

7. Not only is the SEC better than the other conferences in the FBS, SEC fans are better than fans in other conferences in the FBS

Here are the highlights from a thrilling Arkansas win over Texas A&M at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, which included an incredible 510 passing yards from Razorbacks QB Tyler Wilson…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVsLYxOsr2o[/youtube]

And here’s the .gif of the shirtless “man of a larger carriage” celebrating SOMETHING the Hogs did Saturday…

That’s just fantastic.

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.

You might be able to guess what it is.

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

15 Positive Observations…

1. Navy won’t want to hear it, but they SHOULD take a moral victory from their loss to South Carolina

I get it. No one likes moral victories. But the Midshipmen went to Columbia, faced a completely legit Top 10 Gamecocks team and had them on their heels throughout.

Unfortunately for the Mids, they didn’t have Marcus Lattimore. He’s apparently pretty good…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yePpMCe5jlQ[/youtube]

2. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are good at football. Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about them?

I feel like everyone’s always talking about stars like Bruce Gradkowski and Alex Smith. Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the little guys in New England and New Orleans?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51CGE5F3SE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtolk6obLaA[/youtube]

I of course picked San Diego to beat the Patriots. But really, what the eff do I know about football anyway?

If you enjoy watching fat men run (and who doesn’t?), have another look at Vince Wilfork’s interception…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa8TXMrxtwA[/youtube]

3. Since appearing on WNST, Baltimore native Jim Schwartz has seen his Detroit Lions outscore their opponents 48-3

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOVSwObVY_c[/youtube]

Of course that’s because the Mt. St. Joe grad joined Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” Friday before the Lions put the 45 point pounding on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Also this weekend Justin Verlander won his 24th game and the Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central. In Charm City this weekend we watched the Ravens lose to the Titans and we have no freaking clue what the Orioles might have done.

Am I really feeling jealousy towards the Motor City?

4. I’m gonna go ahead and stop picking against Boise State now

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIJI2Bz5iZM[/youtube]

In three games this season, I’ve picked Boise State to lose twice. I thought a SEC power like Georgia would teach them a lesson in Atlanta. I thought an upstart like Toledo would pull the stunner at home after nearly toppling Ohio State.

Look, we call my picks segment “Everybody Beats Glenn” for a reason.

5. Jesse Holley is the greatest* Wide Receiver to ever win a TV reality show

If you don’t know the story, Jesse Holley won Michael Irvin’s SpikeTV reality show “4th & Long” to get a spot in Dallas Cowboys Training Camp. He went from that to the practice squad, from the practice squad to the active roster, from the active roster to making his first NFL catch, from making his first NFL catch to coming within a foot of beating the 49ers…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBC-KMKxtQY[/youtube]

…from coming within a foot of beating the 49ers to holding a celebration that I believe is still going on at this moment.

Oh yeah, Tony Romo played this game with a fractured rib. We’re not going to talk about that though because it doesn’t involve him humping Jessica Simpson. (But it should!)

6. The Buffalo Bills are all that’s right with America…or something like that

I have no idea if the Bills are any good, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is fun to watch and I can support the idea of the Oakland Raiders losing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eA7aQhdvF0[/youtube]

The Bills have more wins thus far this season than Lee Evans does. Chew on that.

7. Oklahoma was about as much better than Florida State as everyone thought they were

Why don’t my teams ever make plays like the one Sooners QB Landry Jones and WR Kenny Stills made the other night?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca3alwOeKb0[/youtube]