Marking the 38th year of Tampa’s historic SEC versus Big Ten inter-conference match-up. This year LSU and Wisconsin were representing their respective conferences. With Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels opting to be a healthy scratch, LSU had an uphill battle in front of their players. Daniels is approaching an almost certain top 5 draft pick, so Garrett Nussmeier was under center for his first collegiate start.
Despite all the excitement and a Heisman Trophy winner on the sidelines, the parking lots were rather empty, and the fans were not as spirited as in years past. Perhaps it was the unseasonably cool 58* temp at kick-off, or maybe the fans just weren’t too fond of the rule, but the big party atmosphere the Reliaquest Bowl traditionally sees was gone.
LSU won the toss, and in a surprise move opted to receive. Staring from their 7-yard line is not where LSU wanted to be, but Nussmeier took the responsibility for this opening drive seriously. Leading off with a 9-yard pass to Malik Nabers, Nussmeier seemed ready to bring his A game. Unfortunately, the no-huddle shotgun he was running only took the team to the LSU 43 before they were forced to punt.
Almost as if he wanted to show the kid how it’s done, Wisconsin’s Tanner Mordecai ran his no-huddle shotgun offense. With a team who is already very in tune with his movements and option reads Wisconsin marched down the field 78 yards in just 5 plays and 2:15 off the clock.
Taking the early 7-0 lead, Mordecai looked brilliant as he aired it out to Will Pauling to drive down the field, and connected with Bryson Green to put the score on the board.
Trading three-and-outs, the teams seemed to have a bit of nerves after that opening touchdown. Then with just 23 seconds left in the quarter, Mordecai connected with Pauling at the Wisconsin 47, where he broke free and added an extra TD to the board to end the quarter.
The life had been visibly sucked out of the LSU sideline, with fabled mascot Mike doing his best to rally the crowd before the start of the second quarter.
The second quarter saw both teams yet again getting stuck at the midfield. It was as if the Bucs’ midfield woes from the day before had gotten stuck to the grass. After trading possessions, LSU drove down the field with a 60-yard, 8-play drive with a 1-yard run TD from John Emry Junior. Suddenly the crowd roared to life, and despite the small attendance the game suddenly had increased presence and a 14-7 score with Wisconsin up.
With a 28-yard return to the Wisconsin 31, the Badgers were in a solid position to make a real push to extend their lead before the half could close. Mordecai kept with the no-huddle shotgun, and once again found himself stuck at midfield.
Getting all the way down to the LSU 39, he couldn’t get past the 33 before they sent out Nathaniel Vakos to attempt a 51-yard field goal. Missing the uprights, LSU took over, and rammed the ball back down the field, going 67 yards in 7 plays for a TD to tie the game 14 all.
Wasting no time, Wisconsin answers back with a 5-play 75-yard TD of their own. Taking only 41 seconds to get down the field, three 15+ yard chunk plays accounted for most of the field progression.
Mordecai and Pauling connected yet again, this time for 9 yards, and ultimately with Vakos; extra point going up 21-14. With an interception on LSU at their 45 seemed to set Wisconsin up to add some spice to the board before the end of the half, but a series of failed runs ended with them turning the ball over on downs, and LSU kneeling to end the half.
Halftime this year featured a variety of High School marching bands working in sync. Their dedication to their craft is evident, and they performed on one of the biggest stages of college football flawlessly. Talking to security who have worked the Reliaquest Bowl for decades, they said it was one of the finest performances they had seen.
Wisconsin got the ball to start the third quarter, and Mordecai picked up right where he left off at the last score. Chipping away at the LSU defense, he chopped the ball up the field. Relying little on the rush all game, Josh Acker came to life and put up 6 yards for the first down, and then a 33-yard run for the touchdown. The 8-play 75-yard push gave Wisconsin a 28-14 lead.
Much like the last scoring drive, Nussmeier attacked the Wisconsin defense with a rhythm that was challenging Mordecai’s skill, and calling him out. Facing the same 75 yards from the endzone, he proceeded to cap off the 5-play drive with a 38-yard pass to Brian Thomas. Closing the gap, LSU took the score to 28-21. With a false start penalty essentially negating a great play from Mordecai and Burroughs, they ultimately ended up punting from their own 27.
LSU came storming back down the field, with Noah Cain getting the Tigers out to the dreaded midfield area. Once here, Nussmeier spread the love across his receivers, hitting Lacy, Williams, and finally connecting with Hilton for a 14-yard touchdown.
The play was heavily reviewed after loud complaints from Wisconsin fans who believed he didn’t get his foot down. Calling a timeout, Wisconsin got the play reviewed, but ultimately the call stood. Now 28-28 with 4:37 left in the quarter.
On an interesting choice in kickoff, Wisconsin ran the ball out to their 40-yard line. However, a personal foul on LSU took the ball to the LSU 45 to start the drive, and they turned that into a 36-yard bomb. Getting to the LSU 1-yard line, Mordecai was forced back to the 6-yard line on a failed QB sneak. Settling for a 3-yard field goal, the Badger fans were frustrated to end the quarter only up 31-28.
After flipping sides at the LSU 31, neither the Tigers nor Badgers could get any real offense going. Both sides seemed unable to string together completions or successful runs. Despite it being unseasonably cool, the sun had been bright all day, and the players certainly had it weighing on them as they played along.
Trading punts from midfield back and forth, it wasn’t until an LSU drive starting with 6:10 left to play with Williams yet again marching the ball down the field. Trimming down the clock, Nussmeier along with the LSU coaching staff commanded a genius 3-minute 8-play drive. Going 98 yards, the Tigers took the lead 35-28 thanks to a Nussmeier and Thomas pass.
Starting at the Wisconsin 31, the Badgers only had 3 minutes to play, and needed a big answer to have a shot at overtime. A 24-yard pass to Green had the Badger faithful excited for Mordecai’s push. Getting to the LSU 19, Mordecai seemed to have the perfect setup going.
Unfortunately, three consecutive sacks drove the team back from the 19 to the 42-yard line of LSU. Turning over the ball, Nussmeier was visibly emotional as he took a knee to end the game.
This was a legendary ReliaQuest Bowl. Combining for 773 yards, (395 LSU, 378 Wisconsin), Mordecai and Nussmeier set Bowl Game records, and going 31 of 45 for 395 and with 1 INT and no sacks, Nussmeier rightfully won the MVP vote. With the smaller crowd on hand for such a legendary moment, the LSU players were able to take in the moment and connect with their fans after the game.
Just seeing how dedicated these players are to the fans, proves that LSU is a college that has that indescribable quality that makes them a true powerhouse.
College Park, Md. — The Maryland Terrapins have beat the USF Bulls now two years in a row. Last year 24-17 on September 6th in Tampa and again yesterday in College Park, Maryland.
USF’s defense hauled in three interceptions and jumped out front early, but the Bulls were unable to grab their first Big Ten victory Saturday at Maryland.
Caleb Rowe threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns, and the Terps totaled 411 yards of offense in a 35-17 win over the Bulls at Byrd Stadium.
USF (1-2) got interceptions the first career interceptions from sophomores Devin Abraham and Deatrick Nichols and another from Jamie Byrd to mark the team’s most in a game since 2011. However, the Bulls failed to make plays that were available as USF passers combined to go 10-for-22 for 60 yards with several dropped passes. The Bulls also were penalized 10 times for 105 yards on the day.
“We gave up too many big plays on defense and on offense, when we had an opportunity to make a big play, we dropped the ball or had a penalty. I thought there were too many penalties that brought back some touchdowns for us,” head coach Willie Taggart said. “We just played sloppy football, undisciplined football – totally unexpected of our football team.”
Starting QB Quinton Flowers’ touchdown run helped cut USF’s deficit to 28-17 late in the third quarter before Maryland (2-1) forced its second turnover on a ball that went through a receivers hands and sealed the game with Rowe’s fourth TD pass.
USF totaled 240 yards on the ground and Flowers led all rushers with career highs of 85 yards on 24 attempts. Sophomore Marlon Mack (Sarasota) gained 71 yards on 12 carries and junior Darius Tice (Miami) added 42 yards on six attempts.
“We’ve just got a football team that’s gotta learn how to win,” Taggart said. “You can’t make those mistakes that we made if you’re trying to win those games.”
In its first-ever trip at College Park, USF started the game with a huge play by the defense. Abraham (Tarpon Springs) intercepted a pass on the third play of Maryland’s opening drive and returned it 42 yards to the Terps’ 4-yard line. Abraham’s first-career interception set the Bulls up for a quick score.
“I was just in the right spot at the right time and made a play,” Abraham said.
One play later, Flowers connected with Rodney Adams for a 4-yard touchdown with 12:40 remaining in the opening quarter. Adams, a junior from St. Petersburg, now has three career TD grabs after totaling two in his debut season with the Bulls in 2014.
Maryland responded on its second drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass by Rowe to Kenneth Goins with 8:44 left in the first quarter. Rowe helped the Terps take a 14-7 lead on the final play of the first quarter, when he threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Taivon Jacobs on third and long.
Despite the Maryland scores, the “Bull Sharks” stuck with it and pressure by the defensive line led to another turnover about 5 minutes into the second quarter.
Nichols (Miami) made his first-career interception on a deep pass attempt in USF territory and returned it to the Bulls’ 28-yard line. USF got 15 more yards on the play due to a penalty on Maryland backup running back Wes Brown, who was disqualified for targeting.
USF was unable to capitalize on the turnover after having a great chance at another score. Flowers’ on-target deep pass sailed through the hands of Adams as he was running into the end zone on third down.
USF chipped away at the deficit on its final full drive of the half thanks to a 34-yard field goal by Emilio Nadelman (Miami) with 59 seconds remaining. The Bulls converted two of their three third-down attempts on the 12-play, 64-yard drive that was highlighted by a 28-yard catch by D’Ernest Johnson (Immokalee) on a third-and-7 at the USF 23.
Maryland extended its lead to 21-10 before halftime with a 4-yard touchdown run by Brandon Ross 10 seconds before the break. The score was set up by a 49-yard pass by Rowe, who completed 12 of 20 attempts for 225 yards in the opening half. Maryland outgained USF, 317-133, in the first two quarters.
Rowe remained hot after the break and helped extend Maryland’s lead to 28-10 with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Avery Edwards less than 2 minutes into the action.
Maryland kept up its aggressive approach midway through the third quarter and it led to another takeaway by the Bulls. Lined up at the USF 31, Rowe’s pass was intercepted Byrd, who returned it 13 yards. The senior from Dade City has three interceptions as a Bull after tying for the team lead with two last season.
“We pride ourselves on taking the ball away and I got a chance to get a pick in Byrd Stadium, that’s a coincidence,” Byrd said.
USF followed up Byrd’s pick with a 17-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with a clutch play by Flowers. Facing a fourth-and-goal, the dual-threat QB surveyed the coverage and dove into the end zone on a 7-yard run with 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Flowers’ heads-up play capped off a drive that took 6:55 off the clock and it marked the sophomore’s second TD run of the season. Flowers posted his first-career scoring run from 29 yards out in the season opener against FAMU.
USF forced a three-and-out after Flowers’ touchdown run and Taggart inserted backup Steven Bench in an attempt to get the passing attack going. Bench (Bainbridge, Ga.) started with a 17-yard run and a 23-yard pass to Adams, but that play was called back after a personal foul on the Bulls. Benches third pass went through a receivers hands and was intercepted at midfield by Sean Davis, who returned it to the Bulls’ 17-yard line.
Maryland extended its lead to 35-17 with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Rowe to Edwards with 10:06 remaining.
“All week, coach (Tom) Allen preached to us that this kid could throw the ball. He could come out here and light it up,” Abraham said. “We had a couple mistakes and that’s exactly what he did; he took advantage of them.”
Flowers was back in on USF’s next drive and the sophomore from Miami finished 10-for-19 for 60 yards with an interception in the fourth start of his career. Johnson led the Bulls with 27 receiving yards on two catches.
Defensively, Byrd tied for the team high with nine tackles (five solo). Sophomore defensive tackle Deadrin Senat (Immokalee) posted a career-high in tackles for the second straight week, this time logging nine (seven solo) after posting eight at Florida State.
The Bulls have a bye week to rest up for their conference opener against Memphis on Friday, Oct. 2 at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Reserve your seats for USF-Memphis at USFBullsTix.com.
Earlier in the year I made my argument for the best conference in college football, the SEC. But with the arrival of March, we have to wonder, “Who is the best in college basketball?”
Is it the Big-East? A powerhouse conference that usually has the most tournament teams (they have 16 basketball schools this year) and has national champions every few years?
What about the ACC? Duke and North Carolina, enough said.
Is it the Big 12? Kansas is always good, but Kansas State has been much improved the last few years, plus Baylor and Missouri have been top-10 teams.
I say it’s none of these conferences. I may win homer of the year, but I’ll go with the conference of my Alma Mater, the B1G (Big-10) conference. The B1G has the highest conference RPI, two teams that have been untouchable at points and depth.
Starting with conference leader #5 Michigan State, (24-6, 13-4) who is the conference’s Rocky. Starting the year 0-2 with losses to Duke and North Carolina on an aircraft carrier, the Spartans bounced back strong winning its next 15 games before dropping to Northwestern in a Gus Johnson-called game. The Spartans didn’t play great out of conference (only ranked win was #22 Gonzaga) but has been a steady defensive team that works the boards and takes care of the ball. MSUs problem: the PG, Keith Appling, was a forward last year and the team lacks athleticism, although Draymond Green has been a beast down the stretch.
#11 Ohio State (24-6, 12-5) had an interesting season. The Buckeyes have wins as big as 13 over #8 Florida and 22 over #4 Duke, but losses as bad as unranked Illinois. Ohio State lost three of its last six including a narrow 75-73 win at Northwestern. This team is too inconsistent. Last year’s freshman of the Year Jared Sullinger has had his worst games of the year leading into March and the Buckeyes have been awful playing in a half court set. Plus, the lone senior, William Buford, has been M.I.A. for most of the season.
The School up North, #22 Michigan (22-8, 12-5), surprised a lot of people when they upset #8 Memphis in November and hung with #6 Duke to a close 82-75 loss. Led by sophomore, Tim Hardaway Jr., and freshman, Trey Burke (from Columbus, Ohio) the Wolverines have made noise in the B1G. Another inconsistent team, Michigan has wins as solid as that Memphis win and home wins over Ohio State and Michigan State, but losses as bad as Arkansas, Iowa and Purdue. Slow Burke down and put a hand in Hardaway’s face and this team has no answer.
The #15 Wisconsin Badgers (22-8, 11-6) have been consistent under Bo Ryan—slow the game down, play solid defense and don’t make mistakes. This team is incredible in the half court and nails three pointers. Its only bad loss was against Iowa and the best win was at Ohio State. A boring team, its leading scorer is Jordan Taylor averaging just 14.6 points per game. This team doesn’t have the offensive firepower capable of making a deep tournament run.
The best of the rest includes #20 Indiana (23-7, 10-7) who beat #1 Kentucky, #2 Ohio State and #5 Michigan State. Purdue (20-10, 10-7) has senior Robbie Hummel finally healthy and won at Michigan Feb. 25. Each of those teams are shoo-ins. Teams on the bubble include Iowa (16-14, 8-9), Northwestern (17-12, 7-10) and Illinois (17-13, 6-11). Minnesota (17-13, 5-12), Nebraska (12-16, 4-13) and Penn State (12-18, 4-13) have virtually no chance, although Minnesota beat #8 Indiana Nebraska beat #13 Indiana in the Hoosiers’ next game and Penn State beat #25 Illinois, to show you some depth.
The B1G could possibly have as many as eight or nine teams in the field, but I don’t see the national champion coming out of this conference. I think the B1G is the toughest conference to play in game-to-game, but I don’t think there is any one team in the conference that should be a favorite to win it all. Who knows, maybe each of the teams step it up in March.
No big surprise here. The Buckeyes return nine starters on offense and seven on defense from a team that dismantled Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Terrelle Pryor had his knee fixed up over the offseason, so he should be even more elusive and make opposing defenses look even more helpless. With depth all over, except left tackle, and standouts at the skill positions, this offense will be lethal. On D, Cameron Heywood anchors one of the best lines in the country. With all conference candidates littering this side of the ball, Tressel’s always good D should once again be one of the best in the country. Games at Iowa and Wisconsin could be potential road blocks to BCS title game appearance.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes could have been playing for the national title last year, had Ricky Stanzi not been injured. He is back and healthy and has a pounding running game led by Jewel Hampton. Adrian Clayborn leads what is possibly the league’s best defense, and they should be nearly impossible to run against. The rebuilt offensive line could be the only thing that keeps them from a perfect season; they only return four starters on offense, by the way. This team should wind up in a BCS bowl, but Iowa traditionally slips up where you least expect it. If they can clear the Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin gamut to start Big Ten play, that November 20 visit from Ohio State could be the game that decides the Big Ten Champ and possible title game representative.
Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers return their entire offensive line to block for John Clay, and lead the way for an offense that averaged over 200 yards rushing and receiving last year – one of only six teams in the country to do so. Now about that defense… If they can find a way to shore up a pass defense that allowed more bombs than the Middle East, then they might have a chance. I doubt it, though. Losing defensive leader O’Brien Schofield doesn’t help the cause. With some luck they might be able to sniff the conference crown, but they don’t have the D to play with the Bucks and Hawks, whom they face, back-to-back. Ouch!
Penn St. Nittnay Lions
Linebacker U lost their best LB, Navorro Bowmen; best DL, Jared Odrick; and first QB in school history to pass for over 3,000 yards, Daryll Clark, to the draft. That is a lot to replace, so asking them to compete for a conference title might be a little much, even with Evan Royster and the starting WRs returning. Sophomore Kevin Newsome currently leads the pack to replace Clark, but if they want to compete, a competent QB must be found. On a side note, Joe Pa had Lasik surgery in the off season, so Halloween mask sales in Happy Valley should be brisk. He probably got it done because when he looked at the schedule and saw, “at Alabama”, “at Iowa”, and “at Ohio State”, he must have thought his glasses were broken. Another 11-win season seems very unlikely.
Michigan St. Spartans
The always underachieving Sparty, look to get back on track in 2010. Their 6-7 record in 2009 was very disappointing. Former Cincinnati head coach and Spartan defensive coordinator, Mark Dantonio, should get the defense back on track with his rough and tumble hard-hitting style. LB Greg Jones surprised some by delaying his departure for the NFL and returning for his senior year. Sparty can’t compete with the big boys for a conference crown, but the experienced defense should be able to avoid the meltdowns that cost them some games. Six of their losses were very winnable games, after all. On offense, Junior Kirk Cousins returns at QB and he has an experienced WR core at his disposal. The running game will have to improve if Sparty wants anything better than eight wins.
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers look to build on their late season success. They won four of their last six, including a shocking 26-18 victory over Ohio State. Danny Hope takes over for Joe Tiller, and his first order of business is fixing a putrid run defense. They gave up 173 rushing yards per game while surrendering 29 ppg. You can see the problem when the offense averages 27.8 ppg. As usual the offense will score again in 2010 behind strong QB plays from Sophomore, Caleb TerBush, and strong running from Junior, Ralph Bolden, who looks to improve on his 4.7 YPC. Thanks to a weak schedule that features three MAC teams and avoids Ohio State and Penn State, Purdue fans can plan a winter vacation somewhere warm. That is, as long as they can avoid the GMAC bowl and another MAC team. Expect seven wins, maybe more, if they can pull an upset or two again.
Northwestern Wildcats
The Wildcats’ lost Senior QB, Mike Kafka – the clear team leader – to the NFL. Senior, Dan Persa assumes the QB responsibilities from Kafka. He has the entire offensive line returning, but they weren’t that great last year. If the wildcats have a chance Persa will have to be as quick on his feet as Kafka because they have a reliable, if unspectacular, stable of WRs and a do everything RB Drake Dunsmore. The defense also lost its best player in DE Corey Wooten. To compound the problem, they also lost three DBs to graduation, so the Big Ten teams that do have a passing game, could have a field day. The schedule is very week to start, and 5-0 is a very real possibility before Purdue visits in week six. Lose one of those first five and the season could be lost, because wins will be tough to find after that.
Michigan Wolverines
Will the Wolverines finally respond to Rich Rodriguez, or will they fail again and have to start all over again? They started strong with a 4-0 record and then finished a miserable 1-7. Anything short of a decent bowl, and Rich Rod is history. The Maize and Blue would be ecstatic with Lloyd Carr’s ‘disappointing 9-4 record. They return 15 starters and should be able to score with Tate Forcier under center. The question is, can they stop anybody? Looking at their schedule: they will have to avoid any upsets and better have a few of their own to avoid another 5-7 campaign, and a lowly two Big Ten wins. A bowl appearance may hinge on their final two games, Wisconsin, and then Rodriguez’s swan song in the Horse shoe.
Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers stay out of the basement with their pinball offense! The talent at the bottom of the Big Ten is severely lacking and anything out of them will be surprising. If anything, Hoosier games should be exciting, as they should be able to score on all but the elite defenses, namely Iowa and Ohio State. Problem is, most high school offenses would be able to score on the defense. An extremely light nonconference schedule gets them to four wins, maybe. Look to see more no-huddle offense due to elite speed at the skill positions, and Senior QB Ben Chappell under center. Their only shot at a conference win comes in week eight at Illinois.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Golden Gophers keep out of the basement by returning nine starters on offense, including senior signal-caller, Adam Weber. That means they have to get better, right? Last year they averaged just 21.6 ppg, 97 rushing yards, and a woeful 198 passing yards per game. So really, they can’t get any worse. The defense allowed a respectable 24.6 ppg in 2009, but returns only two starters. Repeating last year’s six victories isn’t going to happen. They have three, soft, non-league games they should win. Barring any major upsets, their lone shot at a Big Ten victory will come week 11 at Illinois.
Illinois Fightin' Illini
The good news for the Illini? They return 14 starters. The bad news? Those starters won just three games last year, and their three best players are now in the NFL. Ron Zook appears to be pinning his job on redshirt freshman, Nathan Scheelhaase. Junior RB Mikel, looks to improve on his 6.8 YPC, but he no longer has Guard, Jon Asamoah, road-grading for him. Opposing defenses no longer have to account for Juice Williams or Arrelious Benn, either. Eight starters return on a defense that is devoid of talent. The Illini better pray they can beat one of the directional Illinois squads or ‘the Zookster’ may be out with a big fat ZERO in the win column.
