The College Football thread

“WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO

C'MON HEISMAN!!!!!”

“lol... I present the AP story on Brad Banks

Monday, December 9

Banks nabs AP Player of the Year honor

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Associated Press



For a guy who never started a college football game before this season, Iowa quarterback Brad Banks caught on pretty fast.

Not only did Banks become the nation's top-rated passer, he also led the Hawkeyes (11-1) back to national prominence and into the Fedex Orange Bowl.

"I can't imagine a better success story,'' Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Brad wasn't on anyone's radar screen in late August. But he improved every week, and played his best in our biggest games.''

Other than two fumbles in a loss to Iowa State, Banks was nearly perfect in No. 3 Iowa's winningest season ever. The miscues did nothing to take away from his sensational play, and Banks was chosen Monday as The Associated Press College Player of the Year.

"I'm kind of shocked to hear I've won this,'' said Banks, among the leading Heisman Trophy contenders. "I'm very happy the way the season went, and the way everyone on this team made Iowa a household name. I'm glad to play a part in all this.''

The 6-foot-1, 202-pound Banks received 24 votes in balloting by 71 members of the AP college football poll board, which includes representatives of newspapers, TV and radio stations. He edged Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer by three votes, with Miami running back Willis McGahee third with 10 votes.

Penn State running back Larry Johnson was fourth with six votes, Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey had five votes, and Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser had three votes.

Banks completed 155 of 258 passes for 2,369 yards, with 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also ran for 387 yards and five scores.

In the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, Banks will match passes with Palmer, who threw for 3,639 yards and 32 TDs. "Should be a great game,'' Banks said. "I'm really looking forward to it.''

Iowa and Ohio State were co-Big Ten champions, both with 8-0 league marks. It's the first league title for the Hawkeyes since 1990 and first time since 1922 the team went unbeaten in conference play.

Banks, a senior from Belle Glade, Fla., made his presence known in his first start. He threw first-quarter touchdown passes of 56 and 36 yards as the Hawkeyes rolled to a 57-21 win over Akron.

Two games later, Iowa and Banks got a taste of national exposure against Iowa State. It did not end well. Banks fumbled on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, allowing the Cyclones to rally from a 17-point halftime deficit for a 36-31 victory.

"We just fell apart for a little bit,'' Banks said. "Plays broke down, and I made mistakes. I think we learned from that game.''

Yes they did. Two games later, Iowa played at Penn State. And Banks was awesome, leading the Hawkeyes to a 35-13 third-quarter lead before the Lions staged a furious rally to force overtime.

But Banks settled down, threw a 6-yard TD pass in OT, and Iowa prevailed, 42-35.

"That showed me something,'' Ferentz said. "He kept his poise, and even though things were a little hairy, he came up with the play when he needed to.''

Up next was Purdue, perhaps Banks' defining game.

Iowa trailed 28-24 and had the ball with 2:16 left and no time outs. Banks calmly drove the Hawkeyes 87 yards for the winning touchdown -- a 7-yard pass to Dallas Clark on fourth down with 1:07 to go. Final score: Iowa 31, Purdue 28.

"I sprinted out to the left, and Dallas sneaked out and ran across the field away from me,'' Banks said. "Everyone was coming toward me, and I held the ball as long as I could before putting it up for Dallas.''

Ferentz said: "To win championships, you have to make plays like that. And that's what Brad has done all year.''

Banks found his way to Iowa two years ago almost by accident. Hawkeyes defensive line coach Ron Aiken was scouting another player at Hinds (Miss.) Community College when he found out about Banks.

"Their coach told Ron he had a kid that's being overlooked,'' Ferentz said. "Ron brought the tape back, and Brad was evaluated as the top quarterback who wanted to come here. We fell in love with what we saw.''

Before his two years in junior college, Banks spent a redshirt season at Central Florida, where he learned the art of dropback passing and ball release from coach Mike Kruczek and senior starter Daunte Culpepper.

"Having a chance to watch him every day for a year was a big help,'' Banks said.

Florida quarterback Rex Grossman was last year's AP Player of the Year.”

“Yep, Florida is THE recruiting capital of the world. Florida high schools manage to supply Florida, Florida State, and Miami every year as well as helping to fill the rosters of most every major team in the nation. Ya gotta love Florida.

SEC CHAMPS 13 – FLORIDA GATORS 20
Obviously the SEC won’t be well represented this year.

Bongo you are so right about rooting for god’s team. And as THE FOOTBALL GOD I expect you to be rooting for Florida.

Thanks for the post, hyway. Same format as last year. 28 bowls; assign 28 points to the team that you are most confident will win its bowl game. Assign numbers in descending order for every team you think will win its bowl down to 1 point for the team you are least confident in. In my case that would be Florida. I just can’t figure these boys out this year. If the good Florida team shows up, they will beat Michigan. If the bad Florida team shows up, they could lose to Rutgers.

Same as last year. For every bowl prediction you get right, you get the amount of points that you assigned to that team. We’ll add up all the points, and in the end, we’ll declare arclite the winner. Ooooops… I get ahead of myself. Since I am also the ALL-POWERFUL AND MAGNIFICENT BASKETBALL GOD, I must maintain a sense of humility.”

“How the mighty have fallen.”

“OK, folks, I've got an axe to grind again.
Did I not tell you that Kansas State gets no respect? They ended the season ranked 6th by some polls and 8th by the BCS.
Now, one would think that they would at least play a ranked team in a decent bowl. But NOOoooooo, they get the Holiday Bowl (again) against Arizona State, an unranked team.
Even though K-State is playing great football and barely lost the two games they did lose, they get snubbed. Who wants to watch the Holiday Bowl except for fans from Manhattan, KS? Nobody. The miracle is that Coach Snyder can recruit, and the @#%#$^$^ BCS is not helping much.
(Now, I hope K-State doesn't blow it in their bowl game)”

“but they almost guarantee us an easy 28 points”

“Polls may lie, Tilt, but victories don't. Your team is the SECOND BEST team in the eastern division...loooooser.

Two discrepancies folks:
12/30 Seattle- Wake Forest vs. Oregon
12/31 Silicon Valley- Georgia Tech. vs. Fresno St.”

“sorry arclite - I put too much faith in ESPN, CNNSI or whichever site I swiped the bowl list. I should have checked it before cutting and pasting.

Do I have to hike at the back of the line now?”

“post your pics arclite,,,,,some of us are waiting in the shadows at the chance to send you down in flames this year”

“oops,,that should be "picks"”

“Yeah, do not post your pics, Arc. If we wanted to scare ourselves, we would look you up on Phil's photo page.
I'm going to do a little studying, and consulting of the crystal ball before posting, this year. I have no doubt that my predictions will be the envy of one and all.
After all of the trash talk, I will be interested in seeing how the Big 12 fares compared to the other leagues.
How in the Heck did Florida State manage to get into the Sugar Bowl???? And you guys complain about Notre Dame!”

“I think that the Rose Bowl being played 3,000 miles east of LA is reason enough for the BCS to be dismantled.”

“are these the pics you were telling me about?

Coach Fran

A friend of mine just sent them to me, they are great! For those of you that love Alabama Football.. take a look!”

“I love it. Six weeks ago Bama fans were saying Coach Fran was the "Best D@mn coach in the Country".

This week, "Coach Fran Sux!"

So inconsistent.

Now take me for example. I always said Coach Fran Sux. That boys and girls is consistency!”

“stratdewd. are you coming to The Music City Bowl in Nashville to watch Arkansas beat Minn.
So far the SEC hasn't won a Music City Bowl game Yet. Every year the Big East team beat the SEC team.
Hope you turn it around this yr”

“He's a great coach, but he evidently sux as a human being. How's that for sounding like a lawyer and talking out of both sides of my mouth.

Miss Opie, different site but the same pics.”

“Give me a list of the possible canidates for the Alabama job.”

“What is the big deal about Coach Fran leaving Alabama after 2 yrs. Didn't Alabama lure him away from the college where he had only been there two yrs. Samething but different when it happens to Bama. Get over it you whiners”

“Way to jump in there Ewker!”

“lmao! Sort of like complaining when your mistress cheats on you. Right Ewker?”

“Mike Riley and Jim Leavitt are considered the two top candidates.

Fran was at TCU 3 years and has a history of doing this, always up. In most professions it is somewhat acceptable to move up. To most everyone, except UT fans, Bama is considered a step up. That is why there was little flak last time. Also, he at least bothered to inform his team in person. This time he convinced upper classman to stay for the stability of the program. They could have left without sitting out under normal NCAA rules. The penalites came down very hard and we didn't lose any incoming recruits either, because he was going to be here. Now it is too tough for him. That's where the anger comes from. The majority of the national media has been blasting him. This is a man whose whole philosophy is based on integrity and honesty. He wasn't very honest. That's where all this comes from too. Any more questions?”

“Is Leavitt that guy from South Florida?”

“Yes, he's going to make someone an excellent coach when he steps up to the big leagues. 8-3 and 9-2 in the first two years that the program was in DivI-A. He started the program from scratch.

Riley has an offer.”

“He wasn't very honest. That's where all this comes from too. Any more questions?"
dayhiker
08:16:18 AM
12/12/02

Yeah, one more question. How honest was Alabama with him about what was actually going on.

This thing with Albert Means isn't dead yet(so I have heard) so maybe he did the right thing by bailing.”

“We will gladly pay Bama to take Randy Sanders”

“Yes, he's going to make someone an excellent coach when he steps up to the big leagues. 8-3 and 9-2 in the first two years that the program was in DivI-A. He started the program from scratch.

Riley has an offer."
dayhiker
08:29:21 AM
12/12/02

University of Memphis said that about the coach they brought in from Southern Illinois the year after he won the I-A title.

Took him less than three years to crash and burn.”

“I might be waving at you from the Sugar Bowl, arclite.

looooooooooooooooooooooooser, LOL”

“Only time will tell but there sure is a lot of smoke in Memphis. I just saw where Leavitt is staying with the Bulls. So for Riley it’s between bama, UCLA, or staying with the Saints. I was very surprised yesterday when Riley mentioned that he would be staying with the Saint throughout the season regardless of his choices. The next 3 weeks are some of the most important recruiting opportunities that will be missed for bama and exploited by other SEC coaches.”

“Tennessee's football team will be spotlighted tonight (Thursday) on ''The Season,'' the ESPN documentary series which highlights a different college program each week.
Air time is midnight (EST), 11 p.m. (CST).

The show will focus on UT's preparation for the regular-season finale against Kentucky. Included will be candid interviews and a behind-the-scenes look at Thanksgiving week on The Hill.”

“Chili, I-A is the same division both of us are in.

I have no idea how honest they were with him. Bama was obviously caught off guard about the penalites. We offered 15 and no bowl and got 21 and 2 bowls. The guy supposedly leading us through all that actually sits on the infractions committee. You'd think he'd know what to offer and how to advise. All indications were that he was equally shocked.

The future of the Memphis thing is scary. Georgia and Arkansas have to be worried too. I still think it's poor taste to convince everyone to stay and then run yourself.

Word is that the Board of Trustees nixed the Leavitt deal. Supposedly, Riley accepted and then called back to ask for more time to think. Very scary. We're going to get stuck with a hs coach at the rate we're going.

trailhound, ESPN the season was great. My only complaint is that it's only 30 minutes. The one they did on Bama for the Georgia game was great.”

“IMO the idea Coach Fran was mislead as to what was coming from the NCAA was another excuse. He never intended to stay. Even after the first year at 8-4 he was testing the water to see what his value was. Mix that with a southern football culture that he could not imagine nor comprehended and you've got an unhappy coach. Of course, that’s why they make millions. Fran was a little scared of becoming a good coach that was never a coaching candidate stuck in a place culturally unfamiliar. In the long run bama is better off without him.”

“I certainly hope so. He did leave us with 15 commitments of the 18 schollies we have available. If we can just make a good hire now and get them back in the fold it shouldn't be too hard to get the final 3 and be done.”

“Folks are saying that WUMP 730 out of H'ville is reporting that Riley has declined the position. So who is next dayhiker?

Gosh, I sure miss the Nashville and Knoxville sport radio stations. Hey chili have you got your Peach Bowl tickets.”

“BTW Jason Swain WR from H'ville said he will be committing to his school of choice on Monday. I think UT's got him. Anyone seen this guy play?”

“There's Texas and then there's the South? I kinda thought Texas was in the South.
Hey, we wonder why the young athletes have no loyalty these days. It is a rare commodity among everyone from the president of the university on down.
Dayhiker, if you were a Kansas fan, you would be used to this treatment by now.”

“I heard he's UT bound also. He's supposed to really be something.

I have been hearing alot of conflicting reports about Riley.”

“dayhiker, I needed another "A" in there

by listening to Sports Radio every morning here in Memphis, I can say pretty clearly that the Means gift will keep on giving

can't make the Peach Bowl, trailhound as I have other plans”

“Well chili, it is Christmas.”

“I don't know guys. I think it's more like herpes.”

“OUCH! LMAO, Arky.
Hey, if you Bammy folks wouldn't have force fed that Kansan grits and chitlins every day, maybe he woulda stayed.”

“yeah arky, I am afraid every school that was involved in that fiasco will wind up getting burnt”

“Maybe Fran had too many difficulties with the alumni's integrity and honesty.”

“ouch”

“The verbal grenades are flying around. Footballpalooza participants, I have the group photos from the end of the trail. I'll try to get them on here in the next couple of days.”

“I finally found my camera from football palooza. When I came in from that trip I took the tent out and hung it from the hooks in the gear room. When I went to Tc2, I packed the tent. When I pitched it at Tc2, viola, in the inside pocket in the tent.....”

“Yeah, my dog used to eat my homework all the time back in high school.
Can you feel the love in here?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing both of you guys' pictures.”

“Hey, I was afraid that I had lost the "evidence" that I has hiked to Mirkwood with Dunadan!”

“Gator Bowl officials are reporting that they have less than 1500 tickets reamining for the New Year's Day game and are expecting to announce a sellout later today. The Wolfpack Club has sold around 25,000 tickets and that doesn't count the numbers bought through ticketmaster by Wolfpackers with a low priority in the Club, nor the tickets Wolfpackers will get from corporate sponsers if the Gator Bowl.

Originally, I had thought we would be a 2:1 minority as fans at the game, but now I think it will be evenly matched between Irish and Pack fans. A Green and Red stadium.

Let the mayhem begin.”

“Bring it!!!!!”

“Oh, we'll bring it. And we'll bring a bunch of our new recruits with us. It is a great time to be a Wolfpacker. We just got commitments from 5 players within the last week. We will have around five recruits who are graduating HS early and will enroll for the spring semester and will be practicing with the team while they are in Florida.

I can't wait till the bowl games start, even those scrub early games (like the one we were in last year :-))

Go Wolfpack!!!!”