Friday, August 17, 2007

Hurricane seasons begins


- Tropical Storm Erin rips through SE Texas and kills 7.

Tropical Storm Erin kills at least 7

08:23 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007

HOUSTON - Recovery efforts were in full swing early Friday as water-logged Texas dealt with the rainy remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, which authorities said could be a prelude to Hurricane Dean as it gathered strength in the Atlantic.

At least seven people died Thursday in Erin's thunderstorms, which dropped up to 10 inches of rain in parts of San Antonio and Houston. Officials throughout central and southern Texas braced for the possibility of more rain Friday morning. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service forecasts up to 7 inches of rain in West Texas on Friday.

"The ground's already saturated, then with the amount of rain we got today it's just running off and causing flash flooding, so if we get additional rain it will be a major concern for us," said Orlando Hernandez, emergency management coordinator for Bexar County, where San Antonio is located.

Dean, a Category 2 storm, appeared to be days away from the Gulf Coast, but officials were gearing up for the possibility of the season's most severe storm yet.

"It's so far out, but it's not too early to start preparing," said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry. "We have more notice than with Erin. We're glad for that especially since (Dean) is projected to bring some strength."

Dean's top sustained winds at 4 a.m. EDT were 100 mph, up from 75 mph a day earlier. Its center was in between St. Lucia and Martinique, two eastern Caribbean islands less than 50 miles apart, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving west at near 24 mph.

Overnight rain prompted the evacuation early Friday of three areas along the Medina River and Medina Lake in Bandera County, said Barbara Kincaid, a county dispatcher. About 50 people were evacuated from the Lake Hills subdivision on Medina Lake, she said. Most of the river evacuations were RVs parked along the river. There were no reports of injuries.

"We just had a tremendous amount of rain," Kincaid said. "All the rivers are swollen."

Weather officials were also closely monitoring possible flooding along the Cibolo Creek in Comal County and the Pedernales River in Johnson and Blanco counties, said Larry Eblen a meteorologist with the Austin-San Antonio office of the National Weather Service.

On Thursday, a man was swept away in San Antonio after apparently getting out of his vehicle in floodwater, a police spokeswoman said. Three people died in a head-on collision on a rainy highway in Comal County, but Department of Public Safety Trooper Rick Alvarez said the cause of the crash was still under investigation.

In Houston, two people died after the waterlogged roof of a storage unit outside a Houston grocery store collapsed, according to Houston fire and Harris County hospital officials.

A truck driver drowned in Harris County when his 18-wheeler went into a flooded retention pond, according to county's Office of Emergency Management.

Summer storms have poured record rainfall across Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, with floods killing 22 people since mid-June. One July storm dropped 17 inches of rain in 24 hours and brought Texas out of a more than decade-long drought.

The dangers of a slow-moving storm system are well known in Houston, where Tropical Storm Allison stalled for several days in 2001, soaking the flat, low-lying city. After passing Houston, it returned, dumping about 20 inches of rain in eight hours. About two dozen people died, most of the city was without power and entire neighborhoods were destroyed.

Still, state and local officials said Erin was a relatively calm rehearsal for the hurricane season.

"It was a good dry run. I hope it stays dry," Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett said after Erin had moved ashore as a tropical depression and largely spared the Gulf Coast city.

Houston-based Transocean Inc. said it was taking precautions to deal with the storms. The operator of the largest deepwater drilling rig fleet in U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico said Thursday it had evacuated 11 nonessential workers late Wednesday as a precaution. About 125 people remain on board the moored, semisubmersible rig about 160 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Shell Oil Co. evacuated 188 people this week from offshore facilities in Erin's path and said Thursday it was already monitoring Dean.

Hurricane specialists expect this year's Atlantic hurricane season -- June 1 to Nov. 30 -- to be busier than average, with as many as 16 tropical storms, nine of them strengthening into hurricanes. Ten tropical storms developed in the Atlantic last year, but only two made landfall in the United States.





- Financials News

- Fed cuts rates to help sagging market and credit crisis. The consumer's free-spending, credit-intensive habits are killing the markets..........

Fed cuts discount rate

08:44 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve approved a half-percentage point cut in its discount rate on loans to banks Friday, a dramatic move designed to stabilize financial markets roiled by a widening credit crisis.

The decision means that the discount rate, the interest rate that the Fed charges to make direct loans to banks, will be lowered to 5.75 percent, down from 6.25 percent.

The Fed did not change its target for the more important federal funds rate, which has remained at 5.25 percent for more than a year. The move was not expected to have an immediate impact on consumer borrowing, however.

However, it has been infusing billions of dollars in money into the banking system over the past week to keep that rate from rising above the target level.

In premarket trading, U.S. stock futures reversed previous declines after the Fed's announcement.

Private economists praised the action by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues, saying it should help steady jittery markets although many expect a cut in the federal funds rate to follow.

"This is fine for temporary relief, but I think they will still have to cut the funds rate because the markets will still be turbulent," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's in New York.

The move to cut the discount rate will not have a major impact on consumer interest rates in the way that cutting the federal funds rate triggers an immediate drop in banks' prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of consumer and business loans.

However, Friday's move was expected to help with a severe cash crunch facing many businesses, including mortgage companies, which are having trouble getting loans for short-term financing needs.

In a statement explaining the action, the Fed said that while incoming data suggest the economy is continuing to expand at a moderate pace, "the downside risks to growth have increased appreciably."

White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto declined to comment on the announcement but said, "We have full confidence in the Federal Reserve on these issues and respect their independence."

The Fed said it was "monitoring the situation and is prepared to act as needed to mitigate the adverse effects on the economy arising from the disruptions in financial markets."

The Fed said that "financial market conditions have deteriorated and tighter credit conditions and increased uncertainty have the potential to restrain economic growth going forward."

The cut in the discount rate was approved by the Fed's board, which controls this rate. However the policy statement policy announcement was approved unanimously by the Federal Open Market Committee, the larger group of Fed board members in Washington and Fed regional bank presidents who set the federal funds rate.

Economists saw that as a significant signal that the Fed stood ready to cut the funds rate, which has been at 5.25 percent since June 2006 when the Fed wrapped up a two-year rate tightening campaign aimed at slowing economic growth enough to keep inflation under control.

The discount rate covers only loans that the Fed makes directly to banks. By moving it to 5.75 percent, the Fed put it closer to the funds rate. The central bank also announced other technical changes to make it easier for banks to get discount loans, such as extending the time the credit will be supplied to up to 30 days.

The nation's once high-flying housing market is sinking deeper into gloom, and credit, the lifeblood of the economy, is drying up. Many economists believe these problems, including declining consumer confidence, could lead to a recession.

Since setting a record close of 14,000.41 just a month ago, the Dow Jones industrial average has shed 1,154.63 points in a string of triple-digit losing days that have raised anxiety levels not just on Wall Street but on Main Street as well.

The markets have been pummeled by a rapidly spreading credit crisis that began with rising defaults in subprime mortgages -- home loans made to people with weak credit histories. Now the problems are spreading to other borrowers.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the nation's largest mortgage banker, was forced to borrow $11.5 billion on Thursday so it could keep making home loans. It was a move that rattled investors who have watched a number of smaller mortgage companies go under because of credit problems.

The shockwaves have extended to giant Wall Street investment firms such as Goldman Sachs, which announced earlier this week that it was pumping $2 billion into one of its struggling hedge funds and was asking other investors put to put in another $1 billion. BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, last week froze three funds that had invested in the troubled U.S. mortgage market.

The Fed and other central banks already had infused the banking system with billions of dollars in an effort to keep short-term interest rates from surging and making credit even more difficult to obtain.

However, those billions did not calm investors worried about which big hedge fund or mortgage company will be the next to announce serious problems. For that reason, investors have become fearful to supply money through credit markets to companies even if they have strong credit records.




- Gas prices keep going down, unless you live downtown, where it's consistently 40 cents higher than the rest of the city. Bastards.

Texas gas prices keep falling 7:47 AM CT

08:29 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

IRVING, Texas - Retail gasoline prices continued to plummet across the state this week, according to a weekly survey.

Regular grade gasoline averaged $2.68 per gallon at self-serve pumps across the state, down 5 cents from last week, according to the weekly AAA Texas gasoline price survey released Friday. Nationally, regular self-serve prices fell by an average of 5 cents a gallon to $2.76.

The cheapest gas in Texas was in Corpus Christi, where regular self-serve prices fell by an average of a nickel a gallon to $2.54. The state's most expensive gas remained in Amarillo, where it fell a nickel a gallon to $2.83.

"During these summer months, gas prices have dropped in nine of the past 11 weeks," said auto club spokesman Paul Flaningan. "Despite a two-week spike in July, state prices are at their lowest levels of the summer so far, although they are more than 60 cents higher than they were in February of this year."

------

These are average per-gallon prices of regular, self-serve gasoline in Texas metro areas and the change from last week, according to today's Triple-A Texas Weekend Gas Watch:

Amarillo -- $2.826, down 4.9 cents

Austin-San Marcos -- $2.712, down 4.8 cents

Beaumont -- $2.650, down 5.5 cents

Corpus Christi -- $2.536, down 4.5 cents

Dallas -- $2.656, down 5.7 cents

El Paso -- $2.746, down 6.0 cents

Fort Worth -- $2.647, down 3.7 cents

Galveston-Texas City -- $2.658, down 3.9 cents

Houston -- $2.629, down 5.0 cents

San Antonio -- $2.696, down 4.3 cents

Texarkana (Texas only) -- $2.675, down 5.0 cents






- How is this possible? Southwest on pace to top American Airlines?

I've done my part to help Southwest. In the past year, I have flown 6 times I think. In 4 of those roundtrip flights, I have flown Southwest.

I enjoy the open seating, the free drink coupons I get in the mail, Love Field for its close proximity to me, its easy in-easy out nature, the lack of huge crowds like you get at DFW, the friendlier staff of Southwest (they actually want to help you), and of course the cheap fares. I'm a Southwest guy now.


Southwest on pace to top AA in traffic

08:04 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Southwest Airlines Co. is on pace to unseat American Airlines this year as the world's biggest airline, measured by passenger traffic.

The domestic-only discount carrier already has eclipsed American's combined domestic and international traffic during the first five months of 2007, according to a government tally released Thursday.

Southwest carried 40.3 million passengers on domestic routes between January and May, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year.

"We're thrilled to watch our customer base grow," said Brandy King, a Southwest spokewoman, who attributed the growth to the company's tradition of friendly customer service. "With so many airlines offering low fares, I think customer service makes all the difference in the world."

American, owned by AMR Corp., carried 40 million passengers during the January-May period, down 1.8 percent from last year's levels. American's international traffic for that five month period was 8.7 million, up 0.3 percent in the first five months; its domestic traffic of 31.3 million was down 2.4 percent.

Last year, Dallas-based Southwest was the No. 2 airline worldwide, according to International Air Transport Association passenger traffic statistics. It carried about 96.3 million passengers, ranking behind Fort Worth, Texas-based American, which carried about 100 million passengers.

American, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has been the top U.S. airline for the past five years, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Rounding out the top five were Delta Air Lines Inc., UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and Northwest Airlines Corp.

Overall passenger traffic on U.S. airlines in the first five months of the year was up 1.8 percent from last year, with 307.9 million total passengers.

In May, U.S. airlines carried 64.7 million passengers, up 0.4 percent from the same month last year.






- Rangers bullpen cracks, gives up 4 in the 8th to break a 2-2 tie. Rheinecker (who I lobby to get cut off the team) goes 7.1 IP with only 2 ER. Salty Dog continues to have some rough outings in the field. I'll live with them for now, while he's 22 and the team sucks. He'll improve, he's too talented not to. Rangers still take 2 of 3.

Sweep eludes Rangers in 6-2 loss to KC

12:14 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – Jarrod Saltalamacchia is going to the Instructional League to learn more subtleties of catching.

All the teaching he will receive and the drills he'll endure won't provide any better of a lesson than real big-league experience. He got some experience, the painful kind, in a 6-2 loss to Kansas City.

Saltalamacchia was a second late with a tag in Kansas City's four-run eighth inning. The go-ahead run scored on the play. The Royals added three more runs on a two-out, bases-loaded double.

As Saltalamacchia has been getting experience behind the plate, manager Ron Washington has acknowledged that sometimes the game still moves a little fast for the 22-year-old rookie. That seemed to be the case on Thursday.

With nobody out and runners on the corners, Mark Teahen bounced a ball to first base. Brad Wilkerson charged it, scooped and threw home in one motion. Saltalamacchia got out in front of the plate, but perhaps a half step too far. When he caught the ball, he seemed to catch it and then make a tag rather than doing it all in one motion. As a result, Mark Grudzielanek slid underneath the tag for the go-ahead run.

"I think maybe I tried to go out and get the ball a little bit," said Saltalamacchia, who said he's had only one or two tag plays at home since being called up. "I think the more experience you have, the more comfortable you feel making any kind of play. It's all about feeling comfortable back there."

Reliever Willie Eyre later allowed a two-out, bases-loaded double to account for the rest of Kansas City's big inning.

The Rangers believe Saltalamacchia's strongest position is catcher, and his handling of pitchers in his first four starts has impressed Washington. But he has only 24 major league starts behind the plate. Blocking home and making a sweeping tag is often an acquired art for a catcher. It's also fairly uncommon, so catchers don't get many opportunities to master it.

The Rangers hope his experience this season combined with the tutorial he'll receive in the instructional league will help him master the art.





- I guess we can scratch the thought of Carlos Zambrano coming to Arlington. Cubs lock him up.

Zambrano deal for five years, $90 million in Chicago
ESPN.com news services

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Carlos Zambrano isn't going anywhere.

Zambrano has signed a five-year contract extension valued at $90 million, ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting.

Zambrano and the Cubs have been negotiating since the beginning of the season, but the impending sale of the team by the Tribune Company put the deal on hold. Zambrano has had a solid season, and the value of the deal is approximate $10 million more than it would have been in April.






- Cards win again (2.5 back), Cubs win as well (0.5 back). Hold on to your hats.

Molina, Wainwright help Cards sweep Brewers
• Summary: Adam Wainwright gave up two hits in seven shutout innings and Yadier Molina put on a rare power display with two homers as the defending World Series champion Cardinals moved within 2½ games of the NL Central-leading Brewers by completing a three-game sweep with an 8-0 victory.

DeRosa's five hits, four RBIs lead Cubs' rout of Reds
• Summary: The Cubs used a seven-run explosion in the bottom of the seventh to distance themselves from the Reds and climb to within a half game of the first-place Brewers.

- Nebraska News/Notes



- Thursday Practice Report

Red Report: Lucky returns
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - 09:50:48 pm CDT
I-back Marlon Lucky, who had missed four practices after taking a shot to the head in a scrimmage last Saturday, returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis.

“Hopefully (today) he can be full-go,” running backs coach Randy Jordan said.

I-back Cody Glenn missed his sixth straight practice. The exact nature of Glenn’s injury remains somewhat of a mystery.

“I wish I knew,” Jordan said. “One minute I’m thinking it’s the hammy, one minute I think it’s the foot. I just know he’s banged up.”

Meanwhile, true freshman Prince Amukamara, projected as a cornerback, was catching passes out of the I-back position from backup quarterback Zac Lee after Thursday’s practice. Jordan, who supervised the drill, said to not read anything into it.

NUNN STRONGER: There’s a reason senior wide receiver Terrence Nunn looks a little bigger. It’s because he’s gained 16 pounds and now weighs 194.

“I feel a lot stronger. Coach K did an outstanding job with me during the summer,” Nunn said, referring to strength and conditioning coach Dave Kennedy.

“It helps me a lot, with blocking and running routes and staying stronger throughout the whole season.”

Nunn said the weight gain hasn’t affected his speed.

BY THE NUMBERS

60: Yards of longest field goal made in pre-practice by true freshman kicker Adi Kunalic. “With plenty of room to spare,” place-kicker Jake Wesch said.

Scouting report

Safety Bryan Wilson

Bryan Wilson, a senior from Granada Hills, Calif., has seen his playing time escalate in the last two seasons.

He hopes the pattern continues this year.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Wilson is working at strong safety behind projected starter Larry Asante. But because the Nebraska safety positions are generally interchangeable, Wilson figures to see ample playing time in a four-man rotation along with projected starting free safety Tierre Green and Green’s top backup, Rickey Thenarse.

Wilson transferred to NU in 2005 from Pierce College in Los Angeles.

“The first year here, I wasn’t in much,” Wilson said. “Last year, toward the end of the season, I got in on third downs in nickel packages. This year, competing for a starting job, and having a chance to start, it’s a great opportunity.”

Opponent watch: Colorado

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins has the edge in the starting quarterback race.

Coach Dan Hawkins, the quarterback’s father, said he might make an official announcement after evaluating Saturday’s scrimmage. The younger Hawkins is battling junior college transfer Nick Nelson.

The Buffaloes open their season Sept. 1 at home against Colorado State.





- National News/Notes


- Emmanuelle Moody of USC, by way of Coppell, has transferred out of SoCal. From the looks of my SI College Football Preview I got in the mail yesterday, I'd want out too. There are 6 top RB's vying for playing time out there. In fact, there's a picture of all them together, with SI wondering who's going to play. Not an ideal situation at all. All were HS All-Americans and highly regarded. Mack Brown has the private jet and sales pitch all ready to go..............

USC tailback Moody to transfer

'It's not the best fit for him,' says uncle of former Coppell star

06:26 PM CDT on Thursday, August 16, 2007
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
bgeorge@dallasnews.com

USC tailback Emmanuel Moody, the former Coppell standout and the Trojans' second-leading rusher last season, has been released from his scholarship and will transfer to another school, according to his uncle, Michael Chang.

Chang, Moody's father figure throughout his life, said he's talked to his nephew daily in recent weeks and said Moody decided he needed "a fresh start."

Chang said Moody met with USC coach Pete Carroll on Tuesday night and asked to be released and that USC signed off on the release Wednesday.

USC's tailback position was 10-deep coming into preseason practices. Moody is one of three Trojan tailbacks, however, who appear on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated's college football preview edition.

"It's not just competition, man. It's more than that," Chang said. "He's competing against California guys, and there is more than his inability to play on that football field. It's just not the best fit for him right now."

Moody could not immediately be reached for comment. According to a Los Angeles Times story, Moody said last week that he "felt forgotten" coming into preseason practices because of an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final four games last season and a hamstring injury that caused him to sit out almost all of spring practice. Chang said Moody also suffered a bruised upper thigh during the Trojans' scrimmage Sunday, causing him to miss practices earlier this week.

"Guys on the scout team last year were getting better looks than he was," Chang said. "To me, it was like, 'What is really going on?' "

Chang said Moody (6-1, 205), a sophomore who rushed for 459 yards and two touchdowns on 79 carries last season, would move back home to Coppell on Monday and begin his search for a new college. Wherever he picks, Moody will have to sit out a season because of NCAA Division I-A transfer rules.

"We're thinking about maybe closer to home, maybe a Texas school," Chang said, "But we're keeping our options open. We want to make a point that it's an open market right now."

As junior at Coppell, Moody orally committed to Texas in March 2005. He withdrew his commitment after making an official visit to USC in September 2005 and in January 2006, he committed to USC, a university he called his "dream school" all along.

Chang said, however, that Moody hasn't mentioned anything about possibly playing for the Longhorns.

"We haven't even thought about that," Chang said, "and Texas is probably the last thing on our mind right now."







- SI checks out the top RB duos in the nation. This could be one of the stronger years for RB's in a while. There's tons of talent out there.

Another thing to love about college football. While college basketball deals with early entries by their stars, and pro sports deals with expansion and watered down talent, college football always has star power, year after year. The talent level is always top notch.


1. Arkansas
Drawing comparisons to SEC greats such as Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker, Darren McFadden alone would be enough to make the Razorbacks backfield formidable. But it's Felix Jones -- the side dish to McFadden's entrée -- that turns it from formidable to feared.

McFadden ran for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman balloting behind Troy Smith last season, while Jones ran for 1,168 yards and six scores. The tandem Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie dubbed "Wind and Lightning" became the first Arkansas duo to break the 1,000-yard mark in the same season and finished 1-2 in the SEC in rushing.

"Arkansas has never had that caliber of a backfield like we have right now," Razorbacks' coach Houston Nutt said.

The mixture of McFadden's raw strength and speed and Jones' elusiveness has given an air of unpredictability with the "Wildcat" formation (or "WildHog" as they're calling it in Fayetteville these days), where McFadden lines up at quarterback and can either hand it off, run himself or throw (he threw for three TDs on nine passes in '06).

"Our players do get excited because they feel like something's going to happen when a coach calls for that formation," Nutt said.

It's a versatile backfield unlike any other in the country. Just take a look at the media's preseason picks for the all-SEC first-team: The Hogs duo filled both RB slots, with McFadden earning a unanimous selection.

1A. Clemson
They're dubbed "Thunder and Lightning," but as Bowden attests, Davis and Spiller's games are much more alike. "That's a nice little nickname, but they both got a little 'Lightning' and they both got a little 'Thunder,' " he said.

Davis, the "Thunder," and Spiller, the "Lightning," combined for 2,125 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground last year. While they finished with 710 yards less than the Razorbacks' duo, they had 106 less carries -- and seven more scores. That gives them somewhat equal billing on this list.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Davis led the way with 1,187 yards and 17 TDs, while Spiller (5-11, 190 pounds) ran for 938 yards and 10 scores, averaging an astounding 7.3 yards per carry.

The tandem is the centerpiece of the Tigers' offense, but don't expect to see them in the same backfield too often. Bowden expects to use Spiller, who had 1,415 all-purpose yards in '06, in a variety of ways, like Florida did with Percy Harvin.

"We'll have to be more creative because the natural reaction is to put them both in the backfield," Bowden said. "[But] if you put them both in the backfield, in say a split-back scenario, one's a blocker if the other one's running. What we have to do is be a little more creative in getting them on the field, maybe C.J. in the slot, maybe C.J. in quick-motion, maybe C.J. in a bubble screen as opposed to both of them in the backfield."

3. Texas A&M
Now, if you're talking truly polar opposites, there's no more fitting yin and yang than the Aggies' Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson.

"You got the strength and power of Jorvorskie and all of sudden you got the speed and elusiveness of Michael," Aggies coach Dennis Franchione said. "It kind of compliments each other, and we try and utilize it the best we can in certain situations."

Lane, at 6-foot, 268 pounds, is a wrecking ball, while the 6-foot, 197-pound Goodson brings game-breaking speed. The duo teamed up for 1,572 yards and 23 scores with each shouldering a different load. Goodson led the team with 847 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry to lead the Big 12, while Lane had 725 yards and a 4.4 yards-per-carry average to go along with his 19 touchdowns. He also delivered in short-yardage situations, earning a first-down or a TD on 26 of 29 carries on third or fourth down.

What makes them so effective is an understanding of their role on the team and a desire to pull for each other and deliver that perfect balance with Lane punishing the defenders, then Goodson sprinting past them.

"They're great team guys," Franchione said. "You call a play and one of them will say, 'That's my play' and you call the next play the other will say, 'That's my play.' They want to carry it all they can but they're as happy for the other one's success as you can ever ask for, too."

4. USC
Mind you, the '06 Trojans running game was the worst of Pete Carroll's tenure, but the talent in this crowded backfield will get things back on track.

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian expects a strong 1-2 punch to emerge out of the nine backs on the roster (second-leading rusher Emmanuel Moody reportedly transferred this week fearing playing time), though it has the feel of a running-back-by-committee. The leader of the group to start the season will be senior Chauncey Washington, who ran for a team-high 744 yards and nine TDs in an injury-plagued '06, though he'll get a push from C.J. Gable (434 yards, four scores). USC's biggest threat may be fantastic freshman Joe McKnight, who has created quite the buzz at practice. Little-used sophomores Allen Bradford and Stafon Johnson should also get carries.

The likely combo is a mix of Washington and Gable with a sprinkle of McKnight.

5. Oklahoma
Gone is one of the best backs in NCAA history. But, as we saw when Adrian Peterson was injured last season, they won't be hurting in the backfield in Norman this fall.

The Sooners return the two biggest contributors during Peterson's absence in senior Allen Patrick, who rushed for 761 yards and four touchdowns, and Chris Brown, a sophomore, who had 343 yards and six TDs. Those two probably would have been enough to make this one of the better tandems, but coach Bob Stoops may also have a budding star in redshirt freshman DeMarco Murray. Murray was the story of the spring for Oklahoma, registering 327 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries (11.3 yards per carry) in three spring scrimmages. He also happens to be the fastest guy on the team, running the 40 in 4.43 seconds. Murray's looking for time in the backfield, but he could also get some reps at receiver.

6. LSU
Alley Broussard has left the team, but the talent that remains will still be a nightmare for opponents.

Offensive coordinator Gary Crowton has said the Tigers will likely use a platoon at the position, something which was effective last season when they had five backs with at least 46 carries. The Tigers return the versatile Jacob Hester (457 yards and six TD on the ground and six TD catches last season) and speedsters in Keiland Williams (436 yards, five TDs in '06), Charles Scott (277 yards, five TDs) and redshirt freshman Richard Murphy, who may be the fastest back on the roster.

It's not a true tandem, but you can take your pick with this talented group.

7. Iowa
This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the most underrated duo in the nation.

Albert Young saw a major drop-off in an injury-plagued junior season, as he went from 1,334 yards in '05 to 779 yards last year. But Young is healthy and will team with Damian Sims, who stepped in during Young's absence and compiled 591 yards and six touchdowns last season.

They may not get the ink of other tandems on this list, but with third-year sophomore quarterback Jake Christensen stepping in as a first-time starter, the onus is on Young and Sims to carry the offense.

8. Boston College
You can't say the tandem of Callender and Whitworth doesn't know how to share. As sophomores, Whitworth had 189 carries, while Callender had 142. As juniors, Whitworth had the ball 174 times, Callender 146.

This highly underrated bruiser-speedster combo has indeed shared the spotlight, and while Whitworth has led the team in rushing the past two seasons (847 yards in '05, 837 in '06), it could be Callender who comes to the forefront with new coach Jeff Jagodzinski installing a zone-blocking scheme that favors the more elusive runner.

9. Georgia
If the spring is any indication, this group could finish the season much higher.

The Bulldogs return a somewhat disappointing duo in '06's leading rusher, 220-pound senior bruiser Kregg Lumpkin (798 yards, six touchdowns), and senior Thomas Brown, who had 256 yards and one score before tearing his ACL midway through the season.

But the guy who was the talk of this backfield during the spring should make it a major player. Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno, a 5-11, 207-pounder, ran for 68 yards and two scores on 11 carries during the G-Day game. He may windup as the featured runner by season's end, but in the mean time the brunt of the carries will go to chain-moving monster Lumpkin.

10. West Virginia
I know, I know, Noel Devine hasn't played a down of college football yet. But Devine has said coach Rich Rodriguez will use his 4.4 speed and explosive moves on kick returns, as a slot receiver -- and most importantly -- in the same backfield as Heisman candidate Steve Slaton.

Two factors hamper this duo's preseason standing: 1) The fact that Rodriguez will likely work to make Devine an all-purpose threat, making him more a combo WR/RB than just a runner; and 2) Pat White. The opportunity for Devine to carry the ball will be very limited with him fighting Slaton and the nation's top-running QB for touches. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers' duo vaults into the top four before season's end.

Ten Worth Mentioning
Auburn (Brad Lester and Ben Tate), Arizona State (Keegan Herring and Ryan Torain), Maryland (Ball, Lattimore), Michigan State (Jehuu Caulcrick, Javon Ringer), Miami (Fla.) (Graig Cooper and Javarris James), Navy (Adam Ballard and Reggie Campbell), North Carolina State (Toney Baker and Andre Brown), Oklahoma State (Dantrell Savage and Keith Toston), Oregon (Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson) and South Carolina (Cory Boyd and Mike Davis).






- TCU looking to sneak into BCS. Better get right at QB first. And maybe beat SMU.

Party crashers?
TCU hoping 2007 season ends with BCS berth

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- TCU won't be lacking for motivation this season.

Even before the chance to avenge back-to-back losses to Mountain West Conference foes BYU and Utah last year that spoiled what was still another 11-win season, the Horned Frogs have a series of emotion-filled games.

There's the opener against Baylor for the second year in a row, this time at home, and a trip to Texas to play the Longhorns for the first time since the final Southwest Conference season in 1995. And the Frogs play SMU for the first time since 2005, when they were upset by the Mustangs a week after winning at Oklahoma.

"For us, you've got small goals, like to be undefeated in Texas," coach Gary Patterson said. "We've got to get ourselves in position to understand we've got to come play and we've got to play early."

TCU won its first three games last season to extend the longest winning streak in Division I-A to 13, capped by knocking off another Big 12 bowl team in Texas Tech. But the Frogs followed that glorious moment by losing their first two MWC games.

"We need to really focus on Baylor and not worry so much about the rest of the season," tailback Aaron Brown said. "If we focus on Texas or SMU, or Air Force, and worry about all that, then Baylor will run right through us. Then it will be too late, and we'll be looking like we did when we lost to SMU."

That loss to SMU was the only blemish in 2005, when TCU made its MWC debut by going undefeated in conference play and still had to settle for a bowl game in Houston.

Last year, consecutive losses to BYU and Utah quickly ended any chance TCU had to defend that league title, though the Frogs rebounded to win eight straight games. A 37-7 rout of Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl capped their third 11-win season in four years.

"The past two years, we've had to learn lessons the hard way," defensive end Chase Ortiz said. "This year, we're trying to do the things that it takes to not let that little slip happen, and have an all-the-way-through successful season."

With All-MWC ends Tommy Blake and Ortiz back with seven other starters on a dominating defense, the Horned Frogs are heavily favored to win another MWC title. They are also considered a possible Bowl Championship Series contender if they survive the opening month.

The Frogs ranked among the top three nationally last season in rushing defense (61 yards per game), total defense (235 yards a game) and scoring defense (12.3 points per game). Only one team other than BYU or Utah scored more than 17 points against them.

Safety Marvin White, the team leader last season with 86 tackles and four interceptions, is gone. But 11 of the top 13 tacklers return.

While the Frogs should be able to stop other teams, they have to determine who will be handing or throwing the ball to Brown -- the team's top returning rusher (801 yards, nine TDs) and receiver (34 catches, 455 yards, one TD). The junior tailback was tabbed the MWC preseason offensive player of the year.

With record-setting quarterback Jeff Ballard gone, either sophomore Marcus Jackson or redshirt freshman Andy Dalton will start.

Jackson got some experience as Ballard's backup and threw two second-half TD passes in the season-opening victory at Baylor. While Dalton didn't play, he was at every game and was solid in preseason drills.

"We'll find out who has the best chemistry that makes everybody else better," Patterson said. "Both of them are very young, so that bodes well for down the road."

The plan is for Jackson and Dalton to both play in the first game, though Patterson said it won't be a rotation.

Regardless who is at quarterback, the Frogs are aiming high _ and having to prove themselves again.

They have one other source of inspiration from last season: Boise State, which came from the non-BCS Western Athletic Conference to finish 13-0 with a dramatic upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Plenty of people thought the Broncos should have been playing for the BCS championship.

"Boise State kept winning a lot of ball games and finally they got lucky enough, they hit the right cycle, the right place at the right time and it worked for them," Patterson said. "That's what we have to do. The only thing we can control is keep doing it, then someday it happens."



- The NoTex Rant Top 25

#25 - Missouri
#24 - Hawaii
#23 - Oklahoma St.
#22 - Alabama
#21 - Texas Tech
#20 - South Carolina
#19 - Boston College
#18 - Boise State
#17 - Rutgers


- #16 - Cal-Berkley
The Bears are counting on their money player to deliver


Ordinarily, the news that Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson had accepted money for his on-field performance would have NCAA investigators winging their way toward Berkeley. But fortunately for Jackson and the Bears, there's no prohibition against playing for pay when it's a family affair.

The first time cash changed hands was when DeSean was four years old and playing catch with his big brother Byron. When Byron noticed that little DeSean was having trouble holding on to his Nerf-ball tosses, he added a financial incentive, offering DeSean five dollars if he could hang on to the next throw. DeSean made the catch, and for the next three years, through DeSean's flag football career, it seemed that every time Byron put a five-spot on the table, his little brother's hands were made of glue.

Perhaps as soon as next year, Jackson will make far more than five dollars to catch footballs because he just might be the top receiver in the country and could jump to the NFL. But for at least one more season Jackson, a junior, will be Cal's money receiver, figuratively speaking. Last fall he caught 59 passes for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout season, but the feeling -- or fear -- around the Pac-10 is that Jackson could easily surpass those numbers this year.



In 2006 he was adjusting to new quarterback Nate Longshore, who had missed the previous season with a broken left leg. After a year together Jackson and Longshore are completely familiar with each other, which should make them even more dangerous. The presence of seniors Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan, an additional pair of productive receivers, will also help keep defenses from concentrating too heavily on Jackson. And with the departure of star tailback Marshawn Lynch (drafted 12th overall by the Buffalo Bills), Cal figures to throw the ball more often this season. "All the pieces are in place for us to have a big-time passing game," Jackson says. "There should be a lot of balls for everybody. I'm hoping I can add in a few big plays."

Cal is counting on more than a few, especially since Jackson, who has been timed at 4.3 seconds in the 40, can be just as dangerous when the ball is kicked to him. Of his seven touchdowns of 40 yards or longer last year, four were punt returns, of 95, 80, 72 and 65 yards. "The things that set him apart are his instincts and his vision," says Bears coach Jeff Tedford. "We just try to put him in as many different positions to use his gifts as we can."

Byron, a former San Jose State receiver, will be watching DeSean with a mixture of pride and relief. "Good thing I stopped paying him," Byron says, "or I'd be broke by now."




- Thank you Bob Sturm for alerting me to this guy.



- They've steadily gone downhill since their debut, but this song still holds up.



- The greatness of Bobcat Goldthwaite and that dude who makes the noises in Police Academy 4.



- Mahoney



- Funny stuff




- Picks O'the day

Yesterday - 1-1
YTD - 115-95

1) LA Angels +120/+130 - Hoping for a split of the doubleheader, so you take them in both games, hope they split and you're going to get paid +money in either game and end up coming out on top net-wise. Or if they sweep, you really win.
2) NYY/DET over 10 - These teams are going to score some runs this series
3) STL +130 - I'm hopping on board the Card's gambling bandwagon, until it gets derailed.
4) STL/CHI over 9 - It's Wrigley, of course there's going to be more than 9 runs scored.
5) PHI +120 - Philly has won 7 of 10. Their starter is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his last 3 starts.
6) ARIZ -145 - Arizona has won 7 of 10 as well, and Webb is putting together quite a streak of scoreless IP (33 and counting). He's 3-0 in his last 3 starts.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

CJ the Closer


- That's 6 for 6 in save ops so far for CJ Wilson. And Cowlishaw decides to celebrate by giving us this unfortunate column headline........

Wilson gives Rangers happy ending

So far in the lefty's closer tryout: six saves in six tries


04:14 AM CDT on Thursday, August 16, 2007

ARLINGTON – No one was more thrilled to see Eric Gagne show up in a Rangers uniform this spring than C. J. Wilson. And no one has taken better advantage of Gagne's exit to Boston than C. J. Wilson.

Wilson, the Rangers' free-spirited left-hander, loves to pick the brains of the game's great pitchers. It started when Jim Palmer walked into the Nordstrom's where Wilson was working at 17.

It continued this season with Gagne. Wilson tried to soak up all he could learn about becoming a successful pitcher, even changing to baggy pants in honor of the former Dodgers closer.

Then Gagne was dealt to Boston. And with Akinori Otsuka on the disabled list, the Rangers turned to Wilson as their closer by trial.

On July 31, Wilson recorded his first big league save. Including that night, the Rangers are 7-7 and Wilson has saved six games, including Wednesday's 4-3 win over Kansas City.

Wednesday was the first real dent we have seen in Wilson, and it wasn't much. Although he gave up two runs (one earned), they came via a bad-hop double over Michael Young's head and a single off of Wilson's glove by the speedy Joey Gathright.

Until Wednesday, Wilson's hitless streak had spanned nine games and 13 innings.

Wilson contends that pitching a scoreless ninth is no different from pitching a scoreless seventh – possibly even easier.

"It's not different for a pitcher, but it is different for a hitter," he said. "They're down to their last out. They're in a different mode. They're going to be more aggressive, maybe swing at a borderline pitch they would take earlier in the game."

They're swinging and missing at what Wilson's throwing right now. There aren't that many left-handed closers in baseball, and Wilson isn't there yet, but the necessity of finding a replacement for Gagne has produced a potential low-cost closer for 2008.

That's something Wilson figured he was going to become, anyway.

"They've talked about trying me as a closer before because they had no choice," Wilson said. "I ask them about it all the time. I talked to Buck [Showalter] about it last year."

Wilson then produced an off-season text message from general manager Jon Daniels he had saved. Wilson had – again – asked for a trial as closer.

"We're counting on you," Daniels wrote. "Don't [mess] it up."

He hasn't, and in some ways, it's no surprise. Wilson's a high-energy adrenaline pitcher, seemingly suited to ninth-inning drama.

"As a closer, you don't have a lifeline," Wilson said. "I like the high stress. It's the most extreme situation in our sport."

Wilson's free-spirited nature might seem at odds with the discipline required to be an effective closer. He's getting a Porsche and driving from Barcelona to Italy in the off-season. He has one of the most elaborate MySpace pages you are likely to find among Major League Baseball players.

But the reality is he's a serious student of the game who tirelessly studies video in the off-season.

No one knows where this will lead. For now, manager Ron Washington likes what he sees and doesn't hesitate to call on Wilson in the eighth inning, as he did in Tuesday's 5-3 win.

"He's throwing strikes, working fast, pounding the strike zone," Washington said. "That's what you need out of your bullpen."

Wilson wants the job to be his when the Rangers go to Arizona in February, but he is counting on nothing.

"Until someone walks over here and says, 'Hey, you're the closer,' I'm not," he said. "But my goal was to be a starter or a closer, someone who makes a big difference.

"There are guys that go about it different ways. In St. Louis, [Jason] Isringhausen has kind of made a career out of putting guys on and then working his way out of trouble. I'd prefer to be like [Mariano] Rivera and just blow hitters away."

Well, who wouldn't? But Wilson is passing his initial test. If that keeps up for six more weeks and the Rangers convince themselves to go with a low-cost closer for 2008, that would free up money to be spent elsewhere.

Center fielder Torii Hunter? Starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano?

Who knows?

But for Wilson, an emergency situation has produced an emergence. The job he has sought for two years is, for now, his. He's no longer unhittable, but he hasn't blown a save since getting the job.

Perfection out of the bullpen is something the Rangers can live with.






- Rangers hold on late, 4-3. A day after another disappointing Ranger, Kevin Millwood, strikes out 9, Vicente Padilla comes off the DL and strikes out 8.

Padilla a plus in Rangers' win


01:40 AM CDT on Thursday, August 16, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON – As usual, Vicente Padilla threw the Rangers a curve.

That it registered 80 mph on Wednesday was, by the club's estimation, a good thing.

In a 4-3 win over Kansas City, the unpredictable Padilla made his long-awaited return to the starting rotation and finally started throwing the hard breaking pitches that had been absent from his repertoire all year.

Even before Padilla went on the disabled list June 25 with triceps tendinitis, the only curveball he threw was a loopy lob that traveled in the high 60 mph range. While he struggled through a monthlong rehab at Double-A Frisco, Padilla didn't use the hard curve that made him a 15-game winner last year.

On Wednesday, though, Padilla – and the curveball – made their return. It resulted in five innings (he was limited to 80 pitches) in which Padilla allowed one unearned run and struck out eight batters. The eight strikeouts were a season high for Padilla.

"He threw some good, hard breaking balls tonight," manager Ron Washington said. "Hard breaking stuff that I hadn't seen."

The evidence of the breaking pitch was most evident toward the end of his evening. Trailing 1-0, Padilla allowed a leadoff double to Alex Gordon in the fifth. He responded by striking out the next three batters. The last pitch he threw in the inning, which also turned out to be the last one he threw for the evening, was a hard breaking ball to Tony Pena Jr.

Padilla's struggles were a significant part of the team's early slump. He went 0-4 in April, and the Rangers lost all six of his starts. The Rangers were 10-15 for the month. They went 2-4 in his six May starts on the way to falling as far as 19 games below .500.






- Nebraska News/Notes

- Slow day, no practice yesterday, so only a few items today.

- Missouri hoping to shut a lot of Nebraska fans out of their stadium this October. What's funny is, I see this same column in the preseason every year. Some school comes out with some sort of "Nebraska" rule on season or individual tickets so that Nebraska fans can't snatch as many up as they can. There's at least 2-3 opponents a year that adjust their ticket policies in order to not have their stadiums overtaken with red.

Memo to these schools, it never works. Nebraska fans are ridiculous, they'll pay whatever and go wherever to watch the game. So in the end, it's all wasted time by the AD's.


MU fans hope Huskers are shut out of tickets
By MIKE DEARMOND

T hat sea of red that has so often washed over Memorial Stadium when Nebraska plays a football game at Missouri may only be a relative puddle this year.

“For the first time in my life,” said Joe DeSimone, a gleeful Missouri fan from Lee’s Summit, “I think there are going to be fewer than 15,000 Nebraska fans at Faurot Field.”

Try no more than 8,000 according to some estimates for an Oct. 6 game that is — except for a few tickets being held back for Tiger Scholarship Fund and new season ticket holders — a sellout.

And according to DeSimone, Nebraska fans have only a few of their own number to blame.

Last week, some Nebraska fans flooded a Missouri internet Web site with messages. That ticked off DeSimone, a frequent poster on message boards.

“These arrogant Nebraska fans,” DeSimone said, “they think they’re so entitled to be great because they were once great.”

And so he personally mounted a campaign to help sell tickets to Missouri fans and to promote more MU fans to buy multiple tickets by joining the Tiger Scholarship Fund.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the MU ticket office and the TSF office were flooded by MU fans answering DeSimone’s call.

Just how many Cornhusker fans will eventually make it into Memorial Stadium on Oct. 6 is hard to pin down.

MU guaranteed a ticket allotment to Nebraska of only 3,850 tickets. Those have all been sold. At 5 p.m. Friday, 4,000 tickets went on sale via the internet, and DeSimone said he had been told that more than half of those tickets — all gone now — went to MU fans.

MU’s ticket office and the TSF fund are holding around 10,000 single-game tickets for late-buying season-ticket or TSF donors. Of that number, MU officials say that 7,000 would be for seating on the grass on the hill behind the north goal posts or in temporary bleachers on the North concourse.

Anticipating that most of those remaining seats are sold to MU fans, DeSimone positively cackles over the possibility that a game seen as key to winning the Big 12 North could possibly have 62,000 out of a projected 70,000 screaming for the Tigers and against the Cornhuskers.

Season-ticket rush

Vince Volpe, head of the TSF, told The Star that as of now, Missouri has sold “just a hair under 28,000 season tickets.

“And you’ll get 6,000 to 7,000, maybe even 8,000 more, once the students come back and get their tickets and the student sports passes,” Volpe said.

That would give MU a school-record season-ticket total of between 34,000 and 36,000 for the upcoming season.



- Another Touchdown Tommie Clip






- Steve Octavien is committed to kicking ass this year after 2 years filled with injury and unrealized potential. Like I've said earlier, Nebraska's defense should be top 25, but for it to get to higher levels, its only playmaker and biggest disruptive force must be heard from. He can take the defense to a whole other level if healthy.

NU's Octavien primed for big season

By Mike Babcock
sports.desk@theindependent.com


How's this for commitment? Steve Octavien prepared to prepare for his senior season at Nebraska. He went home to Naples, Fla., and trained to get ready for summer conditioning.

"Some guys go home and, yeh, they run. But they don't run as hard as they could," he said.

With Tim Butts watching, however, Octavien had no choice but to run and to lift as hard as he could. Butts, like Cornhusker strength coach Dave Kennedy, doesn't tolerate slackers.

So "there's no possible way I could cheat myself," said Octavien.

Butts coached at Lely High School, the offensive line for the football team and weight throws for the track and field team, when Octavien was a student there.

Octavien was state discus champion as a junior, with the 10th best throw in the nation. And at William Rainey Harper College in suburban Chicago he was the national Division III junior college discus champion as well as running on a champion 400-meter relay.

Butts also coached Octavien's sister, Dayanna, a three-time All-American in the discus and hammer throw at South Florida. She is training with Butts, who has since moved to Palmetto Ridge High (a new school in Naples), in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

In any case, Octavien went home in May, after the university's spring semester ended, and returned to Nebraska in June. He was able to focus on football because he needs only one class in the fall semester to complete a sociology degree and graduate in December.

"This was a lucky year," the weakside linebacker said.

Working out with Butts is "just like working out with Coach K (Kennedy)," Octavien said. "It's impossible not to get stronger. It's impossible not to work hard. They don't let you not work hard. If you don't work hard, you're not there. You're sweating after warm-ups, seriously.

"It's really intense training, so that's why I like going home."

Though hardly the only measure of the results, the 6-foot, 240-pound Octavien broke the Cornhuskers' bench-press record for linebackers, "455 (pounds) for two (reps)," he said.

"I'm going for the school record after the season. I'm pretty sure I can do that."

He never set out to break the linebackers' record, however. That wasn't his intention. "It was just doing Coach K's workouts," he said. "My weights kept going up, and I went after it one day."

That strength coupled with his speed makes him a force with which to be reckoned. Though he is a WILL linebacker by definition, he'll be used in other ways this season, in particular as a speed rusher off the edge. "There's a lot of variation, good flexibility, versatility," coach Bill Callahan said.

"I've been harping on that same message (to players). You've got to be versatile in this defense because we can plug you in just about anywhere to create the match-up we want."

Or mismatch, more accurately.

Bo Ruud, last season's starter on the weakside, was moved to the strongside in the spring, to replace the departed Stewart Bradley and take advantage of his abilities, according to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Kevin Cosgrove, making way for Octavien to step up at the weakside.

And Lance Brandenburgh, a fourth veteran linebacker, can be on the field when Octavien rushes on the edge in a 3-4 alignment. "I love rushing the passer and getting sacks, big hits, all that stuff," said Octavien, who has one career sack and six tackles for loss among 36 total tackles.

He wants to "show the NFL and whatever comes in the future," he said.

More importantly, however, he wants to show that even though ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore are gone to the NFL, "we can still get a good pass rush," he said.

Octavien has figured in the defensive scheme from the time he arrived. The problem has been injuries. He was lost for the season just seconds into the second quarter of the 2005 opener against Maine (he had already made four tackles) and he missed five games because of injury last season. In addition, he was injured his second season at William Rainey Harper and played in only four games.

He is healthy now, but doesn't take it for granted. "Accidents happen. You can get blindsided, anything. I don't even worry about it. I put that in the Lord's hands," he said.

"Whatever happens, happens. I just do whatever I can do, work my butt off, play hard physically and mentally, do everything I've got to do, so I have no regrets."

That's why he went home to Naples in May to train with Butts.




- National News/Notes


- ESPN's preseason Power 16 Poll. Once again, like for the past 5 years or so, the USC love fest has begun. In fact, there's even a headline stating, "Experts pick: USC vs. Who?".

Much like in 2005, when it was just a given that USC was the best team of all time (until they met In-Vinceable), I guess it's a given this year that they're the no-doubt National Champ. The love affair for USC just kills me. They'll have 2 losses at least, UCLA and Cal. Chalk it up.


1. USC | 2. LSU | 3. Texas | 4. West Virginia | 5. Michigan | 6. Oklahoma
7. Virginia Tech | 8. Florida | 9. Louisville |10. Wisconsin | 11. Georgia
12. Ohio State | 13. Penn State | 14. Cal | 15. Florida State | 16. Auburn



- And who else but ESPN to project all 80 bowl games 5 months in advance?

2007-08 Bowl Projections

(Matchup)
Ivan Maisel
Mark Schlabach
Allstate BCS Championship Game
USC vs. Oklahoma
USC vs. LSU
Allstate Sugar
LSU vs. Louisville
Florida vs. West Virginia
FedEx Orange
Virginia Tech vs. Florida
Virginia Tech vs. Wisconsin
Tostitos Fiesta
Wisconsin vs. TCU
Texas vs. Louisville
Rose Bowl presented by Citi
Michigan vs. Texas
Michigan vs. Oklahoma
GMAC
Tulsa vs. Western Michigan
Tulsa vs. Ball State
International
Toledo vs. Pittsburgh
Ohio vs. Pittsburgh
Capital One
Penn State vs. Georgia
Ohio State vs. Tennessee
Gator
Florida State vs. Rutgers
Florida State vs. Rutgers
Outback
Ohio State vs. Auburn
Penn State vs. Georgia
AT&T Cotton
Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
Roady's Humanitarian
Boise State vs. Wake Forest
Boise State vs. Wake Forest
Chick-fil-A
Maryland vs. Kentucky
Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina
Valero Alamo
Purdue vs. Missouri
Purdue vs. Missouri
Meineke Car Care
West Virginia vs. Clemson
South Florida vs. Clemson
Champs Sports
Miami vs. Iowa
Boston College vs. Iowa
Insight
Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
Oklahoma State vs. Indiana
Liberty
Southern Mississippi vs. Alabama
Southern Mississippi vs. Alabama
Brut Sun
Cal vs. Notre Dame
Washington State vs. Notre Dame
Gaylords Hotels Music City
Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee
Miami vs. Auburn
Texas
Kansas State vs. Houston
Texas Tech vs. UCF
Pacific Life Holiday
Oregon vs. Nebraska
California vs. Nebraska
PetroSun Independence
South Carolina vs. Texas Tech
Kentucky vs. Kansas State
Emerald Bowl
Arizona State vs. NC State
Oregon vs. Maryland
Motor City
Michigan State vs. Miami (Ohio)
Minnesota vs. Central Michigan
Sheraton Hawaii
Hawaii vs. UTEP
Hawaii vs. Houston
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Wyoming vs. Washington
BYU vs. Oregon State
New Mexico
New Mexico vs. Fresno State
Nevada vs. Wyoming
Papajohns.com
Memphis vs. South Florida
Marshall vs. Cincinnati
R&L Carriers New Orleans
Troy vs. Central Florida
Troy vs. East Carolina
Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas
UCLA vs. BYU
UCLA vs. TCU
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
Utah vs. Navy
Utah vs. Navy



- The NoTex Rant Top 25


#25 - Missouri
#24 - Hawaii
#23 - Oklahoma St.
#22 - Alabama
#21 - Texas Tech
#20 - South Carolina
#19 - Boston College
#18 - Boise State




- #17 - Rutgers

Alright, Rutgers, what can you do for an encore?
The program arrived last year winning 11 games and its first bowl game in 137 years of existence, but now it has to prove it wasn't a fluke. With substantial momentum and a loaded team returning, there doesn't appear to be any slowing down. However, as many before have found out, winning when it's expected is a whole lot tougher than it is to sneak up on everyone.

On a foundational level, Rutgers is building brick by brick with Greg Schiano as its unflappable mason. His decision to remain in New Jersey by spurning Miami and blowing off Alabama resonated even louder than the team's Texas Bowl victory last December. He cast his vote regarding the future of the program and his commitment to it, and recruits, particularly those local blue-chippers that never used to consider the Knights, are beginning to pay attention.

Not that there needs to be a major youth movement. Almost 70 percent of the roster last season had three or more years of eligibility remaining, including the one really, really big star, running back Ray Rice, along with starting quarterback Mike Teel and just about the entire second unit, some of whom will be starters this fall. If Teel is better and is a bigger part of the offense, the team could go from tremendous to truly special.

If last year was the breakthrough, this season should be what cements the program as a power. The Scarlet Knights have the impetus and the returning talent on both sides of the ball to land a third straight bowl invitation, moving further from their dark days, while adding to the swelling masses of believers. There's still time to get on board the bandwagon.

What to watch for on offense... While Rice will continue to be the focal point, Teel, with a season of experience behind him, is about to get the training wheels taken off. The junior struggled mightily throughout most of 2006, but made noticeable strides late in the season and will be throwing to Kenny Britt, Tim Brown and Tiquan Underwood, a trio with enormous upside. Don't expect this to be Air Rutgers; Rice will be the offense with Teel along for the ride when things start to get tight.

What to watch to watch for on defense... Rice and Schiano gobbled up most of the headlines, but without the play of the Knights' no-name defense, 11 wins could have easily turned into seven. As a whole, the unit isn't big, but it is extremely quick and aggressive, which translates into takeaways while doing a surprisingly good job against the run. The soul of the group is undersized tackle Eric Foster, whose knack for penetrating into the backfield is contagious and tone-setting. Courtney Greene and Ron Girault, arguably the Big East's best safety combo, fill the lanes instantly in run defense and should be rocks in pass coverage.

The team will be far better if... Teel evolves into more than just the guy that hands the ball off to Rice. The defense, running game and special teams are in good shape, but unless the quarterback can get those exciting, young receivers involved in the offense, contending for a conference crown comes off the table.

The Schedule: The schedule can't be used as an excuse if the team doesn't build on last year's breakout campaign with South Florida, West Virginia and Pitt all coming to New Jersey. The non-conference schedule is more than manageable with four of the games at home and the only challenge of the four (no offense to Navy) to come against Maryland. The one non-Big East road game is at Army; a layup if the team's head is on straight. In all there are only four games: going to Syracuse, Connecticut and Army before finishing up the year at Louisville. In other words, 11-0 is possible before the showdown against the Cardinals.

Best Offensive Player: Junior RB Ray Rice. In a sublime 2006, Rice made the leap from nice player to national phenomenon, slashing through defenses for 1,794 yards and 20 touchdowns, while turning into the national face on one of the year's biggest stories. Even without breakaway speed, he's got the right mix of vision, balance and cutting ability to always crank out positive yards.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DT Eric Foster. After sitting out 2005 with a knee injury, Foster blossomed into the physical and emotional leader of an underrated defense. At only 6-2 and 260, the defensive captain relies on a sudden burst off the snap and tremendous athleticism to embarrass plodding linemen and hunt down opposing backs and quarterbacks for negative yards.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore TE Craig McGovern. It'll either be McGovern, a Michigan State transfer, junior Kevin Brock, or redshirt freshmen Jessie Cisco and Jeff Minemyer, or a combination of the four, to replace three-time All-Big East star Clark Harris. All Harris did was catch 105 passes for 1,431 yards as the team's main safety valve. Now Mike Teel will have to find a new go-to guy in the clutch.

The season will be a success if ... Rutgers wins the Big East title and goes to the BCS. Last year was just a primer for what should be coming if everything works out as hoped. With South Florida, West Virginia and Pittsburgh all coming to Piscataway, only the season-ending showdown at Louisville should be able to screw things up if RU can hold serve at home. Schiano has built enough of a monster that beating the Cardinals can be expected, too.

Key game: Nov. 29 at Louisville. Of course, if the Scarlet Knights don't beat West Virginia, South Florida and Pitt, and the other Big East teams, the battle in Louisville won't mean nearly as much, but if they win the games they're likely going to be expected to, the late-November date could be for even more than just the conference championship.

2006 Fun Stats:

First half scoring: Rutgers 204 — Opponents 89
Sacks: Rutgers 41 for 259 yards — Opponents 8 for 62 yards
Average yards per carry: Rutgers 4.7 — Opponents 2.9


Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Team Information
Head coach: Greg Schiano
7th year: 30-41
Returning Lettermen: 36
Lettermen Lost: 21

Ten Best Players
1. RB Ray Rice, Jr.
2. DT Eric Foster, Sr.
3. OT Pedro Sosa, Sr.
4. OT Jeremy Zuttah, Sr.
5. S Courtney Greene, Jr.
6. PK Jeremy Ito, Sr.
7. DE Jamaal Westerman, Jr.
8. S Ron Girault, Sr.
9. WR Kenny Britt, Soph.
10. LB Brandon Renkart, Sr.

2007 Schedule
Aug. 30 Buffalo
Sept. 7 Navy
Sept. 15 Norfolk State
Sept. 29 Maryland
Oct. 6 Cincinnati
Oct. 13 at Syracuse
Oct. 18 South Florida
Oct. 27 West Virginia
Nov. 3 at Connecticut
Nov. 9 at Army
Nov. 17 Pitt
Nov. 29 at Louisville






- And this is what makes the fall so great. The start of the football, hockey, basketball seasons, and baseball pennant races. St. Louis was left for dead a few months ago, SI even wrote an full research piece detailing just how far the World Series champs had fallen.

Now they're charging hard up the standings, only 3.5 games back of fading Milwaukee (Well).

With the Cardinals, Brewers, and Cubs all separated by 3.5 games in the NL Central, Detroit and Cleveland locked in a battle for the AL Central title, with Seattle only 3 back of the Angels, with the Yankees coming on strong after Boston, and the other divisions all within 3 games of 1st and 2nd place, this could be a great last 1.5 months of the season.

Watch out for the Champs....


Cards drop struggling Brewers for 4th straight W

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals' deal for Joel Pineiro didn't make much of a ripple at the trade deadline, but it's beginning to look like a key move that could help push the team back into contention in the National League Central.

Pineiro, who was acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on July 31, gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings as the Cardinals beat the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on Wednesday night.

"When your starting pitching is out there shutting guys down, everybody thinks, 'Hey, we've got something going here. We've got a chance to win,'" Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

Albert Pujols hit his 275th career home run and Scott Rolen had his ninth career four-hit game as the Cardinals closed to within 3½ games of the division-leading Brewers. St. Louis remains in third place in the NL Central but will go for a three-game sweep of Milwaukee on Thursday.




- Picks O'the day

Yesterday - 1-1
YTD - 114-94

1) LA Angels -120 - LAA is 15-7 in Escobar's starts and has a 1.71 ERA in his last 3 starts.
2) NYY -160 - Mussina is 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA in his last 3 starts. Detroit is tanking.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Classic Simpsons (Today's blog below)

- Back when the Simpsons were good.

- Hockey episode




- Stonecutters


- Misc.


- Springfield Film Festival


- McBain




- Homer


- Monorail


- Chief Wiggum


- Lionel Hutz


Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Cuban's Big Idea


- Not sure how this could get done, much would have to be worked out. But in theory, it's a brilliant idea.

The subprime market is in shambles. The housing bubble has burst, lenders are getting burned (they only have themselves to blame by the way) because debtors are unable to pay their mortgages. And these debtors are people who have very low credit scores, and probably were in no position to take on mortgages, but with lenders very liberal in their lending procedures back in the years of the housing boom, they were able to secure these loans. Not good.

Mark Cuban to the rescue........


Solution for the Real Estate Market ? Take Your House Public ?
Aug 13th 2007 10:42AM

I'm far far from being a financial genius. i try to get partners who run the numbers and deal with details. My business strength is in understanding where technology is going (in the areas I pay attention to), what the business applications of that technology are and most importantly, how to sell them.

Thats a polite way of saying that I'm not a details guy.

I mention this because as they say, "The Devil is in the Details", and I have no idea how to make happen what I'm about to propose. Nor do I know if there are specific laws or common sense "rules of the marketplace" that make this idea just plain stupid. Who knows. What I do know is that I'm curious about whether this would work and there is no better way to open an idea to criticism or support than by posting it on my blog. So here goes.

In the residential real estate world, the concept of buying a house is simple. You pick the house, negotiate a price, then agree to a payment arrangement.

The payment arrangement options are pretty straightforward.

You can pay for it with cash.
You can borrow money to pay for whatever amount that you cant or choose not to pay on the house. The payment terms are then set between you and the lender

This has worked well for a long time. A successful purchase of the house can be quickly defined as being able to make the payments you have committed to make, under the terms you have agreed to, until the house is paid off, all while gaining the utility of living in the house.

The problem with this approach is that when things go wrong and you can't make the payments the "solutions" are very binary.
1. You find a way to make your lender happy.
2. Your house is sold in an effort to satisfy your debt to the lender.

The binary nature of residential real estate financing also lends itself to being an attractive market for "sharks". We dont call the houses we live in "assets", we call them homes. They are very personal and important to us. Which in turn clouds our judgement. People who are at risk of losing their homes get desperate and take measures that aren't necessarily in their best interests just to save their homes and their families from grief.

There has to be a better way to protect homebuyers on the downside.

Lets contrast the financing process of individual homebuyers with funding in the business world. Businesses have any number of ways of raising capital for corporate purposes but they basically can be boiled down to two:

They can raise money via debt.

They can raise money via equity sale.

Debt resolution in the business world is just as binary as it is in residential real estate. If you can't pay the debt, you get foreclosed on and everyone probably goes home unhappy.

Which is exactly why , rather than borrowing money, most startups and growing businesses turn to the equity sale of some percentage of their company to raise capital. Need confirmation of this ? Look at the number of bonds available on national exchanges vs the number of stocks for sale on exchanges . The number of stocks is far greater than bonds and thats on the listed exchanges. Throw in the OTC and Pink Sheet markets and the numbers dwarf debt offerings even more dramatically.

Which leads to the question of...

Why can't home owners sell some percentage of equity in their homes on a listed exchange ? Why can't I
"Take My House Public ?"

Why not create a market or exchange where homeowners can sell equity in their homes ?

The rules could be very eimple
1. The house is appraised by a company approved by the exchange that lists the houses.
2. "Shares" are set with a Par Value of 10pct of the appraised value. For a 100k dollar house, there are 10 shares potentially available. However at no point in time can more than 40pct of the "shares" in a home be sold. We dont want the opportunity for "hostile takeovers"
3. The price of the shares will of course be set by the market. In a hot market it will be set above par, in a tough market like today, it will sell below Par.
4. All Proceeds from the sale of shares MUST be used to pay down any debt on the home.

This is the key element of this approach. By selling equity in a home, the buyer gets an asset based security that will move up and down with the market. If this market is big enough, there should be enough liquidity to move in and out of positions.

The seller receives cash that can be used to pay down the debt and thereby reduce his/her monthly payments. The seller loses a part of the upside if the market for the home improves and prices go up, but thats a small price to pay for not going into foreclosure.

Beyond creating liquidity options for individuals in the housing market, which i think is a good thing, I think this will also reduce the volatility in the market. Despite the best efforts of the residential Real Estate industry, no one ever really knows what their house is worth until you try to sell it. This exchange listing approach will certainly make for better information available for the market, which in turn will also reduce the volatility.

It will also increase the options of homeowners who have paid off their homes to acquire capital for personal uses. If a homeowner has completely paid off his/her home and wants to raise money for whatever purpose, a vacation, a car, education, whatever, rather than taking on debt , they could get their home appraised, have the
option of selling equity in my home that I would not be obligated to pay back. An option that would create a significant flow of capital back into the hands of consumers

How can this actually come together ?

It wouldn't be easy. It would probably take the country's biggest banks working together to create an exchange that develops the public market for home equity one city or region at a time. They would have to identify a means to safely set values so that Post IPO price the share pricing was stable. There would have to be provisions set for what happened when a home was sold. Shareholders would have to be paid their share of the salesprice upon closing.

There are thousands of things that i haven't thought of that would make or break this idea, but I think at its most basic, the concept is sound. However one thing I am sure of, this approach would reduce the Boom Bust cycles of residential real estate and the dramatic impact they have on our economy




- Related news - Existing home sales to hit a new 5 year low. This news coming out just as the Dow dips below 13,000. Rough times on Wall St.

AP
Home Sales Fall Nearly 11 Percent in 2Q
Wednesday August 15, 10:18 am ET
Existing Home Sales Fall by Nearly 11 Percent in Second Quarter, Home Prices Drop


WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. existing home sales fell nearly 11 percent in the second quarter from last year's levels as the residential real estate market's slump continued, an industry group said Wednesday.

The National Association of Realtors said existing homes sold at a annual rate of 5.91 million homes in the second quarter, down from a pace of 6.63 million in the quarter a year ago.

Nationwide median home prices dropped 1.5 percent to $223,800 from $227,100 in the same quarter last year. The median price is the point at which half the homes sold for more and half for less.

However, the real estate agents' trade group saw encouraging price trends in many metropolitan areas. In more than 60 percent of 149 metro areas around the country, median prices increased from last year's levels.

The Salt Lake City and Binghamton, N.Y. areas actually had price gains of nearly 20 percent for single-family homes, while the Elmira, N.Y. and Melbourne, FL areas had price declines of 15 percent or more.

The report comes comes as delinquencies among borrowers with weak, or subprime, credit have risen dramatically over the past year, and other loans are showing weakness as well. Lenders have dramatically tightened their borrowing standards amid fears that delinquencies will rise further.

"Although home prices are relatively flat, more metro areas are showing price gains with general improvement since bottoming-out in the fourth quarter of 2006," Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said in a statement. "Recent mortgage disruptions will hold back sales temporarily, but the fundamental momentum clearly suggests stabilizing price trends in many local markets."

The San Francisco Bay Area was the most expensive region of the country, with median prices of $865,000 for San Jose and $846,000 for San Francisco.

Last week, the Realtors trade group lowered its monthly sales forecast, predicting that home sales will hit a five-year low this year. The revised forecast calls for existing home sales of 6.04 million in 2007, down 6.8 percent from last year. This year's sales would be the lowest since 2002, when sales hit 5.63 million.






- Nebraska News/Notes

- A very good 2007 preview

Big 12 Football Preview '07: Nebraska


Jeff AdamsPosted Aug 10th 2007 7:00AM by Jeff Adams
Filed under: Nebraska Football, Big 12
Ah, Big 12 North. We had to include at least one contender from the Big 12's minor league division. An editorial vote, therefore, resulted in Nebraska's inclusion here. The Huskers are my labor of love and source of both joy and pain on Saturday's in the fall. Is a double digit win total too much to ask for?

WHY THEY'LL WIN
Continued progress is the party line in Lincoln. The Huskers have seen their win count jump from 5, to 8 and finally 9 victories during Bill Callahan's tenure. That's no minor feat given the renovation job Callahan faced. Complacency among the previous coaching staff led to poor talent evaluation and a series of modest recruiting classes. Consequently, Callahan inherited a mish-mash of power-option square pegs seeking solace in the round hole of his West Coast Offense. But from the ashes of the option has risen a dynamic, albeit inconsistent offensive attack. Nebraska finished in the Top 20 nationally in both total offense and scoring offense a year ago. The Huskers lost a heartbreaker at home to Texas and fell 17-14 to Auburn in a closely fought Cotton Bowl. Turn those results around and you're likely looking at the Huskers as a preseason Top 10 team this year.

As 2007 kicks off, Husker Nation is buzzing about the debut of former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller. Keller might be the most talented passing quarterback to play at Nebraska since Vince Ferragamo, another transfer from the west coast, pitched the pigskin around the plains in the mid-1970s. Although he'll have just one year to prove himself, Keller should have all of the tools to run the Cornhuskers' offense to its fullest potential. His physically less-gifted predecessor, Zac Taylor - who was recruited by the likes of Marshall and Memphis out of junior college – left as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. That's a tribute not only to Callahan's NFL-style offensive system, but also to his ability to get the best out of his signal callers.

An often-overlooked and perhaps even more valuable factor is the off-season promotion of Shawn Watson to offensive coordinator. Unlike previous offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, who left for UCLA, Watson brings a wealth of experience to the job in Lincoln. Watson ran Colorado's West Coast Offense for six years under Gary Barnett. During that time the Buffaloes displayed prodigious rushing and passing attacks on their way to four Big 12 North titles. With a new, experienced and trusted set of eyes on the field, the Nebraska offense could reach another level in 2007.

WHY THEY'LL LOSE

For all of the progress Nebraska's offense has shown, they still appear hamstrung at times by Callahan's playcalling and game management decisions. Against USC, Callahan was criticized for his ultra-conservative, keep the game close approach. More vexing, however, was his decision to run three wide toss-sweeps when facing 3rd-and-short against a group of linebackers that run from sideline-to-sideline as well as unit any in the country. Sure, the first one actually worked, picking up the first down, but the next two were absolutely stuffed netting a ridiculous –8 total yards. Exhibit B – Nebraska leads Texas 20-19 with under two minutes remaining and faces a 3rd-and-3. All Nebraska needs is a first down to run out the clock and preserve the upset. Now is the perfect time that toss-sweep, which had already been successful on 3rd down earlier in the game. Even if it fails, you simply punt and force Texas to drive 50 yards with no timeouts remaining for the game winning field goal. Instead, Callahan calls a play-action pass, which Terrence Nunn catches for the first down, but then unfortunately fumbles away to the Longhorns. So, yeah, there's that.

Defensively Nebraska must replace its entire defensive line from a year ago. That includes a pair of defensive ends in Adam "I must break you" Carriker and Jay Moore who were drafted in the first and fourth rounds of the NFL Draft. Barry Turner is being looked upon to take center stage in 2007 at one DE position. He's showed flashes of brilliance during the past two seasons, but must prove he can line up on every down. Turner unfortunately missed valuable practice time in the spring following shoulder surgery. Ndamukong Suh will anchor the line at one of the tackle spots and might actually be the best player on the defense. Finding someone to line up next to him will be a major task during fall camp. The wildcard might be Ty Steinkuhler who can play inside or out and has displayed an impressive motor in a reserve role. Ultimately, the group vying to replace the departures along the front four is heavy on potential, but light on experience. The bottom line is that a team rarely gets better by losing players like Carriker and Moore, along with defensive tackles Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer.

HOW TO BEAT THEM

It sounds trite, but stop the run. Bill Callahan's West Coast Offense is built upon balance, but he generally favors a run-first approach. As evidence, the Huskers ran the ball 143 more times than they threw it a year ago. When the ground game is successful, Nebraska usually wins. In their nine wins in 2006, the Huskers averaged 4.69 yards per carry. In their five losses they averaged just 3.10, and that number is heavily inflated by a 5.28 yard per carry average against Oklahoma State in a game that saw a second half implosion from the Blackshirt defense. Stopping the run might be less challenging in 2007 with the early departure of running back Brandon Jackson to the NFL. Marlon Lucky will look to take his place in a fulltime capacity this season. Unfortunately, Lucky experienced curious medical issues during the offseason and has failed to live up to his recruitment hype. Cody Glenn will also get a shot as a power runner, but he too, has been slowed by injuries.

Nebraska's pass defense was neither stellar, nor awful in 2006, ranking 36th nationally in passing efficiency defense. But the one glaring weakness against the pass was an extreme susceptibility to the double move. Teams on Nebraska's schedule used this pattern time and time again with huge results against the Big Red a year ago. And while much of the team's struggles can be traced to the loss of NFL prospect Zackary Bowman during fall drills, Andre Jones and Cortney Grixby (pictured at right) showed only marginal improvement against the double move as the season wore on. Fortunately Nebraska's corners will be far more experienced in 2007 and Bowman should return from a torn patellar tendon by conference play. Combine this with improved safety play and the Blackshirts could be less susceptible to big plays from receivers utilizing the double move this year.

HOW TO LOSE TO THEM

Give up big yardage on first down. One of the basic tenents of Callahan's offense is staying on schedule with regards to down and distance. Give up five or six yards on first down and the Husker offense becomes less predictable and more dangerous. Consider that in Nebraska's nine wins a year ago the offense gained four or more yards on 47% of their first downs. In their five losses, the Huskers gained four or more yards on just 39% of their first downs. That might not seem like a huge difference, until you look at what happens on third down. In Nebraska's wins they converted 53% of their third downs. In contrast, the Huskers third down conversion rate was just 33% in their five losses. When opponents give up big yardage on first down, they open themselves up to a collection of middle screens, shovel passes and trick plays that had all kinds of success for Nebraska a year ago.

Get caught up in the smoke and mirrors. Nebraska's offense features a dizzying array of pre-snap shifts and motions, and at times resembles a square dance in pads. These movements are especially prevalent during Callahan's script as he examines how the defense will react. Rarely does the pre-snap activity seem to amount to much. But fail to react properly to a shift or motion and find yourself misaligned, and Callahan's quarterbacks can hurt you.

PROGNOSIS

Expectations are always sky-high in Husker Nation, but with the talent Callahan has brought to Lincoln, fans are definitely counting on marked improvement. But with the way the schedule sets up in 2007, they may have to settle for another small step, rather than a large leap back into the nation's elite. Barring an upset against #1 ranked USC in week in three (and that's not entirely unimaginable) the Huskers will start the year 2-1. They'll likely be 4-1 heading into a huge road battle at Missouri. That game will not only help decide the Big 12 North race, but could also set the tone for the rest of the season. Nebraska then gets two of its three Big 12 South foes at home in Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Winning at Texas will be another challenge, for the Huskers who have struggled on the road during Callahan's tenure. Ultimately 10-2 is not out of the question, nor is 11-1 with some home-cooked magic against USC or a stolen victory in Austin. But anything less than a split in games Missouri and Texas could mean 9-3 and a second place finish in the Big 12 North






- USA Today's preview

Big 12 preview: Nebraska's plans on track

To Bill Callahan's east, there is Charlie Weis. Three seasons into his tenure at Notre Dame, he and the Irish own a couple of Bowl Championship Series appearances.
To Callahan's south, there's Urban Meyer. A national champion in just his second year at Florida.

To the west … well, let's not even get into Pete Carroll and the juggernaut that is Southern California.

At Nebraska, Callahan's three years as coach have produced considerably less flash and dash. There's progress — from a five-win debut in 2004 to eight wins in '05 to nine a year ago — but there's also an 0-5 record against top 10-ranked opponents and just one win against a team ranked anywhere by season's end. That was against Pittsburgh in '04, when the Panthers missed the cut in the final USA TODAY coaches' poll but squeezed in at No. 25 in the Associated Press media rankings.

Callahan is unapologetic. He's not a quick-fix guy. "If you look at our first three years … I think we've been right on schedule. We've been right on track," he says. "The challenge this year is to maintain and improve that.

"I think, collectively, we're very close to the team we want to be. We're on the verge — we're on the cusp of doing some great things."

The degree to which Nebraska's rabid fan base shares his patience is uncertain. A program that owns five national championships has gone nine years without so much as a league title, by far its longest drought since the pre-Bob Devaney days of the '50s and early '60s. Nebraska hasn't seen the top 10 since October 2003.

At Big 12 rival Oklahoma, Bob Stoops won a national championship after the 2000 season and has played for the title twice since. He and the Sooners rolled past Nebraska in the 2006 Big 12 title game.

Callahan appears secure, however. Nebraska athletics director Steve Pederson just got a five-year contract extension, and Callahan is his hire. The school expanded Memorial Stadium by more than 6,500 seats last season, and the Huskers still had no problem extending their NCAA-record string of sellouts to 282. More than 25,000 fans followed them to USC, where they fell 28-10 in September.

If a signature win still is missing, it hasn't been beyond reach. The Huskers played capably at USC. They led Texas until the final half-minute a month later, losing 22-20 on a short field goal. They lost to Auburn by a field goal in the Cotton Bowl.

"We've been banging around with the big guys, the big dogs," says middle linebacker Corey McKeon, a senior and the cornerstone of the Blackshirts defense, "and now this is the year we start beating them. You look at everything. We've got the schedule. This is the year to do it."

Certainly, there is opportunity. Nebraska opens Sept. 1 vs. Nevada, travels next to Wake Forest, then gets a showcase matchup at home with No. 1 USC.

The Big 12 North remains winnable, the Huskers needing an early-October victory at Missouri to set up a run at another berth in the league title game. Progress, of course, means winning it, something a North team has done just once 2001.

"We see anything less than winning the Big 12 as a disappointment. (That) and having a shot at a BCS bowl," says Bo Ruud, another senior linebacker. "If you said we'd do exactly what we did last year, it would be a disappointment to us even though, for a lot of teams in the country, that would be a good year. Us, we're setting higher goals."

Nebraska must replace 10 offensive and defensive starters from a team that finished 9-5 a year ago, including quarterback Zac Taylor, Brandon Jackson, who ran for nearly 1,000 yards, and the entire defensive line. Callahan has recruited impressively, though, and there is talent to plug in. Behind the retooled defensive line, McKeon, Ruud and the rest of the linebacking corps are among the nation's best.

The Huskers' West Coast offense, which put up nearly 31 points a game a year ago, features a veteran line, two backs —Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn— who ran for a combined 1,098 yards and 14 touchdowns last year and an intriguing new QB in Sam Keller. Officially, Keller is battling fourth-year junior Joe Ganz for the starting job. Unofficially, he has been the heir apparent since he transferred from Arizona State last August, stung by then-ASU coach Dirk Koetter's decision to start somebody else after Keller had passed for 2,165 yards and 20 TDs in seven games as a junior. A ligament tear in his right thumb ended his 2005 season early.

Productive as he was at Arizona State, the 6-4, 240-pound senior says, "I expect to play better" at Nebraska. "I've got the game experience. And I've had all this extra time to fine-tune things, to watch film, to throw with the wideouts, to work out. I'm as big and as strong as I've ever been. … All the gears are aligned."

Missouri, not Nebraska, was the choice to win the North, but Callahan says he pays that little mind, just as he says he discounts suggestions that, in Year 4 of his tenure, a division title is a mere appetizer. "I don't personally talk to the staff … about Year 4 and start pounding the table and screaming and yelling," he says. "Everybody understands. You want to improve. It's about consistency, and it's about elevating your performance. That's our goal."





- More man-love for Sam Keller.

NU Football: Huskers get older, wiser Keller
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

LINCOLN — Nearly one year removed from his high-profile jump from Arizona State to Nebraska, quarterback Sam Keller can definitively state one thing that's come from delaying his senior season and the potential start of an NFL career.

Keller believes he has hit a new high under the tutelage of NU coach Bill Callahan and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson.

"I think the teaching I've gotten from these two coaches has been instrumental in how much better I've become as a quarterback," Keller said. "I watch myself on film and I think I've become a lot better."

Until stated otherwise, Keller unofficially is trying to shake Joe Ganz in the race to become the Huskers' starting quarterback. Any announcement could still be almost two weeks away.

But Keller spoke Tuesday of being a more complete package than when he left ASU last Aug. 20 and resurfaced at NU three days later.

I'm gaining a wealth of knowledge that you just can't trade in for anything," Keller said. "It's been real special."

So much for wondering if rustiness might be a problem for the quarterback who hasn't played since October 2005. Keller said a bigger factor is that he's a year older, wiser and more mature, and benefiting from knowing a whole new system.

"I think this offense just gives you a chance to be a lot better," he said. "One of the things I was good at (at ASU) was making throws and being aggressive, and I could put up big numbers. In this offense, Coach Callahan and Coach Watson have taught me to be a good manager of the offense — check the ball down, take throws, take what the defense gives you.

"If you put those two things together, and then put that with experience, a little bit of age and some leadership, then you've got a good mix of things to lead the offense."

Both Keller and Ganz said Tuesday that they've performed well through the first 10 days of preseason camp. The practice repetitions continue to come at about a 50-50 split.

Because the West Coast offense is predicated more on ball control than taking chances, Keller said he has realized the importance of his completion rate being in the 65 to 70 percent range. In 19 career games at Arizona State, eight as a starter, his completion percentage was 58.2.

"Everybody has a bad throw here and there, and I have a couple bad throws here and there sprinkled in," he said. "But as far as consistency, I'm right around 70 percent with completions in camp. I don't feel like I've had any real mental lapses.

"I think I'm handling things well. I'm really picking the stuff up fast. Being in the driver's seat is where I like to be."

Keller said the quarterback competition comes down to who can manage the offense better. Each has been confident and comfortable in carrying that out, according to teammates.

Some might see Ganz as the long shot, but the junior hasn't allowed that to stop him from competing.

"Most people don't think I'm going to win this job, so I'm really kind of the underdog," Ganz said. "I don't feel a lot of pressure. I think that Sam would have more pressure than I would.

"I'm just relaxed and going out there and just trying to have fun. I've had three years of being nervous coming out here. Now it's time for me to have fun and go play football."

Watson said the Husker staff will let Keller and Ganz keep slugging it out.

"They've really competed," he said. "Every day they keep pushing each other, and you see their level of play go up. We've got a real good quarterback situation."



- Bits and pieces from camp so far

Camp Chatter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Not seen: Nebraska took a break from full contact after incorporating scrimmage time into its most recent practices. Although the team is in full pads, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said hitting was kept to "high and hard" with nobody being taken to the ground.

• Heard: "Every once in a while somebody goes down with heat, but then after they cool him down, we get them back. The heat is our big issue right now, but we're doing good," Watson said during another hot and humid day in Lincoln.

• Stock rising: I-back Major Culbert becomes increasingly valuable on offense the longer Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn sit out. The former safety has a jump on the position after working at I-back in Cotton Bowl preparations and spring practice.

• Up next: The Huskers hit the 10-day mark when preseason camp continues today.








- Let the Tropical Storm season officially begin.

Tropical storm watch issued for Texas coast

07:49 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 15, 2007

HARLINGEN, Texas - Rescue workers were activated in southern Texas in preparation for heavy rain expected to accompany a tropical depression slowly churning its way through the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.

The fifth depression of the Atlantic hurricane season formed late Tuesday and was expected to become a tropical storm before making landfall in Texas on Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.

At 8 a.m. EDT, the depression was centered 275 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, and about 310 miles east of La Pesca, Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving to the west-northwest at around 13 mph.

Its maximum sustained wind speeds were near 30 mph, and forecasters said it was expected to strengthen. If its wind speeds reach the 39-mph threshold for a tropical storm, it would be named Erin.

The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for the Texas coast from Freeport, south of Houston, southward to the border. The government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch for the northwest coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.

A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

Gov. Rick Perry said he was sending emergency vehicles and personnel to southern Texas in advance of the weather system.

"Because storms have saturated much of our state this summer, many communities in this storm's projected path are at high risk of dangerous flash flooding," Perry said in a statement hours before the tropical storm watch was issued.

He said he was sending 30 vehicles and 60 Texas National Guard members to Weslaco and San Antonio, was activating three helicopter rescue swimmer teams and was putting six teams on standby. Volunteer organizations were being prepared to provide mass care support.

National Weather Service forecaster Tim Speece said the system could bring heavy rains as far north as Victoria and as far inland as the Hill Country.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dean got a little stronger late Tuesday in the Atlantic but remained far from land early Wednesday, forecasters said.

At 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 1,170 miles east of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. It had top sustained winds of 50 mph, up from 40 mph on Tuesday. Some strengthening was expected within the next day.

Dean was moving over increasingly warmer waters, where atmospheric conditions could create a favorable environment for intensification into a hurricane by Friday, forecasters said. It was cruising west at about 18 mph. Forecasters said it was too early to tell where Dean will go.

Hurricanes have sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

Hurricane forecasters expect this year's Atlantic hurricane season to be busier than average. Last week, they said as many as 16 tropical storms were likely to form, with nine strengthening into hurricanes.

The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but August typically marks the start of the most active period. Ten tropical storms developed in the Atlantic last year, but only two made landfall in the United States.






- A P.J. Brown sighting in Phoenix

Or maybe it was Elvis.

A nice guy at KSAZ-TV (Channel 10), the Fox affiliate in Phoenix, answered the phone at 11:26 p.m. Arizona time and did his best to answer a question from Dallas. Yes, the station reported that P.J. Brown was in town Tuesday, talking about a deal with Phoenix GM Steve Kerr. (Sorry, no link).

That would be news for a couple of reasons. Brown's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Monday that no visits were planned when asked directly. Tuesday, Bartelstein said that Brown might take longer than this week to decide his future.






- Rangers top pick and their #1 D-bag signs. I hope he pans out and am hoping good things for him for the Rangers' sake, but that doesn't mean I have to stop disliking him.

Rangers sign their top pick Beavan

Rangers' first-round pick from Irving bound for Instructional League in Arizona

ARLINGTON – No wonder Blake Beavan sounded relaxed as he began a round of golf Tuesday afternoon.

The Irving right-handed pitcher and Rangers first-round pick was just hours away from signing with the club. The announcement was made official in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Royals.

"It feels great," said Beavan, who will receive a signing bonus of about $1.5 million. "We finally got the deal done, and now it's time to move on and soak it all in and then start my job. It's very exciting. I'm ready to go out and play and face some hitters instead of throwing bullpens.

"I want to go out there and help the team out and work on things and try to pursue a major league career."

The Rangers had until 11 p.m. today to sign Beavan, taken 17th overall in the June draft. Negotiations with Beavan's agent, Alan Hendricks, picked up the last few days. Beavan had a physical with the Rangers medical staff Monday, and general manager Jon Daniels had expressed optimism a deal would get done.

No other contract details were released, but under the Major League Baseball "slotting" system to limit bonuses, Beavan was supposed to fall at just over $1.4 million.

Beavan will go to Arizona on Thursday and start a strength-and-conditioning program designed by the club. He'll play in the Instructional League in Arizona later this year.

The Rangers' representatives went to Beavan's house and had him sign the contract during the game. That's one advantage of drafting a hometown player.

Beavan said the report of Rick Porcello's four-year, $7.285 million deal with Detroit, put together by agent Scott Boras, did not affect his negotiations. Porcello, a right-handed pitcher, dropped to Detroit at 27th overall because teams were worried about how much it would cost to sign him.

"If he gets that money, good for him," Beavan said earlier Tuesday. "I'm not trying to get anywhere close to what he's asking for. I'm asking for what I deserve."

Beavan felt like he got that. He said he will focus on making his slider better each year and getting his change-up to being a dominant third pitch. Beavan wouldn't handicap when he might arrive in the majors, saying only that he wasn't in a rush.

"I expected that we'd get him signed," Daniels said. "I'm happy that he's under contract and this part is behind us and he can focus on getting ready to start his career."

Signing Beavan more than 24 hours in advance means Texas can concentrate on its remaining unsigned picks today.

Daniels said some of the Rangers' picks – he wouldn't specify which ones – already had physicals. That's important because the club must agree to terms and the player has to pass a physical before tonight's deadline. That allows negotiations to go to the final minute if necessary.

Daniels and his staff are busy talking with agents of their top picks. Daniels is optimistic about signing right-handed pitcher Neil Ramirez, the 44th overall pick. He remains hopeful on outfielder Julio Borbon, selected 35th overall and represented by Boras.

Fourth-round pick Garrett Nash, an outfielder from Utah, won't get signed. He told the team after the draft that he'd decided to go to Oregon State. The Rangers continue to negotiate with fifth-round pick John Gast, a left-handed pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. If he signs, it will be above slot, something the Rangers knew when they selected him. Gast dropped in the draft because of the surgery.

"What I wanted to do was have them all signed by July 15 and have them out playing," Daniels said. "But at this point, we're about as far along as we can be given the circumstances."

If the Rangers don't sign Borbon or Ramirez by tonight, the club would get a compensation pick in 2008.

The clock is ticking.

"We love deadlines in this industry," Daniels said. "Everybody responds to them. I'm hopeful that next year, organizationally speaking, we're going to try harder to get deals done earlier."






- Kevin Millwood finally puts it all together for 1 game. 7 IP, 9 K's, 1 ER. Now that's Ace material. Finally.

Battery energizes Rangers' win


01:10 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 15, 2007
By RICHARD DURRETT / The Dallas Morning News
rdurrett@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – Two Rangers batterymates took important steps toward redemption in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Kansas City.

Kevin Millwood, who hasn't looked like an ace for much of the season, put together his best outing in a month. He allowed one earned run in seven innings with nine strikeouts and one walk. Maybe it's a sign he's figured out how to fix the problem with his mechanics.

Millwood settled down after giving up a run in the first. He retired 12 consecutive batters at one point. He threw 102 pitches in seven innings. Millwood pitched from the first-base side of the rubber in his last start and did it again Tuesday. He said it allows him to free his arm up and stay more accurate.

"It felt good getting used to the adjustments each time," Millwood said. "I'm locating the ball better and it is helping the breaking ball. I felt like I threw the ball where I wanted to. I kept them off balance."

Millwood allowed two unearned runs in the sixth thanks to two errors on the same play by first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The 22-year-old couldn't field a ground ball that probably would have ended the inning. He then scurried after it and threw wildly home. Two runs scored. It's all part of the learning process as he gets used to first base.



- The NoTex Rant Top 25

#25 - Missouri
#24 - Hawaii
#23 - Oklahoma St.
#22 - Alabama
#21 - Texas Tech
#20 - South Carolina
#19 - Boston College



- #18 - Boise State

So now what?
After years of being the underground secret that only the diehard fans knew about, Boise State showed the non-believers their record wasn't a fluke, and that there's real, live, tough football being played up Idaho.

Of course, everyone always wants more, and will expect Chris Petersen and his Broncos to pull off Fiesta Bowl-like miracles every time out against the big boys. While the program really might be here to stay, it's asking too much for that to happen again this year.

From the new BCS rules adding a fifth big game, to the Hawaii showdown being in Boise, to Fresno State being a bit down, to having a long-time veteran starter at quarterback in Jared Zabransky, to having a veteran defense that had been growing for a few years, everything came together perfectly for 2006 to be a dream season. It isn't giving Boise State, a program that's won 86 games in eight years, the proper credit to assume it can't put together yet another tremendous campaign, but this isn't last year's team, and everyone will be gunning for them more than ever.

The Broncos have been "the hunted" for a long time in the WAC, but now opponents will be looking for a trophy win, and the national spotlight is certain to be on Boise State every week. Teams with the question marks that this one has at quarterback, receiver, defensive tackle, linebacker and in the kicking game, tend to lose a few tight contests. It took a veteran team with supreme confidence that knew exactly what it was doing to come away with wins like the ones last year against San Jose State, Wyoming and, of course, Oklahoma. Yes, the bar is set so high now that losing just two regular season games might be cause for alarm.

Hawaii will be the "it" WAC team this year, Fresno State will rebound, San Jose State will be even nastier, and others, like New Mexico State, will have just enough firepower to pull off a few upsets. You'll have to forgive Boise State if it's not too worried, having being through it all before and still winning WAC title after WAC title. It just might be hard to get everyone excited about "just" being the conference champion, after they've seen Tempe.

What to watch for on offense: Ground Broncos. The offense has never gotten enough credit for its strong ground game, being regarded as a tricky, somewhat gimmicky attack. The Fiesta Bowl might have given the impression that Petersen and his staff use smoke and mirrors, but when times get tough, the running game kicks in with a power attack that's surprisingly physical. Until Taylor Tharp or Bush Hamdan and the passing game settle in, expect the offense to revolve around star back Ian Johnson, running behind a good offensive line. However, with center Paul Lucariello out for the year with a torn ACL, it'll take a while to come up with a steady starting five up front.

What to watch for on defense: More of the same, but not quite as much production. While the D will still be strong, don't expect it to finish 14th in the nation again. The run defense always looks good statistically, since few teams in the WAC know how to pound the ball effectively, but the Broncos can also get into the backfield. Relying more on speed and quickness than size and strength, the Broncos use a nice rotation on the defensive front and well-timed blitzes to bring pressure from all angles. Expect it to be great at swarming around the ball and gang tackling.

The team will be far better if … the starting quarterback is efficient. Boise State lives off winning the turnover battle and coming through with clutch offensive plays when necessary. That starts with the quarterback, and Tharp and Hamdan have to prove they can be steady. The winner of the starting job isn't going to be Zabransky when it comes to running the ball, but they have to connect on their third-down throws, keep the chains moving and provide just enough of a passing threat to take the pressure off Johnson and the ground game.

The Schedule: The Broncos get three early chances to build on their 2006 season, facing Washington in Seattle before sneaky-tough home games against Wyoming and Southern Miss. Fortunately, five of the first six games are on the screaming blue turf, before road trips to Louisiana Tech and Fresno State. While San Jose State has to come to Boise, the Hawaii game is in Aloha Stadium on national TV on a Friday in late November.

Best Offensive Player: Junior RB Ian Johnson. How can he possibly top last season? All he did was run for 25 touchdowns and 1,714 yards, average 6.2 yards per carry, beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, melt every woman's heart and make every man vomit with a nationally televised marriage proposal after beating the Sooners. He bulked up to around 210 pounds to be able to take more of a pounding this year. Considering he handled the ball more than 20 times in eight games, he's already used to getting hit.

Best Defensive Player: Senior S Marty Tadman. Boise State has plenty of issues on defense going into this year, but the secondary should be set with the return of corners Orlando Scandrick and Kyle Wilson, along with Tadman, their second-leading tackler. Quick enough to be a good punt returner and instinctive enough to pick off 12 passes in his career, with two against Oklahoma, he'll be the playmaker the rest of the defense revolves around.

Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Taylor Tharp or junior QB Bush Hamdan. While it would appear to be Tharp's time to finally take over the reins from Zabransky, he's in a tight battle. He doesn't have anywhere near the mobility or arm of Zabransky, but he knows the system and has prepared himself for the last two seasons to step in. Even so, Hamdan ran more with the first team in spring ball.

The season will be a success if ... Boise State wins the WAC title…again. While that might seem like small potatoes now that the program has tasted the big-time, winning the conference title would be a nice achievement considering all the turnover, the bull's-eye on the back, and the trips to Fresno State and Hawaii.

Key game: Nov. 23 at Hawaii. If all goes according to plan, the hype for this game will be building all year long, creating what could be the most-watched WAC game ever. Hawaii will be ready to make a statement in what should be the battle for the WAC title. By the end of the year, Boise State should have jelled, with all the new starters having 11 games of experience.

2006 Fun Stats:

First half scoring. Boise State 298; Opponents 96
Fourth down conversions: Boise State 17-21 (81%); Opponents 10-19 (33%)
Rushing touchdowns: Boise State 39; Opponents 7

Boise State Broncos
Team Information
Head coach: Chris Petersen
2nd year: 13-0
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 20, Def. 18, ST 0
Lettermen Lost: 19

Ten Best Players
1. RB Ian Johnson, Jr.
2. OT Ryan Clady, Jr.
3. S Marty Tadman, Sr.
4. CB Orlando Scandrick, Jr.
5. CB Kyle Wilson, Soph.
6. C Jeff Cavender, Sr.
7. OG Tad Miller, Sr.
8. DE Mike T. Williams, Jr.
9. DE Nick Schlekeway, Sr.
10. OL Andrew Woodruff. Jr.

2007 Schedule
Aug. 30 Weber State
Sept. 8 at Washington
Sept. 15 Wyoming
Sept. 27 Southern Miss
Oct. 7 New Mexico State
Oct. 14 Nevada
Oct. 20 at Louisiana Tech
Oct. 26 at Fresno State
Nov. 3 San Jose State
Nov. 10 at Utah State
Nov. 17 Idaho
Nov. 23 at Hawaii


- Lee Corso drops an F bomb




- Flashback of one bad arse Mofo - Joel Mackovicka knocking Dat Nguyen on his back




- Blaine Gabbert, probably the most heralded recruit of the Callahan era. Highlights from the Elite 11 Football Camp.




- Speaking of Nebraska QB's, here's a few clips from some great ones. Gabbert hopefully can add his highlight soon enough.















- Picks O'the day

Yesterday - 2-0
YTD - 113-93

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