This is a Big Ten-SEC matchup on a miniscule scale.
The Bulls’ season seemed to take a turn for the worse when senior quarterback Matt Grothe was lost for the season with a torn ACL. B.J. Daniels filled in under center, and in a stunning performance, beat Florida State on the road in his first start.
For the third straight year, however, the Bulls stumbled down the stretch after a red-hot start. This year’s team began the season 5-0 before losing five of seven to close the year.
Northern Illinois lost five games by a combined 30 points, an average deficit of six points per game. The only team to beat the Huskies by more than a touchdown was MAC champion Central Michigan.
Player to watch:
George Selvie, defensive end for South Florida was expected to have a decorated senior season and raise his stock for the NFL draft. Instead, Selvie never really got the ball rolling this season and did not put up anywhere close to the 20-sack season he had earlier in his career. Still, he was facing many more double-team blocking schemes this season. This bowl game is his final chance to put on a show for the pro scouts.
Who has the edge?
South Florida never could quite get over the hump against its better competition this season. That being said, the Bulls put up a good fight against the best teams in the Big East, and will have a decisive athletic advantage in this game. Northern Illinois is a gritty, typical Midwestern team.
Pardon me as I channel my inner Martin Luther King/Brent Musberger:
"I have a dream, that one day you will be looking live at a sold-out Orange Bowl, as the 2001 Miami Hurricanes prepare to face the 2006 Boise State Broncos in the first round of the Team of the Decade Tournament!"
That's right, we're going way outside of the box to determine who is the best team of the decade. Here's the best part: I assume the role of selection committee, but you determine the results. What you are about to see is the 16-team field of the best squads in the past 10 years.
In the following days, match-ups will be broken down one-by-one, and you the readers will vote for who you think would win that game. In a few weeks, we'll know who YOU guys think is the best team this decade.
Thursday night provided the country with one final look at (statistically speaking) one of the greatest freshman running backs in the history of college football, Ryan Williams. During the game, he broke the ACC record for touchdowns in a season, and the Virginia Tech record for rushing yards.
Williams provided fans with the most electrifying display of offensive ability at Tech since Michael Vick donned the maroon helmet a decade earlier. After several years of ineptitude on offense, Williams’ running, along with the impressive development of quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the receiving corps, led to a breakout season for the that side of the ball.
The numbers speak for themselves: 1,654 rushing yards, 22 total touchdowns, 10 100-yard games, and two four-touchdown performances. That’s the stat line Ryan Williams finished with upon Tech’s 37-14 drubbing of Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
In his first year in the lineup, Williams certainly had a season for the ages. With that said, it brings the question: how does Williams’ season stack up against some of the other greatest in the Frank Beamer era?
Michael Vick 1999
Like Williams, Vick wasted no time making his impact felt on the field, scoring three rushing touchdowns in his first half of football ever. He would continue to complete 59.2 percent of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and 184 yards per game.
Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page and hit you in the face, but Vick’s running ability, coupled with his knack for long-yardage pass plays made him a legend in Blacksburg.
As a runner, Vick carried the ball 108 times for 782 yards, second most on the team. His average of 5.4 yards per carry is the best in school history for a quarterback. He also ran for eight touchdowns.
More important than any individual statistic, Vick led the Hokies to their first-ever undefeated season in the modern era, and a berth in the BCS Championship Game against Florida State.
The Hokies lost the game 46-29, but Vick’s performance on the biggest stage of his Tech career was unforgettable. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 225 yards while also rushing for 97 yards on 23 carries.
Lee Suggs, 2000
Lee Suggs was a redshirt sophomore in 2000, and after scoring then-NCAA record 27 touchdowns on the ground that season, many people wondered if he had started in 1999, the Hokies may have won that national championship game.
Suggs came from nowhere to dominate college football in his first year as a starter. Entering the season, Vick was receiving more face time in the national media than the Backstreet Boys, but it was Suggs who outshined his quarterback for much of the year.
Of the eleven regular season games for the Hokies that year, Suggs scored at least two touchdowns in nine of them. His best performance came in a 37-34 win over Pittsburgh, when he carried the ball 28 times for 164 yards and three touchdowns.
That game was one of the most important of his career, as the Hokies lost Vick to a sprained ankle midway through the third quarter, and had to ride the shoulders of Suggs to a narrow victory.
Two games later, Suggs scored five touchdowns on the ground against Central Florida in a 44-21 win. The five scores were good enough to put Suggs in second-place all-time for rushing touchdowns in a game, behind Tony Francisco’s six-touchdown performance against VMI in 1966.
Suggs capped his season in the Gator Bowl against Clemson, scoring three touchdowns in a 73-yard performance that was largely overshadowed by Vick’s final collegiate game.
DeAngelo Hall, 2002
Hall turned in one of the best seasons ever for a Tech defensive back, scoring three touchdowns but providing much more excitement than simply touchdowns.
Hall intercepted four passes in his sophomore season, returning them for an average of 31 yards, including one touchdown in the season-opener against Arkansas State.
As he was still establishing himself as a lockdown cornerback, Hall quickly became one of the most dangerous punt returners in the country. He averaged 16.4 yards per return, the fifth-best rate in the country. He also scored two touchdowns in the return game.
It’s worth mentioning that prior to that season, Hall registered the fastest 40-yard dash time in program history with a time of 4.15 seconds. With a number like that, it’s no wonder he was one of the most feared players with the ball in his hands that year.
Jim Druckenmiller, 1996
in his senior season at Tech, Druckenmiller capped off an illustrious career as the starting quarterback that included back-to-back Big East championships. The second of those titles came in this season, when he was named first-team all-conference.
He finished the year with 17 touchdowns and only five interceptions. In the Orange Bowl against eventual national champion Nebraska, he completed 16 of his 33 passing attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
The best performance of his season, however, came against East Carolina when he completed 15 of 23 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a nationally televised 35-14 win.
Kevin Jones, 2003
The man whose school record for yards Williams broke, Jones finished with 1,647 yards and 21 touchdowns in his junior season. The statistics are eerily similar to Williams’ in fact. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry and 126.7 yards per game.
Jones’ best game came against Texas A & M on a Thursday night, when Hurricane Isabel’s wrath had climbed across the Blue Ridge Mountains and ravaged the New River Valley. In a torrential downpour, Jones carried the ball 30 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-19 win.
Until Thursday night, Jones’ season was the most productive in school history. Unfortunately for the Hokies, a late-season slide led to a disappointing 8-5 finish, including a 52-49 loss to California in the Insight Bowl.
Jeff King, 2005
King is unquestionably the best tight end to play for the Hokies under Beamer, and second greatest all-time after NFL Hall-of-Famer Carroll Dale.
In 2005, King hauled in 26 passes for 292 yards, including a team-high six touchdowns. He was the security blanket for quarterback Marcus Vick, and was a key component in the Hokies’ ACC Coastal Division title in its inaugural season.
Andre Davis, 1999
As Vick exploded onto the scene in the Hokies’ undefeated season, Davis was just as integral a part of that magical run. His 962 receiving yards still stands as the all-time single season record.
Of the fourteen touchdowns the Hokies threw that season, Davis scored nine of them. His average of 27.5 yards per catch is easily the best all-time at the school.
The most fascinating statistic of all for Davis that season was his rushing numbers. Three carries…72 yards… three touchdowns. The Hokies went to the reverse play with a 100 percent success rate, thanks to Davis. Maybe he should have carried the ball more often…
With all of the aforementioned individual seasons being some of the best in school history, what Williams did this year should rank right at the top. This year falls short of Vick’s unprecedented year in ’99, but is about on the same level of Suggs’ season the following year.
The one important note that separates Williams from all but one other player on this list: the star running back is only a freshman. Not only was this his first year in the maroon and orange, but he was only listed as the third-string running back entering preseason camp.
With the stage set for a spectacular encore in 2010, this list might just have to make way for another unforgettable year for “Lil’ Sweetness”.
We all saw the tears of Gators’ quarterback Tim Tebow as the final seconds ticked off the clock in the loss to Alabama, and we either cried with him, or laughed in his face. Love him or hate him, the career of one of the most decorated players in the history of college football will come to an end in this game. The Bearcats could very well be without its head coach by the time of the game, as Brian Kelly has been closely tied to the opening at Notre Dame. If so, it could make life difficult on the Bearcats, who would love to pull off the upset and spoil the final chapter on Tebow’s time as a Gator.
Player to watch: Tony Pike could have been a serious Heisman contender had a broken arm not sidelined him for a month mid-season. His tall frame and strong arm means lots of touchdowns, which is exactly what he delivers each time he hits the field. This will be a great chance for Pike to showcase his skills against a defense littered with future professionals.
Who has the edge?
Florida is obviously the Goliath in this matchup, even after the Crimson Tide rendered them mortal in the conference championship game. Tebow is a true warrior, and will not allow the final game of his college career to be a disappointment.
Ohio State was left for dead midway through the season when the offense couldn’t even score as much as the defense, and they were upset at the hands of hapless Purdue. Oregon is arguably the best two-loss team in football, and one of the best stories of the season after the infamous fiasco that ensued after the season-opening loss to Boise State on the road. Oregon is one of the most fun teams to watch, and head coach Chip Kelly is on the rise as a big name in the industry.
Player to watch: There are two dual-threat quarterbacks in this game in Jeremiah Masoli for Oregon and Terrelle Pryor for Ohio State. However, the name from this game that fans will hear most over the next three seasons is LaMichael James. James replaced Legarrette Blount as the starting running back after the season opener, and all he did was rush for 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2009. The diminutive back is an energetic piece to the Oregon offensive attack.
Who has the edge?
For Ohio State, a program which has been trying to discover the nuances of a successful spread offense, what better way to learn some of these than to see the best in the business first-hand? Masoli is a magician in the backfiled when it comes to executing play fakes and running the option. Pryor should pay close attention to his counterpart when he’s on the sideline.
Who’d have thought the center of bowl controversy could originate outside the BCS? This season, the very scenario has occurred. Florida State is playing in the Jacksonville, Fla., bowl game to honor the wishes of the retiring coach Bobby Bowden. However, the Seminoles hardly earned a spot in such a prestigious bowl game, and have consequentially relegated more deserving teams to inferior bowls.
Player to watch: E.J. Manuel stepped in late in the season to replace the injured Christian Ponder at quarterback for FSU. The redshirt freshman acted his age in his three starts, throwing two touchdowns, but six interceptions. The Seminole offense was unstoppable prior to the loss of Ponder, now they are wincing through every drive, praying that it does not end in a turnover.
Who has the edge?
West Virginia. It’s clear the Seminoles don’t belong in this game. If Ponder was healthy, the Seminoles had a shot. The FSU defense can’t keep a blind institution from finding the end zone. Noel Devine, the lightning-quick Mountaineer running back, should have a career day.
Both of these teams have an argument to claim themselves BCS-worthy. Neither of them deserve a spot in one of those games more than the teams to actually fill those slots, but this game matches two teams with big-time credentials. LSU gave Florida and Alabama a run for their money this season, while Penn State rode the coattails of an easy schedule to a 10-win season. The LSU defense will give the Nittany Lions fits; the question is if the Tigers can put any points on the board themselves.
Player to watch:
Patrick Peterson is the most physical cornerback in the country. At 6’1, 211 pounds, he is a cornerback in a strong safety’s body. No receiver has gained 100 yards this season against him, and he has shut down many of the SEC’s top receivers, namely A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama.
Who has the edge?
The Tigers have done more this season to warrant the role of favorite entering this game. As nonchalant as the Tigers’ season has been, they are only a few plays away from being unbeaten. Penn State has merely coasted to this point, and there is always the Big Ten-SEC speed discrepancy to consider.
This is far from the sexiest game on New Year’s Day, yet it could still provide quality football. Both teams are very well coached. Pat Fitzgerald is a Northwestern alum, but may leave for greener pastures in the coming years if he continues to have the sort of success with the Wildcats he has had so far as coach. Gene Chizik was a questionable hire, given his lack of success as head coach at Iowa State, but has done an admirable job in year one at Auburn.
Player to watch: Chris Todd, the senior quarterback for the Tigers, made the most of his only season as a starter. He completed 60 percent of his passes and threw 21 touchdowns. In the last-minute loss to Alabama on Nov. 27, Todd completed 15 of 25 passes and threw two touchdowns. He has matured as the season has unfolded, and watching him operate the spread offense at Auburn one final time will be a treat.
Who has the edge?
The Tigers have faced better competition, but just have not been able to close the deal in many games this season. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are winners of three straight, including wins over then-#4 Iowa and #16 Wisconsin. Northwestern is one of the hottest teams in America right now.
