MWC players then others in the 2020 NFL draft

MWC: RD1: #Jordan.Love QB from Utah St went the the Packers . RD2: Ezra Cleveland, OL from Boise St went to the Vikings . RD3 Logan Wilson LB from Wyoming to Bengals
SunBelt: RD2: Robert Hunt OL from LA Laf to the Fins. RD3 Darrynton Evans RB from AppSt went to the Titans.
AAC: RD3 Antonio Gibson RB from Memphis went to the Redskins. Josh Jones OL from Houston went to the Cardinals. Matt Hennesy OL from Temple went to the Falcons. Josiah DeGuera TE from Cincy went to the Packers. Matt Peart OL from UConn went to the Giants
CUSA: RD3 Alex Highsmith Edge rusher from Charlotte went to the Steelers.
MAC- No one taken in first three rounds. Maybe in the next few rounds?
Rounds 4 through 7 -what caught my attention
First MAC player drafted was in rd5. Danny Pinter, an OL from Ball St, went to the Colts
Justin Rohrwasser, a kicker fromMarshall (CUSA), went to the Pats
Cole McDonald, a prolific passer from Hawaii(MWC) didn't go to rd7 to the Titans.
Undrafted FA signings
I thought these O5 guys would've been drafted: Benny LeMay, RB, Charlotte(CUSA) signed by Browns. Michael Warren, RB, Cincinnati (AAC) signed by the Eagles, Patrick Taylor, RB, Memphis (AAC) signed by the Packers. Warren was the biggest surprise- In 38 games with the Bearcats, he ran for 2,918 yards and scored 34 rushing TDs

May 6, 2020

Grambling St is scheduled to be the Jags first opponent on Sept 12 at the South Alabama's new Hancock Whitney stadium. Maybe this will help the Jags recruit better. Jags have had one player drafted since 196o who played in the NFL . Rams drafted Gerald Everett in rd2 in 2017.

May 22, 2020

Big  Mack time in Chicago.  #LedariusMack , a FA DL from Buffalo U (MAC) , will get a chance to play alongside his  brother, Khalil, with the Chicago Bears.

May 25, 2020

 Pats signed  QB J’Mar Smith,  an undrafted FA from Louisiana Tech(CUSA). Talented kid that BB will play somewhere other than at  QB.

June 13, 2020

 Another Ju Ju in the league. Rams signed Ju Ju Hughes, a UFA  safety from Fresno St (MWC).

June 23, 2020

Rams also signed the other Love. Josh Love, San Jose St QB and MWC Offensive Player of the Year (2019).

June 25, 2020

Saints signed Jordan Steckler, ALL MAC  OL from  Northern Illinois. Brees needs all the protection he can get.

July 2, 2020

I missed this earlier. Two Charlotte (CUSA) players were drafted. Defensive end Alex Highsmith was taken by the Steelers in the third round and offensive lineman Cameron Clark went in the fourth round to the Jets. Ol Miss will become the first SEC team to play the 49ers at home and it will also mark the first meeting between the programs.It's part of a 2026 and 2027 home and home series.

July 9

I was reading a column that had Brent Brennan, the SJST HC, on the hot seat and started wondering about SJST players who have played in  the NFL. Steve Deberg, who was drafted by Dallas in 1977,  stands out. He played for a few teams,  and was the QB for Denver in the 1983 playoffs and KC in the1990, and 1991 playoffs.

Oct 6

Remember when the Packers use of a rd1 pick for Jordan Love , a QB, was going to cause problems. GB is 4-0. Rodgers tossed four TD passes in last night's win over Atlanta.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/charlotte-49ers/article242315471.html#storylink=cpy

MACkin into 2020 hoops

Coach Groce rode his success with Ohio to a B10 job at Illinois which didn't go well ,and now it appears he has #Akron on the rise. #XeriusWilliams scored 23 to lead Akron(13-3, 3-0) past Ball St(9-7,2-1). 75-60 just when I thought the Cards were playing well. Akron's OOC losses were close ones to Louisville, West Virginia, and by 13 to Liberty. Kent St(12-3,2-0) and Central Michigan(9-6,2-0) are the other MAC teams undefeated  in conference play. 
Buffalo(10-6, 1-2 )  beat Miami (OH)(7-9, 0-3 ) 83-78 for its first MAC win this season.

Jayvon Graves BUFF (25 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST) . Dalonte Brown M-OH (18 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST)

jan 19

 Marreon Jackson hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 36 points for Toledo in a 99-89 win over Akron(4-1), which is the Zips first MAC loss. Bowling Green(4-1) nipped NIU 66-64 to  move into a tie with Akron atop the MAC East
  Ball State(4-1) used balanced scoring in its defeat of Miami (Ohio) 71-62 to remain atop the MACW.

Jan 25

 #DannyPippen had 20 points for Kent State(4-3) in a 70-66 win over Buffalo(4-3) which ended their three game losing streak . Akron and Bowling Green  sit atop the East with 5-1 records while Ball St(4-1) leads the West.

Jan 29

  Gabe Grant's blocked a shot with ten seconds to go  to preserve  Buffalo(5-3) 77-74 win over Akron(6-2). Troy Simons scored 21 points in Kent St(6-3) win over Toledo. Troy Diggs scored 25 point for Bowling Green (7-1) in a win over Ball St  to take sole possession of first in the East.

Feb 1

  Justin Turner scored 23 points and Dylan Frye added 17  for Bowling Green(8-1) in a 78-77 win over Buffalo(5-4) while Kent St(6-3) edged Akron(6-3). CMU(4-2) and NIU(5-3) are tied for the first in the West.

Feb 6

 Dallas Morgan scored  29 points for  Central Michigan(6-2) in a 92-82 win over Bowling Green(8-2), the East leader,  and moved into a tie for first in the West with NIU(7-3), a winner over Toledo. Ball St (6-3)is a half game back in the West.

Feb 8

Buffalo's win over CMU(6-3) gave NIU(8-3) the chance to gain ground in the West and they did with a narrow 57-54 win over Kent St.  Eugene German NIU - G (27 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST)

feb 12

Akron(8-3) got a big win over Bowling Green(9-3)  in the East battle while Ball St(7-4) gained ground in the West its win over NIU(8-4) . Loren Cristian Jackson scored 28 points for Akron.

feb 15

 Loren Cristian Jackson scored 31 points for his third 30-plus for Akron(19-6, 9-3 MAC)in a 80-67  win over CMU(13-11, 6-5 MAC) . Buffalo(16-9, 7-5 MAC) who defeated Toledo last night. Akron is tied with Bowling Green for first in the East while Buffalo is 2GB. CMU fell  further behind  NIU(8-4) and Ball St (7-4) in the West.

feb 22

Buffalo (7-5) got a big win over Kent St in a wild OT game last night to stay within striking distance of East leaders Akron , and Ball St  who are tied at 10-3.

feb 29

 Loren Cristian Jackson scored 35 points for Akron(12-4) in an 85-73 win over Buffalo which mioves them into a tie for first with Bowling Green in the East.

march 7

Akron hung on against feisty Kent St while Buffalo beat Bowling Green,  which enabled the Zips to win the East and also nab the the 1 slot in the MACT. Ball St trounced NIU to tie for first in the West and get the three seed. BG is the 2 and NIU is the four. Top 4 earned round 1 byes.

What's left of O5 bowl games

SERVPRO FIRST RESPONDER BOWL:  WKU(CUSA) has a knack  for pulling games out thanks to a solid D. WMU (MAC) has plenty of O Jon Wassink WMU (222-371, 2904 YDS, 19 TD), LeVante Bellamy WMU (248 CAR, 1412 YDS, 23 TD) . I'll roll with the Hilltoppers D.
WKU 19 WMU 17
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL: #23 Navy(AAC) will get rushing TDs, but Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson will get in gear for a KSU 30-28 win
NOVA HOME LOANS ARIZONA BOWL: Wyoming(MWC) takes advantage Georgia State's (Sunbelt) weak D in a 26 -13 win . Valladay rushes for a 100+ for the Cowboys.
TICKETSMARTER BIRMINGHAM BOWL: Boston College vs #21 Cincinnati(AAC). I love Cincy in this onewith Michael Warren rushing for 125+ in  a 33-20 win.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Ohio(MAC) Nevada(MWC) Rourke by ground and air leads the Bobcats to a 27-23 win.
LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL: Southern Mississippi(CUSA) Tulane(AAC)  He!! of a regional matchup being played in Fort Worth, TX. McMillan lifts the Green Wave to a 31 -29 win over USM
LENDINGTREE BOWL: ULL(Sunbelt) Miami (OH)(MAC) The Redhawks flying pattern is erratic so I'm banking on the the Cajuns QB, Levi Lewis to lead ULL to a 37 -20 win.
dec 30- Correct on WKU but just barely. The Hilltoppers  were given the final play after a five-yard defensive substitution penalty by WMU and made a FG with no time on the clock. Before that they made a FG with 1:36 on the clock. WKU 23 WMU 20
Jan 1- I was wrong on Navy who got a last second FG to beat KSt 20-17. Valladay did better than I guessed with 204 yards rushing and 2 TDS against GaSt. Freshman QB Levi Williams was a bit wild but was involved in four TDS. Props to Ellington , the Ga St QB, who accounted for 236 yards and two touchdowns despite playing with a torn right ACL. WYO 38 GA St 17

jan 3

I'm not sure why BC was there. Cincy dominated the entire game in a 38-6 win. 

jan 4

 They dumped fries on Ohio Coach Solich after the Potato Bowl win over Nevada and he ate one. LOL

jan 4 afternoon

On a roll lately as the bowl season winds down. Green Wave started slow but crested by the 3rd quarter.  J. McMillan(13-18, 215 YDS, 3 TD)had a great game for Tulane in the 31-13 win over USM

Jan 7

I went 6-1 in this bunch of games . Levi Lewis, ULL QB, tossed for 246 yards and 2TDs in a 27-17 win over Miami O.
Final O5 conference bowl standings. AAC(4-3) cusa(3-5), mac(3-4) MWC(4-3) SUNBELT(3-2)

March 30

 Not much news but I saw this: Georgia State lands Noel Ruiz, a grad transfer and FCS All-American kicker from NC A&T .

May 29, 2020

   Wyoming (MWC) will square off Sept.  25, 2021, at UConn. And this came about because of the Georgia/Clemson game announced earlier this year.  While I try to figure out why, I noticed that UConn has scheduled some big $$ future games, UNC, Michigan, and Ohio St, in its Independent future.

June 20, 2020

For you southern boys: Duke’s Mayo replaces Belk as a Bowl sponsor of the annual game in Charlotte which features an ACC team versus a team from either the Big Ten or SEC. Kentucky(SEC) beat Virginia Tech(ACC) 37-30 in the Belk Bowl on 12/31/19.

July 6, 2020

Here's the final payout for the MWC schools allowing Clemson & UGA to play in the "Kickoff" game. Clemson will pay Wyoming $1.1 million, and Georgia will cut San Jose State a $1.8 million check

Dec 20 O5 Bowl Games

Charlotte (CUSA) and Buffalo (MAC) hit the road for  Nassau. 49ers QB Reynolds has been a pass/run threat  during the their five game winning streak and Lemay has proven to be a solid rusher. Buffalo season has been a seesaw  but  Jaret Patterson has been amazing rushing for 1626 yards.  CHAR 29 Buff 20
Utah St (MWC) and Kent St (MAC) visit Frisco, TX for a Smoothie. Kent St finished the season winning three in a row with a solid rushing attack while Utah St stumbled a bit in November.  Jordan Love , the Utah St QB, will have a big bowl game. USU 34 Kent St 19

Dec 13:

 coaching note:  UNLV(MWC) new HC is  Marcus Arroyo, former Oregon OC

dec 21

I got Macked opening Bowl day. Buffalo's D and the excellent rushing of Patterson
(32 CAR, 173 YDS, 2 TD) were the main reasons for a 31-9 win over Charlotte.
Kent St won a wild one 51-41 over USU. Love put up big passing numbers  for USU (30-39, 317 YDS, 3 TD) in a losing effort, but Dustin Crum, the Flashes QB tossed for 289 yards and two TDs plus he rushed for 147 yards and a TD.

april 7, 2020

 Kent State(MAC) opened the 2019 season  with a 30-7 loss  at Ariz St, but they're not shying away from future Pac12 road trips. They scheduled a game against Washington in Seattle on   9/3/22. Then three weeks later they 'll travel to Georgia (SEC).

april 17

 Nebraska WR Jaron Woodyard moves on to #Marshall . He doesn't have great stats but he's fast. He's a native of Bethesda, MD, which is near DC, who went to Arizona Western Community College out of high school.

april 18

 Ty'Kieast Crawford, a four-star OL, ex-Arkansas commit, signed with Charlotte(CUSA), but they have to gets his academic status repaired quickly

Week 14 O5 picks -divsions at stake

MAC: WMU and CMU are tied for first  at 5-2 in the MACW. Central Michigan barely survived Ball St last week while Toledo got crushed by Buffalo. Koback rushed for 99 yards and 1TD and looks to be getting back in gear and will lead Toledo to an upset of CMU 26 -22.
AAC: Navy is tied with Memphis in the West after upsetting  SMU last week and faces a Houston team that found some D   last week in a win over Tulsa and will  contain Malcom Perry, the Navy QB, enough to  win 20-19.
CUSA: Three way tie  in CUSAW with UAB, La Tech, and USM at 5-2. UAB D was strong in a big win over La Tech last week and will handle North Texas who fell to Rice last week.
MWC: Air Force(6-1) will get a narrow 27-26 win thanks to 2 TD passes from DJ Hammond at home over Wyoming ,but that won't be enough for them to catch  the MWC Mountail leader Boise St (7-0) who will beat Colorado St.
SunBelt: Layne Hatcher will have huge day in a 33 -19 Arkansas St (5-2) win over South Bama and hope for ULM to upset ULL (6-1) the  West leader.

Nov 28

I'll stick with my Toledo pick despite  CMU's opportunity the West with a win since WMU lost to NIU in the fierce wind and  the rain on Tuesday night.

nov 30

Off to a rough (0-2) start with my picks. Koback scored the lone TD for Toledo and only rushed for 22 yards in a 49-7 loss to Central Michigan, the winner of the West who faces the East champ, Miami (Ohio), next week. Kobe Lewis rushed for 131 yards and 2 TDS for CMU.
In the SunBelt , Hatcher(23-38, 342 YDS, 2 TD )  had another big day  for Ark St, but it wasn't enough to prevent Desmond Trotter(20-31, 279 yards , 4TDs) and Jaguars of South Bama from getting  their first conference win this season. USA 34 Ark St 30

dec 1

I was wrong on Houston's D and ended up 2-3 this week. Navy 56 HOU 41 .

• Jamale Carothers NAVY 18 CAR, 188 YDS, 5 TD and Perry rushed for 144 yards and a TD

And here's my two correct picks: TD Marshall provided  a pick 6 and Spencer Brown carried the ball 19 times for 111 yards and a TD for UAB in a 26-21winover North texas
Donald Hammond scored both of AFA's TDs, on the ground, one by air, in 20-6 win over Wyoming.

Week 13 O5 picks- division time

MACW has two idle teams  tied at 5-2( WMU and CMU)  so I'll roll with a MAC East game .  Miami O owns H2H tiebreakers with the rest of the East including Ohio who will  get back on the winning track against Bowling Green tonight 27-19 behind  another solid all-around game game from their QB  O'Rourke.
AAC: I'm not sold on Temple's two QB, Russo and Centeio, system and don't think they have enough O to stay with Cincy who lock up the East with a win.   Cincy 34 Temple 22
CUSA: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte's QB, has been putting up big numbers, but the herd D will find a way to keep them in the game and get Marshall to a narrow 24-23 road win and keep them on pace with FAU in the East.
MWC: Utah St moves in to tie with Boise for the Mountain with a win.  Home field and Jordan Love's arm will be the keys in a 44-43 shootout win over Boise St.
Sunbelt: Ark St trails ULL by a game in the Wesr , and Georgia Southern trails App St by a game in the East. Hatcher's a hot QB and he'll the Red Wolves to a 30-29 over  another solid QB- led team  GSU Eagles who will get big numbers from Werts.

Nov 20

 Wow,  Ohio 66 BG 24. O’Shaan Allison rushed for 175 yards which included touchdown runs of 54, 7 and 53 yards, Nathan Rourke accounted for four TDs, three passing, one rushing.
Nov 24
Saturday split leaves me 3-2 for the week
Well, Reynolds was the man and the #herd went limp in the second half . Char 24 MU 10
Less than I expected, and a blocked extra-point attempt turned into Cincinnati's decisive points in 15-13 win over TU.
I was way off Boise.  Holani (16 CAR, 178 YDS, 2 TD) led the way in the BSU 56-21 blowout of USU.
 Ark St 38 Ga SO 33- Huge Game from Hatcher

Layne Hatcher ARST 19-24, 354 YDS, 4 TD
Shai Werts GASO 18 CAR, 151 YDS, 1 TD

• Hey how about Butch Davis' Panthers beating Miami FL. FIU (CUSA) 30 The u 24

Week 12 O5 five pack

AAC: Two teams,Tulane and Temple, with identical records(3-2, 6-3) will battle in Philly on Saturday. Justin McMillan, Tulane's exciting QB, will lead the Green Wave to a 28-27 victory. Temple is hoping Russo, their QB gets into gear.
CUSA: Marshall, a winner of four straight games, host La Tech  who is 5-0 in conference play. Maybe the #herd will practice ball control and Knox gets 100 plus rushing yards. I'm rolling the dice on the herd D doing slowing down J"Mar Smith the La Tech QB. MU 22 LaTech 20
MAC: Jaylon Bester will rush for 90 yards and a TD for Miami O in a 24-18 win over Bowling Green.
MWC: San Diego St  tumbled out of the gate but they now sit  atop  the MWC West. Aztecs will recover from the tough loss to Nevada and will eke out a 20-19 win over Fresno, a struggling team. SDSU may need a pick six to get the win.
Sunbelt: Texas St  has been a bit of a surprise this year, and  Tyler Vitt , who tossed for 373 yards and three touchdowns last week against USA, will lead them to a 27-25 a win over Troy to even their conference record at 3-3.

nov 14

I was close on Bester's stat line. 9 carries , 85 yards , 2TDS.  Gabbert tossed three TDS in Miami O's 44-3 rout of Bowling Green . Red Hawks are a game and a half up on Buffalo in the MAC East.

nov15

 LA Tech Rumors are true: Starting quarterback J'Mar Smith, wide receiver Adrian Hardy and outside linebacker James Jackson have been suspended for the Marshall game due to an athletic department policy violation. Smith and Hardy will also sit out the UAB game. What a complete meltdown by Buffalo (AAC) last night- blew a 27-10 lead in three minutes, then lost 30-27 on a game ending FG .

Nov 16

  #herd were in trouble when they decided against a FG attempt on fourth down in the second quarter and ran some goofy play in an odd formation that failed, but they roared back behind Green and Knox for the 31-10 win over La Tech. SDST didn't need much O  in it's 17-7 win over Fresno St and took a 1.5 game lead over Hawaii in the MWC West..

Nov 18

I won my first three picks  but lost on Tulane  and TXST to finish the weekend. Temple D-Line made life tough for McMillan plus the Green Wave play calling was sketchy on a 29-21 loss to Temple.
  Kaleb Barke (30-43, 363 YDS, 6 TD) led Troy to a 63-27 win over TXST

Week 11- Late on MAC the n the rest of the O5

Two Tuesday night games with Toledo edging Kent St and WMU edging Ball St leaves me with one game to guess on. I'll go with O'Rourke and the Bobcats at home 28-27 tonight over Miami (Ohio) in a battle for 1st in MAC East.
AAC: ECU is a team on the rise and gave Cincy a scare last week, but will fall by 8   at SMU. Buechele will toss 3 td passes.
CUSA: It's always tough traveling to west Texas for road games , but Charlotte, led by Lemay's solid running will edge UTEP 24 -22.
MWC: Aerial fireworks with Hawaii coming out on top  51-44. McDonald (HAW) and Love (SJSU) will combine for 1K in passing yards..
Sunbelt:  Georgia St needs this one badly to stay in the race in the East but I don't think they'll contain ULM QB Caleb Evans. ULM 37 Ga State 30.

Nov 7

Close score but I picked the wrong team . ORourke had a so-so game for Ohio and #SamSloman hit a 53-yard field goal with 3:48 to play to give Miami O  a 24-21 win and the lead in the MAC East.

Nov 9

 I didn't pick this game: I watched the final 25 minutes of the Tulsa 37-34 upset of UCF. UCF crumbled. Twelve men on the field penalty with a chance to get the ball back in the final minute.

Nov 10

Too bad I didn't put $$$$ on my other 4 picks.
SMU survived a 59-51 shootout with ECU and the same for Hawaii holding off SJSU. Evans (ULM) was too much for Georgia St, and  Chris Reynolds (24-35, 354 YDS, 2 TD ) led Charlotte  back on the road at UTEP  28-21. Charlotte (5-5) is closing in on a bowl bid.
Special mention for #wku (CUSA) rocking Arkansas (SEC) and App St beating South Carolina (SEC)

April 12, 2020

This kid must be be great. #BrandonCouncil, an OL grad transfer from Akron(MAC) commits to Auburn over Baylor and  Missouri. LSU and USC were also interested.

April 15

 Other 5(Group of Five) asks the NCAA to waive the minimum football attendance requirements and the requirement for a minimum of 16 varsity athletic teams.

May 5, 2020

 Ohio(MAC) quarterback Nathan Rourke was selected with the by the BC Lions with the 15th pick of the CFL draft. Rourke was born in Victoria, British Columbia.

May 14, 2020

 East Carolina gets second SEC transfer in less than a week. Arkansas RB Chase Hayden. On May 7 it was Alabama cornerback Nigel Knott.

May 17, 2020

   Dan Ellington,  the GA St starting QB for the past two years, is now on its coaching staff. That was quick!

Aug 13, 2023

Back from Canada: Nathan Rourke(OhioU) got some playing time and scores last night for the Jags in a pre-season win over Dallas.

Week 10 Five pack-Other 5

Sunbelt: Georgia Southern has a solid running game and has played well lately but App St behind the passing of Zac Thomas and the running of D. Evans will pull off a 27-23 victory.
AAC: SMU Mustangs travel to Memphis . Can the Mustangs  contain the passing of Brady White or will they suffer their first loss? Memphis D isn't much better. Buechele will outduel White in a 40-39 SMU win.
CUSA: The passing of Reynolds and the running of Lemay have made Charlotte competitive and they 'll give MTSU a good game but fall 30-28
MAC: Slim schedule: Harbison has solid running game for NIU in a road win at C.Michigan.
MWC: Patrick Obrien will lead the  resurgent Colorado St  Rams  to a 40 26 win over the  fading UNLV Rebels. UNLV has struggled since upsetting Vandy

Nov 1

One game , one pick wrong.  Ga Southern's option attack was decent in the first half then got two touchdown runs of 68 and 55 yards from #wesleykennedy  in the third quarter to give them a 24-7 lead. GS 24 AppSt 21.

Nov 3

Wrong on SMU  NIU
Buechele and White each tossed three TDs  in a wild game in which Memphis survived a late SMU rally for a 54-48 win.
CMU had too much O for NIU . Ward and Lewis rushed 281 yards for CMU in a 48-10 win
Correct on  Colorado St and Charlotte
# AnthonyHawkins returned  the opening kickoff for 99 yard touchdown for CSU who went on to a 37-10 win over UNLV.

The rushing duo of C. Lewis(104 yards 2TD) and A.McAlister (103 yards  1TD) led Charlotte to a 34-20 win over MTSU

Week 9 Five pack- Other 5

AAC: Battle of QBs: Justin McMillan (TULN 92-160, 1229 YDS, 9 TD) visits Malcolm Perry (NAVY 124 CAR, 792 YDS, 14 TD). Both teams have been spanked by Memphis this season. Navy win 27-24.
CUSA:  Brenden Knox will rush for at least 125 yards and his Marshall Herd will hold off Ty Storey and the his WKU teammates 22-19
MAC: I'm going to go with Drew Pitt the Ball St Cards again this week. This time they'll hold off Nathan Rourke and the Ohio Bearcats 27-26.
MWC: Fresno St led by QB Josh Reyna is coming off a big offensive win over UNLV. Colorado St  needs this game to stay in contention in the Mountain Division . Marvin Kinsey Jr will get 100 yards, but that won't enough as his Rams will fall to the Bulldogs. 30-20.
Sunbelt: Kaleb Barker (143-223, 1670 YDS, 16 TDs)  leads the Troy Trojans into Atlanta for a shootout that Dan Ellington, the Georgia St QB, will win in a 27-26 squeaker.

Oct 25: 

 AAC: SMU gave up a 96 yard pass play TD with five minutes left but survived Houston 34-31 to remain undefeated. I didn't think the game would be that close.

Oct 27

McMillan led a he!! of a Tulsa comeback  but Navy scrambled into position for a late game winning field goal that made the final score 41-38.
Rohrwasser kicks 53-yard FG for the #herd to survive #wku 26-23. 
Nathan Rourke and the Ohio Bobcats put the brakes on Ball St three gave winning streak in a 34- 21 victory. 
Patrick O'Brien CSU (23-42, 322 YDS, 2 TD) handled Fresno St 41-31
 Tra Barnett GAST (34 CAR, 242 YDS, 2 TD) rolled the Trojans 52-33 
I was 3-2 for the week

Week 8 Five- pack -Other5

Temple travels to SMU in a key AAC matchup. Russo, the Temple QB , is having a solid season and will give SMU  a tough game, but look for SMU QB, Shane Buechele, to win the aerial show in 38-35 SMU win.
USM travel to LA Tech in a battle for the top spot in the CUSA West. J'Mar smith, LT's QB, and J. Abraham,USM QB, may each toss some TDs, but look for  Justin Henderson to  rush for over 100 and lead LA tech to a 31-27 home victory.
Toledo 's O vanished in a loss to Bowling Green last week so it's time to get Koback  another 100 yard+ game, but it could be tough  @Ball St. where their QB Drew Pitt is doing it on ground and by air. Ball St 23 Toledo 20
AFA head coach , Troy calhoun,  was whining about being in the MWC last week. Beware of Hawaii's air attack led by Cole McDonald. Hawaii 33-AFA 29
ULM  travels to App St in a battle of 2-0 Sunbelt teams. AppSt wins a low scoring game 19-17. Darrynton Evans will get back in gear for Mountaineers and rush for 100+

Oct 19

 I didn't pick this one : He!! of a game for Knox (220 yards, 2 TDs) in the #herd win over FAU last night .  Lane Kiffin's ain't doing so well.

 oct 20

Buechele tossed six TDS  for SMU in a 45-21 win over Temple.
Henderson rushed for 111 yards  and two TDS in La tech's 45-21 win over USM
Don't look now but Ball St is undefeated (3-0) in MAC play . Drew Pitt tossed for 206 yards and three TDs in in 52-14 win over Toledo.
Thomas by air and Evans by ground for App St who crushed ULM 52-7
And for my sole incorrect pick of the week: Hawaii was blown out by Air Force 56-21
#MikeSchmidt came off the bench and rushed for 120 yards and three TDs Also he completed 5 of 6 passes for 147 yards and one TD.

Week 7 Other five Conference time

CUSA: It appeared that  ODU was turning the corner after hanging tough in a loss to UVA but then they lost to ECU and WKU. Marshall will increase Knox's workload and edge  the visiting Monarchs 17-12
MAC: MIAMI(ohio) is coming off a solid conference win over Buffalo and will need a big game from rushing game from Jaylon Bester to win at WMU, led by the big arm of J. Wassink. Miami(O) 31 WMU 30.
Sunbelt: ULL hosts App St in a battle of two teams off to nice starts. Ragas/Mitchell lead a potent rushing attack for the home team, but I'll roll with Zac Thomas  to have a300 yard passing game in an App St 34 -32 win.
MWC: I'm taking Josh Love and the Spartans  to get a home win over the sluggish Wolfpack. San Jose St  29 NEV 22
AAC: Navy looks like they're back in  contention and Tulsa has been erratic. Tulsa will feed Brooks more carries and win a close one at home 23 20
Oct 9-  San Diego St football coach Rocky Long opinion on  JJ Justice, the son of former MLB star David Justice,  placing his name into the NCAA transfer database.  "He’s got a full-ride scholarship, he doesn’t have to play for it and he gets to finish out the semester."
Oct10- I was correct on App St but it was a low scoring game. Zac Thomas had two rushing TDs in the 17-7 App St win over ULL. 

Oct 13

I was way off on Tulsa, wrong on  Miami O  and San Jose St, and spared from going 0fer for saturday by  Marshall.
 Tulsa couldn't contain M.Perry, Navy's QB, who rushed for 218 yards and three TDs in a 45-17 win over Tulsa.
Gabbert threw three INTs, including a pick 6, in the Miami O 30-16 loss to W.Michigan. Bellamy rushed for two TDs and Wassink tossed two TDs for the Broncos.
Love threw for 405 yards but the his Trojan teammates rushed for only 34 yards in a 40-37 last play, Talton's 40 yard FG, loss to Nevada who were led by Taua's 160 rushing yards.
Knox rushed for 104 yards and a TD in the #herd's win over  ODU.
Here's what caught my eye in some other games. W.Kentucky(CUSA) held Army to 8 points in a 17-8 win..The MWC is definitely a rocky road. Wyoming got tripped by SDST, FresnoSt couldn't handle Air Force, and UNLV pounded Vandy of the SEC.
NIU got a game ending field goal in a wild 4th quarter to edge Ohio 40-37 in MAC play.
oCT14:   MWC geography and caliber of opponents fits AFA. ODD COMMENT from Air Force coach,Troy Calhoun,  who questions Air Force’s placement in the Mountain West: “I don’t know if it’s really a match”

Week 6 heavy AAC and one MAC

OOC matchups are still filling the schedule,  but  there are some intriguing conference matchups so I'll detour to the AAC this weekend.
UCF travels to Cincy in an AAC East matchup. Knights nip the Bearcats at Nippert 24-23 behind a strong rushing attack led by McCrae and Killins. Ridder, the Cincy QB, will keep this a close game.
Evans and Johnson  will keep the Warhawks(Sunbelt) in the game for a half but Memphis behind the passing of Brady White will get the road win. Memphis 30 ULM 20.
Navy 's QB, Malcom Perry, is having a solid season, and he'll do enough for the Midshipmen to to prevail over the visiting AFA Falcons (MWC). Remsberg and Birdow are a nice one-two punch in the AFA rushing attack and will keep this game close.
In MAC play I look for NIU to recover from a tough OOC schedule and beat Ball St 26  to 19. May Bowers, the NIU QB, will out-perform his QB opponent , Drew Plitt.

oct 5

 I was close on the score but wrong on the winner. UCF QB Dillon Gabriel threw three INTs and the last one a Pick 6 by Ahmad Gardner cost them the game . CU 27 UCF 24

oct 6

I nailed the rest of the AAC games . Perry rushed for 111 yards and 2 td in the Navy 34-25 win over AFA. Kenneth Gainwell's last name fit (14 CAR ,209 yards, 2 TDs)for Memphis in it's 52-33 win over ULM.
I was close on the score but wrong on the victor in MAC game.  Caleb Huntley (35 CAR, 157 yards, 2TD) had a solid game for Ball St in a 27-20 win over NIU.

Dropping a dime on Independents Week 5

  #Byu Cougars and #utah Utes have agreed to take a two-year "Holy War" break in 2022 and 2023, allowing Utah an opportunity to schedule a home-and-home series with an SEC opponent.
This weekend an erratic BYU squad visits Toledo(MAC), who got a monster game from Bryant Koback (228 yards rushing) last weekend . Toledo 29 BYU 28
Notre Dame  will recover from a tough loss to UGA and defeat the visiting UVA Cavs 30-20. Cavs were not impressive in a 28-17 win over ODU (CUSA)
UMass hosts Akron(MAC) in a battle of bad defenses. Perhaps an aerial show AKR 36 Umass 35
Liberty will contain Tuioti, the Lobos QB, and pull out a close one at home. LIB 20 UNM 19
New Mexico St scored  55 last week at UNM and lost. Fresno  St (MWC)has played power 5 schools, USC and Minnesota, tough in losing efforts Fre 34 UNM 22

Sept 27:

Tying into this blog: UCF(AAC) football schedules future non-conference games with Boise State (MWC ) and  BYU(Independent)

Sept 29

 Koback was ok (88yds, 1TD) and Toledo got a late pick which led to rushing TD from Seymour to beat BYU 28-21
T. Jones Jr rushed for 131 yards and 3 TDs in Notre Dame's 35-20 win over UVA
I was wrong  on the outcome but close on the score Umass 37 Akron 29. It wasn't much off an aerial show. Z. Gibson (Akron)173 YDs, TD M Curtis Umass 173YDS 2TDs ,INt
Not too far off: Liberty 17 UNM 10 . S. Calvert threw form306 yards and 3TDs for the vistors.
J Cropper rushed for 118 yards and a TD on eight carries  for Fresno St in their 30-17 win over NMST.

oct 17, 2019

 Army will survive a visit to Atlanta this week (8) and edge Georgia St in the battle of rushing QBs. Hopkins (Army) , Ellington (Ga St)

oct 21

It was Ellington's arm with three TD passes, and then a final stand by the Panthers D that held off Army for a 28-21 win .

Week 4 Other5 OOC matchups

Wyoming(MWC) @ Tulsa(AAC) Two solid RBs ,Brooks of Tulsa and T.Smith of Wyoming, will each go over 100 yards rushing. Home team will win 24-23 and hand the Cowboys their first loss this season
South Alabama(SunBelt) @ UAB(CUSA) This intrastate matchup may turn into an aerial show beat the Jags Johnson and the Blazers Johnstston.  UAB 41 USA  33
Toledo(MAC) @Colorado St (MWC). Rams  get in gear and win 20 17 at home. look for Collin Hill to have a big aerial day for CSU at home.
sept 19- I'll stick with #CSU rams despite just learning that Hill suffered his third torn ACL since 2016 during last week's loss to Arkansas. Coach Bobo  will likely start Patrick O’Brien, a transfer from Nebraska.
sept 20: Meanwhile in AAC play Tulane stunned Houston  38-31 on a 53 yard reception by Mcleskey. 

sept 21 review

Tulsa blew a 17 point lead but got it together late with a Brooks' 19-yard touchdown run and a fumble recovery at the 3-yard line during the final minute in a 24-21 win over Wyoming. 
Johnston threw for 313 yards and 3 Tds in the Blazers 35-3 win over South Bama.
OBrien threw for 405 yards and 1TD and Marvin Kinsey Jr. rushed for 246 YDS, 2 TD
but it wasn't enough to stop Toledo who got  228 rushing yards, 3 TD from Bryant Koback and 119 rushing yatds and 1TD from Mitchell Guadagni. TOL 41 CSU 35

sept 23

 How about San Jose St grabbing five INTs and  winning 31-24 at Arkansas? The last time SJST beat a power conference opponent was in 2006 when the Spartans beat Stanford. 

Week 3 Other5 OOC four Matchups

 Cincy Bearcats (AAC) will be fired up after the Buckeyes beat down  and will take it out on intrastate opponent Miami (OH) in a 333 16 victory. Brent Gabbert, the Redhawks QB will be passing the ball often.
CUSA is off to a rough start  so let's see if playing  Independent schools helps.
UTSA(cusa) hosts Army(IND) coming off an OT to Mich at Ann Arbor. Home field won't be enough for the Roadrunners who will derailed by Hopkins and the Cadets 30 -19.
Charlotte should get healthy against a UMass squad that lost SIU,a 1AA squad, last week. Benny Lemay will rush for 150 for Charlotte in a 27-20 win over the Minutemen.

South Alabama(Sunbelt) hung with Nebraska two weeks and beat a 1a opponent last week , but  the schedule gets tough again when they visit Memphis(AAC). USA will rely heavily on Minter rushing the ball , but the Memphis aerial show led by Brady White will prevail 34 -22

sept 15

Bearcats took their time getting in gear but  went onto a 35-14 win over MiamiO.
USM hung on to beat Troy  while Charlotte pummeled UMass, and Army handled UTSA.
Shoutout to #chrisReynolds tossing two TD passed for Charlotte.
In games I didn't pick. Easterm Michigan (MAC) upset Illinois(B10), and Marshall (CUSA) hung on to edge Ohio(MAC).

Week 2 Three OOC Other5 matchups

Tulsa (AAC), particularly Shamari Brooks, was throttled by Sparty last week, and this week's Spartans, San Jose St(MWC), looks like the cure, but it may be tough. Tulsa ekes out a 16 - 13 road win
Ark St (SunBelt) @ UNLV(MWC): Bonner had a solid passing game in the Red Wolves' loss to SMU. Charles William rushed for 142 yards in the Rebels win over S.Utah (1aa). UNLV survives  24 -22 at home
UAB(CUSA) @ Akron(MAC): A TD kickoff return saved UAB from an embarrasing loss to Alabama St last week while Akron was demolished at Illinois. Tyler Johnston tossed two TD passes in 19 -16 UAB road.
Feel free to comment and/or mention an OOC matchup between non-power five 1A conferences  that intrigues you
Sept 7:  In a game I didn't mention #herd  jumped to a 7-0 lead but fell to Boise St(MWC) 14-7. Only 56 yards passing for Marshall (CUSA)
Sept 8: Tulsa 34 SJSU 16  Brooks woke up and rushed for 140 yards and a TD in the Tulsa win.
Bonner had a sold game passing and Ark St D had a pick six in the 43-17 win over the Rebels who got a great ground game from Charles Williams , 168 yards , 1 TD.
UAB survived the aerial show 31-20 over Akron.
Two of three for the weekend
 

K. Nelson Akron

25/44

359

2

0

Johnston III UAB

15/24

319

4

1

2019 MAC football hunches

MAC EAST
 1) Ohio Coach Solich's squad is getting a lot of love with its solid rushing attack and Nathan Rourke at QB.
 2) Kent St returns a lot of starters, particularly Jamal Parker, a standout DB.
 3) Miami (ohio) You never know
 4) Buffalo lost a lot of starters.
 5) Bowling Green will miss Doege since the QB transferred
 6) Akron breaks in a new HC.
MAC WEST
 1) Western Michigan will be led by the solid passing of QB Wassink
 2) Toledo-Bryce Harris , the center, anchors a strong O-Line
 3) Ball St brings back 18 starters
 4) NIU needs some Viagra on Offense
 5) Eastern Michigan Is QB Mike Glass a breakout player?
 6) Central Michigan- Coach McElwain has a tall task ahead of him.

Aug 11

 The #MAC will be the only collegiate football conference to host a game on the 150th anniversary of college football ,Wednesday, Nov. 6.  Miami(Ohio) will travel to face the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio.  ESPN2 will televise it.

Aug 21

#toledo will play UK(SEC) in Lexington during the 2025 and 2028 seasons, with the Wildcats traveling to the Glass Bowl in 2027.

Playing O5 baseball catchup

 AAC- ECU (17-2) leaders on offense is Bryant Packard with .376 AVG and in pitching its Jake Agnos with 7 wins and 108  K's. I'm a bit surprised that USF and UCF are near the bottom of the conference.
CUSA: USM (19-6) and FAU(18-7) are in a fierce battle for first place. Bryan Bowen is batting .359 for USM and Mitchell Hartigan is batting .341 for FAU.
MAC: CMU  (17-5) is led by Garrett Navarra .371 avg and Zach Gilles 370 AVG.
MWC: Fresno St (16-7-1) Zach Ashford is batting .373 and Ryan Jensen has 8 wins and 74 K's.
SunBelt: Texas St (17-8) leads the West. Jaxon Williams is batting .335 and has five steals.
In the East every teams has a shot except for Georgia St.

May 12: 

 Fresno St hasn’t been to the postseason since 2012.

mAY 15

USM lost it's last two games while FAU split,  leaving both teams at 19-8 in the CUSA .

May 16

Ball St (17-5) has moved to within two games of CMU in the #MAC. #Aaaronsimpson is batting .339 with 14 SB

May 18

#herd beat Rice in ten innings  which should  get them in the top 8  and make them eligible for the CUSAT.

May 19

ECU is easily the favorite in the AACT , but keep your eyes on #JoeyWeimer (6hr, 26 rbi)  and the 2 seed Cincy Bearcats against  7 seed Memphis on May 21.

May 20

Sunbelt: Seeds 7-10 will play-in for the 7 and 8 seeds.  Texas St is the 1 seed and Georgia Southern is the 2 seed.

 May 23

  #CUSA rd1: Marshall first baseman Shane Hanon hit a two-RBI single in the with two out in the top of the 12th to provide the decisive runs in 6-4 win over La Tech.

may 25 

D1 O5 baseball bubble watch:  TXst (sunbelt)  , UCF and Houston (AAC) may get in  and USM (CUSA) may not.

MAY 27, 2019

Automatic Bids: AAC-Cincy, MAC- CMU, MWC- Fresno St, CUSA-USM, SunBetlt - Coastal Carolina.

May 28

At large from O5- FAU (CUSA). AAC: ECU, UConn
June 2: All O5 teams remain alive in the CWS. Fresno St got a big win over Stanford yesterday.
June 4:  ECU (AAC) is the sole O5 team to make the round of 16. The Pirates double-dipped Campbell to move on and face Louisville.

June 8

ECU was pounded 14-1 by Louisville and needs to beat Cards today or they're done 

June 9

 ECU lost 12-1 yesterday. Louisville swept ECU and scored its 26 runs off of 32 hits, none of them home runs.

April 17, 2021

So I got curious about some the players mentioned in this blog since 2020 was a terrible year for kids in the MLB minor league system.

LF #BryantPackard, who played for ECU, was assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps in the Detroit Tigers' system.

May 12, 2021

Nevada's #TylerBosetti ( 5-10, 170 pounds)  homered in his ninth consecutive game, breaking an NCAA Division I record of 8 consecutive games.  It was his 11th homer in 10 games.  

May 26, 2021

Four Memphis players hit home runs, highlighted by back-to-back-to-back dingers by Alec Trela, Austin Baskin, and Taylor Howell in a 11-1 AACT upset of 11th ranked ECU. This is the fourth straight time the AACT  1 seed  lost to the 8 seed in the quarterfinal round. 

May 31, 2021

Automatic bids for O5: Sun Belt South Alabama,  AAC South Florida, CUSA Old Dominion

MAC: Central Michigan,  MWC Nevada: regular season winners

At large bids will be announced later today.

June 8 2021

Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick is stepping down at the end of the month to become special assistant to university president Jerome Gilbert for one year and will focus on fundraising and planning for the university's baseball stadium project. Gilbert, who  is leaving in 2022,  appointed associate AD and chief of staff Jeff O'Malley as interim AD, effective July 1.

july 25, 2021

#SamBachman RHP, Miami (OH) of the MAC went 14th overall to the Angels in the recent MLB draft. His fastball has been clocked at 101MPH. Later in the draft they took Tulane's(AAC) Braden Olthoff.

March 28, 2022

I was looking around to see if any O5 teams were in the top 25 in baseball and only see TX ST (Sunbelt). 

Then I notice Maryland dropped to 18-5 on the season, after falling to Dallas Baptist(MVC) twice in three days. MD/DB regular season games are not a common occurrence. 

Also, Liberty who's on a path to the CUSA is in the top 25. 

April 9, 2022

Update on how one of these kids is doing. #TylerBosetti returned to Nevada(MWC) for his senior year and the infielder if  off to a solid start with 19 RBIs and 4 SB s. 

June 7, 2022

Sweet 16 in CWS 2022 has two O5 teams: ECU(AAC) and Southern Miss(CUSA). Sunbelt adds S.Miss next season.

Vegas to Diamondhead- those players' first names

I was scanning the 12/23/18 scores of the smaller hoop conferences  and the names JoJo, Fatts, Amauri, Zigmars, and Lamine  leapt off the page.
Jo Jo Zamora scored 28  for N.Mex St  (WAC) in a win over Wash St (Pac12). Of course, I remember Jo Jo White, of Kansas then the Celtics.
Fatts Russell scored 20 for Rhode Island (A10) in a win over Charlotte (CUSA).
Amauri Hardy scored 22  for UNLV (MWC) in its loss to Indiana St(MVC)

Zigmars Raimo (14 PTS, 17 REB, 3 AST) in Hawaii's (Big West) win over Colorado (pac 12) 

Lamine Diane (24 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST ) for CSU Northridge (Big West) in a narrow win over Rider(MAAC)

April 20

Making the transition to  college baseball players' interesting first names.

Alsander Womack

Norfolk St. batting

.463.

Easton Walker has a .82 ERA for BYU.

 Adley Rutschman batting  .420 for Oregon St.  Equon Smith has 32 SB for Jackson St.
Andru Summerall (FAU) scored 29 runs

may 7, 2019

I guess this first name isn't too rare.  #davonJones, a BC  RUNNING BACK grad transfer, will be reunited with former Boston College assistant coach Scot Loeffler, who is now the head coach of Bowling Green (MAC).

may 26,2019

 The spelling of  #CodiePaiva,  Loyola Marymount pitcher (7-5, 1.71 ERA), first name is different. BTW, LMU won the WCC tournament.

june 19

Try learning how to spell this first name as a kid:  Kent St defensive back #QwuantrezzKnight will appeal the NCAA's denial of his waiver request for immediate eligibility, which he says is based on depression he developed while playing at MD.

July 13

 #Tyree Appleby 's name has some commercial potential ,  but he was the Cleveland St (Horizon) best basketball player, and his transfer request may have played a role in yesterday's dismissal of head coach #DennisFelton and his staff in the middle of the only July live period. Felton's resume includes HC stints at #wku and #uga .

aug 20

 Wisconsin football reinstates WR Quintez Cephus after being acquitted on two counts of sexual assault.
 aug 26:  Cephus is practicing and listed behind Pryor on the WR depth chart.
sept 2: Cephus had three catches for 39 yards in a Wisky blowout  49-0 win over USF . Bigger question is USF HC Charley Strong  headed for the exit?
sept 24:  Healthy Houston QB D’Eriq King is going to use the red shirt rule to eventually grad transfer elsewhere in 2020.  Self absorption reaches a new high

May 3 , 2020 

I omitted #pookawilliams, RB for Kansas, in my list. He'll be back for his junior year this season.  He's first Kansas U football player since Gale Sayers in 1963 to reach 2,000 career rushing yards in his first two seasons. BTW, Kansas is renewing a Big 8/ big 12 border war in 2025 with Missouri who left for the SEC in 2011.

August 18, 2020

Jahmi'us Ramsey, a Texas Tech freshman hoopster is expected to be a rd1 pick in the NBA draft. The spelling of his name has me wondering if the clerk hit the ' in error while typing his birth certificate.

Jan 10, 2021

Sometimes checking out these rare first names keeps me in the loop. I caught some action on the Red Zone and noticed that #QuintezCephus saw a lot of action in final four games for the Detroit Lions.

May 8, 2021

#JakubDombek and his Hartford U teammates can't be happy with this. Their reward for winning  the school's first America East championship and first Dance ticket is to learn its dropping all sports  from Division I to Division III. Consultants claim the move will save 9M.

May 9, 2021

Cashius McNeilly, a Texas A&M point guard and a native of Scarborough, Ontario , transferred  to TCU . Maybe he'll change the spelling to $$$$ius to take advantage of  the coming laws that allow college athletes to make money from their name, image, and likeness rights.

May 11, 2021

BTW, Pooka Williams was signed as a FA by the Bengals 

May 27, 2021

"It's the lack of respect for the area that bothers me," Hartford U hoops Coach Gallagher said. "It's the '(Hartford) Whalers Syndrome.'

Aug 9, 2022

Checking back in! Pooka Williams, spent most of last season on the Bengals training squad and played one game in December at kick returner. He's been a returner during 2022 Bengals training camp.

Sept 9, 2022

Some tough games to pick among teams with a long matchup histories took me another odd first name. Jirehl Brock, RB for Iowa St. Iowa/Iowa St and Kansas St /Missouri are some tough games to predict this weekend.

Dec 29, 2022

Jalon Daniels was back for the Jayhawks who nearly completed a huge comeback against Arkansas but fell 55-53 in OT. Texas Tech spanked Ol Miss last night. I was hoping for a 2-0 Big 12 night.

Circling back to the original blog topic, I noticed Pooka Williams only lasted a season with the Bengals and is now in the XFL.

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