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December 19 , 2006 HOME - SPORTS NEWS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKScollege football free picks- (covers.com) va tech expecting big results.
Parents of would-be football stars, take note and pick your son’s position wisely.
The amount of air time he’ll get during televised college games depends on where his position ranks in the hierarchy of stardom. Starting quarterbacks get
the most camera time, followed by ESPN's Erin Andrews, other skill position players, peppy cheerleaders, defensive cogs, shirtless painted guys in the crowd,
aggressive mascots, the quarterback’s mom, the bench and bringing up the rear, special teams players.
Frank Beamer ignored all this, however, when he took the head coaching position for the Virginia Tech Hokies 21 years ago. He’s stressed the importance of
special teams so much that “Beamerball” has become synonymous with the Hokies’ winning ways.
Winning the battle for field position was always the key, but it was the mass of blocked kicks that drew everyone’s eyes to Blacksburg. Virginia Tech has
blocked 113 kicks during Beamer’s tenure and loads of schools have sent scouts and coaches to pry Beamer’s secrets out of him.
"I used to be more willing than I am now at letting 'em in here," Beamer told the Roanoke Times last week. "After we went to the Music City Bowl (in 1998)
and blocked a bunch of kicks, we had about 30 staffs come through here.”
"I think across the country that the kicking game has gotten a lot better the last 10 years. I think a lot has been said about it, and a lot of people know
now that's the quickest way to win or lose a game."
It’s something that football bettors ignore at their own risk. The Hokies consistently do the right thing in all aspects of special teams, a big reason their
31-8 straight-up (SU) record over the last three seasons has been supplemented by a 26-11 against-the-spread (ATS) mark.
Special teams, as always, were huge difference makers both on the field and at the betting window in 2006.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons won the ACC and went 8-1 ATS as an underdog with all-purpose kicker Sam Swank as team MVP. The Cal Bears won a share of the
Pac-10 title thanks in large part to DeSean Jackson’s four punt-return majors in conference play. How much better would the Florida Gators’ 2-6-1 ATS record
in SEC games have been if kicker Chris Hetland made some kicks before the national championship game?
Special teams will make a massive difference again in 2007 and savvy bettors know that any conference race could be decided by special teams.
Kicker Brandon Coutu is healthy again, giving the Georgia Bulldogs a leg up in the SEC East chase. The Oklahoma Sooners return everyone to an already strong
special teams unit, which could be a boost when they meet the Texas Longhorns on Oct. 6. The West Virginia Mountaineers also return with special teams
intact, but their main Big East rivals, the Louisville Cardinals, return the nation’s top kicker in Art Carmody.
So where does Virginia Tech sit in the special teams picture in 2007? There’s been more hand-wringing in Blacksburg than usual this summer with Beamer
himself admitting that there are big holes to fill. Placekicker Brandon Pace, punter Nic Schmitt and long snapper Nick Leeson graduated, all of them key cogs
in the Beamerball machine.
Jud Dunlevy and Jared Develli are in tough to replace Pace, who hit 18 of 19 field goals last year and nearly toppled the NCAA career record for field goal
accuracy. Brent Bowden and Bart McMillin are favored to replace Schmitt and Leeson, respectively.
The return game should be fine with Eddie Royal back after averaging 22.7 yards per kickoff return and 13.2 yards per punt return. Royal will be helped out
by fellow receiver Josh Morgan and cornerback Macho Harris, an exciting newcomer to kick returns at the college level.
That leaves the kicking game as Beamer’s major concern.
“We've got good snappers and kickers, but the only thing we lack is the experience of getting it done in front of people when it counts,” Beamer told
Hokiesports.com.
The school’s annual spring game usually provides newcomers with their first chance to play before a big campus crowd, but this year’s game was canceled after
the shooting tragedy on the Tech campus in April.
That’s why Beamer opened Virginia Tech’s first summer practices to the public, where more than 10,000 football-hungry spectators let the hopefuls hear it
with every hit and every miss.
“I'd rather have the crowds being my critics than coach Beamer," McMillin told the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot. "He demands perfection, and if he doesn't
get it, he'll go on to the next guy. Each practice is just as stressful as a game.”
"If he's not happy, then I'm not happy."
Beamer isn’t ecstatic with the kicking game so far this summer, but the trio of blocked kicks in a recent scrimmage pleased him. He openly admits that he
wants the Hokies to once again lead the ACC in blocked kicks.
To do so, Virginia Tech, like all teams, must contend with a new rules adjustment courtesy of the NCAA. The rules committee moved kickoffs from the 35-yard
line to the 30 for 2007.
Develli handled Hokies kickoffs last year and knocked 35 of his 57 kicks into the end zone for touchbacks. The new distance is on his mind.
"I would hope the five yards won't make that much difference because the ones that went out the back of the end zone will probably be knelt down,” Develli
told the Times. “The ones that went seven, eight yards deep, they might come out now, so I've got to focus on getting them out all the way."
Beamer, however, is already thinking more about accuracy on kickoffs than distance.
"I think a lot of people thought (kicking the ball into the end zone) was automatic," Beamer told the paper. "Not anymore.”
"But if the percentages are not with you – say, you're going against the wind – you might try to kick to a certain spot and try to get coverage to that spot.
I think getting the right personnel on all those kicking teams is going to be big."
Such talk underlines that it’s often the coaches and their schemes, rather than the players, who dictate the success of the special teams. With that said,
Virginia Tech should be fine as long as Beamer’s roaming the sidelines.
Bettors can track the Hokies’ special teams when they open the 2007 season at home against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 1. The unit’s performance in
the opener might dictate how you approach the Sept. 8 clash between the Hokies and the LSU Tigers at Baton Rouge.
ncaa football picks- (associated press) duke reinstates linebacker.
Duke reinstated linebacker Michael Tauiliili on Thursday, nearly two weeks after the Blue Devils' top tackler was suspended for violating team rules and was
arrested on gun and driving while impaired charges.
Tauiliili will not play in the season opener against Connecticut on Sept. 1, and must adhere to several nondisclosed team standards to remain with the
program, the school said.
''From the start, we wanted to reach a decision that is fair to Michael, our team, the athletic department and the university,'' coach Ted Roof said. ''We
also will allow the judicial system (to) run its course, and the outcome of that process could require further disciplinary action.''
Tauiliili - a vocal linebacker who led the team in tackles each of his previous two seasons - was suspended Aug. 5, one day after he was arrested on charges
that include assault by pointing a gun, carrying a concealed weapon, driving while impaired, failing to stop after an accident and simple assault.
A team official said Tauiliili would not be made available for comment.
college football free picks- (associated press) pitt quarterback returns to squad. Pittsburgh freshman quarterback Pat Bostick practiced with the team Wednesday, one day after returning to preseason football camp.
Bostick had left on Aug. 6 to deal with an undisclosed personal issue.
''It set him back, but we did a lot of things without pads,'' offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said. ''But the tempo really picked up when the pads went
on, and he missed that. Situations that we could've put him in during those 10 days would've helped, but we're going to get him caught up.''
Bostick is Pitt's top recruit and a likely challenger for a starting job this season. He threw for 7,259 yards during his career at Manheim Township High
School near Lancaster.
''He can't be in full pads, but we're not scrimmaging. So he was able to go out and throw and make some decisions,'' coach Dave Wannstedt said. ''I was
pleased with his start, but it's just Day Number 1.
college football picks- (associated press) can toledo put scandal behind. Toledo coach Tom Amstutz spoke to his team just once about point-shaving allegations leveled against a former teammate. ''After that it was over,'' tight end Chris Hopkins said. ''It was done.''
The Rockets, from their coach on down, insist they won't be distracted this season even though it's not clear whether a federal investigation will yield more
accusations against the team.
Charges against former Rockets running back Harvey ''Scooter'' McDougle Jr. were dropped in April. But the FBI says the case is still open and that they
still could refile the charges.
Investigators in March charged McDougle with recruiting Toledo players to take part in a point-shaving scheme orchestrated by a Detroit area gambler.
McDougle has denied doing anything wrong, and no other players have been named.
Amstutz said he doesn't think there is cloud hanging over the Rockets, a team that has been among the best in the Mid-American Conference over the last
decade.
''I know my players,'' he said. ''I trust every player that's out here on the field today.''
The players say they have something else to prove, especially coming off a 5-7 season a year ago - the school's first losing season since 1993.
''That's not the Toledo of the past,'' said senior safety Tyrell Herbert, who played in bowl games his first two seasons. ''We're going to do everything we
can to get back on top.''
There's reason for optimism - 18 of 22 starters return. But the first month of the season includes home games against Purdue and Iowa State and a road
contest at Kansas.
The Rockets are 7-point home underdogs in their opener against the Boilermakers on betED.com.
The returning players say the investigation of McDougle brought them closer together.
Hopkins, an all-MAC selection last year, said the coaches have a 24-hour rule that gives them only a day to celebrate a victory or dwell on a defeat. That
same rule applied to how they handled the point-shaving allegations.
''We don't let outside stuff come in between us,'' he said. ''It keeps us even tighter even if one of our guys goes the wrong way in life.''
Hopkins said the charges against McDougle didn't make sense. ''I was shocked by it, but I had to flush that,'' he said.
McDougle would have been a fifth-year senior on the team, but he was suspended after his arrest. He has since been ruled academically ineligible.
According to an FBI affidavit, McDougle conspired to fix scores of Toledo games. He accepted cash, a car, a phone and other merchandise in return for
recruiting players to help in the scheme, the court document said.
He told investigators he never changed the way he played to affect the outcome of games.
McDougle had a breakout season in 2004, leading the team in rushing with 620 yards. But he injured his knee in the conference title game that year and was
never the same. He had just three carries over the next two seasons.
''How was I shaving points when I haven't played in two seasons?'' McDougle told The Blade newspaper in Toledo. ''And the last time I did play, I rushed for
over 100 yards in my last three games.''
Amstutz, who has taken Toledo to four bowl games in six seasons, said all coaches eventually run into challenges with players.
''I understand they're a part of coaching,'' he said. ''There's been very few disappointments. I've been a mentor, a leader, a surrogate father for over a
thousand young men.''
Amstutz said he received a call a few days after McDougle was arrested from Texas El-Paso coach Mike Price, who was fired in 2003 at Alabama after a night of
drinking at a strip club
The two got to know each other at the GMAC Bowl two years ago.
''He'd gone through some turmoil in his career,'' Amstutz said. ''He said he knew what I stood for and believed we'd get through this situation.
college football- (associated press) indiana star reciever breaks finger. Indiana receiver James Hardy is expected to miss two weeks after breaking a finger on his left hand at practice.
Hardy was injured on a play during the morning practice Monday.
Hardy, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior from Fort Wayne, is the Hoosiers' top player. He had a breakout season as a freshman, catching 61 passes for 863 yards
and 10 touchdowns. He became the first receiver in school history to post double-digit catches in back-to-back games.
Last year, he caught 51 passes for 722 yards and 10 more TDs despite a midseason quarterback change. He missed two games because of a suspension.
Hardy gave up basketball to concentrate on football and is now regarded as an NFL prospect.
college football free picks- (associated press) arkansas reciever out 4-6 weeks. Arkansas receiver Marcus Monk will be out four-to-six weeks due to a knee injury sustained last week.
Monk underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday to repair a small tear that occurred during practice Thursday, trainer Dean Weber said. He was
initially diagnosed with a bone bruise.
Monk will miss the Razorbacks' home opener on Sept. 1 against Troy, Weber said. The Razorbacks are off the following week, travel to play Alabama on Sept.
15, and host Kentucky on Sept. 22.
Weber said there was no ligament damage to Monk's knee.
''He will be on an aggressive rehabilitation program emphasizing early motion,'' Weber said.
Monk caught 50 passes for 962 yards and a school-record 11 touchdowns last season. He also holds the school mark of 24 career touchdown receptions.
ncaa football picks- (associated press) |