SB Nation Recent College Posts

Aboya & Shipp's Next Adventures

Nestor, Bruins Nation — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:07:51 -0000

Remember Coach Howland told us not to worry too much about PAA and JS. Looks like they already have some nice options lining up from them. First, Dohn gives us the news on PAA. He is looking to try out with Mavs. If that doesn't work out, it looks like he will end in Europe making some decent change:

The agent for Alfred Aboya said the former UCLA center will play for the Dallas Mavericks in the Las Vegas summer league, which begins July 10.
Bouna Ndiaye said during the summer league he will meet with representatives from at least five European teams, and he expects Aboya to agree to terms with one of them by the end of the month,
"We'll do something were there is an out in the contract to play in the NBA," Ndiaye said.

PAA could make as much $200,000 annually playing for a European team either in Spain, Turkey or France. Speaking of decent amount of change, JS apparently already has an offer to play in Italy and a summer camp invitation from the Bulls. Per Dohn:

While I am told UCLA wing Josh Shipp has an offer of more than $200,000 to play in Italy, I am also being told he really wants to give the NBA a shot and may go that direction. A source told me Shipp has an invitation to play for the Chicago Bulls in a summer league.

Either way, best of luck to both PAA and JS from Bruins Nation.

GO BRUINS.

Matt Pilgrim Commits to Oklahoma State

bbroman, Testudo Times — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:29:53 -0000

Again, it was fun while it lasted. Via the Memphis Commercial-Appeal:

Pilgrim visited Memphis last Sunday and Maryland late last week but chose to play for Oklahoma State, which had a big hole at power forward when incoming recruit Karron Johnson failed to qualify and enrolled at junior college.

That's a shame: Pilgrim could've added a lot to the team next year. With him, Maryland could've had a(n outside) chance to be elite. But it's important to note that this is the same team as it was before Pilgrim settled (pun 100% intended) in Stillwater. We knew they were a fringe top 25 team then, and they're still a fringe top 25 team now.

The only thing that scares me is the recruiting momentum recently. We've lost out on Lance Stephenson (our choice) and Deshawn Painter and Matt Pilgrim (not our choice). Although news on the 2010 frontier is very good, we've yet to lock up that all important 3rd commit. We aren't anywhere close to panic mode yet - we're farther along in most recruitments (like Roscoe Smith's) than we normally get - but I'm starting to feel a little uneasy.

But to finish out the post optimistically: Pilgrim would've been a big get, but an ultimately unnecessary one. This team as it stands is completely capable of finishing in the top 4 or 3 in the ACC, especially if everything breaks right on injuries and freshmen development.

Armchair Quarterbacking With The Rivalry, Esq - Iowa v. Penn State

grahamfiller10, The Rivalry, Esq. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:39:53 -0000

Matchup - 9-0 Penn State @ 5-4 Iowa

Date - November 9, 2008

Game Score and Time - PSU 23, Iowa 21, 0:42 mark of the 4rd quarter

Capsule - Ricky Stanzi was having a Tom Bradyesque 2nd half, with 127 yards passing and two touchdown drives against the Big 10's best defense, but the Nittany Lions held a slim lead in the closing minute. Thanks to the now infamous pass interference penalty on 3rd and 15 and some clutch throws by Stanzi, the Hawkeyes were only a field goal away from pulling a huge upset.

Down - 3rd and 6, ball rests at the Penn State 25.

Play Call - Iowa's play calling, always conservative under Ferentz, lends itself to these situations, one would think, but the options here are numerous. Dive middle for no gain to set up a 41 yard field goal by Daniel Murray on a windy day...Run off tackle with Greene (like they did all year so successfully) for a possible first down or to avoid any chance for turnovers...Roll out Stanzi to give him the throwaway option or a safe, short pass...But I mean, God Almighty, don't throw the ball down the field or take a sack while sitting on the Upset of the Year, you can't take risks...Plus the Penn State defense has spent the entire drive in the Iowa backfield hurrying Stanzi. Some helpful stats to consider:

Stanzi's stats so far: 14-24, 165 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 Sacks

Greene's stats: 28 carries, 117 yards

Iowa's 3rd down conversion at home % in 2008? 7th in the conference.

Penn State's road passing defense in 2008? 1st in the conference.

Murray's stats up to this point in 2008? 1 for 3, with a long of 44 against Maine. No attempts since a miss v Pitt.

Discussion of what actually happened in the Comment section...Like you don't know...

Poll

What play do you run?

Happy Birthday, America

CW, Rakes Of Mallow — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:11:22 -0000

Notre Dame's Joseph Fauria Comes Home (to UCLA)

Nestor, Bruins Nation — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:13:40 -0000

Wanted to break in during this Independence Day with some good news.

Looks like the UCLA football team has a new transfer to welcome from Notre Dame. Josepha Fauria, a former four star TE recruit from Crespi High School, who picked Notre Dame over UCLA (couple of recruiting seasons ago) is coming home. Brian Dohn reported in the Daily News:

Fauria said Friday he is transferring to UCLA from Notre Dame, where he was not going to play this season after being suspended by the school's Office of Residence Life for a non-athletic issue.
"I'm going to end up at UCLA," he said. "I'm verbally committed."

The 6-foot-7, 250-pounder played in three games last season without catching a pass. He will have three years of eligibility remaining once he sits out the NCAA-mandated one year for transferring between Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

It also is a reunion for Bruins starting quarterback Kevin Prince and Fauria, who played together in high school. Fauria had 35 receptions for 516 yards and eight touchdowns as a Crespi senior.

Fauria, the nephew of former NFL tight end Christian Fauria, said he recently visited UCLA's campus and spoke to head coach Rick Neuheisel. He will join the Bruins for training camp in August.

"It's a great atmosphere," Fauria said. "It was my second choice coming out of high school, got a good coaching staff and the arrow is pointing up for the direction of the program."

As mentioned previously the cirumstances around why he left Notre Dame stemming from a suspension by the university's Office of Residence Life for "undisclosed disciplinary reasons" seems rather odd. Dohn called the exit "controversial, and cryptic." However, after looking into this over last few days, I don't think UCLA football fans don't have too worry too much.

First, I had an email exchange with Jay from the Blue Gray Sky (it was his post we linked up earlier when Faurier first popped up on radar) over Faurier. I thought I would ask him straight since it has been "established many times over" by other Notre Dame bloggers (including by our colleagues at SBN) that "Blue Gray Sky is the class of the Notre Dame internet." Have to say Jay didn't flag anything concerning Fauria that stood out as a red flag (certainly nothing even close to the kind of allegations we have seen concerning E.J. Woods or the boilerplate stuff we see coming out of the scandal ridden athletic program from cross town).

Second, the rumor that has been going around re. Fauria is that apparently he was suspended for this:

old school streaking scene (via ttgarcia0)

Uh yeah. There are references to this at Irish fan sites such as theDailyShillelagh, uhnd.com, and GoldHelmet.com. Well again these are rumors and we don't have all the facts regarding whether it was just one incident or one of multiple incidents for which Notre Dame's ResLife suspended him for an entire semester. What is clear though that a huge number of Irish fans were not happy with Notre Dame's administration and were taking Fauria's side on this.

Even Jay in his widely linked Fauria post (referenced above) mentioned that Notre Dame's ResLife "has no reservoir of credibility to draw from." So given the fact that Coach Neuheisel's program handled the E.J. Woods situation pretty well (not giving him any kind of break), I feel comfortable about his coaches (and Morgan Center administration) doing their due diligence regarding Fauria before accepting his commitment to UCLA. Besides if Fauria was indeed suspended for doing a Will Ferrell, one would think he would fit in just fine at UCLA!

All kidding aside, Fauria left the Notre Dame football program on a classy note:

"My experience was positive, except toward the end," Fauria said. "The program was great to me. My teammates were great to me. I'm going to miss all of them.

So with that welcome to Westwood Joe. BTW, IIRC the last transfer from Notre Dame didn't work out so bad. It was Arnold Ale who was instumental in starting that unforgettable 8 game winning streak against U$C*.

He will now sit out for one season. When gets back UCLA's TE depth chart is going to look good with Fauria, (Cory) Harkey and of course Morrel Presley.

Fauria will most likely will not be the last personnel move in this busy off season. We will also wait on the news on Colorado's Josh Smith and it looks like coaches' will hold a scholarship for him (if he wants it). After it all shakes out UCLA should be right around the 85 scholarship mark at the beginning of this August Fall camp with more talent on balance compared to what was left when CRN took over in January of 2008. I call that moving in the right direction.

GO BRUINS.

The "Arizona Brand"

joenewby4040, Arizona Desert Swarm — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:49:08 -0000

Andy Katz reports that nobody pulled off a bigger recruiting turnaround for the 2009 basketball class than the Cats. Coach Miller may not have realized the power of the "Arizona Brand" before getting to Tucson, but quickly realized that the Arizona name carries serious weight.

"The Arizona brand speaks for itself," Miller said. "It's an amazing recruiting tool."

On April 7, 2009, the Cats did not have one recruit for the 2009 season. That quickly changed with Miller grabbing Solomon Hill, Derrick Williams, Lamont Jones, Kevin Parrom, and Kyrl Natyazho. The Cats are looking like they will be a work in progress from the beginning with such young blood coming and minimal returning starters. Nic Wise will have to lead the charge for this group to start gelling by Pac-10 time. Here is a look at the 2009-2010 basketball schedule:

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result

11/01/09	Red-Blue Game	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
11/04/09	vs. Augustana College	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
11/10/09	vs. Western New Mexico	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
11/15/09	vs. Northern Arizona	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
11/19/09	vs. Rice	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
EA Sports Maui Invitational
11/23/09	Chaminade, Cincinnati, Colorado, Gonzaga, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin	Lahaina, Hawaii	TBA
11/24/09	Second Round	Lahaina, Hawaii	TBA
11/25/09	Third Round	Lahaina, Hawaii	TBA

12/02/09	vs. UNLV	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
12/06/09	at Oklahoma	Norman, Okla.	TBA

12/09/09	vs. Louisiana Tech	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
12/12/09	at San Diego State	San Diego, Calif.	TBA
12/21/09	vs. Lipscomb	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
12/23/09	vs. North Carolina State	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
Fiesta Bowl Classic
12/28/09	vs. BYU	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA

12/31/09	at UCLA	Los Angeles, Calif.	TBA
01/02/10	at USC	Los Angeles, Calif.	TBA
01/07/10	vs. Washington State	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
01/09/10	vs. Washington	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
01/14/10	at Oregon State	Corvallis, Ore.	TBA
01/16/10	at Oregon	Eugene, Ore.	TBA
01/23/10	at Arizona State	Tempe, Ariz.	TBA
01/28/10	vs. Stanford	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
01/30/10	vs. California	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
02/04/10	at Washington	Seattle, Wash.	TBA
02/06/10	at Washington State	Pullman, Wash.	TBA
02/11/10	vs. Oregon	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
02/13/10	vs. Oregon State	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
02/20/10	vs. Arizona State	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
02/25/10	at California	Berkeley, Calif.	TBA
02/27/10	at Stanford	Palo Alto, Calif.	TBA
03/04/10	vs. USC	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA
03/06/10	vs. UCLA	Tucson, Ariz.	TBA

The Cats have their work cut out for them by playing in Maui against Maryland, Gonzaga, Wisconsin and then traveling to Norman to play Oklahoma. After that brutal start, the Cats take on N.C. State at home followed by BYU in Tucson. After all of the non-conference madness the Cats Pac-10 opener is against UCLA in Los Angeles.

What's your favorite Cougar rivalry?

Grady., CougCenter — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:00:33 -0000

Tip of the hat to Peaty411s, who brought up the link to Pat Forde's red-hot college football rivalries for 2009. Yes, Washington-Washington State is on there, although mainly for the legislative fight over Husky Stadium this Spring. And even though the economy alone was enough to stall any sort of publicly-funded stadium bill out of Olympia, a lot of Huskies blame the Cougars for the failure. And, in turn, us Cougars hate the Huskies for even asking to refurbish their monstrosity on the lake in the first place. So there's some heat to the rivalry after all.

What I found interesting, though, is that there is neither a Coug nor Husky mention on Forde's basketball rivalry article of the same nature. What gives, Pat? There's no UW, WSU or even Gonzaga game on the list. That includes not just the Top Ten, but the honorable mention section as well. Certainly one of the three schools deserves a nod.

We have some of the better rivalry games in the nation right here in the Evergreen State. So the real question I want to ask is this: What's your favorite WSU rivalry? Is it the passion and intensity of the Apple Cup, a once a year event with bragging rights on the line? Or is it Cougar basketball against the Huskies? With a game in Pullman and Seattle every year, it delivers both quantity and quality, and makes for one of the most passionate home crowds of the year. Or, another option: Gonzaga versus WSU. It's neighbor-versus-neighbor in the US 195 corridor, with plenty of hatred to go around and opposing fans sneaking into the other's gym on a more frequent basis (well, maybe not so much at GU, because that arena is tiny.) Finally, there's the longshot: WSU against the fearsome Idaho Vandals. I'm sorry, I just had to laugh when I typed that last sentence.

On to the poll:

Poll

It's up to you, Coug Nation. What's your favorite rivalry game?

Happy Independence Day!!!

Beergut, I Am The 12th Man — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:09:18 -0000

We here at I Am The 12th Man want to wish you and yours a very happy 4th of July. As we celebrate our nation's independence, please remember to be safe if you are traveling. If you are celebrating with friends, please be careful about driving.

Today, we celebrate out Independence Day.

Happy Fourth of July from Garnet and Black Attack

Gamecock Man, Garnet And Black Attack — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:04:08 -0000

I'll have to admit that the Fourth of July inspires mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, I believe that the ideals that inspired this country's revolutionary period and their legacy have proven to be a viable political philosophy we've known in terms of producing a great amount of freedom for a great number of people. That's true both here and abroad; numerous nations have staged their own revolutions against oppressive regimes while invoking the rhetoric of liberal republicanism. On the other hand, I am often distressed by the failure of the U. S. to live up to the extraordinary promise embodied in its Declaration of Independence, both throughout its history and today. In short, I find disturbing our nation's history of failing to extend the rights that Thomas Jefferson--himself a brilliant and profoundly striking example of the nation's contradictory impulses--wrote so eloquently about in the Declaration to the various marginalized segments of our populace. I'm also often dismayed by our tendency to countenance overseas imperial acts that also contradict principles that we deeply hold.

However, I think the Fourth is an appropriate moment to remind ourselves that the legacy of the Founding Fathers insures us of a number of important rights, perhaps most importantly the right to government by consent of the governed. Indeed, my right to question the nation's history in the way that I just did hinges upon this right. Remember the words of Jefferson in the Declaration:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Has the history of the U. S. always lived up to the promise embodied in these words? I would say no. Does human nature even suggest that it would be possible to do so? Probably not. At any rate, these words continue to compel us because they inspire us to continue to work for a better nation. Indeed, they entitle us to do so. Not all political organizations have ensured such a right. We should be happy that we live under one that does. The promise insured by such rights is enough to make me happy I'm a citizen of this nation.

I could write all day about this, but in the service of my time and yours, I'll keep it short: Happy Fourth of July. And go read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Remind yourself of the debt we owe to these documents.

Happy 4th Of July From Crimson And Cream Machine

ccmachine, Crimson And Cream Machine — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:29:55 -0000

Flags (via tjroberts79)

God Bless America, Happy Fourth of July.

Toki Wartooth, Hail to the Orange — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:09:15 -0000

Eat some hot dogs, drink some beers and blow some shit up. It is your God given right as an American.

Do it for the flag, do it for George Washington and Abe Lincoln and Billy Mays. Devour as many different excesses as you can, as fast as you can.

Lets all follow the example of great American hero Joey Chestnut, THREE TIME NATHANS FAMOUS HOT DOG EATING CHAMPION, and have ourselves a great 4th of July.

via nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com

Gorge yourself on a heaping helping of freedom sir, America looks to you for leadership.

Thompson shines as USA cruises out of prelims

Nuss, CougCenter — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:01:03 -0000

When last basketball season ended, I was all set to write this big post about how awesome Klay Thompson is. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and as a guy who started from the moment he stepped on campus, I felt like far too often we took his play for granted -- always wanting more from a guy who already was exceeding every reasonable expectation anyone could have had for him.

Alas, time got away from me, and it never got written. But if there was still any question about Thompson's awesomeness, they should be answered at this point, as he's quietly putting together an excellent FIBA U19 tournament.

Team USA cruised out of preliminary play by putting a 112-55 whupping on Egypt. And while Pitt point guard Ashton Gibbs will get a lot press for his impressive 18 points in 18 minutes -- with six assists to boot -- Thompson quietly put together one heck of a game: 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting with 7 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 18 minutes.

While I don't have the time to crunch a bunch of rate stats, I can tell you that his overall eFG% for the tournament is 57.5, tied for third on the team but first among guards. And, naturally, he's first among guards in rebounds and fourth in assists. And if you're curious, no, he's still not getting to the line at all -- just three FT attempts. But I'm guessing he wasn't put on this team for his ability to get into the lane, so I wouldn't read too much into that. He's also turned the ball over five times in two games, but that's pretty skewed by the three he committed in the first game.

DeAngelo Casto has also been solid in his minutes. Guess who's leading the team in eFG? Casto has been as efficient as can be, converting eight of his 11 shots, although his rebounding has lagged behind what you would expect -- just eight in three games to go along with three blocks. It could be why he's lagging behind most of the other bigs in minutes.

Australia also cruised through preliminaries, and there's no other way to put this -- Brock Motum has been an absolute monster. He's first in points and tied for second in rebounds for the Aussies, who clinched first in their group by beating the snot out of Syria.

Both teams move on the next round, in which the top two teams from each preliminary group move on to form new groups. After that group play comes the medal round. Team USA plays next tomorrow at 4 p.m. PDT against Greece. Australia next plays tomorrow at 10 p.m. PDT against Kazakhstan.

There is one other Coug playing internationally this summer as well -- Nikola Koprivica is playing with Serbia, opening the tournament with six points and six rebounds in a win over Greece. Koprivica and the Serbians are playing Australia in their second game of pool play as I write this.

It doesn't look like there's any broadcast available of any of these games, but I'll let you know if I run across anything.

As an aside, if you've been wondering where I've been, my beautiful wife and I welcomed our second son into the world on June 22. Trystian Jeffrey Nusser was 5 pounds, 15 ounces and 20 inches ... and five weeks early. Because babies that are five weeks early aren't really ready to live on their own, he spent a week in the hospital. The last week has been spent acclimating to having two children at home. If you have two or more kids, you know what I'm talking about. Hence, the reason for my absence. But all should be back on track now.

Enjoy Illinois Football: The Journey, now on Hulu

Toki Wartooth, Hail to the Orange — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:47:05 -0000

So, do you want to see a season unravel with injuries and missed opportunities all over again? Well have I got a treat for you. Illinois Football: The Journey is now available, in its entirety on Hulu. All of the highlights like Juice's record setting performance in the Big House to the low lights of Minnesota and Western Michigan.

You can learn about Mike Ho-oh's sweet tats and A.J. Jenkins favorite breakfast sandwich from Derald's

Yeah yeah, thats all well and good, but I know what you really want to see....

Fourth of July Buff Bites

irish1611, The Ralphie Report — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:11:54 -0000

Happy Fourth of July everyone.

Rivals.com College Football - Rivals.com Preseason 120: No. 41 Colorado
In one of the higher rankings we have seen, rivals.com has slotted the Buffs at #41 in their annual countdown to #1. Same old story as most of the previews: good potential at offensive line, linebackers, running back and cornerback. Concern over quarterback, wide receiver and defensive line. Here was rivals' overall outlook:

Colorado appears equipped to finish in the upper half of the North Division. The biggest key is the rushing attack; if the Buffs can run effectively, it takes a ton of pressure off the quarterbacks, who – truth be told – don't engender that much confidence. If opposing defenses know Colorado must pass, the Buffs will be in trouble. But if the running game gets cranked up and the Buffs can use a lot of play-action, the offense will be fine. When Hawkins arrived from Boise State, much was made about his powerful offenses. Those powerful offenses haven't been seen in Boulder and this offense won't be all that powerful, either. But it definitely can be effective, and an effective offense gets the Buffs to seven or eight wins and into a bowl.

Hawk viewing: CU coach to open 10 practices to public : Top Stories : Boulder Daily Camera
In good news for everyone, Dan Hawkins and the CU coaching staff has agreed, tentatively, to allow fans watch the first ten practices of spring ball, a smart decision to get the fan base excited about the 2009 season as well as a get a first look at some players like Nick Kasa, Edward Nuckols, Andre Simmons, Terdema Ussery, Jarrod Darden, Jack Harris and Clark Evans to name a few.

If you remember correctly, Coach Hawkins became perturbed that he was being "scouted" by internet sites this spring so he shut down practices.

Colorado football fans will be allowed once again to watch their beloved Buffaloes during the first week — 10 practices total — of fall camp in August. Coach Dan Hawkins and his assistants have approved a tentative schedule that could still be adjusted in the next month leading up to the first practice on Aug. 7. It will allow fans an early look from the sidelines at the team, including approximately 30 newcomers.

Coaching rivalries put aside at All-Poly Camp
Brian Cabral took place in the annual All-Poly Camp in Hawaii as one of the coaches leading the three day camp. This camp to Cabral is more than just getting in quality recruiting time for the Colorado Buffaloes in a quality football state:

But since its inception eight years ago, with only eight coaches and about 40 athletes attending the inaugural event, the All-Poly Camp is not so much about "who will go to what college" but more about all of them continuing their education, period. "The bottom line is we want all of these kids to go to college," said Colorado associate head coach Brian Cabral, a former standout at Saint Louis School who played eight seasons in the NFL. "We'll pass names around, a lot of it is finding a place for all of them. Division I is not for everybody, but there can be a college for anybody ... We want them to leave this camp a better football player and understand the importance of academics."

Big 12 Football: What the experts are saying. | Upon Further Review
The Kansas City Star takes a look at the preseason magazines and where every has the Big 12 teams ranked. Kansas just can't get over the fact that Phil Steele has them outside the top 50 while Colorado is ranked ahead of them. On an aggregate level, the consensus for the Buffs is third in the North.

more CU links after the jump...

The Doc's All-Up-and-Coming Team: Offense - Dr. Saturday - Yahoo!Sports
Matt Hinton takes a stab at naming a team that is made up of sophomores and juniors that we should see emerge this year. Darrell Scott (honorable mention) and Ryan Miller were mentioned.

Running Through the Big 12 Runningbacks | Fantasy College Blitz
FantasyCollegeBlitz.com runs through the Big 12's top runningbacks going into the 2009 season. Darrell Scott has come in at #9 and Rodney Stewart at #15. They also mention that while they like Colorado's potential at runningback, the lack of playmakers on the outside causes concern on how productive the running game could be: "Colorado has talent at the RB position and a creative coach who can design plays to open up the field… but star receiver Josh Smith is transferring, and with him go the Buffs’ ability to stretch the field."

2009 Colorado Buffaloes Preview - AthlonSports.com
Althon looks at every position on the 2009 team and gives their take.

Fairview standout Bell mulls offer from Colorado - Boulder Daily Camera
Do-it-all Fairview senior Kenny Bell recently received a football scholarship offer from the hometown Colorado Buffaloes but right now, Colorado might not be on top of his list.

CU-South Carolina meet in No. 7 battle in Big 12-SEC series - Big 12 - ESPN
Tim Griffin continues on his mythical Big 12 vs. SEC series. The Buffs hold down the #7 spot in the Big 12, matched up against the #7 SEC team in South Carolina. Griffin picks Colorado to win the game because of the Buffs running game and the lack of playmakers on the defensive side for South Carolina. Griffin also hasn't bought into the offense for the Gamecocks.

Happy Fourth of July

Maize n Brew Dave, Maize n Brew — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:12:48 -0000

And a special thank you to the men and women of our armed forces who continue to defend our freedoms at home and abroad.

via www.operationsupportoursoldiers.org