The news of Jimmy Berezik's second playoff suspension in as many years has begun to make its way around the Allendale campus of Grand Valley State University.
Thankfully, when the Lakers face off against Carson-Newman College today in the NCAA Division 2 national semifinal, they will be well prepared to handle the absence of GVSU's all-time leading rusher.
In last year's playoff loss to Minnesota-Duluth, Berezik's suspension meant all-purpose back Blake Smolen had to spend the majority of the game in the backfield. Although Smolen racked up 139 yards on 27 carries, his absence on the on edges greatly hurt the offense.
This year, P.T. Gates and Justin Sherrod have emerged as legitimate second and third running backs. Gates arguably ran better than Berezik last week in the rematch against Minnesota-Duluth, and he will get his chance to show why he was a Division 1-recruit today against Carson-Newman.
Berezik's absence pales in comparison to the hole left by Andre Thomas on the defensive line. Facing a complicated triple-option scheme, it was imperative for an already banged up Lakers defense to be as close to full strength as possible.
Now with Thomas, his backup Ryan Wheat and reserve linebacker Blair Hollis all suspended for the rest of the season, GVSU's national championship hopes will fall on a patchwork defense.
The Lakers have worked far too hard for a few suspensions to ruin their season. Look for GVSU to punch its tickets to Alabama this afternoon against Carson-Newman.
GVSU 35, Carson-Newman 17
Showing posts with label College Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College Football. Show all posts
Saturday, December 5, 2009
1
Friday, December 4, 2009
1
Arseneau: U-of-M football 'ready to take the next step'
We would like to welcome Bryan Arseneau to The Sunny and C Network. He was the first official applicant to be a contributor on the blog, and he starts his time here with this column.
A second season of disgust for the University of Michigan football team has finally come to an end in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines missing a bowl game for the second straight year.
Alleged practice violations have cast a dark shadow over the coaching staff, leaving many to wonder if head coach Rich Rodriguez should be concerned for his job.
However, as I watched the Ohio State game which officially ended Michigan’s season, I couldn’t help but feel Rich Rod and his football team were on the right track. Despite two disappointing years, I believe we saw a Michigan team which is only a year removed from being a Big Ten Conference title contender.
The youth of the current Wolverine squad gives them a great returning roster. Linebacker Brandon Graham and running back Brandon Minor will be the only two key players lost this offseason.
With many returners -- such as Tate Forcier, Michael Shaw and Donovan Warren -- getting more acclimated to the systems of both Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, next year's team will gain more consistancy. Even though Rich Rod hasn’t posted a great record in his time in Ann Arbor, he has been able to give many underclassmen valuable experience that will help this team take the next step forward.
Rodriguez continues to bring in top-10 recruiting classes, constantly improving the abilities of his system. When Rich Rod was brought into Ann Arbor, he was given a team with a severe lack of talent. He has proven in the past to have an extremely proficient attack when he has all of the pieces for his system.
Michigan's conference schedule is about as favorable as they could hope for next season -- Michigan State, Iowa, and Wisconsin all travel to the Big House. I realize Michigan has to make road trips to Happy Valley and Columbus, but Penn State will graduate quarterback Daryll Clark, a major part of its offense for the past two seasons. If there ever was a good time to travel to Happy Valley, next year may be as good as any.
I still believe in Rich Rodriguez and his ability to build a national championship-contending football team, despite his 8-16 record and two consecutive bowl-less seasons.
This years team's made progress from last season, and at times looked like a dominating squad. The biggest improvement needing to be made is consistency.
Michigan's offense was able to move the football, finishing fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense. But, they were a young team that rode the tide of highs and lows.
The Wolverines shot themselves in the foot in too many key situations to win the close games this season, but the ability to close out games comes with experience. By playing underclassmen the past two years, Rich Rodriguez has built a foundation of talent and experience for this Wolverine program to build upon.
Now, Michigan is ready to take the next step -- a step out of the Big Ten cellar.
A second season of disgust for the University of Michigan football team has finally come to an end in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines missing a bowl game for the second straight year.
Alleged practice violations have cast a dark shadow over the coaching staff, leaving many to wonder if head coach Rich Rodriguez should be concerned for his job.
However, as I watched the Ohio State game which officially ended Michigan’s season, I couldn’t help but feel Rich Rod and his football team were on the right track. Despite two disappointing years, I believe we saw a Michigan team which is only a year removed from being a Big Ten Conference title contender.
The youth of the current Wolverine squad gives them a great returning roster. Linebacker Brandon Graham and running back Brandon Minor will be the only two key players lost this offseason.
With many returners -- such as Tate Forcier, Michael Shaw and Donovan Warren -- getting more acclimated to the systems of both Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, next year's team will gain more consistancy. Even though Rich Rod hasn’t posted a great record in his time in Ann Arbor, he has been able to give many underclassmen valuable experience that will help this team take the next step forward.
Rodriguez continues to bring in top-10 recruiting classes, constantly improving the abilities of his system. When Rich Rod was brought into Ann Arbor, he was given a team with a severe lack of talent. He has proven in the past to have an extremely proficient attack when he has all of the pieces for his system.
Michigan's conference schedule is about as favorable as they could hope for next season -- Michigan State, Iowa, and Wisconsin all travel to the Big House. I realize Michigan has to make road trips to Happy Valley and Columbus, but Penn State will graduate quarterback Daryll Clark, a major part of its offense for the past two seasons. If there ever was a good time to travel to Happy Valley, next year may be as good as any.
I still believe in Rich Rodriguez and his ability to build a national championship-contending football team, despite his 8-16 record and two consecutive bowl-less seasons.
This years team's made progress from last season, and at times looked like a dominating squad. The biggest improvement needing to be made is consistency.
Michigan's offense was able to move the football, finishing fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense. But, they were a young team that rode the tide of highs and lows.
The Wolverines shot themselves in the foot in too many key situations to win the close games this season, but the ability to close out games comes with experience. By playing underclassmen the past two years, Rich Rodriguez has built a foundation of talent and experience for this Wolverine program to build upon.
Now, Michigan is ready to take the next step -- a step out of the Big Ten cellar.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
12
JT: Will Notre Dame's return to glory be the Brian Kelly story?
We would like to welcome Jason Thompson to The Sunny and C Network. JT, as he would like to be known, will be one of our regular contributors. He will also be a guest on tonight's edition of The Sunny and C Show to discuss Notre Dame football.
Another no-show last week by the Notre Dame defense against Stanford left everyone with little to speculate regarding the future of coach Charlie Weis.
After a five-year tenure (or internship, as some fans will call it), a 6-6 record became unacceptable to the Irish faithful. Quite frankly, Weis only made it to Monday because it would have been politically incorrect for a Catholic university to fire someone on a Sunday.
An era is over, and Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick has begun his search to find the man to bring Notre Dame “back to glory.”
Can Notre Dame – with their high academic standards and less than spectacular campus location – ever reclaim the dominance lost when Lou Holtz left in 1996? Do players want to play at Notre Dame anymore? Are the Irish even relevant to a generation that has seen nothing but undelivered promises from the “storied program?”
Most of these questions are irrelevant because as coaches like Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban have shown, the story in college football begins and ends with the head coach. Just about any school can be one hire away from plunging onto the national scene.
That being said, who can right the ship in South Bend?
Remember, Notre Dame isn’t your typical job.
In-state recruits don’t exist, so you had better be a great recruiter.
You must be an ace with the media because from the minute you sign up, you will be relentlessly questioned and second guessed.
Finally you will need to be one of the “good old boys.” There are a lot of old-fashioned Irish alumni digging deep into their pockets to buyout Weis’ mistake of a contract, so they better like you at face value.
With all of that in mind, isn't the search fairly simple?
Its a two-tier process consisting of three coaches: Meyer, Kelly, and Bob Stoops.
After multiple failures, Swarbrick can’t afford to get cute and look at a Gary Patterson, a Butch Davis or a Jim Harbaugh. They need someone with hardware and a name.
Swarbrick owes it to the Irish fan base to throw the kitchen sink at Meyer. They underbid him in 2004 and lost out to Florida. Notre Dame is still close to the heart of Meyer, and if Swarbrick could bring him to South Bend everything in the world would be right again.
Likely? No. Meyer has already publicly shot down the idea of ever leaving Florida, even after admitting Notre Dame is his dream job. But then again, Saban did the same thing to Alabama until the pot was sweetened. So Irish nation can dream right?
Once Swarbrick fulfills his obligation and forces Urban Meyer to tell him no, it comes down to Stoops and Kelly – pick your order.
It took Stoops far too long to dismiss the rumors of him coming to South Bend, and nobody should be shocked if more rumors start surfacing in the coming weeks. Stoops is said to feel underappreciated in Oklahoma, and his midwest-Catholic roots would fit right in at Notre Dame.
Kelly, one of our own from Grand Valley, is neck and neck with Stoops. Kelley has had success wherever he has gone, and nobody needs to be reminded of what he has done with average talent in Cincinnati this year.
The knocks on Kelly are his unproven track record on the recruiting trail and a lack of Division 1 hardware. But, if he is the second coming of Meyer like some have proclaimed, can Notre Dame afford to pass him up?
In addition, all speculation says Kelly will be half way to South Bend before he hangs up the phone with Swarbrick.
With loads of excitement and speculation surrounding the Irish football program, don’t be surprised if little noise is leaked out of South Bend in the coming days.
All three of the coaches still have bowl games with their current teams, and Notre Dame can’t afford for any of them to pull a Les Miles and bail because word was leaked too early. On paper, two of the three are still in the national title hunt, and, as Miles showed us, no future job can pull a coach away from that.
Pending the games on Saturday, this is how the coaching search will shake out:
If...
...Notre Dame hires before Saturday - Stoops (only one of the three not in the title hunt)
...Texas wins - Kelly becomes available (statistically out of title hunt)
...Florida loses - Meyer becomes available (out of title hunt)
...Texas loses and Florida wins - Kelly and Meyer are locked up
...Notre Dame doesn't hire before the National Championship game (a game not featuring Cincinnati) - Notre Dame fans can get excited
Here are the odds, Las Vegas style:
Kelly 1:1 – Up and coming, open to the idea, makes the most sense
Stoops 2:1 – Brings the hardware and a name, but leaving Oklahoma will be hard
Meyer 7:1 – Best coach in America, good coaches don't move much
The Field 8:1 – Any other selection better panout or Swarbrick is fired
Rumors and controversy will surround not only the Notre Dame football program, but programs around the country as more names are thrown into the Irish coaching mix. We’ve seen these insecurities already, as rumored candidates Jim Harbaugh and Gary Patterson were given large contract extensions by their universities as added insureance.
Notre Dame has a huge decision to make in the coming weeks, maybe one of the biggest in school history. Time is of the essence, as recruits grow restless of being committed to a leaderless program.
The Irish have missed on their past three coaches. If Notre Dame misses on another, they could slip farther into irrelevance, effectively crushing the dreams fans have for a “return to glory.”
Another no-show last week by the Notre Dame defense against Stanford left everyone with little to speculate regarding the future of coach Charlie Weis.
After a five-year tenure (or internship, as some fans will call it), a 6-6 record became unacceptable to the Irish faithful. Quite frankly, Weis only made it to Monday because it would have been politically incorrect for a Catholic university to fire someone on a Sunday.
An era is over, and Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick has begun his search to find the man to bring Notre Dame “back to glory.”
Can Notre Dame – with their high academic standards and less than spectacular campus location – ever reclaim the dominance lost when Lou Holtz left in 1996? Do players want to play at Notre Dame anymore? Are the Irish even relevant to a generation that has seen nothing but undelivered promises from the “storied program?”
Most of these questions are irrelevant because as coaches like Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban have shown, the story in college football begins and ends with the head coach. Just about any school can be one hire away from plunging onto the national scene.
That being said, who can right the ship in South Bend?
Remember, Notre Dame isn’t your typical job.
In-state recruits don’t exist, so you had better be a great recruiter.
You must be an ace with the media because from the minute you sign up, you will be relentlessly questioned and second guessed.
Finally you will need to be one of the “good old boys.” There are a lot of old-fashioned Irish alumni digging deep into their pockets to buyout Weis’ mistake of a contract, so they better like you at face value.
With all of that in mind, isn't the search fairly simple?
Its a two-tier process consisting of three coaches: Meyer, Kelly, and Bob Stoops.
After multiple failures, Swarbrick can’t afford to get cute and look at a Gary Patterson, a Butch Davis or a Jim Harbaugh. They need someone with hardware and a name.
Swarbrick owes it to the Irish fan base to throw the kitchen sink at Meyer. They underbid him in 2004 and lost out to Florida. Notre Dame is still close to the heart of Meyer, and if Swarbrick could bring him to South Bend everything in the world would be right again.
Likely? No. Meyer has already publicly shot down the idea of ever leaving Florida, even after admitting Notre Dame is his dream job. But then again, Saban did the same thing to Alabama until the pot was sweetened. So Irish nation can dream right?
Once Swarbrick fulfills his obligation and forces Urban Meyer to tell him no, it comes down to Stoops and Kelly – pick your order.
It took Stoops far too long to dismiss the rumors of him coming to South Bend, and nobody should be shocked if more rumors start surfacing in the coming weeks. Stoops is said to feel underappreciated in Oklahoma, and his midwest-Catholic roots would fit right in at Notre Dame.
Kelly, one of our own from Grand Valley, is neck and neck with Stoops. Kelley has had success wherever he has gone, and nobody needs to be reminded of what he has done with average talent in Cincinnati this year.
The knocks on Kelly are his unproven track record on the recruiting trail and a lack of Division 1 hardware. But, if he is the second coming of Meyer like some have proclaimed, can Notre Dame afford to pass him up?
In addition, all speculation says Kelly will be half way to South Bend before he hangs up the phone with Swarbrick.
With loads of excitement and speculation surrounding the Irish football program, don’t be surprised if little noise is leaked out of South Bend in the coming days.
All three of the coaches still have bowl games with their current teams, and Notre Dame can’t afford for any of them to pull a Les Miles and bail because word was leaked too early. On paper, two of the three are still in the national title hunt, and, as Miles showed us, no future job can pull a coach away from that.
Pending the games on Saturday, this is how the coaching search will shake out:
If...
...Notre Dame hires before Saturday - Stoops (only one of the three not in the title hunt)
...Texas wins - Kelly becomes available (statistically out of title hunt)
...Florida loses - Meyer becomes available (out of title hunt)
...Texas loses and Florida wins - Kelly and Meyer are locked up
...Notre Dame doesn't hire before the National Championship game (a game not featuring Cincinnati) - Notre Dame fans can get excited
Here are the odds, Las Vegas style:
Kelly 1:1 – Up and coming, open to the idea, makes the most sense
Stoops 2:1 – Brings the hardware and a name, but leaving Oklahoma will be hard
Meyer 7:1 – Best coach in America, good coaches don't move much
The Field 8:1 – Any other selection better panout or Swarbrick is fired
Rumors and controversy will surround not only the Notre Dame football program, but programs around the country as more names are thrown into the Irish coaching mix. We’ve seen these insecurities already, as rumored candidates Jim Harbaugh and Gary Patterson were given large contract extensions by their universities as added insureance.
Notre Dame has a huge decision to make in the coming weeks, maybe one of the biggest in school history. Time is of the essence, as recruits grow restless of being committed to a leaderless program.
The Irish have missed on their past three coaches. If Notre Dame misses on another, they could slip farther into irrelevance, effectively crushing the dreams fans have for a “return to glory.”
Thursday, November 26, 2009
0
Cody: GVSU football hits the road to Minnesota
Grand Valley State University coach Chuck Martin won't call the NCAA Division 2 playoffs a revenge tour, but it is hard to believe otherwise.
The story lines are just too perfect.
GVSU rarely loses. Only twice in the past two seasons -- by a measly nine combined points -- have the Lakers been on the wrong side of the box score.
This year, Hillsdale College became the first team since 2004 to defeat GVSU in the regular season.
Ironically, the Chargers were also the first team to face Grand Valley's wrath this postseason. A 37-0 halftime lead for the Lakers last Saturday was plenty to reaffirm GVSU's dominance.
Next up is Minnesota-Duluth.
Duluth stunned the Lakers in Allendale last season on their way to a national championship. Round two will feature much of the same talent.
This Saturday, however, they will be facing a different Laker football team. Ever since the Hillsdale loss, GVSU has looked nearly unstoppable.
The Lakers are hungry -- hungry for their first national title since 2006.
Senior quarterback Brad Iciek is playing perhaps his best football of his college career. Running back trio Jimmy Berezik, P.T. Gates and Justin Sherrod are going strong. Receivers have stepped up through injuries. A young offensive line has gelled together.
The defense has flexed its muscles. Danny Richard and Nick Lawrence have terrorized opposing lines (and quarterbacks). The linebacking core has been great. The patchwork defensive backfield has held its own through numerous injuries.
Minnesota Duluth is a great team. However, this Saturday they will run into a dynasty eager to reassert themselves as the best Division 2 college football program in the country.
Revenge is sweet.
GVSU 28, Duluth 17
The story lines are just too perfect.
GVSU rarely loses. Only twice in the past two seasons -- by a measly nine combined points -- have the Lakers been on the wrong side of the box score.
This year, Hillsdale College became the first team since 2004 to defeat GVSU in the regular season.
Ironically, the Chargers were also the first team to face Grand Valley's wrath this postseason. A 37-0 halftime lead for the Lakers last Saturday was plenty to reaffirm GVSU's dominance.
Next up is Minnesota-Duluth.
Duluth stunned the Lakers in Allendale last season on their way to a national championship. Round two will feature much of the same talent.
This Saturday, however, they will be facing a different Laker football team. Ever since the Hillsdale loss, GVSU has looked nearly unstoppable.
The Lakers are hungry -- hungry for their first national title since 2006.
Senior quarterback Brad Iciek is playing perhaps his best football of his college career. Running back trio Jimmy Berezik, P.T. Gates and Justin Sherrod are going strong. Receivers have stepped up through injuries. A young offensive line has gelled together.
The defense has flexed its muscles. Danny Richard and Nick Lawrence have terrorized opposing lines (and quarterbacks). The linebacking core has been great. The patchwork defensive backfield has held its own through numerous injuries.
Minnesota Duluth is a great team. However, this Saturday they will run into a dynasty eager to reassert themselves as the best Division 2 college football program in the country.
Revenge is sweet.
GVSU 28, Duluth 17
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
2
Cody: Rivalry? What rivalry?
In the week leading up to last Saturday's game between No. 1 Grand Valley and No. 16 Saginaw Valley, the GVSU campus was lit up with talks discussing how the football team would fare when matched against their rival.
After grabbing a two-touchdown lead just a few minutes into the long-awaited game and thrashing SVSU by a final margin of 38-7, the Lakers proved a point.
They have no rivals -- at least not in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. To think otherwise is just ignorant.
If you do a search on Dictionary.com for the word rivalry, there is a word that stands out in the definition: competition.
GVSU has no competition in the GLIAC. They have posted a 75-3 record in their last 78 GLIAC games, and have won 45 straight regular season games dating back to 2004.
Saturday's game posted an official attendance of 16,647 people, far above previous records for GVSU and a new record for the GLIAC.
The attendance figures had a lot to do with hype. Students were lined up six or more deep in standing room only on the south side of the field. They expected to see a hard-fought game.
Instead, they saw a massacre.
Let's think twice before we say GVSU has rivals, shall we?
After grabbing a two-touchdown lead just a few minutes into the long-awaited game and thrashing SVSU by a final margin of 38-7, the Lakers proved a point.
They have no rivals -- at least not in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. To think otherwise is just ignorant.
If you do a search on Dictionary.com for the word rivalry, there is a word that stands out in the definition: competition.
GVSU has no competition in the GLIAC. They have posted a 75-3 record in their last 78 GLIAC games, and have won 45 straight regular season games dating back to 2004.
Saturday's game posted an official attendance of 16,647 people, far above previous records for GVSU and a new record for the GLIAC.
The attendance figures had a lot to do with hype. Students were lined up six or more deep in standing room only on the south side of the field. They expected to see a hard-fought game.
Instead, they saw a massacre.
Let's think twice before we say GVSU has rivals, shall we?