NEW ORLEANS - There was a lot of talk before the Allstate Sugar Bowl about Hawai'i possibly pulling off a Boise State-type upset against Georgia.

In what many consider last season's best bowl matchup, Boise State upset heavily-favored Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in overtime and made a name for itself on the national level, finishing the season undefeated.

This season, Hawai'i was unable to duplicate such a feat.

Georgia (11-2) stifled the Warriors' high-powered offense on its way to a decisive 41-10 victory.

Continue reading "Sugar high for Bulldogs" »

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Hawai'i appeared to be on its way to more points, but Tyler Graunke just threw the team's fourth interception of the night.

On the drive before, Georgia failed on a fourth-and-goal play. Hawai'i was in good shape and looked to be in a groove before Graunke's mistake.

With less than seven minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs feel comfortable with their 41-10. After the interception, they went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Warriors.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 12:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - The Georgia defense knocked Colt Brennan out of the Sugar Bowl, at least temporarily. The injury doesn't appear serious, and Brennan was ready to re-enter the game one play after being replaced by junior Tyler Graunke.

However, it was Graunke who drove the Warriors downfield and led them to their first touchdown of the game. He completed his first four passes and threw a 16-yard pass to Ryan Grice-Mullen to cut lead to 41-10.

There are 10:32 left in the first quarter.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Georgia just tacked on a field goal to increase its advantage over Hawai'i to 41-3.

The 41 points in a bowl game are a new school record. The previous record was the 40 points scored in Georgia's first ever bowl game, a victory over TCU in the 1942 Orange Bowl.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Players and fans of the Hawai'i Warriors look dejected as they enter the fourth quarter of the Allstate Sugar Bowl trailing Georgia, 38-3.

Hawai'i failed on a fourth-down conversion at the end of the third quarter, and Georgia will have the ball on second down to start the final period.

The Bulldogs have outgained the Warriors, 320-155. Georgia has 158 rushing yards compared to Hawai'i's minus 8.

A scattering of Georgia fans have begun to head toward the exits. Surprisingly, most of the Hawai'i fans in the southeast corner of the Superdome are still here and look intent on supporting their undefeated team until the end.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Colt Brennan's pass tipped four times. But when it was finally caught, it landed in the hands of a Georgia defender, the third time a Brennan pass has done that tonight.

The Bulldogs aren't being conservative on offense by any stretch of the imagination. They just ran a reverse play that gained 20 yards, and they followed that with a 17-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Mohamed Massaquoi. That pass set up a Thomas Brown touchdown run from one yard out.

Georgia now holds a 37-3 lead with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Colt Brennan was just blasted by Georgia's Marcus Howard. The hit caused Brennan to fumble the ball in his own endzone. Howard recovered the ball and put another six on the board for the Bulldogs.

Georgia now leads Hawai'i, 31-3, in what has become an extremely lopsided affair. The fumble was Brennan's fourth turnover of the game.

Unfortunately for the Warriors and their fans, this one is a long way from being over. There are still 8:57 left in the third quarter.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Hawai'i defense just covered up its start quarterback's latest mistake.

A tipped pass at the line of scrimmage landed in the hands of a Hawai'i defender, and the Warriors prevented Georgia from scoring on its latest redzone opportunity.

Hawai'i has a long way to go to put points on the board. The Warriors have the ball on their own 4-yard line.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Colt Brennan just threw his second pick of the game in his own territory. His costly mistake gave Georgia the ball on the Warriors' 37-yard line.

The Bulldogs took advantage of Brennan's mistake and have the ball first-and-10 on the 14-yard line.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - The first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl has been anything but easy for Colt Brennan and his Hawai'i Warriors.

Much was made about how Brennan, coach June Jones and their run-and-shoot offensive attack would fare against an SEC defense. So far, not so good.

Georgia's offense has outgained Hawai'i, 214-125, and the Bulldogs defense has constantly pressured Brennan. At the half, Georgia leads Hawai'i, 24-3.

Continue reading "Halftime in the Big Easy" »

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Luckily for the Warriors, Colt Brennan's second turnover of the night didn't lead to any points for the Bulldogs.

Brennan fumbled in his own territory, but Georgia came up short on the ensuing drive and failed to convert on a fourth-and-4 play.

Brennan has been sacked, rushed and hurried by the Bulldogs all night long. He has completed 11 of 15 passes with one interception.

Hawai'i got the ball back after Georgia's failed conversion but did nothing of importance and just punted the ball.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - If things continue to go the way they've gone in the first half, Hawai'i's flight back home might seem a bit longer.

Georgia's Sean Bailey just caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford and increased the Bulldogs' lead over the Warriors to 24-3. For the game, Stafford has completed 7 of 11 passes.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Georgia just increased its Sugar Bowl lead to 17-3 with a 52-yard field goal from Brandon Coutu.

The field goal was the first 50-yard plus field goal in the Sugar Bowl since 2001. Georgia's scoring drive lasted 10 plays but was hampered by penalties and covered only 20 yards.

On the ensuing possession, Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan threw into double coverage on the left side of the field and was intercepted. Georgia now has the ball on the Warriors' 42-yard line.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Freshman Knowshon Moreno is making an early case for the Sugar Bowl MVP award.

Georgia's young tailback just rushed for his second touchdown of the night and gave the Bulldogs a 14-3 lead over Hawai'i. His run capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive for Georgia.

As the first quarter winds down, the Bulldogs' offense has looked more efficient than Hawai'i's hyped run-and-shoot attack. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford has managed the game effectively so far, completing 4 of 5 passes for 46 yards.

Georgia had eight first downs in the first quarter. Hawai'i had four.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Colt Brennan's lackluster showing on his first drive of the night must have been because of nerves.

On his second drive, Brennan hit all seven of his pass attempts and marched the Warriors 66 yards down the field to set up a field goal. Dan Kelly kicked one right down the middle and cut Georgia's lead over Hawai'i to 7-3.

Hawai'i's drive lasted 11 plays and ate 5:22 off the clock.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - It didn't take long for Georgia freshman Knowshon Moreno to see the field. It also didn't take long for him to make an impact.

The freshman didn't start the Allstate Sugar Bowl because of an ankle injury, but on Georgia's first drive Moreno appeared to be fine, rushing for a 17-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead of Hawai'i, 7-0.

The Warriors' first drive wasn't so successful. They were called for three penalties before Georgia's offense ever took the field, and quarterback Colt Brennan completed only one of his three pass attempts.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - Hawai'i won the opening coin toss and elected to display its high-powered, run-and-shoot offense first to start the game.

Fans won't have to wait long for the much talked about matchup between the Warriors' offense and the Georgia defense.

Both teams are on the field and set to kickoff.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - From the looks of things, it seems the Superdome crowd could give Georgia a slight home-field advantage.

The crowd looks to be about 70 percent Georgia supporters. Most Bulldogs fans are clad in black, like the jerseys their team is expected to wear for the game. In the ultimate contrast, the Warriors fans' section of the Superdome is a large see of white.

The Bulldogs' marching band just finished its pregame performance, and the Rainbow Warrior marching band has just taken the field.

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW ORLEANS - The physical, defense-minded Georgia Bulldogs are a team that has the right to feel a little disappointed about playing on New Year's Day. After Missouri and West Virginia lost on the final weekend of the regular season, the Bulldogs had slim hopes of playing for the BCS title. Not winning the Southeastern Conference hurt their chances, and the computers and voters put LSU in the title game.

On the other hand, the Hawai'i Warriors, famous for their pass-oriented, run-and-shoot offense are ecstatic to be playing on the first day of 2008, and are trying to become the second Western Athletic Conference team in as many seasons to finish the undefeated.

Two different philosophies, and two different mindsets. The nation will see which combination reigns victorious tonight when the Bulldogs face the Warriors in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Continue reading "Bulldogs, Warriors craving sweet success" »

Posted by Tyler Batiste at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — This time the lame duck coach didn’t walk off the blue turf at Bronco Stadium with a win for a going-away present.
Fresno State spoiled Georgia Tech's Jon Tenuta’s head coaching debut — and last game with the Yellow Jackets — with a 40-28 victory in front of a pro-Bulldog crowd on a bitter-cold day.

Continue reading "Fresno State wins H-Bowl" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — This time the Lame Duck coach didn’t walk off the blue turf at Bronco Stadium with a win for a going away present.
Fresno State spoiled Georgia Tech’s Jon Tenuta’s head coaching debut with a 40-28 victory in front of a pro-Bulldog crowd on a bitter-cold day.

Continue reading "Fresno State wins H-Bowl" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — Former Navy coach Paul Johnson was recently hired to take over the Georgia Tech football program. Today, however, the Johnson is just watching the Yellow Jackets play Fresno State in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl.
Running back Jonathan Dwyer scored from two yards out to cut Georgia Tech's deficit to 34-21 with just over 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Continue reading "Johnson just watchin for now" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — Fresno State's Clifton Smith sprinted for a 43-yard touchdown run to open up the second half and Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer ran for a 36-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession to cut Fresno State's lead to 27-14 at the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl.

Continue reading "Fresno State, Georgia Tech trade TDs to open second half" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater hit tight end Drew Lubinsky from 3 yards out to give the Bulldogs at 17-7 lead late in the second quarter.
The play was highlighted by running back Clifton Smith's 36-yard catch and run, in which Smith broke three tackles.

Posted by Tom Fox at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — Fresno State running back Clifton Smith scored from 6 yards out to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead with 10 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the first half.
The crowd here at Bronco Stadium is definitely pro-Fresno State, with many Boise State fans holding allegience to the WAC.

Continue reading "Fresno State takes lead in second quarter" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOISE, Idaho — As kickoff nears for the 10th edition of the Humanitarian Bowl here, stocking hats, gloves and bulky winter coats are neccessities for the expected sell-out crowd of 30,000 at Bronco Stadium to watch Fresno State (8-4 overall, 6-2 WAC) take on Georgia Tech (7-5 overall, 4-4 ACC).
It's cold here on the blue turf.

Continue reading "It's cold on the blue today" »

Posted by Tom Fox at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- New Mexico sotphomore quarterback Donovan Porterie was the offensive MPV of the New Mexico Bowl. He was 20-for-36 in passing for 354 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

UNM senior linebacker Brett Madsen was the defensive MVP with 2.5 tackles for loss for eight negative yards. He finished with four tackles.

Quotes from University of New Mexico coach Rocky Long:
``I thought it would be be very, very close, but our team played as well as they have all year long. It we had scored in the red zone, it wouldn't have been as close as it was.

Continue reading "New Mexico Dominates Nevada" »

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Warriors' beliefs power win over Washington" »

Posted by Rebecca Gallegos at 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(It was a BCS and Heisman-worthy performance by Hawaii and Colt Brennan)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 03:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Hawaii fights back to close the half" »

Posted by Rebecca Gallegos at 01:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HONOLULU, HI

The Hawaii defense was called for illegal substitution, giving the Huskies a first down on fourth-and-four at midfield. Jake Locker, on 2nd and goal, rushed for an eight-yard touchdown and Ryan Perkins added the extra point to give the Huskies the first lead of the game at 7-0.

On their first offensive possession, third down, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan fumbled the ball, and Washington took over on the Hawaii 21 yard line. With the ball at the one yard line on fourth and goal, Washington converted the second score of the night. Perkins kick was good for a 14-0 lead with 8:30 left in the first quarter.

Posted by Rebecca Gallegos at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Warriors-Huskies set for kickoff" »

Posted by Rebecca Gallegos at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HONOLULU, Hi. - No. 15 Hawaii couldn't have picked a better night to shine. A nationally-televised audience, along with a sold-out Aloha Stadium, witnessed UH win their first-ever outright Western Athletic Conference title after defeating No. 19 Boise State 39-27. Highlighted by a series of records offensively and big hits defensively, the Warriors overcame a tight three quarters of play to comfortably take away the win and school's best record to date. The victory is Hawaii's first ever over Boise State since the Broncos joined the conference in 2001 and with it snapped their 18-game WAC win streak.

Continue reading "WAC Has A New Champ" »

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 02:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HONOLULU, HI

The University of Hawaii Warrior football team won their first outright Western Athletic Conference title with their 39-27 triumph over Boise State Unviersity. A post-game ceremony is currently underway, as fans rushed the field to celebrate. Hawaii improves to 11-0 while Boise State falls to 10-2 on the season.

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Three down, one to go" »

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hawaii's offensive line needs to step it up in the second half, allowing Brennan more time to throw the ball. Defensively for the Warriors, UH needs to put the Broncos away quicker. They're doing a good job on first and second down coverage, but are struggling later in the plays. If UH can keep the offense on the field longer then Hawaii should come out on top, meaning the defense has to come through for the Warriors.

Boise State needs to watch their penalties. They already have 4 for 33 yards. Also, they have had 12 third-down plays but have only converted on six of them. Ian Johnson is key to the Bronco offense, and he's proved his running game works.

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Haltime in Hawaii" »

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continue reading "Brennan highlights 1st quarter stats" »

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HONOLULU, HI
Fridady's matchup between the University of Hawaii Warriors and the Boise State University Broncos will be for the Western Athletic Conference title. Both teams are unbeaten at 7-0 in the conference and ranked nationally. The No. 15, 10-0 Warriors will play host to the No. 19, 10-1 Broncos who have won or shared the WAC title in five consecutive years. Hawaii has never beaten Boise State while in the same conference and the Broncos hold a 6-2 advantage in the overall series. In addition, Hawaii shares the nation's longest winning streak with Kansas, the Warrior's last loss dating back to September 23, 2006 against Boise on the blue turf.

The game will feature the WAC's top players in Warrior quarterback Colt Brennan and Bronco running back Ian Johnson. Both Brennan and Johnson finished in the top-10 of last year's Heisman voting at 6 and 8, respectively.Brennan will return to the field after having sat out of last week's contest at Nevada due to a concussion suffered against Fresno State. The Broncos will be without starting safety Jeron Johnson and running back D.J. Harper, both of whom did not make the trip due to injuries.

All 50,000 seats at Aloha Stadium will be full as the game has been sold out for weeks. The nationally-televised contest has been the source of anticipation since last season. In a game that has been tabbed "Green-Out" for Warrior fans, there is still a cloud of orange and blue as some 2,000 Boise State fans have made the trip to Hawaii. The Warriors have just performed the ritual Ha'a and player introductions are soon to follow.

Posted by CSTV.com Reporter at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- A reporter asked quarterback John David Booty what it felt like to win by four touchdowns when USC was expected to win by six. That pretty much sums up the night as top-ranked USC pulled off a dominant but not quite satisfying 38-10 victory over Idaho on Saturday night.

Continue reading "Trojans Win Big -- Sort Of" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 02:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the official sign that this game is truly over (not that it's been in doubt), Michael McDonald has taken over for John David Booty as USC's quarterback. Booty kicked off his Heisman campaign with a solid, but not spectacular performance. Here's his final unofficial stat line:

12-of-32 for 206 yards; 3 touchdowns; 1 interception

Meanwhile, USC still leads 38-3 with about six minutes to go. With the outcome squarely in hand, I'm going to head to the field to get some interviews. But don't worry; Gametracker's not going anywhere.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After spending much of the game on the bench behind Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable, USC tailback Joe McKnight just fumbled inside the Trojans' 20-yard line. For a guy fighting tooth and nail for playing time, that's not going to help his case.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USC's expected sellout season came to an end early. For the first time in 10 home games, tonight's crowd of 90,917 fell short of a sellout. Evidently enough hype doesn't exist to get Trojans' fans that excited about a matchup with Idaho. As far as the game goes, USC is on cruise control and holds a 38-3 lead. The Idaho team that looked respectable in the first half has been absent in the third quarter.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't know what was worse on the last set of plays -- Idaho's turnover, or USC's inability to do anything with it.

Backed up near his own end zone, Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle committed a cardinal sin. With no Trojan within three yards, he cocked his hand to throw the football, but the ball didn't cooperate. He fumbled the ball behind him, where Kyle Moore picked it up to set up USC at the Idaho nine-yard line.

Continue reading "That's Not Going to Cut It" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By the time USC scored its third touchdown on its third drive and laid a couple of beatdowns on Idaho ball carriers on defense, it looked like the Trojans were ready to break the game wide open. But after watching the rest of the first half and looking at the halftime stats, this clearly isn't the performance I was expecting from the much-hyped Trojans.

Continue reading "USC Looks Good, Not Great" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This time Tino Amancio would not be denied. With 22 seconds left in the half, the Idaho kicker got the Vandals on board with a 30-yard field goal to cut the USC lead to 21-3. The score was set up courtesy of a 41-yard Idaho drive highlighted by a 29-yard pass from Nathan Enderle to Eddie Williams, setting Idaho up at the USC 7. They couldn't break the end zone, but did answer my question of whether or not they would even show up on the scoreboard.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the second quarter winding down, the Vandals did manage to break into the red zone. But they came up short on third-and-nine from the 19; and to make matters worse, Clay Matthews blocked Tino Amancio's 36-yard field goal attempt to keep Idaho off the scoreboard. While the outclassed Vandals aren't going down without a fight, they find themselves in a 21-0 hole against USC with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Categorize this under the last news that USC fans want to hear. Star linebacker Brian Cushing went to the locker room, presumably to have his ankle checked on. I'll update as soon as we hear any news.

Everything else is going the Trojans' way, though.

Continue reading "Cushing in Locker Room, USC on a Roll" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

USC didn't take long to find the end zone, mounting a 10-play, 80-yard drive on its first possession; and it shared the wealth along the way.

C.J. Gable, the official starter at game time, got the bulk of the yardage with 44 yards on three carries, including a 33-yarder on the first play from scrimmage. But Stafon Johnson got the goal-line love with a four-yard touchdown to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead six minutes into the game.

Continue reading "Trojans Strike Quick, Vandals Moving the Ball" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

LOS ANGELES -- I showed up to the L.A.Coliseum a couple of hours early today to keep tabs on Cal-Tennessee from the press box and I've got to say; I'm shocked that Tennessee Coach Philip Fulmer let his punter kick the ball in the same time zone as DeSean Jackson. Alas, I'm not here to write about the Vols and Golden Bears, but to see if the much-hyped USC machine is all it's cracked up to be against a highly overmatched Idaho team.

My guess is yes, it is.

Continue reading "USC-Idaho: Let the Hype Begin... Errr, Continue" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calf. -- These WAC teams are making it way too hard on themselves. Several teams have scheduled multiple games against BCS conference opponents, most of them on the road. Here are some of the more gross offenders of self-sabotage:

Continue reading "WAC: What were They Thinking?" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It wasn't long ago that Fresno State was a regular winner, contending for the WAC title and earning seven straight bowl bids. Then Reggie Bush came along.

In 2005, the Bulldogs got off to an 8-1 start before running into the USC juggernaut late in the season. They lost a 50-42 heartbreaker to the top-ranked Trojans that ended up being the defining performance of Bush's Heisman campaign as he tallied 513 monstrous all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs lost their three remaining games and went on to a miserable 4-8 campaign in 2006.

Now they enter 2007 with a young team tabbed by the media to finish third behind heavy favorites Hawaii and Boise State. And if you listen to Head Coach Pat Hill, they have a renewed attitude to get it done.

Continue reading "WAC: Fire in Fresno" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As I made the conference media days rounds last summer, the hot-button issue dealt with the new rules governing the clock on possession changes resulting in fewer plays and supposedly quicker games. Most coaches didn't like it in the preseason and none of them liked it during the season. The rule changes didn't last long. Now we're back to the way things have always been.

This year, eligibility is the emerging issue -- in particular, expanding eligibility for football players and possibly other student-athletes from four years to five. All the WAC coaches that have spoken today supported a proposal that would essentially get rid of redshirt years and medical hardships to simply allow five years of eligibility.

"I'm absolutely for it," New Mexico State's Hal Humme said. "I don't know why we don't do it. The biggest argument I've heard has been from the faculty reps who kind of have the idea that four years should be what college is about... These days, I think finishing in five years is a lot more realistic."

Continue reading "WAC: Coaches Lobbying for Expanded Eligibility" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- If Monday at WAC media days was about the heavily favored conference darlings (Boise State, Hawaii) and Heisman hopefuls (Ian Johnson, Colt Brennan), Tuesday is focused on whether anyone can compete with the upper echelon and what type of impact Boise State's Fiesta Bowl win had on the rest of the conference.

New Mexico State's Hal Humme, Idaho's Rob Akey and Fresno State's Pat Hill were all quick to praise and reinforce the hype surrounding the Broncos and Warriors. Hill, who has a vote in the coaches' poll, said he voted for two WAC teams in the national top 10.

They also seem overwhelmingly excited about what Boise State did last year and what it means for the WAC as a whole. Hill was on the border of gushing over Broncos' season.

"In my 11 years in the WAC, I think it is great to see the recognition that our conference has gotten due largely to the fact of the great season that Boise had, which I thought was just outstanding, and the great success Hawaii had," Hill said.

Continue reading "WAC: Trickle Down Economics" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif -- When it came time to interview the players, I walked into the WAC interview room to find two Heisman Trophy candidates sitting about five feet from each other. The level of play from student-athletes like Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Boise State's Ian Johnson is a testament to the quality of football played in the WAC, which has quickly built a reputation as the best conference outside of the BCS powers. At the top, it's certainly true.

Johnson enters his junior season third in the nation in active career rushing touchdowns and fourth in total touchdowns. He was named first, second or third-team All-America by numerous media outlets last season and finished eighth in the 2006 Heisman voting after scoring 25 touchdowns and averaging 142.83 yards per game. Oh -- and he proposed to the head cheerleader after winning the Fiesta Bowl -- just in case you hadn't heard yet.

Continue reading "WAC: Heisman Hype" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- I don't know what kind of coach he'll be, but first-year Louisiana Tech Head Coach Derek Dooley is a hell of a talker. Dooley, a Nick Saban protege and the son of former Georgia Head Coach and Athletic Director Vince Dooley, had plenty to say about his personal and professional life to close out Monday's coach press conferences.

On his decision to attend Virginia after growing up in Athens:

"When you grow up in Athens, Georgia, you are Vince Dooley's son and that's all you are. People ask why I went to Virginia and I say it's because I wanted to use my first name for a change."

On his brief stint as a lawyer before getting into coaching full time.

"It was good. I won a couple of cases. I got my ass kicked a couple of times. It was kind of like coaching football."

Continue reading "WAC: Tech Talker" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- I just read the headline for this post and realized that despite my efforts to the contrary, I've been indoctrinated by a certain sports network's attempt to bombard soft news on us during the summer doldrums of sports news. You know what I'm talking about.

Anyhow -- I'm done with lunch and back to work after skipping the afternoon golf outing. How can I bring you all the gems from WAC media day from the golf course? Such as...

Boise State Coach Chris Petersen is sick of talking about the Fiesta Bowl. He's tired of rehashing one of the most thrilling games in college football history. He's done discussing the most successful season by a first-year coach in more than 100 years. He just wants to move on.

"It's good to be back," Petersen said to open his press conference. "I've been looking forward to this day for quite a while. I know tomorrow, I'm hoping things with everybody change a little bit and we don't have to continue to talk about the Fiesta Bowl."

Continue reading "WAC: Boise State Living in the Now" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif -- Boise State's Chris Petersen and Hawaii's June Jones love deflecting attention. According to both coaches, the other team is the team to beat.

"Boise State -- we've only beat Boise State one time since I've been here," Jones said. "They've done a fantastic job with their program. If we expect to be anybody, we've got to beat Boise State."

While Jones focused on the recent history Boise State has established, Petersen heaped on the praise of the present in Hawaii.

"I think the team that's favored should be favored," Petersen said of Hawaii. "We had a heck of a game with those guys on our home court. It was a great game. They have a lot of players coming back starting with Colt Brennan, who is as good as anybody in the country."

Continue reading "WAC: Humility Abounds" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Hawaii (32 first-place votes, 494 points) just edged Boise State (26 first-place votes, 490 points) for the top spot in the preseason conference poll and its offensive weapons are the reason why. The Warriors are coming off an 11-3 season where they led the nation in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense. And they bring a bulk of the talent back from that squad.

"I'm pretty high on this group of guys," Jones said of his receivers. "I may have had one of these type players in other places that I've been, but I've got four kids who are extremely talented."

Continue reading "WAC: Perfect Warriors?" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- I don't have much time for detail right now, but June Jones has wrapped up discussing his preseason first-place Hawaii football team. In brief, he compared Heisman candidate quarterback Colt Brennan with Jim Kelly and Jeff George and said the Hawaii wide receiver corps might be the best he's ever had as a coach. And he used to coach for the Atlanta Falcons. The run and shoot is alive and well in Hawaii.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Good morning. We are live from San Jose, the home of... hmmm -- computer processors. Yeah, that sounds good.

I just got set up at the downtown Hilton for the kickoff of WAC football media days to get the early scoop on defending Fiesta Bowl champs Boise State, a potential 2007 undefeated upstart in Hawaii and all other things WAC.

Now I've always said that Pac-10 has brought the most pain when it comes to gifts for the media -- thermoses, money clips and a nifty pen with a flash drive built in. But when I registered this morning, the friendly folks from the WAC handed me a suitcase -- which I really need. I've been hauling around a big duffel bag for my weekend football trips, but now I've got a nice carry-on. Nice work, WAC.

We get started this morning with the heavy hitters. Hawaii coach June Jones kicks things off in just a couple of minutes. In the meantime, here's the preseason media poll for the WAC football teams:

Continue reading "WAC: Silicon and Suitcases" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)