Posts Tagged ‘todd berry’

Here's The Scoop on everything you need to know about tonight's tripleheader. 

Florida State at Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

On paper this should be a certain win for Florida State. Jimbo Fisher's team is the clear statistical leader in the ACC, ranking first or second within the league in 11 of the 17 official categories tracked by the NCAA. The Seminoles pace the ACC in total offense and total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense as well as passing efficiency and passing efficiency defense. 

The problem, however, is that certain wins have so often turned out not to be the case over the past decade for Florida State. According to Matt Hinton at SundayMorningQB.com, Florida State is 0-8 in ACC play while playing on the road as a ranked team against an unranked underdog since 2005. That number includes the Seminoles' only setback in 2012, a 17-16 setback at N.C. State on Oct. 6. (FSU is a two touchdown favorite tonight.) Since that loss, Fisher's squad has rebounded to win three straight; at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play the Seminoles stand in first place of the ACC's Atlantic Division. 

That brings us to tonight as Florida State travels to Blacksburg to face a Virginia Tech team in the midst of a very un-Frank Beamer-like season. At 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league play, the five-time ACC Coastal champions are one game above the basement in the division. They come into tonight off a 30-12 loss to Miami last Thursday night, a game in which the Hokies were the team that endured a blocked punt, an 81-yard kickoff return, a missed field goal and a missed extra point. 

Tonight marks Florida State's first visit to Lane Stadium since 2007, a place where Virginia Tech has won its last seven games. Frank Beamer's team is 19-6 on Thursday nights and 25-3 in November since joining the ACC. Those sterling marks will be put to test against Florida State, the only squad that ranks among FBS's top eight in total offense and total defense. 

Louisiana - Monroe at Arkansas State (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

The Sun Belt title could be decided tonight when two of the league's top offenses square off in Jonesboro, Ark. ULM leads the league at nearly 38 points per game, while Arkansas State checks in at No. 3 with 34 points per game. Gus Malzahn's team enters tonight with a four-game winning streak in which they've posted nearly 40 points per game. 

Red Wolves quarterback Ryan Aplin has heated up over the last month, connecting on 78-of-108 (72.2 percent) of passes for 1,023 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Arkansas State's stretch of good football hasn't just been limited to Aplin; the Red Wolves have rushed 157 times for 714 yards (4.5 ypc) for 13 touchdowns over their past four games while limiting opponents to 580 yards on 151 attempts (3.8 ypc) and three scores. Arkansas State has also secured a 10-to-3 turnover margin over that span.

Todd Berry's team had its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, but still claims the Sun Belt's top scoring offense and turnover margin. Offensive coordinator Steve Farmer calls a balanced offense as ULM averages 40 passes per game to go with 36 rushes per game. That balance was thrown off in the 40-24 loss to Louisiana - Lafayette as the Warhawks only managed 74 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The Warhawks will need to run the ball better tonight without starting quarterback Kolton Browning, who suffered an injury early against ULL, in the lineup. Browning was working on a Sun Belt Player of the Year campaign, leading the league in total offense and accounting for 27 touchdowns. Senior Cody Wells steps in for Browning, bringing in a resume that includes 226 attempts for 1,499 yards and an 11-to-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his career.

Both teams share a 4-1 conference record coming into tonight, sitting atop the league along with Middle Tennessee (also 4-1 in Sun Belt play). ULM already owns a victory over the Blue Raiders, while Arkansas State hosts MTSU in the season finale on Dec. 1. A win tonight will go a long way toward a first conference championship for Berry's program, while Malzahn's squad hopes to defend its 2011 league title. 

Noth Alabama at West Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET, GSC-TV)

Bobby Wallace returns to Livingston, Ala., to face his old team and former offensive coordinator Will Hall, who is now at the helm of West Alabama. North Alabama (5-4) enters tonight ranked tenth in D2Football.com's Super Region 2 rankings, while West Alabama (7-3) checks in at No. 7. Hall's offense puts opposing defenses under a tremendous amount of pressure when things are clicking. The Tigers score nearly 44 points per game in their seven wins but just 16 points per game in their losses. 

Tonight marks Wallace's first trip back to West Alabama, where he led the program for five years. He is in his second stint at North Alabama, returning to the school where he coached from 1988-97 and won three NCAA Division II national titles. After winning four straight games in which they allowed a total of 28 points, the Lions have dropped three straight games and surrendered 100 points in the process.  

Head Coach of the Week - Bill Snyder, Kansas State: What else can be said about the man that has twice led Kansas State into national prominence? How about this:

Bill Snyder fact: in the 96 years of K-State FB he didn't coach, 3 wins/season. 21 years he has coached (incl this one), avg 8 wins/season.

— Carter Blackburn (@carterespn) October 21, 2012

RunnerUpFansOfTheDay: #KansasState. The large number of Cat fans who went to Morgantown chanted "Bill-Snyder" after easy win over #WVU

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 21, 2012

 In leading Kansas State to its third road victory over a ranked team this season, Kansas State cemented itself as a true contender for the school's first national championship after a 55-14 demolition of West Virginia. 'Cats quarterback Collin Klein accounted for seven touchdowns against just two incompletions, while the Kansas State defense forced WVU quarterback Geno Smith into his first interception in 273 attempts, and then picked him off again six throws later. Snyder's team held West Virginia to season-lows of 243 yards of total offense and 3.9 yards per play. In fact, each team ran 62 plays but Kansas State accounted for nearly twice as many yards and held the ball for almost seven minutes longer than West Virginia.

Offensive Staff of the Week - Louisiana Tech: Plenty of other offenses faced stiffer competition on Saturday, but Louisiana Tech's offense was so productive that we couldn't ignore the Bulldogs in good consience. In garnering 56 points and 582 yards in the first half, Louisiana Tech produced in two quarters what many teams consider a good two weeks. The Bulldogs set a school record with 70 points, a total that Sonny Dykes' team reached with 19 minutes still to play. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's group became the first FBS team to top 400 yards on the ground and through the air this season. In 95 snaps, Louisiana Tech gained 839 yards (a school record and the most by an FBS team this season) while achieving 8.8 yards per play and 39 first downs. Louisiana Tech has topped 40 games in every game this season and been held under 50 just once through seven games. Louisiana Tech sports information director Patrick Walsh summed up the night perfectly in our Tweet of the Day: 

Next year's media guide will not have an offensive record book, just the 2012 season stats listed twice.

— Patrick Walsh (@LATechPWalsh) October 21, 2012

Defensive Staff of the Week - Oregon: In the Thursday night spotlight at Arizona State, Chip Kelly's team demonstrated to the nation it was much more than a fast offense and flashy uniforms. Nick Aliotti's unit surrendered a Sun Devils touchdown on their first play and did not allow another point until the game was well out of reach. Arizona State's next 12 possessions produced a total of 221 yards with seven punts, two interceptions, a turnover on downs and missed field goal mixed in. The Sun Devils' 14 offensive points were a season low and their 408 yards were their second-fewest to date. In all, Oregon intecepted four passes, collected five sacks and held Arizona State scoreless in three red zone trips. After Thursday's performance, Oregon leads the country in red zone defense with only 15 scores allowed in 29 trips. 

Special Teams Unit of the Week - TCU: Despite a disappointing ending for Gary Patterson's team in triple-overtime loss to Texas Tech, special teams coordinator Gary Sharp's unit played winning football on Saturday. Frogs kicker Jaden Oberkrom nailed all six of his field goal tries and converted 5-of-5 extra points. Wide receiver Skye Dawson was a difference maker for TCU in the return game as he brought back five punts for a total of 61 yards, including a 22-yard return to the Texas Tech 31 that ultimately gave TCU a 17-7 lead. Ethan Perry booted three punts for a net average of 45 yards, two of which pinned the Red Raiders inside the 20. Equally important for Sharp's unit, TCU nullified Texas Tech's return game by not allowing a punt return on the day and limiting Texas Tech to a sum of two kickoff returns that totaled just 15 and 11 yards. 

Call of the Week - Todd Berry (ULM) and Rocky Long (San Diego State): For any head coaches that may be reading this, a sure-fire way to win our Call of the Week is to successfully go for two and the win in overtime. Todd Berry and Rocky Long share our award this week because both head coaches did just that on Saturday night.

First, Berry's team fought back from a 28-7 deficit to force overtime against Western Kentucky. After WKU scored to open overtime, ULM quarterback Kolton Browning ran in from three yards out to bring the Warhawks within one and then hit Rashon Ceasar in the end zone for the game-winning conversion. It was the second such win this season for Berry's team as ULM famously toppled then-No. 8 Arkansas in similar fashion on Sept. 8. 

Rocky Long's team also rode a wave of momentum into overtime after the Aztecs fough back from a 31-21 hole with 10 points in the game's final 3:45 to force an extra frame. San Diego State quarterback Adam Dingwell went a perfect 3-for-3 in overtime as hit a pass for four yards on first down, then a 21-yard touchdown strike that set up his game-winning two-point conversion to Rob Andrews. 

Both wins are crucial for each head coach. ULM became the first team not named LSU or Alabama to defeat Western Kentucky in the Hilltoppers' last 15 games, allowing Berry's squad to stand alone in first place in the Sun Belt. Long's team has now won three straight Mountain West games to pull into a four-way tie for second place in the MWC. Both teams need one more victory to achieve bowl eligibility. 

With six teams currently sitting at or above .500, the 10-team Sun Belt hopes to improve upon the success of a 2011 season that saw four teams reach seven or more wins. With Ohio State, Penn State and North Carolina ineligible for this postseason, the Sun Belt could be in line for its best bowl haul in the league's 12-year history.

The Sun Belt enjoyed three wins over BCS leagues in September - ULM's much-publicized 34-31 overtime win over Arkansas, Western Kentucky's 32-31 overtime defeat of Kentucky and Middle Tennessee's 49-28 demolition of Georgia Tech. Equally important to the Sun Belt is the league's 6-0 record against geographic rival Conference USA (the leagues share both have schools in Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida). In fact, each of the league's top six teams won a head-to-head matchup versus C-USA foes, and often in dominant fashion. The average score of the Sun Belt's wins over Conference USA was 44-21. 

Todd Berry's Warhawks were college football's national darlings in September with a win over Arkansas and near misses against Auburn and Baylor. ULM's 34-31 overtime thriller over the then-No. 8 Razorbacks was the Sun Belt's first victory over a top 10 team. Instead of succumbing to a lack of depth like many other mid-majors hoping to pull an upset, the Warhawks outscored Arkansas and Auburn by a combined 28-0 in the fourth quarter. Berry's team ranks in the top 20 national in total offense and rushing defense; even FAU's "Unhappy Triad" couldn't stop ULM's offense. 

Under head coach Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky has quickly become one of the most underrated programs in the country. The Hilltoppers are 12-2 over their last 14 games; the only setbacks in that span came to No. 1 LSU in 2011 and No. 1 Alabama earlier this season. Western Kentucky played its first Sun Belt season in 2009 and didn't win its first FBS game until 2010. Taggart's squad toppled Kentucky on Sept. 15 and defeated Southern Miss 42-17 one week later. Oh, and by the way, had you had the foresight, you could have gotten rich off of Western's success.

Western Kentucky has covered 14 straight. If you bet $50 on 1st game & doubled bet each time you'd be up $409,600

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) October 16, 2012

Louisiana - Lafayette's last-second New Orleans Bowl win was one of the highlights of the 2011 bowl season. With a 4-1 (2-0 Sun Belt) start, Mark Hudsepth's team is on its way to creating more December magic. The Ragin Cajuns' 41-13 win over Tulane on Oct. 6 pushed their home winning streak to eight games, the sixth-longest streak in the country. ULL will look to push its overall winning streak to three and move one step closer to its second straight bowl bid tonight at North Texas (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

After suffering a season-opening upset to McNeese State, Middle Tennessee has won four of its last five while averaging more than 35 points per game during that span. Rick Stockstill's team will hope to continue the Sun Belt's string of upsets against the SEC at Mississippi State on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Defending conference champion Arkansas State stands at 2-1 in Sun Belt play and 4-3 overall. The Red Wolves defeated Memphis 33-28 in the second game under new head coach Gus Malzahn. Arkansas State's next game is next Tuesday at Louisiana - Lafayette (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2). 

Larry Blakeney and Troy sit at sixth place in the league (3-3, 2-2 Sun Belt) but stand more than a puncher's chance at bowl eligibility. With games against co-leaders Western Kentucky and Louisiana - Lafayette behind them, and games against Florida International and Florida Atlantic (a combined 2-11 on the season) up next on the schedule, consecutive wins would give the Trojans four chances to become bowl eligible for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Going into their game against FAU on Saturday, Todd Berry was expecting to see some form of the same defense that the Owls had shown in their previous five games.

Instead they came out in what Berry could only describe as "the unhappy triad," a defense that he hadn't seen since his first season as the offensive coordinator at ULM back in 2004.

TheNewsStar.com explained that Berry noted that FAU came out in an odd front with two defensive lineman lined up on the inside eye of their tackles, and mixed that with some different coverages, which forced them to make some adjustments across the board.

"It created some problems both in the pass game and run game and protection also," Berry said. "It was unique, it really was. I don't know if it's something they'll continue to do down the road or it it was just special for us, but there was some unique things to us."

"It's not just one guy trying to fix things. Everybody's got to fix something. Everybody has to adjust." Berry explained.

"There's been time periods in the course of the season that there was a cover shell change dealing with the receivers and quarterback, but now you've got a front and coverage change. It's the unhappy triad —that's everything. There were a lot of things that were disjointed."

Louisiana-Monroe ended up making the offensive adjustments that they needed and got the win, 35-14 to improve to 4-2 overall, and 2-0 in conference play. This weekend they'll take on Willie Taggart and Western Kentucky (5-1, 2-0), who have won 12 of their last 14 games. Their only two losses during that span were to Alabama and LSU, when each of them were ranked #1.

That kickoff (scheduled for 4pm ET on ESPN3) will be one game this weekend that you'll want to make sure to catch or at least keep tabs on.

We'll see if we can get Berry on here to talk a little bit more about this later this week. It would be interesting to get his thoughts on why the different alignments and coverages gave them issues.