BEACON SPORTS
Who's hot and who's not: An early guide for the NCAA Bowl
By Chris LaFuria
sports editor
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By Saturday night, the table will be set for
another year-end gala featuring the top teams in
the BCS. Amidst many unexpected results, close
games and stellar performances, this year, like
previous years, will come down to the wire. Atop
the list of finalists for the BCS Championship are
some perennial powerhouses, Heisman candi
dates and a few unexpected visitors. Even
thought it is entirely too early to start slating cer
tain teams for Bowl games, I will attempt to do
my best at predicting the finish of this year's BCS
Championship.
The only team in the nation that has a definite
chance of heading to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl
is Texas. Vince Young and his Longhorns have
the edge over the rest of the nation with their out
standing performances from their key players. It
is very unusual for a quarterback to lead his team
in both passing and rushing. With his 2,576 pass
ing yards and 793 rushing yards, Young is the
major statistical leader for Texas' offense. In
addition to his impressive yards. Young also has
the nation's fourth ranked Quarterback Rating at
165.03. I could spend all day praising Young's
performances, but I will leave that for Heisman
time.
The probable match-up for Texas is the USC
Trojans who are seeking their third straight
national title. With returning Heisman winner
Matt Leinart piloting an explosive Trojan offense,
USC will have their final test against the 9-1
UCLA Bruins. One of the biggest recent stories
is the emergence of Reggie Bush and his all
around performances. With his performance of
gaining more than 500 all-purpose yards, Bush's
name is all over the lips of Heisman voters. Both
Bush and fellow running back Len Dale White
have accumulated more than 1,000 yards rushing
this year.
Chances are that the Trojans and the Longhorns
will travel to Pasadena to meet each other in the
HOUSING AND FOOD SERVICES
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
NAME:
SPORT:
CLASS:
DATE:
Behrend's Kevin Buczynski (Erie/Villa Maria) has been named
Housing and Food Services Athlete of the Week. Buczynski
helped the Blue and White capture the Behrend Tip-Off
Tournament Championship with a 73-62 win over Mount Unim.
He scored 49 points in two games to take home the tournament
MVP as well as being named to the all-tournament team
"I am happy with the way he is playing this early in the season.
He has had a great start and is improving and becoming more
confident with every game that he plays," said head coach Dave
Niland. Buczynski has started a strong 2005 campaign, averag
ing a team leading 24.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per
game.
Buczynski and the rest of the Behrend Lions can next be seen
in action at home on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7:70 p.m. against
Allegheny College and on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. against Penn State
Altoona.
Housips and Food Service Athlete of the Week is selected by the
Sportainfmnation Staff.
Texas Quarterback Vince Young ran all over, around and through Michigan last year in the Rose
Bowl. Look for Young and his Longhorns to make a legitimate run at the National Title this year.
National Championship game. No National Title
game has possessed as many Heisman candidates
as this one. However, it's not the offensive per
formers that will decide the outcome of the game.
Young and Texas will take the National
Championship because of a Trojan defense that
ranks 41 in total defense and 31 in defensive scor
ing. Texas is in the top 10 in each of these cate
gories.
The next Bowl game that most Nittany Lion
fans will be anxious to watch is the FedEx Orange
Bowl. Here, coach Joe Paterno, who will appear
in his first BCS bowl game, will lead his Michael
Robinson-led offense. Robinson, running back
Tony Hunt and a clus
ter of talented fresh
man including Deon
Butler, Justin King,
Jordan Norwood and
Derrick Williams will
lead an unpredictable
offense. On the other
side of the ball, defen
sive lineman Tamba
Hali, linebacker Paul
Posluszny and defen
sive back Alan
Zemaitis look to pre
vent enemy offenses.
Their probable oppo
nents are the Virginia
Tech Hoakies led by
quarterback Marcus
Vick. With an offense
that gains 381 yards
per game and scores
almost 35 points per
game, the Hoakies
have the potential to
Kevin Buczynski
Men's Basketball
Sophomore
Nov. 28, 2005
Sports Calendar
Dec. 2, Men and Women Swimming and Diving
0 Eastern Michigan University Invitational TIM
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Dec. 2, Women's Basketball 0 Pitt-Greensburg 6 p.m.
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Dec. 2,Men's Basketball 0 Pitt-Greensburg
8 p.m- ~ g 2;l'.
Dec. 3 Women's Basketball 0 Frostburg
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4 p.m. , .....;:,. ~ . .,,..,.b mg,
Dec 3, Men's Basketball 0 Frostburg 6 p.m. ' ',:: -...
Dec. 3, Men and Women Swimming and Diving , .
-, . • Easton mithom University Invitational , Ilyti i , fs . wi,
Dec. 6, Women't Basketball vs. 'Fredonia IP*
~.. ,
Dec B,Men and Women Swimming and Diving , ,
~,,,
* vs. Gannon trao. . , - -1-
PSU football finishes season with more to come
By Kyle Woodside
staff writer
kdw 1008 @ psu.edu
With the end of Penn State's football
season taking place on Nov. 19, it is safe
to say that Penn State football is back. It
never left, but it hasn't been the same in
recent years. The defense has been dom
inating, but it hasn't been enough to
make the Nittany Lions one of the
nation's top teams. This year, the tables
have turned for the Blue and White.
With Michael Robinson at quarter
back in place of Zack Mills, the Lions'
offense has turned from stagnant to
explosive. Robinson is a dangerous
threat behind center. He has the ability to
make defenders miss, which extends the
play for receivers to get open. He also
possesses a fairly accurate and strong
arm, which has to be respected by
opposing defenses. The combination of
his passing and running attack has
opened up the options for the Penn State
offense.
In addition to the underrated Robinson
were running back Tony Hunt and fresh
men wide receivers Derrick Williams
emphasize the "NO" in "Paterno." While V-Tech
scores 35 points per game, the defense plays their
role by allowing a mere 10.6 points per game.
Running back Cedric Humes is coming off a per
sonal best of 134 rushing yards and two touch
downs against North Carolina. Look for the
Hoakie offense to give Penn
State a struggle.
If Virginia can slide past
Florida State in the ACC
Title game, they should be
able to build enough momen
tum to get past the Nittany
Lions. Penn State has put up
extremely strong offensive
numbers; however, they face
the type of defense that isn't
fooled easily by Robinson's
draws and can cover the
young receiving core. If my
predictions prevail, look for
an Unhappy Valley.
The LSU Tigers, frustrated
about being snubbed by the BCS polls, look to
find the advantage in the SEC Title game against
Georgia and land in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. The
10-1 Tigers have reasonable complaints after
already being victorious over four Top 25 teams
(five if they win over Georgia). LSU's offense is
outscoring opponents by 16 points per game and
accumulating more than 378 yards. Their defen
sive stand of 13.6 points per game is fourth in the
nation. If the computers remain consistent, LSU
will be playing in the Sugar Bowl.
One of the glitches in the BCS program is that
there must be a representative from the Big East
Conference. Let's face it, with the exception of
WVU and Louisville, the conference is lackluster
to say the least. Last year, a struggling Pittsburgh
and Deon Butler. All possess the skills
necessary to excel in the NFL.
On the defensive side of the ball, line
backer Paul Posluszny has made a name
for himself in the college football world
with his brilliant tackling in every game.
The secondary is bedecked with experi
ence. Penn State is a tough team to move
the ball against. This has also led to good
field position for the Lions' offense,
which has further enabled the offense to
thrive.
Penn State defeated three teams in the
top 25 this season: Ohio State,
Minnesota and Wisconsin on their way
to a 10-1 overall record, the Big Ten title
and a number four rank in the country.
The Nittany Lions will most likely play
in the FedEx Orange Bowl, a Bowl
Championship Series (BCS) bowl game.
BCS games are the big payouts for the
top college teams, which ultimately gain
the most media coverage during the
bowls. The 2006 projected payout for
this year's Orange Bowl is estimated to
be between $l4 and $l7 million. If the
Blue and White get selected to this bowl,
they will play on Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. on
ABC, most likely against the Virginia
Championship Series
team received a BCS Bowl bid that was not
deserved. This year's BCS game thief is the West
Virginia Mountaineers. The number 12 team in
the nation is easily bound for a Bowl Game, just
not one of the elite. With the exception of wide
receiver Steve Slaton, no Mountaineer is close to
amassing 1,000 yards in any offensive category
(Slaton has only 838 yards). To add to West
Virginia's list of reasons to be snubbed by a BCS
Bowl is that they have only beaten one team in the
Top 25: Louisville.
Look for LSU to dominate all aspects of the
SEC Championship game and the Sugar Bowl. If
it weren't for the nation's obsession with Joe
Paterno's climb back to fame, the LSU Tigers
may be playing for a more important Bowl title.
Unfortunately, they must settle for the Sugar
Bowl.
The last BCS Bowl game is the Tostitos Fiesta
Bowl. This game will actually be one of the best
head-to head match-ups of the Bowl season. My
prediction is for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame
to meet the Ohio State Buckeyes. Expect an
offensive explosion from next year's Heisman
winner Brady Quinn and his weapons that have
produced an astounding 489 yards per game. One
of the most exciting players to watch in college
football is Irish receiver Jeff Samardzija. His
ability to catch almost every ball thrown to him
has been a delight to Quinn and head coach
Charlie Weiss' offense. Samardzija will line up
alongside Maurice Stovall, who also has gained
more that 1,000 receiving yards. Let's not forget
about running back Darius Walker; who is aver
aging almost five yards per carry.
Head Coach Jim Tressers Buckeye line-up is
tilled with players that can simply do it all.
"Chances are that, the
Trojans and the
Longhorns will travel
to Pasadena to meet
each other in the
National
Championship game."
the advantage. This game should go down to the
wire as Ohio State's secondary shuts down Quinn
and the Irish aren't fooled by the Buckeye's trick
ery. The main factor in this affair- Jeff
Samardzija. This kid is the real deal. Look for
him to make some giant catches late in the game.
Now, before all of you warm up your Letters to
the Editor, let me reiterate that these are just pre
dictions. This year has one of the most competi
tive and unpredictable battles for the Title. At the
end of this Saturday, all of these games may have
different competitors. The only way to figure out
who is going to play is to possess the mind of a
BCS computer. And I wouldn't wish that on my
enemies
The Behrend Beacon I
Friday, December 2, 2005
Quarterback Troy Smith has
scored 25 total touchdowns
this year (14 passing, 11 rush
ing). He and wide receivers
Santonio Holmes and Ted
Ginn Jr. look to try and run all
over the field against the
Fighting Irish. Ohio State has
scored almost 33 points per
game and has gained more
than 400 yards. A 7-1 record
in one of the nation's toughest
conferences adds credibility to
Tressel and his squad.
With each team proving they
are worthy of such a game,
both sides will struggle to gain
Tech Hokies, a tough defensive team
from the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC).
Many feel that it will be a sunny New
Year's Holiday for Penn State fans, play
ers and coaches this year, literally and
symbolically. Penn State has all the
momentum in the world right now. If it
wasn't for a last second touchdown pass
by Michigan, Penn State would arguably
have the most momentum in the country
while on the verge of playing in the
national championship game, the Rose
Bowl, this season. However, because
USC and Texas are undefeated as well,
they still might have edged PSU in the
BCS standings, regardless of the
Michigan vs. Penn State game due to
factors that affect the BCS standings,
such as strength of schedule and points
scored.
Penn State hopes to finish the season
on a high note with a victory in their
BCS bowl game. Anything except a win
would be considered a disappointment
by many. Why? Because we are...PENN
STATE!