Making the Transition from Junior College to College

Newton has some serious allegations pointing his way

The transition from a Junior College to a 4-year university can be extremely different. You enter a setting two years behind everyone else, where people have already developed their network of friends. Athletes have to go through the same kind of struggles. Cam Newton, the heisman hopeful from Auburn, has easily transitioned on the field at Auburn, but has had many off the field issues.

Katie Stewart's blog discusses the difficulties in transitioning from a JC to a four year school. There you can read about her experiences.

Play of the Year: Oklahoma St's Broderick Brown

I think this has to be the play of the year so far. In order to make this play, Brown has to have a great Football IQ, knowing where the sideline is and the ability to have the thought process he must knock the ball in bounds before he hits the ground. Then to have the athletic ability to jump out of bounds and make that type of play is just outstanding.

Best of the West: Week 2

Sophomore Derrick Williams has been impressive early

Last week was a big week in college basketball with many top notch holiday tournaments taking place. Almost all of the top teams out west took action in these tournaments, which means there was a shake up in the rankings. After Cal's big win over No. 20 Temple I thought I was going to be moving the Golden Bears up the rankings big time. However, they followed that performance up with a five point first half performance against Notre Dame, tying an NCAA record for fewest points in a half since the shot clock era. This week we have four Pac-10 Schools, four Mountain West Schools, and two West Coast Conference schools.

Not many big games involving two west coast teams this week. Should be a fairly quiet week out west.

Saint Mary's @ SDSU Dec. 1- The Aztecs will host the Gaels in San Diego this week. The Aztecs will look for revenge after their 30 point shellacking last year on national television.

No. 1 No. 22 Washington (3-2)- You can't dock the Huskies for losing games to No. 2 Michigan St. and No. 9 Kentucky. A fourth place finish at the Maui Invitational is nothing to be ashamed about. Washington was in both of these big games.

No. 2 No. 23 UNLV (6-0)- The Runnin Rebels took home an Anaheim Classic title, which is an impressive feat. UNLV defeated Tulsa, Murray St, and Virginia Tech in route to the championship. All wins came by double digit points.

No. 3 No. 19 San Diego State (6-0)- Took care of business this week by playing three cupcakes. UNLV jumps them due to their body of work.

Chance Stanback and the Runnin' Rebels dominated
the Anaheim Classic this past weekend

No. 4 No. 24 Gonzaga (3-2)- The Zags got whipped by Kansas St, which surprised me a bit. In past years, Gonzaga has playing competitively in every game they play in (except Duke last year), and I figured after their home loss to San Diego St. they would come out hungry. However, a nice win over Marquette helps begin shape their tournament profile.

No. 5 No. 25 BYU (6-0)-  Jimmer Fredette's big three with 10 seconds left beat Saint Mary's, and clinched the South Padre Invitational  for the Cougars. BYU already has three nice wins over SMC, South Florida, and in state rival Utah St.

No. 6 Saint Mary's (6-1) - The Gaels came up a point short of a big win. However the 20 point shellacking they laid on Texas Tech was an impressive win over a big time program. The Gaels may not regress as much as we thought without Omar Samhan.

No. 7 Arizona (5-1)- The Wildcats may be better than teams ranked above them, but they haven't proved themselves quite yet. A close game with Kansas was impressive, and sophomore Derrick Williams has been incredible, averaging over 21 points per game.

No. 8 Washington St. (4-0)- Washington St. hasn't done anything impressive this season, but it is taking advantage of a lack of quality teams out west at this point of times. They have beaten all cupcakes they have played by double digit points. Big test will be Dec. 3 versus No. 5 Kansas St.

No. 9 New Mexico (4-1)- They lost to Cal, but have good wins over Arizona St. and Detroit. Detroit is a team to watch this season, with former Indiana Hoosier and Richmond High star Eli Holman, and highly rated freshman Ray McCallum.

No. 10 California (3-2)- Cal could of had a big week after upsetting No. 20 Temple. Instead they fell flat on their faces. They remain in the top ten only because there are no other teams that have earned this spot.

Considered: Utah St, Pacific, Arizona St.

Alabama 27 vs. Auburn 28 Final

Cam Newton led Auburn to an improbable Comeback

Wow. Just as Alabama dominated the first half, Auburn poured out an equally dominating second half performance, winning the half 21-3.  After setting a career high for passing yards in the first half for Greg McElroy, he was only able to throw for 40 yards in the second half before being knocked out late in the fourth quarter. His replacement,  A.J. McCarron was ineffective, and did not complete a pass in his four attempts. This was the team the nation tuned into see, a dominating defense combined with Cam Newton's ability to keep drives going. Newton looked like one of the top players in the country in the second half. Unable to get much going on the ground, he relied on his arm for three touchdown passes.

Julio Jones came to play in his final Iron Bowl
pulling down 10 receptions for 199 yards

There were three key moments in this one. At the end of the second quarter, the Alabama offense was putting together one of it's signature drives. A heavy dose of Ingram and Richardson combined with Julio Jones making plays on the outside.  However inside the Auburn 10, McElroy was sacked by outstanding defensive lineman Nick Fairley, causing a fumble that was recovered by himself.

Dicey play calls by Auburn coach Gene Chizik payed off. Auburn went for it on a fourth and three from the Alabama 47 in route to their touchdown that gave them the 28-27 lead. Auburn ran the fake QB run play action that Tim Tebow made famous and found wide receiver Darvin Adams on the left side to convert the first down.

Once again Coach Chizik went for it on fourth and inches from their own 36 yard line. Cam Newton was able to gain three yards on the play, and the Tigers were able to continue to run the clock. I'm not sure this was the right call in this situation with the Auburn defense playing so well. But, when you have a Heisman quarterback like Cam Newton on your team, you put the ball in his hands to win games. Coach Chizik became an Auburn Hero with two of the diciest calls in Iron Bowl history.

Alabama 27 vs. Auburn 21 End of the 3rd Quarter

Cam Newton looks to lead the Tigers to a
 comeback victory in his first Iron Bowl

Was the Auburn J.V. team playing in the first half? I have no idea what happened in the locker room, but Auburn looks like a completely different team. At least for the first 10 minutes of the quarter. Cam Newton was able to move the ball on the ground a little bit, and made a couple big plays with his arm. The Alabama offense  moved the ball for 15 yards. But then Quindarius Carr made an enormous mistake, instead of taking a fair catch he tried to make a return on a punt, and was creamed by the Alabama punt team. He fumbled and let a struggling Alabama offense have a second chance.

Auburn's defense, which has been impressive all quarter made another key stop, holding the Crimson Tide to a field goal. Bama had a huge opportunity to regain momentum and the game, however the Tigers kept the momentum on their side. The fourth quarter should be an exciting fifteen minutes of action. The way the game is going, I am not sure Alabama is going to be able to win the game. They are holding on by the skin of their teeth.

Alabama 24 vs. Auburn 7 Halftime Report

Wow. Alabama looks good. The way their defense is stopping the Auburn offense is impressive. The Tigers have already had multiple three and outs. Everyone talks about the Alabama running attack as being unstoppable, but right now its Greg McElroy and the Alabama passing attack that is dominating. McElroy looks like the Heisman hopeful. The way he has handled the rush and found his third and fourth options on plays has been impressive. He has already set a career high in passing yards with 335 yards. Julio Jones looks like a man playing amongst boys,  pulling down 7 receptions for 174 yards and a score. There is no doubt that Jones is the top wide receiver in the country.

This is the first time I really have gotten to see Cam Newton play, and obviously it hasn't been anything like I've expected.  Newton did find Emory Blake on an impressive throw on a fly route into the endzone, but other than that it's been the Alabama defensive line that has been shutting down the Auburn offense. Nobody has been able to stop the Tigers, but we may have found the solution to stopping the spread. With only five blockers, the Bama line has been able to penetrate the Auburn offensive line on almost every play, not allowing Newton to take off an run. Cam Newton has been under pressure every single play, and is not being allowed to get out of the pocket and make anything happen.

However, watch out in the second half. The Tigers made a huge red zone stand on a fumble recovery by Nick Fairly and have a second life. A touchdown by the Crimson Tide would have put the game out of reach, but the Tigers have a second chance.

Moral of the Story, Alabama looks like the best team in the nation right now. They may have had some hiccups on the way, but

Best of the West: Top 10 West of the Mississippi Week 1

Every week I will put together my rankings for the best team's out west, a little west coast bias! We will be selecting teams from the Pac 10, WCC, MWC, Big West, Big Sky and the WAC.

1. No. 11 Washington (3-0)- Untested so far in this young season. Has the most talent in the Pac 10.

Billy White Dropped 30 on the Zags 

2. No. 22 San Diego St. (4-0)- An impressive win at Gonzaga propels the Aztecs up the rankings. The Zags have only lost five times at the MaCarthy Center.

3. UNLV (3-0)- A huge win over Big Ten power Wisconsin is a great way to kick off the 2010-2011 season for the Rebels.

4. No. 18 Gonzaga (2-1)- The loss at home to San Diego St. can be erased with a big win over No. 3 Kansas St.

5. BYU (3-0)- Has been impressive in their three wins, and a win over Utah St. is always a key interstate vicotry.  Jimmer Fredette is one of the most best players in the country. 

6. St. Mary's (4-0)- Last year's cinderella story started off their 2010-2011 campaign with an impressive victory over Steve Lavin and St. John's. Clint Steindl was on fire, going 7-10 from deep.

7. Arizona (3-0)-  Hasn't really been tested this season, but has been impressive in all three wins. Big game versus Kansas on Saturday.

San Jose St. posted their first win
over a Pac 10 school since 1992

 8. UCLA (3-0)- Not exactly perfect, but they may be back to the tournament this year. Nice win over a solid UOP team.

9. California (3-0)- I don't think Cal is going anywhere this season after losing a lot of talent from last year's Pac 10 championship team. Nice win over New Mexico.

10. San Jose St. (3-0) I'm giving a little love to the Spartans. A huge win on the road at Oregon hopefully will jump-start an athletic department which is struggling to stay afloat. 

Zags Fall at Home

Elias Harris disappeared for the Zags on Tues. night

Last night San Diego St. upset No. 12 Gonzaga in Spokane. Not a good loss for the WCC, as it's definitely good for the conference to have them amongst the national ranks. The Zags can a make everyone forget about the loss with a win over No. 3 Kansas St.

I'm not sold on Gonzaga being as good as their No. 12 ranking. Where was Elias Harris last night? A probable future NBA lottery pick went 1-4 shooting, with 5 points and 3 boards in 31 minutes. How does Gonzaga's most talented player take four shots the whole game?

Stephen Gray is good, real good. But I don't know if he's the kind of emotional leader that Matt Bouldin was. Shot selection may be an issue with him as well. 13-23 is a great field goal percentage, but he cannot go 2-10 from deep. If his outside shot isn't going, he needs to keep attacking the rim. He has some impressive finished inside against the Aztecs. Robert Sacre may be the key for the Zags, as he is the best center in the WCC.

San Diego St. is may be the best team in the west. Yes, I said it. They may just be. Billy White is an absolute beast.  He absolutely tore the Bulldogs apart for 31 points. The addition of transfer James Rahon gives the Aztecs their best outside shooting threat in the last couple years, something they have desperately missed. It's early, but right now the Aztecs are the best in the west.

It's College Basketball Season!

Loyola Marymount looks to challenge Gonzaga for the WCC title

Check back soon for a WCC preview! It should be an exciting year in the West Coast Conference, and it will be the last year before future power BYU joins the league. Predicted order of finish and team outlook's will be posted soon!

World Event- Election Day!

Statistics on Election Day

Saw this link online and thought it was totally cool! Had to get away from the sports and focus on something that effects our whole world, the United States election day! This site discusses how Twitter is being used on Election Day! Definitely some cool stuff!

How the Election impacts Social Media

Another super cool link I found about how the social media is effected by the elections! Each different site does something to promote the elections, which is pretty cool! It's awesome to be able to say I voted, did you!??

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!