Mandeville produces for NU
When Rocky Hager and his Northeastern University football team needed a game-changing play on offense, they often called upon No. 83. And quite often, senior tight end Brian Mandeville answered.
The Walpole High product picked up 337 yards on 24 receptions and added two touchdowns, despite missing four games with a knee injury. His productivity earned him a spot in the 84th annual East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17 at Robertson Stadium in Houston.
Mandeville will play for the East squad and former NFL and college coach Bobby Ross. He is one of four players from the Football Championship Subdivision to make the team, but the only player from the Colonial Athletic Association.
"When there was a need for a play to be made to salvage a drive or to create a scoring opportunity, he was the guy that got the ball or made the big block," Hager said. "He's just a winner that makes plays."
That big play potential was absent when Mandeville went down with a knee injury in October. A teammate was pushed backward and tumbled on the backside of Mandeville's knee.
He worked his way back with "no noticeable change in his speed," Hager said.
Mandeville ended his collegiate career with 63 catches for 863 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a two-time All-CAA second-team selection and a two-time All-New England pick.
"He's 6-7 and 255 pounds, and he bends and twists and makes tacklers miss like he's 6 foot and 185 pounds," Hager said.
Doing flips at score
The Notre Dame Academy of Hingham gymnastics team may have lost its first meet of the season, but it found plenty of reasons to celebrate.
NDA scored a school-record 137.4 points against Case/Seekonk (138.4). NDA's score beat the school record that has been reset each of the last three seasons, according to coach Nicole Johnson. The difference this season is that the high score came in the team's first meet instead of at the end of the season. Last season, the school record was reset at 136.05. Not only did NDA break the record, but it held its composure against a respected team.
"We never thought we would be that close in that meet," Johnson said.
Johnson said her team has dedicated itself to the season after just missing out on the postseason last year. The average of NDA's four highest scores fell short of the list to make sectionals. "They know we have to keep our scores up and we'll have a really good shot of making it this year," she said.
This season, the team added afternoon practices after school to increase preparation and development. The team also has five new gymnasts, including Keelin O'Connell, who competes at Level 10 in club gymnastics. This season her schedule allows her to compete for NDA.
She won the beam (9.2) against Case/Seekonk and was second in the all-around (35.7).
Sophomore Katy Letsche returns in the all-around, where she led NDA last season. Freshman twins Anne and Emily Nonamaker made an impact on beam and bar. Gillian Costa was third in floor (8.9) and Corey Whalen third on beam (8.8.).
Soccer roster pick
Scott Caldwell of Braintree was recently selected to the 18-man roster for the US under-18 men's national soccer team. The group will play in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, playing matches against Chile (Thursday), China (Friday), and Australia (next Sunday).
Caldwell is also a captain for the New England Revolution's under-18 squad. The 17-year-old midfielder became the first captain for the Revolution's U18 team that was formed as part of the club's youth development academy in 2008.
Last May, Caldwell graduated from Bradenton Academy and will attend the University of Akron.
US coach Mike Matkovich chose his roster from a pool of 72 players.
There will be 23 countries participating in the biannual event for athletes ages 13 to 19.
(c) Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company
Greene Leads Iowa Past S. Carolina In Outback Bowl
TAMPA, Fla -- All-American running back Shonn Greene saw no reason to delay the inevitable. Even before taking the field for the Outback Bowl, he figured he was ready to test his skills on the next level.
A stellar performance in Iowa's 31-10 rout of South Carolina on Thursday just reinforced Greene's decision to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
"Basically it was my performance this season. A hundred yards every game, and this last game - against a SEC team, great defense and all that - I don't think there's really a lot more I can do here," Greene said. "I think I pretty much did my damage on the college level."
The 235-pound junior from Sicklerville, N.J., went from carrying couches to pay rent while he was out of football for academic reasons in 2007 to setting Iowa single-season records with 1,850 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns - the last three in the Outback Bowl.
Described by coach Kirk Ferentz as a humble team player, Greene ran for 121 yards on 29 carries. He gained at least 103 in all 13 of Iowa's games, scored in all but one, and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back.
"I'm proud of the way he's handled his recognition and accolades," Ferentz said. "He's going to be extremely valuable and a great asset to any team that's smart enough to take him next year."
Teammates think the timing for Greene's departure is right, too.
"He could come back. ... But personally, I don't think he could have a better season than he had this year," defensive tackle Mitch King said.
"He might have run for 2,000 yards, 30 touchdowns, you never know. Why does he need to? He's going to be drafted high. He's going to make a lot of money. He's going to do well. That's a no-brainer."
Iowa (9-4) won for the sixth time in seven games since losing three straight to fall to 3-3. South Carolina (7-6) lost three straight down the stretch while being outscored 118-30.
Greene scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to help Iowa build a 21-0 halftime lead, then added an 11-yarder to make it 31-0 late in the third quarter. South Carolina scored on Chris Smelley's 10-yard TD pass to Jared Cook and Ryan Succop's 48-yard field goal in the fourth.
After struggling offensively in lopsided losses to Florida and Clemson, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier decided to start quarterback Stephen Garcia, a highly regarded redshirt freshman from Tampa who was the centerpiece of his recruiting class in 2007.
But Garcia, who nearly undermined his career with two arrests and an underage drinking citation, turned the ball over four times in the first half and was replaced by Smelley after going 9-of-18 for 79 yards and three interceptions.
"I thought he would play a little bit better, but maybe he just wasn't ready," Spurrier said. "Maybe that's the answer."
The 20-year-old's homecoming and third career start turned sour in a hurry. His first pass was intercepted and returned 29 yards to set up an Iowa touchdown, then the dual-threat quarterback fumbled on his first run to give the Gamecocks turnovers on two of their first four offensive plays.
The next two South Carolina possessions ended with interceptions. After Bradley Fletcher picked off Garcia in the end zone, Iowa drove 80 yards to take a 21-0 lead on Greene's second touchdown.
"I can't take a lot from this. The way it ended was not the way it was supposed to go. It's pretty frustrating for me, playing in my home city and to not do well," Garcia said. "I've just got to get better. Losing a bowl game in general is pretty frustrating, but doing so in my hometown in front of my family is worse."
It's the second straight season South Carolina has not played well down the stretch. The Gamecocks lost their last five games of 2007 to finish 6-6.
Besides five turnovers, South Carolina had a 46-yard field goal taken off the board because of a penalty for not having enough players on the line of scrimmage. Succop's second try from 51 yards was short and wide, and the score remained 24-0.
"Ten men on the field for a field goal," a frustrated Spurrier said. "I don't know why we just couldn't play the game the way you've got to play to give yourself a chance to win."
(c)2008 Microsoft
Bowden: Nothing Lasts Forever
ORLANDO | Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said Friday his program was "not close " to being able to compete with archrival Florida but that eventually, the Seminoles could get back to that level.
Bowden's remarks came before his Seminoles (8-4) were to meet Wisconsin (7-5) in today's Champs Sports Bowl. The game starts at 4:30 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN.
"We're heading in the right direction," Bowden said of his team. "Can we get there? Of course, but nothing lasts forever, and people don't understand that. At least we've been there."
From 1987 through 2000, Bowden's Tribe put together 14 straight seasons of 10 wins or more, compiling a remarkable 152-19-1 record and national championships in 1993 and '99.
But in recent years, with Florida on the rise and FSU struggling to stay above .500, there has been grumbling and even a certain amount of pressure to force Bowden, 79, to step down.
Last year, FSU unveiled a plan that names offensive coordinatior Jimbo Fisher as Bowden's replacement when he decides to retire.
Bowden said that Florida and Southern Cal probably have the two best programs in college football with Texas and Oklahoma in the mix. "Why? Because he (Urban Meyer) is recruiting the best players, and whoever recruits the best players wins.
"Right now, we're not close, but we're getting there. We're making strides," Bowden said. "Can it happen (getting back to the top)? Why sure. It happens all the time.
"It wasn't that long ago that Southern Cal had a losing record, and look at Notre Dame, and Alabama. You can't stay on top forever."
Bowden's problems are compounded by the fact he was embarrassed by Florida in Tallahassee, 45-15. That also has Seminole blood boiling.
And Bowden said a bowl win against the Badgers wouldn't make up for that.
"You can't atone for a loss against Florida until you beat Florida," the FSU coach said. "You can't atone for that by beating another team."
BIELEMA IN TROUBLE
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema, hand-picked by athletic director Barry Alvarez when Alvarez stepped down as coach, is in trouble after just three years in which the Badgers have gone from 12-1 to 9-4 to 7-5.
There was a groundswell to oust him after this season, and many think Wisconsin's smash-mouth style will no longer work in an era emphasizing speed and quickness.
Not Bielema.
"Those are the same people who always say we can't do what we can do," he said. The Badger coach said people put too much emphasis on a series of embarrassing losses suffered by Ohio State as proof that warm weather schools are running away from the Big Ten.
"We beat Auburn and Arkansas (in bowls), and last year we lost to Tennessee because we didn't execute on a couple plays," Bielema said. "Then I watched Michigan handle Florida with all their speed and quickness, and we beat Michigan.
"You have to look at all the facts," the Badger coach said.
Copyright (c) 2008 TheLedger.com
A successful season, any way you Cut it
A 4-8 record is usually enough to get a major college football coach fired, or at the very least, land him squarely on the hot seat. Just ask Tommy Bowden, who won at least twice that many in each of the last three seasons and still lost his job this year.
But at Duke, where wins have been as rare as Chicago Cubs pennants, 4-8 is cause for both praise aand a contract extension. That's what David Cutcliffe got Sunday, when a athletic director Kevin White sounded as though the first-year coach had just won the national championship in extending his contract for two years, through the 2015 season.
"Coach Cutcliffe has clearly established himself as an elite player within the entire college football coaching community," White said. "Without question, David is one of the premier coaches in the country. Not surprisingly, in a relatively short period of time, David has implanted his strong and determined leadership all over the Duke football program."
Under Cutcliffe's direction, the Blue Devils showed significant improvement in all three phases of the game while placing three players -- quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, wide receiver Eron Riley and linebacker Michael Tauiliili -- on the All-ACC team. Not only did they break a 25-game league losing streak by beating Virginia at home, but for the first time since 1976, they held three opponents under 10 points.
More importantly, Duke saw an increase of 60 percent in season ticket sales for 2008 and had four home crowds of 30,000 or more fans for the first time in school history. Duke's average home attendance of 28,727 at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2008 was the largest since 1994.
"David has hired a phenomenal staff, and the efforts of the coaches have already paid dividends both on and off the field," White said, "To be sure, David's unqualified commitment to the comprehensive development of the student-athlete, as well as to the mission of this highly unique university, underscores the fact that this is indeed yet another great day for Duke."
As big a fuss as they're making over a 4-8 season, you can only imagine what they'll do if Cutcliffe ever leads the Blue Devils to a winning season.
Copyright (c) 2008 Wilmington Star-News Online
Clawson opened Bowling Green door on TV
BOWLING GREEN - Remember when your mother would tell you to put on a decent shirt before heading to the store? You never know who you might run into.
That's sort of the situation Dave Clawson was in a little more than a year ago on national TV. Clawson didn't know it at the time but a semifinal playoff game in the Football Championship Subdivision served as a pseudo job interview. His Richmond Spiders lost that day to Appalachian State, but Clawson won over someone with the power to make his life a lot sweeter.
It was Bowling Green State University athletic director Greg Christopher, who yesterday announced Clawson as the program's 17th head coach.
Christopher watched about half of Richmond's game that December afternoon. He listened to the TV commentators praising Clawson, agreed with their sentiments, and then sat down at his computer and printed Clawson's biography from Richmond's Web site before storing it away in a file.
"I'm glad Greg was watching that game," Clawson said. "It's funny, but the athletic director at Richmond told a similar story. He saw us when I was at Fordham playing against their league champion in the playoffs. We were a nonscholarship team and we beat Northeastern. That was a really big win for our program, and the Richmond AD said that game attracted him to me when their job opened."
Clawson, who served as Tennessee's offensive coordinator this year, is expected to sign a six-year deal with an annual base salary of $200,000. His overall compensation can reach $400,000 through incentives.
Clawson has an overall head coaching record of 58-49, and 19 of those losses came during his first two seasons at Fordham. He twice was named FCS coach of the year,
The 41-year-old husband and father of two hit on all of the essential points when speaking to a room full of reporters and BG loyalists. He became emotional when addressing his family, whom he is uprooting from Tennessee where he was not retained after Volunteers head coach Phil Fulmer resigned.
Clawson thanked his daughter, Courtney, who skipped her birthday party at school to attend the news conference.
Clawson talked about the importance of academics and on several occasions spoke admirably about the quality of high school talent in the state of Ohio. He said he hopes his players will return home upon graduating with nothing but positive things to say about the program.
"The way you do that is you make sure they leave with a degree and you make sure they leave with a championship ring on their finger," Clawson said. "Those are certainly the minimum goals."
Christopher said he interviewed Clawson in Cincinnati last week and it was apparent that the two shared similar philosophies of how a football program should be run. Clawson told Christopher he is not married to any offensive system and he will adapt to the strengths of his personnel.
He also told Christopher that unlike his previous two coaching stints, BG is capable of experiencing great things right away.
"It came back to how he runs a total program," Christopher said. "That was probably what set him apart along with the success he's had as a head coach."
Clawson, a native of Youngstown, N.Y., and a graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, said his first duties will be to hire a coaching staff and to solidify a recruiting class that had grown to 20 players under former coach Gregg Brandon.
Clawson was noncommittal on whether he plans to retain some of Brandon's assistants, but he did make it clear that he is looking for coaches with connections to high school programs in and around Ohio. Clawson has recruited all areas of Ohio throughout his career but does not have any other ties.
"I think it's very important as a head coach that you don't hire a bunch of cookie-cutter images of you," Clawson said. "There are players on the team that are going to identify with my personality and the way I do things, but not everybody. I have to make sure I surround myself with assistant coaches and every player feels there's someone on the staff they can identify with."
So Clawson has made lasting impressions on two athletic directors, and based on the rumblings yesterday, BG fans and donors like what they see in him. As for his players, Clawson wants to implement mutual blind trust because "I don't know them and they don't know me."
"The first impression is always important and I got a really good first impression out of it," senior-to-be quarterback Tyler Sheehan said. "Obviously he has a plan and realizes we have a good team here. It's not going to be a rebuilding process for him."
(c) 2008 The Blade
Doobie Brothers to perform at Orange Bowl halftime
Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling rock group The Doobie Brothers will entertain South Florida and a global audience as headliners of the Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show during the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl game on Jan. 1, 2009, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Doobie Brothers are the latest world-renowned performers to star in the famed Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show, one of the most entertaining and prestigious halftimes in college football.
Known for their unique rock style that's part rock, part jazz and part folk, The Doobie Brothers have been making music for fans nationally and internationally since 1969. That style has helped the group sell more than 22 million records worldwide.
The Doobie Brothers' hits include Listen To The Music, Black Water, Jesus Is Just Alright, Long Train Runnin, China Grove and Takin' It to the Streets.
The band received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award for its album, Best of the Doobies, Vol. 1. The Doobie Brothers are releasing a new CD during the first half of 2009 and will be touring nationally throughout the summer. Show dates and other information can be found on the group's official web site, doobiebros.com.
''As the Orange Bowl celebrates its Diamond Anniversary this year, we are pleased to have Diamond Record recipient The Doobie Brothers as our major halftime show attraction,'' said Eric Poms, CEO of the Orange Bowl Committee.
"Like the Orange Bowl Committee, this group has been a part of people's lives for decades, and we will be celebrating that tradition together in style on New Year's night.''
Famed jazz musician Arturo Sandoval will help launch the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl by performing the National Anthem before kick-off. A Cuban native who now lives in Miami and is a U.S. citizen, Sandoval is one of the most dynamic live performers of our time.
He has received four Grammy Awards, six Billboard Awards and an Emmy and has performed alongside chart-topping artists, including Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys.
ACT Productions of Miami Beach is coordinating and producing the Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show for the fourth consecutive year. A full-service production company with more than 20 years of experience, ACT Productions has developed and managed such events as the Miami Beach Polo World Cup and the Clio Awards shows.
In addition to the Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show, ACT will produce the pre-game show, which includes Sandoval's rendition of the National Anthem.
''The Orange Bowl is a legendary South Florida tradition, and this year The Doobie Brothers will keep that tradition going with their unique, beloved American sound,'' said ACT President and CEO Bruce Orosz. ``I know that fans are in for a real treat again this year.''
The Orange Bowl Committee celebrates its 75th anniversary with this game. Through the years, it has played host to the brightest stars on the field and at halftime.
The 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl is 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, at Dolphin Stadium, 2269 NW 199th St., Miami Gardens. The game and Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show will again be broadcast by FOX Television.
* Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Orange Bowl Committee is a not-for-profit, 333-member, primarily-volunteer organization.
It is a self-sustaining, independent organization that supports and produces activities and events that enhance the image, economy and culture of South Florida.
In addition to the 75th edition of the Orange Bowl Festival, which features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, the Orange Bowl Committee will host the 2009 FedEx BCS Championship Game on Jan. 8.
For information on the 2008-09 Orange Bowl Festival and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities, log onto orangebowl.org.
Copyright 2008 Miami Herald Media Co. All rights reserved
Notre Dame's reality show
SOUTH BEND - In the final, flailing moments Saturday night in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Pat Kuntz was screaming on the sidelines.
Encouragement. Commands. And maybe a little bit of gibberish.
Not that excessive decibels are out of character for the Notre Dame senior defensive lineman - on the football field, in the grocery store, at the library ... And perhaps that's the point.
If Notre Dame's 38-3 humbling by fifth-ranked USC was the result of a lack of fire and/or faith rather than a lack of material and/or direction, then there are not shades of gray in the big picture.
In fact all the remaining intrigue regarding what Notre Dame fourth-year coach Charlie Weis' area code will look like later this month would be as unimaginative as the Irish offense appeared Saturday night.
As it stands, Kuntz being Kuntz, the pluck of the Irish in a pregame shoving match, ND running back Robert Hughes getting tossed late in the game - for better, for worse, for relevancy, for irrelevancy - are some of the final images Notre Dame first-year athletic director Jack Swarbrick metabolized before soft-shoeing past the media Saturday night and into his cocoon.
The most definitive of a string of largely hollow statements Swarbrick uttered outside the Irish locker room Saturday night was that he and Weis would sit down to discuss the coach's future on Dec. 8.
That's not to say time, or anything else, will stand still in the interim. If anything, the next week will look like a reality show. A really campy reality show.
Here's a viewers' guide on what to watch for:
The Decision
There are really three ways Swarbrick and his superiors can go here. A) Keep Weis outright. B) Vote Weis off the island. C) Weigh what else is out there, available and interested, and measure that against what you already have.
The gut feeling here is that Notre Dame moves on option C. That means the pool of possible replacements very much weigh into the final decision. And if ND does move down this road, expect there to be some clandestine feelers sent out this week from third party to third party - not too unlike how junior high kids choose boyfriends and girlfriends.
For instance, "I'm not saying Notre Dame likes you, but if they did, might you consider going to the dance with them on the off chance that they might invite you, but not that they are?"
The one thing Notre Dame can't afford if it does decide to move in another direction is a long and/or awkward coaching search, which, ironically, is exactly how the past two have gone.
Expect flightaware.com, which can track the university jet, to get quite a workout from gapers and voyeurs this week.
The Players
The earliest Notre Dame would begin bowl practice would be next Sunday or Monday, and yes a bowl is still a probability.
If you think an Irish team with either an interim or embattled coach looks icky, take a look at some of the other 6-6 teams and remember 68 teams end up going bowling.
For rooting interests, the two results that give the Irish the most options are Louisville over Rutgers on Thursday and Arizona over Arizona State on Saturday.
The players' agenda this week started with the injured ones coming in for treatment on Sunday. The worst of the bunch was special teams star Mike Anello, who suffered a cracked fibula on the opening kickoff Saturday night, fittingly making another spectacular tackle. He is out for the bowl game.
He is also the biggest reason ND will finish No. 1 in kickoff return coverage this season, the first special teams statistical national title the Irish have captured since 1988.
The extent of leading rusher Armando Allen's leg injury isn't yet known, but he was wearing a protective boot Sunday. If he is out long-term, the Irish will be short-handed, at least in the first half, of a potential bowl game. Due to NCAA rules, Hughes must sit out the first half of his next game for getting ejected at USC. That leaves junior James Aldridge and freshman Jonas Gray.
The deepest position on the team for most of the season - wide receiver - was fragile at best on Saturday night. Injuries to Michael Floyd, George West and most recently Robby Parris left a three-man rotation of David Grimes, Duval Kamara and Golden Tate.
Since Weis didn't want to burn a year of eligibility in game 12 of the season for freshmen Deion Walker and John Goodman, the only available backups were Barry Gallup Jr., and walk-ons Kris Patterson and Sam Vos - none of whom has caught a collegiate pass.
Beginning today, the Irish players will lift, run, watch, wait and wonder - though the final three activities are optional.
The Assistant Coaches
If Weis does return, expect at least three assistants not to. And if you look at the chronic problems in the running game and the offensive line, that might be a good place to start guessing.
The biggest problem, though, is not so much individual coaches but how the pieces fit together. There is an imbalance of inexperience on a staff that screams for more seasoned minds to help fix what should be mostly fixable problems.
One assistant who should be back is defensive coordinator Corwin Brown. Even though he has been mentioned as a possible finalist for the Eastern Michigan head coaching job - and Brown projects as an outstanding head coach in time - this is more a product of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr guiding the search toward a Michigan man than Brown's desire to parachute out from a situation where he is learning and growing at a rapid pace.
All but two of the assistants will be on the road recruiting this week with Weis, returning Thursday in time for Friday night's banquet.
The Face of The Program
If Weis does return, the face of the program - sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen - needs a facelift.
Perhaps the best thing that can happen to Clausen - who took a free-fall from No. 36 in the nation in passing efficiency to No. 64 over the last half of the season - is for freshman Dayne Crist to emerge as a legitimate threat to unseat him in 2009.
Competition is what USC coach Pete Carroll says keeps his players sharp and motivated. You think he wouldn't bench his QB Mark Sanchez if he showed even half that kind of statistical drop?
By no fault of his own, Clausen doesn't have competition right now. He was anointed the starter without having to fight for it. And Saturday night probably wasn't the first time this season he should have been pulled for senior Evan Sharpley, the latter of whom has said he is highly unlikely to apply for a fifth year.
The Unknown
That would be Charles Joseph Weis. By all accounts, he has no idea what will happen Dec. 8. But whether he eventually stays or goes, he is fighting back the only way he knows how - working his butt off on the recruiting trail.
He and assistant Brian Polian stayed out on the West Coast to recruit, and a lot of that will entail re-recruiting players committed to the Irish as poaching season heats up. You can bet every coach in America will be banging down the doors of Irish recruits in the next week while Weis hangs in limbo, and they'll be parroting Swarbrick's vague words and replaying the soundtrack from Saturday night's 38-3 waxing.
Weis will also head to Hawaii for a few hours - not even staying long enough to get a hotel and maybe not even a lei - to visit the nation's No. 1 linebacker prospect Manti Te'o.
At least neither of them will have to worry about the snowballs there.
Copyright (c) 1994-2008 South Bend Tribune
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