College Football Thread -- What will we do in the offseason?

[Lord Avalon]

West Virginia's Rodriguez, Michigan meet

Posted: December 14, 2007
Tom Dienhart
Sporting News

It looks like West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez is the latest target of Michigan's coaching search.

As first reported by Sporting News Radio correspondent Michael Bradley, Rodriguez and his agent were in Toledo, Ohio, today to negotiate with Michigan athletics director Bill Martin and university president Mary Sue Coleman. The Detroit Free-Press later confirmed Bradley's report through two sources.

Calls to Rodriguez and his agent have not been returned. A source in the West Virginia football offices told Sporting News that Rodriguez was recruiting in Florida on Thursday and was supposed to be in the Morgantown, W. Va., offices today, but he had not been seen. According to an Associated Press report, Rodriguez arrived at the Morgantown airport on a flight from Toledo this evening, but he declined to comment on the purpose of his trip.

Rodriguez came close to taking the Alabama job last year before deciding to stay at West Virginia, his alma mater, with an enhanced contract.

Rodriguez would seem a curious fit in Ann Arbor, as he has no direct ties to the Big Ten. (He did play three years for Don Nehlen, a former Bo Schembechler assistant at Michigan, at West Virginia.) And Rodriguez's spread-option offense wouldn't appear to be a fit for a school accustomed to a pro-style attack.

Rodriguez, however, is a good coach with a clean record who would represent the school well.

The Free-Press reports that Rodriguez's contract with West Virginia runs through 2013 and has a $4 million buyout clause should he leave the school before Aug. 31, 2008. He made $1.8 million this season.

Rodriguez has been head coach at West Virginia since 2001. He has a 60-26 record with the Mountaineers, who face Oklahoma next month in the Fiesta Bowl.

Michigan's search for a replacement for Lloyd Carr over the past month has been a fiasco. LSU's Les Miles pulled out of the running, and Rutgers' Greg Schiano rejected overtures.

Earlier this week, a source close to Steve Sarkisian told Sporting News that the USC offensive coordinator had been contacted. Others have reported that Ball State coach Brady Hoke had had informal discussions with Michigan officials.

But no other contacts have been confirmed. Michigan officials say they have no interest in Cal coach Jeff Tedford. Speculation continues to swirl around coaches like NC State's Tom O'Brien, Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. Grobe recently told Sporting News that he wasn't interested in the Michigan job.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=318643

[-Jrabbit]

I'm surprised they haven't gone after Ferentz.

[snoopy369]

Perhaps Lou Holtz next?

[Guynemer]

I can't imagine a head coach leaving his position for a head coaching job in the same conference, no matter what their past connection with the hiring university's president.

Rodriguez would be a good hire, but I wonder how the old guard of Wolverines fans would handle his decidedly un-Michigan style offense.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Perhaps Lou Holtz next?

If not, then the 2nd coming. Arkansas just isn't the same without him leading on the sideline. Not to me, with an advesarial perspective, with respect.

[snoopy369]

What does Arkansas have to do with anything?

[SlowwHand]

Lou Holtz coached at Arkansas. Probably before your young ass was ever thought about being.

[Donegeal]

My Alma matter won the Div III National Title!

UW-Whitewater tops Mount Union for Division III title

SALEM, Va. — UW-Whitewater got tired of going stag to the biggest party of the year.

This time, the Warhawks found a date—the Amos Alonzo Stagg trophy.

Justin Beaver torched a previously impenetrable Mount Union defense for 249 yards, and Whitewater’s defense shut down college football’s most potent offense en route to a 31-21 victory in the NCAA Division III title game at a cold and rainy Salem Stadium here Saturday.

The Purple Raiders had won the last two Stagg Bowls, both over Whitewater, and came into this rematch with a 37-game winning streak. Whitewater didn’t care.

“There would’ve been no sense playing this game if we didn’t think we could win,” said first-year Whitewater coach Lance Leipold, whose team was a 20-point underdog. “Our goal was to come out early and be physical. Try and set the tone, and I thought we did that.

“Many people didn’t think we had a chance to be here at this point of the day,” Leipold said at the post-game winner’s press conference. “But here we are. I’ve got a group of 23 seniors that played their hearts out today.”

The Warhawks (14-1) led 10-0 at halftime and quickly pushed the lead to 17-0 when Michael Sherman recovered Beaver’s fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Purple Raiders, who were looking for their 10th Stagg Bowl trophy in the last 15 years, responded with two scores to cut the lead to 17-14 with 4:14 left in the third quarter.

With a 54.9 scoring average and momentum on its side, Mount Union appeared poised to take control. The Warhawks didn’t let it happen.

Beaver scored on a 13-yard run, and quarterback Danny Jones capped the Warhawks’ memorable day with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone with 1:33 left to play to seal the deal.

Mount Union coach Larry Kehres, who has the best all-time winning percentage in all divisions of college football, was offering no excuses afterward.

“Whitewater played the better game tonight and deserved to beat us,” said Kehres, whose Raiders finished 14-1 after going 15-0 each of the last two years. “Their coaches did a great job of preparing the team.

“We weren’t able to accomplish everything we hoped for this season, and that’s what hurts the most. And that’s because Whitewater played a great football game.”

Whitewater’s defense, which received little attention leading up to the game, was the story in the first half. The Warhawks stymied the Purple Raiders by switching up defensive schemes against the spread offense.

Mount Union had outscored its opponents 548-22 in the first half this season but got nothing against a defense coordinated by Brian Borland. The 10-0 deficit was the first time the Purple Raiders had trailed at halftime since playing Ohio Northern in the seventh week of the 2005 season.

The Purple Raiders were only 1-for-6 on third-down conversions and 0-for-3 on fourth-down.

Whitewater’s defense set the tone early as Ryan Ogrizovich and Anthony White stuffed Nate Kmic at the 1-yard line on a fourth-and-goal with 2:53 left in the first quarter. That came after Mount Union was denied a touchdown on an official review of the third-down play.

Ogrizovich, who spent plenty of time in the Mount Union backfield, said the goal-line stand was critical.

“We had to calm each other down before the play because we knew it was going to set the tone one way or the other,” Ogrizovich said. “That play kind of wraps up our whole season on defense. It’s the bend but don’t break mentality.”

Whitewater scored on a six-play, 71-yard drive on its opening possession. Beaver, the Gagliardi Trophy winner, set up the score with a 26-yard run to the Mount Union 2. Jones scored two plays later on a 1-yard run, and Jeff Schebler added the extra point for a 7-0 lead the Warhawks never relinquished.

Mount Union’s defense came in allowing an average of only 24.9 rushing yards per game, but Beaver scampered for 124 yards in the first half—including a 45-yard burst that set up Schebler’s 32-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half.

With the national title in tow, the Warhawks head home today for a 4 p.m. celebration at the Williams Center.

And they don’t have to worry about going stag.

UW-WHITEWATER 31, MOUNT UNION 21

[-Jrabbit]

Mount Union had outscored its opponents 548-22 in the first half this season...
With a 54.9 scoring average...
...allowing an average of only 24.9 rushing yards per game...

That's a pretty cool underdog story. Thanks for posting, Donegeal.

[DanS]

Apparently, Michigan just hired Rich Rodriguez away from WVU.

This is quite a change in style of play for Michigan.

[Guynemer]

Wow.

If you can't beat 'em (spread offense), join 'em...

[DanS]

Could be a couple of tough years as the team makes the transition. You have folks like Mallett, who may be looking for a new team.

[Guynemer]

True enough. He's not exactly fleet of foot, but let's see what Rodriguez can do with him.

Now, I know you were excited about the prospect of facing a Les Miles Michigan team; how do you feel about Rich Rodriguez?

[DanS]

Good question, but to be honest, I'm not sure what to think.

In the recent past, ND has been vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks. Of course, before this past year, ND's defense was vulnerable to just about everything.

In the next several years, I expect ND to have a lights-out defense against the pass. An effective running game (whether from the pro set or spread formations) would be the best matchup against ND's defense. As an aside, I find it interesting that much of the Big 10 is now focusing on the run more than previously -- Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, etc.

Now that English is out of the running, I can tell you what I think about him. 2006 was a stout D. ND didn't challenge Michigan's D this year, so I can't really evaluate it. However, I think many ND fans noticed that ND was housing Michigan on the recruiting trail this year, especially on D. This was surprising to us, considering that English was thought to be a good recruiter.

[-Jrabbit]

ND was housing Michigan on the recruiting trail this year...

WTF does this mean, Dan?