The 139th season of Yale Football kicks off Saturday at noon with a well-tested Georgetown (2-0, 1-0 Patriot) team on Youth Day. The 97th season of play in Yale Bowl on the Class of ’54 Field kicks off with the Bulldogs and Hoyas in a game that can be seen live on yalebulldogs.com and heard on WELI (960 AM, weli.com) Radio.
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Listen to an interesting interview with Al Carbone the commissioner of the SCC. We talk about the future of the SCC from a social media, financial and scheduling point of view. Al also talks about crossover games with the FCIAC, SCC tournament games and more.
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w Haven, CT – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Bowl Championship Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN, for games ending September 10.
Yale Sr. quarterback Patrick Witt joins us for an informative interview on a variety of topics including his recent award the Francis Gordon Brown Prize, one of the school's highest undergraduate accolades. We also talk about high school football in Texas and his decision to first go to Nebraska and transfer to Yale.
The interview is a must listen for high school students. Please enjoy.
NEW RULES: UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
By Rogers Redding (Periodically in Chalktalk, Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of College Football Officiating, will provide insights about rules changes and the mindset of college football referees. The CFO is the national professional organization for all football officials who work games at the collegiate level.)
The 2011 season introduces a new rule for sportsmanship. Coaches on the NCAA football rules committee remain concerned about sportsmanship, particularly behavior that shows disrespect for the opponent and demeans the game. In 2010 the committee adopted a change to take effect in 2011 as a way of putting teeth into the rule for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the past the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct was enforced as if the foul had occurred after the ball had become dead---whether or not it actually occurred during the down. If a player scores a touchdown and then, say, kicks the ball into the stands, the penalty is enforced on the extra point or the kickoff; this has not changed.
But consider a break-away runner who gets to the 10-yard line and makes an obscene gesture at the opponents before crossing the goal line. This is a live-ball foul, but in the past the penalty has been enforced as if the player had already scored. That is, the touchdown counted and the penalty was enforced on the extra-point attempt or the kickoff. But no longer.
Starting this year if the player fouls before the ball is dead the penalty is enforced as for any other live-ball foul. In the example of the player fouling at the 10-yard line, the touchdown does count. Instead the 15-yard penalty is enforced at the spot of the foul-in this case, the 10-yard line-so instead of scoring a TD the team will have first and ten at the 25-yard line.
The rules committee believes that forcing the player to make a choice between scoring a touchdown and behaving in a demeaning fashion will help restore some good sportsmanship to the game.
Top Stories
College Football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon passed away Sunday, Sept. 4, in Tampa, Fla. He was 56. Selmon was a class of 1988 inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame and a 1975 NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Oklahoma. After college, he settled in Tampa, played nine years with the Buccaneers, was all-pro three times, and started a business career. By 1988, he had become an account relations officer for Tampa's First Florida Bank. He also worked with several community service organizations, including the Special Olympics, Easter Seals, Ronald McDonald House, United Negro College Fund, South Florida Institute on Black Life, and the Hall of Fame Bowl Committee. In 1993 he joined the University of South Florida as associate director of athletics. He was named to the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Services will be held in Lutz, Fla., on Sept. 9 and in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 10. Read more...
The University of Texas at San Antonio set a new modern-era NCAA attendance record by a first-year NCAA Division I program, drawing 56,743 to its inaugural game against Northeastern State (Okla.) Other new football programs playing in their first football game included Concordia University (Mich.): Presentation College (S.D.): Stevenson University ( Md.) and Virginia University of Lynchburg. Ave Maria (Fla.) and Siena Heights (Mich.) both kickoff their new programs this Saturday.
NFF News
College Football Hall of Fame inductee Desmond Howard will be jointly honored by the University of Michigan and The National Football Foundation with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, on September 10 before the game between Michigan and Notre Dame. Read more...
The National Football Foundation announced the 2011 schedule for the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments. Click for the full schedule...
College Football Hall of Fame inductee Marty Lyons (Alabama) was honored with an On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, in Tuscaloosa during the Kent State game.
NFF board member T. Boone Pickens threw out the first pitch at Tuesday night's Texas Rangers game.
Dixie State College (Utah), Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Washington State University, Western Kentucky, Westminster College (PA), and Wyoming have joined the NFF as Institutional Academic Members.
NFF National Scholar-Athlete nominations are due by Monday, Sept. 19. To nominate a scholar-athlete, please contact NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at hjeffries@footballfoundation.com or 800-486-1865. Semifinalists will be announced on Sept. 29 and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments will be revealed on Oct. 26. All members of the Scholar-Athlete class will receive $18,000 postgraduate scholarships and are finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which awards a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The NFF's Week 2 TV Schedule for FBS and FCS games, including the broadcast teams, will be released on Thursday at www.FootballFoundation.org.
The NFF releases This Week in College Football History every Friday during the college football season, including a video feature. Click here to see the latest video.
Stay involved with the game. Become an NFF member here.
The 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more ticket information, please contact NFF Director of National Events Will Rudd at 1-800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.
Chapter News
The Sacramento Chapter held its tenth annual kick off brunch August 21st,which included a roundtable with the media and the local high school coaches... The Greater Baltimore Chapter will present the "Howard County Football Athlete of the Week" award throughout the season... NFF Nebraska Chapter is hosting its Hall of Fame dinner on Sept. 9 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln... The NFF Memphis Chapter is hosting the Third Annual Bill McElroy Golf Tournament on Oct. 31. Former Arkansas State head coach Larry Lacewell will be the featured speaker... The NFF Tom Lombardo/St. Louis Chapter will host a kickoff luncheon on Sept. 21. St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney will be the featured speaker...
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award Kicks Off 2011 College Football Season with an opportunity to vote for your favorite coach. Click here to learn more and vote.
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
Scheduling
Oregon State will open the 2012 season Sept. 1 against Nicholls State at Reser Stadium and will play BYU in Provo on Oct. 13... Houston and Rice announced that the annual Bayou Bucket presented by State Farm will be played at Reliant Stadium beginning in 2012 with a two-year commitment to the neutral location... Rice has scheduled home-and-home football series with Stanford in 2016 and 2017 and with Northwestern in 2017 and 2018... Clemson and Oklahoma State will play a home-and-home series in 2019 and 2020... Tulsa and Fresno State will play a home-and-home series in 2012 and 2014... BYU and Houston have announced a home-and-home series in 2013 and 2014...
Media
The Sun Belt and ESPN announced an multi-year agreement through the 2019-20 academic year, extending their current relationship... The Atlantic Coast Conference announced that they have agreed to a two-year extension with SiriusXM Satellite Radio to allow games from all of its 12 schools to be carried by both Sirius and XM Satellite Radio... Marcus Allen, a 2000 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Southern California, and Kevin Frazier, the co-anchor of the hit television magazine program The Insider, have been named FOX College Football's studio team, handling pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.
Facilities
TCU will renovate the east side of Amon G. Carter Stadium following the 2011 season... Florida International University has announced expansion plans for Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium to be completed by Sept. 1, 2012...
Community Service
Missouri Western football players pulled a toddler from a locked car on a day when temperatures reached 95 degrees... Kentucky will honor military, police, firefighters and other first responders during their game this week against Central Michigan... The Pac-12 has created a commemorative painted game ball in recognition of the first-ever Pac-12 football game between Southern California and Utah and the 10th anniversary of 9/11 that will be signed by every head coach and donated to the 9/11 Memorial ... Syracuse football will honor the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Patriotic Day at the Carrier Dome prior to their game against Rhode Island...
Miscellaneous
Oklahoma installed a statue of 2008 Heisman Trophy winner and NFF Hampshire Honor Society member Sam Bradford in school's Heisman Park... The Big Ten Championship Trophy made its first public appearance at the Louis Armstrong Public School in Chicago... Baylor has been selected as the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for their dramatic 50-48 win over No. 14 TCU by the Football Writers Association of America... Colorado State sophomore defensive lineman Nordly Capi forced an NCAA-record four fumbles against New Mexico. He was named him the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week... Former Duke All-American QB Ben Bennett is among the five individuals being inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame Sept. 9...
Mick Tingelhoff, who played center at Nebraska from 1959-60, has been named the 2011 recipient of the President Gerald R. Ford Legends Award, which will be presented during the 12th Annual Rimington Trophy Banquet on January 14, 2012 in Lincoln, Neb... Mary B. Hecht, a benefactor of the University of Miami (Fla.), has left $4.2 million to fund scholarships for Hurricane football players... Rice will open its 100th home football season by hosting Purdue this weekend... The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will institute instant replay during its conference sponsored television games on ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN Classic during the 2011 season... Arkansas is inducting four former football players into its Sports Hall of Honor, including Gary Adams, Steve Cox, Brison Manor, Jr., and Jimmy Walker... Wittenberg (Ohio) became the first Division III program to reach 700 all-time victories...
Obituaries
Former Kansas football player and coach Don Fambrough passed away Sept. 3 at the age of 88... Brent Wooten, a standout football player for the University of Washington who went on to become head coach at Eastern Washington University, passed away Aug. 29. He was 72... Bill Gray, a former Oregon State All-American, died last week at age 88.
2011 Key NFF Dates
Sept. 29, 2011 - Announcement of the 2011 Campbell Trophy Semifinalists - Irving, Texas
Oct. 26, 2011 - Announcement of the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments/Campbell Trophy Finalists - Irving, Texas
Dec. 6, 2011 - The 54th Annual Awards News Conference at the Waldorf=Astoria - New York, N.Y.
Dec. 6, 2011 - The 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria - New York, N.Y.
Dec. 6, 2011 - The 22nd Presentation of Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, to the nation's top scholar-athlete at the Waldorf=Astoria - New York, N.Y.
NFF Information
Advertising in NFF publications will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including key administrators, coaches, players, former players, as well as other key sports business executives throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Bret Krift with IMG College at 859-226-4406 or bret.krift@imgworld.com.
Become a fan of the National Football Foundation on Facebook - Upload your game day photos, check out pictures of the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, and chat with other college football fans.
For more information on the NFF and college football, including announcements from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and NCAA Football, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.
Sign up for "This Week in NCAA Football" at ncaafootball.com.
Notes
The NFF would like to thank correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.
NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.
College Football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon passed away Sunday, Sept. 4, in Tampa, Fla. He was 56.
About The National Football Foundation: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.
For more information, please visit us on the web at www.footballfoundation.org
Media Contact: Philip Marwill
Email: pmarwill@footballfoundation.com
Phone: 917-579-4256 (Mobile)
Web: http://www.footballfoundation.com/
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Yale starting quarterback Patrick Witt (Wylie, Texas) has been honored with the Francis Gordon Brown Prize, one of the school's highest undergraduate accolades.
CIAC would like to thank all those schools that responded to the survey on their status in meeting the fourteen day team practice regulation. It appears from the results of the survey that a number of schools around the state will have difficulty in reaching fourteen practice days prior to the scheduled start of the season.
In consultation with the Superintendents Association, CIAC has determined due to the unique and unusual situation our member schools are facing because of hurricane Irene the fourteen day team practice regulation will be modified for the fall season as follows:
* Member schools will be given the responsibility of determining the physical readiness of their athletes and teams to begin competition in any sport that was unable to complete fourteen days of practice at all levels of play. Member schools have been doing just this for years with individual athletes as the fourteen day regulation is a team regulation and not an individual player regulation.
* If it is determined by the school that additional practice days are needed the school should postpone and reschedule games/meets as necessary.
CIAC realizes the difficult situation many of our member schools are in at this time and the CIAC Board of Control and CIAC staff hope that this procedure will help.
New Haven, CT – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced its first 2011 Bowl Championship Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN, for games ending September 3. Please note: Outstanding performances during games played on Sunday (Sept. 4) or Monday (Sept. 5) will be considered for next week's award.
About the Award: This is the eighth year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Bowl Championship Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ROBERT GRIFFIN, III, BAYLOR
Junior, Quarterback, Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove
Baylor junior quarterback Robert Griffin III passed for 327 yards (21-of-27) and a career-high five touchdowns as the Bears defeated 14th-ranked TCU, 50-48, on Friday. Griffin III added 38 yards rushing and had a 15-yard reception. It was Baylor’s first win over a ranked opponent since October 30, 2004.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BRANDON HERRON – MICHIGAN
Senior, Linebacker, Stafford, TX/Dulles
Michigan senior linebacker Brandon Herron become the first player in school history to post two defensive scores as the Wolverines defeated Western Michigan, 34-10. Herron, who posted a career-best eight tackles, returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown and added a score on a 29-yard fumble recovery.
Generation UCAN is a healthy sports nutrition drink fueled by a unique, natural carbohydrate called SuperStarch. It's meant to be consumed before activity for sustained energy and enhanced fat burn, and after activity to assist with muscle recovery. SuperStarch was originally designed to help a child who suffers from serious energy imbalances. Generation UCAN’s healthy energy now fuels some of the top athletes in the world - ranging from professional football players, to Olympic distance runners, to everyday athletes striving for fitness. The UCAN Company is based in Woodbridge, CT. Visit www.generationucan.comfor more information.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.waltercamp.org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s website,www.ncfaa.org
www.waltercamp.org
CIAC has received numerous calls from member schools and the media questioning if the requirement to complete 14 days of mandatory practices prior to first day of competition will be waived or altered.
The mandatory practice day requirement has been in existence for over 30 years and CIAC believes these days of practice are necessary to prepare teams for competition. Consequently, the only adjustment that will be making to the regulation is to allow schools to count practices held on Sundays toward the required 14 days. Schools may count both both Sunday practices held previously and those to be held from this point forward toward reaching the 14-day requirement. Sunday practices have always been allowed, but could not be counted towards the requirement. As always, the holding of Sunday practices will be at the discretion of the local school district.
Any team that has not conducted 14 days of practice prior to its first scheduled game must postpone and reschedule all games until it has satisfied the requirement. Schools are reminded that rescheduling of postponed games are not subject to weekly limitation rules.
School districts are encouraged to allow teams to continue to practice when it is safe to do so, even if school is not in session. We will continue to monitor the situation and assist member schools in their effort to meet the requirement.
Owls Cunningham celebrates a TD
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - The Southern Connecticut State University football team scored 21 consecutive points in the second half, but fell just short to Central Connecticut State in the 2011 season opener for both squads on Saturday. The Owls closed to within seven, 28-21, with 2:31 remaining, but the Blue Devils returned the ensuing onside kick back for a touchdown to create the final margin of victory.
Kevin Lynch (Medfield, Mass.) finished 22-of-39 for 223 yards and a touchdown in the contest. Rashaad Slowley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) rushed for 50 yards on 27 carries, but did score two touchdowns. Andre Privott (Middletown, Conn.) led the receivers with six catches for 61 yards.
Steven Teague (Hamden, Conn.) had eight tackles to lead the defense in that department. Michael Escobar (Danbury, Conn.) and Mustaqiim Plair (New Haven, Conn.) each added an interception.
The Owls took the opening kickoff and quickly drove down to the CCSU 1. However, SCSU was unable to punch in a touchdown, and the Blue Devils forced a turnover on downs.
The game stayed scoreless until the final minute of the first quarter when the Blue Devils converted points off a SCSU interception on a four-yard touchdown pass.
Central Connecticut then extended its lead to 21-0 with two scores in 49 seconds midway through the second quarter. After an eight-yard touchdown pass and successful PAT made it 14-0, the Blue Devils forced a fumble that went back the other way for a touchdown on the ensuing Owls' possesion. CCSU would add one more score before the break to make it 28-0 at halftime.
The tide shifted quickly in the second half. Escobar's interception gave the Owls the ball in CCSU territory, and Slowley eventually scored on a one-yard run. Christopher Hazelton (Bristol, Conn.) added the PAT to make it 28-7.
The score stayed that way into the fourth quarter, but the Owls stayed close. Slowley's second one-yard touchdown run of the day closed the gap to 28-13 midway through the fourth. Lynch then found Jerome Cunningham (Waterbury, Conn.) on an 11-yard scoring strike to make it 28-19. Lynch then hit Willie Epps (Norwalk, Conn.) on a good two-point try to make it 28-21 with 2:31 remaining.
Southern Connecticut returns to action on Sept. 10 in a 1 p.m. start at West Liberty.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University men’s soccer team has been selected third in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll, as it was announced earlier today. Previously, the Owls were stationed at No. 12 in the NSCAA National Preseason poll.
Southern Connecticut received two first place votes in the poll.
The Owls are coming off another successful season (14-2-4) in which they reached the NCAA Tournament second round. The 2011 season opener will be Sept. 3 against Bridgeport.
Here’s a look at the complete poll:
1. Franklin Pierce (10) – 166
2. So. New Hampshire (2) – 152
3. So. Connecticut (2) – 147
4. Bentley – 128
5. Le Moyne – 125
6. Merrimack – 108
7. Assumption – 73
7. Saint Michael’s – 73
9. American Int’l -72
10. New Haven – 65
11. Stonehill – 63
12. UMass Lowell – 53
13. Saint Anselm – 35
14. Saint Rose – 14
( ) – Denotes first-place votes
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey head coach Rand Pecknold has announced that former Bobcats’ All-American Reid Cashman has been named assistant coach for the 2011-12 season. Cashman recently completed a five-year professional career that most recently saw him playing in Austria’s professional league.
"Reid was a special player, both on and off the ice, in his four years at Quinnipiac,” head coach Rand Pecknold. “His work ethic and competitiveness will translate into success as a coach. He has had the good fortune of playing for some great pro coaches, including NHL Coach of the Year Dan Byslma. Reid's hockey knowledge and his ability to communicate will make him a welcome addition to our progam."
Cashman was recently named as one of the top 50 players in ECAC Hockey history, as announced by the league during the 2010-11 season. Cashman was previously named to the ECAC Hockey All-Decade Team for the period from 2000 through 2009.
A native of Red Wing, Minn., he first earned All-America honors in 2004-05 when the Bobcats were members of Atlantic Hockey. Cashman went on to earn consecutive ECAC Hockey First Team and All-American honors when he finished as the league's top-scoring defenseman in 2006 and 2007, and was the only defenseman in the Top 20 in scoring in the nation in both years. In 2007, he captained a Quinnipiac team that played for the ECAC Hockey Championship in just its second year in the league.
In 79 career ECAC Hockey games, Cashman tallied 82 points, earning him a spot on the All-Decade team. In 2007, he finished second in the nation in scoring among defenseman with 41 points in 40 games for a 1.02 per game average. The previous season, he scored 41 points in 39 games for a 1.05 per game average, good for third in the nation among all blue-liners. In both seasons in ECAC Hockey, Cashman led the league in assists and power-play points and was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.
The school record-holder in career assists with 125, he also holds the single-season defenseman records in assists with 35 in 2006-07 and 45 in 2004-05. The all-time leading scorer amongst defenseman, his 148 career points rank eighth overall.
Upon completion of his Quinnipiac career, Cashman signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing seven games that season with Toronto's top affiliate, the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). Cashman enjoyed two stints with the Marlies, while also suiting up for the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Milwaukee Admirals. He also played for the Columbia Inferno, Wheeling Nailers and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League before completing his professional career overseas with EHC Black Wings Linz of the Austrian Erste Bank Ice Hockey League.
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The Gaels showed the might be the team to beat at the upcoming SCC Baseball Tournament. We will have full coverage of the tournament here on sportingnewsct.com.
Watch Notre Dame Honors Convocation - Click Here
7PM
Watch the replay of the decisive game of the East Super Regional best of 3 games between SCSU vs. Molloy.
The Owls need a win to extend the series to three games. Watch the replay here.
The Green Knights celebrated Senior Day in style.
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