Back last week, I asked the guys at the Ryan For Heisman blog to put something together regarding what #12 needed to do in order to lock up the trophy and the pose. Obviously, since that happened, some things have changed (read, Night games at Alumni Stadium), but they were still happy to change some things around and put something together. If you aren't reading that blog, well, get on it. Don't forget to check out the other Heisman candidacy sites, ryanforheisman.com and the school-sponsored MattyIce.com
What does #12 have to do?
When we first decided to write this post, our analysis could be summed
up in 3 words: "just win, baby". It appeared that Matt Ryan had a
stranglehold on the 2007 Heisman Trophy. BC's loss to Florida State
changed all of that and now Ryan has fallen from most experts' top-3.
If #12 is going to change that, he needs help. Here are three things
that need to happen for the Heisman to come to the Heights:
1) Boston College needs to win out. This one is a must. The Eagles
need to go 11-1 through the regular season and they need to win the
ACC Championship Game. Tebow and McFadden will likely be sitting at
home on December 1st. Ryan needs that extra game to make a statement
to voters who will be waiting until the last minute to submit their
ballots.
2) Ryan needs to play well in the 4 remaining games. He should have a
decent audience for each of the last 3 regular season games as well as
the ACCCG. He can't give voters any more reasons to discount him.
3) Dennis Dixon and/or Oregon need to slip up. Right now, Dixon has a
tight grip in most straw polls. Furthermore, if the Ducks are the
odd-man-out in the National Championship race, look for voters to
learn towards Dixon for Heisman as a consolation prize. Matt Ryan can
overcome Tebow, McFadden and Daniel on his own, but not Dixon, who
will be taking on Arizona, UCLA, Oregon State and his own left knee.
Can all three of these things happen? Sure. Will they happen? In
this, the craziest of college seasons, nobody knows. Will Matt Ryan
walk out of the Nokia Theater in Times Square with the Heisman Trophy?
If Ryan can put the Seminoles behind him and get BC back on track, we like his chances.
Thanks again, and be sure to read up at the Ryan for Heisman blog. Heights and Lows is hoping there is going to be a pig pile on Bandwagon Wednesday.
Showing posts with label Guest Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Posts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Guest Post: Bill K. of Scalp 'em
I got a chance this week to trade some questions with Bill K. of Scalp 'em. If you want to see how I answered Bill's queries, make sure to check it out here at his great Florida State Blog.
1. I had this great question all set about picking between quarterbacks but recent news has stated that Xavier Lee will not be eligible this week. For Drew Weatherford to be successful, what will he have to do, especially considering he's playing with the added pressure that Lee will not be behind him? How big of a game does the Seminole receiving corps need to have?
Yeah, XL is certainly having his problems. Throw this two game suspension on top of everything, and I'm willing to bet he won't be around next year. But, that's another conversation. For Drew Weatherford to be successful he needs time. For whatever reason, the offensive line forgets to block when DW is in the game and Weatherford does his best (former New York Jets QB) Ken O'Brien imitation, flat on his back with grass stains on his jersey. His deep ball arm isn't as good as Xavier's, but it's adequate and he makes the routine plays pretty well. When it comes to pressure, you have to remember that Drew has started the majority of the games and he's this really big team guy. I think he honestly believes that if he can't get the job done or gets hurt, that one of the two freshman behind him will. Remember these names if DW goes down, D'vontrey Richardson and Christian Ponder. They're both talented in different ways, and Ponder had a pretty good spring.
And yes, if the Noles want to win, the receiving corps had better have a big night. FSU suffered a big hit last weekend when Richard Goodman went down with a broken ankle. Greg Carr is nursing a sore wrist. So basically De'Cody Fagg and Preston Parker are going to have to come up HUGE, with a little Rod Owens (who has rarely played this year) mixed in.
2. What should be Florida State's defensive game plan when lining up against Matt Ryan and Co.?
If it was me, I'd have nightmares game-planning for a senior laden team like the Eagles. That said, you've got to take Matt Ryan out of the game. The Seminoles need some great defensive line play, so that they can blitz Ryan from every angle. Basically, they're going to have to hit him, hit him again, and then hit him some more. Ryan is going to make some big plays, but if the Noles can get to him over and over, it'll eventually have a cumulative effect. If there's a way to keep Ryan to 30-35 attempts I think FSU could win a low scoring game, I'm just not sure how to get there with the FSU defense that has played Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde all season.
3. Who's the guy on Florida State we aren't hearing enough about this week? Who is the unknown game changer who could surprise the Eagles in Chestnut Hill this weekend?
You're probably not hearing enough about two people. The first is Graham Gano, our punter and kickoff specialist. He's gotten better all season, and he played a huge role in the victory over Alabama. He gave us great field position all night, and he'll need to do the same against the Eagles. The other guy is wide receiver Preston Parker. He can run, catch AND throw the ball. He's got that game-breaker look to him, and he's the only player that consistently gets me excited when I watch him at the games. Parker is going to have a breakout game eventually both receiver and returning punts, it's just a matter of where and when. B.C. had better hope it's not Saturday night.
A very special thanks to Bill and everyone over at Scalp 'em. Make sure to check out both H&L and Scalp 'em for previews of this weekend's game.
1. I had this great question all set about picking between quarterbacks but recent news has stated that Xavier Lee will not be eligible this week. For Drew Weatherford to be successful, what will he have to do, especially considering he's playing with the added pressure that Lee will not be behind him? How big of a game does the Seminole receiving corps need to have?
Yeah, XL is certainly having his problems. Throw this two game suspension on top of everything, and I'm willing to bet he won't be around next year. But, that's another conversation. For Drew Weatherford to be successful he needs time. For whatever reason, the offensive line forgets to block when DW is in the game and Weatherford does his best (former New York Jets QB) Ken O'Brien imitation, flat on his back with grass stains on his jersey. His deep ball arm isn't as good as Xavier's, but it's adequate and he makes the routine plays pretty well. When it comes to pressure, you have to remember that Drew has started the majority of the games and he's this really big team guy. I think he honestly believes that if he can't get the job done or gets hurt, that one of the two freshman behind him will. Remember these names if DW goes down, D'vontrey Richardson and Christian Ponder. They're both talented in different ways, and Ponder had a pretty good spring.
And yes, if the Noles want to win, the receiving corps had better have a big night. FSU suffered a big hit last weekend when Richard Goodman went down with a broken ankle. Greg Carr is nursing a sore wrist. So basically De'Cody Fagg and Preston Parker are going to have to come up HUGE, with a little Rod Owens (who has rarely played this year) mixed in.
2. What should be Florida State's defensive game plan when lining up against Matt Ryan and Co.?
If it was me, I'd have nightmares game-planning for a senior laden team like the Eagles. That said, you've got to take Matt Ryan out of the game. The Seminoles need some great defensive line play, so that they can blitz Ryan from every angle. Basically, they're going to have to hit him, hit him again, and then hit him some more. Ryan is going to make some big plays, but if the Noles can get to him over and over, it'll eventually have a cumulative effect. If there's a way to keep Ryan to 30-35 attempts I think FSU could win a low scoring game, I'm just not sure how to get there with the FSU defense that has played Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde all season.
3. Who's the guy on Florida State we aren't hearing enough about this week? Who is the unknown game changer who could surprise the Eagles in Chestnut Hill this weekend?
You're probably not hearing enough about two people. The first is Graham Gano, our punter and kickoff specialist. He's gotten better all season, and he played a huge role in the victory over Alabama. He gave us great field position all night, and he'll need to do the same against the Eagles. The other guy is wide receiver Preston Parker. He can run, catch AND throw the ball. He's got that game-breaker look to him, and he's the only player that consistently gets me excited when I watch him at the games. Parker is going to have a breakout game eventually both receiver and returning punts, it's just a matter of where and when. B.C. had better hope it's not Saturday night.
A very special thanks to Bill and everyone over at Scalp 'em. Make sure to check out both H&L and Scalp 'em for previews of this weekend's game.
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