Dein erstes Forum » igneault. "To work in a city with such passion

The last Saturday of October started with nine unbeaten teams.Four went down and five remain, four of which -- Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Washington -- are the leaders in a Power 5 conference.Sounds kind of perfect for a playoff ranking, right? It might start that way when the College Football Playoff selection committee unveils its initial poll on Tuesday night (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).But we know the rankings probably wont end up that way, at least not when the four teams are selected for the playoff on Dec. 4. Theres too much football left to play. Whats going to be interesting to learn Tuesday night is how the one- and two-loss teams stack up behind the top four.No. 3 Clemson saved the selection committee an early headache by coming from behind to beat No. 12 Florida State 37-34 on the road. But we start in the Big 12, where the biggest damage was done in Week 9.Did Texas and Oklahoma State bury the Big 12s playoff hopes?Every Big 12 team has at least one loss after the beleaguered leagues last two undefeated teams fell on the road Saturday. Texas stunned No. 8 Baylor 35-34, and No. 10 West Virginia fell 37-20 at Oklahoma State.Tonight was our night, Longhorns coach Charlie Strong said.It wasnt a great night for the Big 12, though. After embarrassing itself with its latest failed attempt at expansion, the Big 12 looks like the first Power 5 league to be play itself out of contention for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.The Bears and Mountaineers were probably fringe playoff contenders to begin with. The Bears started 6-0 under interim coach Jim Grobe, but theyve defeated only one team with a winning record and three of the five FBS opponents they beat are 1-7. Because of its weak nonconference schedule, Baylors playoff chances were probably remote at best.Plus, whether the selection committee would admit it or not, Baylors ongoing fallout from its ugly sexual assault scandal would have left the committee in an unenviable position. The Bears had absolutely no margin for error and had to finish unbeaten to have a chance to make the playoff. They still have road games left at West Virginia and No. 16 Oklahoma, so theres a good chance theyll lose again.Like Baylor, West Virginia doesnt have a victory over a ranked opponent and its nonconference schedule (wins over Missouri, FCS foe Youngstown State and BYU) wasnt going to carry much weight with the selection committee.Dont sleep on No. 16 Oklahoma, however. The Sooners might be the only glimmer of hope in the Big 12. After two early losses in nonconference play to Houston and Ohio State, theyve won five league games in a row and will face Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma State in their final three regular-season games. Oklahoma was ranked No. 15 in the initial playoff rankings last season after an early loss to Texas, only to play its way into the top four by seasons end.?Dont be surprised to see the Sooners check in higher than that on Tuesday night.Can Strong save his job again?When LSU transfer Trent Domingue made a 39-yard field goal in the final minute to upset the Bears, Texas avoided a 3-5 start for the third straight season under Strong.If the Longhorns can win three out of their last four regular-season games to finish 7-5, would it be enough to save Strongs job? After the Longhorns dropped four of five games before beating Baylor, many Texas fans wondered when Strong was going to let Houston coach Tom Herman start redecorating his new office.Only the next four weeks will tell us if Texas has finally turned a corner and whether Strongs work is paying off. If the Longhorns lose at Texas Tech next week, their upset of Baylor probably wont mean much of anything.Texas fans want to see more consistency; this is the same team that lost 24-21 at Kansas State last week. UT still plays West Virginia at home, followed by a road game at Kansas and home finale against TCU. Theres an opportunity for a strong finish.Strong didnt hold much back Saturday night when he was asked about the speculation concerning his job. In fact, he called the rumors an embarrassment to everyone.I know this: I have a really good team, Strong said. I have a special team.Will Western Michigan row its boat to a New Years Six bowl game?The No. 20 Broncos didnt even play this weekend, but they might have been one of Saturdays biggest winners.After No. 13 Boise State lost at Wyoming 30-28 -- the Cowboys scored the winning points on a sack and fumble for a safety with only 1:25 left -- Western Michigan is the lone remaining unbeaten team from a Group of 5 conference. The Broncos will be heavy favorites in their next three games before closing the regular season against Toledo on Nov. 25.The Broncos should be the highest-ranked Group of 5 team when the CFP selection committee releases its initial rankings Tuesday night. Houston, which was the Group of 5 representative last season, was No. 25 on the first ballot.Speaking of the Cougars, they narrowly avoided a third loss to an unranked opponent, before rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat UCF 31-24 at home. Thanks to No. 22 Navys 52-45 loss at USF on Friday night, the Cougars are right back in the race for the AAC West title.Houston remains one game behind Navy and Tulsa in the loss column of the AAC West standings, so it will have to hope those teams lose again.Should Georgia and Ole Miss be worried about making bowls?Heres some ammunition for anyone who dislikes preseason polls: Ole Miss was ranked No. 11 in the preseason, Michigan State was No. 12 and Georgia was No. 18 (and then climbed to No. 9 after its opening win over North Carolina). All three teams might be in danger of missing a bowl game if they dont turn things around and finish strong.The Spartans are 2-6 (0-5 Big Ten) after falling to Michigan at home, and theyll have to win their last four games to finish 6-6. Thats probably not going to happen, as they finish the season with a home game against No. 6 Ohio State and a road game at No. 24 Penn State.Ole Miss fell to 3-5 (1-4 SEC) after losing its third game in a row, 40-29 to red-hot Auburn. Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly passed for a school-record 465 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but the Ole Miss defense surrendered 554 yards, including 236 rushing by Auburns Kamryn Pettway.Ole Miss hosts Georgia Southern next week, and then plays consecutive road games at No. 9 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt before hosting rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl -- the Rebels and Bulldogs each might need to win that rivalry game to make a bowl.Georgia fell to 4-4 (2-4 SEC) after losing to Florida 24-10 in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs managed only eight first downs and 164 yards of offense, which were their lowest totals in a game in the past 20 years.Its just frustrating. We couldnt really get things going, Georgia tailback Nick Chubb said. I felt like it was always three-and-out, and we werent getting in a rhythm or anything, so it feels pretty bad.The Bulldogs play at surprising Kentucky next week, before closing the regular season with three straight home games against No. 15 Auburn, Louisiana-Lafayette and rival Georgia Tech.Playoff teams after Week 91. Alabama: The top-ranked Crimson Tide had the weekend off to prepare for next weeks SEC West showdown at No. 19 LSU, which is 3-0 under interim coach Ed Orgeron. The Tide have defeated the Tigers five straight times and havent lost in Baton Rouge since a 24-21 loss on Nov. 6, 2010.2. Michigan: The Wolverines defeated rival Michigan State 32-23, their first win in the series since 2012 and their first win in East Lansing since 2007. It was the Spartans sixth straight loss, their longest losing streak since they started 0-7 in 1982 (not counting forfeits from 1994). Michigan hosts Maryland at the Big House next week.3. Clemson: The Tigers moved to 8-0 for the second straight season with a 37-34 win at No. 12 Florida State. It was Clemsons ninth consecutive road win, 22nd straight regular-season victory and 14th ACC win in a row. Clemsons defense battered FSU quarterback Deondre Francois, and eight different Tigers defenders had a tackle for loss.4. Washington: The Huskies were tested in a 31-24 win at No. 17 Utah. Washington entered the weekend as the only FBS team that hadnt trailed in the second half this season, but that ended when the Utes took a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. Washington scored on its next possession and didnt trail again. The Huskies play at Cal next week.Next four in contention1. Louisville: The Cardinals needed a dramatic touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson with 13 seconds left to beat 34-point underdog Virginia on the road. It was the second time in three weeks that the Cardinals struggled to put away a heavy underdog; they beat 35-point underdog Duke 24-14 on Oct. 14. The good news: none of the other one-loss teams are playing exceptionally well.2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes looked pretty mediocre for the second week in a row in a 24-20 win over Northwestern. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett failed to account for a touchdown (passing or rushing) for the first time in 25 career starts. The Buckeyes host No. 7 Nebraska next week.3. Texas A&M: After playing consecutive games against Tennessee and Alabama, the Aggies got a breather in a 52-10 rout of New Mexico State. Texas A&Ms Christian Kirk returned two punts (70 and 73 yards) for touchdowns against the Aggies, the first time in school history that a player returned two punts for scores in the same game.4. Wisconsin: The Badgers knocked off No. 7 Nebraska 23-17 in overtime at Camp Randall Stadium, their third victory over a top-10 foe this season, a first in the programs history. Wisconsins Dare Ogunbowale scored on an 11-yard run in overtime, and then Wisconsins defense batted away a pass in the end zone to secure the win. The Badgers play at Northwestern next week.Heisman candidates1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: Jackson had four touchdown passes in Louisvilles 32-25 win at Virginia, including the game winner to Jaylen Smith with 13 seconds left. It was the first time Jackson threw the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter or overtime in his career. He has accounted for 38 touchdowns in eight games, which is three more than Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan had through eight games in 2006, when he set a FBS single-season record with 63.2. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: Watson wasnt perfect against Florida State, throwing two interceptions, but he made the big plays when it mattered. He threw a 34-yard touchdown to tight end Jordan Leggett with 2:06 left on a busted coverage, and then tossed a two-point pass to Mike Williams to give the Tigers a 37-34 win. Watson completed 27 of 43 passes for 378 yards with two touchdowns.3. Jake Browning, QB, Washington: Browning completed 12 of 20 passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against Utah, leading the Huskies to their 11th consecutive win. He has now had multiple touchdown passes in eight straight games, which is tied with Oklahomas Baker Mayfield for the longest active streak in the FBS. Browning also had a pooch punt that was downed at Utahs 1-yard line, which set up the Huskies winning punt return for a touchdown.4. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State: Pumphrey moved from eighth to fifth in career rushing yards in the FBS after gaining 223 yards in the Aztecs 40-13 win over Utah State on Friday night. With 5,741 career rushing yards, he needs to average 164.3 yards in the final four regular-season games to break former Wisconsin star Ron Daynes FBS career record of 6,397 yards. Pumphreys yardage in the Mountain West Conference championship game and a bowl game would also count toward his total.Best momentsTweets of the nightBest playsWorst playsQuotes of the night1. ?Defensively, what do you say? We wanted to try to make them as one-dimensional as possible, and the dimension we wanted was to try to make them throw the ball. Our gap control in the run game was pretty spot on. -- Florida coach Jim McElwain, after the Gators held Georgia to 21 rushing yards on 19 carries in a 24-10 win.2. We do sack the quarterback at Notre Dame, for those of you who dont think that happens. -- Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly, after the Irish had five sacks in a 30-27 win over Miami.3. Theyve kind of created a monster here, and the only way to feed it is to win big games like we did today. And thats just the way its going to be from this point on. -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, after the Pokes knocked off unbeaten West Virginia, 37-20. It was the third time since 2013 that OSU had defeated a team with a 6-0 record or better; only Alabama (four) has more such victories in that span.4. I think its one of the biggest, if not the biggest, wins in our programs history. We had our backs to wall. -- Houston coach Tom Herman, after the Cougars rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat UCF 31-24.Stats that matter1. 72: Michigan star Jabrill Peppers played 72 snaps on offense or defense and lined up at seven positions against Michigan State. Peppers was on the field for 64 of the Wolverines 70 defensive plays and played eight snaps on offense, running or catching the ball six times.2. 62: A week after stunning Ohio State, No. 24 Penn State crushed Purdue 62-24, the Nittany Lions most points in a Big Ten game since scoring 63 against Illinois in 2005. Penn State tailback Saquon Barkley had 207 rushing yards, his second 200-yard game this season.3. 12: Boston College ended a 12-game losing streak in ACC games by knocking off NC State 21-14 on the road. It was the Eagles first ACC victory since beating Syracuse 28-7 on Nov. 29, 2014. BC went 0-8 in conference games last season and lost its first four games this year.4. 2:?Kentucky had two 180-yard rushers in the same game for the first time, and it was only the second occurrence by any team in the SEC in the last 20 years. Benny Snell Jr. ran for 192 yards with two touchdowns, and Stanley Williams had 182 yards with one score in the Wildcats 35-21 win at Missouri. Discount Shoes China . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. China Shoes Outlet . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. http://www.cheapshoeschinaonline.com/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Wholesale Shoes China Store . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. China Shoes Sale . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis is in no rush to name a replacement for fired coach Alain Vigneault. "I dont have a timeframe," said Gillis during a news conference Wednesday after Vigneaults dismissal was confirmed. "We just are focused on getting the right person, moving ahead and executing a plan that we have that is going to get us back to the level that we expect." Despite guiding the team to many unprecedented achievements, Vigneault paid the price for his NHL teams early exit from the playoffs the past two seasons. "I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a group these past seven seasons in Vancouver and only wish we were able to win the Canucks first Stanley Cup," said Vigneault in a statement. "I am a career coach, and it is what I love to do. I hope to coach again in this league and will always have good memories of my time and the fans in Vancouver." The club also fired assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown as the expected fallout from the Canucks first-round sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks finally came to pass. Gillis said he was responsible for the dismissals, and that the ownership group, headed by Francesco Aquilini, did not pressure him to make the moves. The GM said he wants a coach who emphasizes the upbeat, offensive style of play -- like Vigneault did. But its clear that Vigneault will be extremely hard to replace. The Canucks all-time leader in coaching wins -- he led the club to six Northwest Division titles, two Presidents Trophy titles and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final. But Vancouver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the last two seasons despite having home-ice advantage, including the four-game loss to the Sharks. It was the first time in 12 years that the Canucks were swept in the post-season. "Were in a results-oriented business and if you look at the last two playoffs weve been in, we were the higher-seeded team but lost the first two games at home," said Gillis. "We lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years, and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better. And we simply didnt get the result we expected." Vigneault leaves with a 313-170-57 regular-season record over seven seasons in Vancouver, but a 33-32 record in the playoffs. He thanked Gillis, the Aquilini family, other Canucks executives and players as well as former GM Dave Nonis, who hired him, and former Canucks executive Steve Tambellini. "The past seven years have been an honour for me to coach and work for a great franchise in a wonderful Canadian city," said Vigneault. "To work in a city with such passionate and loyal fans is a privilege -- I enjoyed every moment of it." Still, its a bitter end to a largely positive tenure in Vancouver for Vigneault, who skillfully guided his team through the demands of this years lockout-shortened season. He kept a difficult goaltending situation from becoming a major distraction and secured home-ice advantage in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. But in the end, he could not coaax more goals out of secondary offensive players that displayed plenty of heart but limited scoring skill.dddddddddddd Vigneault, a 52-year-old Quebec City native, was awarded the 2007 Jack Adams Award as the NHLs coach of the year. When he arrived in 2006-07 after a season with the AHLs Manitoba Moose, the Canucks were looking to regroup after missing the playoffs. He was also looking to prove himself after being fired from his first NHL head-coaching job with the Montreal Canadiens in 2000-01. In his first season, he guided the Canucks to a division title and a spot in the second round of the playoffs before they were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in five games -- with four decided by one goal. The Canucks missed the playoffs the following season due to a collapse down the stretch. After the season Nonis was fired and replaced with Gillis, who decided to keep Vigneault on rather than bring in his own coach. "People wanted him fired five years ago," Gillis said. "I kept him, and we worked well together and achieved success." Vigneault guided the Canucks to their third Stanley Cup final berth in franchise history in the 2010-11 season. They took a 2-0 series lead at home, but eventually lost in seven games to the Bruins. The Game 7 loss at home sparked a riot in Vancouvers downtown streets. The final foreshadowed a shift in goaltending that would become a headache for Vigneault. Cory Schneider periodically replaced struggling starting netminder Roberto Luongo in the series. Until then, Luongo had enjoyed hero status in Vancouver with his No. 1 designation never in doubt. Vigneault answered endless questions about his goaltenders, especially after Schneider displaced Luongo in the first round of the 2011-12 playoffs as the Canucks lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. The uncomfortable situation was supposed to be resolved after Luongo agreed to waive his no-trade clause prior to this season, but Gillis was not able to get the deal he wanted prior to a bitter lockout that shortened the regular season to 48 games. Along with the goaltending situation, Vancouver has failed in recent years to develop its draft picks into reliable NHL players. Whether that is a failing of the coach or the general manager is up for debate. But Gillis tacitly acknowledged that his future with the team could be in question if the next coach does not produce the desired results. "This is a market where expectations are extremely high," he said. "We have to meet them. And, I understand completely what making this decision means -- for us as an organization and for me personally." Notes: Canucks centre Jordan Schroeder underwent off-season shoulder surgery and is expected to recover by the start of the 2013-14 season. Gillis said no other players should require surgery for their ailments. ... Goaltending coach Rollie Melanson was retained. "I think Rollie works very well with Cory Schneider," said Gillis. "He gets results in there." ... Gillis indicated management, along with the new coach, will have input in the hiring of the next assistant coaches. ' ' '