Paul Chryst Named Coach at Wisconsin

((ht: host.madison.com))

We first told you about this story last week. But Wisconsin couldn't "officially" hire now former Pitt Panthers coach Paul Chryst until they fulfilled the legal requirement of having the job posted for a week.

The Badgers have a 6pm (Central) press conference scheduled where Chryst will be introduced. And like we said in the above paragraph, it's not a surprise to anyone.

Chryst grew up in Madison. He played for the team in the late 80's and got his coaching start with the Badgers. He was the teams offensive coordinator from 2005-2011.

Chryst had a tough job rebuilding Pittsburgh after some tough years. He had a 19-19 record with the Panthers in 3 seasons.

He'll replace Gary Andersen who left after 2 seasons to jump over to Oregon State. That move surprised many people, but Andersen claimed it was because of the lack of support by administration that caused the move.

Wisconsin plays Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

Surprise: Oregon St. Hires Gary Andersen from Wisconsin as Coach

Just a week after losing Mike Riley to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Oregon State Beavers have found his replacement.

And it's not the guy anyone was expecting.

Now former Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen was hired to take over the as football coach. A statement was released Wednesday afternoon, a presser is scheduled for Friday.

Andersen spent 2 seasons coaching in Madison going 19-7 during that time. The Badgers won the Western Division of the Big 10 this past season, but were whitewashed by Ohio State in the title game 59-0.

Previous to Wisconsin, Andersen spent time coaching at Southern Utah and Utah State.

Samaje Perine Breaks Rushing Record One Week After Melvin Gordon Did

((ht: espn.com))

427 yards rushing. By one player. In one game.

One week after Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon broke the record for most running yards in a game with 408, someone topped him.

That someone is Oklahoma freshman Samaje Perine. Perine ran for 427 yards on 34 carries Saturday afternoon, leading the Sooners to a 44-7 win over hapless Kansas.

Perine wasn't even a starter in the game delayed for 90 minutes due to lightning in the Norman area.

But when he got in on the second series, he delivered the thunder, taking his 1st carry 49 yards to the house. Perine had 222 by halftime.

Oh, did we mention he scored 5 TD's too?

Video proof from our friends at FoxSports:

Arizona Students Riot in Streets After Loss?

((ht: kgun))

Okay, maybe we are just old, but the whole thing about college students rioting and destroying things after a game makes no sense to us.

A pretty large group of University of Arizona students inexplicably hit the streets of Tuscon near campus and were met with a pretty large group of police officers there to disperse them. This on the heels of the Wildcats losing to Wisconsin in overtime for a shot at going to the Final Four.

Of course once on the streets of Tuscon, chaos ensued and fifteen or so students were arrested and a handful were injured as police launched pepper spray into the crowd.

If there's a reason that fans do things like this, we'd love to know. Though we supposed this isn't as silly/stupid as the whole couch burning thing that University of Kentucky students did Friday night after their win, which only got them to the Elite 8.

Why riot? Why destroy stuff? Because you can? Because it's a chance to burn off steam and vent? Once upon a time, back in the dark ages, we went to college and don't remember that being a prerequisite for the school's sports teams having success.

But then again, we're old.

Here's your TV story from KGUN-TV in Tuscon:

Bad Night To Be A Miller... Florida And Wisconsin Advance

((HT: March Madness TV))

Two Millers had a chance to get to the last four teams to play this season in men's college basketball...

And neither will get to North Dallas...

Archie Miller and his Dayton Flyers lost by ten to Florida, 62-52, so Billy Donovan and the Gators go...
In the last game of the night, Sean Miller had a chance to get there- first surviving regulation with Wisconsin and playing another five minutes. But, the extra five ended really goofy...

An offensive foul call down one led to an inbounds pass that had a 37-minute review before a reversal that gave Arizona another chance at getting the game-winner...


Actually, in all fairness, the review wasn't 37 minutes... but it seemed that long...

But they did get it right...

But, more interestingly, the offensive foul call was the more debatable of the two calls by officials late-late-late in the free hoops portion of the program...

Props to Bo Ryan and to the B1G- the conference has a team in the last three games of the year for the 11th time in last 16 years - but Michigan State in 2000 is the only team to get a title...

Traevon Jackson Does It Again

((HT: Big Ten Network/CBS))

The Wisconsin shooter has a history of dragging the opposition down with his skills from the outside...

Examples: Penn State, Minnesota, taking Iowa to overtime, et cetera... et cetera... et cetera...

He did it again Sunday with this shot against Michigan State... and it wasn't the end of the game...


The 60-58 win over the #8-ranked Spartans a fourth straight home loss...

Long Night For Ranked Teams In The B1G

((HT: BTN))

Two huge Big Ten upsets last night...

Penn State won in Columbus for the first time in a decade with a 71-70 win over Ohio State in overtime. DJ Newbill's jumper with two seconds left in overtime was the difference there...

And Northwestern followed with another huge upset, a 65-56 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin in Madison.
It was Northwestern's first win in Madison since 1996...



And Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan gave this answer when asked about the 3-point shooting of Northwestern that put the Wildcats out on the horizon early and kept Wisconsin doing nothing but catching up...

McCaffrey Apologizes For Epic Nutty

((HT: ESPN/Katz))

Let's start by showing you what went down in the loss to Wisconsin...


He officially apologized and AD Gary Barta came out with a prepared statement...

"I've met with Coach McCaffery regarding last night's ejection from the game in Madison. He knows he crossed a line of acceptable behavior and accepts responsibility for his actions.

"All staff at the University of Iowa fully support the Big Ten Conference's sportsmanship policy's fundamental elements, including civility and respect toward opponents and game officials. Fran has my full support moving forward."

McCaffrey talked to Andy Katz:

"There were a couple of calls there that I had taken exception to and felt like 'I gotta change this thing a little bit.' I got the T. The thing that I regret was getting the second T. I didn't want to get the second T. It was not my intention and it impacted the game in a way that wasn't good for our team.

"Anytime a coach does something like that, you feel horrible about it because you don't ever want to do anything other than to help your team win a game. I felt like we needed a shift -- we needed something to change -- and my intention was to do that but not get the second T. I feel terrible about that."

Steve Spurrier Just Can't Resist

((HT: ESPN on ABC))

And the HQ enjoys when he gets in his shots...

Like after winning in the Citrus Bowl earlier today...


See...???

We told you...

S.Carolina, LSU and Nebraska With Early Bowl Wins

This is the part of the College Football Bowl season where you can start paying attention.

Though to look at a couple of these games, paying attention and attending appear to be two different teams.

We start in Jacksonville in front of a crowd of tens, where Nebraska wins the Gator Bowl title over the University of Georgia 24-19 in a truly uninspiring game that featured the Huskers scoring on a 99-yard passing TD from Tommy Armstrong Jr to a streaking Quincy Enunwa.

The Bulldogs continually sputtered in the Red Zone, dropping a couple of late 4th down passes that could have given them the opportunity to salvage a disappointing season.

Your highlights from ESPN:


We move down state to the dreary confines of Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, where South Carolina gets the win over Wisconsin 34-24.

The game was a back and forth affair featuring 4 turnovers by the Badgers and two by the Gamecocks. QB Jaybo Shaw of South Carolina was the hero, throwing for 3 TD's, 300+ yards and running for another score.

Perhaps the biggest highlights of the day came afterwards. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier took the opportunity to praise his team congratulate them for winning their 3rd straight bowl game and the championship of South Carolina. (Dabo Swinny pun).

And then star Defensive End Jadaveon Clowney made it official, announcing he'd be taking his services to the NFL this upcoming season.

Here's one of Jaybo's TD runs, we are still searching for the Spurrier post-game comments: (thanks ESPN)



And then our minor bowl game tour of Florida ends in Tampa where LSU held off Iowa in the Outback Steakhouse Bowl in front of a crowd that got better access than the people covering the game.

The game featured LSU tailback Jeremy Hill running for 216 yards and 2 TD's and ended only after a bizarre sequence of laterals that the Hawkeye's eventually ended up fumbling. The Tigers could only manage 82 yards passing, while the Hawkeye's were only able to run for 76 total.

We are still awaiting the arrival of full game highlights....

Bo Ryan Jumps Around, So Does Wisconsin

((HT: David Stluka))

A bucket list item for all should be a home game at Camp Randall- especially for the intermission between the third and fourth quarters...

Based on this...


The Wisconsin fans do this, normally...


Head men's hoops coach, Bo Ryan, does this today...


Props to him for having fun...and the Badgers had fun today blowing out Northwestern...
((HT: BTN))

Marshall, Marshall, Marshall... Ole Miss Blows Up Brackets

((HT: CBSSports/NCAA/Turner))

And if your bracket was full before this game, odds are it's not in place now.

Tournament heel Marshall Henderson started out the game going 3-for-17 from the field, but Ole Miss went on a run and closed out Wisconsin 57-46. A lot of people (whoever "people" are- commonly confused with "conventional wisdom") think that Ole Miss out Wisconsined-Wisconsin...

If that makes any sense...

FOSG Beau Estes has the highlights

It's the Rebels first tournament win since 2002, but it's the first time in four years that three of the four #12-seeds advanced over their 5th-seeded counterparts...

They get the winner of Kansas State and LaSalle...

Your Average B1G Buzzer-Beater (And A Dunk)

((HT: cfbsectionhoops))

Just when you thought the game was over when Michigan had knocked down a three...
Ben Brust did something to match...


But not to be outdone in regulation, Jared Berggren channeled Vince Carter on the drive...
((HT: BTN))

Since When Does Nebraska Impersonate Clemson...?

Or, to be more accurate, when does Wisconsin impersonate West Virginia...???

Nebraska seems to be living off their "Blackshirts" legacy instead of continuing to add to the legacy. Giving up 70 will do that...

Wisconsin destroyed the Cornhuskers 70-31 to keep the Number 12 Huskers out of the Rose Bowl after the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

Nebraska drops to 10-3 after a 7-1 conference mark that included a Big Ten Legends Division title. The loss snapped NU's six-game winning streak and the Badgers improved to 8-5 on the year. They go to their third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance where they will face Stanford.

Start all of your talk now about the worth in that...

Wisconsin wrapped up the day with 640 total yards of offense- 202 from Montee Ball on the ground. Melvin Gordon had 216 yards to lead the Badgers.

So, Bo Pelini... Explain this one off...
((HT: BTN))


And that begs the question...
Does the Defensive Coordinator get to hang around after that display (or lack thereof)...
John Papuchis is in his first year after Carl Pelini left town...
Did he know what he was getting into...??/

Taylor Martinez Is, Officially, Ridiculous...

And, early on in the Big 10/12/14 Championship Game, the only offense that Nebraska can talk about optimistically since they're getting smashed...

This was the most awesomest, ridiculous run of the season...
The HQ would recommend playing "Yakety Sax" underneath Gus while Martinez runs...
((HT: CFB on Fox/youtube))

No 7-Second Delay For Bill O'Brien After Win

((HT: ESPN/youtube))

Bill O'Brien is the coach of the year...
The HQ doesn't care what you think or say about the matter...

We even had Penn State going 2-10 or so after the loss to Ohio U.
But, we were wrong... very, very wrong...

And after beating Wisconsin in overtime to end their season...
You'll excuse him if he was emotional on cable television...


Yeah, coach... we agree...
They were f'n great kids...

Big Upset: Beavers Beat Badgers

The Oregon State defense faced a challenge, Wisconsin Heisman Trophy candidate Montee Ball.  The Beaver “D” was up for the challenge.

Not only did Oregon State’s defense hold Ball to only 61 yards rushing, they held the Badger offense to 207 yards of total offense and almost got a shutout.

“It was just a great performance.” Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. “When we got into situations where we threw in a nickel and dime defense we made some big plays and that combination is awesome. It is about play making and they played really hard.”

Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion had a great day for the Beavers going 29-47 passing for 276 yards and throwing for OSU’s only touchdown of the game, a 20 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Cooks in the third quarter.

“Our team battled all day long and I can’t say enough about our offensive line.”  Mannion said.  “It was just an absolute team win and finally shows that all our hard work paid off.”

Oregon State’s 10-7 win over Wisconsin is the first win over a Big Ten team in Corvallis since 1971.

Here’s the highlights from the game. (Thanks Pac-12 Network)


Wisconsin quarterback Danny O’Brien, the former Maryland starter and 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, was 20-38 passing for 172 yards and a touchdown.

Wisconsin Loves ACC Quarterbacks, Danny O'Brien Is Off To Madison

First Ruseell Wilson, now Danny O'Brien.

For the second year in a row the Wisconsin Badgers will have a former ACC quarterback on the roster. 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year Danny O'Brien is taking his talents to Madison to play quarterback for the Badgers.

Landing an ACC quarterback transfer has worked out for Wisconsin. Last year Russell Wilson came from North Carolina State and led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl.

Now it's O'Brien who makes the move and like Wilson will be eligible immediately. O'Brien will graduate from Maryland and enroll as a graduate student at Wisconsin.

As a freshman Danny O'Brien threw for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdown passes while only throwing eight interceptions. As the Terrapin starter in 2010 O'Brien was 7-3.

Following the 2010 season Ralph Friedgen was fired as Maryland head coach replaced the Randy Edsall. Edsall brought in Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator and his spread offense and that wasn't a good fit for O'Brien and he left the program.

Gary Crowton is no longer Maryland's O-C.

There was speculation that O'Brien would land at Vanderbilt where his first offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt James Franklin is head coach but he choose Wisconsin.

Here's some highlights of Danny O'Brien's freshman year. (Thanks MarylandAthletics)

A Night Of Screwjobs: Violence Out Of The Question

First was the thought that Wisconsin sent their game with Michigan State into double overtime, but they didn't...

Upon review... here's David Kmiecik...
((HT: NBC15 Madison))


But violence is out of the question for Ryan...
((HT: shipjumper99))


And Virginia Tech had a lot of confidence pools messed up with their overtime reversal... thanks, New Orleans...
((HT: ESPN on ABC/mgovideo))


With the appropriate amount of Beamer postgame...
((HT: mgodisney))


What say you...???

Monday late Bowl games: Kickers gag and Kickers win

Because we know that you want to know what happened in the rest of Monday's bowl games.

They were decided by kickers.

Well, actually the Rose Bowl wasn't...

First: Georgia gags, Spartans win...in 3 overtimes.

The Georgia Bulldogs raced out to a 16-point lead in the first half before Michigan State knew what hit them. Brandon Boykin single handedly running away from the Spartans, causing a safety on Michigan State's 1st play, returning a punt 92-yards for a TD and later, in the 4th quarter, catching a TD pass.

They must have figured it out at halftime because they came back, scored late bringing the 2012 Outback Bowl to overtime tied...at 27.

The first overtime could have done it. Georgia's Baccari Rambo intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass, the Bulldogs ran 1 play before setting up for a potential game-winner from kicker Blair Walsh.

Walsh missed.

After overtime 2 gave us back-to-back field goals, Michigan State led off OT-3 with a 28-yard Dan Conroy kick. Georgia got the ball back, lost 4 yards in 2 plays and trotted Walsh out to try a 47-yarder, well within his range.

It was blocked.

Game over, Michigan State wins 33-30.

All we were able to find...that we could embed were some Michigan State end of the game highlights.

So dig it:



And then there was the Grandaddy of them all...or the game that ESPN has bought every aspect of. The Rose Bowl featured Oregon and Wisconsin and had the clock not run out, we are pretty sure they'd still be scoring.

Oregon won 45-38, they had 621 total yards, but didn't seal the deal until late in the 4th quarter, when Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis fumbled the ball after making a catch near the sidelines.

Well, actually they didn't seal it until Wisconsin tried spiking the ball after time expired...but you get what we are saying...don't you?

KVAL-TV in Eugene, Oregon gives us the team coverage..and eventually the highlights:



And lastly, the BCS consolation game, the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Stanford and Oklahoma State.

And again, it was a shootout. Andrew Luck of Stanford vs. Brandon Weeden of Okie State. The advantage went to the Cowboys, but it was close.

We also want to mention this stat: Okie State averaged 97.4 seconds on each of it's TD drives (thanks Andy Staples of SI for pointing this out).

The Cowboys get the win after Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson missed a chip-shot field goal at the end of the game and again in the 1st overtime. Oklahoma State kicker Quinn Sharp, he didn't miss his chance as the Cowboys win 41-38 in OT.

There were tons of arguments Oklahoma State should have been facing LSU instead of Alabama. We don't dispute them. Though we will say as much as we'd like to have seen that, we question if Oklahoma State could stop anyone.

But that is a debate for another day.

News9 in Oklahoma gives us the recap: