National University Catalog

The Missouri Tigers return four starters on the offensive line for the upcoming season—losing only right guard Kurtis Gregory from the 2009 unit. Better yet, however, is what the Tigers possess beyond the starters. Spring practices commenced on Tuesday, and one of the main story lines that will endure from now, throughout the coming months, and into the 2010 season will concern MU's depth among the front five. But that depth took a hit on Tuesday when offensive guard J.T. Beasley decided to leave the program. Power Mizzou reported the news this afternoon after receiving confirmation from MU team spokesman Chad Moller. The reason(s) for Beasley's decision were not disclosed. A native of Dyersburg, Tenn., Beasley played sparingly last season as a sophomore after seeing action in six games in 2008, primarily at center. He moved to guard during spring practices a year ago and was expected to use the coming weeks to initiate his efforts for locking down a backup role behind presumptive starting guards Austin Wuebbels and Jayson Palmgren. Beasley's departure is a mystery, but it helps to partially clear up what is still a clouded picture regarding who will fill second-string roles on MU's offensive line in 2010. With one less body to contend with, redshirt freshman Justin Britt, who has been praised by head coach Gary Pinkel, has instantly seen his chances of landing a job behind either Wuebbels and Palmgren improve. And then there's incoming freshmen Nick Demien and Mitch Morse, both of whom ...

While the defense may be a bigger problem, one of the primary concerns for many Irish fans is the spread passing offense of new head coach Brian Kelly. Kelly makes no secret of his offensive goal, he wants to be aggressive and vertical, scoring on every possession. As such, he favors the pass over the run, operates heavily from the shotgun, and employs an up-tempo pace. Some question the lack of a consistent, power running element while others worry about ball control. There are also concerns about the how a spread passing scheme will fare against good defensive competition and Kelly’s ability to fill the roster with elite talent at the skill positions. Former head coach Charlie Weis’ recruiting record should be enough evidence to negate the last of these concerns, but the others may be valid. There are certainly negatives that come with Kelly’s offense, but many successful teams like Utah, Boise State, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida run versions of the spread, and excel doing it. So what is a spread offense and how does Kelly’s particular brand work? Furthermore, what is the fundamental problem with his approach and is it compatible at Notre Dame? What Is Kelly’s Spread Offense and How Does It Work? At a fundamental level, the intent of a spread offense is to stretch the field horizontally with multiple wide receivers. This effectively accomplishes two goals. First, it makes crisp tackling in open space a commodity. And second, it ...

While the 2009 season can be rendered as somewhat of a success for most Husker fans, we now have to look forward to 2010 with optimism and speculation. Gone now are Ndamukong Suh, Phillip Dillard, Matt O'Hanlon and Larry Asante on our championship-caliber defense.  Replacing them will be tough.  But part of filling their shoes is the emergence of others and the spotlight to be shone elsewhere. So as we project forward to the 2010 season, what are the biggest position battles, coaching changes, and things we really need to look for as Husker fans on the offensive side of the ball?   Without a doubt, the 2009 Husker offense was less than desirable.  Ranked No. 99 in the nation in total offensive yards and 75th in scoring, there is a lot to improve upon. Quarterback: The incumbent, Zac Lee , was hurt early in the season during the Virginia Tech game.  Unbeknownst to most Husker fans, that injury stayed with him the entire season and his operation and recovery will occur during this year's spring camp.  Ultimately, that leaves the QB position open for battle.  With the staff's decision to eliminate the 'no touch' green jerseys during this time, we are all looking forward to the battle between Cody Green, Kody Spano, Tyler Martinez, and even redshirt walk-on Ron Kellogg.  This will get interesting, and come fall, we'll likely have a man or two seriously challenging Lee for the top spot.  Ultimately, I'm not convinced that any incumbent is ...

That would be Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick talking about the potential of Notre Dame joining a conference. There are a handful of quotes from Mr. Swarbrick in the article that mostly sound like your standard political non-answers, but that one quote has Notre Dame fans across the country melting down the message boards. The question is why? Is there really a chance that Notre Dame could find itself in a position where remaining independent was no longer the best option? Here is what I think. Notre Dame Football is an established brand in the same way that the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys are an established brand. Wherever Notre Dame might be playing on a given Saturday the stadium fills up and TV sets get turned on. Half of the opponents on the Notre Dame schedule consider their annual contest with the Irish a “Rivalry Game.” When they play one and done “buy games” at Notre Dame Stadium the other team makes comments about how special it is to play in “The House That Rock Built.” For most of those teams it is their biggest game of the season and they treat it as such. When the Irish have recently struggled in bowl games many lamented that they were playing in games they really didn’t deserve to be in. But for all the reasons already mentioned the first bowl with a shot at Notre Dame happily extended a bid. That is the reason that ...

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees officially announced yet another bowl game in the form of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which will be played at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 30, 2010. The first annual New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be held between the sixth place team in the Big 12 Conference and the third place team from the Big East. The bowl will be televised on ESPN with a contract that lasts through the 2015 season. The sponsor, New Era Cap Company, Inc., has a contract with the Pinstripe Bowl for four years, effective immediately. The inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be the second college football game played at Yankee Stadium, preceded by Notre Dame vs. Army on Nov. 20. It will also be the first bowl game played in the Bronx since the Gotham Bowl in 1952 between Nebraska and Miami.Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com