Camel Foe – Week 9, Morehead State

Posted: October 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

Campbell’s rough season got even rougher last weekend with a 28-21 homecoming loss to previously winless Davidson. Davidson raced out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead on the strength of two Jonathan Carkhuff touchdown passes. The Camels failed to score in the first quarter for the 7th straight game. Two more TDs in the 3rd quarter gave Davidson a seemingly insurmountable 28-0 lead. However, the Camels finally got on the scoreboard :06 into the 4th quarter on a Brandon Chandler 9-yard run. QB Dakota Wolf capped a 10-play, 87-yard drive with a 3-yard run to cut the margin to 28-14 with 4:12 left in the game. After a failed onside kick, the Camels’ defense stiffened, sacking Carkhuff twice and forcing a 3-and-out. Campbell then marched 84 yards in 10 plays with Wolf again scoring, making it a 7-point game with 1:16 remaining. However, the onside kick again failed and Davidson escaped with a 28-21 victory.

The Camel passing game again sputtered as Wolf was just 8 of 22 for 80 yards and 1 interception. The ground game accounted for 236 yards with Wolf leading the way, gaining 154 yards on 22 attempts and the 2 TDs. Chandler added 71 yards and 1 score. Kurt Odom was the leading receiver with 3 grabs for 31 yards. Steth Monore paced the defense with 12 tackles and Michael Rudisill added 11. Isaac Scott had a huge day rushing the passer with 3 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Davidson outgained Campbell 404-316, gaining 340 of those yards through the air.

This weekend, the Camels hit the road to face Morehead State.

Morehead State University

Location: Morehead, KY (population: 6,845 as of 2010 census)

Established: The school was founded in 1887 as Morehead Normal School, a church-supported teacher-training school. It was taken over by the state in 1922. The school’s name changed as its mission broadened—to Morehead State Normal School and Teachers College in 1926, Morehead State Teachers College in 1930, Morehead State College in 1948 and Morehead State University in 1966.

Enrollment: ~10,200

Nickname: Eagles.

Mascot: Beaker. Watch Beaker get excited for the career fair or tripping over his own feet. Or have your kid become one of Beaker’s Buddies.

Affiliation: MSU is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women, with all sports except football competing in the OVC.

Random Fact #1: The 2013 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report named MSU one of the top 25 public universities in the South.MSU has also become one of only four universities in the U.S. to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in space science.

Random Fact #2: The coed and all-girl cheerleading squads have won a combined 32 national championships.

Random Fact #3: At the 2011 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, 13th-seeded Morehead State upset Louisville 62-61. The Eagles then faced 12th-seeded Richmond in the third round, which was only the ninth time in tournament history that a 12–13 match-up occurred in the round of 32.

Random Fact #4: MSU has claimed the state’s best computer-student ratio in its computer laboratories, as well as offering students a program to lease university owned laptops while enrolled. The campus is ranked among the safest in the nation.

Notable Alumni:

  • former MLB 2B Denny Doyle
  • Denver Nuggets F Kenneth Faried
  • professional bowlers Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick
  • MLB pitcher Jon Rauch
  • former NFL QB and current broadcaster Phil Simms
  • former MLB pitcher Walt Terrell
  • former college football coach and current broadcaster Mike Gottfried
  • game show host Chuck Woolery

Notable natives of Morehead, KY:

  • None listed

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Morehead State is 1-6 (0-4 in the PFL) and has lost 6 consecutive games following a 55-0 season-opening win over Southern Virginia. Both teams have lost to Drake (MSU 28-25 and CU 35-7) and Butler (MSU 39-35 and CU 35-14).
  • Morehead State was picked 8th in the preseason coaches poll, ahead of only Valparaiso and Davidson.
  • The teams have split the 4 previous games with each team winning twice at home. Campbell took last year’s contest 41-31 after losing in double overtime in 2010.
  • The Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 39-35 loss to Butler last weekend after leading by 17 points in the 4th quarter. The offense put up 505 yards but the team could not hold the 3-score lead late in the game.
  • QB Zach Lewis threw for 254 yards and 1 TD while Rees Macshara ran for 116 yards. Kevin Thomas and Brandon Bornhouser combined for 3 short TD runs.
  • Donte Sawyer led the receiving corps with 9 catches for 92 yards and 1 TD while MacShara added 8 for 85.
  • Dillion Blackburn led the defense with 11 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
  • Head Coach Matt Ballard is in his 19th season as head coach at Morehead State. The school won four straight PFL South Division titles from 2002 to 2005. He also spent 6 seasons as the head coach at Union College (KY). He also spent time as an assistant at Gardner-Webb, Georgetown (KY) and Morehead State.
  • Defensive line coach Chris Garner won an NAIA national title while playing for Findlay. Offensive line coach Matt McCutchan was a 3-year starter on the line for Kentucky.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing
      • Lewis – 177 of 281 for 1,826 yards with 14 TD and 9 INT
    • Rushing
      • Macshara – 86 carries for 492 yards (2 TD)
      • Thomas – 4 TD (7 carries, 9 yards)
    • Receiving
      • Sawyer – 47 receptions, 471 yards, 4 TD
    • Defense
      • Hendrix – 84 tackles
      • Aaron Meadows – 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
      • 3 players have 1 INT each
      • Kameron Scott – 13 pass breakups
      • Nick McCune – 2 forced fumbles
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • K Rainer Duzan, QB Boone Goldsmith, SLOT Cyrus Stahm, DB Rayquan Sam, LB Russell Wilson, WR Shade Whitfield,
    • The winner – RUSSELLWILSON!!!

Prediction:

For the second week in a row, the Camels take on a team with a poor record. This matchup of 1-6 teams will give one team its first conference victory. The Camels also play winless Valparaiso later this season so opportunities for wins still exist, but the team must play better. The lack of any semblance of a passing attack has no doubt hurt the running game this season. QB Jordan Wolf is a threat on the ground but the offense has not done enough to win. The defense has had its ups and downs also, playing well only in stretches. If scores against common opponents means anything (and it’s debatable how much) the Eagles have to be favored here. For the 3rd or 4th week in a row, I am predicting a Fighting Camels point in the 1st quarter – after all, they can’t go the whole season without scoring in the opening period, right? However, the Eagles offense, which put up over 500 yards on Butler last week will have another fine day. I predict the Camels leaving Morehead unhappy after a 30-17 Eagles triumph.

Camel Foe – Week 8, Davidson

Posted: October 17, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

The Fighting Camels return home this weekend for a homecoming tilt with Davidson College. The Camels are licking their humps after a 44-0 thrashing at the hands of the San Diego Toreros last weekend in southern California. The Camels were thoroughly outclassed by San Diego, managing just 79 yards of total offense and 6 first downs while allowing 516 and 26. QB Dakota Wolf completed 14 of 23 passes but gained a paltry 58 yards. Kurt Odom led the team in rushing with 24 yards on 7 carries. However, things could be looking up this weekend with Davidson rolling into Buies Creek as one of only 7 remaining winless FCS teams.

Davidson College

Location: Davidson, NC (population: 10,944 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1837 by the Presbyterians. The college (and the town) was named after Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a Revolutionary War commander.

Enrollment: ~1,900

Nickname: Wildcats. The nickname was bestowed upon the football team by Atlanta sportswriters in 1917 after Davidson upset undefeated Auburn. [Ed. Note: SEC speed!] Wildcats replaced references to teams as the “Red & Black”, “Preachers”, and “Presbyterians”.

Mascot: Will E. Wildcat.

Affiliation: The Wildcats participate as a member of the Southern Conference in most sports. Sports that compete in other conferences besides football include men’s and women’s swimming and diving in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, Field Hockey in the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference and women’s lacrosse in the National Lacrosse Conference.

Random Fact #1: Davidson has the second smallest enrollment of any school in Division I football.

Random Fact #2: According to The Princeton Review, Davidson is ranked among the top twenty colleges nationally for the following categories: “Best Overall Academic Experience For Undergraduates,” “Professors Get High Marks (#1),” “Professors Make Themselves Accessible (#16),” “Students Study the Most(#10),” “School Runs Like Butter (#4),” “Town-Gown Relations are Great (#3),” “Easiest Campus to Get Around (#3),” and “Best Quality of Life (#16).”

Random Fact #3: The men’s basketball program reached the Elite Eight in 2008, defeating Bo Ryan’s open mouth and the Wisconsin Badgers in the third round. The Wildcats  lost to the eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks 59–57 in the Elite Eight, capping off an incredible run that saw the rise of Stephen Curry to national prominence.

Random Fact #4: Davidson’s two-man golf croquet team has won the National Collegiate Croquet Championship back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. It also brought home the national trophy again in 2010.

[Ed. Note: Collegiate croquet? Tell me more, United States Croquet Association – “So you’ve never heard of NCAA-sanctioned collegiate croquet tournaments? Never seen the student body turn out en-masse to cheer their colleagues as they try to outwit their opponents on a carpet of green perfection? Never heard the cheerleaders gasp and scream as the team captain makes a 50-foot hit-in?” I haven’t, but I (and MB) will in the future.]

Notable Alumni:

  • Laeta Kalogridis, Screenwriter and Hollywood Film Producer (Avatar, Shutter Island)
  • NBA player Stephen Curry (did not graduate)
  • longtime college AD Terry Holland
  • NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn
  • John Belk, former head of Belk, Inc and former mayor Charlotte, NC
  • author Patricia Cornwell
  • Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States (did not graduate)

Notable natives of Davidson, NC:

  • NASCAR crew chief Alan Gustafson
  • NASCAR driver David Streeme
  • NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin
  • former MLB pitcher John Candelaria

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Davidson is 0-6 (0-3 in the PFL) and have been outscored 189-77 on the season. They have no common opponents with the Camels thus far.
  • Davidson was picked 9th in the preseason coaches poll, ahead of only Valparaiso. Valpo also remains winless on the season so keep your eye on a potential Pillow Fight of the Week November 10 if both teams keep losing. The Fighting Camels also play Valpo before then so hopefully they don’t spoil a winless matchup that late in the season.
  • Davidson leads the all-time series between the two schools 3-1. The Fighting Camels won 26-20 at Davidson in OT last year. Davidson had won the previous three meeting by increasingly competitive scores: 49-0, 24-7 & 28-27.
  • Davidson had its closest loss of the season last week in a 34-24 defeat at the hands of Jacksonville.
  • WR Lanny Funsten caught a PFL record 17 passes in last Saturday’s contest, totaling 246 yards against Jacksonville. Funsten also broke school records for career receptions and career yardage during the game. The 17 receptions tied a Davidson record while he fell 2 yards shy of the single-game yardage record.
  • QB Jonathan Carkhuff threw to others besides Funsten as well, completing 34 of 53 throws for 404 yards.
  • LB Patrick Moynahan led the defense with 13 tackles.
  • The Wildcats are averaging just 40.7 yards/game, 121st and last in FCS. They are averaging 1.7 yards/carry and have just 1 rushing TD.
  • Carkhuff ranks 9th in FCS with 268.0 passing yards/game and 6th in completions/game with 27.5.
  • Funsten is T-11th in receptions/game (6.7) and 16th in receiving yards/game (90.0).
  • Head Coach Tripp Merritt Merritt was born with spina bifida occulta, which resulted in deformities in his lower spine and nerve damage in his left leg. To this day he has no reflexes in his left leg and back pain surfaces when he tires, sometimes causing a slight limp. His doctors didn’t have an optimistic outlook, telling his parents “He’ll never be able to run.” Merritt’s father was an assistant high school football coach and not one to give up hope easily. He worked with his young son, helped him improve his mobility and stamina. That and sheer determination allowed young Tripp to make his way onto the playing field as early as second grade – football, basketball, baseball. His athletic career continued at Burns High School in Shelby, N.C., where he lettered three times in football and baseball. He now runs three or four miles a day.
  • The team runs the Air Raid offense under offensive coordinator Matt Mumme, son of longtime college coach and passing game tactician Hal Mumme. Matt was Tim Couch’s backup at Kentucky.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing
      • Carkhuff – 165 of 278 for 1,680 yards with 9 TD and 9 INT (46.3 attempts/game)
    • Rushing
      • Spencer Perry – 55 carries for 253 yards
      • Chris Gorman – 1 TD (23 carries, 63 yards)
    • Receiving
      • Funsten – 40 receptions, 540 yards, 3 TD
      • Reese Williams – 3 TD (23 receptions, 241 yards)
    • Defense
      • Moynahan – 65 tackles and 9 TFL
      • Lewis McAlister – 2 sacks
      • 4 players have 1 INT each
      • Adam Dulberger 4 pass breakups
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • WR Desi Dockery, QB Bates Taylor, WR Se’Vaughn Carter, DB Toms Bernhard-Callahan, K/P Chazzo Habliston, WR Houegnon Attenoukon, OL Joey Esposito
    • The winner – Chazzo (and his bowtie and serial killer stare)
    • The best – Joey Esposito [Ed. Note: I don’t care how many times we’ve already linked to You’re the Best. We’re going to keep doing it.]

Prediction:

Two teams with a combined record of 1-11 so at least one of them will get a win. The Camels have still yet to score in the 1st quarter this season. But what better weekend than homecoming? Davidson is averaging 12.8 points/game, the Camels 10.8. Campbell is allowing 35.8 points/game to the Wildcats’ 31.5. Davidson at least has an effective passing game with an excellent receiver although Campbell has been better defensively against the pass. If Davidson had a serviceable running game I would like their chances a bit more. Home field advantage has not mattered much to Campbell this season, but I think it tips the scales in their favor in this battle of two very bad teams. I foresee a happy bunch of Camels celebrating a 20-19 homecoming victory.

Camel Foe – Week 7, San Diego

Posted: October 12, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , | Leave a comment »

After a week off, the Fighting Camels return to action with a cross-country trip to beautiful San Diego, CA.

University of San Diego

Location: San Diego, CA (population: 1,301,607 as of 2010 census, the 2nd-largest city in California and 8th-largest in the United States)

Established: 1949 as the San Diego College for Women. The San Diego College for Men and a law school were opened in 1954 and all were merged into a co-ed institution in 1972.

Enrollment: ~8,300

Nickname: Toreros. Torero comes from the Spanish term toro, the bull, and from the word torear, to fight bulls. All of the contestants in the ring are called toreros. Torero is a general term describing a bullfighter and signifies courage, honor and fidelity. Before 1961, the USD nickname was the Pioneers.

Mascot: Diego Torero is the mascot and has a terrific mustache.

Affiliation: San Diego is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Most sports compete in the West Coast Conference. The women’s softball program competes in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and the women’s swimming and diving teams compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Random Fact #1: The philosophy of USD’s founder and her fellow religious folks relied on the belief that studying in beautiful surroundings could improve the educational experience of students. Thus, the university’s buildings are designed in a 16th-century Spanish Renaissance architectural style, paying homage to both San Diego’s Catholic heritage and the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.

Random Fact #2: The Kroc School of Peace Studies opened in fall 2007. The Joan B. Kroc (wife of McDonald’s financier Ray Kroc) Institute for Peace & Justice was established thanks to Mrs. Kroc’s gift of $75 million “to not only teach peace, but make peace”.

Random Fact #3: In 2007, Toreros’ quarterback Josh Johnson threw for 43 touchdown passes and just 1 interception, a school record. Johnson was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Johnson, who was recruited to USD by former head coach Jim Harbaugh (2004–06), is the first USD football player to be drafted by an NFL team. In 2012, Johnson signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers, the team currently led by Harbaugh, the 49ers’ head coach, although Johnson was released prior to the start of the season.

Random Fact #4: Athletics facilities include the Jenny Craig Pavilion, made possible by a multi-million dollar gift from the weight loss tycoon.

Random Fact #5: The 13th-seeded Toreros upset the University of Connecticut in the first round of the 2008 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament on March 21, 2008. This marked the first time USD had advanced in the tournament, as well as the first time UConn was eliminated in the first round while coached by Jim Calhoun. It was the first NCAA Basketball Tournament win for any San Diego-area university.

Notable Alumni:

  • Los Angeles Lakes head coach Mike Brown
  • former NBA GM and head coach Bernie Bickerstaff
  • former MLB GM Bill Bavasi
  • former MLB OF Brady Clark
  • former NBA head coach Eric Musselman
  • actor Jim Parsons, Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory”

San Diego is a big place, so we’ll stick to 10 San Diegans.

  • NFL Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen
  • actor James Avery, Uncle Phil from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
  • actress Mayim Bialik, Blossom from “Blossom”
  • Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane
  • Miami Dolphins RB Reggie Bush
  • screenwriter, director and producer Cameron Crowe
  • actor Robert Duvall
  • actor Ted Danson
  • actress Cameron Diaz
  • Wyatt Earp

[Ed. Note: I only made it to the end of the E’s before I had ten. I’m sure there are many more awesome people I left out.]

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • San Diego is 2-3 (1-1 in the PFL), with losses coming to undefeated and ranked Cal Poly (a scholarship program), undefeated and ranked Harvard and conference foe Drake. Their wins are over D-II Western New Mexico and PFL opponent Valparaiso.
  • San Diego committed 6 turnovers last weekend in losing to Drake 38-10. Drake was a 35-7 victor over Campbell two weeks ago.
  • The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1. Campbell won 48-24 last year in Buies Creek while San Diego triumphed 43-7 in 2008.
  • QB Mason Mills threw for 216 yards and a TD last week but also tossed 4 interceptions, while Kenn James ran for 98 yards and Logan Smith had 8 receptions for 99 yards.
  • Zach Devaney led the defense with 7 tackles while Zach Dunaj added 6 tackles and a sack.
  • Junior WR Sam Hoekstra leads the PFL in punt returns (11.8) and senior kicker Ernie Collins is tied for first in the conference in field goals made (1.20/gm) and second in points scored (6.4/gm).
  • San Diego was picked in the preseason to win the PFL, a task made much more difficult following the loss to Drake (picked 2nd in the preseason).
  • Collins is 6-8 on FG this year including a career long of 51 yards and two others of 48 yards. He also handles the punting duties, averaging 39.5 yards on 21 attempts.
  • In the loss to Harvard this season, Mills set USD records for pass completions (38) and attempts (63) while throwing for 354 yards and 1 TD.
  • Head Coach Ron Caragher was a four-year letterwinner at UCLA and an assistant at UCLA and Kentucky prior to being hired at San Diego.
  • Offensive line coach Hank Fraley spent 10 seasons in the NFL, starting 123 games for the Eagles, Browns & Rams.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing: Mills – 121 of 184 for 1,253 yards with 9 TD and 8 INT
    • Rushing: James – 50 carries for 268 yards (1 TD); Darrion Hancock 2 TD (34 carries, 132 yards)
    • Receiving: Brandon White 31 receptions, 341 yards, 4 TD
    • Defense: Dunaj 38 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries; Steve Gargiulo 3.5 TFL and 2 sacks; Drew Harris 2 INT; Troy McClelland 4 pass breakups
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • QB Bo Stompro; RB Bug Rivera; FB Luke Holler; DT Josh Huckleberry; OL Tarez Lemmons
    • The winner – Bug Rivera

Prediction:

San Diego, the preseason conference champion pick, likely has a bad taste in their mouth after losing to Drake by 4 touchdowns last week. If you believe in revenge, they may also remember last year’s shellacking in Buies Creek. Regardless, the Toreros’ only losses have come to two undefeated and ranked teams and the (now) PFL conference favorite. Meanwhile, the Fighting Camels have struggled to continue the momentum from last year’s winning season. A long trip across the country to face an angry San Diego squad is not the tonic Campbell needs. San Diego will not come close to replicating the 6-turnover performance of a week ago and will get back on track with a victory. On the flip side, our Camels will drop to 1-5 as the season heads into the second half. It says here the final score will be 33-14.

Camel Foe – Week 5, Drake

Posted: September 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , | Leave a comment »

The Fighting Camels fell to 1-3 with a 35-14 loss at Butler last week. In his second start, QB Dakota Wolf was 17-23 passing for 159 yards and ran for 111 yards on 31 carries. Kurt Odom provided the scoring with 2 short touchdown runs. Jordan Hildreth had 4 catches for 58 yards and Chad McMichael 6 for 45 yards. The Camels rushed for 206 yards but the defense allowed 452 yards and the 35 points. Paul Pizzuti had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery for the defense. After two consecutive road losses, they return to the friendly confines of Buies Creek this week to face Drake University.

Drake University

Location: Des Moines, IA (population: 203,433 as of 2010 census, the largest city in Iowa)

Established: 1881 by Francis Marion Drake, who lead a group of staff members from Oskaloosa College to form the new institution.

Enrollment: ~5,200

Nickname: Bulldogs

Mascot: Spike is Drake’s mascot. Spike is on Facebook and has an “army” for Drake students to join.

Affiliation: Drake is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Except for women’s crew, the rest of its teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The crew team is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Random Fact #1: On September 17, 1969 the Drake student newspaper, The Times-Delphic, published what appears to be the first documented account of the famous Paul is dead hoax, written by Tim Harper.

Random Fact #2: Drake’s law school is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the nation, tracing its history to 1865. It is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools, has been accredited since 1923 when accreditation first began, and is one of only seventy-five ABA-approved law schools to have a Chapter of Order of the Coif.

Random Fact #3: The athletic teams received their nickname of Bulldogs in 1904 from a sportswriter who noticed that John L. Griffith, who coached every sport, was bringing his pet bulldogs to the practice fields. The teams had previously been known as the Ducklings and Ganders. (I, for one, am sad they are not the Drake Ducklings.)

Random Fact #4: In 1928 Drake defeated Simpson College 41-6 in what is believed to be the first night football game west of the Mississippi River. Perhaps the most famous incident in Drake’s football history is known as the Johnny Bright Incident, where Pulitzer-Prize winning photographs in the Des Moines Register proved an intentional attack on the African American quarterback by Oklahoma State Cowboys football players. Drake withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference in protest of the lack of disciplinary action taken against those responsible. Today, Drake’s football field is named Johnny Bright Field in memory of the incident.

Random Fact #5: The university hosts the Drake Relays during April. This track and field event has been held since 1910, and is the second-largest collegiate track and field event in the United States. The 1961 Drake Relays was the first sporting event televised on ABC’S Wide World of Sports anthology show.

Notable Alumni:

  • comedian Steve Allen, the first host of the Tonight Show
  • Terry Branstad, former and current governor of Iowa
  • NFL kicker Billy Cundiff
  • Michael Emerson, Emmy-winning actor as Ben Linus on Lost
  • PGA golfer and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson
  • actor Jeremy Piven (did not graduate)
  • actor Sam Wanamaker (Private Benjamin, Raw Deal)
  • WGN TV producer-director Arne Harris (if you watched Cubs games on WGN, you instantly remember that name)

We’ll expand the list t0 10 this week. You can never list too many notable Iowans.

  • Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC, Grammy winning R&B Singer
  • actor Stephen Collins, the dad from 7th Heaven
  • Peter Hedges, writer of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
  • multiple Emmy-award winner Cloris Leachman
  • Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Shawn Johnson
  • Track & field world champion LoLo Jones
  • NFL quarterback Kyle Orton
  • former MLB player Casey Blake
  • 7 of the 9 members of the band Slipknot
  • former NFL quarterback and league & Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Drake is 2-2 (1-0 in the PFL), with both losses coming to FCS scholarship programs (Montana State & Indiana State)
  • Drake defeated conference foe Morehead State 28-25 in Des Moines last Saturday.
  • Drake leads the series between the two school 4-0.
  • In the teams’ only previous game at Campbell in 2010, Drake eked by with a 14-12 victory.
  • Drake trailed Morehead State 17-7 in the 4th quarter last week before scoring 3 TDs in a span of 9:40
  • Senior QB Mike Piatkowski, the reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 268 yards and 3 TDs and became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards. Gary Scott added 125 yards on the ground and 1 TD.
  • The defense was paced by John Hugunin’s 16 tackles and 1 sack while Travis Merritt added 14 tackles.
  • Drake leads the PFL in sacks with 14, which ranks them sixth in FCS. They have ranked in the Top 10 nationally in each of the past three seasons.
  • The Bulldogs are looking for their 6th consecutive PFL victory and their fourth straight 2-0 start in conference play.
  • Piatkowski also holds the career record for completion percentage (62.2) and needs just 7 TD passes to become the all-time leader in that category as well. He ranks 5th all-time in the PFL in passing yardage. With 7 games remaining he must average 228 yards/game to pass current San Francisco 49ers QB Josh Johnson for 2nd all-time in the conference.
  • In last season’s meeting Piatkowski set an FCS record for completion percentage by a QB with at least 30 completions, going 30-33 (90.9%) in a 31-14 Bulldog victory.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing: Piatkowski – 110-178, 1179 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
    • Rushing: Scott – 64-285, 3 TD
    • Receiving: Kevin Marshall 23 receptions (198 yards); Joey Orlando 219 yards (21 catches, 1 TD); Nick Rosa 3 TD (13-208)
    • Defense: Hugunin 46 tackles; Brandon Coleman 8 TFL; TylerMoorehead 4 sacks; Drew Ormseth 2 INT
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • Neko Graf, Naser Hannoon, Paddy O’Connell, Ezekiel Okeleye, Zach Zlabis & Caz Zyks
    • The winner – Caz Zyks

Prediction:

Drake has not yet lost to the Fighting Camels in four tries and were picked to finish 2nd in the league by the coaches in the preseason poll. Campbell has still yet to score in the first quarter this season (outscored 45-0) and seeks a better start than the past 4 weeks. The defense is allowing 466 yards per game to opposing offense, including more than 10 yards per pass attempt and will be severely tested by Drake’s all-time leading passer, Mike Piatkowski. Drake’s defense has allowed 215 yards per game on the ground this season, which may be an opening for the Camels’ ground based offense. Dakota Wolf is the first Camel QB to top the 100-yard mark in back-to-back weeks and may find #3 against the Bulldog defense. However, poor starts and a weak defense have the Achilles heel’s for the Camels this season and again portend doom against Drake. I will boldly predict that the Camels dent the scoreboard in the opening stanza for the first time this season and that Dakota Wolf again manages 100+ yards rushing, but Piatkowski, Scott and the rest of the Bulldogs recover and will celebrate  a 28-14 road victory.

Camel Foe – Week 4, Butler

Posted: September 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

After a 70-14 thrashing at the hands of Old Dominion, the Camels return to facing fellow non-scholarships teams as they open Pioneer Conference play by hitting the road to face Butler.

Butler University

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana (population: 829,718 as of 2010 census, the 12th largest city in the United States)

Established: 1855 as North Western Christian University. It was renamed in 1875 for founder Ovid Butler.

Enrollment: ~4,600

Nickname: Bulldogs

Mascot: Blue II is the official live mascot of Butler and is known by the tagline “Butler’s Mascot, America’s Dog”.

Affiliation: Butler is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Except for women’s golf, the rest of its teams are spending their first year as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Butler left the Horizon Conference in July to join the A-10. The Atlantic 10 does not sponsor women’s golf, so the Butler team will compete elsewhere in that sport.

[Ed. Note: Conference realignment is not just for big-time football as Butler is the 4th straight opponent of Campbell who has undergone or is currently undergoing some type of division or conference shift.]

Random Fact #1: The university was the first in Indiana and the third in the United States to admit both men and women.

Random Fact #2: Architect Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center, designed the Irwin Library on campus.

Random Fact #3: Butler ranked 2nd in the U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2010 for Top Midwestern Master’s Universities.

Random Fact #4: Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse also serves as the home to the Indiana High School state basketball tournament as was the site of Milan High’s 1954 title, which served as the loose basis for the movie Hoosiers. Parts of the movie were also shot in the fieldhouse.

Notable Alumni:

  • former Nebrasketball head coach and current Butler AD Barry Collier
  • Baylor men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew
  • IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher
  • Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward
  • Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Thad Matta
  • Bobby Plump, the hero of the real-life Milan High basketball team
  • Jim Jones, notorious founder of the People’s Temple and organizer of the 1979 mass suicide of 909 members of his organization

Indianapolis is pretty large – let’s stick with 5 really good people from there.

  • former UCLA basketball coach and Basketball Hall of Famer John Wooden
  • former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle
  • Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson
  • actor Steve McQueen
  • former NBA player Eric Montross

[Ed Note: For some reason I am reminded of the old Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the others”…]

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Butler heads into Pioneer Conference play with the same record as the Camels, 1-2
  • The Bulldogs  opened the season with a 23-15 loss at Western Illinois, defeated Franklin 42-13 in Week 2 and dropped a 35-7 decision to Dartmouth last week
  • The series between Butler and Campbell is tied 2-2. Butler won the first two games while the Camels have taken the last two. Last season saw a 38-23 Camel win in Buies Creek.
  • In the teams’ only previous game at Butler in 2010, Campbell won by a 27-10 score.
  • Butler outgained Dartmouth 416-358 last week despite the four-touchdown loss. They lead the PFL in total offense at 483.3 yards per game.
  • Senior LB Jordan Ridley is tied for 8th in the PFL in tackles per game and was named PFL Co-Defensive Player of the Week after last season’s game against the Camels in which he had 19 tackles.
  • RB Trae Heeter leads the PFL in rushing at 65.3 yards per game.
  • WR’s Derek O’Connor (79.0) and Brendan Shannon (68.7) rank 2nd and 3rd respectively in the conference in receiving yards per game. O’Connor had 164 yards on 9 catches last week against Dartmouth.
  • Junior QB Matt Lancaster, a transfer from Illinois State, threw for 267 yards and 1 TD last week and has thrown 92 consecutive passes without an interception.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing: Lancaster – 60-100, 739 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT (also 153 yards rushing & 3 TDs)
    • Rushing: Heeter – 31 carries, 196 yards
    • Receiving: Shannon 16 receptions (206 yards) & 2 TDs; O’Connor 237 yards (15 catches)
    • Defense: Ridley 26 tackles; DE Jeremy Stephens 3 TFL & 2 sacks; Bryce Barry & Sean Grady 1 interception
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • JoJo Ciancio, Jayme Szafranski, Trae Heeter, Guy DiBalsamo, Joe Hackett (think Wings), Nestor Porres,
    • The winner – Guy DiBalsamo.

Prediction:

Both teams are 1-2 and coming off of blowout losses last week – Butler by 28 points and the Camels by twice that. Despite the lopsided score, the Camels did top 200 yards rushing for the first time this season. Junior QB Dakota Wolf, making his first start for the injured Braden Smith who will miss the rest of the season, rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries to lead the ground attack. Through the air Wolf was 8-16 passing for just 56 yards. Kurt Odom added 53 yards and 1 TD on the ground and had 3 receptions for 16 yards. Lucas Smith paced the defense with 9 tackles while Isaac Scott had a sack and a forced fumble.

The series between these two teams has been evenly matched and this game should be as well.  The rest of the conference coaches felt that way also, as Campbell was slotted 5th and Butler 7th in the preseason poll. Two things that seem to tilt this game in favor of the Bulldogs are that the game is being played in Indianapolis and Camel QB Dakota Wolf will be making just his 2nd career start. The Camels have been outscored 38-0 in the 1st quarter so far this year and are averaging just 14.7 point per game. A new QB with pedestrian throwing numbers will be hard-pressed to improve on those numbers. I see Butler snapping their 2-game losing streak to the Camels with a hard fought 27-17 victory.

 

 

Camel Foe – Week 3, Old Dominion

Posted: September 14, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

The Fighting Camels step it up big time competition-wise this week as they travel to face Old Dominion University (ODU!).

Old Dominion

Location: Norfolk, Virginia (population: 242,803 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. It became Old Dominion College in 1962 and Old Dominion University in 1969.

Enrollment: 24,125

Nickname: Monarchs

Mascot: Big Blue won the 2010 Capital One Mascot Challenge and has his own Facebook page, complete with more than 11,600 likes.

Affiliation: ODU is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, which is FCS in football and Division I in all other sports. On May 17 of this year ODU announced it would move to Conference USA on July 1, 2013. The football team, restarted just 3 years ago in 2009, will be an FBS independent for 2 seasons before joining conference play in 2015.

Random Fact #1: ODU derives its name from one of Virginia’s state nicknames, “The Old Dominion”, a name given to the state by King Charles II of England for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War.

Random Fact #2: ODU is one of the nation’s largest providers of online distance learning courses.

Random Fact #3: The ODU Lady Monarchs basketball team has won 3 national titles – 2 in the AIAW (1979 & 1980), the precursor to the NCAA in women’s sports, and 1 in the NCAA (1985). They also reached the 1997 national title game before losing to Tennessee.

Random Fact #4: The school colors are silver and two types of blue, slate and cerulean.

Notable Alumni:

  • Ben Bailey, the host of Cash Cab
  • former NBA player Cal Bowdler
  • Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States (attended but did not graduate)
  • Basketball Hall of Fame member Anne Donovan
  • Poet Maya Angelou (attended but did not graduate)
  • Benjamin S. Grffin, four-star general in the United States Army
  • Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman
  • Lashawn Merritt, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 400 meters and the 4×400 meter relay
  • Oliver Purnell, head men’s basketball coach at DePaul University
  • Actress Deborah Shelton (A-Team, T.J. Hooker, The Fall Guy, Cheers and others)
  • Justin Verlander, author of 2 no-hitters and the 2011 AL MVP

Good work ODU. Any awesome people from Norfolk?

  • Musician & hip-hop producer Timbaland
  • MLB baseball players David Wright, B.J. Upton and Justin Upton
  • Actor Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati, Simon & Simon, Sister Sister)
  • Actor Rob Estes (Silk Stalkings, Melrose Place)

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Despite starting football just 3 years ago, ODU is already nationally competitive. They went 9-2 as an FCS independent in 2009 and 8-3 in 2010. Last year, they joined the CAA and went 9-2 in the regular season, earning the program’s first playoff bid. The Monarchs defeated Norfolk State 35-18 in the first round of the FCS playoffs before falling 55-48 to Georgia Southern in the second round in a game that saw 1167 yards of total offense.
  • ODU enters the game ranked #6 in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 and #4 in the FCS Coaches Poll. They are 2-0 this season, defeating Duquesne 57-23 and winning at Hampton 45-7 in a weather shortened contest.
  • The Monarchs have defeated Campbell in each of the past 3 seasons: 28-17 in 2009, 44-13 in 2010 & 41-14 last season.
  • ODU football is sold out for the 4th straight season. Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium holds a crowd of 19,818.
  • In the season-opening rout of Duquesne, QB Taylor Heinicke went 41-63 for 492 yards and 4 TDs and ran for 38 yards. He was named CAA and TSN National Offensive Player of the Week.
  • The Dukes actually led that game 20-10 at the half before ODU exploded for 47 second-half points.
  • RB Tyree Lee leads the team with 131 yards rushing and 3 TDs through 2 games. Blair Roberts is the leading receiver with 13 grabs for 157 yards.
  • Craig Wilkins leads the team with 12 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 TFL and has forced 1 fumble. Rodney Hunter has collected 2 interceptions in the first 2 contests.
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • Fellonte Misher, Connor Mewbourne (Did you say “Meow”), Jason Rexroad (Car RamRod?), Aquante Thornton, Jagger Blehm
    • The winner – Jagger Blehm.
    • [Ed. Note – If Jimmy has written this, the winner would have been Fellatio Misher, even though that’s not his name.]

Prediction:

Last week, the Camels offense sputtered but the defense shined in their 10-0 win over Virginia-Wise, evening their record at 1-1. Braden Smith passed for 200 yards and 1 TD despite losing a tooth on a first half hit. RB Josh Williams, making his first start, ran for 89 yards on 23 carries and had 4 receptions for 26 yards. Lucas Smith spearheaded an excellent defensive effort with 2 sacks while Matt Farris and Steth Monroe each grabbed an interception. The Camels outgained the Cavaliers 320-175 and recorded their 2nd shutout since reviving the football program.

Unfortunately, none of those positive vibes will do much good this week. ODU has averaged 51 points the first two weeks while allowing 15. The Camels are scoring 15 points per game while giving up 15.5. There are also not any other numbers that indicate this is going to be anything other than an easy victory for ODU. The Camel offense could not do much with the Virginia-Wise defense, so I do not foresee any more luck with the 6th (or 4th) ranked team in FCS. Much like the last 2 seasons, ODU scores early and often while rolling to victory. I’m going to guess a slightly worse beating than last year since the Camels appear a bit weaker and ODU is an FCS force to be reckoned with – 48-10 Monarchs.