General

Hayes vs. Hall: This Season’s Unsung Heros

Oct 15, 2008, 9:10 PM UTC

Each week, SN NCAA football writers Matt Hayes and Spencer Hallâ†µput aside their petty differences to come together via instantâ†µmessenger ... and argue about their differences. This week’s topics: 2008's unsung heroes.
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Spencer Hall:

Name the second-leading tackler in the NCAA right now. â†µ

â†µMatt Hayes: Hmm...Scott McKillop? â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Very close. Frantz Joseph, FAU and Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Broward County division. And that is what I'd like to talk about today. The unsung heroes of this season thus far. I know you have a few, and so do I. â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: I love the unsungs.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: McKillop's a nice place to start.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: He's bad man. Tackling machine. He's the perfect player for Pitt: a tough kid, works his ass off, wants to win, hates to lose. No better ambassador for the steel city.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Another question leading to my next guy: who's the overall leader in total offense? â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Davis Johnson at Tulsa?â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Case Keenum, Houston. Impressive numbers: 2287 yards, 68% completion, 21/5 TD/INT. Productive barely explains those digits. â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Thats all Kevin Sumlin right there, my friend. A great, great teacher. You know, Keenum was in a battle to win that job. Blake Joseph -- no relation to Frantz -- also played last year. He played pretty well too.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: He's one of my unsungs. As is Rylan Reed for Texas Tech, or as he's better known, "Uncle Ray-Ray." 6-7, 305, can bench 625 pounds and do the splits. He was diagnosed with cancer, broke his ankle last year, and is chugging along as a 26-year-old lineman in college football. I don't know if you saw the interview, but Stephen Hamby says they call another lineman there "Kool-Aid," because in a red jersey he looks like the Kool Aid guy busting through a wall.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: See, when I think of Kool-Aid, I think of Clemson. As in, heart pumps Kool-Aid.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Poor miserable Clemson.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: They have an unsung: the collective IPTAY, who will come up with $3.5 million to buy out Bowden in these trying economic times. You know else who is a terrific unsung? Todd Boeckman, because dude hasn't said one word about Pryor. Hasn't complained, hasn't popped off, when, by all rights, he could and destroy that team’s chemistry. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Another unsung: Shonn Greene, Iowa.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Love him. Dude runs like every carry is his last. â†µ

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Spencer Hall:

I like Javon Ringer for the Big Ten Back o’ the Day, but Greene’s close. â†µ

â†µMatt Hayes: Both really, really good. Both first round guys, too. How about unsung coaching? Head coaches, coordinators...â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Mike Gundy and his defensive staff against Missouri. They boxed them out beautifully.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Along those lines: Tim Beckman, defensive coordinator at Okie State. People said he was crazy to leave Ohio State, where he would have eventually been coordinator. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: He followed the market and looked for T.Boone's money and a conference that sorely needs more defense.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: That and he's tight with Gundy, but T. Boone's dough always helps. Same conference: Art Briles. They're not setting the world ablaze, but he can coach, and they're competitive. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Good call. Having pocket nuke Robert Griffin is nice, too, but he's done a great job thus far.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: And another: Ron Zook. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: ...â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: I don't know if you've heard of him. He took a Rose Bowl team and lost to Minnesota at home on homecoming. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: And then had the backup QB allegedly deck a girl at a dance the same night.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: And THEN, will go over to the sorority later in the week and challenge everyone to a fight. I mean, if history plays out.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: And head-butt a coke machine.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: And then drop down on the bench and do 225 26 times. Another unsung: Mike Riley. They’re going to win out and take a share of the Pac-10. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: That's an unsung in advance. Bold.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Look at their schedule: only tough game is Cal -- at home.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: The discovery of Jacquizz Rogers changed the complexion of their season completely. Oh, and one advance unsung, previously criticized coordinator: Dan Mullen. I'll gamble and say he'll get one.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: If they continue to win, he will. â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Perhaps. Mullen's adjustments for the LSU game were brilliant.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: He also had an offensive line finally playing hard. Those holes were huge, as wide as DeKalb County.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: The introduction of wide splits along the o-line really helped.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Definitely. Although, I think Okie State maybe showed everyone how to attack that. Again, unsung Beckman.â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: A massive job he's doing there. Okay, final unsungs. I have a finale. Unsung mascot: Smokey for enduring Tennessee's season thus far. He hasn’t been the one leaving nasty things on the field for once. Any final unsungs you want to tip your cap to?â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Mark Jones. I turned on a game Saturday night after returning from the Red River Rivalry, and within two minutes heard him say auspicious. It was on a punt, I swear to God he said: “Well, that’s an auspicious roll.” â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: I want to salute Lou Holtz for being far too entertaining for ESPN.â†µ

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â†µMatt Hayes: Ever notice that Mark May does everything he can do to get the last word in?â†µ

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â†µSpencer Hall: Yes. And Holtz still owns him lock stock and barrel every time. â†µMatt Hayes: On a weekly basis, friend. Weekly. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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