A Preview Of Bloomsburg's Super Regional 1 Semifinal Game

2 weeks ago, Bloomsburg traveled to Erie to take on Mercyhurst in the PSAC Championship. The result was a 56-37 drubbing that favored Mercyhurst. This coming Saturday, Bloomsburg will return to Louis J. Tullio Field in Erie, PA to face Mercyhurst in the Super Regional 1 semifinals (click here for bracket). Only this time, a spot in the Super Regional 1 finals is on the line. And the loser's season is over.

In the game 2 weeks ago, Mercyhurst annihilated Bloomsburg's normally stout pass defense. Mercyhurst QB Travis Rearick threw for 345 yards. Mercyhurst WR Travis Kennedy had one of the best games in Mercyhurst football history, catching 11 passes for 163 yards. That's the bad news. The good news is the Bloomsburg defense limited the Lakers to 40 rushing yards in 22 attempts. The damage was done with the passing game, defense and capitalizing on opportunities given to Mercyhurst on special teams. How bad was this from a historical perspective? The last time Bloomsburg gave up at least 56 points was in the 2000 National Championship game, which Delta State won 63-34.

But there is reason to believe that things will be different this time around. For starters coming into that PSAC Championship game, Mercyhurst averaged around 28 points per game. They more than doubled their average 2 weeks ago. Bloomsburg's past defense is normally a very good one and likely won't be replicating that piss poor defense. Provided of course, they decide to pay attention to Travis Kennedy. Secondly, Mercyhurst is a team that thrives on rhythm. Last Saturday was their first bye week since September 4. For a team that is used to playing in consecutive weeks and winning every Saturday since October 9, the week off they had last weekend could possibly disrupt their momentum. Finally, last game was played under fair skies. This game is forecasted to be played on the tail end of a lake effect snow storm that is forecast (and we all know these weather forecasts are NEVER wrong) to dump 8 inches of snow on Erie. Not to state the obvious, but this game is not being played at an NFL football stadium or top notch Division I facility. This is Louis J. Tuillo Field. I have never been to Mercyhurst nor do I have any contacts up there, but something tells me that the field maintenance won't be the best. The surface is artificial so there is no mud problem, but I'll be shocked if this place has a heater, especially seeing as Mercyhurst is not a traditional Division II football powerhouse. In fact, this is their first Division II playoff game. I don't think their football team is used to something like this, and I am not confident at all that they have the personnel or resources to handle it.

If it is push comes to shove like that and both teams need to rely on the running game, I like Bloomsburg's chances a lot in this game, despite the blowout 2 weeks ago. Bloomsburg freshman running back Franklyn Quiteh has been nothing short of a sensation. He is a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, an award given to the most valuable player in Division II football. Consider it D2's version of the Heisman. But he was unable to finish the PSAC Championship game 2 weeks ago because of an injury he suffered early in the 2nd half, but with the 16 carries he did get, he rushed for 104 yards. Meanwhile as mentioned above, Mercyhurst got 40 rushing yards all game, with their best rusher being the QB Rearick, he mustered 30 yards on 5 rushing attempts. Their running back Gerald Anderson got 13 carries on 16 yards. Any other person who carried the ball only lost yards, as evidenced by the fact that Rearick and Anderson combined for 46 rushing yards, and Mercyhurst ended the game with 40. The good news for Quiteh is that he was able to return from injury and play against California last weekend, and once again, Quiteh ran for over 100 yards.

I mentioned this in last week's Cal-Bloomsburg preview, but QB Pat Carey threw 37 passes last week. According to Bloomsburg radio announcers Jim Doyle and Andy Ulicny, Carey's arm was getting tired at the end of the game, as he had to pass so damn much without his star RB because said RB was injured the 2nd half of that game and the Huskies needed to try and stay in a game that was not totally out of reach given the amount of points Bloomsburg was still able to score (Bloomsburg lost the game when they were unable to get a defensive stop). Carey is an efficient QB for a team whose strategy is run the ball, run the ball, play defense, and run the ball some more, but Carey is not a QB who can pass 66 times a game like West Texas A&M QB Taylor Harris did last week and still be an effective QB in the 2nd half. Hell, the 2nd half is when West Texas A&M scored 28 of their 35 points in their 55-35 defeat to Central Missouri. Basically the point I am dancing around is, while an efficient QB, Pat Carey is not a QB who can put a team on his shoulders, pass on every down, and win the football game. The running game must be established and must be effective if Bloomsburg wants to win this game. Because while I doubt that Mercyhurst will put up 56 again, they are capable of putting points on the board. And Bloomsburg will have to counter that. And the best way they can counter it is by creating turnovers, running the ball, and using that ground game to set up the pass from Carey, who does throw a decent deep ball.

If Bloomsburg successfully accomplishes that, I like their chances at avenging the PSAC Championship loss and advancing to the Super Regional 1 Finals on Saturday, December 4. If not, I fear I might be saying goodbye to the 2010 version of the Bloomsburg Huskies football game.

A Preview Of Bloomsburg's First Round Playoff Game

2 years ago, Bloomsburg and California (PA) met in the Super Regional 1 finals. Unfortunately, bad officiating and a costly end of game fumble by then QB Dan LaTorre cost the Huskies the game and ultimately a spot in the Final 4. Suffice to say, the California University of Pennsylvania Vulcans are not one of my favorite teams in college football. Now the playoff rematch is in the 1st round of the 2010 playoffs coming up in just a few short hours. It will be played on campus in California, PA, which just to make things confusing, is located in Washington County. As a reference, Washington County is the southwest neighbor of Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located.

Despite being trounced by Mercyhurst last week, I did not expect Bloomsburg to drop all the way to the 6th seed in Super Regional 1, especially seeing as they were for sure the #1 seed had they won that game. But that is the reality of a college football playoff where there are so few games to go by.

During last week's PSAC title game against Mercyhurst, Bloomsburg suffered quite a few set backs. They lost their leading wide receiver to a broken collarbone. The leading RB in the D2 nation, Franklyn Quiteh, is questionable with a knee injury he suffered in that very same game. Those are two key parts to an offense that thrives on running the ball. Bloomsburg QB Pat Carey's arm seemed to be getting fatigued at the end of the game last week as he needed to throw a lot to catch up to Mercyhurst without the benefit of Quiteh in the backfield. The total number of passes Carey threw in that game was in the 30s. So, yeah, running the ball is integral to the success of Bloomsburg. Carey is an efficient QB, but he does not have the ability to win games throwing lots of passes. A problem with this: Cal (PA) boasts one of the best running defenses in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season (yes, 2 teams from the same conference can play each other in the 1st round here).

While Bloomsburg is normally very solid defensively as well, they got torched last week by Mercyhurst for 56 points. Seriously, the Redskins looked competent next to the shitshow Bloomsburg put on last week. The Huskies thrive on the turnover, and that is something they were unable to generate against Mercyhurst. I am afraid that they will need to force some turnovers against the Vulcans in this game if they want to have a chance at winning it, as frankly, I don't see the offense running up and down the field like they did 2 weeks ago against Kutztown.

Guys to look for on the Cal side of the ball: QB Josh Portis is coming off a career high 5 TD game against Cheyney (although truth be told, most middle school football teams are capable of that very same feat) and WR Chedrick Cherry has played very well as of late.

If the series history between these 2 teams indicate anything, this one is going to be a good one. This will be the 6th meeting in the last 5 years for California (PA) and Bloomsburg, including the playoff game in 2008, with 4 of the last 5 games being decided by single digits. While I won't go on the record with any predictions, I will tell you that I will be posting constant updates on this game (and random score updates of the other D2 playoff games) at Keith's Sports Journal, whether it be in the open thread or in the live blog should he start it early. A webcast of the game will be available here, although I am not sure if this will be free or PPV. If it is PPV and more than $10, I will listen to the free Bloomsburg radio stream. The winner of this game will travel to Erie, PA next Saturday to take on the #2 seeded Mercyhurst Lakers. GO HUSKIES!!!

(Friendly reminder: On Sunday night, the URL of this blog is changing to http://comeback-complete.blogspot.com. Prepare your bookmarks.)

NCAA Division II Football Playoffs 1st Round Schedule

A win last week against Mercyhurst would have assuredly put Bloomsburg has the #1 ranked team in Super Regional 1, along with the bye that comes with it. Instead they are the #6 seed and need to go on the road at California (PA) in the 1st round this weekend. The Division II playoffs is a 24-team tournament, the bracket can be found here, so without further ado, here the much anticipated posting of the NCAA Division II 1st round playoff schedule! All games are this Saturday, November 20, 2010 (all times ET; all games played on campus of higher seeded team)

Schedule by time

#6 Bloomsburg vs. #3 California (PA) 12:00
#6 Colorado Mines vs. #3 Grand Valley State 12:00
#5 Shaw vs. #4 Shepherd 12:00
#6 North Alabama vs. #3 Valdosta State 12:00
#5 Morehouse vs. #4 Wingate 12:00
#5 West Texas A&M vs. #4 Central Missouri 1:00
#6 Missouri Western State vs. #3 Northwest Missouri State 1:00
#5 Hillsdale vs. #4 St. Cloud State 1:00

Schedule by Super Regional

Super Regional 1
#5 Shaw vs. #4 Shepherd 12:00 (Winner plays #1 Kutztown)
#6 Bloomsburg vs. #3 California (PA) 12:00 (Winner plays #2 Mercyhurst)

Super Regional 2
#5 Morehouse vs. #4 Wingate 12:00 (Winner plays #1 Albany State (GA))
#6 North Alabama vs. #3 Valdosta State 12:00 (Winner plays #2 Delta State)

Super Regional 3
#6 Colorado Mines vs. #3 Grand Valley State 12:00 (Winner plays #2 Augustana (SD))
#5 Hillsdale vs. #4 St. Cloud State 1:00 (Winner plays #1 Minnesota-Duluth)

Super Regional 4
#5 West Texas A&M vs. #4 Central Missouri 1:00 (Winner plays #1 Abilene Christian)
#6 Missouri Western State vs. #3 Northwest Missouri State 1:00 (Winner plays #2 Texas A&M Kingsville)

The Saints Win The Super Bowl! WHO DAT!

Wow! What a game! An instant classic in Miami has given the New Orleans Saints their first Super Bowl in team history.

Take nothing away from Peyton Manning, he played a solid game, but tonight, solid was not enough for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints defense who were spectacular and out of this world. The first half definitely favored the Colts. The Saints started slow and the Colts started fast. In their first 2 drives, the Saints could only get 1 first down while the Colts got a field goal and a touchdown. It looked like it would be ugly.

But it wasn't. The Saints were able to go down the field and kick a field goal, bringing them to within 7. The Colts got the ball and back and on a key 3rd down play. Manning threw a perfect ball over the middle to a wide open Garcon. After Garcon dropped that pass, it was all Saints. From that point on, they outscored the
Colts 28-7.

But if that was the moment that stopped the Saints momentum, there would be another play that would really get the Saints believing they can win the game. That moment was the start of the 2nd half when, down 10-6, they did the unthinkable. An onsides kick.



Off the hands of Hank Baskett and recovered by the Saints! I can't help but feel bad for Kendra. Poor smokin' hot babe married a useless receiver. Hank was useless with the Eagles, and he was harmful to the Colts.

The Saints would go on to score a TD on that drive but the Colts would get the ball back and retaliate with a TD of their own, giving them a 17-13 lead.

The Saints got a FG on their next drive, got the ball back and scored what would turn out to be the game-winning TD.



The Saints would go for 2.



But it was not over. Peyton Manning had plenty of time to drive down the field and get a game-tying touchdown. Only Tracy Porter, the man who picked off Favre late in the 4th quarter of the NFC title game, would strike again. Here is the shocking clinching moment of Super Bowl XLIV.



Peyton Manning decided to make it interesting one last time, though. He drove his team inside the 10. On 3rd and goal, they ran a questionable draw that lost a couple of yards, leaving the Colts with 4th and goal from the Saints 5. A TD would force an onside kick to extend the game. A stop would ensure victory for the Saints and no worries about the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Here is the 2nd shocking play that clinched the Super Bowl for good and sent the few parts of the city that were not into mass hysteria after the Porter INT, into mass hysteria.



Great call by Nantz and congrats to the Saints on winning the Super Bowl!

The goat, if you are going to name one, is Jim Caldwell. With 4th and 11 at the Saints 34 yard line up by 1, he had a choice to make. He could have chanced 42-year old Matt Stover kicking a 51-yarder field goal in the biggest pressure situation of his life, gone for it (including a possible fake) and if you fail, it saves the additional 7 yards of the missed field goal, or he could have just punted it. Caldwell went with the least wise option and trotted out Stover. He predictably missed. Then, with the Colts driving on their last ditch attempt down by 2 TDs, on 3rd and goal from the 3, he inexplicably calls a draw. Why not throw it with one of the greatest QBs of all time? Instead, he gave it to an awful running back who was having a good game. But Addai was true to his usual form in that situation and lost 2 yards. 4th and goal followed and that was instantly followed by the Saints taking 2 knees to celebrate their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

I'll have the NFL highlight package video with local radio announcers up later tonight or tomorrow.

Congrats to the Saints on winning an instant classic of a Super Bowl and congrats to Jahri Evans for being the first Bloomsburg University student to win a Super Bowl ring!

A Closer Look: Jahri Evans

I talked about this ad nauseum during the live blog last night and even mentioned it in my after-game post, but the Pro Bowl offensive lineman is the 1st person out of the college that I go to, Bloomsburg University, to go to the Super Bowl.

The Pro Bowl right guard has been fantastic for the Saints, and while I was mistaken in that he was a multi-time Pro Bowler (this year was his first time voted, although I could have sworn he got in last year, but whatever), the Saints uncovered a gem in this 4th round draft pick. And because I get such the proverbial hard-on for local products that end up successful on the big stage, I figured I would share this story with you by Jeff McLane about Evans in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer.

Growing up in North Philadelphia, the New Orleans Saints guard had "four moms" - his mother, Katreen Hopkins, and his three older sisters, Carmela, Geana, and Cheryl. They are the reason he is playing in tonight's NFC championship game against Minnesota, the 26-year-old Evans said.

"My mother was strict, but not overly strict," said Jahri (pronounced Jah-ree). "Because having three older sisters was kind of like having four moms at the same time. They were a lot older than me. My younger sister is 20 years older.

"But they were very influential on my life. Growing up in the neighborhood, it was kind of hard with only women around you. But I think, looking back, that it helped me out a lot."

Evans, who is now 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds, grew up in Nicetown and went to Frankford High School. The sense of purpose developed at home served him well. He will start his 68th consecutive game tonight and was named to his first Pro Bowl. The journey, however, has been anything but smooth.

Forget for a second that he was raised in a neighborhood that even its residents would have difficulty describing as "nice."

"It was pretty rough," said Evans, who relocated his mother to Glenside after his second season in the pros. "Growing up there, you're used to it. It's your environment. But at a certain point in time you've got to go, 'I'm going this way even though my friends are going that way.' "

There were other roadblocks.

The summer before his senior year at Frankford, Evans broke a kneecap in two places in a pickup basketball game, wiping out his final scholastic season. Whatever nibbles he had drawn from Division I programs disappeared.

He ended up at Division II Bloomsburg. The Huskies weren't exactly known for producing NFL talent, but off he went. Then, after a redshirt freshman year, Evans suffered a broken ankle during his sophomore season.

Still, he kept his eyes on the prize.

"I never looked at it as if, 'I don't have a chance,' " Evans said Friday. "Even playing at Division II, even going through the injuries, there was never a moment where I thought, 'Man, I don't think I'm going to make it.'

"I knew that if there was going to be that chance, I didn't want it to slip past. I didn't want it to be my fault for not making it."

Starts at home

How does a player make the jump from low-level college football to the pros? It doesn't happen often.

"I would have said you were dreaming," said Tom Mullineaux, Evans' coach at Frankford. "But he always did well in high school and he always had that stick-to-itiveness that not many people have. He's just that type of person."

Evans credits his family. That upbringing helped most, perhaps, after his knee injury. He was always a good student, but with football on the shelf he delved into the books - with some prodding.

"His mother pushed him," Mullineaux said. "I just remember her being one of the more involved parents. I don't think she took a lot of nonsense. There were never any teachers in school that ever had a problem with Jahri, and that's not the way it always is, unfortunately."

Still, Mullineaux could see how much Evans wanted to play his senior season. He attended every practice and game.

"You could see something," Mullineaux said. "You just wanted to get this kid into college, maybe play some football, and graduate, and get a job. You wanted him to be a productive person in society."

Bloomsburg was recruiting other players when Mullineaux brought up Evans. There were no athletic scholarships left, but Evans' grades and SAT score earned him an academic free ride.

After the ankle injury and slow start, Evans eventually became the best lineman at his level. Following his junior and senior seasons, he was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, given to the Division II offensive or defensive lineman of the year. The pros were a possibility, but a team had to be willing to take a chance.

On the bayou

Evans was among a handful of Division II players invited to the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis before the 2006 draft. He worked out for several teams, including the Eagles.

In the fourth round, the Eagles wanted a certain guard, but it wasn't the Philly native. So they swapped picks with the Saints, threw in defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, and moved up and took Max Jean-Gilles with the 99th selection. Nine picks later, New Orleans grabbed a project in Evans.

"A whole bunch of GMs are kicking themselves now," Saints fullback Heath Evans said.

Jahri Evans started his first game as a rookie. It wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to bide his time behind Jermane Mayberry, the former Eagles Pro Bowler who had left Philadelphia two years earlier. But Mayberry, a Division II standout at Texas A&I, hurt his shoulder in training camp and soon retired.

"He helped me out a lot," Evans said. "He told me when I got the job, 'Hey, man, don't let nobody take this spot from you. It's yours now.' "

If his rookie season was occasionally rocky, Evans was much more consistent the following season. By his third season, those around the team thought that he had played at an all-pro level, although the recognition wasn't there.

"Call it arrogant, call it whatever, but guys say, 'OK, this is a D-II guy, why was he there?' " Heath Evans said.

But you can ignore the obvious for only so long. This season, the Saints had the NFL's top-ranked offense. Quarterback Drew Brees was sacked just 20 times, and New Orleans' three-pronged ground game counterbalanced an explosive passing attack.

"It may be a year later than he deserves to go to the Pro Bowl," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "A lot of times a player will get that on the back end. He'll play in that game a year longer than he should."

Evans said he used the slight as motivation. But when hasn't he had something to spur him on?

"I've had some adversity and some ups and downs, but I fought through it," Evans said. "I knew that if I kept a positive mind-set and just kept going, that, hopefully, things would work out. . . . And they have."

Really? The Eagles passed on Jahri Evans to draft Max Jean-Gilles? Are you shitting me? So this is what hell is like I guess......but I digress.....to show you the kind of impact he had on the game, here is Jahri Evans making Benny Sapp shit his pants on the key block that sprung Reggie Bush for the Saints first touchdown (the replay does not show it so as you watch it live, pay attention to Evans, who is #73 and starts out in his usual spot at right guard).



Best of luck in the Super Bowl, Jahri! Make Bloomsburg proud!

Husky Barks: Bloomsburg 45, Millersville 10

It's official: Dan LaTorre is better than Tim Tebow.



Those were 2 awesome TD runs and I'm kind of disappointed that it did not show more of LaTorre's acrobats on the first TD (yes, there were more Eli Manning Super Bowl XLII-esque acrobatics in that play). And curse the camera angle. I was just a few rows behind the surfing Roongo, but from that angle, you can't see me. But if it was straight from the field, I'd be on the video!

Husky Barks: "Boom Goes The Dynamite" Comes To Bloomsburg University

No Millersville highlights are up yet, but for a good laugh, check out this interview conducted by some guy who works for BU Sports (name never given) with Bloomsburg freshman standout, Brandon Real and pay close attention to the end of the interview...



HAHA! Now that's too funny! BGTD at BU. I love it!

I almost submitted this to the Pammies, but after a nice punt return by Real, the PA guy at the game announced it by saying "Brandon Real with a real good punt return". Yes, he did that kind of emphasis on the word "real".

Husky Barks: Bloomsburg 28, C.W. Post 14

I know, I know, it's been a while but with road games there is no video to embed and that's over half of the reason I do these posts. Anyway, after a long, agonizing, wait, the highlights of BU's 28-14 win over C.W. post has finally been posted in the throes of YouTube and here it is for you all to see. And remember, I was at this game!



Poor Roongo. He can't catch a break. When the opponent scores, he loses a little life, but when the Huskies score, he does pushups with the cheerleaders based on the total number of points the Huskies have to that point.

On the plus side, the Huskies are the #5 ranked team in the nation and are still unbeaten. Their next game is another home game this Saturday at 5 against Millersville. Chances are, I'll be there!*

*unless it is really rainy. This would be the first night football game I've ever been to in my life, so I'm excited about that and I hope the weather holds out.

Husky Barks: Bloomsburg 17, California (PA) 10

Seeing as it appears as if Bloomsburg does not post videos of road games, I'll post the summary of the game courtest of the BU Website and you too can marvel at how somehow, someway they won that game and got a small taste of revenge for what happened in the national quarterfinals last year.

Quarterback Dan Latorre (Elysburg/Southern Columbia) hit Cory Stiger (Williamsport/Loyalsock Twp) with a four-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to play to lift the sixth-ranked Bloomsburg University Huskies over 17th-ranked California (PA), 17-10, on Saturday night.

After Cal (0-2) had tied the game at 10-10 on an 18-yard scoring pass from Josh Portis to AJ Jackson with a minute to play, the Huskies (2-0) started their game winning drive on their own 39-yard line. After Latorre's first pass fell incomplete, he scrambled for 10 yards out to the Huskies 49-yard line. Following a timeout with 36 seconds to play, the senior quarterback hit a wide-open Chris Tressler (Lewistown/Lewistown) with a 47-yard bomb to the Vulcans four-yard line. On the next play, Latorre hit Stiger with a touchdown pass, Stiger's first career scoring catch, to put Bloomsburg in front 17-10 with 22 seconds to play.

Cal, though, wasn't done. Portis completed passes of 21 and 14 yards on consecutive plays putting the ball at the Bloomsburg 36-yard line with six seconds to play. After an incomplete pass left just one second to play, Portis' last pass was knocked down by the Huskies Mike Varanavage (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) preserving the Bloomsburg win.

The game was a back and forth struggle between the defenses with the only scoring threw the first three quarters being a field goal from Jon Koenig (Pine Grove/Pine Grove) from 42-yards out which tied his career long with 12:47 to play in the second period. In the third period, Cal's Kevin Hagerman connected from 30-yards out tying the score at 3-3 heading to the fourth period.

Bloomsburg went in front 10-3 on a special teams play. A long punt from Bloomsburg was muffed by Cal's Mike Brown and recovered in the end zone by Bloomsburg's Branden Wright (Danville/Danville) with 4:29 to play setting up the wild finish.

Latorre finished 12-22 for 166 yards and one score, while Ben Weaber (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) caught five passes for 37 yards to lead the receivers. Varanavage finished with 10 tackles and the one key pass break-up, while Anthony Smith (Pottstown/Pottstown) added eight tackles.

Bloomsburg has been road warriors as of late in the regular season and they will take to the road again next week as they take on Mercyhurst. The Huskies are 2-0 this year having beaten 2 ranked teams in their 1st 2 games and have their sights set on making a run at a national championship this year. Go Huskies!!!

Husky Barks: Bloomsburg 10, Ashland 7

Last night the Bloomsburg Huskies opened up their 2009 campaign in a historic way as for the first time ever, Bloomsburg played a home game at night (a game I would have gone to had I not been such a diehard Eagles fan). Not only that, but it was a battle of nationally ranked foes as #11 Bloomsburg (as ranked by D2football.com) took on #13 Ashland, Ohio. Here are your highlights courtesy of BU's new YouTube page.



Good game BU, and I must say, I dig Redman Stadium under the lights at night. I'm probably way biased, but I can't imagine many other D2 stadiums being that nice, considering the artificial turf, the nice lights, and the mountains in the background. We're now 1-0 and we beat another really good team. Dan Latorre is a almost a lesser version of Tim Tebow with the way he runs the football out of the spread offense. Go Huskies!!!

Husky Barks: D-II Pre-Season Polls Released

The statement that my last post would be the last for the weekend did not take into account the fact that the D-II pre-season polls might be released today. Football season is right around the corner (believe it or not), and the D-II pre-season polls have been released. After last year's quarterfinal run, the Huskies are currently ranked #7 in the nation. And after a heart-breaking loss in the 2008 D-II National quarterfinals, I am hoping that my Huskies have what it takes to mke it to the National Semifinals, get on national TV, and maybe win the whole sha-bang. And just for shiggles, here is the rest of the Sporting News D-II Top 25.

1. Grand Valley State
2. Northwest Missouri State
3. Minnesota-Duluth
4. Delta State
5. Edinboro
6. Pittsburg State
7. Bloomsburg
8. Carson-Newman
9. Central Oklahoma
10. Central Washington
11. North Alabama
12. Tusculum
13. California (PA)
14. Ashlanda
15. Abilene Christian
16. Tuskegee
17. Chadron State
18. Minnesota State-Mankato
19. Valdosta State
20. Nebraska-Kearney
21. Seton Hill
22. Indiana (PA)
23. American International
24. Arkansas Tech
25. Shaw

It puts a big smile on my face to know that we are the highest ranked PSAC team, ahead even of the team that beat us in the National quarterfinals, California (PA). And while this news is a few months old, here is the 2009 schedule for the Bloomsburg University Huskies!

Aug. 27 ASHLAND 6 p.m.
Sept. 5 at California (PA) 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 at Mercyhurst 1 p.m.
Sept. 19 at Kutztown 6:05 p.m.
Sept. 26 CW POST Noon
Oct. 3 MILLERSVILLE 5 p.m.
Oct. 10 at East Stroudsburg 3:00 p.m.
Oct. 17 CHEYNEY (Homecoming) 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 SHIPPENSBURG 2:30 p.m.
Oct. 31 at West Chester 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 7 GANNON (or PSAC Championship) Noon

The best part about being a BU student and a fan of football, is that with my student ID, I get into the home games at beautiful Redman Stadium (complete with a mountain backdrop and the same kind of artificial turf that can be found at NFL Stadiums such as the Georgia Dome) absolutely free. It's so awesome and the stadium is so beautiful, and seeing as I don't normally get to Eagles games (actually, I've never been to a game at the Linc), this is the only time that I can see football live and I love it. And as more or less a creature of the night, I must say, I am digging the high number of late games. Sports under the lights is so much more special, dramatic, and fun than games during the day.

Husky Barks will become a more regular segment once football season begins as I will be watching our team very closely as BU looks to achieve the dream of every D-II school: having Pam Ward on your campus to call a National Semifinal game! Oh, and something about winning a national championship as well.