College Football Nation: Lennon Creer

Non-AQ Picks, Week 14

December, 2, 2010
12/02/10
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Upsets cost me all three games last week and I ended up 7-3 again. But hey, I nailed Akron’s first win of the season!

With a 86-48 overall record, bring on Week 14.

No. 11 Boise State 55, Utah State 10. This game could go two ways: the Broncos could sleepwalk their way through after their devastating 34-31 overtime loss last week to Nevada. Or they could absolutely dominate in their final home game of the season, to close out their stint in the WAC with a perfect home record. Betting on the latter.

No. 17 Nevada 35, Louisiana Tech 24. Nevada might suffer an emotional hangover after its big win, and Louisiana Tech is fighting for a bowl berth. The Bulldogs are at home, and with a win they become bowl eligible. Lennon Creer has been outstanding, and so has Phillip Livas. But Colin Kaepernick, Vai Taua and Rishard Matthews are going to be hard to stop for a team that allowed one-win San Jose State to score 38 last week.

No. 25 Northern Illinois 38, Miami (Ohio) 20 (Friday). The Huskies have won nine straight and are the heavy favorites headed into the MAC title game in Detroit. Meanwhile, Miami (Ohio) was the least likely team to make it this far, after going 1-11 last season. The combination of Chad Spann and Chandler Harnish is going to be too hard to stop. This offense has averaged 65 points in its last three games.

UCF 31, SMU 21. The Knights are in the Conference USA title game for the third time, while SMU is making its first appearance. UCF has the best defense in the conference, and is bigger and more physical along the line of scrimmage. That should help the Knights slow down Zach Line, who leads the league in rushing. SMU has struggled making big plays this season, and it will be tough sledding against UCF.

FIU 35, Middle Tennessee 28. The Panthers have won four straight and already clinched a share of the Sun Belt championship, while the Blue Raiders are playing for their bowl lives. A win for Middle Tennessee and they become bowl eligible. Dwight Dasher has been inconsistent, while FIU is playing with a confidence never before seen in this program.

UPSET SPECIAL: Fresno State 40, Illinois 35 (Friday). You know the Illini will be seeking revenge for what happened last season, when the Bulldogs won a wild 53-52 game after offensive lineman Devan Cunningham caught a deflected pass on a 2-point conversion with seconds left in the game. This has been a disappointing season for the Bulldogs, but three of their losses have been to AP Top 25 teams. Count on Logan Harrell and Chris Carter to be able to get pressure on Nathan Scheelhaase, and a big game from QB Ryan Colburn.

Hawaii 55, UNLV 13. The Warriors should become the sixth team in school history to win 10 games. Key stat to watch: Greg Salas needs eight receptions to break Davone Bess’ single-season record of 108 set in 2007 and 133 yards to eclipse Ashley Lelie’s single-season mark of 1,713 set in 2001. Also, can Alex Green get 300 yards rushing again?

Idaho 38, San Jose State 20. The Spartans got a huge game from Jordan La Secla last week in a loss to Louisiana Tech, but go into their season finale with just four healthy seniors available to play. The injury bug has been absolutely brutal. Idaho, meanwhile, has had a disappointing season after going to a bowl in 2009 but has more talent and depth to win.

Troy 28, FAU 17. The Owls got off to a rocky start this season, then fought their way back to near bowl eligibility before losing last week to Middle Tennessee. Though the Trojans have struggled and are having a subpar season by their standards, they have won six of their seven meetings with FAU and are playing for bowl positioning.

Non-AQ Weekend Rewind, Week 13

November, 29, 2010
11/29/10
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Let's take a look at the good and the bad for the non-AQs in Week 13.

The good: TCU completed its second straight undefeated regular season and is the flag bearer for non-AQS everywhere as the top team remaining in the BCS standings. Meanwhile, Nevada beat a Top 10 team for the first time in program history with its huge 34-31 overtime win over Boise State. But this weekend rewind would not be complete without a major hand clap for Akron and coach Rob Ianello, waiting until the very last game of the season for its first win, a 22-14 victory over Buffalo last Friday. Alex Allen posted his third straight 100-yard game, and Patrick Nicely threw for three touchdowns. The season will end without a winless team. ... FIU also made history with its first Sun Belt title and first bowl berth.

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Patrick Edwards
AP Photo/Zach LongPatrick Edwards and the Cougars ended the season on a four-game losing streak. The losses mean Houston will miss a bowl game for the first time in six years.
The bad: Houston, a preseason favorite to win Conference USA, ended the season on a four game losing streak and will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2004. The Cougars gave it a valiant effort, but in the end, the loss of Case Keenum was too much to overcome. The running game was never consistent, mainly because teams loaded the box and dared Houston to throw. When they did, true freshman David Piland put up a lot of yards, but also threw too many interceptions. During the four-game skid, he had 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. … Ohio (8-4) managed a season-low six points in a loss to Kent State with a berth in the MAC title game on the line. The Bobcats had four turnovers, 11 first downs and just 183 total yards. They had won seven straight going into the game and now await their bowl fate.

The offensive: Nine non-AQ teams scored 40 points or more this weekend, including five that scored 50-plus. Two of the wildest games were Tulsa beating Southern Miss 56-50 and Louisiana Tech beating San Jose State 45-38. In the Tulsa game, G.J. Kinne threw for 406 yards, while Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis had 371. The two teams combined for 1,197 yards and 56 first downs. In San Jose, the two teams combined for 1,001 yards and 50 first downs. San Jose State quarterback Jordan La Secla threw for 496 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while Louisiana Tech running back Lennon Creer ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns.

The heartache: Boise State may be 10-1, but it’s hard to imagine anybody is more heartbroken than the Broncos today. Their dreams of playing for a national championship have been dashed, and so has any hope of playing in a BCS game. You have to feel for kicker Kyle Brotzman, who missed two field goals, including one that would have won the game.

BYU also had its hearts broken on a missed kick in the Holy War against Utah. It was a wild game in Salt Lake City, featuring seven combined turnovers. The most costly for BYU came late in the game. Leading 16-10, Brandon Bradley intercepted Jordan Wynn with about five minutes to play. But he fumbled during the return and Utah recovered. Though TV replays showed his knee was down, the ruling on the field stood. Matt Asiata ended up scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Utes ahead 17-16. BYU had a chance to win it, but Mitch Payne’s 42-yard attempt was blocked by Brandon Burton. Interestingly, BYU was involved in a highly publicized instant replay error against San Diego State earlier this season. After finding a BYU employee and alumni were working the booth in that game, the Mountain West changed its rules and no longer allows alums or school employees to work instant replay during games involving their teams.

A few more helmet stickers: UNLV freshman kick returner Marcus Sullivan set a new UNLV single-game record for kick return yards with 224 yards in a loss to San Diego State. That ranks second in conference history. … North Texas running back Lance Dunbar set a career-high and had the sixth-best rushing performance in the nation this season with 270 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Kansas State. He scored a fourth touchdown on a 17-yard pass reception. Also in the Sun Belt, Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey now leads the nation in rushing with 1,649 total yards rushing.

Week 14 look ahead: Two conference championship games to look forward to: Miami (Ohio) versus Northern Illinois on Friday in the MAC and SMU versus UCF on Saturday in Conference USA. No. 17 Nevada plays Louisiana Tech, No. 11 Boise State plays Utah State and Hawaii plays UNLV. If all three win out, they share the WAC championship.

Non-AQ Helmet Stickers: Week 13

November, 28, 2010
11/28/10
12:49
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Time for a few non-AQ helmet stickers for Week 13:

Lennon Creer, Phillip Livas, Louisiana Tech. Creer ran for a career-high 252 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-38 win over San Jose State. Livas tied a NCAA record with an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown -- his eighth career combined kickoff/punt return for a score. Five other players also have reached the mark, most recently C.J. Spiller of Clemson last season.

Rishard Matthews, WR, Nevada. Matthews was instrumental in helping the No. 19 Wolf Pack upset No. 4 Boise State 34-31 on Friday night. He had a combined 216 yards of total offense with two touchdowns -- including a 7-yarder with 13 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Matthews finished with 10 catches for a career-high 172 yards -- just his second 100-yard game of the season.

Alex Green, RB, Hawaii. Set a school record with 327 yards rushing, in less than three quarters no less, in a 59-24 win over New Mexico State. He broke the old record of 270 yards, set by Pete Wilson in 1950. Green went had more than 1,000 yards on the season, the first Hawaii player to go over that mark since 1992.

Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. Ran for 152 yards on 19 carries to break the conference record for rushing yards by a freshman with 1,304 this season in a 48-14 win over UNLV.

Brandon Burton, CB, Utah. Blocked what would have been a game-winning 42-yard field goal on the final play of the game in a 17-16 win over BYU in the Holy War.

Eric Page, WR, Toledo. Accounted for five touchdowns in a 42-31 win over Central Michigan on Friday. Page scored on kickoff returns of 99 yards and 95 yards, becoming the first player in school history to score twice in one game on kickoff returns. His 99-yard return in the first quarter was the second-longest in school history. Page also caught touchdown passes for 9 and 25 yards and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to QB Terrance Owens.

G.J. Kinne, QB, Tulsa. Threw for 406 yards and scored six touchdowns in a 56-50 win over Southern Miss on Friday night. Kinne threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more as the Golden Hurricane closed their season on a six-game winning streak.

Darin Davis, LB, Middle Tennessee. Had two interceptions and returned them for a combined Sun Belt-record 101 yards in a 38-14 win over FAU to keep the Blue Raiders' bowl chances alive.
On Wednesday we looked at the top quarterbacks transferring from schools from automatic qualifying conferences to non-AQ schools, and a today we’re going to look at some of the top running backs.

Here are my top five running back transfers from AQ schools:

Sam McGuffie, Rice: As a true freshman at Michigan in 2008, McGuffie led the Wolverines in rushing with 486 yards and three touchdowns. He also missed three games with an injury. McGuffie, combined with Miami quarterback transfer Taylor Cook, could make Rice a feared offensive team in Conference USA. McGuffie can run, catch and return kicks. He might be the best weapon the Owls have this spring.

Lennon Creer, Louisiana Tech: Creer transferred from Tennessee after head coach Lane Kiffin arrived in 2009. Creer had played two seasons for the Volunteers and appeared in 24 total games. In 2008, he rushed for 388 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll have a prime opportunity to earn the starting role this spring with the Bulldogs looking for a new running back to replace Daniel Porter. Sophomore Tyrone Duplessis will be his primary competition, and it will be interesting to see how the running game is used with the Bulldogs’ new spread offensive system.

Aundre Dean, TCU: Dean came from UCLA last year as a Parade All-American running back, but this spring he’ll be trying his hand at safety. TCU is loaded at running back and Dean probably would have seen spot time behind Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker. But the Horned Frogs are thin at safety and it’s an opportunity for Dean to play. Plus, the TCU coaching staff has proved time and time again that it has a knack for placing players in positions that accentuate their abilities.

Cameron Bell, Northern Illinois: Chad Spann is the starting running back, but the Huskies were most effective last season when they had a two-headed attack. Me’co Brown, who was the No. 2 back, returns, but he’s had some injury and family issues that have limited his playing time. The door is open for Bell, an Iowa State transfer, to compete for playing time and help the Huskies re-establish the two-headed monster. But there will be a lot of competition in the backfield this spring with junior college transfer Jasmin Hopkins, Ricky Crider and Antoine Kirkand.

Raymond Carter, Colorado State: Carter is another former UCLA running back looking for a home. However, finding one with Colorado State this year won’t be easy. The Rams return both leading rushers in John Mosure and Leonard Mason, and 92 percent of last year’s rushing yards. The Colorado State backfield is crowded with Lou Greenwood and Chris Nwoke also competing this spring. Carter was a highly rated back out of high school and saw action in seven games during his freshman year at UCLA. However, he had just 51 yards and a touchdown in that first season.
Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

A couple notes as we head into the second half of the summer.

Former Tennessee running back Lennon Creer is expected to join Louisiana Tech this week.

There was some speculation that Creer, who transferred from Tennessee in April because of the coaching change, would join the Bulldogs in early June, but he is expected to enroll in the second semester of summer school.

Creer was the Vols' second-leading rusher in 2008 with 388 yards and four touchdowns. Per NCAA transfer rules, he'll sit out the 2009 season and still have two years of eligibility remaining.

Creer is the second player the Bulldogs have snagged from Tennessee. In June, sophomore wide receiver Ahmad Paige transferred to Louisiana Tech. He'll also miss the 2009 season and have two years of eligibility beginning in 2010.

Jarboe on track to play

Troy receiver Josh Jarboe, who was arrested in January after being charged with misdemeanor harassment, is on track to play in the fall.

Charges against Jarboe were dropped and he is currently listed as a second-team receiver.

Vols' Creer leaves team

April, 2, 2009
4/02/09
11:46
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Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Lennon Creer, Tennessee's leading returning rusher from a year ago, has quit the team.

Coach Lane Kiffin said he met with Creer and that Creer didn't want to be a part of the team any longer.

Creer came to Tennessee as a highly rated prospect out of Texas, but only played in spots the last two years.

The Vols are going to be extremely deep at the tailback position next fall, especially with freshmen Bryce Brown and David Oku arriving this summer. Brown was rated by Scouts Inc. as the No. 2 running back prospect in the country.

It's also been a big spring for senior Montario Hardesty, who looks as good as he has in some time. The challenge for Hardesty is staying healthy, something he's rarely done at Tennessee. Sophomore Tauren Poole is another tailback who's shown promise this spring. The Vols like his ability to run between the tackles.

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