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College Football Capsules: Look for 'big boy' football in BCS title game
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — No. 1 LSU (13-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama (11-1), 8:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Line: Alabama by 1 1/2.
Series Record: Alabama leads 45-25-5.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The national championship, of course. Even though No. 3 Oklahoma State is clinging to hope of finishing first in The Associated Press rankings should Alabama grind out an unimpressive win, it seems likely the winner will be on the field Monday night in New Orleans. The Crimson Tide is going for its second title in three years, while LSU hopes to finish on top for the second time in five seasons. No matter the outcome, the Southeastern Conference is sure to be a winner, becoming the first league to put two teams in the BCS title game and having already won an unprecedented five straight championships. A sixth is now assured.
KEY MATCHUP
Alabama running back Trent Richardson vs. LSU's front seven. Richardson finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting after rushing for 1,583 yards, the second-most in school history. But he was held to 89 yards on 23 carries in the Tide's 9-6 overtime loss to LSU on Nov. 5, one of only three times this season he failed to reach 100 yards. The Tigers allowed just 85.5 yards per game on the ground, ranking third in the nation behind the Crimson Tide and Florida State.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alabama: Kickers Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster combined to miss four field-goal attempts in Alabama's loss to LSU during the regular season. In a rematch featuring probably the best defenses in the country, the duo figures to get more chances — especially in a bowl season where kickers have played a huge role. Shelley connected on 16 of 20 this season, but none longer than 37 yards. Foster has the stronger leg and usually takes the longer tries, but he's made only 2 of 9.
LSU: Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, just 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, has been a game changer for the Tigers. "Honey Badger" was a Heisman finalist as a sophomore, leading the team in tackles (70), ranking first in the nation in fumble recoveries (five) and third in forced fumbles (six). He returned two of the fumbles for TDs. In addition, he's a huge threat on special teams, ranking second nationally with a 16.2-yard average on punt returns, including two more scores.
FACTS & FIGURES
LSU is 13-0 for the first time in school history. ... The Tigers defeated eight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at the time. ... Alabama ranks third nationally in fewest penalties per game with an average of four ... Richardson set a school-record with 20 touchdowns. ... Over the last 12 games against FBS opponents, Alabama has allowed an average of 45 yards rushing per game. LSU had 148 yards rushing against Alabama, the most by any FBS team this season. FCS member Georgia Southern, with its triple-option offense, ran for 302 yards against the Tide. ... Tide LB Courtney Upshaw leads the team with 8.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. ..The last time LSU and Alabama played at a neutral site was 1958. The Tigers beat the Tide 13-3 in Mobile, Ala., and won the national championship. ... LSU CB Morris Claiborne, the Thorpe Award winner as the nation's best defensive back, leads the team with six interceptions.
Guide to the BCS national title game
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — So you are planning to watch the BCS championship Monday night between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama but maybe you're not the biggest college football fan. We've got you covered with everything you need for a well-informed and enjoyable game-watching experience.
SUITING UP
As an ode to the late, great Alabama coach Paul Bryant, Crimson Tide fans are fond of wearing clothing with a Houndstooth pattern to match the Bear's famous hat. So if you want to feel like a real 'Bama backer, you might want to raid your grandfather's closet.
LSU fans like to accessorize with Mardi Gras beads, especially when their team is playing in New Orleans, its home away from its Baton Rouge home. How you go about getting those Mardi Gras beads is your own business.
MASCOTS
Alabama's Big Al is a student in an elephant costume. LSU's Mike the Tiger is a 6-year-old Bengal/Siberian mix with a 15,000-square feet habitat on campus that includes large oak trees and a waterfall.
Advantage, LSU.
RALLY CRIES
For Alabama fans, "Roll Tide" is used as a greeting. Or a compliment. Or a threat. Or a proclamation. Or an exclamation. It is both a question and an answer. If you've seen the ESPN commercial showing the varied and odd ways Alabama fans use the phrase, understand this: That was NOT an exaggeration.
LSU's "Tiger Bait" call has a far less ambiguous meaning: "We plan to feed you to Mike."
S-E-C!
Alabama and LSU both play in the Southeastern Conference, making this the first BCS title game between league rivals — from any league.
It's an article of faith down here that the SEC is the greatest college football conference in the history of the world and the only current conference that actually allows tackling. Six straight national championships (including whichever school wins Monday) makes it a little hard to argue with that.
REMATCH?
LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in what was dubbed the Game of the Century. It was an epic struggle so dazzling and thrilling the public demanded a rematch. And by the public we mean Alabama fans.
NATIONAL TITLES
At some point you might hear that Alabama claims 13 national titles, more than any program in the country. It's a claim fans of other teams tend to roll their eyes at because it includes four from before there were major polls handing out championships in 1936, and another in 1941 that was bequeathed to a two-loss Crimson Tide team by the Houlgate System. Tide fans argue all national titles are mythical. Skeptics counter that some are more mythical than others.
LSU has won three national titles (1958, 2003, 2007), but even that comes with some controversy. The Tigers were BCS champions in '03 under then-coach Nick Saban, but Southern California was No. 1 in both polls before the bowls. When LSU beat Oklahoma in the BCS title game, it made the Tigers No. 1 in the coaches' poll. USC was voted No. 1 in The Associated Press media poll, which was then part of the BCS formula.
WARNING: Do not ask an LSU fan about that SPLIT national title with USC.
SPEAKING OF SPLIT TITLES
Yes, it is possible that LSU could lose the game and be voted No. 1 in the AP poll. It may not be the most likely scenario, but if Alabama wins a very close game under fluky and/or controversial circumstances the Tigers absolutely could be crowned national champions by the AP voters. So if you're looking for an endless debate and messy finish to what has been a messy and scandal-ridden college football season, pull for a 10-9 victory by Alabama.
UNCLE LES vs. SAINT NICK
The man in the white hat is usually considered the good guy in those cowboy movies, and it seems appropriate that LSU coach Les Miles never coaches a game without his white cap.
No offense to Alabama coach Nick Saban, with his perfect hair and glittering record, but Miles does comes across as more approachable and affable when he's doing that flat-handed clap on the sideline and talking about his players "want" — meaning desire — to compete.
On the other hand, Saban might not be warm and fuzzy but surely some Alabama fans vote to canonize him.
HEISMAN FINALISTS
If a running back could be genetically engineered, the result would likely be Alabama All-American Trent Richardson. The 224-pound junior ran for 1,583 yards, scored 23 touchdowns, finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and can squat 600 pounds. To sum up, Richardson is a bad, bad man with the ball in his hands. This will likely be his last game with Alabama. Next stop, first-round NFL draft pick.
LSU defensive Tyrann Mathieu would do well in those Allstate insurance TV commercials. He is mayhem for opponents. The sophomore forced six fumbles and recovered five, made two interceptions and scored four touchdowns, two on punt returns. He finished fifth in the Heisman voting.
And maybe you've heard, they call him Honey Badger, which somehow never gets old. Unless you're Mathieu and you have to answer questions about it all the time.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL
Running backs struggling to get past the line of scrimmage. Receivers being laid out. Quarterbacks throwing the ball away. All to be followed by long punts from LSU All-American Brad Wing.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN ALABAMA HAS THE BALL
See above, but substitute missed field goal attempts for long punts.
WHO WINS?
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
-- Ralph D. Russo
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Les Miles squeezed out a smile, clenched his left hand nervously and extended his right hand toward Nick Saban. The coaches got in an awkward grasp, forced a bit of small talk, and then posed for the cameras behind the crystal trophy that only one of them can hoist toward the Superdome roof come Monday night.
This was the last of their pregame obligations — one final chance for Miles to deflect a query about whether top-ranked LSU is the favorite to make it to the BCS title NEXT YEAR, one more opportunity for Saban to show he's got a life beyond his stranglehold on the storied program at No. 2 Alabama (turns out he does, if watching the Weather Channel qualifies).
Now, let's get down to business. LSU vs. Alabama, Part II. The BCS championship.
This time, it's for all the marbles. Really.
The teams already met two months ago in Tuscaloosa, a so-called Game of the Century that was more of a Brawl in the Backyard, a brutal slugfest that sent both teams scurrying for the training room the next day and left fans around the country feeling a bit cheated by an old-fashioned defensive struggle in a college game now dominated by point-a-minute offenses.
Neither team made it to the end zone in that first meeting, even with the benefit of extra time. LSU won a battle of field goals, claiming a 9-6 overtime victory and stealing away the top spot in the rankings from the Crimson Tide.
Everyone expects more scoring in the rematch, but there's no way it's turning into one of those back-and-forth shootouts we've seen so many times this bowl season.
"I'd expect it to be big-boy football," Miles said Sunday during his time on podium.
LSU (13-0) has already put up a body of work that clearly establishes it as the nation's best team. In addition to that Nov. 5 win at Alabama, the Tigers have victories over two other major bowl champions, Rose Bowl winner Oregon and Orange Bowl champ West Virginia. In all, they've knocked off eight teams that were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, with only three of those games in Baton Rouge.
"The only team I've told them not to schedule is the Green Bay Packers," Miles quipped.
Maybe it's only appropriate for the Tigers to find one more daunting challenge standing in the way of a championship season — a great team they've already beaten.
"When we take the field, we'll be an emotional, fired-up football team," Miles vowed.
Alabama (11-1) didn't even make the championship game of the Southeastern Conference, but the Crimson Tide managed to sneak back into the national title race when Oklahoma State lost late in the season. In the strangest of twists, Saban's team will be the one celebrating its second national title in three years with a mere split of the season series with LSU.
Perhaps sensing just how fortuitous Alabama was to get a do-over, Saban wants his players to seize the moment.
"I would like for them to focus on the opportunity, not the pressure part," he said, "so that they really are zeroed into the mental practice and the things that when they go out there and play, they're going to be confident in doing their job the way they need to do it to have success."
That sort of robotic talk is typical of Saban, who spits out championship teams with assembly line precision, devoid of any flair. While Miles' disjointed grammar and goofy antics make it difficult to take him seriously at times, there are no such issues with Saban. He's all business, mixed in with a healthy dose of fear and autocracy.
"He's not like that all the time. He does have a personality," junior Robert Lester said. "But he's hard on us because he wants us to get the job done. On the field, he demands what he wants. By doing so, the guys go out there and try to do it perfect to please him. It works. You can tell, because we're playing in the national championship game again. When you come here, you've got to buy into the program. That's part of it. We've bought in and had success."
Saban did break character a few times Sunday. When someone's cell phone went off in the back of the room with a loud song, the coach interjected, "Is that a little Al Green? Turn it up, man." He drew laughs when telling how he grilled anyone who wanted to go out on a date with his daughter. "None of them ever really answered me," he said, managing a slight smile. "They were so intimidated so I never got much good information."
Saban even revealed the morning routine he has with his wife.
"We get up at 6:15 every day and watch the Weather Channel for about 30 minutes before we start our day," Saban said. "I get most of my marching orders in that 30-minute segment of what we should do or how I should do it or why it's important to do it that way, what I need to talk to the team about. I get coached up very well in that 30-minute segment of the Weather Channel."
He might want to see if there's a Kicking Channel. Alabama likely would have won the first meeting with LSU if not for the dismal performance by its two kickers. Cade Foster botched three field-goal attempts, including a 52-yarder after the Tide went the wrong way with its overtime possession. Jeremy Shelley also missed.
Given these are two defenses that take it personally when someone gets close to the goal line, Foster and Shelley are likely to be called on again in the championship game. But the Alabama offense hopes to make it a little easier on them this time. Foster's other misses were from 44 and 50 yards. Shelley failed to convert on a 49-yarder, far beyond his normal range.
"We've got to get them closer. We've got to get them kicking extra points. We can't be going for three points every time," Alabama lineman William Vlachos said. "Obviously, it's not the kickers' fault when we're throwing them out there for 50-yarders every time. That's on the offense, that's on the defense, that's on everyone else but the kickers. As a team, we're not putting the blame on them, that's for sure."
No one doubts the Alabama defense, which wouldn't look that out of place in the NFL with 260-pound linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw. The Crimson Tide led the nation in every major category, allowing a minuscule 8.8 points a game.
LSU, with not one but two All-American cornerbacks in Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu and Morris Claiborne, isn't far behind. The Tigers have allowed the second-fewest points (10.5) and are no lower than sixth in the other three major rankings.
While those who prefer high-scoring games might be flipping around the dial Monday night, these teams aren't apologizing to anyone. In fact, they give rave reviews to LSU-Alabama I.
"I thought it was beautiful," Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said. "That was grown men out there battling. It was the most physical game since I've been at Alabama. It was brutal — the pounding, all the big hits."
That game also marked a turning point for LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson. He began the senior year of his checkered college career with a four-game suspension, punished for his involvement in a bar fight, but took over when Jarrett Lee threw a pair of interceptions against the Tide. Jefferson guided the Tigers to their biggest victory and started the final four games.
Another win over the Tide, he said, "will make my legacy at LSU that much sweeter."
Miles veered away from a question about whether one more victory would stamp LSU as one of the best teams in college football history. Jefferson had no such qualms.
"If we do win this game, I think we will go down as the greatest team," he said.
Commentary: Title game brings closure to long season
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The moment was about as stilted as it could get, though Les Miles and Nick Saban certainly knew the routine. They posed stiffly for the photographers, smiles fixed on their faces and the BCS trophy between them, even though everyone in the room except the BCS bigwigs who crowded into the photo op knew they would both rather be somewhere — make that anywhere — else.
The title game between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama was little more than a day away, 32 hours as Miles kept reminding everyone, yet there was still work to be done. There always is for football coaches and, mercifully enough, the last public appearance before the game by the two coaching heavyweights was finally over.
Mercifully enough, soon the college football season will be, too.
It comes to an end in a dome just a short drive down Interstate 10 from Baton Rouge, making it almost a home game for the team almost everyone outside Alabama believes is the best in the country. It comes to an end in a yet another game between two SEC heavyweights, the third time in 14 months that LSU and Alabama have played each other.
That it may not end with a clear national champion isn't surprising because the system is deeply flawed. Always will be until a team like Oklahoma State or even Boise State has a chance to battle its way through a playoff to get into the title game.
The people who run the BCS will tell you otherwise, arguing that the cartel has done more to elevate the college game than Knute Rockne ever did while prowling the sidelines at Notre Dame. They claim interest in the postseason has never been higher, even while they match teams like West Virginia and Clemson and run a system that makes the BCS title game little more than a second SEC championship game.
Fans, though, seem to be catching on.
They're tired of a bloated bowl season, fed up with mismatches dictated not by records but by conference affiliation. They're voting against the BCS series the only way they know how — by staying home and watching something else on television.
Bowl attendance was down this season, and that's not the biggest story. The Rose Bowl had its lowest television ratings in history, Orange Bowl ratings dropped 37 percent from last year, and Sugar Bowl viewership was almost non-existent. Even the Fiesta Bowl — won by Oklahoma State over Stanford in an overtime thriller — was the third-least viewed of the past decade.
And to cap it all off we get a title game that feels so yesterday. Not only are LSU and Alabama in the same SEC division, a game between them went into overtime in November without either school scoring a touchdown. It's a little tough for fans to get excited about a rematch that requires a deep appreciation of defensive line play and the kicking game.
It's on Jan. 9 to boot, long after New Year's hangovers are forgotten, and — more importantly — after the NFL playoffs have already begun. The biggest show in college football wasn't even the biggest show in town over an extended weekend where it seemed every other person was wearing a Drew Brees jersey and the Superdome was rocking as the Saints beat Detroit to open the playoffs.
Maybe that's why Miles felt the need to hype the game just a bit before posing for photographers.
"I expect it to be big boy football," the LSU coach said. "It will be a game representative of two quality football teams."
That's a given, considering these are the two best teams in the best football conference there is. This will be the sixth time in a row a SEC team has won the BCS title game, leading some to joke that the only way an SEC team will lose the title game is to play another SEC team.
Not hard to see why. The SEC has $5 million a year coaches, and programs that bring in $100 million a year. It has football traditions that run deep into the fabric of society throughout the South, and it has its way whenever decisions are made in the BCS cartel.
It also has athletes that other conferences can only dream about, linebackers with speed who are the size of defensive ends on other teams.
"I feel like the players are a little bit more versatile and athletic," said Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who is one of those players. "We don't find too many guys that weigh 260 pounds that can run a 4.6 or 4.5 in any other conference or guy that weighs 200 pounds that can bench press 500."
Whether that translates into a good football game remains to be seen. Unlike last year, there's no Cam Newton, no LaMichael James to stir offensive excitement. The quarterbacks on both sides are suspect, and the fact both teams know each other so well could limit the offense even more.
In an era of spread offenses and teams scoring 62 points in a game, this figures to be a throwback to the hard nose defenses of earlier times. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does tend to turn off the casual fan who tunes in to see touchdown celebrations.
Don't blame Alabama or LSU for that. They play a style, and it's main the reason they play so often in the title game.
Blame the BCS, though, for dragging the whole thing out so long that nothing about this championship game feels special.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org.
Montgomery, Mingo form LSU's imposing sack attack
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At the first flinch by the opposing offensive line, Barkevious Mingo tears off the corner with sprinter's speed, setting his sights squarely on the quarterback.
Once the LSU defensive end has dumped the QB to the turf, Mingo turns and starts running again. His pass rushing buddy, Sam Montgomery, is usually right on his heels, eager to celebrate.
"He doesn't really give hugs. He like, fights you. He'll punch you in the chest, and he's just crazy," Mingo said, laughing. "So you run away. You get a sack and then you run."
Montgomery and Mingo form LSU's sack attack, perhaps the most fearsome tandem of defensive ends in the SEC, if not the nation. Their unique combination of speed and power helped the top-ranked Tigers rack up a league-leading 37 sacks this season, a big part of the reason LSU ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring defense.
Now the Tigers' season of dominance will conclude Monday night against No. 2 Alabama in the BCS title game.
"They got a little swagger to their defense," Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker said. "Their defense is good. They come out there ready to play. That's the main thing about them."
Swagger, yes, but also the physical tools to play on college football's biggest stage.
Montgomery earned second-team All-SEC honors after finishing third in the league with nine sacks, the fourth-best total in school history. He also had 13 tackles for loss, again ranking near the top of the SEC, and proved that he had rebounded from a knee injury that ended his freshman season.
Mingo was a track star in high school and even now runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, the kind of speed that running backs carry with them to the NFL. Eight times this season he sacked the quarterback — eight times he had to turn and scurry away from Montgomery's pursuit.
"He just loves his teammates. He'll look after us," Mingo said. "He'll bring us food like he did last week. He brought some pizza in for the whole defensive line."
A tough defensive front is hardly new for LSU. In fact, the school has established a reputation of sending guys to the professional ranks.
The Tigers had two players picked in last year's NFL draft, Drake Nevis and Lazarius Levingston, pushing the total selected over the past five years to nine. That includes Tyson Jackson, who was third overall in 2009, and Glenn Dorsey, picked fifth overall the previous year.
Montgomery considered joining them in the pros. He's a redshirt sophomore and would have been eligible to enter the draft, but he announced this week that he'll be back for another year in Baton Rouge — another year chasing quarterbacks, and his good buddy on the other end of the line.
"Me and Mingo complement each other very much," Montgomery said. "You have a guy like myself who's power and speed, but then you have Mingo who's very strong and quick. Our whole defensively line complements each other so very great on the pass rush."
Montgomery grew up in South Carolina playing basketball, but eventually he grew tired of waiting for the season to start. Boredom would set in while he hung out in the gym after school, shooting hoops alone.
Eventually, a bunch of guys on the football team, including current South Carolina safety D.J. Swearinger, goaded him into trying out. Then they said that he only wanted to play football to be part of their state championship, which they had won the season before and planned to again.
"I told them to their face, and they can remember this moment, I said, 'You know what guys? I might not win a state championship, but one day I will win a national championship, and you all will not hear the end of it,'" Montgomery recalled. "You all can have your little state ring."
His other source of inspiration is rooted in a tragic story. Montgomery's brother, John Darrel Adams, who was six years older than him. Adams was working as a bouncer at a club in Columbia, S.C., when he was shot to death shortly before Montgomery enrolled in Baton Rouge. While Montgomery acknowledges his brother had problems, "he always tried to teach me good things."
On campus, Montgomery admits that he comes off as a bit, well, flighty.
He watches cartoons, draws inspiration from the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, and teammate T-Bob Hebert opines that "he's definitely got a few screws loose in his head."
By contrast, Mingo is all business.
He was honored for the best performance in LSU's offseason program, and again for the best job in spring practice. Now, he's racking up awards for an exemplary sophomore season.
"I take great pride in playing great defense," Mingo said. "Being a defensive player, you don't like points getting put on you. That's our main goal."
That's something that LSU has done well all season.
It's something they plan to do one more time Monday night against the Crimson Tide.
"Strength is there in both of these programs, attitude is there in both of these programs, so it comes down to the real little things," Montgomery said. "The first team to make a mistake, you know, busts an assignment, that's going to be the key play of the game."
-- Dave Skretta
Alabama's McElwain tackling LSU defense, new job
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jim McElwain sported a blazer, a mock turtleneck and a smile while surveying the festivities at BCS media day.
After all, No. 2 Alabama's offensive coordinator has a shot at being part of a second national championship team in four seasons on the job when the Crimson Tide face No. 1 LSU on Monday night. Then, before the confetti stops swirling and the champagne stops flowing, he'll board a plane with Colorado State officials to embark on his first head coaching job.
Who needs sleep?
McElwain's days have gone something like this, he says: "Usually, 6 to midnight Alabama and then until I fall asleep late, late at night" attending to matters at Colorado State.
His to-do list:
1. Prepare to face the nation's No. 2 defense and All-American cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne.
2. Deal with media obligations that usually are a non-issue since the boss, Nick Saban, only makes assistants available to reporters during the season under BCS or bowl game mandates.
3. Work on assembling a coaching staff and assorted other duties for Colorado State.
"A lot of the contacts are out on the West Coast so you gain an hour calling back there," he said.
McElwain has been pulling double duty for nearly a month since accepting a five-year deal with the Rams, worth $1.35 million annually, plus bonuses.
His final challenge with the Tide is a doozie. After all, the McElwain-led offense barely sniffed the end zone Alabama's first meeting with LSU this season, a 9-6 overtime loss that left him seeking comfort from his pet dog — who hadn't seen the stat sheet.
"All I can say is thank God that my dog Clarabelle was there, because she didn't know that we didn't score and she was excited to see me when I got home," McElwain joked. "That did lift my spirits a little bit."
His spirits are pretty high now, even facing a loaded defense with ends that can outrun many linebackers and matching All-Americans blanketing his much-less heralded receiving corps.
The offense has quietly flourished for the most part on a team that is dominated by the defense of Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. The Tide is averaging 36.0 points a game, third in the Southeastern Conference. No Alabama team has averaged more points since Bear Bryant's 1973 squad ran up 38.8 points a game.
The Tide has committed a nation's best 1.08 turnovers a game since McElwain replaced Major Applewhite after the 2007 season. That's the kind of number that Saban can wrap his arms around.
"He's worked as hard as anybody as I've ever had coach for us in our program, and I certainly appreciate the job he has done," Saban said. "He is very conscientious, he is really driven to do well, he's a perfectionist in a lot of ways. He takes it as hard as anybody if things don't work out the way he'd like for them to or we don't get the kind of results we'd like to get. He's done a fantastic job and I'm sure he'll be great head coach at Colorado State."
Saban has helped McElwain with the juggling act, reaching back to his own experience before leaving the NFL's Cleveland Browns for Michigan State. During recruiting periods, McElwain has been allowed to devote some of his efforts toward potential future Rams.
The remote Saban and the affable McElwain have been an interesting but effective pairing. McElwain's players aren't worried about him not giving this game his best, and speak fondly of him.
"He's our coach. He'll always be our coach even if he does leave," quarterback AJ McCarron said. "Everybody loves him to death. He's a great guy. Coach Mac's focused on this game.
"We want to send him out on a good note."
Left tackle Barrett Jones said McElwain has been "all about Alabama." At least while Jones is awake.
"I see him up there working late, late hours," the Outland Trophy winner said. "He's not thinking about Colorado, he's breaking down LSU game film."
Alabama's spot in the title game has been a nice bonus for Colorado State in publicity and recruiting.
Rams athletic director Jack Graham, who traveled to New Orleans for the game, said he and McElwain quickly agreed that the coach should remain through his final game.
"That's what I would call a nice problem to have," Graham said.
It will be an adjustment beyond the new title and duties for a guy going from a program that has won 47 games the past four seasons. Colorado State fired Steve Fairchild after a third straight 3-9 record.
Graham envisions McElwain bringing a hard-nosed style that helps make the Rams a group that "other teams might not look forward to playing" and helping to change the culture.
"We're not out to win a press conference or win a media battle," Graham said. "I want to win on the football field."
That's McElwain's goal Monday night, too. That way, Clarabelle won't be the only one from Tuscaloosa with warm and fuzzy feelings toward him.
-- John Zenor
Honey Badger narrator picking LSU in title game
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Honey Badger don't care.
Randall does. He'll be cheering for LSU in the BCS championship game.
A self-described nature enthusiast who only gives his first name, Randall told The Associated Press on Sunday that he's picking the top-ranked Tigers and their All-American cornerback and returner, Tyrann Mathieu — the guy who's been nicknamed the "Honey Badger" for his fearless play.
"Jumping and leaping and doing the things he does, it's crazeee!" Randall said in a telephone interview from his Southern California home, sounding just as excited and awestruck as he does in his famous video. "He just plays with such heart and such vigor. It's just very exciting. To me, that embodies the honey badger. He just takes whatever he wants and nothing is going to stop him."
Randall, of course, became a viral Internet sensation with his hilarious narration of a staid nature video showing the honey badger, an African creature once described by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fiercest animal in the world.
The video has received more than 31 million hits on YouTube and sparked a cottage industry that includes T-shirts, a television commercial and a book coming out Jan. 24, "Honey Badger Don't Care," Randall's guide to 10 of the craziest, nastiest animals in the wild.
Mathieu is only 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, but he was a Heisman finalist as a sophomore and starred for the Tigers on both defense and special teams, scoring four touchdowns and creating havoc all over the field. Just like a honey badger might do, if the little creature knew how to return punts instead of chasing jackals and fighting cobras.
Early on, Mathieu wasn't exactly thrilled about his new nickname. But he came to embrace it when both he and his namesake emerged as national sensations. The Tigers (13-0) will face No. 2 Alabama (11-1) in the title game Monday night at the Superdome.
"Honey badger is such a relentless animal," Mathieu said. "He's fierce. And he definitely doesn't fear anything. So I just try to take the same approach to the field, and just try to play smart and violent football for my team."
According to Randall, the moniker is a perfect fit for Mathieu.
"I have never seen anyone in any sport who has dominated to the point he has," Randall said. "He is very worthy of that nickname. He really just does whatever he wants. It's crazeee!"
While Randall concedes that he's not much of a football fan, he has come to like the Tigers this season and even had a vision about who's going to win the championship game.
"It came to me in a dream," he said. "I don't know what's going on, but I swear in this dream I'm watching the game and I saw the final score after the fourth quarter of the game was done. LSU was on top, 35-10."
Randall said his father was a cameraman on Mutual of Omaha's long-running show "Wild Kingdom," which sparked his interest in nature. His friends soon recognized a natural gift for witty (if profanity-spiked) narration, which he uses to give his own take on sometimes dull videos featuring the honey badger and all sorts of other exotic animals.
But it's that snarling little creature, which Randall marvels "is about the size of a Jack Russell," that captured everyone's imagination. Maybe the honey badger's popularity stems from the tough economic times so many people have been through.
"When you stop and realize what's going on in our society, it kind of makes sense," Randall said. "This animal really struck a nerve with the people. I think the people can't get enough of it. Finally, here's this animal that's just not gonna take it anymore. That's where we're headed. A lot of folks are fed up with the situation they've been given in this country."
While some may argue that other animals are more fearless, Randall has no doubts that honey badger stands alone.
"The same feeling I get when I'm watching Tyrann play, that's what I get when I'm watching honey badger," Randall said. "There's no other animal that comes to mind that's this aggressive. It really sets out to get what it wants. It doesn't really care about anyone else in the animal kingdom. I was blown away when I saw that video.
"I've seen normal wildlife films of lions attacking gazelles and gross stuff like that. But the little honey badger is getting stung by bees and bitten by cobras and it just gets back up and keeps walking. I've never seen anything like that. It's unbelievable. I'm just in awe on the honey badger. Absolute awe."
-- Paul Newberry
Other College Football Capsules
Northern Illinois beats Arkansas State
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Hobbled by a bum ankle, Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish couldn't put on his usual one-man offensive show. But the fifth-year senior knows when to delegate, and receiver Martel Moore was more than willing to pick up the slack.
Moore caught eight passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, and Northern Illinois rallied for a 38-20 victory over Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Sunday night.
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound junior from San Antonio, Texas, had 523 yards receiving all season until Sunday's monster performance. Harnish was more than happy to cede the spotlight.
"This is a storybook ending," Harnish said. "The way we came out and beat a great Arkansas State team is something we ought to be proud of."
The late-night game ended with a midnight celebration for the Huskies at midfield. It sure didn't start so well.
The Huskies trailed 13-0 late in the first quarter, but the Mid-American Conference champions scored 31 unanswered points on the way to their ninth straight victory. It was the third time this season Northern Illinois (11-3) rallied from a double-digit deficit to win.
Arkansas State (10-3) had its nine-game winning streak snapped. The Sun Belt champions couldn't overcome five turnovers — including three interceptions thrown by Ryan Aplin.
Harnish completed 18 of 36 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns in his final college game. He came in as the nation's top rushing quarterback, averaging 106.3 yards per game, but was limited to minus-3 yards on the ground.
Arkansas State jumped out early, but the score was almost disappointing considering the Red Wolves had to settle for two short field goals instead of touchdowns. Brian Davis connected on kicks from 32 and 36 yards before Aplin scored on a 2-yard run.
The missed opportunities kept Northern Illinois close, and after some early trouble on offense, the Huskies made their move.
"We stopped beating ourselves and started playing our game," NIU coach Dave Doeren said. "Our coaches called an aggressive game and we made a couple of plays that swung the momentum. Two scores is nothing for us. We've been down way more than that this year."
Harnish hit Perez Ashford on a 9-yard touchdown pass two plays after a disputed spot on fourth down kept the drive alive, pulling the Huskies to 13-7 just before the end of the first quarter.
The Huskies briefly lost Harnish because of his injured left ankle early in the second quarter, but backup Jordan Lynch engineered a 7-play, 78-yard drive that ended with his 3-yard touchdown run. That gave NIU a 14-13 lead with 4:49 left in the first half.
Harnish returned to lead the Huskies on another touchdown drive just before halftime. Doeren gambled on the final play of the drive, going for the touchdown with 2 seconds remaining instead of a point-blank field goal try. It worked, as Jamal Womble plowed forward for a 1-yard touchdown that gave Northern Illinois a 21-13 halftime lead.
Arkansas State was called for a pivotal roughing-the-kicker penalty on a fourth down that extended the drive.
Arkansas State was coached by David Gunn, who took over in an interim role after Hugh Freeze left for Mississippi. Both Freeze and the Red Wolves' new coach — former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — watched the game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but were powerless to help as Northern Illinois rallied for the victory.
"Our kids came ready to play, and I am proud of them," Gunn said. "Many things have transpired over the last 30 days, but these young men have shown great resolve over that period of time."
Arkansas State briefly regained momentum early in the third quarter after Chaz Scales intercepted Harnish's pass, but Northern Illinois got the ball back three plays later when Jhony Faustin intercepted Aplin. On the next play, Harnish threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Moore to extend the lead to 28-13.
Arkansas State briefly pulled within 31-20 on Aplin's 16-yard touchdown pass to Stockemer, but Northern Illinois responded with an interception that Dechane Durante returned for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Aplin completed 30 of 58 passes for 353 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Taylor Stockemer caught 11 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
"We had a couple of big plays early," Stockemer said. "But we just made a couple mistakes and got out of rhythm, and I don't think we ever got it back."
Northern Illinois' victory helped the MAC finish with a 4-1 record in bowl games.
-- David Brandt
New PSU coach O'Brien meets Nittany Lions
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A smiling Matt McGloin's eyes lit up when asked about new Penn State coach Bill O'Brien's star pupil at his other job.
After finishing up his duties as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach of the New England Patriots through the NFL postseason, O'Brien will leave Tom Brady, and join McGloin full-time in Happy Valley.
O'Brien's second day as Penn State's new leader included a standing ovation after being introduced at a basketball game, and his first meeting with McGloin and his new players.
So, it's now time for McGloin, the Nittany Lions starting quarterback, to start studying up on film of Brady, the Patriots' standout signal-caller.
"That's it right there. That's enough ... It couldn't get any better," McGloin said Sunday when asked how much it would help to be coached by someone who tutored Brady.
What else did McGloin like about the New England offense?
"I don't know, that Brady threw for like 5,000 yards," McGloin said with a chuckle.
That's 5,235 yards to be exact. And Brady isn't done. In fact, O'Brien was scheduled to fly back to Massachusetts on Sunday night to help Brady and the Patriots prepare for the Denver Broncos. New England had a bye this week after securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and learned late Sunday that Denver — a 29-23 overtime winner over Pittsburgh in the wild-card round — would be the opponent.
O'Brien will likely remain with the Patriots the rest of the week, though he's also expected to name the rest of his Penn State coaching staff within a few days.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," O'Brien said Saturday after his introductory news conference about his travel schedule. "I'll be on the move."
Just like during a whirlwind weekend in which he was announced as the successor to fired Hall of Famer Joe Paterno. Division I's winningest coach (409 victories) was ousted by school trustees two months ago in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
O'Brien's five-year contract, finalized Friday, included base compensation starting at $950,000, with a 5-percent increase each season. O'Brien will also collect another $1 million a year for radio and television work, as well as a $350,000 Nike contract.
By Sunday, he was doing radio and TV interviews during the basketball team's 88-82 loss to No. 12 Indiana. As O'Brien ventured into the stands to shake hands with pep band members and students, the crowd erupted into cheers of "We Are ... Penn State!"
"I can't tell you how excited I am to get started," he said Saturday.
That enthusiasm apparently carried over into Sunday's team meeting. Afterward, players expressed relief that a turbulent two months that began with the departure of their beloved coach had finally ended with a new leader eager to start a new era in Happy Valley.
"Very enthusiastic. Tough, tough football coach," guard John Urschel said. "We were all excited to talk to him ... especially the guys on the offense."
In between, the Nittany Lions had to put up with countless questions and rumors about who might be their next coach. The players, who just returned from semester break, learned about O'Brien's hiring watching television or through Twitter postings.
"It's like a big monkey is off our backs," tailback Silas Redd said. "We can focus on the team and getting ready for next season."
As for his impressions of his new coach, Redd said O'Brien's demeanor reminded him of someone with a military background — even though O'Brien apparently doesn't have such experience.
"The way he's tough minded. His leadership qualities. He really has a strong way of getting you to pay attention to him," Redd said. "We're ready to rally behind him."
So, too, is former Penn State linebacker Brandon Short, who in a statement Sunday said he planned to reach out to O'Brien and pledge his full support.
Short and fellow former standout linebacker LaVar Arrington had helped organized a petition supporting interim coach Tom Bradley's candidacy for the job.
Before O'Brien was officially named coach Friday night, Short had said he would consider severing his relationship with the school if someone without Penn State ties was hired, and that there might be a backlash from other former players.
"Out of a sense of frustration and deep loyalty for Penn State, I was overly harsh in some of my comments regarding the hiring of Coach O'Brien," Short wrote in an email Sunday. "I want Coach O'Brien to succeed at carrying on the proud tradition of Penn State."
Short maintained that he thought the selection process would have been better served if the search committee had more involvement from former players, and that he thought Paterno and the program had received unfair criticism over the last two months.
Paterno testified before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and prosecutors have said he is not a target of the probe. Sandusky is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty last month.
As for the rest of O'Brien's staff, linebacker Michael Mauti said Sunday that his position coach, Ron Vanderlinden, appeared likely to return. Another holdover from former Paterno's staff, defensive line coach Larry Johnson, has already said he is coming back.
Having Vanderlinden and Johnson should help Penn State with recruiting while O'Brien finishes up with the Patriots. The returnees will also help to maintain some continuity on defense.
"It's encouraging to me," Mauti said. "Our front seven is a big part of our defensive success."
Tennessee Titans quality control assistant coach Charles London has also accepted an offer to join O'Brien's staff as running backs coach, London told The Tennessean of Nashville on Saturday. O'Brien and London worked together at Duke, and London's head coach with the Titans was former standout Penn State lineman Mike Munchak.
Bradley, a 33-year veteran of the staff and defensive coordinator since 2000, is expected to leave, as is Paterno's son, quarterback coach Jay Paterno.
-- Genaro. C. Armas
