Campus Watch

Bulls underdogs once again

The first points spreads for next weekend's games are out and Central Floirda is favored by five against the Bulls.

UB is 1-1 against the spread this year. In some other MAC lines, Bowling Green is a pick 'em at Marshall, Iowa State is just a one-point favorite over Kent State, Eastern Michigan is a 23-point underdog against Michigan, while Temple is a 28-point dog at Penn State. Also, Syracuse is a 4.5-point dog at home against Northwestern.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Bulls 11-point underdogs vs. Pitt

The Bulls have opened as an 11-point underdog against Pitt for Saturday's game. In other interesting MAC lines, Boise State is a 35-point favorite over Miami and Boston College is 17 over Kent State. Also, Syracuse is a 28.5-point dog at Penn State.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

St. Bonaventure releases non-league schedule

St. Bonaventure released its non-conference schedule which features seven teams that advanced to postseason in 2008-09, including four that made the NCAAs. Bona faces six A-10 teams that advanced past the conference tournament and into the middle of March, giving them a total of 13 opponents (14 games) with postseason experience from last season.

“This is definitely the most challenging schedule during my time at St. Bonaventure,” third-year head coach Mark Schmidt said. “The non-conference schedule is full of teams that made postseason appearances last year and that will certainly prepare us for an extremely difficult A-10 slate.”

The Bonnies will tip-off the season at home against defending Horizon League champion Cleveland State on Nov. 13. Next up will be a trip to Rochester and Blue Cross Arena on Nov. 17, to play Big East foe St. John’s for the first time since 1985. St. Bonaventure returns to the Reilly Center three days later to play Binghamton Nov 20 in its last home game until the end of December.

The Bonnies head to the BTI Classic for three games in Normal, Ill. The Bonnies will open tournament play with back-to-back contests against Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 27) and Norfolk State (Nov. 28). Bona plays host Illinois State on Nov. 29 in the final game of the tournament. Niagara University also travels to Normal this season in a return game for the BracketBuster.

The Bonnies take on Mississippi State, who could be a Top 25 team, on Dec. 5. The Bulldogs return all five starters, including All-American candidate Jarvis Varnado, and add McDonald’s All-American Renardo Sidney.

Bona plays at Syracuse Dec. 19 before taking on Niagara on Dec. 22 at the Gallagher Center then Canisius on Dec. 30. at the RC. The Bonnies close out the non-league slate on Jan. 2 at Marshall.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Bonnies will play Orange

St. Bonaventure will play Syracuse for the first time since the 2006-07 season when the Bonnies travel to the Carrier Dome on Dec. 19.

Syracuse has a 22-3 advantage in the series with St. Bonaventure which dates back to the 1923-24 season. The Orange has won the last 12 contests with the Bonnies, including an 82-70 victory on Dec. 30, 2006.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Paulus named starting QB at Syracuse

That didn't take long. A little more than a week into training camp and Greg Paulus, the former Duke point guard, has been named the starting QB for the Orange. Paulus beat out sophomore Ryan Nassib, senior Cam Dantley and freshman Charley Loeb for the starting position.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

SU coach Marrone talks Mike Williams, UB at Watkins Glen

Before first-year Syracuse University football coach gave the starting command for today's NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International, he had a short press conference in the media center.

He talked very plainly about how Syracuse has fallen in recent years, including in the recruiting race. I asked him about the University at Buffalo's rise being a part of that, and also about Buffalo native and Riverside graduate Mike Williams.

He talked about UB but then went on to talk about Williams at length:

"Our program started to go down and some other teams have done a very good job in those areas that were normally good for us. University of Buffalo has done a tremendous job as well as some other teams in the Big East. They’ve come in and really taken over where we have not a good job the past four years. We’ve come in and I believe that – although I can’t talk about commitments – a lot of the foundation now, that’s been out there from other media outlets shows that we’ve gotten back into those areas.

"As far as Mike Williams, it’s a tremendous story. I wasn’t with Mike in the past so I don’t know what’s gone on with Mike in his career at Syracuse University. I know he was there, then obviously he wasn’t at the school, and now he’s back. But I’ll tell you what, we’re looking for great things out of Mike Williams. He’s a tremendous athlete, he’s 210 pounds, he can run, he can stretch the field, he’s strong. And everyone needs that, a guy who is a go-to guy, who can stretch the field vertically and can make plays.

"It’s good for us – we’d love for Mike Williams to have a great year. That will help our program. Not just Mike Williams and us winning games, but that will help our program for the future. To have someone from the Buffalo area come in and perform well at our school, that’s one of the things we want to build on as a recruiting standpoint.

"Mike has changed a lot. He’s become more consistent in everything he does. Academically, he’s doing a tremendous job in the classroom. Off the field I’m proud of what our players do and how they handle themselves. I’ve always talked about life skills. Everyone will ask me from time to time, and they look at my background in coaching, they say coach, 'You’ve been so successful, what’s the key?' I always tell them the key is develop the person first before we develop the athlete. That’s what we’ve done with all of our players. We started developing the person first. From life skills of, when you shake someone’s hand, look them in the eye. How you dress, how you walk, how you carry yourself. A lot of those things we’ve been trying to develop in our players since I’ve taken over the job, because it really does pay dividends on the field.

"Mike Williams, I don’t know if you know him or you’ve been around him, I can tell you right now if you walked up to Mike Williams now you’ll know the difference in the person. And that will carry over onto the football field and we’re looking for great things out of Mike."

---Keith McShea

O'Brien watch list announced

Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour and Western Michigan's Tim Hiller were two of 33 QBs named to the watch list for the 2009 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award (The O'Brien) Watch List.

According to a press release from the organization, the 2009 list highlights 33 quarterbacks who will compete for the award honoring the nation's best quarterback; however, all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) starting quarterbacks are equal candidates at this time. Watch List candidates were selected by a subset of The O'Brien Selection Committee. The list focuses on a select group of quarterbacks who have demonstrated what members of the Selection Committee have recognized as tremendous preseason talent. The award focuses on accomplishments both on and off the field. The release continues to state that the O'Brien will follow performances of all FBS quarterbacks until semifinalists are selected in late October. Semifinalists will be announced October 26; Finalists November 23; and the Winner December 10.

During all rounds of voting, The O'Brien Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship. Here are the players on the list:

Sam Bradford Oklahoma JR Big 12
Jarrett Brown West Virginia SR Big East
Daryll Clark Penn State SR Big Ten
Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame JR IND
Aaron Corp USC SO Pac-10
Robert Griffin Baylor SO Big 12
Matt Grothe South Florida SR Big East
Max Hall BYU SR MWC
Tim Hiller Western Michigan SR MAC
Jordan Jefferson LSU SO SEC
Colin Kaepernick Nevada JR WAC
Case Keenum Houston JR C-USA
Dan LeFevour Central Michigan SR MAC
Jake Locker Washington JR Pac-10
Ryan Mallett Arkansas SO SEC
Jeremiah Masoli Oregon JR Pac-10
Colt McCoy Texas SR Big 12
Kellen Moore Boise State SO WAC
Josh Nesbitt Georgia Tech JR ACC
Tony Pike Cincinnati SR Big East
Taylor Potts Texas Tech JR Big 12
Terrelle Pryor Ohio State SO Big Ten
Todd Reesing Kansas SR Big 12
Kevin Riley California JR Pac-10
Zac Robinson Oklahoma State SR Big 12
Riley Skinner Wake Forest SR ACC
Rusty Smith Florida Atlantic SR Sun Belt
Jevan Snead Ole Miss JR SEC
Tyrod Taylor Virginia Tech JR ACC
Tim Tebow Florida SR SEC
Adam Weber Minnesota JR Big Ten
Juice Williams Illinois SR Big Ten
Russell Wilson North Carolina State SO ACC

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Flynn off to a fast start

It's only the summer league, but Jonny Flynn certain looks like a great value with the sixth pick.

The Minnesota Timberwolves rookie point guard was named the NBA's Rookie of the Month for his play in the Las Vegas Summer Leauge where the former Syracuse and Niagara Falls standout averaged 15.0 ppg, 7.4 apg, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three-point range in five games. But Flynn also averaged 5.2 turnovers a game which raises a red flag considering he wasn't facing elite-level competition.

Flynn's high school and college teammate, Paul Harris, didn't recieve a lot of playing time in Vegas. In four games, including one start, Harris averaged 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds in just 12 minutes a game. The Wolves roster was loaded with shooting guards and small forwards like Corey Brewer, Wayne Ellington, Devin Green and Gerald Henderson (on loan from Charlotte) so it was difficult for Harris to see much floor time.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

If it's in the game, it's in the game

Looks like Sam Keller's case against the NCAA and EA Sports has some legs.

Keller, the former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback, filed a class-action lawsuit arguing that they illegally profit from the images of college football and basketball players. Ryan Hart, a former Rutgers quarterback, filed a similar lawsuit against EA last week in a New Jersey state court. The NCAA and its member universities have licensing agreements that allow EA to publish two college-themed video games: NCAA Football and NCAA March Madness.

Even fans who aren't into video games - or just casual fans of college football - would recognize the players depicted in the game. In NCAA Football 2009, the quarterback for UB is  right-handed, stands 6-foot-3, and wears No. 16, just like the Bulls former QB Drew Willy. While the EA player’s hometown is different — Willy is from Randolph, not Bergenfield — each is from New Jersey. Of course Bergenfield is merely 40 minutes from Randolph so it's close enough.

As a fan of the NCAA Football series - I've been playing it since the game was called Bill Walsh Football on Sega Genesis - I greet the arrival of the game with more anticipation than the John Madden NFL game. I've had July 14 circled on my calendar for quite some time now. But the NCAA is once again making millions off athletes who receive no compensation. Critics will say the scholarship and free education they earn is priceless, but that was before the stakes were raised with mega million dollar TV deals and depicting athletes in video games. I'm sure Sam Bradford is worth a lot more to Oklahoma than the (approximately) $100,000 scholarship he was offered out of high school.

I'm not saying it's time to pay the athletes, but some compensation from the EA video game series isn't asking too much.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Harris to Cleveland?

Paul Harris, the former Niagara Falls High School and Syracuse swingman, is currently in the middle of a three-day workout with the Cleveland Cavs and will decide Monday if he will play with the team for the summer league, Falls assistant coach Sal Constantino said on Sunday.

The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting that Harris, who turned pro following his junior year, will play with the Cavs but he will decide between Cleveland, Chicago and Minnesota today, Constantino said. Harris was not drafted in last Thursday's draft.

Also, Jonny Flynn, who was selected in the first round by Minnesota, will recieve a key to City of Niagara Falls on Monday evening. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m., will be held at City Hall.

---Rodney McKissic