Tag: virginia cavaliers

Scratch another name off Penn State’s options at defensive coordinator

Penn State continues to search for a new defensive coordinator, and Ohio State just added one of the best on the market.

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With Virginia seemingly likely to be preparing to hire Penn Stae co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter to be its next head coach, Penn State continues to be on the prowl for a new defensive coordinator. And one of the names that had been thrown out as a potential target by some is already on the move to his new job. And it’s to Ohio State.

Jim Knowles, who had been the heralded defensive coordinator for Oklahoma State, is heading to Columbus to take on the role of defensive coordinator for Ohio State. From one OSU to another, Knowles will begin in his new role with Ohio State after Ohio State’s bowl game, allowing the current staff to remain in charge of the defense.

Interestingly, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has not made any cuts to his current staff, so it would seem someone is about to move to a new role, or Day foresees one of his assistants leaving for another opportunity and the addition of Knowles now ensures Ohio State’s staff will be relatively stable in any transition.

Larry Johnson to Penn State to be a defensive coordinator? Some will dream of this, for sure.

Knowles, a Pennsylvania native, had been mentioned by some as a potential candidate to take on the role of defensive coordinator at Penn State. Whether he was ever on the radar of Penn State or head coach James Franklin for the position is unknown, but it not at all comforting knowing Penn State’s biggest obstacle just secured one of the top defensive coordinator on the market at a time it has already lost Brent Pry to a head coaching job at Virginia Tech and Poindexter could be on the move to Virginia at any moment.

For now, the search continues for Franklin and Penn State. One name to keep an eye on may be Manny Diaz. Diaz was removed as head coach at Miami this week to allow the Hurricanes to hire Oregon‘s Mario Cristobal as his replacement. Miami bought out Diaz’s contract for $8 million, making Diaz a free agent. How quickly he returns to coaching remains to be seen, especially with an $8 million buyout to fall back on at least for a season.

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Report: Penn State’s Anthony Poindexter is leading candidate at Virginia

Penn State could lose its other co-defensive coordinator to a head coach vacancy in the ACC.

The momentum could be building for Penn State to lose another defensive coach to a head coaching opportunity elsewhere. Anthony Poindexter has gone from being a candidate on Virginia’s radar to a possible leading candidate for to fill the head coaching vacancy in just a matter of days.

Penn State is already looking to find a new defensive coordinator after Brent Pry left his position to become a head coach at Virginia Tech. Poindexter, who had been the team’s co-defensive coordinator, was believed to be the top in-house option to take on the role in Happy Valley. But a chance to return home to Virginia appears to be materializing for the Virginia alum.

According to The Daily Progress, Poindexter is now the leading candidate for the Virginia job. There is no timeline for when any decision will be announced by Virginia, but recent press conference quotes from James Franklin suggested Penn State is preparing for its Outback Bowl matchup with the possibility of missing more than just Pry on the assistant coaching staff.

Poindexter is a Virginia native and he played his college football for the Cavaliers. He also got his coaching start with the Virginia program as a graduate assistant in 2003 and an assistant coach serving various roles from 2004 through 2013 ranging from running backs coach to defensive backs coach, to safeties and special teams coach. He is much a Virginia man as they may come. If Virginia wants someone to take over their program who truly understands everything the program is about and what challenges it has in the ACC, then Poindexter would seem to make plenty of sense.

Whether or not Poindexter ultimately leaves Penn State for a chance to coach his alma mater, the ACC Coastal Division will see a good amount of new faces in 2022. Pry will be the new head coach at Virginia Tech. Miami just released Manny Diaz in favor of Mario Cristobal from Oregon (where former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead left to become the new head coach at Akron). And at Duke, David Cutcliffe retired at the conclusion of the regular season.

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Report: Penn State’s other defensive coordinator a head coach candidate at Virginia

Penn State’s top in-house defensive coordinator option, Anthony Poindexter, could be a candidate to be the next head coach at Virginia

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Penn State’s coaching staff is currently looking to find a new defensive coordinator after Brent Pry accepted an offer to become the new head coach at Virginia Tech. According to one report, it seems Penn State’s most likely in-house candidate to take on the role of defensive coordinator could be a candidate to be Pry’s new rival at Virginia.

Anthony Poindexter, who had been Penn State’s co-defensive coordinator with Pry under head coach James Franklin, has been mentioned as a candidate or a coach with interest connected to the vacancy at Virginia. Bronco Mendenhall officially resigned from his position of head coach with the Cavaliers at the conclusion of the regular season, opening up another head coaching vacancy in the ACC this offseason.

Mike Barber, the ACC beat reporter for Richmond Times-Dispatch, mentioned Poindexter as a potential candidate for the Virginia job Sunday morning, via Twitter. Poindexter was mentioned as a candidate for Virginia among others including Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Marshall head coach Charles Huff.

Poindexter is a Virginia native and he played his college football for the Cavaliers. He also got his coaching start with the Virginia program as a graduate assistant in 2003 and an assistant coach serving various roles from 2004 through 2013 ranging from running backs coach to defensive backs coach, to safeties and special teams coach. He is much a Virginia man as they may come. If Virginia wants someone to take over their program who truly understands everything the program is about and what challenges it has in the ACC, then Poindexter would seem to make plenty of sense.

Huff is another former Penn State assistant under James Franklin, and he is coming off his first season as head coach at Marshall. Huff coached Marshall to a 7-5 record, which will send the Thundering Herd to the bowl season. Huff could be a nice hire by Virginia as well given his recruiting connections in the region and his year of head coaching experience already under his belt.

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is also a coach viewed as ready to take on a head coaching opportunity somewhere, and he could be the second coordinator this offseason to leave Clemson if Virginia makes him an offer. Reports are indicating Oklahoma will hire Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables to be their next head coach after Lincoln Riley left for USC.

There is no expected timeline for when Virginia will name its next head coach, although things do tend to move swiftly this time of the year when it comes to the coaching carousel. Poindexter remains a likely top candidate to be Penn State’s full-time defensive coordinator for now, but the Virginia vacancy will certainly be worth paying close attention to with Poindexter looking like a solid candidate for the job.

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Former Wisconsin WR Devin Chandler commits to an ACC school

Former Wisconsin WR Devin Chandler commits to an ACC school

The transfer portal has quickly become a significant story surrounding the college football season and offseason (for both players and coaches, if you have strong feelings about the recent moves of Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly).

Wisconsin saw several players enter the portal throughout this season. Wide receiver Devin Chandler, center Kayden Lyles, linebacker Izayah Green-May and running back Jalen Berger to name a few.

Related: How Brian Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame directly affects Wisconsin football

Well, Chandler has already found a destination. The former Wisconsin wide receiver and kick returner announced earlier today he was committing to play for Bronco Mendenhall and the Virginia Cavaliers.

 

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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ACC-Big Ten Challenge kicks off Monday with Iowa-UVA, ND-Illinois

The ACC-Big Ten Challenge gets underway tonight on the men’s side as Virginia hosts Iowa and Notre Dame heads to Illinois.

The 23rd edition of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge gets underway tonight as the Virginia Cavaliers host Iowa and Notre Dame heads to Illinois. Since 2009, the Big Ten has outright won seven of these events, with the ACC taking two and the two conferences tying thrice. Overall, the ACC leads the series 12-7-3, buoyed by a 10-0 start from 1999-2008.

With four Big Ten teams in the newly released AP Poll and only now-No. 1 Duke ranked for the ACC, it looks like it could be another easy win for the Big Ten.

Just two games are on tap for Monday night, so let’s take a look at what to expect.

All odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.

Penn State bowl projections: A rematch with Auburn or a trip to Las Vegas?

Penn State’s bowl outlook includes a potential rematch with the Auburn Tigers

Penn State will play its final game of the 2021 regular season this weekend on the road against Michigan State. The Nittany Lions appear to have the kind of offense that could capitalize on Michigan State’s biggest weak link, its pass defense, and the return of Sean Clifford to the starting lineup should give the Nittany Lions a puncher’s chance on the road in East Lansing.

Win or lose, Penn State is already locked into a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Big Ten East Division this season. A win will give Penn State a 5-4 record in Big Ten play, but still leave them one game behind the Spartans in the division standings. A loss would hand Penn State a second straight losing season in Big Ten play but the Nittany Lions would still be a game ahead of either Maryland or Rutgers, who face each other with bowl eligibility on the line for the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights.

With Penn State locked into a fourth-place finish within the division, any chance of playing in a New Years Day bowl game appears to be well out of reach at this late stage of the season. That leaves Penn State floating in the sea of pre-New Years Day bowl games to be available for. And according to various bowl projections updated this week, Penn State could be playing in a range of bowl games from the Music City Bowl, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl the Pinstripe Bowl.

Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports currently has Penn State heading to the Las Vegas Bowl to take on the Washignton State Cougars. He’s not alone in projecting a trip to Las Vegas and its brand new football mecca in the desert. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network also has the Nittany Lions heading to the Las Vegas Bowl, although he has Penn State projected to face Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup.

While there is still a range of bowl projections out there for Penn State, one of the trendier projections appears to be the Music City Bowl, which would send Penn State to Nashville to face an SEC opponent. Here is an updated look at what some of the bowl projections from various sources are forecasting for Penn State before the final game of the regular season.

Music City Bowl

The Music City Bowl has been one of the more popular projections for Penn State over the last few weeks as Penn State slid down the Big Ten pecking order. All things considered, the Music City Bowl would offer a fun destination in Nashville, and it would lead to a matchup with a team from the SEC. And in the case of one projection, it could offer a potential rematch with Auburn.

Penn State defeated Auburn earlier this season at home and the Nittany Lions are heading to Auburn next September, so the appeal of a postseason bowl game with Auburn now doesn’t feel all that interesting.

Alamo Bowl

  • Brad Crawford, 247 Sports: Penn State vs. Arizona State

Penn State has some good history in the Alamo Bowl, and it’s been a long time since the Nittany Lions hooked up with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Herm Edwards and the Sun Devils have had a solid season and the coaching matchup alone would serve up plenty of quotes from both sides. And a trip to the Alamo Bowl is up there when it comes to the mid-tier bowl games.

Pinstripe Bowl

Penn State head coach James Franklin coached the Nittany Lions to a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl in his first season in Happy Valley, and a return trip to the Bronx could be in the mix if these bowl projections have anything to say about it. In both cases, a matchup with Virginia would be the outcome in Yankee Stadium.

Las Vegas Bowl

As mentioned earlier, the Las Vegas Bowl is in the mix as a potential destination as well. Penn State has yet to play a bowl game in Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Bowl could become a bigger destination in the December bowl lineup with the brand new football stadium.

Of the two matchups projected, a matchup with UCLA would probably be more intriguing than a matchup with the Cougars of Washington State.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

If somebody told you at the start of the season that Penn State would be playing Clemson in the bowl season, you likely would have been thrilled. But this is far from a College Football Playoff clash this year. Both Penn State and Clemson have not had the seasons they have come to expect, perhaps more so for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. Despite tough seasons, Clemson could still be a real challenge for Penn State, and the Tigers are one of a handful of schools to never have lost a game against Penn State. Could Penn State even the score?

Notre Dame moves up again in latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Moving on up!

For the third week in a row, Notre Dame’s winning ways helped them move up in USA TODAY Sports ACFA Coaches Poll. The Irish went into Charlottesville and handled one of the best offenses in the country. Yes, Virginia was without their star quarterback Brenan Armstrong, but there were plenty of other weapons in the Cavaliers offense.

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The Notre Dame defense came to play, holding the Cav’s to just 3 points in a very impressive win. The reason why the Irish moved up, was due to Oklahoma going on the road and losing to Baylor. It shouldn’t be called much of an upset, as the Bears were a Top-20 team as well.

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The Sooners were the only team inside the Top-10 to lose but others inside the Top-25, Texas A&M, NC State and Auburn all lost yesterday. Here is the latest Coaches poll with last weeks ranking in parenthesis.

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1 – Georgia (1)

2 – Alabama (2)

3 – Cincinnati (3)

4 – Ohio State (5)

5 – Oregon (6)

6 – Notre Dame (7)

7 – Michigan (8)

8 – Michigan State (9)

9 – Oklahoma St. (10)

10 – Ole Miss (12)

11 – Oklahoma (4)

12 – Wake Forest (13)

13 – Baylor (18)

14 – Iowa (14)

15 – BYU (15)

16 – Texas A&M (11)

17 – Houston (17)

18 – UTSA (16)

19 – Pitt (22)

20 – Wisconsin (24)

21 – ULL (25)

22 – Arkansas (NR)

23 – San Diego St. (NR)

24 – NC State (19)

25 – Utah (NR)

The five plays that loomed large in Notre Dame’s win over Virginia

The hidden plays at made a difference for Notre Dame in their win over Virginia

It’s not always touchdown passes and turnovers that can make a difference in a game. There are always more than a handful of other plays that won’t be shown on highlight shows that make a massive impact on the game. Here are five plays that won’t get the recognition they deserve but where very important in Notre Dame’s 28-3 win against Virginia.

5 stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win over UVA

The best and worst for the Irish today against UVA

The Irish went into Charlottesville and controlled the game from the opening kickoff and handily defeated Virginia 28-3. It was a very sound performance from the Irish, and even though the score wasn’t as high as we have seen in recent weeks, was plenty against this Cavalier team. There was some good, 5 stars, and some bad, 1 star, in today’s performance and continue reading to find out who earned their stars tonight.

Watch: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer make a crazy catch

Michael Mayer is having a game

Irish tight end Michael Mayer has battled a groin injury for a good portion of the season, but it seems like he is rounding into form. He’s been an absolute beast against Virginia, already catching a touchdown pass in the first half.

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That however wasn’t the best play of the evening for Mayer. On a first down play, backup quarterback Tyler Buchner was getting a bit of run with the first team offense as the game was seemingly in hand. On a first down play, Buchner fired a pass toward Mayer and he made a grab that you see on Sundays. Take a look for yourself at this amazing play.