The Heisman

The Heisman Trophy is perhaps the most prestigious individual award in all of sports. To receive the award, is to become a legend. And while it is supposed to be presented annually to the nation's most outstanding player, some would argue that is not always the case.

On the eve of the 75th presentation of the award, we take a look at this year's finalists and the history of college football's most coveted award.

The Heisman Trophy Trust has presented the award since 1935, when Chicago University halfback Jay Berwanger took home the first bronze statue.

Since then, 69 of the 74 winners have been either quarterbacks or running backs. Only one defensive player, Michigan's Charles Woodson, has ever won the award.

Among the finalists this year are two quarterbacks, two running backs, and one defensive tackle.

Recent history would lead one to believe that it will be a quarterback walking away with the trophy come Saturday.

Since the year 2000, only one non-QB has been awarded the trophy, and of the previous nine winners, eight of them have been on teams playing in a BCS Bowl. Seven of the nine have played for the national championship.

So, if history serves us right, Texas' Colt McCoy will come away with the trophy tomorrow night.

McCoy came in second last year in Heisman voting to Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, and although his 3512 yards passing and 27 touchdowns are a drop-off from his 2008 numbers, McCoy appears to be the perfect candidate.

McCoy is the quarterback for the unbeaten Texas Longhorns and lately, the Heisman is more about hype, and what one accomplished last year, and what your team has done over the last ten years, rather than about what has been done this year.

If McCoy did not have the success he had last year, and if he did not play for second-ranked, and unbeaten Texas, would he still be invited as a finalist? Unlikely; here's proof:

As previously stated, this season Colt McCoy has thrown for 3512 yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and compiled a 147.5 passer rating.

While these are good numbers, McCoy does not place in the top five in any other these categories.

Houston's Case Keenum has thrown for 5449 yards, 43 TD's and a 159.3 passer rating while only tossing 9 interceptions.

Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen threw for 3722 yards, 28 TD's and a 161.4 passer rating with only four picks.

Boise State's Kellen Moore has compiled 3325 yards passing, 39 touchdowns and a 167.3 passing rating while throwing only three interceptions.

On paper, all three of these players appear to be more deserving than McCoy, however, none of them are playing for the national title, and none of them had the pre-season hype that McCoy did.

"The Heisman Trophy is one of those awards that has evolved to 50 percent of it is about pre-season hype, 25 percent is about giving it to somebody on the undefeated team, and 25 percent is about what the player is accomplishing," said Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose running back Toby Gerhart is also a finalist for the award.

Among the other 2009 finalists are Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh, Alabama's Mark Ingram, and Florida's Tim Tebow.

Tebow won the award as a sophomore in 2007, and was a finalist again a year ago. But what has he done this year to deserve another invitation?

He ranks 49th nationally in passing yards, 39th in touchdown passes, and 112th in passer rating.

However, the gators are the reining national champions and finished with an 11-1 record in 2009.

If the award was really given to college football's most outstanding player, Suh might be the clear winner. However, since Suh is a defensive lineman, the cards are stacked against him.

On the season, Suh has 82 tackles, 12 sacks, and an interception.

Also, don't be surprised if Colt McCoy stays away from Suh at the ceremony after he was harassed by the Nebraska lineman last weekend. Suh sacked McCoy four and a half times.

Stanford running back Toby Gerhart leads the nation in both rushing yards (1736) and rushing touchdowns (26).

Ingram is 5th in yards with 1542, and 14th in touchdowns among backs with 15. However, Ingram plays for undefeated Alabama while Gerhart plays for 8-4 Stanford.

In theory, the award should be given to either Suh or Gerhart, but will that be the case? History says no.

BCS: A Mess

Nearly every year since the Bowl Championship Series has been in place, someone has been left out. Whether it be an 11-0 Tulane in 1998, or an undefeated Auburn in '04. The system was put in place eleven years ago to end all controversy and crown an undisputed champion. Since 1998 however, there has rarely been a year left undisputed.

To fully examine the fairness of the BCS, we will have to look at how it has worked in the eleven previous years it has been in place. We begin with the year of its inception.

The year is 1998, Ohio State enters the season as the number one ranked team in the land. But, with an Oct. 30 loss to Michigan State, at home, the Buckeyes fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, and watch their title hopes come crashing down.

However, with losses to every team in front of them except the Tennessee Volunteers, Ohio State regains its sights on the title game.

But, the Buckeyes hopes are crushed once again when the computers choose 11-1 Florida State to play Tennessee for the national championship rather than the 11-1 Buckeyes.

This is where the controversy lies, even though Florida State lost by a margin much greater than the 28-24 defeat Ohio State suffered (24-7 to NC State), the Seminoles were given the birth in the Fiesta Bowl to play for the title.

Florida State was defeated by Tennessee in that game 23-16, while Ohio State defeated Big-12 champion Texas A&M 24-14 in the Sugar Bowl, leaving some wondering if Ohio State would have been a better choice to face Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl.

Furthermore, 11-2 and 3rd ranked Kansas State, was completely left out of a BCS bowl after losing the Big-12 title game to A&M.

A year later, a rule was devised known as the "Kansas State Rule," which stated that a team ranked in the top four of the BCS standings would automatically receive a birth into a BCS bowl.

However, Kansas State was once again left out of the BCS after finishing 6th in the final BCS poll. The Wildcats were instead passed over by number eight Michigan.

Even more controversy came with the end of the 2000 season when the BCS computers decided to send 10-1 Florida State to its third straight title game and leave out 10-1 Miami, even though the Hurricanes had beaten Florida State in the regular season and were ranked higher in both the AP and Coaches' polls.

The Seminoles went on to lose again, 13-2 to undefeated and number-one ranked Oklahoma.

The 2001 season was even more controversial. The computers placed 4th ranked Nebraska in the title game against undefeated Miami even though Nebraska did not even play in its conference championship game.

This raised the question, "How can a team be the best in the country if they are not even the best in their conference?"

Nebraska was chosen over one-loss and Pac-10 champion Oregon, who went on to beat 3rd ranked, and Big-12 champion Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

Nebraska, like every other scrutinized school placed in the championship game, was defeated handily, 37-14.

With exactly two teams going undefeated in 2002, the BCS worked to perfection, pairing unbeaten Ohio State against unbeaten Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

For the first time since the system was put in place however, a member of the Big-10 did not play in the Rose Bowl, leaving Rose Bowl officials vocally upset.

The Orange Bowl selected before the Rose Bowl and took at-large winner Iowa.

Controversy returned in 2003, and in a big way.

At season's end, three teams had one loss, Oklahoma, LSU, and USC.

USC lost a triple overtime thriller at Cal, LSU lost at home to Florida, and Oklahoma was trounced 35-7 in the Big-12 championship game by Kansas State.

LSU and Oklahoma, despite not even winning the Big-12, were chosen to play for the championship, leaving USC to face Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

LSU defeated the Sooners 21-14 in the title game while USC defeated Michigan 28-14 in the Rose Bowl.

After the games, AP voters voted USC number one, despite not playing in the championship game, giving college football its fist split championship since 1997.

In 2004, three power conference teams: USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn all went undefeated, leaving the BCS with a mess to figure out.

In the end, Southern Cal and Oklahoma were chosen to play in the national title. Auburn, was left to face ACC champion Virgina Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

The Trojans crushed the Sooners 55-19 while Auburn remained undefeated, beating Virginia Tech 16-13.

Controversy arose again in 2006 when the BCS selected one-loss Florida to face unbeaten Ohio State in the title game instead of one-loss Michigan.

While Florida lost 27-17 at number 10 Auburn on Oct 14, Michigan's only loss was to number one and unbeaten Ohio State, on the road by three points.

If the number two team goes on the road to face the number one team and losses a close game by three points, doesn't that mean that the rankings were correct, shouldn't that team stay number two?

Many believe that voters did not want to see an Ohio State, Michigan rematch, so Florida was given the opportunity to play in the championship game rather than what appeared to be a more deserving Michigan team.

In 2007, a two-loss LSU team was placed in the title game to face one-loss Ohio State, despite Kansas only having one loss.

In 2008,12-1 Oklahoma was chosen over 11-1 Texas to face Florida in the championship game despite having lost to the Longhorns during the regular season.

2009 has brought even more trouble to the BCS. As it currently stands, four power conference teams are undefeated. (Florida, Alabama, Texas, and Cincinnati)

Florida and Alabama will most likely play each other in the SEC title game, eliminating the loser. But, if the others win out, we will again have three undefeated automatic qualifying teams vying for a spot in the championship game.

Along with the four undefeated AQ (automatic qualifying) teams, there are two other undefeated teams, TCU and Boise State.

These non-automatic qualifying teams have also been a problem for the BCS.

Non-BCS conference teams are eligible for a BCS bowl if they are ranked in the top 12, or if they are ranked in the top 16, and higher than at least one BCS conference champion. However, no more than one team from a non-BCS conference is allowed in.

Since 1998, nine teams have met these qualifications, yet the rule was not put in place until after the 2005 season.

Non-AQ teams have a 3-1 record in BCS bowls.

This season, undefeated TCU and Boise State are ranked 4th, and 6th respectively in the latest BCS standings. If both teams were to win out, they would both qualify for a BCS bowl. However, since only one non-BCS team is allowed in, the lower ranked team would be left out, despite meeting automatic qualifications.

So if the BCS is not the best system, what is?

Many would like to see the bowls return to the old system, where the winners from each conference play in their respective bowl, and voters determine a champion after the bowls have been played.

The good thing about this system is that it preserves the sanctity of the bowl system, and gets rid of all controversy about who plays in which bowl.

However, under this system, there will be split championships, and no one wants that, because no one likes to tie. It's the reason we have overtime, right?

Others would like to see a playoff, similar to how every other sport crowns their champion. But there are pros and cons to this as well.

The great aspect of a playoff would be that all controversy would be decided on the field. Each team would have a chance to prove that they deserve to play for the title.

Say an eight-team playoff is adopted, with the six BCS conference champions receiving automatic bids and two others receiving at-large bids. The eight teams duke it out and our champion is crowned.

Sounds like the perfect system, right? Well, not so fast.

How are the two at-large teams determined? If the playoff was in place this year who would receive the at-large bids?

As is stands, the automatic bids would go to Ohio State (Big Ten), Texas (Big 12), Cincinnati (Big East), Georgia Tech (ACC), Florida/Alabama (SEC), and Oregon/Oregon St. (Pac-1o).

The question now is, who gets the other two spots?

TCU and Boise are both undefeated, but play in week conferences. The loser of Florida/Alabama would have one loss, but it would be to the SEC champion. So who gets left out?

Regardless of how many teams are let in the playoffs, someone will always be left out, and there will always be controversy.

The playoff systems also ruins the tradition of the Bowls, a staple of college football.

So although a playoff may seem appetizing, it may not be the answer.

Another option would be a plus-one system.

Under this system, the bowls could return to their old form and their old conference tie-ins.

Thus, the winner of the Big Ten would face the winner of the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl, Big East verse ACC in the Orange Bowl, SEC against an at-large in the Sugar Bowl, and the winner of the Big-12 against an at-large in the Fiesta Bowl.

After the bowls, the top two teams would be voted on, and would play in the national championship game.

Although there still could be some controversy over the top two teams after the bowls are played, the games would at least give the voters an opportunity to see the teams against other highly ranked teams.

The system also preserves the sanctity of the bowl system.

If this system had been in place in previous years, all the teams that were snubbed out of the title game but went on to win their game, (Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, USC, Auburn, and Texas) would have had the opportunity to play for the championship.

In reality, there may be no perfect system, but there has to be one better than what we have now.

Shootout Success

After being beat worse than Jim Mora-coached-teams in the playoffs, the Columbus Blue Jackets returned to their winning ways with two shootout victories over Western Conference foes.

This is the Midweek Report.

Last Three:

Detroit:

The Blue Jackets entered last Wednesday’s game against Detroit on a five game point streak, but left the game embarrassed.

Not only did the Jackets fail to redeem themselves against the team that sent them packing in just four games in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, they failed to show up.

The 9-1 loss was one of the largest defeats in Columbus history, and Detroit’s nine goals set a record for most goals scored against the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena.

Goaltender Steve Mason was pulled during the first period after giving up three quick goals, then put back in to start the second.

In all, Mason allowed a total of eight goals on the night.

The game, which was the 1,000th coached in Ken Hitchcock’s NHL career, was also the first time Columbus faced Detroit while being ahead of them in the Central Division standings.

Anaheim:

After struggling mightily against Detroit, Columbus got off to another slow start against Anaheim.

Midway through the first period, Columbus was being outshot 10-2 and had allowed the first goal of the game to Bobby Ryan.

Rick Nash’s 13^th goal tied the score at one.

After a scoreless third period and overtime, the teams entered the shootout where Columbus goaltender Mathieu Garon has excelled.

After a goal by Kristian Huselius, Rick Nash gave Columbus the win with this goal on one leg.

Garon made 32 of 34 saves for the win.

Edmonton:

Columbus goaltender Mathieu Garon improved to 18-4 in shootouts with the shootout win over Edmonton on Monday night.

After a scoreless first, the teams each tallied goals in the second and third periods to reach the 2-2 tie at the end of regulation.

In the shootout, Columbus’ Fedor Tyutin put one past Nikolai Khabibulin to give the Blue Jackets the lead. It was his first shootout attempt since clinching the win for Columbus over Chicago last season in the game that earned the team its first ever Stanley Cup Playoff birth.

After Edmonton’s Ales Hemsky forced a fourth shooter by tying the shootout total at one, Columbus’ Jakub Voracek scored the winning goal for the Jackets.

To secure the victory, Columbus goaltender Mathieu Garon denied former Columbus first-round pick Gilbert Brule.

The Youth:

The Blue Jackets have announced that they have loaned winger Nikita Filatov to CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League for the remainder of the 2009-2010 season.

Filatov has appeared in 13 games this season, and scored 2 goals.

Filatov was Columbus’ first-round pick, sixth overall, at the 2008 entry draft.

Last season he tallied four goals in eight games, including a hat-trick against Minnesota on Jan. 10.

Power Play:

Columbus went 0-2 verses Detroit, 1-4 against Anaheim, and 2-4 against Edmonton.

This brings the season total to 17 for 73, or 23.3 percent, good enough for seventh best in the NHL.

The power play continues to be a big area of improvement for the Blue Jackets, after ranking last in the category nearly all of last season.

The Kill:

The Blue Jackets killed off 2 of 4 against Detroit, all 5 verses Anaheim, and 3 of 5 against Edmonton.

This brings the season total to 68 for 87, or 78.2 percent, a far cry from when the Jackets led the league in this category after killing nearly 30 straight penalties earlier this year.

Central Race:

Columbus currently sits two points back of division-leader Chicago, with 24 points.

With one less game played than Columbus and Chicago, Detroit is close behind with 23 points.

Nashville and St. Louis have 21 and 16 points respectively.

Injury Report:

Columbus winger Raffi Torres took a puck to the face in last Wednesday night’s game against Detroit and, according to the Columbus Blue Jackets Official Website,

has been place on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least one week.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets begin a five-game road trip Thursday at Dallas. The trip will take them to Nashville, New York, Montreal, and Ottawa before returning home to face Jerome Iginla and the Calgary Flames on Nov. 28.

Smelling Roses

Western Woes

The Columbus Blue Jackets picked up two of a possible eight points on a disappointing western road trip during which quality defense was sparse.

Through four games, the Jackets tallied 15 goals while allowing 22. At times, the offense was spectacular, scoring goals in large numbers. The defense and goal-tending on the other hand, struggled mightily at times, squandering 3 and 2 goal leads in consecutive games.

The Jackets have also allowed the first goal in 6 straight, a trend that must stop if they want to be successful on the road.

Here is this week’s midweek report.

Last Three:

At Edmonton:

After falling to Calgary 6-3 on Tuesday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets headed even further north for a late-night encounter with the Edmonton Oilers.

In a game in which Mathieu Garon got his second start of the year between the pipes, the Jackets gave up the first goal of the game only 58 seconds into the opening period.

The Columbus offense however, had an answer, scoring two goals in the first, and another two to open the second, to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

Kristian Huselius tallied his third and fourth goals of the season; Chimera and Torres also added goals.

But moments later, Dustin Penner would help cut into the Columbus lead, scoring his sixth goal of the season.

Late in the second, Columbus took three consecutive penalties, and killed off the first two, but was not able to withstand the pressure on the third, allowing the Oilers to close the gap to 4-3.

They say when it rains it pours, and in the third period it poured all over the Blue Jackets as they allowed three goals. Two of the three came on the power-play, the later of the two an empty-netter albeit.

Garon stopped 26 of 31 shots. Former Blue Jackets first round draft choice Gilbert Brule missed his second consecutive game because of the flu.

At Anaheim:

On a day where all 30 NHL teams were in action, the Blue Jackets were led by captain Rick Nash who posted two goals and an assist while leading Columbus to their only win on the four game trip.

The two teams traded first and second period goals to reach a 2-2 tie before Jakub Voracek connected on two consecutive goals; both assisted by Antoine Vermette late in the second.

After allowing the Ducks the re-tie the score at four in the third, Fedor Tyutin slapped in the game winner on a shot from just inside the blue line.

Nash added an empty-netter with 16 second remaining to seal the 6-4 victory.

Mason played well in this one, denying Anaheim when it counted.

Blue Jackets Center Samuel Pahlsson skated for 19 and a half minutes, but was pointless against his former team.

At Los Angeles:

The Kings struck early and often in this one, jumping out to a three- goal lead before Antoine Vermette got the Jackets on the board late in the second.

The biggest story of this game may have been the dirty hit L.A.’s Rob Scuderi laid on Columbus’ Jason Chimera. Tuesday, the NHL announced it fined Scuderi an undisclosed amount for the low blow.

Steve Mason appeared to struggle, stopping only 19 of the 25 L.A. shots. The absence of Jan Hejda, who is +8 on the year, also may have contributed to the defense’s struggles.

The Youth:

The young offensive firepower of Jakub Voracek was on full display in Calgary and Edmonton, tallying two goals and two assists in the two games.

Nikita Filatov skated in all three games after sitting out the pervious three. He averaged 6.7 minutes of ice time but did not record a point.

Steve Mason recorded his first point of the year however, an assist on Rick Nash’s empty net goal against Anaheim.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 1-4 on the PP against Edmonton, 0-2 at Anaheim, and 1-4 against L.A. for a total of 2-10.

This brings the season total to 9-38, or 24%.

The Kill:

After entering Thursday night’s game with the leagues best penalty kill, things went downhill quickly, killing only 5-8 at Edmonton, 0-2 against Anaheim, and 2-4 vs. L.A.

In the three games, the Columbus PK was abysmal, allowing seven power play goals, after giving up only one in the previous seven games.

The season total is now 34-42, or 81%, dropping 15% in just three games.

Although the defense itself was sub-par when down a man, the real problem may be the fact that they were forced to play that way eight times in one game.

Leading 4-2 against Edmonton, Columbus took three consecutive penalties, finally surrendering a goal on the third, after killing off their 28^th and 29^th consecutive penalties.

Central Race:

Despite the losses, the Blue Jackets remain in second place in the central with 12 points.

Chicago leads the division with 15, while St. Louis, Detroit, and Nashville have nine, eight, and seven points respectively.

Columbus leads in goals per game average with 3.3, while Chicago leads in goals against with an average of 2.4.

Injury Report:

According to their official site, the Blue Jackets have placed Andrew Murray on the injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 20.

Murray is suffering shoulder problems and is expected to be out until mid-November.

Jan Hejda and Fredrik Modin both remain on the IR with knee injuries and Jared Boll is listed as questionable for the Oct. 28 match against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Defenseman Mike Commodore made his fist start of the season Saturday night at Anaheim after missing the first eight games due to a nagging groin injury.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets come back home for two games to face Phoenix and Pittsburgh before heading east to take on Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Nov. 1.

A young Phoenix team is led by winger Shane Doan, who has 10 points on the year.

The Blue Jackets will face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night when Sidney Crosby and company bring their 9-2 record to Nationwide Arena.

Midweek Report 10/21

Last Two:

Los Angeles:

After signing defenseman Kris Russel to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-2013 season, the defenseman returned the favor to the club by assisting on a Raffi Torres power play goal, which turned out to be the game winner.

For the second straight game, Columbus gave up the first goal of the game, but fought back after being down.

LA scored their lone goal of the game 10:08 into the first period on a wrist shot from Dustin Brown.

But with less than a minute remaining in the period, Jason Chimera intercepted a pass in his own zone, drove down the ice, and fired a bullet from the top of the face-off circle to the right of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to tie the score at one.

Torres’ second period power play goal proved to be the difference in the game, coming with only 2:58 remaining in the period, assisted by Brassard and Russel.

The Blue Jackets tacked on two insurance goals in the third, a shorthanded goal from the captain Rick Nash, and an empty net power play goal from Jakub Voracek with just over a minute remaining.

The goal by Nash extended his point streak to five games.

At Calgary

The Jackets headed back west for a Tuesday night affair with the Calgary Flames. After quickly falling behind by two goals, the Blue Jackets were able to get on the board courtesy of another Rick Nash shorthanded goal to cut the deficit to 2-1.

According to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the goal was Nash’s 11th shorthanded goal since the start of the 2007-2008 season, which is second in the league behind Philadelphia’s Mike Richards with 12.

The Jackets again fell down by two goals when Jay Bouwmeester added his first goal of the season, but retaliated with two straight power play goals from Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek to tie the game at three.

In a game where Columbus goaltender Steve Mason struggled, making only 16 of 22 saves, Calgary added three more goals to bring the final to 6-3.

The Youth:

In only the past two games, forwards Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek have combined for three goals and two assists. Kris Russel also added an assist.

Nikita Filatov did not skate for the third straight game, but is expected to play Thursday night when the Jackets face the Edmonton Oilers.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 2-6 with the man advantage Saturday night against Los Angeles with the later of the two coming on a late-game empty net goal from Jakub Voracek.

The Blue Jackets were 2-7 against Calgary, bringing the season total to 7-28, or an even 25%.

The Kill:

Columbus continues to impress on the penalty kill, having scored more than they have given up.

The Jackets were 5-5 against the Kings and 5-5 against the Flames as well, bringing the season total to 27-28, or 96%, which is tops in the league.

With Nash’s shorthander against Calgary, the Jackets have scored three shorthanded goals while only allowing one all year.

Central Race:

With seven games played, Columbus, with ten points, currently sits a half-game behind central leading Chicago, who has played eight games and recorded 11 points.

St. Louis and Detroit follow with seven points apiece, while Nashville brings up the rear with a 2-4-1 record and five points.

Columbus leads in goals against average at 2.5, while Chicago leads in goals for with an average of 3.6 goals a game.

Injury Report:

Defenseman Mike Commodore is still recovering from a groin injury but has began practicing, and is expected back in the lineup soon, according to the Columbus Blue Jackets Official Website.

Fredrik Modin and Jan Hejda both remain on the injured reserve with knee injuries and are expected to be out until late October and mid November respectively.

With the absence of both Commodore and Hejda, defenseman Fedor Tyutin has seen his playing time rapidly increase, logging a team leading 17:06 minutes in Saturday night’s victory over Los Angeles.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets continue their western road trip with stops in Edmonton, Anaheim, and LA.

Columbus faces-off with the Oilers Thursday night in Edmonton.

Edmonton is 5-2-1 on the season and currently sits in third place in the Northwest Division.

Former Blue Jacket Gilbert Brule has tallied four goals and three assists in only seven games played with the Edmonton.

#5 Ohio at #4 Delaware - Preview

After splitting a series last weekend against Penn State, the Ohio University hockey team is faced with another tough test this weekend on the road in the undefeated and fourth ranked Delaware Blue Hens.

The Blue Hens are led by coach Michael DeAngelis, who is a personal friend of Ohio Head Coach Dan Morris, and speaks very highly of both the Ohio hockey program, and coach Morris himself.

I really like the style they play, it’s the epitome of hockey,” DeAngelis said. “They do a really good job of showcasing the talent of the ACHA.”

As for Coach Morris, DeAngelis said he believes Morris is the best coach in the ACHA. “I really hold him in high regard,” DeAngelis said.

The Bobcats played two physical games last weekend against Penn State, winning 2-1 on Friday night, but dropping Saturday night’s contest 4-3 in overtime.

“The guys handled it great last week,” said Morris. “I feel like we outplayed them both nights, we just didn’t get the result we wanted Saturday night, but we’re a team looking to improve, so any chance we get to play good competition, we look forward to it.”

Morris said that they do not prepare any differently for a game of such great stature, but use the games as a test to see where the team is, and what they need to work on. “Good teams expose those things,” he said.

Delaware Coach Michael DeAngelis said although they try to keep things business as usual for games like this, they may pull out a few extra things they wouldn’t use against an unranked opponent.

“Ohio plays a hard-nosed, physical brand of hockey,” said DeAngelis. They’re built to punish.”

One advantage DeAngelis feels his team has is that Delaware plays on an Olympic-sized sheet of ice, compared to the smaller 190' by 85' rink size that OU is accustomed to.

As far as keys to victory for his team, DeAngelis said discipline would be huge. “We don’t want to put them on the power play,” he said. “Good teams are great because of special teams.”

Offensively, the Bobcats are looking to improve on finishing their chances, and putting the puck in the net, said Morris.

“We need to concentrate for 60 minutes,” said the coach. “We look forward to the opportunity in front of us.”

Midweek Report 10/14

Three games later, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still off to their best start in franchise history. A loss on the road at San Jose Thursday night, followed by consecutive victories over Phoenix and Calgary led the Jackets to their 4-1 record, and a spot atop the central division.

Last Three:

At San Jose:

After successive wins over Minnesota and Vancouver to start the season, the Blue Jackets took their winning streak on the road to face Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks.

Columbus struck first with an opening period goal from Rick Nash, but San Jose was relentless, scoring four times in the second, and twice again in the third to reach the 6-3 final.

Heatley, acquired by the Sharks from Ottawa only a month ago, recorded his eighth career hat-trick, with the third goal coming on a late-game penalty shot.

At Phoenix:

Recently acquired goaltender Mathieu Garon got his first start Saturday night in Phoenix, and capitalized on the opportunity.

Garon was perfect, stopping all 36 Coyote shots, and leading his team to a 2-0 victory in the desert. It was the first shutout of the year from CBJ net-minders, after reigning Calder Memorial Trophy winner Steve Mason recorded ten a year ago.

Rick Nash tallied his second goal of the season on a beautiful tic-tac-toe pass from Huselius and Brassard. R.J. Umberger put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal with 17 seconds remaining, also his second on the year.

Calgary:

Tuesday evening’s affair was the first game back on home ice since the season opener, and offered a tough test in the then 4-1-1 Calgary Flames.

Calgary got on the board first with a goal from former Blue Jacket Curtis Glenncross, and led 1-0 after one.

The Blue Jackets countered with two goals just 2:04 apart, scored by two former Flames in Anton Stralman and Kristian Hueslius, the first coming on a five-on-three man advantage late in the second period.

Rick Nash assisted on both goals, extending his multi-point game steak to four. Huselius has also put-up points in four straight games.

Mason was able to hang on for the victory, making 22 saves in a 2-1 Columbus victory.

The Youth:

After spending a brief one game stint down on the second line, Derick Brassard returned to the top line for Saturday night’s game against Phoenix, and has played well since, recording assists and creating opportunities in both games.

Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov have been quiet recently; both were pointless through the past three. Filatov was a healthy scratch against Calgary.

Mathieu Roy tallied an assist on a Chimera goal at San Jose, and is +1 on the year.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 1-3 on the PP against San Jose, 0-2 against Phoenix, and 1-4 against Calgary. This brings the season total to 3-15, or 20%

The power play was an area of need for the Jackets a year ago. The 20% the team is averaging this year is much improved from the 11% the team averaged last year.

The Kill:

The penalty kill, on the other hand, seems to be an area of great strength for the Blue Jackets. Columbus entered Tuesday night’s game as the best penalty-killing team in the NHL, and did not do anything to hurt that status, killing off the only penalty they took all night.

Columbus was 4-4 on the kill at San Jose and 6-6 at Phoenix, including a late-game double minor to Derick Brassard.

On the year, Columbus has killed 17 of 18 penalties, or 94%.

Fortunately the Jackets have done a good job killing off the penalties, but an even better way to prevent power play goals is to stay out of the box in general, somewhere many Jackets have spent significant time over the past few games.

Central Race:

With eight points, Columbus has claimed their spot at the top of the central, but is closely followed by Chicago, who sits just a point away with a 3-1-1 record.

St. Louis, Nashville, and Detroit each have four points.

Chicago leads in goals for with 19, while Columbus leads in goals against average with 2.2.

In recent years, with Columbus, Chicago, and St. Louis all struggling, the division was know as the “Comedy Central.” Now, the division may be the best in all of hockey. Who’s laughing now?

Injury Report:

Defenseman Mike Commodore (groin) and winger Fredrik Modin (knee) both remain on the injured reserve.

Commodore is listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings and Modin is expected to be out until at least late October.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets face off against the 4-1 Los Angeles Kings Saturday Oct. 17 at Nationwide Arena, then head back on the road for a four-game western trip making stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Los Angeles.

The Kings have won four in a row after dropping their season opener and are led by wingers Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smith who each have four goals on the season.

Midweek Report

Coming off the best season in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets are off to the best start in franchise history. The team is 2-0 for the first time sice their inception into the league nine years ago.

The Blue Jackets have been getting good play from the entire team and have propelled themselves to victories over Minnesota on Saturday, and at Vancouver on Monday. Here is the midweek report.

Last two games: 2-0

The Jackets opened the ’09 season with a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild, in front of a sold-out Nationwide Arena on Saturday night.

The teams played a relatively uneventful first period after a rambunctious pre-game opening ceremony, ending play in a scoreless tie.

The Jackets were on the board for the first time of the year in the second period when forward R.J. Umberger scored on a shorthanded breakaway goal. Moments later Captain Rick Nash was presented with the same opportunity, but was not able to capitalize on the breakaway.

Minnesota tied the score with a third period goal from Andrew Brunette at 4:43. Minutes later, the only remaining original Blue Jacket celebrated his new four-year deal with the club by putting the finishing touches on the teams first victory of the year.

Rostislav Klesla scored at 10:10 of the third and the reigning Calder Memorial Trophy winner Steve Mason held on for the win. Mason finished with 32 saves in all.

Monday night’s affair with the Vancouver Canucks offered a new test for Columbus. It was the first road game of the year, and the first of a three game western road trip for the Jackets.

Vancouver struck first, at 15:29 in the first, but Columbus responded, killing off a five-on-three man advantage and scoring just moments after the penalty expired to end the first in a 1-1 tie.

The Jackets would add three consecutive goals in the second, scored by Huselius, Klesla, and Filatov before Vancouver added one more to close the cap to 4-2.

The Canucks made it close with a third period goal from Willie Mitchell, but Columbus added some insurance courtesy of a power play goal from Fedor Tyutin with 4:57 to play.

With the win, Columbus climbed to 2-0, while Vancouver fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2001 despite averaging 40 shots a game.

The young guys:

The younger guys performed well in the first two games. Nikita Filatov tallied his first goal of the season against Vancouver. Brassard seems to be fully recovered from his surgery and the shoulder injury he suffered last December, and appears to be poised to center the top line with great strength.

Jakub Voracek is bigger and stronger, and posted assists in both games. Even young Mathieu Roy has gotten in on the action, and has filled in nicely while Mike Commodore had missed time due to injury.

Power play watch:

Columbus was 0-2 on the PP on Saturday night and 1-4 with the man advantage on Monday. That puts the season total at 1-6, or for those of you who can’t do it in your head, about 17%.

The penalty kill was 3-4 on Saturday and 4-4 on Monday, bringing the season total to 7-8 or 87.5%.

Central Race:

The Jackets currently sit in a two-way tie atop the Central Division. St. Louis is also 2-0 while Chicago lurks close behind with three points at 1-0-1. Nashville is in fourth with a 1-0 record and Detroit is bringing up the rear at 0-2.

St. Louis leads the division in goals for with 9, while Detroit leads in goals against with 9.

Injury report:

After taking a cheap hit Monday night from Vancouver’s Darcy Hordichuk, Jared Boll was taken off the ice and is listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game. Fredrik Modin is still on the IR due to knee problems. Mike Commodore is expected to play against San Jose on Thursday.

Next up:

Thursday night, 10:30 pm at San Jose.

Will most likely be the premiere of new Jackets defenseman Anton Stralman.

San Jose is 1-2 coming off a 6-4 loss at Los Angeles.

The Sharks sit in a four-way tie atop the Pacific Division with two points.