August 30, 2010

Bucs look strong in season opener

(BRENHAM)  The Blinn Buccaneers 2010 debut at their new home was an impressive one as the top-ranked Bucs defeated the #3 ranked Fort Scott Greyhounds 55-42 in front of a big crowd Saturday at Cub Stadium.

In a rematch of last fall’s Citizen’s Bank Bowl, the Bucs scored early and often, rolling to a commanding 41-14 halftime lead.  The Bucs were outscored 28-12 in the second half, but were able to hold on and secure the 15 point win.  According to Bucs head coach Brad Franchione, the offensive and defensive lines were the key to the victory.
“Our offensive and defensive lines owned the line of scrimmage the entire game” said Franchione.  “They did a tremendous job of working together and playing hard to allow the people behind them to make big plays.”

NCAA Division I transfer quarterback Justin Tuggle (6-4, 230, Aplaretta, GA/Boston College) looked impressive in his debut as a Buccaneer, finishing the game 8-12 passing for 221 yards and four touchdowns.

“We came out in the first half and our offense was clicking and we were making plays – the offense line gave me time to throw the ball and the receivers got open, so I just got them the ball” Tuggle said.  “The defense was flying around making big plays and gave us the ball in great field position all game.”

The Bucs finished the game with 509 yards of total offense (264 rushing, 245 passing).  Freshman running back Marion Grice (6-0, 210, Katy) led a balanced running attack with 110 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.  Sophomore Ziggy Foster (5-8, 182, Eagle Lake) contributed 84 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.

“We came out real explosive in the first half, but unfortunately got a little sloppy with a lot of penalties” said Franchione.  “I like where we are after the first game, but we’ve got a lot to do before our next game to get to where we want to be.”

The Bucs will be back in action at home again this Saturday as they face S.E. Prep at 7pm at Cub Stadium.

Brad Paul of Memphis Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List -

Starting Center Blinn Bucs ‘08

Aug. 26, 2010
Senior center Brad Paul was named to the 2010 Rimington Trophy Fall Watch List, as announced by the Rimington Trophy Committee on Thursday.
Paul, a 2009 Spring Iron Tiger, is one of five returning starters from a 2009 offensive line that cleared the way for running back Curtis Steele to rush for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns. Paul started 11 of 12 contests throughout the 2009 campaign, missing only the UAB game due to injury.

The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division 1-A (FBS) football. The 2010 Fall Watch List includes 16 returners from the 2009 list and will be awarded at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 15, 2011.
In all, there are 37 student-athletes representing 11 conferences, with Paul serving as the only Conference USA representative.

The 2010 Tiger defensive line will become familiar with two of the Rimington Award watch list honorees throughout the season as they face Mississippi State's J.C. Brignone and Louisville's Mario Benavides.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner: the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America.

Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place Centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two Centers. Our policy is to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as Centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.

The Center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the Center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.
http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082610aaj.html

Blinn Bucs picked #1 in preseason poll

The Blinn College buccaneers begin 2010 as the nation's top-ranked junior college team after winning the national championship in dramatic fashion last season. The NJCAA Preseason Top 25, released this week by the NJCAA office, has Blinn at #1 and looking to win their third championship in five years.

Blinn is followed in the preseason rankings by Arizona Western College, Fort Scott Community College, Navarro College and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Two of Blinn’s conference opponents are ranked in the Top 25: #4 Navarro College and #14 Tyler Junior College.

Head coach Brad Franchione enters his sixth season at Blinn, his 15th in college football. Franchione has led the Buccaneer program to a 46-10 record, including two NJCAA Football Championships and three SWJCFC titles. He has also twice been named the NJCAA Football Coach of the Year and last season was the American Community College Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

“Obviously, it’s an honor for the program to receive this preseason recognition by the NJCAA,” coach Franchione said.  “However, our focus remains to work hard each day and put ourselves in a position to be successful at the end of the season.”

The Buccaneers return eight starters – three on offense and five on defense – from last season’s championship team. They also welcome Justin Tuggle (6-4, 230, Aplaretta, GA/Boston College), a NCAA Division I transfer, at the quarterback position. Tuggle transferred from Boston College, where he started three games for the Eagles in 2009 and threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns. Tuggle is a dual threat QB who, along with returner Shaun Rutherford (6-0, 190, Bay City), gives Blinn a multitude of options on offense. Top returners for Blinn include Honorable Mention All-American and First-Team All-Southwest JC Football Conference linebacker Dextrell Simmons (6-0, 210, Spring Westfield) and offensive lineman Sean Robertson (6-2, 265, Copperas Cove) who started all 12 games in 2009 for the Bucs.

“We’re starting with possibly the most talented group of players we’ve had in my time at Blinn,” Franchione said. “Along with our returning players, we have several new players that have the ability to make an immediate impact on the field in 2010.”

Blinn opens the season on Saturday, Aug. 28 against No. 3 Fort Scott Community College in Brenham with a rematch of last fall’s Citizen’s Bank Bowl, the 2009 NJCAA Football Championship Game. The Bucs won the title on a last second 84-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chad Froechnicht to give Blinn a 31-26 victory.

The 2010 schedule has Blinn with four home games against Fort Scott, Southeast Prep, Kilgore College and the homecoming game on Oct. 30 against Cisco Junior College. The Buccaneers will be playing in their new home, Cub Stadium for all home games beginning this season, with the exception of the Kilgore game which will be played at Viking Stadium at Bryan High School.

NJCAA Poll

2010 Blinn Football Schedule

February 3, 2010

Blinn College Football Player Commitments

Details

February 3, 2010

Blinn Football Signees

Details

January 13, 2010

Blinn lands another Division 1 transfer quarterback       

Blinn College Head Coach Brad Franchione announced today that the Buccaneers have secured another Division I transfer who is expected to start as quarterback for the defending national champions. Justin Tuggle (6-4, 225) is transferring from Boston College and will start classes at Blinn next week. He will have one year of junior college eligibility.

“The fact that I could go somewhere for a year and then get back to a Division I school appealed to me, but also that I could excel on and off the field. Blinn has a good track record, and the coaching staff really sold me on the school,” Tuggle said.

Tuggle, a dual threat quarterback from Alpharetta, GA, was also influenced by Cameron Newton who came to Blinn from the University of Florida and led the Bucs to the 2009 NJCAA championship. Tuggle and Newton are both from the Atlanta area and have known each other since attending football camps as teenagers. Newton is now enrolled at Auburn University where he is expected to compete for the starting quarterback position.

After redshirting his freshman year, Tuggle started three games for the Eagles in 2009 where he threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns. As a senior at Northview High, he earned Greater Atlanta All-Area honors throwing for 1,310 yards and 12 touchdowns setting school career records in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also ran for 563 yards and six touchdowns.

Justin is the son of Jessie “The Hammer” Tuggle, a former linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons (1987-2000) who played in Super Bowl XXXIII as well as five Pro Bowls, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Video Highlights of the game

Punt return with seconds remaining to win national title

Bowl Game Celebration Video

Pregame- 1st Quarter Video

Bowl Game Banquet

Autograph Session

Bucs are National Champions!

photo gallery     video clips

Blinn College (Texas) finished its 2006 football campaign with a 19-6 victory over previously second-ranked Pearl River Community College (Miss.) in the Pilgrims Pride Bowl Classic on Dec. 9. The Buccaneers closed out the season with a perfect 12-0 record and was awarded with the No. 1 ranking in the final NJCAA Football Poll of the 2006 season.

The Buccaneers of Blinn College were led this season by First-Team NJCAA All-American running back Bernard Scott, who led the NJCAA with 1,892 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. He averaged 154.4 yards per game and rushed for 193 yards on 22 caries and a touchdown in their bowl victory over Pearl River.

Blinn also boasted the best defense in the nation this year. The Buc's gave up just 129 yards of offense a game. They were monsters against the run, allowing a mere 39 rushing yards a game from their opponents. Three Blinn defenders were named NJCAA All-Americans this season: Ryan Moutan (DB, First-Team), Walner Leandre (DB, Second-Team) and Alex Cook (DE, Second-Team).

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