SB Nation Bay Area: All Posts by Jose Romero

Mexico vs. Denmark soccer friendly: 'Chepo' de la Torre visits Glendale in advance of match

2013-01-07T23:00:07Z

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Mexico's national soccer team is going to be very busy this year. "El Tri" is the top team in the CONCACAF region World Cup 2014 qualifying hexagonal and plays 10 matches before presumably qualifying for Brazil in 2014. Mexico is also in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the North American championship tournament held every two years, and as 2011 Gold Cup champion, will play in this summer's Confederations Cup in Brazil.

That tournament is viewed a the dress rehearsal for the World Cup, but still features the top eight teams from eight world soccer regions.

The FMF, Mexico's soccer federation, also has a five-match U.S. tour planned for the ever-popular team this year, with Mexico's success and fan base transcending international borders. The first stop on that tour? University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 30 against Denmark. The match serves as a tuneup for the World Cup qualifiers that begin next month and brought Mexico head coach Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre out to Arizona for a preview with local media on Monday.

"Our principal focus is on qualifying for the World Cup," De la Torre said in Spanish. "This match will help us prepare for Jamaica (first qualifier). This match is really important for us to see what we can do."

Mexico's selected players will convene a week before heading to Arizona. It's reasonable to expect some big names to be in Glendale, but also some younger players who need experience to provide solid depth in upcoming competitions and friendlies.

Don't expect to see Mexican players based in Europe, like Manchester United star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. However, Jan. 30 is not a FIFA international date, so the players Mexico will have in Arizona will come from the country's top league, the Primera Division, de la Torre said.

That could mean a chance to see some players from Mexico's 2012 Olympic gold-medal winning team. All but one of those players are based in Mexico.

De la Torre would like to get a look at some players in the domestic league, anyway. Denmark is no slouch of a team, currently ranked No. 23 in the FIFA world rankings only eight spots behind Mexico.

"The Confederations Cup will come, the Gold Cup will come, all the rest, but first our focus is the first qualifier against Jamaica," de la Torre said, adding that all personnel decisions will be very carefully measured and clear as to who should be on the team. "There aren't two national teams in Mexico. There aren't two countries in Mexico. There is only one national team and one Mexico."

After his comments, De la Torre posed for photos and received an NFL Arizona Cardinals jersey from stadium authority executives.

This will be the third time Mexico has played at U of P Stadium, which just hosted the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl last Thursday. El Tri played the U.S in 2007 and Guadeloupe in a Gold Cup match in 2009. Denmark is also in World Cup qualifying in Europe at present.

Tickets remain available for the match via Ticketmaster.

2013 Fiesta Bowl: Oregon stuffs Kansas State, Chip Kelly denies NFL interview reports

2013-01-04T06:43:39Z

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Oregon sputtered on offense at times in the first half, but once the Ducks got going, the Kansas State Wildcats were no match. Oregon rolled to a 35-17 win in the Fiesta Bowl Thursday night and won its second BCS bowl game in two years.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota upstaged Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, his K-State counterpart. Mariota, a redshirt freshman who could one day himself be in the Heisman conversation, ran for 71 yards and a touchdown and passed for two scores and 166 yards. Klein threw for 151 yards and a TD but was picked off twice, and rushed for 42 yards and a TD.

Ducks senior Kenjon Barner, stymied in the first half, had 25 yards at halftime but ended up with 143 on 31 carries and a receiving touchdown.

The Ducks (12-1) led from beginning to end, getting off to a flying start when De'Anthony Thomas took the game's opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Thomas had a big game in the Rose Bowl last year, and continued his January excellence.

And yet the game was only part of the show, as Oregon coach Chip Kelly fielded questions about his future in the postgame press conference. Kelly, it was reported widely, has interviews scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns for their open head coach jobs. But he denied having spoken to any team as yet after the Fiesta Bowl.

Kelly did say he will listen to any offers. The "Dave" he refers to is his agent, David Dunn.

Kelly evaded other NFL-related questions, deflected a question about possible NCAA sanctions against the Oregon program and answered questions about the game. When the lengthy session had ended, he muttered to an official that it was the record for the longest press conference he's ever done. Kelly is no fan of those.

Back to the game.

Oregon led 15-0, but Kansas State controlled time of possession in the first half and put together a long drive of 10 plays and 58 yards helped by pass interference penalty on the Ducks. Klein ran in for a six-yard score to make it 15-7 with 13:26 left in the second quarter.

Kansas State's game plan was obvious from the start: keep possession on offense for as long as possible. Though the Wildcats got down by 15 early, they methodically worked the ball down the field for a field and took eight minutes off the clock in the second quarter to make the score 15-10.

The Wildcats (11-2) had all the momentum after forcing a three-and-out and thwarting a fake punt. But an attempt to draw the Ducks defense offside on a third down backfired with a false start, and the field goal try on the next play was no good. Oregon got the ball with a minute until halftime and needed only 46 seconds to score.

Mariota found a wide open Barner for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left in the half to make the scored 22-10.

Oregon's defense cranked it up in the third quarter, its pass rush getting pressure on Klein with back-to-back hurries and hits on Klein as he threw the ball. It helped that Klein's release looked deliberate and he failed to impress much with his arm.

After a field goal by Alejandro Maldonado, Oregon forced another punt and marched the ball 61 yards in seven plays, Mariota running for a touchdown. A rare one-point safety was called when Kansas State blocked the extra point but their player was tackled in the end zone by the Ducks.

Oregon led 32-10 and the Wildcats were in crisis mode. But K-State forced a turnover on downs with a sack of Mariota, and needed five minutes for a touchdown drive to make the score 32-17. Klein tossed to John Hubert for a 10-yard score with 11:35 to play in the game.

The Wildcats needed stops on defense in the fourth quarter down two scores, but Oregon was able to run the clock. The Ducks tacked on another field goal and those in yellow in the crowd of 70,242 cheered as the Ducks celebrated on the field.

Mariota was named the offensive player of the game and linebacker Michael Clay, with nine tackles including a sack and two tackles for loss, was the defensive MVP.

2013 Fiesta Bowl, Oregon vs. Kansas State: Collin Klein hopes Wildcats can 'finish'

2013-01-01T21:00:02Z

Collin Klein was 13 years old the last time the Kansas State Wildcats won a bowl game. He's 23 now, and the Heisman Trophy finalist is soon to play in the Fiesta Bowl in hopes of leading his team to their first bowl victory since the 2002 Holiday Bowl.

Klein's time at K-State ends after Thursday's game. He's already graduated and hopes to be taken in the NFL Draft. A two-year full-time starter, Klein still led the Wildcats to 22 wins in 27 career starts. He'll pose a major threat to the Oregon Ducks because he is adept at both passing and running.

Klein has accounted for 3,380 of his team's 4,935 yards this season, via air and ground. He's the biggest part of everything the Wildcats do on offense. Kansas State will miss him terribly when he's gone.

"I know that God has given me this ability and this desire to play this game, and I want to play it as long as I can," Klein said. "I really feel like I can play at the next level and I want to play at the next level."

But first, he'd like to put an end to the Wildcats' bowl drought.

2013 Fiesta Bowl, Oregon vs. Kansas State: Dion Jordan comes home for college finale

2013-01-01T00:25:49Z

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The NFL beckons for Oregon Ducks defensive end Dion Jordan. He's projected as high as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft in 2013. But Jordan has one more game in college to play, the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. As fortune would have it, Jordan gets to play that finale right near where he grew up in the Phoenix area.

"It's a wonderful time of year," Jordan said. "Who else would I want to spend it with than my teammates and my family?"

Jordan also hopes to spend a lot of time in the Wildcats' backfield. The former Chandler High School star came to Oregon originally as a tight end and played in the Rose Bowl as a redshirt freshman. He moved to defense in 2010 and was a key reserve on the team that played in the BCS national championship game. In 2011, Jordan was a first team all-Pac-12 selection after leading the Ducks in tackles for loss.

And despite missing a game this season. Jordan was just as good a performer and forced three fumbles, a season high. He was named first team-all conference and a first team All-American.

But beyond all that, Jordan has one of the best nicknames in sports, "The Praying Mantis." Some call him "Giant." He's taken a leadership role on the team as a senior.

The insect nickname came from how long and lean he is (6-7, 243 pounds) and the way he plays.

Jordan has seen and gone against some elite quarterbacks in bowl games over his time at Oregon. At the 2010 Rose Bowl it was Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State. Then came Cam Newton of Auburn in the national title game. Then Russell Wilson of Wisconsin, now flourishing in the NFL, in the 2012 Rose Bowl. And this week, Collin Klein of Kansas State.

Here's more from Jordan on coming home:

Of course, it's no secret that the Oregon offense, with its tempo and proclivity for points, gets most of the attention when talking about the Ducks. But at least internally, Oregon's defense gets as much respect. The Ducks, to a man, are as fast on defense as they are on offense and want to play that way to force Kansas State into mistakes.

"You can't win as many games as we've won over the last four years without playing great defense," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "Dion and Kiko Alonso and Michael Clay and that group of guys there have really been the cornerstone of what we've been... I know he's (Jordan) going to be ready to play in this game."

NFL NFC West Thoughts: Two playoff entrants puts West among best

2012-12-31T19:00:10Z

I've heard it said on several occasions. The NFC is garbage. A joke. It doesn't compare to the other NFC or AFC divisions to the east. To that argument, my response is this: arguably the hottest team in the league, the team that stands a good shot at road win in the playoffs, is in the NFC West. And it's not even the division winner.

The San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1) took care of business and won the division as expected. They earned a first-round bye. The Seattle Seahawks (11-5) were in contention to win the division until the final day of the regular season, and they, too, finished strong. They were the only NFL team to go a perfect 8-0 on the season and get to go to Washington D.C. to face RGIII in a battle of two of the best rookies in the league.

The St. Louis Rams finished 7-8-1 after losing in Seattle Sunday. But there is reason for optimism in St. Louis. The Rams' defense had a pretty good year and if the offense can get better over the offseason, via the draft or free agency, St. Louis could be a stronger contender for the playoffs.

Two of the most dynamic young quarterbacks in the league came out of the NFC West this season. We saw what Russell Wilson was able to do in his rookie year, tying the rookie record for most touchdown passes by rookie with 26 this season. That tied Peyton Manning in 1998.

Colin Kaepernick took over the 49ers in midseason and went on to throw 10 TD passes with only three interceptions. He figures to be the man going forward in the Bay Area.

The Seahawks landed five Pro Bowlers, the 49ers a whopping nine. And every defense in the division was solid, even that of the last-place Cardinals.

The offenses in Seattle and San Francisco look to be in good hands going forward and they have pieces in place to be good for years to come. What a season for Michael Crabtree, the 49ers receiver who caught 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine TDS. Same for the defenses. San Francisco might need a new kicker with David Akers having a down year.

The Rams will need some help on offense and might lose running back Steven Jackson with the emergence of young Daryl Richardson. The Cardinals will need a complete offensive overhaul.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 2012: Michigan State rallies in second half for 17-16 win over TCU

2012-12-29T08:53:00Z

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Buffalo WIld Wings Bowl wasn't much fun to watch. That is, until the last minute of the third quarter and the fourth quarter. Michigan State senior Dan Conroy drilled a 47-yard field goal right down the middle of the uprights with 1:01 left in the game, and the Spartans defense held on for a 17-16 win over TCU Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.

Those covering the game probably thought the free chicken wings in the press box would be the highlight of the night after TCU took a 13-0 lead into halftime and was dominant on defense. But the Horned Frogs ran out of steam late in the third quarter as Spartans running back Le'Veon Bell battered the Frogs for 145 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown, amassing 107 of those yards in the second half.

For almost 53 minutes, it wasn't Michigan State's night. But a muffed punt deep in TCU territory opened the door for the Spartans to punch in Bell's touchdown, a four-yard run with seven minutes left to play.

The gaffe and score negated an otherwise quite admirable defensive performance by the Horned Frogs, though they were able to respond after going down by one. Jaden Oberkrom made a 53-yard field goal with 2:42 to play to give TCU a 16-14 lead.

But the Spartans had found something they could exploit on offense, and they managed to put together a drive that resulted in Conroy's winner.

"I just went out there and let God do the rest," Conroy said. "When you go out there, you just have to stay relaxed and have confidence in yourself."

The Spartans could have folded after being down at halftime. Conroy himself reflected on missed chances he'd had earlier in the season to help his team. But Michigan State got tougher on defense and found some rhythm on offense.

Defensive end William Gholston was named the game's most valuable defensive player with nine total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. He and Bell could declare themselves draft eligible as juniors.

Oberkrom made a total of three field goals, also from 47 and 31 yards, and the Frogs held the Spartans to only 76 total yards in the first half.

TCU's defense forced four three-and-outs in the first half, frustrating the majority of the 44,617 fans in attendance, the biggest chunk of which were rooting for the Spartans of the Big Ten. But those fans were singing at the end, as State finally got its first close-game in since the first game of the season. It had lost five games by 13 points combined.

It looked like it would be a long night for Michigan State when, with nowhere to run on a first-down play deep in its own territory midway through the second quarter, Bell tried an ill-fated backward pass to quarterback Andrew Maxwell. The TCU defense swarmed Maxwell, forcing him to throw the ball away in haste and prevent certain disaster.

The Spartans tried another trick play with Bell late in the third quarter, and this time it worked. After several consecutive play calls for him to run the ball, Bell completed a 29-yard pass to fullback TyQuan Hammock. It gave Bell more passing yards than Maxwell for the moment.

Maxwell didn't finish the drive at quarterback. Backup QB Connor Cook threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Burbridge with 34 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 13-7 for TCU. It was the Spartans' longest scoring drive of the season and longest in the school's bowl history, 23 bowl games.

Trevone Boykin passed for 201 yards, 120 on two long plays in the first half, for TCU. He was also the Frogs' leading rusher with 37 yards.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 2012: Patience pays off for Michigan State's Andrew Maxwell

2012-12-28T20:00:03Z

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- More than a few college quarterbacks transfer immediately upon knowing they won't be starters for a program. Not Andrew Maxwell, who stuck with Michigan State for the past three seasons before he finally got his chance to be the man.

It's not the ideal situation, but Maxwell did fairly well in his first season as Michigan State's No. 1 quarterback. The junior had his struggles, but passed for 2,578 yards and 13 touchdowns in the Spartans' balanced offense and will run the offense for Michigan State when it faces TCU in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Friday in Tempe.

Maxwell arrived in East Lansing in 2009, with Kirk Cousins already ahead of him on the depth chart as a redshirt sophomore. He watched Cousins stay long after practices and watch film.

"That's something I took note of," Maxwell said.

Cousins went on to set school records in career passing yards, touchdowns and completions. He led the Spartans to back-to-back 11-win seasons, and is now getting playing time in the NFL.

"I'm so proud of Kirk and what he's doing," Maxwell said. "He's worked hard for everything."

The Spartans didn't have as good a season as they'd hoped, at least on offense. The defense was one of the nation's best, but the offense couldn't take advantage as often as it was given opportunities. MSU lost two overtime games and five of its losses came by a combined (and agonizing) 13 points.

But Maxwell sees this bowl game as fresh start, of sorts.

"You get to come out here, you get to be together as a team," he said. "Obviously the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, we didn't accomplish what we wanted to, but the fact that we're here, we're really enjoying it and we're making the most of it."

And Maxwell already made one smart move as a quarterback since he arrived in Arizona. He took it easier on the chicken wings than did some of his teammates. More than 7,300 were consumed by both TCU and Michigan State players at a local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, an average of 33 per player for the Spartans.

"We've had guys play at a high level here, so the expectations are to be that type of quarterback," Spartans coach Mark D'Antonio said. "He's very much in the media spotlight a lot, but Andrew has special skills. He's first year starting, so the inexperience (is there) at times... while statistically he may not have been as successful as (media) would think, he's been a tremendous leader for our program and he gets rid of the ball."

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 2012: TCU's Trevone Boykin making most of big chance

2012-12-27T19:51:08Z

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Had it all gone according to plan, Casey Pachall would have been the quarterback to lead Texas Christian to a bowl game. But as we all know in sports, things can change at the drop of a hat.

An injury. Academics. Or in Pachall's case, an arrest. Pachall's suspension from the team allowed Trevone Boykin to take over the starting job in the fifth game of the season, and a little more than two months later, Boykin and the Frogs' offense are in Arizona for the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl against Michigan State Saturday night.

Boykin came to TCU as a quarterback. With Pachall atop the depth chart to open this season and injuries affecting the roster at running back, Boykin took snaps at running back for a week in September. But when Pachall was lost, Boykin, a redshirt freshman, was back as the signal caller.

He's most certainly more of a running threat than as a passer, but Boykin was quietly one of the top redshirt freshman QBs in the nation this season. He threw as many touchdown passes as Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, 14, and was 3-1 as a starter on the road with wins at Baylor, West Virginia and Texas.

Boykin has guys he looks up to on the team for guidance, but smiled when he mentioned that there are teammates who look at him as a leader. "That's nice to hear," he said.

Boykin feels TCU can beat Michigan State on the edges with the Frogs' speed, but noted that the Spartans aren't like any defense in the Big 12.

"They're way more aggressive," Boykin said. "They're bigger."

Boykin was hooked on TCU when he watched former quarterback Andy Dalton in the Rose Bowl. The spread offense he ran in high school in Texas made him a good fit in coach Gary Patterson's program.

Pachall can return to the team next season and compete against Boykin to get his job back. He'll be a senior.

"The possibility of Casey Pachall coming back, being a part of that, I think competition makes everybody better," TCU Patterson said. "Now knowing he (Boykin) can push for the starting role since he's been a starter I think makes both of those guys better now. It's not just 'I'm the older player so I play.' It's more of a 'Now there's two of them back here.' You've got to compete and get ready to go."