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ESPN MidWeek — November 21, 2012

 
College Football Feast Topped by No. 1 Notre Dame at USC

NFL Smorgasbord, Herm’s Award, Hoops & Jimmy V Week & more… 

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College GameDay at No. 1 Notre Dame-USC; Game on ABC in Prime Time
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will originate from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of Saturday’s game between new No. 1 Notre Dame and USC.  The game – in which a victory by the Fighting Irish will put them in the BCS National Championship game in January – will be aired at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

GameDay will be making its ninth visit to USC, the most recent being October 28, 2011, when then-No. 6 Stanford topped the Trojans 56-48.  It is the fifth time the show has aired from a ND-USC matchup.

College GameDay will air live at 9 a.m. on ESPNU and 10 a.m. on ESPN with host Chris Fowler, analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, and host/reporter Samantha Steele and Tom Rinaldi.  Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will be in the booth for ABC with Heather Cox on the sidelines.  The game will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN Radio

 

 

Showdown Saturday: Top Rivalries, Last Two Unbeatens, Three Games between Ranked Squads, No. 1 Notre Dame Playing for BCS Title Slot
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

“Showdown Saturday” will include 16 teams in the BCS Standings across ESPN networks, top rivalries, the last two undefeated programs, matchups between ranked teams, Notre Dame competing for a spot in the Discover BCS National Championship and more. Highlights for Saturday, Nov. 24:

  • An ABC tripleheader with three of the nation’s top rivalries includes two unbeaten teams and a showdown between two top 10 teams, each with one loss:
    • Undefeated Ohio State will host rival No. 19 Michigan at noon ET. It marks the 109th meeting between the programs, and 95th straight, with Ohio State winning 8 of the past 10. Michigan won last year 40-34.
    • In a matchup of one-loss teams, No. 4 Florida will travel to No. 10 Florida State at 3:30 p.m. It will mark the 57th meeting between the in-state rivals. The game is the first time in 12 years both teams will be ranked in the top 10 when they meet.
    • Undefeated No. 1 Notre Dame will take on USC for a shot at the Discover BCS National Championship at 8 p.m.  It marks the 84th meeting between the squads with USC winning nine of the last 10 games against Notre Dame. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN Radio.
    • “Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly has patiently developed exciting freshman quarterback Everett Golson, and now USC freshman QB Max Wittek gets a chance to show off his big arm on the biggest of stages,” says, Joe Schad, who covered college and pro sports for New York Newsday, Orlando Sentinel and Palm Beach Post before joining ESPN. “Few people are giving USC a chance to win this game but I expect the Trojans to let it fly aggressively on both offense and defense. With nothing to lose and everything to ruin, I expect this game at The Coliseum to be a must-listen into the fourth quarter.”
  • ESPN’s tripleheader features three intrastate showdowns highlighted, two between ranked teams: Georgia Tech at No. 3 Georgia at noon, No. 21 Oklahoma State at No. 13 Oklahoma at 3:30 p.m. (also on ESPN Radio) No. 12 South Carolina at No. 11 Clemson at 7 p.m.
Date Time (ET) Game / Commentators Network
Tue, Nov 20 7 p.m. Akron at Toledo
Mark Neely & Ray Bentley		 ESPN2
Thu, Nov 22 4 p.m. Turkey Day Classic: Tuskegee vs. Alabama State
Joe Davis & Jay Walker		 ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. TCU at No. 16 Texas
Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele		 ESPN
Fri, Nov 23 11 a.m. Syracuse at Temple
Tom Hart & John Congemi		 ESPN2
    Ohio at No. 23 Kent State
Adam Amin & Tom Luginbill		 ESPNU
  Noon No. 14 Nebraska at Iowa
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards		 ABC
  1 p.m. Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan
Frank Giardina & Bob Chmeil		 ESPN3
  2 p.m. Buffalo at Bowling Green
Greg Franke & Tom Cole		 ESPN3
  2:30 p.m. No. 7 LSU at Arkansas
Bill Rosinski, Cole Cubelic, Joe Schad		 ESPN Radio
  3:30 p.m. West Virginia at Iowa State
Dave Lamont & Kelly Stouffer		 ABC
  7 p.m. South Florida at Cincinnati
Mark Neely & Ray Bentley		 ESPN
  10 p.m. Arizona State at No. 24 Arizona
Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill 		ESPN
Sat, Nov 24 Noon No. 19 Michigan at Ohio State
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich 		ABC
    Georgia Tech at No. 3 Georgia
Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown 		ESPN & ESPN 3D
    No. 18 Rutgers at Pittsburgh
Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Paul Carcaterra		 ESPN2
    Virginia at Virginia Tech
Tom Hart & John Congemi		 ESPNU
    Kentucky at Tennessee
Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano		 ESPN3 & SEC Network
    Connecticut at No. 20 Louisville
Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Adam Amin		 ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
    FCS First Round: Colgate at Wagner
Bob Picozzi & Rene Ingoglia		 ESPN3
  12:30 p.m. Miami (Fla.) at Duke ESPN3 * & ACC Network
  1 p.m. North Texas at Western Kentucky ESPN3
  2 p.m. FCS First Round: Coastal Carolina at Bethune-Cookman
Jim Barbar & Cory Chavous		 ESPN3
  3 p.m. Boston College at NC State
Frank Giardina & Forrest Conolly		 ESPN3
    Maryland at North Carolina ESPN3
    Idaho at Utah State
Trey Bender & Jay Taylor		 ESPN3 *
    FCS First Round: Eastern Illinois at South Dakota State
Shawn Kenney & John Bunting		 ESPN3
    FCS First Round: Villanova at Stony Brook
Dan Gutowsky & John Gregory		 ESPN3
  3:30 p.m. No. 4 Florida at No. 10 Florida State
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe		 ABC
    No. 21 Oklahoma State at No. 13 Oklahoma
ESPN: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor
Radio: Adam Amin, Chris Rix, Ian Fitzsimmons		 ESPN & ESPN Radio
    Wisconsin at Penn State
Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza		 ESPN2
    Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins		 ESPNU
    BYU at New Mexico State
Peter Young & John Fina		 ESPN3
    Troy at Middle Tennessee ESPN3
  5 p.m. South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette ESPN3
  7 p.m. No. 12 South Carolina at No. 11 Clemson
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon Spake		 ESPN
    Missouri at No. 9 Texas A&M
Steve Levy, Ed Cunningham & Kaylee Hartung		 ESPN2
    Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams		 ESPNU
  8 p.m. No. 1 Notre Dame at USC
ABC: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox
Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, and Joe Schad		 ABC & ESPN Radio
  10:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech at San Jose State
Joe Davis & Tom Luginbill		 ESPN2

* Local blackout may apply

 

 

ESPN’s Monday Night Football:  Philadelphia Eagles Host Cam Newton and the Panthers
contact: allison.r.stoneberg@espn.com

The Philadelphia Eagles host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Nov. 26 at 8:30 p.m.  In his first MNF appearance, Newton will face an Eagles team that is 14-9 on MNF under head coach Andy Reid.  MNF’s booth team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Jon Gruden (analyst) will call the game from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with sideline reporter Lisa Salters, who is a native of nearby King of Prussia, Pa.

MNF will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The game is also available on computers at WatchESPN.com and on tablets via the WatchESPN app for those who receive video subscriptions from an affiliated provider.

Chris Berman will host the two-hour pre-game show Monday Night Countdown at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.  NFL analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson and NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will join Berman in studio, while on-site host Stuart Scott, NFL analysts Trent Dilfer and Steve Young, columnist Rick Reilly and Salters will contribute to the program.  Highlights:

  • “Gruden Extra” with Dick Vermeil:  Arguably, no one understands the pressure of coaching in Philadelphia quite like former Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, who retired as Eagles head coach after seven seasons citing burnout.  Vermeil joins Jon Gruden in the MNF bus to discuss the Eagles and coaching in Philadelphia.
  • Rick Reilly Feature – Eagles Long Snapper Magician Jon Dorendos:  Jon Dorenbos turned to magic after enduring a childhood tragedy.  He has continued his love for magic to this day as a professional magician.  Dorenbos’ main job is as Eagles long snapper, but as Rick Reilly reports, magic helped him overcome childhood trauma.
  • “Soundtracks” – Cam Newton:  After a record-setting rookie season, Cam Newton’s sophomore campaign hasn’t lived up to expectations he set after a record rookie season.  In Soundtracks, Countdown relives key in-game audio from the quarterback’s first 26 career NFL games.

 

 

Sunday NFL Countdown: Adrian Peterson’s Comeback; Tom Coughlin’s Phone Calls; Peyton Manning’s Soundtrack; and More
contact: mac.nwulu@espn.com

Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Suzy Kolber, Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski will preview week 12 on ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown Presented by IBM on November 18 at 10 a.m. NFL Insider Adam Schefter and senior analyst Chris Mortensen will report the day’s news, and comedian Frank Caliendo will contribute his impressions of ESPN and NFL personalities. 

Correspondents Ed Werder (San Francisco at New Orleans), Bob Holtzman (Pittsburgh at Cleveland), Sal Paolantonio (Atlanta at Tampa Bay), Rachel Nichols (Green Bay at New York Giants) and George Smith (Minnesota at Chicago) will report from game sites.  Highlights: 

  • Adrian Peterson’s Comeback:  After 11 weeks, the NFL’s rushing leader is Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) where some questioned whether he had enough recovery time before returning to the field.  Countdown’s Cris Carter, a former Vikings receiver, traveled to Minnesota to get insights on a leading candidate for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
  • Coughlin’s Important Phone Calls:  In 1991, Tom Coughlin was the head football coach at Boston College when the team’s safety Jay McGillis was diagnosed with leukemia. He died seven months later.  Twenty years after McGillis’ passing, Tom Coughlin calls Jay’s mother, Pat, each Thanksgiving and Christmas, to tell her how great of a person her son was.  Reporter Rachel Nichols on the story of a long-standing commitment by a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.
  • When Tight Ends Dunk:  Tight ends Vernon Davis (San Francisco) and Jimmy Graham (New Orleans) celebrate touchdown catches by dunking the ball over the crossbar.  Graham is particularly adept at this skill than Vernon Davis.  NBA Countdown’s Jalen Rose, a former NBA star, explores the mysteries behind dunking the ball in the NFL.
  • “Soundtracks” – Peyton Manning:  Fans will hear the on-field sounds as the Denver Broncos quarterback, was wired for in-game audio during his team’s week 10 victory at the Panthers.
  • Eric Mangini’s Film Room – Packers at Giants:  Former head coach of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns Eric Mangini digs deep into game films to uncover keys for thes NFC playoff-bound teams.

The program will include live look-ins at quarterbacks Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Brandon Weeden, and running back Doug Martin and defensive end James Harrison during their pre-game routines leading into the 1 p.m. games.  Additional segments include the “Mayne Event” as Kenny Mayne examines the Packers recent success with television commercials, Cris Carter’s “Where You At?, and Jaworski and Hoge’s Xs and Os “Eye in the Sky.”

 

 

Snickers NFL Matchup – Vincent Jackson in the Slot; Giants 3rd Down Issues; Seattle’s Offense; and More
contact: mac.nwulu@espn.com

NFL Matchup host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge will preview the weekend’s key matchups by taking viewers inside the film room with X’s and O’s analysis Sunday, Nov. 25, on ESPN at 6:30 a.m. (ESPN2 at 8:30 a.m.).  Highlights: 

  • Hoge Breakdown – Seattle’s Offense: Hoge explains a sequence of plays which exemplify how the Seahawks offense is predicated on a sustained rushing attack and a successful passing game off of run-action plays.
  • “Between the Lines” – Jimmy Graham vs. Patrick Willis:  Jaworski uses the telestrator to explain a key matchup for Sunday’s San Francisco at New Orleans game by revisiting last year’s NFC Divisional Playoff contest.  He shows how 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis was matched up one-on-one with Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, a matchup both teams want.
  • The Money Down – The Giants 3rd Down Offense: While the Giants sit atop the NFC East, they have lost two games in a row. Jaworski shows why Eli Manning has converted only 21 percent of their third-down plays in the last three games..
  • “Jaws Playbook” – Andrew Luck: After setting the rookie record for most 300 passing-yard games, Colts Andrew Luck has shown his ability to make difficult intermediate to deep level throws, Jaworski explains.
  • “Coaches Clicker” – Adrian Peterson’s Run:  Hoge uses the clicker to show how Adrian Peterson broke free on a 61-yard touchdown run against the Detroit Lions – an indication of what Hoge argues will be a big game vs. the Bears.
  • “Let’s See it Hoge” – Vincent Jackson in the Slot:  After a dramatic overtime win in Carolina that included  a touchdown catch by wide receiver Vincent Jackson at the end of regulation, Hoge shows how the Buccaneers line Jackson up in the slot to create mismatches.
  • Tell Me Something I Don’t Know – Joe Flacco’s 20+-yard Attempts:  Jaworski shows why Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is one of the best arms in the league with a passer rating of 126.6 on pass attempts thrown 20 yards.
  • Tell Me Something I Don’t Know – Chris Johnson & the “Bone” Formation: In the last three games, 37 percent of Tennessee Titan Chris Johnson’s rushes have come out of the “Full House Bone” formation.  Hoge shows the blocking schemes that helped Johnson rush for over 100 yards in his last two games.

 

 

NFL Analyst Herm Edwards Named Walter Camp Man of the Year
contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com

Former NFL player and head coach and current ESPN NFL studio analyst Herm Edwards has been named the recipient of the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 2012 Man of the Year award, which honors an individual who has been closely associated with the game of football as a player, coach or close attendant to the game.  The honoree must have attained a measure of success and been a leader in his chosen profession in addition to contributing to the public service for the benefit of his community, country and his fellow man.  Edwards joins a distinguished list of former winners, dating back to 1967.  Edwards will be honored at the organization’s 46th annual national awards banquet on January 12, 2013, at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.  Walter Camp Foundation release.

 

 

Men’s College Hoops: 12 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Games Tuesday & Wednesday
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

ESPN’s men’s college basketball schedule for early next week is highlighted by all 12 games of the 14th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Nov. 27-28. Three of the telecasts, all on ESPN, will showcase a matchup between ranked teams: 

  • No. 3 Ohio State at No. 5 Duke on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 9:30 p.m.
  • No. 1 Indiana hosts No. 9 North Carolina on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 9:30 p.m.
  • ESPN’s action on Tuesday, Nov. 27, tips off with No. 16 NC State at No. 4 Michigan at 7:30 p.m.

The complete schedule November 26-28: http://es.pn/QaFdqJ

 

 

ESPN’s Sixth Annual Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research Launches November 27
contacts: kristen.m.hudak@espn.com and ben.cafardo@espn.com

ESPN’s sixth annual Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research – a weeklong, multiplatform initiative which drives awareness of and donations to The V Foundation for Cancer Research – will launch Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. ET with a simulcast of former NC State coach Jim Valvano’s iconic 1993 ESPYs speech. The 13-minute speech will air on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN3, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network and ESPN 3D, as well as on the ABC SuperSign in Times Square. The speech will begin with an introduction by two cancer survivors – ESPN commentator Stuart Scott and New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich. For more programming and production details on Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research, please visit ESPNMediaZone. In addition, fans can engage on Twitter throughout the week using hashtag #JimmyV.

 

 

espnW.com: Total Access: University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the Fashion Forward Carolina Panthers
contact: amanda.decastro@espn.com

espnW.com continues its extensive women’s college basketball coverage with a new Total Access series. This week, espnW contributor Mechelle Voepel provides an in-depth look at the University of Tennessee Lady Vols as Holly Warlick takes over the young squad. Other highlights on espnW.com include a blog post from US Women’s National team Heather O’Reilly about her journey to Rwanda, women’s sports photos of the week, and the Fashion Forward Carolina Panthers.

 

 

ESPN.com College Basketball Writer Eamonn Brennan Wins USBWA Best Writing Award
contact: kristie.chong@espn.com

The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) has awarded ESPN.com college basketball writer Eamonn Brennan with first place in its 2012 Best Writing Contest.  Brennan’s commentary piece, “Austin Rivers lives up to the moment” – written about Duke guard Austin Rivers and his performance in a classic Duke-North Carolina rivalry game on February 7, garnered him the honor for best game story. 

Brennan joined ESPN.com in 2009 and writes for the site’s College Basketball Nation Blog.  Prior to joining ESPN, he was a blogger at Yahoo! and various other websites.  An Iowa native, Brennan currently resides in Chicago.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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