1.
Earl Bennett
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Earl Bryan Bennett is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt, a three-time All-SEC selection at Vanderbilt, Bennett left school as the all-time SEC leader in receptions with 236. Although later surpassed by Jordan Matthews, Bennett still ranks near the top of Vanderbilts career receiving leaderboards and he has totaled more receptions than any other Southeastern Conference receiver after two years. He set the record with 223 receiving yards against the Richmond Spiders in the Commodores 2007 opening season win. He is the first ever SEC receiver to record 75 receptions in three different seasons, the Chicago Bears chose Bennett in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He didnt catch a pass his entire rookie year and was mostly on the sidelines. On April 2,2009, Bennetts former teammate at Vanderbilt during the 2005 season, Bears head coach Lovie Smith said Bennett would be given every opportunity to win a spot as a starting receiver alongside Devin Hester in 2009. Bennett did just that during the course of mandatory mini-camp and training camp, as he showed an ability to make tough grabs in traffic, Bennett and Cutler quickly regained the chemistry they shared on and off the field during their college years playing together at Vanderbilt. During that offseason, Bennett also changed his number from 85 to 80, Bennett was the only Bears receiver to catch at least 1 pass in each game played during the 16-Game regular season in which the Bears missed the playoffs. Bennett got off to a start in season in the Week 1 match-up against the Green Bay Packers. Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, Bennett caught four passes for 80 yards, a week later against the Detroit Lions, Bennett returned four punts for a 15-yard average and a long of 25 yards in place of an injured Devin Hester. In Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals, Bennett caught seven passes for 93 yards, in Week 16 against the division rival Minnesota Vikings, Bennett caught three passes for 35 yards, along with his second career receiving touchdown. Bennett had a key two-point conversion against the Seattle Seahawks for his first points of the 2009 season, Bennett caught his first career touchdown from Jay Cutler against the St. Louis Rams in Week 13 as well completing a career-long 71-yard pass reception. On December 20 against the Baltimore Ravens, Bennett returned a punt 49 yards for a touchdown in place of the Bears injured returner Devin Hester, Bennett finished the season with 717 yards on 54 catches with two receiving touchdowns and a punt return touchdown as well. During Week 6 against the Seahawks, Bennett laid a block on Seattle punter Jon Ryan. Bennett caught his third career receiving touchdown in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, in Week 2 against the Saints, Bennett was injured, and did not return to the game. This eventually created controversy in 2012 after the Saints were caught using a bounty program, in Week 9, Bennetts return helped the Bears defeat the Eagles with a touchdown pass
2.
Vanderbilt Commodores football
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The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and they are currently coached by former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Derek Mason. Vanderbilt plays their games at Vanderbilt Stadium, located on the universitys Nashville. Adopting the nickname the Commodores after the 1897 season, the team has played in 1,250 games over 126 seasons. In that time, six coaches have led the Commodores to a bowl appearance, Art Guepe, Steve Sloan, George MacIntyre, Bobby Johnson, James Franklin. Four have led them to a championship, R. G. Acton, W. H. Watkins, James H. Henry. McGugin is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 198 victories during his thirty years at Vanderbilt and he was awarded two National Championships retroactively by Clyde Berryman. Of the twenty-eight different head coaches who have led the Commodores, McGugin, Ray Morrison, Henry Russell Sanders, the current head coach is Derek Mason. Ole Miss is Vanderbilts cross-divisional rival in the SEC, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have played 87 times since 1894. Ole Miss leads the series 50–38–2, the largest margin of victory was by 91 points won by Vanderbilt in 1915. Vanderbilt also holds the longest win streaks in the series from 1894 to 1938, having started in 1893, the Georgia-Vanderbilt football series has been played annually since 1968. The two are divisional opponents in the SEC East, the two are divisional opponents in the SEC East. The series, which rotates between Nashville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky, is tied at 42–42–4 with the score being Vanderbilt 17-Kentucky 15.6. Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 107 times since 1892, Tennessee leads the series 75–30–5, when the rivalry first started Vanderbilt dominated by taking 19 of the first 24 with 3 ties. After 1928, UT has dominated the rivalry with a record of Vanderbilt 71–11–2, the largest margin of victory for Vanderbilt was by 76 points in 1918 at Old Dudley Field in Nashville. The largest defeat was 65 points in 1994 at Vanderbilt Stadium, the longest win streaks for Vanderbilt is from 1901 to 1913. The longest win streak for Tennessee is 22, from 1983 to 2004, Vanderbilt and the Sewanee Tigers were both founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Southern Conference, and the Southeastern Conference. It is the oldest of Vanderbilts rivalries, dating back to 1891 when Vanderbilt played its football game
3.
Forward pass
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In several forms of football a forward pass is a throwing of the ball in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive teams goal line. In some football codes, such as football, the kicked forward pass is used so ubiquitously that it is not thought of as a distinct kind of play at all. In these sports, the concept of offside is used to regulate who can be in front of the play or be nearest to the goal, however, this has not always been the case. Some earlier incarnations of football allowed unlimited forward passing, while others had strict offside rules similar to rugby, the development of the forward pass in American football shows how the game has evolved from its rugby roots into the distinctive game it is today. Illegal and experimental forward passes had been attempted as early as 1876, another change in rules occurred on January 18,1951, which established that no center, tackle, or guard could receive a forward pass. Today, the only linemen who can receive a forward pass are the ends, current rules regulate who may throw and who may receive a forward pass, and under what circumstances, as well as how the defensive team may try to prevent a pass from being completed. In American and Canadian football, a pass, usually referred to simply as a pass. This is permitted only once during a scrimmage down by the team before team possession has changed, provided the pass is thrown from in or behind the neutral zone. An illegal forward pass can incur a penalty and the loss of a down, although it may be legally intercepted by the opponents. If an eligible receiver on the passing team legally catches the ball, the pass is completed, if an opposing player legally catches the ball it is an interception. That players team immediately gains possession of the ball and he may attempt to advance the ball toward his opponents goal, if no player is able to legally catch the ball it is an incomplete pass and the ball becomes dead the moment it touches the ground. It will then be returned to the line of scrimmage for the next down. If any player interferes with an eligible receivers ability to catch the ball it is pass interference which draws a penalty of varying degree. The person passing the ball must be a member of the team. The moment that a forward pass begins is important to the game, the pass begins the moment the passers arm begins to move forward. If the passer drops the ball before this moment it is a fumble, in this case anybody can gain possession of the ball before or after it touches the ground. If the passer drops the ball while his arm is moving forward it is a pass, regardless of where the ball lands or is first touched. The quarterback generally either starts a few paces behind the line of scrimmage or drops back a few paces after the ball is snapped
4.
Rush (gridiron football)
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Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football. The first is a taken by the offense that means to advance the ball by running with it, as opposed to passing. The other is a taken by the defense that means to charge towards the quarterback. When players on the defense are collectively rushing the passer, it is called the pass rush, in both offense and defense, any rushing player is called a rusher. Rushing, on offense, is running with the ball starting from behind the line of scrimmage. While this usually means a play, any offensive play that does not involve a forward pass is a rush - also called a run. It is usually done by the back after a handoff from the quarterback, although quarterbacks. The quarterback will run when a passing play has broken down - such as when there is no receiver open to catch the ball -. A team with a quarterback who is fast and skilled at running may regularly call intentional running plays for that quarterback, but this is rare due to the increased risk of injury. A wide receiver can act as a rusher on several kinds of plays, such as on a reverse, on an end-around, or on a pass behind the line of scrimmage. However, a wide receiver screen play is intended to be a forward pass so that if the receiver drops the ball it is an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. A rushing attempt may also be referred to as a carry, with any yards gained referred to as rushing yards, as in the running back had 20 carries for 100 rushing yards
5.
Field goal
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A field goal is a means of scoring in American football and Canadian football. To score a goal the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick. The vast majority of goals, in both codes, are placed kicked. Drop kicked field goals were common in the days of Gridiron football but are almost never done in modern times. In most leagues, a field goal awards three points. A field goal may also be scored through a fair catch kick, since a field goal is worth only three points, as opposed to a touchdown, which is worth six points, it is usually only attempted in specific situations. The goal structure consists of a crossbar suspended 10 feet above the ground. In American football the goals are centered on each end line, in the first half, there is enough time remaining to execute only one more play. In the second half, there is time remaining to execute only one more play. The game is in overtime, and a FG is the quickest, easiest, even under ideal conditions, the best professional kickers historically had difficulty making kicks longer than 50 yards consistently. If a team not to attempt a field goal on their last down. A punt cannot score any points in American football unless the team touches the ball first and the kicking team recovers it. The longest field goal kick in NFL history is 64 yards, the previous record was 63, originally set by Tom Dempsey and then matched by Jason Elam, Sebastian Janikowski, and David Akers. High school, college and most professional football leagues offer only a three-point field goal, however, NFL Europe encouraged long field goals of 50 yards or more by making those worth four points instead of three, a rule since adopted by the Stars Football League. Similarly, the sport of football sought to repopularize the drop kick by making that worth four points, it failed. The overall field goal percentage during the 2010 NFL season was 82.3, in comparison, Jan Stenerud, one of only two pure kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had a career field goal percentage of 66.8 from 1967 to 1985. The holder is usually the teams punter or backup quarterback, instead of the regular center, a team may have a dedicated long snapper trained especially to snap the ball on placekick attempts and punts. The holder usually lines up seven to eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, upon receiving the snap, the holder holds the ball against the ground vertically, with the stitches away from the kicker
6.
Vanderbilt University
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Vanderbilt University is a private research university founded in 1873 and located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt hoped that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War. Today, Vanderbilt enrolls approximately 12,000 students from all 50 U. S. states and over 90 foreign countries in four undergraduate and six graduate, despite its urban surroundings, the campus itself is a national arboretum and features over 300 different species of trees and shrubs. Vanderbilt is ranked as one of the top universities for its teaching, research opportunities. It is ranked 15th on the list of best national universities generated by U. S. News & World Report, however, lack of funds and the ravaged state of the Reconstruction Era South delayed the opening of the college. Indeed, the McTyeires had met at St. Francis Street Methodist Church in Mobile, Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was the wealthiest man in the United States at the time, was considering philanthropy as he was at an advanced age. He had been planning to establish a university on Staten Island, New York, however, McTyeire convinced him to donate $500,000 to endow Central University in order to contribute to strengthening the ties which should exist between all sections of our common country. The endowment was increased to $1 million and would be only one of two philanthropic causes financially supported by Vanderbilt. Though he never expressed any desire that the university be named after himself, McTyeire, Vanderbilt died in 1877 without seeing the school named after him. One of the trustees, Hezekiah William Foote, was a Confederate veteran. The Treasurer of the Board of Trust from 1872 to 1875, Alexander Little Page Green, whose portrait hangs in Kirkland Hall, was a Methodist preacher and a former slave owner. His son-in-law, Robert A. Young, was a Methodist minister who served as the Financial Secretary on the Board of Trust from 1874 to 1882, retiring from the board in 1902. The first building, Main Building, later known as Kirkland Hall, was designed by William Crawford Smith, in the fall of 1875, about 200 students enrolled at Vanderbilt, and in October the university was dedicated. Bishop McTyeire was named Chairman of the Board of Trust for life by Vanderbilt as a stipulation of his endowment, McTyeire named Landon Garland, his mentor from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and then-Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, as chancellor. Garland shaped the structure and hired the schools faculty, many of whom were renowned scholars in their respective fields. However, most of this faculty left after disputes with Bishop McTyeire, when the first fraternity chapter, Phi Delta Theta, was established on campus in 1876, it was shut down by the faculty, only to be reestablished as a secret society in 1877. Meanwhile, Old Gym, designed by Dutch-born architect Peter J. Williamson, was built in 1879–1880, by 1883, the Board of Trust passed a resolution allowing fraternities on campus, and more chapters were established in 1884. During the first 40 years, the Board of Trust, and therefore the university, was under the control of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, conflicts escalated after James H. Kirkland was appointed chancellor in 1893
7.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit association which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations, and individuals. It also organizes the programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2014, the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue. 80 to 90% of this revenue was due to the Division I Mens Basketball Tournament and this revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States. In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships, generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently, the term Division I-AAA was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, in 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision. Inter-collegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard University, as other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted. Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, the IAAUS was officially established on March 31,1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. For several years, the NCAA was a group and rules-making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, a series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. The Sanity Code – adopted to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid – failed to curb abuses, postseason football games were multiplying with little control, and member schools were increasingly concerned about how the new medium of television would affect football attendance. The complexity of problems and the growth in membership and championships demonstrated the need for full-time professional leadership. Walter Byers, previously an executive assistant, was named executive director in 1951. Byers wasted no time placing his stamp on the Association, as college athletics grew, the scope of the nations athletics programs diverged, forcing the NCAA to create a structure that recognized varying levels of emphasis. In 1973, the Associations membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions – I, II, and III, five years later in 1978, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA in football. Until the 1980s, the association did not offer womens athletics, instead, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, with nearly 1000 member schools, governed womens collegiate sports in the United States
