#7 Oregon def. #16 Oregon State 37-33
I learned all I needed to know about this game in the first half of the first quarter. Oregon's first possession lasted only about 30 seconds and 5 yards before Jeremiah Masoli was intercepted. Oregon State promptly drove 22 yards to the end zone and Oregon was down 7-0 just over three minutes in. I think the way a team reacts to adversity says everything, and what did Oregon do? Marched 77 yards in 8 plays to tie the game. All in all, it was a good showing for Beavers QB Sean Canfield and the magnificent Rodgers brothers, but the trio of Masoli, LaMichael James and returned bruiser LeGarrette Blount was too much to handle. On to Pasadena.
Central Michigan def. Ohio 20-10
Man, I love small time football. Big time record set here though, as Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour became the all time FBS leader in touchdowns. Congrats Dan, hope to see you in the NFL. Oh yeah, the game. Kind of slow, I guess, but Lefevour was good, as was Chippewa RB/WR Antonio Brown. Ohio's QB Theo Scott had some good moments, but was for some unclear reason unable to throw a screen pass, which made it very hard for him to run his offense. He also pretty much gave up any chance to win when he was sacked out of field goal range with the Bobcats down 20-10 in the 4th quarter. Live and learn...
#5 Cincinnati def. #15 Pittsburgh 45-44
Some teams just love to lose. Michigan State, the Buffalo Bills, and now we can add Pitt to the list. This is the second week in a row they blew a game in which they were obviously the better team. Cincinnati didn't look too good either, seemingly hampered by the snow and also by a massive team wide choke in the first half. Looked a little like Brian Kelly didn't have his team ready to play, which of course makes me wonder what the Fighting Irish brass thought. So can Cincinnati stop Dion Lewis? No. Lewis was good, but Pitt's offensive line dominated and Lewis often wasn't touched until he already had a three yard gain. Can Pitt keep the Bearcats from scoring 50? Technically yes, but not really. Did I jinx Bill Stull? Complicated. He wasn't particularly good, but then again, when your running back has 50 touches, how involved can you be? Generally, a shootout doesn't come down to one play, but then the Pitt holder dropped the extra point snap. D'oh.
Arizona def. #18 USC 21-17
How the mighty have fallen! USC somehow forgot AGAIN that McKnight is their best weapon and instead put Mr. Barkley in some tough situations he wasn't experienced enough to handle. The Trojans also used all of their second half timeouts before the closing minutes of the game, which hurt 'em a bit in the end. Maybe this is just because I'm used to them being so good, but it looks like they aren't really trying. And what do you get for that? 6th in the Pac-10 and a bowl date with the Jesuits of the Northeast.
#2 Alabama def. #1 Florida 32-13
I feel kind of stupid for blowing this call. I knew Alabama had a more complete team and I also knew that Florida basically hadn't played a decent team all year (someone called it a 12 game preseason). I just overestimated the Tebow factor. As did Tebow, obviously. And Urban Meyer. And for a lone Florida drive before the half, it looked like Tebow might lead them back into the game. But while Florida's offense was by no means good, the game was lost by the defense, which was on its heels from the very beginning of the game. Alabama put together several incredibly long drives and I actually think what you saw was a 49-13 blowout hampered by Alabama's plodding (although steady) offense. Good news for Texas (and excuse me for being vulgar): McElroy probably shot his wad on this one. It's hard to imagine him playing so far above himself twice in a row.
#3 Texas def. #22 Nebraska 13-12
Blech. If you take this game and the Oregon/Boise State travesty at the beginning of the season, you have disaster bookends to the regular season. Texas looked really really really tight. I kept thinking they would get over it and just throw short passes to Shipley all night, but they never did. The Cornhuskers had a fantastic defensive game plan (kudos to Bo Pelini for providing Alabama with a blueprint) and possibly the best punter/kicker I've ever seen, but on the other side of the ball...well, an ESPN column referred to them as "the team that offense forgot". No matter how many sacks Ndamukong Suh has, 32 yards in an entire half of football just isn't going to get it done. And so, despite the fact that Texas was completely unable to protect Colt McCoy, despite the fact that Texas had significant trouble with a very mediocre team, they're going to the national championship.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: After Nebraska intercepted Colt McCoy on Texas' first drive, they faced a 4th and 1 in field goal range and Bo Pelini decided to go for it, which I thought was incredibly dumb. Pelini has to know how god-awful his offense is. Even if you make the first down, what are the odds that you make two more and score the touchdown (they didn't, by the way, and kicked the field goal anyway)? And if you don't make it, wow, momentum right back to Texas. I'm usually in favor of making an early game statement, but this was an early game bluff.
In other news: During the Civil War, ESPN displayed a stats comparison between Colt McCoy and Nebraska QB Zac Lee. That's just mean.....Have you ever seen slower crawling than that Oregon lineman's attempt to pick up that Ducks fumble in the backfield? It looked like a slow motion replay.....Sad play of the week: Oregon State is lucky to have a really crappy punt called back because of a false start. On the second iteration, the punter does even worse.....After USC fullback Stanley Havili was called for a personal foul for spiking the ball in frustration after a play, the announcers said they didn't think that should be a penalty. I disagree wholeheartedly. Havili spiked the ball five yards out of bounds forcing the ball boys to crawl under the bench to get it. Despite our incredible ability to tolerate them from athletes, temper tantrums are definitely unsportsmanlike conduct.....Tim Tebow really needs to work on his poker face. I understand that it was disappointing, but who cries during a blowout? You have so much time to get used to the idea!.....Did anyone notice Blake Gideon dropping an INT in much the same manner as he did last year against Texas Tech? Almost cost his team a national championship two years in a row.....Great Musburger quote: Ndamukong is dominating! (He was though. Great to see a defensive player invited to the Heisman ceremony)
December 6, 2009
December 2, 2009
College Football: Week 14 Preview
Thursday, 8PM: #16 Oregon State at #7 Oregon
The Civil War (you gotta love matchups that have special names), Beavers and Ducks, and the battle for who beats Ohio State in the Rose Bowl (I was apparently incorrect about Oregon clinching the Pac-10 with the win over Arizona, but I got that from ESPN, so you can blame them!).
Prediction: Well, I watched a couple of Oregon State games last year, but I haven't seen them this year which means I haven't had a look at former and now again starting quarterback Sean Canfield. But put the fact that the Beavers were routed at home last year with the fact that they have to go into Autzen tomorrow night and you've got yourself a Ducks win. Quack quack.
Friday, 7PM: Ohio vs. Central Michigan
This will be Central Michigan QB Dan Lefevour’s third MAC Championship game in four years. I can’t really say I know how good of a matchup it will be, but Lefevour is always fun to watch and it will be a good nationally televised chance for him to show his stuff to the NFL so he should be ready to go. Remember, this is a guy whose numbers have been better than Tebow’s!
Prediction: Gotta go with the Chippewas here. They've had a great season, including beating Michigan State in September, and they won't drop the ball here.
Saturday, 11AM: #5 Cincinnati at #15 Pittsburgh
Pitt made this one quite a bit less exciting by letting West Virginia beat 'em last weekend. Still, it's for the Big East championship and the automatic BCS bid, which could have big implications for TCU and Boise State.
Prediction: Tough one here. Can Cincy's weak defense stop Dion Lewis at all? Can Pitt hold the ball long enough to keep the Bearcats from scoring 50? Will I contine to jinx Bill Stull? In the end, I think a quick scorer beats a plodder (spoken like a true disappointed Big Ten fan) and I have to pick Cincinnati.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Arizona at #18 USC
This year is the entire Pac-10's chance to knock of USC, so it's fun seeing who takes advatage of it. I was impressed with Arizona QB Nick Foles' performance against Oregon and I'd like to see if he can duplicate it here. Meanwhile, it will be nice to check in on the Trojans, who I haven't seen since they were steamrolled by Oregon.
Prediction: Arizona's on a nice little high after beating rival Arizona State and I think they'll ride it out here. Plus, I learned my lesson about picking USC in the Oregon game...
Saturday, 3PM: #1 Florida at #2 Alabama
The Granddaddy of 'em All. No wait, that's something different. But this one's exciting nonetheless, since it functions like a national semifinal for the second straight year. I just hope Florida will be showing off those white helmets again - those were nice.
Prediction: I do think Florida's defense will have some trouble with Ingram, but you just can't bet against Tebow in these situations. Alabama does have a good defense, but all it takes is a couple of touchdowns. And frankly, I'd rather see a Florida-Texas championship game. Go Gators.
Saturday, 7PM: #3 Texas vs. #22 Nebraska
Big 12 Championship and the last chance for Texas to crumble and give us a little more BCS intrigue. Bo Pelini's team can always be counted on for some decent defense even if the offense and QB Zac Lee are a little...lacking.
Prediction: Texas. Not even close.
For anyone who isn't so into the above games, it might be worth it to watch #21 Houston at East Carolina or South Florida at Connecticut. I'd watch the latter myself if I were going to be home. But alas, people's birthdays take precedence :)
The Civil War (you gotta love matchups that have special names), Beavers and Ducks, and the battle for who beats Ohio State in the Rose Bowl (I was apparently incorrect about Oregon clinching the Pac-10 with the win over Arizona, but I got that from ESPN, so you can blame them!).
Prediction: Well, I watched a couple of Oregon State games last year, but I haven't seen them this year which means I haven't had a look at former and now again starting quarterback Sean Canfield. But put the fact that the Beavers were routed at home last year with the fact that they have to go into Autzen tomorrow night and you've got yourself a Ducks win. Quack quack.
Friday, 7PM: Ohio vs. Central Michigan
This will be Central Michigan QB Dan Lefevour’s third MAC Championship game in four years. I can’t really say I know how good of a matchup it will be, but Lefevour is always fun to watch and it will be a good nationally televised chance for him to show his stuff to the NFL so he should be ready to go. Remember, this is a guy whose numbers have been better than Tebow’s!
Prediction: Gotta go with the Chippewas here. They've had a great season, including beating Michigan State in September, and they won't drop the ball here.
Saturday, 11AM: #5 Cincinnati at #15 Pittsburgh
Pitt made this one quite a bit less exciting by letting West Virginia beat 'em last weekend. Still, it's for the Big East championship and the automatic BCS bid, which could have big implications for TCU and Boise State.
Prediction: Tough one here. Can Cincy's weak defense stop Dion Lewis at all? Can Pitt hold the ball long enough to keep the Bearcats from scoring 50? Will I contine to jinx Bill Stull? In the end, I think a quick scorer beats a plodder (spoken like a true disappointed Big Ten fan) and I have to pick Cincinnati.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Arizona at #18 USC
This year is the entire Pac-10's chance to knock of USC, so it's fun seeing who takes advatage of it. I was impressed with Arizona QB Nick Foles' performance against Oregon and I'd like to see if he can duplicate it here. Meanwhile, it will be nice to check in on the Trojans, who I haven't seen since they were steamrolled by Oregon.
Prediction: Arizona's on a nice little high after beating rival Arizona State and I think they'll ride it out here. Plus, I learned my lesson about picking USC in the Oregon game...
Saturday, 3PM: #1 Florida at #2 Alabama
The Granddaddy of 'em All. No wait, that's something different. But this one's exciting nonetheless, since it functions like a national semifinal for the second straight year. I just hope Florida will be showing off those white helmets again - those were nice.
Prediction: I do think Florida's defense will have some trouble with Ingram, but you just can't bet against Tebow in these situations. Alabama does have a good defense, but all it takes is a couple of touchdowns. And frankly, I'd rather see a Florida-Texas championship game. Go Gators.
Saturday, 7PM: #3 Texas vs. #22 Nebraska
Big 12 Championship and the last chance for Texas to crumble and give us a little more BCS intrigue. Bo Pelini's team can always be counted on for some decent defense even if the offense and QB Zac Lee are a little...lacking.
Prediction: Texas. Not even close.
For anyone who isn't so into the above games, it might be worth it to watch #21 Houston at East Carolina or South Florida at Connecticut. I'd watch the latter myself if I were going to be home. But alas, people's birthdays take precedence :)
November 30, 2009
College Football: Week 13 Wrap-Up
#5 Cincinnati def. Illinois 49-36
Can't say I learned too much here. As expected, Cincinnati has a fantastic offense (that misdirection shovel pass was sweet!), but unfortunately has the kind of defense that allows a team like Illinois to drop 36 points. Illinois has a great talent in Arrelious Benn (how in the world did Ron Zook get him to Champaign?!?), but Juice, despite some improvement, is basically still the same inaccurate quarterback we kept having to watch three years ago. The Illini made a decent show of it, but just couldn't keep up with Pike and the Bearcats in the end.
West Virginia def. #9 Pittsburgh 19-16
Wow, terrible (and pretty boring) showing for Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers. My mom thinks that I might be the jinx for Pitt QB Bill Stull (didn't I do this to Auburn's Chris Todd as well?) and whatever the cause, he looked only marginally better than his bowl performance last year (i.e. the worst performance ever by a quarterback) and did essentially nothing of note until he finally managed to hit Baldwin for the game tying touchdown. Unfortunately, Pitt's defense hadn't gotten it done all night against a relatively one note (Noel Devine) Mountaineer offense and they didn't fare any better at the end. Nice little season saver for West Virginia, but Pitt really should have rethought letting this one get away.
#6 Boise State def. Nevada 44-33
I have to give credit to Nevada for showing some life after being down 20-0 in what seemed like about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, it was all they could do to keep it respectable. Boise State actually didn't pass particularly well (and might have tossed Kellen Moore's invite to the Heisman ceremony down the drain), but their running game more than made up for it.
South Carolina def. #18 Clemson 34-17
I thought this game was a very interesting lesson in momentum. We already know that South Carolina is capable of some good things, but has serious trouble with inconsistency, especially on offense. I hadn't seen Clemson play before this game, but most accounts seem to suggest that they're a pretty good team. Knowing all of this, you have to look at Clemson's two fumbles, one at the outset of each half. Both killed successful drives, one with Clemson already up 7-0 and the other with Clemson down 17-7. What changes if the score becomes 14-0 in the first quarter or 17-14 in the third? Clemson had a few nice pass plays to TE Michael Palmer and redshirt freshman QB Kyle Parker looks like he might be the real deal, but overall, the day belonged to the Gamecocks. Nice win for Mr. Spurrier at home.
#17 Miami def. South Florida 31-10
Wow. I did say Miami would win because of its speed, but I didn't expect this. The Hurricanes dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and quickly flattened both the crowd and the Bulls. Kudos to the Bulls for waking up a little in the second half (hopefully, that's the preview of leadership to come from B.J. Daniels in the future), but this was steamroller just about all the way.
#15 LSU def. Arkansas 33-30 (OT)
Though I really want to hate the SEC, I have to admit that you can almost always count on these games for some entertainment. My goodness does Trindon Holliday have an impact on games. Whether he's speeding by on kick returns, slashing from the running back position, or yes, muffing punts to keep Arkansas in the game, you never forget he's on the field. Impressive for a guy of that size, though it's hard to tell if we're looking at the next Darren Sproles or just a nice cog in LSU's gimmicky offense. Arkansas had some serious problems, most notably lack of pass protection and Ryan Mallett's throws sailing, but found some success in the running game in the second half. That killer Jordan Jefferson interception (LSU leading 17-6 and in Arkansas territory) helped too. The fall: Arkansas' terrible prevent defense on LSU's tying drive and of course, the missed field goal in OT. Just when you thought SEC kickers were getting it together!
Stanford def. Notre Dame
I was actually pretty disappointed by this game. Neither team showed any defense whatsoever and I thought the coaching was suspect for both sides. Notre Dame called a quarterback sneak on 3rd and 2 in the second quarter (your QB already has a black eye!) and had to give the ball back to Stanford for the winning drive because it chose a running play on 3rd and 2 at midfield when its passing game hadn't been stopped at all. On the other side, well, I admit I've watched quite a bit of Notre Dame "film", but Harbaugh and his staff presumably did too, which is why I'm baffled as to how they possibly could have been fooled by Jimmy Clausen lining up at wideout for the Wild Leprechaun then jogging into the backfield and throwing a touchdown pass to a wide open Michael Floyd. Mr. Harbaugh, the Irish have run that exact play before and your safeties should have been prepared or at least watching the second of the two people who is playing out of position in the formation. Anyhow though, the game went pretty much as predicted - Toby Gerhart was next to unstoppable on the ground, Jimmy Clausen was next to unstoppable through the air and Stanford had the ball last. I will say that Stanford QB Andrew Luck looked polished. I wonder if there's any chance that Gerhart will stick around for another year in Palo Alto.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: On Stanford's final drive, a fantastic Gerhart run brought the ball down to the Notre Dame 3 yard line, where the Irish called their second timeout with 1:03 to go. If I'm Mr. Harbaugh, I'm thinking "hmm, we've been ripped apart on defense all night and I'd rather not give Clausen the chance to tie it. Wait, I don't have to! I can kneel three times and let my Notre Dame-transfer kicker boot the game winning field goal. Or, if I don't want to leave it to one snap, I can kneel once or twice to be sure Notre Dame calls its final timeout and maybe eat a little time and then let Gerhart bash his way in." Charlie Weis realized it and the Irish did not try to stop Gerhart from scoring on first down. So the Irish got the ball back with 59 seconds and one timeout. Only the monumental collapse of the Notre Dame offensive line (bad time for the only two sacks given up!) saved the Cardinal from this blowing up in their faces. And even so, the Irish had a last second shot at the end zone. Is there some kind of etiquette I don't know about here?
In other news: Boise State, if you want to know why you're not being taken seriously, it might be things like a failed two point conversion in the first quarter that injures your #1 receiver.....Friday's ESPN coverage was generally hilarious - did you catch the Now/Ahead/Later teasers for topics the commentators would ignore the game to discuss? How about the 'Jared the Galleria of Jewelry Score Alert'?.....It seems to me that defensive offsides and intentional grounding should not be offsetting penalties. If the defender wasn't offsides, the quarterback probably wouldn't have had to ground the ball.....Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett looks much more polished than at the beginning of the year, but still moves really awkwardly, like his feet are too big - wonder if this is a puppy thing that will go away as he matures or if he's always going to move poorly.....Um, why is Toby Gerhart so incredibly exhausted all the time? I realize he has a bruising style, but he's not the only one. Does he need to be in better shape? Is it just because he's a big guy? I can't imagine NFL teams love to see that.....Stanford fullback Owen Marecic is also their backup middle linebacker. A couple weeks ago, starter Clinton Snyder was unable to go, and Marecic started both ways!
Can't say I learned too much here. As expected, Cincinnati has a fantastic offense (that misdirection shovel pass was sweet!), but unfortunately has the kind of defense that allows a team like Illinois to drop 36 points. Illinois has a great talent in Arrelious Benn (how in the world did Ron Zook get him to Champaign?!?), but Juice, despite some improvement, is basically still the same inaccurate quarterback we kept having to watch three years ago. The Illini made a decent show of it, but just couldn't keep up with Pike and the Bearcats in the end.
West Virginia def. #9 Pittsburgh 19-16
Wow, terrible (and pretty boring) showing for Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers. My mom thinks that I might be the jinx for Pitt QB Bill Stull (didn't I do this to Auburn's Chris Todd as well?) and whatever the cause, he looked only marginally better than his bowl performance last year (i.e. the worst performance ever by a quarterback) and did essentially nothing of note until he finally managed to hit Baldwin for the game tying touchdown. Unfortunately, Pitt's defense hadn't gotten it done all night against a relatively one note (Noel Devine) Mountaineer offense and they didn't fare any better at the end. Nice little season saver for West Virginia, but Pitt really should have rethought letting this one get away.
#6 Boise State def. Nevada 44-33
I have to give credit to Nevada for showing some life after being down 20-0 in what seemed like about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, it was all they could do to keep it respectable. Boise State actually didn't pass particularly well (and might have tossed Kellen Moore's invite to the Heisman ceremony down the drain), but their running game more than made up for it.
South Carolina def. #18 Clemson 34-17
I thought this game was a very interesting lesson in momentum. We already know that South Carolina is capable of some good things, but has serious trouble with inconsistency, especially on offense. I hadn't seen Clemson play before this game, but most accounts seem to suggest that they're a pretty good team. Knowing all of this, you have to look at Clemson's two fumbles, one at the outset of each half. Both killed successful drives, one with Clemson already up 7-0 and the other with Clemson down 17-7. What changes if the score becomes 14-0 in the first quarter or 17-14 in the third? Clemson had a few nice pass plays to TE Michael Palmer and redshirt freshman QB Kyle Parker looks like he might be the real deal, but overall, the day belonged to the Gamecocks. Nice win for Mr. Spurrier at home.
#17 Miami def. South Florida 31-10
Wow. I did say Miami would win because of its speed, but I didn't expect this. The Hurricanes dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and quickly flattened both the crowd and the Bulls. Kudos to the Bulls for waking up a little in the second half (hopefully, that's the preview of leadership to come from B.J. Daniels in the future), but this was steamroller just about all the way.
#15 LSU def. Arkansas 33-30 (OT)
Though I really want to hate the SEC, I have to admit that you can almost always count on these games for some entertainment. My goodness does Trindon Holliday have an impact on games. Whether he's speeding by on kick returns, slashing from the running back position, or yes, muffing punts to keep Arkansas in the game, you never forget he's on the field. Impressive for a guy of that size, though it's hard to tell if we're looking at the next Darren Sproles or just a nice cog in LSU's gimmicky offense. Arkansas had some serious problems, most notably lack of pass protection and Ryan Mallett's throws sailing, but found some success in the running game in the second half. That killer Jordan Jefferson interception (LSU leading 17-6 and in Arkansas territory) helped too. The fall: Arkansas' terrible prevent defense on LSU's tying drive and of course, the missed field goal in OT. Just when you thought SEC kickers were getting it together!
Stanford def. Notre Dame
I was actually pretty disappointed by this game. Neither team showed any defense whatsoever and I thought the coaching was suspect for both sides. Notre Dame called a quarterback sneak on 3rd and 2 in the second quarter (your QB already has a black eye!) and had to give the ball back to Stanford for the winning drive because it chose a running play on 3rd and 2 at midfield when its passing game hadn't been stopped at all. On the other side, well, I admit I've watched quite a bit of Notre Dame "film", but Harbaugh and his staff presumably did too, which is why I'm baffled as to how they possibly could have been fooled by Jimmy Clausen lining up at wideout for the Wild Leprechaun then jogging into the backfield and throwing a touchdown pass to a wide open Michael Floyd. Mr. Harbaugh, the Irish have run that exact play before and your safeties should have been prepared or at least watching the second of the two people who is playing out of position in the formation. Anyhow though, the game went pretty much as predicted - Toby Gerhart was next to unstoppable on the ground, Jimmy Clausen was next to unstoppable through the air and Stanford had the ball last. I will say that Stanford QB Andrew Luck looked polished. I wonder if there's any chance that Gerhart will stick around for another year in Palo Alto.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: On Stanford's final drive, a fantastic Gerhart run brought the ball down to the Notre Dame 3 yard line, where the Irish called their second timeout with 1:03 to go. If I'm Mr. Harbaugh, I'm thinking "hmm, we've been ripped apart on defense all night and I'd rather not give Clausen the chance to tie it. Wait, I don't have to! I can kneel three times and let my Notre Dame-transfer kicker boot the game winning field goal. Or, if I don't want to leave it to one snap, I can kneel once or twice to be sure Notre Dame calls its final timeout and maybe eat a little time and then let Gerhart bash his way in." Charlie Weis realized it and the Irish did not try to stop Gerhart from scoring on first down. So the Irish got the ball back with 59 seconds and one timeout. Only the monumental collapse of the Notre Dame offensive line (bad time for the only two sacks given up!) saved the Cardinal from this blowing up in their faces. And even so, the Irish had a last second shot at the end zone. Is there some kind of etiquette I don't know about here?
In other news: Boise State, if you want to know why you're not being taken seriously, it might be things like a failed two point conversion in the first quarter that injures your #1 receiver.....Friday's ESPN coverage was generally hilarious - did you catch the Now/Ahead/Later teasers for topics the commentators would ignore the game to discuss? How about the 'Jared the Galleria of Jewelry Score Alert'?.....It seems to me that defensive offsides and intentional grounding should not be offsetting penalties. If the defender wasn't offsides, the quarterback probably wouldn't have had to ground the ball.....Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett looks much more polished than at the beginning of the year, but still moves really awkwardly, like his feet are too big - wonder if this is a puppy thing that will go away as he matures or if he's always going to move poorly.....Um, why is Toby Gerhart so incredibly exhausted all the time? I realize he has a bruising style, but he's not the only one. Does he need to be in better shape? Is it just because he's a big guy? I can't imagine NFL teams love to see that.....Stanford fullback Owen Marecic is also their backup middle linebacker. A couple weeks ago, starter Clinton Snyder was unable to go, and Marecic started both ways!
November 26, 2009
College Football: Week 13 Preview
Friday, 11AM: Illinois at #5 Cincinnati
A much better matchup since Illinois woke up long enough to save Ron Zook's job. Also, Tony Pike returns as the Bearcats starter, which should settle down their offense a little. The key is the defense, which will need to stop the run to give the offense as many possessions as possible.
Prediction: Cincy by 2 scores - bring on the Panthers!
Friday, 6PM: #9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia
The Backyard Brawl! One more tuneup for Pitt before the matchup with Cincinnati. The Mountaineers aren't great, but Noel Devine always gives them a chance. Pitt's defense will be tested in the run game.
Prediction: Pitt! Their LeSean McCoy replacement should be able to keep up.
Friday, 9PM: Nevada at #6 Boise State
Hard to see Boise State tripping here, but it's always fun to watch Wolfpack QB Colin Kaepernick. Blue turf is a minus though.
Prediction: Boise State passing attack will be way too much for Nevada to handle.
Saturday, 11AM: #18 Clemson at South Carolina
I actually haven't seen Clemson this year, so I'd like to see if they deserve their ranking and get a look at Heisman candidate C.J. Spiller. South Carolina can be good but is fantastically inconsistent - it's always interesting to see which Gamecocks team shows up.
Prediction: Clemson, I suppose.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #17 Miami at South Florida
Haven't checked in on Miami since I jumped off the bandwagon several weeks ago. A game at the always dangerous Bulls is a good chance.
Prediction: This is a hard one, since I'm not certain how good Miami has turned out to be. That sad, Florida teams always have a speedy defense, so I'm counting on the Hurricanes to contain B.J. Daniels. Miami in a closer game than it should be.
Saturday, 6PM: Arkansas at #15 LSU
Back to my old buddy Ryan Mallett, who's having a pretty fantastic year. Meanwhile, LSU is coming off a terrible loss at Ole Miss and probably needs this one to stay ranked.
Prediction: Even though I once swore I would never pick against LSU in a night game at Tiger Stadium, I'm going to pick the upset. Arkansas has gotten better with every game while LSU seems to be on its way down.
Saturday, 7PM: Notre Dame at Stanford
Charlie Weis' job is probably a foregone conclusion at this point, but it's still a big game for Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinal. A lot of eyes will be on this one, which means that Toby Gerhart has a good chance to add to his Heisman resume.
Prediction: Stanford. Notre Dame will put up a good fight on offense, but there's no way they have an answer for Gerhart.
A much better matchup since Illinois woke up long enough to save Ron Zook's job. Also, Tony Pike returns as the Bearcats starter, which should settle down their offense a little. The key is the defense, which will need to stop the run to give the offense as many possessions as possible.
Prediction: Cincy by 2 scores - bring on the Panthers!
Friday, 6PM: #9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia
The Backyard Brawl! One more tuneup for Pitt before the matchup with Cincinnati. The Mountaineers aren't great, but Noel Devine always gives them a chance. Pitt's defense will be tested in the run game.
Prediction: Pitt! Their LeSean McCoy replacement should be able to keep up.
Friday, 9PM: Nevada at #6 Boise State
Hard to see Boise State tripping here, but it's always fun to watch Wolfpack QB Colin Kaepernick. Blue turf is a minus though.
Prediction: Boise State passing attack will be way too much for Nevada to handle.
Saturday, 11AM: #18 Clemson at South Carolina
I actually haven't seen Clemson this year, so I'd like to see if they deserve their ranking and get a look at Heisman candidate C.J. Spiller. South Carolina can be good but is fantastically inconsistent - it's always interesting to see which Gamecocks team shows up.
Prediction: Clemson, I suppose.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #17 Miami at South Florida
Haven't checked in on Miami since I jumped off the bandwagon several weeks ago. A game at the always dangerous Bulls is a good chance.
Prediction: This is a hard one, since I'm not certain how good Miami has turned out to be. That sad, Florida teams always have a speedy defense, so I'm counting on the Hurricanes to contain B.J. Daniels. Miami in a closer game than it should be.
Saturday, 6PM: Arkansas at #15 LSU
Back to my old buddy Ryan Mallett, who's having a pretty fantastic year. Meanwhile, LSU is coming off a terrible loss at Ole Miss and probably needs this one to stay ranked.
Prediction: Even though I once swore I would never pick against LSU in a night game at Tiger Stadium, I'm going to pick the upset. Arkansas has gotten better with every game while LSU seems to be on its way down.
Saturday, 7PM: Notre Dame at Stanford
Charlie Weis' job is probably a foregone conclusion at this point, but it's still a big game for Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinal. A lot of eyes will be on this one, which means that Toby Gerhart has a good chance to add to his Heisman resume.
Prediction: Stanford. Notre Dame will put up a good fight on offense, but there's no way they have an answer for Gerhart.
November 25, 2009
College Football: Week 12 Wrap-Up
#10 Ohio State def. Michigan 21-10
Not too much mystery here - you can't turn the ball over six times and expect to win, particularly against a team as conservative as Ohio State (1 turnover). That said, Michigan had every opportunity to win. The Buckeyes were run run run as expected (Pryor was 9/17 for only 67 yards!) and Michigan contained it somewhat even if they couldn't stop it and the stats were strikingly even (well, evenly depressing). Here's to a better Michigan, and thus a better Big Ten, next year.
Connecticut def. Notre Dame 33-30 (2OT)
This is really Notre Dame's MO now - offense keeps it close, Golden Tate runs wild, defense is unable to stop the run despite the announcers telling us several times how fantastic Kyle McCarthy is. So I suppose the Irish will get rid of Charlie Weis and I have to say, I think that's a good idea for more than just the wins and losses. I've been a Notre Dame hater my entire life, but even I can admit that they were always classy and I think that's changed under Weis. In this game alone, the Irish had two late hits, LB Brian Smith yelling "what's my mother fucking name" after intercepting a pass, and countless strutting after routine plays. At one point, Tate took a line drive punt back about 15 yards and then was tackled by the first player to touch him and then taunted the UConn sideline. Really? If Notre Dame can't win or be counted on to behave, who are they?
Mississippi def. LSU 25-23
Only caught the second half of this one, but it was plenty. It was a pretty even game and definitely the Runnin' Rebels best of the year. Snead was serviceable and McCluster was fantastic as usual - sweet halfback pass! - but Mississippi wasn't prolific enough to put the game away the way they should have (particularly up 22-17 and inside the 10-yard-line in the 4th quarter). Add in a blocked FG return for LSU and you have a close enough game to produce that bizarre ending - see below.
#11 Oregon def. Arizona
Very entertaining game! Oregon started off great, but then appeared to be possibly trying to throw the game. The one plus of this was that I could kind of see the team that lost to Boise State, which made my 'alien abduction' theory less plausible. Anyhow, AZ QB Nick Foles took good care of the ball and even made some nice plays, but his defense couldn't contain Masoli and LaMichael James and you know the rule: if you can't stop the run, you can't win. Oh, and Ducks WR Jeff Maehl had a terrific Johnny-on-the-spot-type game, which definitely helped set up the run.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Definitely the end of the LSU-Ole Miss game. LSU has the ball at the edge of field goal range, about 30 seconds left. QB Jordan Jefferson moronically takes a sack closer to midfield with 26 seconds left and LSU strangely waits until there are just nine seconds left to take the timeout. Jefferson throws a Hail Mary that's caught just inside the 20, but there's not enough time to get another play, either a spike or the game winning field goal off. Obviously, Miles handled the clock poorly and even worse, sold out his quarterback and didn't own up to his mistake after the game. But his real failing, in my opinion, is not considering the possibility that the ball could end up outside the end zone. He has to know that his quarterback can only throw the ball 40 yards!
In other news: The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has really fallen - the ABC cameras caught a lot of Wolverine fans yawning in the stands.....In UConn's first set of downs in OT#1, the ball was spotted near the 15 and the refs brought out the chains to measure. You gave them the ball at the 25, right? So is it at the 15 or not?.....Oh no, UGA died!.....Arizona and Oregon appeared to be trying to out-do each other in terms of ugly uniforms. Oregon had white names on white jerseys while the Wildcats appeared to be wearing some sort of red unitards.
Not too much mystery here - you can't turn the ball over six times and expect to win, particularly against a team as conservative as Ohio State (1 turnover). That said, Michigan had every opportunity to win. The Buckeyes were run run run as expected (Pryor was 9/17 for only 67 yards!) and Michigan contained it somewhat even if they couldn't stop it and the stats were strikingly even (well, evenly depressing). Here's to a better Michigan, and thus a better Big Ten, next year.
Connecticut def. Notre Dame 33-30 (2OT)
This is really Notre Dame's MO now - offense keeps it close, Golden Tate runs wild, defense is unable to stop the run despite the announcers telling us several times how fantastic Kyle McCarthy is. So I suppose the Irish will get rid of Charlie Weis and I have to say, I think that's a good idea for more than just the wins and losses. I've been a Notre Dame hater my entire life, but even I can admit that they were always classy and I think that's changed under Weis. In this game alone, the Irish had two late hits, LB Brian Smith yelling "what's my mother fucking name" after intercepting a pass, and countless strutting after routine plays. At one point, Tate took a line drive punt back about 15 yards and then was tackled by the first player to touch him and then taunted the UConn sideline. Really? If Notre Dame can't win or be counted on to behave, who are they?
Mississippi def. LSU 25-23
Only caught the second half of this one, but it was plenty. It was a pretty even game and definitely the Runnin' Rebels best of the year. Snead was serviceable and McCluster was fantastic as usual - sweet halfback pass! - but Mississippi wasn't prolific enough to put the game away the way they should have (particularly up 22-17 and inside the 10-yard-line in the 4th quarter). Add in a blocked FG return for LSU and you have a close enough game to produce that bizarre ending - see below.
#11 Oregon def. Arizona
Very entertaining game! Oregon started off great, but then appeared to be possibly trying to throw the game. The one plus of this was that I could kind of see the team that lost to Boise State, which made my 'alien abduction' theory less plausible. Anyhow, AZ QB Nick Foles took good care of the ball and even made some nice plays, but his defense couldn't contain Masoli and LaMichael James and you know the rule: if you can't stop the run, you can't win. Oh, and Ducks WR Jeff Maehl had a terrific Johnny-on-the-spot-type game, which definitely helped set up the run.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Definitely the end of the LSU-Ole Miss game. LSU has the ball at the edge of field goal range, about 30 seconds left. QB Jordan Jefferson moronically takes a sack closer to midfield with 26 seconds left and LSU strangely waits until there are just nine seconds left to take the timeout. Jefferson throws a Hail Mary that's caught just inside the 20, but there's not enough time to get another play, either a spike or the game winning field goal off. Obviously, Miles handled the clock poorly and even worse, sold out his quarterback and didn't own up to his mistake after the game. But his real failing, in my opinion, is not considering the possibility that the ball could end up outside the end zone. He has to know that his quarterback can only throw the ball 40 yards!
In other news: The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has really fallen - the ABC cameras caught a lot of Wolverine fans yawning in the stands.....In UConn's first set of downs in OT#1, the ball was spotted near the 15 and the refs brought out the chains to measure. You gave them the ball at the 25, right? So is it at the 15 or not?.....Oh no, UGA died!.....Arizona and Oregon appeared to be trying to out-do each other in terms of ugly uniforms. Oregon had white names on white jerseys while the Wildcats appeared to be wearing some sort of red unitards.
November 19, 2009
College Football: Week 12 Preview
Saturday, 11AM: #10 Ohio State at Michigan
Because I have to. I'm considering watching in the fetal position. Here’s the thing though – Michigan, for all its troubles this season, can score, and the Buckeyes’ scheme completely prevents them from putting games away. So if Michigan focuses on run defense, they could keep the game pretty close. That’s what I’ll hope for. If it doesn’t work out, I can always look forward to the Buckeyes getting stomped by Stanford/Oregon in Pasadena!
Prediction: Ohio State. Michigan doesn’t have the defense to keep even this sad-sack offense in check.
Saturday, 1:30PM: Connecticut at Notre Dame
ND returns to the friendly lepre-confines (bah dump bah!) for a must-win. Connecticut’s offense is up to the task, but the defense is weak. As just about the entire college football world knows by now, this description also applies to Notre Dame. I do think it will be evenly matched, but here’s the thing: ND needs needs needs this game. They may not have ever needed a game like they need this one. They're 2-3 in their last 5 games, fighting like hell not to finish 6-6, and facing a very good Stanford team next weekend.
Prediction: Close as always for the Irish, but they'll make sure to get this one.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #8 LSU at Mississippi
This one's really only a maybe, but if I'm home on Saturday afternoon I'll probably at least check it out. Under normal circumstances, this would be an easy LSU win. But Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster is on a tear, the Tigers are missing Charles Scott, and the game is in Runnin’ Rebel-land, all of which serve to even the playing field (haha).
Prediction: If Jarret 'Pick Six' Lee was starting again, I'd pick Ole Miss, but Jordan Jefferson returns from a sprained ankle this week. So Geaux Tigers, but I expect this to be Mississippi's best game to date.
Saturday, 7:00PM: #11 Oregon at Arizona
Probably the game of the week in a very weak week (I'm just full of puns tonight). I have to say I don’t really know much about Arizona. The last time I saw them was against Iowa back in September and they’re apparently a decent team now, which means they must look pretty darn different. QB Matt Scott (whom I last referred to as "supremely ineffective" has been benched in favor of Nick Foles and the Wildcats have (sort of...) turned things around. Meanwhile, Oregon can take the Pac-10 with a win here.
Prediction: Oregon’s had some ups and downs this year, but the Pac-10 title would go a long way towards making this an 'up' season. The Ducks (and their uniforms) should be too much for the Wildcats to handle.
Extra game for the mountain dwellers: see if you can get Air Force-BYU in the afternoon game. Air Force came within 3 points of TCU back in October and BYU QB Max Hall is one win away from passing Ty Detmer for the school record.
Because I have to. I'm considering watching in the fetal position. Here’s the thing though – Michigan, for all its troubles this season, can score, and the Buckeyes’ scheme completely prevents them from putting games away. So if Michigan focuses on run defense, they could keep the game pretty close. That’s what I’ll hope for. If it doesn’t work out, I can always look forward to the Buckeyes getting stomped by Stanford/Oregon in Pasadena!
Prediction: Ohio State. Michigan doesn’t have the defense to keep even this sad-sack offense in check.
Saturday, 1:30PM: Connecticut at Notre Dame
ND returns to the friendly lepre-confines (bah dump bah!) for a must-win. Connecticut’s offense is up to the task, but the defense is weak. As just about the entire college football world knows by now, this description also applies to Notre Dame. I do think it will be evenly matched, but here’s the thing: ND needs needs needs this game. They may not have ever needed a game like they need this one. They're 2-3 in their last 5 games, fighting like hell not to finish 6-6, and facing a very good Stanford team next weekend.
Prediction: Close as always for the Irish, but they'll make sure to get this one.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #8 LSU at Mississippi
This one's really only a maybe, but if I'm home on Saturday afternoon I'll probably at least check it out. Under normal circumstances, this would be an easy LSU win. But Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster is on a tear, the Tigers are missing Charles Scott, and the game is in Runnin’ Rebel-land, all of which serve to even the playing field (haha).
Prediction: If Jarret 'Pick Six' Lee was starting again, I'd pick Ole Miss, but Jordan Jefferson returns from a sprained ankle this week. So Geaux Tigers, but I expect this to be Mississippi's best game to date.
Saturday, 7:00PM: #11 Oregon at Arizona
Probably the game of the week in a very weak week (I'm just full of puns tonight). I have to say I don’t really know much about Arizona. The last time I saw them was against Iowa back in September and they’re apparently a decent team now, which means they must look pretty darn different. QB Matt Scott (whom I last referred to as "supremely ineffective" has been benched in favor of Nick Foles and the Wildcats have (sort of...) turned things around. Meanwhile, Oregon can take the Pac-10 with a win here.
Prediction: Oregon’s had some ups and downs this year, but the Pac-10 title would go a long way towards making this an 'up' season. The Ducks (and their uniforms) should be too much for the Wildcats to handle.
Extra game for the mountain dwellers: see if you can get Air Force-BYU in the afternoon game. Air Force came within 3 points of TCU back in October and BYU QB Max Hall is one win away from passing Ty Detmer for the school record.
November 16, 2009
College Football: Week 11 Wrap-Up
#5 Cincinnati def. #25 West Virginia 24-21
I had an absolute blast at this game. Our seats were at the 20-yard line, 13 rows up, which was perfect since the first ten rows pretty much had a butt view of the UC bench. Though it certainly wasn't the Bearcats best showing, Cincinnati has a spectacular offense made even better by the combination of Zach Collaros running the ball and Tony Pike throwing daggers. Isaiah Pead is also a pretty nice option on the running attack. The problem, of course, is on the other side of the ball. West Virginia had no pass attack to speak of. Actually, they had no offense at all outside of the extremely slippery Noel Devine and the occasional Jarrett Brown scramble. But the Bearcats still had a heck of a time stopping them, which isn't a good sign. Conclusion: dream season for UC, it's a blast to see how thrilled the students are, they'll have something of a challenge in Illinois and maybe a bit of a David v. Goliath at Pitt (really wish I'd seen that ND game!), and although I'm on the fan bandwagon for good, it's hard to see them avoiding a blowout at the hands of a big school. They'd have to score on pretty much every possession.
#12 Pittsburgh def. Notre Dame 27-22
Embarassingly, I got home on Sunday all excited to watch this game (and I had even managed to avoid finding out the score) and I didn't have it recorded. Not sure how that happened, but I am quite disappointed, particularly since Bill Stull reportedly had a good game and I'd definitely have to see that to believe it. Still, it sounds like I called it more or less right - Clausen was pretty good and kept 'em in it, but ultimately couldn't overcome their hapless defense. The road doesn't get a whole lot easier for Notre Dame, whose schedule was much harder this year than it originally seemed. Connecticut comes to South Bend this weekend and then the Irish close out the regular season at Stanford. They can take down Connecticut if they can stop turning the ball over, but Stanford should kill 'em. And I have to say, I think Charlie Weis needs both games to keep his job.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: I caught the end of the Iowa-Ohio State game and am now weeping for the Big Ten. After Ohio State barfed up a 14-point lead in eight minutes in the 4th quarter, they got the ball with 2:42 left and the score tied at 24. Play selection: 3 runs, a 3-yard pass, and a pass stopped behind the line of scrimmage. Tressel-ball, my ass. That's just peewee football. Iowa's possession didn't make matters any better. After stopping the negative pass on 3rd down, Iowa calls timeout and gets the ball back on its own 33 with 52 seconds left. Play selection: rush, delay of game, rush to end game. Yeah, I know you got a freshman QB but a) he's played well and b) why not at least take a shot down the field with 20 seconds or so? All you need is a field goal! The general rule is that if you don't play to win, you won't, but I guess they couldn't both lose.
In other news: Good for Northwestern for beating Illinois. The Wildcats are never as bad as you think.....Cincinnati's stadium (second oldest to Penn) really is terrific. Right in the middle of campus, brick all around, small enough that every seat in the house has a great view - kind of felt like a high school state championship game.....Apparently, we were all part of the largest crowd in Bearcats history - just over 35,000.....What an incredible moment when Tony Pike returned for a touchdown pass a few minutes into the game. The crowd loved it!
I had an absolute blast at this game. Our seats were at the 20-yard line, 13 rows up, which was perfect since the first ten rows pretty much had a butt view of the UC bench. Though it certainly wasn't the Bearcats best showing, Cincinnati has a spectacular offense made even better by the combination of Zach Collaros running the ball and Tony Pike throwing daggers. Isaiah Pead is also a pretty nice option on the running attack. The problem, of course, is on the other side of the ball. West Virginia had no pass attack to speak of. Actually, they had no offense at all outside of the extremely slippery Noel Devine and the occasional Jarrett Brown scramble. But the Bearcats still had a heck of a time stopping them, which isn't a good sign. Conclusion: dream season for UC, it's a blast to see how thrilled the students are, they'll have something of a challenge in Illinois and maybe a bit of a David v. Goliath at Pitt (really wish I'd seen that ND game!), and although I'm on the fan bandwagon for good, it's hard to see them avoiding a blowout at the hands of a big school. They'd have to score on pretty much every possession.
#12 Pittsburgh def. Notre Dame 27-22
Embarassingly, I got home on Sunday all excited to watch this game (and I had even managed to avoid finding out the score) and I didn't have it recorded. Not sure how that happened, but I am quite disappointed, particularly since Bill Stull reportedly had a good game and I'd definitely have to see that to believe it. Still, it sounds like I called it more or less right - Clausen was pretty good and kept 'em in it, but ultimately couldn't overcome their hapless defense. The road doesn't get a whole lot easier for Notre Dame, whose schedule was much harder this year than it originally seemed. Connecticut comes to South Bend this weekend and then the Irish close out the regular season at Stanford. They can take down Connecticut if they can stop turning the ball over, but Stanford should kill 'em. And I have to say, I think Charlie Weis needs both games to keep his job.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: I caught the end of the Iowa-Ohio State game and am now weeping for the Big Ten. After Ohio State barfed up a 14-point lead in eight minutes in the 4th quarter, they got the ball with 2:42 left and the score tied at 24. Play selection: 3 runs, a 3-yard pass, and a pass stopped behind the line of scrimmage. Tressel-ball, my ass. That's just peewee football. Iowa's possession didn't make matters any better. After stopping the negative pass on 3rd down, Iowa calls timeout and gets the ball back on its own 33 with 52 seconds left. Play selection: rush, delay of game, rush to end game. Yeah, I know you got a freshman QB but a) he's played well and b) why not at least take a shot down the field with 20 seconds or so? All you need is a field goal! The general rule is that if you don't play to win, you won't, but I guess they couldn't both lose.
In other news: Good for Northwestern for beating Illinois. The Wildcats are never as bad as you think.....Cincinnati's stadium (second oldest to Penn) really is terrific. Right in the middle of campus, brick all around, small enough that every seat in the house has a great view - kind of felt like a high school state championship game.....Apparently, we were all part of the largest crowd in Bearcats history - just over 35,000.....What an incredible moment when Tony Pike returned for a touchdown pass a few minutes into the game. The crowd loved it!
November 11, 2009
College Football: Week 11 Preview
Another light week, because I'm headed to Cincinnati to see my very own live college football game at what Brent Musburger informed me last weekend is the second-oldest stadium in the country!
#25 West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati
Zach Collaros is getting the start for the Bearcats over Tony "Wally Pipp" Pike and while you know I like Tony Pike (and pocket passers!), I'm excited to see Collaros in action. I won't settle for less than 500 yards of total offense. While Cincinnati should win on paper, West Virginia, and particularly Noel Devine, can be a slippery little bugger. And they held UConn to 24 points, which greatly bests the Cincy's defensive "effort" against the Huskies. At the very least, it's hard to see the Bearcats scoring 50 points on the Mountaineers, so their relatively inexperienced defense will have to show up.
Prediction: Cincinnati has this game, then a rapidly improving Illinois team comes to visit, then they end the regular season with what could be the game of the year at #12 Pitt. This is the meat of their season and Coach Kelly will have their eyes on the prize. Go Bearcats!
Notre Dame at #12 Pittsburgh
I'm going to try to convince my friends to watch this one on Saturday, but there's a lot of talk about going out to dinner, so I'm going to tape it so I can watch it at home if necessary. Big game somehow not diminished by Notre Dame's hilarious loss to Navy last weekend. Pitt QB Bill Stull is reportedly playing well (he couldn't be worse than last year, really) and it sounds like the Panthers are the real deal. If Notre Dame can get this one on the road, it will do a lot towards silencing the critics.
Prediction: Tough, because I haven't seen Pitt this year (which is why I will be scouting them for Cincinnati!). But the Irish defense has been lit up by all of the halfway decent teams it has faced and I have no reason to believe that Pitt will fare any differently. Jimmy Clausen will throw for about 800 yards, but it won't be enough...I hope.
Really bummed I'm not going to be able to get #16 Utah at #4 TCU - Mom and Dad, will you watch this one if you get the chance?
The oldest stadium is at the University of Pennsylvania, in case you were wondering :)
#25 West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati
Zach Collaros is getting the start for the Bearcats over Tony "Wally Pipp" Pike and while you know I like Tony Pike (and pocket passers!), I'm excited to see Collaros in action. I won't settle for less than 500 yards of total offense. While Cincinnati should win on paper, West Virginia, and particularly Noel Devine, can be a slippery little bugger. And they held UConn to 24 points, which greatly bests the Cincy's defensive "effort" against the Huskies. At the very least, it's hard to see the Bearcats scoring 50 points on the Mountaineers, so their relatively inexperienced defense will have to show up.
Prediction: Cincinnati has this game, then a rapidly improving Illinois team comes to visit, then they end the regular season with what could be the game of the year at #12 Pitt. This is the meat of their season and Coach Kelly will have their eyes on the prize. Go Bearcats!
Notre Dame at #12 Pittsburgh
I'm going to try to convince my friends to watch this one on Saturday, but there's a lot of talk about going out to dinner, so I'm going to tape it so I can watch it at home if necessary. Big game somehow not diminished by Notre Dame's hilarious loss to Navy last weekend. Pitt QB Bill Stull is reportedly playing well (he couldn't be worse than last year, really) and it sounds like the Panthers are the real deal. If Notre Dame can get this one on the road, it will do a lot towards silencing the critics.
Prediction: Tough, because I haven't seen Pitt this year (which is why I will be scouting them for Cincinnati!). But the Irish defense has been lit up by all of the halfway decent teams it has faced and I have no reason to believe that Pitt will fare any differently. Jimmy Clausen will throw for about 800 yards, but it won't be enough...I hope.
Really bummed I'm not going to be able to get #16 Utah at #4 TCU - Mom and Dad, will you watch this one if you get the chance?
The oldest stadium is at the University of Pennsylvania, in case you were wondering :)
November 9, 2009
College Football: Week 10 Wrap-Up
#3 Alabama def. #9 LSU
I have to say, I'm not in love with this year's LSU team. They're really gimmicky and they tend to be without the talent and execution to back it up. Still, they had a pretty good chance for a win and might have had it had Jordan Jefferson been able to continue. I admit that I had completely forgotten about Jarret 'Pick-Six' Lee from last year. He seems to have tried to correct his 'touchdowns for the wrong team' problem by becoming an exceptionally slow decision maker. This didn't serve LSU particuarly well and ensured a giant problem once battering ram Charles Scott was hurt. Alabama seemed like the same old Alabama to me - inaccurate McElroy, good defense, a big Julio Jones play, MARK INGRAM - and has clinched the SEC West title and a probable date with Florida in the championship game.
#16 Ohio State def. #11 Penn State 24-7
Conservative as a Republican debate, this one. As usual, Ohio State relied heavily on the scrambling ability of Terrelle Pryor and apparently Penn State hadn't watched the USC tape, because they were unable to keep him in the pocket. Add that to the fact that the Buckeyes absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and Tressel and Pryor both can breathe a little easier this week. You have to like Joe Paterno for what he's done for Penn State and for college football in general, but there were a few times in this game where the Nittany Lions looked a little old...and sad. Big Ten Championship is now the Buckeyes' for the taking.
#5 Cincinnati def. Connecticut 47-45
I think Tony Pike just got Wally Pipp-ed! Cincy coach Brian Kelly continues to insist that a 100% healthy Pike would be his starter, but it would be pretty hard to take the job away from Zach Collaros, who played one of the most perfect games I've ever seen. UConn, led by QB Zach Frazer (apparently a Notre Dame transfer) and RB Jordan Todman, put up a pretty good showing in a game essentially without defense, but it's pretty darn hard to win when you give up nearly 500 passing yards and over 700 total yards.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: LSU scored a touchdown with 3:19 left in the 3rd quarter to go up 15-10 and Les Miles inexplicably decided to go for the two point conversion. Sure enough, Alabama kicked a FG at the beginning of the 4th quarter - wouldn't 16-13 be better than 15-13. The Tide added a touchdown and a field goal later in the quarter and LSU was left with a 24-15 deficit. Again, wouldn't 24-16 be better? What was he thinking?
In other news: Not only did I call the games wrong this weekend, I *chose* them wrong. I taped LSU/Alabama and Ohio State/Penn State, but I REALLY wish I'd taped Oregon/Stanford and Navy/Notre Dame - go Midshipmen!.....Got some bonus coverage of the end of the Wake Forest/Georgia Tech game and it was exciting. Wake kicked a field goal in its overtime possession and then the Yellow Jackets went for a 4th and 1 en route to scoring a winning touchdown. Kudos to Paul Johnson for having faith in his run game.....Likewise, I loved how Cincinnati went for it on 4th and 1 in field goal range up 40-38 late in the game.....Not much solace, I suppose, but Penn State punter Jeremy Boone made a spectacular tackle on Ohio State punt returner Ray Small
I have to say, I'm not in love with this year's LSU team. They're really gimmicky and they tend to be without the talent and execution to back it up. Still, they had a pretty good chance for a win and might have had it had Jordan Jefferson been able to continue. I admit that I had completely forgotten about Jarret 'Pick-Six' Lee from last year. He seems to have tried to correct his 'touchdowns for the wrong team' problem by becoming an exceptionally slow decision maker. This didn't serve LSU particuarly well and ensured a giant problem once battering ram Charles Scott was hurt. Alabama seemed like the same old Alabama to me - inaccurate McElroy, good defense, a big Julio Jones play, MARK INGRAM - and has clinched the SEC West title and a probable date with Florida in the championship game.
#16 Ohio State def. #11 Penn State 24-7
Conservative as a Republican debate, this one. As usual, Ohio State relied heavily on the scrambling ability of Terrelle Pryor and apparently Penn State hadn't watched the USC tape, because they were unable to keep him in the pocket. Add that to the fact that the Buckeyes absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and Tressel and Pryor both can breathe a little easier this week. You have to like Joe Paterno for what he's done for Penn State and for college football in general, but there were a few times in this game where the Nittany Lions looked a little old...and sad. Big Ten Championship is now the Buckeyes' for the taking.
#5 Cincinnati def. Connecticut 47-45
I think Tony Pike just got Wally Pipp-ed! Cincy coach Brian Kelly continues to insist that a 100% healthy Pike would be his starter, but it would be pretty hard to take the job away from Zach Collaros, who played one of the most perfect games I've ever seen. UConn, led by QB Zach Frazer (apparently a Notre Dame transfer) and RB Jordan Todman, put up a pretty good showing in a game essentially without defense, but it's pretty darn hard to win when you give up nearly 500 passing yards and over 700 total yards.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: LSU scored a touchdown with 3:19 left in the 3rd quarter to go up 15-10 and Les Miles inexplicably decided to go for the two point conversion. Sure enough, Alabama kicked a FG at the beginning of the 4th quarter - wouldn't 16-13 be better than 15-13. The Tide added a touchdown and a field goal later in the quarter and LSU was left with a 24-15 deficit. Again, wouldn't 24-16 be better? What was he thinking?
In other news: Not only did I call the games wrong this weekend, I *chose* them wrong. I taped LSU/Alabama and Ohio State/Penn State, but I REALLY wish I'd taped Oregon/Stanford and Navy/Notre Dame - go Midshipmen!.....Got some bonus coverage of the end of the Wake Forest/Georgia Tech game and it was exciting. Wake kicked a field goal in its overtime possession and then the Yellow Jackets went for a 4th and 1 en route to scoring a winning touchdown. Kudos to Paul Johnson for having faith in his run game.....Likewise, I loved how Cincinnati went for it on 4th and 1 in field goal range up 40-38 late in the game.....Not much solace, I suppose, but Penn State punter Jeremy Boone made a spectacular tackle on Ohio State punt returner Ray Small
November 5, 2009
College Football: Week 10 Preview
Light week due to a severe lack of interesting games. I'll finish this up tomorrow when ABC releases its games, but here's what I'm thinking.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #9 LSU at #3 Alabama / #16 Ohio State at #11 Penn State
SEC
This one has serious national championship implications, which kind of depresses me, since neither of these teams is all that good. Alabama's defense has been impressive but, unfortunately for the Tide, its defense seriously outshines its offense. QB Greg McElroy is a decent replacement for John Parker Wilson, but that isn't saying a whole lot. LSU has looked a little closer to form in the last few weeks, but are still missing the kind of talent they've had in the past.
Prediction: I would expect a relatively low-scoring game, which means it should come down to mistakes. Mr. McElroy unfortunately leads the field here. Geaux Tigers.
Big Ten
This game means more to Penn State, which can all but secure a BCS berth with a win here. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a lot to prove in the midst of an up and down season and questions about its coach, its quarterback, and its offensive scheme. A big win on the road would do a lot to quiet the critics.
Prediction: Last year's game was close, but as I remember was played in the rain, which greatly favored the Buckeye's run-heavy offense. This year, OSU will have to play fair, square, and Beanie-free. Penn State should be embarassed if they can't pick up this one.
*I wish I could record three games at once so I could catch Oregon at Stanford on Comcast Sports Net.
Saturday, 7PM: Connecticut at #5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati's quest to stay unbeaten (and be horribly disappointed come bowl selection time) runs into a Connecticut team that is reeling after a teammate's murder and a season-ending injury to QB Cody Endres. The Huskies are only 4-4, but one of those wins was over Baylor when the Bears still had QB Robert Griffin and all losses came by four points or less. They're a serious underdog here, but then again, the Bearcats have everything to lose.
Prediction: I'm headed to a Cincinnati game next weekend and I wholeheartedly expect to see one of the nations few remaining undefeated teams.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #9 LSU at #3 Alabama / #16 Ohio State at #11 Penn State
SEC
This one has serious national championship implications, which kind of depresses me, since neither of these teams is all that good. Alabama's defense has been impressive but, unfortunately for the Tide, its defense seriously outshines its offense. QB Greg McElroy is a decent replacement for John Parker Wilson, but that isn't saying a whole lot. LSU has looked a little closer to form in the last few weeks, but are still missing the kind of talent they've had in the past.
Prediction: I would expect a relatively low-scoring game, which means it should come down to mistakes. Mr. McElroy unfortunately leads the field here. Geaux Tigers.
Big Ten
This game means more to Penn State, which can all but secure a BCS berth with a win here. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a lot to prove in the midst of an up and down season and questions about its coach, its quarterback, and its offensive scheme. A big win on the road would do a lot to quiet the critics.
Prediction: Last year's game was close, but as I remember was played in the rain, which greatly favored the Buckeye's run-heavy offense. This year, OSU will have to play fair, square, and Beanie-free. Penn State should be embarassed if they can't pick up this one.
*I wish I could record three games at once so I could catch Oregon at Stanford on Comcast Sports Net.
Saturday, 7PM: Connecticut at #5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati's quest to stay unbeaten (and be horribly disappointed come bowl selection time) runs into a Connecticut team that is reeling after a teammate's murder and a season-ending injury to QB Cody Endres. The Huskies are only 4-4, but one of those wins was over Baylor when the Bears still had QB Robert Griffin and all losses came by four points or less. They're a serious underdog here, but then again, the Bearcats have everything to lose.
Prediction: I'm headed to a Cincinnati game next weekend and I wholeheartedly expect to see one of the nations few remaining undefeated teams.
November 2, 2009
College Football: Week 9 Wrap-Up
South Florida def. #21 West Virginia 30-19
You guys know I love Matt Grothe. Really, I do. But B.J. Daniels is the kind of athlete that can make your memory really, really short. Whether through the air or on the ground, he absolutely overwhelmed the Mountaineers in this game. The Bulls' defense did their part as well, holding the shifty Noel Devine to just 39 yards. South Florida is trying hard to avoid the quick start/disappointing collapse combination that they've shown in the past two seasons and this is a good start.
Illinois def. Michigan 38-13
Ugh, this was an ugly one. The Illini looked the best they've looked since last year, but this was the same old Michigan story. Missed tackles, utter confusion against a running quarterback, blown coverages, boneheaded decisions by punt returners, bizarre play calls and fumbles. Starting to look very familiar. Michigan is the only FBS team Illinois has beaten this year and the Wolverines should be very, very embarassed.
#1 Florida def. Georgia 41-17
You may find Gary Danielson annoying and he does have a strange obsession with Tim Tebow, but the guy knows what he's talking about. He pointed out near the end of the first quarter that Florida had abandoned that straight up the middle offense (read: constant dive plays) and gone back to its true 2008 spread and he was right on the money. Undisciplined play from Georgia (big surprise) didn't help matters any, but Florida looked unbeatable on offense last year and looked a heck of a lot better this weekend than they had all year. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
#3 Texas def. Oklahoma State 41-14
Not a thrilling one here. It looked like Oklahoma State was trying to set the single game record for most incomplete passes to hit the receiver's hands. And the Cowboys were utterly unable to generate any pass rush on defense. I'm not totally sold on Colt McCoy, but we already discovered against Missouri (and, well, all of last year), that if you give him enough time, he'll pick you apart. Oklahoma State was way behind very quickly and doesn't really have the guns to play catch up.
#10 Oregon def. #5 USC 47-20
Man, I really wish I'd picked Oregon! I was totally going to (I swear), but then I just couldn't imagine the team I saw back at the beginning of September ever even managing to get dressed correctly (I know, I know, arguable considering their uniforms). I will say that I didn't know at the time that half of USC's receiving corps wasn't coming to the game. But to be honest, USC's offense did just fine. Barkley had plenty of time to throw and though he sorely missed tight end Anthony McCoy, they moved the ball all right. But that became moot in a hurry, as Oregon absolutely gashed the Trojans on the ground. You'll often see a team come out and mow down the field on the first drive only to do little else after the defense makes adjustments. I kept waiting for the Trojans to wake up and play contain in the pocket, but they never did (or never could). Great, great, great game for the Ducks and especially for QB Jeremiah Masoli! Speaking of Masoli, he's 5'11/220 - I wonder how many NFL scouts watching the game wrote "OUR NEW TAILBACK"
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: It was more like a 'cry in front of the TV' moment, but it was very depressing to watch Michigan fail on four successive plays from the one-yard line. The Michigan football program I grew up with had many flaws, but scoring from the one-yard line wasn't one of them. And my Desmond Howard jersey and mini football from the late '80s say tradition is very important in Wolverine-land. So I appreciate the improvement from last year and I'm willing to give RichRod another year or two, but I'm worried he'll lose sight of the reason the fans are sticking with him.
In other news: I did manage to watch the second half of the Indiana/Iowa game. A perfect storm there: the Hawkeyes like to cut it close and the Hoosiers like to blow leads.....I thought it was pretty funny that Tate Forcier was wearing a complete fleece muffle under his helmet - he may be in trouble come winter.....It is incredibly hard to not make constant juice jokes when watching Illinois. The Juice has been squeezed!.....Verne Lundquist informed us that Georgia was playing "like a leaking old boat" right after he told told us that they were wearing black helmets that matched their black "slacks".....Georgia's punter, Drew Butler, is the son of former Bears kicker Kevin Butler. Wonder if his teammates call him Butthead or if they're too young (and too not-from-Chicago) for that.....Did you notice how Brent Musberger was getting annoyed at the refs for interrupting his monologues?.....Anyone catch the Auburn/Ole Miss 'attack of the overrated' matchup? Me neither
You guys know I love Matt Grothe. Really, I do. But B.J. Daniels is the kind of athlete that can make your memory really, really short. Whether through the air or on the ground, he absolutely overwhelmed the Mountaineers in this game. The Bulls' defense did their part as well, holding the shifty Noel Devine to just 39 yards. South Florida is trying hard to avoid the quick start/disappointing collapse combination that they've shown in the past two seasons and this is a good start.
Illinois def. Michigan 38-13
Ugh, this was an ugly one. The Illini looked the best they've looked since last year, but this was the same old Michigan story. Missed tackles, utter confusion against a running quarterback, blown coverages, boneheaded decisions by punt returners, bizarre play calls and fumbles. Starting to look very familiar. Michigan is the only FBS team Illinois has beaten this year and the Wolverines should be very, very embarassed.
#1 Florida def. Georgia 41-17
You may find Gary Danielson annoying and he does have a strange obsession with Tim Tebow, but the guy knows what he's talking about. He pointed out near the end of the first quarter that Florida had abandoned that straight up the middle offense (read: constant dive plays) and gone back to its true 2008 spread and he was right on the money. Undisciplined play from Georgia (big surprise) didn't help matters any, but Florida looked unbeatable on offense last year and looked a heck of a lot better this weekend than they had all year. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
#3 Texas def. Oklahoma State 41-14
Not a thrilling one here. It looked like Oklahoma State was trying to set the single game record for most incomplete passes to hit the receiver's hands. And the Cowboys were utterly unable to generate any pass rush on defense. I'm not totally sold on Colt McCoy, but we already discovered against Missouri (and, well, all of last year), that if you give him enough time, he'll pick you apart. Oklahoma State was way behind very quickly and doesn't really have the guns to play catch up.
#10 Oregon def. #5 USC 47-20
Man, I really wish I'd picked Oregon! I was totally going to (I swear), but then I just couldn't imagine the team I saw back at the beginning of September ever even managing to get dressed correctly (I know, I know, arguable considering their uniforms). I will say that I didn't know at the time that half of USC's receiving corps wasn't coming to the game. But to be honest, USC's offense did just fine. Barkley had plenty of time to throw and though he sorely missed tight end Anthony McCoy, they moved the ball all right. But that became moot in a hurry, as Oregon absolutely gashed the Trojans on the ground. You'll often see a team come out and mow down the field on the first drive only to do little else after the defense makes adjustments. I kept waiting for the Trojans to wake up and play contain in the pocket, but they never did (or never could). Great, great, great game for the Ducks and especially for QB Jeremiah Masoli! Speaking of Masoli, he's 5'11/220 - I wonder how many NFL scouts watching the game wrote "OUR NEW TAILBACK"
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: It was more like a 'cry in front of the TV' moment, but it was very depressing to watch Michigan fail on four successive plays from the one-yard line. The Michigan football program I grew up with had many flaws, but scoring from the one-yard line wasn't one of them. And my Desmond Howard jersey and mini football from the late '80s say tradition is very important in Wolverine-land. So I appreciate the improvement from last year and I'm willing to give RichRod another year or two, but I'm worried he'll lose sight of the reason the fans are sticking with him.
In other news: I did manage to watch the second half of the Indiana/Iowa game. A perfect storm there: the Hawkeyes like to cut it close and the Hoosiers like to blow leads.....I thought it was pretty funny that Tate Forcier was wearing a complete fleece muffle under his helmet - he may be in trouble come winter.....It is incredibly hard to not make constant juice jokes when watching Illinois. The Juice has been squeezed!.....Verne Lundquist informed us that Georgia was playing "like a leaking old boat" right after he told told us that they were wearing black helmets that matched their black "slacks".....Georgia's punter, Drew Butler, is the son of former Bears kicker Kevin Butler. Wonder if his teammates call him Butthead or if they're too young (and too not-from-Chicago) for that.....Did you notice how Brent Musberger was getting annoyed at the refs for interrupting his monologues?.....Anyone catch the Auburn/Ole Miss 'attack of the overrated' matchup? Me neither
October 30, 2009
College Football: Week 9 Preview
Surprising result in the UNC-Virginia Tech game last night. I didn’t watch because of both other plans and the fact that both teams have been disappointing, but it sounds like it was pretty exciting. Embarrassing loss for the Hokies in Blacksburg.
Friday, 7PM: #21 West Virginia at South Florida
Quick little check-in on the Big East here. I will be a proud attendee of a West Virginia/Cincinnati game in two weeks and a little scouting never hurt anyone. Speaking of Cincy, I’ll be interested to see how South Florida’s young team bounces back from last week's loss to the Bearcats.
Prediction: Haven’t seen the Mountaineers this season, but a look at their schedule reveals that:
a) they lost to Auburn, who as you may recall, was awful against Arkansas
b) their only game decided by fewer than 10 points was a win over Connecticut in which they were outgained 501-387
I predict a bounceback game, and an upset, for B.J. Daniels and the Bulls.
Saturday, 11AM: Nothing. This time, it's a selection of not only poor Big Ten games, but poor Big 12 games as well.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Channel Flip: Michigan at Illinois / Georgia vs. #1 Florida
Big Ten
Tough year for Illinois, but after having Michigan lose the last two games I’ve watched (and going one for their last four), I could use a pick-me-up. Hopefully, I’ll get a pretty convincing one
Prediction: Michigan bounces back, and against a (barely...) D-I team this time!
The Cocktail Party
A more interesting game than it appears on the surface. Yes, Florida is ranked #1, but they’ve looked pretty darn shaky lately. And Georgia put up 52 points on Arkansas, who you might remember did a wonderful job shutting down the Gators.
Prediction: Unfortunately, Georgia's blowout loss to Tennessee makes them unpickable. And I still say the Gators are due for a blowout!
Saturday, 7PM: Channel Flip: #3 Texas at #14 Oklahoma State / #5 USC at #10 Oregon
Big 12
Last trip wire for the Longhorns on their way to the championship? Plus a chance to test my ‘Zac Robinson is a more talented Colt McCoy’ theory. I sure wish the Cowboys had Dez Bryant.
Prediction: Texas. Try as he might, Robinson won't be able to keep 'em in this one.
Pac Ten
I usually don't get to see the West Coast games, so I'm thrilled to get this one. Oregon has made quite a comeback since playing in the world's worst game on September 3rd and has impressive wins over Utah, Cal, and Washington. Meanwhile, USC has only this game in the way of a decent shot at the national championship game. (Well, unless they're planning to lose another ridiculous one, which is always a possibility.)
Prediction: This one's hard. Playing at Autzen is a major home field advantage for the Ducks. And USC has a really bad habit of playing down to opponents. But in the end, I really can't imagine the Oregon team I saw winning this game, even if they are better. Trojans.
Friday, 7PM: #21 West Virginia at South Florida
Quick little check-in on the Big East here. I will be a proud attendee of a West Virginia/Cincinnati game in two weeks and a little scouting never hurt anyone. Speaking of Cincy, I’ll be interested to see how South Florida’s young team bounces back from last week's loss to the Bearcats.
Prediction: Haven’t seen the Mountaineers this season, but a look at their schedule reveals that:
a) they lost to Auburn, who as you may recall, was awful against Arkansas
b) their only game decided by fewer than 10 points was a win over Connecticut in which they were outgained 501-387
I predict a bounceback game, and an upset, for B.J. Daniels and the Bulls.
Saturday, 11AM: Nothing. This time, it's a selection of not only poor Big Ten games, but poor Big 12 games as well.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Channel Flip: Michigan at Illinois / Georgia vs. #1 Florida
Big Ten
Tough year for Illinois, but after having Michigan lose the last two games I’ve watched (and going one for their last four), I could use a pick-me-up. Hopefully, I’ll get a pretty convincing one
Prediction: Michigan bounces back, and against a (barely...) D-I team this time!
The Cocktail Party
A more interesting game than it appears on the surface. Yes, Florida is ranked #1, but they’ve looked pretty darn shaky lately. And Georgia put up 52 points on Arkansas, who you might remember did a wonderful job shutting down the Gators.
Prediction: Unfortunately, Georgia's blowout loss to Tennessee makes them unpickable. And I still say the Gators are due for a blowout!
Saturday, 7PM: Channel Flip: #3 Texas at #14 Oklahoma State / #5 USC at #10 Oregon
Big 12
Last trip wire for the Longhorns on their way to the championship? Plus a chance to test my ‘Zac Robinson is a more talented Colt McCoy’ theory. I sure wish the Cowboys had Dez Bryant.
Prediction: Texas. Try as he might, Robinson won't be able to keep 'em in this one.
Pac Ten
I usually don't get to see the West Coast games, so I'm thrilled to get this one. Oregon has made quite a comeback since playing in the world's worst game on September 3rd and has impressive wins over Utah, Cal, and Washington. Meanwhile, USC has only this game in the way of a decent shot at the national championship game. (Well, unless they're planning to lose another ridiculous one, which is always a possibility.)
Prediction: This one's hard. Playing at Autzen is a major home field advantage for the Ducks. And USC has a really bad habit of playing down to opponents. But in the end, I really can't imagine the Oregon team I saw winning this game, even if they are better. Trojans.
October 26, 2009
College Football: Week 8 Wrap-Up
Florida State def. North Carolina 30-27
I guess Florida State thought that playing Jekyll and Hyde by game was too boring, so this time, they did it by half! In the first half, they looked really undisciplined, which I thought reflected very poorly on their beleaguered coach. They missed blocks, committed penalties, had trouble with the play clock - ugly stuff. But they apparently all found phone booths to change in for the second half, so all's well that ends well. UNC, for its part, has discovered some extra talent since I saw them last. WR Greg Little and RB Sean Draughn (great name!) played a nice game, but they couldn't overcome the incredible accuracy of second half Christian Ponder. You can see the Tar Heels again on Thursday night (at Virginia Tech) if you like, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
#13 Penn State def. Michigan 35-10
As much as it stinks to watch your team get killed, it was hard to be really upset about this one. Michigan was very clearly outmatched all day. Penn State played its usual brand of conservative football, did a great job getting to manageable 3rd down situations, and executed when it counted. Meanwhile, the Wolverines had trouble executing and seemed to always be looking at 3rd and 11. And turnovers. Oh, turnovers. Nothing could be as bad as that 2008 Michigan/Notre Dame game, but the steady stream of turnovers in the driving rain brought back some bad memories.
Notre Dame def. Boston College 20-16
Didn't get to watch this one, but it sounds like about par for the course: Notre Dame is clearly the better team despite a relatively weak defense, Notre Dame drags it out until the very end and then emerges victorious...at home. Do they ever play away?
#2 Alabama def. Tennessee 12-10
Just caught a few minutes here, but oof, an ugly one. Once Tennessee's offense catches up with its defense, they'll really have something. And Alabama still looks ripe for a 'whoopin...but not from the Vols.
#1 Florida def. Mississippi State 29-19
I guess sometimes you have to win ugly. I really called the wrong top 3 blowout last week. Two weeks ago, I figured, 'well, Tiger Stadium is a hard place to play', but this Florida team really looks hard-pressed to score points. And considering that the defense was a bit cut off at the knees without Brandon Spikes, they needed points in this one. Add that to two interceptions returned for touchdowns, serious problems in the red zone, and some really questionable decision-making (three straight Tebow rushes with goal to go? throwing out of your own end zone up 16 points with four minutes left? punt returner picks up a bouncing kick at the 1 yard line?) and Florida almost let this one get away. I can't believe I forgot about the Dan Mullen angle last week (former Florida offensive coordinator/Tebow confidant, current Mississippi head coach), but I'd have to say he got the best of this matchup, even in a loss.
#3 Texas def. Missouri 41-7
Not too much to talk about here, other than Texas' offensive line, which was fantastic! You can't give a passer as accurate as Mr. McCoy as much time as the Tigers did without giving up a lot of points - 41 to be exact. The Longhorns defense was decent as well, but the Tigers really handicapped themselves with their lack of running game. Incomplete passes on first down are a pretty big killer of drives.
This week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Back to the inappropriate celebrating. Up 22-13 with under 10 minutes remaining, Florida LB Dustin Doe intercepted a Tyson Lee pass and headed for the end zone with no one in front of him. He began high-stepping at the five yard line and was stripped very close to the goal line by hustling Mississippi State WR Brandon McRae. Replays appeared to suggest that Doe was stripped short of the goal line, but the play stood as a Florida touchdown (I believe Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen has lodged a formal complaint). The real question, of course, is what in the world was Mr. Doe thinking? Score the touchdown, and *then* make a fool of yourself.
In other news: Close calls for Alabama and Iowa this weekend - seems like no one wants to step up and be #1......Wussy punt decisions ruled the day - Florida State, down 17-3 in the second quarter, faced 4th at 4 at the UNC 45 yard line and punted, Penn State looked at 4th and 3 from the Michigan *33* and sent up a net 20 yard punt.....Matt Millen informed us during the Penn State/Michigan game that a pass "becomes a lateral if it's backwards".....They said before the Florida game that LB Brandon Spikes was 'on call', that he would play "if they needed him". Doesn't having an undefeated season call for your best effort? Either you're hurt or you're not.....While the hyper-religious athlete thing sort of creeps me out, I have to say I love how Tebow helps up defenders that tackle him.....I feel that it is my duty to let you know that Dartmouth has snapped the nation's second longest losing streak with a convincing 28-6 victory over Columbia
I guess Florida State thought that playing Jekyll and Hyde by game was too boring, so this time, they did it by half! In the first half, they looked really undisciplined, which I thought reflected very poorly on their beleaguered coach. They missed blocks, committed penalties, had trouble with the play clock - ugly stuff. But they apparently all found phone booths to change in for the second half, so all's well that ends well. UNC, for its part, has discovered some extra talent since I saw them last. WR Greg Little and RB Sean Draughn (great name!) played a nice game, but they couldn't overcome the incredible accuracy of second half Christian Ponder. You can see the Tar Heels again on Thursday night (at Virginia Tech) if you like, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
#13 Penn State def. Michigan 35-10
As much as it stinks to watch your team get killed, it was hard to be really upset about this one. Michigan was very clearly outmatched all day. Penn State played its usual brand of conservative football, did a great job getting to manageable 3rd down situations, and executed when it counted. Meanwhile, the Wolverines had trouble executing and seemed to always be looking at 3rd and 11. And turnovers. Oh, turnovers. Nothing could be as bad as that 2008 Michigan/Notre Dame game, but the steady stream of turnovers in the driving rain brought back some bad memories.
Notre Dame def. Boston College 20-16
Didn't get to watch this one, but it sounds like about par for the course: Notre Dame is clearly the better team despite a relatively weak defense, Notre Dame drags it out until the very end and then emerges victorious...at home. Do they ever play away?
#2 Alabama def. Tennessee 12-10
Just caught a few minutes here, but oof, an ugly one. Once Tennessee's offense catches up with its defense, they'll really have something. And Alabama still looks ripe for a 'whoopin...but not from the Vols.
#1 Florida def. Mississippi State 29-19
I guess sometimes you have to win ugly. I really called the wrong top 3 blowout last week. Two weeks ago, I figured, 'well, Tiger Stadium is a hard place to play', but this Florida team really looks hard-pressed to score points. And considering that the defense was a bit cut off at the knees without Brandon Spikes, they needed points in this one. Add that to two interceptions returned for touchdowns, serious problems in the red zone, and some really questionable decision-making (three straight Tebow rushes with goal to go? throwing out of your own end zone up 16 points with four minutes left? punt returner picks up a bouncing kick at the 1 yard line?) and Florida almost let this one get away. I can't believe I forgot about the Dan Mullen angle last week (former Florida offensive coordinator/Tebow confidant, current Mississippi head coach), but I'd have to say he got the best of this matchup, even in a loss.
#3 Texas def. Missouri 41-7
Not too much to talk about here, other than Texas' offensive line, which was fantastic! You can't give a passer as accurate as Mr. McCoy as much time as the Tigers did without giving up a lot of points - 41 to be exact. The Longhorns defense was decent as well, but the Tigers really handicapped themselves with their lack of running game. Incomplete passes on first down are a pretty big killer of drives.
This week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Back to the inappropriate celebrating. Up 22-13 with under 10 minutes remaining, Florida LB Dustin Doe intercepted a Tyson Lee pass and headed for the end zone with no one in front of him. He began high-stepping at the five yard line and was stripped very close to the goal line by hustling Mississippi State WR Brandon McRae. Replays appeared to suggest that Doe was stripped short of the goal line, but the play stood as a Florida touchdown (I believe Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen has lodged a formal complaint). The real question, of course, is what in the world was Mr. Doe thinking? Score the touchdown, and *then* make a fool of yourself.
In other news: Close calls for Alabama and Iowa this weekend - seems like no one wants to step up and be #1......Wussy punt decisions ruled the day - Florida State, down 17-3 in the second quarter, faced 4th at 4 at the UNC 45 yard line and punted, Penn State looked at 4th and 3 from the Michigan *33* and sent up a net 20 yard punt.....Matt Millen informed us during the Penn State/Michigan game that a pass "becomes a lateral if it's backwards".....They said before the Florida game that LB Brandon Spikes was 'on call', that he would play "if they needed him". Doesn't having an undefeated season call for your best effort? Either you're hurt or you're not.....While the hyper-religious athlete thing sort of creeps me out, I have to say I love how Tebow helps up defenders that tackle him.....I feel that it is my duty to let you know that Dartmouth has snapped the nation's second longest losing streak with a convincing 28-6 victory over Columbia
October 21, 2009
College Football: Week 8 Preview
Thursday, 7PM: Florida State at North Carolina
This ACC matchup is worth a look just to see a) if North Carolina can come with anything that even remotely deserves that top 25 ranking they used to have and b) which Florida State team shows up. When FSU QB Christian Ponder is good, he’s fun to watch and they’re playing for Bobby Bowden’s pride right now.
Prediction: I have to go with the Jekyll & Hyde Seminoles here. Consistency has been an issue, but they’re considerably more talented.
Saturday, 11AM: ...nothing. I have a wide selection of terrible and pointless Big Ten matchups. Might take a quick look at Oklahoma State/Baylor just to watch Zac Robinson.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Definitely #13 Penn State at Michigan plus looks at Boston College at Notre Dame and Tennessee at #2 Alabama if there's enough time.
Michigan's back at home this week, which is good because the Big House appears to be the only place they can play well. It's unclear what their quarterback situation is, relative to both Forcier's concussion and Robinson's recent success. Like last year, Penn State has looked good against all opponents except Iowa.
The SEC matchup is intriguing and I'm sure I'd be paying more attention to it if I weren't such an unabashed Michigan fan. I thought Alabama (with the exception of Mark Ingram) looked very weak last week against South Carolina. If safety Eric Berry and the Tennessee defense are ready to go, we could have ourselves a (shockingly low scoring) game.
Prediction(s): Michigan has looked mighty disorganized lately. I think the Nittany Lions can take 'em, even in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame should be able to handle a BC squad whose best win is over shaky Florida State. And as much as I'd like to, Tennessee just doesn't have the offense for me to pick the upset. In fact, they sometimes have no offense at all. Tide rolls.
Saturday, 6:30PM: #1 Florida at Mississippi State
I may not actually be able to catch this one depending on Saturday plans, but if you call yourself a college football fan, you gotta check in on #1 every once in a while. And actually, the Bulldogs played very close with LSU and may have an outside shot at the Gators.
Prediction: Tebow and company are due for a return to form. I'll be hoping for an Bulldogs upset and expecting a Gators blowout. In all honesty, though, the Gators have nothing to play for. They could lose this one and still get into the national championship over an undefeated Iowa.
Saturday, 7PM: #3 Texas at Missouri
Speaking of unimpressive top teams, Texas has played exactly two legitimate opponents - Oklahoma and Texas Tech, against whom the Longhorns looked terrible. Missouri isn't exactly the New Orleans Saints, but when Gabbert is on (and he says his ankle is ready to go), they can score in a hurry. If their defense has a good game, they could be a challenge for the Texas McCoys, especially in Columbia.
Prediction: Ugh, sorry to contradict my own interest-generating statement above, but gotta go with Texas. They can smell the championship bid now and they'll get the job done.
*If any of you Pacific coasters can watch Oregon/Washington and report, I'd much appreciate it!
This ACC matchup is worth a look just to see a) if North Carolina can come with anything that even remotely deserves that top 25 ranking they used to have and b) which Florida State team shows up. When FSU QB Christian Ponder is good, he’s fun to watch and they’re playing for Bobby Bowden’s pride right now.
Prediction: I have to go with the Jekyll & Hyde Seminoles here. Consistency has been an issue, but they’re considerably more talented.
Saturday, 11AM: ...nothing. I have a wide selection of terrible and pointless Big Ten matchups. Might take a quick look at Oklahoma State/Baylor just to watch Zac Robinson.
Saturday, 2:30PM: Definitely #13 Penn State at Michigan plus looks at Boston College at Notre Dame and Tennessee at #2 Alabama if there's enough time.
Michigan's back at home this week, which is good because the Big House appears to be the only place they can play well. It's unclear what their quarterback situation is, relative to both Forcier's concussion and Robinson's recent success. Like last year, Penn State has looked good against all opponents except Iowa.
The SEC matchup is intriguing and I'm sure I'd be paying more attention to it if I weren't such an unabashed Michigan fan. I thought Alabama (with the exception of Mark Ingram) looked very weak last week against South Carolina. If safety Eric Berry and the Tennessee defense are ready to go, we could have ourselves a (shockingly low scoring) game.
Prediction(s): Michigan has looked mighty disorganized lately. I think the Nittany Lions can take 'em, even in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame should be able to handle a BC squad whose best win is over shaky Florida State. And as much as I'd like to, Tennessee just doesn't have the offense for me to pick the upset. In fact, they sometimes have no offense at all. Tide rolls.
Saturday, 6:30PM: #1 Florida at Mississippi State
I may not actually be able to catch this one depending on Saturday plans, but if you call yourself a college football fan, you gotta check in on #1 every once in a while. And actually, the Bulldogs played very close with LSU and may have an outside shot at the Gators.
Prediction: Tebow and company are due for a return to form. I'll be hoping for an Bulldogs upset and expecting a Gators blowout. In all honesty, though, the Gators have nothing to play for. They could lose this one and still get into the national championship over an undefeated Iowa.
Saturday, 7PM: #3 Texas at Missouri
Speaking of unimpressive top teams, Texas has played exactly two legitimate opponents - Oklahoma and Texas Tech, against whom the Longhorns looked terrible. Missouri isn't exactly the New Orleans Saints, but when Gabbert is on (and he says his ankle is ready to go), they can score in a hurry. If their defense has a good game, they could be a challenge for the Texas McCoys, especially in Columbia.
Prediction: Ugh, sorry to contradict my own interest-generating statement above, but gotta go with Texas. They can smell the championship bid now and they'll get the job done.
*If any of you Pacific coasters can watch Oregon/Washington and report, I'd much appreciate it!
October 20, 2009
College Football: Week 7 Wrap-Up
#8 Cincinnati def. #21 South Florida 34-17
Another in an increasingly long string of sloppy Thursday night games. This certainly wasn’t Cincinnati’s best game, but they managed to pull it out in the end thanks to the running of backup QB Zach Collaros and some very undisciplined play from South Florida. I’m generally a pretty big fan of Bulls coach Jim Leavitt, but add the dropped passes and penalties to the fact that South Florida apparently couldn’t figure out that Collaros wasn’t ready to pass and this game didn’t reflect well on the man who has built the program from scratch. Still, the Bulls have a fairly young team behind freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels and a lot to look forward to in the future.
#3 Texas def. #20 Oklahoma 16-13
This one was a disappointment for a lot of reasons. The obvious one is the re-injury to Sam Bradford, who could easily be the Detroit Lions starting QB right now (okay, maybe there is an upside for him!). I thought Oklahoma outplayed Texas everywhere except the scoreboard. They got great pressure on Colt McCoy, especially after Texas mysteriously abandoned their misdirection running game, and replaced their own weak running game with very effective screens to DeMarco Murray. Take away any one of the Bradford injury, the Bubba Franks fumbled punt, or the Oklahoma pass interference penalty that set up the Texas touchdown and I think it's a (rather sloppy) Sooners win.
#11 Iowa def. Wisconsin 20-10
Solid Big Ten game here. Wisconsin put most of its offense on the shoulders of John Clay and Iowa's defense is the core of the team, but this game really came down to quarterback play. Wisconsin's pass blocking was a little lacking (as it has been all year) and Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi certainly benefited from a great game from tight end Tony Moeaki, but overall the teams played relatively evenly, allowing for Tolzien's interceptions and Stanzi's efficient 218 yards to make the difference for their respective teams. Look out Ohio State (who loses to Purdue?!?), the Hawkeyes are coming.
#6 USC def. #25 Notre Dame 34-27
The more I think about it, the more I realize that this game was actually almost exactly what we all should have predicted. Notre Dame hangs on Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate (why in the world didn't USC keep track of Tate in the slot?!?) to stay close in the first half, USC uses its superior talent and Notre Dame’s relatively weak defense to pull away in the second half, USC starts thinking about Will Ferrell and Spike Lee (who were at the game) and allows a weaker opponent back into the game. In the end, the combination of Clausen's late game heroics (who does he think he is - Forcier?) and a veritable smorgasboard of dubious penalties fell just short for the Irish in the face of Barkley's 380 passing yards and the relentless pressure of the USC defensive line.
#19 Georgia Tech def. #4 Virginia Tech 28-23
Another one of those strange games where you sort of think that the losing team is better even after they have proved they aren't. I think the monotonous nature of that triple option offense has a lot to do with that. It seems like Georgia Tech is just spinning its wheels, but then suddenly they're up 21-10. And though I remain unimpressed with Tyrod Taylor (well, other than his unreal ability to avoid tacklers 1 on 1), the Hokies seemed to have the edge in speed. The best I can figure is that a running offense makes for very long Georgia Tech drives and ultimately short games - the Hokies just ran out of time. Virginia Tech was a rather silly #4, but it's still a big win for the Yellow Jackets and a nice statement especially for their defense just a week after giving up approximately 1 million yards to Florida State.
#2 Alabama def. #22 South Carolina 20-6
This was my second look at both Alabama and South Carolina and, well, I wasn't too impressed. While it was amusing that both quarterbacks had their first pass picked off, the game never really got a whole lot better. The South Carolina offense sputtered ineffectively all night, and sometimes even comically, as when they failed at three straight fade right calls at the goal line and then kicked a field goal. I was kind of waiting for Steve Spurrier to attempt to steal QB Stephen Garcia's jersey in order to play in his place. Meanwhile, poor play from QB Greg McElroy meant that the Tide had to lean heavily on RB Mark Ingram, who luckily responded with a monster game. Alabama stays undefeated, but loses a lot of style points.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: I try not to complain about the refereeing because I'm aware it makes me sound like a child, but I think the refs have a lot to be ashamed of on the last drive of the Notre Dame game. On a critical 4th down play, receiver Robby Parris made the catch just across the first down marker and a USC player pulled him down by his neck. Parris's foot was firmly planted in the turf at the time and I wouldn't be surprised if his ACL was torn. Unfortunate, but part of the game. No bone-crushing hit, no snap-back, no helmet to helmet contact. Inexplicably, the refs call a personal foul for 'targeting a defenseless player.' Apparently it is now 'targeting a defenseless player' to tackle him. I guess you're supposed to subtly alert him to your presence first. On a subsequent play, the Trojans broke through the Irish offensive line for the 347th time in the game. They chased Clausen out of the pocket and then gave him a shove after he threw the ball. Simple shove within a split second of the ball being thrown, one hand on the chest, Clausen went down on his back. I admit I've seen similar plays deemed as penalties. but it's ticky tacky, especially with less than 30 seconds left! Let the players play the game. When I remember the final drive, I should remember Clausen's heroics or USC's defense, not your stupid stripey face. I was half afraid they were going to find a way to put the ball in the end zone. Notre Dame was awarded five first downs by penalty on Saturday! The refs may not have affected the outcome of the game, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
In other news: I was watching the Cincinnati-South Florida game with a friend who mentioned that Tony Pike bears an uncanny resemblance to "a 30-year-old French dude." Good quarterback though, hope he's okay.....Tough media day for Longhorns receiver and Colt McCoy co-dweller Jordan Shipley. Herbstreit accidentally called him Jeremy Shockley and Brent Musberger referred to him as "the roommate".....Down 10-3 with 3:22 left in the first half, Iowa got the ball on its own 21 and proceeded to run three times and punt to Wisconsin. Why were they so reluctant to try to tie it?.....The announcer during the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech game informed us all after a nice play by a receiver on a long pass that there was no "analyzation" necessary.....Michigan and Penn State join the too little too late club with respective clubbings of Delaware State and Minnesota. Meanwhile, Ohio State joins the too little right now club with an embarassing loss to Purdue!.....I also watched the Missouri-Oklahoma State game (can't get enough!), which wasn't particularly interesting other than Barry Sanders' induction into the Cowboys Hall of Fame, but I have to wonder why Zac Robinson isn't in Heisman contention. He's like Colt McCoy with more foot speed and a stronger arm.
Another in an increasingly long string of sloppy Thursday night games. This certainly wasn’t Cincinnati’s best game, but they managed to pull it out in the end thanks to the running of backup QB Zach Collaros and some very undisciplined play from South Florida. I’m generally a pretty big fan of Bulls coach Jim Leavitt, but add the dropped passes and penalties to the fact that South Florida apparently couldn’t figure out that Collaros wasn’t ready to pass and this game didn’t reflect well on the man who has built the program from scratch. Still, the Bulls have a fairly young team behind freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels and a lot to look forward to in the future.
#3 Texas def. #20 Oklahoma 16-13
This one was a disappointment for a lot of reasons. The obvious one is the re-injury to Sam Bradford, who could easily be the Detroit Lions starting QB right now (okay, maybe there is an upside for him!). I thought Oklahoma outplayed Texas everywhere except the scoreboard. They got great pressure on Colt McCoy, especially after Texas mysteriously abandoned their misdirection running game, and replaced their own weak running game with very effective screens to DeMarco Murray. Take away any one of the Bradford injury, the Bubba Franks fumbled punt, or the Oklahoma pass interference penalty that set up the Texas touchdown and I think it's a (rather sloppy) Sooners win.
#11 Iowa def. Wisconsin 20-10
Solid Big Ten game here. Wisconsin put most of its offense on the shoulders of John Clay and Iowa's defense is the core of the team, but this game really came down to quarterback play. Wisconsin's pass blocking was a little lacking (as it has been all year) and Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi certainly benefited from a great game from tight end Tony Moeaki, but overall the teams played relatively evenly, allowing for Tolzien's interceptions and Stanzi's efficient 218 yards to make the difference for their respective teams. Look out Ohio State (who loses to Purdue?!?), the Hawkeyes are coming.
#6 USC def. #25 Notre Dame 34-27
The more I think about it, the more I realize that this game was actually almost exactly what we all should have predicted. Notre Dame hangs on Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate (why in the world didn't USC keep track of Tate in the slot?!?) to stay close in the first half, USC uses its superior talent and Notre Dame’s relatively weak defense to pull away in the second half, USC starts thinking about Will Ferrell and Spike Lee (who were at the game) and allows a weaker opponent back into the game. In the end, the combination of Clausen's late game heroics (who does he think he is - Forcier?) and a veritable smorgasboard of dubious penalties fell just short for the Irish in the face of Barkley's 380 passing yards and the relentless pressure of the USC defensive line.
#19 Georgia Tech def. #4 Virginia Tech 28-23
Another one of those strange games where you sort of think that the losing team is better even after they have proved they aren't. I think the monotonous nature of that triple option offense has a lot to do with that. It seems like Georgia Tech is just spinning its wheels, but then suddenly they're up 21-10. And though I remain unimpressed with Tyrod Taylor (well, other than his unreal ability to avoid tacklers 1 on 1), the Hokies seemed to have the edge in speed. The best I can figure is that a running offense makes for very long Georgia Tech drives and ultimately short games - the Hokies just ran out of time. Virginia Tech was a rather silly #4, but it's still a big win for the Yellow Jackets and a nice statement especially for their defense just a week after giving up approximately 1 million yards to Florida State.
#2 Alabama def. #22 South Carolina 20-6
This was my second look at both Alabama and South Carolina and, well, I wasn't too impressed. While it was amusing that both quarterbacks had their first pass picked off, the game never really got a whole lot better. The South Carolina offense sputtered ineffectively all night, and sometimes even comically, as when they failed at three straight fade right calls at the goal line and then kicked a field goal. I was kind of waiting for Steve Spurrier to attempt to steal QB Stephen Garcia's jersey in order to play in his place. Meanwhile, poor play from QB Greg McElroy meant that the Tide had to lean heavily on RB Mark Ingram, who luckily responded with a monster game. Alabama stays undefeated, but loses a lot of style points.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: I try not to complain about the refereeing because I'm aware it makes me sound like a child, but I think the refs have a lot to be ashamed of on the last drive of the Notre Dame game. On a critical 4th down play, receiver Robby Parris made the catch just across the first down marker and a USC player pulled him down by his neck. Parris's foot was firmly planted in the turf at the time and I wouldn't be surprised if his ACL was torn. Unfortunate, but part of the game. No bone-crushing hit, no snap-back, no helmet to helmet contact. Inexplicably, the refs call a personal foul for 'targeting a defenseless player.' Apparently it is now 'targeting a defenseless player' to tackle him. I guess you're supposed to subtly alert him to your presence first. On a subsequent play, the Trojans broke through the Irish offensive line for the 347th time in the game. They chased Clausen out of the pocket and then gave him a shove after he threw the ball. Simple shove within a split second of the ball being thrown, one hand on the chest, Clausen went down on his back. I admit I've seen similar plays deemed as penalties. but it's ticky tacky, especially with less than 30 seconds left! Let the players play the game. When I remember the final drive, I should remember Clausen's heroics or USC's defense, not your stupid stripey face. I was half afraid they were going to find a way to put the ball in the end zone. Notre Dame was awarded five first downs by penalty on Saturday! The refs may not have affected the outcome of the game, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
In other news: I was watching the Cincinnati-South Florida game with a friend who mentioned that Tony Pike bears an uncanny resemblance to "a 30-year-old French dude." Good quarterback though, hope he's okay.....Tough media day for Longhorns receiver and Colt McCoy co-dweller Jordan Shipley. Herbstreit accidentally called him Jeremy Shockley and Brent Musberger referred to him as "the roommate".....Down 10-3 with 3:22 left in the first half, Iowa got the ball on its own 21 and proceeded to run three times and punt to Wisconsin. Why were they so reluctant to try to tie it?.....The announcer during the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech game informed us all after a nice play by a receiver on a long pass that there was no "analyzation" necessary.....Michigan and Penn State join the too little too late club with respective clubbings of Delaware State and Minnesota. Meanwhile, Ohio State joins the too little right now club with an embarassing loss to Purdue!.....I also watched the Missouri-Oklahoma State game (can't get enough!), which wasn't particularly interesting other than Barry Sanders' induction into the Cowboys Hall of Fame, but I have to wonder why Zac Robinson isn't in Heisman contention. He's like Colt McCoy with more foot speed and a stronger arm.
October 14, 2009
College Football: Week 7 Preview
Thursday, 6:30PM: #8 Cincinnati at #21 South Florida
I told you in Week 1 to get yourself a look at Cincinnati QB Tony Pike - if you didn't do it, here's your nationally televised chance. Huge game for the unbeaten Bearcats against a South Florida team that has gotten a major spark from backup quarterback B.J. Daniels (starting QB Matt Grothe went down in week 3 with a torn ACL). And Bulls coach Jim Leavitt, who built the program from scratch, is always good for some entertainment (of both the play calling and sideline antics variety). Somewhat irrelevantly, I'm headed to Cincinnati to see the Bearcats take on West Virginia in November and I'd really, really like them to be undefeated at that time.
Prediction: Tough since I haven't seen South Florida this year. It's hard to imagine they could keep up with Cincy's high octane offense. Cincinnati must find a way to keep Bulls DE George Selvie out of Tony Pike's face, but if they can do it, they'll win big. Arrgh. Bearcats by 10.
Saturday, 11AM: Two games taped and watched quarter by quarter to avoid crawler spoilers!
#20 Oklahoma vs. #3 Texas (Neutral Site)
College football fans, even outside the Big 12, have been looking forward to this one since last year. Oklahoma’s drop out of the national championship race does dull the excitement a little, but not as much as you might think. The Sooners have their Heisman trophy winner back, a lot to prove after losses to second tier teams BYU and Miami (relax, Mormons and 'Canes fans: I mean this in the sense of ‘not a recent threat to win the national championship’), and can still play spoiler. Fans in Norman will appreciate ruining the Longhorns season almost as much as a national championship.
Prediction: This will be by far the best opponent to date for both teams, so it's a tough call. In the end, I haven't seen Oklahoma put together a game against a good team, with or without Bradford. And Texas does have that win over Tech. So....Texas in another wildly entertaining shootout.
#11 Iowa at Wisconsin
I realize it’s not on the scale of the Oklahoma-Texas matchup, but this is a huge Big Ten game between undefeated Iowa and a better-every-week Wisconsin team that is 5-1 with its only loss coming at the Horseshoe. Even though this should be an old school run-first football game (admittedly, I thought that about Iowa last week and I was…wrong), I would guess that this one will come down to the quarterback play. Badgers QB Scott Tolzien was originally a long shot to get the starting job, but he’s managed games well, even in the Horseshoe. Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi has been somewhat shaky, particularly at the beginning of games, but has stepped up in a big way when his team needs him. Consistency will be the key here.
Prediction: I have to take Iowa here. They have a more experienced quarterback, more big play threats, and a faster defense.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #6 USC at #25 Notre Dame
The last few years of this series have been embarrassingly lopsided, but this is the best start for a Notre Dame team in quite a while. Taylor Mays and the rest of the USC defense will be by far the best Jimmy Clausen and the Domers have seen. Meanwhile, the Trojans have a quality win at Ohio State (hey, you know I hate ‘em, but you have to admit that their defense is legit), but have been largely untested since then. Word on the street is that rookie QB Barkley gets better with every game – he’ll have to prove it here. Read: we’re about to find out right now how good both teams are.
Prediction: I sort of hope both teams lose, but failing that, a lot of people are saying either USC wins big or Notre Dame wins in a close game and I’d have to agree with that. Since the Trojans are far superior in talent (albeit possibly inferior in the ‘caring about winning’ sense) and have already proved themselves in a hostile environment, I have to go with the USC big scenario. Plus, it’d be fun to watch!
Saturday, 5PM: #4 Virginia Tech at #19 Georgia Tech
I have to admit that it's possible that my intense dislike of run first quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor has kept me from giving Virginia Tech a fair shake, so I'm going to watch this one so I know for sure. Georgia Tech is probably not a worthy opponent for the Hokies, but that triple option offense can explode without warning, particularly if they don't have to play from too far behind, so you never know.
Prediction: VT's defense is reportedly good enough to handle a simple attack like this one. I'll take the Hokies by two touchdowns.
Saturday, 6:45PM : #22 South Carolina at #2 Alabama
More interesting than it looks at first glance. This is the beginning of a three game home stretch for the Tide and the next two opponents are Tennessee and LSU, whom you might remember as prominent opponents of the top-ranked Florida Tebows. If Alabama wins these games convincingly, they could be looking at a #1 ranking. So yes, Alabama should beat up on the Gamecocks, but they'll be on their way to some serious respect for doing it. I also haven't seen the Tide play yet and I'm anxious to compare 'em to the Gators.
Prediction: Tide rolls.
I told you in Week 1 to get yourself a look at Cincinnati QB Tony Pike - if you didn't do it, here's your nationally televised chance. Huge game for the unbeaten Bearcats against a South Florida team that has gotten a major spark from backup quarterback B.J. Daniels (starting QB Matt Grothe went down in week 3 with a torn ACL). And Bulls coach Jim Leavitt, who built the program from scratch, is always good for some entertainment (of both the play calling and sideline antics variety). Somewhat irrelevantly, I'm headed to Cincinnati to see the Bearcats take on West Virginia in November and I'd really, really like them to be undefeated at that time.
Prediction: Tough since I haven't seen South Florida this year. It's hard to imagine they could keep up with Cincy's high octane offense. Cincinnati must find a way to keep Bulls DE George Selvie out of Tony Pike's face, but if they can do it, they'll win big. Arrgh. Bearcats by 10.
Saturday, 11AM: Two games taped and watched quarter by quarter to avoid crawler spoilers!
#20 Oklahoma vs. #3 Texas (Neutral Site)
College football fans, even outside the Big 12, have been looking forward to this one since last year. Oklahoma’s drop out of the national championship race does dull the excitement a little, but not as much as you might think. The Sooners have their Heisman trophy winner back, a lot to prove after losses to second tier teams BYU and Miami (relax, Mormons and 'Canes fans: I mean this in the sense of ‘not a recent threat to win the national championship’), and can still play spoiler. Fans in Norman will appreciate ruining the Longhorns season almost as much as a national championship.
Prediction: This will be by far the best opponent to date for both teams, so it's a tough call. In the end, I haven't seen Oklahoma put together a game against a good team, with or without Bradford. And Texas does have that win over Tech. So....Texas in another wildly entertaining shootout.
#11 Iowa at Wisconsin
I realize it’s not on the scale of the Oklahoma-Texas matchup, but this is a huge Big Ten game between undefeated Iowa and a better-every-week Wisconsin team that is 5-1 with its only loss coming at the Horseshoe. Even though this should be an old school run-first football game (admittedly, I thought that about Iowa last week and I was…wrong), I would guess that this one will come down to the quarterback play. Badgers QB Scott Tolzien was originally a long shot to get the starting job, but he’s managed games well, even in the Horseshoe. Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi has been somewhat shaky, particularly at the beginning of games, but has stepped up in a big way when his team needs him. Consistency will be the key here.
Prediction: I have to take Iowa here. They have a more experienced quarterback, more big play threats, and a faster defense.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #6 USC at #25 Notre Dame
The last few years of this series have been embarrassingly lopsided, but this is the best start for a Notre Dame team in quite a while. Taylor Mays and the rest of the USC defense will be by far the best Jimmy Clausen and the Domers have seen. Meanwhile, the Trojans have a quality win at Ohio State (hey, you know I hate ‘em, but you have to admit that their defense is legit), but have been largely untested since then. Word on the street is that rookie QB Barkley gets better with every game – he’ll have to prove it here. Read: we’re about to find out right now how good both teams are.
Prediction: I sort of hope both teams lose, but failing that, a lot of people are saying either USC wins big or Notre Dame wins in a close game and I’d have to agree with that. Since the Trojans are far superior in talent (albeit possibly inferior in the ‘caring about winning’ sense) and have already proved themselves in a hostile environment, I have to go with the USC big scenario. Plus, it’d be fun to watch!
Saturday, 5PM: #4 Virginia Tech at #19 Georgia Tech
I have to admit that it's possible that my intense dislike of run first quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor has kept me from giving Virginia Tech a fair shake, so I'm going to watch this one so I know for sure. Georgia Tech is probably not a worthy opponent for the Hokies, but that triple option offense can explode without warning, particularly if they don't have to play from too far behind, so you never know.
Prediction: VT's defense is reportedly good enough to handle a simple attack like this one. I'll take the Hokies by two touchdowns.
Saturday, 6:45PM : #22 South Carolina at #2 Alabama
More interesting than it looks at first glance. This is the beginning of a three game home stretch for the Tide and the next two opponents are Tennessee and LSU, whom you might remember as prominent opponents of the top-ranked Florida Tebows. If Alabama wins these games convincingly, they could be looking at a #1 ranking. So yes, Alabama should beat up on the Gamecocks, but they'll be on their way to some serious respect for doing it. I also haven't seen the Tide play yet and I'm anxious to compare 'em to the Gators.
Prediction: Tide rolls.
October 12, 2009
College Football: Week 6 Wrap-Up
#21 Nebraska def. #24 Missouri 27-12
They should really think about canceling Thursday night college football on grounds of dreadfulness. Between Oregon-Boise State (probably the worst game of all time), Mississippi-South Carolina, and this stinker in the pouring rain, Thursday nights have been the pinnacle of awful football. Nebraska's D-line did a good job of pressuring Blaine Gabbert (his bum ankle suffered on the first drive didn't help either), but essentially, this game was won in an ugly flurry of three Nebraska touchdowns helped mightily by Gabbert's first two career interceptions. The only bright spot: national television coming out party for Husker DE Ndamukong Suh (say it with me: En-dom-ah-ken Soo) . A few more games like that and he'll be in the Heisman talk. I heard that five inches of rain fell in Columbia on Thursday - I think the Tigers drowned.
Arkansas def. #17 Auburn 44-23
So did Auburn choke or were they simply overrated to begin with? Chris Todd looked just like I remembered, totally overwhelmed, and the whole team appeared to be sleepwalking in the first half. When they finally did wake up in the third quarter, their much ballyhooed no-huddle offense looked frantic. Todd's fumbled snap under center on 4th and 1 was a pretty good summary of the Auburn's day: unprepared, unenthusiastic, ineffective. Mallet looked just like I remember him from Michigan: huge arm, huge potential, a long way to go.
#9 Ohio State def. Wisconsin 31-13
Poor, poor Badgers. They did a great job containing the Ohio State offense (most OSU points were either scored or set up by the defense and special teams) and established an effective running game (I'm not sure I've ever seen a team run an up-tempo *running* attack before), but in the end, their pass blocking didn't cut the mustard, their inexperienced QB was clearly affected by the rush, and some crucial mistakes forced them to play from behind and took the pressure off of Terrelle Pryor. Still, the Badgers weren't anywhere near as bad as this score would suggest and I'll be looking forward to their matchup with Iowa.
#1 Florida def. #4 LSU 13-3
I was really disappointed with LSU here. First of all, Florida ran the dive basically every other play and gained positive yardage nearly every time. Strike one. The Tigers offense (what is it with all Tigers teams losing this week?) was unimaginative, particularly on third down, and it's extremely odd that they run their option from six yards in the backfield. Makes for a lot of instances with a ten yard run, two broken tackles, and a two yard gain. Strike two. And, as always, Tebow did what he had to do to win. He ran when they needed him and passed efficiently when they needed that. Three strikes. On the plus side, Florida looked pretty ripe for a whoopin' from Alabama, didn't they?
#12 Iowa def. Michigan 30-28
Despite the close score, I thought Iowa pretty handily outplayed Michigan. Ricky Stanzi threw what is becoming his standard pick-six early and that plus more kick return magic from Darryl Stonum kept the Wolverines in the game even though they turned the ball over three times and allowed 200 Iowa passing yards in the first half. The Michigan defense abandoned its poor tackling long enough to get the offense the ball with a chance to win, but the Wolverines (inexplicably minus their boy wonder) couldn't quite get it done. Two down for Iowa, two (Wisconsin and Ohio State) to go. I'll be rooting for them!
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Don't ask a flanker to do a quarterback's job. Yes, Denard Robinson led the previous touchdown drive, but did you happen to notice that he did it with his legs? You're only down two points despite being outplayed and your defense gets you the ball back in time for the two minute drill, you've got the 4th quarter kid in your quiver and you sit him...to teach him a lesson? So we get the wild Wolverine (the MaizeCat? This is harder than you would think) instead and Robinson miraculously manages to move the ball a few yards before throwing the completely predictable overthrow INT. Hey, lesson learned, RichRod.
In other news: What is with the Huskers and quarterbacks named Zac? Wasn't one of the last ones hilariously named after president Zachary Taylor? Will there be a whole flood of Zacs coming up?.....Speaking of Zac Lee, how in the world did he not recover that fumbled snap after jumping on top of it?!? They might want to check him out to make sure there's not a giant hole in his torso.....A lot of Tigers fans had clearly painted their chests with water based paints, which didn't mix well with the rain. Gotta love that Mizzou education.....Great fake FG touchdown for the Badgers, but you could definitely tell that holder/safety Chris Maragos had practiced that diving reach for the end zone move about a million times with his little friends in junior high.....The Red Lobster Scholar Athlete during the Florida-LSU game was some LSU kid with a 3.3 GPA in Kinesiology. Awesome.....In soccer news, Slovenia beat Slovakia 2-0. Gotta love the crawler.
They should really think about canceling Thursday night college football on grounds of dreadfulness. Between Oregon-Boise State (probably the worst game of all time), Mississippi-South Carolina, and this stinker in the pouring rain, Thursday nights have been the pinnacle of awful football. Nebraska's D-line did a good job of pressuring Blaine Gabbert (his bum ankle suffered on the first drive didn't help either), but essentially, this game was won in an ugly flurry of three Nebraska touchdowns helped mightily by Gabbert's first two career interceptions. The only bright spot: national television coming out party for Husker DE Ndamukong Suh (say it with me: En-dom-ah-ken Soo) . A few more games like that and he'll be in the Heisman talk. I heard that five inches of rain fell in Columbia on Thursday - I think the Tigers drowned.
Arkansas def. #17 Auburn 44-23
So did Auburn choke or were they simply overrated to begin with? Chris Todd looked just like I remembered, totally overwhelmed, and the whole team appeared to be sleepwalking in the first half. When they finally did wake up in the third quarter, their much ballyhooed no-huddle offense looked frantic. Todd's fumbled snap under center on 4th and 1 was a pretty good summary of the Auburn's day: unprepared, unenthusiastic, ineffective. Mallet looked just like I remember him from Michigan: huge arm, huge potential, a long way to go.
#9 Ohio State def. Wisconsin 31-13
Poor, poor Badgers. They did a great job containing the Ohio State offense (most OSU points were either scored or set up by the defense and special teams) and established an effective running game (I'm not sure I've ever seen a team run an up-tempo *running* attack before), but in the end, their pass blocking didn't cut the mustard, their inexperienced QB was clearly affected by the rush, and some crucial mistakes forced them to play from behind and took the pressure off of Terrelle Pryor. Still, the Badgers weren't anywhere near as bad as this score would suggest and I'll be looking forward to their matchup with Iowa.
#1 Florida def. #4 LSU 13-3
I was really disappointed with LSU here. First of all, Florida ran the dive basically every other play and gained positive yardage nearly every time. Strike one. The Tigers offense (what is it with all Tigers teams losing this week?) was unimaginative, particularly on third down, and it's extremely odd that they run their option from six yards in the backfield. Makes for a lot of instances with a ten yard run, two broken tackles, and a two yard gain. Strike two. And, as always, Tebow did what he had to do to win. He ran when they needed him and passed efficiently when they needed that. Three strikes. On the plus side, Florida looked pretty ripe for a whoopin' from Alabama, didn't they?
#12 Iowa def. Michigan 30-28
Despite the close score, I thought Iowa pretty handily outplayed Michigan. Ricky Stanzi threw what is becoming his standard pick-six early and that plus more kick return magic from Darryl Stonum kept the Wolverines in the game even though they turned the ball over three times and allowed 200 Iowa passing yards in the first half. The Michigan defense abandoned its poor tackling long enough to get the offense the ball with a chance to win, but the Wolverines (inexplicably minus their boy wonder) couldn't quite get it done. Two down for Iowa, two (Wisconsin and Ohio State) to go. I'll be rooting for them!
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Don't ask a flanker to do a quarterback's job. Yes, Denard Robinson led the previous touchdown drive, but did you happen to notice that he did it with his legs? You're only down two points despite being outplayed and your defense gets you the ball back in time for the two minute drill, you've got the 4th quarter kid in your quiver and you sit him...to teach him a lesson? So we get the wild Wolverine (the MaizeCat? This is harder than you would think) instead and Robinson miraculously manages to move the ball a few yards before throwing the completely predictable overthrow INT. Hey, lesson learned, RichRod.
In other news: What is with the Huskers and quarterbacks named Zac? Wasn't one of the last ones hilariously named after president Zachary Taylor? Will there be a whole flood of Zacs coming up?.....Speaking of Zac Lee, how in the world did he not recover that fumbled snap after jumping on top of it?!? They might want to check him out to make sure there's not a giant hole in his torso.....A lot of Tigers fans had clearly painted their chests with water based paints, which didn't mix well with the rain. Gotta love that Mizzou education.....Great fake FG touchdown for the Badgers, but you could definitely tell that holder/safety Chris Maragos had practiced that diving reach for the end zone move about a million times with his little friends in junior high.....The Red Lobster Scholar Athlete during the Florida-LSU game was some LSU kid with a 3.3 GPA in Kinesiology. Awesome.....In soccer news, Slovenia beat Slovakia 2-0. Gotta love the crawler.
October 7, 2009
College Football: Week 6 Preview
Thursday, 8PM: #21 Nebraska at #24 Missouri
The only thing I’ve seen of either of these teams is a few minutes of the Missouri/Illinois matchup earlier this season. Missouri, and especially the hilariously-named QB Blaine Gabbert, looked great, but it has since been revealed that Illinois has fallen to new depths of terrible-ness. Still, Gabbert appears to be Chase Daniel 2.0 (i.e. taller) and is putting up some incredible numbers. Might be a lot for the Huskers to handle, since their schedule to date is three cream puff victories and a close loss to a Virginia Tech team with a fairly mediocre offense.
Prediction: (all based on hearsay) – Nebraska is back in the mix, but probably isn’t *enough* back in the mix to keep up with Mizzou in the scoring department.
Saturday, 11AM: #17 Auburn at Arkansas
Another chance to check out two SEC teams I don’t know too much about. Gotta see if all the Auburn and especially QB Chris Todd hype is justified. I remember watching him play last year and thinking he was absolutely terrible, but he’s reportedly a whole new man with a whole new arm. Speaking of arms, I’ll enjoy the look at former Michigan man Ryan Mallett and his bazooka arm. Arkansas hasn’t been too good this year, but they’ve always got speed to burn and should be enjoyable to watch.
Prediction: Despite all the controversy surrounding his hiring last spring, Gene Chizik has the Tigers on a tear. They have quality wins over Mississippi State, West Viriginia, and Tennessee and I think they’ll keep the train rolling here.
Saturday, 2:30PM Wisconsin at #9 Ohio State
Should be a pretty decent one. Wisconsin needs it, both for pride as the only unranked and undefeated team, and because Bret Bielema sorely needs a signature win. Wisconsin QB (and Fremd product!) Scott Tolzien looked great in the snippets I saw of games against Michigan State and Minnesota and appears to be the real deal, something the Badgers have sorely missed in the last few seasons. We'll see just how good he is on Saturday - the Buckeyes can be counted on to bring the run defense. Ohio State’s still the better team (despite having a pass-sad quarterback), but this is a bit of a trap game for them.
Prediction: If you can't keep Pryor in the pocket, you can't stop the Buckeyes. I'll be rooting pretty hard for the upset, but you have to like a much faster Ohio State team in this game.
*Might also take a look at Alabama/Mississippi to see if Jevan Snead looks any better (than awful).
Saturday, 7PM: Channel Flip: #1 Florida at #4 LSU / Michigan at #12 Iowa
SEC: Let’s just say I’d be extremely surprised if Tebow does not play in this game. Though Brantley is good enough to get the ball to the Gators speedsters, the game plan looks pretty different without Tebow (and you can bet that's why it's a big secret). Florida is obviously the consensus #1, but they don't yet have a quality win, their best opponents being Tennessee and Kentucky. You can't be totally certain that they're not the new Ole Miss. Meanwhile, LSU beat a decent Washington team and pulled out consecutive thrillers against BCS buster Mississippi State and then Joe Cox and Georgia. Does Florida know how to handle a close game, particularly without its unquestioned leader (or at least without him at 100%)?
Prediction: It's hard without a handle on the Tebow situation, but you can't ever count a Les Miles team out. It's fight night at Tiger Stadium and I gotta take LSU here.
Big Ten: Call it the big conference matchup that got a little less marquee when Michigan lost to its in-state rival last weekend. Iowa's defense and run game are probably best in the conference, but if you think about it, the Hawkeyes have been a bit inconsistent. They had that scare against Northern Iowa, handily beat a terrible Arizona team, played a fantastic second half against Penn State, and then let Arkansas State crawl back into a game they were winning easily. So which Iowa team is going to show up? Meanwhile, I'll be interested to see how a very young Michigan team (and especially their very young, icewater in his veins quarterback) bounces back from a loss.
Prediction: Tate Forcier gives Michigan a chance if they can keep it close near the end of the game, but Michigan's poor tackling + Iowa's run blocking + the speed of Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer (best LB name since Michael Stonebreaker) causing problems for a scrambling Forcier = too much Hawkeyes for the Wolverines to handle.
The only thing I’ve seen of either of these teams is a few minutes of the Missouri/Illinois matchup earlier this season. Missouri, and especially the hilariously-named QB Blaine Gabbert, looked great, but it has since been revealed that Illinois has fallen to new depths of terrible-ness. Still, Gabbert appears to be Chase Daniel 2.0 (i.e. taller) and is putting up some incredible numbers. Might be a lot for the Huskers to handle, since their schedule to date is three cream puff victories and a close loss to a Virginia Tech team with a fairly mediocre offense.
Prediction: (all based on hearsay) – Nebraska is back in the mix, but probably isn’t *enough* back in the mix to keep up with Mizzou in the scoring department.
Saturday, 11AM: #17 Auburn at Arkansas
Another chance to check out two SEC teams I don’t know too much about. Gotta see if all the Auburn and especially QB Chris Todd hype is justified. I remember watching him play last year and thinking he was absolutely terrible, but he’s reportedly a whole new man with a whole new arm. Speaking of arms, I’ll enjoy the look at former Michigan man Ryan Mallett and his bazooka arm. Arkansas hasn’t been too good this year, but they’ve always got speed to burn and should be enjoyable to watch.
Prediction: Despite all the controversy surrounding his hiring last spring, Gene Chizik has the Tigers on a tear. They have quality wins over Mississippi State, West Viriginia, and Tennessee and I think they’ll keep the train rolling here.
Saturday, 2:30PM Wisconsin at #9 Ohio State
Should be a pretty decent one. Wisconsin needs it, both for pride as the only unranked and undefeated team, and because Bret Bielema sorely needs a signature win. Wisconsin QB (and Fremd product!) Scott Tolzien looked great in the snippets I saw of games against Michigan State and Minnesota and appears to be the real deal, something the Badgers have sorely missed in the last few seasons. We'll see just how good he is on Saturday - the Buckeyes can be counted on to bring the run defense. Ohio State’s still the better team (despite having a pass-sad quarterback), but this is a bit of a trap game for them.
Prediction: If you can't keep Pryor in the pocket, you can't stop the Buckeyes. I'll be rooting pretty hard for the upset, but you have to like a much faster Ohio State team in this game.
*Might also take a look at Alabama/Mississippi to see if Jevan Snead looks any better (than awful).
Saturday, 7PM: Channel Flip: #1 Florida at #4 LSU / Michigan at #12 Iowa
SEC: Let’s just say I’d be extremely surprised if Tebow does not play in this game. Though Brantley is good enough to get the ball to the Gators speedsters, the game plan looks pretty different without Tebow (and you can bet that's why it's a big secret). Florida is obviously the consensus #1, but they don't yet have a quality win, their best opponents being Tennessee and Kentucky. You can't be totally certain that they're not the new Ole Miss. Meanwhile, LSU beat a decent Washington team and pulled out consecutive thrillers against BCS buster Mississippi State and then Joe Cox and Georgia. Does Florida know how to handle a close game, particularly without its unquestioned leader (or at least without him at 100%)?
Prediction: It's hard without a handle on the Tebow situation, but you can't ever count a Les Miles team out. It's fight night at Tiger Stadium and I gotta take LSU here.
Big Ten: Call it the big conference matchup that got a little less marquee when Michigan lost to its in-state rival last weekend. Iowa's defense and run game are probably best in the conference, but if you think about it, the Hawkeyes have been a bit inconsistent. They had that scare against Northern Iowa, handily beat a terrible Arizona team, played a fantastic second half against Penn State, and then let Arkansas State crawl back into a game they were winning easily. So which Iowa team is going to show up? Meanwhile, I'll be interested to see how a very young Michigan team (and especially their very young, icewater in his veins quarterback) bounces back from a loss.
Prediction: Tate Forcier gives Michigan a chance if they can keep it close near the end of the game, but Michigan's poor tackling + Iowa's run blocking + the speed of Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer (best LB name since Michael Stonebreaker) causing problems for a scrambling Forcier = too much Hawkeyes for the Wolverines to handle.
October 4, 2009
College Football: Week 5 Wrap-Up
Once again, I've called all games wrong (well, I guess I knew Dartmouth was going to lose, but that's like shooting fish in a barrel). To be fair, there were two overtime toss-ups, but still, let's take a look at why:
Pennsylvania def. Dartmouth 30-24
Well, it's the closest the Big Green have come to winning in a long time. Watching I-AA football is an odd experience. It looks sort of like the FBS, but everyone is a little smaller, a little slower, and probably is thinking about the philosophy paper he has to write on the bus on the way home. Dartmouth running back Nick Schwieger is my new hero, but other than that, the only really impressive thing Dartmouth did was injure Penn's second and third string quarterbacks (QB1 was inactive for the game).
Michigan State def. #22 Michigan 26-20 (OT)
I didn't actually get to watch this one -- Big Ten Network is still in the doghouse -- but it sounds like Michigan did its thing, coming back in the 4th quarter (boy, if you had told me two years ago that Michigan would be a team known for coming back in the 4th quarter...) and Michigan State almost but not quite did its thing, which is failing to close out a game it has basically already won. And I'm really, really glad I didn't see Michigan's failed fake punt on its own 16. That would have been the Yell at the TV Moment for sure.
Notre Dame def. Washington 37-30 (OT)
Washington had every chance in the world to win this game. Notre Dame outplayed them, but couldn't find the end zone when it counted, partly because of odd coaching decisions (if you're averaging 10+ yards per run on the drive, there's really no reason to run a double reverse halfback pass out of the Wildcat formation) and partly because, try as he might, Robby Parris is no substitute for Michael Floyd. But you can't run seven unsuccessful plays from inside the 2-yard line (should have had more Chris Polk, who ran over people all day, and less Locker in my opinion) and expect to win the game. This is a game Notre Dame won with its defense (well, and some fantastic after-catch running from Golden Tate) and I'll certainly admit I didn't expect that.
#11 Miami def. #8 Oklahoma 21-20
Well, I guess Bradford should have entered the draft. No Heisman, no national championship...I really hope he enjoys the whole Big Man On Campus thing a whole lot. All in all though, I thought it was an odd game. At first, it looked like Oklahoma was going to run away with it in no time. Backup QB Landry Jones does a pretty uncanny Bradford impression, doesn't he? but then somehow, they lost their momentum and couldn't really get it back. And Bradford impression or not, Stoops clearly doesn't trust Jones with the ball. Too many draw plays on 3rd down. Jacory Harris, on the other hand, started slow and finished downhill all the way. At first, it looked like he had never seen a defense that fast and his "touch" quickly turned into "so much air the defender was checking his watch at the interception site". But he made very impressive adjustments and was greatly helped by Miami's truly spectacular kick coverage. Great win for Miami, over a most likely better team.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Proud moment for the Dartmouth punting unit - after the first 3-and-out, the snap goes at least five feet over the punter's head. He runs back to his own 10 or so, clumsily picks up the ball on the run and inexplicably attempts to punt it into the crowd of five or so Penn Quakers. It is, of course, blocked back into his face and the Penn players take it into the end zone. 7-0 Penn. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure the center snapped the ball further than the quarterback can throw it.
In other news: At one point during the Washington-Notre Dame game, the announcers mentioned that Clausen and Locker had bonded over their mutual love of chocolate labs and I almost vomited.....I loved how Washington didn't kneel on the ball with one minute left in the first half. Sarkisian clearly trusts his quarterback and he's been mostly rewarded.....What in the world happened on Jimmy Clausen's backwards pass to nowhere that was handily returned for a Washington touchdown? The face of every single Notre Dame player and fan was a match after that one.....Was it just me or was there a Miami defensive player hurt on pretty much every play? Wonder if they'll be thin this weekend....Incredible atmosphere provided by the Hurricanes fans with the kind of noise you don't usually see outside the SEC. Miami is a momentum team and their fans helped them out here
Pennsylvania def. Dartmouth 30-24
Well, it's the closest the Big Green have come to winning in a long time. Watching I-AA football is an odd experience. It looks sort of like the FBS, but everyone is a little smaller, a little slower, and probably is thinking about the philosophy paper he has to write on the bus on the way home. Dartmouth running back Nick Schwieger is my new hero, but other than that, the only really impressive thing Dartmouth did was injure Penn's second and third string quarterbacks (QB1 was inactive for the game).
Michigan State def. #22 Michigan 26-20 (OT)
I didn't actually get to watch this one -- Big Ten Network is still in the doghouse -- but it sounds like Michigan did its thing, coming back in the 4th quarter (boy, if you had told me two years ago that Michigan would be a team known for coming back in the 4th quarter...) and Michigan State almost but not quite did its thing, which is failing to close out a game it has basically already won. And I'm really, really glad I didn't see Michigan's failed fake punt on its own 16. That would have been the Yell at the TV Moment for sure.
Notre Dame def. Washington 37-30 (OT)
Washington had every chance in the world to win this game. Notre Dame outplayed them, but couldn't find the end zone when it counted, partly because of odd coaching decisions (if you're averaging 10+ yards per run on the drive, there's really no reason to run a double reverse halfback pass out of the Wildcat formation) and partly because, try as he might, Robby Parris is no substitute for Michael Floyd. But you can't run seven unsuccessful plays from inside the 2-yard line (should have had more Chris Polk, who ran over people all day, and less Locker in my opinion) and expect to win the game. This is a game Notre Dame won with its defense (well, and some fantastic after-catch running from Golden Tate) and I'll certainly admit I didn't expect that.
#11 Miami def. #8 Oklahoma 21-20
Well, I guess Bradford should have entered the draft. No Heisman, no national championship...I really hope he enjoys the whole Big Man On Campus thing a whole lot. All in all though, I thought it was an odd game. At first, it looked like Oklahoma was going to run away with it in no time. Backup QB Landry Jones does a pretty uncanny Bradford impression, doesn't he? but then somehow, they lost their momentum and couldn't really get it back. And Bradford impression or not, Stoops clearly doesn't trust Jones with the ball. Too many draw plays on 3rd down. Jacory Harris, on the other hand, started slow and finished downhill all the way. At first, it looked like he had never seen a defense that fast and his "touch" quickly turned into "so much air the defender was checking his watch at the interception site". But he made very impressive adjustments and was greatly helped by Miami's truly spectacular kick coverage. Great win for Miami, over a most likely better team.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' Moment: Proud moment for the Dartmouth punting unit - after the first 3-and-out, the snap goes at least five feet over the punter's head. He runs back to his own 10 or so, clumsily picks up the ball on the run and inexplicably attempts to punt it into the crowd of five or so Penn Quakers. It is, of course, blocked back into his face and the Penn players take it into the end zone. 7-0 Penn. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure the center snapped the ball further than the quarterback can throw it.
In other news: At one point during the Washington-Notre Dame game, the announcers mentioned that Clausen and Locker had bonded over their mutual love of chocolate labs and I almost vomited.....I loved how Washington didn't kneel on the ball with one minute left in the first half. Sarkisian clearly trusts his quarterback and he's been mostly rewarded.....What in the world happened on Jimmy Clausen's backwards pass to nowhere that was handily returned for a Washington touchdown? The face of every single Notre Dame player and fan was a match after that one.....Was it just me or was there a Miami defensive player hurt on pretty much every play? Wonder if they'll be thin this weekend....Incredible atmosphere provided by the Hurricanes fans with the kind of noise you don't usually see outside the SEC. Miami is a momentum team and their fans helped them out here
October 1, 2009
College Football: Week 5 Preview
Saturday, 11AM: Pennsylvania at Dartmouth
Yes, really. Thanks to the Big Ten Network's grievous error (choosing to show Northwestern at Purdue), I will not be able to watch Michigan/Michigan State. ABC has decided to cover Iowa/Arkansas State and Penn State/Illinois. Grrreat. Does free me up to watch the old alma mater though, which, much like the old Detroit Lions, has not won since 2007. I won't bother with a prediction (too sad), but I'll be sure to give you a full report.
Still, I will cover the real game for you - #22 Michigan at Michigan State
First real test for the Wolverines, who have a score to settle after losing to the Spartans for the first time in…forever.
Prediction: Michigan by a touchdown. Yes, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.
Saturday, 2:30: Washington at Notre Dame
Big, big game for both teams. I’ve been looking forward to this one since I saw the Huskies’ opener. It's a chance for Notre Dame to prove itself against a team that's beaten USC and UDub needs to bounce back from a thumping at the hands of Stanford. Irish are already laying the groundwork for a loss with Toegate and the loss of Michael Floyd. Hopefully Sarkisian, Locker and crew can get it done.
Prediction: Washington is the better coached team and should win, but they'll have to score a little more than they have been to beat Notre Dame. I think Washington will come up with this game, but it won't be decided until the end.
Saturday, 7PM: #8 Oklahoma at #17 Miami
I've been looking forward to this one as well, because it just doesn't seem like the same match-up you see all the time. Oklahoma's got the edge in talent and probably size, but Jacory Harris and the Canes will be ready for a bounce back game at home after a poor showing in Blacksburg. Landry Jones has been terrific in replacing Sam Bradford, but this will be his first real test.
Prediction: Oklahoma's D will make the difference (after all, *they're* not missing Bradford and Gresham) and the Sooners won't have too much trouble.
Bonus Points: I’ll also be watching the crawler pretty intently to see what Ohio State does to Indiana in way-too-early anticipation of the Michigan-Ohio State game!
Yes, really. Thanks to the Big Ten Network's grievous error (choosing to show Northwestern at Purdue), I will not be able to watch Michigan/Michigan State. ABC has decided to cover Iowa/Arkansas State and Penn State/Illinois. Grrreat. Does free me up to watch the old alma mater though, which, much like the old Detroit Lions, has not won since 2007. I won't bother with a prediction (too sad), but I'll be sure to give you a full report.
Still, I will cover the real game for you - #22 Michigan at Michigan State
First real test for the Wolverines, who have a score to settle after losing to the Spartans for the first time in…forever.
Prediction: Michigan by a touchdown. Yes, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.
Saturday, 2:30: Washington at Notre Dame
Big, big game for both teams. I’ve been looking forward to this one since I saw the Huskies’ opener. It's a chance for Notre Dame to prove itself against a team that's beaten USC and UDub needs to bounce back from a thumping at the hands of Stanford. Irish are already laying the groundwork for a loss with Toegate and the loss of Michael Floyd. Hopefully Sarkisian, Locker and crew can get it done.
Prediction: Washington is the better coached team and should win, but they'll have to score a little more than they have been to beat Notre Dame. I think Washington will come up with this game, but it won't be decided until the end.
Saturday, 7PM: #8 Oklahoma at #17 Miami
I've been looking forward to this one as well, because it just doesn't seem like the same match-up you see all the time. Oklahoma's got the edge in talent and probably size, but Jacory Harris and the Canes will be ready for a bounce back game at home after a poor showing in Blacksburg. Landry Jones has been terrific in replacing Sam Bradford, but this will be his first real test.
Prediction: Oklahoma's D will make the difference (after all, *they're* not missing Bradford and Gresham) and the Sooners won't have too much trouble.
Bonus Points: I’ll also be watching the crawler pretty intently to see what Ohio State does to Indiana in way-too-early anticipation of the Michigan-Ohio State game!
September 25, 2009
College Football: Week 4 Wrap-Up
South Carolina def. #4 Mississippi 16-10
I'm pretty sure that crash you just heard was Jevan Snead's draft stock hitting the ground and shattering into a million pieces. He was inaccurate all night, but my favorite part was near the end of the first quarter when he threw into sextuple coverage. You don't see that too often. The story of the game here was the inability of both teams to protect their quarterbacks and Houston Nutt's erroneous assumption that Snead was his playmaker instead of Dexter McCluster. Once he corrected that error, Ole Miss did just fine and essentially just ran out of time (aided by a horrific reverse call with two minutes left in the game). I thought South Carolina's inability to put the ball in the end zone despite dominating the game was going to hurt them, but I guess sometimes you can let sleeping dogs lie. I have to wonder how much Mississippi's killer previous schedule of two cream puffs and a bye week hurt them.
#23 Michigan def. Indiana 36-33
After the first week of the season, I was discussing the Big Ten scores with my family and no one could remember hearing an Indiana score. We were wondering if they still had a football team. It turns out that a) they do and b) it's not bad! They were big and strong and Ben Chappell is a more than capable quarterback. Michigan was lucky to get out of this one with a win after some major mistakes, helped immensely by the Hoosiers' inability to put the ball in the end zone (5 red zone trips, 1 touchdown generally = loss). What worried me the most was Indiana's ability to continue to gain yards after the first hit. Could Michigan's defense be too small or was it just poor tackling? I was actually a little relieved when Forcier threw that moronic interception. I was starting to wonder if the guy was human. But he bounced back to do his 4th quarter 'thang' and all was temporarily well in Wolverine-land. Speaking of Wolverine-land, is there any resident thereof who doesn't feel 700 times more confident when Forcier is in the game instead of Robinson? Robinson's fumble before the half was a perfect illustration of why great athletes don't necessarily make great quarterbacks. You have to trust him with the ball.
#11 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 31-7
Ouch, tough one for the 'Canes. Thanks to ABC deciding to only cover this game in low-def, I helpfully recorded an hour and a half of hi-def ESPN news and only got to watch the second half of this one. From what I saw though, Miami did not stop the run on D and the pouring rain probably hampered their pass game quite a bit. Two nearly consecutive pass drops by first year TE Jimmy Graham didn't help in this game, but I have to admit that I and the rest of the college football world may have been a little hasty in jumping on the Hurricanes bandwagon. They didn't look up to the challenge.
Iowa def. #5 Penn State 21-10
Great win for the Hawkeyes! Just like last week, Stanzi was shaky, but he made plays when he had to and the running game and the defense did the rest. As my mom says, Iowa seems to have some sort of voodoo control of Darryl Clark. He's terrific against everyone but them. He produced a stunner on the first play of the game (a gorgeous 79-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Powell) but might as well have sat on the bench for the rest of it. He didn't even bother to change his 'bye-bye national championship' face from last year's version. Iowa's defense kept 'em in it until they seized the momentum with a really timely blocked punt. Then, they were able to run at will until Penn State was out of time. And you thought smash mouth football was dead! Make no mistake though, this wasn't an upset. The Hawkeyes are for real. Stanzi's gotta pick it up a little, but if he does, they'll run the table and be a threat to play for the national championship after the SEC beats each other up.
#17 Houston def. Texas Tech 29-28
Pretty much the first call I've nailed all year (calling college games is a humbling experience). A back and forth game with better defense than I would have guessed and Houston came out on top. This game was tough to analyze, since Texas Tech generally looked unstoppable on offense, even establishing a legit rushing game for the first time all season, but then somehow you'd blink and they were punting. The best I can figure is that in a pass happy offense, you live and die with down and distance. An incomplete pass and one of their patented short yardage over the middle quick slants leaves a 3rd and 6 - one more incompletion away from a punt. Still, a very even game, Houston just had a few more breaks (a little bit of home cooking on the first touchdown - he never had that ball!), home field advantage, and one spectacular goal line stand against a much larger offensive line. Great night for Case Keenum and the Cougars, but they've got a lot of work to do in October.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' moment brought to you by Michigan Wolverine Greg Matthews: IF YOU HAVE TO DIVE FOR THE PUNT, LET IT GO! I thought he'd left this behind last year, but apparently not.
In other news: Guess we won't have to wait for UNC's harder ACC schedule in October after they were exposed at Georgia Tech this weekend.....Did anyone else see the ref fall over backwards in the end zone in the Ole Miss game? Can't believe the announcers missed it.....At one point, the Mississippi O-line failed to protect Snead against a two man rush.....If you're super-dressed up for the game, you look super stupid when your team lays an egg. I'm talking to you, Happy Valley.....Whoever was directing the coverage of the Texas Tech-Houston game somehow failed to notice that the Cougars like to snap quickly following first downs. I can forgive a replay cutting into a play once or twice, but seven times is pretty ridiculous.....Speaking of laying an egg, what in the world happened to Cal??.....Brent Musberger wins the call of the week on an attempted Penn State field goal: "looks long enough...[five second pause]...no. [cuts to commercial]"
I'm pretty sure that crash you just heard was Jevan Snead's draft stock hitting the ground and shattering into a million pieces. He was inaccurate all night, but my favorite part was near the end of the first quarter when he threw into sextuple coverage. You don't see that too often. The story of the game here was the inability of both teams to protect their quarterbacks and Houston Nutt's erroneous assumption that Snead was his playmaker instead of Dexter McCluster. Once he corrected that error, Ole Miss did just fine and essentially just ran out of time (aided by a horrific reverse call with two minutes left in the game). I thought South Carolina's inability to put the ball in the end zone despite dominating the game was going to hurt them, but I guess sometimes you can let sleeping dogs lie. I have to wonder how much Mississippi's killer previous schedule of two cream puffs and a bye week hurt them.
#23 Michigan def. Indiana 36-33
After the first week of the season, I was discussing the Big Ten scores with my family and no one could remember hearing an Indiana score. We were wondering if they still had a football team. It turns out that a) they do and b) it's not bad! They were big and strong and Ben Chappell is a more than capable quarterback. Michigan was lucky to get out of this one with a win after some major mistakes, helped immensely by the Hoosiers' inability to put the ball in the end zone (5 red zone trips, 1 touchdown generally = loss). What worried me the most was Indiana's ability to continue to gain yards after the first hit. Could Michigan's defense be too small or was it just poor tackling? I was actually a little relieved when Forcier threw that moronic interception. I was starting to wonder if the guy was human. But he bounced back to do his 4th quarter 'thang' and all was temporarily well in Wolverine-land. Speaking of Wolverine-land, is there any resident thereof who doesn't feel 700 times more confident when Forcier is in the game instead of Robinson? Robinson's fumble before the half was a perfect illustration of why great athletes don't necessarily make great quarterbacks. You have to trust him with the ball.
#11 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 31-7
Ouch, tough one for the 'Canes. Thanks to ABC deciding to only cover this game in low-def, I helpfully recorded an hour and a half of hi-def ESPN news and only got to watch the second half of this one. From what I saw though, Miami did not stop the run on D and the pouring rain probably hampered their pass game quite a bit. Two nearly consecutive pass drops by first year TE Jimmy Graham didn't help in this game, but I have to admit that I and the rest of the college football world may have been a little hasty in jumping on the Hurricanes bandwagon. They didn't look up to the challenge.
Iowa def. #5 Penn State 21-10
Great win for the Hawkeyes! Just like last week, Stanzi was shaky, but he made plays when he had to and the running game and the defense did the rest. As my mom says, Iowa seems to have some sort of voodoo control of Darryl Clark. He's terrific against everyone but them. He produced a stunner on the first play of the game (a gorgeous 79-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Powell) but might as well have sat on the bench for the rest of it. He didn't even bother to change his 'bye-bye national championship' face from last year's version. Iowa's defense kept 'em in it until they seized the momentum with a really timely blocked punt. Then, they were able to run at will until Penn State was out of time. And you thought smash mouth football was dead! Make no mistake though, this wasn't an upset. The Hawkeyes are for real. Stanzi's gotta pick it up a little, but if he does, they'll run the table and be a threat to play for the national championship after the SEC beats each other up.
#17 Houston def. Texas Tech 29-28
Pretty much the first call I've nailed all year (calling college games is a humbling experience). A back and forth game with better defense than I would have guessed and Houston came out on top. This game was tough to analyze, since Texas Tech generally looked unstoppable on offense, even establishing a legit rushing game for the first time all season, but then somehow you'd blink and they were punting. The best I can figure is that in a pass happy offense, you live and die with down and distance. An incomplete pass and one of their patented short yardage over the middle quick slants leaves a 3rd and 6 - one more incompletion away from a punt. Still, a very even game, Houston just had a few more breaks (a little bit of home cooking on the first touchdown - he never had that ball!), home field advantage, and one spectacular goal line stand against a much larger offensive line. Great night for Case Keenum and the Cougars, but they've got a lot of work to do in October.
This Week's 'Yell at the TV' moment brought to you by Michigan Wolverine Greg Matthews: IF YOU HAVE TO DIVE FOR THE PUNT, LET IT GO! I thought he'd left this behind last year, but apparently not.
In other news: Guess we won't have to wait for UNC's harder ACC schedule in October after they were exposed at Georgia Tech this weekend.....Did anyone else see the ref fall over backwards in the end zone in the Ole Miss game? Can't believe the announcers missed it.....At one point, the Mississippi O-line failed to protect Snead against a two man rush.....If you're super-dressed up for the game, you look super stupid when your team lays an egg. I'm talking to you, Happy Valley.....Whoever was directing the coverage of the Texas Tech-Houston game somehow failed to notice that the Cougars like to snap quickly following first downs. I can forgive a replay cutting into a play once or twice, but seven times is pretty ridiculous.....Speaking of laying an egg, what in the world happened to Cal??.....Brent Musberger wins the call of the week on an attempted Penn State field goal: "looks long enough...[five second pause]...no. [cuts to commercial]"
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