College Football: Week 2 Wrap-Up

Central Michigan def. Michigan State 29-27 / Wisconsin def. Fresno State 34-31 (2OT)
Unbelievably, I called the wrong upset, though both games were thrillers. Due to prior commitments and DVR space constraints, I only had a chance to watch Central Michigan and Michigan State. Dan LeFevour was excellent, as usual and has pretty much cemented his spot on the draft watch lists. Despite its failed two point conversion, Central Michigan deserves kudos for playing to win instead of tie and karma agrees – they were rewarded shortly thereafter. I know the Big Ten loves the cream puffs, but they might want to get some even creamier puffs. It’s easier to be the underdog and Central Michigan showed us why. In any event, looks like another tough year for the Big Ten. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and possibly Iowa will really have to carry the load.

Michigan def. #18 Notre Dame 38-34
Promoted from Game of the Week to Game of the Season! Lots of fun, particularly since Notre Dame had every chance to win the game and was once again defeated by head-scratcher coaching moves. Clausen tore it up through the air and had Michigan CB Boubakar Cissoko crying for his mommy before the end of the first half. In fact, if you take out the Wolverines’ kick return, my prediction of the passing game carrying the Irish to a 10-point victory was spot-on for the opening 30 minutes. But a missed field goal and an incredibly ill-advised QB draw (Mr. Weis, you have running backs for exactly this purpose) deep in Michigan territory kept 10 points off the board for the Irish. Then, Notre Dame came out oddly conservative in the second half, almost like they were trying to shorten the game, and those two missing scores loomed large as Michigan took the lead. In the much maligned second-to-last possession for ND, the only time they should have been shortening the game, they inexplicably returned to the passing game, leaving Michigan with over two minutes and two time outs to win the game. Michigan’s spread offense isn’t really built for the two minute drill, but Charlie Weis didn’t force its hand. In short, Notre Dame lost because it put too much pressure on its defense in the second half when it should have been leaning on Clausen the way Michigan leaned on Tate Forcier. My brother, a U of M alumnus, said that he will now be naming his first child Tate, boy or girl. I can’t say I would argue.

#3 USC def. #8 Ohio State 18-15
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Terrelle Pryor is a once in a lifetime athlete, but he should be doing the decathlon in the Olympics, not playing quarterback. He can pass on occasion, but he’s unreliable and Tressel clearly doesn’t trust him to take care of the ball. Thus, he limits the playbook for the Buckeyes and makes them easy to defend. All the Trojans had to do on defense was pinch in at the ends to keep Pryor in the pocket, which they did very well. Ohio State was able to put up only 15 points against a relatively lackluster USC defense and even the new-look ‘safe play’ Trojans offense can put up more than that. USC did manage to pull out a win, which was impressive considering how flat they were, but I was baffled by the commentary on the game that likened Barkley to Forcier. Barkley managed in the end to safely deliver the ball to the best player on the team (Joe McKnight, in the 'late game wake up of the week' performance), Forcier WAS the best player on the team. As a traditional pocket passer, Barkley has more NFL upside than his counterpart in the maize and blue, but if I had to play tomorrow for all the marbles, I’d take Forcier.

This week’s 'Yell at the TV' moment: GET A QUARTERBACK, TRESSEL! Or if Pryor can’t be taught to pass, at least teach him to run the option effectively. If you are facing your pitch target when you pitch, you are simply leading the defense his way and you risk a fumble or at least a big loss. It's not rocket science: If you can’t turn up field, keep the ball.

In other news: All three losers this weekend failed to put the game away when they had the chance. Michigan State, Notre Dame, and even Ohio State clearly had the edge on the team they were playing, but left it within 7-10 points when they should have been up 20…..All three winners put the ball in the hands of their best player (LeFevour, Forcier, McKnight) and allowed him to win the game for them. Notre Dame did the opposite, relying on its unproven defense. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!…..ESPN’s fun facts were extremely amusing this weekend - the highlight was a graphic proclaiming that a Wolverine was the ‘high school teammate of Duke QB Thad Lewis’…..I always love to see Mike Gundy lose. When Oklahoma State gets a big boy coach, maybe they'll have a big boy season.....Were Ohio State fans making a horseshoe with the white shirts in the red student section or are they simply incompetent at making an ‘O’?