#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!
November 30, 2009
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
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