2010 - week 9

If any of you noticed the absence of a write up last week, it was on purpose. I took a much needed week off after an excellent trip to Fayetteville to watch the Hogs beat up on some Ole Miss Rebels, or Black Bears, or whatever they are now. But I'm back and ready to write. And no this will not be a two week wrap up, so if you want to hear my thoughts on week 8, you'll just have to ask.

Speaking of the Hogs.

With Ryan Mallett's health still somewhat in question, and backup QB Tyler Wilson playing well, Arkansas got to have practice that really counts as a game. By that of course I mean Vanderbilt. Two years ago Vandy made it to a bowl game, and won it, for the first time in almost thirty years. But now they are right back to being the SEC punching bag they have always been. Mallet did play, and racked up 409 yards passing(an Arkansas record) and three touchdowns. The Hog defense that looked like they were reverting back to their atrocious ways after the Ole Miss game, held Vandy to a mere 153 total yards of offense. I hope they are playing better, they go to South Carolina this week. Final score 49-14, Arkansas.

Speaking of former punching bags.

I've been saying it for weeks now, Baylor is pretty good. Sitting at 6-2 going into last weekend, they were already bowl eligible. But with games against Texas, OU, and Oklahoma State remaining on their schedule, I figured three more losses were in order. But no, they take down the Longhorns in Austin to start it off. Baylor QB Robert Griffin is a dynamic player who is taking the Bears to new heights. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. So now, Baylor is 7-2 and ATOP the Big 12 south standings! Yes, you are reading that correctly. I still think OU and Okie State will beat them, but good for Baylor. And how many of you thought Texas QB Garrett Gilbert would have only 6 touchdown passes to go with nine interceptions through 8 games? I sure didn't. He is starting to show that he is a better athlete of late though. When he gets it together, he will be good. Final score 30-22, Baylor.

I'll go ahead with the TBSATCUBS.

In case you forgot, it's "The Boise State and TCU Blip Section". Boise State beat Louisiana Tech 49-20, and TCU won 48-6 over UNLV. Finally one of these teams gets a worthy opponent, when TCU goes to 5th ranked Utah this weekend.

Also finally.

Even though Michigan State was still undefeated, with wins over Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Michigan so far, I just didn't feel like they were as good as their record showed. And I was right. Not only did I call for the "upset" loss to Iowa, but I called for a blowout. And that's exactly what happened. It seemed as though Michigan State was riding a wave of inspiration after their head coach suffered a heart attack over a month ago. They are good enough to beat the teams they are supposed to, but still never felt as if they were a top 10 team. Thanks Iowa for exposing that for me. Michigan State could only muster 258 yards of offense, and didn't score a point until the fourth quarter, and the game was in hand. Iowa QB Ricki Stanzi is now 24-6 as a starter, not bad for not quite three years of work. Final score 37-6, Iowa.

Continuing with the Big 10.

After the loss to Wisconsin two weeks ago, Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State have responded. A 49-0 demolishing of Purdue two weeks ago, where Pryor passed for 270 yards and three scores. This week a terrible Minnesota team was the victim, as Pryor went for 220 yards passing and two td's, and another 55 rushing with a td. I still think he is one of the most gifted players in the nation. Lots of jealousy over here. Final score 52-10, Ohio State.

Another thank you.

Goes out to Nebraska, for ending Missouri's high. If there's a team that bugs me just as much as Texas or Nebraska does, it's Missouri. Just like Texas Tech for the past several years, Missouri gets a lot of hype just for having a "unique" offense. The media hypes them up as if they just win year after year and never lose. Well, what have they won? Zero Big 12 championships. Yes, Mizzou is a nice program, and they have cranked out 8, 9, and 10 wins the last few years. But it feels like they get all this attention just for having a super spread offense that any decent defense can handle. Even after they beat OU two weeks ago, where they had to pull out a couple of trick plays, and return a kickoff for a td just to barely win, I was never convinced they were that good. And I have the Huskers to thank. I called a Nebraska victory, and loved seeing it. Like I said, a decent defense can handle that gimmicky offense. Nebraska held Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert to just 199 yards passing with a completion percentage of 42%. And as you see in my player of the week section, Husker running back Roy Helu is still gaining yards as we speak. So thanks again Nebraska for getting Missouri out of any sort of BCS race. Final score 31-17.

Back to reality.

Auburn QB Cam Newton had himself just a decent day in a win over Ole Miss. 209 yards passing and two td's, and only 45 yards rushing. He also caught a touchdown pass. But Auburn for once didn't need him, as they still accounted for 572 total yards of offense. Newton is still the Heisman front runner, and as long as Auburn keeps winning, he could lead them straight into the national championship game. I still hate him. Final score 51-31.

Speaking of just keep winning.

Oregon continues to roll over people, with heir latest triumph over the "24th" ranked USC Trojans. The Oklahoma Sooners offense of '08 was the best I had ever seen, and this Oregon team is putting up numbers very similar. They racked up 599 yards of total offense, and scored more than 50 points for the fifth time this season. And this was on the road too. Oregon running back LaMichael James rushed for more than 200 yards for the third time this year, going for 239 and three touchdowns. The PAC 10 is the Ducks to lose, as well as now holding the number one ranking in the BCS. Final score 53-32, Oregon.

The "what in the bleep was that?" game of the week.

The Duke Blue Devils football team is nothing like their basketball team, I mean nothing. A 1-6 record so far this year, which is no surprise, up against a 5-2 Navy team that has played some nice football over the last several years. They run that option attack that controls the clock, it's annoying as all get out, but it works. But wouldn't you know, Duke pulls out the upset. They haven't beaten a team with a winning record since Spurrier left in '89. The Blue Devils even had a 24-0 lead at half. WHAT?! And held on to a 34-15 lead in the fourth quarter. Navy did put on a furious comeback, cutting the lead to 34-31 with just a couple minutes remaining. But Duke stopped the rally as Coach K and Grant Hill got another victory...oh wait, crap, I mean head coach David Cutcliffe got his second win of the season over a good Navy team. Sorry, I thought we were talking about the Duke basketball team again. Final score 34-31, Duke.

I had a feeling.

That Denard Robinson and Michigan couldn't keep it up. For the first half of the season, Robinson was the most electrifying player in the country, and Michigan was 5-0. But a few weeks ago when the Wolverines were about to start playing the better teams in the Big 10, I wondered if they could sustain their success. Nope. Since that undefeated start, they have now lost three straight, the latest coming from an average Penn State team. A Penn State team with their backup quarterback playing nonetheless. Robinson is still playing well however, accounting for 381 total yards and four td's. But he is clearly the only thing going for them, and teams have figured out ways to beat Michigan even with him running wild. Rich Rodriguez was a hot seat candidate coming into this year, and if they finish the same way they did last year, which was lose 7 of their last 8 games, then he is gone. Someone who will NEVER leave was the guy on the other sideline, Joe Paterno. This win gave him number 399 for his career, good lord. Final score 41-31, Penn State.

Tale of two QB's.

In the match up of what many believe to be the top two quarterbacks taken in next year's NFL draft, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Jake Locker of Washington. Turned out to be the Andrew Luck show, and the Jake Locker no show. It was sort of a coin flip to start the season as to which player NFL teams would take first, but as the season has gone along, it has CLEARLY become Luck. Locker has been extremely inconsistent, and has failed to really show up in big games. For instance, Luck threw for 192 yards and a td, with an interception, and also rushed for 92 and a score. Locker on the other hand, was 7 for 14 for 64 yards, with two int's, and one yard rushing. You do the math. Final score 41-0, Stanford.

JV basketball score of the week - UAB over Southern Miss 50-49.

Blowout of the week - Bethune-Cookman over North Carolina A&T 67-17.

Until next week.