2011 - week 4

Another solid weekend of football. A new number one emerged, and teams at the top flexed their muscle.

I'll get right to it.

Nowhere close to being ready/pardon my rant.

Arkansas came into this season with talk of being a better all around team than last year, even with the departure of stud Ryan Mallett. Through the first three games, everything looked great. The offense was humming along, and the defense was solid. But what seems to always happen is the programs that have had more success and more tradition over a longer period of time, will always be better than you. The Hogs went into Tuscaloosa, AL and looked like they never should have gotten off the bus. All week we heard it was the Arkansas offense versus the Alabama defense. And guess what, the Alabama defense dominated. As defenses always do!!! I know the media has to have something to talk about leading up to a big game, but I am sick and tired of hearing people try to guess which side of the ball is going to win out. I'll tell you, it's the defense. ALWAYS. Not only did the Bama defense completely shut down the Arkansas offense, it hit them in the mouth. Tyler Wilson was hit so many times he had to be taken out of the game in the second half. Every time Jarius Wright caught the ball, he was leveled by Bama corners, literally knocked off his feet. Greg Childs is still nowhere to be found, and the running game racked up a huge total of 17 yards. I don't even have time to go into the lies from the Arkansas coaches about how good the defense was supposed to be. Bama turned in their best offensive performance of the season BY FAR against the Hog "defense." Bama QB AJ McCarron was supposed to be the inexperienced one in this game, but he looked like the veteran who was more ready. Running back Trent Richardson single handily was almost better than the ENTIRE Arkansas offense. He accounted for 211 total yards, while Arkansas as a team had 226. It was just a weak showing by an Arkansas team who thought they were ready to compete with the big boys, and they were shut up. The elite programs in the country will always be better than you. You may win some games against them here and there, but it won't be many. And if they have a down year or two, don't worry, they'll make the necessary changes and get back to beating the programs who thought they could pass them up. Programs like Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, and USC will always come back around and show you why they have won more games and championships than you have. They have the tradition, so they get the better players, and the better coaches. It will always be this way. Arkansas is not one of those programs. Final score 38-14, Alabama.

Another test passed with ease.

LSU decided to have the hardest possible 4 game stretch to start the season you could imagine. They have played three ranked teams, one at a neutral site, and the other two on the road. Most teams would be happy with a 2-2 record after, but the Tigers went 4-0 convincingly. Their latest victim came at 16th ranked West Virginia. A solid program with a good offense and speedy play makers. No problem for maybe the best defense in the country, who forced four turnovers in this contest. Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu makes more plays by himself than most defenses as a whole. Every time I look up, he's catching an interception, or recovering a fumble, or making a good tackle, or blocking a punt, or something. They guy is ridiculous. The big question mark this season was of course the LSU offense, not anymore. It is still not a spectacular offense, but it is getting better. More importantly, it is getting the job done now. 180 yards passing for Jarret Lee, and 186 yards rushing as a team. How much more balanced do you want to be? Final score 47-21, LSU.

Blowout of the week - Wisconsin over South Dakota, 59-10.

Best game no one talked about/tale of two halves.

Oklahoma State and Texas A&M were both ranked in the top 10, but you wouldn't have even known it. A&M looked like the better team in the first half, jumping out to 20-3 halftime lead, and completely in control. But as they always say, you have to play all four quarters, because Okie State came out of the second half firing. Mike Gundy, now 44, must have "MANned" up on the team in the locker room. They scored 27 unanswered points, and took control of the game back. Receiver Justin Blackmon continues his case for the best receiver in the game, catching 11 passes for 121 yards and a td. A&M finally decided to play the second half and scored to be down by three with just over two minutes to go. But the Pokes held on and in one of the most bizarre decisions ever, thought it was a good idea to have Justin Blackmon take a direct snap and run it out of their own end zone for a safety to run out the clock. Did Gundy not know you can just take a knee? Weirdo. Final score 30-29, Oklahoma State.

Another quiet team.

Remember that team that could run all over everyone, started the season ranked third, and played in the national championship game last year? Oh yeah, Oregon. They are still ranked in the top 10, but after their loss to LSU, you haven't heard a word about them. As long as they're not playing an SEC team, they can run on anyone. Against a "formidable" opponent in Arizona, the Ducks racked up 415 yards rushing, with LaMichael James having 288 by himself. When your quarterback only has to pass for 101 yards and you still put up 56 on a conference foe, your doing something right. Oregon will still win the PAC 12 and get to a BCS bowl. Final score 56-31, Oregon.

Speaking of "formidable."

I guess we read too much into Vanderbilt's 3-0 start. I took too much into account wins over reigning Big East champ UConn, and Ole Miss, who still can't figure out what's going on. They got their test against South Carolina, the favorite in the SEC East. It wasn't pretty, but SC shut them down. Total yards for the game for Vandy, 77. Yes, 77. SC running back Marcus Lattimore got 77 all alone, and that is a really low output for him. Start looking out for Gamecock true freshman defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The number one player overall coming out of high school, forced two fumbles, and seems to already be making a big impact. This game told me that South Carolina still isn't as good as people think, and neither was Vandy. Don't be so quick to jump on the bandwagon, geez Final score 21-3, South Carolina.

Closer than the experts think.

Oklahoma was a 21 point favorite over Missouri, but I just thought it would be a better game than that. And it was. Missouri has one of those offenses that will annoy the crap out of you, and win a lot of games, but won't ever get them to the next level. I'm sorry, that offense just won't do it. Anyway, with James Franklin running the show at Mizzou now, it looks to be in good hands. But not good enough when you play in Norman. OU is something like 438-2 at home since Stoops took over. Offensively it was another solid performance by the Sooners, who tallied 592 total yards. Ryan Broyles showed up with three touchdown grabs, and running back Dominique "The Walk On" Whaley solidified the running game. The defense gave up some big plays, and raised more questions than before. If OU is to run the table, the defense needs to get better. With games remaining against A&M and Okie State down the road, it could be tough going. Thankfully the offense is potent. But, defense wins championships. Final score 38-28, Oklahoma.

Boise State beat Tulsa 41-21. I only mention them every week because they should go undefeated, and we'll have to talk about them possibly playing for the national title in some warped universe.

A fast fall.

Just two short weeks ago, Florida State was the fifth ranked team in the country, and was preparing for a home showdown against number one Oklahoma. But a hard fought loss, and an injury to starting quarterback EJ Manuel didn't help with their next game. Clemson was coming off an "impressive" victory over Auburn at home, and riding high. Surely Fla State could pull it together and not start the season 2-2? Nope. Backup QB Clint Trickett, cousin of Junior Samples, played very well, throwing for 336 yards and three scores. But Clemson seemed to have more play makers, especially freshman Sammy Watkins. I mentioned him last week when he exploded against Auburn, and he did it again. This time catching 7 passes for 141 yards and two td's. Did I mention he was a true freshman? Clemson starts 4-0 for the first time in a decade, but don't worry, they won't be a factor in the ACC race. Florida State needs to find answers quickly. Final score 35-30, Clemson.

Stat of the week.

And stat of the year so far. Baylor QB Robert Griffin, has more touchdown passes, 13, than incompletions, 12. WHAT?! That's insane! He tacked on five more td passes this last weekend in an easy win over Rice. Baylor, like Vanderbilt was, is 3-0, and gets their first "test" of the season having to go to Kansas State. K State is coming off a nice win over Miami. Even if Baylor doesn't finish the season the way they have started, Griffin deserves all the accolades. A good kid.

Hometown metroplex update - North Texas gets a win over a Big 10 school, granted it was Indiana. But hey, they are still North Texas.

Until next week.