The BCS standings were released, with no surprises at the top. The season is shaping up to have a wild, intense finish. The top 4 teams in the BCS all have to still play each other. But, we have a long way to go.
Speaking of the top two teams.
Who reside in the same conference, in the same division. Both LSU and Alabama took care of overmatched opponents. LSU turned in another wear you down performance over Tennessee. The Vols had no chance. Even if Tennessee starting QB Tyler Bray would have played, it wouldn't have mattered. Final score 38-7. Alabama started somewhat slow at Ole Miss, holding onto a 14-7 lead at half. But then blew the doors off in the second half. Trent Richardson continues to make his Heisman campaign bigger, rushing for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns. Bama had 615 total yards of offense, to Ole Miss' 141. Ouch. That's about as mismatched a game as you will see. Ole Miss is a conference opponent too, not an early season FCS school. Final score 52-7. These two teams play in two weeks. Armageddon ensues.
Two in a row.
The theme for the matchup between Oklahoma State and Texas was two in a row. Texas had not lost a game after losing the Red River Shootout in 10 plus years, and OSU had not beaten Texas two years in a row in, forever. Well, both happened. The Pokes were able to get big plays, and make just enough plays on defense to hold on, in Austin. That is still the question for Okie State. Are they going to make enough plays on defense in key situations to go to the next level. Their offense will certainly keep them in games, but, wait for it, defense wins championships. Texas' Fozzy Whitaker returned his second 100 yard kickoff return(in a row) for a touchdown, but Texas' offense sputtered at the end. It looks as though David Ash is taking over at QB full time for the Longhorns. Sorry, no more McCoy to Shipley references, I'll miss those. Final score 38-26, Oklahoma State.
Boise State beat Colorado State 63-13. Did their schedule get even easier when they moved to the Mountain West?
Rolling along.
In case you didn't know, Stanford has won 14 games in a row. Yes, the same Stanford that went 1-11 back in '06. The loss that came before that win streak was to Oregon, who only made it to the national championship game last year. Of course they didn't have Andrew Luck back then, who this week passed for 336 yards and 4 td's against poor old Washington State. The guy is a machine. He may or may not win the Heisman, but he is the most complete quarterback we've seen in college in quite some time. Final score 44-14, Stanford.
Still?
I keep waiting for Clemson to pull a, well, Clemson. A team that always seems to find a way to lose games they shouldn't when they are highly ranked. It almost happened last weekend, but thanks to Sammy Watkins, it didn't. With Maryland leading 35-17 early in the third quarter, Watkins took over. He caught td passes of 13 and 15 yards in the third quarter, then ran a kickoff back 89 yards in the fourth! He accounted for 375 total yards, and 3 touchdowns, all in the second half. Clemson somehow stays undefeated. Final score 56-45, Clemson.
Not anymore.
Speaking of somehow undefeated, until last week. Michigan took care of business in the first half of the season, something I didn't think they could do. But their first real test, a road trip to Michigan State was failed miserably. First of all, the uniforms they busted out were horrendous, some throwback looking things. Michigan's uniform is maybe my favorite looking uniform, and they've worn this get-up twice now this season. Michigan State also brought out some new unis, which were not bad. But let's get to the actual football. The Spartans were able to contain Mr. Explosive Denard Robinson, and only allowed 250 total yards of offense. MSU also returned an interception back for a td, which always helps. Look for Michigan to do what they always do, start the season fast, and end slow. Final score 28-14, Michigan State.
Speaking of taking care of business.
And also start slow. Oklahoma looked to have a bit of a Red River hangover to start against the worst team in the Big12, Kansas. Tied 10-10 early in the second quarter, OU turned it on. After a td run by Roy Finch, it was also time to get Ryan Broyles the record for most receptions in college football history. So they sent him deep and connected on a 57 yard td pass to break it. Good for him. In what feels like his 15th season in Norman, Broyles has been the ultimate receiver at OU. He catches double digit passes just about every week, and seems to score when you need him to. OU continues to be in cruise control. Final score 47-17, Oklahoma.
Reason I never talk about them.
West Virginia is the only good thing that has come out of the Big East in a good while. On the national scale, they are easily the worst conference. Utah was 2-3, and 0-3 in the PAC 12 going into their mid-season matchup with Pittsburgh. Pitt was of course heavily favored, and playing at home. And to no one's surprise, they stunk it up, and got run out of their own stadium. Utah's three losses were a combined 89-42 margin of loss, yet were able to run all over the Panthers. Pitt amassed 120 total yards of offense, and their two touchdowns came on a kickoff return and a blocked punt. Pitiful. If I don't mention the Big East the rest of the season, you know why. Final score 26-14, Utah.
Just keep winning.
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Bill Snyder's second tour of rebuilding at Kansas State was going well this year. Even after giving up 580 yards of offense to Texas Tech, and being down 28-20 at half, K State found a way to win. I only know one player's name on that team, Collin Klein, the QB of course. They haven't had the toughest schedule in the world, but they are another team that no one thought would be in this position. I mean they won their first game 10-7 over Eastern Kentucky! Come on. The road gets much tougher starting two weeks, with games against OU, Okie State, A&M, and Texas all in a row. We'll see what they are made of after that stretch. Speaking of Texas Tech, I'm wondering when Tommy Tuberville is going to give up the "Air Raid" offense. I give it one more year to please the fans, then he'll switch to what made him successful at Auburn, a power running game and good defense. Final score 41-34, Kansas State.
Where's the offense?
A few weeks ago, the Auburn versus Florida game sounded like a good one. Well, with Florida having to go through LSU and Alabama in consecutive weeks and getting dismantled, and Auburn being run out of Arkansas, it lost it sizzle. And when the game started, it wasn't much better. Both offenses got a whole lot of nothing going throughout the game. Barret Trotter for Auburn was benched in favor of Clint Moseley, who looks to get the nod the rest of the way. And Florida used everyone but the waterboy in the game at QB. It resulted in less than 500 yards of offense total from both squads for the game. Miserable. Thanks to two muffed punts by Florida, Auburn was able to capitalize on short fields. If not for that, the score might have been 7-3. Florida already looking to next year. Final score 17-6, Auburn.
Until next week.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
2011 - week 6
We're already halfway through the season, man this stuff goes by fast! Things are starting to take shape, as big time matchups failed to live up. Teams at the top are starting to separate.
Case in point.
The Red River Shootout(I refuse to call it the Red River Rivalry)
Both teams came in undefeated, but no one expected Texas to be. How good were they really? OU on the other hand was supposed to be unbeaten still. And it showed why one team was expected to be, and why the other was not. This wasn't even a game. Texas' two quarterback circus finally backfired horribly. Texas only managed 259 total yards of offense, and coughed up five turnovers, three of which were returned for touchdowns. If not for a kickoff return for a score, and a garbage-time touchdown when OU had the cheerleaders in the game, Texas would have put up just three points. Landry Jones threw for 367 yards and three td's, and OU's receivers made it look easy against the Longhorn secondary. It was just an old fashioned butt whoopin'. Final score 55-17, Oklahoma.
Speaking of murders.
For the second week in a row, the SEC West showed who is running things right now in the conference. The gap between the East and West's best teams is astounding. Florida, who is supposed to be the second best team in the East, lost 38-10 to Alabama last week, and 41-11 this week to LSU. Not to mention, Auburn beat South Carolina on the road two weeks ago, and SC is the favorite in the East. Granted Florida is without starting QB John Brantley, but they weren't doing much better when he did play against Bama. LSU took it to Florida from the start, and it also was never a game. LSU corner Tyrann Mathieu had ANOTHER interception, making his case for maybe the best overall player in the country. LSU and Bama are on a collision course meeting on Nov. 5th that may stop time.
Speaking of Florida schools.
After the big three Florida programs all lost this past Saturday, for the first time in what seems like 80 years, no Florida team is ranked in the top 25. With the success in the last twenty years of Florida State, Miami, and Florida, to not have one of them ranked is weird. I'm surprised someone didn't rank one of them 25th just to keep the streak alive. But the fact is, Miami is 2-3 after blowing a lead late to Virginia Tech. Florida State is 2-3 after losing to Wake Forest. Florida is at least 4-2, but those two losses were beatdowns they had no chance in. The end of an era, at least for now.
Still haven't lost?
Michigan is somehow quietly still unbeaten and ranked 11th in the nation. Huh? Now their only quality win was a comeback victory over Notre Dame, but I didn't think they would be able to even do that. First year head coach Brady Hoke came into a horrible situation after Rich Rodriguez left the program in disarray. Michigan had the worst defense in the history of college football, and possible NCAA infractions looming. But he does have one of the most explosive players in the country at quarterback in Denard Robinson, who continues to put up great numbers. The truest dual threat QB in the country, with 1130 passing yards and 10 td's, to go with 720 yards rushing and 8 scores. Nice. Big test this week against rival Michigan State.
Just keeps getting worse.
I've said a few times already that Ohio State is cooked, gonners, whatever you want to call it. And just when you thought they were going to pull off a big win on the road at Nebraska, they show you why those players that aren't on the team anymore got paid so much. Because they won games! The Buckeyes were in complete control, and somehow found their offense. They were enjoying a 27-6 lead in the third quarter, when it came off the hinges. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead lead the charge, and Nebraska stormed back to score 28 unanswered points in the second half. Ohio State coach Luke Fickell may not even get another year, he may be ousted at the end of this season they suck so bad. Final score 34-27, Nebraska.
Speaking of sucking.
Not just on the field, but in life also. We all know the story by now about South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia, who was going for the record number of times suspended from a team, only to always be reinstated. I've said all along that Spurrier knew he needed Garcia to win the SEC East, well not anymore. Garcia reportedly was caught with, and or using marijuana and alcohol, which violated his stipulations that allowed him to come back in the first place. I guess he gave up after losing his starting job to Connor Shaw, again. And watching Shaw use that opportunity to run a train on Kentucky this past weekend to a 54-3 demolishing. As soon as Spurrier knew he didn't need Garcia to win anymore, he booted him. So long sucka.
Boise State beats Fresno State 57-7.
Quietest good team.
Who also happens to have the best player in the country, Stanford. They are 5-0, and blow out everyone. Andrew Luck continues to play great football, this week throwing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. H even caught a throw back pass one handed while diving out of bounds! WHAT?! Dude is that good. After head coach Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL, I thought they would regress considerably. But they haven't. They play good defense, and the offense seems just as potent as ever. They haven't played a super tough schedule to date, so they will get their chance to show how good they really are. But when you easily handle everyone you have gone up against, that says something. This week it was Colorado, who hasn't exactly taken to their new conference very well. But like we didn't expect that anyway. Final score 48-7, Stanford.
Satisfied this time.
After giving up another long play for a score, and being down 14-7 after the first quarter, I was not happy with the Hogs. Auburn seemed to be able to run the ball at will, whether it was Michael Dyer or Kiehl Frazier, Arkansas couldn't stop them. But the defense finally showed up. Why they can't do it to start the game I'll never know. The Arkansas defense apparently has to be woken up by the other team scoring first to play well. Two weeks ago against A&M, it took giving up 35 points and over 300 yards rushing in the first half to start playing. This week, the 14-7 deficit was enough. The Hogs shut them out the rest of the way, and the offensive onslaught began. Tyler Wilson continues to improve and become the QB we thought he would be. For now, it looks as though the team is getting it together. This could still be a 10-2 team. Final score 38-14, Arkansas.
Until next week.
Case in point.
The Red River Shootout(I refuse to call it the Red River Rivalry)
Both teams came in undefeated, but no one expected Texas to be. How good were they really? OU on the other hand was supposed to be unbeaten still. And it showed why one team was expected to be, and why the other was not. This wasn't even a game. Texas' two quarterback circus finally backfired horribly. Texas only managed 259 total yards of offense, and coughed up five turnovers, three of which were returned for touchdowns. If not for a kickoff return for a score, and a garbage-time touchdown when OU had the cheerleaders in the game, Texas would have put up just three points. Landry Jones threw for 367 yards and three td's, and OU's receivers made it look easy against the Longhorn secondary. It was just an old fashioned butt whoopin'. Final score 55-17, Oklahoma.
Speaking of murders.
For the second week in a row, the SEC West showed who is running things right now in the conference. The gap between the East and West's best teams is astounding. Florida, who is supposed to be the second best team in the East, lost 38-10 to Alabama last week, and 41-11 this week to LSU. Not to mention, Auburn beat South Carolina on the road two weeks ago, and SC is the favorite in the East. Granted Florida is without starting QB John Brantley, but they weren't doing much better when he did play against Bama. LSU took it to Florida from the start, and it also was never a game. LSU corner Tyrann Mathieu had ANOTHER interception, making his case for maybe the best overall player in the country. LSU and Bama are on a collision course meeting on Nov. 5th that may stop time.
Speaking of Florida schools.
After the big three Florida programs all lost this past Saturday, for the first time in what seems like 80 years, no Florida team is ranked in the top 25. With the success in the last twenty years of Florida State, Miami, and Florida, to not have one of them ranked is weird. I'm surprised someone didn't rank one of them 25th just to keep the streak alive. But the fact is, Miami is 2-3 after blowing a lead late to Virginia Tech. Florida State is 2-3 after losing to Wake Forest. Florida is at least 4-2, but those two losses were beatdowns they had no chance in. The end of an era, at least for now.
Still haven't lost?
Michigan is somehow quietly still unbeaten and ranked 11th in the nation. Huh? Now their only quality win was a comeback victory over Notre Dame, but I didn't think they would be able to even do that. First year head coach Brady Hoke came into a horrible situation after Rich Rodriguez left the program in disarray. Michigan had the worst defense in the history of college football, and possible NCAA infractions looming. But he does have one of the most explosive players in the country at quarterback in Denard Robinson, who continues to put up great numbers. The truest dual threat QB in the country, with 1130 passing yards and 10 td's, to go with 720 yards rushing and 8 scores. Nice. Big test this week against rival Michigan State.
Just keeps getting worse.
I've said a few times already that Ohio State is cooked, gonners, whatever you want to call it. And just when you thought they were going to pull off a big win on the road at Nebraska, they show you why those players that aren't on the team anymore got paid so much. Because they won games! The Buckeyes were in complete control, and somehow found their offense. They were enjoying a 27-6 lead in the third quarter, when it came off the hinges. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead lead the charge, and Nebraska stormed back to score 28 unanswered points in the second half. Ohio State coach Luke Fickell may not even get another year, he may be ousted at the end of this season they suck so bad. Final score 34-27, Nebraska.
Speaking of sucking.
Not just on the field, but in life also. We all know the story by now about South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia, who was going for the record number of times suspended from a team, only to always be reinstated. I've said all along that Spurrier knew he needed Garcia to win the SEC East, well not anymore. Garcia reportedly was caught with, and or using marijuana and alcohol, which violated his stipulations that allowed him to come back in the first place. I guess he gave up after losing his starting job to Connor Shaw, again. And watching Shaw use that opportunity to run a train on Kentucky this past weekend to a 54-3 demolishing. As soon as Spurrier knew he didn't need Garcia to win anymore, he booted him. So long sucka.
Boise State beats Fresno State 57-7.
Quietest good team.
Who also happens to have the best player in the country, Stanford. They are 5-0, and blow out everyone. Andrew Luck continues to play great football, this week throwing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. H even caught a throw back pass one handed while diving out of bounds! WHAT?! Dude is that good. After head coach Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL, I thought they would regress considerably. But they haven't. They play good defense, and the offense seems just as potent as ever. They haven't played a super tough schedule to date, so they will get their chance to show how good they really are. But when you easily handle everyone you have gone up against, that says something. This week it was Colorado, who hasn't exactly taken to their new conference very well. But like we didn't expect that anyway. Final score 48-7, Stanford.
Satisfied this time.
After giving up another long play for a score, and being down 14-7 after the first quarter, I was not happy with the Hogs. Auburn seemed to be able to run the ball at will, whether it was Michael Dyer or Kiehl Frazier, Arkansas couldn't stop them. But the defense finally showed up. Why they can't do it to start the game I'll never know. The Arkansas defense apparently has to be woken up by the other team scoring first to play well. Two weeks ago against A&M, it took giving up 35 points and over 300 yards rushing in the first half to start playing. This week, the 14-7 deficit was enough. The Hogs shut them out the rest of the way, and the offensive onslaught began. Tyler Wilson continues to improve and become the QB we thought he would be. For now, it looks as though the team is getting it together. This could still be a 10-2 team. Final score 38-14, Arkansas.
Until next week.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
2011 - week 5
We're getting into the meat of the season now. Most everyone is in the full conference schedule now, and should be finding out about themselves. This is when it really starts to get interesting.
Still sound like a good idea?
Last week I verbally unloaded on the Hogs, and frankly, I want to again. But I won't. A win is a win, and if not for the heroics of Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright, it would have been a massacre of words by me. The defense in the first half was atrocious, letting Texas A&M run for around 250 yards and score five touchdowns. But thankfully I was probably not the only one screaming at the players at halftime(they could hear me through the TV, I swear). The coaching staff did something right, because the second half was a different story. The defense clamped down and only allowed three points, even though they still continued to give up a lot of yards(628 total for the game, ouch). Jarius Wright continues to be the only receiver that can get open, and Greg Childs apparently doesn't feel like playing anymore. The running game is still non existent, but showed signs of life late in the game when they needed it. Broderick Green is back from an off-season knee injury, and looks to be ready to go. Tyler Wilson passed for 510 yards, breaking the school record by 101 for a game. I'm still not sure about this team, but again, it was a victory. And if there weren't enough Aggie jokes to begin with, more are bound to start surfacing. I've been saying for while now, A&M to the SEC isn't a good idea for them. I just don't get when they decided they actually belonged. Was it the 0-7 record against SEC teams since joining the Big 12, spanning 16 years? Or was it the fact that they just didn't realize what they were getting into before jumping ship out of jealousy to Texas? Even the Associated Press recap article had a line in it after the game that went something like, "get used to it A&M, it may be like this for a while." Noting how Arkansas fans were cheering after the game and yelling at Aggie fans, welcome to the SEC!! I mean, did the A&M higher-ups convos go like this, "hey, I'm really jealous of Texas' money and power in this conference, I have a great idea. Let's go to the best conference in the country, in fact, the best division in the land, to try to make them jealous. It's no big deal we can't compete with them, and haven't beaten a team from that conference in almost 20 years. We'll just say we're going for the recruiting and the money." I still say good luck. Final score 42-38, Arkansas.
Back to reality.
For now at least. Baylor's magical start to the season, and Robert Griffin's ridiculous stat sheet has taken a blow. After starting the season with only 12 incompletions to 13 touchdowns, and no interceptions, Griffin went 23-31(8 incompletions) and threw a pick. It was bound to happen, nobody can sustain that kind of success, especially at Baylor. It was a nice story, and Griffin is a good kid. But Kansas State came to play, and are sitting at 4-0 themselves. Bill Snyder for the second time has revived a lingering program, that guy can coach. And while Baylor can score on anyone, history shows that even with Griffin there, they can't handle success. Griffin may still make it to New York if he plays even close to what he has been doing. Final score 36-35, Kansas State.
Speaking of still undefeated.
Clemson? That team that always folds under high expectations? The one with the deuschy head coach? Yes, that Clemson. When looking at the schedule the last three weeks against Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, all ranked at the time, I would guess 1-2 if they were lucky. Nope. 3-0. 4-0 for the season after a convincing win over Va Tech, who I thought would kill them. Shows how much I know. I've mentioned before the true freshman Sammy Watkins, who continues to impress. And QB Tahj Boyd seems to be headed for a stellar season. The jury is still out on them though to see if they can keep it going. They have not been able to in the past. Final score 23-3, Clemson.
Rolling along.
It's been noted that Russell Wilson was a great fit at Wisconsin when he transferred in from NC State. But I didn't know it would be this good. Wisconsin was already a really good team. They have a great running game, and a solid defense. But with the addition of Wilson, they are just about as complete a team there is. He went 14-20 for 255 yards and 2 td's, no picks. With their running game, I don't think they can be stopped if he keeps putting up those numbers. On the flip side, the opponent was Nebraska, who on their own revenge tour from last year, and new beginnings chapter hasn't gone too well. They wanted so badly to avenge their Big 12 title game loss in '09 to Texas, but lost the rematch in '10. Then would have loved to beat an old rival in OU in their last Big 12 title game last year before bolting to the Big 10, but were unsuccessful there. And in said Big 10 debut, were crushed by this Wisconsin team. Not a good start. Good for me, I hate Nebraska. Final score, 48-17, Wisconsin.
Speaking of disappointment.
But is it really though? Super high expectations this year for South Carolina, and already they haven't lived up to it. For whatever reason, Steve Spurrier hasn't been able to get over the hump since taking over. Some people say they did last year by making it to the SEC title game last year, but they were run out of town by Auburn. And still managed to lose 5 games last season. Nice job. And we all know the "controversy" over starting QB Stephen Garcia, who after taking back his starting job three weeks ago, has been benched again, this time just for sucking. I though Garcia was the Gamecock's best option at quarterback, but it appears not to be. I don't think new starter Conner Shaw will be any better. But Spurrier has no choice. Point being that Auburn and their struggling defense was able to shut down Garcia and media darling running back Marcus Lattimore to just 289 total yards. While Auburn RB Michael Dyer ran 41 times for 141 yards and a score. Handing an SEC East team ANOTHER loss by an SEC West foe. Spurrier is now throwing in the towel and going with Shaw, who may provide a spark, but let's be honest, it won't matter. South Carolina under achieves again. Final score 16-13, Auburn.
Blowout of the week - Michigan over Minnesota, 58-0.
Dallas bests Ft. Worth.
SMU has enjoyed consecutive bowl trips and a program turnaround since the cheating days of the 80's. But the team just an hour away in TCU has had much more success, including a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin a year ago. But a season opening loss to Baylor, showed TCU was not the same team from the last couple of years. And this time, SMU was there to take it. Holding onto a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter, on the road, SMU was riding high. But wait, TCU wasn't done. They came storming back to tie the game and send it to overtime! Surely the Mustangs weren't going to let this opportunity slip away. And they didn't. A 19 yard td pass in the first overtime by J.J. McDermott gave SMU the lead. They were then able to stop TCU on fourth down for the win! Yes! Final score 40-33, SMU.
Stat of the week - The guy who consistently gets awarded the most underrated coach in America, Mike Riley at Oregon State(never understood why), is now 0-4 on the season after this week's loss to Arizona. Underrated for what, not being mediocre enough?
What in the world happened?
Remember when Ohio State was probably going to be preseason ranked in the top five? Had a quarterback who was on the short list of real Heisman contenders? and who would have been going for what seemed to be their 48th straight Big 10 championship? Well less than a year later, they are 3-2, unranked, and scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the game to avoid being shutout. Four of the suspended 'tattoo five' are coming back this week, the one not is of course former main man Terrelle Pryor, who bolted out of town. It may make a difference, it may not. It couldn't hurt. The defense seems to be okay, holding Michigan State to just 10 points. But when your quarterback situation is about as well off as if I was the starter, there's not much hope. True freshman Braxton Miller looks to get the start this week. He has the potential, but is nowhere near ready. It may take a couple more years to get the Buckeyes going again, and that's only to say they don't massive NCAA infractions from what happened last year. I also still don't think head coach Luke Fickell is the answer. It was a sentimental hire for a guy who had played there, and been a long time assistant. He gets two seasons max, and he's outta there. Final score 10-7, Michigan State.
New segment: The bonehead play of the week.
Goes to Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor. Not only does he not know how to spell Chris, but for acting like a big shot after he scored Navy's go ahead touchdown in the first overtime of a wild comeback. Navy roared back from being down 28-10 early in the fourth quarter to tie it and send it to overtime. That I'm awesome move to an Air Force defender after the score resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Which then lead to the extra point being pushed back 15 yards, which was then blocked by Air Force. All Air Force had to do was score and kick the extra point, and they win. So they did just that. Hey Kriss, next time, learn how to spell, and don't get in the face of an opposing player and cost your team the game against a rival. Nice going.
Sort of like the Boise State and TCU sections of years past.
But this time it's for LSU and Alabama. They are clearly the best two teams in the country, with almost identical styles. Both have suffocating defenses, and efficient offenses, and are loaded across the board with NFL talent. LSU handled Kentucky easily 35-7, with corner Tyrann Matheiu scoring ANOTHER touchdown on a fumble recovery. And Bama went into the Swamp at Florida and dismantled the Gators, 38-10.
Until next week.
Still sound like a good idea?
Last week I verbally unloaded on the Hogs, and frankly, I want to again. But I won't. A win is a win, and if not for the heroics of Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright, it would have been a massacre of words by me. The defense in the first half was atrocious, letting Texas A&M run for around 250 yards and score five touchdowns. But thankfully I was probably not the only one screaming at the players at halftime(they could hear me through the TV, I swear). The coaching staff did something right, because the second half was a different story. The defense clamped down and only allowed three points, even though they still continued to give up a lot of yards(628 total for the game, ouch). Jarius Wright continues to be the only receiver that can get open, and Greg Childs apparently doesn't feel like playing anymore. The running game is still non existent, but showed signs of life late in the game when they needed it. Broderick Green is back from an off-season knee injury, and looks to be ready to go. Tyler Wilson passed for 510 yards, breaking the school record by 101 for a game. I'm still not sure about this team, but again, it was a victory. And if there weren't enough Aggie jokes to begin with, more are bound to start surfacing. I've been saying for while now, A&M to the SEC isn't a good idea for them. I just don't get when they decided they actually belonged. Was it the 0-7 record against SEC teams since joining the Big 12, spanning 16 years? Or was it the fact that they just didn't realize what they were getting into before jumping ship out of jealousy to Texas? Even the Associated Press recap article had a line in it after the game that went something like, "get used to it A&M, it may be like this for a while." Noting how Arkansas fans were cheering after the game and yelling at Aggie fans, welcome to the SEC!! I mean, did the A&M higher-ups convos go like this, "hey, I'm really jealous of Texas' money and power in this conference, I have a great idea. Let's go to the best conference in the country, in fact, the best division in the land, to try to make them jealous. It's no big deal we can't compete with them, and haven't beaten a team from that conference in almost 20 years. We'll just say we're going for the recruiting and the money." I still say good luck. Final score 42-38, Arkansas.
Back to reality.
For now at least. Baylor's magical start to the season, and Robert Griffin's ridiculous stat sheet has taken a blow. After starting the season with only 12 incompletions to 13 touchdowns, and no interceptions, Griffin went 23-31(8 incompletions) and threw a pick. It was bound to happen, nobody can sustain that kind of success, especially at Baylor. It was a nice story, and Griffin is a good kid. But Kansas State came to play, and are sitting at 4-0 themselves. Bill Snyder for the second time has revived a lingering program, that guy can coach. And while Baylor can score on anyone, history shows that even with Griffin there, they can't handle success. Griffin may still make it to New York if he plays even close to what he has been doing. Final score 36-35, Kansas State.
Speaking of still undefeated.
Clemson? That team that always folds under high expectations? The one with the deuschy head coach? Yes, that Clemson. When looking at the schedule the last three weeks against Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, all ranked at the time, I would guess 1-2 if they were lucky. Nope. 3-0. 4-0 for the season after a convincing win over Va Tech, who I thought would kill them. Shows how much I know. I've mentioned before the true freshman Sammy Watkins, who continues to impress. And QB Tahj Boyd seems to be headed for a stellar season. The jury is still out on them though to see if they can keep it going. They have not been able to in the past. Final score 23-3, Clemson.
Rolling along.
It's been noted that Russell Wilson was a great fit at Wisconsin when he transferred in from NC State. But I didn't know it would be this good. Wisconsin was already a really good team. They have a great running game, and a solid defense. But with the addition of Wilson, they are just about as complete a team there is. He went 14-20 for 255 yards and 2 td's, no picks. With their running game, I don't think they can be stopped if he keeps putting up those numbers. On the flip side, the opponent was Nebraska, who on their own revenge tour from last year, and new beginnings chapter hasn't gone too well. They wanted so badly to avenge their Big 12 title game loss in '09 to Texas, but lost the rematch in '10. Then would have loved to beat an old rival in OU in their last Big 12 title game last year before bolting to the Big 10, but were unsuccessful there. And in said Big 10 debut, were crushed by this Wisconsin team. Not a good start. Good for me, I hate Nebraska. Final score, 48-17, Wisconsin.
Speaking of disappointment.
But is it really though? Super high expectations this year for South Carolina, and already they haven't lived up to it. For whatever reason, Steve Spurrier hasn't been able to get over the hump since taking over. Some people say they did last year by making it to the SEC title game last year, but they were run out of town by Auburn. And still managed to lose 5 games last season. Nice job. And we all know the "controversy" over starting QB Stephen Garcia, who after taking back his starting job three weeks ago, has been benched again, this time just for sucking. I though Garcia was the Gamecock's best option at quarterback, but it appears not to be. I don't think new starter Conner Shaw will be any better. But Spurrier has no choice. Point being that Auburn and their struggling defense was able to shut down Garcia and media darling running back Marcus Lattimore to just 289 total yards. While Auburn RB Michael Dyer ran 41 times for 141 yards and a score. Handing an SEC East team ANOTHER loss by an SEC West foe. Spurrier is now throwing in the towel and going with Shaw, who may provide a spark, but let's be honest, it won't matter. South Carolina under achieves again. Final score 16-13, Auburn.
Blowout of the week - Michigan over Minnesota, 58-0.
Dallas bests Ft. Worth.
SMU has enjoyed consecutive bowl trips and a program turnaround since the cheating days of the 80's. But the team just an hour away in TCU has had much more success, including a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin a year ago. But a season opening loss to Baylor, showed TCU was not the same team from the last couple of years. And this time, SMU was there to take it. Holding onto a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter, on the road, SMU was riding high. But wait, TCU wasn't done. They came storming back to tie the game and send it to overtime! Surely the Mustangs weren't going to let this opportunity slip away. And they didn't. A 19 yard td pass in the first overtime by J.J. McDermott gave SMU the lead. They were then able to stop TCU on fourth down for the win! Yes! Final score 40-33, SMU.
Stat of the week - The guy who consistently gets awarded the most underrated coach in America, Mike Riley at Oregon State(never understood why), is now 0-4 on the season after this week's loss to Arizona. Underrated for what, not being mediocre enough?
What in the world happened?
Remember when Ohio State was probably going to be preseason ranked in the top five? Had a quarterback who was on the short list of real Heisman contenders? and who would have been going for what seemed to be their 48th straight Big 10 championship? Well less than a year later, they are 3-2, unranked, and scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the game to avoid being shutout. Four of the suspended 'tattoo five' are coming back this week, the one not is of course former main man Terrelle Pryor, who bolted out of town. It may make a difference, it may not. It couldn't hurt. The defense seems to be okay, holding Michigan State to just 10 points. But when your quarterback situation is about as well off as if I was the starter, there's not much hope. True freshman Braxton Miller looks to get the start this week. He has the potential, but is nowhere near ready. It may take a couple more years to get the Buckeyes going again, and that's only to say they don't massive NCAA infractions from what happened last year. I also still don't think head coach Luke Fickell is the answer. It was a sentimental hire for a guy who had played there, and been a long time assistant. He gets two seasons max, and he's outta there. Final score 10-7, Michigan State.
New segment: The bonehead play of the week.
Goes to Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor. Not only does he not know how to spell Chris, but for acting like a big shot after he scored Navy's go ahead touchdown in the first overtime of a wild comeback. Navy roared back from being down 28-10 early in the fourth quarter to tie it and send it to overtime. That I'm awesome move to an Air Force defender after the score resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Which then lead to the extra point being pushed back 15 yards, which was then blocked by Air Force. All Air Force had to do was score and kick the extra point, and they win. So they did just that. Hey Kriss, next time, learn how to spell, and don't get in the face of an opposing player and cost your team the game against a rival. Nice going.
Sort of like the Boise State and TCU sections of years past.
But this time it's for LSU and Alabama. They are clearly the best two teams in the country, with almost identical styles. Both have suffocating defenses, and efficient offenses, and are loaded across the board with NFL talent. LSU handled Kentucky easily 35-7, with corner Tyrann Matheiu scoring ANOTHER touchdown on a fumble recovery. And Bama went into the Swamp at Florida and dismantled the Gators, 38-10.
Until next week.
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