CFB Week 7 (10/7-10/11) News and Picks

[RJ Esq]

2005-06 CFB Record
77-71, +0.52 Units

2006-07 CFB Record
70-48, +51.29 Units

2007-08 CFB Record
53-52, -33 Units

2008-09 CFB Record
29-20-2 +9.25 Units

Picks
WMU pk (-110)
TCU -14 (-120)
Ball St -16' (-110)

 

[B.A.R.]

GL, I lean the same ways so far.

 

[B.A.R.]

^ prick since 1980

 

[RJ Esq]

Highlights from Saturday from tvtanline.blogspot.com:

 

[RJ Esq]

^ prick since 1980

No originality, junior.

 

[B.A.R.]

Just speaking the truth sir.

Love the pictorial collage...not even joking. Cool to look at.

Who are the fat girls at Boise though? Figured you would find them in Madison.

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas game images from tvtanline.

2nd from left. LMAO!

 

[RJ Esq]

It's Week 7, the week of the RRS, and OU Still Sucks

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[RJ Esq]

The Alphabetical: College Football, Week 6

from The Sporting Blog
Each Sunday during college football season, Spencer Hall offers a letter-by-letter analysis of Saturday’s college football games.

A is for Alignment: Settle down, now. Oklahoma hit the Switzer Standard of 50 points, Missouri went spread slaughter on Nebraska, USC got their Conan on against Oregon, and after the tumult of Week 5 you may enjoy a bit of humdrum stability before the next round of upsets, snafus, coup d'états, and kneecappings in college football.
B is for Bill Snyder Rules:Approximating Oklahoma's exact goodness may still be impossible, as they've taken their bazooka of talent into tussles with what to this point have been hopelessly overmatched opponents: TCU, Cincinnati and now Baylor, who very, very foolishly poked the chimpanzee with a stick pregame (more on that in a bit.) Remember: chimpanzees are strong enough to rip a man's arms off, though how anyone actually "knows" this is something I want to hear the story of ASAP.
The point: Sam Bradford, Phil Loadholt and the remainder of the sun-blocking offensive line, DeMarco Murray and Juaquin Iglesias are racking up tremendous numbers against inferior talent. However: if you do rack up numbers against inferior talent, make sure they're large digits. Call it the Snyder Rule, as in Bill Snyder, the former K-State coach famous for stocking the pond with gimme out-of-conference games. Accepted: Oklahoma after Week 6 still hasn't been truly tested. Also accepted: they've not just beat the teams they've played, but obliterated them in the process.

C is for Coffee: Glen Coffee, the embodiment of Alabama's day against a thorny, resilient Kentucky team: 218 yards rushing, a screaming up-the-gut and untouched wind sprint through the heart of the Wildcat defense for a touchdown, and a late fumble out-of-bounds that nearly gave away what would prove to be the winning field goal. Alabama came the closest to courteously giving away its ranking this weekend: ten penalties, three turnovers and a blown coverage late to allow a long Kentucky touchdown all contributed.
When Nick Saban gets mad, he looks three seconds away from bursting into flames. He was at that point numerous times yesterday. No, Auburn fans -- he did not ever actually get there. (Pretty sure Alabama has a designated sideline guy with a fire extinguisher specifically for that eventuality, actually.)
D is for Discerning: As in Joe Paterno, who both observed the abstract sprawl of the game from the press box thanks to continued pain in his hip and leg and gave this discerning, prudent advice re: why he chooses to take "more pills than I've taken in my whole life" for his condition rather than submit to surgery:

"I'm not letting anybody get near me with a knife," he said.​

Good advice in any situation, Joe Pa.
E is for Escalation: My, that got out of hand quickly. If you had the Texas Tech/Kansas State game on in the background of your gameday extravaganza, at one point in the second quarter you looked up, saw a 14-14 game, and thought, "Well, let's just check on that in a second." Then, you blinked, and the proud students of Mike Leach's Pirate School put up a barrage of 24 points in a single quarter, something they've been known to do to guests and hosts alike no matter where they are, and you thought, "Well, let's just change the channel." Again, see Bill Snyder rule; if you're playing an inferior team, don't toy with them for an instant if you want to maintain your rankings. Texas Tech didn't in a display of impressive pillage.
F is for F. Lee Corso might just want to sit this one out: though officially 9-2 on the week, Corso earns a FAIL for his pick of Auburn over Vanderbilt -- not for inaccuracy (which it was) but for lack of style:
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Combining an Auburn helmet and Tennessee jersey in a single outfit has to be illegal; in fact, I'm kind of astonished he didn't explode on the spot, almost as astonished as I was listening to Kenny Chesney sound like he knew what he was talking about as a college football analyst.
G is for Grotesquerie: Entering Ghost Month -- the Chinese equivalent of Halloween where unlucky numbers are avoided even more than usual -- there was much ghoulish and ill-fated to note at which to stare in horror:: K-State's pass defense (626 yards allowed); the cool, clinical manner of the Oklahoma defense against Robert Griffin; the 44-10 Anger Management Special for USC against Oregon; Michigan's limp second half against Illinois.
H is for Houston Nutt Physics: The first rule of Houston Nutt coaching: for every upset of a top five team there is an equal and opposite reaction, e.g. a loss against a team they should beat. See: Ole Miss taking the momentum of a win over Florida and spiking it with three turnovers in a 31-24 loss to South Carolina.
I is for Imbalance: Miami remains a study in schizophrenia: a team outgained 440-256, incapable of picking up a first down when it mattered and stifled offensively by a carbon copy of the Reggie Ball attack from the Chan Gailey era at Georgia Tech. Their defense allowed rushing yards on simple option plays up the middle all day. Yet the 'Canes came within 2 points of picking up a win over Florida State, partially due to Seminole mistakes, but also partially due to the raw, unchanneled talent of a young team. With a year of maturation and an offensive coordinator, this team could be terrifying, but for now they're a bit of a glorious, incomplete mess of a squad in search of an identity, an offense and cohesion.

J is for Just You, Dude. Georgia Tech's receiving line on the stat sheet: Demaryius Thomas, 9 completions, 230 yards. That's it. Thomas was the only guy to catch the ball for Georgia Tech against Duke. Paul Johnson is dragging the game of football back to 1966 one knuckle-dragging play at a time; resistance is futile.

K is for Knotty. As in hardwood tough, unyielding and unglamourously tough: Todd Reesing won't get enough credit because he is in Kansas, which is exactly in between L.A. and New York, and whose Q rating as a football program is somewhere under Mizzou's. He is, though, the reason Kansas stormed back from a 20-0 halftime deficit for a 35-33 victory against Iowa State, and he is the bellwether of their offense despite being a generous 5'11" and a self-confessed geeky reader of The Economist. (Then again, this might explain his savvy attitude toward risk management on the field.)
L is for Liddell: Your surreal moment of all surreal moments in Saturday's television broadcasts came during Mizzou-Nebraska when MMA fighter Chuck Liddell, who owns a business in Lincoln, first suggested that Chris Spielman could not "hang" with him in a fight, then retracted the playful jab, and then suggested the two could "hang" by getting drunk together. Spielman, being the canny professional he is, responded to all of this with the following quote: " . . . "
An attitude like that will keep you employed at Disney forever, Chris.
M is for Minnesota. Congrats to Glen Brewster, whose Minnesota team defeated Indiana for Brewster's first conference win ever in his second year as the Gophers' coach.
N is for Neophyte. n00b, Neophyte, New guy ... Nick Stephens, who seized the mantle of starting QB for the Vols with a competent 10/17 performance for 156 yards and 1 TD, throwing no picks, sort of looking like he knew what was going on, and not making any disastrous redzone turnovers. A 13-9 win over Northern Illinois cannot be called a turning point of any sort in the season, but it wasn't backsliding, and at this point in a dismal Tennessee 2008 that can almost be called progress.
O is for Overruled. Terrelle Pryor and Mark May have a low-grade feud going, in case you didn't know.

"People like Mark May, he said 'let's see how he plays on the big stage,' " said Pryor (who the paper described as being "clearly unhappy with any suggestion of doubt about his big-stage ability.") "And we're going to see next week."​

Counselor May is overruled as Pryor leads Ohio State on a late comeback to beat Wisconsin 20-17. Mark May, however, is still clinging to that pick for Pitt to win the Big East ... one of these days, at least.
P is for Prozac. Prescribed in handfuls to Auburn fans if there's a kind soul in the state of Alabama, since the Auburn offense may be a bigger mess than it was under Al Borges. After a 13 point outburst in the first quarter, the Auburn offense ... didn't. Didn't what, you ask? They didn't exist, didn't work, didn't have a coherent play, didn't ... they just didn't. I watched it with my own eyes and still cannot describe what they were trying to do, what the scheme was, or what their design or intent was. Coordinated interpretive dance? Dadaist rugby? Tickle pile? The defense allowed 14 points, and Auburn lost; this = football hell. Someone's gotta burn over this, and it's gonna be Tony Franklin, sooner or later.
Q is for Max Q. Or the NASA term for all systems functioning at maximum capacity, or a good summary of Tulsa's offense against Rice Saturday: 63 points, 31 first downs, and 577 yards offense in a 63-28 victory.
R is for Rugby. Until Jaybo Shaw began passing to loosen up the Duke defense, Georgia Tech's variation on the flexbone looked like the All-Blacks had donned the new mustard yellow togs of the Jackets and taken the field for the first half. All they needed was a good haka and the switch would have been complete.
S is for Sulfur Hexafluoride. Dale Hellstrae's vocal stylings as a color analyst on Versus are still relatively new to me, and may be new to you, as well. In case you didn't get to hear his call of the Kansas/Iowa State game, it sounded exactly like this:
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Hellstrae's voice is so low and relaxed he sounds like he's got lungs full of sulfur hexafluoride. If he does, I would like to remind him to stand upside down to get it out of his system, since you don't want that stuff hanging around and keeping other, more important, gases from being absorbed into your system. (You know, like oxygen.) T is for The Special Teams Coach Has Been Sacked. Bruce Carter of UNC blocked three punts by his lonesome against UConn in a 38-12 Tar Heel victory, meaning he either has telescoping robot arms (which is probably not kosher with NCAA competition rules), or that the UConn special teams coach should consider that MBA program he's been thinking about applying for after all these years.
U is for Undefeated: Alabama, BYU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Missouri, Utah, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Boise State, LSU, Ball State, Tulsa, and Texas.
V is for Vitamin F. As in "Fun." Urban Meyer actually chest-bumped Tim Tebow following a 4th quarter TD pass to Percy Harvin in Florida's 38-7 win over Arkansas. This was a rare display of festivity, undoubtedly calculated to remind Tebow that playing football is this something called "fun," which Meyer isn't really sure about the definition of, but he's definitely seen other people having this "fun," and thought he'd give it a shot -- whatever it is -- since he hasn't ever had any of this "fun" substance he keeps hearing about.
W is for Waste. Maryland is Austin Powers hitting on 21 at the blackjack table: lose to MTSU, beat Cal and Clemson, and then. .. 31-0 to Virginia? Al Groh's Virginia Cavaliers? Maryland, I give up attempting to understand your football whys and wherefores. To determine what you will do from week to week, I will flip a coin. Heads will mean "confusing loss;" tails will mean "confusing win." The opponent, however, will not matter, since it doesn't seem to matter to Maryland, either.
X is for Xeric. A word meaning "very dry or lacking water," describing the arid conditions of both Arizona State's campus in Tempe and the harsh stretch in the season that the Sun Devils are plowing through at this moment. A 24-14 loss to Cal marks their third straight loss, a downturn in the storyline of the Dennis Erickson revival. This raises the painful question, "How is this team substantively different from a Dirk Koetter team?" One terrible, but possibly accurate answer: they don't score as many points, frankly.
Y is for Yoked Together.. As in the fates of Oklahoma and Texas, who go into the Red River Rivalry next week as they should be: undefeated, rolling, and with a possible national title shot on the line.
Zook'd! Michigan's reclamation project status report really should just read "Zook'd!" this week, though "Juice'd!" would do as well. His 310 yards and 2 TDs passing, and 121 and pair of TDs on the ground, were the most yards any single player has ever had in The Big House.

 

[RJ Esq]

It's Meltdown Time... Again

from Roll 'Bama Roll by outsidethesidelines
Unfortunately time constraints kept us from posting the weekly meltdown thread last week, but fear not, we've got plenty of good meltdowns for you this week. Let's get started, shall we? As is always the case, registration may be required to follow some links.

The first meltdown comes straight the Ole Miss message boards, after a disappointing loss, at home, to South Carolina. CordovaReb has basically given up for Ole Miss -- which is not to say that his thoughts are not objectively justified -- but nevertheless he has entirely given up:

And that is our lot in life. When we come to terms to accept that, then these losses will be easier to tolerate. We will never be LSU, Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. We won NC 40 or 50 years ago during different financial and racial times. We may, as we did last week, occasionally slip up on on someone, but no one, or I should say none of the sports broadcasters or prognosticators, had us winning this game. With or without the talent Nutt's recruited (and Arkansas will tell you he sucks at recruiting), we will continue to be the sub-par distant cousin to the SEC elite.

We are not today, tomorrow, next week, next century in a position to be competing for conference or national championships in any sport. Period. End of Story. Take it to the bank. Put it in your pipe and smoke it. We can be competitive, but not champions.

Nothing wrong with competitive, but when you dream of something so much better then it makes consoling yourself that much harder.
​

Moving forward, Hog fans aren't too happy about losing their third consecutive game in blowout fashion. Hogsbreathe had a lot on his mind this afternoon after the Florida blowout:

yet here we are again , after yet another blowout, and the same old yada,yada,yada. I not going to talk about the game or what took place. It is the same game played 3 weeks in a row. Only difference is the defense showed a little heart after getting drummed for 2 straight weeks and stood up for a couple quarters, and that Florida couldn't get out of their on way with mistakes.

But this garbage, some of you people keep spewing forth is mind boggling. Crap like the players have no talent, or that the upperclassmen are not buying into the system. Or better yet that he doesn't have the right players for his scheme, and this is my favorite of all, that BP's system is so complex that it will take players a couple of years to grasp it.

Give me a freakin break. That has got to be the biggest bunch of hogwash I have every heard. For starters, players not buying into the system , come on players want to play end of story. As for talent how many of you people really think that Arkansas can recruit on the level of USC,LSU,OHIO STATE, etc............... Well I got news for you we wont. Never have and we never will. Talent yes we can get our fair
share but not 5 stars at every spot like the afore mentioned.

And as for BP's genius, complex, beyond the grasp of mortal men schemes,LMAO

A man who knows more about football than all of us put together once said
"the efficiency is in the simplicity". What I mean is if your system is so hard to understand that it takes a couple of years to "Get it" then your system sucks. And if the only way your system works is if you have the best QB in the country and the running game will only work if I have a BIG back that is 6"2 240 and runs a 4.4. Which is what BP has used as an excuse for our lack of commitment to our running game, which is far better than our passing game, then once again your system sucks.
Now I am more than willing to give BP a chance even though he is not the one I wanted to hire, and I do not think he is the right man for the job. But people, let's
take a deep breathe and step back for a second and take the situation for what it is.
We are a bad team with a few really good players, some good players, and some average players, and most are young. And we have a coach the had a very good run with a team against lesser competition for the most part. When BP stepped up to the level of Big Boys he got hammered in the NFL. Now he is in the SEC and we all know it is the closest thing to the NFL. So I think that BP has a little learning to do, and tweaking of his system to make it work. I say by the end of the year mistakes should be cut down somewhat. By next year we should see a lot of improvement, and a bowl game. Say Independence Bowl. And by the next year contend for the SEC West. I think that is fair don't you all.

P.S. And look I didn't mention our old coach one time LOL....

​

And then we have the Tennessee debacle. After starting out 1-3, the Vols barely squeaked by Northern Illinois tonight in Knoxville, so complete and utter disaster has been temporarily averted. Nevertheless, we have plenty of good material. First off is sadvol, who is thankfully living up to his user name (and he's also found that avatar created specifically for Saints fans):

We're the only team in the SEC East... that does not control its own destiny.

OMG... Vand and Kentucky control their own destiny.

"It's the end of the world as we know it"

​

Unfortunately, though, there is still at least one Tennessee fan who is just too damn dumb to read the writing on the wall. Ucvol1 explains his thoughts in the post entitled, "Not the worst I've seen!":

I still can't forget our team getting beat by Memphis!!!!!! I hope they were seriously overlooking NIU! Remember OSU and Ohio U earlier this year? Ohio U probably should have won that game. We may all be surprised by what our team does against Georgia, after all they were supposed to stomp us last year also. Not putting on orange colored glasses, but things can turn up as fast as they turned down. On the right track with QB but desperately need OL to play better. Remember don't sweat the small stuff and everything is small stuff!!!! God bless

​

Meanwhile, in the Auburn corner of the virtual universe, gems are aplenty after the loss to Vanderbilt. We'll start things off with an irate Auburn midshipman currently serving in the Navy:

I am out to sea in the Navy and they did not show the game but, I watched in on ESPN.com and even from there I could tell that our Offense looked like *%$+. I am sick and tired of this *%$+. How many times can Chris F#%$in Todd do well in the first half and come out in the second and give the game away. Was it poor play calling or a little bit of both. For those of you who were able to watch this disgrace to our beloved program could you enlighten me on what took place. I mean how do you score two touchdowns in the first quarter and then just become stagnate. I only have one question. IS THERE ANY WAY THEY WILL FIRE CTF? What will it take to finally see this was a bad choice on CTT behalf. Granted we have some guys coming in that may have not looked at us before but right now we have to figure out how to fix this and do so. Does this mean CTT, has it come to this???? If so then I have been saying it all week. Go out there and get the one head coach out there who knows how to coach speed and talent, someone who has won championships, BUTCH DAVIS. Go and get him pay him what he wants.
​

At the same time, stpr131545 thinks Tony Franklin has some alcohol problems, and it seems like he may have some problems of his own too:

Tony looks like a drunk. he calls plays like he is drunk

FIRE HIM NOW!!!!!!! HE IS AN EMBARASSMENT TO THIS UNIVERSITY
i COULD USE A DRINK BUT IM SO MAD ID DO SOMETHING ID REGRET IF I DID GET DRUNK
​

BloodTypeORANGEandBLUE has some prognostications for how the rest of the season will play out:

We will lose to ARK, WV, UGA, OM and BAMA. CHOKE ON THAT CTF!!!

God our offense - due completely to our OC -


SUCKS
​

And finally, as a bit of an off-topic, this one might be one of the greatest meltdowns ever. This one comes straight from the mouth of freakmaster, in the wake of the Chicago Cubs being swept out of the playoffs, in the thread entitled "MLB should contract the Cubs and end this farce":

Even better than seeing Pinella and Hendry fired would be for MLB to put this pitiful, disgusting, loser franchise out of its existence. There really should be a rule that if you can't win one f$@^%&* World Series in 100 years, then you don't get to exist anymore. There should be a price to pay for such incompetence and inepitude. Absolute losers. How many wasted hours have I put into these ass clown frauds the past 29 years. F'em all. I hope Wrigley burns to the ground. 29 years of being a diehard fan of this joke of a team -- there won't be a 30th year. All the shirts and hats are going in the garbage. Not another dime on anything related to this team. No more watching the games, no more reading the papers, no more checking the stats. I'm sick and tired of being let down. Those jackasses wearing the pinstripes don't give a rats ass about me -- or any of you. I will now no longer give a rats ass back.

Good luck to all of you who choose to continue to give your heartfelt support. Your gonna need it because if there's anything I've learned from 29 years of this, it ain't ever gonna get better. There is no light at the end of the tunnel and there never will be the one thing I wanted so badly - to see this team win a World Series.
​

 

[RJ Esq]

Report Card: Texas Tech vs. Kansas State

from Double-T Nation by Seth C
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An easy win. There were a couple of new wrinkles that Captain Leach unleashed on Saturday, including Michael Crabtree lining up in the backfield and taking a direct snap. Obviously, the options are endless with what Leach could with this formation and it's nice to see Leach get a little innovative (tongue firmly planted in cheek). Offensively, I thought the game plan was near perfect. Defensively, the team gave up 3 touchdowns, but Leach put the defense in a big hole by giving the ball to K-State on their own 29, but the opening drive was not pretty and the first drive of the second half was a long sustained drive that was worrisome. The defense did bounce back, so that's certainly a positive.
Offensive MVP: Graham Harrell - banner and near perfect day passing the ball. Great game.
Defensive MVP: Brian Duncan - thought he stood out the most of the defensive players.
Special Teams MVP: Donnie Carona - made a field goal (yeeeaaa!), made all of his extra points and made a special teams tackle.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="450"> <col style="width: 95pt;" width="127"> <col style="width: 1000pt;" width="1000"> <tbody> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">QUARTERBACK</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 78.75pt;" height="105"> <td style="height: 78.75pt; width: 95pt; text-align: center;" width="127" height="105"> A+

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">I don't know if I've even seen Graham Harrell (38-51; 454 yards; 6 TDs) play better than he did today. I believe the announcers when they said that the wind was whipping around pretty good, but I could hardly tell. Harrell completed 74% of his passes and had 8.9 yards per attempt. Perhaps we were worried for nothing, but Harrell played like he should against non-conference opponents against a conference opponent. That's moving in the right direction. I think there were a couple of passes that I'd like to have back, but I could count them on one hand. I'm not complaining. If I'm to try and look at Harrell's performance and why it was so much better than the past 4 games, I think I'd say that Harrell did a much better job of finding the open man over the middle of the field, where it's easier to make a throw. Harrell was pressured some, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. Obviously. When Talor Potts (4-9; 36 yards; 1 INT) came into the game, I was actually pretty excited to see him in Big 12 action and I left thinking the same thing before the game. Potts has the strongest arm of all of past and current Texas Tech quarterbacks, but he also thinks he can fit the ball in almost any situation. He needs to just relax and take what the defense gives him.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">RUNNING BACK</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 90pt;" height="120"> <td style="height: 90pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="120"> A

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">Really not much to complain about here either. Shannon Woods (18 att; 70 yards; 1 rec; 28 yards) led the day, but Baron Batch (9 att; 68 yards; 1 TD; 3 rec.; 29 yards) was more explosive. Woods and Batch had 195 yards combined and are turning into a back-breaking offensive duo. We've said it ad naseum, with the emergence of a legitimate running game, a game where Texas Tech started the game with 5 connsecutive running plays, this offense become that much more difficult to defend. The only criticism is a couple of dropped passes from Harrell and a couple of rushes that went for no gain, but that's not necessarily the fault of the running backs. I love watching both of these guys, they both add so much. I loved Batch's 9 yard touchdown run. It was just all Batch exploding through the line. Nothing fancy from a blocking perspective, just run through the hole. And Woods, my favorite play of the day was the 3rd and 6 play, early in the 3rd quarter, where Woods turns a dump-off pass into a 28 yard game. Just beautiful.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">RECEIVER</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 56.25pt;" height="75"> <td style="height: 56.25pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="75"> A

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">There were a couple of drops that I didn't like, otherwise an outstanding performance. I think it's unfair to expect perfection, but I just hate seeing those drops when this is what Texas Tech does. Michael Crabtree (9 rec; 107 yards; 2 TD's) was the game-breaking receiver that we all know he is and a large portion of the country was able to see that. I think I enjoyed the fact that Crabtree is becoming a more technically proficient receiver. Lyle Leong (3 rec; 23 yards; 3 TD's) just caught touchdowns. Leong's fade to the corner was a nice leap over the defender and where Leong stretched out for the touchdown was physically painful looking, but inspiring to see a kid want to score that bad. Eric Morris (7 rec; 98 yards) appeared to return to form, while the somewhat quiet Detron Lewis (6 rec; 71 yards) had an excellent game and seemed to break out of his mini-slump. Tramain Swindall (4 rec; 65 yards) continues to catch the ball at a nice rate and the catch he made in the 3rd quarter was an excellent read by Harrell. The KSU linebackers and safety were blitzing from Swindall's side and Harrell was so quick to recognize it that KSU never had a chance. I am surprised that Leong has essentially replaced Edward Britton and Todd Walker can't seem to get in the rotation on a more consistent basis.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">H-BACK AND TIGHT END</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 33.75pt;" height="45"> <td style="height: 33.75pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="45"> A

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">By my hurried and scribbled notes, Texas Tech ran the 2-tight end set 7 (+/-) times during the game and as I noted after the game, it appears that two things happen when Texas Tech runs this set: complete confusion on the defense when Texas Tech passes (go back and watch the tape, it's chaos) and the isolation of one of the receivers on the side opposite of the formation. The three times that I noticed this, Leong got free for one of his touchdowns, Adam James had single coverage and alsmost scored a touchdown, while Ryan Hale scored a touchdown when Crabtree cleared out the safety. Leach also ran the two tight end set with one tight end on either side of the tackle. I think this was a nice play, but it was the one where James may have not hesitated on his route and not gotten to the sideline quick enough and it looked as if Harrell over-threw him. Ryan Hale (1 rec; 4 yards; 1 TD) did his job and was rewarded with his first career touchdown. Adam James (4 rec; 36 yards) was also incredibly effective and as the announcers noted, he may have the best hands on the team.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">OFFENSIVE LINE</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 56.25pt;" height="75"> <td style="height: 56.25pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="75"> B+

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">Although I can't be sure what Captain Leach said to his offensive line when the offense failed to get Shannon Woods across the goal-line, the job eventually being done by Graham Harrell. The line didn't give up any sacks, although Harrell was rushed a bit more than I like. KSU decided to rush more than 3 or four, but Harrell's quick release and the offensive line's ability to protect Harrell was instrumental to the team's success. Rylan Reed still doesn't quite look right, and he may have to play that way all year. Again, I'm picking on these guys. No sacks, Harrell had plenty of time to throw, the line picked up almost everything that K-State threw at them, and it seemed as if they tried everything, AND Batch and Woods combined for 138 yards and 1 touchdown. I will say that when Captain Leach called a timeout after Woods being stuffed two times from the 1 yard line and Harrell eventually punched it in was a nice wake-up call for the group, but it should not have come down to that. The one thing that I did notice on this particular series was that the line was doing a pretty good job of getting a push and holding their blocks against the KSU defenders, but the problem is that the KSU linebackers were quickly filling the gaps and making it impossible for Woods to get into the endzone. I think a lead blocker in this situation in the future would be nice (i.e., Ryan Hale).</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">DEFENSIVE LINE</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 45pt;" height="60"> <td style="height: 45pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="60"> B+

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">Texas Tech limited KSU to 135 yards rushing, 68 of these yards came on KSU's second to last drive when Texas Tech led 58-21 and Marlon Williams stripped Coffman on a goal-line plunge. If you're asking me, Texas Tech, when they were really trying, only gave up 67 meaningful rushing yards. I'm not sure that I could pick out just one guy who stepped up, but Brandon Sesay (1 tackle), Colby Whitlock (3 tackles), McKinner Dixon (2 tackles; 1 sack) and Richard Jones (2 tackles; 1 TFL) all played within themselves. None of these guys lit up the boxscore, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's no doubt that after those first two drives, the mantra was for the defense to put pressure on Freeman, get him outside of the pocket, and make him throw on the run, and it worked. Freeman on the run vs. Freeman in the pocket are two different pockets. As an aside, and to get you a little excited, one of the plays that sticks out was in the first half, KSU hands the ball off to Lemark Brown (going right) and Brandon Sesay strings out the offensive lineman, holds him off with his right hand, and tackles Brown with his left hand. Sesay is strong.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">LINEBACKER</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 56.25pt;" height="75"> <td style="height: 56.25pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="75"> B+

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">The linebacking corp absolutely gets credit the run defense mentioned above, as Brian Duncan (12 tackles; 1 forced fumble) and Marlon Williams (8 tackles; 1 TFL) led the way. Ruffin McNeill decided to keep the linebackers on the slot receiver and it looked like it was going to be a long day the way that KSU was catching passes over the middle of the field, and I'm not so sure that it was adjustments on the field or Freeman just flat out missing his targets, after the first 2 drives, those passes disappeared. I think some credit goes to this group for sticking with it and forging on, but McNeill was resolute in that he wasn't going to change up his scheme despite K-State's formation. The one thing that I did notice, at least scheme wise was that after the first two drives, the linebackers did a better job of pushing the K-State receivers off of their routes, making it a little more difficult for the slot receivers to get into any type of groove. Bront Bird (4 tackles) was relatively quiet.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">DEFENSIVE BACKS</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 56.25pt;" height="75"> <td style="height: 56.25pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="75"> A

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">A rough start to the day, ended up being much better than I ever expected. As I mentioned in the linebacker grade, I'm not sure if Freeman's mistakes were a product of his own misgivings or some adjustments that Texas Tech made. As with most things in life, I'm sure it's a little bit of both. The defensive backs were still giving up a 10 to 12 yard cushion on all of the KSU receivers, but thus far, McNeill's been right, there's no reason why this defense should give up a big play, which probably explains why McNeill was so livid after those first two drives. It seemed that Jamar Wall (5 tackles; 1 pass BU) was the one that was beat early and on the Freeman to Pierce 33 yard TD, Pierce did a nice job of splitting the safeties, Darcel McBath (4 tackles; 2 pass BU) and Daniel Charbonnet (8 tackles; 1 TFL; 2 pass BU), but the unit recovered. Credit for the pass defense should also go to the defensive line, who put pressure on Freeman most of the game, just to get him moving, and Freeman struggled. And how about L.A. Reed (2 pass BU), who looked incredibly athletic out there.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">SPECIAL TEAMS</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 66pt;" height="88"> <td style="height: 66pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="88"> C

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">There was both good and bad. Kicker Donnie Carona seems to have figured out the art of the extra point and he looks pretty comfortable. The 31 yard field goal was a little shaky, but I don't mind taking baby steps with Carona, he's going to be good, I'm pretty sure of that, it's just going to take a little time. The biggest breakdown of the day was the Jonathan LaCour blocked punt. I'm not pinning this on LaCour, but rather his blockers for just letting guys go by. Awful. I thought the kickoff coverage was too uneven, giving up 24.2 yards per return, giving KSU excellent field position a couple of times. Franklin Mitchum (3 special team tackles) had the most productive day on those returns, while Daniel Charbonnet, Lance Fuller, Blake Collier, Julius Howard, Jordy Rowland, Taylor Charbonnet and Donnie Carona each had a special team tackle.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 413pt;" colspan="2" width="551" height="17">COACHING</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 45pt;" height="60"> <td style="height: 45pt; width: 95pt;" width="127" height="60"> B-

</td> <td style="width: 318pt;" width="424">Credit goes to Captain Leach for sticking with his game-plan this year, which is to take what the defense give you, but the 4th and 1 from Texas Tech's own 29 yard line with 2:00 left in the 1st quarter was an awful, awful call. Anything past the 50, I understand, but at your own 29 is indefensible. I also think it's apparent that the entire staff has so much confidence in the offense that they are intentionally playing conservative on defense. Give but don't break. In fact, as I looked back at the tape, there was one blitz called through the first 3 quarters. I think McNeill is going to have to step out there a little more often than that, but it's hard to argue with the results.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Big hat-tip for the idea for the table to the great Colorado blog, The Ralphie Report.

 

[RJ Esq]

Knee Jerk Reactions: Wisconsin

from Buckeye Commentary by Massey

The stiff-arm delivered by Beanie on his touchdown run was classic. He just planted his right hand in the defender's face and kept running. With Pryor's performance it is easier to forget about Beanie but he quietly won that game for the Buckeyes last night. He also seems to be integral in Pryor's mental maturity. I would set your TiVo for the final six games as Wells is taking aim at opposing defenders face and the Heisman simultaneously.

Clock management, what do I know? I was reacting to the Buckeyes’ final drive last night the same way I did to the final drive against Michigan in 2005. I could not believe they were not calling timeouts and preserving time. They seemed to be taking the score for granted. Obviously, the coaches are 2-0 in that situation and were undoubtedly calmer than I was.

I generally think the coaches do a good job of putting Pryor in the best possible positions but I thought calling deep route to a running back was a tough spot. Many of you said it during the live blog, but a wide receiver would have been better at competing for a jump ball.

Pryor certainly has prodigious talents, but he still needs a lesson in throwing the ball away. He did not always lose double digit yards, but he does take unnecessary hits and risks fumbling or committing another mistake.

What is going on with the wide receivers? Two fumbles (one recovered by another wide receiver), one half-ass attempt (Robiskie – his second this season), one penalty for illegal touching because Ray Small ran out of bounds, and Ray also fumbled a punt return (but recovered it). Come on guys.

Red zone touchdown percentage stays low with a 1-for-3 effort this week. On the Buckeyes first FG-scoring drive OSU ran 9 plays from the Wisconsin 21-yard line and closer, with 5 plays run from inside the 4-yard line. On the second FG-scoring drive, the above mentioned illegal touching flag cost the Buckeyes a down and created a tough Ohio State 3rd & 8 situation. That percentage has to improve to beat Penn State and Illinois.

I still dislike the option. I know they scored using it at the end, but that is the exception to the rule. In my mind, the option is an offense, not a play. Not to go overboard, but Vince Young did not run the option nor did Michael Vick (to my shaky recollection). Maybe it will come but I do not want to see it founder around against Penn State in three weeks.

The read-option handoff from the shotgun works perfectly well (despite my initial wonderings) and the Pony formation with Beanie lined up next to Pryor with Saine behind him looks nice. I would like to see a lot more of that because of it presents options for both inside and outside runs, as well as plays to the strengths of each back. Oh yeah, the play action out of that formation has huge potential.

Big ups to AJ Trapasso. He has been steady all year but in his last three games he is averaging 48.5 yards/punt, which would place him second in the nation behind Miami (OH) punter Jacob Richardson who is averaging 51 yards/punt.

Speaking of punts, why do they put Hartline back there on returns? Did you see him get blown up on a return? He is going to get killed back there.

 

[RJ Esq]

2008 - Week 6 College Football Polls

from Fanblogs.com by Ben Prather
The college poll rankings for week 6 (games through October 4th)
Associated Press AP College Football Top 25 Poll
1. Oklahoma (51) 5-0 1,608
2. Alabama (13) 6-0 1,537
3. Missouri (1) 5-0 1,487
4. LSU 4-0 1,444
5. Texas 5-0 1,374
6. Penn State 6-0 1,287
7. Texas Tech 5-0 1,163
8. USC 3-1 1,137
9. Brigham Young 5-0 1,103
10. Georgia 4-1 1,014
11. Florida 4-1 977
12. Ohio State 5-1 931
13. Vanderbilt 5-0 833
14. Utah 6-0 815
15. Boise State 4-0 677
16. Kansas 4-1 623
17. Oklahoma State 5-0 565
18. Virginia Tech 5-1 485
19. South Florida 5-1 392
20. Auburn 4-2 236
21. Wake Forest 3-1 205
22. North Carolina 4-1 196
23. Michigan State 5-1 161
24. Pittsburgh 4-1 121
25. Ball State 6-0 97
Others Receiving Votes
Wisconsin 96, Tulsa 85, Illinois 81, California 80, Northwestern 78, TCU 70, Georgia Tech 59, Kentucky 49, Florida State 36, Notre Dame 6, Fresno State 5, Arizona 5, Oregon 4, Boston College 3
Dropped From Rankings
Wisconsin 18, Fresno State 22, Oregon 23, Connecticut 24
USA Today College Football Coaches Poll
1. Oklahoma (60) 5-0 1,524
2. Missouri 5-0 1,404
3. LSU (1) 4-0 1,398
4. Alabama 6-0 1,339
5. Texas 5-0 1,305
6. Penn State 6-0 1,203
7. Texas Tech 5-0 1,101
8. Brigham Young 5-0 1,086
9. USC 3-1 1,055
10. Georgia 4-1 937
11. Ohio State 5-1 893
12. Florida 4-1 883
13. Utah 6-0 793
14. Vanderbilt 5-0 704
15. Kansas 4-1 667
16. Boise State 4-0 624
17. Oklahoma State 5-0 523
18. Virginia Tech 5-1 393
19. Michigan State 5-1 273
20. South Florida 5-1 267
21. Wake Forest 3-1 247
22. Northwestern 5-0 231
23. Auburn 4-2 121
24. Wisconsin 3-2 105
25. California 4-1 98
Others Receiving Votes
North Carolina 88, TCU 84, Tulsa 76, Ball State 75, Florida State 61, Georgia Tech 56, Kentucky 51, Pittsburgh 32, Illinois 25, Fresno State 19, Cincinnati 18, Arizona 16, Oregon 15, Notre Dame 11, Connecticut 8, Maryland 7, Boston College 6, Duke 1, Minnesota 1, South Carolina 1
Dropped From Rankings
Oregon 20, Fresno State 21, Connecticut 23
Harris Interactive Poll
Coming Soon
Others Receiving Votes
Dropped From Rankings

 

[RJ Esq]

Week 6 BlogPoll

from CollegeGameBalls: College Football at its Finest by cgb
Oklahoma #1
The Sooners rank 4/119 in total offense and 11/119 in total defense.
Alabama
The Tide didn’t blow out Kentucky so they dropped from #1. And you better believe Rich Brooks thinks that’s bullshit. But did anyone watching that game at any point think Kentucky had a chance to win? Nope, I didn’t think so.
Mizzou and LSU
Missouri hung 52 on the black pink shirts while LSU at sammiches and prepared for Florida. I had to flip flop them.
Texas
I’m salivating over the Red River Shootout next weekend. The Horns move up after finally playing and then drilling a good Colorado team.
Southern California
I bet the rest of the Pac 10 isn’t very happy that Oregon St pissed on a bees nest. USC dominated Oregon.
Vanderbilt
The Geeks are taking over… Ahhhh!!!!
Virginia Tech
The Hokies were up 27-3 before putting in charity case Sean Glennon in the 3rd quarter. Their next game against rival Boston College will speak to whether or not VT is turning it around.
North Carolina
The Heels took advantage of 3 Zach Fraiser touchdowns and ran train on Uconn. The ACC may not have a dominate national championship contender right now, but the conference is deep and is winning big out of conference games. UNC and GT are feeling the love because of it.
Utah
The Utes needed a last minute field goal at home against overrated Oregon St to pull it out 31-28. Nice win, but you are dropping.
Wisconsin
Outback Bowl bound once again. Not only did the Badgers lose but the lack of raucous atmosphere at Camp Randall was questioned. I still think they are better than all the teams I have on the outside.
<table style="width: 100%;" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3">

</td> </tr> <tr> <th>Rank</th> <th>Team</th> <th>Delta</th> </tr> <tr> <td>1</td> <td> Oklahoma </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td> Alabama </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td> Missouri </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td> LSU </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td> Texas </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td> Penn State </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td> Southern Cal </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td> Florida </td> <td>–</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td> Georgia </td> <td>–</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td> Ohio State </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td> Vanderbilt </td> <td>

4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td> Texas Tech </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td> Brigham Young </td> <td>

3</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td> Kansas </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td> Virginia Tech </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td> Boise State </td> <td>

4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td> North Carolina </td> <td>

9</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18</td> <td> Georgia Tech </td> <td>

8</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td> Utah </td> <td>

6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td> Wake Forest </td> <td>

5</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td> <td> Oklahoma State </td> <td>

2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td> Pittsburgh </td> <td>

4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td> Michigan State </td> <td>

1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24</td> <td> South Florida </td> <td>

13</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td> Wisconsin </td> <td>

3</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Dropped Out: Auburn (#18), Maryland (#19), Connecticut (#21).

 

[RJ Esq]

John Clay hurdling an Ohio St defender.

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[RJ Esq]

This Must End

from Bring On The Cats by TB
Yesterday, I felt a new experience at a K-State football game. Well, I had a lot of new experiences, but this one really stuck out.
Apathy.
It started off like most other games. We tailgated outside. The band played. It was Harley Day, so Willie led a phalanx of Harley's around the stadium. Despite the fact that I believed Texas Tech would more than likely defeat K-State, I felt for a while that we might make it interesting. Probably the result of a short memory after last week's debacle against Louisiana-Lafayette.
But for a while, it looked like my belief was justified. Despite Tech's opening drive, in which the Red Raiders scored on six plays and in less than two minutes, I saw our offense come back out and answer. For a moment, I felt a ray of hope. Our team wasn't going to lay down, and our offense had just given our defense a spark by answering Tech's opening score.
Of course, we gave up another touchdown on a sustained drive, and most of the hope was gone. But all of a sudden, a fourth-down stop in our own territory -- an absolutely idiotic decision by Mike Leach, by the way -- made me wonder if our defense had found something.
About 30 minutes and 24 Tech points later, there was no doubt. Same old, same old.
What I saw the rest of the day showed me that George Bush, speaking about the economy earlier this week, may have summed up perfectly the situation K-State's football program faces: "If we don't do something, this sucker could go down."
Of course, in our situation, this sucker is already on its way down. K-State is 3-6 in its last nine games, and has now yielded more than 500 yards in three straight games. We are 3-2 and, if we can't beat the Texas A&M Aggies next week in College Station, are very likely to finish the season without a conference victory. Of course, even if we do beat A&M, it probably will only mean that we're on our way to 4-8 instead of 3-9. I see no reason to celebrate that difference.
But back to what I saw at the stadium. I was one of the few K-State fans who stayed all the way until 0:00. That doesn't make me a better fan than anyone else. I'm not blaming anyone for walking out. I stayed mostly because I live in Housotn and only get to one K-State home game per year. The booing by the fans did frustrate me, however. Most of it was probably aimed at Ron Prince and the coaching staff, but the players can't help but hear it and feel like it's directed at them. These guys are giving it their best, and as student-athletes they're putting in a lot of hard work to represent the University for which us fans cheer.
At this point, I hope the fans' walkout and the boos show the K-State administration -- both athletic director Bob Krause and University President Jon Wefald -- the critical mass that we have reached. This isn't a bump in the road. It's not a minor situation that can be quickly addressed. This situation is going to require a lot of thought.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure our administration is seeing what's going on. Numerous newspaper articles today mentioned that Krause claimed not to notice the fan walkout.
This level of dishonesty could only be worthy of a politician. I understand that Krause is trying to convey that this athletic department stands behind Ron Prince. He proved that when he gave Prince a contract extension after two years of mediocre football. But we don't need unqualified support right now. We need honest assessments of the serious problems going on right now. We have a defense that can't stop anyone. We have an offense that can't run the football, and yesterday couldn't catch passes. K-State fans aren't stupid, and Krause needs to stop pissing on our legs and telling us it's raining.
Not every K-State fan remembers 1987 and 1988. If you need a reminder, check out this link. We're not there yet, but we're a lot closer than we have been since about 1990. Krause and Wefald need to show us they understand what is going on, and are going to do something about it. This sucker is going down, and the crash is going to be ugly.

 

[RJ Esq]

Daniel charges Cornhuskers of spitting on him

from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table class="card"><tbody class="card-tbody"><tr></tr><tr><td class="ct c">
</td><td class="ctr c">
</td></tr><tr><td class="cl c">
</td><td class="cc c">11:30 AM (29 minutes ago)
Shooting Pointe Blank: Missouri

from Corn Nation by Blankman
I know that usually I run over the keys to each game in this article or at least I have while at CN, but this week was obviously different than other weeks, so I’ll go down a different road. While many wanted to believe that this team could be instantly transformed into at least somewhat respectable on defense at this point they cannot.
They cannot compete with a legitimate win-it-all contender like Mizzou (By the way, would like to see a Mizzou-USC match up at some point this year). They can’t do anything more than you witnessed during 2007…well, they can, but for some reason the coaches seem content in not letting them.

Look, I’m not delusional enough to think I know better in every aspect of the game than people who get paid literally millions to do their job. I can tell you, however, that there is a lot of fantastic, young talent sitting on the bench. Why? Has Nebraska officially thrown 2008 down the drain so that these players can get a year of seasoning?
Here’s a better question: If Nebraska has indeed decided to “sacrifice” 2008 because we all know Bo and several choice assistants aren’t going to get canned after year one, why are we not letting said young players on the field anyway? You don’t get better in the Big XII conference by sitting on your butt and watching film. That all goes out the window when you step on the field and have to catch Jeremy Maclin or defend against Sam Bradford or how about stoping Todd Reesing when he’s down 20-0 at the half?

I feel for Bo in that he’s obviously the “player’s coach” that many in the fan base painted him to be, but for him to make statements like we’re not going to get smacked around again this year…Coach, you do realize who your team is playing next, right? The Cornhuskers haven’t exactly done well against passing teams. I mean the 2008 unit is giving up MORE yards than LAST YEAR’s team. Same personnel too.
They just needed to be “coached right”, though or so I heard. Point being is this: I am not against Bo in fact I was for his hiring, but the rookie mistakes are being made and one huge one is not putting your best players on the field. Sure, you can call it straight opinion, but there are several players who are ready to contribute now. Pelini chooses to play who he plays especially on defense and he’s making some piss-poor choices.

Let me wrap things up on a more positive note. To the “We’ll never be good again!” crowd: Are you nuts? Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, can I stop now? College football is cyclical in a lot of ways whether it comes to offenses, defenses or who is flat out good. Nebraska has a lot of advantages it shouldn’t: Money, the backing of the university, passionate fans and a rich tradition to name a few.
If Missouri can become a national title contender, Nebraska can become one AGAIN. It just takes time and living in an instant gratification society is tough. A few of the more mature folks I run into toss the label on folks, say 20-30 years their junior, but I think they’d be shocked at how many in their own age bracket show just as much of that trait.
Memorial Stadium isn’t going to stop selling out, the sun will still rise, however as I have said in past blogs this program is still trying to crawl let alone walk. There will be some new people on the coaching staff eventually. Could be in a year, could be two, but this is not the staff to get things done. Not entirely, anyway. The Missouri game sucked and surely several others will too if not just for a loss, but there can, and more than likely will, be a brighter future for Nebraska football than what was witnessed last night.






</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[RJ Esq]

Maryland officially crosses into the Twilight Zone

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton

Maybe you could look at Virginia's 31-0 stunner over Maryland Saturday and think, "Wow, Virginia really turned it around." This is undeniably true. Take Marc Verica, for example: after combining for five interceptions, zero touchdowns and the lowest pass efficiency rating in the ACC in his first two starts, a 35-point loss at UConn and 28-point loss at Duke, respectively, the sophomore lit up Maryland for 226 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. His efficiency rating (148.8) was a full 16 points higher than the best average efficiency (belonging to Wake Forest's Riley Skinner) in the conference. Or take the Cavalier running game, which had run for 264 yards combined through its first four games. The Cavs had 201 on the ground against the Terps, including its two best individual totals of the season (110 yards by Cedric Peerman and 77 yards by Markell Simpson); Peerman's 35-yard run against UMD was not only the Cavs' longest of the season, but more than the team's leading rusher, Simpson, had amassed in any single game to date. This is a major leap forward, to say the least.
Or, you can look at every ounce of available evidence prior to Saturday, move Ralph Friedgen right back into one very heavily-fortified hot seat and settle into the idea of Maryland as the most schizo team in the country. The Terps haven't just lost to Middle Tennessee and hopeless Virginia on either side of upsets over top 20 outfits from California and Clemson -- they've been embarrassed. Look at the Cavs' first three games against I-A competition: 45-point loss to USC, 35-point loss to UConn, 28-point loss to Duke. A "turnaround" on UVA's part might account for a close loss to Maryland, or a close win. A 31-0 whitewash on the heels of those disasters is a wholesale collapse by the Terps, their second in under a month, just when it looked like they were pulling things together.
On one level, this is so very, very Maryland; even after the Cal and Clemson wins, I wrote last week: "[A]nother Middle Tennessee is lurking somewhere in there ... As stunning as three wins in a row would have sounded three weeks ago, an eminent losing skid seems about as likely." But getting blanked by a lame duck coming off a 31-3 loss to Duke? Freud couldn't diagnose that in a thousand years (although Dr. Lou might, in his ever-prescient maxim, "You coach a different team every week").
I guess Wake Forest is on "upset alert" in College Park in two weeks? That would make about as much sense as anything else involving Maryland.

 

[RJ Esq]

At long last, USC is awesome again

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton

Well that was fun while it lasted, but now that the annual week of sober Trojan doubt is behind us, let's return the customary gawking: SC rolled up 600 yards on Oregon, scored on seven of its first eight possessions, consistently pressured the Duck secondary downfield and established a backfield rotation that produced 119 yards on 26 carries. Oregon JUCO messiah LeGarrette Blount, who came in averaging 96 yards on 7.2 per carry, finished with zero yards on zero per carry. Jeremiah Masoli was sacked four times and the Ducks either punted or turned the ball over on nine of ten possessions after their opening touchdown drive. Everything that went wrong in Corvallis went exceedingly right Saturday.
So re: any lingering skeptics about the Trojans' hold on the Pac-10, brace yourself: as long as it continues to mow down the best competition it faces in such overwhelming fashion, SC's going to hover around the mythical championship debate, because on nights like Saturday -- or three weeks ago against Ohio State -- they still look like the old, dominant Trojans people expect to see in those uniforms. These televised beatdowns are like a pied piper for status quo-worshipping pundits until something terrible happens: Right now, they're playing the best football in the country ... Right now, they're playing the best football ...
It's a fairly reliable pattern: in big games, against teams like Oregon, Ohio State, Arizona State, Michigan, et al, these guys roll. USC only gets beat randomly, in the most surprising places, when its head can be said to be in the clouds. If that doesn't happen again -- like, maybe if every game is moved to the Coliseum and put on national television, and the opponent talked up into a potential threat -- this team is still an un-ignorable national contender right down the home stretch. If the durability of full-throated hype was no longer the assumption after the eye-opening loss to Oregon State, re-assume it today.
And Mark Sanchez? He's alright, though Mitch Mustain looked fine, in a pinch. And seriously, who couldn't lead an offense this deep and talented? Whoever's on the field, they look unstoppable!

 

[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">1:48 PM (6 minutes ago)
Capriciously Random and Vapidly Meaningless Thoughts

from ScalpEm.com by Bill Swartzbaugh
By Bill From Tampa
1. After all the disappointments against that team you’re telling me that Florida State in a downpour, weather conditions the Seminoles don’t typically play well in, against a team that has been famous for stealing victory from the ‘Noles time and again, and with a quarterback starting his first game ever game in Miami actually did not find a way to lose the game??? Surely that can’t be. Next you’ll be trying to tell me Vanderbilt is undefeated and leading the SEC East.
2. Show of hands please. When the score got to 34-32 with 8:30 remaining in the game how many of you expecting to have your heart riiiiiiiipppppppped out once again by Miami were mentally thumbing through your list of standard yes we lost to you once again apologies in preparation for the verbal bashing you knew was going to be heaped on you from your Hurricane buddies come Monday morning?
3. You know, maybe they should have torn down that dadgum Orange Bowl years ago. If we all knew that FSU was finally going to catch a break against Miami in Miami we could have taken up a collection and helped them move to Dolphin Stadium long ago.
4. It certainly could be said that FSU’s special teams were certainly “special” yesterday. With the various adventures of that unit I’d muuuuuuuuuuuch prefer ordinary.
5. On learning that Miami’s Travis Benjamin is only a freshman, Bobby Bowden commented post game that FSU “will perhaps have to learn to kickoff sideways”. Certainly couldn’t do any harm.
6. Just working out the numbers, at the current pace over the last two games, Antone Smith should finish the season with approximately 33 touchdowns.
7. Once again proving that offensive coordinator is not in the cards for yours truly any time soon or ever for that matter, as the ball was handed off to Antone for his 4^th TD the thought that crossed my mind was “we’re playing for a field goal here”. Probably should stick those resumes in the trash shouldn’t I.
8. Apparently William Floyd won’t be either any time soon after commenting in the first half “Miami has decided they can’t run” the ball. Next play, Graig Cooper up the middle on a draw play for ten yards.
9. With the rain coming down we all know how slippery the ball can become. Mrs. BFT summing up Antone’s last touchdown “people are slippery too.”
10. On Graham Gano’s 53 yard FG, Gene Deckerhoff must have been reading Bobby’s lips. How else would he know that Bowden said to Gano “Son, where were you 15 years ago?” I bet a lot of FSU fans were wondering that same thing.
Bonus Capriciously Random and Vapidly Meaningless Thoughts
11. Deckerhoff commenting about the 23 seniors on Miami’s team said “where were they when they were 5-7 last season?” My guess (and keep in mind this just a guess) is that they were juniors?
12. The Ron Powlus Kiss of Death Award goes to Beano Cook (who else?) for his prediction earlier last week that USF would play in the BCS National Championship game.
13. Baylor boldly stated before their game with the Sooners, a team they were 0-17 against that they were not afraid of Oklahoma. After losing to OU 49-17, perhaps a little fear might have been a good thing.
14. Congratulations to Purdue for scoring their first offensive touchdown (their only points of the game yesterday) against Penn State since 2005. Of course the Lions scored 20, but who’s keeping score.
15. The wit and wisdom of Mrs. BFT part II: With Oregon State muffing a punt nearly losing the ball to Utah the TV color analysis educated us by saying “you must catch those with your hands” prompting the comment from the couch “you mean they AREN’T supposed to catch them with their helmet or shoulder pads? Who knew.”






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[RJ Esq]

Postgame React: Texas 38 Colorado 14

from Burnt Orange Nation by PB @ BON

<table align="right"> <tbody> <tr> <td>

</td> </tr> <tr> <td><center>Tempting, but premature....</center></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The outcome was: <ins>So Far, So Good.</ins> Setting aside what last night's game told us about next week, the outcome itself--a 24-point road win over a not awful conference opponent--was just dandy. Much more on both below, but as we head into The Stretch (OU, Mizzou, OSU, at Tech), it's impossible to ignore the fact that any meaning we temporarily attach to the season story so far is about to be wholly superseded by what's ahead.
Making coffee this morning, I couldn't help but compare the first five games to a series of dates with a girl who has so outperformed your initial expectations that you're almost ready to reconsider your steadfast commitment to bachelorhood, except you're reserving final judgment for after the coming month, during which you're going to (1) meet her mother, (2) go on a week-long vacation together in a car, (3) face a trying financial crisis, and (4) spend time with her over-sharing ex-boyfriend of five years.
If she comes out the other side of all that looking like gold, you might just put a big rock on her finger, but... probably best to hold off any down payments until then, yes?

The Offensive MVP was: Chris Ogbonnaya<ins>.</ins> A blogger who writes hundreds of thousands of words each year has to learn to live with the bad takes alongside the good. As an example of the latter, I predicted a 37-13 Texas win at the Ralpie Report last week. Woo me! As an example of the not-so-hot, travel back to August 2007 when Chris Ogbonnaya was named the #2 tailback behind Jamaal Charles, causing me to cartwheel through my living room before gushing about his Priest Holmes-like abilities--a description which prompted Scipio Tex at Barking Carnival to ask if I was "swilling lighter fluid."
As Scipio noted in the comments, we all have favorite players we love more than their objective skill set suggest is rational. So if my OG appreciation was just a wee bit over the top (Priest Holmes he is not), you can count on one hand the number of fans last night who were as thrilled as I to see the senior tailback have a game befitting of... well, Priest Holmes:
9 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
6 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD
If that kind of production is beyond Ogbonnaya's abilities on a weekly basis, what we are seeing in 2008 is the fruits of proper player usage based on skill set. OG has been used effectively as a situational pass catcher, to the tune of 15 receptions for 244 yards, including three touchdowns. Add in his mostly outstanding pass blocking (only one missed assignment comes to mind) and pick-your-spots rushing (93 yards on 16 carries) and Texas is getting the most out of Ogbonnaya.
And that's a point worth emphasizing: Player usage is every bit as important as player ability. Chris Ogbonnaya is no Priest Holmes. But used properly, you can get Holmes-like production just from picking the right spots. Kudos to Chris on an outstanding game.
The Defensive MVP was: <ins>Lamarr Houston and Roy Miller.</ins> Texas' ends played well enough that I wouldn't quibble with anyone who wanted to give the MVP nod to the entire defensive line, but I thought the 'Horns' twin terrors at tackle stood alone as indomitable havoc-wreaking forces. Roy Miller routinely ate alive attempts to block him with a single lineman and bulldozed double teams into the backfield. Lamarr Houston was just too quick for Colorado's interior blockers and spent his entire night in Cody Hawkins' grill. By the midpoint of the first quarter, Colorado was resigned to rolling the pocket outside to give their quarterback any chance of having time to make a throw.
Incidentally, this is the match up to watch in Dallas--Texas' defensive line against the much-ballyhooed five senior offensive linemen for Oklahoma. Sam Bradford with time against Texas' back seven in coverage is exceptionally dangerous. An otherworldly performance from our defensive line would change that dynamic considerably.
The offensive Offensive LVP was: Offensive Line. To get a better understanding of Texas' effectiveness rushing the football, we need to look beyond the final official numbers: 46 rushes for 169 yards. First, subtract 4 carries and add 35 yards for sacks--failed pass plays. New total = 42 rushes, 204 yards, 4.86 per rush.
Not half bad. Now subtract the (sack-adjusted) 10 rushes for 67 yards from Texas' quarterbacks: 32 rushes, 137 yards, 4.28 per rush.
Less sexy. And finally, take Chris Ogbonnaya's uncharacteristic 51-yard romp, make it a 10-yard carry (where he broke a tackle) and consider the final rushing tally from Texas' tailbacks: 32 rushes, 96 yards, 3.0 per rush.
One can fairly object that this kind of cherry picking is irrelevant insofar as quarterback rushing does count and OG's 51 yard run counts every bit as much as any rush where he lost 2 yards should. But while I'll grant that objection, the foregoing is meant to illustrate that (1) Texas is not rushing the ball consistently well with tailbacks and (2) our offensive line really struggled to make a mark against Colorado.
While Colorado's defensive line is by far their strongest unit, the mediocre performance from our offensive line is a source of concern. Not only is Texas' offense frighteningly dependent on Colt McCoy making plays, but the battle against Colorado's defensive line is going to look like a slap fight compared with the trench warfare awaiting in Dallas. Another performance like Saturday's won't do.
The offensive Defensive LVP: Kickoff returns. The defense was superb last night, so no LVPs there, so I'll single out the kickoff return team, whose only highlight was a punishing Aaron Williams hit on a brain dead Josh Smith at the goal line. The Longhorns can't afford to give Sam Bradford any short fields on Saturday.
John Chiles Watch: <ins>2 carries, 8 yards / 0-0 passing, 1 sack, -15 yards.</ins> He's lost out there and it's pretty painful to watch. Fans are rightly frustrated by his non-contributions, but this looks for the life of me like a failure of coaching. John looks like a player totally confused by his identity and role on the team after being yo-yoed around from "Q Package Key" to "Handoff Specialist."
Without question, part of any impending improvement has to come from Chiles himself, but I suspect there's work to be done on the coaches' end in getting his head right. He's running hesitantly and without purpose, coming in to games mostly as a mop up man. Being a meaningful contributor means he'll need to get angry and get results on his own, but for now, he's lost at sea. I blame John and the coaches alike.
Cerberus Watch: <ins>McGee: 8-30-3.8, 0 TD / Ogbonnaya: 9-71-7.9, 1 TD and 6 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD / Whittaker: DNP</ins>Johnson: 11-29-2.5, 2 TDs. Chris Ogbonnaya deservedly gets a game ball, but the lack of consistent production from the tailback position continues to stand out. And simply won't do if Texas is to navigate successfully the upcoming four game stretch. To paraphrase Texas' opposing coach last night: "This ain't 7-on-7 summer league, brotha!" Indeed it is not, which means Colt to Quan or Shipley as an entire offense won't do the trick.
The Fozzy Whittaker knee injury needs to heal... oh, I'd say now. That, or Texas will need an atypical performance from McGee, OG, or Big Cody in Dallas.
Tight End Watch: Peter Ullman 1 reception 6 yards. I like Peter Ullman's father a lot (an A+ tailgater, if you're wondering). I worry greatly about Peter Ullman as Texas' top receiving option at tight end. Blaine Irby is missed.
Oklahoma Fear Factor: <ins>10 out of 10</ins> (5) is the baseline. (-1) for Texas' defensive line; (+1) for OU's offensive line; (+1) for Texas' offensive line play against CU; (+1) for Oklahoma's defensive line; (-1) for Demarco Murray is more supreme athlete than football player right now; (+1) Murray's light looks real-real-close to coming on; (-1) for Will Muschamp, period; (+1) for Jermaine Gresham terrifies me; (+1) for where did Manuel Johnson come from?; (+1) for Texas' lack of explosive deep threat on offense; (+1) for Fozzy Whittaker's knee.
Heading into next week I feel: Anxious. This is it. Texas' first barometer of the season, where we find out whether this is a very good football team building towards greatness or a great football team building towards a run at two conference titles. The skeptic in me looks at Oklahoma as objectively stronger, especially on offense, and fears our still-improving defense isn't quite ready to slow down a monster of this caliber. The optimist in me has seen enough defensive improvement through five games to think that Texas will have--whoa--enough of a coaching advantage on Saturday to keep Bradford & Co. from blowing up at a pace with which our offense can't keep up.
It could happen either way. And either way, OU will still suck.
Happy Hate Week, Longhorns fans.

 

[RJ Esq]

Oklahoma Fear Factor: <ins>10 out of 10</ins> (5) is the baseline. (-1) for Texas' defensive line; (+1) for OU's offensive line; (+1) for Texas' offensive line play against CU; (+1) for Oklahoma's defensive line; (-1) for Demarco Murray is more supreme athlete than football player right now; (+1) Murray's light looks real-real-close to coming on; (-1) for Will Muschamp, period; (+1) for Jermaine Gresham terrifies me; (+1) for where did Manuel Johnson come from?; (+1) for Texas' lack of explosive deep threat on offense; (+1) for Fozzy Whittaker's knee.

Absolutely. OU scares the crap out of me.

I feel confident that we have a good shot at beating Mizzou and should beat TT as well. But beating OU would be a monumental accomplishment.

 

[RJ Esq]

Added:

WMU pk (-110)

Lines came out higher than expected. May be alot of dogs this week.

 

[RJ Esq]

Can't believe the money is coming in on Buffalo and now I could have caught points on WMU.

 

[carolinablue]

Can't believe the money is coming in on Buffalo and now I could have caught points on WMU.

Unfortunately for me it is sitting at -1 at the greek right now, but I was able to grab Vandy pk 120 while BM already is up to 2/2.5 110. The greek is high/low 1 to 2 pts vs BM right now on a number of games, kinda wild.

 

[RJ Esq]

Not sure I believe Vandy on the road in this spot.

yeah, BM was WMU +1 and Greek was WMU -1.

 

[RJ Esq]

2 new plays jumped out at me:

NIU and Boise St. Looking at them now.

 

[carolinablue]

Not sure I believe Vandy on the road in this spot.

yeah, BM was WMU +1 and Greek was WMU -1.

Yeah, Vandy is a tough one, but it is more of a value play as it met the variance criteria I use for my plays. Actually got it at 110 not 120 I think, can't keep up sometimes when trying to lock plays in and get em posted quickly so the time between submit and posting is as close as possible to help other guys out.

 

[RJ Esq]

Week 5 Husker Report Card: Missouri

from Corn Nation by Husker Mike
OK, let's cut to the chase.
Last night's game sucked. Royally.
To be fair, Missouri is an outstanding football team, and can score at will. But 52-17? Ouch. I could sit here and grade each postion...but I think we all know what the vast majority of the grades will be. So rather than belabor the point, how about this week we just discuss what's wrong.
Offensive Line: We went into this season with high expectations for this bunch...and have been pretty much disappointed here. Pass protection has been spotty, with almost no running room. Yahoo's Tom Dienhart talked to an anonymous coach earlier this season who said these guys weren't programmed to run block, and it's going to take time. Or perhaps it's the fact that these guys had Bill Callahan and Dennis Wagner coaching them each their separate ways in past seasons, and now have Barney Cotton coaching them this year. Or maybe, strength and conditioning coach James Dobson downsized them a little too much.
Running Backs: Problems here might be more of a result of the struggles up front. Marlon Lucky isn't a great back in traffic; he needs to get to the open field, and with the o-line not opening up any holes, he's neutralized. Roy Helu has shown signs of being the Huskers most complete back, for what it's worth. Quentin Castille can make his own holes and hits the line hard, but continues to struggle with ball security.
Quarterback: Joe Ganz is a mobile quarterback who's at his best rolling out. In the pocket, he's somewhat unsure and gets his passes deflected back towards him. Sometimes makes poor decisions and turns the ball over. He's a senior, so Nebraska needs to start grooming his replacement. Last night's game might have been a lost opportunity to get Zac Lee and Patrick Witt some more game action. That doesn't give me a good feeling for next season at all.
Wide Receivers: Nate Swift is a good possession receiver, but in year five of the change to a west-coast style of offense, we're still looking for some sort of difference maker at receiver. Oh, sure, the recruiting analysts love the guys we've signed...but funny how that hasn't panned out: Chris Brooks (4 stars), Franz Hardy (4 stars), Will Henry (3 stars), Menelik Holt (3 stars), Curenski Gilleylen (3 stars), and Niles Paul (4 stars) haven't panned out yet. Only Maurice Purify (4 stars) has been a difference maker at times. An awful lot of scholarships have been used here, only to have walk-on Todd Peterson out play the bunch.
Defensive Line: OK, I see a lot of improvement in this bunch this season...but that might be because they were completely lost last season. Dobson's probably made a positive influence here, but again, we're not seeing a lot of impact from younger players here. Is this one of the positions Blankman wants to see younger guys on the field?
Linebackers: This position might be the poster child for recruiting incompetence in recent years. Phillip Dillard has been solid, but our only other solid linebacker is converted I-back Cody Glenn. Like at receiver, here are some of the touted recruits who haven't made much of an impact here: Blake Lawrence (4 stars), Austin Stafford (3 stars), Nick Covey (3 stars), and Michael Keenan (3 stars) are among the names who haven't made much of an impact.
Secondary: Phil Steele named Larry Asante to the 2nd team all-conference in his preseason rankings. He got benched against Virginia Tech, and only played in mop-up duty against Missouri. Rickey Thenarse has been off-injured, Anthony Blue is out for the season, as he recovers from a torn ACL. So this is a patchwork group back there. If there was anything I noticed yesterday, the secondary didn't have the glaring busts that they had the week before against Virginia Tech.
Coaching: I think Barney Cotton (offensive line), Shawn Watson (offensive coordinator/QBs) and Ted Gilmore (wide receivers/recruiting) are probably the three coaches that deserve the greatest scrutiny at this time. Watson's and Gilmore's tenure with the previous staff probably raise the biggest concerns. It's too early to start talking about changes, but certainly they aren't immune to criticism.

Poll What's your take as to the primary underlying cause of Nebraska's problems this season?

• Lack of talent and game breakers
• Mistakes by this coaching staff
• Mistakes by the previous coaching staff that are proving more difficult to correct than originally thought.
• Fan Expectations
• I like the Huskers just as they are. What's the problem again?

 

[RJ Esq]

Tomorrow may be too late: Tennessee Volunteers 13, Northern Illinois Huskies 9

from Rocky Top Talk by Joel
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</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> I think we're gonna need a bigger scapegoat. All the folks on Rocky Top were blaming quarterback Jonathan Crompton for the Vols' miserable 1-3 start to the season. And why not? The guy was 64 of 123 and had twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. He'd both fumbled and thrown away scoring opportunities on Florida's one-yard line. He'd given away six points by fumbling on his own one-yard line against Auburn. Add to that a bizarre mix of inconsistency and inaccuracy and one could not argue with the coaches' eventual ldecision to put the teams' collective sins on his head and send him into the wilderness.
Enter Nick Stephens, who actually did quite well Saturday night against Northern Illinois. Yeah, I know, it was NIU or UNI or whatever, but Stephens was not only 10-17 for 156 yards and one TD, he looked like a quarterback. He was accurate. He was quick. He hit a deep receiver in stride, and he threw no interceptions.
And yet the Tennessee offense scored only 13 points against the Huskies:
<center>
Full Screen Version</center>
So yeah, maybe the QB position was a problem, but was that the only problem? Anybody got any more goats? Look, I love my team, but I've got questions.

• The coaching staff. Just how many catastrophes does the team need to endure before a change is actually made? Seriously. I really can't get a handle on this.
  
  For instance, Brandon James returns a punt for a TD against Tennessee is 2006, but it's called back. Near miss. Okay, fine. Learning without any true consequence is the best you can hope for. But . . . we give him another opportunity in 2007, and he does the same thing and makes it stick this time. In 2008, we kick off to him, and he immediately returns the ball across midfield. So what do we do when it comes time to punt? Why kick it to him, of course, and allow him to return it for a TD.
  
  How about that wacky punt formation? Yes, I know we went to that for the Georgia game last year because our coverage hadn't been good, but our foes have figured it out. We had one blocked at UCLA. Almost had one blocked against Auburn. So what do we do about it? We wait for another catastrophe and get one blocked against Northern Illinois, coming dangerously close to losing that game.
  
  How about that nasty "ball security problem" of a certain tailback's? Remember South Carolina in 2005? A fumble within a blade of fescue of the goal line lost the game. How about Penn State? Mmm-hmm. Florida last year? Blame it on Ainge if you want, but yeah. How about South Carolina last year? Near miss, that. Learn? No. UCLA this year. Florida this year, blame it on Crompton, but yeah. Auburn this year. Apparently, we need another catastrophe in that department as well before we'll do anything about it.
  
  To change, we need to experience disaster after disaster even though college football season leaves no time for such hard lessons to do their work. We do not learn from near misses.
• Good is the enemy of great. One of the team's biggest problems is that we have good players doing good work. How is that a problem? It too often keeps great players on the bench. Arian Foster is a really good running back. He's averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He's on pace to become Tennessee's most productive running back in its history. Cool. I'm glad. Makes me happy. Really. But Montario Hardesty is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and is not allergic to the red zone. He covers the ball with both hands when a defender is near. Third-stringer Lennon Creer is averaging 8.9 yards per carry, and did not even get on the field in a game against Northern Illinois.
• Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made. Or not, as the case may be. I've said this before, and I'll keep saying it until it makes sense to stop: if the old adage that having two quarterbacks means you have none is true, Tennessee has negative sixteen special teams coaches. It shows. Against the Huskies, Daniel Lincoln missed another field goal -- this one from 32 yards -- putting him at 5 of 9 for the season. Anyone care to bet that we're done with the spread punt formation or that we won't get another punt blocked or returned for a touchdown this season? We do have Dennis Rogan and Gerald Jones running back kicks and punts, so there's that.

Seriously, I love coach Fulmer, and I have confidence in him and the coaching staff. They can and do make tough decisions. They made one such decision this week concerning the quarterback position. The problem is that they often wait too long. They wait until catastrophe mandates a change rather than suggesting it.
Yesterday's game against Northern Illinois gave this coaching staff one last chance to learn from near misses in several areas. If they take the scare to heart and learn from it, they may be okay.
But if they wait for disaster to strike, it almost certainly will, and it that time comes, 2008 could very well be the last time they wait too long.

 

[RJ Esq]

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Underdog Money Lines Wk 7

from underdogsofwar.com by TheGarfather
YTD: 8-14, +6.25 units
Week 6: 0-5, -5.00 units
There had to be a correction coming and I thought it would be this week, and I was right. You can’t win every week, it just doesn’t work that way. Ugly dog day yesterday, plenty covered and some won, but they weren’t the ones you want. Three were 10:1 or greater and basically weren’t cappable. EMU was my huge dog selection, but there was really no reason to think they would win other the fact that it was a conference game. Army’s offensive style and Tulane’s lack of explosiveness indicated that the Knights on the spread may have been a good play, but there wasn’t anything to suggest the actual victory, let alone a blowout. (Tulane was -20 and lost by 31 for a line variance of 51 which will probably be the largest this season.) And then there was Hawaii winning AT Fresno. What the fuck? In back-to-back weeks UH has lost at home to a team they could have beaten and won on the mainland to a team that should have killed them. Its obvious McMackin has them becoming a normal football team rather than the June Jones lacsidasical bullshit. It might be possible in the near future to actually handicap Warrior games again. Four dogs that won were too small to be bothered with, Vandy was the largest at 155. The +200 thru +800 corridor is where you do your damage and only 5 came through, Temple, Virginia, Pitt, Navy, and UTEP.
My five plays were not good, as the only one that would have covered ATS was Rutgers and collectively my teams were -9 in turnovers bringing the season number to -10. Again, I would like to be better than -20 at the end of the year, but that may prove tough. Nothing goes into the Moose Account. My “next three” would have been just as ugly as the first 5 that I did recommend. For the 3rd week in a row, my “next three” all came up losers meaning I’m not playing too loose and doing a good job of guaging quality. That would be -9 units and I would be down on the season instead of up.
This week’s possibilities, prior to the lines coming out are: FAU, UAB, Memphis, Indiana, Minnesota (probably not though), MSU/NW, EMU/Army, Iowa St, Miss State, Texas A&M, Colorado State, OSU, UCLA, Toledo (not), Notre Dame, Arkansas, NMSU, Stanford, Akron, Rutgers, Colorado, UCF, Utah State (did I seriously just say that?), Tulane, SDSU, La Tech, Monroe, and the dog between MTSU/FIU, and I will cap North Texas again, but I don’t see how they’re playable right now.
This week will be more productive than last, but not as good as two weeks ago.






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[RJ Esq]

Big 12 Football Report, v 1.6

from Burnt Orange Nation by PB @ BON
The week in Big 12 football.
One of my favorite activities each week is my Friday evening chat with The Night Shift crew from Sports Radio 610 AM in Houston--a conversation which forces me to crystallize a week's worth of thoughts into a coherent Saturday narrative. After talking specifics about Texas-Colorado this Friday, Adam and Danny asked me to comment on the Big 12's other conference games, prompting me to emphasize that I thought the opening weekend's main storyline was whether the conference's five heavyweights (Missouri, OU, Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma State) would prove their worthiness by convincingly taking care of business on the road against Tier 2 Big XII teams. (Audio of this Friday's chat here.)
All five passed with flying colors, while Kansas justified my excluding them from the conversation:
Oklahoma 49 Baylor 17
Texas Tech 58 Kansas State 28
Texas 38 Colorado 14
Oklahoma State 56 Texas A&M 28
Missouri 52 Nebraska 17
Kansas 35 Iowa State 33
If I was thrilled to see the contenders hold serve in week one, now the real fun begins as heavyweights are forced to butt heads. Click through the jump for thoughts on handicapping the race.
HANDICAPPING THE FAVORITES

If we start from my premise that the five Big 12 teams currently 5-0 are the only ones with realistic conference title hopes (sorry, Kansas), handicapping the title chase starts with a look at the remaining schedules.
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td>OKLAHOMA ST
</td> <td>n-Texas</td> <td>NEBRASKA</td> <td>n-Oklahoma</td> <td>@ Missouri</td> </tr> <tr> <td>@ Texas</td> <td>KANSAS</td> <td>@ Texas A&M</td> <td>MISSOURI</td> <td>BAYLOR</td> </tr> <tr> <td>COLORADO</td> <td>@ Kansas St</td> <td>@ Kansas</td> <td>OKLAHOMA ST</td> <td>@ Texas</td> </tr> <tr> <td>@ Baylor</td> <td>NEBRASKA</td> <td>TEXAS</td> <td>@ Texas Tech</td> <td>IOWA ST</td> </tr> <tr> <td>KANSAS ST</td> <td>@ Texas A&M</td> <td>OKLAHOMA ST</td> <td>BAYLOR</td> <td>@ Texas Tech</td> </tr> <tr> <td>@ Iowa State</td> <td>TEXAS TECH</td> <td>@ Oklahoma</td> <td>@ Kansas</td> <td>@ Colorado</td> </tr> <tr> <td>n-Kansas</td> <td>@ Oklahoma St</td> <td>BAYLOR</td> <td>TEXAS A&M</td> <td>OKLAHOMA</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The favorites, in order:

1. MISSOURI TIGERS - Their conference and national title hopes appear to rest on their performance the next two weeks, with a home title against OSU and road trip to Austin standing between them and an eminently navigable five-game stretch to close the year.
2. OKLAHOMA SOONERS - Not only do they appear to have the best team, but among the four South powers, they have the best schedule, avoiding Missouri while drawing Tech, Nebraska, and Kansas at home. Beat the Longhorns in Dallas and hold serve in Norman and the Sooners need only avoid an upset in Stillwater.
3. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS - Tech gets the advantage over the Horns and Cowboys by missing Missouri and drawing UT and OSU in Lubbock, but will have to win in Norman to overtake the Sooners.
4. TEXAS LONGHORNS - It could be worse, had the 'Horns also had to go to Stillwater, but this is a tough row to hoe. Not only do they face the other four top contenders, but they face them in consecutive weeks.
5. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS - On the bright side, the schedule is staggered a bit, with lesser teams interrupting their big tests, but only the Sooners visit Stillwater. Winning at Missouri, at Texas, and at Texas Tech is hard to fathom.

THIS WEEK'S HEAVYWEIGHT CARD


(1) Oklahoma vs (5) Texas (Dallas, TX) -- While college football fans will have to decide whether to spend the 7-10 p.m. slot focused on LSU-Florida or Oklahoma State-Missouri, there's no question what everyone will be watching at 2:30, as the Red River Shootout returns to center stage as a season-defining clash between two top five-ranked undefeateds (the first time since '04). Oklahoma is averaging a silly 6.8 yards per play on offense, which if sustained would put them among giants of recent years. Of course, Colt McCoy would politely remind fans that the Longhorns aren't behind in that regard much at all, their 6.6 yards per play a full yard per play improved from this time a season ago. Set aside all those numbers, though: This game's getting decided in the trenches, where Oklahoma appears to have the advantage. The Sooners have the talent and experience on the offensive line to deal with Texas' rapidly improving pass rush, while the Longhorns look less well-equipped to deal with Gerald McCoy and friends.
(17) Oklahoma State at (3) Missouri -- Offense? You want off-the-charts offense? The Cowboys and Tigers snicker at the baby numbers above. And why not, when a Missouri and Oklahoma State fan could have the following pre-game exchange:
OSU fan: "Red River Shootout? We're the team north of the Red River averaging 7.6 yards per play."
Mizzou fan: "Excuse me, pantywaist, but Missouri is not only north of the Red River, but we're at 8.2 yards per play. [yawns] Have I mentioned Chase Daniel is on our team?"
OSU fan: "Chase? As in chasing Zac Robinson from behind in quarterback rating?"
Mizzou fan: "Ah, yes, that's right--the quarterback with a lovely rating and... what, one receiver with more than 10 catches? We have four. And I haven't even mentioned our tailback, who averages more than 7 yards per carry!"
OSU fan: "Are you comfortable with rounding up a tailback with a 6.6 yards per carry average to 7? Hmm? No? Okay, then we only have two tailbacks averaging seven-plus yards per attempt."
Mizzou fan: "Two words: Jeremy Maclin."
OSU fan: "Two more: Dez Bryant."
On and on they could go, and when you get down to it, neither could be considered excessively boastful: Both of these offenses have been on a planet of their own through five games. Which of course means the game is really about whether either team's defense has the ability to slow down someone else's great offense. I give the advantage in the front seven to Missouri, while preferring Oklahoma State's secondary.
So who wins? Who knows? The first to 60?

 

[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">5:56 PM (2 minutes ago)
Changes On The Plains?

from Track Em Tigers by AU04Natlchamps
Well I was WRONG in a big way with my "breakout game" prediction. With that said the players seem to be losing complete faith and I can understand why. Here are a few quotes from players after last nights coaching breakdown. Regarding the changes, see the quote from Rod Smith below.
Kodi Burns
"We've got to figure something out," said Burns. "This -- man, I don't know. This isn't the Auburn I saw when I was recruited. This isn't the Auburn I saw last year. I don't know what's going on. "We've got to figure something out."
Rod Smith
"I don't know what we are right now – the spread, old Auburn offense. I'm just really confused right now," receiver Rod Smith said after the game. "Everybody is confused."
Smith said that Tuberville told the team after the game to expect big changes on offense, possibly as early as Sunday. Smith said he didn't know what those changes would be, only that they would "probably be drastic changes".
Here is some interesting info I found In a 7-23-08 article on ESPN.com:
Fact is, Franklin was unofficially blackballed from college coaching after writing his book about the rule-breaking and backbiting that undermined the Hal Mumme era at Kentucky. College coaches talk a lot about integrity, but the one thing they most prize are staffers who keep secrets. Franklin wouldn't do that, and it kept him out of college coaching for years. He wound up filing for bankruptcy.
"I've gotten a taste of it with my business in Texas and in Alabama," Franklin said. "They're very serious about it in both states. On the high school level in Texas, if you have a bad season, they'll fire you in the middle of the school year.
"The difference in Alabama? If you have a bad season, they'll kill you."
I don't think I would go that far, but the firing in the middle of the season seems rational.
I still can not figure out CTT decision to go for it on the first drive, we should have kicked the FG, I know we were moving the ball. With our D and the way the O had played all year we needed those points and that along with the mised extra point cost us the game. We will get things worked out, I personally will still live and die on each play next Saturday !
War Eagle !!!!!!!!
Poll Will Tony Franklin make it through the season as the AU OC ?

• Yes ?
• No?
• He has already started cleaning the university bathrooms

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[CapTwo]

GL this week RJ

i think wake is a "RJ-esque" type of play... this one has your name on it

2 weeks to prepare for this game, off a bye week and SU upset loss to navy.....big game for em i think

 

[RJ Esq]

Around The Big 12: Week 6

from Double-T Nation by Seth C

Kansas (16) 35

Iowa State 33
SBN Blogs: Rock Chalk Talk : Clone Chronicles
What an awful 1st half for Kansas and I know that the Jayhawks are trying to make me look like an idiot. Kansas' first 7 drives of the 1st half: punt, punt, punt, fumble, interception, punt, and end of half. I take back everything I said about the Jayhawks only have two losses heading into Missouri. The offense isn't the same as it was last year and neither is the defense. Good for ISU for taking advantage of KU's deficiencies, and bad for ISU for not being able to finish them off, at home. Kansas' downfall will be the inability to rush the ball, only a 3.1 yard average(boxscore).

• Up Next: Kansas Colorado
• Up Next: Iowa State @ Baylor

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Oklahoma (1) 49

Baylor 17
SBN Blogs: Crimson and Cream Machine
Oklahoma scored on their first 4 possessions while Baylor failed to score until their 5th possession. OU's balance on offense is downright scary (377 passing and 217 rushing). Baylor QB Robert Griffin struggled passing the ball, and that's to be expected, but he's still a special player. Briles is smart to take his lumps with Griffin now. The OU defense was tremendous, limiting Baylor to only 269 yards all day. I'm still trying to think of a good reason why I initially picked Mizzou after watching the OU defense yesterday (I know, it's Baylor, but they're still damn good) (boxscore).

• Up Next: Oklahoma Texas
• Up Next: Baylor Iowa State

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Texas (5) 38

Colorado 14
SBN Blogs: The Ralphie Report : Burnt Orange Nation
An I being too harsh on Texas if I say I was a little underwhelmed? I know they took care of business, on the road, but it was against a beat up Colorado team and I guess I was expecting a little more. It was UT's defense that so outstanding, holding Colorado to only 49 yards rushing, while the UT secondary limited Hawkins to 118 passing yards on 33 attempts. Offensively for UT, McCoy came back down to earth a bit. Still very efficient, but he also threw 2 picks. Why hasn't any of the UT tailbacks stepped up and taken hold of the job? It just seems strange for UT not to have a #1 tailback (boxscore).

• Up Next: Texas Oklahoma
• Up Next: Colorado @ Kansas

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Texas A&M 28

Oklahoma State (21) 56
SBN Blogs: I Am The 12th Man
OSU had 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown and those easy scores were probably the difference in the game. OSU kept up their balanced offensive attack as Zac Robinson had 186 yards passing and the Cowboys had 215 yard rushing. Dez Bryant continues to put up great numbers, 106 yards receiving and 3 TD's. Since I didn't see or hear the game, I'm interested as to why Goodson, who had 8 carries and 112 yards, didn't see more carries, he seemed to be the Ags best spark. TAMU QB Jerrod Johnson had 43 attempts, just 218 yards and 2 interceptions. The same goes for Johnson as Griffin, take your lumps now and hope that he can mature during the season and be that much more ahead for next season (boxscore).

• Up Next: Texas A&M Kansas State
• Up Next: Oklahooma State @ Missouri

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Missouri (4) 52

Nebraska 17
SBN Blogs: Rock M Nation : Corn Nation
I'm not sure what I want to believe here. Has the Missouri defense improved, limiting Nebraska to 17 points, or is the Nebraska offense just that bad. If I had to choose, I'd lean towards the latter. Just like the majority of losing quarterbacks this week, the attempts were up, but the yardage just wasn't there. Ganz threw for 290 yards, but it took 28 attempts and NU managed only 70 yards on 35 carries for a 2.3 yard/attempt average. Meanwhile, the Mizzou offensive machine continues to produce, as Chance McDanilesonson was 18 of 23 for 253 yards and 3 TD's. On the ground, the Tigers were tremendous as Derrick Washington had 139 yards on just 14 carries and 2 TD's (boxscore).

• Up Next: Missouri Oklahoma State
• Up Next: Nebraska @ Texas Tech

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Texas Tech (7) 58

Kansas State 28
SBN Blogs: Bring On The Cats : Double-T Nation

• Up Next: Texas Tech Nebraska
• Up Next: Kansas State @ Texas A&M

 

[RJ Esq]

GL this week RJ

i think wake is a "RJ-esque" type of play... this one has your name on it

2 weeks to prepare for this game, off a bye week and SU upset loss to navy.....big game for em i think

Probably true. You know how the home team does on weeknights too.

 

[RJ Esq]

Sam Ross Jr., Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Penn State's Joe Paterno was once again forced to the press box for Saturday's game against Purdue. The working story is that he injured his right leg in practice before the first game doing an onside kick, but Paterno muddied the waters explaining his condition in Saturday's postgame press conference. He also wore unmatched shoes and had to steady himself with the podium.

 

[RJ Esq]

Did the Huskies quit?

By Anthony Gimino
Here is what UA sophomore running back Nic Grigsby told the Citizen's John Moredich after the Cats' 48-14 victory:

"Right before the half, we were taking a knee. (Tight end) A.J. Simmons and me were saying, 'Those guys are looking sick over there.' I looked over there and they were not talking to each other, not doing nothing. We sensed they were quitting already. In the second half, we tried to pour it on."

Arizona led 31-7 at halftime.

 

[RJ Esq]

Week 6 Big Ten wrap up (with blogpoll ballot)

from Boilermaker football blog by T-Mill
Because of some changes in the new blogpoll procedure I am moving the Big Ten wraps up to Sunday nights. This will allow me to do some more research as I'll be at a computer with internet access. Hopefully, this will also improve the quality of the writing.

Second, there will likely be a major announcement about the blogpoll coming tomorrow. Basically, all of us voters are gaining legitimacy through and agency that I can't officially say right now, but it rhymes with PBS and they often have SEC games on Saturday's. It is because of this that I must have the blogpoll preliminary ballot posted by Monday morning at 10am. Also, I'll be posting the final results more regularly as well. It's not like Purdue has to be worried about being in this poll the rest of the season, but it is still fun to follow.

Week 6 Big Ten rankings:

11. (10) Indiana (2-3, 0-2) Result: Minnesota 16, Indiana 7 – Indiana moves behind Purdue this week because Purdue at least played a really good team to a two touchdown game. Indiana made Minnesota's defense look to be much more improved than it probably is. Indiana turned it over three times and only had the ball 22 minutes. The running game was virtually non-existent again, and the defense allowed a record day to Eric Decker. Basically, Indiana has taken a major step back. There is simply no excuse for an offense with a player like Kellen Lewis to score just seven points against Minnesota. This is the last game that I expected to be a defensive slugfest. Nearly a quarter of Indiana's yards came on the 77 yard scoring play to Marcus Thigpen.

10. (11) Purdue (2-3, 0-1) Result: Penn State 20, Purdue 6 – I don't think we really learned too much yesterday. Honestly, this was one of the dullest games I have ever been to. Purdue could have made quite a game of thing if not for its mistakes. Penn State simply didn't make any costly ones. I guess we should be encouraged that Purdue didn't thoroughly embarrass itself. That really doesn't say much. We now will be replacing our kicker with an unproven true freshman and everyone has given up on Curtis Painter. Two straight road games isn't the recipe to turn things around.

9. (9) Iowa (3-3, 0-2) Result: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 – Iowa did what no one else has been able to do this year: they kept Javon Ringer out of the end zone. Turnovers were once again a problem. Shonn Greene wasn't. His 30 carries for 157 yards against a pretty good defense should give Iowa confidence that it can compete this year. Unfortunately, that makes three straight losses by less than a touchdown. They now face a critical game at Indiana. The Hoosiers have been surprisingly dominant the past two years, but it should be a good game since both teams need a victory.

8. (8) Michigan (2-3, 1-1) Result: Illinois 45, Michigan 20 – So much for the defense being the strength of the team. Juice Williams is not particularly known for his throwing ability, but he set a Michigan Stadium opponent records with 431 yards of total offense. The offense itself was better than it has been, but it is still not to the point that it can survive a 500 yard day by an opponent. They basically let a close game get away in the fourth quarter. At least the first quarter was pretty with Michigan leading 14-3. This week's game against Toledo will provide a good chance to work on things.

7. (7) Minnesota (5-1, 1-1) Result: Minnesota 16, Indiana 7 – Minnesota has to feel good that a bowl game is definitely in sight. Minnesota probably had the most good happen to it this week. They know they can trust the defense to at least stop someone now. Eric Decker is a big time receiver. The running game is providing plenty of balance. The offense is also keeping other teams off the field with long drives. You cannot discount the play of their special teams either, coming through with three field goals to get the win. One win is all that is needed now to get to a bowl, and they should get it.

6. (6) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0) Result: bye
– Northwestern may have benefitted the most this week with Iowa, Purdue, Michigan, and Indiana all losing to help their bowl position. The game against Michigan State this week should be pretty big.

5. (4) Wisconsin (3-2, 0-2) Result: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17 – I talked at length about Wisconsin may have been the best closing team in the Big Ten after the way it played in the first three games. That clearly isn't the case now, as they have blown two straight leads. The defense has been unable to get a stop when it needed to. They are now out of Big Ten race, and a visit from Penn State won't help things much after this week. At least the last four games on the schedule are the easiest games of anyone to finish on.

4. (2) Michigan State (5-1, 2-0) Result: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 – I think Michigan State had a win over Iowa much like Penn State over us yesterday. They did just enough to pull it off before facing a tougher opponent next week. Sometimes style isn't important as long as you have more points at the end of the game. I would certainly take that with Purdue right now. The Michigan State bloggers are calling it an ugly win, but that is better than no win at all. I only dropped them because the three teams above them had better wins this week.

3. (5) Illinois (3-2, 1-1) Result: Illinois 45, Michigan 20 – I am very thankful that we don't play Illinois this year. We have enough trouble as it is with dual threat quarterbacks, and Juice Williams demonstrated he is one of the best. The amazing thing is that Illinois got things done both running and passing. They made a pretty good Michigan defense look awful at home. They now have a pair of games at home against Minnesota and Indiana before traveling to Wisconsin. I wouldn't count them out of the Big ten race yet, but having already lost to Penn State hurts.

2. (3) Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) Result: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17 – the first test has been passed if they are going to win the conference again. Barring a major upset, only Penn State, Michigan State, and Illinois stand in the way. You never know how tricky the trip to Evanston can be at the end of the year either. I am really impressed by the amount of poise that Pryor is already showing this early in his career. A late drive like that in one of the most hostile night venues in the country is something most 5^th year seniors can't lead. Pryor did it with ease.

1. (1) Penn State (6-0, 2-0) Result: Penn State 20, Purdue 6 – I don't know how much I would give Penn State's win to its defense. In the kicking game alone we handed them a full touchdown. A fumbled snap could have meant another four as well, since Purdue could have gotten a first down on that play and later a touchdown. Once the Nittany Lions got in front by two scores you felt like it was more than secure with that defense. It was a lot like the Ohio State game last year. I also like how they ground out the clock in the closing minutes to not even give us a chance after we scored. There was still enough time that a small miracle was possible, but we never got the ball again.

Blogpoll ballot:

There isn't much change at the top as all the top teams kept on winning. Among the more impressive teams were Texas Tech and USC who each won in games that could have been major challenges. I feel like North Carolina is a team on the rise while I would love to see Vanderbilt keep stealing games in the SEC. Maybe it's the colors, but I have forgotten what it is like to see a team wearing black and gold knock off a ranked team. Feel free to comment in the comments section (and yes, Jack, I would have moved UConn in had they beaten North Carolina).

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</td></tr><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Team</th><th>Delta</th></tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td> Oklahoma </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>2</td> <td> Alabama </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>3</td> <td> LSU </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>4</td> <td> Texas </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>5</td> <td> Missouri </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>6</td> <td> Penn State </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>7</td> <td> Texas Tech </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr><tr> <td>8</td> <td> Georgia </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr><tr> <td>9</td> <td> Southern Cal </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>10</td> <td> Brigham Young </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>11</td> <td> Florida </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr><tr> <td>12</td> <td> Utah </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr><tr> <td>13</td> <td> Vanderbilt </td> <td>

8 </td> </tr><tr> <td>14</td> <td> Ohio State </td> <td>

2 </td> </tr><tr> <td>15</td> <td> Boise State </td> <td>

3 </td> </tr><tr> <td>16</td> <td> Michigan State </td> <td>

4 </td> </tr><tr> <td>17</td> <td> Oklahoma State </td> <td>

9 </td> </tr><tr> <td>18</td> <td> Auburn </td> <td>

7 </td> </tr><tr> <td>19</td> <td> Virginia Tech </td> <td>

7 </td> </tr><tr> <td>20</td> <td> South Florida </td> <td>

6 </td> </tr><tr> <td>21</td> <td> Kansas </td> <td>

4 </td> </tr><tr> <td>22</td> <td> Ball State </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr><tr> <td>23</td> <td> Wisconsin </td> <td>

8 </td> </tr><tr> <td>24</td> <td> Northwestern </td> <td> -- </td> </tr><tr> <td>25</td> <td> North Carolina </td> <td>

1 </td> </tr></tbody></table>
Dropped Out: Oregon (#19), Wake Forest (#22), Oregon State (#25).

 

[RJ Esq]

Week 6 MWC Football Review

Posted on October 5, 2008 by Jeremy

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This game was a lot closer then the score indicated, because Colorado State scored 14 points in the final six minutes to defeat UNLV. This loss was UNLV’s 17th consecutive conference road loss, ans the Rebels have not defeated the Rams since 2002.
The running game for the Rams finally did what most, well at least me, thought they could do when Gatrell Johnson III went off for 191 yards rushing for three scores. Then quarterback Billy Farris had a career game when he had 294 yards with 211 going to Rashaun Greer in this game.
The Rams seemed to have the game in hand by scoring 24 straight points to end the third quarter to have a 13 point lead over the Rebels, but then the fourth quarter came along and the Rebels woke up in the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter is where all the action had, during the third quarter the Rebels had only three possessions the first resulted in a missed field goal, the other was a pick, and the last drive is the one that set up a fourth quarter touchdown. Omar Clayton was on fire hitting all of his receivers for both scores in the quarter. UNLV regained the lead by one with 6 minutes left and looked in good shape.
Then Colorado State marched down with ease to score and then made a two point conversion, which made it a seven point lead with nine seconds left and sealed the win. Then on the kickoff UNLV fumbled the ball and the Rams should have just taken a knee and seal the win, but the team decided to be fancy and risky with four laterals which resulted in another score for the Rams.
Both teams were evenly matched, but the difference was the Rams play makers in this game

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Special teams doomed the Air Force Academy who suffered their sixth straight loss to the Navy Midshipmen. Navy had two blocked punts returned for touchdowns, which ultimately was the difference in this game. This game was the first of the round robin format for the Commander-In-Chief Trophy, and this winner usually has had the upper hand recently.
Turnovers also hurt the Falcons who had two of them which netted 10 more points for Navy in this game. Air Force did out gain the MIds 411-244 and actually passed the ball effectively with 184 passing yards by two quarterbacks, but when the opponents score 24 of their 33 points off of mistakes it is amazing that Air Force was able to keep this game as close as it was.
The Navy offense just had to be effective because of the short fields they were giving a few times, and with a back up quarterback Jarod Bryant who rushed for 101 yards and a score. Air Force actually did do a good job defensively by forcing Navy into four field goals and only one score.
The mistakes were just too much as it looks that Navy is on to their sixth straight CIC trophy.

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TCU came back with a vegence after getting wacked by Oklahoma last week. Back up quarterback Marcus Jackson started for the injured Andy Dalton and lead the Horned Frogs to this dominate victory. Jackson only threw for 115 yards, but he then lead the team in rushing with 131 of the 383 yards TCU racked up on the ground.
TCU’s offense had the ball control to in their favor by a whopping 44 minutes to 16 minutes, which makes sense by that San Diego State scored seven points and 85 total yards of offense. This TCU defense is for real, and last weeks game just shows how good Oklahoma really is.
TCU held the Aztec rushing game to negative yards, and was able to limit a pretty good passing game to 98 total yards, and to top it off held the Aztecs to 1 for 11 on third downs.
This is just as dominant a performance a team could have, and if Andy Dalton is out for any significant time, Senior Marcus Jackson is more then capable of leading this team and defeating the top of the Mountain West.

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The Lobos really are the mystery team they have shown in years past, and once again Wyoming is that bad and Joe Glenn better dust off his resume.
The Lobos were not overally impressive offensively as they only passed for 33 yards with backup Brad Gruner, but their rushing game made up that miscue by gaining 317 yards in the game and without star back Rodney Ferguson.
The Lobo defense stole the show with three turnovers forced and holding the passing game to under 89 yards. Wyoming has a serious problem at the quarterback position, this week it was Karsten Sween and no Dax Crum but it did not matter who was in. Again, the only brigh spot was running back Devin Moore who managed 74 yards on the ground.
The Wyoming defense did ok giving the circumstance of having to defend short fields against a dominant running game this week, and an offense for them that could not hold the field long enough to give them a breather.

 

[RJ Esq]

"There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?"

from Hey Jenny Slater. by Doug


That was one of Randall's more eloquent quotes from the first "Clerks" movie -- and with Georgia on a merciful bye this weekend, I got to do plenty of that. Here's how my Saturday went:

10-11:30 a.m.: "College Gameday" live from Nashville. I was very curious to see if the student-body-slash-fan-base of Vanderbilt University would know what to do with themselves with "Gameday" live on campus, and they didn't disappoint me. They had a big crowd waiting for Fowler, Herbstreit, and Corso, and some of the cleverer signs I've seen on that show recently. There were topical signs like the one that asked "Which is worse, Auburn's offense or the economy," the ones that made fun of their own reputation as the smart kids of the SEC ("You people are blocking the library"), and they even went so far as to trash-talk other teams they weren't even playing that day ("Phil Fulmer ate my other sign"), but the best one overall was "The geeks shall inherit the turf," which even Brent Musberger mentioned at the end of the game broadcast. They didn't forget to include the just-plain-inexplicable, either -- maybe someone can explain what "Chris Todd Loves Old Gregg's Mangina" is supposed to mean, or maybe you can decipher this:



Yes, I know what it means, let's see if you're smart enough to figure it out.

11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.-ish: Florida at Arkansas. This one wasn't quite the immediate blowout I had expected, with Florida holding "only" a 14-0 lead at halftime and just 17-7 through three quarters -- the first of what I'm sure will be many moral victories Razorback fans will be having to take solace in this year. But the Gators eventually wore down the Hogs in the fourth quarter, busting off a couple of those 60-yard touchdown runs that have become a staple of the Arkansas defense in '08, and scored enough to firmly make good on my Dr. Saturday prediction of Florida covering twenty-four and a half.

2:30-5:00 p.m.: Kentucky at Alabama. This was a weird game, and one I'm kicking myself for not including in this week's Dr. Saturday bit, 'cause between Alabama's vulnerability to a post-Georgia letdown and Kentucky's good-for-the-first-time-in-a-generation defense, there weren't no way the Tide was gonna cover sixteen and a half. The legs of Glen Coffee, if nothing else, managed to keep Bama in front the entire game, but as a Georgia fan I still spent a whole lot of time being frustrated that Kentucky managed to play Bama so much closer than we did. Such is life.



5-8:30 p.m.: Auburn at Vanderbilt. Wow. Just wow. Vanderbilt, evidently, is the real deal, still all alone in first place at the top of the SEC East and ranked #14 in the country this morning, while Auburn . . . Supposedly this was the week that Tuberville said "enough is enough" and shelved Tony Franklin's sputtering "Spread Eagle" in favor of a more traditional form of run-it-up-the-gut Auburn football, but after rushing for 106 yards in the first half on their way to a 13-7 lead, Auburn inexplicably turned to its witheringly ineffective passing game in the second half, with predictable results (Chris Todd 4-10 for 25 yards and a pick, sacked three times; Kodi Burns 2-4 for 27 yards, sacked once). And once Vandy finally took the lead in the third quarter, Auburn went so pass-happy you would've thought they were down by three touchdowns instead of only a single point. I'm not the first person to propose this, certainly, but Tony Franklin doesn't seem to have the slightest clue what to do with the roster of players he's presently got to work with; somewhere, Al Borges is laughing his ass off.

8:30-9 p.m. or thereabouts: Maryland at Virginia. The ACC championship trophy must have become infected with herpes; that's the only explanation I can find for Maryland, which had just knocked off ranked California and Clemson teams, losing 31-0 to a Virginia team coming off of a manhandling by Duke. Oh, well, good show, Wahoos! You'll earn that Congressional Bowl bid yet.

Other games I caught bits 'n' pieces of:



Georgia Tech 27, Duke 0. Obviously, I was really hoping for a Duke win here, and with Tech holding a slim 3-0 lead at halftime, it looked like it might happen. But the Blue Devils never figured out how to cover the one guy who caught any passes for the Jackets all afternoon long and got blown out. Oh, Duke, it's just never going to happen for you guys, is it? And it's got to be killing you to see what's going on at Vandy and Northwestern right now.

Missouri 52, Nebraska 17. In Nebraska's stadium. Did you know Mizzou hasn't had a three-and-out on offense all year long, not even with their bench players in? Woe be unto anyone who has to figure out how to stop those guys.

Southern Cal 44, Oregon 10. USC's good again Pac-10 blah blah who cares.

We might as well also go through the extracurriculars --

· UAB Blazers watch: On Thursday night the Blazers led for about a half before succumbing to Memphis, 33-30. Still, that's the closest we've played anyone in D-IA all year long. Still, we might figure this "football" thing out before too long. I'll bet there's a second win in this team yet!

· Wofford Terriers watch: The Terriers, like the Bulldogs, had a bye this week. And they tore the shit out of it.



· Cheerleader Curse watch: This week's cursee was North Carolina, alma mater of Lauren Joyner (above), but despite having 10 fewer first downs than #24 UConn, despite being outgained by more than 100 yards, despite holding the ball for fewer than 24 minutes the entire game, the Tarheels still won. So I think we can declare the Cheerleader Curse defunct until further notice, though I'll let you know if it rears its ugly head at any point over the remainder of the season.

· Oh, and the Redskins: 4-1, baby. Jim Zorn knows where you sleep.

 

[RJ Esq]

The Greatest Opportunity

from Burnt Orange Nation by whills
Sometimes in this life the greatest opportunity happens to occur within the context of our greatest threats, in the midst of our most powerful fears, where our basic human dignity and integrity are threatened, and our whole concept of who and what we are in this world is challenged.
OU this weekend is such a situation.
We can be somewhat consoled that the greatest gain can come from such risks, although it must be said, this is not a risk we have necessarily chosen but has fallen to us as a function of this season. The truth be told, we would be much more comfortable waiting a month or so. But we have no such luxury at this moment.
The future is upon us, and our duty is clear. We must engage the enemy; there is little choice*. And what little time that remains until our destiny is joined, we must collect and direct our attention to those efforts which will effectively turn the tide our way.
The rest of this post will not reduce our fear. In fact, it will increase it. But of all the things this Texas Longhorn team must do is face their fear, because if they can do that, the future can be theirs. And if they can't, the game is already lost.
*2003 a non-engagement engagement, by all accounts. No hissing.

This is the history of UT versus OU when the Sooners are ranked #! or #2. It's not pretty, but it is instructive. We will be playing a powerful team at the top of their game according to those who observe such feats (pollsters since 1936).

Oklahoma as the #1 ranked team:
Year Rank Winner Tx Coach
2003 Tx #11 OU 65-13 Mack Brown
1987 Tx ur OU 44-9 David McWilliams
1978 Tx #6 OU 31-10 Fred Akers
1963 Tx #2 Tx 28-7 DKRoyal
1957 Tx ur OU 21-7 DKRoyal
1956 Tx ur OU 45-0 Ed Price
1954 Tx #15 OU 14-7 Ed Price
1946 Tx ur Tx 20-3 Dana X. Bible
​

The toll is 6-2 in OU's favor. AP didn't start until 1936, so this goes back that far.

Oklahoma as the #2 ranked team:
2004 Tx #5 OU 12-0 Mack Brown
2002 Tx #3 OU 35-24 Mack Brown
1985 Tx #17 OU 14-7 Fred Akers
1984 Tx #1 Tie 15-15 Fred Akers
1977 Tx #5 TX 13-6 Fred Akers
1975 Tx #5 OU 24-17 DKRoyal
1974 Tx #17 OU 16-13 DKRoyal
1972 Tx #10 OU 27-0 DKRoyal
1958 Tx #16 Tx 15-14 DKRoyal
​

The toll is 6-2-1 for an overall of 12-4-1. Your chances against going to heaven are 3-1, historically speaking. Texas is 0-6 vs. OU #1 and #2 since the tie in 1984.
The present era is rather bleak, to say the least.
We've seen Mack bite through the past in 2005. This, however, may present a stronger and more dangerous task. OU is ranked #1 in the AP poll just out tonight. They may have some hype in their position, but 51 votes say they are the top team in the land. There's little ambiguity to cling to. There will be no VY to the rescue.
This game will fall to the Texas defense to keep within reach. If OU is 100% better than any team we have played, that makes 24 points a minimum expectation for the OU offense. So, the question will have to be answered by the offense: How much can they score on OU's defense? 28? 35? 42? Obviously, OU's defense is better than Colorado's, so anything out of the 30s is unrealistic at this point.
In my mind, such that it is, the number one thing OU has going for it is intimidation. The combo of intimidation and a quick start - they are speedy and they take advantage of this quickly, have since Stoops arrived - in the first quarter means that Texas must avoid the lethal start, must control the tempo and not be intimidated from the beginning even if they get behind.
This is a war, not a single battle; the Longhorns must think they belong in that war, on that field, in the fight. And the Horns must think they have the will to win. And no one should take this from them but give them every opportunity to prove this is so.
For an exhibit, I present the 1999 game when Texas fell behind Stoop's first squad, 17-0 in the first quarter and it looked like they were going to be blown out. But a Kris Stockson 46-yard FG started the comeback, two more FGs got it close and Major hit Rayn Nunez with an 11-yard pass and then a two-point conversion to make it 17-17 at the half. Ugly points, but the field was leveled.
In the second half the Horns held OU to a field goal and a late TD while they built a lead behind the running of Hodges Mitchell (216 yard for the day and a TD) and the pass catching of Kwame Cavil and Nunez and four big catches by Montrell Flowers. The second TD pass by Major to Nunez to ice the game saw Major taunting the OU fans and beating his chest. That's the attitude I'm talking about, that I want to see this Saturday. Texas was ranked at #23, OU was unranked; this was not one of the great games but it gives a clue to the state of mind that needs to be on the field.
It is a credit to Colt that he has beaten OU and has played a game that was close enough to have been won. These are strong notches in his leadership abilities. Colt has matured this season before our eyes, and I am completely at ease with him leading this team on this mission, for we are going to ask him to do the almost impossible in the face of history and the beat these Sooners.
I wanted to write this before the hype of the week ensues. This will be a busy week for me but OU will never be far from my mind. The opportunity to knock these Okie bastards off their pedestal is a gift that seldom presents itself, but this edition of the Red River Series, without a doubt, is one of those. When the herd starts stampeding one way, there ain't no stopping it. Getting them rollin', rollin', rollin' is the trick.
Hook 'em. And OU still sucks.

 

[nawlins51]

GL RJ.

 

[RJ Esq]

Five Things We Learned This Weekend

from Conquer And Prevail: Front Page Posts by Jarred Amato



1. That Vanderbilt fans really do care about football. It started Friday afternoon, when hundreds of fans impressed Lee Corso by gathering on The Commons as the GameDay crew recorded a segment for SportsCenter, continued Saturday morning as thousands got up at the crack of dawn to take part in the GameDay festivities and ended that evening when Dudley Field came alive like never before.
Put simply, the Commodores had a real home-field advantage.
"First of all, I just want to thank all of them," said wide receiver George Smith. "The fans are just on another level. I never thought I could hear 'The Dud' get that loud. They're just behind us 100 percent and we love it and we thank them for that, because you know what? They're helping us regain the confidence that we need to win these games."
From creative signs to the Facebook statuses, the school spirit has been overwhelming. Here are a few of my favorites (feel free to leave yours in the comments):
Signs

• "What's worse: Auburn's offense or the economy"
• "The Geeks Shall Inherit The Turf"
• "A Vandy Education: $160,000. A season ticket: $99. A Tony Franklin offense: Worthless."
• "Hey Kirk, the SEC drew straws and its Vandy's turn to beat Ohio State in a bowl game."
• "Dore Eagle"
• Anything making fun of Phil Fulmer and Tennessee

Facebook Statuses

• Kate...goes to a football school, apparently
• Caroline...is we partied like it was 1943.
• Quentin...how's that taste Lee Corso?
• Will is...Vanderbilt's football ranking (13) officially surpasses its US News and World Report ranking (18). Who'd have thunk it?
• Austin...is wondering when he's gonna wake up from this dreamlike state of Vandy football!
• Tom...is Sugar Bowl?
• Jake...is Vandy bandwagon. Any volunteers?
• Dillon...is in Vandectasy

2. That Mackenzi Adams is a baller. Seriously, how much fun was it watching Adams lead the Commodore offense? There's no question that the players respond to his passion and competitiveness, and you can just tell that Adams loves to play football.
While we'll learn more about Chris Nickson's health status at Monday's press conference, I think Adams has to be the quarterback for the foreseeable future regardless. As wide receiver George Smith said, "Mackenzi's clutch."
3. That Vanderbilt can win the SEC East. Seriously. Even SI.com's Stewart Mandel thinks it's possible. The Dores are 3-0 in league play, ahead of favorites Florida (2-1) and Georgia (1-1), and should be favorites against Mississippi State and Tennessee and possibly Kentucky. If they win those three and split against the Gators and Dogs (hey, it could happen), the Dores will be off to Atlanta. And, considering how crazy things are in the SEC, Vandy could even win the division with two losses.
4. That Bobby Johnson is the man. I don't think it's possible to care for your players more than Johnson does. "This is what coaches live for," he said. "I live for walking in the dressing room after the game and seeing how happy our players are. That's what makes me emotional." The feeling is mutual. "He said he was proud of us and thanked us for working hard," said linebacker Chris Marve. "We thanked him for working so much harder and believing in us. Everything we've done is because we work together cohesively."
Seeing all the signs for Johnson at GameDay ("Loco for Bojo" and "Bobby Johnson for President," among others) illustrated just how much fans admire the type of person that Johnson is and the job that he has deserves.


5. That the Commodores are on a mission. There's just something special about this team that can't be explained by any statistic.
"We've been playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger," said safety Reshard Langford. "We've got a lot of heart. We believe that we can win and it's showing, and that's why we didn't give up tonight."
"It's a blessing to be a part of a team with the morale just so high," Smith said. "You just take advantage of every day in the locker room and at practice, and us being that much closer is just showing its true colors out on the field."
That's why Johnson is not worried about players getting complacent.
"I think they're mature and they're smart, a lot smarter than I am," Johnson said. "They're hungry and they're still hungry, and that's the thing about it. They know our most important game is this one coming up against Mississippi State."
Thanks again to Oliver Wolfe for providing the photos. I'll be posting more of them throughout the week as we continue to savor the victory of a lifetime...

 

[RJ Esq]

Final thoughts on the win over Oregon

from Conquest Chronicles by Paragon SC
The frustration that the defense felt after the Oregon St. game had to be tremendous. Yes the D line got pushed around and there was some lack luster play due to just mailing it in but SC still had issues trying to stop Rogers. When you cant see them coming its going to be tough to stop them but last night they saw what Oregon was going to do and after the Ducks scored their only TD the defense adjusted and they locked them down. Of course everything has to be in sync, so while it wasn’t a pretty performance in the early going SC figured it out and made it work. The adjustment was one that SC used against OSU but this time with D line standing its ground and getting penetration it worked and Oregon’s two running backs who thought that they were going to get 100 yards each didn’t do much at all.

The USC defense held Oregon, the top rushing team in the Pacific-10 Conference, to a meek 60 yards on the ground.

Or about 250 yards below the Ducks' average coming into the game.
​

The reason for those numbers was because of safety Kevin Ellison. His coming up and being the eighth man in the box went a long way to stiffing Oregon's running attack.

Ellison's presence as the "eighth man in the box" – the football term for the safety who joins the defensive linemen and linebackers for run-stopping duty – had a lot to do with USC shutting down Oregon's prolific ground attack Saturday night in a much-needed, 44-10, bounce-back victory.
Ellison was involved in a team-high 12 tackles – all in the first half, when the tenor was established and the game was decided. And no, it wasn't a case of Ellison cleaning up the mess left by others. He repeatedly crept up near the line of scrimmage to help absorb the blows from Oregon's 1-2 punch of Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount.
The two entered Saturday night's game averaging a combined 184.2 rushing yards per game.
They had just 35 in the first half, which ended with USC leading, 27-10.
When the advantage grew to 37-10 late in the third quarter, the Ducks had to abandon the run and play a game they didn't want to play.
The first half played out right in Ellison's comfort zone.
​

There were a lot of passes that should have been picked off last night once Oregon was forced into passing situations but none of it could have happened had the defense not put forth a superior effort when compared to the debacle in Corvallis.
The defense, once they settled in put up a pretty good performance and the "new look" that we saw due to injuries or previous poor performances didn't affect us for the worse. Good or bad, it was different not seeing Rey Rey in the game because of his injured knee. It was odd, but it also gave some of our depth a chance to step up and show what they can do. Cushing did a great job at MLB and Michael Morgan, before leaving the game with a concussion, played solid in his first start.
A team simply can't turn on a switch and say they going to get motivated they have to come into a game with a certain mind set. A team also can't get angry to the point of letting their anger get the best of them and negatively affect their play on the field, they have to sometimes just get back basics.

When they are at their best, the Trojans are all about balance on offense, but quarterback Mark Sanchez and his receivers will have to sync up better than they did in Corvallis to punish the Ducks.
If the Trojans do take out their frustrations on the Ducks, they may make a resonating statement to pollsters that it's premature to count the House of Troy out of the national title race just yet. Not that Carroll is interested in talking about rankings or big picture stuff like that.
​

Exactly, the outside noise is for us fans and the media, SC just needed to settle in and find its game. Some people seem to miss that, it isn't always pretty. As long as SC is working through their issues and getting positve results I can live with an average game in terms of performance especially after last week.
Look at Alabama, after smoking UGA they looked aboslutely pedestrian against Kentucky. Yes, UK was undefeated but with what I saw Alabama do to Clemson and UGA in the first half they are clearly ahead of schedule but they are not immune from average play. Heck, they looked pretty pedestrian in the second half of the UGA game.
I would love to see solid wins every game but the fact is it doesn't always happen and sometimes you have a lot of stinkers but still get the win. Some days style points work other days they don't.
One thing that stood out was USC's confidence on that 4th and 2 play where Williams scored his TD.

Saturday's fourth-and-two in USC's 44-10 win over Oregon could never, in terms of historic significance, match the other fourth-and-two.
The difference, though, was that this one worked for USC, and it was the key play in one of the more important bounce-back games Pete Carroll has faced in seven-plus seasons as the Trojans' coach.
USC was down, 10-3, in the second quarter, a week and two days removed from being down 21-0 in an ultimate Thursday night defeat at Oregon State.
The Trojans had to beat Oregon to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since a Washington-Stanford combo early in 2001 -- Carroll's first season.
But things weren't going well. A roughing the holder penalty on USC allowed Oregon to take a field goal off the scoreboard and trade it for a touchdown.
USC had first-and-goal from the six and had to settle for a field goal.
Then, down by a touchdown, USC faced fourth down at the Ducks' 34.
You knew Carroll was going for it -- he usually does.
Instead of a run, though, the coaching staff went for the kill.
Mark Sanchez found Damian Williams, wide open, streaking down the left crease and hit him on his No. 18 on the way to an easy touchdown.
"Beautiful call," Carroll said of Steve Sarkisian, his offensive coordinator. "But it wasn't one you make to make the first down."
​

I like the swagger of that play, it showed a lot of confidence that was missing last week.
You saw a little bit of it when Mustain came in as well. I wasn't happy with the INT he threw but I liked the play that was called as showed some aggressiveness on Sarkisian's part to try and get Mustain's confidence up. I actually thought it was a pretty good play by the defender more than it being a poor decision on Mustain's part. It wasn't his best performance there but he made up for it later on the TD to Ausberry. Speaking of Ausberry, he is absolutely huge! I would love to see him get some more touches. It was also nice to See Travon Patterson get into the game.
Let me briefly address the last TD that Mustain threw to Ausberry. I know Mike Bellotti was not happy about it and I can understand if it was the first team in there running up the score but this was the second and third stringers, at home, getting their chance to make some plays and show the staff what they've got. The game was well out of hand and the spread was covered so what's the difference. If it was on the road up at Autzen I could probably see his frustration.
so there are still some issues and kinks to work out but this had to be a big boost to SC's confidence. next week its ASU who is coming off a bad loss to Cal. I still think the Pac-10 is up for grabs...

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">5 Thoughts - The Big Game You Must See </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Missouri's Jeremy Maclin and OSU's Dez Bryant
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 6, 2008
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While this week will be all about Oklahoma vs. Texas and LSU vs. Florida, there's a big-time game that you might not know about that could be the best showdown of the weekend. That and the new Penn State star, the shift of power at Tennessee, and more in this week's 5 Thoughts.
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5 Thoughts ... Oct. 5
Five Thoughts: 2007 Thoughts | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
- Week 5
One Bathroom Break And You'll Miss Two Touchdowns

[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]
1. Joe Six Pack College Football Fan might only care about the wink and the wiggle of Oklahoma vs. Texas or LSU at Florida or Penn State at Wisconsin, but you want more than the obvious showdowns. As good as those should be, as Saturday shakes out, they might take a back seat to the under-the-radar matchup that'll have a huge impact on the BCS race.

Oh sure, those spotlight games will be wars that'll be overanalyzed by every talk show host and every pregame show; we've all been fired up about these games for months. However, if you've been paying attention to what's been happening so far this season, there's a hidden gem that didn't seem like much before the season started, but now should be every bit as worthy as the Red River Rivalry when it comes to finding out who really gets a seat at the big boy table.

8:00 p.m. EST in Columbia, Missouri ... Oklahoma State is visiting Missouri. Don't let it get pushed aside by the Tigers - Gators and Nittany Lions - Badgers, who are playing at the same time.

Now that Mizzou is No. 2 in the only poll that matters, the Coaches' Poll, it's time to find out just how real this team is. Beating Illinois was strong, and the blowout over Nebraska wasn't without its charm, but this Oklahoma State team is a whole other animal.

It might seem like overhype to call OSU another Alabama, but that's what it'll be if it pulls off a win in Columbia. If nothing else, this will be the rare firefight between two high-octane offenses playing at the highest level.

All Missouri has done is hang 52 on Illinois, 52 on SE Missouri State, 69 on Nevada, 42 against Buffalo and 52 against Nebraska. The attack has been flawless, currently ranking second in the nation in scoring (behind Tulsa) and third in total offense (behind Tulsa and Texas Tech). Meanwhile, Oklahoma State scores 39 in Seattle against Washington State to open the year, 56 against Houston, 57 against Missouri State, 55 on Troy and 56 against Texas A&M. OSU is sixth in the nation in total offense, third in scoring, and second in rushing. No, the Cowboys haven't exactly beaten LSU and USC, and that's why this game is so intriguing. If the T. Boone Pickens Cowboys are ready for prime time, we'll know it after this weekend.

And there's so much more to this showdown.

With all due respect to Florida's Percy Harvin and North Carolina's Brandon Tate, this will be a showcase for the nation's two best all-around playmaking wide receivers. Everyone knows about Missouri's Jeremy Maclin, the highlight reel superstar who has caught 31 passes for 480 yards and five touchdowns, rushed for two scores, and is averaging just over 10 yards per punt return and over 30 yards per kickoff return. As good as Maclin is, he could take a backseat if this is the coming out party for the leader in the race for the Biletnikoff Award.

Oklahoma State sophomore Dez Bryant has gone ballistic. He wasn't really involved in the offense against Missouri State, he wasn't needed, but in the last three games that have mattered he caught nine passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns against Houston, six passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns against Troy, and five passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns against Texas A&M. He's averaging 20.3 yards per grab even though every secondary has focused solely on stopping him. Oh yeah, and he's also fourth in the nation in punt returns averaging 23.5 yards per try with two touchdowns. Bryant is sixth in the nation in average all-purpose running yards per game while Maclin is fifth. Bryant is second in the nation in scoring behind Tiger RB Derrick Washington, who has 12 touchdowns with two rushing scores in each of the first five games

OSU QB Zac Robinson is third in the nation in passing efficiency. Missouri's Chase Daniel is fifth, and is fourth in the nation in total offense. Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox is second in the nation in kickoff returns averaging 35.78 yards per try. OSU RB Kendall Hunter is fifth in the nation in rushing.

In other words, as the man says, get your popcorn ready.
And You're Wondering Why Terrelle Pryor Didn't Sign

[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By [/FONT][/SIZE] Richard Cirminiello[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] [/FONT][/SIZE]
2. After watching Darryl Clark guide Penn State to a 6-0 start, I’m wondering if Penn State should be applauded or criticized for the quarterback’s play. For the second time this decade, the Nittany Lions have buried a talented quarterback until the latter stages of his college career. Where was Clark when Anthony Morelli was throwing bullets into the other team’s chest in back-to-back seasons? That sounds eerily similar to the situation involving Michael Robinson, who was forced to play wide receiver as an ineffective Zack Mills got the nod under center. After Mills graduated, Robinson flourished as a senior at quarterback, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors. Even RB Larry Johnson had trouble getting reps in his first three years, languishing behind such luminaries as Eric McCoo and Omar Easy, before exploding for 2,000 yards as a senior in 2002. Is the Lion staff painfully loyal or doing a poor job of evaluating players early in their careers?

While it would have been nice if Clark had attempted more than nine passes last season, the good news is that he doesn’t appear to be hurting from a lack of experience. Through six games, he’s accounted for 13 touchdowns, while throwing just a single interception. He’s a dual-threat who’ll zip passes into tight places and bury a defensive back when he leaves the pocket. And he brings a swagger and confidence into the huddle that’s reminiscent of Robinson when he finally got his chance in 2005. No one has been more instrumental to Penn State’s unexpected rise in the polls than No. 17. Don’t get a false of security, Big Ten fans, that this is the only year you’ll have to deal with the senior. A former Prop 48 student, Clark is well on his way to completing the required number of credits needed to earn an extra year of eligibility for 2009.








The Tennessee Ying And The Yang
By Richard Cirminiello

3. Could life get any worse for Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer? Not only are the Volunteers buried in the SEC East basement, needing to escape Northern Illinois Saturday, but the program has lost the back page in the state to Vanderbilt. Vandy is bigger than Rocky Top, just another sign of how much things have changed in college football.

What’s not to like about the Dores’ first 5-0 start since 1943, which was capped by a win over Auburn and has captured the attention of the entire football nation? The program does things the old-fashioned way. In a league of football factories, the athletes are truly student-athletes, pulling double-duty at one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. The even-keeled coach, Bobby Johnson, doesn’t permit swearing on the field. The team, still at or near the bottom of the SEC in total offense and total defense, trades flash for fundamentals. From tackling and turnover margin to sacks and special teams, Vanderbilt does all of the little things needed to overcome an obvious talent gap compared to the rest of the league. The only thing that could have made this story more enjoyable is if I had predicted it back in August.

So where does this leave Fulmer? Technically, whatever Vanderbilt does has no bearing on the coach’s future in Knoxville. However, losing the spotlight to a perennial doormat sure isn’t helping. Whatever support he had entering the season is gone, meaning change could be in the air at the end of the season. The Vols get a first-hand look at the Commodores on Nov. 22 in a game that’ll have profound implications to the future of both programs.

Somewhere This Weekend, FIU And Army Fans Got To Rejoice, Too

By Matthew Zemek

4. One of the great treasures of college football is found in the fact that every Saturday (except for week two of this season, one of the biggest duds in the sport's long history) offers numerous success stories that hit the heartstrings in different places and from various angles. It's not just the multiplicity of magical moments that inspires those of us who watch this sport for a living (and believe me, watching Iowa-Michigan State or Hawaii-Fresno State or Missouri-Nebraska for a living is not fun; when the quality of play is poor or the matchup doesn't sizzle, this generally wonderful job can be a downright chore). College ball, unlike the NFL brand, sings and soars because of the different identities, the unique regional portraits of passion and pride, that emerge around the country every Autumn.

This past weekend offered many glimpses of gridiron glory, but the flavor of each victory was definitely not the same at each program.

Ohio State proudly defended its Big Ten title at Wisconsin, setting up a 15-round heavyweight title bout vs. Penn State on Oct. 25. In Columbus, conference crowns are expected, but after sweating out a close one in Madison, perhaps Buckeye fans will appreciate how admirably consistent their team has been over the past several seasons. (And perhaps OSU's most ferocious critics will man up and give Mister Sweater Vest a little more respect.)

For Vanderbilt, success is always expected in the classroom and in the world's most noble professions... but not on the gridiron. The sweet nectar of victory that's being imbibed by a parched Commodore Nation carries a taste quite different from the brew being downed by Buckeye fans.

The state of Ohio would have a collective coronary if forced to endure anything close to what Vandy football fans have experienced for the past 26 years. Commodores of all ages would give their right arm and their left leg--but not a decline in test scores or academic credentials--to win 10 games and play a January bowl game in just one season. Even 7-5 with a bowl victory would do wonders for Nashville's Little Engine That Could.

Illinois also registered a special victory on Saturday. No, the Illini won't make a BCS bowl, but a decisive triumph at Michigan--a stadium Wisconsin couldn't conquer the week before--showed that Ron Zook's program has attained a measure of staying power in the Big Ten. For a program that had been at the very bottom a few short seasons ago, an upper-division conference finish, with a solid 8-4 record and a chance at the Outback Bowl, is something to be cherished, not panned.

Victory and success, as you can plainly see, acquire different tones and textures for various teams. It's why no two programs--or wins--are created equal in this sport. Fans on opposite sides of various divides would do well to walk in another program's shoes every now and then.
Don't Call It A Rebuilding Year. O.K., Call It A Rebuilding Year.

By Steve Silverman [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] [/FONT][/SIZE]
5. Illinois 45, at Michigan 20
Missouri 52, at Nebraska 17
There’s nothing like the have-nots beating up the haves. I’m not talking about a perennial down-and-outer coming through with a miracle and squeaking by a good team as they play in front of their rabid fans at home. No, this has nothing to do with a last-minute field goal or a miracle goal line stand.
Illinois goes on the road to Michigan and overwhelms the Wolverines with a huge second-half performance. Missouri goes into Lincoln and smacks the Cornhuskers around for 60 minutes. Neither one of these wins were flukes. Illinois has an accomplished offense with Juice Williams at the controls and some issues on defense but those issues were invisible against Steven Threet and his crew of Maize and Blue masqueraders.
The Tigers are an unstoppable force on offense with future NFL star Chase Daniel and WR Jeremy Maclin leading the way and the Tigers handed Nebraska its worst home defeat in 53 years.
Will these trends continue? Possibly. But whether they do or not, there’s something reassuring about a major turnaround. Maybe life is fair after all and those that work hard will finally get their rewards. You think that for about five seconds and then realize that the Chicago Cubs are now working on their second century of futility. Life will always hit back in one way or another.





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[RJ Esq]

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[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">7:12 AM (3 minutes ago)
Monday Headlinin': Chase Daniel prefers his own mucus, thanks

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
• If you can't beat them, spit on them. Bo Pelini vowed to control his bellowing anger long enough to do a little investigatin' into Chase Daniel's claim that at least one Nebraska player was hocking loogies on the Missouri quarterback Saturday before he performed anaesthesia-free surgery on the Husker secondary. Upping the elementary school recess-ness of the scene, Daniel also told reporters Nebraska was throwing footballs at Tiger players during warm-ups. Know who else was throwing footballs at Tiger players during warm-ups? Chase Daniel! So why doesn't he just go investigate his own self?Until someone produces a confession or visual evidence of airborne saliva in Daniel's direction, the entire affair is petty name-calling at its finest. Daniel launched the standard "dirty team/bush league" salvo, Pelini shot back, "I know you are but what am I?" and Daniel was like, "You're that freaky German guy from the Volkswagen commercials" and Pelini was all like, "Oh yeah, well you eat boogers." Which is true -- Chase Daniel does eat boogers:

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kighOUC8Ig8&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout​

What's a little spit after a hearty nose buffet? So check and mate, Pelini. Unless there's something else you'd like to add, Mr. Golddigger?
• Wait, when I said, "Put down that one team from Indiana," that's not what I meant. Notre Dame is 4-1 after a career day by Jimmy Clausen in a win over Stanford, so obviously the pollsters are falling all over themselves to ... leave the Irish out of the rankings altogether. The Associated Press was so shocked by the outcome of its own poll, where ND is a distant 35th, that it actually did, like, research and math and stuff on its unblemished record of Irish love:

Every other season in which the Fighting Irish were either 4-1 or 3-1-1, they were ranked. The Irish were rated as high as No. 4 in 1942 and 1965, as low as No. 18 in 1998, and had an average ranking of No. 10 during those seasons.
​

Instead of voting up the echoes for the millionth time, the writers took a bizarre flier on another team from Indiana, undefeated Ball State, which makes its first poll appearance in the 84-year history of the program. I say "bizarre" not only because no MAC team has come close to the AP's top 25 in four years, but also because Ball State's resumé doesn't exactly fly off the screen: the Cardinals' best win is probably over Navy, or maybe Indiana. Why BSU would crack the ledger with a string of mediocre wins while similarly undefeated Northwestern (No. 30) and/or Tulsa (27) would be left waiting -- not to mention Illinois, Georgia Tech and Florida State, all left out despite having actually decent wins beside respectable losses -- I can't explain. But more power to the mighty Ball, I guess.

• Cardinal get red in the face. At least the Irish got a little old-fashioned home cookin' in one respect, according to Jim Harbaugh:

Harbaugh was not thinking about Stanford's postseason when he came down on the officiating with an unsolicited verbal barrage. He was angry about a play on a Stanford punt in the second quarter with the Irish leading 14-7. The kick bounced off the hands of Irish returner Armando Allen and was recovered by Stanford at the Irish 37-yard line. However, officials called Stanford's Nate Wilcox-Fogel for interfering with the catch, even though replays suggested otherwise.​

Harbaugh argued vehemently on the sideline, throwing his hat, coming well out onto the field, and yelling at officials, who happened to be from the Pac-10.​

"We got a couple of bad calls," Harbaugh said after the game. "It's hard to imagine people don't know football any better than that. Maybe I'll be swayed differently after I see the replay, but from what I saw on the field, I still can't get over it. It was a really bad call. It should have been our ball and a touchdown for us."
​

As the San Francisco Chronicle's Jake Curtis points out, Harbaugh apparently doesn't know football well enough himself to know that a muffed punt can't be advanced for a touchdown after it's recovered (unless he's just assuming the Stanford offense would have scored from the ND 37, which is ... a stretch, to say the least), but still: the Cardinal were generally in a rage following the loss. The players were more zen about the Armando Allen call than their coach -- who also either didn't see or flatly snubbed Clausen's bid for a postgame handshake, depending on who you ask -- but were angry enough about something to get into a shoving match with the Irish after the final gun. Certainly the tussle wasn't an extension of Chris Marinelli's refreshingly blunt pre-game trash talk? No ... well, maybe a little.
Quickly . . . Phil Fulmer was happy enough with quarterback Nick Stephens' performance against Northern Illinois that the sophomore will probably get the start against Georgia. . . . Miami's likely lost two defensive starters, linebacker Colin McCarthy and end Eric Moncur, for the season. . . . Percy Harvin sat out Florida's Sunday practice with a tweaked ankle. . . . Tim Brewster is returning to his alma mater Saturday and, uh, looking to emulate Ron Zook? . . . West Virginia's leading tackler, Reed Williams, will take a medical redshirt, and Pat White is expected to play at Syracuse (like the Mountaineers really need him there). . . . Mark Sanchez is "day-to-day" with his newly-aggravated knee injury, and even after USC's win over Oregon, Pete Carroll can't let go of the loss at Oregon State. . . . And "Oh my goodness," Beanie Wells left Madison a bruised and impressed man.






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[RJ Esq]

Ferentz Gets Dreaded Vote of Confidence From Iowa's Athletic Director

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
Filed under: Iowa, NCAA FB Coaching

After the Hawkeyes' latest stultifying loss, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta would like you to know he likes what he's seen from the team this season.

"We have a young team," Iowa's athletic director said. "I like where we're headed with the players that we have.

"We have to win some games, and we all know that."
​

Yes. We also know that water is wet, feet are useful, and the Large Hadron Collider has not yet destroyed the universe.

Okay, to be fair, losing three games by a total of nine points isn't the most shameful fate a team can endure, especially if the losses are to three times which are no worse than slightly above average, which aptly describes Pitt, Northwestern, and Michigan State. Yet it seems to irk some fans, as Barta knows:

"I continue to have great confidence," Barta said. "When you lose close games, people tend to get upset, and I understand that."
​

Call me crazy, but I don't understand that. I can live with a Hawkeye loss so long as I got to see a good football game.

Case in point: the 2005 Iowa-Northwestern game, which I had the good fortune to see in person. Iowa dominated that game until the Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the last 2 minutes and 10 seconds to squeak past the Hawkeyes. Then it started pouring down rain and small hail on the walk back to the car. As my friends and I huddled under the overhang of some random building on the NU campus, I turned to my friends and said, "You know, we just saw a really good football game," and none of them disagreed. I realize that puts me in a group of about 0.01% of all college football fans, but I digress. Losing 52-10 would upset me much more than losing 21-20, 22-17, and 16-13 does.

At any rate, if you're wondering if this will be Kirk Ferentz's last season in Iowa City, the Magic 8 Ball says "doubtful":

"I think Kirk is a tremendous football coach and a terrific person," Barta said of Ferentz, who is under contract through the 2012 season after being granted a one-year extension last February.


I can't argue much with that. Ferentz is a terrific person, and I don't think he's as awful a coach as many Hawkeye fans are starting to think. Still, the key to understanding the situation is in the second half of that sentence, not the first. They can't afford to buy him out.
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