Week 2 (9/6-9/8) CFB Picks and News

RJ Esq

RJ Esq

Prick Since 1974
2004-2005
No Records Kept

2005-2006 CFB Record
77-71 (52.04%), +2.2 units

2006-2007 CFB Record
70-48-3 (57.85%), +46.63 units (Behold the power of CTG)

2007-08 CFB Record
6-4, +2.5 units

Not a good start but could have been worse...and better. Texas fucked me (and alot of you) over big time).

Still have TTech waiting with a subpar line but think they win by DD. Let's hope and make the first week positive. Edit: TT proved me right and got up early and pulled away when SMU got one dimensional.

All plays are for $500 (5 units) unless otherwise stated.

Picks
WVU -23' (-110)
Penn St -15' (-110)
Hawaii -27' (-110)
Nebraska -7 (-110)
Mizzou -6 (-104)
Kentucky -12 (-105)
UCLA -7 (-115)
Navy +16.5 (+103)

Leans
Tennessee
Temple
Va Tech
 
Last edited:
Added:

Penn St -15'

I had the line set at 12 and was stupid not to take it at 14. Penn St at home in a huge revenge game against a Notre Dame team that didn't have any answers for GTech.

Excellent spot and the fact that all the Big 10 boys are on it, even at this inflated number, demonstrates how solid a pick this is.

Just kicking myself in the ass for not getting it at 2 TDs or less.
 
I can't lay that BC number. The Sportsbook games of year one that Horn got was 10 points lower..lol. Its just too high even though its correct to be.
 
Breakthrough for Jones, setback for Horns

Nate Jones' play excepted, rest of Longhorns have some questions to answer.

<SCRIPT src="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/js/NewsworthyAudioC2L.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/newsworthy/statesman/sports/stories/longhorns/09/03/statesman_sports_stories_longhorns_09_03_0903texfoot.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>By Alan Trubow
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, September 03, 2007
For three years Nate Jones has been has been on the field.
It's a dull description, but how else do you describe a senior who's played in 37 games and tallied just 29 receptions for 293 yards?
Perhaps poised for a breakout game?
That's exactly what Jones had in Saturday's lackluster, 21-13 victory over Arkansas State. He hauled in a career-high nine receptions for 73 yards at Royal-Memorial Stadium.
He certainly impressed his coach.
"I thought the receivers played great," Mack Brown said. "Limas (Sweed) had missed some time (with a wrist injury), but he played great and made some really important plays for us. Nate Jones played maybe the best I've ever seen him play."
Did Jones get more practice time because of injuries to Sweed, Billy Pittman and Jordan Shipley? "No," Jones said.
Is he a bigger part of the offense this year than last year? "No," Jones said. "Same role."
So what is it?
"It goes back to 7-on-7 (summer workouts), and we work hard on different things. Colt (McCoy) and I were connecting pretty well out there tonight," Jones said after the game. "We had a couple of great passes, and we just try to come out as a receiving group being focused and try to keep going to get the win. Colt was throwing me the ball, and I just try to go out there and make plays and make sure this team heads in the right direction on every drive."
But as a whole, the Longhorns didn't really move in the right direction Saturday.
Take out the play of Jones and running back Jamaal Charles, and you wonder if Texas would have taken some of the spotlight off of Ann Arbor, where No. 5 Michigan was upset by Appalachian State.
The No. 4 Longhorns struggled to move the ball at times against lightly regarded Arkansas State, and the Texas defense couldn't stop the Indians, who racked up 397 yards. That was 57 more than Texas managed.
Off-the-field distractions? Overconfidence? Inexperience?
The issues that everybody was talking about in the offseason ... well, they're still going to be talking about them this week as Texas prepares for 22nd-ranked TCU.
Question 1: The offensive line, which struggled down the stretch with run blocking last season.
It was worse Saturday as Charles, who managed 112 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 27 carries, spent more time running side to side and avoiding would-be tacklers in the backfield than gaining yards. When it came time to punch it in from the 4 yard line, he ran four times and was unable to score.
Question 2: The secondary — which was set on improving from last year, when the Longhorns ranked 99th in pass defense — gave up 272 passing yards to a team known to be more run-oriented.
Question 3: The linebackers. Can they make big, impact plays? On Saturday, Texas' four leading tacklers were all defensive backs — never a good reflection on the linebacking crew.
If those three questions aren't answered by Saturday, Texas could lose. And the Longhorns know it.
"We definitely can't play like we did against Arkansas State and expect to beat TCU," defensive end Aaron Lewis said. "We had some busts. We have six days (to prepare), but we can't allow 400 yards against us."
The Horned Frogs blanked Baylor 27-0 Saturday, and as the game ended TCU fans were chanting, "We want Texas!"
They're going to get Texas. And if it's the same Texas that reared its ugly head in the season opener, the TCU fans might have a lot more to chant about.
 
Team Grades: Week 1


<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>Well, school is about to open up, so I guess we should hand out some grades:

A+:

Louisville-Beating Murray State is easy, but tacking on 73 points is a good day at the office.

Oklahoma-Same as Louisville. North Texas is an absolute creampuff, but Sam Bradford was excellent and hopefully this game has him ready to face Miami.

Boise State-Weber State is horrid, but Ian Johnson was extremely efficient. Taylor Tharp didn't miss much and the Boise State defense played excellent.

Kansas-I didn't get to see the game since it wasn't on TV, so I don't know if it was Kansas playing out of their collective minds or Butch Jones totally "butch"ering the Chips' potential. Either way you look at it though, 35-0 at halftime against a team similar in talent is no joke. The stats paint a picture of absolute and thorough domination.

Indiana-The loss of Terry Hoeppner is tragic and even though the Sycamores are terrible, they came out and did what they needed to do with a 55-7 victory.

Hawaii-Colt Brennan was his usual phenomenal self throwing for 416 yards and 6 TDs before the end of the 1st halft. Hawaii let up on Northern Colorado so the final score was 63-6.

Michigan State-Again, UAB is one of the worst teams in the country, but the Spartans did what they had to do and played excellent. Mark Dantonio could have a good team there in East Lansing.

Penn State-They only beat Florida International, but they totally wore the Golden Panther defense down. Morelli was effective and that's just what they're looking for for a nice start to the season.

Arizona State-Okay, so maybe SJSU wasn't that great last season. Who cares? Dennis Erickson's squad came out on fire and the defense was out of this world holding the Spartans to 115 yards on offense.......ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN YARDS ON OFFENSE. The Sun Devil offense was the epitome of balance with 520 yards of offense and 270 through the air with 250 on the ground. Excellent debut for Arizona State.


A:

Rutgers-The Scarlet Knights came out and really demolished the Bulls. Ray Rice had a field day and so did Tiquan Underwood.

Cincinnati-The Bearcats had no issues moving the chains with Ben Mauk at QB. Butler Benton ran for some solid yardage and Mike Mickens at CB had two INTs, one for a touchdown.

Washington-While Syracuse is bad, they aren't absolutley terrible. The way the Huskies performed was terrific. Washington held Syracuse to 207 yards of offense and Jake Locker can really go.

Arkansas State-You know, I was about to put them on the "Sacraficial Lambs of the Week" before I stumbled across that Penn State/FIU matchup. Arkansas State got throttled early on and even though it looked as if Texas had packed their bags, the Indians battled and didn't look to bad in the process. Texas took the game 21-13.

Nebraska-Pretty much, Marlon Lucky and crew slaughtered the helpless. Nevada had some rebuilding to do, but anytime you get a 52-10 win when keeping the opposing team under 200 yards, that's doing your job.


A-:

Purdue-They had some issues against Toledo on Saturday, but you had to have been impressed with the Boilermaker offense. Curtis Painter had a big day and the defense, believe it or not, wasn't horrible. They turned the ball over 3 times but still won by a comfortable margin.

Bowling Green-Minnesota was transitioning to a new head coach, but Tyler Sheehan could be that next Dan LeFevour; a team that has everything it needs to go to a bowl game but is missing a QB. It looks like they found one. The run defense got drilled, but I suppose that was expected with Amir Pinnix touching the ball.

Stanford-Okay, they lost the game 45-17. But guess what? They moved the football! Hooray for them. Jim Harbuagh is the answer at Stanford. It might take a while and they might win one game this season, but he's laying the foundation. 383 yards of offense against UCLA is pretty good.

West Virginia-Western's defense is no slouch. However, Pat White and Steve Slaton ran like wild over the Bronco D. They never had a chance from the start. Still, that defense needs to get better for the Mountaineers. WMU's offense isn't spectacular but they still scored 24 points on them.

Georgia-The Bulldogs didn't look great yesterday, but they were certainly good. Georgia moved the football with some efficiency against a mediocre Cowboys defense but the reason they get an A- is because of the way they stopped Oklahoma State's offense. OSU averaged over 200 yards on the ground and through the air but Georgia kept them from 300 total yards of offense Between the Hedges. Nice effort.

Temple-That's right, Temple. Was it just me, or did they actually look a little bit impressive against Navy? They dug themselves in a hole early on but battled their way back into the game. Even though they lost, it was a solid game and they actually have a little bit of swagger, something that Temple has never had.

UConn-The Huskies were only playing Duke, but it was a close game at the half. Congrats to Randy Edsall for dominating this game, the final score was 45-14. Duke was just worn out and it was a decent performance for UConn.

Oregon State-The Beavers didn't do tremendously well, but Utah is a worthy opponent. Matt Asiata and Brian Johnson both went down, but they weren't really doing that much before they did. Oregon State's defensive secondary improvements really showed. The LBs played great and Sean Canfield wasn't exactly as bad as the stats may show.


B+:

California-The offense has the potential to be one of the best in the nation and we already knew that. Tennessee's defense is pretty solid but Longshore moved the ball efficiently when he had to. Justin Forsett had a nice day. The Golden Bear defense needs some work though. DeSean Jackson took a punt back for a touchdown, so it was all that Tedford could ask for on the opener.
Boston College-Matt Ryan was tremendously efficient tossing for over 400 yards and 5 TDs. The Boston College defense got picked apart by Riley Skinner and Brett Hodges, so they need some work in this department. DeJuan Tribble came up big in some moments. Wake Forest isn't a bad team, a 10 point win is a solid performance. The BC defense held Wake to ONE yard rushing.

Georgia Tech-Yeah, yeah, Notre Dame stinks and can't move the football. But Georgia Tech took control from the get-go and they totally shut down the Irish offense. John Tenuta is a fantastic defensive coordinator and Taylor Bennett along with Tashard Choice did what they had to do. They forced ND to -9 yards rushing.

Florida-They probably could have stomped Western Kentucky even harder, but it was a nice game to work all of the kinks out. Urban Meyer didn't let it get too ugly, so the score may lie a little bit. They get a B+ for some defensive troubles, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

Wyoming-They played a pretty decent Virginia team. The Cavs have a tremendous defense and the Cowboys managed to score 23 points on them. The defense should be fine after losing 6 starters last season.

UCF-The Golden Knights were slipping a little bit but they pulled the upset out against NC State. Kyle Israel was efficient and Kevin Smith could not be stopped.

LSU-The score indicated a major blowout, but the offense looked rusty. Matt Henig gave the Tigers 6 turnovers. It was a bit sloppy, but still a dominating performance.

Wisconsin-Washington State is not a horrible team, but they are somewhere down in the Pac-10 pecking order. Wisconsin should've controlled this game from the get-go but they allowed Alex Brink to keep them within striking distance. They pulled away eventually and won by 21 points, so it was a solid game for the Badgers.

Kentucky-They beat up on Eastern Kentucky, but it was a solid effort in a 50-10 victory. The Wildcat defense was pretty impressive keeping the Colonels to 202 yards of offense. Andre Woodson threw for 250 yards and 3 TDs.

BYU-The Cougars shut down Arizona's offense very well. The Wildcats were transitioning and it just didn't look to solid mainly because of how well BYU was on defense. The defense lifted this team to a 20-7 victory. Max Hall looked pretty sharp.

Alabama-Even though they won 52-6, Western Carolina is one of the worst FCS teams out there and they didn't appear to be all that sharp.


B:

Florida Atlantic-The Owls are now set up for a run at the Sun Belt title. Middle Tennessee is a solid football team and FAU looked pretty good.

TCU-The Horned Frogs didn't demolish Baylor, but they did pitch a shutout. Andy Dalton will need to play better if they want to upset Texas, but the defense did their thing in a big way.

Troy-While the Trojans weren't really within striking distance of Arkansas, Omar Haugabook and the offense did okay. They lost the game 46-26, but I think that's what they're looking for. At the rate of their OOC schedule, I think they're just trying to be competitive and not lose games like they did last year against UAB (21-3) and Nebraska (56-0).

UCLA-The Bruins destroyed Stanford like they were expected to, but they gave up 383 yards in the process. The offense looked great with Ben Olson throwing for 3 TDs and they manufactured 624 yards.

Arkansas-The Razorbacks looked decent against Troy last night. Darren McFadden ran for 151 yards but Casey Dick looked like his usual self completing 11 of 20 passes. The defense needs to do a little bit better, Troy had 376 yards of total offense.

Kent State-Upsetting Iowa State is a pretty good way to kick off the season, but the Cyclones basically gave the Golden Flashes the game. KSU had 3 turnovers in the red zone. Jarvis and Edelman were decent, and because they had the ability to pull this off, they get a B for their performance.

New Mexico State-The Aggies had a solid day against Southeast Louisiana State. The defense came through with Brandon McKinney taking back a touchdown. Holbrook threw 3 INTs, so that's why the performance grade is this low.

Ohio State-The Buckeyes kind of did what Florida did against Western Kentucky. Jim Tressell didn't rub it in against YSU, but the O-line didn't do a great job of blocking. Boeckman was decent, good enough to win. It didn't look like an all-out domination from Ohio State, but they got the job done.

Utah State-Yeah, believe it or not, the Aggies make this part. They were bad, as usual, but the way they competed with UNLV was deserving of a solid grade. They were in control of the game for the most part and Leon Jackson didn't make too many mistakes. They didn't exactly play too bad for themselves.

UL Lafayette-They hung in there with South Carolina running for 311 yards. Tyrell Fenroy and Michael Desormeaux each had big games on the ground. They didn't do much through the air, but does any Sun Belt team? South Carolina torched the Ragin' Cajuns on defense, but that's expected.


B-:

UL Monroe-The Warhawks looked pretty good against Tulsa and they took a lead into halftime. Kinsmon Lancaster showed the nation what he could do with his legs and LaGregory Sapp had a fine game. Calvin Dawson was the star of the show. The defense stunk, but James Truxillo was impressive and the defense was hard-hitting. They might be able to compete for a Sun Belt title this year.

Tulsa-They won the game in easy fashion once the second half begun. They were trying to move the football with Gus Malzahn's new offensive, fast-paced system. Paul Smith was struggling to adjust for a little while and the offense was kind of confused at times. They did pick it up in the second half earning a solid victory.

Wake Forest-The Deacons were only held to one yard rushing in last night's game, but Riley Skinner and Brett Hodges moved the football against Boston College. The defense got torn to shreds and the CBs made some bad mistakes.

Illinois-The Fighting Illini lost the game, but they looked pretty solid in the process. Granted, Missouri's defense isn't anything that spectacular, but McGee made some good throws in that ballgame. Juice Williams got hurt and he tried to do too much, but a 6 point loss to a solid Missouri team is nothing to be ashamed of.

Miami-The defense looked smothering but the offense was nothing special. Marshall was without Albert McClellan yet they still were pretty poor. They made some plays though and the defense's performance puts them up here.

Colorado-While the Buffs won't do too much this season, you have to admit you like Cody Hawkins. He doesn't have nearly the strongest arm in college football but he makes very wise decisions out on the field. Colorado was finally able to move the football a little bit which is a promising sign.

Colorado State-Even though they lost the game, it wasn't like they just gave it to the Buffaloes. Kyle Bell returning gave them a very solid running presence and Kory Sperry lit up the Colorado secondary. The defense for the Rams was okay, it's possible that they can compete for a bowl bid this season.

Oregon-The Ducks didn't look to hot to start off the game. Houston was still in it during the 3rd quarter and they needed to put them away. They eventually did, dominating the latter stages of the game. Dennis Dixon was extremely effective.

Louisiana Tech-Hey, give the Bulldogs a B- for finally stopping somebody!

Washington State-I know they lost pretty handily, but they were in the game for the most part. They were able to hold P.J. Hill to 84 yards which is stunning. Kudos to Wazzu, they may have the potential to play pretty well in the Pac-10 this season.

Memphis-The Tigers had 479 yards of offense, most of that coming through the air. Martin Hankins was impressive for the most part besides one teeny-tiny thing: The 4 INTs he also tossed. Memphis marched up and down the field but they turned the ball over wayyyyy to much. Even with this said, if Hankins can cut back on that turnover number, they could get to 6-6 with their easy schedule.

Maryland-The Terps didn't blow Villanova out of the water like they were able to. They got the ground game going and Jordan Steffy made some solid throws so it was an average performance. The defense held Villanova to 189 yards.

North Carolina-They didn't totally dominate James Madison, but they were good enough to pull out the easy win. Tyler Yates was good but the running game was non-existent.

Vanderbilt-It wasn't all that easy, but the Commodores eventually took control of the game against Richmond. The Spiders had 306 yards of offense but they threw 3 INTs. Earl Bennett totally took control of this game.

Air Force-They were only playing South Carolina State, but they did alright. They outgained the Bulldogs by about 300 yards and Shaun Carney was effective.

Tennessee-The Vols didn't look to hot against Cal, but it was a decent game from them. There aren't a whole lot of teams that could come in there and beat a team like Cal at their homefield. I thought they played pretty decent outside of a few defensive plays and on special teams. Erik Ainge was solid.

Kansas State-The Wildcats came into The Jungle and hung with Auburn. But it didn't seem like they played well at all.

Auburn-Same with K-State. They weren't blocking very well for Cox but the defense was good enough for them to get a B-.

Idaho-Okay, so USC had their way with them and they made a bunch of mistakes. The Vandals actually represented themselves well and they didn't let USC blow them out of the water. Just being within 4 touchdowns of the #1 team in the nation is a good appearance.


C+:

Navy-They looked very rusty and the performance was hardly noteworthy. They let Temple creep back into the game at times when they needed to put it away. I think Navy realizes they have some work to do before they take on Rutgers this Friday.

Miami OH-They won the game, but they were sloppy in the process. Ball State's defense is very bad and they couldn't move the football. On the other hand, Ball State's offense is pretty good and they stopped them for the most part. Kokal misfired twice, it was a sloppy game.

Ball State-These two teams pretty much played to a draw. Nate Davis wasn't as good as he could've been but the defense stepped up and made some plays. Like Miami OH, they were somewhat sloppy.

Missouri-The Tigers had a tough time defensively trying to stop the Illini. And Juice Williams and McGee aren't exactly the greatest passers around. They didn't let Illinois run the ball too effectively and they scored a bunch of points with Chase Daniel. They looked pretty average for themselves out there.

Ole Miss-Ultimately, the Rebels won the game against Memphis, but they surrendered 479 yards in the process. That isn't going to cut it in the SEC, I know Ole Miss has a better secondary than that. They turned the ball over 3 times themselves and BenJarvis Green-Ellis had a tough time getting anything going on the ground. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

Houston-Even though the Cougs were competitive for the most part, they let Oregon run away with it. Dennis Dixon took control of the game entirely. Anthony Aldrige had a big day, but the defense looked pretty poor. Case Keenum did the most with the offense, so that might be a silver lining. Competing with Oregon in Autzen as an underdog is worth a C+.

Iowa-It wasn't a very good game. Albert Young moved the running game along and Jake Christensen was solid, but it only translated in 16 points. The defense did its part, so the effort was average. They have a lot of things to work on if they want to compete for the Big 10 title.

Middle Tennessee State-In the Sun Belt, if you're forced to throw, you're going to lose. That's what happened in last night's game as the Owls totally shut down the Blue Raider running game. DeMarco McNair had no shot to make anything happen with his legs getting stuffed for 11 carries and 16 yards. Joe Craddock was mediocre and he just didn't have it in him to carry the offense to a win. The defense was stunningly poor against the run and Rusty Smith made the throws he had to. Bad loss for MTSU as they start off on the wrong foot in Sun Belt play. Not to mention they had 10 penalties against them.

Duke-I guess competing for one half at Duke is worthy of a C+. They really weren't that bad for the first half.

Pitt-Bill Stull had a nice game passing. He completed his first 7 of the ballgame. Let's not forget though, Eastern Michigan is a bad team. They only beat them 27-3. The defense was actually stellar (or that might be the opposite way around). The running game was average.

ECU-The game against VT wasn't as close as it looked, but the Pirates played pretty well for themselves. It still was a sloppy game as Virginia Tech took control and shut the ECU offense down.

Oklahoma State-This team was a disappointment to a lot of people. A popular upset pick, they managed to produce fewer than 300 yards of total offense. Georgia just had their way with them.


C:

Texas A&M-It took them a while, but they pulled ahead in the game against Montana State eventually. They won it 38-7. This won't sound to good to Gary Darnell, but your boys were outgained by Montana State, 403-390. The good news is that the Aggies finished the game with 31 more points. McGee, Lane, and Goodson were all average.

Southern Miss-The Golden Eagles were struggling for a while and Tennessee-Martin just took it to them. They eventually dominated the game against the Skyhawks, but it wasn't a very easy win. The defense looked average, but Young and Fletcher were solid on the day. They did have a run of 35 consecutive points on their way to a 35-13 victory.

South Carolina-Uh.....Wow. If South Carolina is going to compete in the SEC, they can't be giving up 311 yards to UL Lafayette on the ground. Beecher and Smelley were both okay but nothing spectacular. Steve Spurrier is probably pulling his hair out now that he doesn't have another Danny Weurfell or Jesse Palmer behind center.

Ohio-This game was much closer than the 36-14 score indicates. Kavlin McRae took over the game eventually, but it was an ugly struggle against the Bulldogs.

Virginia Tech-They were filled with emotion, but their on-the-field play wasn't very good at all. Sean Glennon made some more horrible throws. The defense did their part but they let ECU hang around in the game.

Northwestern-It wasn't very impressive, but they got the job done. The Wildcats beat Northeastern in a directional matchup yesterday 27-0. C.J. Bacher was alright and so was Tyrell Sutton. Not sure if it was what Pat Fitzgerald was looking for, it was an average performance for the Wildcats.

Utah-The Utes were playing without Asiata, but isn't Tommy Grady supposed to be better than that? They should have been able to play without their two offensive superstars and push the Beavers for a little bit. Their play was disappointing.

UNLV-They were without Rocky Hinds, but that still doesn't excuse some of their poor play. They needed a last-minute TD from Frank Summers to take the lead from a bad Utah State team. Travis Dixon made some plays with his legs, but this wasn't a great display of what UNLV wants to do this year.


C-:

Iowa State-This was a horrible loss. Gene Chizik is trying to instill some confidence in his bunch and WHAM! Kent State up-ends you on your home turf. Brett Meyer was bad. If there is anything positive to take away from this, it looks like Jamicah Bass is the answer at RB.

Minnesota-Horrible pass defense. That's all you need to know.

Western Kentucky-It wasn't like they were supposed to give Florida a game, but they looked pretty bad in this. Their starting QB, David Wolke got knocked out with a concussion.

Arizona-Could the offense sputter any worse? It was pretty surprising, but the Wildcats got shut down against BYU's defense. Poor play.

Baylor-Obviously, TCU 27, Baylor 0.

Nevada-We knew Nebraska would win, but were they supposed to get smoked like that? That was pretty surprising.

Texas-That wasn't supposed to happen. Arkansas State gave them a battle and luckily for the Longhorns, they recovered the onside kick at the end of the game. If Arkansas State got that, we could be looking at overtime. It seemed like they packed their tents and went home later in the game. Unimpressive.

Akron-They beat Army. It wasn't easy to watch....

Army-The Black Knights have some major work to do. They get a C-, they did not play well at all in this snoozefest.

Toledo-Surprisingly, Toledo recieves a C-. They played very poorly later in the game against Purdue. Their defense got steamrolled and the QB situation still hasn't figured itself out between Opelt and Cochran. Amstutz made some bonehead coaching moves in this game.

USC-That's right, the Trojans. While they took care of business, they did it in a rather average fashion. They had 402 yards of offense, but they only scored 38 points against an Idaho team that is.........well, they're not very good. 3 turnovers and sloppy play give the Trojans a C-.

Virginia-I know Wyoming's defense is stifling, but you can't score 3 points all game and manage to move the ball 108 yards. Their offense was so predictable, Sewell was so bad at throwing, and part of that is he has no weapons around him. Al Groh, goodbye.


D+:

NC State-The run D looked horrible. Give it a few more seasons before O'Brien can install a winning atttitude in Raliegh.

USF-The way they played against Elon was pathetic. It was a 7-3 game in the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Awful, they looked asleep against the Phoenix.

UTEP-Okay, for anyone who stayed up to watch the New Mexico/UTEP game, you'll know why they get a D+. The defense came through and played pretty solid though.

New Mexico-Ditto on UTEP.

Buffalo-They got romped against Rutgers. Tiquan Underwood broke a school record against these guys and we know Rutgers doesn't have the greatest passing game in the world.

Eastern Michigan-Pitt handled them very easily, no surprise here.

Notre Dame-That was a horrible game. You couldn't ask for a worse performance from the QBs. Notre Dame couldn't move the ball at all and they finished the game with -9 yards rushing. Ouch.


D:

San Jose State-Any time you get outgained by 405 yards, it's never a good thing.

Fresno State-Sacramento State is really bad, folks. It looks like it's the same old, same old kind of offense with Pat Hill's Bulldogs. They ran it down the Hornet's throat, but they turned the ball over 3 times.

Western Michigan-I know they're playing White and Slaton, but we're talking about one of the top run defenses in the country. It was a pretty disappointing effort that they had 62 points hung on them. They'll need to rebound against Indiana next week.

Northern Illinois-Maybe I'm being too harsh on the Huskies, but that game wasn't as close as the score indicates. They were horrible at moving the football, Iowa held them to 234 yards of total offense along with 3 turnovers. They were B-A-D.


D-:

Central Michigan-The Chips had it handed to them. Like I said, I don't know who's responsible for this meltdown, but the stats show utter demolition. The coach needs to take responsiblity for that, it was a ridiculous game.

Michigan-Self-explanatory.

Mississippi State-The Bulldogs self-destructed on national TV against LSU. QB Matt Henig tossed 6 INTs. The defense was there, but the offense was so putrid that they're deserving of a D-.

Marshall-The Miami/Marshall game was a total debocle. QB Bernard Morris threw 3 INTs. They had 11 penalties with 64 yards rushing. Miami totally dominated these guys.

Florida International-Obviously, they lost 59-0. Horrible, absolutely horrible.

North Texas-They lost 79-10, what more do you want to know?

Rice-You can't lose to Nicholls State, can't do it.

UAB-If you watched the smoking on ESPN2 yesterday, you know what I mean. The Blazers gave up almost 600 yards of offense and it was 45-3 at halftime.



Alright, that conlcudes the first Team Grades segment, tell me what you think! :D BTW, the grades end at D-, no E's or F's.
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The debate is over: College Football rules

By Tony Barnhart | Monday, September 3, 2007, 08:44 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned during the first weekend of the season.
1. The debate is over: In the preseason, every newspaper and website debated which was better: College or pro football? Please. There is no need to ever have that discussion again. Why? Because Appalachian State went to Michigan and won. The NFL, for all of its great players, marketing and money, doesn’t have that and it never will. There is nothing in pro football that can match the raw emotion of what those kids from Boone did in the Big House.
2. Tennessee can’t tackle: Not counting the 13 tackles Tennessee missed on DeSean Jackson’s punt return (OK, that is a SLIGHT exaggeration), the Vols missed 22 tackles on defense in a 45-31 loss to California. Part of that was the talent of Cal because they are pretty darn good and the game with Southern Cal on Nov. 10 looks a little different now. But with always-tough Southern Miss coming to Knoxville on Saturday, and with a trip to Florida next week, there had better be a sense of urgency among the Tennessee players. Florida, you should know, has just as much skill as Cal.
3. Spurrier is sandbagging: South Carolina’s Ball Coach was not happy on Sunday after watching his team beat Louisiana-Lafayette 28-14. They needed a couple of defensive stops inside the 10-yard line to do it. Why do I get the sense that part of South Carolina’s problems, aside from not having QB Blake Mitchell, is that some of last week’s practice was spent getting ready for Georgia? Why do I get the sense that Spurrier is going to have a pretty good game plan when the Gamecocks get to Athens Saturday night? I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
4. Tech’s offense IS better: I caught some flak in preseason when I said Georgia Tech’s offense could be better this season despite the loss of Calvin Johnson. A lot of people didn’t think that was possible. But it is possible, and probably likely, and it’s not just based on Saturday’s 33-3 win at Notre Dame. Under new OC John Bond, a lot of different people are going to touch the ball. And with RB Tashard Choice taking some direct snaps, it’s just a matter of time before he fakes the run and throws it. Just the mere possibility of that will create some opportunities. And QB Taylor Bennett is only going to get better.
5. Tuberville did it again: Nobody plays poker in tight games better than Auburn’s head coach. The Tigers had no business winning that game against Kansas State Saturday night but Tuberville stayed patient and knew his team would have a chance to win late if they didn’t panic and just kept playing. He did it last year against LSU, a team with considerably more athletes. Tuberville knows that it is a 60-minute game. A lot of coaches get desperate if they are trailing inside the final six minutes. This guy doesn’t.
 
Week One Observations


From Gainesville


My preseason Blogpoll, like any poll with Michigan in the top 25, was baloney. Cheap, big box store baloney. Indeed, it is likely to remain so until at least October, when we actually know what teams are deserving of the barest rating. I firmly believe that any poll – especially mine – should not be a static exercise. Rank ‘em when you know ‘em, I say.

So, in thinking about the first week, we have –

- First the Gators. Like most fans, I stayed until the lightning delay, then fled to my vehicle. Observations include –

1. Tim Tebow can throw, which should be a surprise to no one outside the “Worldwide Leader”. (After all, he did hold the Florida high school passing record.) If Tebow makes his reads this season before opting for his feet, the Gators are going to look really good on offense, especially with our receiver corps.

2. Riley Cooper had 122 yards receiving? Riley Cooper? When you think of Florida’s receivers, the names Caldwell, Ingram and Harvin come to mind before Cooper. Cooper’s success was perhaps a result of Western Kentucky having to cover the other 3, or as a result of them merely being Western Kentucky, but whatever the cause, having that 4th option for Tebow just makes the Gator offense scary.

3. The defense, despite the 3 points, needs work, especially the secondary.

I’d like to say we will know more after Troy, but I doubt it (other than the return of Brandon James). The coaches called a pretty plain vanilla game on offense, and I expect the same next week. Save up the good stuff for the Vols.

- Next, to the extent that this post was a prediction, I was wrong, as was amply pointed out pre-season by the SMQ. Notre Dame is simply “un-good”. They won’t be ranked in my poll anytime again soon.

- I’m not going to waste print space on Michigan. Bye-bye.

- The best showing in “a real game” week one was by Georgia, hands down. Stafford looked sharp, and the Bulldog defense held the Cowboy offense to only 3 or 13 on 3rd down conversions. Oklahoma State had only 266 yards of offense. (Remember, Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid had a better QB rating than Brady Quinn last year). In 2006, the Reid led offense of Oklahoma State scored less than 14 points only once (10 in a loss to Texas). They scored 41 in beating Nebraska, and 34 in beating Alabama in the Independence bowl.

- Cal’s offense looked potent in defeating Tennessee, but the difference in that game was the two “big plays” (the vicious hit on Ainge resulting in a fumble for a touchdown, and the Desean Jackson punt return). It is hard to say at this point just how effective the Vol’s offense really is, but for Cal to give up nearly 400 yards at home shows how vulnerable they just might be (I imagine John David Booty licking his chops). Although 45-31 games make great viewing, they aren’t indicative of good fundamental football by either team.

- 1As for the other “real” game of the weekend, I didn’t watch it - the Auburn – Kansas State game. But the box score looks ugly. Auburn was 3 of 15 on third downs with 291 yards of total offense to the Wildcats 316 yards. K-State managed only 27 yards net rushing, while Auburn had 62. And K-State had 16 penalties for 141 yards? (or 45% of their total yardage!)

My poll will be dynamic over the next few weeks, but my top 5 as of the first weekend (pending the FSU-Clemson game) are –

1. Georgia
2. LSU
3. Cal
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida


No USC? Well, as far as we can tell anything by the “body bag” games so far, Oklahoma and Florida looked better than USC. When USC plays at Nebraska on September 15th, we will know far more.
 
Random thoughts from Week 1


Some random observations from Week 1:
• So much for a new and improved defense. Look at these drives by Arkansas State against the UT defense:
Plays Yards Result

9 - 47 - Missed FG
10 - 60 - Missed FG
7 - 66 - Interception
7 - 46 - Turnover on downs
9 - 52 - Field goal
13 - 93 - Touchdown
The Indians convert two of those drives and they probably beat the Longhorns.

• The short-yard running game is still puzzling. The Longhorns couldn't score on four plays from the Arkansas State 3-yard line in the third quarter. Jamaal Charles was stopped for no gain on three of the plays. Look at the bright side: At least Colt McCoy didn't get hurt this time.

From the AP:
What does this quote from Colt McCoy tell you?
"We probably weren't as focused as we should have been. They came here and expected to win and damn near had the chance."​
Texas should ask for a partial refund of the fat new contract Mack Brown signed earlier in the week.
Arkansas State shouldn't have a player saying the following:
"I'd love to play Texas again." -- quarterback Corey Leonard​
Not only is that embarrassing, but it should serve as a wakeup call heading into this week's game against TCU.

• • •​
​


• Oklahoma, not Texas, is the team to beat in the Big 12 South after a 79-10 rout of North Texas. Okay, some of you might be saying you already thought that. Well here's proof (and don't tell me it was all because they played North Texas):
• Sam Bradford was 20-of-22 for 350 yards in the first half. That broke Josh Heupel's school record for yards in a half.
• Bradford had 18 straight completions, tying Heisman Trophy winner Jason White's school record.
• DeMarco Murray scored five touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who probably would not have started if Allen Patrick had been healthy. Nearly 30 percent of his carries resulted in touchdowns. No wonder this guy has drawn comparisons to Reggie Bush.
• Juaquin Iglesias and Malcolm Kelly are the best receiving duo in the Big 12. They combined for 11 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

• • •​
​


• Colorado can win on a field goal without All-American Mason Crosby. Kevin Eberhart hit a 22-yarder with 13 seconds left in regulation and a 35-yarder in overtime to beat rival Colorado State 31-28.
• Here's a cool statistic: Cody Hawkins, the son of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, has never lost a game in 60 starts dating back to his days in youth leagues. That streak likely comes to an end this week when the Buffaloes travel to Arizona State.
• True to form, Missouri scored a lot of points but also gave up its share in a 40-34 victory over Illinois. The Tiger D did come up with a huge stand in the final two minutes, intercepting a pass to preserve the win.
• Missouri sure does love its tight ends. Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman combined for 17 of the Tigers' 30 catches in the game.
• It pays to be Lucky - Marlon Lucky. Lucky had a career-high 233 yards in a 52-10 win over Nevada. It was just like old times for the Cornhuskers, who returned to their smash mouth days and had 413 yards on the ground.
• Oklahoma State isn't quite ready for the big time after a 35-14 loss to No. 13 Georgia. The Cowboys were the No. 7 scoring offense last season (averaging 35 points) but managed only two touchdowns and 266 yards against the Bulldogs.
• The Aggies have problems defending the vertical passing game (304 yards allowed through the air). Meanwhile, the Aggies did not complete a pass longer than 23 yards. • Kansas has found a quarterback in Todd Reesing. The Jayhawks, who entered the season without a proven back to replace conference rushing champion Jon Cornish, got solid production from Jake Sharp (117 yards) and Brandon McAnderson (109 yards).
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Quick Outs ... The Weekend's Big Moments </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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Arizona State RB Ryan Torian
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Richard Cirminiello
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 3, 2007
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A Review of the Past Weekend’s Games and Gamebreakers
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E-mail Richard Cirminiello
The Lead Story of Week 1 (in 25 words of less): App-alling. No. 5 Michigan gets stunned by I-AA Appalachian State, 34-32, in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Summa Cum Laude
Appalachian State – The Mountaineers did more than just author an unthinkable upset of Michigan. They also gave every small school coach playing in a paycheck game something to point to when delivering a pre-game speech.
2. Cal – Ahhh, sweet redemption. One year after getting embarrassed in Knoxville, the Bears score a huge win for the program and the entire Pac-10.
3. Georgia Tech – Unranked and underappreciated, the Yellow Jackets earned a ton of national respect by completely suffocating Notre Dame in South Bend, 33-3.
4. Arizona State – Yeah, yeah the Sun Devils were supposed to beat San Jose State, but not by six touchdowns. A more physical Arizona State out gained a pretty good Spartan team 520 to 115, an indication that the hiring of Dennis Erickson is already paying dividends.
5. Georgia – Every other person with an audience had Oklahoma State knocking off Georgia in Athens Saturday evening. The Dawgs played with chips on their shoulders and something to prove in a 35-14 “upset”.
Summa Cum Lousy
Michigan – No ranked team had ever lost to a I-AA opponent in the history of college football before the Wolverines withered in the face of Appalachian State Saturday afternoon. The stigma of this loss will be with Michigan for a long, long time.
2. Notre Dame – After showing promise over the last two years, Notre Dame’s 30-point loss to Georgia Tech is a sign that the program may be back at square one under Charlie Weis.
3. Arizona – New offensive system, same offensive results for a Wildcat program that got shut down by BYU in a pivotal game for their post-season hopes.
4. Rice – Not only did the Owls blow a game to lowly Nicholls State, but they allowed the Colonels to shut down All-American WR Jarett Dillard, snapping his 15-game streak with a touchdown reception.
5. Virginia – It’s one thing to lose a game in Laramie to a scrappy bunch of Wyoming Cowboys. It’s another thing entirely to prepare for close to a month, and only be able to generate 110 yards, five first downs and three points.
Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin. Chryst showed why he’s such a hot commodity on Saturday, leading a balanced Badgers attack to six touchdowns and 486 yards. Chryst’s pet project, QB Tyler Donovan, was sensational, going 19-of-29 for 284 yards and three touchdowns, and adding a score on the ground. If Donovan keeps finding Luke Swan and Travis Beckum this year, stopping RB P.J. Hill gets exponentially harder.
Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Jon Tenuta, Georgia Tech. As has become customary with Tenuta’s teams, his defense swarmed Notre Dame like, well, Yellow Jackets. Tech suffocated a confused Irish offense, creating three turnovers, bagging nine sacks, and allowing just 122 total yards. How long before Tenuta begins getting offers to run his own program?
The three best hours of the weekend: Appalachian State’s one-for-the-ages upset of Michigan was unexpectedly entertaining from start to finish and had a March Madness feel to it. The game wound up being really bad for the Wolverines, but really good for the debut of the Big Ten Network, which owns the rights to one of the more memorable shockers in NCAA history.
The three best hours of the weekend II: Unlike last year, Saturday’s showdown between Cal and Tennessee fully lived up to expectations. In a back-and-forth track meet, the two ranked teams combined for 76 points, 853 yards, and one jaw-dropping punt return from the Bears’ DeSean Jackson, the nation’s premier special teamer.
The three most disappointing hours of the weekend: Thanks to the play of the Bulldog defense, the anticipated match up between Georgia and Oklahoma State never lived up to its billing. In an upset special for many observers, the Dawgs stifled the Cowboys’ high-powered attack in a game that was over early in the fourth quarter.
If BCS invites went out today, the recipients would be …West Virginia, Virginia Tech, LSU, USC, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, Louisville, and Cal. At this early stage of the season, feel free to replace Wisconsin with Penn State or Ohio State and Virginia Tech with a host of worthy ACC teams. Oh, and keep an eye on Hawaii, which has the tissue-soft schedule to make a run at an at-large BCS berth.
If Heisman votes were cast today, the winner would be …maybe Arkansas RB Darren McFadden since he’s the highest returning vote-getter, and was typically unstoppable in the Hogs’ 46-26 win over Troy. A ton Heisman wannabes, including Brian Brohm, Patrick White, Steve Slaton, Ray Rice, Ian Johnson, DeSean Jackson, John David Booty, and Colt Brennan also bolstered their resumes in Week 1, meaning this will be a long and very tight Heisman race.
Who could have imagined …that a fifth-ranked Michigan team would be out of the national championship race before Labor Day?
Who could have imagined …Texas would need to recover an onside kick in order to stave off a comeback bid from 39-point underdog Arkansas State? The ‘Horns had trouble executing all night, a troubling sign with TCU visiting this week
Start buying shares in …UCLA QB Ben Olson. At the expense of the Stanford defense, Olson picked up where he left off before getting hurt last year, and could finally be ready to fulfill lofty expectations. Obviously benefiting from the presence of new coordinator Jay Norvell, the big lefty went 16-of-29 for 286 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes.
Start buying shares in II …Georgia QB Matthew Stafford. Looking all grown up from last year’s up-and-down true freshman season, Stafford was instrumental in the Dawgs’ handling of Oklahoma State. With a few more reps, he’ll be well on his way to becoming a high NFL draft choice.
Start buying shares in III …Michigan State. It’s way early and the opponent was UAB, but the Spartans are already showing signs of the power running game and aggressive that new coach Mark Dantonio craves. In a 55-18 dismantling of the Blazers, MSU ran for 298 yards and picked up five sacks.
Start dumping …Notre Dame. What looked like a rebuilding year may have been kind after watching the Irish get dismantled by unranked Georgia Tech. The good news? Notre Dame may not endure the indignity of losing another post-season game if it doesn’t become bowl-eligible in 2007.
Start dumping …Oregon State QBs. After watching Sean Canfield, Lyle Moevao and Ryan Gunderson combine to go 12-of-30 for 129 yards, one touchdown and two picks versus Utah, it became crystal clear why Mike Riley has struggled to name a permanent starter.
Bucking for a promotion: UCLA offensive coordinator Jay Norvell. In his first game with UCLA, the Bruins mixed in the run and the pass beautifully, producing 624 yards of total offense and 45 points. In other words, the offense looked nothing like the one that sputtered throughout 2006.
Needing a vote of confidence : Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. This was going to be a pivotal year for Carr’s future. Uh-oh.
Needing a vote of confidence II : Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom. There’s no shame in losing to LSU, but a 45-0 whitewash in front of a national TV audience was another sign there’s been marginal improvement since Croom arrived in Starkville.
Needing a vote of confidence III : Virginia head coach Al Groh. As other programs begin lapping Virginia, how many more uninspired, 20-3 losses to Wyoming can the administration tolerate?
Needing a vote of confidence IV : Arizona head coach Mike Stoops. If Stoops can’t finally get the Wildcats into the post-season, it could be time to look elsewhere for guidance. Arizona got off to a horrible start, nearly getting blanked by BYU.
Needing a vote of confidence V : Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson. After Washington thumped Syracuse 42-12 in the Carrier Dome, it was never clear that the decision to hire Robinson was a miscalculation.
Can I be your agent …Quentin Groves? The Auburn end with cornerback speed toyed with Kansas State linemen all night, picking up three pivotal tackles for loss and his first two sacks of the new year. A likely first-round draft choice next April, he helped bail out a Tiger team that almost blew one at home in the opener.
Start designing the Fathead of …West Virginia RB Steve Slaton. In a 62-24 destruction of Western Michigan, the Mountaineer blur raced for 109 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, adding two catches for 61 yards and another score.
The Danny Almonte He-Can’t-Be-As-Young-As-He-Says Award: Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray. With Allen Patrick hurting, the Sooners’ prized recruit of 2006 debuted with a ridiculous five touchdowns in a 79-10 rout of North Texas.
The Danny Almonte He-Can’t-Be-As-Young-As-He-Says Award II: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. Does the future look bright in the Sooner backfield, or what? In his first game as the starter, the redshirt freshman went a near-perfect 21-of-23 for 363 yards and three touchdowns, registering the second best passer efficiency rating in school history.
The Danny Almonte He-Can’t-Be-As-Young-As-He-Says Award III: Washington QB Jake Locker. Welcome to the future at U-Dub. The Huskies’ redshirt freshman looked every bit the program savior last Friday, sparking his team to an unlikely 30-point road demolition at Syracuse.
The Danny Almonte He-Can’t-Be-As-Young-As-He-Says Award IV: Alabama RB Terry Grant. While not sized like an every down back, Grant has the quickness and vision to blossom into an SEC star and one of Nick Saban’s weapons of choice. Against Western Carolina, the redshirt freshman jitterbugged for 134 yards and three scores on just 18 carries.
The Jerry Falwell Moral Victory Award: Kansas State. As two-touchdown underdogs, the Wildcats went toe-to-toe at Auburn before wilting late in the fourth quarter and losing 23-13. Kansas State was downright surly on defense and led with five minutes left, showing more signs of the progress the program is making under head coach Ron Prince.
It’s time to give more pub to… Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice. The new offensive star in Atlanta torched Notre Dame for a career-high 196 yards and two scores, running his streak of 100-yard games to eight dating back to last October. Now that Calvin Johnson is a Detroit Lion, it’s time for Choice to land more pub outside the south.
Message to … the rest of the ACC. Now that Tom O’Brien is no longer at Boston College, senior QB Matt Ryan is going to be very difficult to defense. After some early mistakes, Ryan looked very comfortable in Jeff Jagodzinski’s offensive system, torching Wake Forest for 408 yards and five scores on 32-of-52 passing.
This just in: LSU can play a little defense. Offense? Who needs offense. With Matt Flynn and the boys stumbling at times, the Tiger D mauled Mississippi State into seven turnovers, no points and just 146 total yards. While the offense takes time to click, the LSU defense is more than capable of carrying the program.
Random thought with no heading: For college football fans, opening day is a lot like Christmas Day. For college football fans that happen to cover the sport, it’s like Christmas Day meets the first day back in school.
Going wacky for John Mackey: Colorado State TE Kory Sperry was Caleb Hanie’s favorite target in the Rams’ overtime loss to rival Colorado, hauling in eight passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
Non-BCS Player of the Week: Houston RB Anthony Alridge. In a losing effort at Oregon, Alridge flashed the world-class speed that’s going to make him a very interesting pro prospect next spring. Consistent with his big-play potential, the senior had a pair of scores of 60 yards or more and 325 yards of total offense.
Non-BCS Team of the Week: Bowling Green. The Falcons shocked Minnesota in the Metrodome, 32-31, getting 388 yards passing from QB Tyler Sheehan in an effort that was reminiscent of the brief Urban Meyer tenure at the school. Bowling Green won the game in overtime after head coach Gregg Brandon opted to go for two rather than playing another session.
Non-BCS Team of the Week II: UCF. Good luck figuring out the Knights. The program that rarely does what it’s supposed to traveled to Raleigh and upset NC State behind 217 yards rushing from RB Kevin Smith.
Stats Amore: Hawaii QB Colt Brennan went 34-of-40 for 416 yards and six touchdowns in just a half of work versus Northern Colorado.
Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett caught 13 passes for a school-record 223 yards and three scores in a blowout of Richmond.
Colorado LB Jordan Dizon had 20 tackles in the Buffs’ overtime win against Colorado State.
Ohio’s Josh Abrams blocked three punts in the Bobcats’ victory over Gardner-Webb. Start clearing next week’s schedule for… Virginia Tech at LSU. If you crave whistle-to-whistle defensive play and non-conference games with national championship implications, get on the sofa by 9:15 ET Saturday night. In a Week 2 shakeout game with some sentimental tuggings on both sidelines, the winner of this physical battle gets a ridiculously early inside track on a January trip to New Orleans.

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<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Who's Hot & Who's Not - Sept. 2 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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Boston College QB Matt Ryan
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 3, 2007
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The hot and not aspects of the college football world this week.
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Who’s Hot …
[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif]Boston College QB Matt Ryan vs. Wake Forest[/FONT]In relief, Ryan completed seven of nine passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the 2005 win over Wake Forest. Last year, in a loss, Ryan completed 40 of 57 passes for 402 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions, and then this year, in a thrilling 38-28 win, he completed 32 of 52 passes for 408 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions.

Colorado vs. Colorado State games
Colorado beat Colorado State 31-28 in overtime in yet another fantastic battle in the rivalry. The last five games between the two teams have been decided by a touchdown or less with the Buffs outscoring the Rams by seven points over that span.

Mount Union
The D-III defending national champion rolled up 52 points against Averett on Saturday ... in the first quarter. The Purple Raiders set the NCAA record in a 75-7 win as with a field goal, recovered fumble for a touchdown, a blocked punt for a score, and four rushing touchdowns from Nate Kmic. Mount Union emptied the bench before the opening frame was over.

TCU in close games
Note to Texas this week: get to 18 points. Under head coach Gary Patterson, TCU is 37-0 when holding opponents to 17 points or fewer. Winning is easy when you hold an opponent scoreless, like the Horned Frogs did to Baylor on Saturday.

Ole Miss vs. Memphis games
The Rebels and Tigers might not have played the best games over the last few years, but they've been competitive. Ole Miss has won the last three by a total of nine points after holding on late in a 23-21 victory this week.Who’s Not …[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][/FONT]Big Ten Network Channel 220 for the Big Ten
You've heard of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, now welcome to Big Ten Channel 220. Not only did Michigan lose to Appalachian State, but later on, Minnesota, a 16.5 point favorite, lost to Bowling Green. The rest of the league went 8-1 by a combined score of 378 to 119 (42 to 13) with the one loss being an Illinois near-upset of Missouri.

Michigan's defense post-Bo Michigan was rolling on the way to a possible national title appearance thanks to one of the nation's top defenses. Ever since legendary head coach Bo Schembechler passed away, Michigan has gone 0-3 with the defense allowing 108 points (36 per game) with Troy Smith, John David Booty and Armanti Edwards completing 73 of 109 passes (67%) for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Utah QB Brian JohnsonOne of the nation's best quarterbacks when healthy, Johnson injured his knee at the end of a terrific 2005 season, missed all of 2006 as it healed, and started out this season well, completing eight of 13 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown early on against Oregon State. He got crunched, suffered a separated shoulder, and is now out for a few weeks. Eventually, he'll get a little good luck.

Minnesota pass defense
Spanning two coaching staffs, Minnesota's pass defense has had more than its share of issues over the last two games. In the last five games against Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa and Texas Tech last year, and Bowling Green to start off 2007, the Gophers have allowed 1,839 yards, or an average of 367.8 yards per game, and ten touchdowns.

Michigan teams outside of East Lansing
Michigan State blew away UAB 55-18. That was the lone highlight for an entire state. Obviously the Michigan loss takes center stage, but Central Michigan (against Kansas), Western Michigan (against West Virginia) and Eastern Michigan (against Pitt) also went into the tank, losing by a combined score of 141 to 34.
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TCU's Blake returns to practice

Posted: Monday September 3, 2007 1:58AM; Updated: Monday September 3, 2007 1:58AM

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- TCU standout defensive end Tommy Blake returned to practice Sunday night after missing the No. 22 Horned Frogs' 27-0 season-opening victory over Baylor.
While Blake took part in the team's hour-long light workout, coach Gary Patterson said Blake's status for Saturday night's game at No. 4 Texas was still uncertain. The Horned Frogs have Monday off before getting back on the practice field Tuesday.
Doctors didn't clear Blake to play in the opener after he was away on a medical leave with an undisclosed illness last week, though he returned in time to go through Friday's walkthrough and it appeared he might play. The defensive end also missed five practices and a scrimmage in mid-August when he went home for personal reasons.
Patterson said Blake could play against Texas if doctors clear him and "if I think everything's OK. It's my job to judge and make sure it's in the best interest in the team and the best interest in him too."
The two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection and top NFL prospect watched the Baylor game from a patio outside of Patterson's office above the end zone.
Even without Blake, the MWC leader with seven sacks and 161/2 tackles for losses last season, the Frogs had their first season-opening shutout since 1971. They had four interceptions, three in the second half when Baylor had only 78 yards -- after 204 yards before halftime.
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>5 Thoughts - It's Only Week One </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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Georgia QB Matthew Stafford
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 3, 2007
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From overreacting to week one, to the issues at Notre Dame, to the speed of the Pac 10, to the reloading and resurgence of Georgia, led by star QB Matthew Stafford, here are 5 Thoughts from some of the CFNers after the opening weekend.
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There's Still More Football To Play[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]1. People, we’ve only played one week of the college football season. One … week.

No, your team still probably isn’t better than Michigan. No, your team isn’t a lock for the BCS after blowing out some team from the Sun Belt, MAC or FCS. No, your season isn’t over even if you did lose to some team from the MAC or FCS. It’s week one of a very, very long season, and the Appalachian State upset isn’t going to be the only bizarre twist as it goes along.

There’s a common misconception that, like the pros, the college kids are ready to roll on opening day. The NFL types get three-plus weeks of intense training camp, several “voluntary” off-season practices, and daily training sessions and study followed up by five warm-up games to figure out the best combination of starters. Everyone gets to work on what they need to for the season. The college teams get roughly a quarter of the fall preseason practice time and film work (and that’s being generous) that the pros do, yet they’re supposed to hit the ground running. That’s why many teams schedule a supposed cupcake to start things off, and even if week one doesn’t go as planned, that doesn’t mean the year is over.

Michigan is still great, even if it's a national punching bag right now. That offense is going to hang up huge numbers all season long to make up for the issues on defense. The Wolverines are going to beat Oregon. They’re going to beat Notre Dame. I’m not sure about the Penn State game, but they’re going to beat Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan State before playing Wisconsin. They’re going to be right in the thick of the Big Ten race all season long, and they’re going to be a serious threat to go to the BCS. Losing to Appalachian State changed nothing other than national title hopes, which were out of Michigan’s hands anyway since USC and LSU, thanks to how the system works, will play for the championship if they each go unbeaten.

So relax. In two weeks, ff your team still stinks, or if your team is still blowing the doors off everyone, then it’s time to react. Let’s wait and see how the teams that got crushed play this week to see if week one’s big win might not have been that big a deal. Don’t judge everyone quite yet.
Much Ado About CharlieBy Richard Cirminiello
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2[/FONT]. Now that Charlie Weis' grand Quarterback Shell Game did absolutely nothing to confuse or slow down the Georgia Tech defense, where does the Notre Dame coach's reputation go from here? Universally labeled as an offensive genius not long ago, Weis' Irish were dismantled by the Yellow Jackets, 33-3, amassing just 122 yards of total offense and setting the tone for what could be a major rebuilding year in 2007. Dozens of programs lose starting quarterbacks every season, yet live to tell about it, so Brady Quinn's graduation alone isn't enough to justify a historically bad opener. Can Weis coach? No doubt. Has the media built him up too high and too fast? You bet. The irony in all of this? As Weis and Notre Dame embark on the highway to mediocrity this fall, they could cross Tyrone Willingham and Washington driving in the opposite direction. [/SIZE]Roll Dawg[SIZE=-1]By [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]John Harris[/SIZE]

3. Lose almost an entire defense to graduation or the NFL Draft? No problem. Lose a potential All-American corner to ineligibility and then the NFL supplemental draft? What, me worry? Start an offensive line overflowing with freshmen and sophomores? No sweat. This is what faced Georgia head coach Mark Richt prior to a dangerous opener with potent Oklahoma State, but in the end, the Cowboys were the ones leaving with the lesson learned. Behind a strong performance by quarterback Matt Stafford and that young offensive line, the Bulldogs put up 35 points on an OSU defense that must get better. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Willie Martinez’s defense sent the true shot across the bow, holding the Cowboys to only 14 points. If you didn’t know the Bulldogs defensive depth chart in 2006 or in 2007, you’d have thought it was loaded with nine or ten returning players. Richt and his staff were as prepared, on the field and in recruiting the past few years, for a night like this as any staff could possibly have been. When you rank the great coaches in the nation, you’d better have this man up in your top five.
Speed Kills

By Michael Bradley
4. Speed Kills: Anybody who had the stamina to endure ABC’s four-plus hour presentation of the Tennessee-California game Saturday night was treated to a look at some serious high-octane football. Yes, it was at times tough to see the talent with a Brent Musberger soundtrack that included – among other gems – “He’s from Chattanooga, and he brought the choo-choo on that one.” But watching the Cal wideouts and the UT linebackers and D-backs was like checking out a flag-football contest between rival track teams. It’s still vital to have strength up front, the better to make sure the QB doesn’t end up in traction, but the need for speed is greater than ever before. Had Florida been on the field, instead of the Volunteers, viewers may have had to watch the game frame-by-frame, in order to slow things down enough to understand what was happening. From this point on, anybody voting in polls had better first look at the pace with which the team plays, the better to understand where it fits in the hierarchy. Plodders may win some games in the neighborhood, but if you want to step out of the area, you had better bring some blazers. Tennessee saw that last night, when it lacked the playmakers to stay up with Mr. Jackson and Co. California may not have enough to beat USC, but it showed Saturday that it has learned enough over the past few years to remake itself with fast athletes, rather than big football players.

Early Officiating Issues
By Matthew Zemek

5. Let's call this thought "Pet Peeve Central." A new season brings old problems with officiating.
Example A: Bogus roughing the punter calls (running, yes; roughing, no) in the Wake-BC and KSU-Auburn games. More refs getting seduced by Hollywood punters.
Example B: A play not being blown dead on a false start (early in the first quarter of LSU-Mississippi St.). Dangerous to the athletes, and generally irresponsible.
Example C: In the Utah-Oregon St. game, with about a minute left in the first quarter, the play clock stood at zero for about three seconds. No delay of game penalty called. Mind-boggling.


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Injury report: Freshman running back Broderick Green, who missed the Idaho game because of a stress fracture in his foot, will have surgery Tuesday, Carroll said. Linebacker Brian Cushing suffered a sprained ankle and will be held out this week with the hope that he will be ready for Nebraska on Sept. 15. Turner (neck) is expected to play against the Cornhuskers, but Carroll said cornerback Josh Pinkard (knee) will be monitored. Backup quarterback Mark Sanchez (thumb) will try to throw passes this week and freshman running back Marc Tyler (leg) is cleared for limited practice.
 
Mack: More leadership needed

Monday, September 3, 2007, 11:04 AM
Mack Brown said Monday that his team needs some leaders to step up. He noted that the taem had lost 16 players to the NFL the past two seasons.
“We’ve lost some leadership in those areas,” Brown said. “Somebody has got to accept those leadership roles when they get out to a 14-0 lead.”
He said he’s still trying to figure out why his team wasn’t able to finish off Arkansas State after getting out to that early lead. The Indians stayed in the game and ended up making it too close for comfort, a 21-13 Longhorn victory.
“Everything happened perfect for them, and nothing happened for us after that 14-point lead,” Brown said.
He said he was pleased that Texas limited its turnovers — two interceptions — and won all three phases of the kicking game. But there’s plenty of reason for concern, too.
The thing I’m concerned about — and we’ve addressed as a staff — is you need to score from the 4,” Brown said, referring to Jamaal Charles’ four consecutive runs inside the 5 without scoring.
He also mentioned a string of penalties committed by the Texas defense that allowed Arkansas State to extend drives. “There’s another 100 yards of offense right there,” Brown said.
“We took what could’ve been 28 or 35 points and turned it into 21-13.”


TCU is Big 12-worthy, Brown says

Monday, September 3, 2007, 11:15 AM
That may seem like an obvious statement, given that Texas Christian throttled Baylor 27-0 on Saturday and upset OU a year ago. But it wasn’t obvious in the mid-1990s when the Southwest Conference split up, and TCU was among the teams famously left out of the Big 12.
“TCU is every bit good enough to be in the Big 12,” Texas coach Mack Brown said Monday.
Brown made sure at his weekly news conference to throw plenty of praise at Gary Patterson’s team. The Horned Frogs are currently ranked 22nd, a ranking that’ll surely improve when the polls come out at midweek.
“College football hasn’t been kind to TCU,” Brown said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. One of the reasons they haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve is that they haven’t been on TV.”
And that, of course, is because TCU isn’t in the Big 12.

Brown: Fans can come off suicide watch

Monday, September 3, 2007, 11:21 AM
Mack Brown was asked Monday about distraught Longhorn fans going on “suicide watch” — a bit of hyperbole, we think — after Saturday’s game.
“We do have one of the few fan bases that goes on suicide watch after a win,” Brown replied.
He said that 10- and 11-win seasons of past years has created very high expectations.
“Our fans need to understand that every year it gets tougher,” he said. “Every team gives us its best shot.”
 
Beck to Start @ BC

It doesn’t come as a surprise, but Coach Tom O’Brien confirmed today that redshirt sophomore, Harrison Beck will start at quarterback when the Wolfpack travels to Chestnut Hill to battle Boston College on Saturday. (You can click here for a review of BC’s performance vs Wake on Saturday).
Beck went 17-28 for 207 yards and two touchdowns playing one series of the first half and leading the Wolfpack to three touchdowns in the second half in Saturday’s loss to Central Florida. He threw one interception on a hail mary on the last play of the game.
The Wolfpack, already playing without Toney Baker for the rest of the season, opened in Las Vegas as a two touchdown underdog for Saturday.
 
Very interesting notes about ND from Blue-Gray Sky.

All Messed Up | by Jay



Back from the 'Bend, but I'm still choking on the dust from Saturday's demolition. I knew in the back of my mind this was in fact going to be a rebuilding year, but I guess I was thinking something more on the order of a living room remodel, not knocking down all four walls with a wrecking ball.

While I'm breaking out the respirator, here's a bit from the SBT that points to the core issue of the day:
[Tech defensive end Adamm] Oliver often peered across the line of scrimmage and saw waves of uncertainty roll through an Irish offense that ran through three different quarterbacks, none of whom he believed played with much confidence.

"You could tell they were very uncomfortable and we were coming after them every play," Oliver said. "I don't think they were very quick with their reads. We had them all messed up."

If Jamal Lewis wasn't racing in from his safety spot for one of his team-high eight tackles, linebacker Phillip Wheeler was creating havoc underneath as defensive lineman Darrell Robertson was having his way with an inexperienced Irish offensive line.

Robertson admitted that as the game wore on, Tech defenders started a competition amongst themselves about who would make the next big hit. There were many takers.

"The person who doesn't get it next was the one being ragged on," said Robertson, who finished with six tackles and 1.5 sacks. "We had to handle business and then start having fun out there."
​
 
Nebraska 52-Nevada 10
Something almost immediately evident, Nebraska has some kicker. I believe he cleared the end zone 6 times, while kicking from the 30. To compare, Hunter Lawrence landed the ball between the goal line and 5 yard line every kick against Arkansas State. As for the rest of the game, Marlon Lucky was great, and as for the passing game...well...Marlon Lucky was great. It seems like Callahan put a damper on the passing game after Keller threw an early pick six. I would have assumed it'd be hard to run a West Coast offence without having a lot of confidence in one's quarterback. Well, Callahan's the genius.
 
Added:

Nebraska -7

May need to buy off this later, but think this is a good price for Nebraska. I don't care about the look ahead factor. I like Neb's OL to open up some holes and Keller to pass more in this game against a very porous Wake pass D. Also, Neb's kicker will give Wake alot of 80 yard fields to deal with. Last, Skinner will be out or significantly hampered.
 
Revise my Week 1 stats after TT did what I thought they'd do and then some:

Week 1
6-4 (+2.5 units)

Makes me feel better but I hate not getting a good line on TT v UTEP. TT and UTEP's performances will guarantee a bad line for this one.
 
Will want to keep an eye on Harrell's ankle also... a high ankle sprain can linger...so it may be just as well.
 
Orakpo status

By Suzanne Halliburton | Monday, September 3, 2007, 06:24 PM
Starting defensive end Brian Orakpo injured his right knee Saturday night. By Monday, there was no update on Orakpo’s status for TCU.
If you’re a positive sort, the lack of news indicated that the injury wasn’t serious enough to keep Orakpo out for the season. Texas coach Mack Brown would have announced that at his Monday press conference.
Instead, Orakpo’s status will be updated later in the week as part of the Longhorns weekly injury report.
A team spokesman said Orakpo will be evaluated throughout the week and would have a magnetic resonance imaging test.
Redshirt freshman Eddie Jones would get the start in Orakpo’s place Saturday.
Orakpo had three tackles before his injury in the second quarter.
Jones had four tackles. His highlight was an interception in the end zone after he dropped back into coverage on a zone blitz.
Orakpo was injured as he was trying to fight free of a block. The tackle had him high. , Replays showed that the Arkansas State running back then hit him low, but officials did not call him for an illegal block.
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Cavalcade of Whimsy - The New Stars </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
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From the fallout after the Appalachian State win, to Notre Dame's problem, to all the hot new stars and teams, led by Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray, here's Fiu's take on the wild first weekend in his latest Cavalcade of Whimsy.
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[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's Cavalcade of Whimsy[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances [/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]

By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... E-mail with your thoughts
Past Whimsies [/SIZE][/FONT]2006 Season | Preseason Part One, Part Two
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I paid good money to get a cupcake D-IAA team to show up as a lamb for the slaughter, and they sent over an FCS team full of annoyingly fast offensive skill players who actually tried to win the game.

“Mama called him Clay; I’m a call him Clay” … I’m not doing this. I’m not jumping through hoops in an attempt to remember which one is FBS and which one is FCS and if they have anything to do with FDS.

There's absolutely no need for political correctness when it comes to the classification of football programs. There are 119 teams at the upper level of college football, with Western Kentucky still behind the rope waiting for its hot friend to show up so the bouncer will let it in. That’s D-I. Everyone else isn’t D-I. Even Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore referred to his team as D-IAA (albeit mistakenly). I want my old classifications back, and I want them now.

Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray just scored again on North Texas.

Apparently, he spent the off-season scrimmaging against a bunch of Michigan Fatheads to prepare … One thing to remember about college football players is that most aren’t media savvy. NFL types have spent years in front of microphones and know exactly what to do and what to say at all times. College players, despite all the coaching from the sports information directors, aren’t nearly as polished, and that goes double for guys who’ve never been in the glare of the national spotlight, like Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards.

Of course he deserves a break considering the enormity and excitement of the moment, but he had two priceless post-game comments. When asked to give one word to describe what he was feeling: “We beat Michigan. Plain and simple.” Then, when asked about how his team handled the Michigan offense: “I haven’t really seen our defense, but I know they’re good.”

You only go for two in the final seven minutes of the game, or at Taco John’s on Softshell Saturday … As the line goes, you can’t spell Lloyd without two Ls.

The Michigan coaching staff put on a clinic of what not to do against an inferior opponent, with the biggest tactical error coming when it chose to unnecessarily go for two in the third quarter. Thanks to Lloyd Carr, welcome to the Fourth Annual Week One Two-Point Conversion Whine.

The Wolverines scored a touchdown midway through the third quarter to make it 31-26, and went for two to try to cut the margin down to a field goal (which turned out to be a moot point considering the Wolverine special teams line went bye-bye on field goal attempts). They missed, and the lead stayed at five. Had they kicked the extra point, instead of panicking, and had they realized there was still plenty of time and a million different combinations of things that could happen, they wouldn’t have had to go for two late in the game when a Mike Hart touchdown gave them a 32-31 lead. Kick the two extra points, and it ends up being 34-31. The last-gasp ASU field goal sends it into overtime instead of becoming the game-winner, and Jason Gingell’s tackle of Corey Lynch on the blocked final field goal attempt has some real meaning.

You don't go for two unless you absolutely have to. You just don't. Too often it comes back to bite teams in the butt.
Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray just scored again on North Texas.

And an extra basket of mini-muffins will be included if they can stomp all over Oregon … There’s no truth to the rumor that Oklahoma sent pajamagrams to Michigan as a thank you for making the upset to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl seem like not that big a deal anymore.

The biggest upset would be if Lauren Caitlin Upton could find the State of Appalachia on a map. That is, if there wasn't such a map shortage in America ... No, Appalachian State didn't pull off the biggest upset in college football history. ASU, as a program, is a winner. We’re talking about a two-time defending national champion. You don’t do that on any level without having a special something. Of course, there might not be anyone on the ASU two-deep who cracks the Michigan starting lineup, but there have been far worse teams in the history of the sport that have pulled off shockers.

In 1998, Virginia Tech was 5-0 with wins over Clemson, Boston College (who weren’t nearly as good as they are now) and Miami on the road, along with wins over East Carolina and Pitt. Temple was 0-6 and coming off a loss to D-IAA William & Mary. Tech beat BC 17-0, while Temple lost to the Eagles 31-7. The Owls had only won one of its previous 11 games, and that came the year before against a Rutgers team that went winless. A 36.5 point underdog, Temple stunned the Hokies 24-22 in what’s still considered by “investors” as the biggest upset in recent college football history. Had there been a line, Michigan wouldn’t have been favored by more than 30 over ASU.

The key will be which one can do the “Blue Steel” first … There’s no truth to the rumor that new college football analyst Jesse Palmer has officially challenged Kirk Herbstreit to a pose-off for the right to be named ESPN’s Mr. Prettyman.
Week one ad problem, part one … 1) Why, in the countless ads for some razor, is Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry telling me that yesterday is history and today is all that matters while the spot pumps up their past accomplishments in the graphics? If today, this day, is all that matters, Phil Mickelson should be in the ad. 2) You know it took 59 takes to get Henry to say “think” correctly, and it still comes across as “fink.”

But if you gotta dance, you gotta dance … There's a twist to the new world of kickoffs coming from the 30. Now, an excessive celebration penalty, or an offsides call on the kickoff, moves the ball back so far that a bad boot might as well mean an automatic three points to the receiving team.

But I still took them way too early in my fantasy draft … Because Ronnie Brown went second overall and Cadillac Williams went fifth in the 2005 draft (to go along with QB Jason Campbell going 25th), many proclaimed the Auburn backfield the best of all-time. Upon further review, is that tandem better than Minnesota’s twosome of Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney, or the current twosomes of James Davis and C.J. Spiller at Clemson or Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at Arkansas? Right now, I'd guess that nine out of ten pro types would take their chances on the other tandems.

When I get that feeling that something is right that I can’t really describe, I also go to Florida … Even when national champions are in the discussion, as far as talent level, there’s USC, and there’s everyone else. Former Trojan RB Emmanuel Moody wasn’t even going to crack the USC two-deep, and might have even been as low as fifth in the rotation, but when he chose to transfer, he had 118 schools drooling to get him. He chose Florida. It's gotten to the point where other schools, even the top ones, brag when their recruits were courted by USC. Pete Carroll has created a monster.

Annoying announcer cliché of the week … Every time there’s a fumble and it takes a while for the official to make a call, the announcer always says something about how the guy who ends up with it probably wasn’t the guy who initially had it. Besides “meow, meow, meow, meow,” here’s what’s really going through the announcer’s head, and what he really should say. “Someone got the fumble, got his nuts yanked and twisted so hard that he started to sing like a Slumber Party Girl, gave up the ball, someone else got it, got his eye gouged Curly style, gave it up, and some periphery guy on the outside ended up with it.”
Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray just scored again on North Texas.

Week one ad problem, part two … If I’m actually watching the Big Ten Network, there’s no need for ads telling me what to do to get it.

Apparently, it is possible to oversaturate … I was all excited for the debut of the Big Ten Network, while still hoping for the other big conferences to soon follow suit, and then as soon as the opening shot came up of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo, and Howard Griffith, I realized I hit pregame overload and had to step away from the TV.

From ESPN GameDay, to College Football Live, to the NFL Network’s College Football Now, to 25 straight hours of Rece Davis (who did a fantastic job), to CSTV, ESPNU, and all the regional Fox outlets, there can only be so much white noise a fan can take. Of course, the TV world comes to a standstill when I'm doing a guest appearance on these shows.

And somewhere, someone was breaking something tasteful because he couldn’t watch Penn State beat FIU 59-0 … Big Ten Network, it’s time to blink. Sorry BTN, but Comcast is right. No one wants to watch women’s volleyball or men’s wrestling, and the more you pretend that women’s sports and non-revenue activities matter, and are worthy of cable subscribers paying extra for it, the sillier you look. People will watch football, men's basketball, and classic football games. That's it.

It’s not like ol’ Jim Clausen can play defensive tackle … Fine, I’ll be the one to say it. If they're going to be fair and consistent, all those Notre Dame alumni who were in on the infamous letter that voiced their displeasure of the direction of the program under Ty Willingham have to be heard from again if this year's team is as bad as it looked this week. We’ve all given nothing but love to Charlie Weis for taking Willingham’s players to the BCS in each of the last two years, but now this is Chuck’s program. These are his guys. This is his team, and if it starts to suck, it’s his fault.
If Weis rights the ship and Notre Dame beats the good teams ahead on the schedule, then all is fine. Of course, it's not time to fold up shop based on one awful performance, but if the team keeps playing as poorly as it did against Georgia Tech, and if there isn’t at least a little bit of alumni rumbling, considering Willingham only got three years to operate, then the same types who went ballistic about the Don Imus situation are going to smell blood in the water. I'm not saying it's necessarily right or wrong; I'm saying it's going to start up.

The Yellow Jackets are really, really, really good, and they exposed all the Irish flaws. The lines are awful, the receiving corps doesn’t have immediate replacements for the lost stars, the secondary isn’t any better, and there’s a shocking dearth of running back talent. Don’t blame Demetrius Jones, Evan Sharpley and Jimmy Clausen; they didn’t get any time to throw. If you remember, neither did Brady Quinn.

Notre Dame isn’t going to beat Penn State this week. It’s not going to beat Michigan. It’s going to struggle against Michigan State if the Spartan running game is working. It’s going to have a nightmare of a time with the Purdue offense, and will likely be underdogs against UCLA and Boston College before facing USC. Last Saturday could be just the beginning.
Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray just scored again on North Texas.
The C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
Ten interesting tidbits, players and teams from week one that bear watching over the next few weeks.

10. Nebraska RB Marlon Lucky
The star recruit of a few years ago ripped through a not-that-bad Nevada defense for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Currently the nation’s leading rusher, if Lucky can be a workhorse for the attack, Nebraska, with its potential in the passing game, will be unstoppable. That's why if the Huskers can get by Wake Forest, it’s important to take a good, hard look at at the September 15<SUP>th</SUP> date against …

9. USC
Be very, very careful before you just hand the Trojans the national title. If the team that snoozed its way through the 38-10 win over Idaho shows up two weeks from now in Lincoln, it’s not only going to lose, it’s going to get flattened. Call it a sixth sense, women’s intuition, or the burrito I just ate, but I’m starting to think this is a potentially special Husker team, and I didn't see “it” in USC. Against the Vandals, that looked like a team that’s spent a few months reading about how good it is, and now it has two weeks off. That's not a positive.

8. Last year’s hot non-BCS teams, San Jose State and Central Michigan
CMU won the 2006 MAC Championship with shocking ease, while San Jose State had one of the great turnaround seasons ever going 9-4 with a New Mexico Bowl win. Both have experienced teams returning that are supposed to make noise in their respective conference races. Both were among the biggest week one disappointments. That’s why it’ll be interesting to watch …

7. Kansas
Every once in a while, we’re not just wrong, we’re really, really wrong. We picked Central Michigan to upset Kansas, but the Jayhawks were razor sharp in the 52-7 win. Everything worked. Todd Reesing threw four touchdown passes, the running combination of Jake Sharp and Brandon McAnderson made everyone forget about Jon Cornish, and the defense made almost every big play needed. With SE Louisiana, Toledo and FIU ahead, KU will be 4-0 before facing Kansas State. One of the few teams more impressive in week one was …

6. Arizona State
Sun Devil fans were desperate for some signs of a possible Pac 10 championship run under Dirk Koetter, and were disappointed time and again. Dennis Erickson, in his debut, not only had ASU playing its expected explosive brand of football, but it was also extremely tough and physical in the 45-3 win over San Jose State. Next up is Colorado. A blowout win over the Buffs, and it’ll be time for the rest of the Pac 10 to be worried.

5. The Big East
Outside of Syracuse getting flattened by Jake Locker and Washington, the Big East went 7-0 with frightening ease. Granted, other than SU’s battle, the only possible question mark was Connecticut’s trip to Duke, but everyone looked in midseason form on day one. Perception is everything in the polls, and right now, the league has built on the respect it started to earn by the end of last year.

4. Washington QB Jake Locker
Washington hasn’t had a winning season since 2002, but hopes are high after Locker, the superstar recruit of a few years ago, looked like the real deal against Syracuse going 14 of 19 for 142 yards to go along with 83 rushing yards and two scores. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, they’re about to hit a buzzsaw of a six-game run playing Boise State, Ohio State, at UCLA, USC, at Arizona State and Oregon. All eyes will be on Locker if UW can win at least two of those.

3. The Texas offensive line
Two things come out of Texas; steers and big, beefy men who can push around other big beefy men. How is it that Texas, Texas, doesn’t have one of the premier offensive lines in America? The TCU defensive line is among the nation’s best, and Texas is going to be in for a battle this week after only paving the way for 117 rushing yards against Arkansas State.

2. Georgia Tech
Either Notre Dame is horrible or Georgia Tech is really good. It’s a little of both, and after the Yellow Jackets blow away Samford this week, we’ll know if they’re the real deal when they play Boston College and Clemson before September is over. The schedule is tough, but the Eagles and Tigers, along with Virginia Tech and Georgia, have to come to Atlanta, and Miami, the one nasty road game, isn’t the Miami of five years ago. If Taylor Bennett can recalibrate his arm and start hitting his open receivers, this could be a killer team as the season goes on.

1. Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray and QB Sam Bradford
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was against North Texas, but Oklahoma started off the season first in the nation in total and scoring offense after cranking out 668 yards and 79 points. New starting quarterback Sam Bradford completed 21 of 23 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns, with one of the misses coming on a deep ball that just barely failed to click. DeMarco Murray, the star of the OU off-season, ran 17 times for 87 yards and five touchdowns, highlighted by a silky-smooth, bolt-of-lightning 44-yard dash. The receiving corps is among the nation’s fastest, the offense line and secondary are among the nation’s best, and the defensive line reloaded. Now the Sooners know they have two offensive stars to build around, even when running back Allen Patrick is back this week against Miami.
C.O.W. shameless gimmick item … The weekly five Overrated/Underrated aspects of the world
1) Overrated: California’s athletic department ... Underrated: California’s tree-hugging hippies
2) Overrated: Rick Trickett … Underrated: West Virginia’s offensive line
3) Overrated: George Mason ... Underrated: Appalachian State
4) Overrated: Blake Mitchell ... Underrated: Blake Mitchell (shame on you if you actually get this)
5) Overrated: Les Miles ... Underrated: The Pac 10
My Heisman ballot this week would be … 1) Colt Brennan, QB Hawaii, 2) Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas, 3) Matt Ryan, QB Boston College, 4) Steve Slaton, QB West Virginia, 5) Pat White, QB West Virginia
Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray just scored again on North Texas.
“You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools/But that's the way I like it baby, I don't wanna live forever” … The three lines this week that appear to be a tad off. (Sorry I didn’t do this last week. Georgia Tech +2 over Notre Dame was my five-star lock of the century.) … 1) Bowling Green +15 over Michigan State, 2) Temple -2 over Buffalo, 3) Indiana +3 over Western Michigan
Sorry this column sucked, but it wasn’t my fault … I could’ve been the main man in the Notre Dame offense, but I chose to leave for the NFL early. Like Darius Walker, I also got cut by the Houston Texans.
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"Duh" article of the day:

Croom: Henig must improve to keep starting job

Posted: Tuesday September 4, 2007 1:03AM; Updated: Tuesday September 4, 2007 1:03AM
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said Monday he won't be hesitant to make a switch at quarterback if starter Michael Henig struggles again.
Henig threw six interceptions in a 45-0 loss to No. 2 LSU last week. Croom said backup Josh Riddell, who was suspended one game after being arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, might even share playing time with Henig on Saturday at Tulane.
"If Josh practices the way I think he will, I may play both quarterbacks anyway," Croom said. "But I'll do on game day whatever I've got to do to win the ballgame. I think all of our players know that going into the season and I really don't treat the quarterback position any different than any of the rest of them."
Croom said one of Henig's interceptions came because of a miscommunication with a receiver. But the rest were poorly thrown balls that sailed because of poor mechanics or decisions. His timing was also off with some passes thrown early and others late.
"From a coaching standpoint I've seen Mike play well in games," Croom said. "I've seen him play extremely well in practice. I think there are some things we can do to help him. We'll do those things -- then he's got to perform."
Croom gave Henig the starting job midway through his freshman year and his performance has varied since in 10 starts. He came into the season with a career 44 percent completion rate in 16 games and hit just 39.2 percent of his passes against LSU.
His career touchdown to interception ratio is now nine to 21 and he's had multiple interceptions in five games. His six picks against LSU tied a team record set by Max Stainbrook against Cincinnati in 1949.
Some of the inconsistency can be blamed on the two broken collarbones he suffered last season, forcing him in and out of practice and the lineup. But Croom said Henig must show in games what he's shown in practice to remain the starter.
Henig said Croom has been supportive. He can't blame the coach for looking to Riddell, but he hopes to keep his backup on the bench.
"He's got to do what he's got to to keep his job," Henig said of Croom. "If I continue on that road -- which I won't -- he's got to make a switch. That's his job."
Henig handled his poor performance well and hasn't shirked the negative attention since. He said he's always been that way, pointing to performances at Alabama and Georgia last year when he followed interceptions with touchdown drives.
"That's one thing I've been able to do as a player -- just forget about what happens," he said. "It's behind me and move on. I'm over the purple and gold and now it's on to the Big Green.
Riddell, an Oregon native who played just one season at quarterback in high school before starting two seasons at Foothill College in California, led the junior college to an 18-4 record overall and a No. 4 national ranking his sophomore year.
He completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 5,333 yards and 54 touchdowns at Foothill. He said he's ready to play in the Southeastern Conference, if called on.
"If the opportunity presents itself, then I'm definitely going to be ready," Riddell said. "I'm working my butt off right now learning the plays and just being there for the team."
Croom said he's seen quarterbacks return from awful games to have productive seasons before. He pointed to Jeff Rutledge, who threw five interceptions in a season-opening game against Nebraska while Croom was on the staff at Alabama.
He said Rutledge didn't give away a pass the rest of the season.
"I'm not in panic mode by any means with Mike Henig because I've seen too much of him and know what he's capable of and what he can do -- and what he's got to get done," Croom said. "And I believe he'll do that."
Croom was proud of the way the defense, offensive line and special teams played. He took steps to calm the kind of mutinous thoughts that sometimes emerge after games when a player or unit struggles while the rest of the team excels.
"The other thing you always want to guard against is any kind of split with the team," he said. "But I reminded them that we have been through over the past few years the worst things you can possibly go through. It can't get any worse than what we've been through."
 
Pitt may wait all week to decide on starting QB

Posted: Tuesday September 4, 2007 1:05AM; Updated: Tuesday September 4, 2007 1:05AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believes freshman Pat Bostick is far enough along to soon become the Panthers' starting quarterback. What Wannstedt is debating is whether soon means this week.
Either Bostick or redshirt freshman Kevan Smith will start Saturday against Grambling. Season-opening starter Bill Stull is out indefinitely after having surgery Sunday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Pitt (1-0) probably has enough talent to beat Grambling, a member of the former NCAA Division I-AA, with either Smith or Bostick at quarterback. The Panthers figure to be an off-the-board favorite against the only non-major college team on their schedule.
But Wannstedt must decide whether Smith, who has thrown all of four college passes, or Bostick, who was playing high school football in Lancaster, Pa., a year ago, gives Pitt a better chance to beat Michigan State on Sept. 15 and Connecticut on Sept. 22.
If neither quarterback clearly outplays the other in practice, that could be the deciding factor.
"The positive would be that I feel he [Bostick] gives us the best chance to win," Wannstedt said Monday. "The negative would be that there's going to be some first-year mistakes, but that's going to happen with Kevan, too. For either one of them, there's not that experience you'd like to have."
Bostick might have the edge if he hadn't missed the opening week of training camp for personal reasons that have not been disclosed. His absence allowed Smith to win the backup's job going into the season-opening 24-3 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday night.
"I think the three to four days that Pat missed gave Kevan a little edge from the very beginning, and I think Kevan did a good job of taking advantage of it," Wannstedt said. "Now, is Pat ready to play? And does he know the offense well enough? Yes, he does."
Pitt hasn't had a full-time freshman starting quarterback since Alex Van Pelt in 1989, but he was a redshirt. Dan Marino started the season after he left high school, in 1979, and never gave the job up during the next four seasons except for injury.
It's possible Wannstedt won't announce his starter until game time. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis took the same approach with his three quarterbacks last week.
"Right now, I'm going to keep an open mind and make a decision on how these kids practice, how they prepare, and how they handle themselves in the huddle," Wannstedt said. "Both of them split time (Sunday in practice). The process for who's going to start and who's going to do what began Sunday night and will continue throughout the week."
 
What we learned at FSU-Clemson

By Tony Barnhart | Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 10:15 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry I’m running a little late today. After the Mother of all traffic jams in Clemson last night, your humble scribe did not get back to Atlanta until 4 a.m. But here are some things that are worth noting coming out of Clemson’s 24-18 victory over Florida State.
1. The FSU offense will be a work in progress: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State’s new offensive coordinator, was dumbfounded by what happened in the first half when the Seminoles were held to just 62 total yards and one first down-and that one came on a 22-yard scramble by QB Drew Weatherford on the first play of the game. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a team respond that way in a first game,” Fisher said. “If I could have fixed it, I would.” Things were better in the second half as Florida State had 196 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
2. The FSU O-line will get better: New offensive line coach Rick Trickett, one of the best in the business, has made the Seminole offensive line leaner and quicker. It didn’t work in the first half, as Clemson’s defensive front manhandled them. But in the second half that conditioning paid off and the Seminoles were able to start opening some creases for running back Antone Smith. “Our guys have a lot to learn but nobody has outworked them,” Trickett said after the game. “We’ll be okay.”
3. Clemson has some serious weapons: Running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller you know. But throw in speedster Jacoby Ford and wide receiver Aaron Kelly and Clemson can attack in a lot of different ways. I know it’s early but Clemson looks like the fastest team in the ACC.
4. When will Davis throw the ball? Running back James Davis of Atlanta lined up in the shotgun formation on Clemson’s first possession. He ran nine yards. “The quarterback is not in my way and C.J. (Spiller) is in motion so the defense has to respect him,” Davis said. “There is usually going to be a lane.” Davis, like all backs, hopes he eventually gets a chance to throw the ball out of that formation, a la Darren McFadden of Arkansas. “Oh, I’m already talking to coach (Bowden) about that,” Davis said. He had 102 yards rushing on 18 carries.
5. Harper is the man: Clemson’s coaches have to be encouraged with the play of junior quarterback Cullen Harper of Alpharetta (Sequoyah). Harper managed the team, completing 14 of 24 passes for 160 yards and no interceptions. Highly touted freshman Willy Korn did not get on the field. Harper made one really tough throw for an 11-yard touchdown and Aaron Kelly turned a short completion into a 41-yard score. Unlike a year ago, when Clemson had a very inconsistent passing threat, Harper appears good enough to keep opposing defenses honest.

---------------------

BTW, it was interesting to see Clemson run a bit of the Wildcat (aka single wing) in the first quarter....but then completely abandon it. Why? It was working very well and kept FSU off balance. FSU never seemed to adjust properly even after it had been run a few times.

Will we see more of the Single Wing by Clemson and other teams breaking in new teams?
 
Hedged Out

No longer on TCU

I'm going to watch this one now. I am leary of overreacting to Texas and Michigan's performance in Game 1. Moreover, TCU doesn't seem to have played a good game either against Baylor, even though they won 27-0.

TCU's starting RB is also hurt and Blake may or may not play (although we all know he will).

For now, I'll watch.
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>ACC Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

ACC conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
Atlantic Boston Coll | Clemson | Florida St | Maryland | NC State | Wake Forest
Coastal Duke | Georgia Tech | Miami | North Carolina | Virginia | Virginia Tech

ACC Game of the Week
Boston College 38 ... Wake Forest 28
Matt Ryan threw five touchdown passes and DeJuan Tribble picked off three passes as Boston College survived a firefight with Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons scored the first 14 points of the game on a 22-yard interception return for a score from Alphonso Smith and a five-yard touchdown catch from Kenneth Moore, and held a 21-14 lead after a 40-yard fumble return for a score from Chip Vaughn, and then BC caught fire scoring 21 straight points on three Ryan touchdown passes. Wake pulled within seven on a 12-yard Kevin Harris touchdown grab, but BC was finally able to pull away in the final minutes on a 28-yard Steve Aponavicius field goal.ACC Player of the WeekBoston College QB Matt Ryan went 32-of-52 for 408 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in the win over Wake Forest.
Conference Roundup
Boston College … Even without B.J. Raji on the inside, BC showed the run defense is going to be among the best in the ACC after holding Wake Forest to just two net yards. While the Eagle running game didn't exactly take off, it didn't need to with Matt Ryan coming up with a fantastic performance, spreading the ball around well and, for the most part, making great decisions. Under the pressure of a surprisingly effective Demon Deacon passing game, the secondary held up when it had to. It won't get pushed by NC State's passing game next week, so it needs to use the game as a tune-up for the showdown with Georgia Tech.
Clemson … It has to be a big concern that the Tigers let FSU back into a game that should've been a blowout the other way. The offense, while decent, couldn't produce in the second half when the running game wasn't as effective. Cullen Harper, in his first start, was efficient and didn't make any mistakes, but he failed to keep things moving when the Tigers needed a big drive late. Games against UL Monroe and Furman over the next two weeks should help tune everything up.
Duke … Where was the running game? Duke was outgained 189 yards to 15, and while the passing game had to work most of the second half after getting down, the offensive line didn't do nearly enough early on to open any holes. Making things worse was a bad game by QB Thaddeus Lewis, who didn't do much to get the offense moving when the momentum had turned. On the plus side, LB Vincent Rey had a whale of a game with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Florida State … New coaches, same problems. FSU couldn't find any consistency in the running game against Clemson, and it had a nightmare of a time protecting Drew Weatherford. While the team did a good job of pouncing on the momentum swing, it only finished with eight first downs, did nothing on third downs in the first half, and only converted three of 17 chances. Weatherford was sacked five times, and he'll need far more time to get the passing attack moving. Working on the ground game against UAB next week is vital.
Georgia Tech… The win over the Irish shouldn't be a surprise, and the ease with which it happened can't come as a shocker considering how good the defense is coming into the year. What was a surprise, in a bad way, was how off the passing game was. Taylor Bennett struggled with his accuracy as he failed to end the game in the first 20 minutes with a few misfires forcing Tech to go for field goals instead of touchdowns. It should've been 28-0 at halftime instead of 16-0, but things will click with a little more time. The receivers were open, and Bennett should use the Samford game to find them. Tashard Choice was tremendous behind a strong game from the line.
Maryland … Everything worked for the Terps against Villanova, with Jordan Steffy coming up with an efficient day throwing the ball, even if he failed to push the ball deep, and Keon Lattimore cranking out a good day for the running game. The defense was never really challenged, and it won't be next week against the anemic FIU attack. To get ready for West Virginia, the Terp offense has to keep working on controlling the ball and the clock, which it did a great job of against Villanova.
Miami … The quarterback situation is far from settled. Kirby Freeman didn't exactly take the job by the horns with a 9-of-21 performance against Marshall with only 81 passing yards and a touchdown with an interception. While he didn't have to force any throws and mainly had to hand off to the tremendous rushing tandem of Graig Cooper and Javarris James, he's going to have to make plays for the Canes to have any shot against Oklahoma, and he hasn't shown yet that he can actually play with the big boys. Fortunately for Miami, the defense will take care of most teams. It never let Marshall in the game.
North Carolina … The Tar Heels got up so quickly on James Madison that it seemed like the team went on autopilot. The running game had to show more than it was able to, only netting 100 yards, but T.J. Yates did a great job of opening things up through the air. He needs to do more on third downs, and he needs more help from the running game, but those things should hopefully come over the course of the season if the defense gives the O chances to work, like it did against JMU. Next week will be a good test against a strong East Carolina defensive line.
NC State … Tom O'Brien teams aren't supposed to come out flat, and they're supposed to execute far better than NC State did against UCF until it was almost too late. Harrison Beck did a nice job of stepping in and getting the offense moving, but the running game was stunningly non-existent against a mediocre UCF defensive front and the run defense struggled early against Kevin Smith. The offense has to be far, far more consistent to have any shot of beating Boston College next week.
Virginia … How could the offense go in the tank so quickly against Wyoming? It's not like this was the USC defense the Cavaliers were facing, but it might as well have been. The offensive line has too much talent to be so awful and do so little against the Cowboy defensive front, while Jameel Sewell was awful throwing the ball. Against Duke next week, someone had better start making plays on offense or this will be a long, long season that'll lead to a new regime next year at this time. At this point, the defense has to start giving the offense good field position and has to force turnovers.
Virginia Tech … Did the emotional factor actually hurt the Hokies? With so much hype and so much surrounding the game, it was almost like the Hokies, especially on offense, played extremely tight. However, this wasn't the type of performance that'll inspire much in the way of confidence before having to face LSU's defense. Sean Glennon was shaky at best, and the offensive line had an awful game. There wasn't any room to run, and Glennon was under pressure far too often. Defensively, the stars came through as Xavier Adibi, Vince Hall and Brandon Flowers all played like All-Americans.
Wake Forest… The Wake Forest formula appeared to be working early against BC with an opportunistic defense making big plays to help out the offense, and then the running game failed to get going, the turnovers kicked in, and QB Riley Skinner was knocked out hurt. Brett Hodges came in and was fantastic as the Demon Deacons kept bombing away and stayed in the game. Expect more of the same against Nebraska. The ground game probably won't work again, so there will be plenty of passes, plenty of trick plays, and to have a chance, there has to be plenty of turnovers.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table6 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left>Atlantic</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Boston College</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>38</TD><TD>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Clemson</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>24</TD><TD>18</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>18</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Maryland</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>NC State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>25</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Wake Forest</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>28</TD><TD>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Florida State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>18</TD><TD>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>18</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bgBdr id=table7 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left>Coastal</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD>Team</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>North Carolina</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>37</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Georgia Tech</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>33</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Miami </TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Virginia Tech</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Duke</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Virginia</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table8 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Virginia Tech 17 ... East Carolina 7
CFN Prediction: VT 38-10 VT -24.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>at Miami 31 ... Marshall 3
CFN Prediction: Miami 34-10 Miami -21</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>2:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Connecticut 45 ... at Duke 14
CFN Prediction: Duke 23-20 Conn. -5.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>2:00 PM</TD><TD>at Wyoming 23 ... Virginia 3
CFN Prediction: UW 23-20 UVa -3</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Georgia Tech 33 ... at Notre Dame 3
CFN Prediction: GT 23-16 ND -2</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>at Boston College 38 ... Wake Forest 28
CFN Prediction: BC 24-17 BC -6.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Maryland 31 ... Villanova 14
CFN Prediction: MD 31-10</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>UCF 25 ... at North Carolina State 23
CFN Prediction: NC St 24-16 NC St -10</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at North Carolina 37 ... James Madison 14
CFN Prediction: UNC 31-10</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Monday, September 3</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>at Clemson 24 ... Florida State 18
CFN Prediction: FSU 21-13 FSU -1.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past ACC Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Boston College 38 ... Wake Forest 28

Past ACC Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Boston College QB Matt Ryan
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Big East Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Big East conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
Cincinnati | Connecticut | Louisville | Pittsburgh | Rutgers
South Florida | Syracuse | West Virginia

Big East Game of the Week
West Virginia 62 ... Western Michigan 24
Western Michigan shut down the West Virginia running game was shut down ... in the first quarter. The Mountaineers only gained 16 on the ground in the first frame, but still had a 14-7 lead as Pat White threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Dorrell Jalloh and combined with Steve Slaton on a 50-yard score. Eventually, everything worked as usual for the Mountaineers, who finished with 316 rushing yards and turned the jets on with White tearing off a brilliant 38-yard run and Slaton scoring on two one-yard runs to go along with a 58-yard dash. Western Michigan stayed around for a half on the first of two Jamarko Simmons touchdown catches and a two-yard Tim Hiller run, but the defense couldn't slow down the WVU machine.Big East Player of the WeekWest Virginia RB Steve Slaton ran 16 times for 109 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for 61 yards and a score in the win over Western Michigan.
Conference Roundup
Cincinnati … Lighting up SE Missouri State is one thing. Now Brian Kelly's UC offense has to show it can produce against a speedy, talented defense like Oregon State's next week. At the very least, Ben Mauk was effective leading the attack, spreading the ball around well to several receivers, while the running game was dominant. 314 yards and five touchdowns is a successful day no matter who it's against.
Connecticut … It might have only been against Duke, but Connecticut has to be ecstatic with the play of Tyler Lorenzen, who settled the quarterback issues with a great all-around game, or at least a great all-around second half, while the rest of the running game did whatever it wanted to against the Blue Devils. Defensively, the Huskies stuffed the Duke ground game and forced several bad plays with continuous pressure into the backfield. With tuneups against Maine and Temple coming up, Lorenzen has to keep progressing and has to keep working the ball around. The less running he has to do, the better.
Louisville … Yeah, Louisville was only playing Murray State and could've hung a hundred if it wanted to, but it was still a meaningful first game considering it was the opening of the Steve Kragthorpe era. Anything less than a 73-point outing would've got ththe Cardinal fans buzzing, but all the parts appeared to be working. Again, we're talking Murray State here, but several NFL types have to be wondering what Brian Brohm would be like as an Oakland Raider or Cleveland Brown right now.
Pittsburgh … Pitt might have beaten Eastern Michigan, but it suffered a big blow with QB Bill Stull suffering a thumb injury that'll require surgery. That's not a big deal for next week with Grambling coming up, but the rest of the team will have to step up their play if he's not back against Michigan State and Connecticut. Against the Eagles, the defense stifling and Dave Brytus had a huge day punting the ball. He bailed the Panthers out of a few jams. The combination of LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling was solid with 135 yards on just 26 carries.
Rutgers … Did Ray Rice really need 25 carries against Buffalo? Rutgers is more than just Rice, and the passing game showed it can move the ball a bit, but Rice is the franchise and has to be healthy for the long haul. It'll be interesting to note how much work he gets against Navy and Norfolk State over the next few weeks before Maryland and Cincinnati come to town. While Tiquan Underwood had a lot to do with it, Mike Teel was efficient and made some nice throws. If Underwood can keep cranking out big plays, Rice will go ballistic.
South Florida … The Bulls didn't exactly open it up against Elon, mainly because they didn't need to. Several players got involved on both sides of the ball as the coaching staff truly used this as a preseason game before the showdown against Auburn next week. The pass rush kept the Phoenix under pressure all game long, and the secondary almost never allowed anything deep. Getting QB Matt Grothe on the move against the Tigers will be a key next week, but limiting mistakes will be even more important. Grothe was able to manage the game well, but the Bulls had too many penalties.
Syracuse … The Orange needed a good first home game to give the struggling program some confidence, and it got run over, around and through by the Washington ground game. The biggest problem? The lines. The O line didn't do nearly enough to give Andrew Robinson some time, and the defensive line got shoved all over the place against the Husky front five. Robinson was a bit off all game long, mostly because he was under pressure, and there was no ground game whatsoever. Against Iowa next week, the offense has to find one thing it can do relatively well. Nothing worked against the Huskies.
West Virginia… Let the first quarter of the blowout over Western Michigan serve notice. You can put everyone and the waterboy on the line to stop the Mountaineer running game, and it'll work. However, Pat White will make the plays through the air to rip apart your secondary. White and Slaton were White and Slaton against the Broncos, showing why they're two of the elite players in America with big play after big play. The defense was fine against a good WMU offensive attack, but the real test will come two games down the line against Maryland. By then, everything should be in place.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table2 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD></TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Louisville</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>73</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>West Virginia</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>62</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Cincinnati</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>59</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Connecticut</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Rutgers</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>South Florida</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Pittsburgh</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Syracuse</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>42</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table3 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Rutgers 38 ...Buffalo 3
CFN Prediction: Rut 45-7 Rut -32.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Cincinnati 59 ... SE Missouri State 3
CFN Prediction: Cin 34-7</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:30 PM</TD><TD>at Louisville 73 ... Murray State 10
CFN Prediction: UL 57-7</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Friday, August 31</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>Washington 42 ... at Syracuse 12
CFN Prediction: UW 24-20 UW -3</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>2:00 PM</TD><TD>Connecticut 45 ... at Duke 14
CFN Prediction: Duke 23-20 Conn. -5.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at West Virginia 62 ... Western Michigan 24
CFN Prediction: WVU 37-17 WVU -24</TD></TR><TR><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>at Pitt 27 ... Eastern Michigan 3
CFN Prediction: Pitt 38-13 Pitt -20</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at South Florida 28 ... Elon 13
CFN Prediction: USF 43-10</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Big East Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - West Virginia 62 ... Western Michigan 24


Past Big East Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - West Virginia RB Steve Slaton
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<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Big 12 Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Big 12 conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

North Colorado | Iowa St | Kansas | Kansas State | Missouri | Nebraska
South Baylor | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | Texas A&M | Texas Tech

Big 12 Game of the WeekColorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT
Colorado's Terrence Wheatley intercepted a Caleb Hanie pass in the end zone on Colorado State's offensive possession in overtime, and Kevin Eberhart nailed his 35-yard chance to give the Buffs the win. The two teams traded scores all game long, with Cody Hawkins throwing two first quarter touchdown passes for Colorado and Caleb Hanie responding with three scoring passes to Kory Sperry. Down 28-17, Colorado came back with a three-yard Demetrius Sumler touchdown run late in the third quarter and got a 22-yard Eberhart field goal with 13 seconds to play to force overtime.
Big 12 Player of the WeekOklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 21 of 23 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the 79-10 win over North Texas.
Conference Roundup
Baylor … It's not time to completely panic. TCU's defense is going to finish among the best in the nation and is sure to make most offenses look lousy, but the Baylor attack failed to do anything to impose its will on the Horned Frogs. There wasn't any semblance of a running game, despite wanting more balance after having no ground attack last year, and Blake Szymanski only threw for 216 yards on 47 attempts. Another big concern is the kicking game, as Shea Brewster missed from 20 and 35 yards. The defense wasn't bad, and it should look even better over the next three weeks against Rice, Texas State and Buffalo. Now the offense has to follow suit.
Colorado … After last year, Colorado needed to start out with a tough win to prove that this is a new season and a new team. While the defense was far softer than expected against the Colorado State offense, it was solid late and came through when it absolutely had to have stops in the fourth quarter along with overtime. Making the win more impressive than it might appear was the way the Buffs were able to win with top RB Hugh Charles on the sidelines. New starting QB Cody Hawkins didn't have anyone to take the pressure off. To beat Arizona State or Florida State over the next few weeks, Charles needs a healthy hamstring.
Iowa State … The loss to Kent State was disastrous for any bowl hopes. While that might seem a bit extreme considering it came before September, this was a home game the Cyclones had to come up with. The Golden Flashes did what they could to give ISU chances, but Bret Meyer and the offense didn't take advantage. Bret Meyer simply has to play much better and has to be far sharper as the leader of the team. The veteran quarterback has to make everyone around him better, and he has to use the running of J.J. Bass to open things up for the passing game. A blowout win over Northern Iowa next week is a must to get some semblance of confidence before the showdown with Iowa.
Kansas … Either Central Michigan got really bad in a real hurry after dominating the MAC, of Kansas is humming on all cylinders out of the gate. Todd Reesing showed he was the right man for the starting quarterback job, but Kerry Meier also showed he could move the offense completing all six of his passes for 47 yards and a score. As far as the running game, who needs, Jon Cornish? Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp combined for 226 yards cranking out seven yards per carry. If the Jayhawks can really play like this, they're a legitimate North title contender.
Kansas State … A more experienced team, with a more experienced coaching staff, would've found a way to pull off the win over Auburn. The running game only averaged 1.7 yards per carry, the pass protection in crunch time was nearly non-existent, and the 16 penalties for 141 yards were a killer. Even so, and even with a loss, this was a big day for QB Josh Freeman. He didn't throw a touchdown pass, but for the most part, he kept his poise and gutted it out despite an apparent ankle injury. The defense has to find ways to get Ian Campbell more involved. Now a hybrid of a linebacker and end, he didn't make enough plays.
Missouri … You'd think Missouri would've learned its lesson after blowing the Sun Bowl to Oregon State, but no, it almost choked again as it had a nightmare of a time putting Illinois away. If the Tigers really have designs on winning the Big 12, they have to figure out how to keep their foot on the gas for a fill sixty minutes, and they have to get the running game going after only gaining 70 yards. The Tigers fell into the same trap last year asking Chase Daniel to carry the offense. He was able to do it against the Illini with 54 passes, but Mizzou is far better with a more balanced attack.
Nebraska … All eyes were on Sam Keller in his debut for the Huskers, and outside of an interception returned for a touchdown, he was decent. However, the win over Nevada came from the running game, as Marlon Lucky showed a flash of the greatness many expected from him when he was one of the team's superstar recruits a few years ago. The defense dominated the Wolf Pack from the start, and was especially nasty on third downs. As long as the running game controls the tempo, and the D gets quick stops, this will be a nasty team to beat over the next few weeks in big games against Wake Forest and USC.
Oklahoma … Boise State this. Could Sam Bradford have asked for a better start to his career? Not only was he incredible against North Texas, but DeMarco Murray, with his five touchdown runs, showed he's ready to be the star he appeared ready to become this off-season. Fine, so it was against a severely overmatched UNT team, but after the Fiesta Bowl and a weird off-season, the program needed this before facing Miami. If the offensive line plays like it did this week, there won't be any problems.
Oklahoma State … It was almost as if the offense was waiting to connect on the big play over and over again against Georgia, and failed to come up with the consistent play. The Cowboys needed to keep the chains moving, but Bobby Reid struggled when he absolutely had to have a big throw to change the momentum. The offense couldn't keep the defense off the field, and the defense couldn't get the offense back on, as the Dawgs held the ball for almost 23 minutes in the second half. Fortunately, breathers against Florida Atlantic and Troy over the next few weeks should help get the offense moving. The running game can't be held to just 70 yards again. Texas … Talk about going through the motions, Texas barely lifted a finger to try to beat Arkansas. State. The offensive line, a question mark coming into the season, was fine, but it'll have to play far better next week against a great TCU defensive line. It has to be a concern that the ground game only averaged 3.1 yards per carry, and the defense gave up way too many first downs (26). Call it the first game rust, but it would've been nice if this had been more of a blowout before the showdown with the Horned Frogs.
Texas A&M … It might not have been Texas A&M's best performance in the win over Montana State, but the offense got the big running plays it needed to, averaging a whopping 7.5 yards per carry, and the defense did a nice job of bending but not breaking. Giving up 403 yards to a decent FCS team like MSU isn't that big a deal, but it would nice if the D could become a brick wall against Fresno State next week, and it would be really nice if Stephen McGee could be a bit more efficient after completing just half his passes.
Texas Tech… Any worries about who'd take over in the receiving corps are gone after Michael Crabtree was unstoppable on a 12-catch, 106-yard day against SMU and Danny Amendola caught ten passes for 149 yards and a score. The key was time. QB Graham Harrell had as much as he wanted. The Tech offensive line dominated the Mustangs. Lost in the fireworks was a big day from a defense that didn't allow a touchdown and gave up just 270 yards of total offense.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table3 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left>North</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD></TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Kansas</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Nebraska</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Missouri</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>40</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>34</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Colorado</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Iowa State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Kansas State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bgBdr id=table4 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left width=190>South</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD width=190></TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Oklahoma</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>79</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Texas Tech</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>49</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>9</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Texas A&M</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Texas</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Oklahoma State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=190>Baylor</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table5 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>Kent State 23 ... at Iowa State 14
CFN Prediction: ISU 27-20 ISU -6.5</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT
CFN Prediction: CU 23-19 CU -3</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Nebraska 52 ... Nevada 10
CFN Prediction: Neb. 38-14 Neb. -19.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>Missouri 40 ... at Illinois 34
CFN Prediction: Mizzou 27-17 MU -5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at TCU 27 ... Baylor 0
CFN Prediction: TCU 30-13 TCU -21</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>6:45 PM</TD><TD>at Georgia 35 ... Oklahoma State 14
CFN Prediction: OSU 27-20 UGa -6.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Oklahoma 79 ... North Texas 10
CFN Prediction: OU 52-7 OU -41</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Texas A&M 38 ... Montana State 7
CFN Prediction: A&M 27-14</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Texas 21 ... Arkansas State 13
CFN Prediction: Texas 48-6 Texas -39</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Kansas 52 ... Central Michigan 7
CFN Prediction: CMU 34-31 KU -7.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:45 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Auburn 23 ... Kansas State 13
CFN Prediction: Aub 27-14 Aub -13.5</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Monday, September 3</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>4:00 PM</TD><TD>Texas Tech 49 ... at SMU 9
CFN Prediction: SMU 37-35 TT -9.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Big 12 Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT

Past Big 12 Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford
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<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Big 10 Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Big 10 conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota
Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Wisconsin

Big Ten Game of the Week
Appalachian State 34 ... Michigan 32
Appalachian State pulled off one of the biggest stunners in college football history after Corey Lynch blocked a 37-yard Jason Gingell field goal attempt as time ran out. ASU gave the Wolverines all they could handle in the first half, as QB Armanti Edwards completed all seven of his passes with two touchdown throws to Dexter Jackson, a nine-yard scoring strike to Hans Batichon, and a six-yard touchdown run on the way to a 28-17 lead. But Michigan would come back as Mike Hart took over with touchdown runs from four and 54 yards out. A missed two-point conversion, and a failed field goal attempt, left the door open, and ASU kicked it in with a 69-yard drive in seven plays finished up by a 24-yard Julian Rauch field goal. Michigan got within field goal range on a 46-yard completion to Mario Manningham, but Lynch came through with the blocked kick to pull off the upsetBig Ten Player of the WeekWisconsin WR Luke Swan caught eight passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-21 win over Washington State
Conference Roundup
Illinois … Illinois was down big to Missouri and should've theoretically gone into the tank after losing QB Juice Williams in the second quarter to a head injury, but Eddie McGee came in and did a great job moving the offense. LB J Leman came up with 20 tackles in a typical J Leman game, but while he all but stuffed the Tiger running game, he didn't get much help from the secondary. The Illini might be happy with the heart it showed in the comeback, but it was still yet another loss in the Ron Zook era.
Indiana … IU wasn't about to play poorly in the first game after the passing of Terry Hoeppner, but it was only against Indiana State. The offense was explosive, the defense played as well as it had in years, and everything clicked on big play after big play. Now the Hoosiers have to show they can really play by keeping the momentum going against Western Michigan and Akron over the next two weeks. Several backs got in some good work, but this team is going to go as Kellen Lewis goes. He has to keep his mistakes to a minimum.
Iowa … Considering the problems Michigan and Minnesota had in week one, any win is a positive, but Iowa didn't look very good against Northern Illinois. Jake Christensen struggled with his depleted receiving corps, and did next to nothing on third downs, as Iowa converted just two of 14 chances. There were way too many penalties (10 for 173 yards), and there wasn't enough of a consistent pass rush, but the defense did its job, holding NIU to just one yard per carry. The running game should be able to get the Hawkeyes past Syracuse and at Iowa State over the next two weeks, but the passing game has to start to click to have any hopes of beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener.
Michigan … Obviously the loss to Appalachian State was an all-timer, and it's the type of defeat that might be next to impossible to recover from, but Michigan has to regroup and realize the season isn't over. To get on track and be in the hunt for a possible Big Ten title and BCS berth, the defense has to start tackling better, the passing game has to start clicking better, and there has to be more, far more, from all the stars. Mike Hart came up with a huge second half, but Chad Henne was average and Mario Manningham was non-existent until his big catch at the end (which should've been called offensive pass interference). A strong performance against Oregon next week won't erase this loss, but if the defense starts coming up with some big plays and shows it can stop the short to midrange pass, which it couldn't do against ASU, this will be a long year.
Michigan State … Talk about making a statement, Michigan State dominated UAB from the start with a brutal running game and efficient passing that moved the ball at will. The hapless Blazers weren't going to be much of a challenge, and MSU never let it be interesting; that's what it was supposed to do. How tight was the offense? MSU converted eight of 13 third down chances. However, we've seen this all from past Spartan teams. Let's wait a few weeks before putting them in the Rose Bowl.
Minnesota … The Minnesota pass defense picked up where it left off after getting torched by Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl. Bowling Green's Tyler Sheehan was able to pick, pick, pick until the Gophers finally brought their defensive backs up and pressured the Falcon receivers. The running game was fine and Adam Weber settled down and did a decent job moving the offense, but it's going to take awhile for things to be turned around. Fortunately, Miami University and Florida Atlantic are up next.
Northwestern … Northwestern came up with the exact type of opening day performance it needed against a team like Northeastern. The defense never allowed Northeastern in the red zone, the offense got an efficient day from QB C.J. Bacher, and the offensive line was dominant in all phases. The Wildcats need to control the ball and the time of possession to beat most teams, and they did that, holding the ball for 36:58 including almost 23 minutes of the second half.
Ohio State … While it was only a win over Youngstown State, everyone in Buckeye Nation can take a deep breath and can start to put the national title game in the past. Todd Boeckman wasn't bad, Brian Robiskie was tremendous with nine catches for 153 yards, and the defense was great like it was supposed to be, but there has to be some concern that the offensive line didn't dominate in the running game and that Chris Wells was merely average. Chalk it up to opening day against an inferior opponent. If Wells doesn't go nuts against Akron next week, then it'll be time to be concerned.
Penn State … The Penn State defense did exactly what it was supposed to do against a horrible offense like FIU's, while the offense took advantage of almost every opportunity it got thanks to the D. Anthony Morelli might not have been razor sharp, and Derrick Williams was average yet again with four catches for 31 yards, but the offense didn't have to operate at full capacity. Of some concern has to be the running of Austin Scott, who averaged a pedestrian 4.2 yards per carry despite running well around the goal line. Sean Lee and Dan Connor were terrific; this linebacking corps will dominate all year long.
Purdue … How good is Purdue's offense? Curtis Painter had an off day against Toledo and it still cranked out 52 points and 488 yards. Painter might have misfired early on, but he soon found his groove, spreading the ball around well to his vast array of weapons. If the attack hums like it did this week, a 5-0 start if more than possible before dealing with Ohio State. Toledo might not be great, but this was still a much-needed blowout after the bowl game flop to Maryland to end 2006.
Wisconsin … It's not a bad thing when you don't play well and still end up winning by 21, and it's hard to lose when you go 11 of 15 third down conversions. Wisconsin couldn't tackle against Washington State and had a nightmare of a time in the punt return game, but the offensive line took over and gave Tyler Donovan plenty of time to work. Luke Swan was terrific as the main target who'll force defensive coordinators to spend time not focusing on the running game and TE Travis Beckum. The emergence of speedy RB Lance Smith should be a huge help spelling P.J. Hill.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table2 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Penn State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>59</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Indiana</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>55</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Michigan State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>55</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>18</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Purdue</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Wisconsin</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>42</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Ohio State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Northwestern</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Iowa</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>16</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Illinois</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>34</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>40</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Michigan</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>32</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>34</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Minnesota</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>32</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table3 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Northwestern 27 ... Northeastern 0
CFN Prediction: NW 34-20</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>at Michigan State 55 ... UAB 18
CFN Prediction: MSU 42-17 MSU -19.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Appalachian State 34 ... at Michigan 32
CFN Prediction: Mich 38-10</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>at Ohio State 38 ... Youngstown State 6
CFN Prediction: OSU 40-0</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Penn State 59 ... Florida International 0
CFN Prediction: PSU 34-6 PSU -38</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>at Wisconsin 42 ... Washington State 21
CFN Prediction: Wis 34-17 Wis -14</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Missouri 40 ... at Illinois 34
CFN Prediction: Mizzou 27-17 MU -5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>Iowa 16 ... at Northern Illinois 3
CFN Prediction: Iowa 31-14 Iowa -11.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Purdue 52 ... at Toledo 24
CFN Prediction: PU 38-30 PU -7</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>at Indiana 55 ... Indiana State 7
CFN Prediction: IU 45-16</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>8:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Bowling Green 32 ... at Minnesota 31 OT
CFN Prediction: UM 31-14 UM -16.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Big Ten Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Appalachian State 34 ... Michigan 32

Past Big Ten Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Wisconsin WR Luke Swan
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<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Conference USA Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
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Conference USA conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

East UAB | UCF | East Carolina | Marshall | Memphis | Southern Miss
West Houston | Rice | SMU | Tulane | Tulsa | UTEP

Conference USA Game of the Week
UCF 25 ... NC State 23
Kevin Smith tore off an 80-yard touchdown run on UCF's first play from scrimmage, and ran for an eight-yard touchdown on the way to a stunning 25-3 halftime lead. Michael Torres added three field goals, with his 19-yarder at the end of the half being the team's last points. And then the Golden Knights had to hold on as NC State scored the final 20 points of the game with Harrison Beck throwing two fourth quarter touchdown passes to make it close. He misfired on the two-point conversion attempt with 8:33 to play, and NC State failed to get close again, only getting to the UCF 41 in the final seconds before Joe Burnett ended things with an interception.Conference USA Player of the WeekUCF RB Kevin Smith ran for 217 yards and two scores on 35 carries, adding a pair of receptions for 11 yards in the win over NC State.
Conference Roundup
East Carolina … ECU got the early pick of Virginia Tech's Sean Glennon, and the crowd was instantly taken out of the emotional game. Give the Pirates credit for maintaining their cool, for the most part, despite being the team America most wanted to see lose this week, and now that this is over, they can get on to the rest of the year. The offense might have struggled, but everyone will have problems against the Hokie D. The ECU defensive line was fantastic and is going to be the difference in at least three games this year.
Houston … Yeah, the run defense had problems with Dennis Dixon and Oregon, but the Cougar offense had a bolt of lightning of its own in Anthony Alridge, who looked every bit the part of Conference USA's most dangerous player. He needs to have the ball in his hands 25 times a game, and as long as there's a little help around him, he'll win a few games by himself. The passing attack might not have been great, but several receivers were involved. The penalties have to stop. 11 are too many.
Marshall … Miami has one of the nation's best defenses, so having so many problems on offense wasn't a shock. Marshall's big problem was how it shot itself in the foot time and again with four turnovers and 12 penalties. The defense did a nice job against the Hurricane passing game, but couldn't hold up against the run and should have a bigger nightmare of a time with the West Virginia ground attack next week. Basically, the Herd has to find offensive playmakers in a big hurry.
Memphis … It took a while to get going against Ole Miss, but once the Tigers got down 23-0 and had to bomb away, QB Martin Hankins did a fantastic job of rallying the team into a position to send the game into overtime. While the Tigers came up just short, they showed great fight and have to try to use the momentum to come up with wins over the next two weeks against Arkansas State and Jacksonville State. However, to do anything in Conference USA play, the running game has to get going, while the defense has to play as well as it did against the Rebels.
Rice … Five turnovers and next to no offensive production from anyone helped contribute to the loss to Nicholls State in an embarrassing start to the David Bailiff era. NSU had two turnovers of its own, and 12 penalties, but that didn't matter against an Owl attack that couldn't get anything going in the rain and a defense that couldn't deal with the NSU running attack. This was a day when the old Rice, with the option running game, would've done far better. Jarett Dillard's touchdown streak ended at 15 games.
Southern Miss … Southern Miss beat UT Martin by converting third downs. USM was 11 of 19, UTM was three of 13. The defense allowed yards, but it basically stiffened when it had to. While Damion Fletcher ran well and Jeremy Young kept the chains moving, the passing game wasn't nearly crisp enough. If it's going to struggle with UT Martin, it's going to have a nightmare of a time with Tennessee.
SMU … SMU didn't have a prayer of beating Texas Tech after it was established early on that it didn't have any sort of a pass rush. Tech QB Graham Harrell got ten days to throw, and he picked the Mustangs apart. Offensively, SMU was totally unable to push the passing game deep, while Justin Willis wasn't consistent enough on short to midrange passes. Fortunately, North Texas and Arkansas State are up next to tune things up.
Tulane … Didn’t Play This Week
Tulsa … The Todd Graham offense didn't exactly light up UL Monroe, but it was extremely effective with Paul Smith running it. There were a few bumps in the road, and a bad play by the veteran quarterback on a ULM fumble return for a score, but Smith used his receivers well and Tarrion Adams had a nice day running the ball. For things to work like Graham might like, the pace of the attack has to be even quicker, and a star receiver needs to emerge. One big concern could be the placekicking with Jarod Tracy missing from 34 and 36 yards out.
UAB … UAB is undergoing a major rebuilding job and will need a long, long time before it's competitive against the better teams, and the blowout loss to Michigan State showed it. The lines got shoved around all over the place, and the running game never had a chance to work on anything after getting down so quickly. Sam Hunt might not have been horrible throwing the ball, but he didn't push the ball down the field at all, mostly because he was under pressure all game long. Don't expect things to get much better next week against Florida State; the Blazers will have to wait until the Alcorn State game to work on everything it needs to.
UCF … Beating a team like NC State is the type of win that can jump-start a big season for UCF. After the way last year went, the Knights needed to hang on with two weeks off before the almost-certain loss to Texas, and 0-2 would make the Conference USA showdown against Memphis a pressure-packed game. Kyle Israel needs to do more to get the passing game going, and Kevin Smith needs more help. He's not going to last the season if he has to carry the ball 35 times a game, and UCF will be dead in the water without him.
UTEP… UTEP might have come away with a win over New Mexico, but it was as ugly as it gets. Basically, the Miners got one good offensive play, the Terrell Jackson touchdown run for the winning points, and did nothing else. It's a long way from the Jordan Palmer days as Trevor Vittatoe struggled mightily to complete the most basic passes. He'd better get in tune with his targets in a hurry, or the Texas Tech game next week will be a nightmare.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table3 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left width=131>East</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD width=131></TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>Southern Miss</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>UCF</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>25</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>Memphis</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>UAB</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>18</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>55</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>East Carolina</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=131>Marshall</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bgBdr id=table4 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left>West</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Tulsa</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>UTEP</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Tulane</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Houston</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>48</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Rice</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>16</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>SMU</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>9</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>49</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table5 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>Tulsa 35 ... at UL Monroe 17
CFN Prediction: Tulsa 34-27 Tulsa -5</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Michigan State 55 ... UAB 18
CFN Prediction: MSU 42-17 MSU -19.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>at Virginia Tech 17 ... East Carolina 7
CFN Prediction: VT 38-10 VT -24.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Miami 31 ... Marshall 3
CFN Prediction: Miami 34-10 Miami -21</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>Ole Miss 23 ... at Memphis 21
CFN Prediction: Ole Miss 19-14 OM -2.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Oregon 48 ... Houston 27
CFN Prediction: Oregon 35-23 UO -14.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>UCF 25 ... at North Carolina State 23
CFN Prediction: NC St 24-16 NC St -10</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Southern Miss 35 ... UT Martin 13
CFN Prediction: USM 37-9 </TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>Nicholls State 16 ... at Rice 14
CFN Prediction: Rice 34-17</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>UTEP 10 ... at New Mexico 6
CFN Prediction: UNM 24-20 UNM -3</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Monday, September 3</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>4:00 PM</TD><TD>Texas Tech 49 ... at SMU 9
CFN Prediction: SMU 37-35 TT -9.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Conference USA Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - UCF 25 ... at North Carolina State 23

Past Conference USA Players of the Week
Sept. 1 -UCF RB Kevin Smith
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Independent Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Independent conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

Army | Navy | Notre Dame

Independent Game of the Week
Akron 22 ... Army 14
Akron scored the first nine points of the game as a big opening kickoff return set up a 23-yard Igor Iveljic field goal and Reggie Corner picked off a pass for a 74-yard score. Army answered with a three-yard Wesley McMahand touchdown run, but the Zips came right back with two more Iveljic field goals and a 19-yard Jabari Arthur touchdown catch. Army finally got back on the board in the final minute with a blocked punt for a score.
Independent Player of the WeekNavy QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada completed three of seven passes for 78 yards and ran 15 times for 102 yards and a touchdown in the win over Temple.
Conference Roundup
Army … Army got a decent day from Wesley McMahand and the ground game against Akron, and the defense held up well against the Zip running attack, but the passing wasn't there. David Pevoto got the nod over Carson Williams, and he struggled with just 184 yards on 43 attempts. To be fair, the line didn't do much to protect him. That has to be worked on against Rhode Island next week before going on the road to face Wake Forest and Boston College.
Navy … The Navy attack bogged down too often in the second half against Temple, but it was bailed out by a great day from PK Matt Harmon who nailed all three of his field goal attempts. The ground game has to be far, far better on third downs next week at Rutgers and has to control the time of possession after Temple won that battle this week. A bigger concern has to be the pass defense that allowed Adam DiMichele to connect on any short pass he wanted. While the Midshipmen came up with two picks, things have to tighten up in a hurry before next week.
Notre Dame … Much will be made out of the quarterback situation and what'll happen next before facing Penn State, but it doesn't matter. As the Georgia Tech pass rush showed, the Irish offensive line will be in big, big trouble over the first eight games of the year. Yes, the quarterbacks have to make better decisions, and they have to hang on to the ball, but they never, ever got time to operate, and they had no running game to help out. The secondary didn't have a great game, even though the stats might not show it, and the run defense was non-existent. Basically, this is a team in big, big trouble.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD></TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Navy</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>30</TD><TD>19</TD><TD>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Army</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Notre Dame</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>33</TD><TD>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table39 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Friday, August 31</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:30 PM</TD><TD>Navy 30 ... at Temple 19
CFN Prediction: Navy 24-17 Navy -21</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>Georgia Tech 33 ... at Notre Dame 3
CFN Prediction: GT 23-16 ND -2</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Akron 22 ... Army 14
CFN Prediction: Akron 27-14 Akron -5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Independent Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Akron 22 ... Army 14

Past Independent Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Navy QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>MAC Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
352457.jpg


</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

MAC conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
East Akron | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Kent State | Miami Univ. | Ohio | Temple
West Ball State | Central Mich | Eastern Mich | No Illinois | Toledo | West Michigan

MAC Game of the Week
Bowling Green 32 ... Minnesota 31 OT
Tyler Sheehan connected with Freddie Barnes for a two-point conversion following a nine-yard touchdown pass to Marques Parks in overtime to give Bowling Green the upset win. The Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead as Sheehan threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ransom and caught a 24-yard trick play pass from Corey Partridge. Minnesota came roaring back in the second half with two Amir Pinnix touchdowns and a 13-yard scoring grab from Ernie Wheelwright, and then took the lead on a 33-yard Jason Giannini field goal with just over two minutes to play. The Falcons went 63 yards in 12 plays to set up a Sinisa Vrvilo 35-yard field goal with three seconds left to force overtime. Pinnix ran for a 23-yard score for the Gophers, and then the Falcons responded with a nine-yard Marques Parks touchdown leading to the game-winning conversion.
MAC Player of the Week[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-1]Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan completed 34 of 51 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for a 24-yard touchdown in the overtime win over Minnesota. [/SIZE][/FONT]
Conference Roundup
Akron … While beating Army to open the season is nice, Akron has to be a little bit concerned that the running game didn't do a bit more. The Black Knight defensive front is an issue, but the Zips never took full advantage. Jabari Arthur became uncoverable catching 11 of Chris Jacquermain's 14 completions, and now other options have to emerge since Ohio State will be sure to blanket him next week.
Ball State … Ball State has to quickly get over the crushing loss to Miami with three straight road trips ahead. Nate Davis was fine, but he wasn't fantastic and didn't do enough to keep the offense moving in the second half. MiQuale Lewis provided some balance with a decent day on the ground, but he only averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Chris Miller had a fantastic day punting the ball averaging 44.4 yards per kick while putting three inside the 20.
Bowling Green … Bowling Green has found its quarterback for the next three years. Tyler Sheehan had played extremely well in off-season practices, and then he came out and ripped apart Minnesota with a brilliant performance that should cement him as the star to revolve the program around. The defense did its part, at least in the first half, with John Haneline coming through with a great 15 tackle game. If the Falcons can somehow get by Michigan State next week, this could become a truly special year.
Buffalo … Rutgers will turn out to be one of the ten best teams in the country, so there's no need to get too upset about a blowout loss. The big concern for Buffalo was the lack of getting anything going on either side of the ball. The run defense, secondary, ground game and passing game all failed to make anything happen, with no defense whatsoever on third downs allowing the Scarlet Knights to convert seven of 11 chances. Fortunately, next week, Temple will look like it's playing in slow motion by comparison.
Central Michigan … What the heck was that? Did Brian Kelly really mean that much to the team's success? Apparently so, as Kansas did whatever it wanted to offensively while the offense was as inept as it was amazing last year. The running game was ineffective to say the least, and ten penalties didn't help things. Toledo's offense will roll at will unless major changes are made over the next week. Call it one bad week. If CMU turns it around and beats the Rockets, all will be forgotten.
Eastern Michigan … The Eagles have to quickly find an identity. The defense wasn't bad against Pitt, but the offense failed to find any sort of a groove and didn't come up with a single big play. Andy Schmitt didn't provide any spark under center, and Tyler Jones didn't do anything in his limited work. This is an attack in desperate need of playmakers, and they need to emerge in a big hurry or this will be an ugly start to the year. A win over Ball State next week is a must with four of the following five games on the road.
Kent State … It's impossible to measure just how important it was to be a BCS team, even though it was Iowa State, and do it on the road. No, the team wasn't sharp and yeah, there were was too many turnovers in key spots, but the defense came through when it had to highlighted by a brilliant day from Jack Williams, who was all over the field. The Cyclone run defense played well, but the combination of Eugene Jarvis and Edelman still produced a grinding, effective game. They'll have to control the clock to have a shot against Kentucky next week.
Miami University … Ah yes, the running game. Sorely missing all of last year, Miami finally got things moving on the ground with a good performance against Ball State. The defense did a fantastic job of keeping the high-powered Cardinal passing game in check, but this last-minute win was about the offense executing when it had to, and Brandon Murphy coming up with a big performance. This was the type of win the RedHawks needed to erase the memories of last year. Of concern is the kicking game with Trevor Cook missing from 32 and 46 yards out.
Northern Illinois … The Garrett Wolfe era appears to be long, long gone. NIU had no running game whatsoever against Iowa, and Dan Nicholson and the passing attack couldn't pick up the slack. The Hawkeyes struggled to pull away and gave the Huskies plenty of opportunities to get into the game, but it never happened. The offensive line didn't play well, while there wasn't nearly enough of a pass rush to disrupt an Iowa offense that had a hard time finding any sort of a groove. Southern Illinois isn't going to be any sort of a pushover next week if the Huskies play this poorly again.
Ohio … The special teams and running game gave Ohio the walk-in-the-park win over Gardner-Webb. Kalvin McRae was Kalvin McRae, but most importantly for the rest of the season, the passing game wasn't bad as Brad Bower had a nice day and several receivers got involved. The Bobcats need to keep generating big plays from several areas, and McRae needs all the help he can get.
Temple … Even though it was a loss to Navy, Temple played night and day better than it did throughout last year as this started to look like a team that could end up winning a few games throughout the year. Adam DiMichele didn't take enough deep shots, but he was strong from short to midrange. There wasn't nearly enough of a running game, but the short passing kept the tempo on the Owls' side. The defense did a nice job of stiffening on third downs and was surprisingly disciplined in the second half against the Navy option attack.
Toledo … Playing against an offense like Purdue's is hardly a good measure to see where the defense is at, but it would've been nice if the Rockets could've come up with a few stops just to get a little confidence before a vital showdown against Central Michigan. The rushing punch of Jalen Parmele and DaJuane Collins was effective, but the passing game needed more pop. Aaron Opelt struggled way too much, meaning it might be Clint Cochran's show to run next week.
Western Michigan … West Virginia can rumble on anyone in America, so there's no reason to be too concerned about the way the Broncos were blown out. The problem was how the offense couldn't keep up the pace with an attack good enough to throw on almost any secondary. At least, it should be good enough. The quarterback situation is still up in the air, as Tim Hiller and Thomas Peregrin each struggled. On a positive note, Jamarko Simmons was incredible catching 14 passes for 144 yards and two scores
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table40 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left>East</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Miami Univ.</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Ohio</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>36</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Bowling Green</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>32</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Kent State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Akron</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>22</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Temple</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>19</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>30</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Buffalo</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bgBdr id=table41 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left width=197>West</TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD width=197> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Toledo</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Western Michigan</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>62</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Central Michigan</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Northern Illinois</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>16</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Eastern Michigan</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left width=197>Ball State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE class=tablehead id=table42 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Rutgers 38 ...Buffalo 3
CFN Prediction: Rut 45-7 Rut -32.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Miami Univ. 14 ...Ball State13
CFN Prediction: MU 27-24 BSU -6</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>Kent State 23 ... at Iowa State 14
CFN Prediction: ISU 27-20 ISU -6.5</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Friday, August 31</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:30 PM</TD><TD>Navy 30 ... at Temple 19
CFN Prediction: Navy 24-17 Navy -21</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>at West Virginia 62 ... Western Michigan 24
CFN Prediction: WVU 37-17 WVU -24</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Iowa 16 ... at Northern Illinois 3
CFN Prediction: Iowa 31-14 Iowa -11.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>at Pitt 27 ... Eastern Michigan 3
CFN Prediction: Pitt 38-13 Pitt -20</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Ohio 36 ... Gardner-Webb 14
CFN Prediction: Ohio 34-10</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Akron 22 ... Army 14
CFN Prediction: Akron 27-14 Akron -5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Kansas 52 ... Central Michigan 7
CFN Prediction: CMU 34-31 KU -7.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>Purdue 52 ... at Toledo 24
CFN Prediction: PU 38-30 PU -7</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>8:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Bowling Green 32 ... at Minnesota 31 OT
CFN Prediction: UM 31-14 UM -16.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past MAC Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Bowling Green 32 ... at Minnesota 31 OT

Past MAC Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Mountain West Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Mountain West conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

Air Force | BYU | Colorado State | New Mexico | San Diego State
TCU | UNLV | Utah | Wyoming

Mountain West Game of the Week
Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT
Colorado's Terrence Wheatley intercepted a Caleb Hanie pass in the end zone on Colorado State's offensive possession in overtime, and Kevin Eberhart nailed his 35-yard chance to give the Buffs the win. The two teams traded scores all game long, with Cody Hawkins throwing two first quarter touchdown passes for Colorado and Caleb Hanie responding with three scoring passes to Kory Sperry. Down 28-17, Colorado came back with a three-yard Demetrius Sumler touchdown run late in the third quarter and got a 22-yard Eberhart field goal with 13 seconds to play to force overtime. Mountain West Player of the WeekWyoming RB Devin Moore ran for 125 yards and a score on 18 carries, and added three catches for 47 yards in the 23-3 win over Virginia.
Conference Roundup
Air Force … That's why you schedule South Carolina State to start the season. Air Force needed an easy game to try out all the new offensive formations, and head coach Troy Calhoun showed a little of everything. While there was still a little bit of option, this was a balanced attack that relied on efficient passing and a pounding ground game. It'll be interesting to see against Utah, TCU and BYU over the next three weeks if the offense is as varied, or if it goes back to the old option when things get tough. As of now, it'll be hard to prepare for the offense, because defenses aren't going to know what they're dealing with.
BYU … Max Hall might not have been John Beck against Arizona, but he didn't throw any interceptions and he was more than good enough at spreading the ball around. The key to the game was a defense that never let the Wildcats get going. The run defense was a brick wall, while the pass defense never let Willie Tuitama push the ball deep. If the D plays like this against UCLA next week, and if Hall again limits his mistakes, the Cougars have a real shot at a big upset.
Colorado State … CSU can't lose games when it converts 11 of 19 on third downs and holds on to the ball for 37:01. Caleb Hanie might have had an efficient, solid game against Colorado, but he didn't make the plays he needed to in the second half and threw the key interception in overtime that effectively cost the team the game. Against Cal next week, he has to start pushing the ball deeper and will have to take more chances; that's not his strong suit. Having Kyle Bell back is a huge help, and the Rams fed him 40 carries. While he showed his old power, he didn't have his old burst. Call it shaking the rust off.
New Mexico… New Mexico held on to the ball fro 38:23 against UTEP. Outgained the Miners 379 yards to 195, didn't turn the ball over, and got 23 first downs to 12, and still lost. Rodney Ferguson ran relatively well but didn't break off many big runs, while Donovan Porterie was effective from short range. To beat New Mexico State next week, the offense has to start figuring out how to put points on the board in a hurry.
San Diego State … Didn’t Play This Week
TCU … The defense only came up with one sack against the pass happy Baylor Bears, but there was enough overall pressure, and a good enough game by the defensive backfield, to come up with the easy win. However, there are concerns on offense with Andy Dalton failing to do much to lead the team on extended drives and only produced when the D gave him a short field. Several players got work in the running game in a true tailback-by-committee approach, but unless Dalton started to make more plays on third downs, TCU doesn't have a prayer against Texas.
UNLV … Yeesh. While UNLV pulled off a win against Utah State it wouldn't have gotten a year ago, showing great toughness on defense in the second half and just enough on offense to get by, there's a lot, a lot, to be concerned about. Travis Dixon ran well in his first game as the starter, but his passing wasn't anything fantastic and he didn't make his receivers shine. To have a chance against Wisconsin next week, Dixon can't be the only offensive option, and the penalties, 12 for 101 yards, have to stop.
Utah … Talk about getting the wind knocked out of your sails. Utah and its defense appeared ready to give Oregon State all it could handle, and then it lost RB Matt Asiata, and then came the crushing blow with the loss of QB Brian Johnson to a shoulder injury. Tommy Grady has been around the program for too long to complete just nine of 24 passes for 59 yards, and without Asiata and Johnson, there doesn't appear to be much of a running game. Assuming Johnson won't be ready for a while, Grady has to find a way to make use of his great receiving corps against Air Force or the UCLA game will be ugly. On the plus side, punter Louie Sakoda was magnificent, averaging 41.6 yards on 11 punts with five put inside the 20 highlighted by a 62-yard beauty.
Wyoming … Wyoming is a dangerous, dangerous team at home, and Virginia found that out in a hurry. The defense was all over the field, holding the anemic Cavalier offense to five first downs and just seven rushing yards. It wasn't like the Cowboys got a lot of sacks; Virginia simply couldn't run. Karsten Sween had a nice game throwing the ball, but not a dominant one. He didn't have to. The running game did its job thanks to a great game from the offensive line, but this game fully belonged to the defense. It needs to shine next week against Utah State to tune up for a showdown with Boise State.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Air Force</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>34</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>TCU</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Wyoming</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>UNLV</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>16</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>BYU</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>20</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>San Diego State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Colorado State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Utah</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>New Mexico</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table39 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:05 PM</TD><TD>UNLV 23 ... at Utah State 16
CFN Prediction: UNLV 31-16 UNLV -7.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Oregon State 24 ... Utah 7
CFN Prediction: OSU 33-24 OSU -7</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT
CFN Prediction: CU 23-19 CU -3</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>2:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Air Force 34 ... South Carolina State 3
CFN Prediction: AF 31-17</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>2:00 PM</TD><TD>at Wyoming 23 ... Virginia 3
CFN Prediction: UW 23-20 UVa -3</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>5:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at BYU 20 ... Arizona 7
CFN Prediction: BYU 23-16 BYU -6</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>at TCU 27 ... Baylor 0
CFN Prediction: TCU 30-13 TCU -21</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>UTEP 10 ... at New Mexico 6
CFN Prediction: UNM 24-20 UNM -3</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Mountain West Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Colorado 31 ... Colorado State 28 OT

Past Mountain West Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Wyoming RB Devin Moore
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Pac 10 Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Pac 10 conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
Arizona | Arizona St | California | Oregon | Oregon St | Stanford
UCLA | USC | Washington | Washington St

Pac 10 Game of the Week
California 45 ... Tennessee 31
In a wild game with a variety of big scoring plays, Cal kicked things off with a 44-yard Worrell Williams fumble return for a touchdown, got a brilliant 77-yard punt return for a touchdown from DeSean Jackson, and got two scoring passes and a two-yard touchdown run from Nate Longshore. Tennessee hung tough in a wild first half, and pulled within seven by the fourth quarter with a five-yard touchdown catch from Chris Brown and a 41-yard Daniel Lincoln field goal. Just when it seemed like the Vols had the momentum, Cal went on a 70-yard scoring drive finishing up with a 13-yard touchdown run from Justin Forsett. Despite playing with a broken finger on his throwing hand, Tennessee QB Erik Ainge threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
Pac 10 Player of the WeekCalifornia RB Justin Forsett ran 26 times for 156 yards and a touchdown in the 45-31 win over Tennessee.
Conference Roundup
Arizona … Another year, another average Arizona offense. The Wildcats didn't do anything against a good, but not great BYU defense, and it certainly isn't a D that should hold anyone to just 30 rushing yards. The Arizona defense was fine, but it didn't get any help and it failed to come up with any big-time game-changing plays to turn things around. If Willie Tuitama and Chris Jennings don't get things going against Northern Arizona next week, it'll truly be panic time. This can't be another inconsistent season.
Arizona State … Talk about getting off to a big start, ASU throttled a good San Jose State team in every way possible to kick off the Dennis Erickson era with a bang. 33 first downs to seven. 520 yards to 115. 13 of 17 on third down conversions. Everything went right, and now the weekly consistency has to be there that wasn't in the Dirk Koetter era. Also of note was the performance by Rudy Carpenter, who appears to have relaxed and has gotten his groove back. Do this against Colorado next week, and then it'll be truly time to get excited.
California … The defense couldn't handle the Tennessee passing game, a horrible sign of things to come in Pac 10 play, and the run defense didn't do too much, but the explosive offense, and the wonderful punt return for a score from DeSean Jackson, helped Cal get one of its biggest wins in school history. Now there will be a national buzz about the Bears all year long. Everyone will want to see what Jackson does on a weekly basis, and everyone will want to see if the offense can keep up the excitement. If the defense can start to generate some semblance of a pass rush, something it didn't do enough of against the Vols, this will be a dangerous team in the national title chase.
Oregon … While the running game tore off 339 yards and four touchdowns against Houston, there are a few concerns going into the Michigan game. The Duck defense struggled with the Cougar running game and there wasn't a consistent pass rush. It's never a good thing when two defensive backs, Matthew Harper and Walter Thurmond, have to combine for 24 tackles. However, if Dixon keeps playing like he did against the Cougars, the offense will make up for most defensive problems.
Oregon State … And the answer to the quarterback situation is ... bleech. Granted, not having Sammie Stroughter against Utah had a lot to do with it, but Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao weren't able to do much to make the receivers better and neither looked ready to carry the offense if needed. Basically, they were bailed out by an All-America caliber game from Yvenson Bernard. The defense was terrific, with FS Al Afalava having a fantastic game against both the pass and the run. Outside of the passing game, the other concern will be punting after Alexis Serna struggled to get anything deep.
Stanford … Stanford isn't ready to play with a team like UCLA. Even though there were a few good signs with a passing game that has the potential to light up someone at some point this year, there aren't going to be many, if any, wins unless the defense figures out something it can do well. There wasn't even a hint of a pass rush against the Bruins, and the run defense didn't even show up. For good and bad, Bo McNally made 15 tackles. It's never a good thing when a safety is so active.
UCLA … As crazy as it might sound considering Ben Olsen just threw five touchdown passes in the win over Stanford, he needs to be sharper. UCLA could do whatever it wanted to against the Cardinal defense, helped mostly because the offensive line was terrific in all phases, especially in the running game, but Olsen still missed on a few too many passes. However, he didn't make any big mistakes to turn the tide of the game, and the issues, as slight as they might be, can likely be chalked up to rust. He'll be tested more against BYU and Utah over the next two weeks.
USC … Talk about going through the motions, USC basically showed up, beat Idaho, and went home. The offensive machine didn't exactly get rolling despite cranking out 214 rushing yards and getting an efficient 206-yard day from John David Booty. Considering all the injuries this off-season, it almost seemed like the team just wanted to be done with this light scrimmage so they could spend two weeks resting for Nebraska. Can they just turn it on when they have to against a strong Husker team? The coaching staff has a lot of work to do over the next several days to make sure everyone is properly focused.
Washington … Could you have asked for a better first game performance from Jake Locker? He was efficient, if not spectacular, against Syracuse with his passing, and ran the ball extremely well with 83 yards and two scores. But this game was for the offensive line that pushed the Orange around all game long and opened up the needed holes for Louis Rankin and the running attack to work. With nasty games against Boise State, Ohio State, UCLA and USC ahead, this was the exact sort of confidence builder that Ty Willingham's bunch needed.
Washington State … Washington State simply didn't appear to have enough in the bag to get by an elite Wisconsin team. It held up well for three quarters, but just when it appeared the momentum was turning, the defense couldn't come up with the one big stop or the one big play needed to give the offense a chance. Dwight Tardy had a nice game running the ball and QB Alex Brink had his moments, but this loss is on a defense that seemingly never got the Badgers off the field. UW had the ball for 36:47 and converted 11 of 15 third down chances.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>UCLA</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>45</TD><TD>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Oregon</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>48</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Arizona State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>California</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Washington</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>42</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>12</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>USC</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Oregon State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Washington State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>42</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Arizona</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>20</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Stanford</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>17</TD><TD>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table39 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>10:00 PM</TD><TD>at Oregon State 24 ... Utah 7
CFN Prediction: OSU 33-24 OSU -7</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Friday, August 31</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>Washington 42 ... at Syracuse 12
CFN Prediction: UW 24-20 UW -3</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>UCLA 45 ... at Stanford 17
CFN Prediction: UCLA 31-13 UCLA -16.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>3:30 PM</TD><TD>at Wisconsin 42 ... Washington State 21
CFN Prediction: Wis 34-17 Wis -14</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Oregon 48 ... Houston 27
CFN Prediction: Oregon 35-23 UO -14.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>5:30 PM</TD><TD>at BYU 20 ... Arizona 7
CFN Prediction: BYU 23-16 BYU -6</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>8:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at California 45 ... Tennessee 31
CFN Prediction: Cal 30-24 Cal -5.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>10:00 PM</TD><TD>at Arizona State 45 ... San Jose State 3
CFN Prediction: ASU 31-17 ASU -14.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:15 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at USC 38 ... Idaho 10
CFN Prediction: USC 52-9 USC -45</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Pac 10 Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - California 45 ... Tennessee 31

Past Pac 10 Players of the Week
Sept. 3 - California RB Justin Forsett
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>SEC Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
470356.jpg


</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

SEC conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
East Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | South Carolina | Tennessee | Vanderbilt
West Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | LSU | Ole Miss | Miss State

SEC Game of the Week
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]A[/FONT]uburn 23 ... Kansas State 13
Auburn got all it could handle, finally getting the lead late on a three-yard Gabe McKenzie touchdown catch with 2:01 to play, and then putting it away with a 34-yard Antonio Coleman fumble recovery for a score after Quentin Groves sacked KSU QB Josh Freeman. The Wildcats used a trick play to take a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter as WR Jordy Nelson threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Leon Patton, but the offense could only manage two Brooks Rossman field goals for the other points. Auburn got three Wes Byrum field goals.SEC Player of the WeekVanderbilt WR Earl Bennett caught 13 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-17 win over Richmond.
Conference Roundup
Alabama … Alabama fans got what they wanted from their opening day from Nick Saban against Western Carolina. The running game, thanks to a big game from Terry Grant, was strong, the defense dominated, and the Tide was never threatened. This was a true preseason warmup before the SEC showdowns against Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Georgia over the next three weeks. To nitpick, there wasn't quite enough of a pass rush and there were a few too many third down conversions allowed, but this was a nice debut.
Arkansas … Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the win over Troy, but the real key was a not-that-bad performance from QB Casey Dick, who completed 11 of 20 passes and didn't throw a pick. Considering the way he ended last year, this was a Peyton Manning-like performance. To beat Alabama next week, the running game has to control the clock, and Dick has to be effective at opening things up deep. Right now, McFadden is the team's best passing option, and that's not a plus.
Auburn … Take the win over Kansas State and run with it. The Tigers did next to nothing offensively to grab the game by the horns until the final minutes, but the defense picked up the slack with Quentin Groves turning his game up a notch in crunch time. His pressure in the backfield changed the tide of the game. Things don't get any easier next week against the South Florida defense, and if QB Brandon Cox doesn't do more to make his receivers better, the Tigers might not be able to pull it out like they did this week. Auburn won't win many games when averaging 1.7 yards per carry.
Florida … Don't dismiss how important it was for Tim Tebow to get off to a hot start, even if it was against Western Kentucky. Anything less than a fantastic game would've raised a few eyebrows, but he was in command, made good decisions, and put the ball in places where his receivers could make plays. Predictably, the defense was simply too much for WKU as Derrick Harvey cranked out two sacks and Brandon Spikes was allover the field making 11 tackles. This was a defending national champion performance.
Georgia … Georgia shockingly appeared to be in midseason form with a surprisingly easy win over a very, very dangerous Oklahoma State team. The offensive line did a great job when it had to get the ground game moving, and, for the most part, it kept Matthew Stafford upright against the OSU speed rush. The defense did a fantastic job of limiting the big plays, and did a better job of stopping the Cowboys on third downs. This is the exactly sort of performance the team needed going into the South Carolina showdown. There aren't any glaring issues to work on this week.
Kentucky … All the offensive parts were clicking in a laugher of an opener against Eastern Kentucky, and now the task will be to maintain focus. Kent State has a good enough defense to give Andre Woodson and the boys some problems, and it has a running game to possibly pull off the upset if UK is already game-planning for Louisville. If the defense can do what it did against EKU and allow just two of 14 third down conversions, this will be a magical season. Of course, Louisville and Arkansas aren't Eastern Kentucky.
LSU … While LSU put up 45 points and coasted to a win over Mississippi State, there's still cause for concern for a Gary Crowton offense that was less than dazzling. Matt Flynn was fine, Early Doucet was terrific, and the backfield showed off all its weapons, but the line was average. It almost seemed like the O didn't want to show off its playbook before hosting Virginia Tech next week. The defense did what it's supposed to do and looked in midseason form; Glenn Dorsey was dominant.
Ole Miss … Ole Miss will take any win it can get, but it can't be happy with the way Memphis was able to get into the game late, and it really can't be happy with how the offense struggled throughout. BenJarvus Green-Ellis didn't get much in the way of running room, and Seth Adams, while decent, wasn't spectacular under center. However, decent might be good enough for the Rebel attack right now. Adams needs to be steady, and he was certainly that. The pass defense struggled once Memphis got down and had to bomb away, and there might be huge problems against Missouri next week without more of a pass rush.
Miss State … Many will dump on Michael Henig for his six interceptions against LSU, and yes, he had problems with sailing throws that weren't drilled like they needed to be, but he had to try to press, and he had to try to make things happen. It was obvious early on that the running game wasn't going to work, ten yards isn't going to cut it, and Henig had to press. He didn't get much help from anyone. The defense did what it could, but no one can hold up with so many turnovers.
South Carolina … Considering all the injury and suspension issues the Gamecocks have gone through, just getting through the first game with a win is all that matters. It might not have been pretty against an overmatched opponent in UL Lafayette, but the defense did a good job of not letting the Ragin' Cajuns back into the game in the second half and the offense got decent balance. With Blake Mitchell out, Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley got some good work in and looked more than capable of running the team. Now it'll be interesting to see how Mitchell fits back in against Georgia next week.
Tennessee … Lost in the defeat to Cal was a good day from QB Erik Ainge, who threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns with a broken finger. He spread the ball around well and helped keep the offense moving in the first half, but the defense didn't help out and the running game, outside of one big run from Arian Foster, failed to do enough to keep the Cal offense off the field. Cal's attack will tear up plenty of teams, but this is Tennessee. It's not supposed to give up 471 yards and 45 points to anyone. All can be forgiven against Florida in two weeks, but a loss like this makes the seat that much hotter for Phil Fulmer.
Vanderbilt … With Alabama on deck, Vandy needed to get the ground game going against Richmond, and it did with 162 yards, and had to get Earl Bennett and Chris Nickson warmed up, and they did. Bennett was unstoppable with 13 catches and three touchdowns, while Nickson was ultra-efficient and never let the Spiders get into the game after the second quarter. The defense could've been a bit stronger against the run, but this was a great opening day performance.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table36 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left bgColor=#000000>East</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Kentucky</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>50</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Florida</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>49</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Vanderbilt</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>41</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Georgia</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>South Carolina</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Tennessee</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>31</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bgBdr id=table37 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left bgColor=#000000>West</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD bgColor=#000000 colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD> </TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>LSU</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>45</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Alabama</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Arkansas</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>46</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>26</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Auburn</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Mississippi</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Mississippi State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>LSU 45 ... at Mississippi State 0
CFN Prediction: LSU 31-13 LSU -13</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>12:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffff>at Florida 49 ... Western Kentucky 3
CFN Prediction: Florida 41-7</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>Ole Miss 23 ... at Memphis 21
CFN Prediction: Ole Miss 19-14 OM -2.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>6:00 PM</TD><TD>at Kentucky 50 ... Eastern Kentucky 10
CFN Prediction: UK 45-20</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6:45 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Georgia 35 ... Oklahoma State 14
CFN Prediction: OSU 27-20 UGa -6.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Arkansas 46 ... Troy 26
CFN Prediction: Ark 24-10 Ark. -24</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Vanderbilt 41 ... Richmond 17
CFN Prediction: Vandy 34-13</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at South Carolina28 ... UL Lafayette 14
CFN Prediction: USC 30-13 USC -29</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:07 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Alabama 52 ... Western Carolina 6
CFN Prediction: Bama 45-0</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:45 PM</TD><TD>at Auburn 23 ... Kansas State 13
CFN Prediction: Aub 27-14 Aub -13.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>8:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at California 45 ... Tennessee 31
CFN Prediction: Cal 30-24 Cal -5.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past SEC Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Auburn 23 ... Kansas State 13

Past SEC Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>Sun Belt Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Sun Belt Conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week
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Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
Arkansas State | Florida Atlantic | Florida International | MTSU
North Texas | Troy | UL Lafayette | UL Monroe

Sun Belt Game of the Week
Florida Atlantic 27 ... Middle Tennessee 14
Florida Atlantic jumped out to a 24-0 lead as Rusty Smith threw two touchdown passes and Charles Pierre ran for a one-yard score, but Middle Tennessee got back in the game on a 27-yard Desmond Gee touchdown catch in the fourth quarter followed up by a 32-yard blocked punt return for a score. The Owl defense, which came up with four sacks and allowed just 11 rushing yards, held firm and Warley Leroy put it away with his second field goal of the game.Sun Belt Player of the WeekFlorida Atlantic RB Charles Pierre ran 16 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in the 27-14 win over Middle Tennessee.
Conference Roundup
Arkansas State … Either Texas was going through the motions, or Arkansas State served notice that it'll be a major player in the Sun Belt race. The running game did a good job to keep things moving, and Corey Leonard was decent throwing it, but there simply weren't any big scoring drives until it was too late. Tyrell Johnson was the best defensive back in the game, making 14 stops with an interception and a tackle for loss.
FIU … Penn State wasn't exactly the right team to try to work against to get the offense rolling. The Nittany Lion defense is among the best in the nation, and it showed as FIU failed to do anything on the ground and struggled just to keep the chains moving. The line gave up way too many sacks and allowed the quarterbacks to be pressured way too often, while the defense couldn't hold up in the second half after the offense failed to provide any help. Unfortunately, it'll be hard to find a running game against Maryland or Miami over the next two weeks.
Florida Atlantic … While the offense might not have been spectacular against Middle Tennessee, make no mistake about it; this was a statement game for FAU in the Sun Belt race. The defense stuffed everything the Blue Raiders tried to do on the ground, and outside of a late scoring drive, never allowed the offense to get going. It was a group effort on D, getting good help and decent pressure to make this a surprising walk in the park. This was a Sun Belt championship-caliber performance.
Middle Tennessee … The defense was fine against Florida Atlantic, but it needed to be fantastic to overcome a rough day from the offense. This was Florida Atlantic, not Louisville or LSU, who MT faces over the next two weeks, and if the ground could only manage 18 rushing yards, there are huge problems ahead. Joe Craddock wasn't bad throwing the ball, but unless the offensive line starts to play better, it'll be an ugly start to the year.
North Texas … There will be better days for Todd Dodge. Playing a fired up Oklahoma team isn't the way to start and era, and for a team that needs time to get an offense in place, several warm-up games are needed before things start to get better. The defense didn't have a prayer against the Sooner offense with a line that allowed the skill players to do whatever they wanted to. The one positive was punter Truman Spencer, who had a nice day pushing the Sooners deep. He'll be used a lot this year.
Troy … Arkansas is going to run for 350 yards on just about everyone, so there's no need to be too upset about the defensive performance against the Hogs. What was a problem was Omar Haugabook's accuracy, completing just 15 of 43 passes, but bombing for 204 yards. Troy needs Haugabook to be consistent, especially on third downs, and he needs to keep the chains moving against Florida and Oklahoma State over the next few weeks. If he's completing 35% of his passes, Troy will get blown out again.
UL Lafayette … The Ragin' Cajuns ran the ball extremely well on a good SEC defense, but the lack of a passing game, and the failure to move the ball consistently in the second half, proved to be the undoing against South Carolina. Michael Desormeaux wasn't able to get the passing game to open anything up, and it allowed the Gamecock linebackers to tee off as the game went on. If ULL can outrush Ohio next week, it'll win.
UL Monroe … ULM lives and dies with the run, and while Calvin Dawson had a nice performance against Tulsa, the ground game only cranked out 212 yards and no one gave the franchise back much help. Kinsmon Lancaster had an awful day throwing the ball, with 31 of his 66 yards coming on one play. He only took one sack and he didn't make many mistakes, but he failed to get the passing attack moving in the second half. The defense did a good job against the hurry-up attack until the floodgates opened in the second half. Blame the offense for not providing more help.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD>Team</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgHigh onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Florida Atlantic</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>27</TD><TD>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Troy</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>26</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>46</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>UL Monroe</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>17</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>UL Lafayette</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Arkansas State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>13</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>21</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>North Texas</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>79</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Florida International</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>59</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Middle Tennessee</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>27</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table39 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>Tulsa 35 ... at UL Monroe 17
CFN Prediction: Tulsa 34-27 Tulsa -5</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>12:00 PM</TD><TD>at Penn State 59 ... Florida International 0
CFN Prediction: PSU 34-6 PSU -38</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>4:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Florida Atlantic27 ... Middle Tennessee 14
CFN Prediction: MT 17-14 FAU -2.5</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Arkansas 46 ... Troy 26
CFN Prediction: Ark 24-10 Ark. -24</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Oklahoma 79 ... North Texas 10
CFN Prediction: OU 52-7 OU -41</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Texas 21 ... Arkansas State 13
CFN Prediction: Texas 48-6 Texas -39</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at South Carolina28 ... UL Lafayette 14
CFN Prediction: USC 30-13 USC -29</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past Sun Belt Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Florida Atlantic27 ... Middle Tennessee 14

Past Sun Belt Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Florida Atlantic RB Charles Pierre
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytitle colSpan=3>WAC Conference Roundup - Week 1 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=primaryimage vAlign=top>
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="60%" bgColor=#f5f5f5 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD vAlign=center noWrap>By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 4, 2007
</TD><TD noWrap>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

Boise State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Idaho | Louisiana Tech
Nevada | New Mexico St | San Jose State | Utah State

WAC Game of the Week
UNLV 23 ... Utah State 16
Frank Summer ran for an 11-yard score with just over a minute to play to get the Rebels by Utah State. Any hope for an Aggie miracle was fumbled away on the ensuing kickoff. Utah State was up 10-3 at halftime thanks to a two-yard Aaron Lesue touchdown run and a 38-yard Peter Caldwell field goal, but UNLV was able to get back in it with two of Sergio Aguayo's three field goals and a 16-yard Travis Dixon scoring run. Leon Jackson tied it with a one-yard touchdown, but the Aggies only managed 89 yards in the second half and never threatened again.WAC Player of the Week[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-1]Hawaii QB Colt Brennan completed 34 of 40 passes for 416 yards and six touchdowns and led the Warriors with 23 yards on three carries in the 63-6 win over Northern Colorado.[/SIZE][/FONT]
Conference Roundup
Boise State … Forgetting that it was a ridiculously overmatched Weber State team Boise State got to play around with, there were some great signs in the season opener. Taylor Tharp was impressive in his first game as the main man under center, and Jeremy Avery was a bolt of lightning in relieve of Ian Johnson. The machine just keeps on rolling, but now comes the big test against Washington on the road. Tharp has to remain poised, and the offensive line has to continue to dominate and give Johnson and Avery just a sliver of daylight.
Fresno State … The defense never let Sacramento State breathe, while the offense stretched its running legs and was relatively solid in the passing game. Tom Brandstater threw for 199 yards, but he wasn't always on target. He needs to be even sharper than 16 of 27 for the Bulldogs to have a shot at Texas A&M next week. However, if the offense can convert 12 of 20 third down chances again, things will be fine.
Hawaii … And it could've been a lot worse. Had Hawaii wanted to, it could've hung 100 on Northern Colorado but pulled back even though it abandoned any attempt at running the ball. The offense worked exclusively on the passing game getting Tyler Graunke and Inoke Funaki meaningful time. Now the ground game has to emerge and a running back has to add some sort of an option to Brennan's bombing.
Idaho … Idaho wasn't going to beat USC, but at least it came up with a good sixty minute effort and kept fighting late. The defense prevented it from being a blowout once the Trojan offense mentally checked out, and the always upbeat coaching staff will use the late touchdown as an indication that the team has a good heart. Interestingly enough, Jayson Bird wasn't used much in the ground game. This was Deonte Jackson's game, but that could quickly change against Cal Poly next week.
Louisiana Tech … On paper, the 28-7 win over Central Arkansas might seem like a walk-in-the-park win over a FCS team, but there were issues. The offense got a nice game out of RB Patrick Jackson, but the passing attack was woeful. However, the idea was to not turn the ball over and to force big plays from the defense, and the Bulldogs did that with six takeaway. To have a shot against Hawaii and Cal over the next few weeks, QB Zac Champion has to do far better than complete 12 of 23 passes for 71 yards.
Nevada … The Wolf Pack had an awful game in all phases against Nebraska. The run defense was non-existent, despite having a strong linebacking corps, but the D didn't get any help from an inept offense that held on to the ball for 19:22, went one of 13 on third downs, gained nine first downs and amassed just 185 yards of total offense. On the flip side, the O can blame the D for allowing 625 yards of total offense. Nick Graziano wasn't under intense pressure, yet he still had a hard time finding his receivers. The 12 penalties didn't help matters.
New Mexico State … While the passing game didn't explode against SE Louisiana like Aggie fans might have liked, and Chase Holbrook was mediocre with three interceptions and only 280 yards, but there was a lot to get excited about and it was mostly on the defensive side. While it wasn't a big game against a good offense, the defense still appeared to be light years ahead of where it was last season and should be far, far tougher. Now the offense has to limit its mistakes and be the New Mexico State offense again.
San Jose State … This wasn't the way San Jose State envisioned the season starting after such a great 2006. All the strides made last year go out the window as the offense came up with a mere seven first downs and the defense did absolutely nothing to slow down the Sun Devil attack. First, Adam Tafralis has to become a consistent passer again. Next, someone has to run the ball effectively. Considering how well the Kansas State defense played against Auburn, next week might not be that much fun either.
Utah State… Utah State has to be able to close when it has a chance. The offense went into the tank in the second half against UNLV, but the Aggies were still in good shape and needed just one big play on either side of the ball to possibly pull off the win, but it never came. Leon Jackson was efficient throwing the ball, but he wasn't spectacular. The coaching staff has to find more ways to get the ball in the hands of Kevin Robinson. With four road games in the next five, things might be getting a lot worse before they get better.
<TABLE class=bgBdr id=table38 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bgHdr2 align=middle><TD align=left> </TD><TD colSpan=4>Conference</TD><TD colSpan=5>Overall</TD><TD colSpan=2>Home</TD><TD colSpan=2>Away</TD></TR><TR class=bgHdr3 align=middle><TD>Team</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>PF</TD><TD>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PF</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>PA</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>STR</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD><TD>W</TD><TD>L</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Hawaii</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>63</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>6</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Boise State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>56</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>New Mexico State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>35</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>14</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Louisiana Tech</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>28</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>7</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Fresno State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>24</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>W1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Utah State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>16</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>23</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Idaho</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>38</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>Nevada</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>52</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR><TR class=bgC onmouseover="this.className='bgHigh';" onmouseout="this.className='bgC';" align=middle><TD align=left>San Jose State</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>0</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>1</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>45</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>L1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=tablehead id=table39 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Thursday, August 30</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>8:00 PM</TD><TD>New Mexico State 35 ... SE Louisiana 14
CFN Prediction: NMSU 52-20</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>8:05 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>UNLV 23 ... at Utah State 16
CFN Prediction: UNLV 31-16 UNLV -7.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>9:00 PM</TD><TD>at Boise State 56 ... Weber State 7
CFN Prediction: Boise State 38-10</TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000080" colSpan=2>Saturday, September 1</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>3:30 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Nebraska 52 ... Nevada 10
CFN Prediction: Neb. 38-14 Neb. -19.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>7:00 PM</TD><TD>at Louisiana Tech 28 ... Central Arkansas 7
CFN Prediction: LT 28-20</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:00 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at Arizona State 45 ... San Jose State 3
CFN Prediction: ASU 31-17 ASU -14.5</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>10:00 PM</TD><TD>at Fresno State 24 ... Sacramento State 3
CFN Prediction: Fresno 45-10</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>10:15 PM</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc>at USC 38 ... Idaho 10
CFN Prediction: USC 52-9 USC -45</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD>12:05 AM</TD><TD>at Hawaii 63 ... Northern Colorado 6
CFN Prediction: Hawaii 68-20</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Past WAC Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - UNLV 23 ... Utah State 16

Past WAC Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Hawaii QB Colt Brennan
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
BUYS AND SELLS, WEEK ONE.

Orson and guest editor Hannibal Montegna review the Squawk Box for the week that was week one. Hold onto your 401Ks.

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BUY! BUY! BUY!

Orson’s Buys

Washington All comments must be prefaced with this: it’s Syracuse. It’s Syracuse. Oh, my god, it’s one game against Syracuse, the worst fucking team in the Big East who quit in the third quarter, wear uniforms nicked off some dismal post-Soviet collapse Yeltsin-era Russian soccer squad, and have turned the Carrier Dome into the most horrifying and bewildering indoor environment since the Superdome during Katrina. You can just hear the motivational tapes playing in Greg Robinson’s head: EXCELSIOR!!! CONFIDENCE!!! POISE!!! EXCELLENCE IS THE PRODUCT OF PREPARATION PLUS SHIT DID THEY JUST SCORE AGAIN…

Yet: Washington has sneakily adopted a spread offense to fit the talents of Jake Locker, a verdant but phenomenally talented freshman qb, and the 4.3 speedster Louis Rankin. Waggishly labeled the “spread coast” offense, Washington’s simplifying the attack has leveled the playing field for the nation’s toughest schedule. You get no data from a matchup with the Syracuse offense–even if they’ve quadrupled the wack factor of the Orange attack by adding the quick kick and the pistol formation to the mess–but the offense alone gives some shred of hope for the Huskies, especially since Locker showed signs of passing competence, too.
(USC, Oregon, Ohio State, and Cal all play at Washington. One of these teams is losing up there. It’s a brave new world–evolve or die!)

Michigan. Do you like value, investor? Take a junked out blue-chip stock at its crusty, burnt-out nadir. Seriously. Buy it. Michigan cannot go any lower, and plays a.) Oregon, who they could beat, and b.) Notre Dame, who they will beat within an inch of the afterlife with Jimmy Clausen starting his second game at qb. We mean, we DON’T know this because of the tight-lipped secrecy that gives Notre Dame and Michigan the strategic edge in every game they’ve ever played!

Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer, btw, would love for you to have a copy of the playbook. Hell, they’ll tell you the lunch menu for the next week if you like, their waist size, and the quality of their last wrangle with the missus if you really want to know. (”We’ve done better,” said Carroll in his press conference.)

Anyway, Michigan got black-swanned. They don’t suck, and won’t suck for the whole 2007 season. They really, really sucked a level of suck unseen in the history of Division 1 Football suckitude this past weekend, yes–but buy now when the rats are swimming from the ship.

Don’t rank them in your blogpoll, of course. That would be madness. But know that by the books, it is a scientific fact that they can’t get any worse because there hasn’t been a worse week for a team not involving death or a plane crash–ever.

Georgia The keg-lifting paid off for the Baby Sex Cannon, who must have hit the o-line to the workout routine, as well: what was thought to be the Achilles’ heel held up nicely, allowing for only two sacks, protected Stafford in a hyperefficient effort and clearing happy, collision-free space for Georgia’s running backs to tally up 142 yards rushing, as much as any team with a constrictoresque defense is going to need to win. Difficult to tell if the game was indicative of Okie State’s shambolic gameplanning or Richt’s teams superb preparation, but we’ll take a moderate gamble and go with UGA quality here. Buy, Simpkins, buy! And another gimlet, please, with the speed of tipsy angels, please…

Hannibal’s Buys

I agree on Washington: Locker and essentially the entire team looked great, as did Georgia Tech, but I can’t get past their opponents just yet. Even the cautious, center-dwelling mantra of Chan (short for “Chandler”?) couldn’t conservatize his defense’s bloodlust for Notre Dame’s whimpering quarterbacks and the blundering line contracted to protect them. The Syracuse score, 42-12, might be a little misleading in its generosity, because the Orange were far worse than it indicates, worse even than the Irish. When Locker rolls up against a defense that doesn’t blatantly play dead after the first quarter and that takes a halfway decent angle on his endless keeps around the end, U-Dub might not look so buff. It’s also running into a buzzsaw of a schedule: the next four games are Boise State, Ohio State, UCLA and Southern Cal. I’ll bite on the Huskies if they come out of that stretch at 2-3.

Anyway, though Georgia, Washington and G-Tech were impressive, none of them showed me anything all that surprising, or that made me completely change my mind about their potential. I’m more willing to jump on a bandwagon that answered a question by unveiling a strength that had been projected as a weakness:

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Donovan: an improvement, perhaps.

Wisconsin: The only element holding the Badgers out of everybody’s top five to start the year was quarterback, and they obviously found their man in Tyler Donovan, a fifth-year senior who looked like he should have been playing ahead of historically milquetoast Jon Stocco the last two years. If it had been suggested P.J. Hill would be held to 84 yards on four per carry prior to the game, whatever the line was against Washington State would have dropped by a touchdown. But Donovan was great (19-29, 284, 3 TDs, 0 INT) and if he adds a more viable passing threat to the offense, Michigan’s pending collapse makes Wisconsin the Big Ten favorite. Should be 5-0 when Penn State comes up in Happy Valley.

Oklahoma: North Texas looks about as bad as a Bowl Subdivision team can possibly be, I think, but I’m not convinced Sam Bradford could have done any better in his first start than 21-23 for 363 yards and three touchdowns if he were facing no defense at all. I should probably hold off on this until he looks over at a real defense (Miami comes to Norman Saturday), but like Wisconsin, Oklahoma moves to the front of its conference championship picture if the Sooners found their quarterback. It’s a frightening prospect, really. Look at the rest of that team.

I also feel good about Texas Tech and Boston College, a little gumption for a change out of Colorado and, if the distinction is appropriate, First Half Clemson.

Sells

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Hannibal’s Sells
I’m reserving judgment on Virginia Tech and Texas until they face competition with sharper teeth this weekend, Florida State showed some signs of life in the second half Monday night and Notre Dame, well, I can’t sell what I never bought in the first place.

Oklahoma State: ¡Ay, que lastima, las promesas de los Vaqueros son vacías! What was that? I never expected OSU to stop anybody, even an offense with as many questions on the line as Georgia’s going into Saturday, but to only mount two scoring drives, and abandon a fairly successful running game against so much defensive youth was a regression. Bobby Reid went into Georgia a not-so-young, very hyped player expected to take his game to the level suggested by his recruiting hype after a quality debut season, with all sorts of modern weaponry at his disposal, and was decidedly shown up instead by Matt Stafford. The Cowboys will win three of their next four - maybe all four; Texas Tech is a toss-up – but won’t fare any better trying to overcome the inevitable points put up by Nebraska and Texas A&M after that, if Saturday is any indication.
Missouri: I hate to be so Big 12-centric in my pessimism, but there is a problem with a supposed division title contender needing true freshman bone-headism from the opposing quarterback and every one of five turnovers to beat Illinois. There’s still nothing wrong with the offense here, but the defense just reeks so bad: again, a true freshman entered the game for Illinois and threw for 257 yards, part of 435 yards the Big Ten’s reigning doormat put up on the afternoon. Good as it was early, the Tiger offense went the final 25 minutes of the game without scoring, and never would have been in a position to hang on late without Illinois’ typical generosity, which included a goalline fumble returned 100 yards for a Tiger touchdown and an eventually crucial field goal on the final play of the first half following a fumbled kickoff. Mizzou’s defense always struggles to hold up in the Big 12, and Saturday looked like a regression on that side.

Orson’s Sells

Notre Dame At least Michigan accumulated a respectable 479 yards of offense–Notre Dame can haz 122 yards of offense, plz, versus Georgia Tech. Their offensive line played abhorrently, but worse still shows signs of actually being abhorrent: slow, unable to read blitz packages, and incapable of doing much aside from falling forward in an imitation of proper run blocking.

The defense, too, continues to worry. Corwin Brown’s 3-4 got a steady diet of Choice up the middle in a display of vanilla play-calling practically Michiganesque in its uniform blandness. 265 yards later, vanilla looked terrifying. Combine that weakness on the run with a team able to lob fly patterns over the play-action happy secondary, and bad happens frequently. That could be the theme, this year, for Notre Dame: “Bad happens frequently.”

Oh, and Chan Gailey outcoached Charlie Weis. Say that three times in the mirror and see if a man with a meathook doesn’t try to disembowel you.

Florida State. For the moment they’re a sell, since we think they’ll be malevolent in November in time for the Florida matchup. The offensive line still sucks, Drew Weatherford still spends most of the game running himself into and out of trouble, and De’Cody I love sex has, as one of our commenters put it, “hands like Talman Gardner,” which is very much not good in case you didn’t know. The incompetence got contagious on Monday night, as even the stalwart defense tackled poorly on two of the three touchdown plays for Clemson.

There’s a time to buy FSU, maybe even as early as mid-October. For the moment, though, this team is the pain of learning writ large on a football field, or if you saw the broadcast last night, made animate in the form of Jimbo Fisher going apeshit in the booth as his offense waltzed into a wood-chipper.

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Glennon will not please Jenkins.

Virginia Tech. All VT needs on offense is a placeholder of a quarterback, a null, dull handoff artist with the ability to throw off bootlegs, easy play-action passes, and the obligatory screens, all totalling something less than 20 times a game. Sean Glennon, meager as the task might seem for a D-1 scholarship qb, cannot do this for reasons not entirely his fault: VT only averaged 1.1 yards a carry on the ground, forcing Glennon to pass for what is an ungodly 33 attempts against the humble ECU defense.

If Glennon is the strength of the VT offense, then this is like being forced to hitch your wagon to the Bulgarian economy as the strongest horse in the Southeastern European market. Ominous music creeps in at this point in the film.

Holds
Orson’s holds:

Texas. Depth chart reshuffling promised after a defensive debacle against Arkansas State, resulting in a 21-13 WTFer to scare the coaching staff into instant tinkering mode.

Auburn. Perpetually befuddling in their ability to win games without scoring or looking even close to impressive. Much like a law-school era Bill Clinton, they sleep through the exams before popping awake at the end to give a brilliant answer before stealing your girl for some compassionate scrumping in the Yale library bathrooms. We suspect they’re much better than we anticipated, but that was Ron Prince coaching across from you, Tommy Tuberville–candy, babies, analogy invoked.

Miami. All but certain they can run the ball, tackle people, and bruise kidneys with the best of them, as every time we looked in on this game a Marshall player was being pinballed around by well-aimed white helmets flying for soft, mortal fleshy parts of their anatomies. Kirby Freeman and Patrick Nix may be a flammable combination, though–he appeared Reggie Ballish in his first game, passing for under a hundred yards against Marshall’s less than demanding secondary.

Hannibal’s Holds
I feel like holding on pretty much everyone after just one week, so I’ll focus on a couple of teams whose ships are being rapidly abandoned:

Michigan:> The Wolverines opened up as an eight-point favorite over Oregon Monday, so at least the degenerate gamblers in the house agree that Big Blue’s big egg last week was a short-lived lapse. No doubt Saturday is a crucial point for Michigan, though: Oregon is another spread offense with an athletic quarterback (Dennis Dixon ran for 141 against Houston) who can also throw, death for the Michigan defense, and the Wolverines will have to earn back every bit of respect. I won’t be able to dump them fast enough with another loss, but let’s see what kind of attitude this team has first.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack were very reminiscent Saturday of Florida State (another team I’m not writing off), completely tanking the first half against Central Florida and trailing 25-0 for its troubles. But once Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck replaced Daniel Evans at quarterback, it was a completely different offense: the Pack scored 23 unanswered in the second half and could have tied on a late two-point conversion. It couldn’t get much lower than losing to UCF at home in Tom O’Brien’s debut, but discovering Beck might be worth it in the long run. Pivotal game Saturday at Boston College.
 
RJ Esq said:
The debate is over: College Football rules

By Tony Barnhart | Monday, September 3, 2007, 08:44 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5. Tuberville did it again: Nobody plays poker in tight games better than Auburn’s head coach. The Tigers had no business winning that game against Kansas State Saturday night but Tuberville stayed patient and knew his team would have a chance to win late if they didn’t panic and just kept playing. He did it last year against LSU, a team with considerably more athletes. Tuberville knows that it is a 60-minute game. A lot of coaches get desperate if they are trailing inside the final six minutes. This guy doesn’t.
Click to expand...

But Auburn lost to LSU last year...:4_12_12:
 
Great post from Blue-Gray Sky re ND's spread offense, why it tanked first game, and why it needs more time:

I come to praise the Spread, not to bury it | by Jay



After the game on Saturday, I walked out of the stadium with a ton of questions flying around in my head: was Tech that good? Were we that bad? And why hadn't I used more sunscreen? Mostly, though, I had questions about the baffling, alien offense we tried to run with Demetrius Jones. What the hell was that? Instead of the rocket-powered ground attack I was expecting, we fizzled like a dud.

With the benefit of a second look at the game (and some pointed press conference explanations) I think the picture of what happened is a little bit clearer. Some of my questions, answered:

First of all, why Demetrius Jones, instead of Sharpley or Clausen?

According to yesterday's presser, Clausen wasn't 100% healthy until last week. Because of that, he wasn't able to get full reps in practice in the couple of weeks leading up to the game. As Charlie said:
COACH Charlie Weis: At the end of the spring, [Clausen] was the leader of the competition...And then, you know, after the spring, he had that spur taken off and then he rehabbed...he was going to be ready to throw full speed by September 1. But he wasn't ready to do everything on a daily basis, you know, until September 1. So we got kind of got in that gray area where we really couldn't consider him as the starter for the opening game.

Q. Would it be fair to say if he was healthy the whole time, would he have started last week then?

COACH Charlie Weis: That's potentially the case...But in training camp, he didn't do enough. He couldn't do enough to really be in contention for that first team.​
So that eliminated Jimmy, and the question became, Jones or Sharpley?

Now, the Tech defense is a whirling dervish of aggression. It's especially hellish for young quaterbacks who lack experience in blitz recognition and might be hesitant in decision-making. As SMQ presciently wrote before the game:
Tech also has a great history in its favor against young quarterbacks early in the season, having claimed the hides of first-year starters in upsets of ranked teams in four consecutive Septembers (Auburn in 2003, Clemson in ‘04, Auburn again in ‘05 and Virginia Tech last year). DC Jon Tenuta is aggressive and unorthodox and has his usual pass-rushing raptors in Phillip Wheeler and Michael Johnson, all the better to force whichever freshly scrubbed scholar Weis has selected into the same eye-opening mistakes of his wilting forebears against Tech. The Jackets got after Brady Quinn something fierce in last year’s opener, and it was Quinn’s instincts and experience that got the limping Irish offense out of trouble on more than one occasion. I’m not giving Sharpley or Jones (or hell: Clausen. Why not?) the benefit of the doubt where icy decision-making is concerned until one of them has demonstrated it in live action. There won’t be much scoring, unless some it comes from the defenses.​
If a QB is at all tentative against Georgia Tech, forget it. Last year Charlie had a Heisman contender at QB in whom he had full confidence to read defenses, audible out of plays that might get stuffed, and with whom he could talk to on the sideline about adjustments on the fly. Charlie knew he didn't have that this year. And furthermore, I think Charlie knew a hesitant, slow-footed passer making his first start wouldn't stand much of a chance dropping back and setting up in the pocket, especially with such a green offensive line. (The game, of course, bore this out; Sharpley was sacked 7 times. Consider what we saw of Sharpley...tentative, indecisive, holding onto the ball too long. A feast for the raptors.)

In retrospect, facing an aggressive defense, and with a young line bound to make mistakes, Demetrius really was the only sensible choice to start. He had a weapon that could counter the blitz: his speed. And why not pepper in a few plays designed specifically to take advantage of that speed, right?

What did we install, special, just for Demetrius?


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<SMALL>Spread formation, first play of the game</SMALL>
​

The story of Charlie going to visit Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia really intrigued me. I figured he'd steal some plays from the spread option playbook, and come September we'd see a brand new dimension to the Irish offense. Sure enough, on the very first play of the game, Notre Dame came out in the Spread.

(Quickly, what is the Spread? The version we saw: the quarterback is in shotgun, usually with 1 or 2 running backs next to him in the backfield, and with 3 wide receivers on the field. It's what Purdue plays most of the time, and it's what West Virginia plays, among others. For the Irish, we'd never seen it used under Charlie before the first play of the game on Saturday.)

With the new formation, the Irish also ran 5 brand new plays for the spread:
  • QB Sweep
  • QB Draw
  • Inside Zone Read (either a give to the RB, or a QB keeper)
  • Rollout Pass
  • Screen Pass
That's it. Maybe there were more that were practiced, but that's all we saw in action.

Was this too much to install? Too ambitious for the young Irish? I'm not so sure. We weave in new wrinkles and plays each week during the season, and this set isn't terribly exotic. Keep in mind, we installed a completely new offense before the '05 season when Charlie first came on board -- much more than simply one formation and five plays -- and that worked out pretty well. I have to think this wasn't too much to handle -- in theory. In practice-- well, we'll get to that.

How did we utilize the Spread against Georgia Tech?

It's important to note that in the game we didn't use the Spread exclusively. In fact, Demetrius' play calls were split almost evenly between the Spread and the usual Irish set, with the quarterback under center (let's call it Base Charlie).

DJ ran 27 plays over 6 drives. Two were negated with false starts. There were 13 plays from the spread (highlighted in yellow below). 14 were out of Base Charlie (in blue). Each section break in the table indicates a new drive.

Plays with Demetrius Jones at Quarterback
<SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><SMALL></SMALL><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>#</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Down</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>YTG</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Package</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Play</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Player</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Yds</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Mental Errors</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><SMALL>Notes</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Regular</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Sweep</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+7</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Two Tites</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Toss</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>26</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-3</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Unblocked WDE caught from behind and 44 missed block badly</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>6</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Inside Zone Read</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>5</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+11</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>4</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Out People</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Rollout Pass</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>33</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>inc</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>DE stayed home, applied pressure, low throw</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Detroit</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Penalty</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>False start, 77</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>6</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>15</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Out People</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Screen pass</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-6</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Fumble, 3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Heavy blitz, 3 didn't know what to do - screen pass</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=9><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>7</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>New York</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Inside Zone</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>34</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+1</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>74 badly missed block on 41 - nice hole otherwise?</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>8</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>9</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Inside Zone Read</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>5</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+6</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>74 beaten badly - should have been called for a hold</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>9</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Inside Zone Read</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-1</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Designed to go to 5, but snap is way too high - busted play</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=9><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Sweep</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+5</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>11</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Draw</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+3</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Weirdly designed play - no one to block LB, 51 no push</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>12</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Two Tites</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>FB Dive</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>44</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-1</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Toss to HB is a read here for QB; didn't look at 26</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=9><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>13</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Two Tites</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Scramble (?)
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+10</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>GT sends 6; 44 sneaks out to flat, 26 protects, 3 tucks and runs</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>14</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Detroit</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Inside Zone</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>34</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+6</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Play designed to go left, cuts back right</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>15</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>4</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>New York</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Toss</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>34</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+3</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>nice lead block by 89</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>16</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Two Tites</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Iso</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>26</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+2</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Big hole, nice lead block by 44, DB filled nicely</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>17</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Inside Zone Read</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>5</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+8</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>18</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Inside Zone Read</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+6</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Keeper</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>19</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Sweep</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+8</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>20</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Draw</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-1</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Fumble, 3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=9><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>21</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>Regular</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>QB Sweep</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>0</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,204)"><SMALL>44's cut block doesn't work, LB forces 3 back inside</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>22</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Regular</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Swing pass</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>11</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>+4</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Toss play or swing pass</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>23</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>6</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Detroit-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Pass</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-3</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Sack</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Cut blocks by 72 and 77 are ineffective.</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=9><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>24</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>1</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>10</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Jab</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>26</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-1</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>89 couldn't seal, 77 whiffed, 26 never got to hole</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>25</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>11</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Penalty</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>-5</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>False start, 72</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>2</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>16</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Screen pass</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>26</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>inc</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>
</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Overthrown, heavy pressure - 74 bad cut block, 51 bad block</SMALL></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>27</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>16</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Half-26</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Scramble</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>3</SMALL></TD><TD style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SMALL>0</SMALL></TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>Sack</SMALL></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(204,255,255)"><SMALL>GT rushes 3 DL and sends one OLB blitz - 26 can't pick him up</SMALL></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Running game
What's really surprising -- and this certainly was NOT my impression upon leaving the stadium -- was that running out of the spread was actually pretty effective.

The best running plays were the QB sweep, and handing off to Allen on the Inside Zone Read. The QB sweep was run four times, for 7, 5, 8, and 0 yards. Whenever Armando was in the game, we exclusively ran Inside Zone Read plays. It was either handed off to Armando or Jones kept it. Here's our production for that play:
  • Allen: 3 carries, 25 yds
  • Jones: 2 carries, 5 yds
Jones had one carry for 6 yards on a Inside Zone keeper, and on the other, it was the third & two play on the second drive where the snap was so high that the play was disrupted. DJ couldn't hand it off to Armando, which forced him to run wide and lose a yard. If there had been a good snap, we would have easily earned the first down (there was a solid block by Wenger, and a great cut block by Young on the LB). That would have been another Armando carry, and another 5+ yards.

Contrast the Spread running with the production from Base Charlie:
  • Spread: 11 carries, 50 yds
  • Base: 7 carries, 7 yds
Passing game
Overall, Jones had seven passes called for him (out of 25 plays) in both Spread and Base. There were only two pass plays called from the spread. One was the play action roll out pass to Hughes (which Demetrius underthrew), and the other was the screen pass where Jones developed "deer in the headlights" syndrome and got himself sacked.

There were also two scrambles on passes but both came out of Base Charlie. First, there was the play action on the first play of the 4th drive where he tucked and ran for 10 yards. The other was in the last drive on 3rd down. The OLB blitzed from the outside, and Thomas engaged him but didn't stuff him. Jones stepped up in the pocket to throw, and was nailed. It's technically a scramble because it didn't go for negative yardage, but it's really a sack. Charlie gave Demetrius opportunities to throw the ball, but terrible pass blocking, bad throws, and panicky decisions to tuck and run conspired to kill the passing game.

That said, after a second look, the spread still seemed like a good plan considering the circumstances coming into the game. It was even producing some positive yardage before we fell too far behind and Charlie pulled the plug.

fumble_sm.jpg

<SMALL>First drive, 2nd & 15. Slot receiver points out the blitz</SMALL>

fumble2_sm.jpg

<SMALL>Allen (btm) & Hughes (top) flare out.
Corner & LB blitz.</SMALL>

fumble3_sm.jpg

<SMALL>Allen & Hughes looking for the pass; DJ scrambles</SMALL>

fumble4_sm.jpg

<SMALL>Sacked. Hughes with all kinds of daylight,
and blocking downfield. Drat.</SMALL>
​
So why didn't it work?

Mistakes. Piss-poor blocking. Two drives ended by fumbles, one on a critical drive where we might have taken the lead, 7-6. Another hindered by a terrible snap, and another drive ended on a sack due to a bad block. Poor decision-making by Demetrius. And don't forget the terrific, aggressive defense that confused the hell out of our linemen and consistently beat our blocks.

On every drive-ending play, there were crucial mistakes. The starkest example (and most heart-breaking, because it could have been a big play) was on the very first drive.

It's 2nd & 15 on our own 38. ND comes out in the spread, with Out People personnel (2 RB, 3 WR), and Hughes and Allen in the backfield on either side of Jones.

The corner on the slot receiver is showing blitz, and the slot receiver alerts DJ before the snap.

At the snap, Hughes and Allen both flare out. The corner blitzes, as noted, along with a linebacker.

Hughes and Allen are both looking for the pass, and the receivers are setting up blocks downfield. But DJ never seems to look right or left, and instead steps up and squirms around, trying to avoid the blitz.

That play's a killer, because all DJ had to do was loft it out to Hughes and it would have gone for 10+ yards, and maybe more. It didn't require a perfect pass, just a recognition that Hughes was going to be open (again, with the corner blitzing) and an easy pop-up that Hughes could have run under and hauled in.

Thus was the potential of the spread, and thus was it frittered away.

Disclaimer. It strikes me that this post probably reads like I'm putting most of the blame on the players' failure to execute an otherwise sensible gameplan. In truth, we didn't look prepared for Tech's blitzes, we didn't execute our cut blocks very well, and the quarterback obviously lost his head under pressure. This goes to coaching and preparation as much as execution. Charlie (as usual) owned up to not having the team ready for the speed of the game or the defensive schemes presented by the Yellow Jackets, and he rightfully deserves his own set of nice, big goat horns.

So is this the end of the spread?

Charlie said something interesting on Sunday's presser about how the spread gameplan "was intended for this opponent," meaning, presumably, the extent of its usefulness was for attacking Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech alone. But after seeing the potential with the spread, I really hope Charlie doesn't relegate it to the trash bin. It would be easy to junk the whole thing and go back to Base Charlie with a prototypical dropback passer, but elements of the spread could still be quite productive.

Recall how successful the inside zone read play was from the shotgun with Armando Allen. Now consider this. We trot out against Penn State with Clausen at QB. It's first and ten from the 25, first play of the game. Shotgun formation, Half personnel (3 WR), Armando Allen standing next to Clausen.

You're Lions defensive coordinator Tom Bradley...what do you do? Do you go to nickel because of the three wideouts? Or do you stay in your base defense? Base defense...okay, what do you do with that 3rd WR? Do you bring a safety down, and play man to man on the outside? If you use a LB on the 3rd WR, that's a mismatch the Irish can exploit. And you still have to account for Allen on the handoff; with a safety or linebacker committed to outside coverage, there's a lot of room to run in the middle. While I doubt you'd ever see Clausen on the keeper with the inside zone read, you could mix in play action, or the swing pass to soft coverage, or the Hughes/Allen flare pass. There's a world of possibility here.
 
RJ ESQ: You have the only One-Stop-Shopping Thread in the history of the galaxy. Thank you. Leaning toward TCU but, as you mentioned, I don't want to take them simply to not take The University of Texas at Austin.

LONGHORNS FOOTBALL
TCU doesn't see itself as underdog

<!-- newsworthy --><!--endtext--> <script src="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/js/NewsworthyAudioC2L.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/newsworthy/statesman/sports/stories/longhorns/09/05/statesman_sports_stories_longhorns_09_05_0905tcu.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
​
<!--begintext--><!-- http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared...an_sports_stories_longhorns_09_05_0905tcu.mp3 --> By Alan Trubow
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
FORT WORTH — When TCU's first-year running backs coach Justin Fuente came into the staff meeting Sunday after the Horned Frogs' 27-0 victory over Baylor, he was walking with an extra bounce in his step.
The Horned Frogs had just shut out a Big 12 opponent, and he was ready to stop the press. Then he looked around.
<!--endtext--><!--startclickprintexclude-->

<!-- END Clickability "Most Popular" links --> <!--begintext-->
<!--endclickprintexclude--> The other coaches weren't excited. They weren't any more energetic than usual.
"He was a little disappointed because everybody else wasn't jumping up and down and having a celebration," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "I think we're a little bit different team than we were three years ago. We've finally gotten to the point where we can compete on that level and do what we need to do."
That's what the Horned Frogs did in 2005, when TCU went to No. 5 Oklahoma and beat the Sooners 17-10.
That's what they did last year when they won at Baylor and against Texas Tech.
That's what they've done in their past five games against Big 12 foes, each resulting in a Horned Frogs victory.
Now No. 19 TCU is heading to Austin to take on the Big 12's biggest behemoth — No. 7 Texas, Saturday in front of more than 80,000 fans.
The Horned Frogs are not fazed. Practices have been the same as always. The players are loose and relaxed.
"We expect to win," starting safety David Roach said. "I don't feel like we're the underdogs. We're both good teams. We're both ranked teams. I would say it's a pretty important game for both teams."
This isn't the same Horned Frog team from the Southwest Conference: the bottom feeder that is 20-60-1 all time against Texas, the one that has lost 27 of the past 28 contests against the Longhorns, with the lone victory in 1992.
TCU has beaten Louisville, USC and numerous Big 12 teams during the past decade.
"I don't think our kids will be happy if we just play well. We're past that point where we're happy if we played well against a Big 12 team," Patterson said. "You schedule these games because you want to see where you're at. ... That's why you play a Texas. That's why you play a Big 12 school. You go and find out how far you can take your limits of what you do, because there's more satisfaction at the end of it if you get it done.
"If you don't do that in life, someday you'll wake up and wonder what you did do."
The Horned Frogs (1-0) have been to eight bowl games in the past nine years. They've won two consecutive bowl games and finished both seasons ranked in the top 25.
And here comes Texas (1-0). Are the Horned Frogs intimidated?
"No," defensive end Chase Ortiz said. "We respect Texas and what they've accomplished. But we're not in awe of Texas."
"We understand Texas is a big game because it is the next game," Patterson said. "You can't get too high or too low. You need to keep things in perspective. No matter whether you win or lose, you have to move on. We have to manage it right and go about our business."
That's TCU's attitude: When you're a champion, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, no matter the name on your opponent's jersey.
Big 12 killers
TCU's winning streak against Big 12 teams:
2005
Defeated Oklahoma 17-10
Defeated Iowa State 27-24
2006
Defeated Baylor 17-7
Defeated Texas Tech 12-3
2007
Defeated Baylor 27-0
19-TCU at 7-TEXAS
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Royal-Memorial Stadium
Records: Both are 1-0.
TV: Fox Sports Net
Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM), KWNX-AM (1260, Spanish)
atrubow@statesman.com; 445-3959
 
noaccountguy said:
RJ ESQ: You have the only One-Stop-Shopping Thread in the history of the galaxy. Thank you. Leaning toward TCU but, as you mentioned, I don't want to take them simply to not take The University of Texas at Austin.
Click to expand...

Thanks, man, but you should see all the articles and blog posts that I go through that don't make it here.

You're getting the cream of the crop.
 
Added

Mizzou -6 (-104)

Got good juice over at Matchbook and Mizzou is just a superior team here. If Mizzou can keep the pedal down and minimize its' turnovers, this can get ugly.
 
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