Week 9 (10/25-10/27) CFB Picks and News
- Thread starter RJ Esq
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RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Who is This UConn That You Speak Of?
Posted Oct 22nd 2007 8:04PM by John Radcliff
Filed under: Big East, Connecticut Football
Seriously! Who are these guys? Weren't they supposed to fade away after the cupcake part of their schedule? Well, I'm sure a lot would say they are still in the cupcake part of their schedule. But looking at the Huskies before the year started, I expected them to be 4-1 going into the Virginia game with Pitt being the one. After that, I wasn't expecting another win. So they've already exceeded my low expectations at 6-1. And they could easily still be undefeated if the ball bounces the right way against Virginia.
So who are these guys? First off, Tyler Lorenzen has been a huge upgrade at the quarterback position. Ranking fifth among Big East quarterbacks in yards per game and fourth in completion percentage. Plus he is connecting on over four touchdowns per interception. By comparison, last year UConn's best quarterback, Matt Bonislawski didn't break 1,000 yards passing and completed on 46% of his passes. Plus, Lorenzen is third on the team in rushing with 225 yards.
Also a surprise this year has been Andre Dixon, who leads the team in rushing with 443 yards and two touchdowns. While Donald Brown is second on the team in rushing, he was expected to be the feature back going into this year. So the emergence of Dixon has been a sweet surprise for the Huskies.
And on defense, UConn is second in total defense in the Big East. Lead by freshman linebacker Lawrence Wilson with 73 tackles. Of the top 11 tacklers, only three are seniors, and three are freshman. So the defensive future of this team looks to be in good shape.
Now is all that good enough to beat South Florida, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Syracuse, and West Virginia in the last five weeks of the schedule? Probably not, but it certainly is much better than anyone was giving them credit for. And they could come away with two of those games and find themselves in a bowl game at the end of the year.
Filed under: Big East, Connecticut Football
So who are these guys? First off, Tyler Lorenzen has been a huge upgrade at the quarterback position. Ranking fifth among Big East quarterbacks in yards per game and fourth in completion percentage. Plus he is connecting on over four touchdowns per interception. By comparison, last year UConn's best quarterback, Matt Bonislawski didn't break 1,000 yards passing and completed on 46% of his passes. Plus, Lorenzen is third on the team in rushing with 225 yards.
Also a surprise this year has been Andre Dixon, who leads the team in rushing with 443 yards and two touchdowns. While Donald Brown is second on the team in rushing, he was expected to be the feature back going into this year. So the emergence of Dixon has been a sweet surprise for the Huskies.
And on defense, UConn is second in total defense in the Big East. Lead by freshman linebacker Lawrence Wilson with 73 tackles. Of the top 11 tacklers, only three are seniors, and three are freshman. So the defensive future of this team looks to be in good shape.
Now is all that good enough to beat South Florida, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Syracuse, and West Virginia in the last five weeks of the schedule? Probably not, but it certainly is much better than anyone was giving them credit for. And they could come away with two of those games and find themselves in a bowl game at the end of the year.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Coordinators vs Coordinators: a history with VT
Jags has no history against Beamer as a head coach, but his coordinators are very familiar with their counterparts. Here is a brief history of Logan at ECU against long-time Virginia Tech Defensive coordinator Bud Foster and Spaz against VT's OC Bryan Stinespring (who took over their O in 2002).
1996: Logan vs Foster
First Downs 14
Rushed-yards 24-47
Passing yards 258
Sacked-yards lost 1-4
Passes 17-35-2
Fumbles-lost 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-77
Points scored: 14
Results: Loss
Assessment: Logan moved the ball, but the picks were killers.
1998: Logan vs Foster
First downs 16
Rushed-yards 37-135
Passing yards 168
Sacked-yards lost 1-7
Passes 13-26-0
Punts 6-49.0
Fumbles-lost 1-0
Penalties-yards 4-17
Points scored: 3
Results: Loss
Assessment: Long day for the Pirates. They couldn't do anything against one of Foster's better units.
2000: Logan vs Foster
First downs 20
Rushed-yards 39-87
Passing yards 331
Sacked-yards lost3-17
Return yards 55
Passes 23-47-3
Punts 6-30.8
Fumbles-lost 4-0
Penalties-yards 6-60
Points scored: 28
Results: Loss
Assessment: This was Logan's best day against Foster. They moved the ball better than most of VT's opponents that year. They lost the game due to Beamer ball plays in special teams.
2002: Spaz vs Stinespring
First downs 21
Rushes-Yards 61 - 334
Passing yards 86
Sacked-Yards lost 1 - 9
Passes 4 - 7 - 0
Fumbles-Lost 0 - 0 2 - 1
Penalties-Yards 15 - 96
Points allowed: 28
Results: Loss
Assessment: We got run over in this game. Not one of Spaz's better days.
2003: Spaz vs Stinespring
First downs 15
Rushes-Yards 40 - 203
Passing yards 187
Sacked-Yards lost 1 - 3
Passes 13 - 27 - 0
Fumbles-Lost 2 - 2
Penalties-Yards 7 - 61
Points allowed: 27
Results: Win
Assessment: This was a classic "bend but don't break" scheme. It was also one of those days where the D got just enough stops at just the right time.
2005: Spaz vs Stinespring
Passing attempts - completions 28-22
Gross passing yards 280
Rushing attempts - yards 53-212
First downs 26
Fumbles - lost 2-1
Penalties - yards 6-46
Time of possession 39:05
Points allowed: 30
Results: Loss
Assessment: This in my opinion was one of Spaz's biggest missteps. He came in with a scheme to contain Marcus Vick, assuming that Vick would run wild like his brother did against us. Instead he picked us apart all night.
2006: Spaz vs Stinespring
Passing attempts - completions 34-23
Gross passing yards 148
Rushing attempts - yards 28-33
First downs 14
Fumbles - lost 3-2
Time of possession 27:51
Points allowed: 3
Results: Win
Assessment: If 2005 was one of Spaz's worst games, this was one of his best. VT was confused and under pressure all night.
Final thoughts...
These games do not occur in a vacuum, so what your offense does or vice-versa impacts a coordinators gameplan and the final stats. I did not see any of the ECU-VT games of the Logan era, but like Spaz's games against VT, his results are all over the place. Ultimately both sides come in very familiar with what the other wants to do. Should be interesting.
Jags has no history against Beamer as a head coach, but his coordinators are very familiar with their counterparts. Here is a brief history of Logan at ECU against long-time Virginia Tech Defensive coordinator Bud Foster and Spaz against VT's OC Bryan Stinespring (who took over their O in 2002).
1996: Logan vs Foster
First Downs 14
Rushed-yards 24-47
Passing yards 258
Sacked-yards lost 1-4
Passes 17-35-2
Fumbles-lost 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-77
Points scored: 14
Results: Loss
Assessment: Logan moved the ball, but the picks were killers.
1998: Logan vs Foster
First downs 16
Rushed-yards 37-135
Passing yards 168
Sacked-yards lost 1-7
Passes 13-26-0
Punts 6-49.0
Fumbles-lost 1-0
Penalties-yards 4-17
Points scored: 3
Results: Loss
Assessment: Long day for the Pirates. They couldn't do anything against one of Foster's better units.
2000: Logan vs Foster
First downs 20
Rushed-yards 39-87
Passing yards 331
Sacked-yards lost3-17
Return yards 55
Passes 23-47-3
Punts 6-30.8
Fumbles-lost 4-0
Penalties-yards 6-60
Points scored: 28
Results: Loss
Assessment: This was Logan's best day against Foster. They moved the ball better than most of VT's opponents that year. They lost the game due to Beamer ball plays in special teams.
2002: Spaz vs Stinespring
First downs 21
Rushes-Yards 61 - 334
Passing yards 86
Sacked-Yards lost 1 - 9
Passes 4 - 7 - 0
Fumbles-Lost 0 - 0 2 - 1
Penalties-Yards 15 - 96
Points allowed: 28
Results: Loss
Assessment: We got run over in this game. Not one of Spaz's better days.
2003: Spaz vs Stinespring
First downs 15
Rushes-Yards 40 - 203
Passing yards 187
Sacked-Yards lost 1 - 3
Passes 13 - 27 - 0
Fumbles-Lost 2 - 2
Penalties-Yards 7 - 61
Points allowed: 27
Results: Win
Assessment: This was a classic "bend but don't break" scheme. It was also one of those days where the D got just enough stops at just the right time.
2005: Spaz vs Stinespring
Passing attempts - completions 28-22
Gross passing yards 280
Rushing attempts - yards 53-212
First downs 26
Fumbles - lost 2-1
Penalties - yards 6-46
Time of possession 39:05
Points allowed: 30
Results: Loss
Assessment: This in my opinion was one of Spaz's biggest missteps. He came in with a scheme to contain Marcus Vick, assuming that Vick would run wild like his brother did against us. Instead he picked us apart all night.
2006: Spaz vs Stinespring
Passing attempts - completions 34-23
Gross passing yards 148
Rushing attempts - yards 28-33
First downs 14
Fumbles - lost 3-2
Time of possession 27:51
Points allowed: 3
Results: Win
Assessment: If 2005 was one of Spaz's worst games, this was one of his best. VT was confused and under pressure all night.
Final thoughts...
These games do not occur in a vacuum, so what your offense does or vice-versa impacts a coordinators gameplan and the final stats. I did not see any of the ECU-VT games of the Logan era, but like Spaz's games against VT, his results are all over the place. Ultimately both sides come in very familiar with what the other wants to do. Should be interesting.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Making Fun of Notre Dame Never Gets Old
A little while back, when I had a few minutes to sift through our thousands* of fan emails, I came across a simply brilliant and hilarious mpg that I was neglectful in sharing and now it's all over the interwebs. Nevertheless, I feel it's worth sharing here.
Speaking of toasting Notre Dame's delusional "supporters," I found this entry over at our friends Her Loyal Sons kind of entertaining:
"Well, here it is: The Rivalry for Notre Dame Football. Notre Dame/SoCal. It’s the greatest rivalry in sports. Shut up, Red Sox Fans. I’m pulling for Manny as much as the next obsessive compulsive that’s ever taken the T to Fenway, but let’s face it: Red Sox/Yankees ain’t got nuthin’ on this.
ND being 1-6 and SoCal having lost to Stanford doesn’t do anything to reduce the importance of this game for the 2 institutions, but I find it fitting that the least “hyped” ND/SoCal game in quite a while comes along on a week where I’ve personally been so busy that I’ve barely even had time to notice the BCS Darling, South Florida, lost last night."
Wow. Anytime I need an example of material to poke fun at, all I need to do is head over there and look a the outright and over-the-top arrogance. I mean, good for them for being confident and proud. Bad for them that they're delusional.
The "greatest rivalry in sports"? It's not even the greatest rivalry in college football! One-sided "rivalries" are rarely any fun, boys, and as I've tried to explain before, USC doesn't see the Domers as a "rival" -- they seem them as a nuisance. A trip to the barren plains of northern Indiana, where the plane ride is far more dangerous than the competition.
I also like how the author managed to throw in a shot at South Florida as being "BCS darlings" -- whatever that means -- and sort of take delight in their loss. That's all well and good, but South Florida is 6-1 now. Where does an ND fan get off mocking them? I don't follow. And talk about the pot calling the kettle black! This is more like the pot and the kettle teaming up to call outer space black! Hasn't Notre Dame been the "darling" that gets undeserved invites to bowl games it has no business being in, and then proves it has no business being there by getting waxed by a real program?
My final shot at ND for today will be to encourage you all to buy one of the books explaining the greatness of Charlie Weis.
While perusing ESPN.com today, I saw a little blurb down on the lower right corner of Notre Dame's page plugging The New Gold Standard: Charlie Weis and Notre Dame's Rise to Glory. I can only assume this is either a work of fiction or some kind of Carnac prognostication. But as guffaw-worthy as the title is, check out the "description" on Amazon:
From the most storied school in college football history . . .The Gold Standard -- abandoned by most of the world in the 1930s -- has been an article of faith in South Bend, Indiana, for almost a century. Mere winning records and second-tier bowl games? Not good enough for Fighting Irish fans. No college football program has produced more national championships, more All-Americans, and more Heisman Trophy winners than Notre Dame. But recently, not so much: no national championship since 1988, only one All-American since 1994, and a combined 11-12 record in the 2003-2004 seasons. So out went Tyrone Willingham, fired just three years into a five-year contract, the first Irish coach ever to be dismissed before the end of his deal. In came Charlie Weis, a forty-nine-year-old Notre Dame grad with no head coaching experience but four Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach. Weis proved, in the space of a single season, to be a football maestro with a hard edge, a brilliant mind, an affinity for detail, and an uncanny sense of how to motivate people. He returned a program mired in the blahs to its rightful (and historic) place among college football's elite. This book takes you inside a season unlike any other in Fighting Irish history -- and inside Weis's master plan for restoring the Gold Standard in South Bend.
I wonder if that "master plan" included a 1-7 start to 2007? And what is the "Gold Standard"? Having a white coach? I'm just trying to understand. And their "rightful" place among college football's "elite"? I think I just vomited a little bit. (Note that The Gold Standard's price has been reduced.)
Speaking of Notre Dame/Charlie Weis books with reduced pricing, check this one out! No Excuses One Man's Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame (Paper Champions). Oh, I'm sorry -- that actually said "Paperback." My bad.
I also love the last line of the book description for that one: "Weis has been hailed as a coaching genius, credited with turning around Notre Dame's legendary–but–flailing football team."
Yes, turning them around. All the way around. From flailing to winning (with Ty Willingham's players) to flailing again. Only now they're flailing at legendary and rarely before seen at ND levels.
*May be an exaggeration.
A little while back, when I had a few minutes to sift through our thousands* of fan emails, I came across a simply brilliant and hilarious mpg that I was neglectful in sharing and now it's all over the interwebs. Nevertheless, I feel it's worth sharing here.Speaking of toasting Notre Dame's delusional "supporters," I found this entry over at our friends Her Loyal Sons kind of entertaining:
"Well, here it is: The Rivalry for Notre Dame Football. Notre Dame/SoCal. It’s the greatest rivalry in sports. Shut up, Red Sox Fans. I’m pulling for Manny as much as the next obsessive compulsive that’s ever taken the T to Fenway, but let’s face it: Red Sox/Yankees ain’t got nuthin’ on this.
ND being 1-6 and SoCal having lost to Stanford doesn’t do anything to reduce the importance of this game for the 2 institutions, but I find it fitting that the least “hyped” ND/SoCal game in quite a while comes along on a week where I’ve personally been so busy that I’ve barely even had time to notice the BCS Darling, South Florida, lost last night."
Wow. Anytime I need an example of material to poke fun at, all I need to do is head over there and look a the outright and over-the-top arrogance. I mean, good for them for being confident and proud. Bad for them that they're delusional.
The "greatest rivalry in sports"? It's not even the greatest rivalry in college football! One-sided "rivalries" are rarely any fun, boys, and as I've tried to explain before, USC doesn't see the Domers as a "rival" -- they seem them as a nuisance. A trip to the barren plains of northern Indiana, where the plane ride is far more dangerous than the competition.
I also like how the author managed to throw in a shot at South Florida as being "BCS darlings" -- whatever that means -- and sort of take delight in their loss. That's all well and good, but South Florida is 6-1 now. Where does an ND fan get off mocking them? I don't follow. And talk about the pot calling the kettle black! This is more like the pot and the kettle teaming up to call outer space black! Hasn't Notre Dame been the "darling" that gets undeserved invites to bowl games it has no business being in, and then proves it has no business being there by getting waxed by a real program?
My final shot at ND for today will be to encourage you all to buy one of the books explaining the greatness of Charlie Weis.
While perusing ESPN.com today, I saw a little blurb down on the lower right corner of Notre Dame's page plugging The New Gold Standard: Charlie Weis and Notre Dame's Rise to Glory. I can only assume this is either a work of fiction or some kind of Carnac prognostication. But as guffaw-worthy as the title is, check out the "description" on Amazon:
From the most storied school in college football history . . .The Gold Standard -- abandoned by most of the world in the 1930s -- has been an article of faith in South Bend, Indiana, for almost a century. Mere winning records and second-tier bowl games? Not good enough for Fighting Irish fans. No college football program has produced more national championships, more All-Americans, and more Heisman Trophy winners than Notre Dame. But recently, not so much: no national championship since 1988, only one All-American since 1994, and a combined 11-12 record in the 2003-2004 seasons. So out went Tyrone Willingham, fired just three years into a five-year contract, the first Irish coach ever to be dismissed before the end of his deal. In came Charlie Weis, a forty-nine-year-old Notre Dame grad with no head coaching experience but four Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach. Weis proved, in the space of a single season, to be a football maestro with a hard edge, a brilliant mind, an affinity for detail, and an uncanny sense of how to motivate people. He returned a program mired in the blahs to its rightful (and historic) place among college football's elite. This book takes you inside a season unlike any other in Fighting Irish history -- and inside Weis's master plan for restoring the Gold Standard in South Bend.
I wonder if that "master plan" included a 1-7 start to 2007? And what is the "Gold Standard"? Having a white coach? I'm just trying to understand. And their "rightful" place among college football's "elite"? I think I just vomited a little bit. (Note that The Gold Standard's price has been reduced.)
Speaking of Notre Dame/Charlie Weis books with reduced pricing, check this one out! No Excuses One Man's Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame (Paper Champions). Oh, I'm sorry -- that actually said "Paperback." My bad.
I also love the last line of the book description for that one: "Weis has been hailed as a coaching genius, credited with turning around Notre Dame's legendary–but–flailing football team."
Yes, turning them around. All the way around. From flailing to winning (with Ty Willingham's players) to flailing again. Only now they're flailing at legendary and rarely before seen at ND levels.
*May be an exaggeration.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
GT's Choice to undergo knee surgery
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:56PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:56PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice will have surgery Tuesday to determine the severity of the knee injury he suffered Saturday against Army.
Choice will miss the Nov. 1 game against Virginia Tech, but his status for the rest of the season is not known, according to coach Chan Gailey.
Choice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing in 2006. The senior again leads the ACC with his average of 108 yards rushing despite leaving the Army game in the first quarter after the right knee injury. He needed help leaving the field and was carted to the locker room.
Choice had an MRI exam on Monday. Georgia Tech reported the MRI showed the need for Tuesday's surgery, but no other results from the test were released.
In such circumstances, an MRI might reveal a tear to a ligament, but the extent of the tear is not known until surgery.
The Virginia Tech game will be the first missed by Choice in his three years at Georgia Tech after transferring from Oklahoma.
Georgia Tech expects to have more details about Choice's status by
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:56PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:56PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice will have surgery Tuesday to determine the severity of the knee injury he suffered Saturday against Army.
Choice will miss the Nov. 1 game against Virginia Tech, but his status for the rest of the season is not known, according to coach Chan Gailey.
Choice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing in 2006. The senior again leads the ACC with his average of 108 yards rushing despite leaving the Army game in the first quarter after the right knee injury. He needed help leaving the field and was carted to the locker room.
Choice had an MRI exam on Monday. Georgia Tech reported the MRI showed the need for Tuesday's surgery, but no other results from the test were released.
In such circumstances, an MRI might reveal a tear to a ligament, but the extent of the tear is not known until surgery.
The Virginia Tech game will be the first missed by Choice in his three years at Georgia Tech after transferring from Oklahoma.
Georgia Tech expects to have more details about Choice's status by
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Troubled year causes Weis to change
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:59PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:58PM
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- There was some disbelief in the press box before the USC-Notre Dame kickoff when officials signaled the Irish had won the toss and deferred until the second half.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had said, repeatedly, he would never consider going on defense first if he won the toss. Never.
The change in heart by the offensive-minded coach might not seem like a big deal, but it shows how this trying 1-7 season has forced Weis to change some things.
"I've probably adapted more this year than I have in my whole coaching career," he said. "Every week I've tried to do something different."
The best example might be his stance about playing for the future.
In August, when asked whether this season would be a rebuilding year, Weis said: "May God strike me dead if I use that word."
Well, he's still breathing, and he still hasn't used the word, but Weis is going into a rebuilding mode during this bye week.
The team will practice through Wednesday before heading home for a few days during Notre Dame's weeklong fall break, during which coaches will fly across the country on recruiting trips.
Half of each practice will be spent preparing for the next opponent, Navy (4-3). Then, players who won't be back next season will depart, and practice will resume with the younger players.
"We're going to make sure we utilize this week to get going on Navy, but I think it's just as important to start developing the team as if those guys are gone," Weis said.
That doesn't mean Weis won't use fifth-year seniors such as tight end John Carlson, center John Sullivan and safety Tom Zbikowski in the last four games.
What it means is the players behind them, as well as other second-stringers, will get some chances to play.
Another example of the change in Weis is how he has modified his practices.
They have become increasingly more physical, including tackling to the ground in many practices. Now Weis is considering allowing quarterbacks to be tackled during spring practices to get them used to the speed and physical nature at this level.
The coach knows it could be dangerous with only two quarterbacks on the roster, but he's willing to at least consider taking the risk because of the possible reward.
All the changes show Weis is willing to go against what he learned in the NFL under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. If he wasn't willing to change, Weis said, he would have risked losing his players.
"I think I had to make sure that I wasn't closed-minded about my approach to football," he said. "Because if I think I would, and not be willing to make changes, I think that would set us further, and further, and further behind. That's why you keep on tweaking it ,to go try to find the right formula."
After the lopsided loss to USC, players still seemed to be focused on getting better.
"I'm playing for a lot of things. I'm playing for the fact that I still love all my teammates," said Sullivan. "We're not done."
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:59PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:58PM
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- There was some disbelief in the press box before the USC-Notre Dame kickoff when officials signaled the Irish had won the toss and deferred until the second half.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had said, repeatedly, he would never consider going on defense first if he won the toss. Never.
The change in heart by the offensive-minded coach might not seem like a big deal, but it shows how this trying 1-7 season has forced Weis to change some things.
"I've probably adapted more this year than I have in my whole coaching career," he said. "Every week I've tried to do something different."
The best example might be his stance about playing for the future.
In August, when asked whether this season would be a rebuilding year, Weis said: "May God strike me dead if I use that word."
Well, he's still breathing, and he still hasn't used the word, but Weis is going into a rebuilding mode during this bye week.
The team will practice through Wednesday before heading home for a few days during Notre Dame's weeklong fall break, during which coaches will fly across the country on recruiting trips.
Half of each practice will be spent preparing for the next opponent, Navy (4-3). Then, players who won't be back next season will depart, and practice will resume with the younger players.
"We're going to make sure we utilize this week to get going on Navy, but I think it's just as important to start developing the team as if those guys are gone," Weis said.
That doesn't mean Weis won't use fifth-year seniors such as tight end John Carlson, center John Sullivan and safety Tom Zbikowski in the last four games.
What it means is the players behind them, as well as other second-stringers, will get some chances to play.
Another example of the change in Weis is how he has modified his practices.
They have become increasingly more physical, including tackling to the ground in many practices. Now Weis is considering allowing quarterbacks to be tackled during spring practices to get them used to the speed and physical nature at this level.
The coach knows it could be dangerous with only two quarterbacks on the roster, but he's willing to at least consider taking the risk because of the possible reward.
All the changes show Weis is willing to go against what he learned in the NFL under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. If he wasn't willing to change, Weis said, he would have risked losing his players.
"I think I had to make sure that I wasn't closed-minded about my approach to football," he said. "Because if I think I would, and not be willing to make changes, I think that would set us further, and further, and further behind. That's why you keep on tweaking it ,to go try to find the right formula."
After the lopsided loss to USC, players still seemed to be focused on getting better.
"I'm playing for a lot of things. I'm playing for the fact that I still love all my teammates," said Sullivan. "We're not done."
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Weatherford back as FSU's No. 1 QB
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:57PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:57PM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- After nearly a month on the bench, Drew Weatherford will return as Florida State's starting quarterback for Saturday's homecoming game against Duke.
Just as he did last season, Weatherford will take over for Xavier Lee, coach Bobby Bowden said on Monday. Lee replaced Weatherford on Sept. 29.
This marks Weatherford's third chance at nailing down the starting job.
And for the second time in his career, Lee has been yanked _ this time after poor finishes in consecutive losses to North Carolina State and Miami the last two weeks.
In Saturday's 37-29 loss to Miami, Lee was intercepted twice and had two fumbles. One of the fumbles was recovered by the Hurricanes for a key late-game touchdown. He completed 14 of 32 passes for 208 yards.
"It's always the quarterback that gets changed," offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Monday. "We have to find a way to get it done."
Florida State (4-3, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost 10 of its last 14 league games after losing its second straight Saturday and faces a demanding November schedule with road games at No. 2 Boston College, No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Florida.
Duke (1-6, 0-4 ACC) has lost 21 straight ACC games since a win over Clemson late in the 2004 season.
Weatherford, who is 17-10 in his career as a starter, has completed 54 percent of his passes this season for 642 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Lee, 2-4 as a starter, completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 972 yards and five touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Neither junior quarterback was immediately available Monday for comment on the latest switch.
Posted: Monday October 22, 2007 6:57PM; Updated: Monday October 22, 2007 6:57PM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- After nearly a month on the bench, Drew Weatherford will return as Florida State's starting quarterback for Saturday's homecoming game against Duke.
Just as he did last season, Weatherford will take over for Xavier Lee, coach Bobby Bowden said on Monday. Lee replaced Weatherford on Sept. 29.
This marks Weatherford's third chance at nailing down the starting job.
And for the second time in his career, Lee has been yanked _ this time after poor finishes in consecutive losses to North Carolina State and Miami the last two weeks.
In Saturday's 37-29 loss to Miami, Lee was intercepted twice and had two fumbles. One of the fumbles was recovered by the Hurricanes for a key late-game touchdown. He completed 14 of 32 passes for 208 yards.
"It's always the quarterback that gets changed," offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Monday. "We have to find a way to get it done."
Florida State (4-3, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost 10 of its last 14 league games after losing its second straight Saturday and faces a demanding November schedule with road games at No. 2 Boston College, No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Florida.
Duke (1-6, 0-4 ACC) has lost 21 straight ACC games since a win over Clemson late in the 2004 season.
Weatherford, who is 17-10 in his career as a starter, has completed 54 percent of his passes this season for 642 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Lee, 2-4 as a starter, completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 972 yards and five touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Neither junior quarterback was immediately available Monday for comment on the latest switch.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
MID-MAJOR MONDAY
By SMQ
Posted on Mon Oct 22, 2007 at 10:42:43 PM EDT
On the board, off the rails: just as preseason favorite TCU's season really hits the skids with the Frogs' loss to Utah, MWC mate Colorado State's finally gets a flash of optimism with the Rams' 48-23 win over UNLV, their first of the season. CSU has not been that atrociously bad: it went down in overtime to Colorado in the opener, played Cal within six in Fort Collins the following week and only fell by four at San Diego State. The Rams may have also found a new running back: the esteemed Gartrell Johnson III replaced Kyle Bell and popped off 162 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns, his second straight game over 140.
The Rams' victory leaves only two teams in zero-win purgatory: Florida International and Utah State. Unlike the Rams, who are merely bad, FIU and USU are the teams of slow-moving, soft-hitting nightmares. Between them, the Panthers and Aggies are 0-14 and have been outscored on average by 23 points.
Fact: Temple doesn't completely suck, in relative terms. I mean, probably. You've come a long way, kids.
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I point out this special kind of special futility by way of honoring Temple, so long the subject of such awe-inspiring wretchedness, which has just won its third straight game. This is an almost unprecedented run of success for modern Owl football, which hadn't won three straight games against any competition since 1990, much less three straight conference games, which had eluded the program since 1967. Forty years of unrelenting despai, slowly vanishing in the somber Philadelphia mist. That's what moving to the MAC will do for you. There's even a chance, albeit a small one, the Owls can break even. They currently sit at 3-5, 3-2 in the MAC; assuming the visit to Penn State in two weeks is an automatic loss, Temple could still finish at 6-6 with wins over conference foes Ohio, Kent State and Western Michigan. That would put the Owls at 6-2 in-conference, likely still not enough to overcome all of the four one-loss teams that currently sit in front of them in the MAC East, but a dramatic leap from Al Wallace's four wins in four years. Commence the Golden showers!
Mid-Major Game(s) of the Week
While you were waiting for Florida and Kentucky to punt...
- - -
On paper, Ohio U. of Ohio at Toledo plays out as a surreal experience, at once frenzied, sloppy, heroic, dramatic...even tragic.
Now, centuries-old dramatic form is not easily applied to the Mid-American Conference, but to get a proper sense of the kind of tragedy experienced by Ohio U. in this game, it's probably helpful to review the pinnacle of the form, the legendary 1994 Texas state championship game between Plano East High and John Tyler:
<object height="245" width="365">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZHkABO0VwCg&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="245" width="365"></object></p> Ohio U. and Toledo, frankly, can't measure up to that, as, frankly again, no game could. But it is a similar emotional scenario writ small. Ohio, which turned the ball over five times on its first eight possessions and scored touchdowns on the other three, found itself trailing 40-29 in the fourth quarter with eight and a half minutes to play and the ball at its own 20 after Toledo's third touchdown in as many drives. The Bobcats took the ball 57 yards from there for a field goal that cut the score tp 40-32 with a little over six and a half minutes left. Toledo, on an unstoppable roll offensively throughout the second half, responded by marching the ensuing possession inside the Bobcat five on a ten-play drive, apparently en route to the icing score before Jalen Parmelee fumbled at the Rocket seven. With new life, however slim, Ohio quarterback Theo Scott, in for "comically off" Brad Bower after the veteran's fourth interception in the third quarter, guided his offense out of the hold by hitting passes of 25, 19, and 10 yards for first downs before connecting with Andrew Mooney for a 35-yard touchdown that completed the length-of-field sojourn, then finding the epically-named Chido Nwokocha for the tying two-point conversion with 1:50 on the clock. The Ohio defense sustained that momentum by forcing a punt on the Rockets' next possession, momentum it was apparently going to carry into overtime after improbably overcoming seven turnovers, an 11-point deficit in half a quarter, a goal-to-go situation by the opposing offense looking to put the game away and then an entire field to cover to get to the tie. Backs against the wall, the Bobcats got all of that done, on the road, and still had a chance to win.
Ohio's innovative "Give Parmelee his space" defense in action. Looked better on the blackboard.
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If only it was that easy. If only fate was fair. But fortune, she is a fickle mistress: the Bobcats' Chris Garrett fumbled the concillatory punt at his own 20, where Toledo's Greg Harris was stunned to find himself in history's path, and the ball's. The Rockets ran Parmelee once more for no gain, ran the clock down to two seconds, called timeout, and crushed Ohio's dreams like a bug between its fingers on a 40-yard kick by Alex Steigerwald as the clock heaved its anguished last. The Bobcats were gracious, noted the Toledo Blade, and came to the Glass Bowl bearing gifts. What it didn't say was that they also came bearing their soul, the soul of non-ironic backbone and perseverence that made its proud people <strike>great</strike> very competent, mostly, and that soul was shattered like, well, like glass. The disposable glass of an indifferent universe, hurtling it thoughtlessly across the room in a fit of lusty anger as Frank Solich lay prone to its whims (only after using it to dispense a little fun, of course).
Yet where Ohio U. was the only victim this week of an epic struggle framed by its dramatic composition, a dreadful or fatal calamity that dealt seriously with a somber theme of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, such as fate, society or fundamental ball security, to downfall or destruction, it was actually a watershed weekend for amazing finishes that flew below the radar:
• New Mexico 20, San Diego State 17: Trailing 17-10 entering the fourth quarter, having given up a five-yard touchdown drive in the first half following a turnover, the Lobos rallied for a field goal early in the final frame to cut the score to 17-13, then forced a fumble the UNM offense took 65 yards in eight plays for the winning touchdown with 15 seconds to play.
• Florida Atlantic 39, UL-Lafayette 32: Trailing 32-25 with 1:03 to play, FAU drove 64 yards in five plays, tying the game on a 17-yard pass from Rusty Smith to Cortez Gent with seven seconds to play. The Owls responded with a four-play touchdown drive in the first overtime, then forced an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal of the Cajuns' possession to seal the win.
• Tulane 41, SMU 34: Down ten points in the first half, Tulane rallied in the second and third quarters on a huge effort by running back Matt Forte (see below) to score 20 unanswered points, only to give up the lead with eight seconds left in regulation, when Justin Willis tied the game on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Zack Sledge at the end of an 81-yard two minute drill. Forte scored a touchdown in the first overtime for the Green Wave, immediately followed by a first down sack/strip of Willis that was recovered by Tulane's Avery Williams.
• Ball State 27, Western Michigan 20: Down 23-20 with the ball on its own 21 and 5:22 to play, Ball State'sNate Davis completed four of five passes and got a 25-yard run by Frank Edmonds on a nine-play, 79-yard drive that put the Cardinals up 27-23 on a one-yard run by Edmonds with 1:10 to play. Western Michigan converted a 4th-and-12 on its last gasp drive, but Tim Hiller was picked off by Jamarko Simmons on the next play to end it.
Mid-Major Player(s) of the Week
Non-Brennan Division
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Top honors this week belong without question to Tulane's Matt Forte (38 carries, 342 yards, 4 TDs), who set a new C-USA record for yards in a single game by slashing and dismembering the bloody corpse of SMU's defense, including the winning touchdown in overtime. Forte had six runs of at least 15 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 66-yard dash to the one that set up Tulane's go-ahead touchdown and the end of the fourth, and well over a dozen 7-to-9-yard runs, among them the eventual game-winner in the first OT. Forte was the national player of the week from all schools by Walter Camp, for obvious reasons.
Forte: Bow to your new rushing king.
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In the Ohio-Toledo game recounted above, Jalen Parmelee (38 carries, 241 yards, 2 TDs) redeemed his killer late fumble by running over the Bobcats in every other situation, while his counterpart, Kalvin McRae (25 carries, 182 yards, 3 TDs, 3 catches, 52 yards) led Ohio to its second straight 500-plus-yard game - the highest single-game production of the decade for the Bobcats, in fact, in a loss. . . .Boise State's Taylor Tharpe (21 of 35, 328 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) and Jeremy Childs (7 catches, 143 yards, 2 TD) kept the Broncos firing without Ian Johnson against Louisiana Tech, hooking up on an 88-yard pass that broke the game open at the start of the fourth quarter. . . .Diminutive 18-year-old true freshman Willie Geter (22 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 51 yards) broke into his own in his first start for the previously pass-happy Falcons, taking over the second half and digging BG out from its own goalline with a 50-yard run from the three in the third quarter on the way to a 31-20 win over Kent State. . . .Temple's Junior Galette (6.5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble) hounded Miami, Ohio's Mike Kokal enough to earn MAC East Defensive Player of the Week. . . . And great white tailback hope Luke Lippincott (36 carries, 241 yards, 2 TD, 4 catches, 20 yards) didn't have a run longer than 28 yards in Nevada's dominant-yet-close win over winless Utah State (the Pack outgained the Aggies by 260 yards, 15 first downs and 15 minutes of possession time, yet didn't pull ahead for good until midway through the fourth quarter), but he was the engine in the Wolf Pack's 302-yard rushing effort, especially on 85, 87 and 77-yard touchdown drives. Obligatory Brennan Stat Watch
While desperately attempting to retain grains of skepticism.
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Hawaii was off this week after a Friday game last week against San Jose State. The Warriors will be back against New Mexico State next Sunday in a matchup of the nation's second and fifth-most pass happy offenses.
Pace for the Season: No change from last week: Brennan has missed one game entirely and was pulled for the second half of another; he's played roughly 20 quarters in six games. Assuming he plays the entirety of each of Hawaii's remaining five games, he would double his current numbers, finishing 382 of 564 (67.7 percent) for 4,790 yards with 40 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. This is nowhere near his pace of 2006, which was: 405 of 559 (72.5 percent), 5,549 yards, 58 touchdowns and 12 interceptions against an unquestionably tougher schedule that included Alabama, Oregon State, Purdue, Arizona State and three WAC bowl teams.
Steppin' Up
The Record vs. BCS Conferences
- - - Last week: 0-7
* Avg. Score: 39-14
This year: 17-102 (.143)
* Avg. Score: 39-19
Occasionally, we get these depressing weeks, when even good class-hopping candidates like East Carolina (against one-win N.C. State) and even Buffalo (at Syracuse) fall short, and the underdogs come up completely empty.
Hail to the Conquering Heroes
- - -
The only BCA team to fall to a non-BCS team Saturday was Minnesota, a victim of I-AA "provisional member" North Dakota State, which, while ranked number one in the Championship Subdivision, a winner of three of its last four against I-A competition and owner Division I's longest win streak (11 games), remains a I-AA provisional member. And not a mid-major. If you haven't heard, the Gopher defense allowed just shy of 600 yards to the Bison, 394 rushing, and may well be fielding the worst defense of the decade. What Should Have Been...
- - -
East Carolina had good reason for confidence against NC State: the Pirates were at home, against a 1-5 team ECU beat last year and that hadn't beaten a I-A opponent to date (the Wolfpack's lone win before Saturday was against Wofford), that had lost to a team ECU had beaten, Central Florida, to open the season, and that had also lost in the last two years to Akron and Southern Miss. And N.C. State only led by a point, 21-20, heading into the fourth quarter. Cue Pirate meltdown: Rob Kass was picked off on ECU's first possession of the fourth, leading to an N.C. State touchdown that put the Pack ahead 31-20 and leading to desperate fourth down failures by the Pirates on their last two drives. NCSU added another field goal for a 34-20 final, the first I-A win of the O'Brien era.
...and What Never Had a Prayer
- - -
Central Michigan scored the first touchdown, but the next ten were all Clemson's: the Tigers rolled over CMU for a ridiculous 656 yards total offense (341 rushing, 315 passing) and scored touchdowns on ten of twelve possessions after an opening interception, eight of them in the second and third quarters alone. The Chippewas actually did a not-horrible job of containing James Davis and C.J. Spiller, all things considered, allowing the star backs to combine for 184 on 37 carries, but were diced by Cullen Harper (20 of 22 - seriously - for 273 and 5 TDs) and backup running back Sadat Chambers, still listed as a safety in some places, who ran for 112 on just ten carries.
Keep hustling, kid, just keep on...hustling...eh, good luck in the MAC, kid.
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For the record, Central Michigan remains a favorite to defend its championship in the MAC with a 3-0 conference record. Their average margin of defeat in four non-conference losses? Thirty-nine points. Also of note: one of those losses was to North Dakota State, by thirty. An Arbitrary Mid-Major Top 10
This is more of a power poll.
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1. Hawaii (7-0): Not playing at all is probably better than having to come from behind against whatever ne'er-do-well the Rainbows would have played, if they could convince anyone to schedule them.
2. Boise State (6-1): It's definitely better than struggling into the fourth quarter with Louisiana Tech. Although at least the Broncos pulled away and didn't have to go to overtime...
3. BYU (5-2): Yeah, they played a I-AA team in the middle of the conference season. What of it? Defending champ is still the only undefeated team in a pretty competitive MWC.
4. Troy: (5-2) The Trojans have beaten Oklahoma State, probably will not come close to losing in the Sun Belt, and when they hit 10-2 (or 11-2, if they win the New Orleans Bowl again), you're going to have to deal with them on a few top 25 ballots, if not actually in the polls. Just a fair warning.
5. Air Force (6-2): Falcons have already clinched a bowl, stunningly, and are still in the Mountain West picture, with some help. They may just have to settle for beating Notre Dame.
6. New Mexico (5-2): Losses are close, to UTEP and BYU, with wins over Arizona and Wyoming. First of several "moment of truth" games down the stretch with Air Force Saturday to keep MWC title hopess breathing.
7. Utah (5-3): Some Utah message board found this last week and began debating the status of their state university, which most posters considered a "major university," and a major football program, as it has a win in a BCS bowl and how many "major" teams have done that? These people are wrong. Utah plays in the Mountain West and therefore is the definition of a mid-major. But at least the Utes are in the top ten this week after beating TCU for their fourth straight win. The 44-6 blowout over UCLA in September remains the most impressive and inexplicable victory of any team on this list.
8. Wyoming (4-3): Yes, I am just listing the Mountain West standings. Wyoming is number five in a nine-team conference after losing to Air Force. But the Cowboys did take it to TCU and, more impressively, completely dismantled Virginia in the opener, the only thing standing between college football and the ugly reality of an undefeated team coached by Al Groh that wins by two points every week. So they've got that going for them.
9. Fresno State (5-2): The Bulldogs ill rocket up the list with an upset of Ian Johnson-less Boise State Friday, and move into contention for the conference championship with Hawaii on the horizon - the two losses are to Texas A&M (in overtime) and Oregon. FSU's wipeout of Boise in Fresno in 2005 is the only conference loss the Broncos have suffered since their first season in the WAC in 2002.
10. Central Florida (4-3): Any All-Non-BCS Team would have to include running back Kevin Smith. Beat NC State, whatever that's worth, gutted through a tough game with Texas and held high-scoring Tulsa in check Saturday to stay even with East Carolina and Southern Miss in the C-USA East. Impressed?
Coming Up
Optimism in the week ahead.
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Mid-Week Madness!!: Thursday night, opposite Virginia Tech-Boston College, for those of you in the mountain region, Air Force and New Mexico get together for a very significant game in the Mountain West. As it stands, if BYU should happen to go down - which is not eminent of likely, but certainly possible -over the next month, the winner of this game is most likely to fill the power void with a single conference loss.
Best Game: Friday night, Boise State visits Fresno State without its best player, in the only WAC environment to host a BSU defeat since 2002. The Bulldogs arecompletely under the radar for a team that's one overtime fumble away from being 6-1, which is not necessarily a bad thing for them, since none of Pat Hill's more hyped teams has ever managed to bring home a conference championship. The best chance by far for Boise to go down before the much-anticipated showdown with Hawaii after Thanksgiving.
Most Realistic Upset: This is pretty shaky, but the pickins are slim in BCS-non-BCS matchups this week, and it would seem like a peculiarly Vanderbilt thing to do to submarine its bowl hopes after a big win by losing to Miami, Ohio. The RedHawks had won three in a row before losing to Temple last week, so...yeah. It's possible.
Most Inevitably Gruesome Blowout: Statistically, there is no team worse now than Florida International, which has not only lost 19 games in a row, but ranks 102nd or worse across the board, in every major offensive and defensive category, including turnover margin. That means rushing defense, too, where the Panthers are 102nd. Arkansas, on the other hand, is fourth in rushing offense and will probably improve on that after seeing FIU Saturday in Fayetteville. Only a guess.
By SMQ
Posted on Mon Oct 22, 2007 at 10:42:43 PM EDT
On the board, off the rails: just as preseason favorite TCU's season really hits the skids with the Frogs' loss to Utah, MWC mate Colorado State's finally gets a flash of optimism with the Rams' 48-23 win over UNLV, their first of the season. CSU has not been that atrociously bad: it went down in overtime to Colorado in the opener, played Cal within six in Fort Collins the following week and only fell by four at San Diego State. The Rams may have also found a new running back: the esteemed Gartrell Johnson III replaced Kyle Bell and popped off 162 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns, his second straight game over 140.
The Rams' victory leaves only two teams in zero-win purgatory: Florida International and Utah State. Unlike the Rams, who are merely bad, FIU and USU are the teams of slow-moving, soft-hitting nightmares. Between them, the Panthers and Aggies are 0-14 and have been outscored on average by 23 points.
Fact: Temple doesn't completely suck, in relative terms. I mean, probably. You've come a long way, kids.
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I point out this special kind of special futility by way of honoring Temple, so long the subject of such awe-inspiring wretchedness, which has just won its third straight game. This is an almost unprecedented run of success for modern Owl football, which hadn't won three straight games against any competition since 1990, much less three straight conference games, which had eluded the program since 1967. Forty years of unrelenting despai, slowly vanishing in the somber Philadelphia mist. That's what moving to the MAC will do for you. There's even a chance, albeit a small one, the Owls can break even. They currently sit at 3-5, 3-2 in the MAC; assuming the visit to Penn State in two weeks is an automatic loss, Temple could still finish at 6-6 with wins over conference foes Ohio, Kent State and Western Michigan. That would put the Owls at 6-2 in-conference, likely still not enough to overcome all of the four one-loss teams that currently sit in front of them in the MAC East, but a dramatic leap from Al Wallace's four wins in four years. Commence the Golden showers!
Mid-Major Game(s) of the Week
While you were waiting for Florida and Kentucky to punt...
- - -
On paper, Ohio U. of Ohio at Toledo plays out as a surreal experience, at once frenzied, sloppy, heroic, dramatic...even tragic.
Now, centuries-old dramatic form is not easily applied to the Mid-American Conference, but to get a proper sense of the kind of tragedy experienced by Ohio U. in this game, it's probably helpful to review the pinnacle of the form, the legendary 1994 Texas state championship game between Plano East High and John Tyler:
<object height="245" width="365">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZHkABO0VwCg&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="245" width="365"></object></p> Ohio U. and Toledo, frankly, can't measure up to that, as, frankly again, no game could. But it is a similar emotional scenario writ small. Ohio, which turned the ball over five times on its first eight possessions and scored touchdowns on the other three, found itself trailing 40-29 in the fourth quarter with eight and a half minutes to play and the ball at its own 20 after Toledo's third touchdown in as many drives. The Bobcats took the ball 57 yards from there for a field goal that cut the score tp 40-32 with a little over six and a half minutes left. Toledo, on an unstoppable roll offensively throughout the second half, responded by marching the ensuing possession inside the Bobcat five on a ten-play drive, apparently en route to the icing score before Jalen Parmelee fumbled at the Rocket seven. With new life, however slim, Ohio quarterback Theo Scott, in for "comically off" Brad Bower after the veteran's fourth interception in the third quarter, guided his offense out of the hold by hitting passes of 25, 19, and 10 yards for first downs before connecting with Andrew Mooney for a 35-yard touchdown that completed the length-of-field sojourn, then finding the epically-named Chido Nwokocha for the tying two-point conversion with 1:50 on the clock. The Ohio defense sustained that momentum by forcing a punt on the Rockets' next possession, momentum it was apparently going to carry into overtime after improbably overcoming seven turnovers, an 11-point deficit in half a quarter, a goal-to-go situation by the opposing offense looking to put the game away and then an entire field to cover to get to the tie. Backs against the wall, the Bobcats got all of that done, on the road, and still had a chance to win.
Ohio's innovative "Give Parmelee his space" defense in action. Looked better on the blackboard.
- - -
If only it was that easy. If only fate was fair. But fortune, she is a fickle mistress: the Bobcats' Chris Garrett fumbled the concillatory punt at his own 20, where Toledo's Greg Harris was stunned to find himself in history's path, and the ball's. The Rockets ran Parmelee once more for no gain, ran the clock down to two seconds, called timeout, and crushed Ohio's dreams like a bug between its fingers on a 40-yard kick by Alex Steigerwald as the clock heaved its anguished last. The Bobcats were gracious, noted the Toledo Blade, and came to the Glass Bowl bearing gifts. What it didn't say was that they also came bearing their soul, the soul of non-ironic backbone and perseverence that made its proud people <strike>great</strike> very competent, mostly, and that soul was shattered like, well, like glass. The disposable glass of an indifferent universe, hurtling it thoughtlessly across the room in a fit of lusty anger as Frank Solich lay prone to its whims (only after using it to dispense a little fun, of course).
Yet where Ohio U. was the only victim this week of an epic struggle framed by its dramatic composition, a dreadful or fatal calamity that dealt seriously with a somber theme of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, such as fate, society or fundamental ball security, to downfall or destruction, it was actually a watershed weekend for amazing finishes that flew below the radar:
• New Mexico 20, San Diego State 17: Trailing 17-10 entering the fourth quarter, having given up a five-yard touchdown drive in the first half following a turnover, the Lobos rallied for a field goal early in the final frame to cut the score to 17-13, then forced a fumble the UNM offense took 65 yards in eight plays for the winning touchdown with 15 seconds to play.
• Florida Atlantic 39, UL-Lafayette 32: Trailing 32-25 with 1:03 to play, FAU drove 64 yards in five plays, tying the game on a 17-yard pass from Rusty Smith to Cortez Gent with seven seconds to play. The Owls responded with a four-play touchdown drive in the first overtime, then forced an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal of the Cajuns' possession to seal the win.
• Tulane 41, SMU 34: Down ten points in the first half, Tulane rallied in the second and third quarters on a huge effort by running back Matt Forte (see below) to score 20 unanswered points, only to give up the lead with eight seconds left in regulation, when Justin Willis tied the game on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Zack Sledge at the end of an 81-yard two minute drill. Forte scored a touchdown in the first overtime for the Green Wave, immediately followed by a first down sack/strip of Willis that was recovered by Tulane's Avery Williams.
• Ball State 27, Western Michigan 20: Down 23-20 with the ball on its own 21 and 5:22 to play, Ball State'sNate Davis completed four of five passes and got a 25-yard run by Frank Edmonds on a nine-play, 79-yard drive that put the Cardinals up 27-23 on a one-yard run by Edmonds with 1:10 to play. Western Michigan converted a 4th-and-12 on its last gasp drive, but Tim Hiller was picked off by Jamarko Simmons on the next play to end it.
Mid-Major Player(s) of the Week
Non-Brennan Division
- - -
Top honors this week belong without question to Tulane's Matt Forte (38 carries, 342 yards, 4 TDs), who set a new C-USA record for yards in a single game by slashing and dismembering the bloody corpse of SMU's defense, including the winning touchdown in overtime. Forte had six runs of at least 15 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 66-yard dash to the one that set up Tulane's go-ahead touchdown and the end of the fourth, and well over a dozen 7-to-9-yard runs, among them the eventual game-winner in the first OT. Forte was the national player of the week from all schools by Walter Camp, for obvious reasons.
Forte: Bow to your new rushing king.
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In the Ohio-Toledo game recounted above, Jalen Parmelee (38 carries, 241 yards, 2 TDs) redeemed his killer late fumble by running over the Bobcats in every other situation, while his counterpart, Kalvin McRae (25 carries, 182 yards, 3 TDs, 3 catches, 52 yards) led Ohio to its second straight 500-plus-yard game - the highest single-game production of the decade for the Bobcats, in fact, in a loss. . . .Boise State's Taylor Tharpe (21 of 35, 328 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) and Jeremy Childs (7 catches, 143 yards, 2 TD) kept the Broncos firing without Ian Johnson against Louisiana Tech, hooking up on an 88-yard pass that broke the game open at the start of the fourth quarter. . . .Diminutive 18-year-old true freshman Willie Geter (22 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 51 yards) broke into his own in his first start for the previously pass-happy Falcons, taking over the second half and digging BG out from its own goalline with a 50-yard run from the three in the third quarter on the way to a 31-20 win over Kent State. . . .Temple's Junior Galette (6.5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble) hounded Miami, Ohio's Mike Kokal enough to earn MAC East Defensive Player of the Week. . . . And great white tailback hope Luke Lippincott (36 carries, 241 yards, 2 TD, 4 catches, 20 yards) didn't have a run longer than 28 yards in Nevada's dominant-yet-close win over winless Utah State (the Pack outgained the Aggies by 260 yards, 15 first downs and 15 minutes of possession time, yet didn't pull ahead for good until midway through the fourth quarter), but he was the engine in the Wolf Pack's 302-yard rushing effort, especially on 85, 87 and 77-yard touchdown drives. Obligatory Brennan Stat Watch
While desperately attempting to retain grains of skepticism.
- - -
Hawaii was off this week after a Friday game last week against San Jose State. The Warriors will be back against New Mexico State next Sunday in a matchup of the nation's second and fifth-most pass happy offenses.
Pace for the Season: No change from last week: Brennan has missed one game entirely and was pulled for the second half of another; he's played roughly 20 quarters in six games. Assuming he plays the entirety of each of Hawaii's remaining five games, he would double his current numbers, finishing 382 of 564 (67.7 percent) for 4,790 yards with 40 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. This is nowhere near his pace of 2006, which was: 405 of 559 (72.5 percent), 5,549 yards, 58 touchdowns and 12 interceptions against an unquestionably tougher schedule that included Alabama, Oregon State, Purdue, Arizona State and three WAC bowl teams.
Steppin' Up
The Record vs. BCS Conferences
- - - Last week: 0-7
* Avg. Score: 39-14
This year: 17-102 (.143)
* Avg. Score: 39-19
Occasionally, we get these depressing weeks, when even good class-hopping candidates like East Carolina (against one-win N.C. State) and even Buffalo (at Syracuse) fall short, and the underdogs come up completely empty.
Hail to the Conquering Heroes
- - -
The only BCA team to fall to a non-BCS team Saturday was Minnesota, a victim of I-AA "provisional member" North Dakota State, which, while ranked number one in the Championship Subdivision, a winner of three of its last four against I-A competition and owner Division I's longest win streak (11 games), remains a I-AA provisional member. And not a mid-major. If you haven't heard, the Gopher defense allowed just shy of 600 yards to the Bison, 394 rushing, and may well be fielding the worst defense of the decade. What Should Have Been...
- - -
East Carolina had good reason for confidence against NC State: the Pirates were at home, against a 1-5 team ECU beat last year and that hadn't beaten a I-A opponent to date (the Wolfpack's lone win before Saturday was against Wofford), that had lost to a team ECU had beaten, Central Florida, to open the season, and that had also lost in the last two years to Akron and Southern Miss. And N.C. State only led by a point, 21-20, heading into the fourth quarter. Cue Pirate meltdown: Rob Kass was picked off on ECU's first possession of the fourth, leading to an N.C. State touchdown that put the Pack ahead 31-20 and leading to desperate fourth down failures by the Pirates on their last two drives. NCSU added another field goal for a 34-20 final, the first I-A win of the O'Brien era.
...and What Never Had a Prayer
- - -
Central Michigan scored the first touchdown, but the next ten were all Clemson's: the Tigers rolled over CMU for a ridiculous 656 yards total offense (341 rushing, 315 passing) and scored touchdowns on ten of twelve possessions after an opening interception, eight of them in the second and third quarters alone. The Chippewas actually did a not-horrible job of containing James Davis and C.J. Spiller, all things considered, allowing the star backs to combine for 184 on 37 carries, but were diced by Cullen Harper (20 of 22 - seriously - for 273 and 5 TDs) and backup running back Sadat Chambers, still listed as a safety in some places, who ran for 112 on just ten carries.
Keep hustling, kid, just keep on...hustling...eh, good luck in the MAC, kid.
- - -
For the record, Central Michigan remains a favorite to defend its championship in the MAC with a 3-0 conference record. Their average margin of defeat in four non-conference losses? Thirty-nine points. Also of note: one of those losses was to North Dakota State, by thirty. An Arbitrary Mid-Major Top 10
This is more of a power poll.
- - -
1. Hawaii (7-0): Not playing at all is probably better than having to come from behind against whatever ne'er-do-well the Rainbows would have played, if they could convince anyone to schedule them.
2. Boise State (6-1): It's definitely better than struggling into the fourth quarter with Louisiana Tech. Although at least the Broncos pulled away and didn't have to go to overtime...
3. BYU (5-2): Yeah, they played a I-AA team in the middle of the conference season. What of it? Defending champ is still the only undefeated team in a pretty competitive MWC.
4. Troy: (5-2) The Trojans have beaten Oklahoma State, probably will not come close to losing in the Sun Belt, and when they hit 10-2 (or 11-2, if they win the New Orleans Bowl again), you're going to have to deal with them on a few top 25 ballots, if not actually in the polls. Just a fair warning.
5. Air Force (6-2): Falcons have already clinched a bowl, stunningly, and are still in the Mountain West picture, with some help. They may just have to settle for beating Notre Dame.
6. New Mexico (5-2): Losses are close, to UTEP and BYU, with wins over Arizona and Wyoming. First of several "moment of truth" games down the stretch with Air Force Saturday to keep MWC title hopess breathing.
7. Utah (5-3): Some Utah message board found this last week and began debating the status of their state university, which most posters considered a "major university," and a major football program, as it has a win in a BCS bowl and how many "major" teams have done that? These people are wrong. Utah plays in the Mountain West and therefore is the definition of a mid-major. But at least the Utes are in the top ten this week after beating TCU for their fourth straight win. The 44-6 blowout over UCLA in September remains the most impressive and inexplicable victory of any team on this list.
8. Wyoming (4-3): Yes, I am just listing the Mountain West standings. Wyoming is number five in a nine-team conference after losing to Air Force. But the Cowboys did take it to TCU and, more impressively, completely dismantled Virginia in the opener, the only thing standing between college football and the ugly reality of an undefeated team coached by Al Groh that wins by two points every week. So they've got that going for them.
9. Fresno State (5-2): The Bulldogs ill rocket up the list with an upset of Ian Johnson-less Boise State Friday, and move into contention for the conference championship with Hawaii on the horizon - the two losses are to Texas A&M (in overtime) and Oregon. FSU's wipeout of Boise in Fresno in 2005 is the only conference loss the Broncos have suffered since their first season in the WAC in 2002.
10. Central Florida (4-3): Any All-Non-BCS Team would have to include running back Kevin Smith. Beat NC State, whatever that's worth, gutted through a tough game with Texas and held high-scoring Tulsa in check Saturday to stay even with East Carolina and Southern Miss in the C-USA East. Impressed?
Coming Up
Optimism in the week ahead.
- - -
Mid-Week Madness!!: Thursday night, opposite Virginia Tech-Boston College, for those of you in the mountain region, Air Force and New Mexico get together for a very significant game in the Mountain West. As it stands, if BYU should happen to go down - which is not eminent of likely, but certainly possible -over the next month, the winner of this game is most likely to fill the power void with a single conference loss.
Best Game: Friday night, Boise State visits Fresno State without its best player, in the only WAC environment to host a BSU defeat since 2002. The Bulldogs arecompletely under the radar for a team that's one overtime fumble away from being 6-1, which is not necessarily a bad thing for them, since none of Pat Hill's more hyped teams has ever managed to bring home a conference championship. The best chance by far for Boise to go down before the much-anticipated showdown with Hawaii after Thanksgiving.
Most Realistic Upset: This is pretty shaky, but the pickins are slim in BCS-non-BCS matchups this week, and it would seem like a peculiarly Vanderbilt thing to do to submarine its bowl hopes after a big win by losing to Miami, Ohio. The RedHawks had won three in a row before losing to Temple last week, so...yeah. It's possible.
Most Inevitably Gruesome Blowout: Statistically, there is no team worse now than Florida International, which has not only lost 19 games in a row, but ranks 102nd or worse across the board, in every major offensive and defensive category, including turnover margin. That means rushing defense, too, where the Panthers are 102nd. Arkansas, on the other hand, is fourth in rushing offense and will probably improve on that after seeing FIU Saturday in Fayetteville. Only a guess.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Oregon State's Offensive Line "A mess"
By Jake Section: Football
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 10:04:42 AM EDT
Paraphrased from Paul Buker's blog:
Left tackle Tavita Thompson hasn't practiced since the Cal game because of what Riley called "undisclosed reasons."
Right guard Roy Schuening missed Monday's practice at Prothro Field with an illness that might as serious as walking pneumonia.
Right tackle Andy LeVitre, limped off the field during Monday's practice with an undisclosed leg or knee injury.
And Jeremy Perry, who returned to practice this week, may not be in game shape by Saturday.
So here's what our O-Line from the beginning of the year looks like now. Understand, this could change from day to day.
Ryan Pohl, Marcus Henderson, and Gregg Peat could see a lot more action in Saturday's game if this keeps up.
Get all the details in Buker's Blog.
By Jake Section: Football
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 10:04:42 AM EDT
Paraphrased from Paul Buker's blog:
Left tackle Tavita Thompson hasn't practiced since the Cal game because of what Riley called "undisclosed reasons."
Right guard Roy Schuening missed Monday's practice at Prothro Field with an illness that might as serious as walking pneumonia.
Right tackle Andy LeVitre, limped off the field during Monday's practice with an undisclosed leg or knee injury.
And Jeremy Perry, who returned to practice this week, may not be in game shape by Saturday.
So here's what our O-Line from the beginning of the year looks like now. Understand, this could change from day to day.
Ryan Pohl, Marcus Henderson, and Gregg Peat could see a lot more action in Saturday's game if this keeps up.
Get all the details in Buker's Blog.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
UGA’S BYE WEEK WORKOUT
Stop already. You post pics someone has already posted on the internet for all to see, and suddenly people are like, “WAAAA!!! Let kids have fun,” and “WAAAAAA!!! Those pictures aren’t really public because they’re on facebook,” and “WAAAAAAA!!! I was drugged and tied up for those and you’ve just compromised my jury trial.”
So call the WAAAAAAAAmbulance and take it to somewhere other than Swindle General, where our specialty is treating boredom, something Matthew Stafford never seems to suffer from in Athens, Georgia. Our crack spies bring us these pictures from Georgia’s bye week, where Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno spent the time supermanning ho’s and decorating bellies with what appears to be “a frosting gun,” according to our analysts.
It’s good to see that Ozzy Osbourne is out there communing with the young people, staying limber and keeping up with the trends and whatnot.
In between starts, Matthew Stafford stays sharp by diagramming plays on women’s bellies with cake frosting. Or performs psychic surgery on their innards with the help of his mentalist assistant, Dr. Knowshon Moreno of the Leyte Regional School of Spiritual Medicine and HVAC Repair.
The floor flooded with awesome, party participants were forced to escape to the countertops. Moreno, in case you can’t see, has the finest badonkadonk in the room. And hey! This picture is sponsored by Jim Beam!
Stop already. You post pics someone has already posted on the internet for all to see, and suddenly people are like, “WAAAA!!! Let kids have fun,” and “WAAAAAA!!! Those pictures aren’t really public because they’re on facebook,” and “WAAAAAAA!!! I was drugged and tied up for those and you’ve just compromised my jury trial.”
So call the WAAAAAAAAmbulance and take it to somewhere other than Swindle General, where our specialty is treating boredom, something Matthew Stafford never seems to suffer from in Athens, Georgia. Our crack spies bring us these pictures from Georgia’s bye week, where Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno spent the time supermanning ho’s and decorating bellies with what appears to be “a frosting gun,” according to our analysts.
It’s good to see that Ozzy Osbourne is out there communing with the young people, staying limber and keeping up with the trends and whatnot.
In between starts, Matthew Stafford stays sharp by diagramming plays on women’s bellies with cake frosting. Or performs psychic surgery on their innards with the help of his mentalist assistant, Dr. Knowshon Moreno of the Leyte Regional School of Spiritual Medicine and HVAC Repair.
The floor flooded with awesome, party participants were forced to escape to the countertops. Moreno, in case you can’t see, has the finest badonkadonk in the room. And hey! This picture is sponsored by Jim Beam!
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Lou Holtz's pep-talk to Nebraska before the USC game (the hilarious version):
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RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Tuesday Question - The Three BCS Sleepers </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 23, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Which three teams are the BCS sleepers now, but need plenty of watching?
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
<table id="table2" align="right" border="0" cellspacing="4" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc"> Past TQs
- Midseason Bests - 3 Big Calls for the Second Half - The biggest disappointment - 5 most overrrated teams - I was dead/on right/wrong about ... - USC, LSU or Oklahoma?l - Was the App St win good or bad for college football?
- 3 Sleeper Teams
- Predicting the Season - 3 things we're sure of - What to look for on Signing Day
- Bears or Colts? - Early bowl surprises and trends - 3 things to look for from the bowls - Do you want the Alabama job? - What are the 3 best non-BCS bowls? - Who's 2nd in the Heisman race? - Michigan-OSU rematch? - Michigan or Ohio State? - Should Louisville be No. 3? - The nat'l title game will be ... - The best one-loss team - Rule changes to help the flow - The Midseason Stuff - The real top five ranking - The early coach of the year is ...? - These three teams are for real, these three aren't
- After 2 weeks, who's better, who's worse?
- 10 Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Defensive Players of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Regular Season Games of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Playmakers of All-Time
- 10 Worst Heisman Winners
- 10 Greatest Bowl Games
- All-Time Offensive Team
- All-Time Defensive Team </td> </tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]<o
>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o> Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?
A: 1) West Virginia
The big issue will be if the national perception of the Big East goes in the tank. If everyone stays healthy, the Mountaineers are going 11-1 with most of the pollsters forgetting about the USF loss. As teams keep on dying, at seven, WVU will keep on slowly moving up.
2) Virginia Tech
No one has any interest in seeing a Hokie-LSU rematch after the ugly loss to start the year, but if Tech beats Boston College convincingly and is the national buzz team, at eight, it could leapfrog other teams into striking distance. The offense is slowly getting better.
3) Boise State
All it has to do is finish in the top 12 and its in no matter what, or in the top 16 with a conference champion being lower than 16. A win over Fresno State would likely jump-start a run that, but the big game is at the season's end against Hawaii. Currently 29th in the rankings, there's still a long way to go.
Richard Cirminiello [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> </o><o> </o> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> </o><o>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o> Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?
A: 1. Oregon (national title) – Don’t look now, but there are only three teams separating the Ducks and the No. 2 spot in the latest BCS rankings. Two of those schools are Boston College and Arizona State, who will lose a game in the very near future. Oregon has the offensive firepower and back-loaded schedule to gobble up a ton of support between now and Dec. 1.
2. West Virginia (national title) – Remember the Mountaineers? Many people wrote them off after losing late last month, but they’ve regrouped for a run at an 11-1 finish and a certain BCS bowl game. With so many top 10 teams unable to survive this year, West Virginia is liable to soar from its No. 7 hole over the next six weeks.
3. South Florida (at-large) – Gave up on the Bulls after last week’s loss to Rutgers, did you? With a very manageable back end of the schedule left, do not be surprised if South Florida starts rolling and finishes with an 11-1 mark that’ll be good for either a Big East title or a certain at-large bid to a program-first January bowl game.
John Harris<o>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/FONT]</o>Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?
A: 1. West Virginia (sleeper for national championship game) – The schedule is still tough with road trips to Rutgers and Cincinnati upcoming, but win those two and the Mountaineers could be a dark horse for one of the final two spots. It’s plausible that the five teams in front of them could fall...probable? Uh, not really, but at least West Virginia will be in position if those teams do falter.[/SIZE]2. Hawaii (at-large spot) – Four of the next five are at home, including the final two – Boise State and Washington. Go undefeated, finishing the season by beating those two teams, and the Warriors should be BCS bowl bound.
3. USC (sleeper for national championship game) – I know, I know, step out on a limb, John, but they’re 12<sup>th</sup> in the BCS currently. However, if the Trojans beat Oregon, Cal and Arizona State all on the road, with some craziness in front of them, pollsters and the computers may be forced to recognize them as one of the two best teams in the nation. Matthew Zemek [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> </o><o> </o> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> <o>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] [/FONT]</o>Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?</o>[/SIZE]
A: With a sleeper being defined as a truly off-the-radar kind of team that sneaks up on people, here are three potential party crashers for the national title:
1) Virginia Tech. After getting crushed by LSU, who thought they had a prayer? If they win out, they just might have a chance. The Hokies get Boston College at home.
2) Kansas. The Jayhawks don't play Oklahoma or Texas in the regular season, and if Mister Mangino faced the Sooners in the Big XII Championship Game, he would have a feel for his opponent, wouldn't he?
3) South Florida. Exactly--they're off the radar now, but could very definitely run the table with their remaining schedule. Add a few cups of additional insanity, and who knows what could happen?
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 23, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Which three teams are the BCS sleepers now, but need plenty of watching?
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
<table id="table2" align="right" border="0" cellspacing="4" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc"> Past TQs
- Midseason Bests - 3 Big Calls for the Second Half - The biggest disappointment - 5 most overrrated teams - I was dead/on right/wrong about ... - USC, LSU or Oklahoma?l - Was the App St win good or bad for college football?
- 3 Sleeper Teams
- Predicting the Season - 3 things we're sure of - What to look for on Signing Day
- Bears or Colts? - Early bowl surprises and trends - 3 things to look for from the bowls - Do you want the Alabama job? - What are the 3 best non-BCS bowls? - Who's 2nd in the Heisman race? - Michigan-OSU rematch? - Michigan or Ohio State? - Should Louisville be No. 3? - The nat'l title game will be ... - The best one-loss team - Rule changes to help the flow - The Midseason Stuff - The real top five ranking - The early coach of the year is ...? - These three teams are for real, these three aren't
- After 2 weeks, who's better, who's worse?
- 10 Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Defensive Players of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Regular Season Games of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Playmakers of All-Time
- 10 Worst Heisman Winners
- 10 Greatest Bowl Games
- All-Time Offensive Team
- All-Time Defensive Team </td> </tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]<o
>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o> Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?A: 1) West Virginia
The big issue will be if the national perception of the Big East goes in the tank. If everyone stays healthy, the Mountaineers are going 11-1 with most of the pollsters forgetting about the USF loss. As teams keep on dying, at seven, WVU will keep on slowly moving up.
2) Virginia Tech
No one has any interest in seeing a Hokie-LSU rematch after the ugly loss to start the year, but if Tech beats Boston College convincingly and is the national buzz team, at eight, it could leapfrog other teams into striking distance. The offense is slowly getting better.
3) Boise State
All it has to do is finish in the top 12 and its in no matter what, or in the top 16 with a conference champion being lower than 16. A win over Fresno State would likely jump-start a run that, but the big game is at the season's end against Hawaii. Currently 29th in the rankings, there's still a long way to go.
Richard Cirminiello [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o
> </o><o> </o> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> </o><o>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o> Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?A: 1. Oregon (national title) – Don’t look now, but there are only three teams separating the Ducks and the No. 2 spot in the latest BCS rankings. Two of those schools are Boston College and Arizona State, who will lose a game in the very near future. Oregon has the offensive firepower and back-loaded schedule to gobble up a ton of support between now and Dec. 1.
2. West Virginia (national title) – Remember the Mountaineers? Many people wrote them off after losing late last month, but they’ve regrouped for a run at an 11-1 finish and a certain BCS bowl game. With so many top 10 teams unable to survive this year, West Virginia is liable to soar from its No. 7 hole over the next six weeks.
3. South Florida (at-large) – Gave up on the Bulls after last week’s loss to Rutgers, did you? With a very manageable back end of the schedule left, do not be surprised if South Florida starts rolling and finishes with an 11-1 mark that’ll be good for either a Big East title or a certain at-large bid to a program-first January bowl game.
John Harris<o
>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/FONT]</o>Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?A: 1. West Virginia (sleeper for national championship game) – The schedule is still tough with road trips to Rutgers and Cincinnati upcoming, but win those two and the Mountaineers could be a dark horse for one of the final two spots. It’s plausible that the five teams in front of them could fall...probable? Uh, not really, but at least West Virginia will be in position if those teams do falter.[/SIZE]2. Hawaii (at-large spot) – Four of the next five are at home, including the final two – Boise State and Washington. Go undefeated, finishing the season by beating those two teams, and the Warriors should be BCS bowl bound.
3. USC (sleeper for national championship game) – I know, I know, step out on a limb, John, but they’re 12<sup>th</sup> in the BCS currently. However, if the Trojans beat Oregon, Cal and Arizona State all on the road, with some craziness in front of them, pollsters and the computers may be forced to recognize them as one of the two best teams in the nation. Matthew Zemek [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o
> </o><o> </o> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o> <o>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] [/FONT]</o>Q: What three teams are your sleepers in the BCS race (for an at-large spot or the national title)?</o>[/SIZE]A: With a sleeper being defined as a truly off-the-radar kind of team that sneaks up on people, here are three potential party crashers for the national title:
1) Virginia Tech. After getting crushed by LSU, who thought they had a prayer? If they win out, they just might have a chance. The Hokies get Boston College at home.
2) Kansas. The Jayhawks don't play Oklahoma or Texas in the regular season, and if Mister Mangino faced the Sooners in the Big XII Championship Game, he would have a feel for his opponent, wouldn't he?
3) South Florida. Exactly--they're off the radar now, but could very definitely run the table with their remaining schedule. Add a few cups of additional insanity, and who knows what could happen?
</td></tr></tbody></table>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Cavalcade of Whimsy - A Real Heisman Favorite </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
Florida QB Tim Tebow
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 23, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Now that Tom Osborne is in charge at Nebraska, what can he do to really make a difference? The bad LSU play call, the ten ways the 2007 season would be different if everyone had to stay for a full four years, and the real Heisman front-runner who isn't out front, Florida QB Tim Tebow, in the latest Cavalcade of Whimsy.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
[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 | Week 1
Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I’m assuming LSU will run the ball to get into the middle of the field for a game-winning field goal attempt. Since there’s not enough time to throw into the end zone, I’ll just move my safeties up and …aw crap.
Let me be the one to name it: The “Hail Miles” … I don’t care that the 22-yard Matt Flynn to Demetrius Byrd touchdown pass that lifted LSU to a win over Auburn worked. It was a horrible play call, and either head coach Les Miles still doesn’t seem to understand what actually happened and why it was so dumb, or he knows he dodged a bullet.
No, it wasn’t a great call. No, it wasn’t gutsy. It was an all-timer of a brain-cramp that just so happened to work because of the brilliant execution by the players. It was the type of call that Miles, who obviously had no clue about the clock situation, will make in the future that will get his team beat. Even after the fact, Miles still didn’t get it. From his press conference …
“I would have made the exact same call if I had the chance again. In the specifics that we have a quarterback who understands that we need to conserve the time on the clock. I felt really comfortable that the call was given enough time to place if it was incomplete. If he brings the ball down and runs, then I have a timeout in my pocket I am ready to use. If we get to the next down, I like Colt David.”
Uh, and what if the ball got batted away or picked off or juggled and the dropped? There would’ve been no time left if there had been anything other than a completion, and considering LSU would’ve won, not tied, won, by kicking a field goal, it was a totally unnecessary gamble. If the field goal would have sent it into overtime, then the play call is at least justifiable. As it happened, it was the equivalent of being down one in basketball with time running out and passing up a seven-foot shot for a 45-footer.
With that said, every national title team needs one of these kinds of moments. As good as LSU might be, to win a championship, it needs a few big breaks that teams like Oklahoma and USC didn’t get.
Was that a duck or is there another AFLAC ad? … In 1988, LSU beat Auburn 7-6 in the famous Earthquake Game, dubbed so because the Tiger crowd erupted so loudly after a late Tommy Hodson touchdown pass that a tremor was measured on a seismograph in the geology department. 19 years later it happened again late in another Auburn-LSU classic, but it wasn’t Flynn to Byrd. It was just Todd Blackledge after weeks of eating fried fries and fries smothered in deep fried gravy for his ongoing taste-of-the-campus bit.
If the marketing people had any stones and foresight, they’d just call it The Defibrillator… One thing the Blackledge bit does show is just how much garbage people put into their bodies every time they go out to eat. There’s an uproar over Hardee’s 920-calorie, 60-fat gram Country Breakfast Burrito, but the huge numbers put on the board don’t even scratch the surface compared to what gets served at most restaurants.
Or he could just be like Sammy Sosa and pretend he can't speak English … Clad in T-shirts saying: “T.O. Tradition. Order.” Nebraska fans are all giddy over Tom Osborne stepping in as the interim athletic director in charge of trying to make Nebraska Nebraska again. Of course, with Osborne comes an implied aura of respect and legendary status as a tie to when several Husker teams were among the best in college football history. But along with all the good comes a rehash of the darker side of the Osborne era.
There were the fiascos involving Christian Peter, Lawrence Phillips, and Osborne’s shockingly disastrous inability to properly handle the low-character element brought in to win a national title. The other major issue is steroids and the role they played in all the success.
Osborne was at the forefront of steroid testing in the 1980s, but at the same time, the rumors were deafening that Nebraska was a chemical factory that made the BALCO boys look like they were dispensing Pez. Yeah, everyone was doing them at the time, but Osborne and his training staff went out of their way to denounce the practice despite all the rumblings that everything wasn't exactly kosher.
Back in the 1980s and early 90s, steroids were part of the deal. You couldn’t swing a Lyle Alzado without hitting a juiced up offensive line. Now, in today’s day and age when we’re supposed to care about steroids, and when we’re supposed to care about cleaning things up, Osborne’s return marks a chance to potentially do something big.
We all say we don’t want steroids around and want to see games decided on ability, and not a pill or syringe, but in reality, that only applies to certain sports. Football seems to get a free pass. We know human beings aren’t supposed to be 6-4, 255 pounds and run a 4.45 40. We know that linemen have gone from using steroids to become hulking 280 pound sides of beef, to now growing into 300+ pound athletes who can run and hit equally well. But if part of the sports world could somehow gloss over the running joke that was the Barry Bonds home run chase, then the entire sports world doesn’t appear to want anything to touch its beloved football.
And that’s where Osborne can make a difference.
He’s in charge of making the Husker fans happy by building a superpower again, and he could very well do that. But with his stature and Washington contacts, he has a chance to make a real change by stepping up the overall drug testing policies for his program, and by challenging the rest of the Big 12 and the rest of college football to follow suit. Introducing legislation is one thing, but putting it in action and making it actually work is another.
You can also tell he’s on something if he taps his foot twice when asked a question … Speaking of performance enhancers, whenever you hear announcers glow about a player who sets program records in the weight room, or in some sort of a strength and conditioning test, a mental red flag had better instantly go up.
But I’ll still take my chances with Joe Montana under center … Notre Dame wore its cool green jerseys against USC to honor the 30<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the 1977 championship team and also to inspire a possible upset. Everyone was hoping the Irish would play like that ’77 team, and it did. Of course, the 1977 team is full of guys in their 50s.
Not worrying about the current interest fiasco is … Boston College. It’s just renting that spot at number two.
He might go on to win several Super Bowls, but good luck topping Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bundchen … Remember back in the early 1990s when everyone tried to make Harold Miner into the next Michael Jordan, mainly because he could jump out of the gym, had the same look, height and build as the Chicago superstar? The media even dubbed him “Baby Jordan.” At around the same time, Florida State QB Casey Weldon was being called by some as the next Joe Montana, mainly because he looked like the NFL legend. Pro Football Weekly’s 1992 Draft Preview even said Weldon had “Joe Montana-like qualities.” Let’s not do the same thing with Boston College QB Matt Ryan.
I’m a huge fan of his, and I truly believe he’ll be a starter in the NFL for the next ten years. But now he’s being talked about as the possible top pick in the 2008 Draft, and while he’s fantastic, I can’t help but think that somewhere in the subconscious minds of many scouts is Ryan’s physical similarities to Tom Brady. They’re both tall, strong leaders who wear No. 12 and play in the Boston area. You think I’m crazy? Watch how many times Brady’s name comes up in the analysis of Ryan between now and April.
We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1! … Baylor assistant football coach Eric Schnupp was charged with disorderly conduct and reckless exposure for whizzing on a bar at a place called Scruffy Murphy’s in Waco. On the plus side, it’s one of the first times all year a Bear hit its intended target.
Of course, there were four million other reasons helped ease the transition … Alright all you self-righteous media types, it’s time to apologize for the way you overreacted to Nick Saban’s bailing on the Miami Dolphins. Give him credit for realizing that NFL coaching is about the luck of the draw. If you don’t have the players, there’s absolutely nothing you can do. In college, you simply go out and recruit the position you need to strengthen. Free agency only goes so far in the NFL, if you have to go with the lousy cards you’re dealt, you’re screwed no matter who you are.
It’s also time to admit that maybe, possibly, it wasn’t that Steve Spurrier couldn’t coach in the NFL, it’s that he was stuck with an awful team to play with. Granted, he had a big hand in the team stinking, but it’s not like he’s funnin’ ‘n’ gunnin’ at South Carolina. The man can coach. Last time I checked, Joe Gibbs is a pretty decent coach, and he hasn’t exactly set the NFL world on fire after his return.
And if it’s in the studio, there’s technically no reason to play that opening song about coming to the city … ESPN’s College GameDay continues to be the gold standard of all football pregame shows, college or pro, and is a solid second behind the brilliant TNT and Charles Barkley’s NBA studio coverage. With that said, the idea of going to the site of the big game is a bit played out. I joke about the Blackledge food bit, but the GameDay shows should have a little bit of that style and get more of the flavor of the campus and the environment. As it’s put together now, the actual site the show is at doesn’t matter. It’s just a different set of fans yelling woooooo.
Scoring defense … It’s time to tweak the way the stats are compiled. Ohio State gave up 17 points to Michigan State, with all 17 being added to the scoring defense totals. The Buckeyes still lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.88 points per game, but it’s actually 6.125 considering the two Spartan touchdowns came from the D. The 24-17 win over MSU wasn’t a proper indicator to the rest of the nation of just how strong this OSU defense is.
Don’t fall for the trap the pollsters do. Ohio State lost all its defensive stars last year, but got back offensive players everyone had heard of like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez. The Buckeyes were voted No. 1 without much of a fight. Flip it this year. Now the defense is as loaded as last year’s offense was, while the offense is filling in the gaps. Just because defense isn’t always sexy, that’s no reason to assume the team isn’t great.
“Then, after a period of being "there for you", we slowly remove the two words "for you", and we're just (Makes a "ta-da!" gesture) "there"”.… I told you that West Virginia was going to slip and slide its way into the national title game, and last week was step one of the wheels going in motion. I’m telling you, it’s all setting up perfectly. After starting out ninth, the Mountaineers moved up to seventh after South Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky lost. Boston College is going to lose at least once, Arizona State, Oregon and the rest of the Pac 10 are going to start picking each other off, Ohio State still has to deal with at Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and at Michigan, Oklahoma is looking like a team begging to get tagged, and LSU could have problems with a trip to Alabama or in the SEC title game. As we all know, it’s about when you lose as much as if.
“You have to ask me nicely. You see, Danny, I can deal with the bullets and the bombs and the blood. I can deal with the heat and the stress and the fear. I don't want money and I don't want medals” .… I want is to be able to finish the line from A Few Good Men when describing the Oregon all-white uniforms worn last week. Oregon football is like a mid-range hot chick. Along with unnecessarily changing its clothes far too often, it’s fast, loud and exciting, but you know it’s not going to last and will end up breaking your heart out of the blue.
And not one shot of Judd in the bunch … The press release just came across. CBS will televise Kentucky’s next two games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt as the SEC showcases of the day after ruling that 3,391 cuts to the Wildcat Dance Team weren’t enough.
Yeah, but you too could throw 20 TD passes if all you had to do was chuck it up into the air for Randy Moss … It’s such a shame that Charlie Weis left New England a few years ago depriving us of a chance to see if Tom Brady could ever reach his potential. It’s too bad his career has gone into the tank without his former tutor.
Off the topic … If I’m the Oakland Raiders, I find some sort of way to get go after Randy Moss and a portion of his salary back from the time spent with the Silver and Black. Lost in all the Patriot love was how it’s now obvious that Moss was completely dogging it over the last few years.
“Mattingly, I thought I told you to shave those sideburns!” ,,, It’s taken half the year, but I finally found the player worthy of being the Heisman front-runner. If I gave you a player who led the nation in passing efficiency for a top five caliber team in a premier conference, was seventh in total offense, threw 17 touchdown passes, 1,711 yards, three interceptions, ran for 578 yards and ten touchdowns, with at least one in every game, and carried the ball 125 of the team’s 267 attempts, you’d probably make him a Heisman leader, right? Florida’s Tim Tebow is carrying Florida right now, and more than Michigan’s Mike Hart, is the nation’s most valuable player, along with being one of the most outstanding. Oregon’s Dennis Dixon has thrown for 1,728 yards and 16 touchdown passes with three interceptions, and has rushed for 416 yards and seven scores, but he hasn’t had to do what Tebow has.
The C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
There’s never any guarantee that a team will be amazing when its star returns for a senior season rather than go off to make his riches in the pros. Andre Woodson might be making himself a fortune by leading Kentucky to a huge year, while Brian Brohm, as good as he has been, hasn’t been able to carry Louisville. Even so, the college football landscape would be far different if the players had to stay a full four years before going pro. Every year around this time, I like to go back and look at what the season would be like if everyone had come back. You can “what if?” something like this to death, but I’ll keep it in the land of the likely.
10. Wake Forest goes from good to possibly special
As is, the run defense has been amazing, and it would’ve been a brick wall had tackling machine Jon Abbate not foolishly left early to became a Houston Texan. Would he have been the difference in the season-opening losses to Boston College and Nebraska? Maybe not against the Eagles, but he likely would’ve been the difference against the Huskers when just one extra big defensive play was needed late.
9. Notre Dame wouldn’t be dead last in rushing.
Darius Walker stunned Charlie Weis and Notre Dame when he said he was leaving after his junior year. After not getting draft, he’s barely hanging in the league as a Houston Texan. Had he been back, Notre Dame would still likely be 1-7 to start, but the offense would be far better, and it wouldn’t be 119<sup>th</sup> in the nation on the ground averaging 34 yards per game. Walker’s presence would’ve eased the transition for Jimmy Clausen.
8. Arkansas would be in the thick of the SEC race
The Hogs lost to Alabama because it couldn’t get enough pressure on QB John Parker Wilson and didn’t get enough production from the secondary. The same goes for the late loss to Kentucky and against Auburn, when the Wildcats were able to come up with a key final drive to pull off the win. Star DE Jamaal Anderson and CB Chris Houston would’ve been the difference in at least two of those three losses, if not all three. The Hogs would probably have been 6-1 or 5-2 at worst instead of 4-3.
7. USC would still be unbeaten
Patrick Turner was decent against Stanford, and tight end Fred Davis was tremendous, as John David Booty threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The Trojans needed one big playmaker to change things around and put the game away, and that likely would’ve been Dwayne Jarrett. Stanford wouldn’t have had an answer.
6. Oklahoma would get an even bigger start from Sam Bradford
Would Oklahoma have beaten Colorado if Adrian Peterson was still running the ball in Sooner uniform? The Sooners were held to just 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Allen Patrick, but that’s Allen Patrick. If Peterson can carve up Chicago like that, then he likely would’ve found some room to move against the Buffs.
5. California would’ve been unbeaten
Marshawn Lynch would’ve joined forces with Justin Forsett to take over all the offensive workload from Kevin Riley in the Oregon State game, while the Bear ground game wouldn’t have been held to 67 yards by UCLA.
4. LSU doesn’t lose to Kentucky
Do you really think Les Miles would’ve run the ball four times in overtime if JaMarcus Russell was still under center? Matt Flynn only completed 17 of 35 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Tigers.
3. Ohio State would be number two, and no one would think boo about it
The defense would’ve still been the defense, ranking number one in the nation in the top categories. Now picture the Ohio State offense, which is right now averaging a respectable 415 yards per game, with Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, and Antonio Pittman to go along with Chris Wells and Brian Robiskie? OSU would still be unbeaten, and the results would’ve been truly frightening.
2. Florida would be number one from the start, but would’ve still lost to LSU
The Gator pass defense is giving up 257 yards per game, got picked apart by Kentucky’s Andre Woodson, and hasn’t been anything special ever since stuffing Western Kentucky in week one. DE Jarvis Moss would’ve certainly helped an already solid pass rush, Brandon Siler would’ve been a boost for the run defense, and Reggie Nelson and Ryan Smith would’ve certainly been a big plus for the secondary. There’s no way Auburn QB Brandon Cox would’ve been as efficient as the Tiger win, and it would’ve have been pounded on for 247 yards and against LSU. However, remember, LSU would’ve had JaMarcus Russell.
1. We’d have an all-timer of a Heisman race
Along with Mike Hart, Andre Woodson, Graham Harrell and Colt Brennan, throw Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, and JaMarcus Russell into the Heisman mix. Erik Ainge would be stronger with Robert Meachem back, John David Booty would’ve been a candidate with Dwayne Jarrett to throw to, and Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter would’ve become more of a sleeper with Zach Miller to throw to. Arkansas would’ve certainly been better, meaning Darren McFadden would be still in the hunt.
The current juniors who’ll be analyzed in next year’s column. The ten top juniors who are all but certain to be gone are … 1) Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas, 2) Calais Campbell, DE Miami, 3) DeSean Jackson, WR California, 4) Tyson Jackson, DE LSU, 5) Kenny Phillips, S Miami, 6) Derrick Harvey, DE Florida, 7) Rey Maualuga, LB USC, 8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio State, 9) Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia, 10) James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State
Nuggets for the upcoming week, now made with white meat, at participating restaurants …
- Hawaii is averaging 464 passing yards per game. New Mexico State is averaging 317 passing yards a game. Enjoy.
- The award for the best remaining game that you’re not remotely interested in comes December 1<sup>st</sup> when Florida Atlantic goes to Troy to
likely decide the Sun Belt title.
- In case you’re snoozing, Wake Forest has won five straight and has a great chance to make some big noise over the final five games helped by home games against North Carolina and NC State. No, the Demon Deacons aren’t going to win a second straight ACC title, but they’re for real.
- The SMU defense has been a special kind of bad over the last three games, giving up 308 yards and five scores to UTEP, 209 yards and three scores to Southern Miss, and 361 yards and four touchdowns to Matt Forte and Tulane. Tulsa and the nation’s third ranked offense are up next, but the game to watch out for is in three weeks at Houston on November 4<sup>th</sup>. SMU doesn’t have the linebacker speed to keep up with Anthony Alridge.
C.O.W. shameless gimmick item … The weekly five Overrated/Underrated aspects of the world
1) Overrated: Casey Affleck ... Underrated: Johnny Drama
2) Overrated: Ellen … Underrated: Mutts & Moms
3) Overrated: The SEC East race ... Underrated: The SEC West race
4) Overrated: Cheryl ... Underrated: Larry
5) Overrated: South Florida at two ... Underrated: South Florida at ten
My Heisman ballot this week would be … I vote based on a combination of three things: Most valuable player, most outstanding player, and the signature player of the season. I might wildly change my mind weekly, but I’ll sort it all out at the end. 1) Tim Tebow, QB Florida, 2) Matt Ryan, QB Boston College, 3) Mike Hart, RB Michigan, 4) Dennis Dixon, QB Oregon, 5) Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
“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. (Will there ever be a rainbow? Yes! 2-1 last week for the first time all year. 7-15 overall.) … 1) Michigan State -3 over Iowa. 2) Ohio State -3.5 over Penn State, 3) Toledo -3.5 over Northern Illinois
Sorry this column sucked, but it wasn’t my fault … like the USC charter flight on the way to Notre Dame, I couldn’t figure out how to land the thing.
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Florida QB Tim Tebow
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 23, 2007
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Now that Tom Osborne is in charge at Nebraska, what can he do to really make a difference? The bad LSU play call, the ten ways the 2007 season would be different if everyone had to stay for a full four years, and the real Heisman front-runner who isn't out front, Florida QB Tim Tebow, in the latest Cavalcade of Whimsy.
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[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's Cavalcade of Whimsy[/FONT]
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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 | Week 1
Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I’m assuming LSU will run the ball to get into the middle of the field for a game-winning field goal attempt. Since there’s not enough time to throw into the end zone, I’ll just move my safeties up and …aw crap.
Let me be the one to name it: The “Hail Miles” … I don’t care that the 22-yard Matt Flynn to Demetrius Byrd touchdown pass that lifted LSU to a win over Auburn worked. It was a horrible play call, and either head coach Les Miles still doesn’t seem to understand what actually happened and why it was so dumb, or he knows he dodged a bullet.
No, it wasn’t a great call. No, it wasn’t gutsy. It was an all-timer of a brain-cramp that just so happened to work because of the brilliant execution by the players. It was the type of call that Miles, who obviously had no clue about the clock situation, will make in the future that will get his team beat. Even after the fact, Miles still didn’t get it. From his press conference …
“I would have made the exact same call if I had the chance again. In the specifics that we have a quarterback who understands that we need to conserve the time on the clock. I felt really comfortable that the call was given enough time to place if it was incomplete. If he brings the ball down and runs, then I have a timeout in my pocket I am ready to use. If we get to the next down, I like Colt David.”
Uh, and what if the ball got batted away or picked off or juggled and the dropped? There would’ve been no time left if there had been anything other than a completion, and considering LSU would’ve won, not tied, won, by kicking a field goal, it was a totally unnecessary gamble. If the field goal would have sent it into overtime, then the play call is at least justifiable. As it happened, it was the equivalent of being down one in basketball with time running out and passing up a seven-foot shot for a 45-footer.
With that said, every national title team needs one of these kinds of moments. As good as LSU might be, to win a championship, it needs a few big breaks that teams like Oklahoma and USC didn’t get.
Was that a duck or is there another AFLAC ad? … In 1988, LSU beat Auburn 7-6 in the famous Earthquake Game, dubbed so because the Tiger crowd erupted so loudly after a late Tommy Hodson touchdown pass that a tremor was measured on a seismograph in the geology department. 19 years later it happened again late in another Auburn-LSU classic, but it wasn’t Flynn to Byrd. It was just Todd Blackledge after weeks of eating fried fries and fries smothered in deep fried gravy for his ongoing taste-of-the-campus bit.
If the marketing people had any stones and foresight, they’d just call it The Defibrillator… One thing the Blackledge bit does show is just how much garbage people put into their bodies every time they go out to eat. There’s an uproar over Hardee’s 920-calorie, 60-fat gram Country Breakfast Burrito, but the huge numbers put on the board don’t even scratch the surface compared to what gets served at most restaurants.
Or he could just be like Sammy Sosa and pretend he can't speak English … Clad in T-shirts saying: “T.O. Tradition. Order.” Nebraska fans are all giddy over Tom Osborne stepping in as the interim athletic director in charge of trying to make Nebraska Nebraska again. Of course, with Osborne comes an implied aura of respect and legendary status as a tie to when several Husker teams were among the best in college football history. But along with all the good comes a rehash of the darker side of the Osborne era.
There were the fiascos involving Christian Peter, Lawrence Phillips, and Osborne’s shockingly disastrous inability to properly handle the low-character element brought in to win a national title. The other major issue is steroids and the role they played in all the success.
Osborne was at the forefront of steroid testing in the 1980s, but at the same time, the rumors were deafening that Nebraska was a chemical factory that made the BALCO boys look like they were dispensing Pez. Yeah, everyone was doing them at the time, but Osborne and his training staff went out of their way to denounce the practice despite all the rumblings that everything wasn't exactly kosher.
Back in the 1980s and early 90s, steroids were part of the deal. You couldn’t swing a Lyle Alzado without hitting a juiced up offensive line. Now, in today’s day and age when we’re supposed to care about steroids, and when we’re supposed to care about cleaning things up, Osborne’s return marks a chance to potentially do something big.
We all say we don’t want steroids around and want to see games decided on ability, and not a pill or syringe, but in reality, that only applies to certain sports. Football seems to get a free pass. We know human beings aren’t supposed to be 6-4, 255 pounds and run a 4.45 40. We know that linemen have gone from using steroids to become hulking 280 pound sides of beef, to now growing into 300+ pound athletes who can run and hit equally well. But if part of the sports world could somehow gloss over the running joke that was the Barry Bonds home run chase, then the entire sports world doesn’t appear to want anything to touch its beloved football.
And that’s where Osborne can make a difference.
He’s in charge of making the Husker fans happy by building a superpower again, and he could very well do that. But with his stature and Washington contacts, he has a chance to make a real change by stepping up the overall drug testing policies for his program, and by challenging the rest of the Big 12 and the rest of college football to follow suit. Introducing legislation is one thing, but putting it in action and making it actually work is another.
You can also tell he’s on something if he taps his foot twice when asked a question … Speaking of performance enhancers, whenever you hear announcers glow about a player who sets program records in the weight room, or in some sort of a strength and conditioning test, a mental red flag had better instantly go up.
But I’ll still take my chances with Joe Montana under center … Notre Dame wore its cool green jerseys against USC to honor the 30<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the 1977 championship team and also to inspire a possible upset. Everyone was hoping the Irish would play like that ’77 team, and it did. Of course, the 1977 team is full of guys in their 50s.
Not worrying about the current interest fiasco is … Boston College. It’s just renting that spot at number two.
He might go on to win several Super Bowls, but good luck topping Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bundchen … Remember back in the early 1990s when everyone tried to make Harold Miner into the next Michael Jordan, mainly because he could jump out of the gym, had the same look, height and build as the Chicago superstar? The media even dubbed him “Baby Jordan.” At around the same time, Florida State QB Casey Weldon was being called by some as the next Joe Montana, mainly because he looked like the NFL legend. Pro Football Weekly’s 1992 Draft Preview even said Weldon had “Joe Montana-like qualities.” Let’s not do the same thing with Boston College QB Matt Ryan.
I’m a huge fan of his, and I truly believe he’ll be a starter in the NFL for the next ten years. But now he’s being talked about as the possible top pick in the 2008 Draft, and while he’s fantastic, I can’t help but think that somewhere in the subconscious minds of many scouts is Ryan’s physical similarities to Tom Brady. They’re both tall, strong leaders who wear No. 12 and play in the Boston area. You think I’m crazy? Watch how many times Brady’s name comes up in the analysis of Ryan between now and April.
We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1! … Baylor assistant football coach Eric Schnupp was charged with disorderly conduct and reckless exposure for whizzing on a bar at a place called Scruffy Murphy’s in Waco. On the plus side, it’s one of the first times all year a Bear hit its intended target.
Of course, there were four million other reasons helped ease the transition … Alright all you self-righteous media types, it’s time to apologize for the way you overreacted to Nick Saban’s bailing on the Miami Dolphins. Give him credit for realizing that NFL coaching is about the luck of the draw. If you don’t have the players, there’s absolutely nothing you can do. In college, you simply go out and recruit the position you need to strengthen. Free agency only goes so far in the NFL, if you have to go with the lousy cards you’re dealt, you’re screwed no matter who you are.
It’s also time to admit that maybe, possibly, it wasn’t that Steve Spurrier couldn’t coach in the NFL, it’s that he was stuck with an awful team to play with. Granted, he had a big hand in the team stinking, but it’s not like he’s funnin’ ‘n’ gunnin’ at South Carolina. The man can coach. Last time I checked, Joe Gibbs is a pretty decent coach, and he hasn’t exactly set the NFL world on fire after his return.
And if it’s in the studio, there’s technically no reason to play that opening song about coming to the city … ESPN’s College GameDay continues to be the gold standard of all football pregame shows, college or pro, and is a solid second behind the brilliant TNT and Charles Barkley’s NBA studio coverage. With that said, the idea of going to the site of the big game is a bit played out. I joke about the Blackledge food bit, but the GameDay shows should have a little bit of that style and get more of the flavor of the campus and the environment. As it’s put together now, the actual site the show is at doesn’t matter. It’s just a different set of fans yelling woooooo.
Scoring defense … It’s time to tweak the way the stats are compiled. Ohio State gave up 17 points to Michigan State, with all 17 being added to the scoring defense totals. The Buckeyes still lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.88 points per game, but it’s actually 6.125 considering the two Spartan touchdowns came from the D. The 24-17 win over MSU wasn’t a proper indicator to the rest of the nation of just how strong this OSU defense is.
Don’t fall for the trap the pollsters do. Ohio State lost all its defensive stars last year, but got back offensive players everyone had heard of like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez. The Buckeyes were voted No. 1 without much of a fight. Flip it this year. Now the defense is as loaded as last year’s offense was, while the offense is filling in the gaps. Just because defense isn’t always sexy, that’s no reason to assume the team isn’t great.
“Then, after a period of being "there for you", we slowly remove the two words "for you", and we're just (Makes a "ta-da!" gesture) "there"”.… I told you that West Virginia was going to slip and slide its way into the national title game, and last week was step one of the wheels going in motion. I’m telling you, it’s all setting up perfectly. After starting out ninth, the Mountaineers moved up to seventh after South Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky lost. Boston College is going to lose at least once, Arizona State, Oregon and the rest of the Pac 10 are going to start picking each other off, Ohio State still has to deal with at Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and at Michigan, Oklahoma is looking like a team begging to get tagged, and LSU could have problems with a trip to Alabama or in the SEC title game. As we all know, it’s about when you lose as much as if.
“You have to ask me nicely. You see, Danny, I can deal with the bullets and the bombs and the blood. I can deal with the heat and the stress and the fear. I don't want money and I don't want medals” .… I want is to be able to finish the line from A Few Good Men when describing the Oregon all-white uniforms worn last week. Oregon football is like a mid-range hot chick. Along with unnecessarily changing its clothes far too often, it’s fast, loud and exciting, but you know it’s not going to last and will end up breaking your heart out of the blue.
And not one shot of Judd in the bunch … The press release just came across. CBS will televise Kentucky’s next two games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt as the SEC showcases of the day after ruling that 3,391 cuts to the Wildcat Dance Team weren’t enough.
Yeah, but you too could throw 20 TD passes if all you had to do was chuck it up into the air for Randy Moss … It’s such a shame that Charlie Weis left New England a few years ago depriving us of a chance to see if Tom Brady could ever reach his potential. It’s too bad his career has gone into the tank without his former tutor.
Off the topic … If I’m the Oakland Raiders, I find some sort of way to get go after Randy Moss and a portion of his salary back from the time spent with the Silver and Black. Lost in all the Patriot love was how it’s now obvious that Moss was completely dogging it over the last few years.
“Mattingly, I thought I told you to shave those sideburns!” ,,, It’s taken half the year, but I finally found the player worthy of being the Heisman front-runner. If I gave you a player who led the nation in passing efficiency for a top five caliber team in a premier conference, was seventh in total offense, threw 17 touchdown passes, 1,711 yards, three interceptions, ran for 578 yards and ten touchdowns, with at least one in every game, and carried the ball 125 of the team’s 267 attempts, you’d probably make him a Heisman leader, right? Florida’s Tim Tebow is carrying Florida right now, and more than Michigan’s Mike Hart, is the nation’s most valuable player, along with being one of the most outstanding. Oregon’s Dennis Dixon has thrown for 1,728 yards and 16 touchdown passes with three interceptions, and has rushed for 416 yards and seven scores, but he hasn’t had to do what Tebow has.
The C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
There’s never any guarantee that a team will be amazing when its star returns for a senior season rather than go off to make his riches in the pros. Andre Woodson might be making himself a fortune by leading Kentucky to a huge year, while Brian Brohm, as good as he has been, hasn’t been able to carry Louisville. Even so, the college football landscape would be far different if the players had to stay a full four years before going pro. Every year around this time, I like to go back and look at what the season would be like if everyone had come back. You can “what if?” something like this to death, but I’ll keep it in the land of the likely.
10. Wake Forest goes from good to possibly special
As is, the run defense has been amazing, and it would’ve been a brick wall had tackling machine Jon Abbate not foolishly left early to became a Houston Texan. Would he have been the difference in the season-opening losses to Boston College and Nebraska? Maybe not against the Eagles, but he likely would’ve been the difference against the Huskers when just one extra big defensive play was needed late.
9. Notre Dame wouldn’t be dead last in rushing.
Darius Walker stunned Charlie Weis and Notre Dame when he said he was leaving after his junior year. After not getting draft, he’s barely hanging in the league as a Houston Texan. Had he been back, Notre Dame would still likely be 1-7 to start, but the offense would be far better, and it wouldn’t be 119<sup>th</sup> in the nation on the ground averaging 34 yards per game. Walker’s presence would’ve eased the transition for Jimmy Clausen.
8. Arkansas would be in the thick of the SEC race
The Hogs lost to Alabama because it couldn’t get enough pressure on QB John Parker Wilson and didn’t get enough production from the secondary. The same goes for the late loss to Kentucky and against Auburn, when the Wildcats were able to come up with a key final drive to pull off the win. Star DE Jamaal Anderson and CB Chris Houston would’ve been the difference in at least two of those three losses, if not all three. The Hogs would probably have been 6-1 or 5-2 at worst instead of 4-3.
7. USC would still be unbeaten
Patrick Turner was decent against Stanford, and tight end Fred Davis was tremendous, as John David Booty threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The Trojans needed one big playmaker to change things around and put the game away, and that likely would’ve been Dwayne Jarrett. Stanford wouldn’t have had an answer.
6. Oklahoma would get an even bigger start from Sam Bradford
Would Oklahoma have beaten Colorado if Adrian Peterson was still running the ball in Sooner uniform? The Sooners were held to just 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Allen Patrick, but that’s Allen Patrick. If Peterson can carve up Chicago like that, then he likely would’ve found some room to move against the Buffs.
5. California would’ve been unbeaten
Marshawn Lynch would’ve joined forces with Justin Forsett to take over all the offensive workload from Kevin Riley in the Oregon State game, while the Bear ground game wouldn’t have been held to 67 yards by UCLA.
4. LSU doesn’t lose to Kentucky
Do you really think Les Miles would’ve run the ball four times in overtime if JaMarcus Russell was still under center? Matt Flynn only completed 17 of 35 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Tigers.
3. Ohio State would be number two, and no one would think boo about it
The defense would’ve still been the defense, ranking number one in the nation in the top categories. Now picture the Ohio State offense, which is right now averaging a respectable 415 yards per game, with Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, and Antonio Pittman to go along with Chris Wells and Brian Robiskie? OSU would still be unbeaten, and the results would’ve been truly frightening.
2. Florida would be number one from the start, but would’ve still lost to LSU
The Gator pass defense is giving up 257 yards per game, got picked apart by Kentucky’s Andre Woodson, and hasn’t been anything special ever since stuffing Western Kentucky in week one. DE Jarvis Moss would’ve certainly helped an already solid pass rush, Brandon Siler would’ve been a boost for the run defense, and Reggie Nelson and Ryan Smith would’ve certainly been a big plus for the secondary. There’s no way Auburn QB Brandon Cox would’ve been as efficient as the Tiger win, and it would’ve have been pounded on for 247 yards and against LSU. However, remember, LSU would’ve had JaMarcus Russell.
1. We’d have an all-timer of a Heisman race
Along with Mike Hart, Andre Woodson, Graham Harrell and Colt Brennan, throw Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, and JaMarcus Russell into the Heisman mix. Erik Ainge would be stronger with Robert Meachem back, John David Booty would’ve been a candidate with Dwayne Jarrett to throw to, and Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter would’ve become more of a sleeper with Zach Miller to throw to. Arkansas would’ve certainly been better, meaning Darren McFadden would be still in the hunt.
The current juniors who’ll be analyzed in next year’s column. The ten top juniors who are all but certain to be gone are … 1) Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas, 2) Calais Campbell, DE Miami, 3) DeSean Jackson, WR California, 4) Tyson Jackson, DE LSU, 5) Kenny Phillips, S Miami, 6) Derrick Harvey, DE Florida, 7) Rey Maualuga, LB USC, 8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio State, 9) Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia, 10) James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State
Nuggets for the upcoming week, now made with white meat, at participating restaurants …
- Hawaii is averaging 464 passing yards per game. New Mexico State is averaging 317 passing yards a game. Enjoy.
- The award for the best remaining game that you’re not remotely interested in comes December 1<sup>st</sup> when Florida Atlantic goes to Troy to
likely decide the Sun Belt title.
- In case you’re snoozing, Wake Forest has won five straight and has a great chance to make some big noise over the final five games helped by home games against North Carolina and NC State. No, the Demon Deacons aren’t going to win a second straight ACC title, but they’re for real.
- The SMU defense has been a special kind of bad over the last three games, giving up 308 yards and five scores to UTEP, 209 yards and three scores to Southern Miss, and 361 yards and four touchdowns to Matt Forte and Tulane. Tulsa and the nation’s third ranked offense are up next, but the game to watch out for is in three weeks at Houston on November 4<sup>th</sup>. SMU doesn’t have the linebacker speed to keep up with Anthony Alridge.
C.O.W. shameless gimmick item … The weekly five Overrated/Underrated aspects of the world
1) Overrated: Casey Affleck ... Underrated: Johnny Drama
2) Overrated: Ellen … Underrated: Mutts & Moms
3) Overrated: The SEC East race ... Underrated: The SEC West race
4) Overrated: Cheryl ... Underrated: Larry
5) Overrated: South Florida at two ... Underrated: South Florida at ten
My Heisman ballot this week would be … I vote based on a combination of three things: Most valuable player, most outstanding player, and the signature player of the season. I might wildly change my mind weekly, but I’ll sort it all out at the end. 1) Tim Tebow, QB Florida, 2) Matt Ryan, QB Boston College, 3) Mike Hart, RB Michigan, 4) Dennis Dixon, QB Oregon, 5) Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
“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. (Will there ever be a rainbow? Yes! 2-1 last week for the first time all year. 7-15 overall.) … 1) Michigan State -3 over Iowa. 2) Ohio State -3.5 over Penn State, 3) Toledo -3.5 over Northern Illinois
Sorry this column sucked, but it wasn’t my fault … like the USC charter flight on the way to Notre Dame, I couldn’t figure out how to land the thing.
</td></tr></tbody></table>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Should Texas Consider Moving Jamaal Charles?
by HornsFan Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 12:25:27 AM EDT
I mentioned in this week's Postgame React that I thought it was worth discussing whether it made sense to use Jamaal Charles in a capacity other than how he's currently employed. The motivation for the sentiment arises from Jamaal Charles' continued struggles with fumbles, his relative ineffectiveness in the red zone, and many fans' general perception that he's unable to get moving downhill consistently in Texas' current offensive scheme.
I sort of tossed the idea out for discussion without thinking through the topic thoroughly myself, but I wasn't surprised that a number of commenters agreed that it was worth considering.
I think the proper starting place for this topic is to look at Texas' running game as a whole and go from there. I'm interested in two questions: How well is Texas rushing the football relative to national averages and how well is it rushing the football relative to what its opponents have typically allowed?
<ins>Texas Rushing in 2007</ins>
We start with a look at Texas' 2007 rushing averages, their ranks in the national pecking order, and their change from last season. Charts? Charts!
It's pretty shocking that the numbers in 2006 and 2007 are, practically speaking, identical. However, it's worth noting that Texas' most profound rushing problems in 2006 surfaced in the back half of the schedule, when the production declined markedly, dragging down the overall season numbers. This year? We'd better hope things don't regress down the stretch similarly or we'll finish with some disturbingly low rushing totals.
Through eight games, the 2007 Longhorns are an average rushing team - we have been neither noteworthy nor incompetent. As always, context counts; to that end, let's look at Texas' yards per attempt this season side by side with opponents' yards per attempt for the season.
Texas struggled in the season opener against Arkansas State, got on a nice roll against TCU, UCF, and Rice, returned to being average against Kansas State and Oklahoma, sliced up Iowa State, and were average against Baylor. We've seen some good things from the running game this season, but it remains inconsistent.
<ins>How We Got Here</ins>
The above numbers neatly mesh with the commentary from most observers of this team: the Longhorns are positively average in the running game. Let's take that a step further, though, and ask the secondary question, because that's the one we don't discuss often enough. Namely, what does the average rushing production mean for the offense as a whole?
Colt McCoy has been dealt a significant amount of criticism this season. As has been discussed here numerous times, part of that seems to be a problem with McCoy himself and part of it is an indictment of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Greg Davis. We haven't discussed this much, but I think there's a third causal factor: the pedestrian running game has forced Texas to rely disproportionately on Colt to have a good/great day on offense.
Before the season began, many of us (myself being at the front of this particular line) thought this would actually work out well for the Longhorns. The working theory was that McCoy could stretch defenses thin with the passing game - deep balls to Limas, intermediate stuff to Quan, and heavy doses of the near-unguardable Jermichael Finley.
That hasn't worked out nearly as neatly as we hoped it might. Limas hurt his wrist in August, tried to play through the injury but wasn't effective, and has now been shut down for the year. To compound that problem, McCoy hasn't been as accurate this season as we'd hoped, and he's struggling to throw well the deep balls in the vertical passing game. Texas' opponents, meanwhile, have made adjustments on defense, maneuvering safeties in position to focus on the middle-deep passing game without worrying much about Texas' run game. Throw all this stuff together and it's easy to see why Texas hasn't been anything near the offensive juggernaut that many of us hoped for.
<ins>Diagnosing The Problem</ins>
If Plan A (use Colt to stretch the defense, which in turn will help the running game) is out the window, it's time to talk about a Plan B. Limas ain't coming back, Colt's had more than enough time to show he can do this all on his own (too much to ask), and the running game has been merely average.
Let's ask the tough questions, then: Where do we distribute the blame for Texas' average rushing production and how might the coaches improve it?
Candidates For Blame
<ins>Offensive Line:</ins> The line play is certainly something we could harp on, but it would be a misdiagnosis of the problem. After all, NFL talents Sendlein, Blalock, and Studdard were here last year, blocking just as they had in 2005 when Texas shattered the offensive record books. Texas was average running the football last year, despite the talent on the line.
<ins>McCoy's struggles:</ins> Colt's inability to be the passer we wanted and needed him to be thus far have been a significant problem for the offense, but they don't explain the struggles in the running game. As noted above, every team but Rice this year has invested considerable defensive capital on taking away Texas' deep passing game. They've more or less challenged Texas to get it done on the ground alone - a test we're not able to pass with any consistency.
<ins>Jamaal Charles:</ins> The question of the day: Is Charles part of the problem here? First, a look at the numbers:
On the stats alone - no, it's not particularly fair to say that Charles is problematically ineffective. Nor do we need to look at Charles' stat line to say that he's a special kind of football player. We remember him matching Reggie Bush in yards per rushing attempt in 2005. We remember his 80 yard touchdown run up the middle against Oklahoma. We watch replays of the 72 yard touchdown reception against Iowa and shake our heads in amazement. The guy's a special talent.
To say that Charles is the primary problem with the Texas running game is neither fair nor accurate. There must be something else.
<ins>The Scheme:</ins> If it's not the line, not the quarterback, and not the tailback, then... yeah. We've got a problem in scheme. That's a post all of its own, but let's just break this down to its most basic elements, follow the logical trail, and see where it leads us:
<ins>What Next?</ins>
There's some room for debate among quite a few of the points above, but I feel strongly that the ultimate conclusion - that some fundamental adjustments would be wise - is sound. Assuming that's true, what can/should the coaches think about doing?
There are two realistic, base changes that the coaches can consider in an attempt to improve the Texas offense going forward:
Charles excels in open space. He makes big plays when he can get the ball away from the cluster of the pile. He often struggles with making positive yardage from the running plays of our current scheme. He doesn't love running between the tackles.
He might not be the best tailback to employ for the kind of adjustment that this coaching staff may (should?) find it necessary to make. Moreover, redshirt freshman Vondrell McGee does thrive running between the tackles. He's a different tailback than JC, and though I'm pretty sure McGee couldn't do what Charles did alongside Vince, I'm not sure Charles can do as well as McGee might alongside Colt.
Long story short: if we're not going to change the quarterback to better suit the scheme, then we ought to consider changing the scheme to better fit the personnel. In that scenario, Charles may no longer be Option 1 on the depth chart. Further, finding a sexy role for Charles as an all-purpose receiver would be a nice way to utilize him in different spaces, giving him the chance to make the big plays that this offense desperately needs. With Limas sidelined for the season, this question is all the more interesting, because Texas needs more gamebreakers lined up at receiver. Guys who will stretch the field, keep the secondary honest, and open up a real running game. One which, I'm prepared to argue, Vondrell McGee could anchor with aplomb.
Thoughts, questions, criticisms? Requests for shorter posts?
by HornsFan Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 12:25:27 AM EDT
I mentioned in this week's Postgame React that I thought it was worth discussing whether it made sense to use Jamaal Charles in a capacity other than how he's currently employed. The motivation for the sentiment arises from Jamaal Charles' continued struggles with fumbles, his relative ineffectiveness in the red zone, and many fans' general perception that he's unable to get moving downhill consistently in Texas' current offensive scheme.
I sort of tossed the idea out for discussion without thinking through the topic thoroughly myself, but I wasn't surprised that a number of commenters agreed that it was worth considering.
I think the proper starting place for this topic is to look at Texas' running game as a whole and go from there. I'm interested in two questions: How well is Texas rushing the football relative to national averages and how well is it rushing the football relative to what its opponents have typically allowed?
<ins>Texas Rushing in 2007</ins>
We start with a look at Texas' 2007 rushing averages, their ranks in the national pecking order, and their change from last season. Charts? Charts!
It's pretty shocking that the numbers in 2006 and 2007 are, practically speaking, identical. However, it's worth noting that Texas' most profound rushing problems in 2006 surfaced in the back half of the schedule, when the production declined markedly, dragging down the overall season numbers. This year? We'd better hope things don't regress down the stretch similarly or we'll finish with some disturbingly low rushing totals.
Through eight games, the 2007 Longhorns are an average rushing team - we have been neither noteworthy nor incompetent. As always, context counts; to that end, let's look at Texas' yards per attempt this season side by side with opponents' yards per attempt for the season.
Texas struggled in the season opener against Arkansas State, got on a nice roll against TCU, UCF, and Rice, returned to being average against Kansas State and Oklahoma, sliced up Iowa State, and were average against Baylor. We've seen some good things from the running game this season, but it remains inconsistent.
<ins>How We Got Here</ins>
The above numbers neatly mesh with the commentary from most observers of this team: the Longhorns are positively average in the running game. Let's take that a step further, though, and ask the secondary question, because that's the one we don't discuss often enough. Namely, what does the average rushing production mean for the offense as a whole?
Colt McCoy has been dealt a significant amount of criticism this season. As has been discussed here numerous times, part of that seems to be a problem with McCoy himself and part of it is an indictment of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Greg Davis. We haven't discussed this much, but I think there's a third causal factor: the pedestrian running game has forced Texas to rely disproportionately on Colt to have a good/great day on offense.
Before the season began, many of us (myself being at the front of this particular line) thought this would actually work out well for the Longhorns. The working theory was that McCoy could stretch defenses thin with the passing game - deep balls to Limas, intermediate stuff to Quan, and heavy doses of the near-unguardable Jermichael Finley.
That hasn't worked out nearly as neatly as we hoped it might. Limas hurt his wrist in August, tried to play through the injury but wasn't effective, and has now been shut down for the year. To compound that problem, McCoy hasn't been as accurate this season as we'd hoped, and he's struggling to throw well the deep balls in the vertical passing game. Texas' opponents, meanwhile, have made adjustments on defense, maneuvering safeties in position to focus on the middle-deep passing game without worrying much about Texas' run game. Throw all this stuff together and it's easy to see why Texas hasn't been anything near the offensive juggernaut that many of us hoped for.
<ins>Diagnosing The Problem</ins>
If Plan A (use Colt to stretch the defense, which in turn will help the running game) is out the window, it's time to talk about a Plan B. Limas ain't coming back, Colt's had more than enough time to show he can do this all on his own (too much to ask), and the running game has been merely average.
Let's ask the tough questions, then: Where do we distribute the blame for Texas' average rushing production and how might the coaches improve it?
Candidates For Blame
<ins>Offensive Line:</ins> The line play is certainly something we could harp on, but it would be a misdiagnosis of the problem. After all, NFL talents Sendlein, Blalock, and Studdard were here last year, blocking just as they had in 2005 when Texas shattered the offensive record books. Texas was average running the football last year, despite the talent on the line.
<ins>McCoy's struggles:</ins> Colt's inability to be the passer we wanted and needed him to be thus far have been a significant problem for the offense, but they don't explain the struggles in the running game. As noted above, every team but Rice this year has invested considerable defensive capital on taking away Texas' deep passing game. They've more or less challenged Texas to get it done on the ground alone - a test we're not able to pass with any consistency.
<ins>Jamaal Charles:</ins> The question of the day: Is Charles part of the problem here? First, a look at the numbers:
On the stats alone - no, it's not particularly fair to say that Charles is problematically ineffective. Nor do we need to look at Charles' stat line to say that he's a special kind of football player. We remember him matching Reggie Bush in yards per rushing attempt in 2005. We remember his 80 yard touchdown run up the middle against Oklahoma. We watch replays of the 72 yard touchdown reception against Iowa and shake our heads in amazement. The guy's a special talent.
To say that Charles is the primary problem with the Texas running game is neither fair nor accurate. There must be something else.
<ins>The Scheme:</ins> If it's not the line, not the quarterback, and not the tailback, then... yeah. We've got a problem in scheme. That's a post all of its own, but let's just break this down to its most basic elements, follow the logical trail, and see where it leads us:
- In 2004, Texas changed its offensive scheme to fit Vince Young
- Young thrived in the shotgun, zone-read system
- Young's tailbacks thrived in the shotgun, zone-read system
- McCoy took over for the departed Young
- That offense didn't suit McCoy's strengths well
- Starting with the game against OU in 2006, Davis unleashed a vertical passing game with McCoy
- Opposing defenses weren't prepared for this attack. McCoy thrived.
- With Texas succeeding in this McCoy shotgun attack, no fundamental adjustments were made to a quickly faltering running game
- 2007 begins with Sweed hurt and McCoy perhaps showing lingering effects from his own injury
- Defenses keep their safeties deep, taking away Texas' 2006 bread and butter
- Passing game now has issues of its own, while running game remains average
- ???
<ins>What Next?</ins>
There's some room for debate among quite a few of the points above, but I feel strongly that the ultimate conclusion - that some fundamental adjustments would be wise - is sound. Assuming that's true, what can/should the coaches think about doing?
There are two realistic, base changes that the coaches can consider in an attempt to improve the Texas offense going forward:
- Begin transitioning from Colt McCoy to John Chiles, in an effort to rebuild the zone-read offensive firepower from 2005.
- Accelerate the transition from the McCoy-based shotgun pass attack to a more balanced system featuring increased power rushing.
Charles excels in open space. He makes big plays when he can get the ball away from the cluster of the pile. He often struggles with making positive yardage from the running plays of our current scheme. He doesn't love running between the tackles.
He might not be the best tailback to employ for the kind of adjustment that this coaching staff may (should?) find it necessary to make. Moreover, redshirt freshman Vondrell McGee does thrive running between the tackles. He's a different tailback than JC, and though I'm pretty sure McGee couldn't do what Charles did alongside Vince, I'm not sure Charles can do as well as McGee might alongside Colt.
Long story short: if we're not going to change the quarterback to better suit the scheme, then we ought to consider changing the scheme to better fit the personnel. In that scenario, Charles may no longer be Option 1 on the depth chart. Further, finding a sexy role for Charles as an all-purpose receiver would be a nice way to utilize him in different spaces, giving him the chance to make the big plays that this offense desperately needs. With Limas sidelined for the season, this question is all the more interesting, because Texas needs more gamebreakers lined up at receiver. Guys who will stretch the field, keep the secondary honest, and open up a real running game. One which, I'm prepared to argue, Vondrell McGee could anchor with aplomb.
Thoughts, questions, criticisms? Requests for shorter posts?
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Florida's Soph QB Tebow Becomes Consensus Heisman Front-Runner
Posted Oct 23rd 2007 12:20PM by Ryan Ferguson
Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, Heisman
With his 5 TD performance against Kentucky, Tim Tebow did more than put Florida in the driver's seat for an SEC title berth. He became the consensus front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="5" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">
CBS Sportsline's Top 5:
1. Tim Tebow (37 points)
2. Andre' Woodson (24 points)
3. Dennis Dixon (16 points)
4. Matt Ryan (13 points)
5. Ray Rice (8 points)
What they're saying:
"Despite playing for a two-loss team, Tebow is in everybody's top two. He has accounted for 27 touchdowns, including 10 rushing and came up big this week against Kentucky. The big question is -- can a sophomore win the award?"
ESPN's Heisman Watch:
1. Tim Tebow
2. Matt Ryan
3. Andre Woodson
4. Dennis Dixon
5. Mike Hart
What they're saying:
"Tebow might not have won the Heisman this week, but he couldn't have been more impressive against Kentucky. He simply does it all. He threw for 256 yards (69 percent completion) for four touchdowns, and rushed for 78 yards and another score."
Heisman Pundit:
1. Tim Tebow
2. Darren McFadden
3. Mike Hart
4. Matt Ryan
What they're saying:
"Tim Tebow is out in front right now. The unique circumstances of this year's race has shaken the Heismandments to their very core. It is looking more and more like he may be the first sophomore to win."</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
The biggest threat to Tebow's brink-of-Heisman-history campaign? In my view, Mike Hart. If the diminutive RB can get back onto the playing field and make things happen for Michigan -- and the Wolverines defeat Ohio State to win the Big Ten -- voters might sigh with relief at some sense of normalcy in a wacky football season, and vote the little fella in.
This has been a good year for SEC candidates. Including Tebow, three Southeastern Conference players are still in contention for the award; the other two are Andre' Woodson and Darren McFadden.
Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, Heisman
With his 5 TD performance against Kentucky, Tim Tebow did more than put Florida in the driver's seat for an SEC title berth. He became the consensus front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="5" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">
CBS Sportsline's Top 5:1. Tim Tebow (37 points)
2. Andre' Woodson (24 points)
3. Dennis Dixon (16 points)
4. Matt Ryan (13 points)
5. Ray Rice (8 points)
What they're saying:
"Despite playing for a two-loss team, Tebow is in everybody's top two. He has accounted for 27 touchdowns, including 10 rushing and came up big this week against Kentucky. The big question is -- can a sophomore win the award?"
ESPN's Heisman Watch:
1. Tim Tebow
2. Matt Ryan
3. Andre Woodson
4. Dennis Dixon
5. Mike Hart
What they're saying:
"Tebow might not have won the Heisman this week, but he couldn't have been more impressive against Kentucky. He simply does it all. He threw for 256 yards (69 percent completion) for four touchdowns, and rushed for 78 yards and another score."
Heisman Pundit:
1. Tim Tebow
2. Darren McFadden
3. Mike Hart
4. Matt Ryan
What they're saying:
"Tim Tebow is out in front right now. The unique circumstances of this year's race has shaken the Heismandments to their very core. It is looking more and more like he may be the first sophomore to win."</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
The biggest threat to Tebow's brink-of-Heisman-history campaign? In my view, Mike Hart. If the diminutive RB can get back onto the playing field and make things happen for Michigan -- and the Wolverines defeat Ohio State to win the Big Ten -- voters might sigh with relief at some sense of normalcy in a wacky football season, and vote the little fella in.
This has been a good year for SEC candidates. Including Tebow, three Southeastern Conference players are still in contention for the award; the other two are Andre' Woodson and Darren McFadden.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Airing of Grievances vs. Coach Weis: Point/Counterpoint, Part One
By CW Section: Football
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 11:35:12 AM EDT
Point One: Charlie Weis is Doc Rivers of college football coaches, meaning he cannot help but change his line-up with seemingly no rhyme or reason
It's almost surprising more people on the team don't transfer, considering that success is often not rewarded with playing time. While it's possible there are injuries or team rules violations involved, most of the time there's no reasoning given for why Player A gets a lot of time over Player B. There's no consistency to it, and its mind boggling to try and figure out in the stands.
For example, Robert Hughes plays really well against Michigan State while Junior Jabbey helps lead the second half charge against Purdue, yet they've played sparingly the rest of the season. Travis Thomas and Asaph Schwapp have proven to be rather ineffective in their roles, yet we still don't see any of Luke Schmidt on a team that's 1-7. Armando Allen manages to make a dent against Penn State's insanely good linebackers on the first drive of the game, but then disappears to the bench for no apparent reason.
This problem also pops up with the wide receivers, although injury has played a part there with both David Grimes and Golden Tate banged up for various games. Still, DJ Hord or George West will disappear for three quarters, then pop up on a crucial play. Golden Tate will look healthy, get open on a fly route, then sit on the bench the rest of the game. If you play a skill position for the Irish, you probably have no idea what your actual role in the offense is.
The problem may be Weis is predicating a lot of his choices on what happens in practice on a week-to-week basis, ignoring the general trends occurring every game that the fans see. Schwapp might work his ass off in practice, but it doesn't translate to picking up the blitz. While in the NFL some teams have had great success with platoons at their skill positions (the pre-2007 Patriots at wide receiver, the 2005 Steelers and 2006 Colts at running back), in college you just pound the ball to your best players and let them do work. That's why NCAA Football has the impact player feature, because you are supposed to repeatedly get the ball to those players. Perhaps Notre Dame just doesn't have any players who fit the role of go-to guy, but even if they did, they'd probably get rotated out before they could find any consistency.
Note: This theory doesn't really apply to the quarterbacks, because other than the punchless carousel versus Georgia Tech and Sharpley playing the entire game against Southern Cal with Clausen watching on, I've agreed with most of Weis' quarterbacking choices. He's tried to ride the hot hand and switch things up when they weren't working pretty effectively, and this particular rant doesn't apply to the signal-caller.
Counterpoint: Chicken or the Egg?
The point seems to imply that the offense is ineffective because Weis is scrambling his line-ups, but is Weis mixing and matching because the offense is so ineffective?
As far as wide-receivers go, if you stick with a Kamara/Parris/Tate lineup, you're going to have a lot of dropped passes and one guy who can only run a single route. At running back, things were getting consistent before James Aldridge got hurt, which threw the team back into the early September struggle of trying to find a running back. Weis went with Travis Thomas against Southern Cal because he played well against them two years ago, and judging by how the second half was handled, will be pounding the ball with Armando Allen the rest of the way.
Even though some players in certain positions have shown flashes of success, there hasn't been any combination that's led to consistent results in more than a game - or heck, a half - at a time. Weis is still playing with things trying to find something that works by looking at both game results along with practice improvements and injuries we're not aware of.
Point Two: Weis is the worst offensive genius of all-time when it comes to play calling
3rd and short, we throw to a freshman receiver with some hand difficulties.
3rd and five, we throw a route to the flats to a covered fullback who's never really been a receiver in his time at the university.
We run screen after screen when our offensive linemen have proven time and time again that they will not block anyone out in the flat, instead standing around or just running towards a nasty spot of open air.
Despite the fact we started the season with a bunch of good tight ends and question marks at wide receiver, Weis never considered splitting out Carlson, Ragone or Reuland to receiver and leaving Yeatman and another to block. This wasn't tried once, something you'd think an offensive genius would consider.
If you think there's been no consistency to the line-ups, you know there's no consistency to the play-calling. Weis might be rolling dice or flipping coins on 3rd and short, because we're completely incapable of picking them up.
Where's the creativity that managed to spring Darius Walker, a guy with limited speed, so many times for ten-to-fifteen yard gains? Is our offensive line so bad we can't even run draw plays, screens or quick triangle or wheel routes to our backs? Is it a hands problem? Is it a straight up coaching problem? Is a lack of confidence in the offense the only reason we haven't attempted as many "Fourth and mediums near midfield" like we have in years past?
Perhaps the biggest question I have is why we don't run slant routes anymore. In Weis' first two years, then again versus Purdue, slant routes proved to be the most effective pass route. It's a quick drop for the quarterback, meaning the offensive line can be its usual sieve-like self and still not be too big of a liability, while as long as receivers aren't jammed at the line, they can generally get open for a minimal gain that makes the other team have to tackle. Much like not keeping players that are successful in the game, Weis isn't keeping plays that are successful in the front of the playbook.
Counterpoint: Play calling is crippled by a poor line and inexperience skill players
You want to try and run it down the opponent's throats on third or fourth and short whenever our offensive line has proven both disinterested and awful for most of the season? They're perfected the art of giving up a sack or poor run and then standing around looking at one another as if that will start some magical time warp allowing them to repeat their current mistake. If we were running a pure Bill Walsh west coast offense full of three and five-step drops, we still probably would have our quarterback smashed into the ground: that's how bad our offensive line is.
Is the hopelessness of our pass protection and power run blocking Weis' fault? Sure, along with John Latina's failures to coach them up and Tyrone Willingham's decision to just stop recruiting offensive linemen. But this is about play-calling, and given the circumstances - inexperienced quarterback, young receivers that are error prone, nonexistent power running game, limited pass protection to go deep - Weis is playing with the deck stacked against him. He's also gone against some pretty good defenses, so if the play-calling and results stay this bad against the lighter November schedule, I'll agree, but until then, I'll look more at personnel and the failures of Weis the coach instead of simple play-calling.
(Suggestion: Fire up any version of NCAA Football, then play as a really crappy team against a really good team on Heisman. Try to run something that resembles a normal offense. Get back to me.)
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By CW Section: Football
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 11:35:12 AM EDT
Point One: Charlie Weis is Doc Rivers of college football coaches, meaning he cannot help but change his line-up with seemingly no rhyme or reason
It's almost surprising more people on the team don't transfer, considering that success is often not rewarded with playing time. While it's possible there are injuries or team rules violations involved, most of the time there's no reasoning given for why Player A gets a lot of time over Player B. There's no consistency to it, and its mind boggling to try and figure out in the stands.
For example, Robert Hughes plays really well against Michigan State while Junior Jabbey helps lead the second half charge against Purdue, yet they've played sparingly the rest of the season. Travis Thomas and Asaph Schwapp have proven to be rather ineffective in their roles, yet we still don't see any of Luke Schmidt on a team that's 1-7. Armando Allen manages to make a dent against Penn State's insanely good linebackers on the first drive of the game, but then disappears to the bench for no apparent reason.
This problem also pops up with the wide receivers, although injury has played a part there with both David Grimes and Golden Tate banged up for various games. Still, DJ Hord or George West will disappear for three quarters, then pop up on a crucial play. Golden Tate will look healthy, get open on a fly route, then sit on the bench the rest of the game. If you play a skill position for the Irish, you probably have no idea what your actual role in the offense is.
The problem may be Weis is predicating a lot of his choices on what happens in practice on a week-to-week basis, ignoring the general trends occurring every game that the fans see. Schwapp might work his ass off in practice, but it doesn't translate to picking up the blitz. While in the NFL some teams have had great success with platoons at their skill positions (the pre-2007 Patriots at wide receiver, the 2005 Steelers and 2006 Colts at running back), in college you just pound the ball to your best players and let them do work. That's why NCAA Football has the impact player feature, because you are supposed to repeatedly get the ball to those players. Perhaps Notre Dame just doesn't have any players who fit the role of go-to guy, but even if they did, they'd probably get rotated out before they could find any consistency.
Note: This theory doesn't really apply to the quarterbacks, because other than the punchless carousel versus Georgia Tech and Sharpley playing the entire game against Southern Cal with Clausen watching on, I've agreed with most of Weis' quarterbacking choices. He's tried to ride the hot hand and switch things up when they weren't working pretty effectively, and this particular rant doesn't apply to the signal-caller.
Counterpoint: Chicken or the Egg?
The point seems to imply that the offense is ineffective because Weis is scrambling his line-ups, but is Weis mixing and matching because the offense is so ineffective?
As far as wide-receivers go, if you stick with a Kamara/Parris/Tate lineup, you're going to have a lot of dropped passes and one guy who can only run a single route. At running back, things were getting consistent before James Aldridge got hurt, which threw the team back into the early September struggle of trying to find a running back. Weis went with Travis Thomas against Southern Cal because he played well against them two years ago, and judging by how the second half was handled, will be pounding the ball with Armando Allen the rest of the way.
Even though some players in certain positions have shown flashes of success, there hasn't been any combination that's led to consistent results in more than a game - or heck, a half - at a time. Weis is still playing with things trying to find something that works by looking at both game results along with practice improvements and injuries we're not aware of.
Point Two: Weis is the worst offensive genius of all-time when it comes to play calling
3rd and short, we throw to a freshman receiver with some hand difficulties.
3rd and five, we throw a route to the flats to a covered fullback who's never really been a receiver in his time at the university.
We run screen after screen when our offensive linemen have proven time and time again that they will not block anyone out in the flat, instead standing around or just running towards a nasty spot of open air.
Despite the fact we started the season with a bunch of good tight ends and question marks at wide receiver, Weis never considered splitting out Carlson, Ragone or Reuland to receiver and leaving Yeatman and another to block. This wasn't tried once, something you'd think an offensive genius would consider.
If you think there's been no consistency to the line-ups, you know there's no consistency to the play-calling. Weis might be rolling dice or flipping coins on 3rd and short, because we're completely incapable of picking them up.
Where's the creativity that managed to spring Darius Walker, a guy with limited speed, so many times for ten-to-fifteen yard gains? Is our offensive line so bad we can't even run draw plays, screens or quick triangle or wheel routes to our backs? Is it a hands problem? Is it a straight up coaching problem? Is a lack of confidence in the offense the only reason we haven't attempted as many "Fourth and mediums near midfield" like we have in years past?
Perhaps the biggest question I have is why we don't run slant routes anymore. In Weis' first two years, then again versus Purdue, slant routes proved to be the most effective pass route. It's a quick drop for the quarterback, meaning the offensive line can be its usual sieve-like self and still not be too big of a liability, while as long as receivers aren't jammed at the line, they can generally get open for a minimal gain that makes the other team have to tackle. Much like not keeping players that are successful in the game, Weis isn't keeping plays that are successful in the front of the playbook.
Counterpoint: Play calling is crippled by a poor line and inexperience skill players
You want to try and run it down the opponent's throats on third or fourth and short whenever our offensive line has proven both disinterested and awful for most of the season? They're perfected the art of giving up a sack or poor run and then standing around looking at one another as if that will start some magical time warp allowing them to repeat their current mistake. If we were running a pure Bill Walsh west coast offense full of three and five-step drops, we still probably would have our quarterback smashed into the ground: that's how bad our offensive line is.
Is the hopelessness of our pass protection and power run blocking Weis' fault? Sure, along with John Latina's failures to coach them up and Tyrone Willingham's decision to just stop recruiting offensive linemen. But this is about play-calling, and given the circumstances - inexperienced quarterback, young receivers that are error prone, nonexistent power running game, limited pass protection to go deep - Weis is playing with the deck stacked against him. He's also gone against some pretty good defenses, so if the play-calling and results stay this bad against the lighter November schedule, I'll agree, but until then, I'll look more at personnel and the failures of Weis the coach instead of simple play-calling.
(Suggestion: Fire up any version of NCAA Football, then play as a really crappy team against a really good team on Heisman. Try to run something that resembles a normal offense. Get back to me.)
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RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
DAN HAWKINS WILL APPEAR WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY
Dan Hawkins’ blog sounds a bit like the sadly defunct Tressel’s World: an internet Potemkin Village actually constructed by a deranged college football fan with too much time on his/her hands and in the grip of a wicked fascination with home hovercraft technology. We were prepared for disappointment and the inevitable dwindling of the blog to nothing but a final post and sad internet silence.
Yet Coach Dan Hawkins’ blog is not only real–it will fucking change your life, brother. Because Dan Hawkins knows you’re not living life to the fullest, and he’s got the blinding html skills and excerpts from motivational handbooks and half-baked eastern philosophy texts to shoot gallons of metaphysical nitrous into those underperforming cylinders of yours, as evidenced by this awesome screenshot. Be the bow!
He quotes Clint Black at the top, something we’d make fun of if we didn’t earnestly love like at least ten Clint Black songs. That midget can rock, albeit in a countryish, paralyzed on one side of his mouth kind of way. We like to think of Clint Black as what Terry Bowden looks like in his wildest fantasies, where he’s tearing ass on a horse across the Western landscape with Catherine Bach on the back of his saddle and his shirt open to reveal ripped pecs and abs.
But don’t limit him to country, spirit-prison-warden:
Music? I am going with the ole standby, Van Morrison. Again, don’t listen to the top 40 stuff of Brown Eyed Girl. Dig a little deeper, some great soul searching going on there!
Oh, Coach Hawkins. You make us want to curl up on a brown couch in a brown house decorated in various shades of brown, eating fondue, listening to Van Morrison, and just enjoying the mellow vibe of our new, multilevel contemporary house, all soaked in before a drive in the new Audi, maybe a little raquetball at the club, and then a relaxing dip in the hot tub with some Riunite while Gaucho plays in the background.
Dan Hawkins’ blog sounds a bit like the sadly defunct Tressel’s World: an internet Potemkin Village actually constructed by a deranged college football fan with too much time on his/her hands and in the grip of a wicked fascination with home hovercraft technology. We were prepared for disappointment and the inevitable dwindling of the blog to nothing but a final post and sad internet silence.
Yet Coach Dan Hawkins’ blog is not only real–it will fucking change your life, brother. Because Dan Hawkins knows you’re not living life to the fullest, and he’s got the blinding html skills and excerpts from motivational handbooks and half-baked eastern philosophy texts to shoot gallons of metaphysical nitrous into those underperforming cylinders of yours, as evidenced by this awesome screenshot. Be the bow!
He quotes Clint Black at the top, something we’d make fun of if we didn’t earnestly love like at least ten Clint Black songs. That midget can rock, albeit in a countryish, paralyzed on one side of his mouth kind of way. We like to think of Clint Black as what Terry Bowden looks like in his wildest fantasies, where he’s tearing ass on a horse across the Western landscape with Catherine Bach on the back of his saddle and his shirt open to reveal ripped pecs and abs.
But don’t limit him to country, spirit-prison-warden:
Music? I am going with the ole standby, Van Morrison. Again, don’t listen to the top 40 stuff of Brown Eyed Girl. Dig a little deeper, some great soul searching going on there!
Oh, Coach Hawkins. You make us want to curl up on a brown couch in a brown house decorated in various shades of brown, eating fondue, listening to Van Morrison, and just enjoying the mellow vibe of our new, multilevel contemporary house, all soaked in before a drive in the new Audi, maybe a little raquetball at the club, and then a relaxing dip in the hot tub with some Riunite while Gaucho plays in the background.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
LIFE ON THE MARGINS: THE SCORES ARE WHAT WE THOUGHT THEY WERE
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 05:57:26 PM EDT
Well, yeah: the weekly obsessing over statistical anomalies and fringe idiosyncracies hasn't abated in any way, but for the first time this season, it was thwarted by the box scores - the finals adhered to the down-to-down numbers completely this week, eerily so, to an extent that disturbs me more than a little. It's like living in Pleasantville - it's all a little too perfect, too neat, all the stats lining up almost exactly the way their scores would lead you to predict, and any second you feel like you might suddenly find yourself among distressingly happy woodland creatures who turn out to worship Satan. Or something like that.
A world where games are decided on blocking and tackling? You gotta get us outta here...
- - -
The best I can do is suggest that Louisville-UConn, in which both teams benefited from bogus calls and scored on defense or special teams; Florida State-Miami, in which both teams scored defensive touchdowns and had short fields on half of their offensive scores; and Florida-Kentucky, in which neither team had much of a prayer of stopping the other, but all of these games were exactly what their box scores suggested. Kentucky may have outgained and out first-downed Florida by sizable margins, but there is nothing flukey about a win by a team that scores on seven of ten possessions without forcing a turnover. Vanderbilt's gain from turnovers does not negate the Commodores' complete stonewalling of South Carolina's offense all afternoon. North Dakota State did beat Minnesota far more savagely than the statistics suggested; ditto LSU against Auburn in the second half, last second theatrics notwithstanding, and probably also Virginia against Maryland, which produced more to-the-wire drama despite fairly overwhelming statistical advantages for UVA in its second straight one-point win. Still, it takes a special kind of mythological Greek creature to turn the fortune of a game against the grain, and for the first time this year, that mischievous imp took the week off. This really is a crazy season.
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 05:57:26 PM EDT
Well, yeah: the weekly obsessing over statistical anomalies and fringe idiosyncracies hasn't abated in any way, but for the first time this season, it was thwarted by the box scores - the finals adhered to the down-to-down numbers completely this week, eerily so, to an extent that disturbs me more than a little. It's like living in Pleasantville - it's all a little too perfect, too neat, all the stats lining up almost exactly the way their scores would lead you to predict, and any second you feel like you might suddenly find yourself among distressingly happy woodland creatures who turn out to worship Satan. Or something like that.
A world where games are decided on blocking and tackling? You gotta get us outta here...
- - -
The best I can do is suggest that Louisville-UConn, in which both teams benefited from bogus calls and scored on defense or special teams; Florida State-Miami, in which both teams scored defensive touchdowns and had short fields on half of their offensive scores; and Florida-Kentucky, in which neither team had much of a prayer of stopping the other, but all of these games were exactly what their box scores suggested. Kentucky may have outgained and out first-downed Florida by sizable margins, but there is nothing flukey about a win by a team that scores on seven of ten possessions without forcing a turnover. Vanderbilt's gain from turnovers does not negate the Commodores' complete stonewalling of South Carolina's offense all afternoon. North Dakota State did beat Minnesota far more savagely than the statistics suggested; ditto LSU against Auburn in the second half, last second theatrics notwithstanding, and probably also Virginia against Maryland, which produced more to-the-wire drama despite fairly overwhelming statistical advantages for UVA in its second straight one-point win. Still, it takes a special kind of mythological Greek creature to turn the fortune of a game against the grain, and for the first time this year, that mischievous imp took the week off. This really is a crazy season.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
A HALF-FORMED HYPOTHESIS CONCERNING VIRGINIA'S OTHERWISE BIZARRE 7-1 START
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 01:49:51 PM EDT
The NFL invasion of the collegiate wilderness has not fared spectacularly well. Sturdy, conservative men of sructure, professionalism and unlimited practice time have, by and large, circled along the same winding hallways back to the coaching pink slip lobby, where they'll fill out the paperwork and be assigned a nice coordinator position somewhere, probably with that guy, that old G.A., what's his name, caught on somehow out in wherever.
Where you headed next year? I hear the Titans may be in the market for a linebackers coach.
- - -
The most cited current member of the slumming ex-pros, Pete Carroll, is usually held as an example of how much easier it is to succeed in college. In reality, though, he's proven a high profile exception, an example that collegiate success isn't lesser success; it's just different. Carroll succeeds with younger players by rejecting the stale, business-like "No Fun" mantra: teenagers want to play for hyperactives who openly whoop on the sideline, hold freewheeling touch football games at open workouts on opponents' fields and pretend to throw star players from the tops of buildings far more than they do scowling maestros of risk aversion. Steve Spurrier's folksy subversion belongs in the SEC; even Nick Saban (who was not bad in the NFL, and has a long background there) couldn't endure the pre-packaged soul-suck of Sunday afternoons. What has curmudgeonly, Belichickian stoicism wrought for Carroll's contemporaries? Bill Callahan - who, as he'll remind you, coached a team to the Super Bowl (and was widely favored to win it) - inherited the most collegiate of offensive schemes at a program two years removed from a mythical championship appearance and zero years removed from ten wins under disgraced Frank Solich, instituted the philosophy and system that had dominated the League and produced its MVP, and in just four short, mystique-crushing years has delivered the worst two single seasons at Nebraska in half a century. Dave Wannstedt, captain of multiple playoff teams with two different franchises, has deftly guided Pittsburgh to a 14-16 record and zero bowl berths on the heels of a Big East championship and BCS bid the year before his arrival - the ex-defensive coordinator's defenses at Pitt have ranked 94th, 107th and 54th nationally against the run and can't stop an archaic triple option run by sub-I-A talent (or any kind of option, really. Why won't those damn rag-armed quarterbacks stand still like Bledsoe?). Chan Gailey's middle-seeking blah has produced the same perpetual 58.3 percent blah it did with the Cowboys, who appreciated Wild Card playoff losses like Georgia Tech appreciates six consecutive trips to the Emerald Bowl. Charlie Weis' offense was productive against bad defenses and when it was most aggressive against better ones, liberally pushing fourth down attempts in direct defiance of the punt-first mindset in the pros, but now verges on becoming the single worst of all time. Ron Zook coordinated one of the top five defenses in the NFL in 2000, and six years later was watching his successor at Florida, late of Bowling Green and Utah, hoist a crystal ball with a vastly better defense and an offense his detractors didn't even think could function in the big, bad SEC. Sylvester Croom's stab at implementing the "West Coast" at Mississippi State has proved an unmitigated disaster. Longtime Jets and Chiefs defensive coordinator Greg Robinson immediately ran perennially competitive Syracuse into the ground with consistently horrible efforts in every phase. Tim Brewster at Minnesota...my god, Tim Brewster. With the exception of Zook, who's already been fired once, there is no reasonable expectation that any of these coaches will be employed at his current school by the start of the 2009 season.
And then...and then there's Al Groh, an intensely unpleasant, frowning man cut from the same dour Parcellian cloth as Belichick, who by all rights should be the patron saint of the foregoing damned. His initial hotness at Virginia, born of a rapid, Continental Tire Bowl-capped turnaround in 2002 and 2003, fizzled into diminished returns and looked prone to wither and blow away in the wind with UVA's 110th-ranked offense after a 5-7 finish last year that was every bit as dismal as the record implies. And if you gave me one coach on Sept. 2 of this year to nominate for the inevitable axe, after his team's absolutely woeful, 100-yard, three-point disgrace at Wyoming, of all places, I would have given you Groh.
Since then, his team has managed to win seven games in a row, four of them in ACC play, by the following margins:
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(192, 192, 192) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Opponent</td> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Score</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Duke</td> <td align="left">(1-6)</td> <td align="center">24-13</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">North Carolina</td> <td align="left">(2-5)</td> <td align="center">22-20</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Georgia Tech</td> <td align="left">(5-3)</td> <td align="center">28-23</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pittsburgh</td> <td align="left">(3-4)</td> <td align="center">44-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Middle Tennessee</td> <td align="left">(3-5)</td> <td align="center">23-21</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Connecticut</td> <td align="left">(6-1)</td> <td align="center">17-16</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Maryland</td> <td align="left">(4-3)</td> <td align="center">18-17</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Four wins by two points or less, five by a touchdown or less. If you're wondering what happened against Pittsburgh, I can only point to a) Wannstedt, as previously stated, and b) a 27-point first quarter as the result of, partially, a failed onside kick by Pitt to open the game (see "a"), a Panther fumble on a kickoff at its own 26 and another 21-yard drive set up by a big punt return. Pittsburgh, coached by another NFL retread and quarterbacked by a true freshman, is not designed to survive in that scenario.
Virginia, however, appears to be specifically designed to survive close games in the parity-driven mashup that is the post-Florida State ACC (we can all agree FSU, 4-10 in conference games since late 2005, is not the driving force it was when it was in the process of going 70-2 from 1993-2000, and no other team has filled the vacuum, right?), and in that context, maybe Groh is a perfect fit. Virginia only outscores opponents by about four points per game, and only outgains them by 12 yards, but that translates to a very solid defense (21st in total and scoring) and an offense that only does what it needs to do - the Cavaliers currently rank 101st in total offense and 89th in scoring, but since the opener have the most eerily consistent offense in the country (within a 50-yard window between 324-374 yards in every game prior to last week's more prolific effort against Maryland) and has produced the winning points in the fourth quarter of all five single-digit wins, usually coming from behind:
Real coaches never smile. They just point and swear.
- - -
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 01:49:51 PM EDT
The NFL invasion of the collegiate wilderness has not fared spectacularly well. Sturdy, conservative men of sructure, professionalism and unlimited practice time have, by and large, circled along the same winding hallways back to the coaching pink slip lobby, where they'll fill out the paperwork and be assigned a nice coordinator position somewhere, probably with that guy, that old G.A., what's his name, caught on somehow out in wherever.
Where you headed next year? I hear the Titans may be in the market for a linebackers coach.
- - -
The most cited current member of the slumming ex-pros, Pete Carroll, is usually held as an example of how much easier it is to succeed in college. In reality, though, he's proven a high profile exception, an example that collegiate success isn't lesser success; it's just different. Carroll succeeds with younger players by rejecting the stale, business-like "No Fun" mantra: teenagers want to play for hyperactives who openly whoop on the sideline, hold freewheeling touch football games at open workouts on opponents' fields and pretend to throw star players from the tops of buildings far more than they do scowling maestros of risk aversion. Steve Spurrier's folksy subversion belongs in the SEC; even Nick Saban (who was not bad in the NFL, and has a long background there) couldn't endure the pre-packaged soul-suck of Sunday afternoons. What has curmudgeonly, Belichickian stoicism wrought for Carroll's contemporaries? Bill Callahan - who, as he'll remind you, coached a team to the Super Bowl (and was widely favored to win it) - inherited the most collegiate of offensive schemes at a program two years removed from a mythical championship appearance and zero years removed from ten wins under disgraced Frank Solich, instituted the philosophy and system that had dominated the League and produced its MVP, and in just four short, mystique-crushing years has delivered the worst two single seasons at Nebraska in half a century. Dave Wannstedt, captain of multiple playoff teams with two different franchises, has deftly guided Pittsburgh to a 14-16 record and zero bowl berths on the heels of a Big East championship and BCS bid the year before his arrival - the ex-defensive coordinator's defenses at Pitt have ranked 94th, 107th and 54th nationally against the run and can't stop an archaic triple option run by sub-I-A talent (or any kind of option, really. Why won't those damn rag-armed quarterbacks stand still like Bledsoe?). Chan Gailey's middle-seeking blah has produced the same perpetual 58.3 percent blah it did with the Cowboys, who appreciated Wild Card playoff losses like Georgia Tech appreciates six consecutive trips to the Emerald Bowl. Charlie Weis' offense was productive against bad defenses and when it was most aggressive against better ones, liberally pushing fourth down attempts in direct defiance of the punt-first mindset in the pros, but now verges on becoming the single worst of all time. Ron Zook coordinated one of the top five defenses in the NFL in 2000, and six years later was watching his successor at Florida, late of Bowling Green and Utah, hoist a crystal ball with a vastly better defense and an offense his detractors didn't even think could function in the big, bad SEC. Sylvester Croom's stab at implementing the "West Coast" at Mississippi State has proved an unmitigated disaster. Longtime Jets and Chiefs defensive coordinator Greg Robinson immediately ran perennially competitive Syracuse into the ground with consistently horrible efforts in every phase. Tim Brewster at Minnesota...my god, Tim Brewster. With the exception of Zook, who's already been fired once, there is no reasonable expectation that any of these coaches will be employed at his current school by the start of the 2009 season.
And then...and then there's Al Groh, an intensely unpleasant, frowning man cut from the same dour Parcellian cloth as Belichick, who by all rights should be the patron saint of the foregoing damned. His initial hotness at Virginia, born of a rapid, Continental Tire Bowl-capped turnaround in 2002 and 2003, fizzled into diminished returns and looked prone to wither and blow away in the wind with UVA's 110th-ranked offense after a 5-7 finish last year that was every bit as dismal as the record implies. And if you gave me one coach on Sept. 2 of this year to nominate for the inevitable axe, after his team's absolutely woeful, 100-yard, three-point disgrace at Wyoming, of all places, I would have given you Groh.
Since then, his team has managed to win seven games in a row, four of them in ACC play, by the following margins:
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(192, 192, 192) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Opponent</td> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Score</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Duke</td> <td align="left">(1-6)</td> <td align="center">24-13</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">North Carolina</td> <td align="left">(2-5)</td> <td align="center">22-20</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Georgia Tech</td> <td align="left">(5-3)</td> <td align="center">28-23</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pittsburgh</td> <td align="left">(3-4)</td> <td align="center">44-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Middle Tennessee</td> <td align="left">(3-5)</td> <td align="center">23-21</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Connecticut</td> <td align="left">(6-1)</td> <td align="center">17-16</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Maryland</td> <td align="left">(4-3)</td> <td align="center">18-17</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Four wins by two points or less, five by a touchdown or less. If you're wondering what happened against Pittsburgh, I can only point to a) Wannstedt, as previously stated, and b) a 27-point first quarter as the result of, partially, a failed onside kick by Pitt to open the game (see "a"), a Panther fumble on a kickoff at its own 26 and another 21-yard drive set up by a big punt return. Pittsburgh, coached by another NFL retread and quarterbacked by a true freshman, is not designed to survive in that scenario.
Virginia, however, appears to be specifically designed to survive close games in the parity-driven mashup that is the post-Florida State ACC (we can all agree FSU, 4-10 in conference games since late 2005, is not the driving force it was when it was in the process of going 70-2 from 1993-2000, and no other team has filled the vacuum, right?), and in that context, maybe Groh is a perfect fit. Virginia only outscores opponents by about four points per game, and only outgains them by 12 yards, but that translates to a very solid defense (21st in total and scoring) and an offense that only does what it needs to do - the Cavaliers currently rank 101st in total offense and 89th in scoring, but since the opener have the most eerily consistent offense in the country (within a 50-yard window between 324-374 yards in every game prior to last week's more prolific effort against Maryland) and has produced the winning points in the fourth quarter of all five single-digit wins, usually coming from behind:
Real coaches never smile. They just point and swear.
- - -
- • at North Carolina: Virginia did lead entering the fourth quarter here, 19-14, and eventually won on a field goal with nine minutes left that had to challenged on the word of UVA ball boys. The kick put the Cavs up 22-14, which held when the defense stopped UNC's tying two-point attempt with 1:57 to play. • Georgia Tech: Virginia mounts two long touchdown drives early and returns an interception for 21-7 lead out of the gate, but goes into a hole offensively and trails late, 23-21. Tech bails the Cavs out by fumbling a punt at its own 26, setting up a short field, go-ahead touchdown that held over the last nine minutes amid a barrage of incomplete passes by Taylor Bennett.
• at Middle Tennessee State: Down 21-20 after a Raider interception led to a one-yard scoring drive midway through the fourth, the Cavs drive 63 yards in the final 1:26 to kick the winning field goal with eight seconds on the clock.
• UConn: Virginia drives 79 yards to go up 18-17 with a little over three minutes to play, then forces a fumble on the Huskies' last realistic drive.
• at Maryland: The Terps do zip on offense but lead 17-12 entering the fourth quarter after a UVA safety to close the third. The lead holds until the Cavs take over their own ten and march 90 yards on 15 plays, taking half a quarter off the clock and scoring the winning touchdown on a one-yard run with 16 seconds to play.
- - -
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Tweedle-What? Excuse Me, I Can't Hear You PB
by HornsFan Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 02:02:04 PM EDT
What happens when you replace Aaron Ross with Ryan Palmer, Tarrell Brown with Brandon Foster, Michael Griffin with his younger brother, and Marcus Griffin with Erick Jackson?
Improvement!
Though we noted before the season that Texas' pass defense was tremendously likely to improve (nowhere to go but up, regression to the mean, etc), the improvement - at least statistically - has been better than expected, especially considering the change in personnel.
How much better has the '07 pass defense been? Take a look at the cumulative numbers:
The difference is stark; most notably, Texas has successfully avoided giving up the big pass plays this season. Once more, context counts, so let's take a minute to look at how Texas' opponents perform in the passing game overall.
(The text and numbers in red represent Texas' future 2007 opponents; the average in red at the bottom of the table what Texas' opponent averages will be with future opponents' ratings and ranks included.)
Though Texas' pass defense has improved statistically from a season ago, it's thus far been against relatively less competent passing teams. And, looking at Texas' upcoming opponents, the stiffest tests are yet to come; only A&M provides an opponent with a subpar passing game.
Conclusion? Though Texas hasn't faced much elite passing competition this year (Oklahoma excluded), the significant statistical improvement is a welcome development. Best of all, the secondary has steadily improved as this season has progressed. Deon Beasley, who struggled in the earliest games of the season, had a fantastic game against Baylor and is looking more and more each week like a legitimate starter. Ryan Palmer has been outstanding all season long (in run support, too). Brandon Foster's been picked on at times, but he played mostly terrific football against both Iowa State and Baylor.
Even more encouraging, the weakest link in the secondary has been Erick Jackson, who may have been demoted during the Baylor game after continued ineffectiveness. In limited time, Ishie Oduegwu looked like an immediate upgrade at free safety.
Credit must go to the man who also must endure the criticisms - Duane Akina. Though the starting linebackers have been subpar and the blitzing schemes too often reckless and without good design, the numbers don't lie: Akina's done a very nice job working this secondary into an effective unit. As Texas continues to usher out the KBD era and moves further into the Kindle-Norton-Muckelroy era, the defense should continue to improve.
We'll hold the champagne until we see how Texas finishes the season, but it's so far so good for the pass defense in 2007.
by HornsFan Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 02:02:04 PM EDT
What happens when you replace Aaron Ross with Ryan Palmer, Tarrell Brown with Brandon Foster, Michael Griffin with his younger brother, and Marcus Griffin with Erick Jackson?
Improvement!
Though we noted before the season that Texas' pass defense was tremendously likely to improve (nowhere to go but up, regression to the mean, etc), the improvement - at least statistically - has been better than expected, especially considering the change in personnel.
How much better has the '07 pass defense been? Take a look at the cumulative numbers:
The difference is stark; most notably, Texas has successfully avoided giving up the big pass plays this season. Once more, context counts, so let's take a minute to look at how Texas' opponents perform in the passing game overall.
(The text and numbers in red represent Texas' future 2007 opponents; the average in red at the bottom of the table what Texas' opponent averages will be with future opponents' ratings and ranks included.)
Though Texas' pass defense has improved statistically from a season ago, it's thus far been against relatively less competent passing teams. And, looking at Texas' upcoming opponents, the stiffest tests are yet to come; only A&M provides an opponent with a subpar passing game.
Conclusion? Though Texas hasn't faced much elite passing competition this year (Oklahoma excluded), the significant statistical improvement is a welcome development. Best of all, the secondary has steadily improved as this season has progressed. Deon Beasley, who struggled in the earliest games of the season, had a fantastic game against Baylor and is looking more and more each week like a legitimate starter. Ryan Palmer has been outstanding all season long (in run support, too). Brandon Foster's been picked on at times, but he played mostly terrific football against both Iowa State and Baylor.
Even more encouraging, the weakest link in the secondary has been Erick Jackson, who may have been demoted during the Baylor game after continued ineffectiveness. In limited time, Ishie Oduegwu looked like an immediate upgrade at free safety.
Credit must go to the man who also must endure the criticisms - Duane Akina. Though the starting linebackers have been subpar and the blitzing schemes too often reckless and without good design, the numbers don't lie: Akina's done a very nice job working this secondary into an effective unit. As Texas continues to usher out the KBD era and moves further into the Kindle-Norton-Muckelroy era, the defense should continue to improve.
We'll hold the champagne until we see how Texas finishes the season, but it's so far so good for the pass defense in 2007.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
BODY COUNT, BODY COUNT: WEEK EIGHT
The Body Count for week eight of college football season grows long and fearsome. Tread lightly.
–Tim Tebow is “banged up,” a medical term of great vagueness. It’s his right shoulder, his non-throwing one and the very same one diagnosed by Dr. Gary Danielson on the broadcast. At the rate Danielson’s been making accurate snap calls as the color guy on CBS, we predict that any and all premonitions of the rapture made by him will be one hundred percent accurate. If heard, immediately repent.
–Georgia RB Thomas Brown (collarbone) and Kregg Lumpkin (knee) are both out against Florida. Fortunately, Knowshon Moreno’s been running countertops, so he’s ready, fit, and itching to play.
–Addition! Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice will miss the November 1st game against Virginia Tech following knee surgery today (Thanks, Asim!). Quoth Chan Gailey: “I’m not getting fired. I’m being ‘voluntarily transitioned’.”
–Nebraska, already taking on water through gaping torpedo holes, takes a few more just below the mizzenmast with linebacker Blake Lawrence (ankle) defensive lineman Brandon Johnson, center Brett Byford, and linebacker Bo Ruud (10/22, knee) all questionable for Saturday’s game against Texas.
–The North Carolina Tarheels’ Tackle Andre Barbour and cornerback Jermaine Strong suffer injuries of the disciplinary sort, Barbour for weed-related infractions and Strong for “undisclosed reasons.” (Stealing precious gems from impenetrable vaults? Trafficking in exotic animals? Cutting the heads off parking meters?) Both will miss this Saturday’s game due to suspensions. Brandon Tate is probable following some noggin trouble of the concussed variety.
–Notre Dame running back James Aldridge is questionable for the game against Navy due to a sprained ankle and crushed spirit.
–Ohio State tackle Todd Denlinger is questionable with a leg injury for Penn State, along with linebacker Ross Homan (toe).
–Oklahoma State has someone on defense injured. Doesn’t really matter, does it?
–West Virginia will be going for the hands, as Rutgers qb Mike Teel’s right hand is bruised and has him probable for the WVU game.
–South Florida gets thinner on the line as starting tackle Walter Walker is out indefinitely with an MCL sprain against UConn.
–Tennessee receivers Josh Briscoe and Lucas Taylor are both sidelined by concussions to their toes. We mean, a toe injury and a concussion, respectively. Though we’re sure a toe concussion, if possible, would hurt with the fire of a thousand burning stars.
–UCLA’s middle of the defense is just done plain flat-out jacked-up, so injured only Cletus-ian parlance can describe it.
–Virginia Tech corner Victor “Macho” Harris is probable for VT’s Thursday nighter against Boston College. He’ll play because, you know. He’s Macho.
–Most intriguing injury of the week: Noel Devine may miss Saturday’s game against Rutgers due to “personal issues.”
The Body Count for week eight of college football season grows long and fearsome. Tread lightly.
–Tim Tebow is “banged up,” a medical term of great vagueness. It’s his right shoulder, his non-throwing one and the very same one diagnosed by Dr. Gary Danielson on the broadcast. At the rate Danielson’s been making accurate snap calls as the color guy on CBS, we predict that any and all premonitions of the rapture made by him will be one hundred percent accurate. If heard, immediately repent.
–Georgia RB Thomas Brown (collarbone) and Kregg Lumpkin (knee) are both out against Florida. Fortunately, Knowshon Moreno’s been running countertops, so he’s ready, fit, and itching to play.
–Addition! Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice will miss the November 1st game against Virginia Tech following knee surgery today (Thanks, Asim!). Quoth Chan Gailey: “I’m not getting fired. I’m being ‘voluntarily transitioned’.”
–Nebraska, already taking on water through gaping torpedo holes, takes a few more just below the mizzenmast with linebacker Blake Lawrence (ankle) defensive lineman Brandon Johnson, center Brett Byford, and linebacker Bo Ruud (10/22, knee) all questionable for Saturday’s game against Texas.
–The North Carolina Tarheels’ Tackle Andre Barbour and cornerback Jermaine Strong suffer injuries of the disciplinary sort, Barbour for weed-related infractions and Strong for “undisclosed reasons.” (Stealing precious gems from impenetrable vaults? Trafficking in exotic animals? Cutting the heads off parking meters?) Both will miss this Saturday’s game due to suspensions. Brandon Tate is probable following some noggin trouble of the concussed variety.
–Notre Dame running back James Aldridge is questionable for the game against Navy due to a sprained ankle and crushed spirit.
–Ohio State tackle Todd Denlinger is questionable with a leg injury for Penn State, along with linebacker Ross Homan (toe).
–Oklahoma State has someone on defense injured. Doesn’t really matter, does it?
–West Virginia will be going for the hands, as Rutgers qb Mike Teel’s right hand is bruised and has him probable for the WVU game.
–South Florida gets thinner on the line as starting tackle Walter Walker is out indefinitely with an MCL sprain against UConn.
–Tennessee receivers Josh Briscoe and Lucas Taylor are both sidelined by concussions to their toes. We mean, a toe injury and a concussion, respectively. Though we’re sure a toe concussion, if possible, would hurt with the fire of a thousand burning stars.
–UCLA’s middle of the defense is just done plain flat-out jacked-up, so injured only Cletus-ian parlance can describe it.
–Virginia Tech corner Victor “Macho” Harris is probable for VT’s Thursday nighter against Boston College. He’ll play because, you know. He’s Macho.
–Most intriguing injury of the week: Noel Devine may miss Saturday’s game against Rutgers due to “personal issues.”
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Comparing Willingham & Weis
<script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-0237893561790135"; google_alternate_color = "ffffff"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "300x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; //2007-06-19: entries google_ad_channel = "0603066557"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "003399"; google_color_text = "333333"; google_color_url = "999999"; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><iframe name="google_ads_frame" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-0237893561790135&dt=1193178347000&lmt=1193178346&alt_color=ffffff&format=300x250_as&output=html&correlator=1193178346984&google_ad_channel=0603066557&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanblogs.com%2Fnotre_dame%2F007231.php&color_bg=FFFFFF&color_text=333333&color_link=003399&color_url=999999&color_border=FFFFFF&ad_type=text_image&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&cc=100&ga_vid=205624789.1193178347&ga_sid=1193178347&ga_hid=305638231&ga_fc=true&flash=9&u_h=768&u_w=1280&u_ah=738&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_tz=-420&u_his=1&u_java=true&u_nplug=26&u_nmime=104" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" width="300"></iframe> Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury's blog looks at a comparison of former Notre Dame head coach Ty Willingham against current Irish head coach Charlie Weis through 33 games.
The results? Well, judge for yourself.
Wilner goes on to note that Weis is making his mark upon the Notre Dame football history books:
Jeff Carroll of the South Bend Tribune asks where's the progress?
But Carroll will have none of it.
2004 (this year's seniors) ... Rivals #32 ... ranked ahead of Texas Tech. South Carolina. Wisconsin. Virginia Tech. South Florida. Kentucky. West Virginia. Illinois. How is it even possible that these teams can put a winner on the field and Notre Dame -- who out recruited them -- cannot. How?
2005... (this year's juniors) ... Rivals #40 ... combined Willingham/Weis class ... ranked ahead of Kansas. Boston College. South Florida. Rutgers. Illinois. Again, how is it possible for these teams to be contending for conference/national championships, and yet Notre Dame cannot win a game to save their lives?
Charlie Weis is an outstanding offensive mind - without question - but he is failing as a head coach.
There is nothing in his resume to suggest that Weis is capable of developing talent. He certainly didn't have to develop players in the NFL, just show them the plays, tweak here & there, and collect the trophies. But now - with his team needing it the most - Weis is not developing talent at Notre Dame.
Good recruits are coming into the Notre Dame system and - but for their own inner passion to excel - languishing under Weis. There is no such thing as marked improvement, it is simply a transaction with Weis. It almost as if the recruits are NFL free agents, signing with the team and then expected to use their talents to improve the team. There's nothing to suggest that Weis is actually taking a player from one level and ELEVATING his game to the next level. And this is Weis's Achilles' heel - he isn't developing players.
If the powers that be at Notre Dame don't recognize this fundamental weakness (or weakness in fundamentals, to be more exact), then Notre Dame will continue to languish.
<script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-0237893561790135"; google_alternate_color = "ffffff"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "300x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; //2007-06-19: entries google_ad_channel = "0603066557"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "003399"; google_color_text = "333333"; google_color_url = "999999"; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><iframe name="google_ads_frame" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-0237893561790135&dt=1193178347000&lmt=1193178346&alt_color=ffffff&format=300x250_as&output=html&correlator=1193178346984&google_ad_channel=0603066557&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanblogs.com%2Fnotre_dame%2F007231.php&color_bg=FFFFFF&color_text=333333&color_link=003399&color_url=999999&color_border=FFFFFF&ad_type=text_image&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&cc=100&ga_vid=205624789.1193178347&ga_sid=1193178347&ga_hid=305638231&ga_fc=true&flash=9&u_h=768&u_w=1280&u_ah=738&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_tz=-420&u_his=1&u_java=true&u_nplug=26&u_nmime=104" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" width="300"></iframe> Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury's blog looks at a comparison of former Notre Dame head coach Ty Willingham against current Irish head coach Charlie Weis through 33 games.
The results? Well, judge for yourself.
***Record through 33 games Willingham: 20-13
Weis: 20-13
***Record vs USC
Willingham: 0-3
Weis: 0-3
***Point differential vs USC
Willingham: -93
Weis: -61
***Record vs. Michigan
Willingham: 2-1
Weis: 1-2
***Point differential vs. Michigan
Willingham: -28
Weis: -57
***Record vs. ranked opponents
Willingham: 7-8
Weis: 4-8 with no ranked opponents left
(Numbers based on rankings listed in the UND media guide for 2002-2006)
***Losses by 20 points or more
Willingham: 8 in 36 games
Weis: 7 in 33 games
***Losses by 30 points or more
Willingham: 5 in 36 games
Weis: 3 in 33 games
It's hard to see a clear favorite there - seems pretty close. Of course, Willingham was fired by the Irish, so that can't bode well for Weis, can it? Weis: 20-13
***Record vs USC
Willingham: 0-3
Weis: 0-3
***Point differential vs USC
Willingham: -93
Weis: -61
***Record vs. Michigan
Willingham: 2-1
Weis: 1-2
***Point differential vs. Michigan
Willingham: -28
Weis: -57
***Record vs. ranked opponents
Willingham: 7-8
Weis: 4-8 with no ranked opponents left
(Numbers based on rankings listed in the UND media guide for 2002-2006)
***Losses by 20 points or more
Willingham: 8 in 36 games
Weis: 7 in 33 games
***Losses by 30 points or more
Willingham: 5 in 36 games
Weis: 3 in 33 games
Wilner goes on to note that Weis is making his mark upon the Notre Dame football history books:
* Worst opening-day loss ever (33-3 to Georgia Tech) * Worst start ever (0-5)
* Worst loss to USC (38-0)
* Worst home loss in 51 year (38-0 to USC)
Oh, and don’t forget the seven-game losing streak and those five consecutive 20-point losses, both of which date to last season.
The Irish Kool-Aid crowd would say this is "too close to call", but I'll go out on that limb anyway -- by every standard of Notre Dame football, the Charlie Weis experiment has been a failure. * Worst loss to USC (38-0)
* Worst home loss in 51 year (38-0 to USC)
Oh, and don’t forget the seven-game losing streak and those five consecutive 20-point losses, both of which date to last season.
Jeff Carroll of the South Bend Tribune asks where's the progress?
During Tyrone Willingham's short era on the Irish sideline, people were practically throwing themselves off the Golden Dome after three consecutive 31-point defeats to the Trojans. So how, then, does 38 do you?
Notre Dame was officially eliminated from bowl contention on Saturday, as if there was much doubt. The Irish have lost nine of the last 10 games they've played, by an average of more than 24 points a shot. And let's call the one victory, at UCLA two weeks ago, what it was in light of what we've seen since -- a fluke.
The offense is the worst in the country in nearly every statistical category. And if you've watched enough, you know statistics don't even do the ineptitude justice. Isn't offense supposed to be Weis' specialty? Weren't we all, according to Weis himself, going to see how USC coach Pete Carroll managed once it was "Xs and O's time"?
...
Losses have mounted and three players have transferred out of Notre Dame. A fourth, offensive lineman Chris Stewart, gave the idea serious consideration.
And how did Weis respond to the ongoing exodus last week? By saying publicly that, essentially, backups aren't important to him anyway.
At least he's honest. With Weis fielding a veteran team the last two seasons, he made no real effort to get his youngsters ready. He doesn't see beyond the next game. He's said it himself.
Well now the next game is Navy. And if Weis thinks people have been having fun at his expense now ...
The Weis-lovers would have you believe that -- thirty three games into the Weis era -- that the losses are still Willingham's fault. Some of the players are Ty's recruits, after all. Notre Dame was officially eliminated from bowl contention on Saturday, as if there was much doubt. The Irish have lost nine of the last 10 games they've played, by an average of more than 24 points a shot. And let's call the one victory, at UCLA two weeks ago, what it was in light of what we've seen since -- a fluke.
The offense is the worst in the country in nearly every statistical category. And if you've watched enough, you know statistics don't even do the ineptitude justice. Isn't offense supposed to be Weis' specialty? Weren't we all, according to Weis himself, going to see how USC coach Pete Carroll managed once it was "Xs and O's time"?
...
Losses have mounted and three players have transferred out of Notre Dame. A fourth, offensive lineman Chris Stewart, gave the idea serious consideration.
And how did Weis respond to the ongoing exodus last week? By saying publicly that, essentially, backups aren't important to him anyway.
At least he's honest. With Weis fielding a veteran team the last two seasons, he made no real effort to get his youngsters ready. He doesn't see beyond the next game. He's said it himself.
Well now the next game is Navy. And if Weis thinks people have been having fun at his expense now ...
But Carroll will have none of it.
In 2004, Willingham brought in a class, the current seniors, that was ranked No. 32 by Rivals.com. Not acceptable by Notre Dame's standards, that's true. But among the schools ranked behind the Irish that year: Texas Tech. South Carolina. Wisconsin. Virginia Tech. South Florida. Kentucky. West Virginia. Illinois.
Recognize any of those programs? They all seem to have recovered nicely.
Willingham gets a lot of the blame for the '05 class, as well, the current ND juniors. He was fired late in that recruiting cycle, and part of the reason was because of the haul he was assembling, a class that Weis would salvage and that Rivals would rank 40th. Again, not acceptable in South Bend.
But how about a look at a small sampling of the programs ranked behind the Irish that year by the recruiting prognosticators? Kansas. Boston College. South Florida -- again. Rutgers. Illinois -- again.
This isn't to say that Notre Dame should be putting a national championship-caliber team on the field this season. The upper classes certainly do leave much to be desired. But there is no excuse -- none, nada -- for 1-7. For 48 yards on 30 carries, eight games in. For 39 sacks allowed in eight contests, already a school record and counting.
OUTSTANDING POINTS by Carroll and I want to spend just a moment here, because it is often just thrown out there as presumption that Willingham left the cupboard bare. Recognize any of those programs? They all seem to have recovered nicely.
Willingham gets a lot of the blame for the '05 class, as well, the current ND juniors. He was fired late in that recruiting cycle, and part of the reason was because of the haul he was assembling, a class that Weis would salvage and that Rivals would rank 40th. Again, not acceptable in South Bend.
But how about a look at a small sampling of the programs ranked behind the Irish that year by the recruiting prognosticators? Kansas. Boston College. South Florida -- again. Rutgers. Illinois -- again.
This isn't to say that Notre Dame should be putting a national championship-caliber team on the field this season. The upper classes certainly do leave much to be desired. But there is no excuse -- none, nada -- for 1-7. For 48 yards on 30 carries, eight games in. For 39 sacks allowed in eight contests, already a school record and counting.
2004 (this year's seniors) ... Rivals #32 ... ranked ahead of Texas Tech. South Carolina. Wisconsin. Virginia Tech. South Florida. Kentucky. West Virginia. Illinois. How is it even possible that these teams can put a winner on the field and Notre Dame -- who out recruited them -- cannot. How?
2005... (this year's juniors) ... Rivals #40 ... combined Willingham/Weis class ... ranked ahead of Kansas. Boston College. South Florida. Rutgers. Illinois. Again, how is it possible for these teams to be contending for conference/national championships, and yet Notre Dame cannot win a game to save their lives?
Charlie Weis is an outstanding offensive mind - without question - but he is failing as a head coach.
There is nothing in his resume to suggest that Weis is capable of developing talent. He certainly didn't have to develop players in the NFL, just show them the plays, tweak here & there, and collect the trophies. But now - with his team needing it the most - Weis is not developing talent at Notre Dame.
Good recruits are coming into the Notre Dame system and - but for their own inner passion to excel - languishing under Weis. There is no such thing as marked improvement, it is simply a transaction with Weis. It almost as if the recruits are NFL free agents, signing with the team and then expected to use their talents to improve the team. There's nothing to suggest that Weis is actually taking a player from one level and ELEVATING his game to the next level. And this is Weis's Achilles' heel - he isn't developing players.
If the powers that be at Notre Dame don't recognize this fundamental weakness (or weakness in fundamentals, to be more exact), then Notre Dame will continue to languish.
Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
RJ - Everything OK with you in SD?
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
DMAC--Yeah, looking alot better today. Fireline went as far west as Rancho Santa Fe village, about 5 miles away.
I've been at home seeing what the fire does. Monday morning was scary because the winds were just so strong Sunday night and Monday morning that fire officials said that they thought the fire would burn to the coast before it could be contained. Monday afternoon the winds slowed down and decreased overnight.
This morning the winds were calm and actually a little bit onshore, so that helped out. Air quality has also improved a little bit.
Everything is closed for the most part this week (courts, local government, etc), but I plan on being in the office tomorrow unless things change and our place gets threatened.
Thank you for asking.
I've been at home seeing what the fire does. Monday morning was scary because the winds were just so strong Sunday night and Monday morning that fire officials said that they thought the fire would burn to the coast before it could be contained. Monday afternoon the winds slowed down and decreased overnight.
This morning the winds were calm and actually a little bit onshore, so that helped out. Air quality has also improved a little bit.
Everything is closed for the most part this week (courts, local government, etc), but I plan on being in the office tomorrow unless things change and our place gets threatened.
Thank you for asking.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Nebraska RT Murtha out for season
Three other players listed as questionable vs. Texas
Posted: Tuesday October 23, 2007 4:12PM; Updated: Tuesday October 23, 2007 4:12PM
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska offensive lineman Lydon Murtha will miss the rest of the season with a toe injury, and three other players are listed as questionable for Saturday's game at Texas, coach Bill Callahan said Tuesday.
Center Brett Byford (knee) and linebackers Bo Ruud (knee) and Blake Lawrence (ankle) are day-to-day, Callahan said.
Murtha, who has started all eight games at right tackle, made it through the entire game against Texas A&M last week after fracturing a toe on the second play. He was to undergo surgery Tuesday or Wednesday, Callahan said, and will be inactive six to eight weeks.
Matt Slauson probably will start at right tackle against Texas on Saturday.
If Byford can't play, Jacob Hickman would move from left guard to center, and Mike Huff would start at left guard.
Jaivorio Burkes, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound freshman, probably would back up Slauson at right tackle, Callahan said.
Three other players listed as questionable vs. Texas
Posted: Tuesday October 23, 2007 4:12PM; Updated: Tuesday October 23, 2007 4:12PM
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska offensive lineman Lydon Murtha will miss the rest of the season with a toe injury, and three other players are listed as questionable for Saturday's game at Texas, coach Bill Callahan said Tuesday.
Center Brett Byford (knee) and linebackers Bo Ruud (knee) and Blake Lawrence (ankle) are day-to-day, Callahan said.
Murtha, who has started all eight games at right tackle, made it through the entire game against Texas A&M last week after fracturing a toe on the second play. He was to undergo surgery Tuesday or Wednesday, Callahan said, and will be inactive six to eight weeks.
Matt Slauson probably will start at right tackle against Texas on Saturday.
If Byford can't play, Jacob Hickman would move from left guard to center, and Mike Huff would start at left guard.
Jaivorio Burkes, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound freshman, probably would back up Slauson at right tackle, Callahan said.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Hokies won't pick QB until gameday
Posted: Tuesday October 23, 2007 5:17PM; Updated: Tuesday October 23, 2007 5:17PM
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- With Tyrod Taylor nursing a right ankle sprain and questionable for Thursday night's game against No. 2 Boston College, the No. 8 Hokies and Eagles are both preparing for two quarterbacks whose styles don't compare.
Taylor, a freshman, has started in five consecutive victories for the Hokies (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) since being elevated to No. 1 after a 48-7 loss at LSU. The theory then was that Taylor's mobility would help mask deficiencies in an offensive line hampered by injuries and inexperience.
When Taylor injured his ankle early in the second quarter of a victory against Duke on Oct. 13, the former starter Sean Glennon led the Hokies on three straight TD drives. He finished 16-for-21 for 258 yards with two touchdowns and without an interception.
Coach Frank Beamer said Tuesday he doesn't think Taylor would play if he's not close to 100 percent recovered, especially not considering the stakes. The Eagles (7-0, 3-0) are one of only two other unbeatens in ACC play, and the Hokies will play the other one in their traditional Thanksgiving weekend contest at Virginia.
"I don't think you put Tyrod out there gimpy," Beamer said. "I think this is going to be a violent game. I think it's going to be one of those tough, tough, tough football games, and I don't think you want a guy that's not 100 percent out there."
Besides their highest ranking since 1942, the Eagles have the nation's top rushing defense, allowing 46.6 yards per game, and also lead with 18 interceptions.
When the change was made, Beamer said it wasn't as much an indictment on Glennon's play as it was a strategy adjustment. The offensive line has improved, but Virginia Tech is averaging only 119.4 yards rushing, 90th nationally.
Glennon initially took the demotion poorly, but the Hokies said his crisp performance against the Blue Devils showed he's bounced back since.
"It was good for him," left tackle Duane Brown said. "I know he got down on himself being that he had to sit out for a while and watch the offense go on without him. Being able to come in and have a great game, I think he got some of his confidence back."
Glennon started every game for the Hokies last season, and eventually came to believe he might be needed again and had to be ready to take over, Beamer said.
"I think it was very obvious how he came in and was able to play against Duke that he just was prepared," Beamer said. "This week, I see a bounce in his step."
Preparing a game plan isn't easy for either side when the quarterback is in question, Beamer said.
Boston College needs to prepare for a scrambler and a pocket passer. For Virginia Tech, the play-calling varies depending on who's in.
Though Beamer said the impact on the game is overblown.
To the Hokies receivers, it doesn't matter.
"We played with Sean before. I believe they have 100 percent confidence that every receiver's going to catch the ball, and we have 100 percent in whatever quarterback's going to play," Hokies receiver Justin Harper said. "We're ready to play. We're ready to catch that rock."
In Chestnut Hill, Mass., where the Eagles handed the Hokies a 22-3 loss last season and intercepted Glennon twice, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar would prefer to know which quarterback will play for the Hokies.
A bigger issue could be what happened last year at BC, when the Hokies' second loss in a row all but eliminated them from ACC title contention.
"We had that mentality last year," Dunbar said of wanting to avenge a loss. "The year before, we went down there and got beat bad. I'm sure it could be in their mind."
The game will mark the 16th time that Virginia Tech has played in a Thursday night game televised by ESPN. The Hokies are 13-2 overall in those games and 8-1 at home.
Both of the losses have come to Boston College.
Posted: Tuesday October 23, 2007 5:17PM; Updated: Tuesday October 23, 2007 5:17PM
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- With Tyrod Taylor nursing a right ankle sprain and questionable for Thursday night's game against No. 2 Boston College, the No. 8 Hokies and Eagles are both preparing for two quarterbacks whose styles don't compare.
Taylor, a freshman, has started in five consecutive victories for the Hokies (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) since being elevated to No. 1 after a 48-7 loss at LSU. The theory then was that Taylor's mobility would help mask deficiencies in an offensive line hampered by injuries and inexperience.
When Taylor injured his ankle early in the second quarter of a victory against Duke on Oct. 13, the former starter Sean Glennon led the Hokies on three straight TD drives. He finished 16-for-21 for 258 yards with two touchdowns and without an interception.
Coach Frank Beamer said Tuesday he doesn't think Taylor would play if he's not close to 100 percent recovered, especially not considering the stakes. The Eagles (7-0, 3-0) are one of only two other unbeatens in ACC play, and the Hokies will play the other one in their traditional Thanksgiving weekend contest at Virginia.
"I don't think you put Tyrod out there gimpy," Beamer said. "I think this is going to be a violent game. I think it's going to be one of those tough, tough, tough football games, and I don't think you want a guy that's not 100 percent out there."
Besides their highest ranking since 1942, the Eagles have the nation's top rushing defense, allowing 46.6 yards per game, and also lead with 18 interceptions.
When the change was made, Beamer said it wasn't as much an indictment on Glennon's play as it was a strategy adjustment. The offensive line has improved, but Virginia Tech is averaging only 119.4 yards rushing, 90th nationally.
Glennon initially took the demotion poorly, but the Hokies said his crisp performance against the Blue Devils showed he's bounced back since.
"It was good for him," left tackle Duane Brown said. "I know he got down on himself being that he had to sit out for a while and watch the offense go on without him. Being able to come in and have a great game, I think he got some of his confidence back."
Glennon started every game for the Hokies last season, and eventually came to believe he might be needed again and had to be ready to take over, Beamer said.
"I think it was very obvious how he came in and was able to play against Duke that he just was prepared," Beamer said. "This week, I see a bounce in his step."
Preparing a game plan isn't easy for either side when the quarterback is in question, Beamer said.
Boston College needs to prepare for a scrambler and a pocket passer. For Virginia Tech, the play-calling varies depending on who's in.
Though Beamer said the impact on the game is overblown.
To the Hokies receivers, it doesn't matter.
"We played with Sean before. I believe they have 100 percent confidence that every receiver's going to catch the ball, and we have 100 percent in whatever quarterback's going to play," Hokies receiver Justin Harper said. "We're ready to play. We're ready to catch that rock."
In Chestnut Hill, Mass., where the Eagles handed the Hokies a 22-3 loss last season and intercepted Glennon twice, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar would prefer to know which quarterback will play for the Hokies.
A bigger issue could be what happened last year at BC, when the Hokies' second loss in a row all but eliminated them from ACC title contention.
"We had that mentality last year," Dunbar said of wanting to avenge a loss. "The year before, we went down there and got beat bad. I'm sure it could be in their mind."
The game will mark the 16th time that Virginia Tech has played in a Thursday night game televised by ESPN. The Hokies are 13-2 overall in those games and 8-1 at home.
Both of the losses have come to Boston College.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Weekly Affirmation - Riding the rollercoaster </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Matt Zemek
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 21, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Because of the wildness of this particular season--not to mention the eternally fragile nature of college football in general--it's worth engaging in an analysis of college football programs that provides big-picture perspective. If you're a fan who constantly revises your opinion of your own favorite team from week to week, you need to read this week's column.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
ByMatthew Zemek
Mr. Zemek's e-mail: mzemek@hotmail.com
Short-Form Weekly Affirmation: Fast Track Gold Club
Before we focus on college football analysis as it relates to various programs, however, let's conduct our customary review of the weekend.
It does need to be said that the Big East Conference is little different from the Big XII, Big Ten and Pac-10 when you consider that the big-name schools in the league are getting knocked off on a weekly basis. Moreover, the Big East is definitely superior to the ACC and competitive with the SEC. The days in which the Big East lagged far behind the other power conferences are over. With that said, though, a special degree of scrutiny must still be devoted to the conference, for two overarching reasons: 1) the conference acted way too big for its britches by airing that Heisman ad (for Brian Brohm, Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, and Pat White) in week two of this season, in an item reported on by this columnist; 2) commissioner Mike Tranghese has adeptly and smartly maneuvered the league's showcase matchups into prime-time, nationally-visible weeknight time slots, in order to maximize the league's exposure. Given that these spotlight showcases have usually proven to be duds, an extra degree of criticism is merited when it comes to the Big East. It's not a double standard, because Commissioner Tranghese and the league's PR wing are essentially asking for special attention. This is a double-edged sword, of course: play well in prime time, you get additional accolades. But play poorly in prime-time, as South Florida and Rutgers did on Thursday, and you get additional criticism. Nothing controversial or complicated about that.
And oh, by the way: if Boston College and Virginia Tech play a sloppy game in a Thursday night showcase game this week, Big East fans can be darn sure that a comment or five will be made about the game's damaging effect on the ACC.
Matt Grothe has grown up a lot since his turnover-filled game against West Virginia. His teammates, though, need to grow along with him. Grothe's mental toughness and otherworldly competitive spirit were amazing to behold on Thursday night against Rutgers.
Greg Schiano wants to get Rutgers to the point where the Scarlet Knights become an entrenched college football powerhouse. He had a few late-game lapses against South Florida, and his offense played rather cautiously as well, but it nevertheless stands that Schiano coached a very solid game. He finally found the right defensive adjustments midway through the second half, and his two special teams trick plays had a big role in carrying his team to victory. Schiano proved that for a second straight year, he could handle the heat of a spotlight game against a top-five opponent. The head coach in Piscataway is the biggest reason why Rutgers football is a factor in the Big East Conference.
UConn, Virginia and UCLA: three teams that look anything but imposing, but who are winning their conference games in magic carpet ride seasons that are hard to believe. The Huskies, Hoos and Bruins are the polar opposites of ballclubs such as Louisville (whom UConn beat on Friday night), TCU, and Cal (whom UCLA defeated on Saturday).
No, Tim Brando. No, Spencer Tillman. The Oklahoma defender who intercepted a late Iowa State pass did not, I repeat, did NOT step out of the end zone and onto the 1-yard line. The player stepped past the Iowa State logo in the end zone, but not the goal line. Brando made this mistake in a CBS update at 3:52 p.m. Eastern time (the Weekly Affirmation keeps tabs on things, to be sure), and Tillman then repeated the mistake on CBS' halftime highlight show. Brando had more than an hour to correct himself (and Tillman), but couldn't do so.
The words "Temple" and "three-game winning streak" belong in the same sentence for the first time in 17 years. What's even more impressive is that the surging Owls prevailed over Miami of Ohio--a decent team--without starting quarterback Adam DiMichele, who was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter. One is running out of superlatives that can fully express what a glorious story this is on so many levels. More kudos to the boys from Philly, who continue to honor themselves and their school.
Just in case any of you thought the old man was losing it, part one: Penn State is now 6-2 and scoring points. Somebody has made adjustments in Happy Valley.
Just in case any of you thought the old man was losing it, part two: Michigan is now 6-2 and containing mobile quarterbacks. Somebody has made adjustments in Ann Arbor.
Just in case any of you thought the old man had really, really lost it: in a game very few people had a right to care about on Saturday night, Sonny Lubick of Colorado State got his first win of the season against UNLV. Nice going to one of the gentlemen of the sport.
Don't look now, but Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State is doing some serious coaching. In one of the two Big XII games that amazingly received no national TV coverage on Saturday, the Cowboys came from behind to take down Kansas State and move to 3-1 in the conference.
When the casual college football fan thinks about the Washington Huskies, s/he thinks about young Jake Locker, who is becoming a very impressive quarterback (but still has much to learn). What is truly perplexing about Ty Willingham's team, however, is how a defense that looked so strong through the first three games of the season has suddenly been getting wiped out by opposing offenses on a regular basis. Oregon's offense is executing better than any group not belonging to Tim Tebow; with that said, a Duck team suffering from injuries should not light up Husky Stadium for 55 points in a night game. Moreover, Oregon put together lots of long drives to ring up its huge point total; it wasn't as though Dennis Dixon had drive starts in the Washington red zone. The Ducks are humming along, but not to the extent that they should amass 465 rushing yards, at night, in what used to be an intimidating stadium for road teams. No one was expecting Washington to beat Oregon, but Locker played well enough to win the game. (He made a few crippling mistakes, but a half-decent defense would have masked those miscues.) The total wholesale collapse of UW's defense represents the true failing of this season of college football in Seattle. Willingham deserves time to grow his program, and Washington should not yet be judged by how it performs against top-shelf competitors. With that said, UW missed a real opportunity Saturday night. In two years, those same chances to register impactful accomplishments cannot go by the boards.
In the Kansas-Colorado game, minds turned into mush. Did anyone else notice that Colorado running back Hugh Charles intentionally--yes, intentionally--fumbled the ball forward in a misconceived attempt to try to gain a first down on a third-down rushing play that was stopped? Later, a Kansas defender--with five seconds left in the first half, no less--attempted a lateral that was recovered by the Buffaloes. Had Colorado converted the ensuing Hail Mary, that brain cramp could have proved disastrous for the plucky and still unbeaten Jayhawks.
Long-Form Weekly Affirmation: Premium Members
This week's essay is an exercise that's partly intellectual and partly psychological, but entirely grounded in big-picture football analysis. In a certain sense, it's meant to be therapy, but in another sense, it's intended to represent a form of counsel, a cautionary tale for the nation's college football fans. Rather than offer an extended preamble, let's go right to the "analysis," which could mean a couch just as much as a football reference guide. Consider this week's essay a manual for dealing with severe ups and downs in any season, but especially a wacky, logic-defying rollercoaster such as this 2007 campaign.
You're a California Golden Bear fan. After the wins over Tennessee and Oregon, you were sky high. After a two-game losing streak, you've been brought low.
You're a Clemson fan. Enough said. (Pause for a moment of respectful and knowing silence; oh, what blood pressure fluctuations must occur in this fan base.)
You're a Michigan fan. Unlike Cal fans, you had the early-season start from hell but have now rebounded. Your season began amidst national championship expectations that were immediately shattered. Now, though, the boys on the field have rallied 'round the flag. You don't know whether to revel in the resurgence or lament the inexcusable loss to Appalachian State.
You're a South Carolina fan. You rose above expectations and odds through the first seven games of the season and attained a lofty ranking, only to cede your status quickly and unexpectedly. If you lost the SEC East by losing to Tennessee or Florida, it would be easy to take. But for Vandy to ruin your season at home in Columbia? You're wondering where the cure exists for the exquisite kind of internal torment you're feeling this week.
You're a Virginia, UCLA or UConn fan, always living on the edge this year, but always coming through in close games, especially in the conference. You feel like you're cheating death, but an awesome record is an awesome record, right? It's almost as though you're getting more prosperity than you feel you deserve... ALMOST!
You're a TCU fan. The glory days for your program came in the 1930s with Slingin' Sammy Baugh. Yet, recent years have witnessed notable improvements in and around Fort Worth. This year has represented a big step backward. How upset should you be?
You're a Miami or Florida State fan. You know your programs should be better, but you also know that you simply lack top-notch talent. How to handle your greatly diminished status in the college football world?
You're an Illinois fan, not used to seeing great football but old enough to remember 2001's run to the Sugar Bowl. How bad is this two-game losing streak after your sensational start?
You're a Texas Tech fan. Mike Leach has done a lot for your program, but aren't these poor defensive showings in conference road games getting a bit old? How to live with the contradictions that are part of Red Raider football?
You're a Rutgers fan. You've been at the bottom for so long, only to explode onto the scene last year. This season brought huge expectations, and while you've generally fallen short, you scored a monster win with a gutsy showing against South Florida on Thursday. How to put your season and the state of your program in proper perspective?
You're a Virginia Tech fan. You haven't looked good at all on offense, but with a win over Boston College on Thursday, this will seem like a great season. But what if you lose to what seems to be an overrated No. 2 team? How would you react?
You're a Cincinnati fan. You've spent years and years in the football wildnerness, and then, as soon as you reach 6-0 heaven, you lose twice to tumble out of the top 25. Does this series of developments cause you to be distraught, or do you have that "gee, life in the rankings was interesting and I wouldn't have traded it for anything" kind of feeling?
You're a Purdue fan. You're having a nice little season, but the big boys in the Big Ten crushed you. Are you happy with a soft 6-2, or does that rankle you?
You're a Wisconsin fan. This year hasn't been what you hoped it would be. Then again, Bret Bielema seems to be a thoroughly competent young coach who could lead you with distinction for some time. Willing to endure a slightly bumpy ride this season?
You're a Navy fan. Well, your moment of moments--the best chance to finally beat Notre Dame for the first time since the Kennedy administration--arrives this Saturday. We'll talk psychology if you lose. (If you win, no need to.)
You're a Wyoming fan. You've beaten Virginia and TCU. You've lost to New Mexico. Kind of an in-between place to be, isn't it?
You're a Washington State fan. You've heard the statement, "it's tough to win consistently in Pullman" ten trillion times more than you care to remember. Does that mean you're understanding of your football team's plight, or are you fed up?
You're an Oregon State fan. You upset the titans of the conference (USC last year, Cal this year), but you haven't been playing for Pac-10 titles in mid-November. Fully satisfied or not?
You're an Auburn fan. Are you proud of the way your team has played in the past four weeks, or are you even more upset about that loss to Mississippi State, which has greatly compromised your SEC West chances?
You're a Georgia fan. Does the 2005 SEC title seem a distant memory, or will Mark Richt command your unswerving loyalty for a long, long time?
You're a Tennessee fan. Philip Fulmer won a national title for you, and has taken you to a number of BCS bowls, plus the 1998 Bowl Alliance showcase came against Nebraska. But have the past few seasons felt too flat and stale for your taste?
You're a Mississippi State fan. You're making progress, but it's slow and incremental under Sly Croom. Willing to be patient for a number of seasons? Bonus question: do you feel better about having Croom run a clean but non-winning program, as opposed to Jackie Sherrill's unclean but winning program?
You're a Fresno State fan. The big upsets and statement games of recent years have faded away and slipped into obscurity. Still okay with Pat Hill, even if you don't beat at least one of the big boys in the WAC this year?
You're a Southern Miss fan. You've been a fairly stable program, but that also means that you haven't ascended to extremely lofty heights. Are you fine with that kind of profile for your program?
All these examples, it should be noted (now that the list is complete) pertain to fan bases that have to feel fairly conflicted about the current state of their programs, in one way or another. A separate list--even longer than the one above--would deal with the fan bases at long-dormant programs. A smaller list would speak to the fan bases who are feeling very full of themselves right now (and no, that's not meant as a criticism at all; if life is good, you have every right to feel full of yourself; the key moral/ethical/emotional test comes when things don't go well--then the world finds out what kind of person you really are).
The point of raising these "in-between" examples of football schools is to get fans to think about their programs in a big-picture way. If you're a fan of one of the teams on the list above, here are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself if you want to arrive at conclusions that strike a balance between achieving personal satisfaction and (on the other hand) outward respect for other views and the people who hold them:
Question 1: What was my program like before the current coach came aboard? (Variation on this question: what was my program like five seasons before the current coach came aboard?
Question 2: What was my program's condition three coaches prior to the current one? (Variation: what was my program's condition 15-20 seasons prior to the year the current coach came aboard?)
Question 3: In my program's very best seasons throughout the course of history, how dominant were the individual teams?
Question 4: In seasons that were historically average for my program, how did my team perform? (Variation: including strength of schedule, approximate margin of victory, median conference record, and other assorted stats, what would be a representative season for my program over the past 10, 20 and 30 years?)
Question (more like "set of questions") 5: Records aside, what was the culture of my program before the current coach came along? Was my program run cleanly? Did my program graduate players? Was potential being relatively fulfilled, given the ability of the players in my program at the time?
Question 6: Were my program's best and most dominant seasons historical aberrations, or continuations of trends? (The same question applies to my program's worst seasons, too.)
Question 7: In looking at the collection of coaches at my program throughout history, and especially since the 1970s (when national championships started being more legitimate, given that they weren't handed out before bowl games), was there a coach who defied the odds or bucked lots of trends, or have all coaches at my program registered similar seasons, within a margin of two games (plus or minus)?
When you do the research and follow that up with some honest, soul-searching reflection in response to these questions, you might very well think twice about ripping your current coach or thinking that a fresh two-game losing streak is unacceptable. You might also want to keep the current three-game winning streak in perspective, because a sobering and unexpected loss could be just around the corner (unless, that is, you're a student of history and a follower of the laws of averages). Best wishes in staying sane during this season of college football insanity.
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Matt Zemek
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Oct 21, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Because of the wildness of this particular season--not to mention the eternally fragile nature of college football in general--it's worth engaging in an analysis of college football programs that provides big-picture perspective. If you're a fan who constantly revises your opinion of your own favorite team from week to week, you need to read this week's column.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
ByMatthew Zemek
Mr. Zemek's e-mail: mzemek@hotmail.com
Short-Form Weekly Affirmation: Fast Track Gold Club
Before we focus on college football analysis as it relates to various programs, however, let's conduct our customary review of the weekend.
It does need to be said that the Big East Conference is little different from the Big XII, Big Ten and Pac-10 when you consider that the big-name schools in the league are getting knocked off on a weekly basis. Moreover, the Big East is definitely superior to the ACC and competitive with the SEC. The days in which the Big East lagged far behind the other power conferences are over. With that said, though, a special degree of scrutiny must still be devoted to the conference, for two overarching reasons: 1) the conference acted way too big for its britches by airing that Heisman ad (for Brian Brohm, Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, and Pat White) in week two of this season, in an item reported on by this columnist; 2) commissioner Mike Tranghese has adeptly and smartly maneuvered the league's showcase matchups into prime-time, nationally-visible weeknight time slots, in order to maximize the league's exposure. Given that these spotlight showcases have usually proven to be duds, an extra degree of criticism is merited when it comes to the Big East. It's not a double standard, because Commissioner Tranghese and the league's PR wing are essentially asking for special attention. This is a double-edged sword, of course: play well in prime time, you get additional accolades. But play poorly in prime-time, as South Florida and Rutgers did on Thursday, and you get additional criticism. Nothing controversial or complicated about that.
And oh, by the way: if Boston College and Virginia Tech play a sloppy game in a Thursday night showcase game this week, Big East fans can be darn sure that a comment or five will be made about the game's damaging effect on the ACC.
Matt Grothe has grown up a lot since his turnover-filled game against West Virginia. His teammates, though, need to grow along with him. Grothe's mental toughness and otherworldly competitive spirit were amazing to behold on Thursday night against Rutgers.
Greg Schiano wants to get Rutgers to the point where the Scarlet Knights become an entrenched college football powerhouse. He had a few late-game lapses against South Florida, and his offense played rather cautiously as well, but it nevertheless stands that Schiano coached a very solid game. He finally found the right defensive adjustments midway through the second half, and his two special teams trick plays had a big role in carrying his team to victory. Schiano proved that for a second straight year, he could handle the heat of a spotlight game against a top-five opponent. The head coach in Piscataway is the biggest reason why Rutgers football is a factor in the Big East Conference.
UConn, Virginia and UCLA: three teams that look anything but imposing, but who are winning their conference games in magic carpet ride seasons that are hard to believe. The Huskies, Hoos and Bruins are the polar opposites of ballclubs such as Louisville (whom UConn beat on Friday night), TCU, and Cal (whom UCLA defeated on Saturday).
No, Tim Brando. No, Spencer Tillman. The Oklahoma defender who intercepted a late Iowa State pass did not, I repeat, did NOT step out of the end zone and onto the 1-yard line. The player stepped past the Iowa State logo in the end zone, but not the goal line. Brando made this mistake in a CBS update at 3:52 p.m. Eastern time (the Weekly Affirmation keeps tabs on things, to be sure), and Tillman then repeated the mistake on CBS' halftime highlight show. Brando had more than an hour to correct himself (and Tillman), but couldn't do so.
The words "Temple" and "three-game winning streak" belong in the same sentence for the first time in 17 years. What's even more impressive is that the surging Owls prevailed over Miami of Ohio--a decent team--without starting quarterback Adam DiMichele, who was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter. One is running out of superlatives that can fully express what a glorious story this is on so many levels. More kudos to the boys from Philly, who continue to honor themselves and their school.
Just in case any of you thought the old man was losing it, part one: Penn State is now 6-2 and scoring points. Somebody has made adjustments in Happy Valley.
Just in case any of you thought the old man was losing it, part two: Michigan is now 6-2 and containing mobile quarterbacks. Somebody has made adjustments in Ann Arbor.
Just in case any of you thought the old man had really, really lost it: in a game very few people had a right to care about on Saturday night, Sonny Lubick of Colorado State got his first win of the season against UNLV. Nice going to one of the gentlemen of the sport.
Don't look now, but Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State is doing some serious coaching. In one of the two Big XII games that amazingly received no national TV coverage on Saturday, the Cowboys came from behind to take down Kansas State and move to 3-1 in the conference.
When the casual college football fan thinks about the Washington Huskies, s/he thinks about young Jake Locker, who is becoming a very impressive quarterback (but still has much to learn). What is truly perplexing about Ty Willingham's team, however, is how a defense that looked so strong through the first three games of the season has suddenly been getting wiped out by opposing offenses on a regular basis. Oregon's offense is executing better than any group not belonging to Tim Tebow; with that said, a Duck team suffering from injuries should not light up Husky Stadium for 55 points in a night game. Moreover, Oregon put together lots of long drives to ring up its huge point total; it wasn't as though Dennis Dixon had drive starts in the Washington red zone. The Ducks are humming along, but not to the extent that they should amass 465 rushing yards, at night, in what used to be an intimidating stadium for road teams. No one was expecting Washington to beat Oregon, but Locker played well enough to win the game. (He made a few crippling mistakes, but a half-decent defense would have masked those miscues.) The total wholesale collapse of UW's defense represents the true failing of this season of college football in Seattle. Willingham deserves time to grow his program, and Washington should not yet be judged by how it performs against top-shelf competitors. With that said, UW missed a real opportunity Saturday night. In two years, those same chances to register impactful accomplishments cannot go by the boards.
In the Kansas-Colorado game, minds turned into mush. Did anyone else notice that Colorado running back Hugh Charles intentionally--yes, intentionally--fumbled the ball forward in a misconceived attempt to try to gain a first down on a third-down rushing play that was stopped? Later, a Kansas defender--with five seconds left in the first half, no less--attempted a lateral that was recovered by the Buffaloes. Had Colorado converted the ensuing Hail Mary, that brain cramp could have proved disastrous for the plucky and still unbeaten Jayhawks.
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This week's essay is an exercise that's partly intellectual and partly psychological, but entirely grounded in big-picture football analysis. In a certain sense, it's meant to be therapy, but in another sense, it's intended to represent a form of counsel, a cautionary tale for the nation's college football fans. Rather than offer an extended preamble, let's go right to the "analysis," which could mean a couch just as much as a football reference guide. Consider this week's essay a manual for dealing with severe ups and downs in any season, but especially a wacky, logic-defying rollercoaster such as this 2007 campaign.
You're a California Golden Bear fan. After the wins over Tennessee and Oregon, you were sky high. After a two-game losing streak, you've been brought low.
You're a Clemson fan. Enough said. (Pause for a moment of respectful and knowing silence; oh, what blood pressure fluctuations must occur in this fan base.)
You're a Michigan fan. Unlike Cal fans, you had the early-season start from hell but have now rebounded. Your season began amidst national championship expectations that were immediately shattered. Now, though, the boys on the field have rallied 'round the flag. You don't know whether to revel in the resurgence or lament the inexcusable loss to Appalachian State.
You're a South Carolina fan. You rose above expectations and odds through the first seven games of the season and attained a lofty ranking, only to cede your status quickly and unexpectedly. If you lost the SEC East by losing to Tennessee or Florida, it would be easy to take. But for Vandy to ruin your season at home in Columbia? You're wondering where the cure exists for the exquisite kind of internal torment you're feeling this week.
You're a Virginia, UCLA or UConn fan, always living on the edge this year, but always coming through in close games, especially in the conference. You feel like you're cheating death, but an awesome record is an awesome record, right? It's almost as though you're getting more prosperity than you feel you deserve... ALMOST!
You're a TCU fan. The glory days for your program came in the 1930s with Slingin' Sammy Baugh. Yet, recent years have witnessed notable improvements in and around Fort Worth. This year has represented a big step backward. How upset should you be?
You're a Miami or Florida State fan. You know your programs should be better, but you also know that you simply lack top-notch talent. How to handle your greatly diminished status in the college football world?
You're an Illinois fan, not used to seeing great football but old enough to remember 2001's run to the Sugar Bowl. How bad is this two-game losing streak after your sensational start?
You're a Texas Tech fan. Mike Leach has done a lot for your program, but aren't these poor defensive showings in conference road games getting a bit old? How to live with the contradictions that are part of Red Raider football?
You're a Rutgers fan. You've been at the bottom for so long, only to explode onto the scene last year. This season brought huge expectations, and while you've generally fallen short, you scored a monster win with a gutsy showing against South Florida on Thursday. How to put your season and the state of your program in proper perspective?
You're a Virginia Tech fan. You haven't looked good at all on offense, but with a win over Boston College on Thursday, this will seem like a great season. But what if you lose to what seems to be an overrated No. 2 team? How would you react?
You're a Cincinnati fan. You've spent years and years in the football wildnerness, and then, as soon as you reach 6-0 heaven, you lose twice to tumble out of the top 25. Does this series of developments cause you to be distraught, or do you have that "gee, life in the rankings was interesting and I wouldn't have traded it for anything" kind of feeling?
You're a Purdue fan. You're having a nice little season, but the big boys in the Big Ten crushed you. Are you happy with a soft 6-2, or does that rankle you?
You're a Wisconsin fan. This year hasn't been what you hoped it would be. Then again, Bret Bielema seems to be a thoroughly competent young coach who could lead you with distinction for some time. Willing to endure a slightly bumpy ride this season?
You're a Navy fan. Well, your moment of moments--the best chance to finally beat Notre Dame for the first time since the Kennedy administration--arrives this Saturday. We'll talk psychology if you lose. (If you win, no need to.)
You're a Wyoming fan. You've beaten Virginia and TCU. You've lost to New Mexico. Kind of an in-between place to be, isn't it?
You're a Washington State fan. You've heard the statement, "it's tough to win consistently in Pullman" ten trillion times more than you care to remember. Does that mean you're understanding of your football team's plight, or are you fed up?
You're an Oregon State fan. You upset the titans of the conference (USC last year, Cal this year), but you haven't been playing for Pac-10 titles in mid-November. Fully satisfied or not?
You're an Auburn fan. Are you proud of the way your team has played in the past four weeks, or are you even more upset about that loss to Mississippi State, which has greatly compromised your SEC West chances?
You're a Georgia fan. Does the 2005 SEC title seem a distant memory, or will Mark Richt command your unswerving loyalty for a long, long time?
You're a Tennessee fan. Philip Fulmer won a national title for you, and has taken you to a number of BCS bowls, plus the 1998 Bowl Alliance showcase came against Nebraska. But have the past few seasons felt too flat and stale for your taste?
You're a Mississippi State fan. You're making progress, but it's slow and incremental under Sly Croom. Willing to be patient for a number of seasons? Bonus question: do you feel better about having Croom run a clean but non-winning program, as opposed to Jackie Sherrill's unclean but winning program?
You're a Fresno State fan. The big upsets and statement games of recent years have faded away and slipped into obscurity. Still okay with Pat Hill, even if you don't beat at least one of the big boys in the WAC this year?
You're a Southern Miss fan. You've been a fairly stable program, but that also means that you haven't ascended to extremely lofty heights. Are you fine with that kind of profile for your program?
All these examples, it should be noted (now that the list is complete) pertain to fan bases that have to feel fairly conflicted about the current state of their programs, in one way or another. A separate list--even longer than the one above--would deal with the fan bases at long-dormant programs. A smaller list would speak to the fan bases who are feeling very full of themselves right now (and no, that's not meant as a criticism at all; if life is good, you have every right to feel full of yourself; the key moral/ethical/emotional test comes when things don't go well--then the world finds out what kind of person you really are).
The point of raising these "in-between" examples of football schools is to get fans to think about their programs in a big-picture way. If you're a fan of one of the teams on the list above, here are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself if you want to arrive at conclusions that strike a balance between achieving personal satisfaction and (on the other hand) outward respect for other views and the people who hold them:
Question 1: What was my program like before the current coach came aboard? (Variation on this question: what was my program like five seasons before the current coach came aboard?
Question 2: What was my program's condition three coaches prior to the current one? (Variation: what was my program's condition 15-20 seasons prior to the year the current coach came aboard?)
Question 3: In my program's very best seasons throughout the course of history, how dominant were the individual teams?
Question 4: In seasons that were historically average for my program, how did my team perform? (Variation: including strength of schedule, approximate margin of victory, median conference record, and other assorted stats, what would be a representative season for my program over the past 10, 20 and 30 years?)
Question (more like "set of questions") 5: Records aside, what was the culture of my program before the current coach came along? Was my program run cleanly? Did my program graduate players? Was potential being relatively fulfilled, given the ability of the players in my program at the time?
Question 6: Were my program's best and most dominant seasons historical aberrations, or continuations of trends? (The same question applies to my program's worst seasons, too.)
Question 7: In looking at the collection of coaches at my program throughout history, and especially since the 1970s (when national championships started being more legitimate, given that they weren't handed out before bowl games), was there a coach who defied the odds or bucked lots of trends, or have all coaches at my program registered similar seasons, within a margin of two games (plus or minus)?
When you do the research and follow that up with some honest, soul-searching reflection in response to these questions, you might very well think twice about ripping your current coach or thinking that a fresh two-game losing streak is unacceptable. You might also want to keep the current three-game winning streak in perspective, because a sobering and unexpected loss could be just around the corner (unless, that is, you're a student of history and a follower of the laws of averages). Best wishes in staying sane during this season of college football insanity.
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Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
Glad to hear that everything is OK bro.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
The Choice Is Yours; Georgia Tech RB To Have Surgery
Posted Oct 23rd 2007 9:22PM by Ian Cohen
Filed under: Georgia Tech Football, ACC, BCS, NCAA FB Injuries
Ever since they finally broke through and toppled Notre Dame in a convincing fashion, Georgia Tech has found themselves with a significantly lower national profile. That's what happens when you lose three conference games in the ACC after being posited as a possible dark horse candidate for a BCS bid.
A good part of the blame for their underwhelming performance has been placed on QB Taylor Bennett and things aren't looking much easier for him, as Yellow Jacket workhorse (now THAT'S a mixed metaphor!) Tashard Choice has elected to undergo surgery to determine the extent of a knee injury he suffered against Army this past Saturday. Kenny Lattimore and Andre Callendar might want to think about keeping their carries down, as things haven't been easy for conference rushing leaders. Virginia's Cedric Peerman had worn the crown before going down against Middle Tennessee State three weeks ago and he hasn't returned since. Choice will miss November 1st's clash with Virginia Tech at the very least, and like Chan Gailey, his status for the future is unclear. All I know is that the Thursday night lights of Bobby Dodd Stadium better not be their best defense against a Hokies team that was embarrassed by a 38-27 margin last year in Blacksburg (it wasn't that close). Maybe Gailey should see if UGA fans want to continue their tradition of filling up empty seats in Atlanta; Sean Glennon tends to get a little spooked by the Bulldogs.
Filed under: Georgia Tech Football, ACC, BCS, NCAA FB Injuries
A good part of the blame for their underwhelming performance has been placed on QB Taylor Bennett and things aren't looking much easier for him, as Yellow Jacket workhorse (now THAT'S a mixed metaphor!) Tashard Choice has elected to undergo surgery to determine the extent of a knee injury he suffered against Army this past Saturday. Kenny Lattimore and Andre Callendar might want to think about keeping their carries down, as things haven't been easy for conference rushing leaders. Virginia's Cedric Peerman had worn the crown before going down against Middle Tennessee State three weeks ago and he hasn't returned since. Choice will miss November 1st's clash with Virginia Tech at the very least, and like Chan Gailey, his status for the future is unclear. All I know is that the Thursday night lights of Bobby Dodd Stadium better not be their best defense against a Hokies team that was embarrassed by a 38-27 margin last year in Blacksburg (it wasn't that close). Maybe Gailey should see if UGA fans want to continue their tradition of filling up empty seats in Atlanta; Sean Glennon tends to get a little spooked by the Bulldogs.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
The Ray Rice Death March
Posted Oct 23rd 2007 8:05PM by John Radcliff
Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football
With a huge Big East match up coming up this weekend and a couple of injured quarterbacks for West Virginia and Rutgers, the focus will most likely fall on the running games of the two respective schools.
And that means more of the same for Rutger's Ray Rice. So far, Rice has carried the ball 204 times. That's number one in the country, followed closely by Mike Hart of Michigan and P. J. Hill of Wisconsin at 200. He's proven over the last year and a half that he is probably the most reliable back in the country. Last year he lead the nation in carries with 335. And you rarely if ever hear about injury problems with Rice.
But with the injury to Mike Teel's throwing hand, Rice will be even more of a focus for the Rutgers offense. And likewise for the West Virginia defense. He already had nearly 40 carries against South Florida last week. With a limited passing game, how high will that number go? And at what point will Rice start to wear down? Last year he had Brian Leonard to carry some of the load. This year, there isn't anyone else. The next leading rusher on the team is the back up quarterback with 138 yards. And it falls off sharply after that. With Rutgers heading down the stretch and hopes of a Big East title still alive, every game to the end of the season counts. And coach Schiano will want the ball in the hands of Rice even more. And I guess we'll see just how much Ray Rice can run.
Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football
And that means more of the same for Rutger's Ray Rice. So far, Rice has carried the ball 204 times. That's number one in the country, followed closely by Mike Hart of Michigan and P. J. Hill of Wisconsin at 200. He's proven over the last year and a half that he is probably the most reliable back in the country. Last year he lead the nation in carries with 335. And you rarely if ever hear about injury problems with Rice.
But with the injury to Mike Teel's throwing hand, Rice will be even more of a focus for the Rutgers offense. And likewise for the West Virginia defense. He already had nearly 40 carries against South Florida last week. With a limited passing game, how high will that number go? And at what point will Rice start to wear down? Last year he had Brian Leonard to carry some of the load. This year, there isn't anyone else. The next leading rusher on the team is the back up quarterback with 138 yards. And it falls off sharply after that. With Rutgers heading down the stretch and hopes of a Big East title still alive, every game to the end of the season counts. And coach Schiano will want the ball in the hands of Rice even more. And I guess we'll see just how much Ray Rice can run.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Miami QB Wright misses practice
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 12:36AM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 12:36AM
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Miami quarterback Kyle Wright missed practice Tuesday because of injuries that knocked him out of the Hurricanes' win over Florida State last weekend.
Wright said he injured his left ankle and left knee in the second quarter of Miami's 37-29 victory.
"He'll be back next week," Miami coach Randy Shannon said after practice. "Give him a week or so. Right now it's an ankle sprain. We need to isolate it and get it ready. Hopefully, he'll be ready by Sunday."
Wright was not available for comment Tuesday.
Kirby Freeman replaced Wright in Saturday's game and threw the go-ahead touchdown to Dedrick Epps with 1:15 left. Wright was able to return to try a 2-point conversion pass after that score.
The Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) will practice Wednesday, have an open date this weekend and begin preparing for a Nov. 3 game with North Carolina State on Sunday.
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 12:36AM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 12:36AM
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Miami quarterback Kyle Wright missed practice Tuesday because of injuries that knocked him out of the Hurricanes' win over Florida State last weekend.
Wright said he injured his left ankle and left knee in the second quarter of Miami's 37-29 victory.
"He'll be back next week," Miami coach Randy Shannon said after practice. "Give him a week or so. Right now it's an ankle sprain. We need to isolate it and get it ready. Hopefully, he'll be ready by Sunday."
Wright was not available for comment Tuesday.
Kirby Freeman replaced Wright in Saturday's game and threw the go-ahead touchdown to Dedrick Epps with 1:15 left. Wright was able to return to try a 2-point conversion pass after that score.
The Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) will practice Wednesday, have an open date this weekend and begin preparing for a Nov. 3 game with North Carolina State on Sunday.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Virginia Tech qb Tyrod Taylor, the “dynamic” freshman qb who took over for the shell-shocked Sean Glennon in the opener against LSU, is somewhere better than gimpy but less than full-strength, per the best efforts to read between the lines of injury reports put out by the university. He’s been running underwater, which in addition to giving him time to work out without damaging any tender tissue, should also give him some spiritual and philosophical perspective on what it’s like to run in Sean Glennon’s body.
Frank Beamer gives an awesome quote, though, on putting Tyrod Taylor in the game against Boston College Thursday night:
“I don’t think you put Tyrod out there gimpy,” Beamer said. “I think this is going to be a violent game.”
Violence. Ahh, sweet violence.
Frank Beamer gives an awesome quote, though, on putting Tyrod Taylor in the game against Boston College Thursday night:
“I don’t think you put Tyrod out there gimpy,” Beamer said. “I think this is going to be a violent game.”
Violence. Ahh, sweet violence.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
From thewizardofodds.blogspot.com:
Dennis Franchione Is a Liar
The bullshit meter went off on this one. With his team having just scored a touchdown to build its lead to 36-14 against Nebraska with 4:32 remaining last Saturday at Lincoln, Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione decided it was time to go for two.
Cornhusker fans went berserk.
The attempt was unsuccessful, but when Mr. VIP Connections strutted into his press conference Tuesday, he came prepared. Franchione threw a small laminated card at reporters that tells coaches when to attempt a two-point conversion:
Go for two when leading by: 1, 4, 5 (Early 1, Late 2), 12, 19 and 22
Go for two when trailing by: 2, 5, 12, 16, 22-34
Now let us go back to Sept. 3, 2005. Franchione's team had just scored to take a 23-22 lead at Clemson with 9:22 remaining. So what does he do? Kick the extra point, of course. And what happens? Clemson marches down the field and Richie Bean kicks a field goal — his sixth — to give the Tigers a 25-24 victory.
Where was the laminated card that day, coach?
Dennis Franchione Is a Liar
The bullshit meter went off on this one. With his team having just scored a touchdown to build its lead to 36-14 against Nebraska with 4:32 remaining last Saturday at Lincoln, Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione decided it was time to go for two.Cornhusker fans went berserk.
The attempt was unsuccessful, but when Mr. VIP Connections strutted into his press conference Tuesday, he came prepared. Franchione threw a small laminated card at reporters that tells coaches when to attempt a two-point conversion:
Go for two when leading by: 1, 4, 5 (Early 1, Late 2), 12, 19 and 22
Go for two when trailing by: 2, 5, 12, 16, 22-34
Now let us go back to Sept. 3, 2005. Franchione's team had just scored to take a 23-22 lead at Clemson with 9:22 remaining. So what does he do? Kick the extra point, of course. And what happens? Clemson marches down the field and Richie Bean kicks a field goal — his sixth — to give the Tigers a 25-24 victory.
Where was the laminated card that day, coach?
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
View attachment 9578
Nebraska brings their porous defense to Austin this week against a team that has played 3 games away from home.
I initially leaned to Nebraska +21 but these Horns may surprise and plaster the Huskers as they return home for the toughest stretch of the season (Nebraska, TT, Okie Light, and Aggy).
Now a no-touch for me under 21 and may even start looking at the Horns.
Nebraska brings their porous defense to Austin this week against a team that has played 3 games away from home.
I initially leaned to Nebraska +21 but these Horns may surprise and plaster the Huskers as they return home for the toughest stretch of the season (Nebraska, TT, Okie Light, and Aggy).
Now a no-touch for me under 21 and may even start looking at the Horns.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Stanford RB Evans out for season
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 1:55PM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 1:55PM
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Stanford running back Jason Evans will miss the rest of the season with an injured left knee, becoming the latest Cardinal running back sidelined this year.
Evans tore his ACL in last Saturday's 21-20 victory at Arizona, when he rushed for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He is expected to have surgery next week.
Evans was playing in place of injured starter Anthony Kimble, who is not expected to be available for Stanford (3-4, 2-3 Pac-10) on Saturday at Oregon State because of a shoulder injury. Freshman Jeremy Stewart also has an injured shoulder and is questionable for this week's game.
The Cardinal are hoping that Toby Gerhart can return this week after missing the past five games with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw is expected to start against the Beavers after running for 50 yards on 16 carries against the Wildcats last week.
Evans, a fifth-year senior, had 30 carries for 105 yards to go along with five catches for 51 yards this season.
"I'm still look forward to a lot of good times for this team this season," Evans said. "Somebody will step in and do well. That's what everybody has done so far. I still think we can reach our goal to make a bowl game."
Coach Jim Harbaugh also announced on Tuesday that offensive lineman Allen Smith will not return this season from his left knee injury. Smith had surgery after being injured on Sept. 22 against Oregon and was hoping to return later this season.
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 1:55PM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 1:55PM
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Stanford running back Jason Evans will miss the rest of the season with an injured left knee, becoming the latest Cardinal running back sidelined this year.
Evans tore his ACL in last Saturday's 21-20 victory at Arizona, when he rushed for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He is expected to have surgery next week.
Evans was playing in place of injured starter Anthony Kimble, who is not expected to be available for Stanford (3-4, 2-3 Pac-10) on Saturday at Oregon State because of a shoulder injury. Freshman Jeremy Stewart also has an injured shoulder and is questionable for this week's game.
The Cardinal are hoping that Toby Gerhart can return this week after missing the past five games with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw is expected to start against the Beavers after running for 50 yards on 16 carries against the Wildcats last week.
Evans, a fifth-year senior, had 30 carries for 105 yards to go along with five catches for 51 yards this season.
"I'm still look forward to a lot of good times for this team this season," Evans said. "Somebody will step in and do well. That's what everybody has done so far. I still think we can reach our goal to make a bowl game."
Coach Jim Harbaugh also announced on Tuesday that offensive lineman Allen Smith will not return this season from his left knee injury. Smith had surgery after being injured on Sept. 22 against Oregon and was hoping to return later this season.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Thursday Night Throwdown </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By John Roberts
Posted Oct 24, 2007
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The Hokies play host to Boston College as the BCS number two team will be featured for the second consecutive Thursday night.
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THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN
10-25-07
All Times Eastern
THE MAIN EVENT
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Time: 7:30
TV: ESPN
Line: Virginia Tech by 3.
Importance of the game to Boston College: The Eagles are up to number two in the BCS standings, and more importantly, hold a one game lead and the tiebreaker over Wake Forest in the ACC Atlantic Division. They can make a statement that they deserve to play for the national title with a good showing in Blacksburg. They can also really put any questions to rest about who is going to represent the Atlantic in the ACC Championship Game with a solid showing here. This will be one of the first times this year that a lot of people get to see them play, making it critical that they make a strong showing.
Importance of the game to Virginia Tech: The Hokies got obliterated by LSU in the season’s second game, but have been on a five game winning streak since then, and are back up to number eight in the BCS standings, put them squarely in contention for a national title. They have road games against Georgia Tech and Virginia ahead, sandwiching games against Florida State and Miami. They are tied with Virginia for the lead in the ACC Coastal Division, so a win keeps the pressure on the Cavs. They can make a statement that their showing against LSU was merely a fluke, and not how they are truly capable of performing.
Quote from Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College’s head coach: “You know, here's what I've done. I've broken the season down into quarters, and we just started the second half of our season, the third quarter. I think if you stay focused that way and don't look ahead or don't look to the next game rather than just the game we're playing.”
Quote from Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech’s head coach: “That's when you know you have a good team coming together, when guys get called upon and they come in and answer the bell. I'm encouraged right now.”
Breakdown
Boston College offense vs. Virginia Tech defense: This Eagles offense revolves around the talents of Matt Ryan at quarterback. He is completing 63 percent of his passes for seventeen touchdowns and six interceptions. He has really jumped onto the national scene this year with his stellar play. He may be able to become the favorite in the Heisman Trophy race with a solid performance here. Seven receivers are in double digits in catches and have caught a touchdown. No one has more than thirty catches. Both Rich Gunnell and Brandon Robinson have thirty catches, while Robinson leads the team with 13.9 yards per catch and four touchdowns. Kevin Challenger is another one of Ryan’s favorite targets. The running game is lead by Andre Callender and LV Whitworth. The two have split carries each of the last three seasons, but Callender has carried the bulk of the load so far this year. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and has eight touchdowns already this season. Whitworth has missed two games, but is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and has three touchdowns. The offensive line has allowed just six sacks so far this year. The Hokies defense is giving up 2.8 yards per carry, while opponents are completing 54 percent of their passes for 10.6 yards per completion with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall lead the defense as one of the better linebacking duos in the country. Adibi has 59 tackles, with 8.5 of them being for a loss, and three sacks. Hall has 61 tackles with five being for a loss and two sacks. Chris Ellis leads the team with five sacks, as the Hokies have accounted for 26 sacks this year. The Eagles offense will have to find a way to slow down the pressure that the Hokies get on the quarterback. They will also have to get Callender to have a big game running the ball. If they do those things, they should be able to move the ball.
Boston College defense vs. Virginia Tech offense: It is unclear who the starter at quarterback will be this week for the Hokies, as Tyrod Taylor is coming back from an injury and is questionable, while Sean Glennon, the starter at the beginning of the year, started the last game against Duke. Taylor provides the offense with the ability to turn a bad play into a good play with his legs, and while he is completing just 52 percent of his passes, he has only thrown one interception. Glennon gives the Hokies a little bit more with his arm. He is completing over 63 percent of his passes, but has thrown two interceptions in 26 fewer attempts than Taylor. The top receivers are Josh Morgan and Justin Harper. Morgan has 25 catches for 12.5 yards per catch and two touchdowns, while Harper has 18 catches for 12.7 yards per catch and one touchdown. The running game will be critical for the Hokies, lead by Branden Ore. Ore is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the season with five rushing touchdowns. The Boston College defense has been stellar against the run so far this year. They are allowing just 1.8 yards per carry and 46.6 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense has been less impressive, allowing opponents to complete 57 percent of their passes for 10.8 yards per catch. However, they have been very opportunistic, intercepting eighteen passes already this year. Jamie Silva leads the team in tackles with 55, while Jolonn Dunbar has 53 tackles. Alex Albright leads the team in sacks with six, and has seven tackles for a loss. Mark Herzlich also has five tackles for a loss. Silva leads the team with five interceptions, while DeJuan Tribble has four. The Hokies offense has struggled this year, and it looks like a very difficult spot for them to get going now. If Ore can find some open spaces, and either Glennon and Taylor can make a couple of big plays throwing the ball, the Hokies could put up some numbers.
Prediction: Any other time, any other place, this would be an easy pick for the Eagles. However, Virginia Tech typically rolls on Thursday nights at home. All the pressure is on the Eagles to win this one. The nation will be watching for the first time this year. All eyes are on the BCS number two team. The Hokies will get pressure all night on Ryan and force the Eagles into a bad offensive game. The defense will set up a couple of easy scores, the special teams will set up another, and the offense will come up with one drive of their own. That will be just enough to escape with a win. Virginia Tech 24, Boston College 20.
THE UNDERCARD
Air Force at New Mexico (9:00): These two teams are both chasing BYU in the Mountain West title chase. The Cougars have yet to lose a conference game at 3-0, while Air Force is 5-1 in conference, and the Lobos are 2-1. They are the only teams with one conference loss, but both of them lost to BYU. So there can be no more slip ups for either side if they hope to sneak the conference title away. The Lobos rely on a very solid defense, and a good ground game to keep them in football games. Rodney Ferguson has been an exciting running back this year, and has really emerged. He has nine rushing touchdowns, while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Donovan Porterie has done a good job throwing the ball so far this year, too. He has been impressive. He has two targets that he throws a lot to. Marcus Smith and Travis Brown both are very good wide receivers. Brown has five touchdown catches, while Smith leads the team with 52 catches. The Falcons offense continues to revolve around Shaun Carney, who has completed over 60 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. Of course, he has also run the ball 90 times this year for nearly four yards per carry. His top receiver is Chad Hall, who also leads the team in rushing, averaging over seven yards per carry. The Falcons struggled when their defense let them down in back-to-back losses to BYU and Navy earlier this year. They gave up 31 points in both of those games. They allowed a lot of rushing yards in both those games, while the pass defense let them down against BYU as well. There were similar problems last week against Wyoming, when they allowed over 400 yards, but forced five turnovers and held the Cowboys to twelve points. They may need to be opportunistic again against this New Mexico offense. It looks like the Falcons won’t be able to put big points on the board against the Lobos. New Mexico should move the ball decently well, and if they avoid turnovers, should be able to come out with a hard fought win. New Mexico 31, Air Force 24. </td></tr></tbody></table>
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By John Roberts
Posted Oct 24, 2007
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The Hokies play host to Boston College as the BCS number two team will be featured for the second consecutive Thursday night.
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THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN
10-25-07
All Times Eastern
THE MAIN EVENT
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Time: 7:30
TV: ESPN
Line: Virginia Tech by 3.
Importance of the game to Boston College: The Eagles are up to number two in the BCS standings, and more importantly, hold a one game lead and the tiebreaker over Wake Forest in the ACC Atlantic Division. They can make a statement that they deserve to play for the national title with a good showing in Blacksburg. They can also really put any questions to rest about who is going to represent the Atlantic in the ACC Championship Game with a solid showing here. This will be one of the first times this year that a lot of people get to see them play, making it critical that they make a strong showing.
Importance of the game to Virginia Tech: The Hokies got obliterated by LSU in the season’s second game, but have been on a five game winning streak since then, and are back up to number eight in the BCS standings, put them squarely in contention for a national title. They have road games against Georgia Tech and Virginia ahead, sandwiching games against Florida State and Miami. They are tied with Virginia for the lead in the ACC Coastal Division, so a win keeps the pressure on the Cavs. They can make a statement that their showing against LSU was merely a fluke, and not how they are truly capable of performing.
Quote from Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College’s head coach: “You know, here's what I've done. I've broken the season down into quarters, and we just started the second half of our season, the third quarter. I think if you stay focused that way and don't look ahead or don't look to the next game rather than just the game we're playing.”
Quote from Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech’s head coach: “That's when you know you have a good team coming together, when guys get called upon and they come in and answer the bell. I'm encouraged right now.”
Breakdown
Boston College offense vs. Virginia Tech defense: This Eagles offense revolves around the talents of Matt Ryan at quarterback. He is completing 63 percent of his passes for seventeen touchdowns and six interceptions. He has really jumped onto the national scene this year with his stellar play. He may be able to become the favorite in the Heisman Trophy race with a solid performance here. Seven receivers are in double digits in catches and have caught a touchdown. No one has more than thirty catches. Both Rich Gunnell and Brandon Robinson have thirty catches, while Robinson leads the team with 13.9 yards per catch and four touchdowns. Kevin Challenger is another one of Ryan’s favorite targets. The running game is lead by Andre Callender and LV Whitworth. The two have split carries each of the last three seasons, but Callender has carried the bulk of the load so far this year. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and has eight touchdowns already this season. Whitworth has missed two games, but is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and has three touchdowns. The offensive line has allowed just six sacks so far this year. The Hokies defense is giving up 2.8 yards per carry, while opponents are completing 54 percent of their passes for 10.6 yards per completion with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall lead the defense as one of the better linebacking duos in the country. Adibi has 59 tackles, with 8.5 of them being for a loss, and three sacks. Hall has 61 tackles with five being for a loss and two sacks. Chris Ellis leads the team with five sacks, as the Hokies have accounted for 26 sacks this year. The Eagles offense will have to find a way to slow down the pressure that the Hokies get on the quarterback. They will also have to get Callender to have a big game running the ball. If they do those things, they should be able to move the ball.
Boston College defense vs. Virginia Tech offense: It is unclear who the starter at quarterback will be this week for the Hokies, as Tyrod Taylor is coming back from an injury and is questionable, while Sean Glennon, the starter at the beginning of the year, started the last game against Duke. Taylor provides the offense with the ability to turn a bad play into a good play with his legs, and while he is completing just 52 percent of his passes, he has only thrown one interception. Glennon gives the Hokies a little bit more with his arm. He is completing over 63 percent of his passes, but has thrown two interceptions in 26 fewer attempts than Taylor. The top receivers are Josh Morgan and Justin Harper. Morgan has 25 catches for 12.5 yards per catch and two touchdowns, while Harper has 18 catches for 12.7 yards per catch and one touchdown. The running game will be critical for the Hokies, lead by Branden Ore. Ore is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the season with five rushing touchdowns. The Boston College defense has been stellar against the run so far this year. They are allowing just 1.8 yards per carry and 46.6 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense has been less impressive, allowing opponents to complete 57 percent of their passes for 10.8 yards per catch. However, they have been very opportunistic, intercepting eighteen passes already this year. Jamie Silva leads the team in tackles with 55, while Jolonn Dunbar has 53 tackles. Alex Albright leads the team in sacks with six, and has seven tackles for a loss. Mark Herzlich also has five tackles for a loss. Silva leads the team with five interceptions, while DeJuan Tribble has four. The Hokies offense has struggled this year, and it looks like a very difficult spot for them to get going now. If Ore can find some open spaces, and either Glennon and Taylor can make a couple of big plays throwing the ball, the Hokies could put up some numbers.
Prediction: Any other time, any other place, this would be an easy pick for the Eagles. However, Virginia Tech typically rolls on Thursday nights at home. All the pressure is on the Eagles to win this one. The nation will be watching for the first time this year. All eyes are on the BCS number two team. The Hokies will get pressure all night on Ryan and force the Eagles into a bad offensive game. The defense will set up a couple of easy scores, the special teams will set up another, and the offense will come up with one drive of their own. That will be just enough to escape with a win. Virginia Tech 24, Boston College 20.
THE UNDERCARD
Air Force at New Mexico (9:00): These two teams are both chasing BYU in the Mountain West title chase. The Cougars have yet to lose a conference game at 3-0, while Air Force is 5-1 in conference, and the Lobos are 2-1. They are the only teams with one conference loss, but both of them lost to BYU. So there can be no more slip ups for either side if they hope to sneak the conference title away. The Lobos rely on a very solid defense, and a good ground game to keep them in football games. Rodney Ferguson has been an exciting running back this year, and has really emerged. He has nine rushing touchdowns, while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Donovan Porterie has done a good job throwing the ball so far this year, too. He has been impressive. He has two targets that he throws a lot to. Marcus Smith and Travis Brown both are very good wide receivers. Brown has five touchdown catches, while Smith leads the team with 52 catches. The Falcons offense continues to revolve around Shaun Carney, who has completed over 60 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. Of course, he has also run the ball 90 times this year for nearly four yards per carry. His top receiver is Chad Hall, who also leads the team in rushing, averaging over seven yards per carry. The Falcons struggled when their defense let them down in back-to-back losses to BYU and Navy earlier this year. They gave up 31 points in both of those games. They allowed a lot of rushing yards in both those games, while the pass defense let them down against BYU as well. There were similar problems last week against Wyoming, when they allowed over 400 yards, but forced five turnovers and held the Cowboys to twelve points. They may need to be opportunistic again against this New Mexico offense. It looks like the Falcons won’t be able to put big points on the board against the Lobos. New Mexico should move the ball decently well, and if they avoid turnovers, should be able to come out with a hard fought win. New Mexico 31, Air Force 24. </td></tr></tbody></table>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Under The Hood: Nebraska at Texas
by HornsFan Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 05:31:45 PM EDT
The game doesn't quite mean as much as many of us anticipated it would when the season got underway, but as Mack Brown noted on Monday, it's still Nebraska. We know the Huskers are in a freefall right now, but exactly how bad has it been? Let's take a look.
Nebraska margin of victory: -5.3 points
Texas margin of victory: +15.3 points
Nebraska's opponents have a combined record of: <ins>29-18</ins>
Texas' opponents have a combined record of: <ins>23-25</ins>
As another rough guide, Jeff Sagarin lists Nebraska's strength of schedule as 22nd most difficult in the country and Texas' as 81st.
How are these two teams performing statistically? Below are tables of each team's season totals, with national rank in parentheses.
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Nebraska By The Numbers: Offense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff0000"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rating</th><th>Total Offense</th><th>Scoring Offense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">151.6 (66)</td><td align="center">4.06 (60)</td><td align="center">13 (46)</td><td align="center">270.4 (29)</td><td align="center">7.4 (33)</td><td align="center">13 (45)</td><td align="center">133.1 (36)</td><td align="center">422.0 (34)</td><td align="center">26.6 (63)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Texas By The Numbers: Offense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff9933"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rating</th><th>Total Offense</th><th>Scoring Offense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">164.5 (47)</td><td align="center">4.34 (49)</td><td align="center">16 (25)</td><td align="center">273.3 (27)</td><td align="center">7.7 (24)</td><td align="center">15 (34)</td><td align="center">138.6 (25)</td><td align="center">437.8 (26)</td><td align="center">34.6 (28)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<center>************************************************************************</center>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Nebraska By The Numbers: Defense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff0000"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rate</th><th>Total Defense</th><th>Scoring Defense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">227.4 (115)</td><td align="center">5.12 (109)</td><td align="center">22 (117)</td><td align="center">230.0 (70)</td><td align="center">6.9 (66)</td><td align="center">10 (45)</td><td align="center">122.0 (58)</td><td align="center">457.4 (105)</td><td align="center">31.9 (91)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Texas By The Numbers: Defense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff9933"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rate</th><th>Total Defense</th><th>Scoring Defense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">89.4 (11)</td><td align="center">2.75 (12)</td><td align="center">7 (19)</td><td align="center">216.6 (54)</td><td align="center">5.8 (18)</td><td align="center">7 (13)</td><td align="center">106.2 (19)</td><td align="center">306.0 (16)</td><td align="center">19.3 (23)</td></tr></tbody></table>
The final step is to put those numbers into context. The following chart shows the national rank in total offense and total defense for each of Nebraska and Texas' 2007 opponents. <table border="3"><tbody></tbody><caption align="top">Nebraska-Texas Opponents' Unit Rankings</caption><tbody><tr><th>Total Offense Rank</th><th>NU Opponent</th><th>Total Defense Rank</th><th>--</th><th>Total Offense Rank</th><th>Texas Opponent</th><th>Total Defense Rank</th></tr><tr><td><center>8</center></td><td>Nevada</td><td><center>94</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>44</center></td><td>Ark. St.</td><td><center>61</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>83</center></td><td>@Wake Forest</td><td><center>50</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>85</center></td><td>TCU</td><td><center>33</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>31</center></td><td>USC</td><td><center>3</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>55</center></td><td>@UCF</td><td><center>64</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>18</center></td><td>Ball State</td><td><center>87</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>106</center></td><td>Rice</td><td><center>118</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>104</center></td><td>Iowa State</td><td><center>54</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>37</center></td><td>Kansas State</td><td><center>45</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>7</center></td><td>@Missouri</td><td><center>74</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>21</center></td><td>Oklahoma</td><td><center>11</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>11</center></td><td>Oklahoma State</td><td><center>91</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>104</center></td><td>@Iowa State</td><td><center>54</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>41</center></td><td>Texas A&M</td><td><center>73</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>82</center></td><td>@Baylor</td><td><center>90</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>37.9</center></td><td>Average</td><td><center>66.8</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>66.8</center></td><td>Average</td><td><center>59.5</center></td></tr></tbody></table> <ins>Analysis</ins>
*I knew Nebraska had been struggling on defense, but this is ridiculous. Over 450 yards allowed per game, 227 on the ground. I didn't pay too much attention to Nebraska's offseason attrition, but the 2006 defense was ranked 37th against the run. What in the hell happened?
*Part of the problem appears to be the players quitting on head coach Bill Callahan. I'll be talking with Corn Nation about that later today, but based on what's been said there and elsewhere, it appears the Huskers have more or less given up on the coach and the season.
*It is worth noting that Nebraska's faced some of college football's better offenses this season. Remarkably, they pretty well controlled a Nevada team which has given everyone else they've faced fits. The slide seems to have started when USC came to town.
*Once more, the numbers pretty clearly indicate how poor Texas' level of competition has been this year. The 'Horns have faced two decent teams this year - Kansas State and Oklahoma - losing both times. I'm not terribly surprised to see Arkansas State faring reasonably well statistically, either. That team was far better than most of us anticipated.
*On paper, this one's easy to call. The game's in Austin, Texas has performed dramatically better than the Huskers in 2007, albeit against softer competition. Throw in the mess surrounding Bill Callahan and it's tough to imagine Texas losing this game. Which probably means that we'll be in a dogfight to the end.
by HornsFan Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 05:31:45 PM EDT
The game doesn't quite mean as much as many of us anticipated it would when the season got underway, but as Mack Brown noted on Monday, it's still Nebraska. We know the Huskers are in a freefall right now, but exactly how bad has it been? Let's take a look.
Nebraska margin of victory: -5.3 points
Texas margin of victory: +15.3 points
Nebraska's opponents have a combined record of: <ins>29-18</ins>
Texas' opponents have a combined record of: <ins>23-25</ins>
As another rough guide, Jeff Sagarin lists Nebraska's strength of schedule as 22nd most difficult in the country and Texas' as 81st.
How are these two teams performing statistically? Below are tables of each team's season totals, with national rank in parentheses.
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Nebraska By The Numbers: Offense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff0000"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rating</th><th>Total Offense</th><th>Scoring Offense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">151.6 (66)</td><td align="center">4.06 (60)</td><td align="center">13 (46)</td><td align="center">270.4 (29)</td><td align="center">7.4 (33)</td><td align="center">13 (45)</td><td align="center">133.1 (36)</td><td align="center">422.0 (34)</td><td align="center">26.6 (63)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Texas By The Numbers: Offense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff9933"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rating</th><th>Total Offense</th><th>Scoring Offense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">164.5 (47)</td><td align="center">4.34 (49)</td><td align="center">16 (25)</td><td align="center">273.3 (27)</td><td align="center">7.7 (24)</td><td align="center">15 (34)</td><td align="center">138.6 (25)</td><td align="center">437.8 (26)</td><td align="center">34.6 (28)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<center>************************************************************************</center>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Nebraska By The Numbers: Defense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff0000"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rate</th><th>Total Defense</th><th>Scoring Defense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">227.4 (115)</td><td align="center">5.12 (109)</td><td align="center">22 (117)</td><td align="center">230.0 (70)</td><td align="center">6.9 (66)</td><td align="center">10 (45)</td><td align="center">122.0 (58)</td><td align="center">457.4 (105)</td><td align="center">31.9 (91)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="1" width="100%"><caption align="top">Texas By The Numbers: Defense</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ff9933"><th>Rush YPG</th><th>Rush YPC</th><th>Rush TD</th><th>Pass YPG</th><th>Pass YPA</th><th>Pass TD</th><th>QB Rate</th><th>Total Defense</th><th>Scoring Defense</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center">89.4 (11)</td><td align="center">2.75 (12)</td><td align="center">7 (19)</td><td align="center">216.6 (54)</td><td align="center">5.8 (18)</td><td align="center">7 (13)</td><td align="center">106.2 (19)</td><td align="center">306.0 (16)</td><td align="center">19.3 (23)</td></tr></tbody></table>
The final step is to put those numbers into context. The following chart shows the national rank in total offense and total defense for each of Nebraska and Texas' 2007 opponents. <table border="3"><tbody></tbody><caption align="top">Nebraska-Texas Opponents' Unit Rankings</caption><tbody><tr><th>Total Offense Rank</th><th>NU Opponent</th><th>Total Defense Rank</th><th>--</th><th>Total Offense Rank</th><th>Texas Opponent</th><th>Total Defense Rank</th></tr><tr><td><center>8</center></td><td>Nevada</td><td><center>94</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>44</center></td><td>Ark. St.</td><td><center>61</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>83</center></td><td>@Wake Forest</td><td><center>50</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>85</center></td><td>TCU</td><td><center>33</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>31</center></td><td>USC</td><td><center>3</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>55</center></td><td>@UCF</td><td><center>64</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>18</center></td><td>Ball State</td><td><center>87</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>106</center></td><td>Rice</td><td><center>118</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>104</center></td><td>Iowa State</td><td><center>54</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>37</center></td><td>Kansas State</td><td><center>45</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>7</center></td><td>@Missouri</td><td><center>74</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>21</center></td><td>Oklahoma</td><td><center>11</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>11</center></td><td>Oklahoma State</td><td><center>91</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>104</center></td><td>@Iowa State</td><td><center>54</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>41</center></td><td>Texas A&M</td><td><center>73</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>82</center></td><td>@Baylor</td><td><center>90</center></td></tr><tr><td><center>37.9</center></td><td>Average</td><td><center>66.8</center></td><td>--</td><td><center>66.8</center></td><td>Average</td><td><center>59.5</center></td></tr></tbody></table> <ins>Analysis</ins>
*I knew Nebraska had been struggling on defense, but this is ridiculous. Over 450 yards allowed per game, 227 on the ground. I didn't pay too much attention to Nebraska's offseason attrition, but the 2006 defense was ranked 37th against the run. What in the hell happened?
*Part of the problem appears to be the players quitting on head coach Bill Callahan. I'll be talking with Corn Nation about that later today, but based on what's been said there and elsewhere, it appears the Huskers have more or less given up on the coach and the season.
*It is worth noting that Nebraska's faced some of college football's better offenses this season. Remarkably, they pretty well controlled a Nevada team which has given everyone else they've faced fits. The slide seems to have started when USC came to town.
*Once more, the numbers pretty clearly indicate how poor Texas' level of competition has been this year. The 'Horns have faced two decent teams this year - Kansas State and Oklahoma - losing both times. I'm not terribly surprised to see Arkansas State faring reasonably well statistically, either. That team was far better than most of us anticipated.
*On paper, this one's easy to call. The game's in Austin, Texas has performed dramatically better than the Huskers in 2007, albeit against softer competition. Throw in the mess surrounding Bill Callahan and it's tough to imagine Texas losing this game. Which probably means that we'll be in a dogfight to the end.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Oregon State starter ruled ineligible
Left tackle Tavita Thompson won't play again in 2007
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 6:17PM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 6:17PM
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- The personnel problems keep adding up at Oregon State, where starting left tackle Tavita Thompson has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the remainder of the season.
That's bad news especially for Oregon State's beleaguered offensive line, which has already suffered the loss of preseason All-American left guard Jeremy Perry Aug. 30 to a broken bone in his leg.
And the status of right guard Roy Schuening and right tackle Andy Levitre for the Beavers' Saturday home against Stanford is also uncertain. Schuening has walking pneumonia and hasn't practiced all week. Levitre left Monday's practice with a leg injury and practiced on a limited basis Tuesday.
Oregon State coach Mike Riley hopes Schuening and Levitre will be healthy in time for Saturday's game. Perry returned to practice this week and may even dress as an emergency player against Stanford.
"We've had some misfortune on the offensive line, and we need to overcome it," Riley said.
The 6-foot-6, 319-pound Thompson can continue practicing with the team, and the Beavers will work to get the junior reinstated for the 2008 season. Riley declined to disclose the reason for Thompson's ineligibility, citing student privacy laws.
Riley said he was confident the Beavers (4-3, 2-2 Pacific-10 Conference) wouldn't have to forfeit any of their wins for using an ineligible player.
Ryan Pohl, a 6-3, 278-pound redshirt freshman, will step in to replace Thompson. If Schuening or Speer can't play, either sophomore Gregg Peat, redshirt freshan Mau Nomani or junior Marcus Henderson could see action against the Cardinal (3-4, 2-3)
"We're just going to have to prepare like we do every week," said center Kyle DeVan, the only healthy starter on the line. "Ryan Pohl is a good athlete, he's just a little young. ... We'll have to get him some more film study an make sure he's physically and mentally ready for Saturday."
The Beavers have already lost third-team All-American receiver and punt returner Sammie Stroughter for the season with a kidney injury. Defensive back Coye Francies was kicked off the team just before fall camp, and punter Kyle Loomis quit.
Oregon State will likely be missing starting cornerback Keenan Lewis (knee injury) for another week. Safety Daniel Drayton will return from a groin injury Saturday.
Left tackle Tavita Thompson won't play again in 2007
Posted: Wednesday October 24, 2007 6:17PM; Updated: Wednesday October 24, 2007 6:17PM
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- The personnel problems keep adding up at Oregon State, where starting left tackle Tavita Thompson has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the remainder of the season.
That's bad news especially for Oregon State's beleaguered offensive line, which has already suffered the loss of preseason All-American left guard Jeremy Perry Aug. 30 to a broken bone in his leg.
And the status of right guard Roy Schuening and right tackle Andy Levitre for the Beavers' Saturday home against Stanford is also uncertain. Schuening has walking pneumonia and hasn't practiced all week. Levitre left Monday's practice with a leg injury and practiced on a limited basis Tuesday.
Oregon State coach Mike Riley hopes Schuening and Levitre will be healthy in time for Saturday's game. Perry returned to practice this week and may even dress as an emergency player against Stanford.
"We've had some misfortune on the offensive line, and we need to overcome it," Riley said.
The 6-foot-6, 319-pound Thompson can continue practicing with the team, and the Beavers will work to get the junior reinstated for the 2008 season. Riley declined to disclose the reason for Thompson's ineligibility, citing student privacy laws.
Riley said he was confident the Beavers (4-3, 2-2 Pacific-10 Conference) wouldn't have to forfeit any of their wins for using an ineligible player.
Ryan Pohl, a 6-3, 278-pound redshirt freshman, will step in to replace Thompson. If Schuening or Speer can't play, either sophomore Gregg Peat, redshirt freshan Mau Nomani or junior Marcus Henderson could see action against the Cardinal (3-4, 2-3)
"We're just going to have to prepare like we do every week," said center Kyle DeVan, the only healthy starter on the line. "Ryan Pohl is a good athlete, he's just a little young. ... We'll have to get him some more film study an make sure he's physically and mentally ready for Saturday."
The Beavers have already lost third-team All-American receiver and punt returner Sammie Stroughter for the season with a kidney injury. Defensive back Coye Francies was kicked off the team just before fall camp, and punter Kyle Loomis quit.
Oregon State will likely be missing starting cornerback Keenan Lewis (knee injury) for another week. Safety Daniel Drayton will return from a groin injury Saturday.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
MEET YOUR FRONTRUNNER: OHIO STATE
By SMQ
Posted on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 05:37:31 PM EDT
There's one area this year in which Ohio State has been consistently terrible: kick returns. The Buckeyes average under 17 yards per return, worst in the nation, with a single return over 30 yards and none over 40.
This could be because OSU intensely misses Ted Ginn. Or, more likely, a simple lack of opportunity: the Buckeyes have only returned 16 kickoffs in eight games, by far the fewest in the country (the only team even close to so few returns, Kansas, actually leads the nation in return average), which is just a cross to bear, I guess, for any team that leads the nation in scoring defense, total defense and pass efficiency defense, that ranks second against the run and has held seven of eight opposing offense to seven points or less.
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">I-A Offenses' Departure from Season Average vs. OSU</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(187, 135, 135) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Points</td> <td align="center">Total Yards</td> <td align="center">Yds./Play</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">AKRON</td> <td align="center">-18.5</td> <td align="center">-219.6</td> <td align="center">-3.1</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">WASHINGTON</td> <td align="center">-13.0</td> <td align="center">+ 8.5</td> <td align="center">-1.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">NORTHWESTERN*</td> <td align="center">-27.9</td> <td align="center">-330.9</td> <td align="center">-4.0</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">MINNESOTA</td> <td align="center">-22.8</td> <td align="center">-161.3</td> <td align="center">-2.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">PURDUE</td> <td align="center">-28.8</td> <td align="center">-162.3</td> <td align="center">-2.0</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">KENT STATE</td> <td align="center">-18.3</td> <td align="center">-124.3</td> <td align="center">-1.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">MICHIGAN STATE*</td> <td align="center">-27.4</td> <td align="center">-150.6</td> <td align="center">-2.4</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Average</td> <td align="center">-22.4</td> <td align="center">-162.9</td> <td align="center">-2.3</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
* - Northwestern scored on a kickoff return and Michigan State on two defensive touchdowns, included in season scoring averages but not in points vs. OSU.
- - - Carl Bonnell's H*i*m*n moment was on 4th-and-13 at the OSU 32, with Washington hopelessly trailing at home, 27-7, with about a minute to play, when he hit Marcel Reese for a 25-yard gain that put Washington over its season average in total yards against the Buckeyes. It took a while to get there, but no other team has come anywhere near the outer limits of the adjacent zip code to its typical output, so we have to assume it was a titanic effort on the part of Bonnell and Reese and the spirits of great Huskies past filling them with the desire to persevere for one last, meaningless touchdown (which U-Dub got two plays later to cut the final to a slightly misleading 27-14).
As a matter of fact, while we're reviewing historic lows for Minnesota's defense and Notre Dame's offense, there's this to note about the Buckeyes:
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">Best Defenses by Year, 2000-07</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(191, 159, 159) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">Year</td> <td align="center">Team</td> <td align="center">Yds. Allowed/Game</td> <td align="center">Yds./Play</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2000</td> <td align="center">TCU</td> <td align="center">245.0</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2001</td> <td align="center">Texas</td> <td align="center">236.2</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2002</td> <td align="center">TCU</td> <td align="center">240.3</td> <td align="center">3.6</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2003</td> <td align="center">LSU</td> <td align="center">252.0</td> <td align="center">4.02</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2004</td> <td align="center">N.C. State</td> <td align="center">221.4</td> <td align="center">3.5</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2005</td> <td align="center">Virginia Tech</td> <td align="center">247.6</td> <td align="center">4.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2006</td> <td align="center">Virginia Tech</td> <td align="center">219.5</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2007</td> <td align="center">Ohio State</td> <td align="center">208.5</td> <td align="center">3.3</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Someone wrote me and wanted to point out that the Buckeyes had forced more punts this season (73) than they had allowed points (63, including the non-offensive scores), so throw that in there, too.
This may or may not mean anything for the next month, or beyond it, to the mythical championship. It's not possible to overlook the relative wimpiness of that schedule - of the seven I-A opponents, there are three wins against teams with winning records, those three teams with two wins over teams with winning records, those two with just one win over a team with a winning record, and so on - and it's not like Ohio State is foreign to the position of poll frontrunner, assumed for part of 1995, most of 1998 and all of last year by great teams that fell short of the mythical championship. The 2002 team that won the crystal ball was never number one and was so unimpressive at times on its route to the Fiesta Bowl that there was even some wistful chatter that one-loss Georgia or Iowa might be more deserving.
Boeckman: Better than you think. So far.
- - -
This team seems to most closely resemble that one in philosophy, for obvious reasons, but is possibly better in every phase (excluding kick returns, of course). Certainly it's showed more alpha, throat-stomping killer instict than never-say-die will. Todd Boeckman is a beacon of efficiency but also, contrary to the lo-fi reputation of Tressel Ball, the national leader in yards per attempt - a number, remember, that goes an awfully long way to winning football games - with Brian Robiskie his unsung bombing partner at 19.7 yards per catch and seven touchdowns, four of them longer than 25 yards. Chris Wells you know, in the role of a non-flakey-criminal Clarett, and the defense you know. The whole general pastiche, run-run-run-run-bomb-defense-special teams-run-run-run-defense-kill-kill-kill-etc, you know. The regular season winning streak, now at 26 games, that you probably know, too. We do not know yet whether all that is a mirage born of schedule that, at year's end, more likely than not will fail to feature an opponent ranked in the top 20. Right now, the concern is only that the schedule to date has either inflated OSU's dominance or somehow left it unprepared for the unquestionably stiffer stretch run; because this is Ohio State, after all, there is none of the skepticism currently hounding its fellow unbeatens about OSU's legitimacy as a mythical championship contender or its chances of securing a spot . Ohio State doesn't need any help - we're all aware of the scenario here: if the Buckeyes win, they're in, whatever the proven merits of Arizona State or Boston College at the end of the year.
The general consensus seems to be that Penn State will be the first team to challenge the premises, so to speak, on the same field OSU last lost in the regular season two years ago, but after watching the Lions against Indiana, I find this dubious - Jay Paterno and Anthony Morelli, against the defense of the decade? I should note that I've barely seen snap one of Ohio State, and might find some of the hyperbole suggested by the numbers equally sketchy, as I did with last year's defense, right up to the point I picked it to stifle Florida for the championship. This closing month, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, it may be the best the Big Ten offer, but it's not much. All four of those teams have played two consecutive, head-slappingly bad games at some point already this season. So if Ohio State really is all that, I'm not sure we'll know it before January. And by that time, well, you know.
By SMQ
Posted on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 05:37:31 PM EDT
There's one area this year in which Ohio State has been consistently terrible: kick returns. The Buckeyes average under 17 yards per return, worst in the nation, with a single return over 30 yards and none over 40.
This could be because OSU intensely misses Ted Ginn. Or, more likely, a simple lack of opportunity: the Buckeyes have only returned 16 kickoffs in eight games, by far the fewest in the country (the only team even close to so few returns, Kansas, actually leads the nation in return average), which is just a cross to bear, I guess, for any team that leads the nation in scoring defense, total defense and pass efficiency defense, that ranks second against the run and has held seven of eight opposing offense to seven points or less.
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">I-A Offenses' Departure from Season Average vs. OSU</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(187, 135, 135) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Points</td> <td align="center">Total Yards</td> <td align="center">Yds./Play</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">AKRON</td> <td align="center">-18.5</td> <td align="center">-219.6</td> <td align="center">-3.1</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">WASHINGTON</td> <td align="center">-13.0</td> <td align="center">+ 8.5</td> <td align="center">-1.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">NORTHWESTERN*</td> <td align="center">-27.9</td> <td align="center">-330.9</td> <td align="center">-4.0</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">MINNESOTA</td> <td align="center">-22.8</td> <td align="center">-161.3</td> <td align="center">-2.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">PURDUE</td> <td align="center">-28.8</td> <td align="center">-162.3</td> <td align="center">-2.0</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">KENT STATE</td> <td align="center">-18.3</td> <td align="center">-124.3</td> <td align="center">-1.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">MICHIGAN STATE*</td> <td align="center">-27.4</td> <td align="center">-150.6</td> <td align="center">-2.4</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Average</td> <td align="center">-22.4</td> <td align="center">-162.9</td> <td align="center">-2.3</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
* - Northwestern scored on a kickoff return and Michigan State on two defensive touchdowns, included in season scoring averages but not in points vs. OSU.
- - - Carl Bonnell's H*i*m*n moment was on 4th-and-13 at the OSU 32, with Washington hopelessly trailing at home, 27-7, with about a minute to play, when he hit Marcel Reese for a 25-yard gain that put Washington over its season average in total yards against the Buckeyes. It took a while to get there, but no other team has come anywhere near the outer limits of the adjacent zip code to its typical output, so we have to assume it was a titanic effort on the part of Bonnell and Reese and the spirits of great Huskies past filling them with the desire to persevere for one last, meaningless touchdown (which U-Dub got two plays later to cut the final to a slightly misleading 27-14).
As a matter of fact, while we're reviewing historic lows for Minnesota's defense and Notre Dame's offense, there's this to note about the Buckeyes:
<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">Best Defenses by Year, 2000-07</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(191, 159, 159) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">Year</td> <td align="center">Team</td> <td align="center">Yds. Allowed/Game</td> <td align="center">Yds./Play</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2000</td> <td align="center">TCU</td> <td align="center">245.0</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2001</td> <td align="center">Texas</td> <td align="center">236.2</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2002</td> <td align="center">TCU</td> <td align="center">240.3</td> <td align="center">3.6</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2003</td> <td align="center">LSU</td> <td align="center">252.0</td> <td align="center">4.02</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2004</td> <td align="center">N.C. State</td> <td align="center">221.4</td> <td align="center">3.5</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2005</td> <td align="center">Virginia Tech</td> <td align="center">247.6</td> <td align="center">4.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2006</td> <td align="center">Virginia Tech</td> <td align="center">219.5</td> <td align="center">3.8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2007</td> <td align="center">Ohio State</td> <td align="center">208.5</td> <td align="center">3.3</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Someone wrote me and wanted to point out that the Buckeyes had forced more punts this season (73) than they had allowed points (63, including the non-offensive scores), so throw that in there, too.
This may or may not mean anything for the next month, or beyond it, to the mythical championship. It's not possible to overlook the relative wimpiness of that schedule - of the seven I-A opponents, there are three wins against teams with winning records, those three teams with two wins over teams with winning records, those two with just one win over a team with a winning record, and so on - and it's not like Ohio State is foreign to the position of poll frontrunner, assumed for part of 1995, most of 1998 and all of last year by great teams that fell short of the mythical championship. The 2002 team that won the crystal ball was never number one and was so unimpressive at times on its route to the Fiesta Bowl that there was even some wistful chatter that one-loss Georgia or Iowa might be more deserving.
Boeckman: Better than you think. So far.
- - -
This team seems to most closely resemble that one in philosophy, for obvious reasons, but is possibly better in every phase (excluding kick returns, of course). Certainly it's showed more alpha, throat-stomping killer instict than never-say-die will. Todd Boeckman is a beacon of efficiency but also, contrary to the lo-fi reputation of Tressel Ball, the national leader in yards per attempt - a number, remember, that goes an awfully long way to winning football games - with Brian Robiskie his unsung bombing partner at 19.7 yards per catch and seven touchdowns, four of them longer than 25 yards. Chris Wells you know, in the role of a non-flakey-criminal Clarett, and the defense you know. The whole general pastiche, run-run-run-run-bomb-defense-special teams-run-run-run-defense-kill-kill-kill-etc, you know. The regular season winning streak, now at 26 games, that you probably know, too. We do not know yet whether all that is a mirage born of schedule that, at year's end, more likely than not will fail to feature an opponent ranked in the top 20. Right now, the concern is only that the schedule to date has either inflated OSU's dominance or somehow left it unprepared for the unquestionably stiffer stretch run; because this is Ohio State, after all, there is none of the skepticism currently hounding its fellow unbeatens about OSU's legitimacy as a mythical championship contender or its chances of securing a spot . Ohio State doesn't need any help - we're all aware of the scenario here: if the Buckeyes win, they're in, whatever the proven merits of Arizona State or Boston College at the end of the year.
The general consensus seems to be that Penn State will be the first team to challenge the premises, so to speak, on the same field OSU last lost in the regular season two years ago, but after watching the Lions against Indiana, I find this dubious - Jay Paterno and Anthony Morelli, against the defense of the decade? I should note that I've barely seen snap one of Ohio State, and might find some of the hyperbole suggested by the numbers equally sketchy, as I did with last year's defense, right up to the point I picked it to stifle Florida for the championship. This closing month, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, it may be the best the Big Ten offer, but it's not much. All four of those teams have played two consecutive, head-slappingly bad games at some point already this season. So if Ohio State really is all that, I'm not sure we'll know it before January. And by that time, well, you know.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Freeman's The Miami Starter...Again?
Posted Oct 24th 2007 9:07PM by Ian Cohen
Filed under: Miami Football, ACC, BCS
Hey, Mr. Me Too...you know when Florida State is announcing their latest QB change, Miami can't be that far behind. At the very least, the Hurricanes have a more understandable reason for making the switcheroo than the "lesser of two evils...right now" debate that always seems to frame the Weatherford/Lee battle. Kyle Wright, aka Human Brock Berlin In The Flesh suffered an ankle injury during the still-brutal, but high-scoring tilt between Miami and FSU, and will be in a cast for the time being. But while Freeman can be seen as the conquering hero this past week, an argument can be made that Xavier Lee generated more points for the Canes than anyone on the UM offense.
That means Kirby Freeman is likely the starter when Miami takes the field on November 1, wherein he'll attempt to gussy up his 38.6% completion percentage and 72 passer rating (remember who started in the Oklahoma disaster). But as is the case with Weatherford at Florida State, the new guy gets a pretty easy assignment in his latest attempt to keep the seat warm for the hotshot recruit (in this case, Robert Marve). It's difficult to tell this year whether that's a bigger offense to North Carolina State or Duke.
Filed under: Miami Football, ACC, BCS
That means Kirby Freeman is likely the starter when Miami takes the field on November 1, wherein he'll attempt to gussy up his 38.6% completion percentage and 72 passer rating (remember who started in the Oklahoma disaster). But as is the case with Weatherford at Florida State, the new guy gets a pretty easy assignment in his latest attempt to keep the seat warm for the hotshot recruit (in this case, Robert Marve). It's difficult to tell this year whether that's a bigger offense to North Carolina State or Duke.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Stanford will start Third String RB
from Building The Dam by Jake <info@buildingthedam.com>
After a season ending injury to senior Jason Evans, who replaced the injured Anthony Kimble, redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw will be the starting back. He rushed for 50 yards on 16 carries as the No. 2 back against Arizona last week.
<center>
Redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw AP Photo/ John Miller (via ESPN)
</center> Also, freshman Jeremy Stewart, who carried the ball one for one yard and a game winning touchdown is questionable with a shoulder injury. GO BEAVERS!
from Building The Dam by Jake <info@buildingthedam.com>
After a season ending injury to senior Jason Evans, who replaced the injured Anthony Kimble, redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw will be the starting back. He rushed for 50 yards on 16 carries as the No. 2 back against Arizona last week.
<center>
Redshirt freshman Tyrone McGraw AP Photo/ John Miller (via ESPN)
</center> Also, freshman Jeremy Stewart, who carried the ball one for one yard and a game winning touchdown is questionable with a shoulder injury. GO BEAVERS!
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
A MACHIAVELLIAN STATE OF THE PAC TEN
By SMQ
Posted on Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 01:04:33 PM EDT
Consider this the second in a series of "Prove It" posts re: undefeated teams facing their biggest tests to date this weekend, after Wednesday's look at Ohio State. More on Boston College later today.
- - -
This doesn't seem particularly likely, with the ghost of Pete Rozelle wandering in for random yanks on the strings governing this season, but if you want to get reallly cutthroat about it, probably the worst thing that could happen for the Pac Ten this weekend is a win by Cal over Arizona State.
This has nothing to do with Arizona State or Cal being a better or worse team - they are too closely matched for that tired abstraction, which could be smoked on any given play - and everything to do with money and prestige: already rocked by a power vacuum after Southern Cal's loss to Stanford, and with either Oregon or USC guaranteed to also bite the dust Saturday against the other, the conference may not be able to afford losing the unbeaten Sun Devils to the mire of parity.
Lead the way, el presidente. Let the spirit of Plummer possess you.
- - -
As I see it, the conference really wants one result above all else: an at-large BCS berth in addition to its automatic, a reward it hasn't been extended since 2002 and has been specifically, controversially denied twice in three years, with snubs against 10-1 Cal in 2004 and 10-1 Oregon in 2005. With three teams currently in the top twelve of the BCS standings, more than any other league, the status quo is decidedly in its favor. Along the same lines, it also wants to avoid another potential reality, which could undermine that stability: an unranked team that lost by 38 to a Mountain West school and at home to singularly awful Notre Dame suddenly finding itself in sole possession of first place. Now, UCLA being UCLA, there is no guarantee it gets out of Pullman, Washington, Saturday with its perfect conference record intact. There's also no guarantee the same Bruins won't be forgiven their out-of-conference sins if they somehow close the regular season with a championship-securing run over ASU, Oregon and, for the second year in a row, USC. But imagine that scenario from the skeptical, infamously detached gaze of the alleged East/South/Midwest bias: UCLA is the best team in the conference? The team that completely collapsed and fell out of the rankings for good after a 44-6 loss at Utah, the week before the Utes were shut out by UNLV? (they would probably ask this) That served as fodder for the only remotely positive segment of the Irish's schedule? (they would definitely ask this) And there's supposed to be another team out there good enough to come inside the velvet rope? I wish to stress again that UCLA, even at 6-2 and 4-0 in-conference, is currently unranked.
It's not that America doesn't want you, UCLA. It's just that it thinks you kind of suck.
- - -
The best thing that has happened to the Pac Ten this season is the demise of USC as a near-automatic overlord and the emergence of Arizona State, Oregon and Cal as potential, worthy successors to the Trojans' throne (as opposed to the perceived unowrthiness of any team in the great morass of the ACC now that Florida State's reign has ended), at the same time SC is trying desperately to hang on to it with the mythical championship almost assuredly out of the picture, which has created a lot of momentum for the league. There is significantly less momentum now as Cal has fallen from that picture in consecutive weeks, resigned to snipe on as a spoiler in pursuit of a Holiday Bowl berth, but the remaining Big Three still have enough juice and inertia to propel the good times forward: if the Devils, Ducks and Trojans win all of their remaining nine games against the rest of the conference, there is guaranteed to be a one and a two-loss team to choose This is not all about that end game, though. If Arizona State lets Cal off the mat Saturday, there's still a chance for some kind of attractive hierarchy to emerge over the last month of the season, but the momentum - the hook - is gone. A Devil loss would leave ASU, already being measured in skeptics' targets (it's seventh in both the latest mainstream polls, behind four one-loss teams, including West Virginia, despite a good assessment from the computers), spiraling into the teens along with the USC-Oregon loser, leaving only the winner of that game in the top ten and, barring an unlikely baring of teeth by Washington State, UCLA alone at the top of the standings. At which point the vague sensibilities of the voting public might see fit to stop caring, if they ever did.
This is a shame, because what the Pac Ten really has over the next month is a five-team, nine-game round robin that concentrates its biggest games over just a few weeks - Cal at Arizona State, USC at Oregon, Arizona State at Oregon, USC at Cal, Arizona State at UCLA, Oregon at UCLA, USC at Arizona State, Oregon at UCLA and USC at UCLA make up the most fascinating championship derby in any conference at the end of the year, but not all outcomes are necessarily equal. If it matters at all (I'm supposing of course that it does), the BCS tends to reward hierarchy and dominance, consistent displays of strength, not banged-up survivors of parity and attrition. The Pac Ten's had parity for years, and we are unimpressed. Give us a heavyweight fight!
By SMQ
Posted on Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 01:04:33 PM EDT
Consider this the second in a series of "Prove It" posts re: undefeated teams facing their biggest tests to date this weekend, after Wednesday's look at Ohio State. More on Boston College later today.
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This doesn't seem particularly likely, with the ghost of Pete Rozelle wandering in for random yanks on the strings governing this season, but if you want to get reallly cutthroat about it, probably the worst thing that could happen for the Pac Ten this weekend is a win by Cal over Arizona State.
This has nothing to do with Arizona State or Cal being a better or worse team - they are too closely matched for that tired abstraction, which could be smoked on any given play - and everything to do with money and prestige: already rocked by a power vacuum after Southern Cal's loss to Stanford, and with either Oregon or USC guaranteed to also bite the dust Saturday against the other, the conference may not be able to afford losing the unbeaten Sun Devils to the mire of parity.
Lead the way, el presidente. Let the spirit of Plummer possess you.
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As I see it, the conference really wants one result above all else: an at-large BCS berth in addition to its automatic, a reward it hasn't been extended since 2002 and has been specifically, controversially denied twice in three years, with snubs against 10-1 Cal in 2004 and 10-1 Oregon in 2005. With three teams currently in the top twelve of the BCS standings, more than any other league, the status quo is decidedly in its favor. Along the same lines, it also wants to avoid another potential reality, which could undermine that stability: an unranked team that lost by 38 to a Mountain West school and at home to singularly awful Notre Dame suddenly finding itself in sole possession of first place. Now, UCLA being UCLA, there is no guarantee it gets out of Pullman, Washington, Saturday with its perfect conference record intact. There's also no guarantee the same Bruins won't be forgiven their out-of-conference sins if they somehow close the regular season with a championship-securing run over ASU, Oregon and, for the second year in a row, USC. But imagine that scenario from the skeptical, infamously detached gaze of the alleged East/South/Midwest bias: UCLA is the best team in the conference? The team that completely collapsed and fell out of the rankings for good after a 44-6 loss at Utah, the week before the Utes were shut out by UNLV? (they would probably ask this) That served as fodder for the only remotely positive segment of the Irish's schedule? (they would definitely ask this) And there's supposed to be another team out there good enough to come inside the velvet rope? I wish to stress again that UCLA, even at 6-2 and 4-0 in-conference, is currently unranked.
It's not that America doesn't want you, UCLA. It's just that it thinks you kind of suck.
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The best thing that has happened to the Pac Ten this season is the demise of USC as a near-automatic overlord and the emergence of Arizona State, Oregon and Cal as potential, worthy successors to the Trojans' throne (as opposed to the perceived unowrthiness of any team in the great morass of the ACC now that Florida State's reign has ended), at the same time SC is trying desperately to hang on to it with the mythical championship almost assuredly out of the picture, which has created a lot of momentum for the league. There is significantly less momentum now as Cal has fallen from that picture in consecutive weeks, resigned to snipe on as a spoiler in pursuit of a Holiday Bowl berth, but the remaining Big Three still have enough juice and inertia to propel the good times forward: if the Devils, Ducks and Trojans win all of their remaining nine games against the rest of the conference, there is guaranteed to be a one and a two-loss team to choose This is not all about that end game, though. If Arizona State lets Cal off the mat Saturday, there's still a chance for some kind of attractive hierarchy to emerge over the last month of the season, but the momentum - the hook - is gone. A Devil loss would leave ASU, already being measured in skeptics' targets (it's seventh in both the latest mainstream polls, behind four one-loss teams, including West Virginia, despite a good assessment from the computers), spiraling into the teens along with the USC-Oregon loser, leaving only the winner of that game in the top ten and, barring an unlikely baring of teeth by Washington State, UCLA alone at the top of the standings. At which point the vague sensibilities of the voting public might see fit to stop caring, if they ever did.
This is a shame, because what the Pac Ten really has over the next month is a five-team, nine-game round robin that concentrates its biggest games over just a few weeks - Cal at Arizona State, USC at Oregon, Arizona State at Oregon, USC at Cal, Arizona State at UCLA, Oregon at UCLA, USC at Arizona State, Oregon at UCLA and USC at UCLA make up the most fascinating championship derby in any conference at the end of the year, but not all outcomes are necessarily equal. If it matters at all (I'm supposing of course that it does), the BCS tends to reward hierarchy and dominance, consistent displays of strength, not banged-up survivors of parity and attrition. The Pac Ten's had parity for years, and we are unimpressed. Give us a heavyweight fight!
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