FIVE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT COLLEGE'S WEEK 6 PLUS SUNDAY LOOK AHEAD
1. The Kansas Jayhawks are beginning to look like the Mizzou Tigers of '07 & '08, great offense, very little defense. Giving up 512 yards to a pretty bad Iowa State team was an eye opener. Had Cyclone QB Austen Arnaud not overthrown Darrius Darks when he was wide open in the end zone with a minute to play, KU would have lost. Southern Miss came within an eyelash of beating KU on this same field two weeks ago. I think the Jayhawks are going to have to score 40 or more to stay competitive when tougher Big-12 teams come along. With Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Texas & Mizzou remaining on the schedule, 40 points a week may not be enough. The trio of QB Todd Reesing, wideouts Kerry Meier & Dezmon Briscoe is the best in the nation,they are thrilling to watch, but if Mark Mangino can't find some defense real quick like, the 'Hawks might be in trouble.
2. Alabama & Florida are the class of the SEC & there's really no one even close. Georgia got smoked today, Auburn got smoked today, Ole Miss & their QB Jevan Snead are frauds & LSU doesn't deserve to be a top-15 team, how were they ranked #4? The Florida-LSU game had me yawning from start to finish & I had a bet on the game! What a snore job. Will someone please teach LSU DE Rahem Alem the difference between on sides & offsides? This guy lined up offsides 3 freakin' times! The O-line didn't show me much either, receiving 4 false start penalties, 2 of them negating 1st down gains. QB Jordan Jefferson was so completely overwhelmed by the Gator defense, he looked so confused. 'Bama's the best team I've seen, week after week.
3. It matters little who quarterbacks for Texas Tech, if he can read his keys & is able to throw a 10-yard pass, he'll be successful. Steven Sheffield, subbing for the injured Taylor Potts, threw for 490 yards & seven touchdowns. Granted, their opponent, Kansas State, won't be confused with the Steelers, but they're not cannon fodder either. Well maybe they are, for a small cannon maybe. The system Mike Leach has developed in Lubbock just needs a triggerman who can read pre-snap keys & get rid of the ball on time. Throwing a spiral isn't even a prerequisite.
4. Sam Bradford returned & he was almost gone again after just one series. He was flushed from the pocket, rolled left & delivered a pass. He landed awkwardly & began limping, favoring his right knee. He played pretty well, throwing for 389 yards & 1 touchdown. But he was knocked down too often & their offense sputtered too much, kicking 4 field goals while scoring only 3 touchdowns against Baylor. I don't like their chances next week against Texas. The Longhorns played 3 crappy quarters of football, their special teams & defense bailing them out with 2 scores in the 3rd quarter. How does Colorado's Dan Hawkins continue to play his 5' 9" weak-armed son at QB? He's brutal.
5. Michigan is going to be a good team next season after all of these young kids Rich Rodriguez recruited become more experienced playing together. Two true freshman QB's to pick from & except for the offensive line, the starting 22 is mostly underclassmen. They came very close to upsetting #12 Iowa on the road. Iowa hadn't given up a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters, the Wolverines got 3 tonight. They're a handful right now, but next season, look out.
Tomorrow, I'm putting a little wager on the Kansas City Chiefs +9 points. I doubt they can win the game, but the Dallas Cowboys are certainly capable of losing, so I like the number. Tony Romo looks terrible, he's missing RB Felix Jones & WR Roy Williams. TE Jason Whitten catches a lot of passes but he seldom picks up 2 yards after each catch. The Cowboy wideouts don't scare anybody & they're a highly penalized team. Their outside linebackers, DeMarcus Ware & Anthony Spencer, are the guys Dallas depends on to get to the quarterback. Last season Ware led the NFL with 20 sacks. So far in '09, they have zero sacks between them. They've beaten Tampa Bay & Carolina, two teams in Kansas City's class. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention my buddy Chuck's insistence that "Wade Phillips is a bad coach". He said that about 20 times today. Frankly, he might not be a bad coach, but he certainly isn't a head coach that anyone fears. I think o-coordinator Jason Garrett is one of the most overrated play-callers in the entire league. Here's hoping Todd Haley can keep his temper in check long enough to let the Cowboys paint themselves into a corner & then do something with it.
Today's real name of the day: Maurkice Pouncey, center, Florida. His twin brother, Michael plays right next to him at left guard.
2. Alabama & Florida are the class of the SEC & there's really no one even close. Georgia got smoked today, Auburn got smoked today, Ole Miss & their QB Jevan Snead are frauds & LSU doesn't deserve to be a top-15 team, how were they ranked #4? The Florida-LSU game had me yawning from start to finish & I had a bet on the game! What a snore job. Will someone please teach LSU DE Rahem Alem the difference between on sides & offsides? This guy lined up offsides 3 freakin' times! The O-line didn't show me much either, receiving 4 false start penalties, 2 of them negating 1st down gains. QB Jordan Jefferson was so completely overwhelmed by the Gator defense, he looked so confused. 'Bama's the best team I've seen, week after week.
3. It matters little who quarterbacks for Texas Tech, if he can read his keys & is able to throw a 10-yard pass, he'll be successful. Steven Sheffield, subbing for the injured Taylor Potts, threw for 490 yards & seven touchdowns. Granted, their opponent, Kansas State, won't be confused with the Steelers, but they're not cannon fodder either. Well maybe they are, for a small cannon maybe. The system Mike Leach has developed in Lubbock just needs a triggerman who can read pre-snap keys & get rid of the ball on time. Throwing a spiral isn't even a prerequisite.
4. Sam Bradford returned & he was almost gone again after just one series. He was flushed from the pocket, rolled left & delivered a pass. He landed awkwardly & began limping, favoring his right knee. He played pretty well, throwing for 389 yards & 1 touchdown. But he was knocked down too often & their offense sputtered too much, kicking 4 field goals while scoring only 3 touchdowns against Baylor. I don't like their chances next week against Texas. The Longhorns played 3 crappy quarters of football, their special teams & defense bailing them out with 2 scores in the 3rd quarter. How does Colorado's Dan Hawkins continue to play his 5' 9" weak-armed son at QB? He's brutal.
5. Michigan is going to be a good team next season after all of these young kids Rich Rodriguez recruited become more experienced playing together. Two true freshman QB's to pick from & except for the offensive line, the starting 22 is mostly underclassmen. They came very close to upsetting #12 Iowa on the road. Iowa hadn't given up a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters, the Wolverines got 3 tonight. They're a handful right now, but next season, look out.
Tomorrow, I'm putting a little wager on the Kansas City Chiefs +9 points. I doubt they can win the game, but the Dallas Cowboys are certainly capable of losing, so I like the number. Tony Romo looks terrible, he's missing RB Felix Jones & WR Roy Williams. TE Jason Whitten catches a lot of passes but he seldom picks up 2 yards after each catch. The Cowboy wideouts don't scare anybody & they're a highly penalized team. Their outside linebackers, DeMarcus Ware & Anthony Spencer, are the guys Dallas depends on to get to the quarterback. Last season Ware led the NFL with 20 sacks. So far in '09, they have zero sacks between them. They've beaten Tampa Bay & Carolina, two teams in Kansas City's class. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention my buddy Chuck's insistence that "Wade Phillips is a bad coach". He said that about 20 times today. Frankly, he might not be a bad coach, but he certainly isn't a head coach that anyone fears. I think o-coordinator Jason Garrett is one of the most overrated play-callers in the entire league. Here's hoping Todd Haley can keep his temper in check long enough to let the Cowboys paint themselves into a corner & then do something with it.
Today's real name of the day: Maurkice Pouncey, center, Florida. His twin brother, Michael plays right next to him at left guard.
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