LES MILES CLUELESS, JIMMY CLAUSEN PUNCHED & PAC-10 CLASSICS
LSU's Les Miles cracked under the pressure in the closing seconds of the Tigers loss at Ole Miss Saturday. After the game & for 2 days, Miles danced around the same question "what the hell happened?" Late Monday Miles took full responsibility for some of the worst clock management I've seen. For those who believed his 2007 National Championship was more a result of Nick Saban's outstanding recruiting than Miles' coaching. Since that season, the Tigers are 7-8 in conference, with his recruits. I was on the fence regarding Miles, but after watching the end of this game Saturday night, I was left with my mouth hanging open in astonishment. Here's the play-by-play from the last 1:17 of the game won by Ole Miss 25-23.
1:17 LSU scores to get within 2. The 2-point conversion try fails, score 25-23.
1:10 LSU's Brandon LaFell recovers an onside kick
:57 LaFell takes a screen pass to the Ole Miss 32-yard line
:50 QB Jordan Jefferson throws a deep pass that is incomplete, how about 15 yards for FG position?
:44 2nd down, Jefferson sacked for a 9-yard loss, now out of field goal range.
:26 3rd down, Tigers lose 7 more on a screen pass, clock running
:08 4th down, Miles finally calls his last timeout after allowing the clock to run off 18 seconds. Jefferson scrambles & throws up a hail-Mary that is caught at the Ole Miss 5-yard line, clock stops temporarily to move the chains with 1 second left in the game. The Tigers line up & Jefferson spikes the ball to use the last second of clock. There's one second left & you spike the ball? Brilliant. How about calling a timeout immediately after the 7-yard loss on 3rd down? You'd have 26-seconds left, time to actually do something if you're able to convert the 4th & 26. The bewildered look on Miles' face all during this time was certainly disconcerting, he looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights & I have to believe many "down on the bayou" are asking themselves if Miles is everything they thought he was.
The big WAC showdown Friday night in Boise could be closer than you might think. Nevada & their rushing attack that leads the nation will be looking to wreck the Broncos try for back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. How good is the Wolfpack running game? They average 391 yards a game on the ground. Georgia Tech is second nationally with 313. Nevada has won 8 straight after losing to Mizzou in Reno. Nevada set an all-time NCAA record this past Saturday in their 63-20 shellacking of New Mexico State. Running back Luke Lippencott ran for 162 yards, giving him a season total of 1,028. QB Colin Kaepernick, with 1,129 yards & RB Vai Taua with 1,185 gives the Wolfpack 3 thousand yard runner on the same team, which had never been done.
Think losing isn't really unpopular in South Bend Indiana? Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen was out with his family after the Irish's Senior Day double overtime loss to Connecticut. Outside a restaurant someone walked up to Clausen & sucker punched him, knocking him to the pavement. This brave soul threw the hay maker & then ran down the street into the darkness.
With the way teams are finishing strong, the 6-6 record that got the Irish a trip to Hawaii last season, won't cut it this year. It's doubtful any 6-6 team will receive a bowl invitation. Sure, Notre Dame commands respect from the bowl committees, but if they lose Saturday at Stanford, the Irish will close with a 4-game wining streak, not a great sell for the bowls. I think they'll have to beat Stanford convincingly to get a bid, but I don't think it would save Charlie Weis' job.
Speaking of Stanford, running back Toby Gerhart should be a Heisman finalist. The Academic All-American has 1,531 yards rushing to go with his 23 touchdowns. If you haven't seen this senior play, catch their game with Notre Dame this Saturday.
The PAC-10 had a pair of classic games this past weekend. "The Big Game" as it's known, Cal-Stanford, has been one of the great grudge matches for decades. It was this rivalry that gave us the greatest finish to any football game in history, the aptly named "Stanford Band Game". The last second kickoff return for the winning touchdown that featured 11 laterals & a run thru the Stanford Band which had come on the field thinking the game was over. Anyway, the game they played Saturday was a thriller. Freshman QB Andrew Luck & Toby Gerhart rallied Stanford in the 4th quarter & got them within Cal's redzone in the last 2 minutes before Luck threw an interception at the Cal 12. The Oregon Ducks staged a rally of their own in Tucson Saturday night, beating Arizona 44-41 in double overtime. Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli was absolutely brilliant in the comeback throwing 3 touchdowns & running for 3 touchdowns. His 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ed Dickson with 6-seconds left in regulation tied the game at 31-all. Masoli threw a TD pass in the 1st O.T. & ran for the game winner in the second after Arizona had kicked a field goal. For my money, the PAC-10 has surpassed the BIG-12 for wide-open thrilling games. I think Oregon is a pretty damn good team & they deserve their #8 ranking in the BCS.
Since this is "Border War" week, Kansas versus Missouri at Arrowhead Saturday afternoon, I, as a diehard Mizzou fan feel obligated to give you my best Mark Mangino joke. I know, I know, I'm kinda piling on the embattled Jayhawk coach. The guy who has inspired t-shirts printed with "My Coach can EAT Your Coach". The guy who will probably be fired by this time next week, unless his team pounds Mizzou, which could happen. Anything can & sometimes does happen in these rivalry games. Anyway, the joke, if you're not from the Kansas City area, it's doubtful you'll get the reference.
Mark Mangino was in Kansas City on a recruiting trip & became lost.
He stopped at a gas station & asked the clerk "do you know how I can get back to 435?"
The clerk responded "yeah, try eatin' a friggin' salad once in a while."
1:17 LSU scores to get within 2. The 2-point conversion try fails, score 25-23.
1:10 LSU's Brandon LaFell recovers an onside kick
:57 LaFell takes a screen pass to the Ole Miss 32-yard line
:50 QB Jordan Jefferson throws a deep pass that is incomplete, how about 15 yards for FG position?
:44 2nd down, Jefferson sacked for a 9-yard loss, now out of field goal range.
:26 3rd down, Tigers lose 7 more on a screen pass, clock running
:08 4th down, Miles finally calls his last timeout after allowing the clock to run off 18 seconds. Jefferson scrambles & throws up a hail-Mary that is caught at the Ole Miss 5-yard line, clock stops temporarily to move the chains with 1 second left in the game. The Tigers line up & Jefferson spikes the ball to use the last second of clock. There's one second left & you spike the ball? Brilliant. How about calling a timeout immediately after the 7-yard loss on 3rd down? You'd have 26-seconds left, time to actually do something if you're able to convert the 4th & 26. The bewildered look on Miles' face all during this time was certainly disconcerting, he looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights & I have to believe many "down on the bayou" are asking themselves if Miles is everything they thought he was.
The big WAC showdown Friday night in Boise could be closer than you might think. Nevada & their rushing attack that leads the nation will be looking to wreck the Broncos try for back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. How good is the Wolfpack running game? They average 391 yards a game on the ground. Georgia Tech is second nationally with 313. Nevada has won 8 straight after losing to Mizzou in Reno. Nevada set an all-time NCAA record this past Saturday in their 63-20 shellacking of New Mexico State. Running back Luke Lippencott ran for 162 yards, giving him a season total of 1,028. QB Colin Kaepernick, with 1,129 yards & RB Vai Taua with 1,185 gives the Wolfpack 3 thousand yard runner on the same team, which had never been done.
Think losing isn't really unpopular in South Bend Indiana? Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen was out with his family after the Irish's Senior Day double overtime loss to Connecticut. Outside a restaurant someone walked up to Clausen & sucker punched him, knocking him to the pavement. This brave soul threw the hay maker & then ran down the street into the darkness.
With the way teams are finishing strong, the 6-6 record that got the Irish a trip to Hawaii last season, won't cut it this year. It's doubtful any 6-6 team will receive a bowl invitation. Sure, Notre Dame commands respect from the bowl committees, but if they lose Saturday at Stanford, the Irish will close with a 4-game wining streak, not a great sell for the bowls. I think they'll have to beat Stanford convincingly to get a bid, but I don't think it would save Charlie Weis' job.
Speaking of Stanford, running back Toby Gerhart should be a Heisman finalist. The Academic All-American has 1,531 yards rushing to go with his 23 touchdowns. If you haven't seen this senior play, catch their game with Notre Dame this Saturday.
The PAC-10 had a pair of classic games this past weekend. "The Big Game" as it's known, Cal-Stanford, has been one of the great grudge matches for decades. It was this rivalry that gave us the greatest finish to any football game in history, the aptly named "Stanford Band Game". The last second kickoff return for the winning touchdown that featured 11 laterals & a run thru the Stanford Band which had come on the field thinking the game was over. Anyway, the game they played Saturday was a thriller. Freshman QB Andrew Luck & Toby Gerhart rallied Stanford in the 4th quarter & got them within Cal's redzone in the last 2 minutes before Luck threw an interception at the Cal 12. The Oregon Ducks staged a rally of their own in Tucson Saturday night, beating Arizona 44-41 in double overtime. Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli was absolutely brilliant in the comeback throwing 3 touchdowns & running for 3 touchdowns. His 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ed Dickson with 6-seconds left in regulation tied the game at 31-all. Masoli threw a TD pass in the 1st O.T. & ran for the game winner in the second after Arizona had kicked a field goal. For my money, the PAC-10 has surpassed the BIG-12 for wide-open thrilling games. I think Oregon is a pretty damn good team & they deserve their #8 ranking in the BCS.
Since this is "Border War" week, Kansas versus Missouri at Arrowhead Saturday afternoon, I, as a diehard Mizzou fan feel obligated to give you my best Mark Mangino joke. I know, I know, I'm kinda piling on the embattled Jayhawk coach. The guy who has inspired t-shirts printed with "My Coach can EAT Your Coach". The guy who will probably be fired by this time next week, unless his team pounds Mizzou, which could happen. Anything can & sometimes does happen in these rivalry games. Anyway, the joke, if you're not from the Kansas City area, it's doubtful you'll get the reference.
Mark Mangino was in Kansas City on a recruiting trip & became lost.
He stopped at a gas station & asked the clerk "do you know how I can get back to 435?"
The clerk responded "yeah, try eatin' a friggin' salad once in a while."
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