WINNERS & LOSERS DURING WEEK TWO PLUS A FEW ASSORTED NOTES & SUNDAY'S PLAYS
I am truly running on empty, I've had a lower respiratory infection since Labor Day & haven't been able to sleep in bed because of it. I've been catching naps sitting up in the TV bunker since. Tonight it appears the $12 a pop Avelox tablets I was prescribed have helped enough to allow me to try laying down without coughing up a bronchial tube. I need the rest, one of my nearest & dearest friends, Bill Roberts, has come up from Florida to go to the double header on Monday in Kansas City & he's going to spend the day here at the Lake watching football tomorrow in our TV bunker.
UPDATE @ 5:30 AM: The bed thing didn't work out, after two hours of hacking & wheezing, I'm headed back to my chair in the bunker.
THE WINNERS:
1. FBS, otherwise known as Division 1AA. Two of their members, James Madison & South Dakota, made their smaller school brethren proud by beating two big boys. After North Dakota & Jacksonville State did it last week, these two made their opponents wish they hadn't scheduled them. James Madison hung on to beat #13 ranked Virginia Tech to conclude what has become a real nightmare week for the Hokies. James Madison didn't so much outplay Tech as they just fell on all the fumbles that completely stifled the Hokies. The Dukes recovered two fumbles inside their own 20-yardline to stall Tech attempts to win the game. South Dakota went into Minnesota, outplayed, outhustled & just plain whipped the Gophers' asses. The Coyotes, I didn't even know their mascot until I watched their game today, never trailed after the early kickoff. Getting beat on by the Alabama's, Ohio State's & Oregon's of the world is bad enough, but losing to Division 1AA opponents, especially middle of the road Division 1AA opponents, is about as bad as it gets.
2. The Kansas Jayhawks made an unbelievable turnaround after their 6-3 loss to North Dakota last Saturday in Lawrence. This afternoon they beat #15 ranked Georgia Tech 28-25. This was no fluke, they simply played hard & smart enough to get ahead of the Yellowjackets & then played defense against a triple option offense incapable of throwing the ball effectively. Josh Nesbitt is a superior option quarterback, but he isn't a passer & now that Damaryius Thomas took his act to the NFL, Nesbitt doesn't have much help when they get down. New Jayhawk coach, Turner Gill, got his first win for Kansas & it was impressive. I took the under 50 1/2 in this game & with the score standing at 28-17 Kansas, I was rooting for no more points from Tech not only so I could win my wager, but, this pains me to say this, the Hawks played very well for a bunch of kids who haven't logged much playing time. They deserved to win, deserved to beat a ranked team & deserved to turn the page on their embarrassing loss of last week.
3. The Michigan Wolverines have found a real weapon in quarterback Danard Robinson & if they don't run him into the ground, he could pay big benefits for the Maize & Blue faithful. Robinson, who broke the school record for a quarterback's rushing yards with 197 last Saturday vs. UCONN, bettered that performance today at Notre Dame. He passed for 244 yards on 24 completions in 40 attempts & a touchdown. But even more impressive was his record-shattering 258 yards on the ground with 2 touchdown runs, the first an 87-yarder in the 2nd quarter & then a 2-yard plunge with :27 seconds remaining to win the game 28-24. It should be noted that despite Robinson's heroics, Michigan was forced to punt 10 times Saturday. He's generously listed as 6' 193-pounds, but having a keen eye for such exaggeration, I'd say he's no more than 5' 10" & 185. But he's quick, he makes good decisions so far & he runs from the QB position like a running back. He can score from anywhere on the field, running it or throwing it with a surprisingly powerful arm. With three stiffs on the immediate schedule, UMass, Bowling Green & Indiana, this kid could be off to quite a start before the Wolverines play the toughest part of their slate.
4. South Carolina beat #22 ranked Georgia today, marking only the 2nd time Steve Spurrier has beaten the Dawgs as the Gamecocks' coach. The 17-6 game was never that close. Carolina outplayed Georgia in every phase of the game, held a 3-1 margin in rushing yardage, better completion percentage, 3rd down conversion ratio & held a 10-minute advantage in time of possession. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore ran for 183 yards & scored the games' two touchdowns. There's no mistaking the fact Georgia misses their All-SEC wide receiver A.J. Green, who is suspended, but they didn't look ready to play today. This game coupled with the 2nd straight disappointing performance by Florida, the Gamecocks have to think they have a shot at the SEC Eastern crown. Not a great shot, but a better one than they've had since Urban Meyer came to Gainesville.
5. Henry Josey had a helluva game for the Missouri Tigers, a 50-6 winner against the McNeese State Cowboys. The true freshman, pressed into service because of Derrick Washington's dismissal & Kendial Lawrence's injury, had 7 first half carries for 112 yards. He scored twice on 6-yard runs & later broke a 62-yard touchdown jaunt. Josey gained 34-yards on his first carry of the game. The diminutive runner from Angleton, Texas weighs in at 180 pounds & stands 5' 10". QB Blaine Gabbert completed his first 15 attempts, finishing with 26 completions in 31 attempts & a touchdown pass to Jarrelle Jackson. The Tigers downed a punt at the one, blocked another & recorded a safety. McNeese State was ranked 13th nationally in Division 1AA coming into this game.
THE LOSERS:
1. First & foremost the Atlantic Coast Conference, who saw all four of their ranked teams go down in flames. The #12 ranked Miami Hurricanes looked very much like the "not-ready-for-primetime players" in their 36-24 loss to #2 ranked Ohio State. Cane QB Jacory Harris was awful, throwing 4 interceptions & getting sacked more often than was necessary. The ACC's #13 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies completed the worst week of football in sometime losing to Division 1AA James Madison. Number 15 ranked Georgia Tech was completely outplayed by Kansas, losing 28-24. And the #17 ranked Florida State Seminoles were shelled by Oklahoma, 47-17. Heisman hopeful Christian Ponder, FSU QB, was dreadful, going 11 of 28 with 2 picks. Fellow ACC'er, the Virginia Cavaliers, are giving USC a game right now, but they make some truly dumb mistakes at the most inopportune times, I doubt they'll win the game. Except for Boston College, it was an awful day for the ACC. The heavily favored Trojans continued to disappoint, squeezing by the Cavaliers 17-14.
2. The Wisconsin Badgers are currently ranked 11th nationally, but it won't be long before someone exposes this team for what they are, big & slow. They've always been huge & for the most part, they've always been slow, Lee Evans being a major exception. But for all their 1,000 yard runners including Heisman winner Ron Dayne, how many of these plodders ever pan out in the NFL? They put O-linemen in the NFL & an occasional defender, but this team will need a miracle to go 6-3 in the Big-10. I was never impressed with the Badgers' team speed, but today against San Jose State, it was really apparent. After watching Alabama completely dismantle SJS last week, seeing them grind out a 27-14 win didn't leave me with any confidence this team is capable of beating the better Big-10 teams.
3. Rick Neuheisal was a quarterback at UCLA, he was an offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens & a head coach for Colorado, Washington & now at UCLA. How is it his offenses always seem to struggle? He doesn't recruit well when it comes to the quarterback position & I even question how he "coaches 'em up." Kevin Prince has been Neuheisal's starter for two years now & I'm not sure he could start for more than 2-3 teams in the Big-12. We're talking UCLA here, this offense is miserable, I've watched every snap for two weeks running & it's like watching paint dry. No enthusiasm, no imagination & no execution...oh & no scoring. I'm at a loss as to how Neuheisal keeps landing such primo jobs. They are currently down 35-0 at home to Stanford & on life support.
4. Boise State saw any hopes of being considered for the BCS title game go down in flames with Va Tech's loss to James Madison. The ACC was embarrassed today & the losses they recorded don't help anyone on their schedule trying to increase their difficulty of schedule Brownie points.
5. The Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to a 13-3 lead versus #7 Oregon early in the 2nd quarter & then they stood around watching & I do mean stood around, as the Ducks ripped off 45 unanswered points at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. They had the 100,000-plus orange-clad Vol fans rockin' for about 20-minutes before they went into their 'Ole Defense. You know, when a bullfighter sidesteps a charging bull the crowd goes "'Ole!" The Ducks scored 5 touchdowns on 2 long runs, a pass reception, a punt & interception return & not one of the guys toting the football across the goaline was ever touched. I know new coach Derek Dooley took over a program that was completely mismanaged by Lane Kiffin, it was a real mess. But, at some point you have to get your players to buy into tackling, or at least showing an inclination for tackling. Whew, it was brutal.
If you haven't seen Stanford QB Andrew Luck, try to catch him soon on a TV near you. He is the best pro prospect in college football right now. So much for Colorado's Dan hawkins saving his job, they look like another version of what they've been the past four years, losers. They were bombed by a middle of the PAC-10 Cal team, 52-7. There was speculation the Buffs were going to be much improved, I don't think so.
Washington State won their game for the year narrowly defeating Div 1AA Montana State 23-22. The Cougars needed 16 4th quarter points to nip the Bobcats. WSU was 1-11 last year, 1-11 the year before & looking at their schedule, 1-11 is definitely a possibility in 2010. After watching the pathetic performance by most ACC teams, it's hard to swallow their automatic bid for a BCS Bowl game. The Mountain West is more deserving. Their standout teams win when they're supposed to, usually by a comfortable margin too. The Iowa Hawkeyes were coldly efficient today in their 35-7 win over Iowa State. They led 35-0 midway thru the 3rd quarter before Kirk Ferentz took his foot off the gas. They play Arizona in Tucson next Saturday, which will be an excellent test for both teams to evaluate where they are before their respective conference schedules begin.
Chiefs do everything rookie, Dexter McCluster, is all but ruled out for Monday night's game with San Diego.He is reportedly suffering from some sort of illness. Starting tackle Ryan O'Callaghan & outside linebacker Tamba Hali are both listed as questionable. Hali is nursing a foot injury & O'Callaghan has a groin pull that he sustained two weeks ago.
Finally for Sunday's plays, I split again on Saturday, betting two unders, winning one. Only like two lines tomorrow & since it's week one, I'm treading lightly unit-wise.
Green Bay -2 at Philadelphia
The pack are my NFC Super Bowl pick, so laying only a deuce against the Eagles seems right.
San Francisco -3 at Seattle
I think the Seahawks & their fans are in for a very long season & the pain begins on Sunday.
UPDATE @ 5:30 AM: The bed thing didn't work out, after two hours of hacking & wheezing, I'm headed back to my chair in the bunker.
THE WINNERS:
1. FBS, otherwise known as Division 1AA. Two of their members, James Madison & South Dakota, made their smaller school brethren proud by beating two big boys. After North Dakota & Jacksonville State did it last week, these two made their opponents wish they hadn't scheduled them. James Madison hung on to beat #13 ranked Virginia Tech to conclude what has become a real nightmare week for the Hokies. James Madison didn't so much outplay Tech as they just fell on all the fumbles that completely stifled the Hokies. The Dukes recovered two fumbles inside their own 20-yardline to stall Tech attempts to win the game. South Dakota went into Minnesota, outplayed, outhustled & just plain whipped the Gophers' asses. The Coyotes, I didn't even know their mascot until I watched their game today, never trailed after the early kickoff. Getting beat on by the Alabama's, Ohio State's & Oregon's of the world is bad enough, but losing to Division 1AA opponents, especially middle of the road Division 1AA opponents, is about as bad as it gets.
2. The Kansas Jayhawks made an unbelievable turnaround after their 6-3 loss to North Dakota last Saturday in Lawrence. This afternoon they beat #15 ranked Georgia Tech 28-25. This was no fluke, they simply played hard & smart enough to get ahead of the Yellowjackets & then played defense against a triple option offense incapable of throwing the ball effectively. Josh Nesbitt is a superior option quarterback, but he isn't a passer & now that Damaryius Thomas took his act to the NFL, Nesbitt doesn't have much help when they get down. New Jayhawk coach, Turner Gill, got his first win for Kansas & it was impressive. I took the under 50 1/2 in this game & with the score standing at 28-17 Kansas, I was rooting for no more points from Tech not only so I could win my wager, but, this pains me to say this, the Hawks played very well for a bunch of kids who haven't logged much playing time. They deserved to win, deserved to beat a ranked team & deserved to turn the page on their embarrassing loss of last week.
3. The Michigan Wolverines have found a real weapon in quarterback Danard Robinson & if they don't run him into the ground, he could pay big benefits for the Maize & Blue faithful. Robinson, who broke the school record for a quarterback's rushing yards with 197 last Saturday vs. UCONN, bettered that performance today at Notre Dame. He passed for 244 yards on 24 completions in 40 attempts & a touchdown. But even more impressive was his record-shattering 258 yards on the ground with 2 touchdown runs, the first an 87-yarder in the 2nd quarter & then a 2-yard plunge with :27 seconds remaining to win the game 28-24. It should be noted that despite Robinson's heroics, Michigan was forced to punt 10 times Saturday. He's generously listed as 6' 193-pounds, but having a keen eye for such exaggeration, I'd say he's no more than 5' 10" & 185. But he's quick, he makes good decisions so far & he runs from the QB position like a running back. He can score from anywhere on the field, running it or throwing it with a surprisingly powerful arm. With three stiffs on the immediate schedule, UMass, Bowling Green & Indiana, this kid could be off to quite a start before the Wolverines play the toughest part of their slate.
4. South Carolina beat #22 ranked Georgia today, marking only the 2nd time Steve Spurrier has beaten the Dawgs as the Gamecocks' coach. The 17-6 game was never that close. Carolina outplayed Georgia in every phase of the game, held a 3-1 margin in rushing yardage, better completion percentage, 3rd down conversion ratio & held a 10-minute advantage in time of possession. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore ran for 183 yards & scored the games' two touchdowns. There's no mistaking the fact Georgia misses their All-SEC wide receiver A.J. Green, who is suspended, but they didn't look ready to play today. This game coupled with the 2nd straight disappointing performance by Florida, the Gamecocks have to think they have a shot at the SEC Eastern crown. Not a great shot, but a better one than they've had since Urban Meyer came to Gainesville.
5. Henry Josey had a helluva game for the Missouri Tigers, a 50-6 winner against the McNeese State Cowboys. The true freshman, pressed into service because of Derrick Washington's dismissal & Kendial Lawrence's injury, had 7 first half carries for 112 yards. He scored twice on 6-yard runs & later broke a 62-yard touchdown jaunt. Josey gained 34-yards on his first carry of the game. The diminutive runner from Angleton, Texas weighs in at 180 pounds & stands 5' 10". QB Blaine Gabbert completed his first 15 attempts, finishing with 26 completions in 31 attempts & a touchdown pass to Jarrelle Jackson. The Tigers downed a punt at the one, blocked another & recorded a safety. McNeese State was ranked 13th nationally in Division 1AA coming into this game.
THE LOSERS:
1. First & foremost the Atlantic Coast Conference, who saw all four of their ranked teams go down in flames. The #12 ranked Miami Hurricanes looked very much like the "not-ready-for-primetime players" in their 36-24 loss to #2 ranked Ohio State. Cane QB Jacory Harris was awful, throwing 4 interceptions & getting sacked more often than was necessary. The ACC's #13 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies completed the worst week of football in sometime losing to Division 1AA James Madison. Number 15 ranked Georgia Tech was completely outplayed by Kansas, losing 28-24. And the #17 ranked Florida State Seminoles were shelled by Oklahoma, 47-17. Heisman hopeful Christian Ponder, FSU QB, was dreadful, going 11 of 28 with 2 picks. Fellow ACC'er, the Virginia Cavaliers, are giving USC a game right now, but they make some truly dumb mistakes at the most inopportune times, I doubt they'll win the game. Except for Boston College, it was an awful day for the ACC. The heavily favored Trojans continued to disappoint, squeezing by the Cavaliers 17-14.
2. The Wisconsin Badgers are currently ranked 11th nationally, but it won't be long before someone exposes this team for what they are, big & slow. They've always been huge & for the most part, they've always been slow, Lee Evans being a major exception. But for all their 1,000 yard runners including Heisman winner Ron Dayne, how many of these plodders ever pan out in the NFL? They put O-linemen in the NFL & an occasional defender, but this team will need a miracle to go 6-3 in the Big-10. I was never impressed with the Badgers' team speed, but today against San Jose State, it was really apparent. After watching Alabama completely dismantle SJS last week, seeing them grind out a 27-14 win didn't leave me with any confidence this team is capable of beating the better Big-10 teams.
3. Rick Neuheisal was a quarterback at UCLA, he was an offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens & a head coach for Colorado, Washington & now at UCLA. How is it his offenses always seem to struggle? He doesn't recruit well when it comes to the quarterback position & I even question how he "coaches 'em up." Kevin Prince has been Neuheisal's starter for two years now & I'm not sure he could start for more than 2-3 teams in the Big-12. We're talking UCLA here, this offense is miserable, I've watched every snap for two weeks running & it's like watching paint dry. No enthusiasm, no imagination & no execution...oh & no scoring. I'm at a loss as to how Neuheisal keeps landing such primo jobs. They are currently down 35-0 at home to Stanford & on life support.
4. Boise State saw any hopes of being considered for the BCS title game go down in flames with Va Tech's loss to James Madison. The ACC was embarrassed today & the losses they recorded don't help anyone on their schedule trying to increase their difficulty of schedule Brownie points.
5. The Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to a 13-3 lead versus #7 Oregon early in the 2nd quarter & then they stood around watching & I do mean stood around, as the Ducks ripped off 45 unanswered points at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. They had the 100,000-plus orange-clad Vol fans rockin' for about 20-minutes before they went into their 'Ole Defense. You know, when a bullfighter sidesteps a charging bull the crowd goes "'Ole!" The Ducks scored 5 touchdowns on 2 long runs, a pass reception, a punt & interception return & not one of the guys toting the football across the goaline was ever touched. I know new coach Derek Dooley took over a program that was completely mismanaged by Lane Kiffin, it was a real mess. But, at some point you have to get your players to buy into tackling, or at least showing an inclination for tackling. Whew, it was brutal.
If you haven't seen Stanford QB Andrew Luck, try to catch him soon on a TV near you. He is the best pro prospect in college football right now. So much for Colorado's Dan hawkins saving his job, they look like another version of what they've been the past four years, losers. They were bombed by a middle of the PAC-10 Cal team, 52-7. There was speculation the Buffs were going to be much improved, I don't think so.
Washington State won their game for the year narrowly defeating Div 1AA Montana State 23-22. The Cougars needed 16 4th quarter points to nip the Bobcats. WSU was 1-11 last year, 1-11 the year before & looking at their schedule, 1-11 is definitely a possibility in 2010. After watching the pathetic performance by most ACC teams, it's hard to swallow their automatic bid for a BCS Bowl game. The Mountain West is more deserving. Their standout teams win when they're supposed to, usually by a comfortable margin too. The Iowa Hawkeyes were coldly efficient today in their 35-7 win over Iowa State. They led 35-0 midway thru the 3rd quarter before Kirk Ferentz took his foot off the gas. They play Arizona in Tucson next Saturday, which will be an excellent test for both teams to evaluate where they are before their respective conference schedules begin.
Chiefs do everything rookie, Dexter McCluster, is all but ruled out for Monday night's game with San Diego.He is reportedly suffering from some sort of illness. Starting tackle Ryan O'Callaghan & outside linebacker Tamba Hali are both listed as questionable. Hali is nursing a foot injury & O'Callaghan has a groin pull that he sustained two weeks ago.
Finally for Sunday's plays, I split again on Saturday, betting two unders, winning one. Only like two lines tomorrow & since it's week one, I'm treading lightly unit-wise.
Green Bay -2 at Philadelphia
The pack are my NFC Super Bowl pick, so laying only a deuce against the Eagles seems right.
San Francisco -3 at Seattle
I think the Seahawks & their fans are in for a very long season & the pain begins on Sunday.
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