KICKERS &*%#@!!! DUCKS ESCAPE, NEWTON HUGE & MIZZOU WINS #8
I went ahead & moved into the office, just two games left tonight & I can watch the Nevada-Fresno State game in here, the big Wyoming-UNLV tilt is truly unwatchable. I watched all or most of 18 games today & I keep coming back to the same conclusion, I really hate placekickers. Remember I said that.
So much for the Oregon Ducks being unstoppable, the offense called by many "the best in college football" & by some "the best ever" here's a news flash: The Ducks scored 1 touchdown on offense tonight. Their other score came on a 64-yard punt return. They didn't score on offense until the 3rd quarter. The Cal Bears blew up play after play in the backfield, they tackled exceptionally well holding the nations leading rusher, LeMichael James, to a season-low 91-yards. Their defensive line ran slants, shot gaps & got a lot of penetration in the Oregon backfield. Down 15-13, the Bears had a chance to go ahead with just under 10-minutes to play in the game. They even teased us with thoughts of an upset when kicker Giorgio Tavecchio nailed a 24-yard field goal, but it was nullified because Tavecchio took a hitch step just before the snap, incurring a false start penalty. That moved the ball back 5-yards for a 29-yard field goal attempt. No problem right? Wrong, he hooked the crap out of it, no good. The Ducks took the ball at their 20-yardline & held the ball for the remaining 9 1/2 minutes, running 18-plays. The Cal defense was running on empty & couldn't stop them to get the ball back. So is there anyone else out there who is capable of playing a similar gameplan to contend with Oregon's speed? I believe there is, just not in the PAC-10.
Auburn played somewhat erratically early on against Georgia, spotting the Dawgs a 21-7 lead in the 1st quarter. Then they settled down, cut out the stupid penalties & turned Cam Newton loose. The controversial quarterback had 229-total yards rushing & passing, throwing 2 touchdowns & running for 2 more in Auburn's 49-31 win. RB Onterio McCalebb added three more rushing touchdowns in a 315-yard rushing total. The Tigers were an impressive 10 of 14 on third down conversions. Their secondary can be exploited but, like Oregon, they're a handful to slow down on offense. There's more on the "Play for Pay" story, but I'm sick of talking about it for now, maybe Monday on my BCS post.
Then there was #3 TCU. They had an up & down day, spotting San Diego State two touchdowns before ripping off 34 first half unanswered points. Then they went to sleep in the second half, scoring just two field goals while SDSU scored three touchdowns before the Horned Frogs took the ball & ran out the final 4:50 preserving the 40-35 win. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton threw 4 touchdown passes & they ran the ball well, 2 runners going over the century mark. What impressed me about TCU today was their ability to completely shut down a quality runner, the Aztec's Ronnie Hillman. Coach Gary Patterson schemes to stop the opponents running game & he has done it consistently. This defense could play with Oregon. A scary note about the TCU win, offensive line coach Eddie Williamson suffered a heart attack during the game. He is reportedly in stable condition in a Fort Worth hospital.
Stanford, the #6 team in the BCS rankings, struggled all evening before besting Arizona State 17-13. QB Andrew Luck didn't have his best night & his offensive line, normally one of the league's best, wasn't good either. But they had numerous opportunities to put the game away, there was the 34-yard field goal miss on an attempt that appeared to be good. Jim Harbaugh couldn't believe they called it wide. Then there was the 37-yard field goal attempt that was wide left. But the one that really drove the stake thru my "I'm laying 5 1/2-points on Stanford" heart, was the run by Anthony Wilkerson with less than a minute left in the game. With the ball on the Sun Devil 23-yardline, Arizona State out of timeouts & 10 ASU defenders in the box, Wilkerson burst thru the line & was looking at 20-yards of green grass between him & the endzone. He ran to the 4-yardline & then sat down. Completely untouched, he just took a seat. As my heart sank into my stomach, I watched the bewildered look Jim Harbaugh had on his face. Keeping the ball away when a touchdown would make the margin 8, it's better to not score & just run out the clock, not allowing the opponent to have the ball again. But when a touchdown puts your team up by 11, WTF???? Aren't Stanford guys were supposed to be smart? About half of the coaching staff was laughing at Wilkerson, but glad to escape Tempe with a win. Folks that is the definition of what sports gamblers call a "bad beat."
I told you Wisconsin could beat Indiana in their street clothes. After an 83-20 beatdown, any arguments?
The old ball coach, Steve Spurrier, went back to The Swamp & beat Florida rather convincingly, 36-14. South Carolina wins the SEC East for the first time & will play Auburn in the Championship game in Atlanta December 4th. Spurrier's Gamecocks just battered & beat the Gators at every turn. Florida was a dismal 2 of 14 on 3rd down conversions, they were held to 35-yards rushing while S.C. RB Marcus Lattimore ran for 212-yards & 3 TD's. The 6-4 Gators are officially an also-ran, luckily they have Division 1AA Appalachian State next, so they will finish with a winning record, I have my doubts about their season finale vs. Florida State, this is not a good team.
Iowa tripped over the Northwestern Wildcats for the 2nd year in a row. The 2010 Hawkeye season would have to be classified as a major disappointment. Like Florida, Iowa was just 2 for 14 on 3rd down while Northwestern converted 9 of 16. This is the best team Iowa's had in years & they fell way short of where they should have been. In a sad note, Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa, the leading percentage passer in the nation, suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon.
Utah went to Notre Dame still licking their wounds after being thumped by TCU 47-7 in a Mountain West showdown of unbeatens. The Irish had little sympathy, beating the Utes 28-3. This loss will hurt TCU in the BCS rankings, San Diego State's performance hurt them as well. Virginia Tech is on the brink of going unbeaten in the ACC & locking up a slot in the conference championship game. This obviously helps Boise State immensely. TCU has only mega-stiff New Mexico left on their schedule. Boise has Fresno State, Nevada, a ranked team & Utah State. If they get thru these three undefeated, they will pass TCU in the BCS standings in my opinion.
And now for the Big-12. Colorado celebrated the firing of coach Dan Hawkins by winning their first conference game of the year, whipping Iowa State 34-14. Quarterback Cody Hawkins, the former coaches' son, had a career day throwing for 266-yards & 3 TD's. Cody had been benched, then started, then benched, then started & so on by his dad. He got his moment in the Rocky Mountain sun Saturday. he deserved it.
Nebraska piddled around with Kansas tonight, not playing well but doing just enough to win 20-3. Kansas was held to a ridiculous 87-yards of total offense. Shame.
Texas A&M spotted Baylor a 30-21 halftime lead, then scored 21 unanswered 2nd half points to win 42-30. RB Cyrus Gray ran for 137-yards & 4 touchdowns. Baylor played a great 1st half & whatever was said at halftime, didn't work.
Oklahoma crushed Texas Tech 45-7 without scoring in the last 20-minutes of the game. QB Landry Jones was on target, completing 22 of 29 for 317-yards & 5 touchdowns. WR Ryan Broyles became OU's all-time leader in receptions & receiving touchdowns. He caught 8 passes for 119-yards & 3 touchdowns. He has a bright future in the NFL.
Oklahoma State became just another visiting team to whip the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The 4-6 Longhorns area pathetic 2-4 on their home field. I love Mack Brown, but a couple of his top-10 rated recruiting classes just didn't pan out & this is the result. How this team beat Nebraska at Lincoln I'll never know. The Huskers ought to be ashamed, if not for this rather large blemish, they'd be right in the thick of the BCS title picture. The Cowboys played their regular game, QB Brandon Weeden was 29 of 43 for 409-yards. RB Kendall Hunter ran for 145-yards & 2 scores plus all-everything WR Justin Blackmon caught 9 passes for 145-yards & 2 scores. The showdown for the South between OSU & OU will be on November 27th in Stillwater. The winner to play Nebraska for the title.
Mizzou rebounded & more importantly, Blaine Gabbert rebounded in a big way, beating Kansas State 38-28. It was senior day in Columbia & the Tigers went ahead 21-14 minutes before the half & extended their lead to 38-14 before surrendering 2 garbage time scores. The Wildcats committed 4 turnovers, very unlike a Bill Snyder coached team. That was basically the difference in the game, the stats were close, but the game really wasn't. Gabbert threw 2 touchdowns to T.J. Moe, WR Jerrell Jackson literally walked into the endzone on a reverse, the Cats were really fooled & Gabbert scampered 32-yards for a score, with help from WR Wes Kemp who threw a crushing block in the open field. Missouri's scoring was capped off when DE Aldon Smith blindsided K-State QB Carson Coffman & Tiger DE Marquies Smith grabbed the fumble & ran it in from 53-yards. Tho K-State RB Daniel Thomas scored 2 touchdowns, the Tigers held him to just 66-yards on the day, his 2nd lowest total of the season. Backup QB Collin Klein had a solid day tho with 141-yards on just 18 carries. Next week it's off to Ames Iowa to play the up & down Iowa State Cyclones & then the season ender at Arrowhead against KU. I think 10-2 is in their sights, it should have been 11-1, that loss last week was pitiful.
Some potentially bad news for Mizzou. Five-star recruit Sheldon Richardson, from St. Louis, has reportedly said he wants to de-commit from the Tigers & sign with USC. He is quoted as saying "I know they can't play in no bowl games, but Monte Kiffin would be better to get me ready to play in the NFL in one season." Has a pretty high opinion of his ability doesn't he? When asked if he has spoken to anyone in the Missouri program as to his intentions, Richardson said "um back 'n forth, I'm going to call them later, it's kinda hard to tell them I'm not goin' there no more, or I think I'm not goin' there no more." A real high quality individual in my estimation. I wonder how his grades are in junior college, maybe someone should just give him a degree, it's very possible that's the way things work in his entitled little pea brain?
So much for the Oregon Ducks being unstoppable, the offense called by many "the best in college football" & by some "the best ever" here's a news flash: The Ducks scored 1 touchdown on offense tonight. Their other score came on a 64-yard punt return. They didn't score on offense until the 3rd quarter. The Cal Bears blew up play after play in the backfield, they tackled exceptionally well holding the nations leading rusher, LeMichael James, to a season-low 91-yards. Their defensive line ran slants, shot gaps & got a lot of penetration in the Oregon backfield. Down 15-13, the Bears had a chance to go ahead with just under 10-minutes to play in the game. They even teased us with thoughts of an upset when kicker Giorgio Tavecchio nailed a 24-yard field goal, but it was nullified because Tavecchio took a hitch step just before the snap, incurring a false start penalty. That moved the ball back 5-yards for a 29-yard field goal attempt. No problem right? Wrong, he hooked the crap out of it, no good. The Ducks took the ball at their 20-yardline & held the ball for the remaining 9 1/2 minutes, running 18-plays. The Cal defense was running on empty & couldn't stop them to get the ball back. So is there anyone else out there who is capable of playing a similar gameplan to contend with Oregon's speed? I believe there is, just not in the PAC-10.
Auburn played somewhat erratically early on against Georgia, spotting the Dawgs a 21-7 lead in the 1st quarter. Then they settled down, cut out the stupid penalties & turned Cam Newton loose. The controversial quarterback had 229-total yards rushing & passing, throwing 2 touchdowns & running for 2 more in Auburn's 49-31 win. RB Onterio McCalebb added three more rushing touchdowns in a 315-yard rushing total. The Tigers were an impressive 10 of 14 on third down conversions. Their secondary can be exploited but, like Oregon, they're a handful to slow down on offense. There's more on the "Play for Pay" story, but I'm sick of talking about it for now, maybe Monday on my BCS post.
Then there was #3 TCU. They had an up & down day, spotting San Diego State two touchdowns before ripping off 34 first half unanswered points. Then they went to sleep in the second half, scoring just two field goals while SDSU scored three touchdowns before the Horned Frogs took the ball & ran out the final 4:50 preserving the 40-35 win. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton threw 4 touchdown passes & they ran the ball well, 2 runners going over the century mark. What impressed me about TCU today was their ability to completely shut down a quality runner, the Aztec's Ronnie Hillman. Coach Gary Patterson schemes to stop the opponents running game & he has done it consistently. This defense could play with Oregon. A scary note about the TCU win, offensive line coach Eddie Williamson suffered a heart attack during the game. He is reportedly in stable condition in a Fort Worth hospital.
Stanford, the #6 team in the BCS rankings, struggled all evening before besting Arizona State 17-13. QB Andrew Luck didn't have his best night & his offensive line, normally one of the league's best, wasn't good either. But they had numerous opportunities to put the game away, there was the 34-yard field goal miss on an attempt that appeared to be good. Jim Harbaugh couldn't believe they called it wide. Then there was the 37-yard field goal attempt that was wide left. But the one that really drove the stake thru my "I'm laying 5 1/2-points on Stanford" heart, was the run by Anthony Wilkerson with less than a minute left in the game. With the ball on the Sun Devil 23-yardline, Arizona State out of timeouts & 10 ASU defenders in the box, Wilkerson burst thru the line & was looking at 20-yards of green grass between him & the endzone. He ran to the 4-yardline & then sat down. Completely untouched, he just took a seat. As my heart sank into my stomach, I watched the bewildered look Jim Harbaugh had on his face. Keeping the ball away when a touchdown would make the margin 8, it's better to not score & just run out the clock, not allowing the opponent to have the ball again. But when a touchdown puts your team up by 11, WTF???? Aren't Stanford guys were supposed to be smart? About half of the coaching staff was laughing at Wilkerson, but glad to escape Tempe with a win. Folks that is the definition of what sports gamblers call a "bad beat."
I told you Wisconsin could beat Indiana in their street clothes. After an 83-20 beatdown, any arguments?
The old ball coach, Steve Spurrier, went back to The Swamp & beat Florida rather convincingly, 36-14. South Carolina wins the SEC East for the first time & will play Auburn in the Championship game in Atlanta December 4th. Spurrier's Gamecocks just battered & beat the Gators at every turn. Florida was a dismal 2 of 14 on 3rd down conversions, they were held to 35-yards rushing while S.C. RB Marcus Lattimore ran for 212-yards & 3 TD's. The 6-4 Gators are officially an also-ran, luckily they have Division 1AA Appalachian State next, so they will finish with a winning record, I have my doubts about their season finale vs. Florida State, this is not a good team.
Iowa tripped over the Northwestern Wildcats for the 2nd year in a row. The 2010 Hawkeye season would have to be classified as a major disappointment. Like Florida, Iowa was just 2 for 14 on 3rd down while Northwestern converted 9 of 16. This is the best team Iowa's had in years & they fell way short of where they should have been. In a sad note, Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa, the leading percentage passer in the nation, suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon.
Utah went to Notre Dame still licking their wounds after being thumped by TCU 47-7 in a Mountain West showdown of unbeatens. The Irish had little sympathy, beating the Utes 28-3. This loss will hurt TCU in the BCS rankings, San Diego State's performance hurt them as well. Virginia Tech is on the brink of going unbeaten in the ACC & locking up a slot in the conference championship game. This obviously helps Boise State immensely. TCU has only mega-stiff New Mexico left on their schedule. Boise has Fresno State, Nevada, a ranked team & Utah State. If they get thru these three undefeated, they will pass TCU in the BCS standings in my opinion.
And now for the Big-12. Colorado celebrated the firing of coach Dan Hawkins by winning their first conference game of the year, whipping Iowa State 34-14. Quarterback Cody Hawkins, the former coaches' son, had a career day throwing for 266-yards & 3 TD's. Cody had been benched, then started, then benched, then started & so on by his dad. He got his moment in the Rocky Mountain sun Saturday. he deserved it.
Nebraska piddled around with Kansas tonight, not playing well but doing just enough to win 20-3. Kansas was held to a ridiculous 87-yards of total offense. Shame.
Texas A&M spotted Baylor a 30-21 halftime lead, then scored 21 unanswered 2nd half points to win 42-30. RB Cyrus Gray ran for 137-yards & 4 touchdowns. Baylor played a great 1st half & whatever was said at halftime, didn't work.
Oklahoma crushed Texas Tech 45-7 without scoring in the last 20-minutes of the game. QB Landry Jones was on target, completing 22 of 29 for 317-yards & 5 touchdowns. WR Ryan Broyles became OU's all-time leader in receptions & receiving touchdowns. He caught 8 passes for 119-yards & 3 touchdowns. He has a bright future in the NFL.
Oklahoma State became just another visiting team to whip the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The 4-6 Longhorns area pathetic 2-4 on their home field. I love Mack Brown, but a couple of his top-10 rated recruiting classes just didn't pan out & this is the result. How this team beat Nebraska at Lincoln I'll never know. The Huskers ought to be ashamed, if not for this rather large blemish, they'd be right in the thick of the BCS title picture. The Cowboys played their regular game, QB Brandon Weeden was 29 of 43 for 409-yards. RB Kendall Hunter ran for 145-yards & 2 scores plus all-everything WR Justin Blackmon caught 9 passes for 145-yards & 2 scores. The showdown for the South between OSU & OU will be on November 27th in Stillwater. The winner to play Nebraska for the title.
Mizzou rebounded & more importantly, Blaine Gabbert rebounded in a big way, beating Kansas State 38-28. It was senior day in Columbia & the Tigers went ahead 21-14 minutes before the half & extended their lead to 38-14 before surrendering 2 garbage time scores. The Wildcats committed 4 turnovers, very unlike a Bill Snyder coached team. That was basically the difference in the game, the stats were close, but the game really wasn't. Gabbert threw 2 touchdowns to T.J. Moe, WR Jerrell Jackson literally walked into the endzone on a reverse, the Cats were really fooled & Gabbert scampered 32-yards for a score, with help from WR Wes Kemp who threw a crushing block in the open field. Missouri's scoring was capped off when DE Aldon Smith blindsided K-State QB Carson Coffman & Tiger DE Marquies Smith grabbed the fumble & ran it in from 53-yards. Tho K-State RB Daniel Thomas scored 2 touchdowns, the Tigers held him to just 66-yards on the day, his 2nd lowest total of the season. Backup QB Collin Klein had a solid day tho with 141-yards on just 18 carries. Next week it's off to Ames Iowa to play the up & down Iowa State Cyclones & then the season ender at Arrowhead against KU. I think 10-2 is in their sights, it should have been 11-1, that loss last week was pitiful.
Some potentially bad news for Mizzou. Five-star recruit Sheldon Richardson, from St. Louis, has reportedly said he wants to de-commit from the Tigers & sign with USC. He is quoted as saying "I know they can't play in no bowl games, but Monte Kiffin would be better to get me ready to play in the NFL in one season." Has a pretty high opinion of his ability doesn't he? When asked if he has spoken to anyone in the Missouri program as to his intentions, Richardson said "um back 'n forth, I'm going to call them later, it's kinda hard to tell them I'm not goin' there no more, or I think I'm not goin' there no more." A real high quality individual in my estimation. I wonder how his grades are in junior college, maybe someone should just give him a degree, it's very possible that's the way things work in his entitled little pea brain?
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