COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 6, WHAT I SAW
We're nearing the halfway point in the regular season & what I believe I've learned is the nation's top-6 teams(LSU, Bama, OU, Wisconsin, Boise & Okie St) are decidedly better than the rest. Because 4 of these teams play each other during the regular season, it will be difficult for all six to stay where they are in the rankings. But I like these six quite a bit better than the rest. Here's a little of what else I saw today.
Red River Rivalry? By the 2nd quarter, it was the Red River Rout.
For some of us, Oklahoma's 55-17 smackdown of the Texas Longhorns came at the right time. Many of us have grown weary hearing about the Longhorn Network, the unfair revenue sharing, the endless bragging that spews out of the state of Texas in every direction. A thorough embarrassment was just what we wanted to see & thanks to a relentless defense prepared brilliantly by OU's Brent Venables, the Horns never had a chance. The inexperienced Texas squad turned the ball over 5 times resulting in 31 Sooner points. Only a 100-yard kickoff return in the 2nd quarter kept many of the faithful in their seats, hoping for a better showing in the 2nd half. It didn't happen, the Sooners scored 21 additional points before the Longhorn offense finally crossed the OU goal line with 2:31 left in the game. I understand pride in your program, I love the Missouri Tigers, but Longhorn fans strut around like they have a corner on the National Championship or something. They've won as many national titles(1) over the past 30-years as Clemson, BYU, Colorado & Georgia Tech. Pretty impressive huh? During the same period, Oklahoma has 3, so does Nebraska & Miami leads the pack with 5. Honestly, I like most everything about the Texas football program, great tradition, a legacy of winning, Mack Brown, Bevo & burnt orange jerseys. But Longhorn fans, the college football sun doesn't rise & fall on Austin Texas. It's a great program, but acting like Texas deserves more than anyone else or is way better than anyone else is just plain arrogant. Get over yourselves, did you see the scoreboard at the Cotton Bowl? You got your collective asses handed to you & a lot of us are pretty damn happy about it.
Somebody in green & gold played better than RG3? Yup, it happened.
Robert Griffin III is on my Heisman list, in fact he's in the top-5. Tonight his Baylor Bears pounded Iowa State 49-26 & for the first time this season, RG3 wasn't the offensive MVP, nope it was running back Terrance Ganaway, who ran for 200-yards & scored three touchdowns. Griffin chipped in with a touchdown pass & 107-yards rushing himself & another score. I've seen Baylor play three times this season & WR Kendall Wright amazes me every single time I see him play. The 4-1 ranked Bears, ranked 25th, travel to College Station next Saturday to face A&M.
Aggies hang on to this double-digit lead topping Tech 45-40.
Watched this game intently tonight, Tech outgained A&M, but when it counted, they couldn't get it done, kicking field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. I liked Tech before the game & they played hard, but I have to say, some of the Red Raider faithful went off the rails tonight. After the game, the freshly-showered Aggies walked to their buses only to find they had been littered with human feces inside & out. Vulgar stuff had been written on the side of the buses in......yes, you guessed it. Their last trip to Lubbock will be one Texas A&M or their fans will ever forget or forgive for that matter.
Who is Joe Adams? Ask the Auburn Tigers.
Leading 21-14, Arkansas forced an Auburn punt & it was downed at the Razorback 8-yard line. Very first snap, 3rd string RB Joe Adams takes the handoff, runs left, gets to the outside, hurdles a defender & whoosh, he's gone, 92-yards to break the game open for Arkansas. That was Adams' only carry of the game, before tonight, he had only 6 carries in 5 previous games. Talk about pumping up your average. I know Alabama slapped them around a few weeks ago, but with their schedule, they could have but one loss when they play LSU in the last game of the season. Quarterback Tyler Wilson was on fire, completing 19-consecutive throws. I like this Arkansas team, they'll be a tough out for the remainder of this season & for whoever draws them in a bowl game.
Playing defense for Kansas has to be depressing.
Surrendering 247-points in 5 games is no joke & it's not going to get any better next week with Oklahoma coming to Lawrence. It's important to point out Oklahoma State's starters were out of today's 70-28 flogging before half. Before freakin' half! It was 49-7 at the time & Cowboy coach Mike Gundy didn't feel the Hawks were capable of coming back from such a deficit. With road games at Texas & MU plus homers against Baylor & Kansas State, Gundy wanted to keep his guys healthy & fresh. Mission accomplished, but what's it like to play on team that gets whipped this badly week after week? I vaguely remember my Center North freshman team that was every bit as awful. It's tough, really tough to get yourself ready for another beatdown week after week. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here, I still hate Kansas & love seeing them lose, but I do know how they feel. That's just a bonus.
Break up the Demon Deacons.
For the first time in their ACC history, Wake Forest is 3-0 in conference play. They upset #23 Florida State today, 35-30. With a 4-1 start, they should be ranked this week. With Virginia Tech coming to town, let's see how long they can stay ranked & unbeaten in conference play.
So much for that "supporting the troops" deal.
Our service academies suffered a collective whipping today. Air Force was pounded at Notre Dame 59-33, Army lost at Miami(Ohio) 35-28 & Southern Miss took the Naval Academy to the woodshed, 63-35. They've played a lot better in recent years & have pulled of quite a few upsets of major programs but not today.
Bama & LSU steamroll past Vanderbilt & Florida 34-0 & 41-11. Showdown ahead.
Bama skunking Vandy came as no surprise & neither did the John Brantley-less Gators 41-11 ass-whippin at the hands of the Bayou Bengals. I call both games to your attention so that you may mark November 5th on your calenders. That's the day they meet in Tuscaloosa as #1 & #2, both 8-0. I can't wait.
Just when the Buckeyes see the slightest ray of hope, it gets squashed.
In the biggest comeback in school history, the Nebraska Cornhuskers rallied from down 27-6 in the 3rd quarter to a 34-27 win over suddenly beatable Ohio State. I saw a very humbled Bo Pelini speak to a sideline reporter before half. He had no excuses, his team was getting beat at very turn & he knew it. But midway thru the 3rd quarter QB Taylor Martinez & RB Rex Burkhead took over, leading the Husker rally. Martinez ran for one & threw for another while Burkhead ran for a pair of touchdowns as Nebraska, hosting their very first BIG TEN game, scored 28-unanswered points for the victory. Times are tough in Columbus.
The machine keeps rolling as Stanford pounds Buffs 48-7.
Stanford QB & Heisman Trophy A-List guy, Andrew Luck, kept on rolling toward a showdown with Oregon for the PAC-12 title & a BCS bowl berth. Luck completed 26 of 33 for 370-yards & 3 touchdowns. That Oregon game, to be played in Palo Alto, is November 12th.
The "other Stoops" has the hottest seat in college football.
Mike Stoops, head coach of Arizona, has just about cinched a dismissal at season's end. His Wildcats lost their 10th consecutive game to an FBS school, winless Oregon State. Handing a team their first win of the season is never good, especially when that win comes in October. The 37-27 loss at Corvallis saved longtime Beavers' coach Mike Riley from the "hottest seat" which now belongs to Stoops.
Tigers sleepwalk thru first half & by then, it's too damn late.
Before I start ranting about the Missouri Tigers, I have to give credit to Kansas State coach Bill Snyder & Wildcat QB Collin Klein. They had a gameplan, much like the one they executed in the upset of Baylor last week. I'm an optimistic guy & a diehard Tiger fan, but I knew right after halftime who was going to win in Manhattan today. Oh, & my kingdom for a kicker, what on earth has happened to Grant Ressel? Is it the "Tempe Freeze" coach Gary Pinkel put on him? He's really hurting this team. Today, he missed 2 of three attempts. So was QB James Franklin's first half impression of "The Walking Dead." He didn't look anything like the quarterback we'd seen before today. Twice he took sacks instead of unloading the ball & saving the yardage. Franklin threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, staring down tight end Michael Egnew & attracting defenders who took it away. Offensive coordinator David Yost decided to omit RB Henry Josey from participation until the 2nd quarter. Just because a kid is averaging 12+ yards-per-carry doesn't mean he should play does it? Three Tiger penalties were game changers that killed Mizzou. A roughing the kicker penalty after forcing them to punt led to a touchdown. Two redzone offsides penalties kept touchdown drives alive, both were on 3rd down when the Cats would have had to attempt field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. Which is what they did. To even be in the game at the end, trailing by just a touchdown 24-17, Mizzou can thank the replay official for overturning 3 calls. The Tiger defense held Klein to just 45-yards rushing on 24 carries & 112-yards thru the air, but it wasn't to be. Snyder's guys know how to win dirty, they get it done, the Tigers still don't know how to win. Beating knots on Western Illinois & Miami(Ohio) isn't the same as the Big-12. This it too talented a group to sleepwalk thru this schedule, they could be facing a real uphill struggle to become bowl-eligible.
A few quick notes.
Clemson QB Tajh Boyd fell awkwardly after throwing a pass & suffered some sort of a hip injury. His status is unknown for next week, but 8th ranked Clemson is one of the surprise teams this season.
Michigan QB Denard Robinson continues putting up numbers, some good(337-yds passing w/2 TD's & 117-yds rushing 2 TD's), some not so good(3 1st half interceptions) but the most important number for Wolverine fans is their record, 6-0. Ranked 12th, Michigan is off to a great start under new coach Brady Hoke. Instate rival Michigan State is next & it's on the road.
Virginia Tech recovered from their embarrassing loss last week by rallying to defeat Miami 38-35 in a game that featured Frank Beamer's defense getting shredded for 519-total yards. This Tech team isn't what we're used to when watching the Hokies, defense is merely average & what's really surprising, the special teams aren't very special.
I got a break this afternoon, the Iowa-Penn State game was blacked out here. Watching a 6-3 game for 3 1/2 quarters is not my idea of anything other than a sedative. This thrill ride ended in a 13-3 Penn State win.
Red River Rivalry? By the 2nd quarter, it was the Red River Rout.
For some of us, Oklahoma's 55-17 smackdown of the Texas Longhorns came at the right time. Many of us have grown weary hearing about the Longhorn Network, the unfair revenue sharing, the endless bragging that spews out of the state of Texas in every direction. A thorough embarrassment was just what we wanted to see & thanks to a relentless defense prepared brilliantly by OU's Brent Venables, the Horns never had a chance. The inexperienced Texas squad turned the ball over 5 times resulting in 31 Sooner points. Only a 100-yard kickoff return in the 2nd quarter kept many of the faithful in their seats, hoping for a better showing in the 2nd half. It didn't happen, the Sooners scored 21 additional points before the Longhorn offense finally crossed the OU goal line with 2:31 left in the game. I understand pride in your program, I love the Missouri Tigers, but Longhorn fans strut around like they have a corner on the National Championship or something. They've won as many national titles(1) over the past 30-years as Clemson, BYU, Colorado & Georgia Tech. Pretty impressive huh? During the same period, Oklahoma has 3, so does Nebraska & Miami leads the pack with 5. Honestly, I like most everything about the Texas football program, great tradition, a legacy of winning, Mack Brown, Bevo & burnt orange jerseys. But Longhorn fans, the college football sun doesn't rise & fall on Austin Texas. It's a great program, but acting like Texas deserves more than anyone else or is way better than anyone else is just plain arrogant. Get over yourselves, did you see the scoreboard at the Cotton Bowl? You got your collective asses handed to you & a lot of us are pretty damn happy about it.
Somebody in green & gold played better than RG3? Yup, it happened.
Robert Griffin III is on my Heisman list, in fact he's in the top-5. Tonight his Baylor Bears pounded Iowa State 49-26 & for the first time this season, RG3 wasn't the offensive MVP, nope it was running back Terrance Ganaway, who ran for 200-yards & scored three touchdowns. Griffin chipped in with a touchdown pass & 107-yards rushing himself & another score. I've seen Baylor play three times this season & WR Kendall Wright amazes me every single time I see him play. The 4-1 ranked Bears, ranked 25th, travel to College Station next Saturday to face A&M.
Aggies hang on to this double-digit lead topping Tech 45-40.
Watched this game intently tonight, Tech outgained A&M, but when it counted, they couldn't get it done, kicking field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. I liked Tech before the game & they played hard, but I have to say, some of the Red Raider faithful went off the rails tonight. After the game, the freshly-showered Aggies walked to their buses only to find they had been littered with human feces inside & out. Vulgar stuff had been written on the side of the buses in......yes, you guessed it. Their last trip to Lubbock will be one Texas A&M or their fans will ever forget or forgive for that matter.
Who is Joe Adams? Ask the Auburn Tigers.
Leading 21-14, Arkansas forced an Auburn punt & it was downed at the Razorback 8-yard line. Very first snap, 3rd string RB Joe Adams takes the handoff, runs left, gets to the outside, hurdles a defender & whoosh, he's gone, 92-yards to break the game open for Arkansas. That was Adams' only carry of the game, before tonight, he had only 6 carries in 5 previous games. Talk about pumping up your average. I know Alabama slapped them around a few weeks ago, but with their schedule, they could have but one loss when they play LSU in the last game of the season. Quarterback Tyler Wilson was on fire, completing 19-consecutive throws. I like this Arkansas team, they'll be a tough out for the remainder of this season & for whoever draws them in a bowl game.
Playing defense for Kansas has to be depressing.
Surrendering 247-points in 5 games is no joke & it's not going to get any better next week with Oklahoma coming to Lawrence. It's important to point out Oklahoma State's starters were out of today's 70-28 flogging before half. Before freakin' half! It was 49-7 at the time & Cowboy coach Mike Gundy didn't feel the Hawks were capable of coming back from such a deficit. With road games at Texas & MU plus homers against Baylor & Kansas State, Gundy wanted to keep his guys healthy & fresh. Mission accomplished, but what's it like to play on team that gets whipped this badly week after week? I vaguely remember my Center North freshman team that was every bit as awful. It's tough, really tough to get yourself ready for another beatdown week after week. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here, I still hate Kansas & love seeing them lose, but I do know how they feel. That's just a bonus.
Break up the Demon Deacons.
For the first time in their ACC history, Wake Forest is 3-0 in conference play. They upset #23 Florida State today, 35-30. With a 4-1 start, they should be ranked this week. With Virginia Tech coming to town, let's see how long they can stay ranked & unbeaten in conference play.
So much for that "supporting the troops" deal.
Our service academies suffered a collective whipping today. Air Force was pounded at Notre Dame 59-33, Army lost at Miami(Ohio) 35-28 & Southern Miss took the Naval Academy to the woodshed, 63-35. They've played a lot better in recent years & have pulled of quite a few upsets of major programs but not today.
Bama & LSU steamroll past Vanderbilt & Florida 34-0 & 41-11. Showdown ahead.
Bama skunking Vandy came as no surprise & neither did the John Brantley-less Gators 41-11 ass-whippin at the hands of the Bayou Bengals. I call both games to your attention so that you may mark November 5th on your calenders. That's the day they meet in Tuscaloosa as #1 & #2, both 8-0. I can't wait.
Just when the Buckeyes see the slightest ray of hope, it gets squashed.
In the biggest comeback in school history, the Nebraska Cornhuskers rallied from down 27-6 in the 3rd quarter to a 34-27 win over suddenly beatable Ohio State. I saw a very humbled Bo Pelini speak to a sideline reporter before half. He had no excuses, his team was getting beat at very turn & he knew it. But midway thru the 3rd quarter QB Taylor Martinez & RB Rex Burkhead took over, leading the Husker rally. Martinez ran for one & threw for another while Burkhead ran for a pair of touchdowns as Nebraska, hosting their very first BIG TEN game, scored 28-unanswered points for the victory. Times are tough in Columbus.
The machine keeps rolling as Stanford pounds Buffs 48-7.
Stanford QB & Heisman Trophy A-List guy, Andrew Luck, kept on rolling toward a showdown with Oregon for the PAC-12 title & a BCS bowl berth. Luck completed 26 of 33 for 370-yards & 3 touchdowns. That Oregon game, to be played in Palo Alto, is November 12th.
The "other Stoops" has the hottest seat in college football.
Mike Stoops, head coach of Arizona, has just about cinched a dismissal at season's end. His Wildcats lost their 10th consecutive game to an FBS school, winless Oregon State. Handing a team their first win of the season is never good, especially when that win comes in October. The 37-27 loss at Corvallis saved longtime Beavers' coach Mike Riley from the "hottest seat" which now belongs to Stoops.
Tigers sleepwalk thru first half & by then, it's too damn late.
Before I start ranting about the Missouri Tigers, I have to give credit to Kansas State coach Bill Snyder & Wildcat QB Collin Klein. They had a gameplan, much like the one they executed in the upset of Baylor last week. I'm an optimistic guy & a diehard Tiger fan, but I knew right after halftime who was going to win in Manhattan today. Oh, & my kingdom for a kicker, what on earth has happened to Grant Ressel? Is it the "Tempe Freeze" coach Gary Pinkel put on him? He's really hurting this team. Today, he missed 2 of three attempts. So was QB James Franklin's first half impression of "The Walking Dead." He didn't look anything like the quarterback we'd seen before today. Twice he took sacks instead of unloading the ball & saving the yardage. Franklin threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, staring down tight end Michael Egnew & attracting defenders who took it away. Offensive coordinator David Yost decided to omit RB Henry Josey from participation until the 2nd quarter. Just because a kid is averaging 12+ yards-per-carry doesn't mean he should play does it? Three Tiger penalties were game changers that killed Mizzou. A roughing the kicker penalty after forcing them to punt led to a touchdown. Two redzone offsides penalties kept touchdown drives alive, both were on 3rd down when the Cats would have had to attempt field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. Which is what they did. To even be in the game at the end, trailing by just a touchdown 24-17, Mizzou can thank the replay official for overturning 3 calls. The Tiger defense held Klein to just 45-yards rushing on 24 carries & 112-yards thru the air, but it wasn't to be. Snyder's guys know how to win dirty, they get it done, the Tigers still don't know how to win. Beating knots on Western Illinois & Miami(Ohio) isn't the same as the Big-12. This it too talented a group to sleepwalk thru this schedule, they could be facing a real uphill struggle to become bowl-eligible.
A few quick notes.
Clemson QB Tajh Boyd fell awkwardly after throwing a pass & suffered some sort of a hip injury. His status is unknown for next week, but 8th ranked Clemson is one of the surprise teams this season.
Michigan QB Denard Robinson continues putting up numbers, some good(337-yds passing w/2 TD's & 117-yds rushing 2 TD's), some not so good(3 1st half interceptions) but the most important number for Wolverine fans is their record, 6-0. Ranked 12th, Michigan is off to a great start under new coach Brady Hoke. Instate rival Michigan State is next & it's on the road.
Virginia Tech recovered from their embarrassing loss last week by rallying to defeat Miami 38-35 in a game that featured Frank Beamer's defense getting shredded for 519-total yards. This Tech team isn't what we're used to when watching the Hokies, defense is merely average & what's really surprising, the special teams aren't very special.
I got a break this afternoon, the Iowa-Penn State game was blacked out here. Watching a 6-3 game for 3 1/2 quarters is not my idea of anything other than a sedative. This thrill ride ended in a 13-3 Penn State win.
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