College Football Comprehensive: Breaking Down The Highs and Lows Of Week 3
Every week in college football provides plenty of mind-boggling decisions, ridiculous highlights, amazing endings, wacky announcer quotes, and unbelievable stat lines.
And this edition of COLLEGE FOOTBALL COMPREHENSIVE is jammed full of them.
Did Notre Dame get hosed in Spartan Stadium?
Is the USC placekicker going to transfer? (Or will anyone want him?)
Is it possible to have a 95-yard and 97-yard kickoff return in the same half, yet only score a total of 10 points?
Did Mark Ingram or Terrelle Pryor take a step toward the Heisman Trophy?
And which announcer uttered this memorable quote? "I like the execution, except for the fact that he threw it a little bit high and the ball was picked off."
Bottom line: Whether you watched 10 games, zero games or somewhere in between on Saturday, CFC is the ultimate wrap-up you donโt want to miss, featuring the always-popular segments:
WHOโS NUMBER ONE?
THANK GOODNESS FOR MY DVR
THAT CANโT BE RIGHT!
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
MAYBE BROADCASTING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
MAYBE COACHING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
MAYBE OFFICIATING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
SINCE I DO LIVE IN OHIO...
OVERTIME
Letโs kick it offโฆ
Who's Number One?
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WHOโS NUMBER ONE?
Taking a stab at ranking the nationโs Top 25 teamsโฆ
1. Alabama 3-0
2. Ohio State 3-0
3. Boise State 2-0
4. TCU 3-0
5. Oregon 3-0
6. Texas 3-0
7. Nebraska 3-0
8. Oklahoma 3-0
9. Florida 3-0
10. Wisconsin 3-0
11. Arkansas 3-0
12. Arizona 3-0
13. Utah 3-0
14. LSU 3-0
15. South Carolina 3-0
16. Stanford 3-0
17. Auburn 3-0
18. Iowa 2-1
19. Miami 1-1
20. USC 3-0
21. Michigan 3-0
22. Michigan State 3-0
23. Penn State 2-1
24. Nevada 3-0
25. West Virginia 3-0
Thank Goodness For My DVR
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THANK GOODNESS FOR MY DVR
The jaw-dropping highlights that were worth rewinding forโฆ
A list of the weekendโs most amazing plays has to start with Michigan Stateโs game-winning fake field goal. The โLittle Giantsโ touchdown pass from Aaron Bates to Charlie Gantt was as gutsy a call as youโll see in as dramatic a situation as football provides: trailing on fourth down in overtime. Mark Dantonio made the perfect decision with the perfect play and got a perfect result.
What a crazy sequence in Raleigh Thursday night as a pass intended for North Carolina State wideout Jarvis Williams hit his hands, was tipped by Cincinnatiโs Reuben Johnson, and then came back to Williams on the deflection. Williams came up with the ball in stride, but fumbled it just as he was about to score a Wolfpack touchdown. ย Cincy recovered the ball in the end zone for one of the craziest touchbacks in recent memory.
Awesome leap by Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase on his teamโs first touchdown against in-state foe Northern Illinois. Scheelhaase took off from three yards away to elude a defender, went horizontal across the goal line, and then flipped all the way over for a big-time highlight score.
Great touchdown plunge from Alabamaโs Mark Ingram, who scored from a yard out by jumping into the pile, landing somewhere near the shoulders of tight end Michael Williams, and holding on to his teammate for dear life until the referee put his arms in the air to signify a โBama touchdown.
Regular readers of this column know Iโm a sucker for one-handed catches, and Dane Sanzenbacherโs right-handed grab of a pass behind him (and pretty spin move once he landed, to boot) helped get The Ohio State University off to a good start against An Ohio University.
Incredible full-extension dive by Clemsonโs Jamie Harper to pull in a 24-yard touchdown and put the Tigers up 17-0 in Auburn. Unfortunately for Harper and company, it was the other Tigers (the Auburn version) that ultimately prevailed in an overtime thriller.
Connecticut running back Jordan Todman did his best Houdini impression against Temple, escaping out the back side of a pileup at the line of scrimmage to race for a 59-yard touchdown run (the only time the Huskies would find the goal line in a 30-16 defeat).
Shout-out to Arkansas punter Dylan Breeding for picking up a bad fourth-and-5 snap, sprinting toward the left sideline, and having the presence of mind to take on a defender at the sticks, earning a broken-play first down in the process. (Always nice when we can slide a punter into โThank Goodness for My DVRโโฆwith the touchdown pass from MSUโs Aaron Bates, this makes twoโan unofficial column record.)
Purdue wideout Cortez Smith caught a 76-yard touchdown pass that wasnโt even thrown to him, thanks to one extremely fortunate deflection. They say itโs better to be lucky than goodโฆ
Last but not least, did defensive backfields take the day off Saturday? How else to explain Arkansas tight end Chris Gragg and Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter getting SO wide open for touchdown catches? Or as Gary Danielson so astutely pointed out, โThe safety is the safety! Thatโs why they call you the safety!โ ย There wasnโt a safety (or any other human being) within 20 yards of Gragg or Hunter on their uncovered receptions. ย New definition of โbusted coverageโ: when the wide-angle camera shot canโt find a single defender to even put in the picture.
That Can't Be Right!
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THAT CANโT BE RIGHT
The ridiculous stat lines, improbable scores, and ticker typos that cause double-takes everywhereโฆ
Dominating everywhere except the scoreboardโฆ With 13 minutes left in the third quarter of the Iowa-Arizona game, ESPN showed a graphic comparing the total offensive yards of the two squads. The Hawkeyes had run 39 plays for 241 yards, while Arizona had gained only 221 in 33 snaps. ย Score at that point? Arizona 27, Iowa 7. Go figure.
That was easyโฆ How many carries did it take reigning Heisman winner Mark Ingram in his first action of the season to reach the 100-yard plateau? How about โthreeโ? Ingram ripped off a 48-yard run and a 50-yard burst before six minutes had gone by as the Tide rolled (pun intended) 62-13 over Duke.
And the Raidersโ draft board just changedโฆ Projected top 2011 draft pick Jake Locker had a day to forget against Nebraskaโs Blackshirts defense, finishing 4-20 for 71 yards with two interceptions. Memo to quarterbacks hoping to earn $50 million in guaranteed money at the next level: you should be able to complete more than one pass per quarter against any opponent in college.
From one extreme to the otherโฆ While Locker couldnโt buy a completion, Ohio Stateโs Terrelle Pryor had arguably the best passing stretch of his career Saturday afternoon in the โShoe, completing a school-record 16 straight passes en route to an impressive 22-of-29 showing. For a quarterback thatโs always been known more for his feet than his arm, the string of 16 in a row is a great sign, even though it came in Ohio Stateโs annual, yet-to-be-named โbeat up on all the other teams in our state and give them a nice paycheck for their troublesโ series. (The Bucks havenโt lost to an Ohio opponent since 1921.)
This team could quackโฆer, crack the 1,000-yard mark in a single game. Seriouslyโฆ Oregon continues to give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares with a seemingly unstoppable offense. The Ducks hung 69 on Portland State in three quarters and ran up 528 yards on the ground alone. Star tailback LaMichael James had 14 carries for 227 yards and oh, by the way, he didnโt even play the second half.ย
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Under The Microscope: Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 19
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UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: WISCONSIN 20, ARIZONA STATE 19
In-depth spotlight and analysis of a game that deserves a closer lookโฆ
The margin between victory and defeat can be excruciatingly small at times.
One point.
One yard.
One blade of grass.
One fingertip.
The Arizona State Sun Devils were oh-so-close to upsetting Big Ten power Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium Saturday afternoon. But unfortunately, โcloseโ only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
The one point? Wisconsin put 20 on the board, while ASU could only muster 19.
The one yard? How about a kickoff return by the Sun Devilsโ Kyle Middlebrooks as the first half expired that came up inches short of a go-ahead touchdown?
Middlebrooks ran the kick back 95 yards, but was dragged down at the Wisconsin 1 as the half ended.
The one blade of grass? Arizona State running back Deantre Lewis had a shot at a 99-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but couldnโt escape the dreaded โturf monster.โ
Lewis took the handoff in his own end zone, got a nice block from the referee at the 10, and inexplicably fell down at the 30-yard line with only one defender to beat and a blocker out in front.
Just like that, a game-changing play becomes a โcoulda-shoulda-wouldaโ moment to lament on the long plane flight back to the desert.
The one fingertip? Wisconsin defensive back Jay Valai blocked what would have been a game-tying extra point with 4:09 to play, providing the narrowest of victory margins for the still-undefeated Badgers.
I normally get fed up with play-by-play man Mike Patrick for using the phrase โHoly Cow!โ about 13 times a game, but Arizona State-Wisconsin was one thriller that deserved the frequent references to divine bovine.ย
Ultimately, the veteran team with the home-field advantage prevailed (Arizona State only started one senior in the contest), but it really couldnโt have been much closer.
This Big Ten/Pac-10 showdown provided an interesting contrast of offensive styles: Bret Bielemaโs teams are known for their bruising rushing attack, while Dennis Ericksonโs visitors like to throw the ball around the yard.
Both styles are effective when executed properly (which they were on Saturday), and the result made for a back-and-forth battle that wasnโt decided until the fateful extra point try in the final minutes.
To further complicate things, both schools used their well-known tendencies to set up surprise big plays.
Wisconsin hit several big play-action passes to Lance Kendricks, who made up for the absence of wideouts Nick Toon and David Gilreath by pulling in seven catches for 131 yards and a TD.
Arizona State was able to get Lewis involved on the draw after Threet connected on a few early completions, and Lewis piled up 122 yards on only nine carries despite his teamโs pass-first approach.
John Clay (as expected) led all rushers with 123 yards, but it was a quiet 123 (if there is such a thing). Clay amassed 22 carries in a very workmanlike performance, and that was just enough for the Badgers to gut out the nail-biter win.
Extra Points From This Week's Microscope Game
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Extra points from this weekโs Microscope game:
-Iโm not sure thereโs ever been a half of football where one team had a 97-yard kickoff return and a 95-yard kickoff return (by two different players, no less!) and still only had 10 points at intermission.
ASUโs Omar Bolden had the 97-yard score, while Wisconsin defensive back Shelton Johnson made a brilliant play to pull Middlebrooks down after 95 yards before he could find the end zone.
Safe to say the Badgers need some work on special teams: they also gave up an 80-yard first-half punt return that came back on a penalty.
By the third quarter, the Camp Randall faithful were serenading the home team with mock cheers when they actually made a tackle in kick coverage.ย
-Scott Tolzienโs accuracy is greatly underrated. The senior completed 76 percent of his passes (19-of-25) for 246 yards, and while some of them were to wide-open receivers (thanks to John Clay play fakes), others were pinpoint throws on third-and-long deep outs, something I didnโt expect from the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust Badgers.
-Arizona State quarterback Steven Threet had already beaten Wisconsin once coming into Saturdayโs matchup: he was the starting quarterback for Michigan in a 2008 comeback win before transferring out west.
-How many programs in the country could backup Wisconsin tailbacks James White and Montee Ball start for? Correct answer: a lot. White averaged 6.7 yards a carry Saturday afternoon when Clay needed a breather.
-If there was a penalty for early celebration, Badgersโ holder Ryan Wickesberg would have drawn one when he started jumping up and down with his hands in the air after a 44-yard field goal try by Philip Welch on the opening driveโฆthat missed.
-Great effort by Arizona State punt returner Jamal Miles, who finished off a nice 25-yard runback in the fourth quarter by absolutely steamrolling Wisconsinโs Kyle Wojta. 222-pound football players arenโt supposed to bounce backwards like that; Miles literally RAN HIM OVER.
-Kendricks was really unguardable for the home team. On one drive late in the first half, he drew pass interference penalties on two straight plays, the second of which was a touchdown because he caught the ball anyway.
ASU couldnโt match up with the 6โ4โ tight end, and couldnโt afford to use extra defenders on him with the threat of the all-powerful run game.
The momentum-turning touchdown catch came with 10 seconds to go before halftime and the Badgers out of timeouts; great game management by Tolzien and offensive coordinator Paul Chryst to put Wisconsin on top heading to the locker room.
-On the pass interference topic, ASU got robbed of four points when T.J. Simpson was mugged in the end zone by Wisconsinโs Niles Brinkley, who didnโt bother to look back for the football. No flag despite the blatant contact, and the Devils had to settle for a field goal.ย
-John Clay got his eighth straight 100-yard game against the Sun Devils: my favorite play was a third-and-2 conversion where he wasnโt in the mood to wait for left guard John Moffitt.
Clay put his head down, ran over his own lineman (and the man Moffitt was blocking), pushing them both through the hole for a nine-yard gain.
Maybe Broadcasting Is Easier Than I Thought (The Lou Holtz Specials)
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MAYBE BROADCASTING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
This weekโs wacky and weird announcer quotesโฆ
โYou just saw right there, that offensive line playing the piano.โ โ Craig James
โNo sign of the field goal team, excuse me, third down, no wonder.โ โ Mike Patrick
โNice job here of Zach Collaros understanding there is a huge circle in the middle of this defense that is left undefended.โ โ Jesse Palmer (Actually, Jesse, we usually call that open non-symmetrical space a โholeโ. Itโs only a circle because you drew a pretty yellow one on the telestratorโฆand unfortunately, Zach canโt see your artwork from the field!)
โWhen you see guys running down the field like that all the time, thatโs not a good thing.โ โ Craig James explaining why allowing 80-yard punt return TDs is, in fact, bad.
โSome guys just have quick twitch fiber.โ โChris Martin (Exactly how I would have described it, Chris.)
โThere may not be anything wrong, but if your Heisman Trophy candidate running back is on the sideline for this long, thereโs something that isnโt right.โ โ Mike Patrick (In related news, Iโm actively looking for volunteers that can explain to me the difference between something being wrong and something not being right.)
โChilds please!โ โ Dave Pasch describing a game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass to Arkansas wideout Greg Childs
โHow about this for a segue? This is what we do for a living, just smoothly go right in to the Red Slawlibber, ha haโฆthe Red Lobster Scholar Athlete.โ โ Verne Lundquist (Verne, it seems like you and I might have different definitions of โsmoothโ.)
โTouchdown George Bellโฆhe dropped it.โ โ Mike Patrick
โTrue freshman: he just came to school this year.โ โ Bob Griese (We like to call that the Department of Redundancy Department.)
โIโd be breathing fire for a week.โ โ Craig James
โMike Stoops is on some Red Bull chased with espresso.โ โ Mark Jones
ย โOnce again the final score: Wisconsin 21, Arizona State 20โ โ Mike Patrick (It was actually 20-19, but whoโs counting?)
โGood play call: I like the execution, except for the fact that he threw it a little bit high over his head and the ball was picked off.โ โ Bob Griese
โTouchdown, Arkansas! No flags!ย โฆ.there is a flagโฆโ โ Dave Pasch
โItโs probably either punt or fake or go for it.โ โ Mike Bellotti providing some revolutionary options on a fourth-and-2 for Minnesota.
Time for the Lou Holtz NOTRE DAME HOMER quote of the week. This edition refers to the fake field goal that Michigan State used to stun the Irish. โIt was well played by Notre Dame: they defended that very, very well.โ โ Lou Holtz (Um, Coach? The Spartans SCORED! If that was well-defended, Iโd hate to see what poor defense looks like.)
A couple other notes: the Oregon State/Louisville telecast got a lot of great close-up shots of head coach Charlie Strong on the sideline. Unfortunately, there was one small problem: most of them were of someone else, not Strong.
Oh, and am I the only guy that hears Craig James refer to Texas Tech as a โhostile environmentโ and immediately thinks, โWow, that phrase has a whole new meaning?โ
If you hear a weird or wacky announcer quote during the football weekend, send it my way! E-mail cfcmailbag (at) yahoo (dot) com by 1:00 pm ET each Sunday: your submission could make it in to next weekโs COMPREHENSIVE.
Maybe Coaching Is Easier Than I Thought
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MAYBE COACHING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
Did somebodyโs seat just get hotter?
College football teams arenโt supposed to cross the goal line five times and finish the game with only 32 points.
This is because most college football teams come equipped with whatโs commonly known as a placekicker.
One of said placekickerโs duties is to add โextra pointsโ to scoring plays, providing a seven-point total for these โtouchdowns.โ
Revolutionary concept, isnโt it?
As we all know, seven times five equals 35, not 32.
But not in Southern California. (Or else the math teacher at USC is on probation, too?)
The Trojans attempted not one, not two, but three unsuccessful 2-point conversions at Minnesota Saturday for no apparent reason, and USC fans should be thankful the Gophers were inept enough to make the missing three points irrelevant.
As of right now, thereโs no truth to the rumor that every placekicker on the Trojansโ roster is preparing to transfer (considering USC coach Lane Kiffin apparently has given up on the old-fashioned method of scoring that involves putting foot to pigskin).
However, it is likely that no other program in the country has the slightest interest in adding a USC kicker via transfer because of the rust factor: eyewitness reports speculate that the last time some of these players attempted real, meaningful extra points was the day before USC hired this Kiffin fellow.
Maybe coaching is easier than I thought.
(Speaking of questionable coaching decisions, why on earth didnโt the Iowa Hawkeyes attempt a Hail Mary pass before halftime at Arizona? Ricky Stanzi went down at his own 48 with three seconds left before intermissionโฆthe Hawks had not one, but two timeoutsโฆand Kirk Ferentz still had no interest in stopping the clock to take one last crack at the end zone from near midfield.
Of course, it makes perfect sense why Iowa didnโt care if they scored or notโฆsince they were down TWENTY points at the time. Can anyone confirm if Ferentz was in fact in attendance at Kiffinโs โWhy Points Really Arenโt Important In Footballโ seminar this summer?
Yep, Iโm finally ready to get rid of the โmaybeโ altogether.
Coaching is easier than I thought.)
Maybe Officiating Is Easier Than I Thought
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MAYBE OFFICIATING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT
Throwing the flag on the guys in stripesโฆ
Notre Dame fans have reason to be just a tad upset after two questionable no-calls in Saturdayโs thriller at Michigan State. The Spartans tied the game with 7:43 to play on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to B.J. Cunningham, but Cunningham clearly stepped out of bounds before getting past the Irish defender to haul in his crucial score.
By rule, the receiver is allowed to return to the field of play without penalty if he is A. forced out and B. returns immediatelyโฆbut in this case, the โforce outโ fell somewhere between debatable and downright non-existent.
Yes, Cunningham and Darrin Walls brushed shoulders near the sideline, but in this humble writerโs opinion, Cunningham did more to cause contact than the Notre Dame corner, and that particular play should have seen a yellow flag on the ground, not just a refereeโs hat.
Give credit to Cunningham (and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who bought all kinds of time by scrambling toward the right sideline and directing his receiver where to go) for keeping the play alive, but the refs shouldnโt have allowed MSU to take advantage of bonus real estate outside the chalk.
If the fourth-quarter no-call was dubious at best, thereโs absolutely no doubt that the Spartans caught a break from the zebras on the final play of overtime. When Michigan State snapped the ball on the fake field goal that beat the Irish, the stadium play clock was showing 00.
No matter what the โofficial statementโ from the referees says, lag time is not acceptable in an era where we can measure times down to the thousandths of a second.
If the game clock shows 0:00, a team shouldnโt be allowed to run a play. If the play clock shows 0:00, why should that be any different?
A freeze-frame view of the fourth-down snap shows without question that the clock expired before the play started, and if the powers-that-be really are okay with that, letโs put this โlag timeโ concept right above Calvin Johnsonโs โcontrol the ball all the way through the groundโ rule and right below the BCS in the category of โthings that need to be changed pronto.โ
Since I Do Live In Ohio...
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SINCE I DO LIVE IN OHIO...
News from around the Big Tenโฆ
While Denard Robinson and Terrelle Pryor get all the Midwestern hype, Dan Persa has quietly steered Northwestern to a 3-0 start to the season.
Persa is hitting an unbelievable 81.6 percent of his passes and threw for a career-high 307 yards in the Wildcatsโ victory at Rice Saturday evening.ย
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald knew going into the season that he had a special quarterback with a special work ethic.
โHeโs a tremendous leader,โ Fitzgerald said of Persa. โHeโs the first to show and last to go. Thatโs the way you want your quarterback described.โ
The Wildcats have never in program history been to three consecutive bowl games, but with Persa at the helm, Iโd be surprised if that streak stretches past January.
Overtime
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OVERTIME
Since CFC isnโt really done until the fat lady singsโฆ
Donโt look now, but the North Carolina State football team is 3-0 for the first time since the days of one Philip Rivers after disposing of Cincinnati 30-19.
A couple random notes from Thursdayโs game: this tribute to our nationโs troops was incredibleโฆand the Wolfpack have a starting safety named Earl Wolff.
I admit it: that made me chuckle. Special mention in next weekโs Comprehensive for the first commenter who can name another current college football player with a last name that so closely resembles his programโs mascot.
(I have no idea if there is actually another example like Wolff or not, but this is where I throw out meaningless non-cash-value prizes to let you wonderful readers do my research for me. Some call it laziness.ย I call it delegation.)
Until next weekโฆ
Tim Caryโs COLLEGE FOOTBALL COMPREHENSIVE (formerly โCarrying On About College Footballโ) is a weekly wrap-up series featured each Monday on BleacherReport.com.
To submit unbelievable stats, strange announcer quotes, amazing highlights, or dumb coach/referee decisions for next weekโs column, e-mail Tim by 1:00 pm Sunday at CFCmailbag (at) yahoo (dot) com or contact him on Twitter at @TimCary.
Miss a previous edition of COMPREHENSIVE?
Week Two (Sept. 12)
Week One (Sept. 5)
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