Bleacher Report - Articles by Will Hall

Gooblogs Weekly College Gridiron Week No. 3

Will Hall — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:43:39 -0400

The 5^th Quarter

Are the Commodores for real?

As I predicted last week, Vandy pulled out a big-time upset over Auburn just barely. The most impressive thing for me to see was a Vandy team winning, despite playing without it's best offensive playmaker in QB Chris Nickson. Backup quarterback Mackenzi Adams filled in for Nickson and played brilliantly. Despite being a doormat in the SEC the past few years, Vandy is now 5-0 going into week 7 and playing very well for a team few expected to win three or four games this year. You have to give credit to Bobby Johnson and his staff coaching and believing in his system. He does not get any five-star recruits, but he gets players to play within his system, and he also gets a bunch of “lunch-pail” guys, a scrappy bunch that just battles. Taking nothing away from this awesome story, the Commodores do have a very daunting schedule ahead, as does any SEC team these days, with Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and a non-conference battle with Wake Forest on the horizon.

T-Pry coming of age

Freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor had his first start under the lights on national TV up in Camp Randall, and he sure showed why he was the nation’s top recruit last year. There were times when Pryor certainly looked like a freshman: the interception, not choosing to throw it away, and a few delay of game penalties, but there was much to be impressed about as well. The biggest thing I looked at for Pryor’s performance Saturday, was his fourth quarter drives. He led the Bucks on two scoring drives in the fourthquarter alone, when the game was on the line and strong pressure from the Badgers’ D existed. Pryor took the game into his hands and led the team down the field for both of those drives, the last one being the game-winner on a nifty 11 yard TD run. I do not know about you guys, but he sure does look very similar to the way Vince Young glided through defenses when he took off and ran. It certainly helps the Bucks confidence, stealing a big one in Madison, and vaulting them back into the thick of conference and national title races. But how about Wisconsin? I am sure Bielema is just livid the way the team has lost the past two weeks. Going into the season, I really thought the Badgers would have won both of these past two games. Something obviously needs to get corrected there so the Badgers can turn the ship around and get back on the winning track.

Baby Clones’ lose a tough one

Something just did not feel right. I looked around and the student section was in amazement of our 20-0 halftime lead. As expected, it seemed too good to be true. Led by a veteran and highly skilled QB, Kansas scored 21 straight second half points to take the lead it would never give up. You have got to give credit to Reesing for making some big throws and leading the comeback. Kerry Meir also had a huge game receiving for the Jayhawks, seeming to kill the Cyclones' second half momentum. Those really are the games a bowl team will pull out and a young inexperienced team will give up. I think we really saw what we expected—a very young team with success within arm’s reach, only to see it slip away in an instant. We expected some road-bumps along the way throughout the season, and this game certainly showed the youth and inexperience we have on our roster right now. With every moral victory, a tough loss like this can still be painful the following week, but the Cyclones really need to flush this down the drain and focus on a young Baylor squad. Bears quarterback Robert Griffin is a young but phenomenal athlete, one of those players who gives D coordinators nightmares. Hopefully, they can shut down Griffin and finally get a much-needed road victory in Waco.

Now I was going to do some more segments, but this would make this week's blog way too long for you all want to read, so I am going to go straight to my Tivo time, because this week’s full of dynamite games.

Tivo Time

Last week: 3-2, 5-3 on the season

No. 5 Texas @ No. 1 Oklahoma (12:00 ET ABC)

What a game! This one has the makings of being the best Red River Shootout in years. Oklahoma comes in with a very experienced offense led up front by a veteran O-line, especially in All-American guard Duke Robinson. Heisman hopeful QB Sam Bradford has a plethora of weapons in his arsenal to move the ball downfield in RB DeMarco Murray and experienced WRs in Joaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson. Brent Venable’s stout D includes pass-rushing terror DE Auston English and DT DeMarcus Granger. Nic Harris leads an inexperienced yet highly skilled secondary. Texas will try to utilize their athlete’s speed and the good decision-making of star QB Colt McCoy. Look for McCoy to hook up with his most trusted WR Jordan Shipley and rely on a RB-by-committee in Chris Ogbonnaya, Vondrell McGee, and Fozzy Whittaker. I think the overall key to this game is how the Longhorn’s D contains Bradford and limits his chances on blowing open the game. I really like the way new Longhorn D coordinator Will Muschamp has instilled a toughness and intensity into a very good Texas defense. DE Brian Orakpo, third in the nation with six sacks this season, will have to get steady pressure on Bradford to force him out of the pocket. Texas’ secondary must step up and limit the big plays by the Sooner offense in order to stay in the game. In the end, I think the Sooner O will be a little too much in a very tight matchup, 33-28 OU.

No. 4 LSU @ No. 11 Florida (8:00 ET CBS)

The Swamp will be rocking Saturday night as the Tigers come into town. I think this has the makings of a huge game for Tebow and Co. They will surely come out gunning on offense, trying to show the nation that the Ole Miss game was a fluke. Don’t get me wrong, the Tigers have an excellent defense, anchored by an NFL caliber D line, but it’s so hard to get a win in the Swamp, a night game for that matter, especially with an inexperienced QB in Jarrett Lee. The key for the Gators is to get their ground game going led by superb athlete Chris Rainey and dynamic do-it-all reciever Percy Harvin. Urban Meyer will have his boys fired up and ready to pull off a big win, because they get another chance to showcase their skill and re-affirm their status among the elite teams in the country. It does not hurt that I am biased towards my favorite coach in Coach Mac down there in Gainesville. I am taking the Gators, and big, 38-21 Gator chomp.

No. 17 Oklahoma State @ No. 3 Missouri (8:00 ET ESPN2)

One word. Shootout. This game could be in the 50s for both teams. Oklahoma State has one of the most powerful offenses in the nation led by a three-headed monster. Dual threat QB Zac Robinson is the perfect quarterback for Mike Gundy’s spread offense and he has loads of talent around him. The running game is led by Kendall Hunter, who averages seven yards per carry. When Robinson is not running with the ball, he’ll be passing to one of the best receivers in the country in sensational sophomore Dez Bryant. Just last week alone, Bryant had three receiving TD’s and a punt return TD to go with those catches. The question for Oklahoma State is can their D slow down Chase Daniel and the Tigers offense? They certainly will not be able to “stop” the O flat out, but if they can bottle up Daniel and throw some weird blitz packages at him, they just may have a chance to knock off Mizzou in Columbia. Goob's take: Mizzou wins a close shootout. Too much superior firepower for the Tigers, but the Cowboys will have the potent O Mizzou has now in the future. 46-35 MU.

No. 6 Penn State @ Wisconsin (8:00 ET ESPN)

The Badgers need this one more than ever. As much as they need this big home game, Penn State’s new spread HD offense is rolling right now. Darryl Clark has been the perfect fit for this system, and X-factor playmaker Derrick Williams is making plays for them on all sides of the ball. The interesting thing is can the Badgers regroup and get their offense in rhythm? Coordinator Paul Chryst has always been in the top 15 among total offenses in the country by the end of the season, but right now the Badgers' O has been out of whack. I think we'll see them turn to their bread and butter and just grind out the lions D behind a trio of running backs. Big boy P.J. Hill will wear them down to the goal line, and then bruiser redshirt freshmen John Clay will finish off the drive. I look to see the Badgers pull off the upset at home in Camp Randall, 21-17 Bucky and Co.

Notre Dame @ #22 North Carolina (3:30 ET ABC)

Charlie Weis has to be proud of the way sophomore QB Jimmy Clausen has developed during the off-season and cut down on his interceptions. It does not hurt Clausen now has playmakers by his side and some new hog-mollies up front to protect him. The name to look for Saturday will be big-play and star in the making freshman wideout Michael Floyd. Floyd has been Clausen’s favorite target so far, and it does not look to be stopping any time soon. On the other hand, North Carolina will counter with a stern defense and an explosive offense led by their star WR in Hakeem Nicks. DT Marvin Austin anchors a tough and disciplined front seven, while ball-hawking safety Trimane Goddard will look to add to his nation-leading four picks this season. This has the making of a great one out in Chapel Hill. In the end I like the home team to prevail, 28-17 Heels.

Other games to watch this weekend:

· Clemson @ No. 21 Wake Forest (7:30 ET Thursday ESPN)– Can James Davis and C.J. Spiller spark a huge upset road win to begin ACC play?

· Iowa @ Indiana (12:00 ET BTN) – Both teams need this win desperately. If the Hawks cannot win this one, Kirk Ferentz may be on his way out in Iowa City. My opinion: give Shonn Greene at least 40 carries and see if he can carry the O!

· #23 Michigan State @ Northwestern (3:30 ET ESPN2) – This one will go with my picks of the week. Mike Hankwitz has really turned the defense round since being brought in from Wisconsin, and I think they'll do a good job containing Javon Ringer and the Spartan offense. I am going to go with the Wildcats in a big upset win over Javon Ringer and Co.

· #15 Boise State @ Southern Miss (8:00 ET CSTV) – This is another qualified pick, and my upset of the week. I think the Broncos are ripe for a loss coming after a huge win over Oregon. First year coach and offensive wizard Larry Fedora will have the Golden Eagles ready to play and pull out a high-scoring game.

Tidbit Time

· Juice Williams had an excellent game in Ann Arbor, totaling 431 total yards of offense alone.

· How about Maryland? Fresh off big upsets over Cal and Clemson, the Terrapins lose to ACC dormant Virginia 31-0!?

· Demaryius Thomas (what a name!) caught every single pass Georgia Tech threw Saturday against Duke. Thomas was the only name in the receiving column with 9 catches for 230 yards, including an 88-yard TD reception.

· How about some love for the Sun Belt? Louisiana-Lafayette RB Terrell Fenroy rushed for a school-record 297 yards on only 20 carries in the Ragin Cajuns victory over Louisiana Monroe.

· Alabama has still yet to trail a single second thus far in the season.

Well, that does it for this week's section. It’s a little weak compared to past week's, but it’s midterm week up here so things are kind of crazy. Hope all is well and another great weekend of college football is ahead of us. P.S. I hate you Dodgers!

Gooblogs weekly College Gridiron!

Will Hall — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:54:53 -0400

Hello to all readers out there! My name is Will, but most call me by the nickname of Goobs, hence the title of this segment. I hope to turn Goobs' Weekly Gridiron into a weekly segment covering all aspects of the college football world.

Most weeks, I will have a recap of some things that went on the previous week in college football, who's hot and who's not, Goobs' schedule for Saturday (games to TiVo!), and the Heisman watch.

Recap of Last Week

Let's hear it for the Mountain West Conference!

We already knew BYU was a legitimate contender from day one, proving their thrashing of UCLA a few weeks back was no joke. BUT let's also hear it for other teams and contenders in this now-credible conference.

Utah pulled out a squeaker in Colorado Springs against another up-and-coming Mountain West program in the Air Force Academy. Darrell Mack led an efficient running game that eventually turned in the game-winning score in the final minute of play. Coach Whittingham should get a pat on the back for his success, especially after taking over for Urban Meyer.

Climbing into this week's AP top 25 are the TCU Horned Frogs. Leading the way for the Horned Frogs is a stout defense, led by four-year starter MLB Jason Phillips, and an offense ranked first in the conference and in the top 15 nationally in scoring.

The MWC is gaining credibility and quietly becoming a legitimate contender in BCS chatter year in and year out.

How about that clash in Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday night?

Jarrett Lee was able to replace an injured Andrew Hatch and rally the LSU Tigers to an unbelievable win on the road against a very tough Auburn squad, who had some trouble getting the offensive consistency it needed to win the ball game.

Minus their offensive inefficiencies, the crowd was boisterous and wild, constantly making it hard for the LSU offense to hear the plays being called. Both defenses came ready to play with bone-jarring hits on almost every possession throughout the game.

Heartbreak in the Strip for the 'Clones

Sophomore quarterback Austen Arnaud was able to bring the Cyclones back from a 21-point deficit in the second half, but for the second straight week, freshman receiver Phillip Payne saved the day for the Rebs.

You've got to give credit to coach Mike Sanford for making his young but energetic team believe they could have the success they're having early on this season.

What's most disappointing about this loss for the Clones is that they truly let the Iowa defeat beat them again on Saturday. The first half was nothing short of a nightmare, and the boys obviously didn't come prepared to play right from the starting gate.

Pryor impressive in debut

Terrelle Pryor made his first start, making him the first true freshmen Buckeye quarterback to start a game since 1978, and he really showed the country why he was the nation's top rated recruit last year. Pryor tossed four TDs to one INT and looked graceful running through tackles and keeping the Troy defense honest with both his passing and running skills.

It will be exciting to see if Tressel keeps the fab frosh in, because clearly they needed a change after the debacle in the Coliseum and lack of leadership from Todd Boeckman.

Who's Hot

Javon Ringer, Michigan State running back

Ringer literally carried the Spartan offense, carrying the ball a WHOPPING 39 times for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ringer has carried the load for the Spartans, although his small stature wouldn't depict him being one of the top backs in the country.

If not for Ringer's skill running the ball, the Spartans could possibly not be 3-1 and Dantonio's name could be talked about quite a bit in East Lansing.

Colorado Buffaloes

Also known as the young Buffs, Coach Hawk and Little Hawk pulled off a HUGE win over West Virginia last Thursday in a blackout at Folsom. The Buffs used timely passing from Cody Hawkins and a running game led by two freshmen, Darrell Scott and Rodney Stewart.

Stewart carried the workload, carrying 28 times for a career high 166 yards. Stewart, listed at 5'6", was lightly recruited out of the Columbus, Ohio region, and certainly appears to be the real gem of Hawkins' highly successful 2008 recruiting class.

As impressive a win as it was for the Buffs, the schedule doesn't get any easier with a trip to Tallahassee to play the Seminoles and then a home date with the Texas Longhorns in the upcoming weekends. A Big 12 title may be out of reach this year, but certainly not next year for this young and talented team.

Who's Not

Rutgers

Just a few weeks back, people out east were talking about this being the best team Greg Schiano had during his tenure in Piscataway. Flash forward three weeks, and the Scarlet Knights are still looking for their first victory in 2008 after embarrassing losses to North Carolina and Navy.

Even worse is that after last week's defeat, starting quarterback Mike Teel was seen throwing punches at a fellow teammate after throwing yet another pick. It will certainly be interesting to see if Schiano and co. can ride the ship and turn things around out east.

Florida State

Things just seem to be getting worse and worse for Bobby Bowden down in Tallahassee. It's a good thing they have offensive guru Jimbo Fisher in waiting, but that's another story. The offense looked more anemic than a five-pound dumbbell, committing seven turnovers, which led to more than half of Wake Forest's total points.

Even worse, going into the game, starting quarterback Christian Ponder had predicted a victory over the Deacs publicly!

TiVo Time (Goobs' salivating schedule of games for this weekend)

Although the Georgia-Alabama game is getting all of the hype this week, I have a game I am a little more interested in! No. 24 TCU pays a visit to Norman to visit the No. 2-ranked Sooners (7:00 ET on FSN).

I'm sure this match has been on the minds of Sooners players ever since the last time the Horned Frogs came into Norman (last loss for the Sooners at home...back in 2005).

The Frogs bring an experienced team into SOONERVILLE and must get their ground game running behind Ryan Christian and timely passing from Andy Dalton.

If not, it could be a long night, even for a skilled defense like theirs and highly respected coach Gary Patterson, considering they'll be going up against arguably the best offense in the country, led by sensational sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford and dynamic back DeMarco Murray.

Goobs' take: I like the Sooners to come out motivated and lead a skilled Frogs squad in a close game until Bradford takes over the fourth quarter and leads the Sooners to a decisive win. 38-21, OU.

No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (ESPN 7:45 ET)

Nick Saban leads a young but very skilled team into Athens to take on Uga and company. This should be a dandy of an SEC matchup with lots of speed, hitting, and offense.

Georgia is led by star tandem QB Matt Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno. The Dawgs will be pumped, and Richt is making this game just the third time the team will don their black uniforms during his tenure for the blackout in Athens.

But that will not stop a Crimson Tide offense relying on a stern ground game led by Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram. Don't forget about the pass-catch combo of John Parker Wilson and fab frosh Julio Jones!

Goobs' take: I like the Dawgs to win a close one here. I think the decisive battle will be up front in how the young Bulldog O-line, without tackle Trinton Sturdivant, handles the pressure schemes and talented front seven of the Crimson Tide.

In the end, I like the Knowshon and Stafford combo to be the difference maker at home in the Hedges. 28-24, DAWGS.

No. 22 Illinois vs. No. 12 Penn State (8 ET on ABC)

This has the makings of a thriller out in Happy Valley. The white-out should be in effect, and the students could make Juice's time there a nightmare. It will be interesting to see if Mo Evans is allowed to play since being suspended by JoePa after his arrest three weeks ago. If so, look out because it could be a long night for the Illini offense.

Juice has certainly improved his passing game, adding another element to his arsenal, but I don't know if it will be enough in Happy Valley. Don't forget about Daryll Clark and the season he is having leading the new spread offense for the Nittany Lions.

Goobs' take: I like the crowd advantage, always SO tough to get a win out the Valley, so I'll take the Lions, who will have to score points to match the Illini offense. 34-28, PSU.

DA HEISMAN

1. Chase Daniel: The numbers are incredible, but what's more scary is no one knows how to stop this offense.

2. Knowshon Moreno: Seven TDs to date, on pace for 29...his name alone should win it!

3. Sam Bradford: Picking up right where he left off after his fabulous freshman season, it will be fun to watch how he does against a legit TCU defense this weekend.