Week 5 College Football Superlatives from Kramer's Korner
Breaking through—or reestablishing your worth, no matter how you want to phrase it—is exceedingly challenging in college football.
We appreciate and celebrate moral victories. When a team like Arkansas can transform from disregarded scrapheap to a living, breathing, demolition-happy bulldozer in a matter of nine months, we offer polite applause and admire the achievement.
And yet, as the Hogs fell to Texas A&M in overtime despite leading by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, we were reminded just how difficult it is to separate from your former self.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Bret Bielema drew up a brilliant game plan and dialed up the appropriate gambles—some of which you’ll see momentarily—and the entire blueprint fell apart before you could even identify the damage being done. The Hogs' magnificent effort came undone, which means Bielema's first victory against an SEC program in his new area code will have to wait.
It doesn't mean Arkansas is bad. In fact, the Hogs look live enough to beat almost anyone they line up against. It simply recognizes the work left to be done to truly break past thresholds beyond the casual applause phase, especially when your division is as unrelenting as the SEC West.
To be viewed as an upper-echelon program, you need to beat upper-echelon programs. Arkansas will do this in time—perhaps as early as this year—although the next, next step will be the toughest. Then there's the challenge of staying there, which is another magnificent battle entirely.
Did I mention that this sport is hard?
As for observations, awards and important strength-coach tackles from Week 5, here they are.
Offensive Player of the Week: Nelson Spruce, Colorado
In a week jam-packed with offensive goodness, Colorado wideout Nelson Spruce delivered another reception-packed game, although this toppled his previous efforts—and pretty much all efforts—by a significant margin.
And, in an Offensive Player of the Week first, the recipient's team did not come away victorious.
Against Cal, Spruce finished with 19 (!!!) catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns. This marked the third time this season the junior caught at least 10 passes and the fourth time he's gone over 100 yards.
Good show, Spruce. Even in a loss.
Dominant Defender: Su'a Cravens, USC
USC's standout safety has been working at linebacker, and the experiment has been a smashing success thus far. Just ask Oregon State.
Cravens finished with six tackles, a sack and two total tackles for loss against the Beavers on Saturday. His biggest play, however, came when he intercepted a Sean Mannion pass and returned it 31 yards for the first touchdown of the game.
When he wasn't providing stat-sheet material, he was flying all over the field. The true sophomore has quickly become one of the nation's premier defensive players, and he showcased this again—at a new position—in Week 5.
Video Game Box Score
—The entire Cal-Colorado box score is basically a football science experiment: 115 points, 1,205 yards and 63 first downs. Oh, and we're just getting started. Colorado QB Sefo Liufau and Cal QB Jared Goff each threw for 449 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in the same game. Football is weird, man.
—How's this for production? Cincinnati wideout Chris Moore caught three passes for 221 yards and, you guessed it, three touchdowns. That averages out to a cool 73.7 yards per catch and a touchdown on 100 percent of his touches. (So maybe I didn't have to do the math on the second part, but it was served to you anyway.)
Anti-Video Game Box Score
—Oh, SMU. Through four games, the Mustangs have been outscored 202-12. That's not a typo; it's just a difficult number to wrap your head around, as is the fact that the SMU offense has zero rushing touchdowns on the year while carrying the ball 126 times for 183 yards. Stay tuned—there will be more visits to come.
—Texas Tech is not doing itself any favors on defense, although the offense isn't exactly helping either. Behold a disturbing takeaway that pretty much outlines the life of a struggling football program.
"Unbelievably, Texas Tech has now lost the turnover battle in 12 straight games - a full season's worth. 31 giveaways, 12 takeaways.
— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) September 26, 2014"
Biggest Surprise
Although Arkansas was unable to hold on to the victory, Bret Bielema—who met his wife at a blackjack table in Las Vegas—did have the most successful gamble of the week.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Bielema called a fake punt on the Hogs' side of the field. That's when punter Sam Irwin-Hill—who just so happens to be ambidextrous—took off and went 51 yards for the touchdown.
It was unexpected, and it was brilliant.
You expected that the punter would be tackled eventually, although Irwin-Hill just kept running into open air until he was no longer required. This gamble gave Arkansas a seven-point lead at the half.
Don't ask about the rest of the game; just enjoy the lovely little fake and let's move on.
Best Moment
There is another side of the heartbreak that Arkansas is probably still coping with. On the opposite end of the emotion spectrum is overwhelming joy, and Texas A&M—having experienced plenty of this already in 2014—celebrated a comeback win accordingly in Jerry's World.
The only thing bad about Kevin Sumlin locker room celebrations is that we're not there to partake in the fun.
Seriously, where's the invite?
For the Highlight Reel
It looked like the kind of play you'd see in flag football, only it came in an actual college football game against the defending national champions.
North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett, the former Florida Gators product, delivered one of the best, strangest and most athletic plays you will see a QB make. He was nearly tackled—a few times, actually—but he was able to roll out and eventually find a teammate for a touchdown.
Watch it a few times; it still won't make much sense (I've tried).
Oh, and as a follow-up play, Brissett also completed a pass from his back. Now he's just showing off.
For the Anti-Highlight Reel
If you enjoyed seeing two Florida offensive linemen block one another last season—and I assume you are nodding at this point; otherwise, we can no longer be friends—then, buddy, you are in for a treat.
Behold the sequel: Two Penn State linemen blocking each other, which is the only recap you need to read on Penn State's loss to Northwestern.
If the College Football Playoff Started Today... (Or Why I Hate Your Team)
Even though Oregon and Oklahoma were both off this week, I made a switch between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams after rewatching the Ducks' game against Washington State. That offensive line for Oregon is an enormous liability, although the Ducks are still very much in the mix.
Please express your anger with these picks and exclusions accordingly. And remember, it's personal. I'm picking these four teams in an effort to make you angry.
1. Oklahoma
2. Oregon
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
Five Leftovers to Chew on
1. The situation at Michigan has gone from dumpster fire to an even bigger dumpster fire. The decision to leave quarterback Shane Morris in the game after taking a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit—which can be seen here—was inexcusable. The outrage was performance-related before, although it's more than that after Saturday. You can place the blame in a variety of different places, but it's an ugly situation regardless. Stay tuned.
2. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is going to be a star. Heck, he might be one already. The true freshman threw for 435 yards and six touchdowns against North Carolina, and he just looks so much more advanced than most QBs his age. Yes, you could probably throw for at least 250 yards against UNC, but that doesn't change the point that he’s required viewing.
3. Charlie Weis has been relieved of his duties, which means Kansas is looking for a coach. When it comes to a replacement, I'd love to see Memphis head coach Justin Fuente get a look. Fuente has done a brilliant job building from the ground up in Memphis, a team that has improved a great deal in recent years. With more resources and a bigger footprint, he would excel in this spot. Then again, perhaps he should hold out for a better opportunity if Kansas comes a-calling.
4. Missouri deserves the utmost kudos for basically flipping the script against South Carolina from a season ago. The team is by no means perfect, although the Tigers are as live as anyone in the SEC East. Getting a win in Columbia—the other Columbia—is a feat we could not have envisioned before last season. My how things have changed. Oh, and Missouri is 15-4 against the spread in its last 19 games, according to Odds Shark. Not bad.
5. Let's look ahead real quick. The Week 6 slate of games has to be one of the better Saturdays the sport has seen in some time. There are so many quality matchups buried beneath the obvious picks: Ole Miss-Alabama, Texas A&M-Mississippi State, LSU-Auburn and Stanford-Notre Dame. Cancel all plans and lock yourself in the room for the day. Destroy your cell phone if you have to.
Large Man Play of the Week
We were deprived of a large man touchdown this week, although Auburn defensive tackle Montravius Adams—who awesomely sports No. 1—nearly went the distance on an interception.
Oh, we were this close.
Adams, who checks in at 306 pounds according to his bio, moves entirely too well for a man his size. Although he was unable to make it across the goal line, the efforts of large human beings, as always, deserve your utmost appreciation.
This Week in Strength-Coach Tackling
Do you have your Weird Football Bingo Cards handy? You do? Well, go ahead and cross off "strength coach for a major college football program tackles a fan who ran on the field."
Apparently, Anthony Schlegel, an assistant strength coach at Ohio State, had seen enough of the fan running on the field. So he decided to intervene.
I could describe the scene further, although that's why YouTube was invented.
There was not a better tackle from this past weekend, as outlined by the image below. I feel like his neck vein could win a few fights by itself.
"OSU assistant strength coach Anthony Schlegel taught a lesson to a fan who ran on the field. http://t.co/MKPXREY5GX pic.twitter.com/sF62blMXkY
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) September 28, 2014"
This Week in Coordinated Facepalms
Disappointment can be art, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. To prove this point, I present to you the following Texas Tech sideline reaction from Thursday night's loss at Oklahoma State.
It's as if they were following a script (and doing so brilliantly).
Sometimes one facepalm just isn't enough.
This Week in Steve Spurrier Tumbles
You know how you never get invited to play golf with Steve Spurrier? You either a) beat him in a crucial conference game or b) run into him on the sideline, knocking him to his knees.
Oh, Maty Mauk. And I'll bet Spurrier plays a lot of nice courses too.
The Amazing, Ridiculous and Absurd Safety That Never Was
Behold TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin trying to make the most out of a bad snap by throwing it...directly into the bottom of the goal post. But SMU was offsides, so TCU was granted a do-over and five extra yards.
This has to be the most exciting five-yard offsides penalty in the history of mankind.
(This is where I point out that these two points would have been more than 10 percent of SMU's total scoring this season.)
As the World Turns: The Turbulent and Chaotic Life of an Offensive Lineman
To truly appreciate the life an offensive lineman, you need the appropriate tune. And to help us set the appropriate mood for the play you will watch momentarily, you should listen to this song and let it flow through your bloodstream.
All set? Good.
With Step 1 complete, let us turn our attention to Arizona State's Christian Westerman. On Thursday night against UCLA, Westerman was unable to track down the chaos that surrounded him. Instead, he slowly drifted into nothing, and it made for a truly exceptional Vine.
It can indeed be a very mad world for offensive linemen.
The Child-Birthing Class Moment of the Week
Perplexed by the text above? I would imagine so. Here's a tweet that came across during Thursday night's Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game.
"This guy is the MVP of our childbirth class pic.twitter.com/fXisjKnrQa
— Matt Amilian (@mattamilian) September 26, 2014"
Now, this one hits home. I only recently graduated—for lack of a better term—from my own child-birthing class as my wife and I prepare for our first. From my own experiences, I can confirm that streaming, tweeting and texting in this kind of environment can be remarkably difficult.
It takes a real pro to accomplish this, and this gentleman pulled it off. I can only hope that the Wi-Fi cooperated.
From the Peanut Gallery (Best Tweets of the Weekend)
"SMU's starting QB is really good https://t.co/ae2q8KyEXU
— Patrick Burns (@patjburns) September 27, 2014"
""Did someone say game day?" https://t.co/nel2xbKgSA
— TUSK Arkansas Mascot (@Tusk_UA) September 26, 2014"
"Peyton going w/ the "Dad" look pic.twitter.com/so3n2f5RVr
— Michael Necci (@manecci) September 27, 2014"
"Bielema throwing the ball, Clooney married. Up is down. Hold your loved ones close.
— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) September 27, 2014"
"And they're using rotary dial phones in 2014... #NDvsCUSE pic.twitter.com/rj6aQBO4fE
— Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) September 28, 2014"
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
