Alabama, Oklahoma St., and BYU Win Key Games, Sooners Suffer a Major Loss

The first week in college football was filled with exciting play that consisted of numerous close games and the fall of a powerhouse team.

The big story this week came from Dallas, where Oklahoma and BYU squared off against one another. Heisman winner Sam Bradford and the Sooners came into the game as the third best team in the country with dreams of returning to the BCS title game. After Saturday night’s game, one impacting hit on the prized quarterback may change all hopes.

During the final seconds of the second quarter, Bradford was forced to the ground, landing hard on his right shoulder. The hit left Bradford on the sidelines for the remainder of the game and changes everything in Norman for all Sooner fans.

Max Hall and the Cougars played solid football throughout all four quarters and escaped with a 14-13 victory.

The win also changes everything for BYU, who now have a very good chance at making a push for a BCS bowl game, and even puts them in early discussions for the BCS title game.

The Cougars have a difficult schedule throughout the remainder of the regular season with game against Florida State, TCU and Utah. If BYU can somehow go undefeated, they would have built themselves a legitimate resume for a National Title birth.

The game between Alabama and Virginia Tech also had National Title hopes at stake, where the Crimson Tide overcame some early mistakes to keep their title run alive.

Greg McElroy made his debut at quarterback and played solid football throughout the game, while finishing with 250 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Mark Ingram ran for 150 yards and a touchdown while also being on the receiving end of another score. Terrence “The Incredible Hulk” Cody once again anchored a very talented Nick Saban defense.

Tyrod “T-Mobile” Taylor had a difficult game for the Hokies, where he was only able to pass for 91 yards and never got his running game going.

The loss leaves Virginia Tech in a difficult situation, where Frank Beamer will have to work overtime to get his troops ready for their showdown against Nebraska in two weeks.   

The other big game of the week featured Oklahoma State and the Georgia Bulldogs in a Big 12-SEC showdown in Stillwater. The Cowboys played great football on all levels and seem to be living up to the lofty expectations that come with their highest preseason ranking in school history.

The triple threat of Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Dez Bryant will be an offensive force to reckon with all season long. Robinson threw two touchdowns to Bryant and also ran for a score of his own. I believe the Cowboys will be 7-0 on Halloween, when the Longhorns will come to town for what should be an amazing battle between two Big 12 south teams.

The other game results during the week were pretty much expected, with few upsets taking place throughout the country.

Oregon traveled to Boise to take on the Broncos, in hope of getting some revenge after last season’s loss in Eugene. However, Kellen Moore and D.J. Harper played well, both leading their team to a 19-8 victory while keeping their BCS hopes alive.

In what may have been the best game of the week, Miami traveled to Tallahassee to take on their rivals, Florida State. The Seminoles were ranked 18th in the country coming into the game and were expected to be a dominating force in the ACC.

However, Jacory Harris and the Canes stepped up to the occasion and played strong football throughout all four quarters. At the end of the fourth quarter, Harris threw a 40-yard strike over double-coverage to Travis Benjamin. The play eventually led to a Craig Cooper rushing touchdown to seal the victory.

FSU drove down the field but were on able to score from the Miami two-yard line after three consecutive plays. In the end, the Canes came away with a 38-34 upset and will be prepared to host a talented Georgia Tech team next Thursday night.

All eyes will be on USC and Ohio State this week, where the Trojans will make the journey to the Horseshoe in Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. It should be another exciting week in the college football world, as the race for the National Title begins to take shape.