GAMECOCKS BUST A NUTT

The trend continues in college football as another top-ranked falls early in the season.

It began with the Cougars of BYU knocking out the Sooners and their quarterback Sam Bradford.

After beating Georgia, Oklahoma State’s stay in the top ten was short-lived when another team of cougars, the University of Houston, traveled to Stillwater and beat the Cowboys 45-35.

This was only the beginning. Just one week removed from a comeback victory over rival Ohio State at The Shoe where their game-winning drive was orchestrated by their true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, the Trojans, without Barkley, traveled to Seattle, Washington to play the Huskies.

Without Barkley the Trojans offense never got going and with only four seconds left in the game Washington kicked a field goal to send USC back to Los Angeles with a loss.

Last night, the latest top five team to buckle under the pressure, the University of Mississippi. In Columbia, South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium, Ole Miss was ready to prove that they were legit national championship contenders and led by their Heisman candidate and quarterback, Jevan Snead.

However, Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks had other plans for Snead and Ole Miss.

Snead, who just was 3-8 with only 30 yards in the first-half, finished a dismal 7-21 for 107 yards and only averaged 5 yards per completion. On the other side, South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia threw for 220 yards.

Neither team had great success on third down, but the 1-13 on third down conversions by Ole Miss pretty much sums up their night. Their offense could never get going and South Carolina never let Snead get comfortable or in any kind of rhythm. He was sacked five times, four coming in the second half when the Rebels could not afford them.

On a 3^rd and 12 at South Carolina’s 36 yard-line and just over 4 minutes left in the game, Snead was sacked for the last time by the Gamecocks’ Cliff Matthews. Then, following a 5-yard penalty against the Rebels, on fourth and 19, Snead’s final pass to Shay Hodge fell incomplete, sealing the loss and continuing the streak of top-five teams receiving an early loss.

I would watch out for another top-five team to potentially fall this weekend. Can the Iowa Hawkeyes make it two-years-in-a-row against the Penn State Nittany Lions? They have to travel to Happy Valley, but their coach has had exceptional success against Joe Paterno. They way this season is going, anything can happen.