Gooblog's Weekly College Gridiron #2

Oh the Mayhem!  Just another Saturday that showed why these fall Saturday’s are my favorite days of the year.  Another reason to scratch your head, another nail-biting finish, another huge upset, another blown 2^nd half, and another reason this game brings passionate fans together nationwide experiencing emotions and feelings shared only by the faithful who live and die with their team every Saturday.

The 5^th Quarter

Corvallis Funk Volume 2

             How about them Beavers!?  The Trojans may never want to come back to Reser Field after the Thursday night debacle.  You’ve got to give Mike Riley credit for coming up with an excellent game-plan for the Beavers who needed a win like this to jump-start their season.  Behind another enormous Thursday night Freshmen running back performance, Jacquizz “Quizzy” (what a name!) Rodgers was able to scamper through the fierce USC defense for 180 yards and 2 TD’s on 37 carries.  Quizz and older brother James were able to constantly slice and dice through an uncommon porous USC defense.  Lyle Moevao also contributed to the win with timely and efficient passing, not turning the ball over and producing 2 TD passes.  I could go on and on about how fun it was to watch Quizz, who makes Eugene Jarvis (small Kent State RB) look like a giant, but my soapbox moment from this past week is about the Cinderella formula that Oregon State used to take down a giant.    Right from the get-go, the Beavers never once succumbed to fear of the helmet on the sideline across from them.  They drove 50 yards on 8 plays the very first drive, letting the Trojans know they were not scared one bit.  The defense came in waves forcing Sanchez to make throws quickly and making Joe McKnight look like a chicken running with it’s head cut off.  They displayed passion and toughness many times throughout the game.  Why am I ranting about all of these things?  In my opinion, this is the attitude the Cyclones have been lacking the past 2 games.  Going into the game with a chip on your shoulder, playing with an almost underdog yet cocky pride and knocking the other team straight on it’s face from the opening kick-off.  If they could just show the passion I saw Thursday night, I think good things could happen not only versus Kansas, but later down the road—(sorry Hawk fans for boring you about that part).

Saban creating a MONSTER

            Love him or hate him, Nick Saban has done an extremely impressive job getting his Crimson Tide team ready for success in only his 2^nd year.  We all knew the Tide would be back to it’s prestigious roots sooner or later, but did anyone think it would be this soon?  They went into Athens and completely sucked the momentum from the black-out right from the start.  The big hog-mollies up front (Andre Smith anchors the unit at 6’5 340) paved the way for Glen Coffey and Mark Ingram to run through enormous holes to find paydirt, creating a 31-0 lead at halftime.  Lets not forget the Crimson Tide D which limited Knowshon Moreno to only 34 yards and repeatedly harassing Stafford into awkward and astray passes.  Julio Jones sure does look the part of being a tremendous talent in the coming years for the Tide.  Alabama certainly looks like a title contender after these impressive butt-kicking’s against Clemson and now Georgia.  I believe the downside for the Crimson Tide is the rugged and daunting schedule ahead in the SEC on the road to a possible national title game. 

Stunner in the Swamp

            Houston Nutt took a talented, but raw Rebel team into Gainesville and pulled off a giant shocker over the Gators.  Texas-transfer Jevan Snead passed for 2 TD’s and ran for another to spur an explosive Ole Miss offense.  Tebow and company just never seemed to get into a rhythm on offense, especially Chris Rainey and the running game which was nowhere to be seen.  I really hope Ed Orgeron is smiling right now, knowing that he helped out in this victory—Orgeron was the previous coach and has a renown respect as an excellent recruiter throughout the country, only to see that his players he got are now the same players Houston Nutt is winning with and turning this program around with.

So now What?

            So 4 of the top 10 teams get knocked off… in 1 weekend!  What happens now?  Well, I think several teams helped their chances and improved their stocks’, while others now bite their nails’ and worry what will happen next.  My revamped top 5…. Number 1 goes to Oklahoma.  Sam Bradford and company drilled a legit MWC contender in TCU in Norman 35-10.  Behind this stud sophomore quarterback, impressive young receiving corps’, and stern defense, Stoops has his team on the path to another appearance in the National Title game.  Coming out of nowhere, Number 2 goes to Alabama.  Saban has his team clicking on all 4 cylinders.  John Parker Wilson, Glen Coffee, and an enormous O-line has paved the way for the offense, while the defense, led by MLB Rolando McClain has also looked very disciplined and tough.  Missouri comes in at number 3 now.   Chase Daniel and dynamic receiver Jeremy Maclin have looked tremendous and unstoppable so far, while MLB Sean Witherspoon has been a force alone on a defense that must improve in order to challenge for the national title.  They have to be thanking the schedule gods for not putting a game on this past weekend this year.  Number 4 is LSU.  Although the Tigers are coming off a huge win over Auburn, I still think the verdict may still be out for them due to the uncertainty of an experienced quarterback and no proven threat at the RB position.  Their defense is as good as it comes, especially their D-line led by DE Tyson Jackson.  Rounding out my top 5 is a very quiet and tremendous sleeper, in my opinion, in the Texas Longhorns.  I am really looking forward to the Red-River shootout in 2 weeks.  Colt McCoy is quietly putting together a very strong season in the opening weeks, leading the offense not only with his proven arm, but also his legs.  New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has instilled a fiery attitude into a unit that had previously lacked aggressiveness under last year’s coordinator Duane Akina. 

Who’s Hot

Ball State

            The Cardinals are 5-0 and off to their best start in the program’s history.  Led by one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Nate Davis, the Cardinals have been putting up points and establishing a running game to go along with an already-proven passing game.  This success has come with a bittersweet emotion, as the team will now be playing without one of the best receivers in program history in Dante Love.  Love, who broke a vertebra in his back last week at Indiana, will probably never again be able to play football again

Northwestern

            Pat Fitzgerald’s team is playing with a fiery attitude and reckless abandon he used to play with being an excellent MLB in the 90’s.  You have got to root for this program, with the loss of Coach Randy Walker 3 years ago.  Fitzgerald, the youngest coach in the country, has taught his players to have a never back down from anyone attitude and implemented a highly-efficient offense led by do-everything back Tyrell Sutton and competitive quarterback C.J. Bacher.  Bacher has limited his interceptions and getting Sutton healthy has been a big part of the tremendous showings by the Wildcat offense thus far to be sitting at 5-0 going into the early weeks of the Big Ten conference slate. 

Tulsa offense

            The Tulsa offense was supposed to be a weak part of the 2008 team after losing stud QB Paul Smith, but so far, things have been going very well for the Golden Hurricane offense.  Currently, the team ranks 4^thnationally in scoring offense, averaging 52 points a game, and quarterback David Johnson has thrown 15 TD’s so far this season, placing him in the top 5 in this category amongst all FCS quarterbacks.

Who’s Not

Tennessee

            The Vols have not seemed to recover from the UCLA loss a few weeks back.  I watched Arian Foster run all over a tough Penn State D last year in the Outback Bowl, but this year so far, Foster has been completely unheard of.  Jonathan Crompton has played alright but the decision making of first year offensive coordinator Dave Clawson has not helped his confidence or the offense finding its groove.  Phillip Fulmer has been in this place before, but how much longer they accept mediocrity year in and year out will be a big factor in how long Fulmer stays at Rocky Top.  

 Washington State

            I hate to rip on the Cougs, because I really would like to see Coach Paul Wulff succeed in Pullman—not too many people know about this riveting story from the loss of both his parents at a young age to the death of his first wife a few years back.  Despite all the hardships, the Cougs have been cellar-dwellers the past few years and things don’t seem to be changing any time soon after their recent thrashing from Oregon 63-14 and another 1-4 start to their season.

Riley Skinner

            Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the Deamon Deacs and the job Jim Grobe has down in Winston Salem, but they looked like they were looking ahead to their ACC conference slate.  Skinner, usually an effective passer tossed 4 interceptions, 2 of whom were directly to Navy defenders.  He also went on to fumble the ball inside his own 30 yard line to give the ball over to the Midshipmen.  Lets hope the Deacons can flush this down and keep-up with the upper-echelon teams in the ACC.

The Coaching Carousel

Here is a segment about some coaching updates and who is on the hot seat, or an off-the-radar up-and-comer.

·         I’d have to say that just watching this week’s games, Nick Saban, Butch Davis, Pat Fitzgerald, and Brady Hoke should all be well appraised for their commendable job thus far.

·         Houston Nutt inherited a lot of raw talent at Ole Miss that Ed Orgeron recruited there, but Nutt has been able to turn that talent into success on the field the way Orgeron could not.

·         Mike Riley has really done a tremendous job up in Corvallis, not only from this huge win but it shows from years’ past with 4 bowl trips in the last 5 years.

·         An excellent, yet very quiet under-the-radar team and coach is the Connecticut Huskies, led by Coach Randy Edsall.  Edsall has not always received the best commitments, but his coaching style and players playing within his system  have led to a 5-0 start this season.  Fun fact:  The Huskies are led by an Iowa State transfer at quarterback in Tyler Lorenzen.   Update from Monday:  Lorenzen went down in Friday’s victory over Louisville in the 1^st quarter and now it is known he will miss 6-8 weeks with a broken foot.  It sure will be interesting to see if the Huskies and maintain the success they have going right now.

·         Phil Fulmer has heard this chatter before down in Rocky Top, but the schedule does not get any easier for the Vols with trips to Georgia, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt looming ahead in the distance.

·         Greg Robinson.  I am sorry to say but the AD at Syracuse all but affirmed his days as the head coach there are numbered this past week.  A 9-30 record over the past 4 years certainly does not bode well for Robinson.

·         Tyrone Willingham.  I hate to rip on Coach Will, because I have a lot of respect in the way he goes about his business.  It’s too bad QB Jake Locker does not have much help around him, because I truly believe he may be not only quarterback-wise, but also overall the most underrated player in the country.  Willingham was not blessed by the schedule Gods, who had Oregon, BYU, and Oklahoma (3 top 25 teams) to start the season out.  Things will not get any easier as today we found out that Locker will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a broken finger on his throwing hand.  It’s too bad Tyrone has been on the hot seat, because he has finally been able to lure some top recruits to Seattle. 

Tivo Time

Last Week: 2-1, 2-1 on the season

#13 Auburn @ #19 Vanderbilt (6:00 ET ESPN)

            I think this has the makings of a very intriguing game down in Nashville.  The commodores will be ready and the home-field advantage may be a factor…I know, its Vanderbilt… but fans actually have something to cheer about this year and their team is ranked in the top 25 for the first time in years.  Jared Hawkins will have to run the ball well and QB Chris Nickson will have to limit his bad decision making throws against a very tough and well coached Auburn defense.  In the end, I’ll call on the momentum at home being the underdog role to prevail, also seeing that Auburn’s offense has been quite anemic these past few games.  Vandy takes it 28-24!

#23 Oregon @ #9 USC (8:00 ET)

            Coming off a terrible loss for the Trojans, I look for Pete Carroll and company to bounce back and make a strong statement towards last week being a fluke.  Now coming into this game, everyone was saying Oregon was the one team in the Pac 10 to challenge USC.  I agree, but the Ducks will be starting their 4^th-string QB and could use true freshmen Chris Harper if things get ugly.  The Ducks have one of the finest secondary’s in the country, but beyond that, I think their front 7 has some holes Joe McKnight will be able to expose due to his pure speed and agility.   I like Sanchez and co. to have a big game on offense and Maualuga to anchor a stout D giving Chip Kelly’s spread O a hassle all night.  38-17 USC.

#24 UCONN @ North Carolina (7:00 ET)

            This should be an excellent game and test to see how well UCONN will be without starting QB Tyler Lorenzen.  The Huskies are lead on offense by Donald Brown, who has 917 yards rushing so far this season…already!  The Huskies D has been stout and a turnover machine, led by Lawerence Brown’s 3 interceptions.  North Carolina could be without their stud starting quarterback as well in T.J. Yates.  If that is the case, the Tar Heels will rely on backup Cameron Sexton, who will have some very talented weapons to throw to.  Among these weapons are WR’s Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks.  Both have the talent and speed to take it to the house on every single possession.  I like UNC to win this ball game and probably make an appearance in next week’s top 25, 24-13 UNC.

 #14 Ohio State @ #18 Wisconsin (8:00 ET ABC)

            I First off gotta give a shout out to Big Z up in Madison.  This game has the makings of a classic hard-nosed football game.  The Badgers are led by a three-headed monster at the RB position in big boy P.J. Hill, bruiser John Clay, and speedster Zack Brown.  This will be a chance for freshmen sensation Terrell Pryor to showcase his skills on prime time for a whole game.  We already know the D will be ready to go, but can Pryor lead the O in Camp Randall.  I think the true key for this game will be how Alan Evridge plays because they can’t be forced into a 1 dimension offense versus a D like the Buckeyes.  They also need to get TE Travis Beckum more touches especially after being used as a literal decoy at Michigan.  In the end, I like Bielema to rally the troops and grind it out behind big P.J. Hill for a badger victory in Madison, 32-24 Badgers.

Arizona State @ Cal (3:30 ET ABC)

            Surprisingly, both of these teams go into this game unranked.  The Sun Devils are lead by senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter and the running tandem of Dmitri Nance and Keegan Herring.  Carpenter has been an ironman and tough competitor for ASU, also first in Arizona State record books for wins by a quarterback in a career.  Dennis Erickson will be able to gameplan without worrying about Cal’s best offensive player in RB Jahvid Best.  Best dislocated his elbow (ouch!) last weekend.  In the end, I like the Sun Devils experienced offensive unit to lead the way to a high-scoring shootout, 38-32 ASU.

Other games on the radar:

• Navy @ Air Force (4:00 ET) – The battle for the commander’s and chief trophy! 
• Illinois @ Michigan (3:30 ET ABC) – How will Juice and co. respond to last weekend’s loss in the Valley, and can Michigan find a way to win despite turning the ball over so much?
• Pittsburgh @ #10 South Florida (Thursday 7:30 ET ESPN) – Can LeSean Mccoy spark the Panthers to a huge upset victory on the road in Tampa?
• #3 Missouri @ Nebraska (9:00 ET ABC) - The Sea of Red will be rocking.  Could this be Bo Pelini's first signature win in his tenure with the children of the corn?

Tidbit Time

• ·         Quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarrett Dillard hooked up for 3 TD’s in Rice’ 77-20 victory over UNT Saturday.  That gives this duo 41 for their career and ranks 1^stin NCAA history for most TDs by a QB-WR combo.
• ·         Alabama has yet to trail 1 second this year
• ·         Freshmen quarterback Case Keenum went 36-44 for 399 yards and tossed 4 TD’s to help Houston upset ECU.
• ·         Kicker Louie Sakoda became the Utah Utes all time leading scorer after his 3 field goals last weekend.
• ·         Derrick Williams returned a punt for touchdown, caught a pass for a TD, and also ran for one in last weekend’s victory over Illinois.

That’s all for this week.  Hopefully everyone enjoys a test-free week as last week’s 4 tests are still troubling my thoughts.  Have a good week and Go Cyclones!  Hopefully Reesing will throw some INT’s and A-Rob can make some plays on the ground game to make things interesting!