College Football Week 6 thread

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lots of great games in the top 25 this week. Here's a sample of the better ones on the schedule........

- Thursday, October 2, 2008
7:30 PM ET
Pittsburgh (3-1, 1-0 Big East)
(10) South Florida (5-0, 2-0 home)

9:00 PM ET
Oregon St (2-2, 1-1 Pac-10)
(15) Utah (5-0, 2-0 MWC)


- Saturday, October 4, 2008

12:00 PM ET
(6) Penn St (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Purdue (2-2, 2-1 home)

3:30 PM ET
Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 away)
(2) Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC)

3:30 PM ET
(7) Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 away)
Kansas St (3-1, 3-0 home)

6:00 PM ET
(13) Auburn (4-1, 2-1 SEC)
(19) Vanderbilt (4-0, 2-0 SEC)

7:00 PM ET
(24) Connecticut (5-0, 1-0 Big East)
North Carolina (3-1, 1-1 ACC)

7:10 PM ET
(5) Texas (4-0, 1-0 away)
Colorado (3-1, 3-0 home)

8:00 PM ET
(23) Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac-10)
(9) USC (2-1, 0-1 Pac-10)

8:00 PM ET
(14) Ohio St (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
(18) Wisconsin (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten)

9:00 PM ET
(4) Missouri (4-0, 0-0 away)
Nebraska (3-1, 3-1 home)

I'm hoping to see a repeat of this scene Saturday night in Lincoln........

2saltwound.jpg (image) (http://bp3.blogger.com/_2S2P-BZNbv0/Rx-BB5afvwI/AAAAAAAABaw/othQezrFmdg/s1600-h/2saltwound.jpg)

[larrymcg421]

Miami-FSU at 330 on Saturday. Gotta win this one, Randy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Looks like a handful of chances for teams on the rise to shoot themselves in the foot.

Kentucky @ Bama stands out to me that way. Auburn & Vandy should be pretty interesting in terms of outcome, 'Dores could legitimize themselves with a win that would probably also label Auburn as having a fatal flaw. And UConn almost faces a trap game of sorts at Chapel Hill, where if they win people figure UNC isn't very good while if they lose people figure the Huskies aren't very good.

[DeToxRox]

Michigan vs Illinois will be interesting. I suspect Illinois will win this one, but if Michigan can contain Juice and make him throw, I like our chances on defense.

Offensivley .. Well, it's a mixed bag.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Michigan vs Illinois will be interesting. I suspect Illinois will win this one, but if Michigan can contain Juice and make him throw, I like our chances on defense.

Offensivley .. Well, it's a mixed bag.

I suspect Illinois will win as well. Juice really has been passing the ball a lot of late, though I am not sure if that's a good thing for Michigan. Their secondary has been pretty mediocre so far this season. They've been burned for some big pass plays, particularly in the games against Utah and Norte Dame.

I don't think Michigan's offense is quite as bad as it looked in the first half last week, or quite as effective as it looked in the second half. If I had to choose, based on what I've seen to date, I would say the offense tends to play more like they did in the first half then the second, which is a bit depressing, but not all together surprising given the new system, the inexperience of most of the players, and the lack of real talent at the QB position.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Bo Pelini decided to toss out some bulletin board material for Mizzou (though I doubt they'll need it). A sampling:

On Chase Daniel: "I don't know if he's as good as I've seen."

On Nebraska's defense: "We're going to play the best we possibly can and try to shut (Missouri) out."

Pelini: Nebraska's goal is shutout vs. Missouri - NCAA Football - SI.com (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/ncaa/09/30/pelini.missouri.ap/index.html)

[Dr. Sak]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, any team who needs bulletin board material, especially a team that is ranked in the top 5 and hasn't won at a certain place since 1978, is a team that is going to lose.

Bo Pelini has coached in the SEC, and there have been some really good QBs in there...Peyton and Eli Manning. So to say that Chase isn't better than either of them is not much of a stretch.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, any team who needs bulletin board material, especially a team that is ranked in the top 5 and hasn't won at a certain place since 1978, is a team that is going to lose.

Bo Pelini has coached in the SEC, and there have been some really good QBs in there...Peyton and Eli Manning. So to say that Chase isn't better than either of them is not much of a stretch.

As I mentioned, I don't think the bulletin board material is needed in this case. I do think that Daniel's decision-making and leadership on the field is comparable to Peyton. Whether that translates to the NFL when he's done at Mizzou is a totally different situation. There's obviously a physical difference that won't play well to NFL scouts.

I hope to hear the following quote from Daniel after the game:

"Yes, I threw 5 TD's against this defense, but it's not the best defense I've ever seen."

[Dr. Sak]

"Yes, I threw 5 TD's against this defense, but it's not the best defense I've ever seen."

That'd be the truth.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

This takes me back to one of the better quote exchanges I've ever seen. It all started with the following.......

Asked how he felt about losing back-to-back Monday night games to Missouri and Iowa State, Kansas senior Gregory was quoted as saying there was no need to panic, adding: "It's not like we lost to Texas A&M and Baylor. We lost to two good teams."

Several days later, Gregory and the Jayhawks lost to Baylor in Waco, which prompted the following........

"I think they can panic now, because they got beat by Baylor." - DeMarcus Minor, Baylor guard

"It wasn't like we beat Duke or North Carolina. It was only Kansas." - Terry Black, Baylor guard

[Galaxy]

Anyone watching the Pitt-USF game?

[Galaxy]

Pitt knocks off #10 South Florida.

[Galaxy]

Utah and Oregon State are on Versus.

[JeeberD]

I think this is the third iteration of this thread this week...

[Z²+]

Huge win for Coach Wanny and the Pitt program. After the opening game loss to Bowling Green, and the scare vs. Syracuse, it looks like this team may have found its stride. The Big East is wide open this season, I think this game puts Pitt in position to take the driver's seat.

And Shady McCoy has some incredible moves. He took over the game with his athleticism and made the USF defenders look bad all night.

[Galaxy]

I think this is the third iteration of this thread this week...

I didn't even realize they had Tuesday/Wednesday games this week. Any way to merge the threads? If not, I'll just delete this and find the other one.

[JeeberD]

I'll take care of it...

[Galaxy]

I'll take care of it...

Thanks.

[Galaxy]

5 minutes left, Utah is down by 1.

[Galaxy]

Utah got the 2-point conversion to tie it up!

[Galaxy]

Tremendous comeback by the Utes. BTW, why are the fans storming the field? They do realize they beat Oregon State, not USC. :)

[vex]

As I mentioned, I don't think the bulletin board material is needed in this case. I do think that Daniel's decision-making and leadership on the field is comparable to Peyton. Whether that translates to the NFL when he's done at Mizzou is a totally different situation. There's obviously a physical difference that won't play well to NFL scouts.

I hope to hear the following quote from Daniel after the game:

"Yes, I threw 5 TD's against this defense, but it's not the best defense I've ever seen."

Chase Daniel and leadership. Two things I never thought I would see together.

[Vegas Vic]

The Mountain West owns the Pac Ten.

[MacroGuru]

Tremendous comeback by the Utes. BTW, why are the fans storming the field? They do realize the beat Oregon State, not USC. :)

Because they are Ute Fans....you have to understand...they were chanting BCS.

TCU and BYU will bring them back down to reality.

[Karlifornia]

The Mountain West owns the Pac Ten.

Unreal..The Mountain West is a good conference...it's probably the best of the non-BCS conferences, but they can't recruit quite the level of talent the PAC-10 can.

Even the PAC-10 going undefeated against the MWC in a particular season would be news...The other way around? Unreal....Terrible, embarrassing season for the PAC-10.

Go Stanford against ND on Saturday.....you can win this one, gentlemen.

[st.cronin]

Even the PAC-10 going undefeated against the MWC in a particular season would be news...The other way around? Unreal....Terrible, embarrassing season for the PAC-10.


The Cal Bears did beat Colorado State, so its not quite a sweep. I think the Pac 10 is ok this year, its been mostly the bad teams in the pac 10 losing to the good teams in the mountain west. I think the only real upset was UNLV over ASU. Other than that, none of the results have really been surprising, have they?

[Karlifornia]

The Cal Bears did beat Colorado State, so its not quite a sweep. I think the Pac 10 is ok this year, its been mostly the bad teams in the pac 10 losing to the good teams in the mountain west. I think the only real upset was UNLV over ASU. Other than that, none of the results have really been surprising, have they?

I suppose not. BYU beating UCLA by 40+ at the Rose Bowl was surprising, even though BYU is, in fact, a better team than UCLA.

However, the PAC-10 should never even just win one game against the MWC. At worst, it should be close to even.

The PAC-10 is bad this year, make no mistake. It is fighting with the ACC for worst BCS conference.

The only saving grace is that colege teams can be quite different at the end of the year than the beginning. I wouldn't be too stunned to see the PAC-10 be competitive during bowl season, but I'm not optimistic.

It's not doomsday, or anything, though. It's just a bad beginning to the year. Embarrassing, but I know mass firings won't be talked about. That ain't how we do it on the west coast. Willingham will be fired. That should be it, unless Arizona goes winless the rest of the year.

[GrantDawg]

Looks like a handful of chances for teams on the rise to shoot themselves in the foot.

Kentucky @ Bama stands out to me that way. Auburn & Vandy should be pretty interesting in terms of outcome, 'Dores could legitimize themselves with a win that would probably also label Auburn as having a fatal flaw. And UConn almost faces a trap game of sorts at Chapel Hill, where if they win people figure UNC isn't very good while if they lose people figure the Huskies aren't very good.


Yup on all acounts. That Auburn-Vandy will be the most interesting. Is Vandy actually improved enough to take on a big guy when they aren't sneaking up on them? Bama is set-up for a let-down after a big win, but they are at home. That hasn't exactly meant as much for Bama over the past few years, but I think Saban needs to make the home field mean something.

[MacroGuru]

Unreal..The Mountain West is a good conference...it's probably the best of the non-BCS conferences, but they can't recruit quite the level of talent the PAC-10 can.

Even the PAC-10 going undefeated against the MWC in a particular season would be news...The other way around? Unreal....Terrible, embarrassing season for the PAC-10.

Go Stanford against ND on Saturday.....you can win this one, gentlemen.

The recruiting between the two has been pretty hot and heavy over the years. The fact BYU and Utah are battling it out between UCLA and USC for prized recruits and sometimes winning says a lot.

I personally feel the top of the MWC should dominate most of the Pac-10.

BTW the BYU pasting of UCLA happened in Utah at Lavell Edwards Stadium.

I just think your beginning to see parity pop up even more and with some great recruiters in the MWC now, it's going to be a tough battle for all the Pac 10 schools.

As for BYU it doesn't hurt that my old High School (Timpview) is churning out Div 1 talent over the years like Harvey, the Reynolds brothers, Bills brothers, Covey, Ashworth, Hafoka, and more. They are undefeated for almost three years straight now and are nationally ranked.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Chase Daniel and leadership. Two things I never thought I would see together.

Dear vex,

Me either. Why the hell did I balk at giving him a scholarship?

Sincerely,
Mack Brown

[gstelmack]

Pitt knocks off #10 South Florida.

I think I'm going to cry. Second year in a row South Florida has a BCS Bowl in its sites early, then drops a winnable game...

[timmynausea]

I think I'm going to cry. Second year in a row South Florida has a BCS Bowl in its sites early, then drops a winnable game...

I wouldn't count the Bulls out yet. In fact, they may still be the most likely team to take the Big East's BCS spot if they can rebound from this loss. There's a pretty good chance no one will get through the Big East unscathed this year. Louisville already lost a conference game, WVU has dropped two OOC games and looks shaky, Cincy's QB is hurt, Rutgers looks lost and Syracuse is Syracuse. UConn needed several turnovers to beat Louisville and their QB is hurt. Pitt almost lost to Syracuse last week, so I really can't see them running the table.

It should be a fun year to watch, though the Big East champ may not be ranked in the top 15 for the first time in a while.

[st.cronin]

FWIW, Football Frontier's conference rankings:

1. Big 10
2. Big 12
3. SEC
4. Mountain West
5. Big East
6. Pac 10
7. ACC
8. Independents
9. Conference USA
10. WAC
11. MAC
12. Sun Belt

[JonInMiddleGA]

The Associated Press

Friday, October 03, 2008

Knoxville — Tennessee will start Nick Stephens at quarterback on Saturday night as the Volunteers look to spark their offense against Northern Illinois.

Coach Phillip Fulmer announced Friday that Stephens will replace starter Jonathan Crompton, who was forced to compete for the job after going 8-for-23 for 67 yards in the Vols’ 14-12 loss to Auburn. Tennessee (1-3) is off to its worst start in 14 years.

“We need a lot more production form the quarterback position, and Jon’s had his opportunities in the ball game,” Fulmer said. “Nick has made progress and he deserves a chance to see how he does in a football game.”

Neither quarterback was available to talk to the media after the announcement.

Offensive coordinator Dave Clawson has said Crompton has practiced well all season but hasn’t been able to turn that into strong games. he’s thrown four interceptions and only two touchdowns passes.

The quarterbacks split practice time with the first-team offense this week. Fulmer said both players performed well preparing for the Huskies (2-2).

Stephens’ only college game experience came late in a 35-3 win against UAB. He attempted two passes, one a 42-yard pass to Brandon Warren and the other an incompletion.

“He’s had ability all along,” Fulmer said. “He’s a young guy, hasn’t played yet, so I’m anxious to see how he does.”

Fulmer and Clawson discussed putting Stephens in at quarterback during the Auburn game as Crompton struggled but decided against it.

Fulmer said Crompton might still get a chance to play again but refused to say when that might be.

Stephens, a redshirt sophomore, has as much of a grasp on the Vols’ playbook as Crompton has, Clawson said. That means Clawson shouldn’t have to make many playcalling adjustments with Stephens playing instead of Crompton, a redshirt junior.

“If he calls it I can run it. That’s how I feel,” Stephens said Wednesday. “He should have all the confidence in me to go out and call a game. I go out and I know the playbook.”

[MizzouRah]

Thankfully.. the wedding reception we are attending is close to where I live, so at about 7:30, I'm sneaking out to come home and watch my Tigers!

[Vegas Vic]

Coach Phillip Fulmer announced Friday that Stephens will replace starter Jonathan Crompton, who was forced to compete for the job after going 8-for-23 for 67 yards in the Vols’ 14-12 loss to Auburn. Tennessee (1-3) is off to its worst start in 14 years.


Phat Phil is starting to feel the heat, that's for sure.

http://members.cox.net/sauvignon/fulmer.jpg

[larrymcg421]

How bad is Stephens? I'm just wondering, because I'm amazed that a guy could go 8-23 for 67 yards and still get to compete for the starting job.

[st.cronin]

I think the real issue is Cutliffe being gone.

[Karlifornia]

Stanford stole a QB recruit from UT.....disregarding some possible crazy underlying issue (I'm not talking about booing UT versus the game against Florida...if this kid is that afraid of boos...then he has the heart of a paper tiger), the fact that Stanford lured away a Vol recruit is....AWESOME.

Let's go, Stanford!

[MacroGuru]

I was disgusted at the way we played last night against Utah State. We jumped up to an Early lead in the 1st, we manhandled them. Then, they started to believe their own hype and was brought down to earth. The last 3 qtrs were painful to watch. We won, but we can never ever play like that for the rest of the season.

[timmynausea]

I think the real issue is Cutliffe being gone.

That's what I think, too.

On a side note, WVU is going pretty much head to head against UT for 5 or so of our biggest recruits. It's interesting because early in the year there were many WVU people rooting against UT thinking that if Phil got fired it'd help our recruiting, and if Phil and Groh (at UVA) both got fired, we'd be all set. (VT only has 15 or so scholarships this year, so it'd make a lot of Virginia talent ours for the taking.) Lately, there has actually been a lot of talk that if Phil gets fired in December, the next coach could actually be better/a sexier name and make things tougher for us with some of these guys. In other words, if they actually get a decent coach down there, we could be in trouble.

It's funny how that works. It's arguable that the biggest recent event for WVU's program was Wannstedt coming back in the 4th to beat Syracuse and then beating USF a few days later. He probably saved his job in a 5 day span after the loss to BGSU had him on the ropes. The scariest thing for the Big East could be a competent coach moving in at Pitt with all the talent they've built up.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Stanford stole a QB recruit from UT.....disregarding some possible crazy underlying issue (I'm not talking about booing UT versus the game against Florida...if this kid is that afraid of boos...then he has the heart of a paper tiger), the fact that Stanford lured away a Vol recruit is....AWESOME. Let's go, Stanford!

Eh, the kid got hit with a couple of issues that occurred back in California while he was in Knoxville and his whole family realized how difficult the cross country thing could be. It's not a lifestyle that everyone is willing to deal with & for everybody's sake I think it's better he figured that out now instead of after he was on board.

[Passacaglia]

Am I a dork for noticing that Desmond Howard was holding a G2 pen?

[Vegas Vic]

1st offensive series for OU against Baylor: 53 yard TD pass from Sam Bradford to Manuel Johnson.

7-0, Oklahoma.

[sterlingice]

Kansas looking like crap. They still can't run the ball at all and keep giving the ball to Iowa State on a short field, so it's 14-0 Cyclones at the end of the 1st quarter

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

GT dominates Duke in total offense, TOP, and most everything else ... and manages a whopping 3-0 lead at the half.

[sterlingice]

Kansas still looking like crap, now a fumble and int, fg by the Cyclones and it's 17-0 and Iowa State has the ball again.

SI

[sterlingice]

Now 20-0 Iowa State

SI

[Vegas Vic]

End of the 1st quarter: Oklahoma 28 Baylor 0. The Sooners had 223 total yards in the 1st quarter.

[sterlingice]

The defense is barely stopping anyone and the offense cannot run at all so Iowa State is just sitting back for the pass. We just look awful.

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yo Shawty it's the B-back.

GT extends the lead to 17-0 on the first play of the 4th quarter.
Through three, Duke has 47 yds total offense.

[sterlingice]

Iowa State goes 3 and out to start the second half. KU runs on 1st down and then 2nd down play fake for 67 yards and it's 20-7 Iowa State.

SI

[BishopMVP]

1st offensive series for OU against Baylor: 53 yard TD pass from Sam Bradford to Manuel Johnson.

7-0, Oklahoma.That Missouri-Oklahoma game has potential to be an all-time shootout. OU might be able to slow down Mizzou, but nobody's stopping that OU offense.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hot damn, 88 yd home run from Shaw to Thomas, GT up 24-0 with 9 mins to go.

Demaryius Thomas has 8 catches today for 197 & 1 TD.
Backup QB Jaybo Shaw is 8 for 12 for 197 & 1 TD.

Makes for a very concise boxscore :)

[sterlingice]

Next play after KU gets the ball back, shovel pass for 40+ yards

SI

[sterlingice]

And now TD again! 20-14 ISU

SI

[sterlingice]

KU goes for it on 4th and 3 and converts.

Then on 4th and 6, blitz coming, Reesing airs it out to Meier for 23 yards and it's 21-20 Kansas!

SI

[sterlingice]

Dang. Would have been up 28-20 but Fields slipped on a bad spot in the turf on his 51 yard catch, falling when no one touched him. Next play, Reesing fumble :(

SI

[sterlingice]

Never mind, interception, 2 plays later, Kansas now up 28-20

SI

[sterlingice]

Any other games going on out there? ;)

Actually, looking at the schedule, this is the only close Top 25 game and only 2 more ranked teams play until tonight.

SI

[miked]

This just in:

Schiano sucks donkey balls on game day.

[sterlingice]

Iowa State marched back down the field and made it 28-26 but failed on the 2 point conversion.

Not wanting to just run out the clock with only a 2 point lead, KU marches back down the field, ending with another TD to Meier (who went for him from starting QB to backup to decent 3rd down WR to clutch go-to WR), and now it's 35-26 and all but over with KU chewing huge chunks off time off the clock (3:39 to go in the game).

SI

[sterlingice]

Hold the phone. Iowa State comes back down and scores with 1:15 to go, making it 35-33. Onside kick upcoming

SI

[sterlingice]

Iowa State gets a really questionable onside kick, it's hard to tell if he went 10 yards. But they have the ball and need about 30 yards.

SI

[sterlingice]

Three straight quick incompletes including 2 drops. 4th and 10, Iowa State had a receiver behind Kansas but it was overthrown and Kansas escapes 35-33

SI

[sterlingice]

So, next week, #16 Kansas (4-1) plays Colorado at home. If we can win that one, we'll be 1 win away from bowl eligible.

Then it gets absolutely brutal:
at #1 Oklahoma
vs #7 Texas Tech
vs K-State, big rivalry game
at Nebraska where we haven't won in decades
vs #5 Texas
vs #4 Mizzou in neutral field Kansas City

Our schedule is just crazy this year. If we can win vs Colorado and K-State, that gets us to 6-1. Even 2-3 in the other 5 games (probably wins at home vs Tech and at Nebraska) gets us to a respectable 8-4 and I'd be happy, 9-3 and it's cartwheel time!

SI

[Karlifornia]

Stanford needs to wake the hell up against ND....penalties...INTs..getting shredded by Clausen. The only that is saving them from total annihilation is the running game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Crud, I just realized our local ABC affiliate has local election results tonight instead of the USC game. Probably going to have to pay to see the game.

[Logan]

This just in:

Schiano sucks donkey balls on game day.

As much as I've been on him this year, this loss had nothing to do with him. It's amazing how painful our offense is to watch. So much talent, no execution. Teel wasn't awful, not great, but our guys drop so many balls. Britt had 2 or 3 before he started hauling everything in, Underwood and Brown had a couple, and Mason Robinson should've had an easy first down and possibly a TD on the 3rd down play on the final drive.

[larrymcg421]

Canes were down 24-0 in the 1st half to FSU and were looking awful. However, they got a FG right before halftimne and then a great start to the 2nd half. They recover a FSU fumble and on the very next play score a TD on an end around. Suddenly it's 24-10.

[sterlingice]

Holy crap. What is Texas Tech doing to Kansas State? They're up 38-14 at the half in Manhattan.

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

This Miami-Florida State game has been a wild strange ride.

[Matthean]

Michigan so far got 45 posted up against it. The good news is Toledo is next. The bad news, PSU and MSU follow. Still thinking 5 wins is about as good as it gets this year.

'Bama is doing a complete mail in job while still winning against Kentucky.

[terpkristin]

Getting ready for the Maryland - Virginia game to start. I was supposed to go down to Charlottesville to watch it, but I came down with a sinus infection (stupid work stress and weather change!), so I'm on my couch, instead. At least I got the HD. :)

/tk

[Logan]

Not sure who this is doing the color with Verne in the Alabama-Kentucky game, but good for him for actually wanting to talk about the game (prior to a crucial play) instead of pondering the potential of the Kentucky program in the future.

[Galaxy]

Miami-Florida State has certainly become a wacky and exciting game. Now it's pouring.

[Logan]

Wow. 3rd and goal from the 20 for FSU and Antone Smith takes it to the house for a TD on a draw.

[MJ4H]

Just home from Arkansas-Florida. Arkansas looked much better today, and was actually in the game until the fourth quarter. Offense looked crisp for the most part, defense didn't get blown off the field. 38-7 doesn't tell the story of that game. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Arkansas had more total yards than Florida and had just picked off Tebow down only 17-7. Florida got a touchdown after Arkansas failed to capitalize and then 2 garbage time TDs to make it look much worse than it really was.

I was very encouraged. The offensive line is finally learning how to pass block (the have to learn how to because Houston Nutt is an idiot) and learning actual blocking schemes (10-12 of them instead of 1 or 2 max protects with one receiver). It is taking time, but this team will come together before this season is over and win a couple of games, I'm pretty confident.

[Galaxy]

I hate the new timing rules with the out-of-bounds.

[Noop]

Great Win for the Seminoles. We're not back, far from it, but we showed alot of growth since the Wake Forest game.

[terpkristin]

Oi. What I'm seeing of the Terps-Cavaliers game makes me almost glad I was too sick to head down there...

/tk

[Galaxy]

Vandy-Auburn is a pretty tight game.

[Izulde]

Just home from Arkansas-Florida. Arkansas looked much better today, and was actually in the game until the fourth quarter. Offense looked crisp for the most part, defense didn't get blown off the field. 38-7 doesn't tell the story of that game. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Arkansas had more total yards than Florida and had just picked off Tebow down only 17-7. Florida got a touchdown after Arkansas failed to capitalize and then 2 garbage time TDs to make it look much worse than it really was.

I was very encouraged. The offensive line is finally learning how to pass block (the have to learn how to because Houston Nutt is an idiot) and learning actual blocking schemes (10-12 of them instead of 1 or 2 max protects with one receiver). It is taking time, but this team will come together before this season is over and win a couple of games, I'm pretty confident.

I agree we looked -much- better today. Ironically enough, I was sitting behind the marching band. :D

In fact, I'd say this is the best we've looked all year. Casey Dick still makes a few too many dumb mistakes, but he's getting better.

My guess is, if Michael Smith doesn't fumble that punt return with Florida recovering on our 16 and the scoring to go up 14-0 and we actually capitalize on the interception we got off of Tebow, it ends up being a lot closer game, maybe even an Arkansas upset.

[MJ4H]

Yep, though we don't seem to be better at finishing drives. We consistently have lots of offense and almost no points.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aided by a personal foul on a FG that gave them a 1st down, Oregon just ran down USC's throat to take a 7-0 lead. I'm very surprised that USC's run defense has looked this bad 2 weeks in a row.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tied 3-3 at the half, Tennessee has a 51 yd TD pass from Stephens to extend the lead over Northern Illinois to 13-3 with 9 mins left in the 3rd qtr.

[cartman]

"Folks, we could be watching another Music City Miracle"

God damn, Brent Musburger is such a clueless hack.

[JonInMiddleGA]

NIU pulls back within 13-6 getting late in Q3 in Knoxville.

Auburn falls to Vandy, 'Dores first 5-0 start since 1943.

[timmynausea]

I'm pretty surprised to see Virginia beating Maryland 30-0. Al Groh and Dave Wannstedt are like the zombies of college football coaching - they just won't die.

[Eaglesfan27]

USC goes for it on 4th and 1 from about the 34 and Sanchez finds Damien Williams for the TD to tie it at 10.

[terpkristin]

I'm pretty surprised to see Virginia beating Maryland 30-0.

Me too, truthfully. But then again, Maryland has a penchant for losing games they should win and winning games they should lose..

/tk

[JonInMiddleGA]

Stephens gets sacked & fumbles inside his own 10 but the defense holds NIU to another FG. Now 13-9 Tennessee, 1:31 left in Q3.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sanchez with a 63 yard TD to Ronald Johnson who was WIDE open after burning his man. USC now up 17-10.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nebraska answers & it's tied at 7-7 in the first.

[Galaxy]

What is Nebraska's record?

[clemsonfan]

Clemson needs to fire Tommy Bowden and hire Bobby Johnson as their football coach. Bobby is doing great things with Vanderbilt this season (even though they don't have much talent on the team) and he used to coach Furman when they were really good. Add to that Bobby is a Clemson grad! I think Clemson fans should push for this.

[JonInMiddleGA]

What is Nebraska's record?

3-1, with a loss last week to Va Tech.

[Galaxy]

Clemson needs to fire Tommy Bowden and hire Bobby Johnson as their football coach. Bobby is doing great things with Vanderbilt this season (even though they don't have much talent on the team) and he used to coach Furman when they were really good. Add to that Bobby is a Clemson grad! I think Clemson fans should push for this.

He hasn't had a winning record in his first six seasons at Vanderbilt. I know it's Vanderbilt and the SEC, but still.

[clemsonfan]

Yeah, I know he had some rough seasons at Vandy, but I think it was a work in progress. He's done some awesome things with football teams before though.

[Eaglesfan27]

USC has a questionable call against them as a defensive TD by Pinkard is cancelled by being ruled down around the 20, but on the next play Sanchez finds Turner for a TD. 27-10 USC over Oregon near the end of the half.

[sterlingice]

Nebraska-Mizzou is going to be a crazy shootout

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Vols clinging to a 13-9 lead with 4 mins to play, NIU ball at their own 18.

[Poli]

It gets uglier than that, Jon. I'm not sure how, but I'm trying to convince myself of it.

[terpkristin]

That was a hideous game. What a disaster.

/tk

[Vegas Vic]

That Missouri-Oklahoma game has potential to be an all-time shootout. OU might be able to slow down Mizzou, but nobody's stopping that OU offense.

If they play, the deciding factor will be OU's defense, which is much better than Missouri's defense. The offenses are about equal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Vols hang on and win 13-9 over NIU.

Stephens did little (10/17, 153, 1TD) other than a 52 yd TD pass but that was enough offense combined with a strong performance by the defense that alllowed only 188 yds. Down side of that is that UT only managed 68 yds rushing & 221 total offense themselves.

Georgia may actually beat UT by a wider margin than GT beats Gardner-Webb next weekend ... and that's a sad state of affairs.

[Swaggs]

West Virginia looked terrible today. If Rutgers was even an average team this year, they would have won by 14 points.

The Big East has come under a lot of fire the past few seasons, but I think the conference is legitimately bad this season. With USF losing to Pitt (who I have not been impressed with due to poor QB play) and UConn getting eaten alive by UNC, there is not much to cling to. Rutgers is back to being Rutgers. WVU could be pretty good, but cannot seem to get it together on offense. I think USF is probably the only team in the conference that would be a top 4 or 5 team in the SEC or B12, but they are inconsistent as hell.

Frustrating for a WVU fan to watch Pat White's senior season go so disappointingly.

[cartman]

Texas takes care of business against Colorado, winning 38-14.

Next weekend shapes up to be an epic Red River Shootout. Both teams are playing at a very high level, and there isn't much difference between the two teams. I'm looking forward to the game!

[Buccaneer]

Texas takes care of business against Colorado, winning 38-14.



They should have won 52-10.

[cartman]

They should have won 52-10.

Yeah, but they played their 2nd string guys pretty much the whole 4th quarter.

[Eaglesfan27]

Mustain gets into the game after Sanchez was shaken up a bit, and Mustain promptly throws an interception. At least the team is up 37-10 and Sanchez looks ok now.

[hoopsguy]

Nebraska-Mizzou is going to be a crazy shootout

SI

52-10 crazy, near the end of the 3rd quarter.

[Vegas Vic]

Classic Fresno State, playing lights out against their non-conference opponents, then laying an egg in WAC play. They trail Hawaii, 19-9 at halftime, and the game is in Fresno.

[Buccaneer]

52-10 crazy, near the end of the 3rd quarter.

There's that score again.

[Vegas Vic]

Next weekend shapes up to be an epic Red River Shootout. Both teams are playing at a very high level, and there isn't much difference between the two teams.

Actually, there are some fairly significant differences between the teams. Texas' QB is the leading rusher on his team; OU's QB is 8th on his team in rushing. Texas is 100th nationally in pass defense, Oklahoma is 34th.

[cartman]

Actually, there are some fairly significant differences between the teams. Texas' QB is the leading rusher on his team; OU's QB is 8th on his team in rushing. Texas is 100th nationally in pass defense, Oklahoma is 34th.

So when VY was the second leading rusher on the 2005 team that was a bad thing?

In overall defense, and more importantly scoring defense, Texas and Oklahoma are very similar. The offenses are almost dead even in yards per game and points scored.

[TazFTW]

w00t! Hawaii takes down Fresno in OT. :cool: Fresno had two tries at a FG (running into the kicker on the first attempt) and missed both.

[GrantDawg]

Georgia may actually beat UT by a wider margin than GT beats Gardner-Webb next weekend ... and that's a sad state of affairs.


Doubtful. We'll make you look like a pro team next week.

Vandy now controls its own destiny at number one all alone in the SEC East. The SEC championship goes through Vandy. There is nothing in those statements that makes sense.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If they play, the deciding factor will be OU's defense, which is much better than Missouri's defense. The offenses are about equal.

Easily one of the biggest fallacies about the Mizzou football team. Mizzou's defense is on the field an average of 37 minutes per game (Mizzou offense is 114th in the nation in possession time and leads the nation in number of touchdown drives under 2 minutes (17)). They are on the field for far more plays than most defenses simply because the offense scores so quickly. The statistics are also heavily skewed because of all of the passing that Illinois did in the second half of that first game when they were trying to catch up. Nebraska bought into this 'Mizzou doesn't have a defense' theory and got served their worst beating in Lincoln in over 40 years.

It should also be noted that the neutral site game will likely be far from neutral. I'd be absolutely shocked if at least 65% of the stadium wasn't Tiger fans at Arrowhead.

[JeeberD]

Good game by the Miners to go into Hattiesburg and take an overtime win from Southern Miss, 40-37.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Doubtful. We'll make you look like a pro team next week.

Perhaps. Unfortunately the pro team they'll look like is the Lions.

[timmynausea]

West Virginia looked terrible today. If Rutgers was even an average team this year, they would have won by 14 points.

I have mixed feelings about it. Offensively, I felt like we did fairly well until Pat got hurt. We only threw one pass after that, so I think it's fair to say we just kind of packed it in and tried to coast to a win, which almost backfired. I give a lot of credit to Rutgers D, though. Schiano has talent along that defensive front, and they outplayed our offensive line much of the time (see that 4 and inches for a prime example). It makes it harder for me to judge where our line is at this point. I felt like we made strides the past couple of weeks, but we haven't really gotten anything up the middle since Mozes graduated (and Trickett left.)

Defensively, it was our first game in a while without Reed Williams. The last time we played without him we gotten eaten alive by ECU. Considering that, I think we had a great day on D. Rutgers didn't even get to 300 yards of offense. They did have some bad throws and several dropped passes that helped us out, of course, but that was how it went last year as well. At least some of the drops have to be credited to big hits making guys hear footsteps - it seemed like Rutgers had about 15 guys down on the field hurt over the course of the game, though I don't think any were major injuries.

I don't know. Had Pat not gone down, it could've easily ended up 31-10 or something, and I don't think WVU fans would be talking about this one like it was a loss.

[Logan]

You guys know I've always given WVU credit and have rooted for them to win OOC...but I just thought you guys looked pretty average all around, including when White was in. I know Rutgers isn't very good and I still felt like we should have won that game pretty easily. And with how the series has gone, I'm amazed that I feel like that. We couldn't get anything done on the ground (our RBs are very weak although Brooks has some promise), but there were opportunities to beat you deep that were missed (Britt has to come down with that pass which would've been an 85 yard TD).

All that being said, the TD pass to Urban was just beautiful. Perfect design, perfect execution.

[Swaggs]

I never really felt that we were in danger of losing, but I keep thinking that we are in a funk and will snap out of it at any given point. Now, after five games, I'm thinking we are just pretty ordinary. I think we could get a lot better on defense, as I think there is some talent in the secondary that, with experience, will allow the more seasoned front six to do some more disruptive things. On offense, I just don't see any hope for improvement. We had very few penalties and no turnovers vs Rutgers, but also had only one memorable play (the long TD pass). If not for White's improvising, we really would not have much of an offensive identity at this point and we are nearly halfway through the season.

[Logan]

We had very few penalties and no turnovers vs Rutgers

I wish this was a good sign, but we haven't forced a turnover in the 4 non-Morgan State games. Unreal.

[mckerney]

I like that Minnesota's Eric Decker now leads the nation in yards receiving and is second in catches after his 13 catch, 190 yard game in the 16-7 win over Indiana. Also nice to have a win where the defense with how bad the Gophers D has been over the years, and just nice to have a Big Ten win after last year.

[MizzouRah]

Easily one of the biggest fallacies about the Mizzou football team. Mizzou's defense is on the field an average of 37 minutes per game (Mizzou offense is 114th in the nation in possession time and leads the nation in number of touchdown drives under 2 minutes (17)). They are on the field for far more plays than most defenses simply because the offense scores so quickly. The statistics are also heavily skewed because of all of the passing that Illinois did in the second half of that first game when they were trying to catch up. Nebraska bought into this 'Mizzou doesn't have a defense' theory and got served their worst beating in Lincoln in over 40 years.

It should also be noted that the neutral site game will likely be far from neutral. I'd be absolutely shocked if at least 65% of the stadium wasn't Tiger fans at Arrowhead.

Wow.. what a game! Watching this team is so much fun.. remember just a few years ago?

Another stat, Mizzou has never gone 3 and out and have scored a TD on their opening possessions in every game this year.

I really wish Maclin would stay just one more year, but unfortunetly I don't see that happening.

[st.cronin]

2 points about the Badgers:

- John Clay should be getting more touches. The guy is good.
- They are not nearly as talented as the Buckeyes. It was a miracle that game was so close.

1 point about the Buckeyes:

- I am not sure I understand why Pryor is playing every down. He obviously has TALENT, but its not like Boeckman was some punk that needed to be benched. Boeckman was quite good. Comparing Boeckman to Zwick is just silly - Zwick was terrible. If Tressel were the coach of the Badgers, would he have benched Evridge after the 1st quarter?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I really wish Maclin would stay just one more year, but unfortunetly I don't see that happening.

Yeah, I'm guessing he's going to have millions of reasons to leave after this year. :)

[Dr. Sak]

2 points about the Badgers:

- John Clay should be getting more touches. The guy is good.
- They are not nearly as talented as the Buckeyes. It was a miracle that game was so close.

1 point about the Buckeyes:

- I am not sure I understand why Pryor is playing every down. He obviously has TALENT, but its not like Boeckman was some punk that needed to be benched. Boeckman was quite good. Comparing Boeckman to Zwick is just silly - Zwick was terrible. If Tressel were the coach of the Badgers, would he have benched Evridge after the 1st quarter?

I was really hoping the Badgers would win because the chances of them losing two weeks in a row at home are pretty slim.

[Butter]

1 point about the Buckeyes:

- I am not sure I understand why Pryor is playing every down. He obviously has TALENT, but its not like Boeckman was some punk that needed to be benched. Boeckman was quite good. Comparing Boeckman to Zwick is just silly - Zwick was terrible. If Tressel were the coach of the Badgers, would he have benched Evridge after the 1st quarter?

Pryor has more raw talent than Boeckman. He's not going to get a chance to develop if he doesn't play. After the embarrassment at USC, why not put him in there? Sure, it sucks for Boeckman, but while he is not some punk, he is also not great. He is a decent QB. When you have a potentially great one waiting in the wings, you play him. At least, I would.

Pryor actually had to make a few reads in this game, and seemed like he could develop into a very good passer. Very exciting to see. I figured with Pryor, Ohio State could finish 9-3 or even a little worse. The win over Wisconsin makes me optimistic that the Buckeyes can make it 3 Big Ten outright titles in a row. But Michigan State will be tough with their running game this week.

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, I'm guessing he's going to have millions of reasons to leave after this year. :)

Rams need a WR too. :)

That first TD on the opening drive, as soon as he caught that pass, I told my friends.. he's gone!

Scary how fast he is....

Did you hear Chase talking last night about a Nebraska player that spit on him? Guess who got the last laugh... :lol:

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Rams need a WR too. :)

That first TD on the opening drive, as soon as he caught that pass, I told my friends.. he's gone!

Scary how fast he is....

Did you hear Chase talking last night about a Nebraska player that spit on him? Guess who got the last laugh... :lol:

Yeah, I liked how Bo Pelini tried to passively toss that on the Mizzou staff. He said he 'hoped the opposing staff would let him know if something like that happened'. What a schmuck. How about you get control of your group of thugs and take care of it without the other staff having to help you discipline your own team? I sincerely doubt that Bo bothered to call Pinkel to apologize and get more info.

I really wish Pinkel wasn't so nice in regard to avoiding embarrassment of the other team. Mizzou played the 3rd string players on both sides of the ball for all of the 4th quarter. I'm guessing our offense could have hung 2-3 more touchdowns on a fatigued Nebraska defense in that last quarter.

[Butter]

I'm guessing our offense could have hung 2-3 more touchdowns on a fatigued Nebraska defense in that last quarter.

Classy.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Classy.

Trust me. If you would have been watching Osborne pile on the touchdowns for 20+ years on Mizzou, you'd have a bit more piss and vinegar about the situation.

[sterlingice]

It was like last year when the crowd got down on Mangino for not putting it up over 80 on Nebraska when he had ample opportunity, as we had 76 on the board early in the 4th quarter.

Not saying it's right, but how about this recent history:

1982-2002 (NU vs KU)
52-0
67-13
41-7
56-6
70-0
54-2
63-10
51-14
41-9
59-23
49-7
21-20
45-17
41-3
63-7
35-0
41-0
24-17
56-17
51-7
45-7

(1025-186 AVG: 49-9)

I'm pretty sure the good doctor in Lincoln didn't really need that extra TD or three every year when they were leaving their starters in for the 4th quarter.

SI

[Butter]

I'll trust you guys about it, then.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm pretty sure the good doctor in Lincoln didn't really need that extra TD or three every year when they were leaving their starters in for the 4th quarter.

SI

It brings me great delight to see Osborne as AD overseeing one of the worst stretches in Nebraska football. The only thing that would delight me more would be seeing signs in the visitor's section in Lincoln pointed towards the press box that say, "How does it feel, Dr. Tom?".

[Dr. Sak]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a78/nursetpd/Big%2012/Spat-Conspiracy.gif

[Pumpy Tudors]

I don't really know what's going on with you FBS guys, but Division II Seton Hill is 6-0. This is their fourth year of football, and they have as many wins this year as their first three years combined. I'm really happy for the seniors on that team, because they had to endure the tough years. Maybe they'll crack the Top 25 this week, although I'm not terribly hopeful.

It's pretty sad that I know more about the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference than I do about the SEC or Big Ten. Oh, well. Go Seton Hill! Beat West Virginia State on Saturday!

[JPhillips]

It's all about D3, Pumpy. Wabash is now 4-0 after a beat down of Allegheny on Homecoming. Now we have to get through the W triple play of Washington, Wittenberg and Wooster. If we beat Wittenberg and Wooster we'll likely be undefeated going into the huge rivalry game against Depauw, but unlike our loss last year the Monon Bell is at home this year.

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!

[Pumpy Tudors]

It's all about D3, Pumpy. Wabash is now 4-0 after a beat down of Allegheny on Homecoming. Now we have to get through the W triple play of Washington, Wittenberg and Wooster. If we beat Wittenberg and Wooster we'll likely be undefeated going into the huge rivalry game against Depauw, but unlike our loss last year the Monon Bell is at home this year.

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!
Eh, Seton Hill beat the stuffing out of a (provisional) D3 team this year. Geneva College went down. :)

How is it that Wabash has only played 4 games this year? Two bye weeks already or something?

[MizzouRah]

Trust me. If you would have been watching Osborne pile on the touchdowns for 20+ years on Mizzou, you'd have a bit more piss and vinegar about the situation.

+1

What's even more funny is Nebraska kept their first squad in the game just to see if they could get 7 more.

[JPhillips]

Eh, Seton Hill beat the stuffing out of a (provisional) D3 team this year. Geneva College went down. :)

How is it that Wabash has only played 4 games this year? Two bye weeks already or something?

The first game was Sept. 13. We don't have any bye weeks, but we start late.

I've honestly had more fun with our D3 team than I've ever had with a football team. It probably has a lot to do with how many guys I've had in classes.