College Football: Week 1 Discussion [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-06-2008, 08:22 AM

It's NEVER too early to start talking college football. Most schools have started their fall camp in preparation for the season. Here's the preseason rankings.......

USA Today Poll

1. Georgia (22) 0-0 1,438
2. USC (14) 0-0 1,430
3. Ohio State (14) 0-0 1,392
4. Oklahoma (3) 0-0 1,329
5. Florida (5) 0-0 1,293
6. LSU (3) 0-0 1,163
7. Missouri 0-0 1,143
8. West Virginia 0-0 1,008
9. Clemson 0-0 999
10. Texas 0-0 979
11. Auburn 0-0 888
12. Wisconsin 0-0 747
13. Kansas 0-0 714
14. Texas Tech 0-0 644
15. Virginia Tech 0-0 568
16. Arizona State 0-0 560
17. Brigham Young 0-0 547
18. Tennessee 0-0 506
19. Illinois 0-0 422
20. Oregon 0-0 399
21. South Florida 0-0 350
22. Penn State 0-0 313
23. Wake Forest 0-0 203
24. Michigan 0-0 112
25. Fresno State 0-0 91

Others Receiving Votes
Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Kentucky 5, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Maryland 4, Texas A&M 3, UCLA 3, North Carolina 3, Louisville 2, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1, Colorado 1.

The only matchup between ranked teams in Week 1 is the neutral site game (St. Louis) between #7 Missouri and #19 Illinois. Other good games have #2 USC visiting Virginia, Alabama at #9 Clemson, and #25 Fresno State on the road at Rutgers.

Here's the Week 1 Top 25 schedule........

Georgia Southern @ #1 Georgia
#2 USC @ Virginia
Youngstown State @ #3 Ohio State
Chattanooga @ #4 Oklahoma
Hawaii @ #5 Florida
Appalachian State @ #6 LSU
#19 Illinois vs. #7 Missouri (in St. Louis)
Villanova @ #8 West Virginia
Alabama @ #9 Clemson
Florida Atlantic @ #10 Texas
Louisiana-Monroe @ #11 Auburn
Akron @ #12 Wisconsin
Florida International @ #13 Kansas
Eastern Washington @ #14 Texas Tech
#15 Virginia Tech @ East Carolina
Northern Arizona @ #16 Arizona State
Northern Iowa @ #17 BYU
#18 Tennessee @ UCLA
Washington @ #20 Oregon
Tennessee-Martin @ #21 South Florida
Coastal Carolina @ #22 Penn State
#23 Wake Forest @ Baylor
Utah @ #24 Michigan
#25 Fresno State @ Rutgers

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 08:23 AM

Utah and Michigan will be a good game.

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-06-2008, 08:26 AM

Utah and Michigan will be a good game.

I'm guessing that Michigan is just glad that LSU has to deal with Appalacian State for this year's opener.

ISiddiqui

08-06-2008, 08:33 AM

Also I think Tennessee and UCLA could be a decent game as well.

Honolulu_Blue

08-06-2008, 08:44 AM

Michigan is ranked #24? That seems pretty high.

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 08:47 AM

Michigan is ranked #24? That seems pretty high.

I agree...I don't think they should be in the top 25. But I also think LSU is ranked a bit high given they have no starting QB coming back with any experience. The Tigers got that ranking based on last year's success.

Alan T

08-06-2008, 09:04 AM

Go Georgia Southern!

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 09:14 AM

Two other games that are interesting...non top 25...

Michigan State at California - No one is talking about Michigan State in the Big Ten, but I think they could upset a team or two. Plus who knows who will be Cal's QB...Nate Longshore...Kevin Riley...but what we do know is that there will not be any more hippies in the trees outside the stadium.

Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech - Ryan Perriloux anyone? He suits up for Jacksonville State against a Yellow Jackets team that totally changed their offensive scheme.

Memphis at Mississippi - I think Ole Miss could be a sleeper team in the SEC West. Coach O is gone but he didn't leave the cupboards bare. They have a decent line on both sides of the ball and Jevan Snead at quarterback. Snead was highly recruited and transferred from Texas when Colt McCoy won the job.

Celeval

08-06-2008, 09:28 AM

Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech - Ryan Perriloux anyone? He suits up for Jacksonville State against a Yellow Jackets team that totally changed their offensive scheme.

I'm looking forward to this one for obvious reasons (Go Tech). That said, GT's defensive line is probably one of the best five in the country, and JSU (from what I understand) isn't returning many starters on the offensive line. I think Perriloux will be solid for them, and he's a big reason many people have them atop the OVC in preseason polls, but I think he'll be running for his life in Atlanta. 42-20 GT, with 3 Yellow Jacket fumbles leading to 17 JSU points.

Alan T

08-06-2008, 09:35 AM

I'm looking forward to this one for obvious reasons (Go Tech). That said, GT's defensive line is probably one of the best five in the country, and JSU (from what I understand) isn't returning many starters on the offensive line. I think Perriloux will be solid for them, and he's a big reason many people have them atop the OVC in preseason polls, but I think he'll be running for his life in Atlanta. 42-20 GT, with 3 Yellow Jacket fumbles leading to 17 JSU points.

I like how this man thinks!

Logan

08-06-2008, 09:54 AM

I'm really glad the Rutgers-Fresno game came together at the last minute. Should be a fun one. Opening line has us as 5 point favorites.

cartman

08-06-2008, 10:03 AM

I still don't have a clue how Texas is going to do this season. 9 of their games are against bowl teams from last season. They lost their two big offensive gamebreakers from last season (Sweed and Charles), and have a completely new defensive secondary. I do think Muschamp will field a much better defense than last season, but that's not really hard to do.

The key stretch will be the start to conference play. A visit to Boulder, then the Red River Shootout followed by the game against Mizzou.

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-06-2008, 10:06 AM

Vegas Vic

08-06-2008, 10:11 AM

MrBug708

08-06-2008, 10:30 AM

If Tennessee has any sort of good defensive line, UCLA should be dead in the water

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-06-2008, 10:31 AM

My old CRT TV just crapped out on me, so I took the HDTV plunge and I'm really looking forward to the college football season. I subscribe to ESPN gameplan, but I've never noticed whether or not their games are in HD. Do any of you guys know?

It just depends on the local/regional feed. My guess is that they will still have some standard feeds this year. Next year is when you'll likely see a lot more HD feeds.

CU Tiger

08-06-2008, 10:42 AM

Alabama at #9 Clemson,

Splitting hairs I suppose, buts its actually a neutral site game in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.

clemsonfan

08-06-2008, 10:53 AM

Yeah, there will definitely be half Alabama fans and half Clemson fans there since Atlanta is about mid-way between them.

Edited to add: I'm extremely nervous about this game.

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-06-2008, 11:08 AM

Splitting hairs I suppose, buts its actually a neutral site game in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.

Thanks. I don't think ESPN lists neutral games on their schedule. They had Illinois @ Missouri as well.

Galaxy

08-06-2008, 11:10 AM

I agree...I don't think they should be in the top 25. But I also think LSU is ranked a bit high given they have no starting QB coming back with any experience. The Tigers got that ranking based on last year's success.

They should base the Top 25 on last year's final poll.

cartman

08-06-2008, 11:25 AM

In related news, the FOFC College Football Top 25 poll is going to be starting up again, probably towards the end of next week. So start formulating your lists!

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 11:56 AM

They should base the Top 25 on last year's final poll.

Why? It's a brand new year.

Pumpy Tudors

08-06-2008, 12:03 PM

I'm hoping for Seton Hill to finish the upper half of the WVIAC this year.

DIVISION II FOOTBALL AHOY!!!

Well, Memphis and Tulane suck, so what else do I have to cheer for?

MacroGuru

08-06-2008, 01:23 PM

Sad thing is, Northern Iowa is a step up for us because we had Nevada and they backed out.

I have to say, this is one of the rare times I will cheer for Utah as I hate Rich as much as the Weasel.

The other thing that is starting to worry me are all the injuries we are seeing at camp already at BYU. Our starting C is out 4 - 6 weeks, our starting WR out until about 1 week before the Northern Iowa game.

Our FB was kicked out of school, Fui is still hampered by a nagging injury and we have a LB out for the season due to an illness that is requiring kidney surgery....oh and one of our starting ILB is hurt with a foot injury from a freaking scooter accident.

Honolulu_Blue

08-06-2008, 01:44 PM

I have to say, this is one of the rare times I will cheer for Utah as I hate Rich as much as the Weasel.

:(

JonInMiddleGA

08-06-2008, 01:47 PM

Here's the Week 1 Top 25 schedule........

Some potentially really ugly games on that list.

UTC @ #4 Oklahoma and Coastal Carolina @ #22 Penn State jumped out at me as possibly being even worse than usual.

Bama has a chance to surprise Clemson I think, USC @ Virginia might be a decent game for at least a while, and I wouldn't be surprised if any/all of the bottom three turned out to be fairly close.

UT @ UCLA? I'll just worry about that one instead of trying to predict it ;)

CU Tiger

08-06-2008, 05:34 PM

Yeah, there will definitely be half Alabama fans and half Clemson fans there since Atlanta is about mid-way between them.

Edited to add: I'm extremely nervous about this game.

Well Bama holds 100k Clemson seats 90k and the GA dome is seating 79k for this game.....yeah tickets are tough.

I have 4 need about 10 more for customers and for anything decent they are going to cost me 4-500 a seat...

Yeah its a definite trap game for us. 1 OL starter returns in the same spot. no Lbs return....everyone else is back...I think we are over rated, and Bama is underrated which makes for a bad combination....

clemsonfan

08-06-2008, 06:21 PM

Yeah, I don't believe the hype that we are #9. I've been conditioned to be skeptical and pessimistic when it comes to the Tigers. Don't get me wrong, I love my team to pieces but I really wish I could be more confident in them.

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 06:29 PM

I look at Clemson like Arkansas last year with two good RBs and a MUCH better QB.

SFL Cat

08-06-2008, 06:33 PM

The "U" got a decent recruiting class this year. If they can get solid play from the QB and WR positions, they just might be a darkhorse in the ACC this year.

I think two or three years down the road, the Hurricanes will be back in the hunt for a national title.

Thomkal

08-06-2008, 06:35 PM

Go Coastal Carolina!

Okay yeah its going to be pretty ugly. Their projected starting QB is out with a virus for a few weeks and I don't think he had started a game prior to this upcoming season anyway. But they get a bunch of money for being slaughtered by the likes of Penn State, which a small school like Coastal Carolina can certainly use.

Coastal's Athletic Director is a Penn State alum, which is how this game came about.

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 06:37 PM

Come up to the game Thomkal...tickets will be cheap and you can come tailgate with me!

Thomkal

08-06-2008, 06:52 PM

Come up to the game Thomkal...tickets will be cheap and you can come tailgate with me!

Ah wish I could, you'll just have to wear a Chanticleer jersey for me. Though you likely will be laughed at with a team name like that.

Dr. Sak

08-06-2008, 06:54 PM

I will be wearing my Penn State jersey but I will hand out a beer to a Chanticleer fan in your honor!

MizzouRah

08-06-2008, 07:32 PM

Should be a great Mizzou - Illinois game, can't wait!

timmynausea

08-06-2008, 07:48 PM

I believe WVU was originally supposed to open with Auburn, but the game got pushed a few weeks back to be a Thursday night game for ESPN. With all of the coaching changes, I'm glad we open with Villanova instead.

There are actually more really intriguing week 1 games than I would've guessed, though. It really seems like anything is possible in that Utah-Michigan game.

kcchief19

08-06-2008, 10:25 PM

Should be a great Mizzou - Illinois game, can't wait!
I will be seeing one game opening weekend and that's the one. My cousin is getting married at 1 pm in Springfield and I'll be on the road by 3:30 to the dome!

CU Tiger

08-06-2008, 11:09 PM

I look at Clemson like Arkansas last year with two good RBs and a MUCH better QB.

Clemson has a better receiver corps, a MUCH better defensive back field, and a MUCH easier conference also....

Chief Rum

08-06-2008, 11:59 PM

I am hoping UCLA gives the Vols a game, but I am not expecting it. Olson has proven himself to be too scattershot as a QB (and I don't think Chow can work his magic that fast), and Olson will be running for his life behind probably the worst OL talent and depth-wise I have seen on a major team in some time (combination of bad coaching and scouting prior to this year, with some bad luck with injuries).

But I am hearing nice things about our skill people, especially the new frosh, so expect a few nice fireworks from UCLA. A gem here and there will mostly be surrounded by sacks, hits in the backfield and runs that dissapear in a crowd of Orange unis.

On the other side, Tennessee will have to work for its scores, because the front seven won't lose too much in talent, and the secondary, while young, has a lot of talent. But it will score workmanlike scores, and probably get at least one big score from a frosh/new starter mistake in the secondary from UCLA.

Tenn 31, UCLA 17

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-07-2008, 07:37 AM

I will be seeing one game opening weekend and that's the one. My cousin is getting married at 1 pm in Springfield and I'll be on the road by 3:30 to the dome!

I'm going to the game as well. My frat brother is a Rams season ticket holder, so he picked up some tickets for me in the pre-sale. We're going to jump on the Amtrak train out of KC and throw back a few drinks for the next 5 hours while the train engineer does the driving.

FYI for Mizzou fans.......KU still has tickets available for the MU/KU game if you're interested (University of Kansas | Online Ticket Office | Sorry (http://ev10.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=FB&linkID=kansas&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=)). A lot of the KU sections have been bought up by MU fans, so you'll have plenty of company. I picked up 16 tickets last week out of the KU allotment.

MizzouRah

08-07-2008, 09:58 AM

Allright kcchief19 and MBBF, I don't have tickets, but some friends and I plan on going down there to a bar to watch the game amoungst the atmostphere.

Maybe we can meet up for a beer or two?

BrianD

08-07-2008, 10:03 AM

Michigan is ranked #24? That seems pretty high.

Isn't there something in the NCAA by-laws that Michigan has to have a pre-season rank in the top 25?

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-07-2008, 10:08 AM

Allright kcchief19 and MBBF, I don't have tickets, but some friends and I plan on going down there to a bar to watch the game amoungst the atmostphere.

Maybe we can meet up for a beer or two?

Pick a bar and post it here. I should be down there early, so as long as it's not too far away, I could drop in.

MizzouRah

08-07-2008, 10:10 AM

Pick a bar and post it here. I should be down there early, so as long as it's not too far away, I could drop in.

Ok, will do.

My uncle owns Hot Shots, but that's right next to Busch. I'll find something close to the stadium and post it.

Vegas Vic

08-07-2008, 10:21 AM

It just depends on the local/regional feed. My guess is that they will still have some standard feeds this year. Next year is when you'll likely see a lot more HD feeds.

I didn't pay much attention to this before I bought my HD TV, but for college football fans DirecTV blows away Cox Cable on their sports package. For HD sports, Cox only has the local network channels, ESPN and ESPN2 in HD. Directv has that plus all of the regional FSN and Comcast channels in HD (a total of 30 additional sports HD channels).

Unfortunately, I'm stuck with Cox throughout football season this year, but when I move into my new house early next year, I'm definitely dumping Cox and getting DirecTV.

General Mike

08-07-2008, 04:30 PM

Fresno State WILL suck it

Chief Rum

08-10-2008, 02:28 AM

Is it really sad that I am:

A) not at all shocked Olson hurt himself in a non-contact drill on Saturday and
B) not terribly disappointed at the news either

?

JetsIn06

08-10-2008, 02:55 AM

I'm really glad the Rutgers-Fresno game came together at the last minute. Should be a fun one. Opening line has us as 5 point favorites.

Can't freakin' wait. It's gonna be a great game.

JetsIn06

08-10-2008, 02:55 AM

Fresno State WILL suck it

:thumbsup:

kcchief19

08-10-2008, 09:52 AM

Ok, will do.

My uncle owns Hot Shots, but that's right next to Busch. I'll find something close to the stadium and post it.
I'm in if we get into town early enought. I'm a little worried since we're getting into town so close to the game but let me know where and I'll try to swing by. I think I still have your number from when we tried to get together here in KC.

DeToxRox

08-10-2008, 10:38 AM

As a Wolverines fan, I cannot wait for the opener vs Utah, but with that said, I fully expect a loss. Our offense, by all accounts, has been pretty mediocre so far, though it is early in camp. The defense though has the potential to be a top 10 D in the Nation, and features quite a few guys who could be high NFL draft picks (Taylor, Graham, Jamison, all on the DL, plus stud DB Donovan Warren) so I do think it'll be close.

If our offense can not make mistakes, and put two TD's on the board, I think we can pull it out, but that sounds like it could be quite a lot to ask for.

Regardless, I am pumped to get this new era of Michigan football underway.

Vegas Vic

08-10-2008, 02:32 PM

I've got to give Fresno State credit for their scheduling over the years. They'll play anybody -- home, away, in a parking lot -- it doesn't matter.

Eaglesfan27

08-11-2008, 01:09 PM

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-11-2008, 01:18 PM

I didn't check the USC boards over the weekend, and I'm a bit surprised no one mentioned it here, but Sanchez hurt his knee during a non-contact exercise on Friday. Estimates are everywhere from 10 days to 4 weeks for his return. I just hope he gets back to 100% by the time we play Ohio State or that game could be ugly.

According to the ESPN article, he's expecting to be back for the season opening game against Virginia........

ESPN - USC quarterback's injury not as bad as first thought - College Football (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3527321)

Also, someone had mentioned that the UCLA opener may be a good one. Just noticed that their QB broke a bone and will be out for 8 weeks..........

ESPN - Broken foot sidelines UCLA quarterback Olson at least 8 weeks - College Football (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3528767)

JonInMiddleGA

08-11-2008, 07:25 PM

OnlineAthens.com | DogBytes | Breaking| Football | Starting left tackle suffers knee injury 08/11/08 (http://onlineathens.com/stories/081108/football_sturdivant.shtml)

Georgia's chase for the national title may have just gotten tougher.

Starting offensive left tackle Trinton Sturdivant, considered the Bulldogs' top offensive lineman, left Sanford Stadium with what appears to be a significant knee injury Monday in the team's first scrimmage of the preseason.

"I don't know for sure yet how bad (the injury is)," coach Mark Richt said after the scrimmage. "It swelled up pretty good, I know that."

The 6-foot-5, 293-pound Sturdivant started all 13 games last season when he was named a freshman All-American and was selected to the SEC coaches all-freshman team. He was considered a possible All-America candidate later in his career.

Ron Courson, Georgia's director of sports medicine, went Monday evening to visit Sturdivant in the hospital, where X-rays of Sturdivant's knee were to be taken, Richt said.

"He got banged up pretty good," Richt said.

Asked if he feared the injury could be season-ending, Richt said "You always fear that, but until we know, I don't want to say anything."

The loss of Sturdivant, from Wadesboro , N.C., would leave Georgia, ranked No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, with just two returning starting offensive lineman from last year's team: sophomores Chris Davis and Clint Boling. Boling is suspended for the season opener because of a reckless driving charge.

Sturdivant sustained his knee injury in a scrimmage that was closed to the media. No players were made available to the media.

Richt said the injury happened when the two defensive ends closed in on quarterback Matthew Stafford in the pocket on a rush. The offensive tackles were trying to push them by Stafford, who then stepped up into the pocket like he should, Richt said.

"Those guys (the two tackles and two ends), all four of them just kind of ran into each other," Richt said. "I didn't see exactly who ran into whom, but they were converging on the quarterback and at the last second he stepped up."

Redshirt sophomore Josh Davis, who has been working as Sturdivant's backup, worked with the starting unit for the rest of the scrimmage at left tackle, but there are other candidates for the position.

Richt listed guards Vince Vance, Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling as players who might be looked at to play left tackle. Vance got snaps at tackle last season. Right tackle Kiante Tripp could be another possibility for left tackle, a position of strength that now might be a question mark.

"It makes you sick," Richt said. "It's just sad to see a guy get hurt."

TazFTW

08-14-2008, 02:30 PM

FOX Sports on MSN - COLLEGE FOOTBALL - Report: USC dealing with jock itch outbreak (http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8450384?MSNHPHMA)

:lol:

Logan

08-14-2008, 02:32 PM

What's Neuheisal's alibi?

Eaglesfan27

08-14-2008, 03:11 PM

What's Neuheisal's alibi?

Nothing is beneath Slick Rick.

Huckleberry

08-14-2008, 03:36 PM

Barking Carnival » Blog Archive » College Football Title Belt Update (http://www.barkingcarnival.com/huckleberry/college-football-title-belt-update)

Thought the Mizzou fans might be interested in their status as current title belt holders. For the first time.

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-18-2008, 12:57 PM

Interesting site here where you can look at the the individual ranking by each of the AP voters.

Pollspeak - College Sports (http://www.pollspeak.com/)

This guy here has spurred a lot of chatter. I'd like to know what he was drinking when he wrote up this ballot.

Pollspeak - College Sports (http://pollspeak.com/pollstalker/pollstalker.php?s=5&p=9&t1=60&t2=&v=160&w=1&r=V)

Dr. Sak

08-18-2008, 01:16 PM

Honestly...who cares what the AP has to say? They have zero say in the BCS. I actually think a lot of them do it just to be different and get noticed.

timmynausea

08-26-2008, 10:25 AM

I just read something about VT possibly redshirting Tyrod Taylor this year. Can I get a VT fan confirmation or denial on this?

miami_fan

08-26-2008, 10:26 AM

Honestly...who cares what the AP has to say? They have zero say in the BCS. I actually think a lot of them do it just to be different and get noticed.

I am sure they wear this as a badge of honor.

VPI97

08-26-2008, 11:01 AM

I just read something about VT possibly redshirting Tyrod Taylor this year. Can I get a VT fan confirmation or denial on this?
It's up in the air at this point. I believe Beamer's supposed to make the decision today.

I'll say this, though...if Tyrod redshirts this season, we'll win 8 games at most this year. There would even be a slight possibility that our bowl streak goes by the wayside. On one hand it makes sense since the team is so young and you'd want an extra year of Tyrod down the line....but it sacrifices any hope for doing anything this season.

timmynausea

08-26-2008, 11:46 AM

It's up in the air at this point. I believe Beamer's supposed to make the decision today.

I'll say this, though...if Tyrod redshirts this season, we'll win 8 games at most this year. There would even be a slight possibility that our bowl streak goes by the wayside. On one hand it makes sense since the team is so young and you'd want an extra year of Tyrod down the line....but it sacrifices any hope for doing anything this season.

Thanks. I suppose in some ways it would make sense, but I was definitely surprised when I first heard it was a possibility.

VPI97

08-26-2008, 12:42 PM

Thanks. I suppose in some ways it would make sense, but I was definitely surprised when I first heard it was a possibility.
Beamer just announced that Tyrod is redshirting...ugh.

Kodos

08-26-2008, 01:06 PM

Indiana starts a season that is filled with hope (unusual for IU fans) by hosting the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. We better win convincingly.

Kellen Lewis, who combined for 37 touchdowns (28 passing, 9 rushing) last season has been named the starter at QB following a 4-month suspension for off the field issues. He beat out Ben Chappell to regain his role as the starter. Hopefully he can keep his nose clean (the rumors were it was a drug-related suspension).

Last season's sack leader for the NCAA, Greg Middleton, and 3 others have been suspended for Week 1 for undisclosed reasons.

Go Hoosiers!

Honolulu_Blue

08-26-2008, 01:10 PM

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-26-2008, 01:22 PM

I'm starting to get excited. Three days until the train ride out to St. Louis to see Mizzou/Illinois. Going out to pick up the gold T-shirts today.

I noticed a couple of interesting things about the matchup.

1. Illinois plans on using a running back by committee setup. Sounds like they're going to rotate 3 different backs in and out to keep them fresh.

2. Illinois' team strength is expected to be their front 7 on defense. But it appears that only 5 of those 7 will be on the field at any given time. They've reportedly been running a 3-2-6 defense in practice (much like what Arkansas used against Mizzou in the Cotton Bowl game). It's expected that they'll run that defense most of the game except for short yardage situations, where they'll switch to a nickel defense.

Dr. Sak

08-26-2008, 01:45 PM

Paterno named Daryll Clark the starter for Saturday but Pat Devlin will play. If Clark can throw half decent I think PSU can do good this year. He isn't as athletic as Robinson was, but he has a better offensive line in front of him and a better running back.

Galaril

08-26-2008, 01:47 PM

I am taking my wife to her first college football game. We will be going to the Air Foce game at the academy against divison 1-AA Southern Utah. I also got tickets late rin the seaosn for Navy at Air Force and the BYU game.

MacroGuru

08-26-2008, 01:52 PM

Well said.

It's going to be a very interesting season. Let's hope the Rich Rod Era starts out right.

Actually if your defense is as tough as I have been seeing this game should be a slug fest and if it is Michigan wins, if you let Utah get up on you, then I think it will be tough to stay in the game.

Utah is thin at the DL position as well, but the 2 starters at DT are great players, they will be rotating 2 others at the spot all game long. I think Rich can take advantage of that very quickly.

As a BYU fan I want to see Utah lose, lose bad and have half their starters out for the season...but as a fan of the MWC and non BCS teams, I hope they win.

Honolulu_Blue

08-26-2008, 01:56 PM

Actually if your defense is as tough as I have been seeing this game should be a slug fest and if it is Michigan wins, if you let Utah get up on you, then I think it will be tough to stay in the game.

Utah is thin at the DL position as well, but the 2 starters at DT are great players, they will be rotating 2 others at the spot all game long. I think Rich can take advantage of that very quickly.

Thanks for the scouting report! I don't know much about Utah other than they run a spread offense and they claim that this team is as good or better than the Alex Smith 2004 team.

As a BYU fan I want to see Utah lose, lose bad and have half their starters out for the season...

Stay true to your roots as a BYU fan and "want to see Utah lose, lose bad and have half their starters out for the season." That's the way forward...

but as a fan of the MWC and non BCS teams, I hope they win.

BYU fan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> fan of the MWC and non BCS teams.

Dr. Sak

08-26-2008, 02:00 PM

So by your thinking, you root for Ohio State...is that correct Honolulu_Blue? ;)

MacroGuru

08-26-2008, 02:06 PM

Thanks for the scouting report! I don't know much about Utah other than they run a spread offense and they claim that this team is as good or better than the Alex Smith 2004 team.

Not even close. They have some talent on offense and if Brian Johnson (QB) can get over the fear of getting hit then yeah, they can be deadly. Casteel is a great WR, they have a couple of freshmen there as well. You are going to see some good running backs, but nothing you aren't used to already.

My friend is their LB coach and Polynesian recruiter so I get some information, complaints and such from him. It's pretty fun to talk to him since he is a former BYU player and was upset at Crowton for not bringing him on when he was the coach at BYU. So he is more pro Utah, but I think he would jump at the chance to get back to BYU.

Honolulu_Blue

08-26-2008, 03:45 PM

So by your thinking, you root for Ohio State...is that correct Honolulu_Blue? ;)

No, by my thinking I wouldn't root for Ohio State and you'd never root for the Penguins. It's all good!

JeeberD

08-26-2008, 07:22 PM

The Buffalo Bulls are going DOWN on Thursday... :mad:

MacroGuru

08-26-2008, 07:33 PM

The Buffalo Bulls are going DOWN on Thursday... :mad:

I had a choice between going to the Bulls/Miners or the Bills/Lions, I choose the NFL game, because we already know that the Miners will lose :p

Actually, since I am a Lions fan, it's going to be my first time ever watching them live and only my second ever NFL game even if it is preseason, I am pretty excited for it.

Izulde

08-26-2008, 07:34 PM

I need to get tickets to the Arkansas-Western Illinois game Saturday.

They said I was supposed to get an email about the particulars of getting them, but of course none's shown up. :rolleyes:

MJ4H

08-26-2008, 08:14 PM

If you do, let me know. Maybe I can say hi.

Izulde

08-26-2008, 08:31 PM

If you do, let me know. Maybe I can say hi.

What section you gonna be in and all that jazz?

MJ4H

08-26-2008, 09:07 PM

506

Izulde

08-28-2008, 06:51 PM

Cool. I'll be somewhere in the Student Section. :D Picked up my $5 all-Fayetteville-games ticket today.

Dr. Sak

08-28-2008, 06:58 PM

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

Celeval

08-28-2008, 07:11 PM

Wooohoooo

JonInMiddleGA

08-28-2008, 07:30 PM

Can anybody get ESPN360 to work tonight?

All it seems to do for me is either crash my browser or simply fail to load.
I also can't get the ESPN scoreboard to load since about 8p, although gametracker works okay if you access it through the schedule link on the team page.

21-0 GT over Jax State, 8:29 left 1st half. Tech with 209 yds offense so far, holding Perriloux (4/7, 10 yds, 1 INT, 1 sack) & Co. to just 1 first down so far.

cartman

08-28-2008, 08:02 PM

Wake Forest is absolutely destroying Baylor. 17-0 a couple of minutes into the 2nd quarter.

Swaggs

08-28-2008, 08:05 PM

I
LOVE
FOOTBALL!

I can't believe the season is finally here! :)

JonInMiddleGA

08-28-2008, 08:05 PM

GT up 27-0 at the half. Perriloux got a little drive going late in the half but threw his second pick to kill it.

Miami doing about the same to Charleston Southern, 28-0 at the half.

Vegas Vic

08-28-2008, 08:11 PM

Tough break for N.C. State as starting QB Russell Wilson gets taken off the field in a cart.

Ragone

08-28-2008, 09:12 PM

The Buffalo Bulls are going DOWN on Thursday... :mad:

Utep looking good in the regular season.. thank god i changed my espn streak pick to something else..

Dr. Sak

08-28-2008, 09:13 PM

South Carolina looks bad. Their qb is trying to break last year's record on the first night for INTs. The Miss State qb threw 7 INTs last year. Right now the So. Car guy is at 4.

Galaxy

08-28-2008, 09:27 PM

Was that really unsportsmanlike conduct?

Celeval

08-28-2008, 09:40 PM

I think Perriloux will be solid for them, and he's a big reason many people have them atop the OVC in preseason polls, but I think he'll be running for his life in Atlanta. 42-20 GT, with 3 Yellow Jacket fumbles leading to 17 JSU points.

Final ends up 41-14, so not too far from the guess. Hard to take a lot out of this other than the desperate need for a place kicker (5/6 XP, 0/2 FG). Tech lost two fumbles, one leading to one of the JSU scores. Nesbitt and Shaw combined for 7/10 passing - 131 yards, while GT ended up just shy of 350 yards rushing. Looking forward to Boston College.

Wolfpack

08-28-2008, 09:48 PM

*sigh* Gonna be a looooong year.

JeeberD

08-28-2008, 11:48 PM

*sigh* Gonna be a looooong year.

x2

kingnebwsu

08-29-2008, 12:47 AM

I love college football. Didn't really care about any of the teams playing tonight, but still was entertained for most of it. The first half of NC State/South Carolina was entertaining but sloppy. The end of Oregon State/Stanford was wild. Fumble away your dreams, kid. I'm not an Oregon State fan, but I still felt for the kid who dropped the ball. He didn't *need* to do that. They were in a great place to get a TD. Bummer for them.

The imperfections of college football are why I prefer to watch an average game of it versus an average game of the NFL.

digamma

08-29-2008, 01:44 AM

Final ends up 41-14, so not too far from the guess. Hard to take a lot out of this other than the desperate need for a place kicker (5/6 XP, 0/2 FG). Tech lost two fumbles, one leading to one of the JSU scores. Nesbitt and Shaw combined for 7/10 passing - 131 yards, while GT ended up just shy of 350 yards rushing. Looking forward to Boston College.

Lots of Tech folks still concerned about Nesbitt. I thought he looked pretty good--though hard to know what he was up against. I'm much more concerned about the interior of the offensive line.

Icy

08-29-2008, 04:06 AM

Looking forward to see what USF can do this year after their incredible start of the season past year, being ranked #2. This should be the year for QB Grothe and DE Selvie to prove they can become pros (Selvie will for sure).

Emiliano

08-29-2008, 04:28 AM

I wanted to make my own thread, but I figured I'll just post in this one: here in Italy we finally got the NASN channel (North American Sports Network) in the Sky Sport package, and this is what we have for the first week:

NC State vs South Carolina (watched live last night)
Oregon State vs Stanford
SMU vs Rice
Virginia Tech vs East Carolina
USC vs Virginia
Alabama vs Clemson
Illinois vs Missouri
Kentucky vs Louisville
Fresno State vs Rutgers
Tennessee vs UCLA

From the Zero we had before, that's pretty good, uh?

I'm sure I won't keep up with everything, but yesterday I was almost crying for joy. :cool: Only downside is that my sleep hours will decrease considerably... :D

Good season everyone!

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-29-2008, 06:57 AM

Dr. Sak

08-29-2008, 07:00 AM

Looks like some big news may be soon to come out of Lubbock, TX. According to a couple of sources on a Texas Tech insider board, Michael Crabtree has been ruled ineligible for 'Reggie Bush-like' reasons.

The rumor seems to be validated by the two-deep roster, which doesn't have Crabtree listed anywhere.

NCAA: Tech football player cleared of possible violation | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL (http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/082908/spo_324541534.shtml)

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-29-2008, 07:34 AM

NCAA: Tech football player cleared of possible violation | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL (http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/082908/spo_324541534.shtml)

Thanks. Big sigh of relief for TT.

Celeval

08-29-2008, 07:59 AM

Lots of Tech folks still concerned about Nesbitt. I thought he looked pretty good--though hard to know what he was up against. I'm much more concerned about the interior of the offensive line.

Yeah, listening to the radio calls, it didn't sound like we did all that much up the middle. That said, we also didn't actually run much option - I think the triple was only called six or seven times, and I don't recall a midline.

Keeping in mind that it was Nesbitt's first start, and first serious game action, and I think he did pretty well. Ditto with Jaybo Shaw.

ntndeacon

08-29-2008, 08:01 AM

I am not surprised but pleased at Wake's dismantling of Baylor yesterday. They certainly reminded me , that if a team makes a mistake, Wake will be there and ready to take advantage of it.

Mizzou B-ball fan

08-29-2008, 08:10 AM

I am not surprised but pleased at Wake's dismantling of Baylor yesterday. They certainly reminded me , that if a team makes a mistake, Wake will be there and ready to take advantage of it.

Honestly, Baylor needs to be move to 1-AA. They're not very good at all. They'll lose by 50-60 points to some of the upper half B12 teams.

ntndeacon

08-29-2008, 09:00 AM

Honestly, Baylor needs to be move to 1-AA. They're not very good at all. They'll lose by 50-60 points to some of the upper half B12 teams.

I have heard that before related to other teams, like Wake, in the past. So Even if they suck usually, and Baylor does, there have been years where Baylor has been a decent team. I imagine they will be again at some point in the future.

cartman

08-29-2008, 09:07 AM

I have heard that before related to other teams, like Wake, in the past. So Even if they suck usually, and Baylor does, there have been years where Baylor has been a decent team. I imagine they will be again at some point in the future.

Yeah, their new coach, Art Briles, will get them turned around in a couple of seasons. They will be a much better team later in this season than they were last night. Really, they would have been better off not joining the Big 12, and following Rice, SMU and TCU, and joining conferences where the cost to compete wasn't so high. You could swap Rice or TCU for Baylor, and I'm sure that the roles would be the same, with Rice or TCU continuing to be Big 12 doormats while Baylor would have several bowl appearances.

MacroGuru

08-29-2008, 09:20 AM

I have the MTN now on DirecTV and I am anxiously awaiting tomorrows BYU game, but since it isn't until 6 pm EST, I get to watch a ton of football before, it's going to be a great day.

Wolfpack

08-29-2008, 12:06 PM

I have heard that before related to other teams, like Wake, in the past. So Even if they suck usually, and Baylor does, there have been years where Baylor has been a decent team. I imagine they will be again at some point in the future.

I have always hated playing Wake in football through the years. No matter how bad they were or how good we were, we always seemed to struggle (those late-80s shootouts were something else to watch, though). Once Grobe took over at Wake, I started calling it the "jawbreaker" game because of the entirely different nature of Wake's offense and how difficult it was to prepare for. Who knew that by 2008, we'd be the speedbump for Wake Forest football? :(

Come to think of it, that's kind of how it's been for any of the North Carolina schools. Other than the Sheridan years, we've never really had strong ownership of the Carolina series and Duke was like Wake in that they always seemed to bring it aside from a few blowout years.

After last night's performance, I'm trying to reconcile how bad things have gotten, I guess. I'll be amazed if we win more than a few games this year. Our defense looks solid, but you can't win if you can't score and we haven't scored in two full games now, going back to a similar shellacking at the hands of Maryland at the end of last year. Some State fans are wanting to rip off Glennon's redshirt and get him going now, but I think this team is so bad on offense that it just wouldn't make sense to throw a true freshman into in and make him suffer like that. Rivers was a true freshman when he started, but he also graduated early so he got a round of spring ball and he also had Koren Robinson to throw to and the rest of the team was not bad. It wasn't like we had a converted defensive lineman playing center like we did last night. (Some of those snaps were just laughably bad)

I believe we'll beat William & Mary next weekend, but after that, who knows?

timmynausea

08-29-2008, 12:44 PM

larrymcg421

08-29-2008, 12:51 PM

Miami wins big, but against no competition. Still, it was nice to see Jacory Harris have a good start. I have a feeling he will see some action against the Gators, even if Mavre is the starter.

Wolfpack

08-29-2008, 12:56 PM

I hate to say it, but I just don't see NC State getting much better under O'Brien. Looking back, he had pretty average records with some high quality QBs at BC in the Hasselbeck brothers and Matt Ryan, Brian St. Pierre was a solid college QB as well. I don't think it's a coincidence that BC finally made it to double digit wins (11) as soon as he left, after six years of plateauing at 8-9 wins per year under O'Brien.

He's one of those guys that is solid at the program-building side of coaching (and I can't say how much of that is/was his assistants), but I think his gameplanning, on offense in particular is too conservative and holds his teams back. Maybe NC State will get better, but I think the best case scenario is a perennial 7 or 8 win team.

Ironically enough, that's about what I expect, but generally most State fans would be happy with 8 wins and a bowl. State's never been a football factory school, so there isn't a lot of expectation to ever become one, aside from a brief period when the sky seemed to be the limit under Amato and Rivers after 2002. State fans will take 7-5 or 8-4 with occasional (once or twice a decade) years where we get 10+ wins in a "special season". Granted, only that 2002 team ever actually eclipsed the 10-win mark in the history of the school, but with the potential for 13 or 14 games on the schedule now (if bowls and CCGs are counted), it's not as unreasonable as it used to be.

It's also a little funny that you mention O'Brien being conservative and poor in gameplanning. People around here were complaining that they stuck with the shotgun spread too much last night after Wilson got knocked out because running the spread is not what Daniel Evans is designed to do as he's much more of a dropback passer. I can understand that, but I also understand that our line is continuing to be a patchwork makeup such as the aforementioned former DL-turned-center. If there was any hope of our guys having time to pass the ball, they needed to be set up and ready to throw ASAP because the pass-blocking just isn't there right now. However, they needed some chance of disguising intent. If the QB is under center every time they wanted to run and in the gun every time they wanted to pass, the offense would be painfully obvious, would it not? Realistically, it was a no-win situation. Hopefully, our lead runner Jamele Eugene will be back next week and we'll be able to run the ball more, because it certainly looks like that will have to be our offensive strength this year. The OL certainly seemed more comfortable attacking than reacting and protecting. Shoot, bring back the Wing-T or something.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 10:49 AM

LSU up 17-0 on Appy State as the 2nd quarter gets underway.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 11:26 AM

Boneheaded move for VT to go for it on 4th down there.

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 11:36 AM

LSU now up 31-0 as ESPN is cutting away from the game.

Noop

08-30-2008, 11:38 AM

Hawaii and Florida should be interesting.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 11:39 AM

Hawaii and Florida should be interesting.

With Colt and his WRs gone? Not likely.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 11:58 AM

Georgia already 10-0 on Ga Southern.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 12:09 PM

My goodness, Sean Glennon is awful.

Noop

08-30-2008, 12:09 PM

Glennon is such a shitty QB. I think Frank Beamer needs to go ahead and let Taylor do this thing.

Noop

08-30-2008, 12:15 PM

I hate Tebow but that was impressive.

korme

08-30-2008, 12:18 PM

Here we go Buckeyes!

BrianD

08-30-2008, 12:19 PM

It is kind of nice to be able to watch the Badgers on the new Big Ten Network addition to Time Warner. Sadly the HD cable feed is pretty bad quality.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 12:20 PM

Still 10-0 UGA, GaSouthern twice into the red zone but managed only a missed FG and a pick in the end zone.

edit -- Make that 17-0 on a long pass over the middle.

GrantDawg

08-30-2008, 12:28 PM

Still 10-0 UGA, GaSouthern twice into the red zone but managed only a missed FG and a pick in the end zone.

edit -- Make that 17-0 on a long pass over the middle.

How sad was it that Joe Cox got to play ealry, and so did true Freshman Samuel. The second play, the first time ever Samuel touches the ball, he just straight up dropped it on the ground. Not the highlight you want for your first college touch ever.

Thomkal

08-30-2008, 12:38 PM

38-7 Penn State over my beloved Coastal Carolina at the half. No shock really, other than the fact that we scored against them

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 12:53 PM

"Beamer Ball" is the only thing keeping Virginia Tech ahead of East Carolina. ECU just scored a TD, but VT blocked the extra point and ran it back for 2 points. VT leads 16-13 in the 3rd quarter.

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 01:21 PM

So Beanie Wells was carted off the field today, the announcer said he heard his ankle pop. Looks bad for the Bucks.

Noop

08-30-2008, 01:33 PM

If that is true then there goes their season.

korme

08-30-2008, 01:33 PM

Fuck

JPhillips

08-30-2008, 01:35 PM

No, it probably won't make an impact in terms of record. I think they'll lose at USC regardless and the Big Ten is so weak they still can run the table without him. It would be a big surprise if OSU wasn't in the Rose Bowl.

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 01:39 PM

Looks like Wells is on the sideline so it probably isn't a break, still the way it looked and how he reacted, it probably is a bad sprain.

Noop

08-30-2008, 01:41 PM

Pryor looks good. Man they are going to be scary good in a few seasons with him at the helm.

Noop

08-30-2008, 01:42 PM

P.J. Hill with 200+ yards... looking good.

Celeval

08-30-2008, 01:50 PM

ECU - VT looking like a game...

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 01:53 PM

ECU just Beamerballed the Hokies, blocked punt for the go ahead TD with 1:52 left.
27-22 Pirates.

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 01:54 PM

Great play by ECU. Best game of the day so far.

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 01:58 PM

Three true frosh starting for UM today:

Darryl Stonum, Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw

Noop

08-30-2008, 01:58 PM

I guess the ACC really is a weak conference. Glennon is terrible and Frank Beamer should have played Taylor who is atleast dynamic enough to make things happen.

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 02:00 PM

I lied .. Stonum and McGuffie starting .. No Shaw, Tay Odoms will start in the slot. McGuffie starting tailback.

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 02:01 PM

I guess the ACC really is a weak conference. Glennon is terrible and Frank Beamer should have played Taylor who is atleast dynamic enough to make things happen.

The ACC is horrible. Clemson will probably lay an egg against Alabama tonight, also.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 02:04 PM

The ACC is horrible. Clemson will probably lay an egg against Alabama tonight, also.

That's what I'm expecting anyway.

Elsewhere, Bowling Green leads 27-17 over #25 Pitt with 12 mins to play.

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 02:07 PM

Seriously, the BCS needs to seriously consider revoking the automatic bid for the ACC. They're 1-9 all-time in BCS games.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 02:09 PM

Another pick 6 for the Gators, 80 yds this time. Now 56-0 over Hawaii as the 3rd quarter comes to a close.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 02:11 PM

Great play by ECU. Best game of the day so far.

"

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 02:12 PM

Another pick 6 for the Gators, 80 yds this time. Now 56-0 over Hawaii as the 3rd quarter comes to a close.

Actually, there's still 12:00 left in the 3rd quarter.

I forget, who is the Hawaii fan here at FOFC that used to make about 200 posts during the Hawaii games?

Noop

08-30-2008, 02:16 PM

Seriously, the BCS needs to seriously consider revoking the automatic bid for the ACC. They're 1-9 all-time in BCS games.

Right.....

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 02:17 PM

Okay that was a silly penalty on Bowling Green there. For those not watching, they flagged a DL for celebration after a sack. It was a short burst of expression, with his back to the opponents & walking away from the play afterwards. Just silly to call that sort of thing IMO.

GrantDawg

08-30-2008, 02:17 PM

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 02:48 PM

Utah kills themselves early, once after forcing a 3 and out, then fumbling the punt, and then a PI where they had an INT inside the 10. Sheridan hits true frosh Michael Shaw in the flat to put UM up 7-0.

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 02:59 PM

Early in the game you can already see a significant talent differential between USC and Virginia.

DanGarion

08-30-2008, 03:06 PM

I already said this to Dr Sak yesterday, but I'll say it here for the first time.
Joe McKnight for Heisman!

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:06 PM

Early in the game you can already see a significant talent differential between USC and Virginia.

Seriously. Virginia looks like a high school team compared to SC. I'm calling SC for the title game. Nobody in the PAC will challenge them...maybe except for Stanford again...heh heh heh

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 03:06 PM

I already said this to Dr Sak yesterday, but I'll say it here for the first time.
Joe McKnight for Heisman!

I've been saying that down here to my friends for months. He's been incredible during the practices.

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:10 PM

This is going to be a day to forget for Virginia....maybe I can take them in NOFL!

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:16 PM

Oh, my. 4th and 1, CJ Gable goes 30+ for a TD......

And then the ref calls unsportsmanlike conduct on SC....Pete Carroll gets mad...not like it matters, though. Virginia will be lucky to lose by less than 40

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:25 PM

My favorite part of preseason NFL and college week 1:

Any time there's a clock or officiating snafu, the announcer is always right there to remind us "It's the preseason for them, too" or "It's Week 1 for the officials, too!"

Logan

08-30-2008, 03:36 PM

Didn't surprise me to see ECU pull it out over VT. Not only is Tech somehow always overrated, but ECU should've won that opening game last year, and they probably had that on their minds.

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:51 PM

Dear Joe McKnight,

Quit screwing around trying to catch and return punts in traffic...

Sincerely,
Your coaches

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 03:52 PM

Word. USC needs to reassert themselves like the 1st quarter.

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 03:58 PM

Mmmmm...Stacey Dales....no longer Stacey Dales-Schumann.....call me, Stacey...you need some young meat.

AlexB

08-30-2008, 04:00 PM

General Mike

08-30-2008, 04:05 PM

Anybody who thought Pitt was going to win the Big East want to change their prediction now?

Logan

08-30-2008, 04:17 PM

This is the first year I've subscribed to the channel here in the UK that shows college football...

Am I right in thinking you can hit the QB way harder in college ball than in the NFL? Some of the QB knock downs I've seen in the first game and a half have been brutal.

They've actually started adopting some of the NFL rules when it comes to protecting the QB, but yeah, college QBs aren't allowed to be pansies.

Anybody who thought Pitt was going to win the Big East want to change their prediction now?

That was the best way to figure out which predictions to ignore. No one who has actually watched more than one game of Big East football (like say WVU-Pitt) would pick Pitt to win the league.

bhlloy

08-30-2008, 04:18 PM

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 04:24 PM

No team with Dave Wannstedt is going to win consistently, no matter how talented.

New season, looks like the same USC team. Playing well and then braindead penalties, horrible wide receiver play and special teams screw-ups take the gloss off of it and let the other team back into it. They need to get their heads in gear before Ohio State. (I know that 24-7 away from home isn't that bad, but I don't think this is a very good Virginia team right now)

Agreed. The receiving corp worries me and we should be up 38-0 against this quality of team. I'm worried that this won't be good enough against Ohio State (unless Wells is out which would be a huge blow to them.)

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 04:39 PM

Michigan's offense was about what I expected early, though the fact it was so bad in the second quarter was disconcerting. I figured we'd pick up a few first downs. The D has been horrid though. Too much zone, to which Brian Johnson has picked apart. Kid is a monster when healthy. Still, the D has been bad and needs to shape up in the second half to have any shot.

DanGarion

08-30-2008, 04:42 PM

Sweet a call in from Keith Jackson!

bhlloy

08-30-2008, 04:43 PM

It's tough to get a read because Virginia hasn't put any pressure on him the whole game, but I'm very impressed with Sanchez so far. All he had to do was eliminate the stupid plays from his game and so far he's made great decisions.

Nice to see Patrick Turner step up as well.

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 04:47 PM

Eaglesfan27

08-30-2008, 05:14 PM

I'm a bit behind watching it on DVR, but I expect to see Ronald Johnson catch those types of bombs quite a bit this year. He has great speed and was burning DB's in practice this year.

Karlifornia

08-30-2008, 05:32 PM

Go Delaware Wolverines...only down 14-7 to Maryland.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 05:47 PM

Michigan gets back within two, conversion pass fails. Utah holding on 25-23 with about 6 1/2 mins left.

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 05:58 PM

Sweet a call in from Keith Jackson!

Still bitter as ever about the loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl.

TCY Junkie

08-30-2008, 06:03 PM

Mich on espn2 if anyone wants to see what a rich rod offense looks like without pat white.

DeToxRox

08-30-2008, 06:09 PM

bob

08-30-2008, 06:13 PM

Michigan's D was amazing in the second half, but unfortunatley, they were beyond awful in the first.

Was Michigan's D really that good - I know statistically they were, but it seemed to me that Utah's coaching staff took their feet off the gas WAY too early and started running a bunch. Passing is what really gave them that lead - Michigan couldn't stop the pass in the first half.

Bad coaching and all those penalties is what kept Michigan in this game.

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 06:24 PM

Some thoughts:

The Wann-stasche is not long for this world at Pitt.

How long before the "bring back Lloyd Carr" chants begin in Ann Arbor?

Based on the first week so far, it's looking like a Florida vs. USC national title game.

JHandley

08-30-2008, 06:26 PM

Michigan's D was amazing in the second half, but unfortunatley, they were beyond awful in the first.

The offense was what I expected with a walk on and a red shirt freshman who doesn't hit intermediate routs.

Hopefully the running game picks up next week and gets on track, because if we can establish a run I think we'll still be an 8 win team.

Also .. Utah's kicker is a beast. He's as good a punter as he is a kicker, and that is disgusting.

8 wins? How? Michigan has two effective offensive plays: defensive pass interference and a punt fumble.

I'm a Michigan fan and I was disgusted with the RR hire, so I'll admit to being a bit biased, but 8 wins? You saw a bowl bound team play today? Other than Utah of course.

TCY Junkie

08-30-2008, 06:29 PM

I might of been a little harsh. But pat white is by far my favorite player and thought he made the system work that didn't before.

JHandley

08-30-2008, 06:32 PM

In all fairness, RR might build something workable at UM. It's certainly not there now.

Matthean

08-30-2008, 06:36 PM

Was Michigan's D really that good - I know statistically they were, but it seemed to me that Utah's coaching staff took their feet off the gas WAY too early and started running a bunch. Passing is what really gave them that lead - Michigan couldn't stop the pass in the first half.

Bad coaching and all those penalties is what kept Michigan in this game.

They had some good plays where they could run rather well at the defense so I can see sticking with it. Michigan's D has been overrated virtually every year outside of when they won the title. I can handle being bad on offense as the new system gets in place, but having Utah repeatedly using your half of the field as their own backyard BBQ patio is rather unsettling. Then again as the usual for Michigan's D, people expect a bad D to somehow be better the next year as they are more experienced. A bad D + more experience = still a bad D. Pretty much any credible passing game will shred Michigan's secondary. This has been true for years. It's one of the areas that needs speed along with the offense if Michigan is going to make the leap.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 06:38 PM

Dang, it's like old GT quarterback day or something.

First I get back from the movies & turn on to see Threatt for Michigan. That game ends, LaTech & Miss St comes on and after a bit I realize that LaTech has Taylor Bennett under center.

Why do I have this sudden fear of a Reggie Ball sighting?
{shudder}

08-30-2008, 06:47 PM

Speaking of Michigan, here is what Appalachian St. QB Armanti Edwards said after ASU's loss to LSU today, fwiw:

QB Armanti Edwards

On the speed of LSU’s defense ...
“Even their safeties were filling in holes. They closed faster than we thought they would.”

On the difference between LSU today and Michigan in 2007 ...
“Speed was the difference. They’re so much faster than Michigan was. It was just a problem of us executing, we knew they’d have tight coverage, but we couldn’t execute 1 on 1 like we wanted.”

From lsusports.net

I was there. It was very, very, very, very hot. Even by LSU standards.

Matthean

08-30-2008, 06:55 PM

In all fairness, RR might build something workable at UM. It's certainly not there now.

It was about as pretty as seeing a bunch of naked OL in tights doing ballet. It reminded me a lot of when Colorado played 'Bama in a bowl game and Colorado was switching their offense the next year so they started doing it after their last regular season game and used it for the bowl game. The average per carry at half time was done in inches. Yeah, that was a brutal game to watch. At least Colorado had an excuse for why their offense was so off. It's like 'Bama down played to them.

Will it work in the end? Who knows, but I honestly expect nothing out of this Michigan team this year. Michigan has to have their system QB at the end of three years. I don't see RR lasting long after that if he doesn't.

FYI, I wanted the coaching change at Michigan to not be this year in hopes that Brian Kelly(U of Cincinnati, currently) would have gotten it at some point.

Logan

08-30-2008, 07:00 PM

naked OL in tights

I guess that means I'm naked right now in these jeans.

Vegas Vic

08-30-2008, 07:06 PM

Effing Cox Cable is showing the Alabama-Clemson game in SD on ESPN Gameplan. Is this standard? I thought the Gameplan games were broadcast in their native resolution.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 07:12 PM

Just got back from Happy Valley and have to laugh at Pitt losing. I wish I was going to work on Monday.

DanGarion

08-30-2008, 07:26 PM

Effing Cox Cable is showing the Alabama-Clemson game in SD on ESPN Gameplan. Is this standard? I thought the Gameplan games were broadcast in their native resolution.

I don't think so. Because it's whatever format that PPV channel is, which is probably SD.

Big Fo

08-30-2008, 07:28 PM

Effing Cox Cable is showing the Alabama-Clemson game in SD on ESPN Gameplan. Is this standard? I thought the Gameplan games were broadcast in their native resolution.

For whatever reason my Time Warner cable doesn't have an ABC HD station like it does for NBC, FOX, CBS, and a few other smaller channels. It's pretty weak.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 07:40 PM

Alabama is looking good. Tons of speed on that team.

Radii

08-30-2008, 07:50 PM

Why do I have this sudden fear of a Reggie Ball sighting?
{shudder}

the nightmares have never gone away for me either.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 07:52 PM

Watched the first half of the Arkansas-Western Illinois game before I got a headache from being in the nosebleed section (Note to self: Show up to game at least an hour and a half to two hours early next time).

The Razorbacks looked like absolute shit on offense. How bad was it? 10-7 Western Illinois at the half and our lone TD came from our only decent drive of the first half.

Casey Dick held on to the ball far too long quite a few times and it didn't seem like the O-line was doing so hot either.

Our defense was pretty decent, although this Donaldson kid (#3 HB) on Western Illinois was doing extremely well against us.

Hopefully the adjustments came at halftime. Going to see if I can catch the game on TV now.

Radii

08-30-2008, 07:52 PM

Clemson looking good in preseason? Jesus, they aren't even making it through a quarter before the talk of another talented team underachieving starts.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 08:19 PM

The ACC is getting quite a few black eyes today.

Noop

08-30-2008, 08:30 PM

Clemson does this every year except they are doing it earlier then normal. Outside of Bobby Bowden gifting Clemson a few wins I really am not sure what else they have done besides beat Florida State.

MacroGuru

08-30-2008, 08:30 PM

Damn BYU, they tried to give the game away to NIU in the third quarter. The defense now officially scares the hell out of me and I hope to hell Bronco shores it up quick. We had way to many turnovers to NIU.

I'm happy with the win, but damn, hold on to the damn ball!

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 08:31 PM

Clemson does this every year except they are doing it earlier then normal. Outside of Bobby Bowden gifting Clemson a few wins I really am not sure what else they have done besides beat Florida State.

Their offensive line is playing o-lay and is going to get Harper killed.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 08:32 PM

24-14 Western Illinois a little over 10 min to go in the fourth quarter... fucking pathetic.

Noop

08-30-2008, 08:39 PM

Their offensive line is playing o-lay and is going to get Harper killed.

Wouldn't coaching adjust to that by throwing quicker passes, shorting drops, and calling screens?

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 08:43 PM

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 08:43 PM

Wouldn't coaching adjust to that by throwing quicker passes, shorting drops, and calling screens?

Doh!

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 08:53 PM

Wouldn't coaching adjust to that by throwing quicker passes, shorting drops, and calling screens?

Or actually running draws with their two good RBs.

Noop

08-30-2008, 08:55 PM

Or actually running draws with their two good RBs.

Exactly. Tommy Bowden is getting out coached by Nick Saban, who has his team focused.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 09:00 PM

Razorbacks better watch out. If they lose this one, Petrino will probably immediately look to bail.

It's 28-24 Arkansas now with just under 2 minutes to go. Casey Dick somehow has 4 TDs, 2 passing and 2 running, one of which was a 23 yarder, the other a 4 yard TD run.

9 different Hogs with a pass reception so far today.

Hopefully we'll be able to pull out the win, but the fact that it's this close against a 1-AA team does not make bode well for the rest of the season.

Izulde

08-30-2008, 09:07 PM

And Hogs get the 28-24 win!

Tigercat

08-30-2008, 09:10 PM

Arkansas State beat Texas A&M. New coaches really struggling this weekend.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 09:11 PM

North Carolina holding on to a 1 point lead against McNeese State

Tigercat

08-30-2008, 09:12 PM

McNeese has given a number of 1A teams fits over the years. Usually the big boys pull it out in the end though.

RendeR

08-30-2008, 09:14 PM

Mizzou kicking the living shit out of Illinois right now. The Illinis look like a Div II team, getting beat everywhere and beaten badly. Mizzou isn't even trying hard.

Big Fo

08-30-2008, 09:16 PM

That's what Clemson needs.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 09:16 PM

That's what Clemson needs.

And he needs to carry the ball more on offense too!

hoopsguy

08-30-2008, 09:18 PM

Exactly. Tommy Bowden is going out coached by Nick Saban, who has his team focused.

Hmm, who could have seen that coming?

hoopsguy

08-30-2008, 09:19 PM

Mizzou kicking the living shit out of Illinois right now. The Illinis look like a Div II team, getting beat everywhere and beaten badly. Mizzou isn't even trying hard.

Yep, I think that is a fair description of the last 10 minutes of the half. Up to that point it was a competitive game. But then Macklin ran one back to allow Mizzou to re-capture the lead and the Illini defense melted.

Dr. Sak

08-30-2008, 09:19 PM

The comment of the first half is how Brent and Kirk talked about how tense Tommy Bowden was in their pregame meetings while Saban was loose. The team feeds off the coach.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 09:20 PM

LaTech beats Miss. State 22-14, no doubt with some help from 5 turnovers.
Big thud for Sylvester Croom to start the season, giving up 19 unanswered points.

JPhillips

08-30-2008, 09:39 PM

Anybody done a suicide check on CUTiger?

JHandley

08-30-2008, 09:40 PM

Washington is getting outclassed by Oregon in what looks to be Ty's last year in Seattle.

kingnebwsu

08-30-2008, 09:42 PM

Logan

08-30-2008, 09:46 PM

I don't see how it's even debatable.

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 09:48 PM

And Hogs get the 28-24 win!

Good. Always had a soft spot for the Razorbacks. However, you're right. They need to step it up or it could be a loooong season in Fayetteville when they get to the conference schedule.

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 09:50 PM

Mizzou is clearly better than Illinois.

If Clemson & Va Tech both go down (ACC divisional favorites), then is the ACC the worst BCS conference?

Before the season started I thought it was SEC, Big 12, Pac 10, Big 10, Big East, and the ACC as far as ranking the conferences. I'm seriously wondering if the ACC is really the worst. I know about their record in BCS games, but wow. We'll know a lot more in 4 weeks.

I think you could make that point. I knew VT would be rebuilding this season, but I thought they'd win their opener. Likewise, I was hoping Clemson would knock off Alabama. I'm a SEC guy, but I can't stand Nick Satan...er Saban.

JonInMiddleGA

08-30-2008, 09:51 PM

If Clemson & Va Tech both go down (ACC divisional favorites)

'course, part of the problem might lie with who the early favorites were.

The Bama/Clemson game is going pretty much like I expected (although the Tide offense is exceeding my expectations somewhat). Va Tech's loss to ECU isn't all that big a surprise either. Virginia definitely fared worse than I thought they would. But we don't really have a clue about BC, Miami, Wake, or even FSU.

There's certainly every chance that the conference is as bad as it looks but there's also a chance that what was wrong as much as anything was overrating a couple of teams that had obvious weakness (Hokies at QB, Clemson at HC).

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 09:55 PM

There's certainly every chance that the conference is as bad as it looks but there's also a chance that what was wrong as much as anything was overrating a couple of teams that had obvious weakness (Hokies at QB, Clemson at HC).

Well, I expected more from Virginia, but they were never in that game against SC. I think Clemson will probably win the conference this year, but they've got no shot at a championship. Miami could start making national title noise again, but they'll need a few more years of seasoning before that happens. I'm thinking FSU finishes around .500 this season...and the others will have -meh- type seasons.

Yeah, the ACC has certain taken a tumble in prestige since its golden days.

Logan

08-30-2008, 09:57 PM

Allow me to join in on being really impressed by Alabama tonight.

RendeR

08-30-2008, 10:26 PM

Wow, Bama thrashing the hell outta Clemson....color me impressed.

ace1914

08-30-2008, 10:27 PM

USC put it on VA today....kind of embarrassing really.

RendeR

08-30-2008, 10:27 PM

Ok, I gotta say "Bama, join the current century, update those ugly ass uniforms"

SFL Cat

08-30-2008, 10:29 PM

It might not be unthinkable to see the entire Bowden family out of football following this season.

Warhammer

08-30-2008, 10:32 PM

If Illinois could actually hold Mizzou for a series or two, they might actually get back in the game.

Wolfpack

08-30-2008, 10:34 PM

Yeah, the ACC has certainly taken a tumble in prestige since FSU's golden days.

Fixed.

Even so, it's absolutely mindboggling how horrible the league looks outside of Wake Forest so far. Heck, the mere suggestion that Wake Forest is apparently the league's team to beat would've been a staggering one at the time of the expansion a few years ago.

As the results have gone on today, I've actually pondered whether the ACC would have just been better off not to have expanded, gambled on FSU, Tech, and Clemson walking, settled for mid-major status in football, and concentrated on basketball and other sports. I don't believe it to be true, but the thought did cross my mind. It certainly doesn't seem like much of a difference from the current situation.

RendeR

08-30-2008, 10:49 PM

If Illinois could actually hold Mizzou for a series or two, they might actually get back in the game.

Wow, just flipped back to this game, its suddenyl a 10 pointer...yikes.

Matthean

08-30-2008, 10:51 PM

(although the Tide offense is exceeding my expectations somewhat)

The loss of Applewhite was addition by subtraction because he loved the pass too much. I think part of Wilson's issues was he never felt comfortable in that offense. This is classic 'Bama though. Ground and pound with smart QB play and scary good defense. Saban being able to add in top flight WR talent is what's going to make this all the more interesting because 'Bama has virtually never been known for WRs.

General Mike

08-30-2008, 11:24 PM

As the results have gone on today, I've actually pondered whether the ACC would have just been better off not to have expanded, gambled on FSU, Tech, and Clemson walking, settled for mid-major status in football, and concentrated on basketball and other sports. I don't believe it to be true, but the thought did cross my mind. It certainly doesn't seem like much of a difference from the current situation.

Where would they have even walked to? One of them might have been able to sneak their way into the SEC, but the Big East sure wasn't looking to expand. Being independent teams wouldn't have been feasible either.

MJ4H

08-31-2008, 12:25 AM

Arkansas offense looked great tonight in the second half. Very slow start, but that isn't surprising. Once the cobwebs were out, it was much better, aside from the receivers dropping some balls they should've caught. Offense will be fine.

Defense, ugh. Didn't give up too many big plays, but consistently gave up 4-6 yds on almost every running play. Blech. Couldn't stop anyone and that may be trouble. The defense is supposed to be solid on the line and in the back, but weak in the linebackers, but the line didn't look good at all tonight.

Biggest problems were the D-line and turnovers. The slow start on offense doesn't worry me at all, though that and the turnovers made the game close when it shouldn't have been.

CU Tiger

08-31-2008, 09:06 AM

Anybody done a suicide check on CUTiger?

Alive and well....
I was at that debacle of course and thoroughly disgusted.
We have no Oline. I realize 4 of the 5 started their first game at the individual position, and Bama's D is good but that was pitiful. I walked away scratching my head, really not knowing how good or bad we are. We never stopped Bama but they never seemed to be able to explode either. And we simply never got going on Offense. It seemed like we could move the ball decently, but dropped passes, dumb penalties, and sacks kept stalling drives.

And he needs to carry the ball more on offense too!

We were talkin about this on the way home today. Im not 100% sure that Spiller had a single traditional hit the hole carry the entire game.

It might not be unthinkable to see the entire Bowden family out of football following this season.
I will with hold my opinion right now because its too raw, but after last seasons contract it is patently impossible to fire Bowden after this season. Thats no to say he couldn't resign or get taken out by sniper fire but he cant be fired.

One final thing to add. Bama was well represented and had some true high class fans. We had several who had bought tickets with in a few rows of us and while they cheered their team, hook their pom poms and made some noise they were very respectful and I did not see a single ass hole. Actually did see one but he wwas a Clemson fan...who could not handle losing.

Wolfpack

08-31-2008, 09:09 AM

Where would they have even walked to? One of them might have been able to sneak their way into the SEC, but the Big East sure wasn't looking to expand. Being independent teams wouldn't have been feasible either.

That's true. But, it was always reputed that if the ACC didn't expand that the football schools were considering all options on the table including leaving the league, especially FSU. While they might not have found a home, the three probably might have had enough clout to cobble together a league of their own that still might have pulled some teams from the Big East and (if necessary) the directional Florida schools. A league of FSU, GT, Clemson, Miami, VT, UCF, USF, and another member would not have been an unreasonable possibility if they were forming up for football purposes.

MizzouRah

08-31-2008, 10:58 AM

timmynausea

08-31-2008, 11:48 AM

West Virginia struggled off and on defensively against Villanova, but the offensive changes looked great. Much closer to a balanced attack than I expected, and Pat White looks to have come a long way as a passer in just a few months under a new QB coach. He threw 5 TD passes and I think one incompletion was due to a defensive guy breaking it up. Every other incomplete literally hit a reciever in the hands and was dropped including the pick which popped straight up off Brad Starks' fingers. I'm obviously a Pat White fan, but I was blown away by the strides he's made as a passer since last year.

ECU's win over VT makes WVU's trip to play Skip Holtz and co. one of best matchups next weekend. The Pirates always seem to play us tough at their place, so hopefully the defense can get pressure a little more consistently next week.

Swaggs

08-31-2008, 12:46 PM

White was impressive. He threw a career high 33 passes (and not just the famed Rich Rod bubble screens) and every single one hit a receiver's hands.

I am hoping (and am reasonably sure) that the defense kept things very vanilla to avoid giving teams much film to prepare for.

Dr. Sak

08-31-2008, 12:59 PM

Vegas Vic

08-31-2008, 01:12 PM

There are three college games being televised today (Sunday):

11:00 AM EDT Hampton vs. Jackson State: ESPN2 HD
3:30 PM EDT Kentucky at Louisville ESPN HD
7:30 PM EDT Colorado State vs. Colorado FSN HD

dawgfan

08-31-2008, 02:44 PM

Washington is getting outclassed by Oregon in what looks to be Ty's last year in Seattle.

Someone please wake me up from this nightmare.

If only someone (http://operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1603592&postcount=57) could have foreeen (http://operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1608425&postcount=233) this...

Logan

08-31-2008, 02:54 PM

UK-UL is always a good time.

TargetPractice6

08-31-2008, 03:55 PM

Kentucky leads 10-0 at the half. UK's defense is dominating the Cards at this point.

miami_fan

08-31-2008, 04:10 PM

The loss of Applewhite was addition by subtraction because he loved the pass too much. I think part of Wilson's issues was he never felt comfortable in that offense. This is classic 'Bama though. Ground and pound with smart QB play and scary good defense. Saban being able to add in top flight WR talent is what's going to make this all the more interesting because 'Bama has virtually never been known for WRs.

I watched the game with some family who are huge Alabama fans who were saying the same things. They still are not Parker Wilson fans (actually started calling for his backup at some point). They are in love with the run emphasis that the offense had.

Warhammer

08-31-2008, 05:20 PM

I had a wedding to attend last night, but I DVR'd the Mizzou - Illinios game and WOW.. what a game it was!

Hope Macklin is ok, the x-ray's are negative, so that's a good thing.

Does MBBF have a hang over today? ;)

You really gotta wonder what would have happened if Juice didn't throw the INT with 8 minutes left on the Mizzou 25. All of a sudden you're talking about a 3 point game with UI with all the momentum. Oh well.

Radii

08-31-2008, 05:30 PM

newsobserver.com | Aerial delivery goes awry (http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/unc/story/1200990.html)

Duke officials were a bit surprised when, at 6 p.m. Saturday, about an hour before the scheduled kickoff of their game against James Madison, two men parachuted into Wallace Wade Stadium and landed with a game ball.

Problem was, the Blue Devils -- who were warming up on the field along with their guests from Virginia -- weren't expecting it.

"All we know is, they must have missed their jump site," a team official said.

And they did -- because the jump site was meant to be about eight miles away.

North Carolina was scheduled to receive the game ball for its contest against McNeese State via an aerial team at about that time in Chapel Hill.

According to UNC assistant athletic director for promotions Michael Beale, the plane was in the air but the jumpers from Virginia-based Aerial Adventures opted to cancel the leap into Kenan Stadium because of weather.

Evidently, when the clouds eventually opened, the pilot thought they were over the correct stadium, and the skydivers jumped -- realizing only when they landed in Wallace Wade that they were in the wrong place.

The two men immediately scrambled off the field with the game ball, and when UNC associate athletic director Rick Steinbacher was informed by a reporter of what had happened, he immediately called Duke officials to confirm the miscue and offer his apologies.

"In about five years, maybe this will be funny," Steinbacher said. "Right now, I'm just glad no one was hurt."