Official College Football Week 4 thread

[cartman]

The first month of the season wraps up this weekend. Many teams are starting conference play. Here are the matchups between Top 25 teams:

Arizona at Oregon
Clemson at Florida State
Kansas State at Oklahoma
Michigan at Notre Dame

[MacroGuru]

BYU travels to Boise and plays on the smurf turf Thursday night.

[Logan]

Rutgers visits Arkansas for a game that has a whole different meaning than when it was announced earlier in the year. Very excited for this one. I imagine if Wilson plays and the team snaps out of all this, we'll have little chance but it will be interesting to watch.

[sooner333]

Rutgers visits Arkansas for a game that has a whole different meaning than when it was announced earlier in the year. Very excited for this one. I imagine if Wilson plays and the team snaps out of all this, we'll have little chance but it will be interesting to watch.

I went to that Arkansas game last week--you'll have the benefit of a very sedate crowd (which wasn't the case at the start of the game, but was the case soon thereafter; emptying of the seats was in short order after that). The fans have certainly given up and perhaps the players too. Rutgers most certainly has a shot to take this one--as you said, a far cry from what would have been thought in the preseason.

I'm looking forward to the OU-K State game this weekend. Should be big...I hope the crowd will treat it like the big game it is.

[Chief Rum]

UCLA hosts Oregon State in OSU's first game since their surprise takedown of Wisky in Corvallis two weeks ago--and also their only game of the season so far. We'll get to see how legit the Beavers are pretty quick.

[Honolulu_Blue]

UCLA hosts Oregon State in OSU's first game since their surprise takedown of Wisky in Corvallis two weeks ago--and also their only game of the season so far. We'll get to see how legit the Beavers are pretty quick.

Given that Wisky barely squeaked by Utah State at home last week, winning 16-14, I am not sure how impressive a win that is in hindsight.

[Ksyrup]

Obviously huge game for FSU. Outside of UF, they may not have another tough game on the schedule, assuming Miami and VT are what they appear to be. Maybe NC State... they always seem to play us tough.

[Ksyrup]

Given that Wisky barely squeaked by Utah State at home last week, winning 16-14, I am not sure how impressive a win that is in hindsight.

Poor Utah State - that team has, what, about a half-dozen unbelievable losses/collapses since the beginning of last year? They are like the Charlie Brown of college football.

[Chief Rum]

Given that Wisky barely squeaked by Utah State at home last week, winning 16-14, I am not sure how impressive a win that is in hindsight.

I agree. As a UCLA fan, though, I was just giving due respect to an opponent and trying to be sure not to jinx the Bruins.

I think any rational read of this game has UCLA covering the current two TD spread or close enough.

[I. J. Reilly]

I agree. As a UCLA fan, though, I was just giving due respect to an opponent and trying to be sure not to jinx the Bruins.

I think any rational read of this game has UCLA covering the current two TD spread or close enough.

The line is really at 14? That sounds like way too much to me, so mark me down as irrational.:)
Couple of things I would note in the Beavers defense here: this is only going to be there second game of the year, they are almost completely healthy at this point and the as the old saying goes you make your biggest gains from game 1 to game 2. They also have had two weeks to prep for UCLA’s offense and UCLA doesn’t have much film to work with on our offense.

On the flip side we’ve had a hell of a time actually winning in the Rose Bowl over the last few years, even when UCLA was playing poorly we usually lose. So I would be surprised if we do pull off the upset, but I would also be really surprised if this ends in a UCLA blowout.

[Chief Rum]

The line is really at 14? That sounds like way too much to me, so mark me down as irrational.:)
Couple of things I would note in the Beavers defense here: this is only going to be there second game of the year, they are almost completely healthy at this point and the as the old saying goes you make your biggest gains from game 1 to game 2. They also have had two weeks to prep for UCLA’s offense and UCLA doesn’t have much film to work with on our offense.

On the flip side we’ve had a hell of a time actually winning in the Rose Bowl over the last few years, even when UCLA was playing poorly we usually lose. So I would be surprised if we do pull off the upset, but I would also be really surprised if this ends in a UCLA blowout.

Well, it opened up at -11 and jumped to -13.5 shortly after that, apparently. Not sure if the pendulum has swung the other way yet. UCLA is getting a lot of hype all of a sudden, so it's not a surprise to see the money come in hard on the UCLA side.

I expect the Beavers to be a tougher team to beat than people expect, but I do figure UCLA will pull out the win, for the exact reasons you mention, this is in the Rose Bowl and Oregon State struggled against UCLA even when they were coached by nimrods. If this were in Corvallis, this prediction might go different.

Regardless, I'm hopeful for a fun game on both sides on Saturday.

[Ksyrup]

OK, now I think this is just for publicity and not some oblivious crazy fan.

Kentucky Sports Radio » Blog Archive » She’s baaaaaaack… (http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=118442)

[MacroGuru]

What an ugly first half of football.

[panerd]

I went to that Arkansas game last week--you'll have the benefit of a very sedate crowd (which wasn't the case at the start of the game, but was the case soon thereafter; emptying of the seats was in short order after that). The fans have certainly given up and perhaps the players too. Rutgers most certainly has a shot to take this one--as you said, a far cry from what would have been thought in the preseason.

I'm looking forward to the OU-K State game this weekend. Should be big...I hope the crowd will treat it like the big game it is.

I put a bet on Klien to win the Heisman at the beginning of the year at 100-1 odds. (only $5 but still a nice payout) I checked online after the USC loss and he was at 10-1. Wish I would have bought it from the stock site instead of having to actually win the bet. But that kid is a stud and this is going to be a great game. The SEC may end up being the right choice down the line but count me as a Mizzou fan that misses the old Big 8 rivalries immensely.

[BYU 14]

Just fuck......

Very un-Bronco Mendenhall like move going for 2 at the end. That's a lot to put on a true freshman QB.

[MacroGuru]

Just fuck......

Very un-Bronco Mendenhall like move going for 2 at the end. That's a lot to put on a true freshman QB.

Yeah and I made a bet with some good friends of mine that are BSU fines...looks like I will be sporting the Bronco logo and smurf turf on my FB until BYU wins again...might be a long time with the way our offense is playing.

And Weber needs to lose his job...that oline is worthless and they should be better than they are.

[BYU 14]

Yeah and I made a bet with some good friends of mine that are BSU fines...looks like I will be sporting the Bronco logo and smurf turf on my FB until BYU wins again...might be a long time with the way our offense is playing.

And Weber needs to lose his job...that oline is worthless and they should be better than they are.

Yeah, we are not good up front....I think I will be getting boxed again on cougarboard though. The meltdown there is fucking epic....I need to not reply to some people over there, bandwagon fuckers :)

[MrBug708]

Yeah and I made a bet with some good friends of mine that are BSU fines...looks like I will be sporting the Bronco logo and smurf turf on my FB until BYU wins again...might be a long time with the way our offense is playing.

And Weber needs to lose his job...that oline is worthless and they should be better than they are.

Weber still worthless?

[bronconick]

Just fuck......

Very un-Bronco Mendenhall like move going for 2 at the end. That's a lot to put on a true freshman QB.

I figured we should all thank him for not leaving us in a situation where the game would have continued.

[MacroGuru]

Weber still worthless?

Yes he is...We had an awards watchlist Guard, a bunch of seniors with experience on our Oline and not one can get the snap count correct, create a hole or pass block.

[BYU 14]

I figured we should all thank him for not leaving us in a situation where the game would have continued.

What and miss out on an OT full of offensive ineptitude? :)

BYU has not had a solid answer at QB since Max Hall left and it sucks worse than ever this year with as good as the defense is.

[Ksyrup]

Just fuck......

Very un-Bronco Mendenhall like move going for 2 at the end. That's a lot to put on a true freshman QB.

My biggest problem with the call is that it wasn't "the end." No matter how good your D is playing, 3:30 is a lot of time to leave the other team to just need a FG to still beat you, even if you get the 2. So I'm not sure that risk was really worth it. 45 seconds left, then yeah I can buy that call.

[BYU 14]

Yes he is...We had an awards watchlist Guard, a bunch of seniors with experience on our Oline and not one can get the snap count correct, create a hole or pass block.


This, I have never seen such poor line play at BYU, there is a lot of talent on that line, they are in great shape, but not an ounce of nasty sonofabitch in a single one of them.

This is what nasty looks like Weber :D

<iframe height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qXfSDEzyl30" frameBorder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

[Swaggs]

Screaming Marine follow-up:The Ole Miss 'Screaming Marine' Speaks, Or Why You Shouldn't Taunt A Marine - From Our Editors - SBNation.com (http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/9/21/3368930/ole-miss-screaming-marine-gif-interview)

[tarcone]

Im looking forward to Mizzou/South Carolina. This could be an upset. If Mizzous patchwork line can hold up.

Iowa hosts Central michigan, who is considered on the worst 25 college football teams. I hope we dont struggle.

Go Hawks!

[Matthean]

Iowa hosts Central michigan, who is considered on the worst 25 college football teams. I hope we dont struggle.

Even MSU looked like they had an offense against them.

[CU Tiger]

Im looking forward to Mizzou/South Carolina. This could be an upset. If Mizzous patchwork line can hold up.




I really, really wish you were right.
However I think its more like Clowney breaks the all time NCAA sack in a game record.

Really cant believe Steve Spurrier is allowing a player to start at QB with a broken shoulder blade and isnt catching more flack for it.

[Matthean]

UAB up 9-0 on OSU. Even if OSU wins, the Big Ten continues to look retched.

[mauchow]

Hey, is Wisconsin back to being Wisconsin?

Freshman, Stave looking good back there at QB as the OLine is finally starting to do something after a rough start to the day.

I know it's UTEP but we gotta start somewhere before we head into enemy territory next week in Lincoln.

[BillJasper]

Looks like Ohio State woke up.

[tarcone]

Iowa down 23-14 at half. Are you kidding me?

[Matthean]

Hey, is Wisconsin back to being Wisconsin?

Freshman, Stave looking good back there at QB as the OLine is finally starting to do something after a rough start to the day.

I know it's UTEP but we gotta start somewhere before we head into enemy territory next week in Lincoln.

There was no way that team was staying down all season long.

[BillJasper]

Nice special teams play by Haynes of Ohio State.

[mauchow]

There was no way that team was staying down all season long.

Wisconsin back to being Wisconsin of 2012.

[tarcone]

Iowa goes ahead on a 47 yard FG into the wind. Score is now 24-23. 8 minutes left in the game.

[tarcone]

Iowa scored with about 4 minutes left on their back up FB turned RBs 3rd TD of the day. We went up 31-23. Central Michigan just scored a TD but failed on the 2 point conversion. Iowa ahead 31-29 with 45 seconds left.
Onside kick coming up. Delay of game on CMU on the kick off. Do it again. CMU recovers the onside kick.

Oh brother.

[tarcone]

Personal foul against Iowa. CMU close to FG position.

[Matthean]

I hope Iowa wins for no other reason that one of the more annoying sports fans I have on FB graduated from CMU.

[tarcone]

Ball on our 39

[tarcone]

31 yard line. 11 seconds left. Time out CMU.

[tarcone]

47 yards FG attempt for CMU.
Career long.
Iowa TO

[tarcone]

FG good. CMU 32-31

[tarcone]

Its nice that we pay our football coach about $4 million a year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

David Harman 47 yard field goal GOOD.

Wow. Just wow.

[tarcone]

Time to go to Hawkeyenation.com to see the reaction.

This is going to be a loooooonnnnnnggggg season.

[Karlifornia]

Central Michigan is love, Iowa is not

[Matthean]

Its nice that we pay our football coach about $4 million a year.

Granted the 15 yard personal foul kind of helped cost the game.

[tarcone]

True. But that is being undisciplined. Which can be traced to the HC. And what about out Jr. TE watching the onside kick skirt by him. Poorly coached.

And the Fire Ferentz posters are out in force.

[Matthean]

I do wonder if he's tapped out and or lost control of the team. I was going to mention this earlier and back it up with some data but it seems the data wasn't there as much as it was in my head. I don't really seeing the program moving forward with him there though. Once the downward spiral happens, it's difficult for a coach who has been there 10+ years to turn it around.

[JonInMiddleGA]

GT kick returner started out of the end zone, apparently changed his mind ... and somehow managed to down the ball to give away a safety. Unbelievable

12-0 Miami, still in the first.

[Matthean]

Wisconsin Badgers' Montee Ball (head) leaves game, doesn't return against UTEP - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8410264/wisconsin-badgers-montee-ball-head-leaves-game-return-utep)

I swore he wasn't playing anyway, but maybe the article was referring to after he got hurt. Wisconsin really needs him for Big Ten play.

[tarcone]

Welcome the the SEC, Missouri.

[tarcone]

Wow. What a great game. Fast game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Make that 19-0 Miami.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm not sure GT could finish better than top 3 in the Southern Conference ... and it may be down a little this year.

[tarcone]

Thats Iowa and the MAC.

[JPhillips]

That punt return by SC is going to make all the highlights. Amazing he didn't fall.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Miami remembers who it is these days ... GT now leads 20-19, but I still have every confidence that GT will find a way to lose.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just had a sobering thought ... the bowl season will probably have a few ACC-B10 matchups. {shudders} That's gonna be some ugly football.

[Logan]

That punt return by SC is going to make all the highlights. Amazing he didn't fall.

That was insane. That Mizzou guy who tried ripping out the ball is a moron.

[bronconick]

That was insane. That Mizzou guy who tried ripping out the ball is a moron.

To be fair, that qualifies for defense in the Big XII. Mizzou hasn't really adjusted yet.

[mckerney]

True. But that is being undisciplined. Which can be traced to the HC. And what about out Jr. TE watching the onside kick skirt by him. Poorly coached.

And the Fire Ferentz posters are out in force.

Wouldn't firing him cost something like $20 million?

[JonInMiddleGA]

29-19 GT over Miami, 13m left Q3

[BishopMVP]

Could be a banner day for the MAC... in addition to the Iowa win, 2 of the worst teams in the league have leads at halftime over Michigan State, and in the 4th quarter vs. UConn. Also beating Kansas and South Florida right now.

[Matthean]

I don't see how MSU gets beat, but if for any reason they lose, that speaks volumes about how that offense is this year. A junior QB shouldn't be this inept at leading an offense. Their backup is a 3* redshirt freshman.

EDIT: Boisture could have/would have been the starter or backup but retired due to back issues.

[JonInMiddleGA]

36-19 GT mid Q3 ... could I have underestimated how bad The U is this year?

[RedKingGold]

Iowa belongs in the MAC.

Fixed.

[JonInMiddleGA]

NORFOLK, Va. -- Taylor Heinicke threw for a Division I-record 730 yards on Saturday as Old Dominion rallied to beat New Hampshire 64-61 in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams.

Heinicke set school records for completions (55), attempts (79), and passing yards (730) as New Hampshire (2-2), an FCS school, dominated the CAA's top-ranked defense throughout the first three quarters, taking a 54-38 lead into the fourth.

Former Houston quarterback David Klingler held the previous D-I record, throwing for 716 yards against Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1990.

Heinicke, though, is no Sam Durley.

Durley, of Division III Eureka (Ill.) College, set the NCAA single-game mark with 736 passing yards in his team's 62-55 come-from-behind win against Knox earlier this year.

How good was Heinicke?

According to ESPN Stats and Information, nine FBS teams (including reclassifiers) had played at least twice entering Saturday and still had not racked up Heinicke's 730 yards: Tulane, Massachusetts, Southern Miss, Temple, Hawaii, Kent State, Navy, Texas State and UAB.

[JonInMiddleGA]

On what planet does Miami trying a FG in that situation make sense? I know Earth isn't one, but is there another?

[mauchow]

Wisconsin Badgers' Montee Ball (head) leaves game, doesn't return against UTEP - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8410264/wisconsin-badgers-montee-ball-head-leaves-game-return-utep)

I swore he wasn't playing anyway, but maybe the article was referring to after he got hurt. Wisconsin really needs him for Big Ten play.

Gordon is the real deal and Ball was already dealing with his concussion for the first three games and wasn't completely himself as it is. I can't imagine a scenario where he plays a whole lot next week against Nebraska. But the Badgers will be bad with or without him because of their offensive line, which is perhaps why Ball didn't look like last year, too.

[Izulde]

On what planet does Miami trying a FG in that situation make sense? I know Earth isn't one, but is there another?

Uranus, duh.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, like anybody didn't know that was gonna happen.

[MizzouRah]

It's time to see what Berkstresser can do. Franklin can run, but can't pass worth shit.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Any other team in the country, this would be unbelievable.

For GT, it’s just business as usual.

[flounder]

There just isn't enough mental toughness on offense. On the defensive side, I don't know if the problem is depth or conditioning, but they just go all to pieces in the 4th quarter.

[Matthean]

36 carries for 253 yards for Bell. MSU needs to hope he comes back for his Sr. year. He's all they will have next year with Sims graduating.

[bhlloy]

Barkley is going to be lucky to be invited to the Heisman ceremony at this rate. Also, thanks DirectTV/Pac-12 for not letting me watch this game.

[Buccaneer]

Glad to see UCLA with a real QB finally:

CP/AT YDS TD INT
B. Hundley 27/42 372 1 0

[CU Tiger]

This will be my first Clemson game in front of a TV, since...well I cant really remember right now to be honest.

But my daughter's 9th B-day party is tomorrow and I have 60 kids to entertain at a carnival that we are creating in our yard...

Been ejoying being a CFB fan and not just a Tiger fan who catches glimpses of all the other games today.

Hope Clemson shows up and makes a game of it tonight, but no idea what to expect. Nothing will surprise me except Clemson being shut out. I can see a huge win either direction or a nail biter....but I cant see a situation where FSU holds the Clemson O to less than 17.

[Chief Rum]

Glad to see UCLA with a real QB finally:

CP/AT YDS TD INT
B. Hundley 27/42 372 1 0


No kidding! Too bad his performance wasn'y enough, though. :(

Kudos to Oregon State. They played a hell of a game and proved Wisconsin wad no fluke. In fact, I believe we will look back on a few weeks and see that this win today wad in fact even more impressive than the Wisconsin win. I definitely underestimated the Beavs.

Missed opportunities for the Bruins. They are a young team. Hopefully they take this as a learning experience and get right back to it.

IJ Reilly, be proud of your team! I am thinking they may have something to say about how the Pac 12 North ends up this season.

[Matthean]

Two trips in the red zone for Michigan result in zero points. One missed FG and an INT thrown by the RB under pressure. You can't let points like that slip away.

[Matthean]

Robinson got his mandatory INT out of the way. Irish 3-0.

[General Mike]

Tough first quarter for Rutgers is followed by an awesome second quarter.

[Matthean]

2nd INT for Robinson so the Irish help out and toss an INT in the end zone. Teams are a combined 1-4 in the red zone.

[Matthean]

Robinson completes the unholy trifecta. Three straight series with an INT.

[General Mike]

Brandon Coleman with a 38 yard TD off of a screen.

[Matthean]

Robinson's three picks have lead to the Irish's 10 points. Robinson is shown on the sideline smiling and laughing with teammates. Rees is in so the Irish offense is picking up.

[MrBug708]

:(

[Thomkal]

Coastal Carolina is 0-5 lifetime against FBS schools and almost all have been blowouts and CCU has scored a combined 13 points against them. Right now they lead Toledo 21-17 in the 3rd quarter with about 9 minutes left. Would probably be the biggest win in school history if they can hold on.

[Matthean]

Irish fans know the additional lyrics to "Sweet Caroline." It was totally audible on NBC Sports.

[Eaglesfan27]

Barkley is going to be lucky to be invited to the Heisman ceremony at this rate. Also, thanks DirectTV/Pac-12 for not letting me watch this game.


Agreed on both points. Annoyed I couldn't watch the game because of DirecTV. Happy with the final outcome as well as the outcome of the UCLA game. However, USC got hit hard with injuries today.

[Matthean]

LSU finally takes a 12-10 lead on Auburn.

[General Mike]

Gary Nova for Heisman

[Thomkal]

ah I jinxed them, Toledo up 31-21 after 3

[Matthean]

This might be the most depressing Michigan game I have ever watched. Driving again and Robinson fumbles it. Sixth TO by Michigan.

[Solecismic]

Installing Denard Robinson as your quarterback is like handing the keys to a Lamborghini to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., only he's been up for the last 48 hours on a Red Bull and cocaine bender.

[B & B]

Please,


Run to the window and take FSU 2h over Clemson.

They will make adjustments and win this game by a TD or more.

Expect the normal Clemson / Dabo meltdown and make your bookie pay for it.


that is all.

[miked]

Unreal game for Nova so far.

[Matthean]

KSU up 10-6 on OU.

[Matthean]

If the Irish win this, they will be a Top 10 team based on three ugly wins against Big Ten teams. I can see how they beat MSU, but Michigan is literally giving them this game and yet it's 10-3.

[I. J. Reilly]

No kidding! Too bad his performance wasn'y enough, though. :(

Kudos to Oregon State. They played a hell of a game and proved Wisconsin wad no fluke. In fact, I believe we will look back on a few weeks and see that this win today wad in fact even more impressive than the Wisconsin win. I definitely underestimated the Beavs.

Missed opportunities for the Bruins. They are a young team. Hopefully they take this as a learning experience and get right back to it.

IJ Reilly, be proud of your team! I am thinking they may have something to say about how the Pac 12 North ends up this season.

On Hundley, I wasn’t completely sold on him until today. He showed a lot; OSU threw a couple of haymakers and Hundley led his team right down the field each time to answer, pretty impressive from a guy his age.

And as for the Beavs; -2 in turnovers with 90 yards of penalties on the road against the 19th team in the nation and we still lead the whole way. That’s pretty impressive. Who knows how many wins we will end up with, but with playmakers like Wheaton and Cooks we will have a shot at anyone.

And hey, with a little luck maybe we’ll see you again this year:)

Edit: And how do you celebrate the win if you're Oregon State? In-N-Out of course.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/09/22/oregon-state-mike-riley-in-n-out-burger/70000929/1#.UF5z9I2PU2x

[General Mike]

Unreal game for Nova so far.

Hope you made another bet with your wife.

[mckerney]

Thank god Syracuse keeps turning it over since Minnesota has struggled finishing drives against them.

[Matthean]

Missed FG by Auburn seals the win for LSU.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tennessee clinging to a lead at home against Akron. Now 33-26 with 12:30 left in Q4.

[miked]

Hope you made another bet with your wife.

I did but she's still upset about the GT choke today.

[mauchow]

The Big Ten is WIDE OPEN this year. Who's going to come out on top! WHAT AN INTERESTING STORYLINE!

[mauchow]

Wreckless football by Oregon, 4th and 2 on the 35 yard line in their own territory and go for it...

Really? I mean, really...?

Whatever, they'll win anyway bu tstill.

[General Mike]

The Big Ten is WIDE OPEN this year. Who's going to come out on top! WHAT AN INTERESTING STORYLINE!

Who's going to survive the Leaders division?

[mauchow]

Who's going to survive the Leaders division?

I was being sarcasticabout it being interesting because it truly will be a wide open conference as a whole. They all suck.

Wisconsin and Purdue will be the Leaders leaders, I presume. Michigan, Nebraska, MSU, dare I say Northwestern and Minnesota (lol...j/k) will battle for the Legends. Nobody stands out at this point.

[Matthean]

Having watched ND for the last two games, I'm amazed that team won both of them. Granted Michigan sealed its own fate but that has to be some of the most god awful offense I have seen from all teams involved. Unless a Big Ten team flips some massive switch, whoever the Big Ten champ faces in the Rose Bowl is going to get smoked by 20+. This has to be the worst of the main six conferences and being so on a rather large level.

P.S. Illinois is getting rolled 52-24 by LTU.

[Matthean]

OU falls to KSU 24-19 in Oklahoma.

[MrBug708]

Oregon and Arizona is awful football. The game is so fast, neither team can settle down.

Arizona is 0-4 on trips to the RZ. One muffed FG, one blocked FG, one turnover on downs, and another TO.

[Logan]

Wooooooooooooooooo!

Wow. There were so many points in tonight's game where I expected a typical Rutgers "moment". Instead, just kept firing back and making plays when they were needed. We gotta work on 3rd down play calling (not being too conservative) and have to get the frosh kicker sorted out, but damn I love this team.

Nova was unbelievable tonight.

[Young Drachma]

Wow. Nice job Rutgers.

Meanwhile, holy cow...Old Dominion's QB threw for 730 yards today against New Hampshire.

[Buccaneer]

Installing Denard Robinson as your quarterback is like handing the keys to a Lamborghini to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., only he's been up for the last 48 hours on a Red Bull and cocaine bender.

More like handing your keys to blind kid on a fast motoscooter.

[General Mike]

Wooooooooooooooooo!

Wow. There were so many points in tonight's game where I expected a typical Rutgers "moment". Instead, just kept firing back and making plays when they were needed. We gotta work on 3rd down play calling (not being too conservative) and have to get the frosh kicker sorted out, but damn I love this team.

Nova was unbelievable tonight.

The good thing about freshman is that they become sophomores. Anyway as far as kicker goes, Ito and Te both struggled early on and got better. Hell the disaster at Illinois in 2005 still haunts me.

[Lathum]

As a life long Rutgers fan this was maybe the most satisfying win I can recall. They showed such guts and Nova played out of his mind. Amazing they beat an SEC school on the road, this is going to be huge for recruiting. I grew up going to games in the 80's and 90's with my dad, I can't count the number of blowouts I witnessed against the likes of Miami and WVU. To see them win a game like this, and so obviously be the better team, is so gratifying.

[Lathum]

That had to be the strangest TD run I have ever seen in the Oregon game

[BishopMVP]

Having watched ND for the last two games, I'm amazed that team won both of them. Granted Michigan sealed its own fate but that has to be some of the most god awful offense I have seen from all teams involved.ND has a great front 7, a couple TE's/WR's who can make 2-3 ridiculous catches a game on poorly thrown balls, and that's it - yet somehow that might qualify as a top 10 team now. I know we're not anywhere close to Alabama, and Miami/Pitt/BC aren't gimmes, but at the same time I don't see any reason we can't beat Stanford/Oklahoma/USC - all top 15 teams. God forbid we actually made it to the title game, because we'd get destroyed, but if we're a deserving (top 12) BCS team and not a "ND qualifies as #22 ahead of Louisville at #23 - they jumped 6 teams for TV ratings and got blown out by ACC #2" team, that's a nice building block.

Btw, if people haven't picked up on it, Manti Te'o is a beast. 36 tackles/3 picks in 4 games, at least 2 more forced ones tonight alone, and as much as I hate to bring it up, his grandmother and long-term girlfriend (from leukemia) passed away last week. I don't know if an inside linebacker can ever compete for a Heisman, but it's pretty impressive so far.P.S. Illinois is getting rolled 52-24 by LTU.To be fair, if LTU wins vs. A&M 10/13 they probably have the inside track on Ohio in the "we feel bad we never gave TCU or Boise a chance for the title - here play in the worst BCS bowl" sweepstakes.

[B & B]

Te'o is considered the best ILB in the game and a first round pick.

Jarvis Jones is considered the best OLB and a top 5 pick. (Actually #1 overall on two boards, including Mcshay)

[BishopMVP]

Te'o is considered the best ILB in the game and a first round pick.

Jarvis Jones is considered the best OLB and a top 5 pick. (Actually #1 overall on two boards, including Mcshay)I know Te'o was guaranteed 1st round last draft, which made it even more surprising he came back, but the question was always how much he would slip as an ILB - 16-28 was the guess, but who knows - it only takes one team (ask Jake Locker or Tim Tebow).

And fwiw, I like Jarvis Jones a lot, but if he goes top 5 that team screwed up. There's a ton of grey area with 3-4 ends/4-3 OLB's, but the last OLB worth a top 5 pick was whom, LT? Take reigning DPoY Terrell Suggs - drafted 10th overall, and I can find at least 5 players I'd rather have in that draft (2003 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NFL_Draft) ) AJ, Polamalu, Kevin Willliams Osi, Lane Briggs.

[Ben E Lou]

Welcome the the SEC, Missouri.I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport at the moment, heading to Columbia for work. Funny to be sitting around quite a few Mizzou folks, overhearing them talking about the culture shock of "sitting in a 90-degree stadium." It's more than a bit funny to think about that one. It wasn't even what we would call "hot" yesterday...

[Lathum]

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport at the moment, heading to Columbia for work. Funny to be sitting around quite a few Mizzou folks, overhearing them talking about the culture shock of "sitting in a 90-degree stadium." It's more than a bit funny to think about that one. It wasn't even what we would call "hot" yesterday...

That is just plain stupid considering half the Big 12 was in Texas

[M GO BLUE!!!]

To be fair to Denard, the interception Smith threw wasn't his fault. It just looked about the same as any of Denard's 47 picks in the game.

[mckerney]

I know Te'o was guaranteed 1st round last draft, which made it even more surprising he came back, but the question was always how much he would slip as an ILB - 16-28 was the guess, but who knows - it only takes one team (ask Jake Locker or Tim Tebow).

And fwiw, I like Jarvis Jones a lot, but if he goes top 5 that team screwed up. There's a ton of grey area with 3-4 ends/4-3 OLB's, but the last OLB worth a top 5 pick was whom, LT? Take reigning DPoY Terrell Suggs - drafted 10th overall, and I can find at least 5 players I'd rather have in that draft (2003 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NFL_Draft) ) AJ, Polamalu, Kevin Willliams Osi, Lane Briggs.

If Rick Spielman is still the Vikings GM he will probably take Te'o no matter how high they're picking since he love taking Notre Dame players and reaching on players because they're the best available at a position of need.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

and collectively cusenation falls off the marrone bandwagon. classic case of nice guys finish last. sad

[panerd]

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport at the moment, heading to Columbia for work. Funny to be sitting around quite a few Mizzou folks, overhearing them talking about the culture shock of "sitting in a 90-degree stadium." It's more than a bit funny to think about that one. It wasn't even what we would call "hot" yesterday...

Yeah uh I am not about to go defending the performance on the field for that stinker of a game but we play in like 100+ degree games almost every year to start the season and our road games were in Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas. Probably just bitching about hot weather but definitely not something new.

[MizzouRah]

That KST - OU game was great. Congrats to KST for beating a good team on the road.

[sterlingice]

That KST - OU game was great. Congrats to KST for beating a good team on the road.

Does this launch them into the national title picture? They crushed Miami and now won at Oklahoma. They have to go to West Virginia and TCU and have a home game against Texas. But their only other road games are at Iowa State and Baylor``

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

If you saw GT's final offensive play yesterday, you may have been wondering (as I was) why there was an unengaged OL (RT I believe) seen just sort of drifting aimlessly to his right. Today's beat blog explains.

After a timeout to choose the play, Washington checked out of the called play — a quarterback follow — to a toss. After he made the change, Miami switched its alignment, putting two men over the right tackle. Figuring a toss play would not gain the first down, Washington decided to keep and lowered his head. He was met square by linebacker Eddie Johnson, a North Atlanta High grad who stonewalled Washington for no gain.

Reggie Ball, Jr strikes again. Checking out of the play call is one thing, deciding to forego what you just called in the audible without bothering to tell your line is a different matter.

edit to add:
RB2 adds a little more insight on the situation
“The play that was called was a quarterback follow, and I checked to the toss because they were all in the gaps like coach [Johnson] talked about before we walked off the sideline. When I checked it they moved back out, but I did not re-check it. I’m coached to not re-check it twice right there, so I just tried to get it on my own.”

Biggest play of the game, and what we saw is actually how it's taught? Srsly?

[JonInMiddleGA]

And while I'm "enjoying" the recaps after Saturday's debacles/near debacles, the little tidbit linked below catches my eye. Yeah, Tennessee's "big win" to open the season is looking slightly less impressive. Dear Lord, how bad will Georgia beat the Vols next weekend? Biggest offensive streak in the history of the school (40+ in 4 straight games for the first time ever) vs a defense that barely managed to contain Akron. The only hope of it not being a historic rout might be the fact that UGA doesn't have as good a coaching staff as Akron.

North Carolina State drops Savannah State 45-33 | www.ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/north-carolina/north-carolina-state-drops-savannah-state-45-33/nSH9h/)

[britrock88]

The paper dropped the headline there -- the school that beat Savannah State is North Carolina Central.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The paper dropped the headline there -- the school that beat Savannah State is North Carolina Central.

LOL, I didn't even notice. I found their version totally believable.

edit to add: I went back and looked, to be fair, the headline comes from AP (not the AJC). The body of the article even refers to them as North Carolina State, only indication otherwise would be where they cite the winners record in the MEAC.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

It's time to see what Berkstresser can do. Franklin can run, but can't pass worth shit.

Yeah, Pinkel hasn't had much of a QB controversy since he's been the coach. B. Smith, Daniel, and Gabbert have kept that position solid. The cries for Berkstresser are going to be strong both inside and outside the locker room. Yesterday wasn't even the defense's fault. The defense was making some big plays early on. At some point, the offense has to get some sustained drives together or the defense doesn't stand a chance. They run out of steam.

Good news is that we've faced our two toughest foes in the East now. We have Alabama at home, but the rest of the games are all winnable games.

Edit: Saw this posted over at Tigerboard from mubobby. Usually a poster with some good football info......

-Dysfunction in the locker room- Wish I could be more specific, but respect that I can not. Shouting matches by coaches, in front of players. Players had to be seperated (more than once). Lets say the players have a voice about a couple issues, lets also say somebody doesnt want to hear it. Im told by somebody who has seen alot of locker rooms, he has never seen anything like that. He also thinks these guys may finally be pissed enough to play some football, and a certain member of the staff is being watched very closely. May be losing some responsibility."

Would guess that Coach Yost is likely the one who may be moved. Wouldn't be surprised to see Pinkel yank the offensive playcalling and do it himself.

[MizzouRah]

Does this launch them into the national title picture? They crushed Miami and now won at Oklahoma. They have to go to West Virginia and TCU and have a home game against Texas. But their only other road games are at Iowa State and Baylor``

SI

Maybe..

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, Pinkel hasn't had much of a QB controversy since he's been the coach. B. Smith, Daniel, and Gabbert have kept that position solid. The cries for Berkstresser are going to be strong both inside and outside the locker room. Yesterday wasn't even the defense's fault. The defense was making some big plays early on. At some point, the offense has to get some sustained drives together or the defense doesn't stand a chance. They run out of steam.

Good news is that we've faced our two toughest foes in the East now. We have Alabama at home, but the rest of the games are all winnable games.

Edit: Saw this posted over at Tigerboard from mubobby. Usually a poster with some good football info......



Would guess that Coach Yost is likely the one who may be moved. Wouldn't be surprised to see Pinkel yank the offensive playcalling and do it himself.

Couldn't agree more. They have to be able to pass and Franklin just doesn't possess the arm. That play where they hike the ball and he runs up the middle makes me want to smash my TV into about 4000 pieces. :)

[Logan]

Rutgers broke into both polls at 23/25.

[Easy Mac]

Yeah, Pinkel hasn't had much of a QB controversy since he's been the coach. B. Smith, Daniel, and Gabbert have kept that position solid. The cries for Berkstresser are going to be strong both inside and outside the locker room. Yesterday wasn't even the defense's fault. The defense was making some big plays early on. At some point, the offense has to get some sustained drives together or the defense doesn't stand a chance. They run out of steam.

Good news is that we've faced our two toughest foes in the East now. We have Alabama at home, but the rest of the games are all winnable games.

Edit: Saw this posted over at Tigerboard from mubobby. Usually a poster with some good football info......



Would guess that Coach Yost is likely the one who may be moved. Wouldn't be surprised to see Pinkel yank the offensive playcalling and do it himself.

To be fair. No one moves the ball on USC.

[JonInMiddleGA]

To be fair. No one moves the ball on USC.

Except for East Carolina ... who put up over 400 yards total offense against them, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with turnovers.

For that matter, all three SC opponents so far recorded more yards total offense than Mizzou.

Just to be fair, of course ;)

[Wolfpack]

And while I'm "enjoying" the recaps after Saturday's debacles/near debacles, the little tidbit linked below catches my eye. Yeah, Tennessee's "big win" to open the season is looking slightly less impressive. Dear Lord, how bad will Georgia beat the Vols next weekend? Biggest offensive streak in the history of the school (40+ in 4 straight games for the first time ever) vs a defense that barely managed to contain Akron. The only hope of it not being a historic rout might be the fact that UGA doesn't have as good a coaching staff as Akron.

North Carolina State drops Savannah State 45-33 | www.ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/north-carolina/north-carolina-state-drops-savannah-state-45-33/nSH9h/)

The paper dropped the headline there -- the school that beat Savannah State is North Carolina Central.

LOL, I didn't even notice. I found their version totally believable.

edit to add: I went back and looked, to be fair, the headline comes from AP (not the AJC). The body of the article even refers to them as North Carolina State, only indication otherwise would be where they cite the winners record in the MEAC.

Thanks for the vote of confidence in our program, Jon. :)

I'm actually surprised this hasn't been mentioned anywhere on Pack Pride. Usually they go ape when they find this sort of thing in the press, claiming yet another slight of disrespect against our fair university. This more often happens as a result of press reports or game announcers leaving "State" off when they give the school name, so it winds up as yet another reference in the press for the rivals down the road. I've never seen State confused for NC Central, though.

State whopped The Citadel 52-14, by the way. Not that it matters much, but at least State didn't give up 33 points to Savannah State. :D

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thanks for the vote of confidence in our program, Jon. :)

Hey, it's at least as much a shot at UT as it was at State ;)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Except for East Carolina ... who put up over 400 yards total offense against them, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with turnovers.

For that matter, all three SC opponents so far recorded more yards total offense than Mizzou.

Just to be fair, of course ;)

Agreed. A much more competent QB would have scored three touchdowns yesterday for Mizzou. It wasn't like there was blanket coverage going on. Franklin was a loose cannon. He was missing wide open receivers on some plays and outright ignoring them on others. I'm not saying Mizzou would have won, but having a QB who can find receivers and actually throw to their numbers wouldn't have hurt one bit.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Agreed. A much more competent QB would have scored three touchdowns yesterday for Mizzou. It wasn't like there was blanket coverage going on. Franklin was a loose cannon. He was missing wide open receivers on some plays and outright ignoring them on others. I'm not saying Mizzou would have won, but having a QB who can find receivers and actually throw to their numbers wouldn't have hurt one bit.

Wanna swap? I'll even throw in a 6th round recruit to go with Reggie Ball, Jr.
(We can bench Franklin & start the Vad Lee era a little earlier than expected)

[Ksyrup]

Not happy with FSU's D in the 1st half, but before the garbage TD at the end of the game, Boyd's 2nd half numbers made him look like Morgan Newton - 5-13, 0 yards, 1 INT. Watching FSU's offense put up nearly 700 yards despite running it into the line starting at about 7 minutes left was fun.

[cartman]

Agreed. A much more competent QB would have scored three touchdowns yesterday for Mizzou. It wasn't like there was blanket coverage going on. Franklin was a loose cannon. He was missing wide open receivers on some plays and outright ignoring them on others. I'm not saying Mizzou would have won, but having a QB who can find receivers and actually throw to their numbers wouldn't have hurt one bit.

MBBF is the gift that keeps on giving.

Getting refocused. 27 hours until kickoff for Mizzou. Ready to see Franklin in action. I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.

[MizzouRah]

Except for East Carolina ... who put up over 400 yards total offense against them, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with turnovers.

For that matter, all three SC opponents so far recorded more yards total offense than Mizzou.

Just to be fair, of course ;)

Doesn't surprise me, our offense sucks! :lol:

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

MBBF is the gift that keeps on giving.

Hoping for one thing and later having a realization that all is not as it should be is a shocking revelation to be sure.

[MacroGuru]

So the news this week is that BYU's starting QB has been playing with 3 cracked vertabrae that were sustained in the Weber State game.

Rumor has it that it is the transverse process...We will see if Hill or Lark step out on Friday against Hawaii.

[Julio Riddols]

The offensive play calling for Arizona in the Oregon game early on was frustratingly bad. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why a team would continue to try and run fancy shit like that at the goal line. Just line up in a big package and pound the ball right up the middle, man. All those missed opportunities killed the teams momentum, and by the second half their spirit had been broken. I can't help but think the game would have turned out much differently if they came away with points when they should have.

[Matthean]

The offensive play calling for Arizona in the Oregon game early on was frustratingly bad. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why a team would continue to try and run fancy shit like that at the goal line. Just line up in a big package and pound the ball right up the middle, man. All those missed opportunities killed the teams momentum, and by the second half their spirit had been broken. I can't help but think the game would have turned out much differently if they came away with points when they should have.

You must be new to the RR experience.

[Ksyrup]

<S>@</S>TravHaneyESPN (https://twitter.com/TravHaneyESPN) At TD Club, John L. Smith has called Arkansas "Alabama" and suggested Petrino will coach at Auburn in 2013.