College football - Week 10
 

Georgia Tech vs. Virgina Tech tonight

This should be an interesting game and by interesting I mean Virgina Tech should steamroll GT.

It's all about 'Bama vs. LSU for me.

Michigan also tries to decide how much it wants to limp towards the end of the season. 7-5 to me was the breaking point, so a loss here pretty much locks in a 6-6 season.

And hopefully the end of the ridiculous RR era.

Without a big win at OSU I don't see how RR keeps his job after the PSU debacle.

This is depressing, but with JT Floyd going down for the season this is Michigan's depth chart in the secondary:

RCB
Rogers (Never played before this year)
True freshman Terrence Talbott
True freshman Cullen Christian

LCB
True freshman Courtney Avery
TBD – Some Walk-on/Talbott/Christian

FS
True freshman Ray Vinopal
True freshman Carvin Johnson

Hybrid
Redshirt freshman Cam Gordon OR
Redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon
Walk-on Simmons

SS
Former Walk-on Kovacs
True freshman Marvin Robinson

And the lack of sophomores and juniors is in vast part to blame due to recruiting. 'Bama lost almost two whole squads in their defense and can paste together something at least respectable. Unless they get JR. College transfers, Michigan's backfield will be filled with sophomores and freshmen and the cry of being so young will ring out again. As it stands, Michigan only has two DB recruits for next year and only one is a 4 star.

Switching from the 3-4 we used last year was just ridiculous. Yes it would have put more pressure on the DB's but at least it would have at least opened up more avenues to pressure the QB.

The 3-3-5 can only work if you are constantly blitzing guys but we are playing a 3-3-5 soft zone all game which is the worst idea ever. It's just a license to gash us.

I can't even being to express how asinine I think a 3-3-5 defense is for a base defense. You can't stop the run and you can't get any pressure on the QB. Awesome.

Considering how popular the spread is in college football right now I'm surprised the 3-3-5 hasn't caught on more. It gives you so much flexibility in coverage and with blitzes while allowing you to remain strong against the run by bringing up one of the safeties.

Lack of blitzing would definitely be a problem though. Add to that the soft coverage Gibby teaches and it's going to become even more of an issue. I remember WVU fans constantly bitching about our DBs playing 10 yards off of receivers at all times. Down and distance didn't matter. It's the Gibby way.

I don't get the switch this year either. Rich obviously knew heading into this season that he was on the hot seat and he decides it's a good idea to switch defensive schemes?

With the right personnel, the 3-3-5 is pretty much the same as a 3-4 front.

The only difference is that you essentially need two good strong safeties to split time as an extra outside linebacker (see Robert Sands and Sidney Glover currently at WVU). It isn't like the defense calls for teams to drop 5 DBs back into coverage every time.

Michigan's problem (and WVU's during Rod's tenure) on defense, as we have discussed, is that he doesn't focus on it in recruiting and would rather see how athletes work out at receiver or running back (or ever quarterback) and, if they don't fit in there, move them over to defense. Team that with a defensive backs coach that has never shown the ability to teach the position and you have a lot of toast in the secondary.

He also didn't seem to put much emphasis on recruiting on the defensive line while at WVU. I thought he would do much better at getting good linemen and ends at Michigan (and he may be, I haven't followed closesly).

NCAA adds third probation year for Michigan - ESPN

Michigan gets a slap on the wrist by having a 3rd year of probation added on.

Cam Newton offered for cash in exchange for signing letter of intent, ex-Mississippi State quarterback said - ESPN

This will be an interesting one. I'll guess the NCAA tries to sweep it under the rug. Yahoo! Sports pulls up a ton of dirt and buries the school. NCAA comes in years later because of all the pressure and has to do something like with USC.

Problem is that any coach going up against Michigan for a DB will say that you won't see the field for four years

Am I the only one that finds this quote rather shocking, coming from a "preacher"?

That's "bishop" IIRC.

And no, you weren't the only one who had an elevated eyebrow after reading it.

So GT leads VT 14-7 at the half in Blacksburg ... and Nesbitt will miss the 2nd half, apparently some sort of arm injury suffered while trying to make a tackle.

Does Nesbitt really need his arm? It's not like he can throw with it.

a) I can only assume it hampers his ability to either hold onto the ball or pitch it
and
b) How's he supposed to tackle with one arm after throwing a pick?

lol at b

Okay, I'm not watching the game, just tracking it online.

Please tell me that, with the defense playing well for the first time all season, we did NOT just go for it on 4th & 2 at the Hokies 45.

It wasn't even close either.

I also don't get him being a bishop for 5 different churches.

That might have been my last straw with CPJ.

Not being able to recruit for shit is one thing.
Being that fucking dumb given those circumstances is another entirely.

See, that's life as a GT fan. Almost miraculously the Jackets score & tie it up with the backup QB ... and VT runs the KO back for a TD.

Yay! Lets rush the field for beating an unranked team!

Nesbitt broke his arm and is out for the season. Thank you for 3 and a half great seasons. One of my all time favorite Jackets for his heart and drive.

Thats too bad. Good luck in the pros.

It's not an ACC game unless someone's turning the ball over on the last drive.

Good luck being a bitch, you nobody piece of shit. But I suppose theres no need for luck when it comes so naturally.

I feel the same - hell of a player. He set the record for most rushing yards by a QB in the ACC (Woody Dantzler) earlier this game; glad that happened before the injury.

I feared as much, otherwise he would have been out there.

Glad he got the QB rushing record before the injury. The inexplicable passing woes that developed during his career aside, he was at least a guy that you knew feared nothing & would give you everything he had.

That's too bad, he was fun to watch.

Speaking of Woody Dantzler, whatever happened to him? Thought he made an NFL roster a few years back.

He spent a few years bouncing between the Cowboys and Falcons and did a couple stints with each.

Spent 2 years in Arena Ball.

Then came back home to SC and became a HS coach. He is a great dude, and I still run into him about every 3-4 months through some mutual friends.

I find it odd how much GT celebrated him breaking that record...#1 wasn't an option QB...and if we start adding total passing yards into the equation it isn't even close.

Not really sure what your point is. He got hurt one quarter after breaking Dantzler's record, so I'm not sure how much celebrating went on.

And though Dantzler wasn't an "option" quarterback, he had more than 10 rushing attempts in 32 of his 38 games that he started and averaged more than 15 rushing attempts a game. So while not an option QB, he was certainly a rushing QB. Trust me, I still remember back-up LB Sterling Green trying to chase him down in 2001.

Dantzler was a fantastic player, no doubt. I would hope you feel the same about Joshua--lord knows you saw him play enough.

IBTL!

The talk was really more before the week we played, all we heard was how h was going to break the record in Death Valley and celebrate on the field blah blah blah.

Dantzler had a number of rushes many because he flushed quickly from the pocket, in addition to the zone read stuff.

Again, not sure where you're pulling that from, local yahoos on sports radio maybe? I searched the Hive and the Ga Tech rivals site and can't find one mention of Tech fans crowing about the record prior to the Clemson game. In fact, the only quote I can find about is by Dabo saying Nesbitt would have to "get those yards elsewhere."

But, I can see how it is hard for you to praise a guy who beat you in 3 of the 4 games he started and 4 out of 5 of the games he played (your current bragging rights notwithstanding).

He didn't beat me, per se I was 2-0 against GT ;)

nah we had several jacket fans come onto Clemson's board the week of the game talking shiat....nothing too major.

Its kinda funny every time I go to Atlanta its a decent crowd, every GT fan that comes up to Clemson seems to be a JA, by rule.

Ok, quick question. All the stuff I've seen about Newton has been either statements that Auburn has done nothing wrong or commentators saying I can't believe Auburn would do that blah blah blah. So for argument's sake, let's say Auburn University and employees did nothing wrong.

But lets say a booster gave the kid and his family money, and Auburn had no clue. What would happen to Auburn and their season at this point?

Well did the NCAA get their own cut?

I don't see anyway that Newton wouldn't be retroactively ineligible and they wouldn't forfeit those wins. If any of this is true, that's probably best case scenario for Auburn if they knew nothing about it (and sounds like Auburn is either pretty clean or they are doing a really nice job of controlling the media)

Now if they continue to play him when the smoking gun is there, I don't know if that opens them up to further sanctions from the NCAA. They might be wise to sit him this weekend as they probably won't need him to pull out the W.

See: Five, Fab

Athletic departments are still responsible for boosters. When the NCAA hammered the Washington football program in '93, they noted that the coaches hadn't broken any rules, but it was still "lack of institutional control" by the athletic department for not monitoring what their boosters were doing.

It's obviously worse if the coaches or administrators are breaking rules, but Auburn could still get hit with sanctions if it turns out boosters broke rules to get Newton.

Auburn could be the first domino to fall exposing FBS recruiting games.

I used him as my backup QB in Madden at one point I believe.

What about that mushroom cloud that nearly vaporized the UNC program before the season began? It also managed to get a lot of fingers pointed at various SEC players while they were at it. I think without that mess being touched off with Marvin Austin's tweet, almost none of what's happened since--the UNC assistant coach on the take, the SI article about the blatant agent money games, and now Cam Newton (whether the last one is true or not)--would have come to light.

I suppose if you want to get really picky about it, you could argue the that the near-miss on the death penalty USC got for the Reggie Bush case made everyone more sensitive to the money issues and then Marvin made his tweet in just such an environment, sort of like lighting a match in a coal mine.

I think the summer conference realignment talk had more to do with this than anyone is willing to admit. I think 4 mega conferences is the scariest thing the NCAA can imagine as they would lose much of their leverage and the BCS could be exposed for the sham it is.

Based on this, I see all the sudden investigations as,"Oh yeah, try to re-align against our will, we will show you."

The BCS has already been exposed as a sham. I don't know how mega-conferences could hurt its integrity anymore. I also don't think this is intentional. It's just a different age where information can be disseminated much faster. And we have a media that piggybacks on stories and runs them into the ground. Once they smell blood, they keep going in for more. Whether it's PEDs in baseball, concussions in football, or illegal activity in college sports.

I have to agree that it's more that the information's out there. Nowadays, you see people get canned and disciplined for saying stupid things on facebook and twitter. High school and college kids fill their photos with pictures of them drunk and doing drugs, somehow having the disconnect between that and what they'll be doing post-college. Why would college football players getting "ineligible money" be any different? The only difference is that it wasn't easily available for public consumption in 1990 or 2000.

I think Auburn if the NCAA really investigates them will be the reason why recruiting could completely change. Corey Lemonier posted on facebook after signing day a picture of his brand new yellow corvette. Among those who follow recruiting closely they believe that Auburn brought its last recruiting class because they were afraid of Bama, who might be the dirtiest of them all.

I know this hard for some people to believe but every team pays for a big time recruit. The difference between the Bamas, Auburns, LSUs and the rest of the country is everyone else does it for two or three players a cycle while the SEC does it for every player they sign.

I mentioned it before and I'll mention it again. Coach Anderson at Mizzou said he would never return to coaching in the SEC region because the level of dirty recruiting was at an exponential level when compared to other regions. I'm sure there's some funny business going on all around, but the SEC schools have made it an art.

Anyone watching Michigan/Illinois? If so, why?

This is the worst football game ever. If anyone is watching this besides fans of the respective teams they are gluttons for punishment.

I've got it on one of my TV's, no sound though. I'm sure you liked that 60 yard run by the Illini? Nice tackling on that one, wow.

I have become numb to defense.

Not sure how legit this is but on Wikipedia it says the record for receiving yards in a game at Michigan is 197. Roy Roundtree has 192 in the first half.

Oh chit, great play by Hemingway. At least their offense is fun to watch.

Yep. If I believed RR could put his ego aside and hire a totally new defensive staff and let them do their thing i'd be fine with him staying here but I don't see it.

John Navarre's record for 389 yards in a game is in jeopardy at this rate. Denard is already at 262.

Jeez, one of the worst first halves of Wisconsin football I've seen.

Purdue playing well and it could be worse but it also could be favoring the Badgers too. Such a strange game so far. I've no doubt that the Badgers still win and win easily but they need to win by more than one score. Let's hope for some better defense in the second half.

Can the announcers stop talking about Illinois's defense considering they get posted for 28 in a half? Oh, 56 points in a half. Ladies and gentlemen. It's Michigan football! :lol:

Only game on here this early.

Watching these two defenses is painful though. They're making WAC defenses from the 90s look like the steel curtain.

Gibby just called his best play ever on that reverse. He's officially peaked.

What an embarrassment this defense is.....:eek:

62 total points in a half. Clearly RR missed his calling as a basketball coach.

Purdue is up 10-6 versus Wisconsin and Iowa is tied 6-6 with Indiana. Looks like a couple teams aren't really trying to win a conference title.

Someone needs to go attach a turbine to Bo's grave.

Blackmon for OK State is such a beast, only a SOPH too. Just a man amongst boys out there.

Very glad I get CBS College Sports HD.

2nd time I've heard the phrase "student body tryout" describing Michigan players.

RR channeling Mike Shanahan. Subs in Forcier and he turns it over on the first play.

Okie dokely, my pre-game prediction of a 41-13 Badgers win is looking a lot more possible now.

Iowa scores with under three to play quite easily leaving Indiana plenty of time to go down the field themselves.. they had their opportunities getting into or close to the red zone.. Perfect throw by the QB into the endzone and the wide open WR dropped one of the easiest hand catches to make to preserve the Iowa victory. How lucky is Iowa..

Typical complete mail in job on the road after two big games at home.

Wow, Barn Burner between Virginia and Duke, Virginia, Virginia just took the lead 48-47 with 2:26 to play.

Vanderbilt certainly isn't a credit to SEC football.

All right, what a great set of 2:30 games! Time to make the hole in my coach sink that much deeper!

wow. A running play with :45 or so to go, and the RB goes 35 yards to put Duke ahead of them.

Amateurs. 52-52 Ill.-Mich. :lol:

Heh.. Duke gets the 2 point conversion, 55-48!

Virginia has :40 and all three time outs.

Michigan's defense is a total JOKE! I mean wow week after week.

Michigan's D gets embarrassed on the same exact play and now it's 59-52.

EDIT: 59-59.

RR staying a head coach longer.. a half hour longer than most anticipated, that is.

Not really sure what to think about Utah's uniforms...

Bah. You guys get the artificial sweetner that is Triple OVertime :). the 55-48 game was all natural (from low quality ingredients, I grant, Duke and VA)

Michigan literally tramples over the Indiana Qb who just got sacked on the 2 pt attempt.. hope the kid is okay. Michigan gets the win.

My dad (an alum) and my lil brother were at the Michigan game today. Lucky for them - I didn't watch the whole thing, but it looked pretty damn fun.

UNLV down 0-38 at the half to BYU. Thankfully college basketball season is just about here.

52-52 even before OT. 67-65 total. RR has to breathe a sigh of relief that they won, or his decision to bench Robinson would be the virtual lock for him to be gone.

So much for that. It's been continuously freezing on me.

Utes not looking good ...

RichRod really knows how to coach a team that, if they win... it still feels like a loss.

That Oregon TD was nice.

Scores on ESPN has are a mess. I'm literally getting scores from various points in the game from Oregon being 0-0 to TCU being 0-0 and 'Bama being in the first quarter and then sometimes they display the right score. I have to literally go into Gamecast to get the right score.

I wouldn't want to be the team that plays them in a bowl game. That defense is very legit.

Classic Indiana. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. First, allow a 90-yard drive in 3 plays to go behind late. Then, drop the winning TD with 28 seconds left.

Disappointed for our seniors (it was our last home game of the season), but hopefully this helps seal Bill Lynch's fate at the end of the season. I'm hoping that 0-8 in the Big Ten is enough to get this joke of a head coach fired.

Go LSU.

Go ISU.

Go Washington.

I need some coffee watching this Bama/LSU game.

Hey, that's a little better.

JINX!