As summer crept to a close, I projected 6-6, which means that this team slightly exceeded my expectations, thanks largely to inspired quarterback play from #3. Once again, to no one's surprise the coaching limitations of Rich Brooks, especially in Columbia, prevented a real chance at the school's first ten-win season since 1977. After defeating then-#1 LSU in a game to remember in Lexington, the defense received a shredding at the hands of Tim Tebow and did not give a slow-starting Woodson enough time to dig the Cats out of the hole.
Yes, the SEC is a vicious conference, but consecutive 8-5 finishes should never gain acceptance as the pinnacle of a university's achievement, unless at a genuine student-athlete locale such as Vanderbilt. With the departure of Woodson to the NFL, where will Coach Brooks, assuming he is not wooed by the Baltimore Ravens, find the players and schemes to avoid a return to the sad-sack campaigns of 2004 and 2005?
Color me skeptical, though, I would prove satisfied with another 8-5 year (and bowl win against a decimated opponent) if it came with the development of a young QB who would hopefully have the Wildcats in contention (ha!) for 2009.
Player of the Year: Not close, despite some progress at RB and WR, it was Woodson's team and he played as well as most not from Columbia (Missouri, this time) and Gainesville.
Moment of the Year: The TD pass in the waning moments to stun Louisville and send the post-Petrino Cards into a well-deserved tail spin.
Egg of the Year: The uninspired loss to Syl Croom's good Mississippi State team, because it was at home and ended any possibility to make the dream game in Atlanta.
Predictable losses: v. FLA, @ UGA
Rich Brooks: C-, the fortunate wins over Louisville and Louisiana State would make a lower ranking unsightly, nonetheless, this was his best team since the 1994 Oregon Ducks, and finishing with the same record as last year does not merit the same approval as last year with the same personnel. Where was the improvement? Florida had to break in a new defense, Tennessee remains mired in conference mediocrity, yet UK fell to both at home, failing to force a Tebow turnover and fouling up things in OT in the finale.
Andre' Woodson finished exceptionally strong against a good but thinned-down Florida State defense, and, per usual, the defense could not stop the opponent on the ground. Next year does not bode well. Without even looking at the schedule, only knowing roadies to FLA and TEN plus UGA's return to the Commonwealth (not to mention a reasonably improved LOU team and another SoCaro escape in Lexington), 4-8 is quite likely. It is likelier to turn out worse than that.
If that occurs, or if the last five games don't produce those four wins, then Mitch Barnhardt has to look elsewhere, and, say, hire a coach with a WINNING RECORD!!! I vote for Ron Engish, former defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan, and, yes, a minority candidate. We did it in basketball, why not football? The job of the next coach is to at least mitigate the ferocious damage done week after week in the trenches, pretty much ever since DeWayne Robertson took his talent to the NFL.
Best of luck to the great Andre' Woodson, a sure-fire first day selection at this point, and possibly first round material if he can impress at the combine. I think he will start some games at the next level.
Showing posts with label Rich Brooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rich Brooks. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Monday, November 12, 2007
Week 12 Preview: Ecstasy of Small Minds
Fans around the country, at one time or another, truly believe the national media is not on their side: obviously, these individuals are paranoid, but in the case of Ohio State they are absolutely right. Rather than NOT voting OSU #1--hell, as a decided partisan I never did--the media belittled their accomplishments (no real non-conference schedule, uh, what about Kansas, and how in the world does their computer ranking look so good? Wins over the Sooners, haven't played. Wins over Missouri, haven't played. Wins over Texas, uh, won't play. At all.) Sorry about that rant back there. The NYT article which recapped the game reeked of Eastern elitism from a certified Buckeye disparager, Mr. Pete Thamel. Rather than having the courage to offer his own opinion, i.e. Buckeyes suck, he hid behind the mirth emanating from southern quarters.
Last part of this rant before the preview. Geography is geography, how good do you think LSU and Florida would do if they had to play in the cold five times a season? By the way, do you ever notice those teams (Georgia, looking at you) never dare to tread far from, well, their own states?!? And yes, this is from a proud SEC alumnus. That conference wants a playoff? Fine, but make sure some semi and final games occur above the Mason-Dixon Line. Furthermore, all this nonsense about OSU's schedule never mentions the fact that the Bucks had BOTH PSU and Michigan on the road this year, essentially, in most years, a loss and a half. Washington also defeated Boise State too. I'm not saying they deserve a title shot after the monstrosity the other day (although, should matters come down to WVA and OSU, well...), as you can witness by my #9 ranking.
It took eleven games, but they finally missed their stars from last year. Anyway, on with the show...
Oregon @ Arizona: Mr. Dixon, that sound you here is Tim Tebow creeping up behind you, poised and ready to steal your Heisman Trophy. The nearly-always sensible Brad Edwards wrote that the Ducks cannot just win out, if they do not do so impressively then one of the Big 12 conglomerate can and will jump them, leading to, yes, chants of "Remember 2001! Remember 2001!" (Contrary to popular wisdom, those Ducks finished fourth, not third in the final BCS standings, and blew a twenty-one point lead at home to middling Stanford. They deserved nothing more than their Fiesta Bowl berth.) Sweet. Mike Stoops knows how to orchestrate an upset (think CAL last year), but this team has worked too hard and has far too much talent to fold here. In Los Angeles a week later, maybe. Not here. Dixon and Stewart romp. ORE 41 ARIZ 13
Lousiana State @ Mississippi: If they win out, no problemo for the Tigers, unfortunately, they have the hardest road, mostly because Georgia or Florida (if they're unlucky) awaits in Atlanta. The Gators had a tussle here, but the lack of a nightime atmosphere (underdogs should ALWAYS play key home games at night) and the reality that this is the worst team in the conference should not deter the nation's best. RT2020 has ridden this train for nearly one year, no reason to jump off here. Shades of 1959 this is not. LSU 34 MISS 12
Kansas @ Iowa State: Prediction: Jayhawk computer rankings will rise after this win for no apparent reason, like Hawaii's BCS standing, natch. The calm before the storm, but even a closer-than-expected win could hurt. I don't believe the Fightin' Manginos can stay perfect, but a loss in Ames would shock me. KS 46 ISU 20
Oklahoma @ Texas Tech: Of the four road games for the Top 4, perhaps the most difficult. Although, we should say, this is not Basketball on Grass in its prime. A good test for the Sooners in their looming battle with MIZZ/KS in the Big 12 Championship. Like Oregon, style points matter: the Red Raiders have a winning record so an impressive win might help their BCS dreams. Sam Bradford came unglued, Boeckman-style (OK, a bit harsh) in Boulder, how will he do here? He'll do enough to win, an interesting tilt... for a half. OU 31 TT 21
Missouri @ Kansas State: A big win is a must here for Chase Daniel and the Tigers, given that a team which had defeated Texas surrendered seventy-plus to Nebraska!!! The black helmets are reaching pressure territory, never traversed, it will prove interesting to see how they deal with it. Another huge day for Daniel to set up a two-game(?) crucible for the Heisman Trophy. MIZZ 56 KSU 23
West Virginia @ Cincinnati: The last real hurdle for the Mountaineers. No, I wasn't terribly persuaded by their anemic seven-point win at home against a beaten Cardinals program. There remains a chance, a la South Florida, that the Bearcats are simply tougher than the sleek offense of White and Slaton. Absent a dominant performance, they can expect to get jumped by the Buckeyes if matters go a certain way in Ann Arbor. Remarkable, the Top 6 all travel away from friendly confines and, as remarkably in this 1990/1984-like campaign, I expect all to win. Odds say no. WVA 38 CIN 24
Ohio State @ Michigan: See here, abbreviated version: UM 38, OSU 27
Kentucky @ Georgia: Of all the games for the Cats, I feared this one the most when I offered my picks for 2007 in August. Quite frankly, Moreno should have 200 yards--in the first half (UK surrendered 200+ to Vandy!!!) unless Mark Richt calls off the dogs (pun intended) to save Rich Brooks some requisite embarrassment. The worst rush defense in the conference has to show up one of these days, no? And what happened to Andre' Woodson and the high-powered attack? Could it be all those aerial strikes occurred against suspect defenses? No, he played well against LSU, and Florida, OK, LSU. Ideally, the Athenians would prefer to allow a few late scores to allow the Wildcats to leave with their heads held high... only so they can outscore Tennessee the next week and deliver the SEC East to the 'Dawgs. UGA 51 UK 35
Boston College @ Clemson: Once, this game mattered. Now we only want to see if Matt Ryan will even qualify for NYC or if the Golden Eagles will ape the Cal Bears in full. Lest anyone forget, BC will go down in the annals as one of the most horribly overrated teams in college football history, save for SI's epic 2001 pick of Oregon State for the national title. Give Ryan a good game, but no escape from Death Valley as the Ultimate Survivor, Bowdenson, does it again. CLEM 30 BC 24
Northwestern @ Illinois: Respect where respect is due. A win here puts the Illini in line for the (for them) prestigious Capital One Bowl and an unseemly route at the hands of Georgia or Florida, zing. Seriously, once all the champagne has been downed, sober up and remember the disastrous Iowa game that cost you media adulation and a shot at the conference championship. Can Juice Williams do it twice in a row? Color me a bit skeptical, and the pride-infused Purple team can score in bunches, just ask Michigan State, if that means anything. Will they dance on the "I" after a win? Hey, it might clinch a trip to Disney World, yo! Quit hatin'! In other words, stay tuned. ILL 35 NWSTRN 13
Heisman Up: Dixon, Daniel, and White
Heisman Down: Tebow (WNP)
Odds of Top 6 all winning on the road: ORE (80%), LSU (90%), KS (85%), MIZZ (65%), WVA (70%) = ~81.6%
Last part of this rant before the preview. Geography is geography, how good do you think LSU and Florida would do if they had to play in the cold five times a season? By the way, do you ever notice those teams (Georgia, looking at you) never dare to tread far from, well, their own states?!? And yes, this is from a proud SEC alumnus. That conference wants a playoff? Fine, but make sure some semi and final games occur above the Mason-Dixon Line. Furthermore, all this nonsense about OSU's schedule never mentions the fact that the Bucks had BOTH PSU and Michigan on the road this year, essentially, in most years, a loss and a half. Washington also defeated Boise State too. I'm not saying they deserve a title shot after the monstrosity the other day (although, should matters come down to WVA and OSU, well...), as you can witness by my #9 ranking.
It took eleven games, but they finally missed their stars from last year. Anyway, on with the show...
Oregon @ Arizona: Mr. Dixon, that sound you here is Tim Tebow creeping up behind you, poised and ready to steal your Heisman Trophy. The nearly-always sensible Brad Edwards wrote that the Ducks cannot just win out, if they do not do so impressively then one of the Big 12 conglomerate can and will jump them, leading to, yes, chants of "Remember 2001! Remember 2001!" (Contrary to popular wisdom, those Ducks finished fourth, not third in the final BCS standings, and blew a twenty-one point lead at home to middling Stanford. They deserved nothing more than their Fiesta Bowl berth.) Sweet. Mike Stoops knows how to orchestrate an upset (think CAL last year), but this team has worked too hard and has far too much talent to fold here. In Los Angeles a week later, maybe. Not here. Dixon and Stewart romp. ORE 41 ARIZ 13
Lousiana State @ Mississippi: If they win out, no problemo for the Tigers, unfortunately, they have the hardest road, mostly because Georgia or Florida (if they're unlucky) awaits in Atlanta. The Gators had a tussle here, but the lack of a nightime atmosphere (underdogs should ALWAYS play key home games at night) and the reality that this is the worst team in the conference should not deter the nation's best. RT2020 has ridden this train for nearly one year, no reason to jump off here. Shades of 1959 this is not. LSU 34 MISS 12
Kansas @ Iowa State: Prediction: Jayhawk computer rankings will rise after this win for no apparent reason, like Hawaii's BCS standing, natch. The calm before the storm, but even a closer-than-expected win could hurt. I don't believe the Fightin' Manginos can stay perfect, but a loss in Ames would shock me. KS 46 ISU 20
Oklahoma @ Texas Tech: Of the four road games for the Top 4, perhaps the most difficult. Although, we should say, this is not Basketball on Grass in its prime. A good test for the Sooners in their looming battle with MIZZ/KS in the Big 12 Championship. Like Oregon, style points matter: the Red Raiders have a winning record so an impressive win might help their BCS dreams. Sam Bradford came unglued, Boeckman-style (OK, a bit harsh) in Boulder, how will he do here? He'll do enough to win, an interesting tilt... for a half. OU 31 TT 21
Missouri @ Kansas State: A big win is a must here for Chase Daniel and the Tigers, given that a team which had defeated Texas surrendered seventy-plus to Nebraska!!! The black helmets are reaching pressure territory, never traversed, it will prove interesting to see how they deal with it. Another huge day for Daniel to set up a two-game(?) crucible for the Heisman Trophy. MIZZ 56 KSU 23
West Virginia @ Cincinnati: The last real hurdle for the Mountaineers. No, I wasn't terribly persuaded by their anemic seven-point win at home against a beaten Cardinals program. There remains a chance, a la South Florida, that the Bearcats are simply tougher than the sleek offense of White and Slaton. Absent a dominant performance, they can expect to get jumped by the Buckeyes if matters go a certain way in Ann Arbor. Remarkable, the Top 6 all travel away from friendly confines and, as remarkably in this 1990/1984-like campaign, I expect all to win. Odds say no. WVA 38 CIN 24
Ohio State @ Michigan: See here, abbreviated version: UM 38, OSU 27
Kentucky @ Georgia: Of all the games for the Cats, I feared this one the most when I offered my picks for 2007 in August. Quite frankly, Moreno should have 200 yards--in the first half (UK surrendered 200+ to Vandy!!!) unless Mark Richt calls off the dogs (pun intended) to save Rich Brooks some requisite embarrassment. The worst rush defense in the conference has to show up one of these days, no? And what happened to Andre' Woodson and the high-powered attack? Could it be all those aerial strikes occurred against suspect defenses? No, he played well against LSU, and Florida, OK, LSU. Ideally, the Athenians would prefer to allow a few late scores to allow the Wildcats to leave with their heads held high... only so they can outscore Tennessee the next week and deliver the SEC East to the 'Dawgs. UGA 51 UK 35
Boston College @ Clemson: Once, this game mattered. Now we only want to see if Matt Ryan will even qualify for NYC or if the Golden Eagles will ape the Cal Bears in full. Lest anyone forget, BC will go down in the annals as one of the most horribly overrated teams in college football history, save for SI's epic 2001 pick of Oregon State for the national title. Give Ryan a good game, but no escape from Death Valley as the Ultimate Survivor, Bowdenson, does it again. CLEM 30 BC 24
Northwestern @ Illinois: Respect where respect is due. A win here puts the Illini in line for the (for them) prestigious Capital One Bowl and an unseemly route at the hands of Georgia or Florida, zing. Seriously, once all the champagne has been downed, sober up and remember the disastrous Iowa game that cost you media adulation and a shot at the conference championship. Can Juice Williams do it twice in a row? Color me a bit skeptical, and the pride-infused Purple team can score in bunches, just ask Michigan State, if that means anything. Will they dance on the "I" after a win? Hey, it might clinch a trip to Disney World, yo! Quit hatin'! In other words, stay tuned. ILL 35 NWSTRN 13
Heisman Up: Dixon, Daniel, and White
Heisman Down: Tebow (WNP)
Odds of Top 6 all winning on the road: ORE (80%), LSU (90%), KS (85%), MIZZ (65%), WVA (70%) = ~81.6%
Sunday, October 28, 2007
RT2020 Poll: Week of October 28
1. Louisiana State (NC)
2. Oregon (NC)
3. Ohio State (+1)
4. Oklahoma (-1)
5. Arizona State (+6)
6. Missouri (+1)
7. Kansas (+1)
8. Boston College (+2)
9. West Virginia (+3)
10. Georgia (+8)
11. Michigan (+2)
12. Auburn (+5)
13. Connecticut (NR)
14. Alabama (+8)
15. Florida (-10)
16. Southern California (-1)
17. South Florida (-11)
18. Virginia Tech (-10)
19. Texas (+1)
20. Wisconsin (NR)
21. South Carolina (-4)
22. California (-6)
23. Arkansas (NR)
24. Tennessee (NR)
25. Oklahoma State (-1)
Performances of the Week: #3 Ohio State, #10 Georgia, #8 Boston College, #5 Arizona State and #2 Oregon
End of National Title Dreams: #15 Florida (yes, that witch is FINALLY dead!), #17 South Florida, #16 USC, #18 Virginia Tech
Heartbreak: #18 Virginia Tech and #21 South Carolina
The UK Category: Kentucky
A Measure of Validation: #7 Kansas, #9 West Virginia, and #13 Connecticut
Musings...
Zero punts, 12/16 on third downs, and over four hundred total yards with just one turnover, what's that you say? Another Ohio State walk-through against in-state competition? Uh, no. How about the seventh-ranked defense of Penn State, set in the house of horrors for the OSU football team since 1997. A 37-17 whipping of the #25 BCS team at their house, thanks to Todd Boeckman's greatest game, solid running from the Wellses, and the back-breaking pick-six (two years running) by All-America Malcolm Jenkins. With this win, the Suck... err... the Bucks tied Gary Moeller's 1990-92 Wolverines for the longest Big 10 unbeaten streak, yet, as I've said since August, beware of Wisconsin next week. Still, I'm starting to believe 14-41 has kept a massive chip on Tressel's team, good.
I'm actually not going to make any Trojan jokes this week, though, since most of my picks turn out somewhere between foolish and laughable, I'll have you note that I had Oregon winning this game two months ago. USC actually played pretty well, to hold the #1 offense to fewer than thirty at Autzen is very impressive, unfortunately, Pete Carroll's much-hyped recruiting classes have not stepped in for Leinart, Bush, and White. For the first time since 2001, Southern California will not play in a BCS game, even if they run the table which would include an unlikely win in Tempe. Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart looked good, but far from great, likely adding a boost to the Heisman fortunes of Matt Ryan and Darren McFadden.
LSU and Oklahoma sat and home and probably grew disappointed with the results from Blacksburg and State College. Yet, each command some tough tests before they can consider making a case for #2 (or #1, should this 1990esque campaign continue), particularly the Bayou Bengals, who had to have watched another vicious Saturday unkind to favorites in the SEC.
A tremendous job of leadership by Heisman candidate Matt Ryan down the stretch at Lane Stadium Thursday night, but my did the Hokies choke that game away and earn some enmity from locales far and wide. You simply cannot lose a ten-point lead with barely two minutes to play at home to a team you've shut out all night, yet, with the cooperation of an onside kick, that's exactly what transpired. A double-whammy for LSU, not just in the loss of key CLUTCH bonus points, but for the further BCS ranking dip of VT expected today. Is BC for real? Well, to paraphrase Stephen Colbert, they've getting real-er by the day. Death Valley awaits, however.
Meanwhile, Denny-E just keeps getting it done. Tempe is a hellish place to play, but Arizona State has to avoid continual first-half holes, particularly against Oregon and USC. The Fightin' Tedfords, perhaps one play from consensus #1, will now prove likely to remain ranked, so much for the preseason-hyped USC @ CAL game in November, what, is that now for third-place? Worth repeating: Dennis Erickson is now 27-15, all time, against the Top 25. Yes, Virginia, that is better than Rich Brooks, who probably runs a cleaner program, but obviously returned to form this week in Lexington.
Yes, the pundits said a letdown for the Cats was probably inevitable, but there is NEVER an excuse for SIX turnovers at home to an unranked team. Although, I'll say it, the SEC needs to keep their only black coach, so a great win for Syl Croom. Worse, Tennessee escaped in Knoxville later that night, that, combined with Georgia's "manning up" in the once-World's Greatest Outdoor Cocktail Party, would've given UK an onside shot at reaching Atlanta. No more. The blog header, cribbed from "Bye-Bye Love," says it all. Disgusting. Either they looked ahead to the shinier programs and just didn't adequately prepare or they had an awful day. Critics of Rich Brooks will certainly lean in one of those two directions.
I will likely have them as preseason #1, but Urban Meyer's defense just didn't have it this year: they failed to hold down LSU with a fourth-quarter lead, didn't force a turnover at UK, and allowed a rather pedestrian Matthew Stafford to make some big-time throws. Three SEC losses spells the end of Florida's Not Sugar aspirations, though, still, running the table could get them an at-large BCS bid, if and only if the boys from Oahu trip up. Everything seems to be coming full circle, preseason crystal-balling had UK drubbed by the Dawgs in Athens, following that UGA tailback yesterday, ugh, this will not end well. What about Tebow? He played reasonably well, but can a three-loss SEC QB win the trophy when only one player from the conference (then-11-1 Danny Wuerffel in 1996) has won the award since 1986?
Brief notes... the media tried their best, but the USF bloomet officially dissipated in Storrs yesterday, as, for once, UCONN won a game without the obvious assistance from the officiating crew, very disappointing loss for a team that didn't handle prosperity well. WVA must've smiled long and big when the score came up: the Big East is theirs to lose and they're now the favorite to reach N'Orleans--only question is which week. I can't say I'm too impressed by Michigan's walloping of Div-IAA Minnesota, but the boys from Ann Arbor are creeping up near the Top 10, yet can they afford to give Henne and H20 another week off in East Lansing?
Yes, Hawaii won, and no I will not rank them.
Projected BCS Standings:
1) OSU
2) BC
3) LSU
4) ORE
5) OU (ASU breathing down their necks)
Heisman ballot:
1) Dennis Dixon, QB, ORE= He got his team through USC, another big one soon
2) Darren McFadden, RB, ARK= Welcome back, a win over LSU might win it for him
3) Matt Ryan, QB, BC= Biggest Heisman moment of the season thus far
4) Tim Tebow, QB, FLA= MUST win out to arrive in Atlanta and beat LSU
5) Mike Hart, RB, MICH= #20 needs two huge games in his last two to swipe it
OUT: Andre' Woodson, QB, UK; DeSean Jackson, WR, CAL
Darkhorses: Chase Daniel, QB, MIZZ; Todd Boeckman, QB, OSU(???), Patrick White, QB, WVA
Just for fun...
FIVE BEST OSU TEAM PERFORMANCES OF MY VIEWING LIFETIME (1993-pres)
2007, 37-17 over PSU in State College
1996, 38-6 over PSU in Columbus
1998, 34-17 over WVA in Morgantown
2006, 24-7 over TEX in Austin
2004, 37-21 over UM in Columbus
2. Oregon (NC)
3. Ohio State (+1)
4. Oklahoma (-1)
5. Arizona State (+6)
6. Missouri (+1)
7. Kansas (+1)
8. Boston College (+2)
9. West Virginia (+3)
10. Georgia (+8)
11. Michigan (+2)
12. Auburn (+5)
13. Connecticut (NR)
14. Alabama (+8)
15. Florida (-10)
16. Southern California (-1)
17. South Florida (-11)
18. Virginia Tech (-10)
19. Texas (+1)
20. Wisconsin (NR)
21. South Carolina (-4)
22. California (-6)
23. Arkansas (NR)
24. Tennessee (NR)
25. Oklahoma State (-1)
Performances of the Week: #3 Ohio State, #10 Georgia, #8 Boston College, #5 Arizona State and #2 Oregon
End of National Title Dreams: #15 Florida (yes, that witch is FINALLY dead!), #17 South Florida, #16 USC, #18 Virginia Tech
Heartbreak: #18 Virginia Tech and #21 South Carolina
The UK Category: Kentucky
A Measure of Validation: #7 Kansas, #9 West Virginia, and #13 Connecticut
Musings...
Zero punts, 12/16 on third downs, and over four hundred total yards with just one turnover, what's that you say? Another Ohio State walk-through against in-state competition? Uh, no. How about the seventh-ranked defense of Penn State, set in the house of horrors for the OSU football team since 1997. A 37-17 whipping of the #25 BCS team at their house, thanks to Todd Boeckman's greatest game, solid running from the Wellses, and the back-breaking pick-six (two years running) by All-America Malcolm Jenkins. With this win, the Suck... err... the Bucks tied Gary Moeller's 1990-92 Wolverines for the longest Big 10 unbeaten streak, yet, as I've said since August, beware of Wisconsin next week. Still, I'm starting to believe 14-41 has kept a massive chip on Tressel's team, good.
I'm actually not going to make any Trojan jokes this week, though, since most of my picks turn out somewhere between foolish and laughable, I'll have you note that I had Oregon winning this game two months ago. USC actually played pretty well, to hold the #1 offense to fewer than thirty at Autzen is very impressive, unfortunately, Pete Carroll's much-hyped recruiting classes have not stepped in for Leinart, Bush, and White. For the first time since 2001, Southern California will not play in a BCS game, even if they run the table which would include an unlikely win in Tempe. Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart looked good, but far from great, likely adding a boost to the Heisman fortunes of Matt Ryan and Darren McFadden.
LSU and Oklahoma sat and home and probably grew disappointed with the results from Blacksburg and State College. Yet, each command some tough tests before they can consider making a case for #2 (or #1, should this 1990esque campaign continue), particularly the Bayou Bengals, who had to have watched another vicious Saturday unkind to favorites in the SEC.
A tremendous job of leadership by Heisman candidate Matt Ryan down the stretch at Lane Stadium Thursday night, but my did the Hokies choke that game away and earn some enmity from locales far and wide. You simply cannot lose a ten-point lead with barely two minutes to play at home to a team you've shut out all night, yet, with the cooperation of an onside kick, that's exactly what transpired. A double-whammy for LSU, not just in the loss of key CLUTCH bonus points, but for the further BCS ranking dip of VT expected today. Is BC for real? Well, to paraphrase Stephen Colbert, they've getting real-er by the day. Death Valley awaits, however.
Meanwhile, Denny-E just keeps getting it done. Tempe is a hellish place to play, but Arizona State has to avoid continual first-half holes, particularly against Oregon and USC. The Fightin' Tedfords, perhaps one play from consensus #1, will now prove likely to remain ranked, so much for the preseason-hyped USC @ CAL game in November, what, is that now for third-place? Worth repeating: Dennis Erickson is now 27-15, all time, against the Top 25. Yes, Virginia, that is better than Rich Brooks, who probably runs a cleaner program, but obviously returned to form this week in Lexington.
Yes, the pundits said a letdown for the Cats was probably inevitable, but there is NEVER an excuse for SIX turnovers at home to an unranked team. Although, I'll say it, the SEC needs to keep their only black coach, so a great win for Syl Croom. Worse, Tennessee escaped in Knoxville later that night, that, combined with Georgia's "manning up" in the once-World's Greatest Outdoor Cocktail Party, would've given UK an onside shot at reaching Atlanta. No more. The blog header, cribbed from "Bye-Bye Love," says it all. Disgusting. Either they looked ahead to the shinier programs and just didn't adequately prepare or they had an awful day. Critics of Rich Brooks will certainly lean in one of those two directions.
I will likely have them as preseason #1, but Urban Meyer's defense just didn't have it this year: they failed to hold down LSU with a fourth-quarter lead, didn't force a turnover at UK, and allowed a rather pedestrian Matthew Stafford to make some big-time throws. Three SEC losses spells the end of Florida's Not Sugar aspirations, though, still, running the table could get them an at-large BCS bid, if and only if the boys from Oahu trip up. Everything seems to be coming full circle, preseason crystal-balling had UK drubbed by the Dawgs in Athens, following that UGA tailback yesterday, ugh, this will not end well. What about Tebow? He played reasonably well, but can a three-loss SEC QB win the trophy when only one player from the conference (then-11-1 Danny Wuerffel in 1996) has won the award since 1986?
Brief notes... the media tried their best, but the USF bloomet officially dissipated in Storrs yesterday, as, for once, UCONN won a game without the obvious assistance from the officiating crew, very disappointing loss for a team that didn't handle prosperity well. WVA must've smiled long and big when the score came up: the Big East is theirs to lose and they're now the favorite to reach N'Orleans--only question is which week. I can't say I'm too impressed by Michigan's walloping of Div-IAA Minnesota, but the boys from Ann Arbor are creeping up near the Top 10, yet can they afford to give Henne and H20 another week off in East Lansing?
Yes, Hawaii won, and no I will not rank them.
Projected BCS Standings:
1) OSU
2) BC
3) LSU
4) ORE
5) OU (ASU breathing down their necks)
Heisman ballot:
1) Dennis Dixon, QB, ORE= He got his team through USC, another big one soon
2) Darren McFadden, RB, ARK= Welcome back, a win over LSU might win it for him
3) Matt Ryan, QB, BC= Biggest Heisman moment of the season thus far
4) Tim Tebow, QB, FLA= MUST win out to arrive in Atlanta and beat LSU
5) Mike Hart, RB, MICH= #20 needs two huge games in his last two to swipe it
OUT: Andre' Woodson, QB, UK; DeSean Jackson, WR, CAL
Darkhorses: Chase Daniel, QB, MIZZ; Todd Boeckman, QB, OSU(???), Patrick White, QB, WVA
Just for fun...
FIVE BEST OSU TEAM PERFORMANCES OF MY VIEWING LIFETIME (1993-pres)
2007, 37-17 over PSU in State College
1996, 38-6 over PSU in Columbus
1998, 34-17 over WVA in Morgantown
2006, 24-7 over TEX in Austin
2004, 37-21 over UM in Columbus
Thursday, October 4, 2007
So Much For Our Happy Ending
Congrats to the Gamecocks, and yes, the Ole Ball Coach.
The offense lost the game. Andre' Woodson lost his Heisman glow and will now need to orchestrate an upset over the best team in all the land to recapture it. Big-game Rich Brooks has returned. Kudos, though, to the Big Blue defense that kept SoCaro from establishing a monster ground attack.
Winning on the road at night in the SEC is the most difficult thing to do in college football, and the task is compounded when the home team feels disrespected. Yes, people had forgotten about South Carolina in the wake of LSU's field goal trickeration. Well, they now control the SEC East, not Florida, and not Kentucky. The Gators come to Columbia too, where Spurrier got them in 2005, which means an SEC Championship Game berth is quite likely for the man who hath never lost to UK.
5-1 is still a very good start, but the team has to avoid a tailspin. Prevailing in on their next two home games is perhaps a must if they want to avoid, after reaching such lofty status, a 5-3 mark and a return to the Music City Bowl.
Hopefully the Bayou Bengals destroy Florida and thus come in to Commonwealth fat and happy, also remembering the 49-0 thrashing they gave Woodson and Co. last year at the Rouge.
The offense lost the game. Andre' Woodson lost his Heisman glow and will now need to orchestrate an upset over the best team in all the land to recapture it. Big-game Rich Brooks has returned. Kudos, though, to the Big Blue defense that kept SoCaro from establishing a monster ground attack.
Winning on the road at night in the SEC is the most difficult thing to do in college football, and the task is compounded when the home team feels disrespected. Yes, people had forgotten about South Carolina in the wake of LSU's field goal trickeration. Well, they now control the SEC East, not Florida, and not Kentucky. The Gators come to Columbia too, where Spurrier got them in 2005, which means an SEC Championship Game berth is quite likely for the man who hath never lost to UK.
5-1 is still a very good start, but the team has to avoid a tailspin. Prevailing in on their next two home games is perhaps a must if they want to avoid, after reaching such lofty status, a 5-3 mark and a return to the Music City Bowl.
Hopefully the Bayou Bengals destroy Florida and thus come in to Commonwealth fat and happy, also remembering the 49-0 thrashing they gave Woodson and Co. last year at the Rouge.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Eastern Kentucky: Start the Show
Gentlemen, saddle up and destroy this team.
Analysis of Coach Rich Brooks (sigh) pregame presser follows:
"This is a very important game for us."
D___ straight, and not just to win either. Starting with Andre' Woodson the whole team needs to make it known that last year's Music City Bowl "championship" represented only the beginning.
On the Kentucky defense...
"I hope on third down they’ll be coming off the field and standing next to me on the sideline a little more often. I hope we’ll see a defense that’s more aggressive, tighter coverage, doing a better job of containing the running game, and just not spending as much time on the field. Those would be nice things to see."
Yeah, but Coach, we aren't in Gainesville (2006), Athens (2002), Tennessee (1998), or Baton Rouge (2006). In all honesty, UK has had issues with its defense since the 1950 Mythical (Thanks, Sagarin!!) National Championship team. Tim Couch could put up points under Hal Mumme's scheme and Artose Pinner could account for 2,000 total yards from scrimmage, yet the defense always, always rated as the worst feature of the football team. Not even Top 5 NFL draft choice Dewayne Robertson could lift the Cats out of the duldrums. In actuality, they ruined Dave Ragone's senior campaign at the 'Ville in '02, outside of that, well, let's not get into that Ohio University debacle. In lieu of championship athletes (even as the Kernel op-ed page likely still openly pines for K-State 1995-2003 tactics, i.e., the JUCO route), turnovers are a must. Forty-nine to nil beatdowns, not so much.
"I’m not certain what we’re going to see, to be honest."
Must resist jokes here. On another note, it shouldn't f______ matter, should it, sub-.500 career coach? Aaargh.
Woodson only bought you time, ex-NFL genius, do not embarrass the SEC by dropping this contest (or even letting EKU hang around), their "explosive" offense notwithstanding.
Analysis of Coach Rich Brooks (sigh) pregame presser follows:
"This is a very important game for us."
D___ straight, and not just to win either. Starting with Andre' Woodson the whole team needs to make it known that last year's Music City Bowl "championship" represented only the beginning.
On the Kentucky defense...
"I hope on third down they’ll be coming off the field and standing next to me on the sideline a little more often. I hope we’ll see a defense that’s more aggressive, tighter coverage, doing a better job of containing the running game, and just not spending as much time on the field. Those would be nice things to see."
Yeah, but Coach, we aren't in Gainesville (2006), Athens (2002), Tennessee (1998), or Baton Rouge (2006). In all honesty, UK has had issues with its defense since the 1950 Mythical (Thanks, Sagarin!!) National Championship team. Tim Couch could put up points under Hal Mumme's scheme and Artose Pinner could account for 2,000 total yards from scrimmage, yet the defense always, always rated as the worst feature of the football team. Not even Top 5 NFL draft choice Dewayne Robertson could lift the Cats out of the duldrums. In actuality, they ruined Dave Ragone's senior campaign at the 'Ville in '02, outside of that, well, let's not get into that Ohio University debacle. In lieu of championship athletes (even as the Kernel op-ed page likely still openly pines for K-State 1995-2003 tactics, i.e., the JUCO route), turnovers are a must. Forty-nine to nil beatdowns, not so much.
"I’m not certain what we’re going to see, to be honest."
Must resist jokes here. On another note, it shouldn't f______ matter, should it, sub-.500 career coach? Aaargh.
Woodson only bought you time, ex-NFL genius, do not embarrass the SEC by dropping this contest (or even letting EKU hang around), their "explosive" offense notwithstanding.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Andre' Woodson: All America Quarterback
At least according to Ivan Maisel, senior CFB writer at the Worldwide Leader.
Grafs unscrupulously lifted from UK site follow:
"Woodson completed 63 percent of his passes last season, good for 3,515 yards and 31 touchdowns, while leading the Southeastern Conference in passing yardage, total offense, and TD passes. He guided the Wildcats to their best season in 22 years, including eight wins and a championship of the Music City Bowl, in which he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He enters the 2007 season with an active school-record streak of 162 consecutive passes without an interception."
RT2020: How do you know it's a UK press release? "Championship of the Music City Bowl" is a tell tale sign.
"That’s wonderful. I just hope he’s named that at the end of the year,' Coach Rich Brooks said. 'That would be wonderful. That would mean that he did well and we did well.'"
RT2020: This kid saved my job last season. I cannot believe I am still here. I cannot believe UK hired a sub-.500 record college coach whose most notable game commenced with an 80-yard TD run straight up the middle by All America Ki-Jana Carter in the 1994 Rose Bowl.
During my time as student (2001-04), unheralded tailback Artose Pinner provided some much needed pride to a football program sent reeling by the ignominious departure of once-touted Hal Mumme, the painful twin losses to LSU at home, and, ultimately, the resignation of another promising head coach, Guy Morriss, who left us for Baylor. I think that Andre' Woodson has provided similar excitement for his class of UK faithful. Pinner, most forget, earned 2002 SEC Player of the Year honors, forcibly taking the award from the 2001 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Now, he's not going to win the Heisman Trophy, but Woodson should push for All-SEC honors, and maybe, just maybe, UK can finish a season ahead of all but two teams in the SEC Eastern division. Heck, that might make for a swell New Year's Day bowl treat with Ohio State.
Grafs unscrupulously lifted from UK site follow:
"Woodson completed 63 percent of his passes last season, good for 3,515 yards and 31 touchdowns, while leading the Southeastern Conference in passing yardage, total offense, and TD passes. He guided the Wildcats to their best season in 22 years, including eight wins and a championship of the Music City Bowl, in which he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He enters the 2007 season with an active school-record streak of 162 consecutive passes without an interception."
RT2020: How do you know it's a UK press release? "Championship of the Music City Bowl" is a tell tale sign.
"That’s wonderful. I just hope he’s named that at the end of the year,' Coach Rich Brooks said. 'That would be wonderful. That would mean that he did well and we did well.'"
RT2020: This kid saved my job last season. I cannot believe I am still here. I cannot believe UK hired a sub-.500 record college coach whose most notable game commenced with an 80-yard TD run straight up the middle by All America Ki-Jana Carter in the 1994 Rose Bowl.
During my time as student (2001-04), unheralded tailback Artose Pinner provided some much needed pride to a football program sent reeling by the ignominious departure of once-touted Hal Mumme, the painful twin losses to LSU at home, and, ultimately, the resignation of another promising head coach, Guy Morriss, who left us for Baylor. I think that Andre' Woodson has provided similar excitement for his class of UK faithful. Pinner, most forget, earned 2002 SEC Player of the Year honors, forcibly taking the award from the 2001 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Now, he's not going to win the Heisman Trophy, but Woodson should push for All-SEC honors, and maybe, just maybe, UK can finish a season ahead of all but two teams in the SEC Eastern division. Heck, that might make for a swell New Year's Day bowl treat with Ohio State.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)