Hey All!
It's time for that column you've all been waiting for, Notes on A Pac 10 Scorecard. (We still mis you Alan Malamud.)
Summaries
USC 27- Washington State 6: This game was a mixed bag for Trojan fans. Frosh sensation Matt Barkley returned to action and shined, throwing for 247 yards and two TDs. The Trojan defense made it clear that Wazzu would have trouble getting a first down, much less getting into the endzone, and the special teams executed a great onside kick. On the other side of things, USC committed 13 penalties for 115 yards, more players were lost to injury and a fumble by Aaron Corp in the fourth quarter infuriated the crowd. It was a game that really didn't give the Trojan faithful much to be happy about.
Telling Stat: Eight feels great. The USC defense sacked WSU QBs eight times last week.
Stanford 34- Washington 14: What a crazy first quarter it was in Palo Alto. SU's Chris Owusu took the opening kickoff back for a TD. Both teams then turned the ball over twice with UW's Justin Glenn taking one Stanford miscue back 51 yards for a TD. Next came a 60-yard TD run by SU's Toby Gerhart which made the score 14-7. Then the game slowed down from there with the Cardinal grinding out a win over the Huskies. The Cardinal ran through the Husky defense to the tune of 321 yards rushing, with 200 of those and a TD coming from Gerhart. SU QB Andrew Luck only threw 14 passes completing 7 of those for 103 yards on the day. The Cardinal are now 3-1 and on top of the Pac 10.
Telling Stat: They finished it off. SU ran the last 8:09 off the clock with a drive where they converted four third downs and ran the ball for all 13 plays of the possession.
Georgia 20- Arizona State 17: After going down 14-3 in the first quarter, the Sun Devils scrambled back and had the Bulldogs scared before falling on a last second field goal between the hedges down in Athens. In fact, the Sun Devils held the lead, 17-14 with 5:25 left in the third quarter after a Jarrel Holman pick six. The Bulldogs' A.J. Green was the hero for UGa. He caught eight passes for 153 yards and a TD. His final catch set up PK Blair Walsh's game winning field goal as time ran out. However, his biggest play came when he blocked ASU's go ahead field goal attempt late in the game. ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw for 116 yards and a TD in the losing cause.
Telling Stat: No ground game. ASU had almost as many penalty yards (62) as they had rushing yards (88).
Arizona 37- Oregon State 32: With their TB Nic Grigsby out for the game after his first carry and TE Rob Gronkowski already out for the year, the struggling Arizona offense calmly went into Corvalis and beat the Beavers. Wildcat QB Nick Foles completed 25 of 34 passes for 254 yards and three TDs. Nine different backs carried the ball for UofA and the defense came up big at the right time in this victory. OSU had three chances for a game winning drive, but threw an interception, gave up a safety and gave up two sacks to end the game. OSU's Rogers brothers had over 200 yards of offense and two TDs, but it wasn't enough.
Telling Stat: Not a lot of defense here. Both schools combined to give up seven scoring drives of 60 yards or more to two of the lowest ranked offenses in the NCAA.
Oregon 42- California 3: A funny thing happened on Cal's way to the BCS last week. The Bears were humiliated by the Ducks. UO ran up 524 yards of offense on the vaunted Bear defense. They had no answer for Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli who completed 21 of 25 passes for 253 yards and three TDs. That's an 82% completion rate, folks. Cal looked lost all day. Chief among the lost was TB Jahvid Best who saw his budding Heisman candidacy take a severe hit with an unimpressive 16 carry, 55 yard performance. This game sent shockwaves around the nation, and not just because the ducks were actually wearing a regular uniform.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the ball. Cal only had three drives all game that lasted longer than 5 plays.
Observations
...They don't have the best talent, but no team in the Pac 10 is playing with more heart and desire right now than Stanford. The Cardinal have a hunger to win that I just haven't seen in the rest of the conference.
...I wish I could have recorded that Oregon State- Arizona game the other night, but it was on the Vs. Channel. A channel that was dropped by DirecTv. How do you get dropped by DirecTv? I mean there are a thousand channels on my TV!!! How lame do you have to be to get dropped by a satellite system that has over 1000 bleeping channels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...I've seen some bad accidents in weight rooms over the years, but the Satfon Johnson accident just blows me away. Get well, Stafon.
...Boise State, TCU, and Houston all have a great chance to go undefeated and crash the BCS party. They play in three different conferences and will be favored in all their remaining games.
...The Fresno State moral victory tour rolled on this week as the Bulldogs dropped a 28-20 decision to Cincinnati. Way to go, Pat Hill.
...If it weren't because of a horrible call down in Wake Forest, Stanford would be 4-0 and in the top 25.
...And then there were ten. There are ten teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision that are winless. Virginia is the only school from a BCS conference that doesn't have a win. My new darkhorse candidate to go winless is New Mexico. They lost the Silver Spade in their rivalry game with New Mexico State. I think that was their best shot at a win this year.
...Boy, that loss to Boise State must seem like years ago to the Oregon Ducks.
...Quietly making noise. Don't look now, but Idaho has won back-to-back for the first time this century. It must be fun to be in Moscow right now.
...Why is that when Pac 10 schools all start beating each other in conference play that the league is called weak, but when it happens in the SEC it's called great competitive balance?
...Don't look now, but the biggest BCS buster is Cincinnati. Yeah, they're in the Big East, but if they run the table, it could really mess up the BCS.
Until next week folks, keep an eye on the play clock and don't break the huddle with 12 men.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Week 3
Hey All, I'm back from a not so successful trip to Seattle. However, I did get to attend three ball games in 36 hours. Let's now get to the column you love to read, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. (We still miss you, Alan Malamud.)
Washington 16- USC 13: It's hard to win a game when you don't have a quarterback. It became evident early on that QB Aaron Corp had no idea what was happening on the field. Couple that with three turnovers and an inspired UW defense that dared USC to throw and you get this debacle in Seattle. Yes, the defense gave up the game winning drive, but this loss lies at the feet of QB Aaron Corp and the HC Pete Carroll. Corp showed he couldn't get it done, so why wasn't Mitch Mustain or Garrett Green given a chance to do something with the offense? I also find it amazing that the staff couldn't get Corp prepared for this game. Just sickening. It was just sickening.
Telling Stat: Zero. 0 for 10 on third down, 0 for 1 on fourth down, and 0 turnovers forced = loss.
Oregon 31- Utah 24: That Boise State game must seem like years ago to the Ducks with this win over the Utes. It wasn't an easy win though as the Ducks overcame four turnovers and a Utah comeback in Eugene. The Duck running game got back into gear this week as RB LaMichael James rushed for 152 yards on 27 carries and a TD. QB Jeremiah Masoli chipped in 47 yards rushing and two TDs of his own. The Utes made a game of this one by putting up 21 points in the third quarter to close the gap to 28-24, but the Duck defense shutout the Utes in the fourth quarter, sealing the win with an interception by DB John Boyett with a little over two minutes to play. UO's win snapped Utah's 16 game winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the nation.
Telling Stat: Grounded Ducks. QB Jeremiah Masoli completed only 4 of 16 passes for 95 yards and an interception in the Duck victory.
Arizona State 38- Louisiana Monroe 14: KR Omar Bolden took the opening kickoff back 89 yards for a TD for ASU. That was the flashy part of the game for ASU. The rest of the game was a grind it out affair in which the Sun Devils got in their own way more than the Warhawks defense. ASU was penalized 12 for 122 yards which kept the game closer than it really was. ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw for 220 yards and a TD. He also ran for a TD to lead the ASU offense. Meanwhile the Sun Devil defense forced three turnovers and held ULM in check for the game. Up next for ASU is a trip to Georgia. So, let me be the first this week to say the Sun Devils went down to Georgia.
Telling Stat: That just ain't right. ASU had more penalty yards, 122, than they had rushing yards, 118.
Cincinnati 28- Oregon State 18: A big second quarter by the Bearcats coupled with Jacquizz Rodgers' sore ankle to spell doom for the Beavers last Saturday. Cincinnati outscored OSU 21-2 in the second quarter to go into the half with a 21-8 lead. The Beavers did mount a comeback in the second half, but the Bearcat defense stiffened in the fourth quarter. Bearcat QB Tony Pike completed 31 of 49 passes for 332 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, OSU's Jacquizz Rodgers managed only 73 yards rushing and 1 TD on his bum ankle. The Bearcats put the game away with a 19-yard TD pass from Tony Pike to Marshwan Gilyard with 8:03 to play.
Telling Stat: Cincinnati held the Beavers to just a field goal in their final five drives of the game.
California 35- Minnesota 21: The Golden Bears did something they hadn't done in a while. They won a road game outside of the Pac 10. They handed the Golden Gophers their first loss in their new digs thanks to TB Jahvid Best. Best ran for 131yards and five TDs. His last two scores gave Cal the game after being tied 21-21 to start the fourth quarter. Cal's defense did a good job too. They held the Gophers to 37 yards rushing and forced four turnovers in the game.
Telling Stat: Best's five TDs tied the Cal record held by Duke Morrison. Morrison scored his five TDs back in 1921.
Iowa 27- Arizona 17: Iowa used strong defense and a steady, ball control offense to tame the Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium. UofA's offense was dealt a huge blow when TE Rob Gronkowski didn't even make the trip. His problem was listed as a back strain, but since then it's been announced it is a major back injury and he is out for the season. Meanwhile, back in Iowa the Wildcats were shutdown by the Hawkeye defense. The Iowa defense held UofA to eight first downs, 2 for 12 on third down conversions, and 253 total yards. As for the Iowa offense, freshman RB Adam Robinson creased the Wildcat defense for 101 yards rushing and 2 TDs. This game wasn't as close as the score indicated as UofA got their last TD with 1:53 left and the game already decided.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the ball, UofA's average drive in this game lasted four plays and covered just 21 yards.
Stanford 42- San Jose State 17: It was the Cardinal's home opener and they left the home folks happy with a thrashing of bay area rival San Jose State. The Cardinal's Chris Owusu took the opening kickoff back for a TD and TB Toby Gerhart went over form 3 yards out for a TD to give Stanford a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play. Gerhart would score another TD on the day to give him two to go along with 113 yards on the ground. Owusu would add a TD catch to his stats to give him two TDs as well. Throw in 170 yards passing from QB Andrew Luck and you have a Stanford victory.
Telling Stat: They had many happy returns. Stanford scored TDs on a kickoff, punt, and interception return in their romp over the Spartans.
Washington State 30- SMU 27 OT: Well, we won't have to worry about anybody going winless again in the Pac 10 this year. This was a wild game that truly was both a great and rotten game for SMU QB Bo Levi Mitchell. He hit on 40 of 57 passes for 424 yards and 2 TDs for the Mustangs. He also threw four huge interceptions. Two of his picks were returned for touchdowns by the Cougar defense. However his last one really hurt. He threw it on the first play of overtime. Wazzu then took over, where PK Nico Grasu kicked a 39-yard field goal to win it for the Cougs. The Cougs only ran for 37 yards and held the ball for only 20 minutes, but came away with the win.
Telling Stat: After Grasu Kicked the game-winning field goal, it marked the first time all year that Wazzu held a lead in a game.
UCLA 23- Kansas State 9: The bRuins got another strong effort from both their defense and a solid effort from QB Kevin Craft to take home a win at the Rose Bowl. The UCLA offense moved with fits and starts as the much maligned Craft started in place of injured starter Kevin Prince. Craft put in a workmanlike effort, throwing for 186 yards and the game clinching TD when he hooked up with WR Terrence Austin on a 51-yard TD strike with just 6:11 left in the game. PK Kai Forbath's three field goals were key to the bRuins win as well. They covered distances of 39, 35, and 40 yards. UCLA's rushing defense shined as they held KSU to only 69 yards on 37 carries.
Telling Stat: The defense finished the job. UCLA's defense held KSU to 25 total yards and picked off a pass in the fourth quarter.
Observations
...I, like many USC fans love what Mark Sanchez has done so far with the Jets. We also wish he was still playing for the Trojans.
...UCLA PK Kai Forbath is nails. He will win a big game for UCLA this year with a big kick.
...Time out here for a salute to the roots of college football. The Ivy League started play last Saturday. It's always fun to watch a game from the ancient eight. If you've never read the book, Ivy League Autumns, give it a try. It's great history on the origins of the sport.
...With BYU and Utah falling by the wayside, that leaves Boise State as the best team left to be a BCS buster.
...Washington gets to find out if they are for real this week on the road at Stanford.
...And then there were 14. Three weeks into the season and there are 14 winless teams left in the FBS. Notable among the winless squads is Virginia, who is the only winless team in the big six BCS conferences. Another notable team is Ball State. They were last year's media darlings out of the MAC conference. This year they are 0-2.
...Michigan transfer Ryan Mallet is an awesome talent. With his arm and HC Bob Petrino's offense, they better buy some new light bulbs for the scoreboards in Fayetteville.
...Cincinnati better run the table for the Big East to have any credibility this year.
...USC suffered a big loss this weekend, but Arizona suffered the worst lost of the weekend when they found out that TE Rob Gronkowski is done for the season with a major back injury.
...With the way these squads play defense and run the ball, the Penn State-Iowa game may being the lowest scoring game in the Big Ten this year.
...I thinkt it's just sad that Syracuse took a kid who'd been playing basketball for the last four years and turned him into a 300 yard passer, but USC couldn't take a kid who'd been in the system for three years and get a good game out of him.
Until next week folks, watch out for jailbreak screens and double reverses.
-The Commissioner
Washington 16- USC 13: It's hard to win a game when you don't have a quarterback. It became evident early on that QB Aaron Corp had no idea what was happening on the field. Couple that with three turnovers and an inspired UW defense that dared USC to throw and you get this debacle in Seattle. Yes, the defense gave up the game winning drive, but this loss lies at the feet of QB Aaron Corp and the HC Pete Carroll. Corp showed he couldn't get it done, so why wasn't Mitch Mustain or Garrett Green given a chance to do something with the offense? I also find it amazing that the staff couldn't get Corp prepared for this game. Just sickening. It was just sickening.
Telling Stat: Zero. 0 for 10 on third down, 0 for 1 on fourth down, and 0 turnovers forced = loss.
Oregon 31- Utah 24: That Boise State game must seem like years ago to the Ducks with this win over the Utes. It wasn't an easy win though as the Ducks overcame four turnovers and a Utah comeback in Eugene. The Duck running game got back into gear this week as RB LaMichael James rushed for 152 yards on 27 carries and a TD. QB Jeremiah Masoli chipped in 47 yards rushing and two TDs of his own. The Utes made a game of this one by putting up 21 points in the third quarter to close the gap to 28-24, but the Duck defense shutout the Utes in the fourth quarter, sealing the win with an interception by DB John Boyett with a little over two minutes to play. UO's win snapped Utah's 16 game winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the nation.
Telling Stat: Grounded Ducks. QB Jeremiah Masoli completed only 4 of 16 passes for 95 yards and an interception in the Duck victory.
Arizona State 38- Louisiana Monroe 14: KR Omar Bolden took the opening kickoff back 89 yards for a TD for ASU. That was the flashy part of the game for ASU. The rest of the game was a grind it out affair in which the Sun Devils got in their own way more than the Warhawks defense. ASU was penalized 12 for 122 yards which kept the game closer than it really was. ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw for 220 yards and a TD. He also ran for a TD to lead the ASU offense. Meanwhile the Sun Devil defense forced three turnovers and held ULM in check for the game. Up next for ASU is a trip to Georgia. So, let me be the first this week to say the Sun Devils went down to Georgia.
Telling Stat: That just ain't right. ASU had more penalty yards, 122, than they had rushing yards, 118.
Cincinnati 28- Oregon State 18: A big second quarter by the Bearcats coupled with Jacquizz Rodgers' sore ankle to spell doom for the Beavers last Saturday. Cincinnati outscored OSU 21-2 in the second quarter to go into the half with a 21-8 lead. The Beavers did mount a comeback in the second half, but the Bearcat defense stiffened in the fourth quarter. Bearcat QB Tony Pike completed 31 of 49 passes for 332 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, OSU's Jacquizz Rodgers managed only 73 yards rushing and 1 TD on his bum ankle. The Bearcats put the game away with a 19-yard TD pass from Tony Pike to Marshwan Gilyard with 8:03 to play.
Telling Stat: Cincinnati held the Beavers to just a field goal in their final five drives of the game.
California 35- Minnesota 21: The Golden Bears did something they hadn't done in a while. They won a road game outside of the Pac 10. They handed the Golden Gophers their first loss in their new digs thanks to TB Jahvid Best. Best ran for 131yards and five TDs. His last two scores gave Cal the game after being tied 21-21 to start the fourth quarter. Cal's defense did a good job too. They held the Gophers to 37 yards rushing and forced four turnovers in the game.
Telling Stat: Best's five TDs tied the Cal record held by Duke Morrison. Morrison scored his five TDs back in 1921.
Iowa 27- Arizona 17: Iowa used strong defense and a steady, ball control offense to tame the Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium. UofA's offense was dealt a huge blow when TE Rob Gronkowski didn't even make the trip. His problem was listed as a back strain, but since then it's been announced it is a major back injury and he is out for the season. Meanwhile, back in Iowa the Wildcats were shutdown by the Hawkeye defense. The Iowa defense held UofA to eight first downs, 2 for 12 on third down conversions, and 253 total yards. As for the Iowa offense, freshman RB Adam Robinson creased the Wildcat defense for 101 yards rushing and 2 TDs. This game wasn't as close as the score indicated as UofA got their last TD with 1:53 left and the game already decided.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the ball, UofA's average drive in this game lasted four plays and covered just 21 yards.
Stanford 42- San Jose State 17: It was the Cardinal's home opener and they left the home folks happy with a thrashing of bay area rival San Jose State. The Cardinal's Chris Owusu took the opening kickoff back for a TD and TB Toby Gerhart went over form 3 yards out for a TD to give Stanford a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play. Gerhart would score another TD on the day to give him two to go along with 113 yards on the ground. Owusu would add a TD catch to his stats to give him two TDs as well. Throw in 170 yards passing from QB Andrew Luck and you have a Stanford victory.
Telling Stat: They had many happy returns. Stanford scored TDs on a kickoff, punt, and interception return in their romp over the Spartans.
Washington State 30- SMU 27 OT: Well, we won't have to worry about anybody going winless again in the Pac 10 this year. This was a wild game that truly was both a great and rotten game for SMU QB Bo Levi Mitchell. He hit on 40 of 57 passes for 424 yards and 2 TDs for the Mustangs. He also threw four huge interceptions. Two of his picks were returned for touchdowns by the Cougar defense. However his last one really hurt. He threw it on the first play of overtime. Wazzu then took over, where PK Nico Grasu kicked a 39-yard field goal to win it for the Cougs. The Cougs only ran for 37 yards and held the ball for only 20 minutes, but came away with the win.
Telling Stat: After Grasu Kicked the game-winning field goal, it marked the first time all year that Wazzu held a lead in a game.
UCLA 23- Kansas State 9: The bRuins got another strong effort from both their defense and a solid effort from QB Kevin Craft to take home a win at the Rose Bowl. The UCLA offense moved with fits and starts as the much maligned Craft started in place of injured starter Kevin Prince. Craft put in a workmanlike effort, throwing for 186 yards and the game clinching TD when he hooked up with WR Terrence Austin on a 51-yard TD strike with just 6:11 left in the game. PK Kai Forbath's three field goals were key to the bRuins win as well. They covered distances of 39, 35, and 40 yards. UCLA's rushing defense shined as they held KSU to only 69 yards on 37 carries.
Telling Stat: The defense finished the job. UCLA's defense held KSU to 25 total yards and picked off a pass in the fourth quarter.
Observations
...I, like many USC fans love what Mark Sanchez has done so far with the Jets. We also wish he was still playing for the Trojans.
...UCLA PK Kai Forbath is nails. He will win a big game for UCLA this year with a big kick.
...Time out here for a salute to the roots of college football. The Ivy League started play last Saturday. It's always fun to watch a game from the ancient eight. If you've never read the book, Ivy League Autumns, give it a try. It's great history on the origins of the sport.
...With BYU and Utah falling by the wayside, that leaves Boise State as the best team left to be a BCS buster.
...Washington gets to find out if they are for real this week on the road at Stanford.
...And then there were 14. Three weeks into the season and there are 14 winless teams left in the FBS. Notable among the winless squads is Virginia, who is the only winless team in the big six BCS conferences. Another notable team is Ball State. They were last year's media darlings out of the MAC conference. This year they are 0-2.
...Michigan transfer Ryan Mallet is an awesome talent. With his arm and HC Bob Petrino's offense, they better buy some new light bulbs for the scoreboards in Fayetteville.
...Cincinnati better run the table for the Big East to have any credibility this year.
...USC suffered a big loss this weekend, but Arizona suffered the worst lost of the weekend when they found out that TE Rob Gronkowski is done for the season with a major back injury.
...With the way these squads play defense and run the ball, the Penn State-Iowa game may being the lowest scoring game in the Big Ten this year.
...I thinkt it's just sad that Syracuse took a kid who'd been playing basketball for the last four years and turned him into a 300 yard passer, but USC couldn't take a kid who'd been in the system for three years and get a good game out of him.
Until next week folks, watch out for jailbreak screens and double reverses.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week 2
Hay All! What a second week we had to the college football season. I hope the rest fo the season is as exciting as last week. Now, here's the column you've been waiting for, Notes On a Pac 10 Scorecard. (We still miss you, Alan Malamud)
Summaries
USC 18- Ohio State 15: It was a brawl in Columbus, but TB Joe McKnight's late heroics, QB Matt Barkley's poise, and OSU HC Jim Tressel's conservatve nature led to a big win for the Trojans at the horseshoe. While waiting for the USC offense to finally put a great drive together, the Trojan defense was nothing short of spectacular on the night. The Trojan defense gave up only 3 points in the second half. Also, those three points they did give up came after the Trojan offense gave up a safety and OSU had all the momentum. Then, when we got to watch Matt Barkley grow up before our eyes in that final drive. We also got to watch Joe McKnight take over a game.
Telling Stat: Shutdown. USC's defense held the Buckeyes to 79 total yards in the second half.
Oregon 38- Purdue 36: Pride was on the line for both sides in this game. Purdue was playing to salvage some Big Ten pride, while the Ducks were out to regain some pride for their program after that awful game at Boise State. Purdue QB Joey Elliott lit up the UO's secondary for 266 yards and a TD, while TB Ralph Bolden carried the ball 29 times for 123 yards and 2 TDs to keep the boys from West Lafayette in this one to the end. As for the Ducks, QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 163 yards and ran for 84 yards and a TD of his own. This one came down to a two-point conversion. Elliott's pass was true, but TE Kyle Williams came down out of bounds. UO escaped with the narrow victory.
Telling Stat: Their running game lacked a punch. Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli rushed for more yards than any of the three tailbacks who filled in for suspended Duck TB LeGarette Blount.
Hawaii 38- Washington State 20: This one wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. With 10:05 to go in the second quarter, Hawaii had a 35-0 lead on the Cougars. Warrior QB Greg Alexander connected on 23 of 36 passes for 453 yards and 3 TDs on the afternoon. If Hawaii hadn't fumbled four times, they could have put 60 on the Cougs. It's gonna be a long year in Pullman.
Telling Stat: This was a sloppy, sloppy game. The two teams combined to commit 19 penalties and 11 turnovers.
Arizona 34- Northern Arizona 17: TB Nic Grigsby ran for 207 yards and 2 TDs while the defense held NAU to 65 yards rushing in the Wildcats victory over the Lumberjacks. The win gave UofA four straight wins dating back to last season. They haven't done that since 2000. UofA ran for 365 yards and held the ball for almost 36 minutes in the winning effort.
Telling Stat: 94 yards and no score. UofA TB Nic Grigsby broke off a 94-yard run only to be tackled at the NAU one-yard line. Backup TB Keola Antolin finished off the drive by scoring from one yard out for the Wildcats.
Wake Forest 24- Stanford 17: Up 17-3 at the break all looked good for the Cardinal. They had dominated the day behind the hard running of TB Toby Gerhart and the arm of QB Andrew Luck. Then, the Demon Deacons woke up, mounting a furious comeback to knot the score at 17 with a little over four miuntes to play. Facing a third down, the Cardinal gave Gerhart the ball and he raced around the right side for 43 yards. It was on this play that Wake Forest got some home cookin'. The ref threw a late flag. He called Stanford for clipping. On the video replay, no foul was seen. SU couldn't convert on third and 13 and had to punt. Wake then drove down the field for the game-winning score. Wake QB Riley Skinner did lead an impressive final drive, but he never would have had the opportunity, if that bad call wasn't made.
Telling Stat: Four. Stanford only had the ball four times in the second half. They missed a field goal and punted three times on those four drives.
California 59- Eastern Washington 7: The Golden Bears overcame a sluggish first quarter, then proceeded to smash the Eagles in Berkeley. 12 different Golden Bears got touches in this one with TB Jahvid Best rushing for 144 yards on 17 carries and a TD, while QB Kevin Riley hit on 13 of 20 passes for 148 yards and a TD of his own. Next up for the Golden Bears is a trip to Minnesota.
Telling Stat: After giving up an 83 yard TD drive in the first quarter, CAL's defense didn't allow a drive longer than 38 yards for the rest of the game.
UCLA 19- Tennessee 15: The other big Pac 10 road win of the weekend was pulled off by UCLA. The bRuins used a strong defensive effort and just enough offense to escape from Knoxville. Neither team shined offensively here. UCLA finished the day with just 186 total yards and UT finished with 208. The difference in the game was the three interceptions thrown by Volunteer QB Jonathan Crompton. These were three of the worst picks ever thrown. I mean these were Jeff George quality interceptions. The victory did not come without a price for the bRuins. QB Kevin Prince had his jaw broken late in the fourth quarter by the UT defense. He'll be out at least a month. One of the key reasons the hit broke his jaw was that he didn't have his mouthpiece in on the play. Kids, always wear that mouthpiece.
Telling Stat: Truly special teams. UCLA PK Kai Forbath connected on four field goals, while P Jeff Locke averaged 47.0 per punt against the Volunteers.
Oregon State 23- UNLV 21: OSU left Las Vegas the way many of us do after trip to the town of $1.99 buffet; with little more than they showed up with. Beaver PK Justin Kahut kicked a 33-yard field goal with :07 to give the Beavers the win. After going up 20-7 at the end of the third quarter, UNLV dominated the fourth quarter. Mike Clausen, (no relation to Jimmy), came off the bench after starting QB Omar Clayton was knocked of the game with a knee injury. He threw for 2 TDs to put the Rebels up 21-20 with 4:16 to play. However, the Rebel defense couldn't hold on at the end and OSU claimed the victory. OSU's Rodgers brothers combined for 231 yards of offense and a TD.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the chains. OSU and UNLV each had only one drive that went for longer than five minutes in the game.
Washington 42- Idaho 23: The Huskies long nightmare is over. UW snapped their 15 game losing streak with a solid win over the Vandals. Husky QB Jake Locker threw for 253 yards and 3 TDs and TB Chris Polk chipped in with 80 yds on the ground and a TD of his own in the victory. Idaho played the Huskies tough, but just didn't have the talent to last with the dogs to last for four quarters.
Telling Stat: Not much, huh? Washington only manged to rush for 121 yards on an a Vandal defense that is far from stellar.
Michigan 38- Notre Dame 34: Wow, what a difference a couple of weeks have made for UM Coach Rich Rodriguez. He went from being the target of an NCAA investigation to leading a top 25 team that just ended Notre Dame's BCS hopes. He also found a pretty good QB in the process. True freshman Tate Forcier led the Wolverines to victory with his arm and his legs. He had a TD run that faked the ND defender out of his jock, then calmly threw the game winning TD pass with :11 left on the clock. Meanwhile, Charlie Weis still thinks he's the smartest HC in college football.
Telling Stat: Michigan QB Tate Forcier accounted for 310 of the Wolverines 430 total yards in the game.
Observations
...We'd like to thank the Oklahoma State Cowboys for playing the I want to go to a BCS Bowl game. We're sorry your stay was so short, but we do have some lovely parting gifts.
...We all know it looks like it will be another miserable year up in the Palouse, but keep your eyes on Virginia folks. The Cavs could easily go 0-12.
...You usually don't hear about an O-lineman unless he's done something wrong. Connecticut OT Dan Ryan wishes nobody knew his name. He was the poor guy that got called for holding in the endzone with a little over a minute to play v. North Carolina. Holding in the endzone results in an automatic safety. That safety cost the Huskies the game, 12-10.
...The Fresno State moral victory tour is in full swing for 2009. Yes, Fresno State had another BCS school on the ropes and collapsed in the end. The Bulldogs lost in overtime at Wisconsin, 34-31. This whole Fresno State act is stale. They schedule a big school, play hard, lose, then get praised for being this little school that takes on the big boys. Hey, you want to impress me, Fresno State? Win one of those games, then win your conference. That would really impress me.
...Here's my salute to the saints for 2009. St. Francis (IND), St John's (MIN), St. Norbert, St. Olaf, St. Scholastica, St. Ambrose, St. Francis (PA), and St. John Fisher all won last week.
...Washington State could potentially be the worst Pac 10 team in history.
...The Fresno State moral victory tour is in full swing for 2009. Yes, Fresno State had another BCS school on the ropes and collapsed in the end. The Bulldogs lost in overtime at Wisconsin, 34-31. This whole Fresno State act is stale. They schedule a big school, play hard, lose, then get praised for being this little school that takes on the big boys. Hey, you wan to impress me Fresno State? Win one of those games, then win your conference. That would really impress me.
...Well, it looks like the BCS Champion wil not come from the ACC, Big East or Big Ten this year.
...USC's final drive didn't just beat the Buckeyes, it went a long way towards anyone taking a Big Ten team seriously for quite a while.
...I guess we can put all the "Jimmy Clausen for the Heisman" talk on hold for a while.
...One of the coolest stickers I saw on any helmet this weekend was worn by Army. The sticker is on the backflap of the helmet and just simply says, "The Corps." Enough said.
Until Next week folks, remember to watch out for zone blitzes and the speed rusher coming off the corner.
-The Commissioner
Summaries
USC 18- Ohio State 15: It was a brawl in Columbus, but TB Joe McKnight's late heroics, QB Matt Barkley's poise, and OSU HC Jim Tressel's conservatve nature led to a big win for the Trojans at the horseshoe. While waiting for the USC offense to finally put a great drive together, the Trojan defense was nothing short of spectacular on the night. The Trojan defense gave up only 3 points in the second half. Also, those three points they did give up came after the Trojan offense gave up a safety and OSU had all the momentum. Then, when we got to watch Matt Barkley grow up before our eyes in that final drive. We also got to watch Joe McKnight take over a game.
Telling Stat: Shutdown. USC's defense held the Buckeyes to 79 total yards in the second half.
Oregon 38- Purdue 36: Pride was on the line for both sides in this game. Purdue was playing to salvage some Big Ten pride, while the Ducks were out to regain some pride for their program after that awful game at Boise State. Purdue QB Joey Elliott lit up the UO's secondary for 266 yards and a TD, while TB Ralph Bolden carried the ball 29 times for 123 yards and 2 TDs to keep the boys from West Lafayette in this one to the end. As for the Ducks, QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 163 yards and ran for 84 yards and a TD of his own. This one came down to a two-point conversion. Elliott's pass was true, but TE Kyle Williams came down out of bounds. UO escaped with the narrow victory.
Telling Stat: Their running game lacked a punch. Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli rushed for more yards than any of the three tailbacks who filled in for suspended Duck TB LeGarette Blount.
Hawaii 38- Washington State 20: This one wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. With 10:05 to go in the second quarter, Hawaii had a 35-0 lead on the Cougars. Warrior QB Greg Alexander connected on 23 of 36 passes for 453 yards and 3 TDs on the afternoon. If Hawaii hadn't fumbled four times, they could have put 60 on the Cougs. It's gonna be a long year in Pullman.
Telling Stat: This was a sloppy, sloppy game. The two teams combined to commit 19 penalties and 11 turnovers.
Arizona 34- Northern Arizona 17: TB Nic Grigsby ran for 207 yards and 2 TDs while the defense held NAU to 65 yards rushing in the Wildcats victory over the Lumberjacks. The win gave UofA four straight wins dating back to last season. They haven't done that since 2000. UofA ran for 365 yards and held the ball for almost 36 minutes in the winning effort.
Telling Stat: 94 yards and no score. UofA TB Nic Grigsby broke off a 94-yard run only to be tackled at the NAU one-yard line. Backup TB Keola Antolin finished off the drive by scoring from one yard out for the Wildcats.
Wake Forest 24- Stanford 17: Up 17-3 at the break all looked good for the Cardinal. They had dominated the day behind the hard running of TB Toby Gerhart and the arm of QB Andrew Luck. Then, the Demon Deacons woke up, mounting a furious comeback to knot the score at 17 with a little over four miuntes to play. Facing a third down, the Cardinal gave Gerhart the ball and he raced around the right side for 43 yards. It was on this play that Wake Forest got some home cookin'. The ref threw a late flag. He called Stanford for clipping. On the video replay, no foul was seen. SU couldn't convert on third and 13 and had to punt. Wake then drove down the field for the game-winning score. Wake QB Riley Skinner did lead an impressive final drive, but he never would have had the opportunity, if that bad call wasn't made.
Telling Stat: Four. Stanford only had the ball four times in the second half. They missed a field goal and punted three times on those four drives.
California 59- Eastern Washington 7: The Golden Bears overcame a sluggish first quarter, then proceeded to smash the Eagles in Berkeley. 12 different Golden Bears got touches in this one with TB Jahvid Best rushing for 144 yards on 17 carries and a TD, while QB Kevin Riley hit on 13 of 20 passes for 148 yards and a TD of his own. Next up for the Golden Bears is a trip to Minnesota.
Telling Stat: After giving up an 83 yard TD drive in the first quarter, CAL's defense didn't allow a drive longer than 38 yards for the rest of the game.
UCLA 19- Tennessee 15: The other big Pac 10 road win of the weekend was pulled off by UCLA. The bRuins used a strong defensive effort and just enough offense to escape from Knoxville. Neither team shined offensively here. UCLA finished the day with just 186 total yards and UT finished with 208. The difference in the game was the three interceptions thrown by Volunteer QB Jonathan Crompton. These were three of the worst picks ever thrown. I mean these were Jeff George quality interceptions. The victory did not come without a price for the bRuins. QB Kevin Prince had his jaw broken late in the fourth quarter by the UT defense. He'll be out at least a month. One of the key reasons the hit broke his jaw was that he didn't have his mouthpiece in on the play. Kids, always wear that mouthpiece.
Telling Stat: Truly special teams. UCLA PK Kai Forbath connected on four field goals, while P Jeff Locke averaged 47.0 per punt against the Volunteers.
Oregon State 23- UNLV 21: OSU left Las Vegas the way many of us do after trip to the town of $1.99 buffet; with little more than they showed up with. Beaver PK Justin Kahut kicked a 33-yard field goal with :07 to give the Beavers the win. After going up 20-7 at the end of the third quarter, UNLV dominated the fourth quarter. Mike Clausen, (no relation to Jimmy), came off the bench after starting QB Omar Clayton was knocked of the game with a knee injury. He threw for 2 TDs to put the Rebels up 21-20 with 4:16 to play. However, the Rebel defense couldn't hold on at the end and OSU claimed the victory. OSU's Rodgers brothers combined for 231 yards of offense and a TD.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the chains. OSU and UNLV each had only one drive that went for longer than five minutes in the game.
Washington 42- Idaho 23: The Huskies long nightmare is over. UW snapped their 15 game losing streak with a solid win over the Vandals. Husky QB Jake Locker threw for 253 yards and 3 TDs and TB Chris Polk chipped in with 80 yds on the ground and a TD of his own in the victory. Idaho played the Huskies tough, but just didn't have the talent to last with the dogs to last for four quarters.
Telling Stat: Not much, huh? Washington only manged to rush for 121 yards on an a Vandal defense that is far from stellar.
Michigan 38- Notre Dame 34: Wow, what a difference a couple of weeks have made for UM Coach Rich Rodriguez. He went from being the target of an NCAA investigation to leading a top 25 team that just ended Notre Dame's BCS hopes. He also found a pretty good QB in the process. True freshman Tate Forcier led the Wolverines to victory with his arm and his legs. He had a TD run that faked the ND defender out of his jock, then calmly threw the game winning TD pass with :11 left on the clock. Meanwhile, Charlie Weis still thinks he's the smartest HC in college football.
Telling Stat: Michigan QB Tate Forcier accounted for 310 of the Wolverines 430 total yards in the game.
Observations
...We'd like to thank the Oklahoma State Cowboys for playing the I want to go to a BCS Bowl game. We're sorry your stay was so short, but we do have some lovely parting gifts.
...We all know it looks like it will be another miserable year up in the Palouse, but keep your eyes on Virginia folks. The Cavs could easily go 0-12.
...You usually don't hear about an O-lineman unless he's done something wrong. Connecticut OT Dan Ryan wishes nobody knew his name. He was the poor guy that got called for holding in the endzone with a little over a minute to play v. North Carolina. Holding in the endzone results in an automatic safety. That safety cost the Huskies the game, 12-10.
...The Fresno State moral victory tour is in full swing for 2009. Yes, Fresno State had another BCS school on the ropes and collapsed in the end. The Bulldogs lost in overtime at Wisconsin, 34-31. This whole Fresno State act is stale. They schedule a big school, play hard, lose, then get praised for being this little school that takes on the big boys. Hey, you want to impress me, Fresno State? Win one of those games, then win your conference. That would really impress me.
...Here's my salute to the saints for 2009. St. Francis (IND), St John's (MIN), St. Norbert, St. Olaf, St. Scholastica, St. Ambrose, St. Francis (PA), and St. John Fisher all won last week.
...Washington State could potentially be the worst Pac 10 team in history.
...The Fresno State moral victory tour is in full swing for 2009. Yes, Fresno State had another BCS school on the ropes and collapsed in the end. The Bulldogs lost in overtime at Wisconsin, 34-31. This whole Fresno State act is stale. They schedule a big school, play hard, lose, then get praised for being this little school that takes on the big boys. Hey, you wan to impress me Fresno State? Win one of those games, then win your conference. That would really impress me.
...Well, it looks like the BCS Champion wil not come from the ACC, Big East or Big Ten this year.
...USC's final drive didn't just beat the Buckeyes, it went a long way towards anyone taking a Big Ten team seriously for quite a while.
...I guess we can put all the "Jimmy Clausen for the Heisman" talk on hold for a while.
...One of the coolest stickers I saw on any helmet this weekend was worn by Army. The sticker is on the backflap of the helmet and just simply says, "The Corps." Enough said.
Until Next week folks, remember to watch out for zone blitzes and the speed rusher coming off the corner.
-The Commissioner
Monday, September 7, 2009
2009: Week 1
Hey All,
College football is back! From Bangor to Honolulu and all points in between, schools great and small met on the gridirons of America with pride, glory, and honor on the line. It was fun to watch and cool to write about. Here's the first blog of the season. (We miss you, Alan Malamud.)
Summaries
USC 56- San Jose State 3: It took about a quarter for USC to get it together on both sides of the ball. Then they smashed San Jose State in the 95 degree heat at the Coliseum. A 28-point second quarter was highlighted by a strong 43-yard TD jaunt by Alan Bradford and a pair of short TD bursts by Stafon Johnson. Oh, by the way, the true freshman QB looked pretty good too. Matt Barkley completed 19 of 23 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon. The Trojan defense with basically nine new starters also played well. They forced 12 Spartan punts in the contest.
Telling Stat: SJSU finished the game with one more rushing yard (9), than they had first downs (8).
Stanford 39- Washington St. 13: Stanford's one-two combination of TB Toby Gerhart and WR Chris Owusu were just too much for the Cougars to handle up in Pullman. Gerhart had a big day as he ran 23 times for 123 yards, a pair of TDs and a two-point conversion. Meanwhile, Owusu hauled in three passes for 86 yards and a TD. The TD came on a 63-yard strike from RS freshman QB Andrew Luck. Owusu also shined in special teams when he followed a long Cougar TD drive with an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD that took the air out of the Martin Stadium crowd. SU's defense bent, but didn't break. They gave up some yards, but held the Cougar offense in check all afternoon.
Telling Stat: They couldn't stop the run. Stanford rushed the ball 42 times for 288 yards on the Cougars. That's a cool 6.9 yards per carry.
Boise State 19- Oregon 8: Yes, LeGarrette Blount threw quite a punch, but the biggest blows in this game were delivered by the Boise State defense. The Bronco defense completely shut down Oregon's vaunted spread option attack. UO didn't even register a first down in this game until the 7:10 mark of the third quarter. The Bronco defensive line physically beat down the Duck o-line. UO finished the game with a paltry 152 total yards, only 31 of which came on the ground. As for the Bronco offense, if they hadn't made a couple of early mistakes, they could have won this game by at least 30 points. Then, throw in Blount's antics and this has to go down as one of the most embarrassing performances in Oregon history.
Telling Stat: Boise State held the ball for 42:32. Yes, 42:32! Enough said.
Arizona 19- Central Michigan 6: Many games promise fireworks, but how about lightning? Kickoff in this game was delayed 43 minutes due to lightning in Tucson. When it did start, the Wildcats ground out a victory with their defense leading the way. UofA held the Chippewa offense in check all night, allowing only 182 total yards. In fact, the Wildcats didn't give up a first down until late in the second quarter. As for the Arizona offense, they struggled as well. QB Matt Scott threw for only 202 yards, but his 83 yards rushing kept the offense on the field. When those drives did stall, PK Alex Zendejas connected on four field goals. Throw in 118 yards rushing and a TD from TB Nic Grigsby and UofA walked away with a win that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated.
Telling Stat: Alex Zendejas' four field goals tied a UofA record held a by couple of other kickers, including his uncle, Max Zendejas.
Oregon State 34- Portland State 7: Simple story here, folks. The Rodgers brothers showed they are back for 2009. Jacquizz Rodgers ran 16 times for 103 yards and 3 TDs, while big brother James hauled in two passes for 95 yards and a TD in the Beavers beat down of the Vikings, in Corvalis. The Beavers ran out to a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter. Then, the Beavers cruised the rest of the way for the easy win.
Telling Stat: They moved the chains. OSU converted on 8 of 14 third downs in the game.
Arizona State 50- Idaho State 3: This one was not as close as the score indicates. The ASU defense held ISU to 37 total yards, four first downs, and forced five turnovers in this laugher at Sun Devil Stadium. LB Mike Nixon was the big hero for the Sun Devils with three interceptions on the night. He brought one of those back 34 yards for a TD. he also blocked a punt to aid the Sun Devils' cause. ASU PK Thomas Weber connected on five field goals, one shy of the Pac 10 record. He missed a 27-yarder in the first half.
Telling Stat: None of ASU's six field goal attempts were longer than 29 yards. That means they had six drives stall in the Red Zone versus one of the worst defenses in the Big Sky Conference.
California 52- Maryland 13: The Golden Bears avenged last season's loss to the Terrapins in style last Saturday night in Berkeley. QB Kevin Riley torched the Maryland secondary. Riley connected on 17 of 26 passes for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns, while RB Jahvid Best gained 137 yards on 10 carries for a pair of touchdowns in the blowout. CAL also got time zone revenge from last year's game too. Last year, when CAL visited Maryland, the Terps set the game time for 12:00 PM. That's a 9:00 AM start on California time. The Golden Bears came out sluggish and by the time they woke up, the game was lost. This year in Berkeley, CAL set the game time for 7:00 PM pacific, which is 10:00 PM eastern. Maryland looked a little tired in this one.
Telling Stat: They spread it around. 16 different players ran the ball or caught passes for CAL in this rout.
UCLA 33-San Diego State 14: The bRuins dug themselves out of a 14-3 hole to take down the Aztecs at the Rose Bowl. UCLA's defense gave up 161 yards in the first 12 minutes, then rallied to hold SDSU to 5 first downs and 116 yards for the final 48 minutes of the game. UCLA QB Kevin Prince had a decent first game for the bRuins. He threw for 176 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort.
Telling Stat: They shut 'em down. After giving up two quick touchdowns, UCLA's defense forced 8 punts, 3 turnovers, and blocked a field goal in SDSU's last 12 possessions of the game.
LSU 31- Washington 23: The Huskies came out and gave LSU all they could handle before going down to their 15th straight defeat. New Husky HC Steve Sarkisian had his kids ready to play and they trailed only 17-13 at the half. Then LSU's depth and talent took over. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson threw for 172 yards, 3 touchdowns and ran for 42 more in the winning effort. The Huskies fought to the end, scoring a final TD as time ran out, but it wasn't enough.
Telling Stat: Washington held the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and out gained LSU by nearly 150 yards, yet lost.
Observations
...Oregon HC Chip Kelly is now a holder of a dubious NCAA speed record. He went from being a great hire to the coaching hotseat at Oregon in just a little over three hours.
...After watching the way Baylor took it to Wake Forest last week, It looks like the Bears are going to ruin someone's season in the Big XII.
...Minnesota came away with a 23-20 OT victory over Syracuse Saturday. I don't know which of my feelings here is stronger. Am I'm more impressed with QB Greg Paulus almost coming away with a win for the Orangemen after not playing football for almost five years or am I more disappointed that Minnesota had to go to OT to beat a team that had a QB who hadn't thrown a pass in a real game in almost five years? Hmmmmm...
...Stanford TB Toby Gerhart is the most underrated running back in the Pac 10. The kid runs like a bull. He's tough and never goes down after the first hit. He's a lot of fun to watch.
...Oklahoma lost QB Sam Bradford with a shoulder injury in their 14-13 loss to BYU, but don't worry Sooner fans! The media will belittle BYU's win and shoot the Sooners back up the polls so that their game with Texas will be as hyped as ever.
...Why is Notre Dame being mentioned in the BCS title discussion after beating a WAC team? Boise State does it eight times a year and nobody says a word.
...I know Oregon embarrassed the Pac 10 last Thursday, but two of the three FBS schools that lost to FCS schools on Saturday play in the ACC. Virginia lost 26-14 to William and Mary and Duke lost 24-16 to Richmond. Now that's embarrassing.
...Washington came out and played with fire, passion, and heart in their game with LSU. Those three things were sorely lacking in Seattle the last few seasons.
...I don't think Oregon's LeGarrette Blount will ever realize just how much he lost when threw that punch last week. I also think the Boise State kid who taunted him should've have a gotten at least a one-game suspension for instigating the situation. He at least deserves a suspension for being stupid enough to taunt a guy without his helmet on.
...The Miami-Florida State game was by far the best game of the weekend. It delivered all the action and thrills that were missing from the Oregon-Boise State game.
...After getting crushed 56-3 by USC, life won't get any better for San Jose State. The Spartans will host Utah this week. That makes San Jose State the only school in the nation to play two teams that won a BCS bowl last season.
Until next week folks, keep your head on a swivel and your pad level low.
-The Commissioner
College football is back! From Bangor to Honolulu and all points in between, schools great and small met on the gridirons of America with pride, glory, and honor on the line. It was fun to watch and cool to write about. Here's the first blog of the season. (We miss you, Alan Malamud.)
Summaries
USC 56- San Jose State 3: It took about a quarter for USC to get it together on both sides of the ball. Then they smashed San Jose State in the 95 degree heat at the Coliseum. A 28-point second quarter was highlighted by a strong 43-yard TD jaunt by Alan Bradford and a pair of short TD bursts by Stafon Johnson. Oh, by the way, the true freshman QB looked pretty good too. Matt Barkley completed 19 of 23 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon. The Trojan defense with basically nine new starters also played well. They forced 12 Spartan punts in the contest.
Telling Stat: SJSU finished the game with one more rushing yard (9), than they had first downs (8).
Stanford 39- Washington St. 13: Stanford's one-two combination of TB Toby Gerhart and WR Chris Owusu were just too much for the Cougars to handle up in Pullman. Gerhart had a big day as he ran 23 times for 123 yards, a pair of TDs and a two-point conversion. Meanwhile, Owusu hauled in three passes for 86 yards and a TD. The TD came on a 63-yard strike from RS freshman QB Andrew Luck. Owusu also shined in special teams when he followed a long Cougar TD drive with an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD that took the air out of the Martin Stadium crowd. SU's defense bent, but didn't break. They gave up some yards, but held the Cougar offense in check all afternoon.
Telling Stat: They couldn't stop the run. Stanford rushed the ball 42 times for 288 yards on the Cougars. That's a cool 6.9 yards per carry.
Boise State 19- Oregon 8: Yes, LeGarrette Blount threw quite a punch, but the biggest blows in this game were delivered by the Boise State defense. The Bronco defense completely shut down Oregon's vaunted spread option attack. UO didn't even register a first down in this game until the 7:10 mark of the third quarter. The Bronco defensive line physically beat down the Duck o-line. UO finished the game with a paltry 152 total yards, only 31 of which came on the ground. As for the Bronco offense, if they hadn't made a couple of early mistakes, they could have won this game by at least 30 points. Then, throw in Blount's antics and this has to go down as one of the most embarrassing performances in Oregon history.
Telling Stat: Boise State held the ball for 42:32. Yes, 42:32! Enough said.
Arizona 19- Central Michigan 6: Many games promise fireworks, but how about lightning? Kickoff in this game was delayed 43 minutes due to lightning in Tucson. When it did start, the Wildcats ground out a victory with their defense leading the way. UofA held the Chippewa offense in check all night, allowing only 182 total yards. In fact, the Wildcats didn't give up a first down until late in the second quarter. As for the Arizona offense, they struggled as well. QB Matt Scott threw for only 202 yards, but his 83 yards rushing kept the offense on the field. When those drives did stall, PK Alex Zendejas connected on four field goals. Throw in 118 yards rushing and a TD from TB Nic Grigsby and UofA walked away with a win that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated.
Telling Stat: Alex Zendejas' four field goals tied a UofA record held a by couple of other kickers, including his uncle, Max Zendejas.
Oregon State 34- Portland State 7: Simple story here, folks. The Rodgers brothers showed they are back for 2009. Jacquizz Rodgers ran 16 times for 103 yards and 3 TDs, while big brother James hauled in two passes for 95 yards and a TD in the Beavers beat down of the Vikings, in Corvalis. The Beavers ran out to a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter. Then, the Beavers cruised the rest of the way for the easy win.
Telling Stat: They moved the chains. OSU converted on 8 of 14 third downs in the game.
Arizona State 50- Idaho State 3: This one was not as close as the score indicates. The ASU defense held ISU to 37 total yards, four first downs, and forced five turnovers in this laugher at Sun Devil Stadium. LB Mike Nixon was the big hero for the Sun Devils with three interceptions on the night. He brought one of those back 34 yards for a TD. he also blocked a punt to aid the Sun Devils' cause. ASU PK Thomas Weber connected on five field goals, one shy of the Pac 10 record. He missed a 27-yarder in the first half.
Telling Stat: None of ASU's six field goal attempts were longer than 29 yards. That means they had six drives stall in the Red Zone versus one of the worst defenses in the Big Sky Conference.
California 52- Maryland 13: The Golden Bears avenged last season's loss to the Terrapins in style last Saturday night in Berkeley. QB Kevin Riley torched the Maryland secondary. Riley connected on 17 of 26 passes for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns, while RB Jahvid Best gained 137 yards on 10 carries for a pair of touchdowns in the blowout. CAL also got time zone revenge from last year's game too. Last year, when CAL visited Maryland, the Terps set the game time for 12:00 PM. That's a 9:00 AM start on California time. The Golden Bears came out sluggish and by the time they woke up, the game was lost. This year in Berkeley, CAL set the game time for 7:00 PM pacific, which is 10:00 PM eastern. Maryland looked a little tired in this one.
Telling Stat: They spread it around. 16 different players ran the ball or caught passes for CAL in this rout.
UCLA 33-San Diego State 14: The bRuins dug themselves out of a 14-3 hole to take down the Aztecs at the Rose Bowl. UCLA's defense gave up 161 yards in the first 12 minutes, then rallied to hold SDSU to 5 first downs and 116 yards for the final 48 minutes of the game. UCLA QB Kevin Prince had a decent first game for the bRuins. He threw for 176 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort.
Telling Stat: They shut 'em down. After giving up two quick touchdowns, UCLA's defense forced 8 punts, 3 turnovers, and blocked a field goal in SDSU's last 12 possessions of the game.
LSU 31- Washington 23: The Huskies came out and gave LSU all they could handle before going down to their 15th straight defeat. New Husky HC Steve Sarkisian had his kids ready to play and they trailed only 17-13 at the half. Then LSU's depth and talent took over. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson threw for 172 yards, 3 touchdowns and ran for 42 more in the winning effort. The Huskies fought to the end, scoring a final TD as time ran out, but it wasn't enough.
Telling Stat: Washington held the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and out gained LSU by nearly 150 yards, yet lost.
Observations
...Oregon HC Chip Kelly is now a holder of a dubious NCAA speed record. He went from being a great hire to the coaching hotseat at Oregon in just a little over three hours.
...After watching the way Baylor took it to Wake Forest last week, It looks like the Bears are going to ruin someone's season in the Big XII.
...Minnesota came away with a 23-20 OT victory over Syracuse Saturday. I don't know which of my feelings here is stronger. Am I'm more impressed with QB Greg Paulus almost coming away with a win for the Orangemen after not playing football for almost five years or am I more disappointed that Minnesota had to go to OT to beat a team that had a QB who hadn't thrown a pass in a real game in almost five years? Hmmmmm...
...Stanford TB Toby Gerhart is the most underrated running back in the Pac 10. The kid runs like a bull. He's tough and never goes down after the first hit. He's a lot of fun to watch.
...Oklahoma lost QB Sam Bradford with a shoulder injury in their 14-13 loss to BYU, but don't worry Sooner fans! The media will belittle BYU's win and shoot the Sooners back up the polls so that their game with Texas will be as hyped as ever.
...Why is Notre Dame being mentioned in the BCS title discussion after beating a WAC team? Boise State does it eight times a year and nobody says a word.
...I know Oregon embarrassed the Pac 10 last Thursday, but two of the three FBS schools that lost to FCS schools on Saturday play in the ACC. Virginia lost 26-14 to William and Mary and Duke lost 24-16 to Richmond. Now that's embarrassing.
...Washington came out and played with fire, passion, and heart in their game with LSU. Those three things were sorely lacking in Seattle the last few seasons.
...I don't think Oregon's LeGarrette Blount will ever realize just how much he lost when threw that punch last week. I also think the Boise State kid who taunted him should've have a gotten at least a one-game suspension for instigating the situation. He at least deserves a suspension for being stupid enough to taunt a guy without his helmet on.
...The Miami-Florida State game was by far the best game of the weekend. It delivered all the action and thrills that were missing from the Oregon-Boise State game.
...After getting crushed 56-3 by USC, life won't get any better for San Jose State. The Spartans will host Utah this week. That makes San Jose State the only school in the nation to play two teams that won a BCS bowl last season.
Until next week folks, keep your head on a swivel and your pad level low.
-The Commissioner
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
