The Week 5 Run Down

Whew! Welcome to Week 5 SportzFanz –I know I’m glad to be back and I hope you are too. Hurricane Rita didn’t pack quite as much wallop as anticipated, so while we may have lost a little time, that won’t stop us from chugging right along. This week, the action gets started off early over on the Duece with the red hot Rockets. Each day for the remainder of the week we’ll get to see some grid iron action with Miami of Ohio on Wednesday, Colorado State on Thursday, Wanny and the Pitts on Friday, and then your ‘normal’ Saturday Slate. On your Saturday, you can look forward to some fantastic games out on the grid iron with Michigan-Michigan State, Minnesota-Penn State, Iowa State-Nebraska, Notre Dame-Purdue, and USC-Arizona State. So sit back SportzFanz and enjoy as we give a quick run down on this week’s TV Schedule.



The Week 5 TV Schedule

Sep. 27 Tue Toledo @ Fresno State 8:00 PM ESPN2

Sep. 28 Wed Cincinnati @ Miami (OH) 6:00 PM ESPN2

Sep. 29 Thu Air Force @ Colorado State 6:30 PM ESPN

Sep. 30 Fri Pittsburgh @ Rutgers 7:00 PM ESPN2

Oct. 1 Sat Texas @ Missouri 11:00 AM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat Michigan @ Michigan State 11:00 AM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat Virginia Tech @ West Virginia 11:00 AM ESPN
Oct. 1 Sat Indiana @ Wisconsin 11:00 AM ESPN2
Oct. 1 Sat Baylor @ Texas A&M 11:30 AM FSN
Oct. 1 Sat Syracuse @ Florida State 2:30 PM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat Minnesota @ Penn State 2:30 PM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat Iowa State @ Nebraska 2:30 PM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat USC @ Arizona St 2:30 PM ABC*
Oct. 1 Sat Florida @ Alabama 2:30 PM CBS
Oct. 1 Sat South Carolina @ Auburn 6:00 PM ESPN2
Oct. 1 Sat Kansas State @ Oklahoma 6:00 PM FSN
Oct. 1 Sat Arizona @ Cal 6:00 PM TBS
Oct. 1 Sat Notre Dame @ Purdue 6:45PM ESPN
Oct. 1 Sat BYU @ San Diego State 9:00PM ESPN Cl
Oct. 1 Sat Washington @ UCLA 9:15PM FSN
*Denotes Regional Action


The Week 5 Run Down

Sep. 27 Tue Toledo @ Fresno State 8:00 PM ESPN2
The Rockets are off to a fast 3-0 start this season and, if they can get past the Bulldogs, should have an easy time getting to 8-0 before facing Solich’s Ohio squad. Meanwhile, Fresno State is coming off a tough road loss to Oregon and looking to put things back together again at home against these Rockets. Rocket QB Paul Pinegar may be the best quarterback nobody’s talking about, lighting up the Ducks for 418 yards last week. Rocket QB Bruce Gradkowski has been solid in his performances so far this season, but the real surprise has been the play of the offensive line and tandem RBs Davis and Dawson –they are the MAC’s top rushing team so far this season. Look for the Bulldogs to try and force a ground game against Toledo’s stout d-line before finally taking to the air in an attempt to keep up with Gradkowski and his sled dogs.
Toledo.


Sep. 28 Wed Cincinnati @ Miami (OH) 6:00 PM ESPN2
On the Deuce for Wednesday, the Redhawks take on the Big East’s Cincinnati Bearcats. For BEast fans, it’s going to be a long, hard road to respectability –especially with such young teams like Cinci in the mix. The Bearcats narrowly beat Western Carolina last week, 7-3, as their offense almost completely imploded. Look for Miami QB Josh Betts to open up the offense this week, paving the way for RB Brandon Murphy to sled for 150+ yards, two weeks straight.
Redbirds.


Sep. 29 Thu Air Force @ Colorado State 6:30 PM ESPN
The Falcons began the season in impressive fashion, dismantling Washington and pasting Sand Diego State with a new ‘shotgun’ formation for the wishbone. Now, the Falcons are in the midst of a two game slid, but if you look under the engine –all appears well and oiled for a good run over the next few weeks (they lost to Utah and Wyoming by a combined 4 points). The reason for the confidence? Air Force has found a way to throw the ball reliably with QB Shaun Carney and now has a defense that, while they ain’t good, certainly have a heartbeat. The Rams, meanwhile, have yet to recover from that opening heartbreaker to uber-rival Colorado. Their defense is one of the worst in the country, giving up an average of 453 yards and 36 points per game (which should statistically only get worse after this one). In order for CSU to be successful on their home turf, they will have to find a way to shut down the Air Force ground game and find ways for QB Justin Holland to hook up with the M-West’s most feared receiver, David Anderson.
Air Force.


Sep. 30 Fri Pittsburgh @ Rutgers 7:00 PM ESPN2
Last week, the Panthers finally came alive against Youngstown State, 41-0. Of course, nobody is certain whether that was because they were playing a DI-AA team or because they were sporting Tony Dorsett throwbacks. In any event, they get to travel to New Jersey this week to square off against the Scarlet Knights. This one is a make or break for Wanny, as a victory here should seal some confidence for the Panthers and pave the way for them to put together a four game win streak heading into a showdown with Louisville to kick off November.
Wanny and the Pitts.


Oct. 1 Sat Texas @ Missouri 11:00 AM ABC*
Yes, it’s official: The Big12 has ended its DI-AA pre-season and is ready to begin conference play. In a rematch game from last season, Texas goes on the road to face the Black’n’Gold Hammers of Missouri (last year, this game sparked that magnificent Texas run of come-from-behind victories). Can the Horns do it again? Do the Horns want to do it again? Answer: Yes, and No. The Texas D has been slamming itself during the off week for break downs in defense when the game ‘isn’t on the line’. They’re goal: 3rd or better in total defense. Right now, their 8th. For the Tigers, QB Brad Smith leads the nation’s 6th ranked offense, running for 113 yards/contest and throwing for a further 130. Can the Texas D stop Mizzou’s attack? Can Mizzou shut down a Longhorns offense that figures to de-emphasize Vince Young in favor of getting RB Jamaal Charles and Henry Melton more experience? Ah, we’ll just have to tune in to find out.
Longhorns.


Oct. 1 Sat Michigan @ Michigan State 11:00 AM ABC*
It’s times like these that I wish I had GamePlan. Texas-Missouri and Michigan-Michigan State are playing opposite one another and simply by virtue of geographic location that means I won’t even get a chance to see the Wolverines and Spartans tussle. Two weeks ago, QB Drew Stanton vaulted onto the Heisman lists with an unbelievable day in South Bend. Now, he takes his considerable talents home, hoping to torture visiting Michigan’s secondary and right the wrong that occurred last season when the Spartan’s fell in Tripe Overtime up in the Big House. For the Maize’n’Blue, the world came crashing down as Badger QB John Stucco snuck into the end zone, snuffing out Michigan’s already damaged National Title dreams. Can they get up off the mat for this one? Hell yes. QB Chad Henne and WR Jason Avant should have a field day against the nation’s 104th ranked pass defense. And if the Spartans have to play zone all day against the Wolves, then look for the Michigan ground game to rip-roar it’s way into the end zone as well. Of course, there is still the little matter of that Wolverine D that can’t seem to stuff the opposition when it matters most -but I’m of the opinion that people have been a might bit hard on that Wolverine Defense.
Michigan.


Oct. 1 Sat Virginia Tech @ West Virginia 11:00 AM ESPN
Grab your mattress and get ready to light the matches, the Hokies are traveling to Morgantown for a brawl with the Mountaineers. While this one is always a junkyard dogfight, this year’s game promises to be something truly special. Both teams are undefeated and looking to make a statement about their bowl implications. For the Hokies, they’ve dusted just about everyone they’ve faced, including the Yellow Jackets last week. While its Marcus Vick and the scoring offense that gets all the pub, it’s the defensive unit that’s going to mean championship for this squad. They are third in total defense and give up just 75 yards/game on the ground. The Mountaineers, are riding high into this one at 4-0, although arguably they haven’t played anyone of note. They have a rock solid defense and a ground game that boasts 4 solid tailbacks and an offensive line that can literally move mountains.

In this one, expect a fight to the bitter end with more fights than penalties. When the dust clears, if the Hokies have won then they’ll have had their baptism by fire and be every bit as deserving a trip to Pasadena as anyone else. For my part though, I’m expecting the Hokies offense to get knocked around by that physical WVa D.
Mountaineers.


Oct. 1 Sat Indiana @ Wisconsin 11:00 AM ESPN2
After last week’s Miracle Over Michigan, the Badgers play host to a surprisingly undefeated Indiana club. QB Blake Powers leads the Hoosiers on offense, but figures to have a rough go of it against that Badger Defense which, while not necessarily stuffing the Wolverine offense, bruised and battered away at them for four full quarters. While this year was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Madison, Barry’s Boys have jumped out to a 4-0 start behind unbelievable play from both lines and the running of Badger Savoir Brian Calhoun. If Wisconsin can avoid the let down that so often plagues them, they might just wind up posting another record day at Camp Randall.
Badgers.


Oct. 1 Sat Baylor @ Texas A&M 11:30 AM FSN
This could be a fun one to watch –for about 10 minutes. That should be all Reggie and Boys need to put this one away, especially considering the fire in their belly after last season’s flat out embarrassment at the hands of these Bears. Baylor is riding a perfect 3-0 record for the first time in nine years, but with victories against SMU, Samford, and Army I wouldn’t be pounding my chest too much. The Aggies so far have been a cough-and-sputter kind of team, slow to get started and then all of a sudden –WHAMMO, 14 or more points in the blink of an eye and the game is out of reach. Look for the Aggies to come ready to play right out of the box and avoid having to ‘work’ in the second half.
Ags.


Oct. 1 Sat Syracuse @ Florida State 2:30 PM ABC*
At 1-2, it’s hard to argue that the Orange’s new coach, , hasn’t done a remarkable job already (the defense is now already playing like one of the best in the country). Even so, the Cuse offense has been stuck in a rut from the starting bell, ranked 104th in the nation (109th in passing). On the other side of the ball, FSU sports a newly found offense behind QB Drew Weatherford and the running of Thunder and Lightning (Booker and Washington). The Seminole Defense, already one of the best in the nation, shouldn’t have any trouble keeping the Orange contained –especially at home. The question here is if the Cuse defense can score enough points to keep the game interesting…
Seminoles.


Oct. 1 Sat Minnesota @ Penn State 2:30 PM ABC*
Finally, we get to see if Penn State is for real. True, the Nitnanny Lions ride a 6 game win streak into this one, but with their last four games coming against South Florida, Cinci, a directional Michigan school, and Northwestern that win streak just isn’t all that impressive. The Golden Gophers blew the doors off the vaunted Boilermaker Defense last week –can they do the same against an even stingier group? (Hint: Northwestern gouged them for nearly 200 yards on the ground). While this one will be uncomfortably close for the Minnesota faithful, don’t expect Penn State to pull off the upset –even at home in front of a raucous 106,000 plus.
Gophers.


Oct. 1 Sat Iowa State @ Nebraska 2:30 PM ABC*
The Corn Coast Offense gets a rude awakening this weekend as they kick off their conference slate at home against the Cyclones. Last week, Iowa State barely nudged past Army 28-21, but for those Reggie the Redbird friends out there, don’t fret over that performance –it was a close enough game to scare the Cyclones into realizing that they still have to fight for what they want: a Big 12 North title. For Nebraska, the offense has been a complete disaster thus far on the season, managing a paltry 133 yards per game (OU even manages more than that). Expect another defensive battle like last week, but don’t expect the Huskers to come out of it on top.
Iowa State.


Oct. 1 Sat USC @ Arizona St 2:30 PM ABC*
In the highlight game of the week, the Trojans from sunny Southern California take a trip down to the desert for a devil of a good time. Everyone knows USC will bring the O, but how many of us are convinced that they’ll bring the D? The ASU law firm of Keller (QB), Hagan (WR), and Herring (RB) have had this game circled on the calendar for a whole year. In what should be a doozy of a game (although at least 2/3 of the country won’t be able to see it), keep an eye on the defenses as they will decide this one. Can the Sun Devils get energized enough to shut down Leinart and Co.? Can the Trojans defense stumble out of its doldrums to shut down The Practice? Oh, if I but lived on the west coast…
Sun Devils –in a pick of the heart, and not so much of the brain.


Oct. 1 Sat Florida @ Alabama 2:30 PM CBS
The Tide rolled over Arkansas last week and is now looking to feast on some Gator meat this weekend in Tuscaloosa. And with QB Brodie Croyle and RB Ken Darby leading the way, this Tide squad has their sights set on the SEC West title. Trouble is, Urban Meyer already has his Gator team in mid season form with Chris Leak leading the SEC conference in Passing Efficiency and the Florida Defense yielding just 223 total yards/game (good for best in conference and 5th best in the nation).
Gators.


Oct. 1 Sat South Carolina @ Auburn 6:00 PM ESPN2
Don’t look now, but Auburn is right in the hunt of the SEC West crown. After pining away for their Backfield by GM against the Yellow Jackets, Auburn has finally got their man, Jeremy Irons, in a groove and their defense is playing right where they left off last season. For the Gamecocks, they still haven’t found a run game, averaging just 65 yards a contest and their defense is horribly slow, giving up better than 350 a game. In order for the Ole Ball Coach to stand a chance in this one, he’ll have to get a picture perfect day out of QB Blake Mitchell and find a way to shut down the Auburn ground machine.
Tigers.


Oct. 1 Sat Kansas State @ Oklahoma 6:00 PM FSN
The Sooners took a week off from the great UCLA debacle to try and find a cure for the illness that has afflicted their offense. Rhett Bomar has been permanently handed the reigns, despite his tendency to turn the ball over while Adrian Pederson has had an additional week to heal up from various nagging injuries. For the Wildcats, they’ll face their first serious test of the year (unless you consider their 21-19 squeaker against the Herd a serious test). Despite the fact that OU lacks any real offensive punch at this point in the season, look for OU to find enough ways to get going to put a few touchdowns on the board –and look for Stoops to challenge his defense to put up a gem of a game.
Sooners –they’ve bottomed out.


Oct. 1 Sat Arizona @ Cal 6:00 PM TBS
The Wildcats have had a week off to prepare for this Golden Bear team, and when you’ve got two Stoops’ running the show, that’s more than enough time for them to figure out a way to get the win. Even so, QB Joe Ayoob and RB Justin Forsett should provide enough one-two punch to keep the Wildcats at bay.
Golden Bears.


Oct. 1 Sat Notre Dame @ Purdue 6:45PM ESPN
Fresh off a tense, emotional game with their former coach, the Irish true to West Lafayette to take on a wounded Boilermaker team. Weis and his young protégé should have a field day going up against the Big10’s worst pass defense (and they earned that distinction against Akron, Arizona, and Minnesota –not exactly high velocity passing teams). Meanwhile, watch QB Brandon Kirsch to see if he finally has a solid outing as, without that, the Boilermakers just won’t be able to keep up.
Notre Dame.


Oct. 1 Sat BYU @ San Diego State 9:00PM ESPN Cl
Coming right of the heels of that overtime loss to TCU, the Cougars travel down to San Diego to face the Aztecs. The good news for San Diego is that the strength of their defense is the passing game –that means they’ll be going straight up against QB John Beck and the nation’s 4th ranked pass offense. The bad news is RB Curtis Brown should have a career day against the Dick Tomey’s defense.
BYU.


Oct. 1 Sat Washington @ UCLA 9:15PM FSN*
The dessert game of the week sees Ty and his Huskies traveling down to LA for a tussle with the Bruins. Last week, the Huskies were dominated in every phase of the game against Notre Dame, and with UCLA having two weeks off to prepare for this don’t expect Washington to keep this one tight for four full quarters. QB Drew Olson and RB Maurice Drew should prove more than enough to overwhelm the wilting Washington defense.
Bruins.

The Week 4 Run Down

It’s Week 4 SportzFanz and time for another Run Down of what you can expect on the tube this weekend.



The Week 4 TV Schedule

Sep. 21 Wed Bowling Green @ Boise State 7:00P ESPN2

Sep. 22 Thu Air Force @ Utah 6:30P ESPN

Sep. 23 Fri Iowa State @ Army 7:00P ESPN2
Sep. 23 Fri Cal @ New Mexico State 9:00P ESPN

Sep. 24 Sat Colorado @ Miami, Fla. 11:00A ABC*
Sep. 24 Sat Iowa @ Ohio State 11:00A ABC*
Sep. 24 Sat Purdue @ Minnesota 11:00A ESPN
Sep. 24 Sat Penn State @ Northwestern 11:00A ESPN2
Sep. 24 Sat ECU @ West Virginia 11:00A ESPN*

Sep. 24 Sat GA Tech @ Virginia Tech 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 24 Sat Notre Dame @ Washington 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 24 Sat Arkansas @ Alabama 2:30P CBS
Sep. 24 Sat Michigan @ Wisconsin 4:00P ESPN2
Sep. 24 Sat Nevada @ Colorado State 5:00P FSN*
Sep. 24 Sat Southern California @ Oregon 6:00P ABC*
Sep. 24 Sat Tennessee @ LSU 6:45P ESPN
Sep. 24 Sat Georgia @ Mississippi State 8:00P ESPN2
Sep. 24 Sat Arizona State @ Oregon State 9:00P TBS
*Denotes Regional Action


The Week 4 Run Down

Sep. 21 Wed Bowling Green @ Boise State 8:00P ESPN2
Omar Jacobs leads the Falcons into Idaho for a show down on the blue turf. While the Broncos may be in the midst of a 3 game losing streak, they still have (and aim to keep) the nation’s longest home win streak going (25 and counting). With the Bronco’s returning to familiar territory (back home, playing at night, on the Deuce), the question is whether or not they can pull themselves together and put up a solid four quarters of football. Boise has one of the nation’s worst pass defenses and will have to show marked improvement over the short week (an insane 4 days) as Omar Jacobs is certainly licking his chops. The Falcons have the nation’s 2nd rated pass attack, but one of the worst overall defenses in the country, especially against the run. While Boise should be able to run the ball with ease against the Falcons, don’t expect that to last for a full four quarters as this one ought to devolve into an old west style shoot out. If that’s the case, then this game is up in the air. The more things change, the more things stay the same: it’s Idaho, at night, and on the Deuce.
Boise State.

Sep. 22 Thu Air Force @ Utah 7:30P ESPN
With Utah losing control of their Mountain West destiny last week, the Air Force is looking to wing into Salt Lake and run away with a victory. Of course, to do that, they’ll have to weather the initial storm as the Ute’s will be rocking at home, at night, and in front of a nationally televised audience. If the Falcons can do that, then they stand a shot in this one as QB Shaun Carney is good enough to beat the Ute’s with his arm when given enough time to stand in the pocket. Even so, Utah’s combination of QB Brian Johnson and RB Quinton Ganther should prove more than a match for the much smaller Falcon defense.
Utes.

Sep. 23 Fri Iowa State @ Army 8:00P ESPN2
What a sweet gig being a Cyclone has been these past few weeks. First they dust their in-state nemesis, then they get an off week, and then they get to play Army. This one should be over before it even gets started as the Cyclone D ought to keep the Cadets bottled up. Consider this one a tune up for the Husker game the following week –unless of course the Cadets can catch these Redbirds looking ahead and feeling a bit too full of themselves (which I doubt as they’ve GOT to be steamed that the Hawkeyes are ranked ahead of them in both polls still).
Cyclones.

Sep. 23 Fri Cal @ New Mexico State 10:00P ESPN
Since going 0-10 in the season opener, QB Joe Ayoob has caught the hang of the Golden Bears passing game, leads his team to two straight victories on 25-of-44 throwing for 392 yards and 5 touchdowns. Of course, it doesn’t hurt any that RBs Forsett and O’Keith are combining for 180+ yards/game to keep the heat off of him. With the Aggies up this week, look for the offensive power surge to continue as New Mexico State is among the worst in the nation.
Golden Bears.

Sep. 24 Sat Colorado @ Miami, Fla. Noon ABC
Gary Barnett takes his beloved Buffaloes on the road to Miami this week, in a Big12 – ACC showdown. While nobody will mistake Buffalo for a Seminole, the Boys from Boulder play a tough, physical defense that has a good shot at keeping the Canes bottled up. On offense, though it’ll be up to QB Joel Klatt to prove he won’t wilt under the pressure in his senior season. For Miami, they are coming off a huge triple overtime win in Death Valley, but let’s not lose perspective here: but for one play the Canes would have started the season 0-2 for the first time in 27 years. Expect this one to be tougher than you’d figure before Miami’s weapons and depth finally start pulling away in the second half.
Canes.

Sep. 24 Sat Iowa @ Ohio State Noon ABC
It’s another Showdown in the ‘Shoe for the Buckeyes as Iowa makes a trip over to Columbus. While many of us won’t get the joy of seeing this one on the tube, the interest and intrigue merit all kinds of talk and discussion. Is Iowa really good enough to be the Buckeyes at home? Are they truly back after being blasted by the Cyclones two weeks ago? For Iowa, the key will be execution on offense and harassment on defense. They will have to throw everything including the kitchen sink at the young Troy Smith to keep him guessing and off-balanced. Do that, and these Hawkeyes should walk out with the victory –of course A.J. Hawk and his buddies have a little something to say about that.
Buckeyes.

Sep. 24 Sat Purdue @ Minnesota Noon ESPN/2
Can the nation’s best run defense shut down the nation’s best run offense? We’ll find out as Laurence Maroney and his Gophers go up against a Boilermaker defense that is yielding just 16 yards per game on the ground. In fact, the Gophers may think twice about winning this one on the ground and instead attack one of the nation’s worst pass defenses with QB Bryan Cupito and WR Jared Ellerson. For Purdue, they’ll have to continue to work the trenches on offense, opening up holes for RBJerod Void to run through and providing enough time for QB Brandon Kirsch to find the open receiver. If Minnesota can’t find a way to camp out in the backfield, this one could be another high scoring shootout.
Boilermakers.

Sep. 24 Sat Penn State @ Northwestern Noon ESPN/2
After getting absolutely scorched out in the desert by the Sun Devils last week, the Wildcats return home for a game with the Nittany Lions. For Penn State, this is a make or break game as they begin their Big10 slate. Why make or break? Because this team is very young and very impressionable. A blow out loss to Northwestern and you can kiss another bowl season goodbye as it’ll be darn difficult to find two wins against Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. For the Wildcats, they’ll have to keep QB Michael Robinson from running amok and buy enough time on offense for Basanez to find the open receiver. Trouble is, this Nitanny D-line is just as good as last year’s, so don’t count on Basanez being able to set up shop back there.
Penn State.

Sep. 24 Sat ECU @ West Virginia Noon ESPN*
After dominating the Terps last weekend, WVa gets a tune up game before hosting the Hokies on October 1st. While the Mountaineers had better not take this Pirates team to lightly, they should have no problem shutting down QB James Pinkney and WR Aundrae Allison. On offense, look for WVa to get a lot of reps in for QB Adam Bednarik as they are going to need some semblance of a passing game to beat the Hokies the following week.
Mountaineers.

Sep. 24 Sat GA Tech @ Virginia Tech 3:30P ABC
After working their way into the Top 25 with a victory over Auburn in Week 1, the Coaches and AP polls have seemingly had no other option but to continue to move the Rambling Wreck up the poll chain as they eeked by North Carolina and outplayed newbie UCONN. As a result, they are now ranked 15th in the polls heading into Blacksburg. And while the Hokie offense hasn’t been all that and a side of Heisman with Marcus Vick under center, it has been good enough to hang 45 on both Duke and Ohio. And at home, facing a Top 20 ranked squad (even if that ranking is a bit overdone), don’t expect the Hokie D to give up anything to these Yellow Jackets easily.
Hokies.

Sep. 24 Sat Notre Dame @ Washington 3:30P ABC
This one’s a powder keg just waiting to explode. Don’t think so? Just ask the Huskies players who feel they’ve been wronged just about everyway imaginable the past two years and have a chance to gain a little bit of their own as well as their coaches respect back. While I don’t expect Ty to be weeping on the sidelines, I do expect him to make this a statement game both for himself and the Washington program –and could the timing have been any better with the Huskies finally getting one in the win column and the Irish grand dream being dashed to pieces in front of the home crowd last week? Look for Weiss and the Irish to open it up on offense and light up the Husky secondary. In order for Washington to stand a chance, they’ll have to get sled dog Louis Rankin mushing while protecting Isaiah Stanback long enough for him to find Screaming Sonny Shackelford on the post route (how’s that for a wide receiver’s name!). Although the heart pulls for Ty, the Irish are just too loaded with talent to let this one slip away.
ND.

Sep. 24 Sat Arkansas @ Alabama 3:30P CBS
Word has it Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt’s job could be on the line this season –I guess it just goes to show what flirting with the Huskers and getting embarrassed in successive weeks by Vandy and the Trojans gets you. In order for the hogs to really stand a chance in this one they’re going to have to play ball like they’ve never played before –oh, and they’re gonna have to somehow convince Mr. Brodie Croyle and RB Ken Darby to sit this one out. That said, don’t be surprised if the Hogs are in this one all the way to the end.
Tide.

Sep. 24 Sat Michigan @ Wisconsin 5:00P ESPN2
While Michigan excised the demons last week against Eastern Michigan, don’t buy into the hype that all is well in Wolverine Land. This week, the Maize’n’Blue travel up to Camp Randall to face an undefeated Badger squad that was supposed to be rebuilding –that is until Mr. Brian Calhoun stepped up to the plate. With Michigan’s mediocre by Big10 standards defense, the question here is if they can withstand the pounding that Calhoun and his 300 pound posse are going to dish out for a full sixty minutes. And while fellow Sophomore Max Martin may be able to spell Michael Hart in a pinch, don’t expect the Wovlerines to do too much on the ground against the nation’s 4th ranked run defense.
Badgers.

Sep. 24 Sat Nevada @ Colorado State 6:00P FSN*
After starting the season with a tough rivalry loss to the Buffaloes and then getting blown out by Minnesota two weeks ago, the Rams have had two weeks to prepare for their home opener. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, will be looking to get the Pistol offense working against a Colorado State defense that gives up an average of 470 yards/game –meaning, they shouldn’t have too many problems moving the ball. Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack, they will have a very difficult time keeping QB Justin Holland and WR David Anderson under wraps.
Rams.

Sep. 24 Sat Southern California @ Oregon 7:00P ABC
The Trojans take a road trip to Eugene and Autzen Stadium this week for a face-to-face with the Highlighters, er Ducks I mean (I still can’t believe those home jerseys are allowed by law). The Trojans have had a doozy of a time in Autzen Stadium over the years, and while the talent gap is probably wider than ever don’t expect the Ducks have any let up against Southern Cal. If there is a weakness in this Trojan team, it’s the pass defense and with QB Kellen Clemens throwing the ball superbly and RB Terrence Whitehead running like he’s never run before, these Ducks stand an honest chance of pulling the season’s greatest upset if they can just get their secondary shored up. They’re the 100th ranked unit in the nation and got shredder by Fresno State for 418 yards.
Southern Cal.

Sep. 24 Sat Tennessee @ LSU 7:45P ESPN
With last week’s loss to the Gators, Tennessee’s dream of a SEC crown are in deep jeopardy –there is no more margin for error. The Tigers, meanwhile, finally got their season under way two weeks ago with an Instant Classic against Arizona State. In that one, they answered the bell, dispelling the notion that these Bayou Bengels would put up for the season after facing such destruction and distraction in their home state. This week, look for the Tigers to take out more of their frustration in front their own home crowd this week. The Vols should play much better than they did last week in the Swamp, but LSU has even more talent than that vaunted team from Knoxville and it’ll take a small miracle to keep JaMarcus Randall, Joseph Addai, Craig Davis, and Skyler Green hemmed in for all four quarters.
Tigers.

Sep. 24 Sat Georgia @ Mississippi State 9:00P ESPN2
After three straight ones between the hedges, the Bulldogs finally make a trip away from home to face the Bulldogs from Starkville. With Mississippi State barely scraping by Tulane, don’t expect them to put much in the way of a defense as Georgia QB DJ Shockley should have a career day running and throwing the ball. And by the way, Miss State should shoot whomever it is that’s doing their scheduling: they get Georgia, LSU, and Florida in a row, without a breather.
Georgia.

Sep. 24 Sat Arizona State @ Oregon State 10:00P TBS
In a battle of the States, the Beavers play host to the red hot Sun Devils –you know, there ought to be a law against having to face such high powered offenses on back to back to back weekends (Boise State, Louisville, and now Arizona State). With QB Matt Moore pitching and catching with WR Mike Hass though, the Beavers should at least keep this one within reason. The problem for the Beavers will be trying to contain the Law Firm (Keller, Hagan, and Herring). QB Sam I Am Keller is the real deal under center (ranked 3rd in the nation), while WR Derek Hagan is every bit the threat that O-State’s Hass is, and RB Keegan Herring is currently the nation’s top freshman running back. With all that firepower out on the field, it’ll be interesting to see how ASU’s defense handles itself, especially as they’re certain to be looking past the Beavers with USC coming to Tempe the following week.
Sun Devils.

The Week 3 Wrap Up

Welcome back SportzFanz for yet another edition of Between The Hashes. Each week, we’ll take a look at the College Football landscape and report on the state of all things Grid Iron. I think this one may be headed into overtime, so let’s just jump right on in.


What This Week Will Be Remembered For
Going for it on 4th down. No matter where you looked there was somebody going for it on 4th down. Nebraska did it on the Pitt 1 yard line and scored the only touchdown in a 7-6 victory. Virginia did it on the ‘Cuse 3 inch line with a minute left to play in the game instead of kicking the field goal. The Irish did it 4 times in one afternoon Saturday, including a 4th and 15 in the first quarter. OU, Michigan State, Miami, Boston College, Florida State, Rice, and SMU all got into the act when the game was far from being decided. Heck, Oregon State even ran a fake punt to catch Louisville with their pants down on the opening drive of the game. Yes indeed, this was the weekend for fourth downs.


Today’s Topic
The Rose Bowl is accepting reservations for fans who want to see their team in the national championship game. Yes, that’s right, even you can reserve a ticket to see your team play in the national championship game. Of course, you’ll have to be one of the first 1,000 people to reserve a ticket for your team, and you’ll have to pay to get the reservation.

The reservations are called ‘fan-forwards’ and are a relatively recent phenomenon that is catching on all over the sports world. The idea is that you plunk down some payola for the right to buy a ticket in the event that our team makes it to the game. If your team doesn’t make it, then that’s it –there are no refunds. If your team does make it, then that’s all well and good, you get the right to buy a ticket to the game at ‘face value’, of course, the fee you paid for your fan-forward does not count towards the purchase of a ticket.

What’s the price of the fan-forward you ask? Well, that all depends on what the ‘current’ odds are that your team is going to make it to the game. Right now, fan-forwards are going for anywhere between $10 (Baylor) and $405 (USC). For this year’s national championship game, you can get your ‘fan-forward’ at www.TicketReserve.com or www.TournamentOfRoses.com.

Sound straight forward enough? Ah, well there is a nuance to it. If you aren’t in on the first 1,000 fan-forwards sold for your team, fear not –you can still purchase one of a fan-forward.

How’s that you ask? Owners of the fan-forwards can sell their ‘fan-forward’ to another individual at the ‘going rate’ posted on the TicketReserve website. So, if your team puts together a marvelous win streak and the price of the fan-forward goes up, you can sell it for a profit. Of course, if your team chokes then the value fan-forward will plummet and you’ll either have to let it expire as worthless electronic paper or recoup some of your money selling it at a loss.

Near as I can tell, it’s equal parts gambling and stock trading. I’m not sure where you draw the line with the whole gambling thing nowadays, but this does seem a fair bit unseemly for an institution as irreproachable as the ‘Granddaddy Of Them All’ likes to think of itself.


Your Instant Impact Quotes of the Week Are:
"You have to make decisions. I've never pretended that every decision I've made was right. And I've been reminded of that." –Ohio State Coach Jim Tressle on the Tuesday following the Texas game. Right you are Jim. This week Tressle ended the quarterback dispute by naming Troy Smith the started against San Diego State.

“Sometimes you just have to say ‘What the heck’.” Al Groh, Head Coach Virginia. –Yeah, and sometimes you have to roll the hard eight. Problem is, my luck is almost never that good.

“I’m putting that one in my dictionary –trickeration! Ha ha ha!” –overheard during the South Carolina-Alabama game. To be honest, I was only surfing through when this one caught my ear and my head swiveled like the girl in the Exorcist: it’s spreading my friends, it’s spreading and that ain’t a good thing.

“I’m not trying to be a doctor here, but that looks like a problem with the shoulder.” the CBS announcers during the USC-Alabama game, I suppose trying to ensure that they are in no way held liable for the injury out on the field. Hey, and what gave it away anyhow? Maybe the fact that the guy was writhing in pain while the team docs pincered his shoulder yanked on his arm?

“That’s one of our keys to the game for Oklahoma –complete a pass.” Dan Fouts covering Oklahoma-UCLA. It wouldn’t be nearly as funny if it weren’t so true.

“You Honk, We Drink.” – Large tailgater sign at the A&M-SMU game.

“Talk about turnarounds and Dennis Frenchione, one of the biggest that they’ve done last year to this year is the play of their defense. Last year they played exceptionally well, and this year they hope to continue that.” –The FSN crew during the A&M-SMU game. Yeah, gee, I guess I never realized how big of a turnaround/difference that really was.

“You don’t tug on Superman’s Cape.” –Overheard during the Oregon State-Louisville game as one of the Louisville linebackers committed a pass interference penalty against future NFL star WR Mike Haas.

“If you’re not 300 pounds, you need not apply.” –During the introduction of the starting lineup for Michigan State. Well then, if I may point out, why is the starting left tackle only 294 pounds?

“Indelibly, inexorably, incredibly on this drive” – Trying to find the poetry? to describe the running of Oregon State’s Yvenson Brenard in the first quarter of the game.

“An impressive looking chasis on him.” –The ESPN crew, attempting to privde a further description of Brenard. Ok guys, let’s just be clear here: describing a player’s chasis is really something you should keep to yourself.

“In a land of derby winners, he is a thoroughbred.” The ESPN praising Cardindal QB Brian Brohm.

``I think if we play well and we capitalize on every drive, we can score 100 points. If we can do it, we need to do it next week.'' –Texas Tech QB Cody Hodges. Tech scored 80 points on Saturday, compiling 770 yards of total offense (a second best in school history, topped only by 775 yards against Iowa State in 2003). Next week, the Air Raiders take on yet another Division IAA team in Indiana State.


This week’s Super-Stud Awards go to…
For those weekend warriors who leave it all out on the turf, we salute you:

1. The Vanderbilt Commodores – You guys crushed Ole Miss on Saturday to go 3-0 for the first time since 1984 and 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1956 (49 years). Congrats guys, you sit atop the SEC East standings with Georgia and Florida. With homes games against Richmond and Middle Tennessee State, Vandy should be 5-0 when they play host to the Bayou Bengals.

2. Cody Hodges, QB Texas Tech – Given that it’s the Texas Air Raid and you played against a Division I-AA school, I’m not sure you deserve the highlight reel here. However, you are the nation’s total yardage leader, averaging 11.2 yards a touch –as a QUARTERBACK. This week, young Cody nailed 441 total yards of offense with 26-of-37 passing for 436 yards and 5 touchdowns –he didn’t even play half of the 3rd quarter.

3. Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame – Your 487 yards on 33 of 60 passing was good for 5 of the Irish touchdowns as the Golden Domes came from behind to force overtime before finally falling to the Spartans.

4. Chris Barclay, RB Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons Offense finally woke up, broke a sweat, and started humming as Barclay rushed for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns on 25 carries. The Deacons poured on the offense against East Carolina, gaining 407 yards on the ground in route to an easier than it would appear 44-34 victory.

5. Keegen Herring, RB Arizona State – This stud set a new Arizona State single game freshman rushing record with 197 yards on 23 carries. That’s brings him to 367 yards rushing on the year, good enough for 11th best overall in the country and tops among freshman running backs.

6. Jamaal Charles, RB Texas – The other big freshman performance of the week belongs to Jamaal – 189 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 16 carries. And do you think Jammin Jamaal was happy with his performance? Answer: No, his goal is 200 yards/game and he was simply disappointed in himself for not running better to reach that goal, despite being pulled after the 1st series of the second half.

7. Brian Brohm, QB Louisville – For anyone out there that didn’t think this kid deserved all the hype: Brian ‘Boom-Boom’ Brohm attained an unheard of 306.42 passer rating in this weekend’s game against Oregon State. How’d he do it? By completing 18 of 22 passes for 368 yards and 5 touchdowns. Well done.

8. Reggie McNeal, QB Texas A&M – Reggie set an A&M record for total yardage with 448 yards off of 6 rushes for 100 yards and 15-of-24 passing for another 349. He scored six touchdowns in this game as well. So who’s record did he break? Answer: Edd Hargett’s from way back in 1968 against, you guessed it, these same SMU Mustangs -ain’t irony a bitch Pony fans?.

9. Robert Johnson, WR Texas Tech – You only hauled in 8 catches, but you managed to turn them into 209 yards of offense. My only question, how did you manage to not find the end zone?

10. Maurice Stovall, WR Notre Dame – You only nabbed 8 pitches as well, and you only took yours for 176 yards. Ah, but at least you found the end zone my man. Note to Irish fans: your playmaker has finally arrived.

11. Mario Urrutia, WR Lousiville – Okay so I guess the reception bar was set pretty low this week as Urrutia only snagged 7, but he turned those Magnificent Seven into 175 yards and 2 scores. Note to anyone that pays attention to college football: If you haven’t heard of this kid before, you’d better get used to it because he’s only a freshman, he is that dam good, and with Brian Brohm tossing the pigskin to him he is going to be the most dangerous wide receiver in the country next season.

12. AJ Nicholson, LB Florida State – Your opening game interception return for a touchdown against BC set the stage for a magnificent battle between two ACC titans. Take heart BC fans, the season is young and there is a lot of tough football still to be played.

13. Reagen Schneider, PK UTEP –There’s always room for a place kicker, especially one that goes 5 of 6 on field goals, including the game winner in overtime to beat Houston.

14. The Arizona State Offense – You just nudged past the Air Raiders for most ridiculous offensive performance of the week with a 773 yard performance against Northwestern. I’m not sure if the Sun Devils can contain the Trojan offense, but if I were a USC fan I’d be more concerned about how the Trojans are going to contain the ASU Offense.

15. The Purdue Defense – Don’t think these guys are any good? In a game that was much closer than it should have been, the Boilermakers held Arizona to a grand total of 9 yards rushing. Now if they could just figure out what happened to QB Brandon Kirsch and that O-Train.

16. The Boston College Defensive Line – They gave up all of 13 yards rushing to Thunder and Lightning this weekend. Unfortunately, Grandpa figured out your interior linebackers are horrible coverage men, torching the BC-D for 243 yards in mostly dink and dunk passes over the middle.

17. Alright FSN, I’ll give you one – Getting Reggie McNeal, Vince Young, and Matt Leinhart on the tube all in one day is pretty impressive. Now you give me one –stop using that stupid tote board whenever somebody scores a touchdown!

18. The UCLA Bruin Defense – The boys in powder blue held the mighty Adrian Peterson to just 58 yards on 23 carries. You also forced Sooner QB Rhett Bomar to commit 4 of the team’s 6 fumbles and marked the first time in Stoops head coaching career that he has begun a season 1-2.

19. Adam Ickes, Nebraska – This Bugeater ate up Josh Cummings’ 46-yard field goal as time expired to preserve the 7-6 Husker victory. It was one of two blocked field goals for Nebraska on the day.

20. The Alabama Ground Game – The Tide rolled in hard and fast against South Carolina, shredding their line for 338 yards on the ground and paving the way for Coach Shula to pick up just his 3rd road victory since taking over the Bama program back in 2003.


And the ‘Bench Em’ awards go to…
Our weekly awards for the worst performances, bone-headed play calls, or anything else that smacks of ridiculousness or stupidity:

1. The UCF Program – You’ve now extended the nation’s longest losing streak to 17. With the Herd coming to town this weekend, can you please stop the pain?

2. Whoever sold the naming rights to Louisville’s Stadium – Isn’t it bad enough that all of the bowls have been renamed to ridiculous things like the GalleryFurniture.com bowl and the Insight.com bowl? Did we really need to cross that line and be told Louisville is playing at Papa John’s Stadium?

3. John L Smith, Head Coach Michigan State – A wonderful, marvelous game plan –until the 4th quarter. Why did you leash the hounds and play circle the wagons in the fourth quarter? That horrible mistake almost (and probably should have) cost you the game as the Irish rallied to score 21 points in 18 minutes. I’m beginning to wonder if you’d even be the Spartan head coach if Mr. Stanton had never stepped foot on campus.

4. ABC’s camera crew – Actually, call this one the ‘screwed out of my money’ award. I counted no less than three times that the Overstock.com 1st down line wasn’t even visible while the guys in the booth yammered on about it. Ok, so it was because South Carolina was usually in a 3rd and Forever, but still…

5. Jim Knox and FSN’s filler time during the Texas game – Okay, I understand it’s like a bagillion to one and NOBODY but Longhorn fans are watching, but do you still have to stoop down to interviewing the ‘canon loading crew’ and showing 5 straight minutes of the Texas Pom Pom Squad? Hmmm, maybe I should ‘Ask Knox’ that one...

6. All Aggie Fans at Kyle Field on Saturday – I could have heard a pin drop in the 1st quarter of the game. What’s the deal? Too many people honking their horns in the pre-game?

7. Title this under things that are gay: Sportsline.com has turned their countdown to kickoff clock into a countdown to the Heisman clock. What, you don’t have anything better to do with that screen real estate? Side note: we’ve got 82 days, 6 hours, 51 minutes, and 42 seconds until the most overrated trophy in college football is presented.

8. The Corn Coast Offense – It was yet another abysmal outing by the Nebraska O this week. They managed just 267 yards of total offense and are now the nation’s 106th ranked unit, good for worst in the Big12. With their conference slate starting in two weeks against the Cyclones, Huskernation has to be nervous about what Callahan has done to their program.

9. Wanny and the Pitts – Actually, Pitt really didn’t do that poorly this weekend. The Blackshirts up at Nebraska are way better than most people realize and Pitt did try to get more balanced on offense by opening up the passing game a little bit. With their next four against Youngstown, Rutgers, Cincinnati, and South Florida, expect the Panthers to be 4-3 heading into the last leg of the season (Syracuse, Louisville, Connecticut, and West Virginia).


Random Hits and Misses
1. NBC, welcome to the new millennium. You’ve finally figured out what a sane scoreboard display looks like –and it doesn’t involve a peacock that takes up a third of the screen. Congratulations. Now, if you’d just cover more than Notre Dame football…

2. Title this under things you shouldn’t see during a football game – The NIVEA For Men Defense. That isn’t the only thing that should be outlawed though, the Depends Overtime and the Softer Side of Sears Second Quarter are two more ideas that never need to see the light of day.

3. Is there anything better than watching a 250+ pound lineman dance for joy after recovering the game clinching fumble? In the Texas-Ohio State game, it almost brought tears to my eyes watching the bench empty on top of the guy. The only thing that made it sweeter is the fact that assistant coaches were the first ones on the pile.

4. We’ve all heard ad nauseum about how Weiss is the first Notre Dame coach since The Great One to win his first two road games to get an inaugural season started, but how many of you realize that he is only the 3rd Irish coach to ever lose his first home game? Elmer Laydin way back ini 1934 and Lou Holtz in 1986 where the only other Irish coaches to accomplish the same ‘feat’.

5. Overrated – great plays on offense. Underrated – great plays on defense. Is there really anything sweeter than a defensive back who obliterates a receiver after the catch? Or reaches up at the last second and slaps away a sure long bomb? Ok, AP’s 4th down touchdown run against Tulsa was a thing of beauty, but I’ve only seen one offensive play like that this season.

6. I think Wisconsin will win every game this year in which they are within 7 going into the fourth quarter. That defense just keeps hitting and that offensive line just keeps pancaking people. The Badgers D held North Carolina to just 57 yards rushing Saturday, squashing out any hope of a Tar Heel victory with their big 300 pound bodies.

7. Did you know Missouri’s Brad Smith is the only active player in Division IA with over 10,000 yards of offense? At 10,308 yards he towers over the next man, Northwestern’s Brett Basanez with 8,172.

8. Ty got his first victory of the season this weekend, defeating Idaho 34-6. With the Irish coming to town, the timing couldn’t’ve been better. You know, I’m actually wondering how many Notre Dame fans out there feel sorry enough for the guy to actually root for him on Saturday.

9. Shiver. Sorry, I just got a little déjà vu. Virginia Tech mauled its opponent 45-0 for the second straight week. Duke was the previous victim while Frank Solich’s Ohio squad took the bullet this week.

10. Does anybody else realize just how close the Miami Hurricanes came to starting the season 0-2 for the first time since 1978?

11. Don’t look now but Texas has the nation’s second longest win streak at 10. With Utah getting drop kicked by TCU, the Horns moved up into the second slot behind USC’s 24 and one game up on Louisville’s nine.

12. There were 4 overtime games this weekend. TCU-Utah went to overtime with the Toadies claiming the victory 23-20, Michigan State-Notre Dame went to a single overtime with the Spartans coming out on top 44-41 in an Instant Classic, Houston-UTEP went to double overtime as the Miners also prevailed 44-41, and Clemson-Miami went to triple overtime with the Canes winning on the back of RB Kyle Wright, 36-30.

13. What’s up with all the sympathy votes in the Coaches Poll? Vanderbilt received 8, Oklahoma 4, Air Force 1, and Utah 9 while TCU got the goose egg and a team like Iowa State STILL isn’t ranked in the Cockroaches Top 25 (yes, that’s my new name for it, and until it starts making better sense, that’s what I’m calling it).

13. Is it blasphemy to say this: I really admire Mike Price. Sure, he may be a slime ball in his personal life (I really wouldn’t know and don’t personally care to know), but the guy can flat out coach, and you have to admire the way he’s turned UTEP into a rising destination for college football players. Oh yeah, and slamming that pick axe into the turf at the start of each game is pretty cool too.


If I could be anyone from this past week, it’d be…
Anyone on the Michigan State Spartan football team. You guys all but handed the Irish their hat before going AWOL in the 4th quarter and letting them back into the game. THEN, you turned it on again and won the game in overtime. Amazing, simply amazing. Michigan State now holds the distinction of having beaten the Irish a dozen times –no other school can claim so many victories over the Golden Domers. Oh, and no one but Purdue (1954-62) has ever claimed five straight victories in South Bend. Spartans, you’re my new heroes.


Conference Corner
Big10 - The Fallen Three in the Big10 worked out some frustration, pasting their opponents by a combined 128-27. The Spartans upended Charlie Weis in his home opener with the Irish, while Wisconsin knocked off ACC foe North Carolina and Purdue fended off a second straight desert loss, beating Arizona 31-24. The Big10 is still the class of the country, but as the season wears on the title for best all round conference is still up for grabs.

Big12 - The Big12 would have ran the table, but for the lack of a Sooner passing game on Saturday. Don’t look now but the Big12 has eclipsed the Big10 in win percentage (87% to 84%). This week’s head-to-head between Colorado and the Canes should go a long ways to proving or disproving the power of this conference as Iowa State plays Army, Texas Tech plays D-IAA Indiana State, and Texas A&M plays D-IAA Texas State.

PAC10 - I’m really disappointed in the Beavers play against Louisville, especially when the Cardinals looked so apathetic against Kentucky in the opener. USC’s offense is a thing to behold, but the jury is still out on the defense. Why is that UCLA gets ranked by beating a dog of a Sooner team when Oregon, who upset a similarly top 25 ranked team, barely merits an invitation?

SEC - Despite Florida’s win over Tennessee this weekend, the SEC East race remains wide open when you consider Georgia is still in the mix. In the West, don’t forget about Auburn. They seem to have found some synergy and are really kicking now. LSU may think it’s got that division all sown up but the Tide are rolling as well.
About the only thing I do know for sure here is: fan-forwards for Vandy in the Rose Bowl are only $10 a piece right now –just imagine the profit you could make if they actually knocked off LSU in three weeks.

The BEast - Louisville, the conference savior, pasted Oregon State and cracks the Top 10 this week. Meanwhile, the Orange showed dramatic improvement over last year, losing to Virginia on a game ending field goal and West Virginia crushed rival Maryland in College Park. The Yellow Jackets are also a surprise bright spot for the former BEast conference, but at #16 in the nation I think they’re a tad bit over rated.

The Independents - Has anyone else taken the time to notice that Notre Dame is the only independent that has one a game this season? Navy, Army, and Temple are a combined 0-7 and have been outscored 108-299.


Next Week’s Quick Peeks
Next week’s slate of games promises to be even better than this week! Just take a look at some of the hotter action that will be out on that Grid Iron…

Colorado @ Miami, Fla. - Miami has gotten off to a struggle this year, narrowing losing to Florida State and being pushed to triple overtime to finally put away Clemson in Death Valley. This week they return home to face a Colorado Buffalo team that can brilliant one day and sloppy horrid the next. Which Buff team shows will determine how interesting this game is.

Iowa @ Ohio State - The first of mammoth Big10 games gets underway with the Hawkeyes traveling to the Horseshoe. Can OSU do the same thing to Iowa that the Cyclones did a week ago, or will Iowa take a page out of Texas’ book and use their versatile quarterback to run yet another Buckeye day in Columbus?

Purdue @ Minnesota - The Boilermakers get their first conference test this week against Glen Mason and the Golden Gophers. Last week, Purdue’s offense got stuck in neutral and had to rely on its defense to carry the day. Will that same philosophy get it done here against the Gopher’s ground game?

Boston College @ Clemson - How will these teams bounce back? Clemson lost a heartbreaker to Miami while BC did the same to the Seminoles. Tiger fans can at least take heart in that Charlie Whitehurst showed no signs of falling back into last season’s form even with the mighty Hurricane defense swarming in his face.

GA Tech @ Virignia Tech - The Rambling Wreck gets it’s shot at the Hokies #4 ranking this weekend. Will Marcus Vick and the rest of the Hokie O be able to post yet another 45 point scoring day? Will the Hokie-Pokie D be able to take the sting out of the Yellow Jackets –one of the most underrated offenses in the country?

Notre Dame @ Washington - This one’s a powder keg just waiting to explode. The Irish take a trip to visit their old boss in Tyrone Willingham’s Huskies. At the same time, the Irish come into this one on a one game skid while the Huskies actually hunker down to try and put together a two game win streak for their new coach.

Michigan @ Wisconsin - The final Big10 battle of the week is Michigan-Wisconsin. Can the Maize’n’Blue move the ball up and down the field against this Badger defense? Will the Badgers be able to blow out the Wolverines in the trenches and post another near record victory at Camp Randall this season?

Southern California @ Oregon - Oregon always plays SC tough –especially at home. The Ducks are undefeated so far this season and have offense that just might be powerful enough to keep up with the boys from sunny southern Cal.

Tennessee @ LSU - Hot off the big loss to Florida, the Volunteers travel down to Baton Rouge for an emotional home opener for the Bayou Bengals. While the Vols may be good and seething mad after losing their much hyped conference opener in the Swamp, the Tigers will be ready and waiting to vent a state’s worth of frustration on them.

Arizona State @ Oregon State - In a battle of the States, the Beavers get no quarter from the unbelievable offenses that they’ve faced (Boise State, Louisville, and now ASU). Can the Beaver defense hold up –have they learned enough from playing Boise State and the Cardinals to shutdown the Sun Devils? Will the law offices of Keller, Hagan, and Herring tear off another whale of a game, en route to establishing themselves as the nation’s best shot at keeping the Trojans out of the Rose Bowl?

The Week 3 Run Down

It’s Week 3 SportzFanz and time for another Run Down of what you can expect on the tube this weekend. Now, while many of you may think you deserve a breather after Notre Dame-Michigan, Arizona State-LSU, Iowa-Iowa State, and Texas-Ohio State last week, you’d be dead wrong.

This week we get it all kicked off nice and early Thursday with a probable Mountain West title showdown between Utah and TCU. On Friday, the grid iron follows up with Mike Price and his Miners taking on an under-rated Cougar squad before the full court Saturday press kicks into high gear. On Saturday, we get started with Oregon State-Louisville and then a monster of a mid afternoon schedule with Wanny and the Pitts taking on the Corn Coast Offense, the Sooners ground game taking on the Bruins, and the Tide rolling into SC’s staunch secondary. For dinner, we’ve got the Badgers stealing into North Carolina, the Seminole’s squaring off against Boston College in what should be the pivotal conference game on their schedule, and the SEC-East title being all but laid out on the line when the Volunteers travel down to the Swamp for a meet and greet with Urban Meyer. And finally, in the dessert game this week we’ve got two time defending national champ USC trying to match wits with the team that lost to Vandy last week. With all that action lined up for the week, what more could you possibly ask for from the world of pigskin?


The Week 3 TV Schedule

Sep. 15 Thu. Utah @ TCU 6:30P ESPN/2

Sep. 16 Fri. Houston @ UTEP 7:00P ESPN2

Sep. 17 Sat. Oregon State @ Louisville 11:00A ESPN
Sep. 17 Sat. Eastern Michigan @ Michigan 11:00A ESPN*
Sep. 17 Sat. Virginia @ Syracuse 11:00A ESPN2
Sep. 17 Sat. SMU @ Texas A&M 11:30A FSN
Sep. 17 Sat. Baylor @ Army 2:00P ESPN Cl
Sep. 17 Sat. Miami, Fla. @ Clemson 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 17 Sat. San Diego State @ Ohio State 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 17 Sat. Pittsburgh @ Nebraska 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 17 Sat. Oklahoma @ UCLA 2:30P ABC*
Sep. 17 Sat. Alabama @ South Carolina 2:30P CBS
Sep. 17 Sat. Michigan State @ Notre Dame 2:30P NBC
Sep. 17 Sat. Kentucky @ Indiana 5:45P ESPN Cl
Sep. 17 Sat. Wisconsin @ North Carolina 6:00P ESPN2
Sep. 17 Sat. Fresno State @ Oregon 6:00P TBS
Sep. 17 Sat. Rice @ Texas 6:00P FSN*
Sep. 17 Sat. UCF @ USF 6:00P FSN*
Sep. 17 Sat. Florida State @ Boston College 6:45P ESPN
Sep. 17 Sat. Tennessee @ Florida 7:00P CBS
Sep. 17 Sat. Arkansas @ Southern California 9:15P FSN

*Denotes Regional Action


The Week 3 Run Down


Sep. 15 Thu. Utah @ TCU 6:30P ESPN/2
The Ute’s and Horned Frogs kick off Week 3 on Thursday night. TCU gets this year’s early season Roller Coaster Award, having knocked off the Sooners in week one and then promptly getting tagged by the SMU Mustangs last week. Which TCU team will show up? The one that announced itself as the Mountain West team to beat, or the roadkill that let the Mighty Mustangs steamroll it? While Utah lacks a lot of the star power from last year, they are still the most talented team in the M-West and all indications are that they are beginning to get the hang of life after Urban. Look for TCU to try to atone for last week’s outing with QB Tye Gunn going up against the strength of the Utah defense (It’s secondary). For the Ute’s, RB Quinton Ganther and QB Brian Johnson should have a field day as this offense is too balanced for the Horned Frogs to keep on lock down.
Utah.


Sep. 16 Fri. Houston @ UTEP 7:00P ESPN2
After beating New Mexico State in the opener, UTEP has had two weeks of to prepare for Houston. The Cougars, meanwhile, had a tune up game against Sam Houston State to recover from that Ducky Hangover in week one. While the Cougars definitely have enough weapons in their arsenal (QB Kevin Kolb, WR Marshall and Avery), they will be going up against a Miner squad that registered 8 sacks and -17 yards rushing in week one. Indeed, Mike Price’s squad is already the class of C-USA –and he’s only beginning year two! QB Jordan Palmer headlines a mediocre offense that should be dramatically improved over last year’s squad. Don’t expect the Cougars to be able to contain these Miners.
UTEP.


Sep. 17 Sat. Oregon State @ Louisville 11:00A ESPN
Oregon State rides into Kentucky on a 5 game win streak, including last week’s come-from-behind victory over Boise State. This week they find themselves facing a bigger, faster, meaner, more physically gifted version of the Bronco’s –and they’re away from home. All is not lost however as the Beavers WR Mike Hass is big enough, fast enough, and strong enough (yes, they have the technology) to haul in anything thrown even remotely his way (and QB Matt Moore is more than capable of getting the ball close enough to him). Add to that, Louisville struggling to put away Kentucky in week one and the Beavers have a definite shot at the upset. However, as the Cardinals had a week off to prepare for this one and work on problems in the offense, and seeing as how their run defense is good enough to keep the Ducks one dimensional, I doubt even Mike Hass will be able to save the day.
Cards.


Sep. 17 Sat. Eastern Michigan @ Michigan 11:00A ESPN*
After last week’s debacle in the Big House, Michigan needs to get healthy in a hurry –what better time than to have a directional school come to town? Look for Michigan to be dominant in all phases of the game as they work out their demons from last week’s Irish hangover.
Wolverines.


Sep. 17 Sat. Virginia @ Syracuse 11:00A ESPN2
Syracuse will be ending their home stand against the Cavaliers after blowing out Buffalo last week. So far for the Orange, this season has gone pretty much as everyone expected –solid defense, decent run game, poor passing game. Now it’s time to see if they can kick it up a notch. Virginia opened the season against a directional Michigan school and then promptly took a week off to prepare for the Orange –and they needed it. With the new West Coast Offense, the Orange will look to use a short passing game to set up the run –exactly what the Cavs had problems with in the opener. In order for Virginia to succeed, they’ll have to shut down the passing game and show that they can move the ball against a vastly improved Syracuse defense. This one should be closer than most people think with that Cuse D holding the Cavs in check until the very end.
Virginia.


Sep. 17 Sat. SMU @ Texas A&M 11:30A FSN
Hot off their upset victory over TCU, the Mustang’s travel down to College Station to see if they can come up with another milestone victory. The Aggies, having stewed over that loss to Clemson, will of course have a little something to say about that –and expect them to speak loud and clear with QB Reggie McNeal, RB Courtney Lewis, and that Wrecking Crew defense. In this one, I kind of feel sorry for the Mustangs –going up against a pissed off Aggie team that’s been having to stew and seethe for two weeks is not the kind of play date I’d like to have.
Ags.


Sep. 17 Sat. Baylor @ Army 2:00P ESPN Cl
Yes, it’s true: ESPN Classic does carry live games. Don’t believe me? Well just tune in to the Classic at 2PM and you’ll find Baylor gracing your screen (tell me: when has Baylor ever played in an Instant Classic?). The Bad News Bears have started off their season with some good news for once: two solid victories over SMU and Samford (okay, Samford isn’t too solid, but hey this is Baylor). They’ll look to run that streak up to three with Army this week before dipping into that dreaded bear shredder of a conference slate. Meanwhile, Army rides the nation’s longest home losing streak, but looks to finally put an end to that injustice against the hapless Bears. Unfortunately, Army just always seems to find new and creative ways to lose games at home.
Bears.


Sep. 17 Sat. Miami, Fla. @ Clemson 2:30P ABC*
In what should be the second best game of the weekend in the ACC, Miami travels up 95 for a face off with the Tigers. Clemson has led a charmed life so far this year, scraping past the Aggies with a bagillion field goals and then coming from behind to steal the dubbya against Maryland last week. Charlie Whitehurst has been playing light years better than last year, but the real question for him is if he can keep it up week in/week out. RB James Davis has been taking a lot of the heat off of Whitehurst, but that should all change against the Hurricanes. Miami’s offense may have looked like it was stuck in neutral in week one, but that was against a fantastic Seminole defense –Clemson does not have that good of a D. Look for the Canes to lay the groundwork with RB Tyrone Moss in the early going. After that, expect QB Kyle Wright to start zinging it and going yard.
Canes.


Sep. 17 Sat. San Diego State @ Ohio State 2:30P ABC*
In week one of life after Texas, the Buckeyes host a tune up match against Dick Tomey’s Aztecs. This one should be one of the least competitive games of the weekend and consequently one of the least interesting –unless you’re a Buckeye. Look for Troy Smith to have a coming out party, catching fire and torching San Diego State through the air as well as on the ground.
Buckeyes.


Sep. 17 Sat. Pittsburgh @ Nebraska 2:30P ABC*
This should be one of the best match-ups of the weekend as Wanny and the Pitts take a road trip to Omaha for a showdown against the Happless Huskers’ Corn Coast Offense. The Panthers are just reeling from last week’s stinger at Ohio and have to be wondering if they made the right move bringing in Wannstadt. Look for Pitt to finally buy a clue and open up the offense with QB Tyler Palko –it’s just too much of a travesty if they don’t. Now too would be a great time for the defense to show up as the Bugeaters have done nothing but struggle on offense. This one hinges around the Blackshirts –can they keep it together and manhandle Pitt for 60 minutes while the offense coughs and spits, or will Palko find the seams and make the throws that earned him the attention of NFL scouts everywhere. I’m voting for Wanny –his day has to be coming, right?
Pitt.


Sep. 17 Sat. Oklahoma @ UCLA 2:30P ABC*
Which game we’ll end up getting for the 2:30 time slot is anybody’s guess at this point. I’m certainly hoping it’ll be the Pitt-Husker game, but knowing my luck it’ll be this one. Bomar is again the Sooner QB of choice this week (maybe he’ll throw a pass, maybe he won’t – OU is dead last in the nation in passing by the way) and Adrian Peterson will play but not start for skipping classes during the week (while I agree that doesn’t merit much of a punishment unless he’s skipping the entire semester, I just don’t see how that’s a punishment). Last week, UCLA scorched Rice with 325 yards through the air (to be honest, it would have been a lot more, but UCLA was trying to run the clock in the second half). QB Drew Olson is a kid that is somehow managing to get no love right now in the press –as is also the case for RB Maurice Drew. That will all change after UCLA dismantles OU in a “bottoming out” game for the Sooners.
Bruins.


Sep. 17 Sat. Alabama @ South Carolina 2:30P CBS
The Gamecocks host a rising Tide this week. How easily can they put ‘what might have been’ out of their minds after that near miss Between the Hedges? With Brodie Croyle under center, this Bama team stands a good chance at challenging for the SEC West title. Last week, very few people would have given SC a chance in this one, but the Ole Ball Coach proved these Cocks have a lot of fight in them. If Alabama is going to roll to victory, they’re going to have to do it on the back of RB Ken Darby as the SC secondary is playing more and more like one of the best in the country. The key to this one will be South Carolina’s mood and spirit –oh, and don’t count on them running the ball well in this one either, Bama has a staunch run D. Will the Gamecocks be up for the game or emotionally flat after last week? With them performing far, far better than anyone expected last week, I’m betting on the home crowd to come out in force and get this team fired up –I just hope it’s enough to get them through the 4th quarter.
Gamecocks.


Sep. 17 Sat. Michigan State @ Notre Dame 2:30P NBC
First it was shell shocking Pitt to pieces, then it was breaking up the Maize’n’Blue in the Big House. Now the Irish Wonderland Whirlwind heads home to South Bend and for a slugfest with the Spartans. While ND proved that the Pitt game was no fluke, they also exposed just how suspect the Michigan defense really is (and thus, that they still may not be all that and a side of Pasadena). If they can post a convincing win here, all questions about the Irish return to prominence will be immediately silenced. Drew Stanton and Company are one of the most dangerous offenses in the country (#2 in total offense). If the Golden Domers keep him under wraps, then this one should be an easy game. If not, Brady Quinn should still be able to notch the dubbya in a shoot out as the Spartans field one of the weakest secondaries in the country. Of course if history is any indicator, the Irish will play the exact opposite of what I say…
Fighting Irish.


Sep. 17 Sat. Wisconsin @ North Carolina 6:00P ESPN2
The Badgers O gets their first test of the season against the Tar Heels (Bowling Green and Temple do not a test make). Can they keep the good times rolling away from home and against a defense with a heart beat? My answer is yes –just don’t expect them to be as explosive. RB Brian Calhoun is the real deal as are all those hogs on the offensive line. They should own the field as the game wears on, taking the pressure off John Stocco and freeing Wisconsin to be two dimensional (Note: if the game comes down to Stocco making plays, the Badgers will not win). While the Tar Heels offense is none too shabby either, the key here will be the play of the offensive line –they have to keep the Badgers out of the backfield. This one will be decided in the second half when North Carolina’s big boys start sucking wind –can they dig deep enough to keep the Badgers offense off the field?
Badgers.


Sep. 17 Sat. Fresno State @ Oregon 6:00P TBS
QB Kellen Clemens is quietly making a name for himself after leading his Ducks to victories in the opening two weeks of the season. The Ducks installed a spread offense in the off season and with Clemens at the helm, it is really starting to take off. Of concern however, is the run game –it just hasn’t found a steady back to sled with the rock. Speaking of ground games, for Fresno State to stand any chance in this one they will have to get their sled dogs mushing. And while they may have an experienced line up front doing the blocking, the strength of this Oregon team is it’s defensive line, and that Ducky-D should prove more than a match for the Bulldogs down the stretch, especially at home in Autzen Stadium.
Ducks.


Sep. 17 Sat. Rice @ Texas 6:00P FSN*
Texas gets a breather in Rice before starting their conference slate. If this were an ‘old’ Texas team, I’d say this one would be closer than everyone thinks; however, this isn’t the same ole’ Longhorn team that we’ve all gotten used to –and it’s a night game at Memorial Stadium (a wonderful homecoming of sorts for the Boys who Beat the Buckeyes).
Longhorns.


Sep. 17 Sat. Florida State @ Boston College 6:45P ESPN
The Seminoles dusted Citadel last week, putting their offensive house in order; meanwhile, the Golden Eagles cake walked through their game against Army. BC has started off 2-0 this season and is looking to challenge Virginia Tech for the conference title on October 27th if they can get past these Seminoles. FSU, after nudging past Miami in week one, is in the driver’s seat in the ACC and doesn’t face Virginia Tech at all. If they can get the dubbya up in Chestnut Hill this weekend, the Seminoles should be on near cruise control until the season finale with the Gators. Running backs Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington (Thunder and Lightning) lead the FSU attack against one of the stingiest defenses in the country (they’ve only given up one touchdown thus far in the season). Can they make their way into the endzone against the Eagles? On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles defense, so masterful against Miami, will have to contend with a fantastic young quarterback in Quinton Porter as well as a host of offense weaponry led by RB Brian Toal and WR Will Blackmon. Will they be as dominating? Yes, but this one’s at home for the Eagles and magic just seems to happen to BC up there.
Boston College.


Sep. 17 Sat. Tennessee @ Florida 7:00P CBS
While the Volunteer’s no longer froth at the mouth so rabidly when they think of Florida, I can’t help but wonder if their hatred for all things Visor will soon be replaced with all things Meyer. Urban Meyer gets his first taste of the truly big time in this one (he has never faced a team ranked higher than 19th), and will get to see if Chris Leak and his spread offense can really match-up against the NFL speed of the Volunteer defense. While the depth chart is heavily tilted in favor of the Vols, I just can’t get two things out of my head: that 17-10 4th quarter victory over UAB and the quarterback derby going on up in Knoxville. For those reasons, I’ve got to take the home team down in the Swamp.
Gators.


Sep. 17 Sat. Arkansas @ Southern California 9:15P FSN
USC lives a charmed life. They scheduled a non-patsy this year in Arkansas, but as luck would have it this year’s non-patsy turns out to be nothing but a big ole patsy in disguise! Last week, at home no less, the Razorbacks were tripped up by Vanderbilt –yes Vanderbilt. Now they travel out to sunny Southern California for a paycheck game against the Trojans. Okay, so maybe it isn’t that bad –and maybe we will find out something useful from this game like, can the Trojans Defense handle the nation’s number one ranked rushing attack? Yeah, yeah, rankings like that are kinda meaningless at this point in the season but the key here is that Arkansas CAN run the ball and run it very well. If the Trojans have trouble shutting it down, then the chinks in the armor that is their three-peat season will have officially begun.
Trojans.

The Week 2 Wrap Up

Welcome back SportzFanz to our Week 2 Wrap Up of all thing Collge Pigskin.

What This Week Will Be Remembered For
The week the Big10 was found out. All three of the Big10’s Top 10 were upended this weekend: #3 Michigan to Notre Dame, #4 Ohio State to Texas, and #8 Iowa to Iowa State. Which was the most impressive upset? Which was the most damaging? Irregardless of those answers, the bright side for the Big10 is that with all three teams losing this weekend, the race for the conference crown is as wide open as ever. And with ASU formally announcing its presence at the college football big boy table, an undefeated USC is no longer a foregone conclusion (meaning: pigskin fans should feel free to pine away for a Texas-OSU re-match in the Coliseum come January).

While Michigan hung tough and squandered more than its fair share of chances to win on Saturday, there can be no doubt that they were indeed most undeserving of the #3-team-in-the-land label. Notre Dame largely moved the ball at will and provided more than enough stops to prove just how underrated the Irish were in the preseason (Pitt’s loss to Ohio not withstanding). For Ohio State, if any of a dozen plays had gone down differently, they would have walked away with the victory (although I’d argue the same is true for Texas on the other side of the ball –and isn’t that what makes an Instant Classic anyway?). The Buckeye’s are to be congratulated for their play Saturday night and despite the loss now have to be considered front runners for the Big10 title. Over in Ames, Iowa is the Big10 with the most egg on their face as they got pummeled, prodded, pushed, and pulled by an Iowa State squad that nobody thought could that for a full 60 minutes. And yes, maybe things would have been a little different if Tate hadn’t gone down to injury, but the outcome would have been the same my Hawkeye friends: those Cyclones mauled you much as the final score indicates. Maybe, just maybe, I was right in withholding my congratulations for that Ball State game last week.


Today’s Topic
New coaches and their offense. ND head coach Charlie Weiss takes over the reigns, installs a new offense, and works with his players one on one –even calling the plays during the game. Result: The Irish have an explosive offense from day one. Pitt’s new head coach Dave Wanndstedt takes over and installs a power run game, ignoring the fact that Walt Harris had carefully put together a team designed to run the West Coast Offense. To make matters worse he hires in an offensive coordinator and then promptly leaves the OC to figure it out. Result: Pitt struggles mightily to produce anything on offense and Tyler Palko suddenly looks like someone never destined to play a down in the NFL instead of first day draft pick. New Oklahoma State head coach Mike Van Gundy takes over the team and installs a Spread Offensive. He was the offensive coordinator last year, but hires in a new guy to run it. He doesn’t get involved with the offense and leaves them to ‘make it work’. Result: the Cowboy offense struggles mightily out of the gate against teams they ought to be hanging 500 yards of offense on. Ohio University head coach Frank Solich installs a balanced power run game. He works one on one with the offense and is involved in making the play calls. Result: Ohio is having more success on offense than at any time in the past 10 years –heck, they even beat Wanny and the Pitts this weekend.

So what’s the theme here? Head coaches may have a ton of things to do and keep track, and yes their job more CEO like than in your face coaching, but when you’re new to the program or your team is struggling (especially when your team is struggling) it’s up to you to get in there and get your hands dirty. If you don’t, you’re team is only going to suffer and you’re going to soon be out of a job, just wait and see.

Today’s Topic Part II
The Texas-Ohio State game could be talked about, discussed, and dissected into an encyclopedia probably even larger than ESPN’s vaunted College Football Encyclopedia, but there is one topic in particular that I would like to address with respect to this game: play calling. I think the Texas game calling was atrocious. I think the Ohio State play calling was suspect as well, but I’m not as familiar with the Buckeye’s so I can’t be that critical. Don’t get me wrong though, this was one of the toughest, hardest fought games I’ve ever seen played. It was a masterpiece. Despite that, I still think there was a glaring how in both coaches play book.

Texas: Where were the running backs? Where was the power run game? Was this a game for the Texas Longhorns as a team, or a personal vendetta to elevate Vince Young and prove that the coaches could win a big game? Texas’ bread and butter has always been the ground game, and no offense to Mr. Young but you’re bread and butter is your ground game as well. Did you line up directly under center even once after the first quarter?

Ohio State: Where was Ted Ginn Jr? Okay, you got Santonio Holmes in the game, but where was the ludicrous speed? Is Texas really just as fast? Well, maybe on a whole, but there’s no mistaking Ted Ginn speed –or so I’ve heard. Unfortunately, he didn’t get anywhere near enough touches for me to find out. And okay, so maybe Texas bracketed him and kept him tied up all night long, but you know what? When the chips are down, you’ve got to find a way to get the ball to your best player (remember the Rose Bowl? The Texas Defense knew Braylon Edwards was going to get the ball, they tried to stop them, but Michigan still found a way to get it to him). If Tressle had managed to get Ginn more involved, maybe the game would have been different, maybe it wouldn’t have. Who knows, but at least we would have been able to see what Ted ‘I’m gonna Ginn Ya’ Jr. could’ve brought to the table.

Now back to Texas: Once Texas’ Selvin Young fumbled the ball, that was it for the Texas ground game (to be honest, that has always been the knock on Selvin –why should it be a surprise to happen here?). Jamaal Charles and Big Henry Melton could have had a huge impact on this game. Don’t think so? Consider this: Texas has probably the best offensive line in the country. If they ran the ball effectively (which they largely did when they tried to), AJ and the Bucks would have had to spend more time bird dogging the worm burners and that one would’ve let Young get free more. And what is the best way to stop an almighty linebacking crew anyhow? Answer: smashmouth. You run right at them with your 300 pounders, which is exactly what Wisconsin has done so successfully against Ohio State in the past.

Now yes, it was a marvelous game. Yes, it was an Instant Classic. Yes, it lived up to the hype. And, yes the play out on the field rivals very few games in the last decade, but I can’t help but feel just the slight bit cheated because neither of these team’s really tried to, as one old sage once put it, dance with the one who brung ya.


The MXC Instant Impact Quotes of the Week Are:
Okay, this column is just going to be almost entirely devoted to Dave Pasch, Rod Gilmore, and Trever Match –you guys kept’em rolling so fast and furious I really couldn’t even keep up:

“When you’re coming down as a gunner, just relax.” --Yeah, and you know what else? I’m sure that poor hapless return man is probably thinking the same thing!

“Dave Wannestedt is one of those tough Western PA guys. Tough football players. High school football tough in that area. Tough in Western PA. Tough in Ohio. Tough in the area.” Mmm, yeah, but there’s still something I’m a little fuzzy on –who’s tough?

“Look at that crowd –they’re having a great time.” --this statement was necessary because, what, we’re all extremely shocked by that?

“Well, I’m looking out at this crowd right now with all their thunder sticks.” –yeah, but wouldn’t it be a whole lot more interesting if they all had their Boomsticks instead?

“And a trick handoff on that one.” Ohio catching Pitt offsides. –yeah, its called ‘the nose guard just flattened me so I hiked it'.

“Solich doesn’t just stand there like a lot of coaches.” Discussing Frank Solich’s coaching style on the sidelines. –Yeah, I have to agree with you, it’s the ones that get out that Lazy Boy that you have to watch out for.

“The head coach dove on the ball in the middle of practice –I mean, the head coach. The Head Coach just dove on the ball and the players just cheered.” Discussing, again, Frank Solich’s coaching style, but this time in practice.

“What a big weekend for Ohio football. You’ve got this game tonight, big high school fooball tonight, and oh, by the way, Ohio State tomorrow night.” –Yeah, I know what you mean, I wish they played high school football everywhere. Oh wait…

Whew, see, I told ya that ESPN crew was on fire that night. Well, here’s some action from the rest of the sports casting universe:

"I don't like you guys anymore. I don't know how else to say it.” Joe Paterno, informing the media that he no longer likes them. That’s okay Joe, I’m sure they feel the same way about you.

"The Michigan State coaches asked the Kent State coaches not to send it to us because we wouldn't send them ours. I have no idea why they would lie to them. It's kind of a bad deal.” Hawaii head coach June Jones on why Michigan State and Hawaii were withholding videotape of each others team. Kent State officials did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

“Well, 9 possessions: 7 punts and 2 kicks by Tyler Palko” –okay, I don’t even know where to begin making fun of this statement.

“Player, Player, Playa!” on Tulsa WR Mills’ sliding catch in the second half against OU. This was quickly followed up with, “p-l-a-y-a or p-l-a-y-e-r whichever you are –playa!”

“Quiet Frank-ly, Solich is all you need.” Reece Davis in the studio to begin the half time show. –I can only imagine how many years you’ve been waiting to say that.

“How do you get a job on the chain gain? That’s what I wanna know.” Tirico and Brant at the tail end of the Iowa-Iowa State game. – You know, that’s not a bad idea there fellas.

“It’s the toughest schedule in the nation –tough wise.” Bob Griese, trying to convince everyone how tough Notre Dame’s schedule is.

”I’ve never seen anything like that.” Brent Musberger, deadpanned about Romance Taylor’s near safety during a kick off return to the Texas 40. Me neither Brent, and I hope to god never to see anything like it again.

"Our goal is when Vince Young leaves here, he won't be a candidate for the Heisman." OSU LB Bobby Carpenter. That’s a good goal, and I admire you for being blunt about it. Unfortunately for you, that didn’t happen as Young won the game using the one asset nobody has seemingly liked: his arm.

"It's a good thing Elvis was in the house," Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino, last week when talking about DE Elvis Dumervil’s SEC record 6 sacks in one game. Yeah, I know, this one’s a week late, but hey the Cards had the off week and I missed it, okay?


This week’s Super-Stud Awards go to…
For those weekend warriors who leave it all out on the turf, we salute you:
1. The Fiesta Bowl, Arizona State, and everyone who attended the game at Sun Devil Stadium. Congrats on a job well done. All of the proceeds from the game go straight to helping with relief efforts and the Fiesta Bowl picked up the tab for LSU’s hotel, bus, meals, etc. while they were away from Baton Rouge.
2. Sam Keller, QB Arizona State – 35 of 56 passing for 461 yards and 4 touchdowns for Sam I Am out in the desert dessert game against the Bayou Bengals.
3. Cody Hodges, QB Texas Tech – 29 of 37 passing for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ah, yes, it’s good to know the Texas Air Raid is in dangerous hands once again. Oh, and Cody added 44 yards rushing to his total to bring him dangerously close to half a THOUSAND total yards in just one game!
4. Omar Jacobs, QB Bowling Green – How do you follow up a 458 yard career passing day at Camp Randall? Why, with another 400+ yard career passing day of course! This time Ohmygosh Jacobs threw for 428 yards and 5 touchdowns, giving him a grand total of 886 yards and 10 touchdowns on 57 of 94 attempts.
5. Adrian Peterson, RB Oklahoma – Well Hellllllooooooooo Mr. Peterson. I’m so glad that you could join us this season. AP was bottled up for the first half against stalwart Tulsa, but exploded out of the box in the second half, ripping, gouging, and running over Golden Hurricanes to the tune of 220 yards on 32 carries and the most memorable touchdown run of this young season.
6. Garrett Wolfe, RB NIU – The main sled dog in the Huskies stable bulldozed the Northwestern Wildcats for 248 yards on 34 carries in a losing effort. It’s not your fault they give the rock to you on every play in the second half.
7. Hank Baskett, WR New Mexico – 209 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns on just 10 catches as the Lobo’s upset Missouri.
8. Dion Byrum, DB Ohio University – You just about single handedly nailed the coffin closed on Wanny and the Pitts. 2 picks for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, including that 85 yarder at the end of the game to ice it –well done my friend, well done indeed.
9. Vince Young, QB Texas – Why don’t you play like that last drive all game long? Without using his feet, Young beat Ohio State going 18 of 29 through the air for 270 yards, 2 touchs, and 2 picks. The game breaker: that touchdown strike to Limas Sweed with just over two minutes left in the game.
10. The Ohio State Linebackers -- A marvelous job guys, really just marvelous. It took you only 2 drives to figure out the Texas ground gameplan and hold it in check for the remainder of the game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more solid linebacking crew in all of football.
11. Charlie Whitehurst, QB Clemson – What a difference a year makes. Charlie throws 18 of 22 for 2 touchdowns, leading his team to a late come from behind victory over the Terps.
12. The Tulsa lineman who de-cleated Adrian Peterson and promptly tossed his shoe twenty yards behind the line of scrimmage so he’d have to sit out a play. Yeah, that doesn’t take skill per sey, but I still like’d it.
13. The Iowa State Cyclones -- Nice job school the bigger, badder school in the state. The Cyclones took home the CyHawk trophy for the first time in two years. Congrats guys, but I guarantee Iowa is already making plans for next year’s game.

And the ‘Bench Em’ awards go to…
Our weekly awards for the worst performances, bone-headed play calls, or anything else that smacks of ridiculousness or stupidity:

1. The South Carolina ground game – 43 yards on 23 carries against the Bulldogs. That puts you 111th in the nation on the ground at 37.5 yards/game. The Cock-N-Fire offense will never reach its potential without a viable ground attack.
2. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh - Do you realize that Wanny is 1-10 in his last 11 games? And do you also realize that the common thread throughout all of those games was an anemic offense that Wanny refused to get himself personally involved with?
3. Tyler Palko, QB Pittsburgh - Palko gets just 1 completion and 2 picks in the first half. They finally turned him loose at the end of the game, but by then it was too little, too late. How pissed do you think he is that Walt Harris left?
4. Carlos Allsop, RB Kansas State – You dropped the most wide open pass I have EVER seen –and it was right to you! Ah, maybe he just wasn’t awake yet –it was before 10AM and lord knows I didn’t feel ‘awake’ yet.


Random Hits and Misses
Somewhere between Thursday night and Sunday morning, my mind went all fuzzy and the eagerness that I once had for the start of the football season gave way to the sincere concern that I will gain 50 pounds simply because some braniac decided to put college football on nationally televised TV at least 4 days out of the week. Even the dogs abandoned me somewhere around Saturday afternoon. Oh well, at least I’ll have my own thoughts and voices to keep me company ….that’s a bad sign, isn’t it?

1. Is there any real purpose to the ‘Friday Night Debate’ on ESPN other than to try and kill dead air time? This week’s topic: Does marketing the head coach interfere with the football team or academics? This has to be one of the stupidest things commentators have argued about since the Great Brat Incident between Trev Alberts and Mark Mayes at Camp Randall last season. Student athlete exploitation, arms races, academic missions!?!? What in the hell are you talking about! What does any of that have to do with putting your coaches mug on the back of a Pepsi truck to raise a few bucks to fund some athletics program initiative instead of raiding the university’s coffer?

2. Once upon a time, I used to pine away for the days that I would be able to answer the Aflac trivia question. Now, it really only saddens me when I know the answer because I’ve come to realize that knowing the answer simply means you’re getting to damn old.

3. Note to sports announcers everywhere –the word ‘trickeration’ never need to be used again, especially by ESPN2 announcers.

4. What, does she have warts on her face or something? They haven’t shown Stacy Daley–Schuman on the sidelines at all –you just get to hear her voice. Hmmm.

5. Okay, enough already. We get it. Frank Solich was fired from Nebraska despite going 9-3. Frank is stilled pissed about it and, yes, Nebraska was wrong to do it, but you know what? I’m starting to get a little pissed myself with it coming up every five minutes whenever someone mentions Frank Solich’s name.

6. On Friday I thought, maybe Pitt isn’t that good and maybe, just maybe Notre Dame isn’t that good either. On Saturday I realized: Pitt isn’t that good but Notre Dame is.

7. I think Wannestadt made a huge mistake in tinkering with this offense and trying to install a power running game. His personnel are west coast offense –and they’re damn good at it. Just look at poor Palko: a 1 completion and 2 interceptions in the first half kind of Q he is not!

8. Why did the Duece waste 5 minutes of my life talking about Solich’s mug on the back of a Pepsi truck, then show the Pepsi truck driving down the street, stopping at a stop sign, turning left and driving past them, bungling the camera shot so badly that you couldn’t even see his picture while the truck literally ‘creeped’ away from the cameraman?

9. Breakfast games –bad idea. If I wasn’t awake enough to watch the 9:30 AM kickoff of Kansas State-Marshall, how could the players have been awake enough to play it? Maybe that explains the extremely sloppy first half. Bottom Line: football anytime is not correct. Football anytime after 11 is. I mean, really, a guy has to rest some time.

10. Why do sports casters such as the Game Day crew feel the need to where suits? There ought to be a rule about this kind of thing –if you’re in the studio, wear a suit. If you’re in the booth, a shirt and tie are good –sports jacket optional. If you’re on Game Day, sitting in front of 10,000 screaming, rabid fans you don’t need to wear a suit, much less a pimp daddy suit. Can’t someone out there come up with a clothing scheme for this type of event? …I can already see the commercials already: “Don’t get left behind, be the envy of your friends and family, buy your official ESPN College Game Day Gear now”.

11. Okay, I hate Nick and Jessica. They’re so whiny and annoying I honestly don’t understand why anyone gives a hoot about them. The least ESPN could’ve done is recognize their audience and put Jessica on there in a bikini trying to take part in the huddle –at least then I could just hit the mute button instead of the on/off one.

12. Add this to the list of things that scares me: Bob Davie knowing that South Carolina QB Brian Mitchell took a class entitled ‘Public Speaking.’ You wanna know what scares me more? Davie knew he got a B+ in it.

13. ESPN Classic carries ‘live’ games. Who knew? Certainly not me. Yeah, yeah sure they carried that ‘live’ statement at the top of the picture and the TV Guide said the game they were showing was live, but I still didn’t buy it until someone in the studio showed a clip from the game. Of course, my first clue should have been that it’s ESPN Classic and they were showing a Boston College-Army game.

14. Can someone explain to me why dumbasses in the stands at Oklahoma are dressed up in superhero costumes? Yes I know, Sooner Nation thinks Adrian Peterson is Superman, but does that mean people have to go buy superhero costumes and wear them to the game? Ok, statement withdrawn, I remember being in college too.

15. This just in, Oklahoma has decided to replace their quarterback with a new position, officially entitled ‘ball hander-offer’. Hey, I got an idea: why not just snap the ball directly to AP and use the extra body as a down blocker?

16. Ok, the whole instant replay thing is starting to wear a little on me. Yeah, sure, it made the difference in getting the call right and helped to preserve the Irish win (cring) but there were also a couple of times when they took away almost 10 minutes of my life for no good reason –and don’t think I didn’t notice how both the last Texas touchdown and Buckeye turnover got copious amounts of review but Big Henry’s Dash for the Big House didn’t merit so much as a batted eye.

17. I think more games like Ohio State-Texas should occur in September, I just shouldn’t watch them. Why? The games are masterpieces, but I don’t think my family life could survive the constant ups and downs of a game like that on a weekly basis.


If I could be anyone from this past week, it’d be…
Vince Young. How could you have wanted to be anyone other than him this week? You go into the ‘Shoe, at night, against the fourth ranked team in the land, fight tooth and nail for 60 solid minutes, make the game winning drive, and party all night long because you’ve just dealt one of the nation’s best programs their first ever home loss at night! Yeah, dancing sugar plums got nothing on VY’s sweet dreams that night.


Conference Corner
Big10
Last week it looked like the national title race was between USC and the Big10. This week, all three of the Big’uns (Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan) lose. This is very disappointing indeed for the league, but take heart: Wisconsin hung 65 points on Temple at home (now, that was not a miss print, the Badgers actually scored 65 points), Purdue was much more impressive in their opening 49-24 victory than the score indicates, and Minnesota is now looking every bit a conference contender. Still the class of the country this conference is, even if it has two black eyes (Michigan and Ohio State) and a bloody nose (Iowa).

Big12
And the south shall rise again! After last week’s troubling start for the South Division, Texas came through with the headliner came while Oklahoma’s AP finally got ticked off and started sledding like a mad possessed, and the Texas Air Raid took to the skies with an impressive near 500 yard day performance. The North Division came through as well with a solid squashing of the Hawkeyes up in Ames. Trouble remains for the North however as Nebraska wasn’t able to get a thing going offensively for the second straight week, Mizzou lost to New Mexico, and K-State struggled mightily against a downed Herd.

PAC10
The PAC10 only got stronger this week as the Sun Devils torched LSU all day long despite losing the game (these boys are only going to get better as the season progresses) and Oregon State survived Boise State. The real surprise of the week though belongs to California. Joe Ayoob shook off a first pass pick on Saturday and led the Golden Bears to the promised land, putting up the most points ever (56) against the Huskies in their own home. USC, be forewarned, your conference slate isn’t the cupcake that it’s been the last couple of years.

SEC
What in the world has happened in the SEC East? Ok, it’s only week two but when was he last time Vandy sat atop the standings in the East? Well, I’ll not get too excited as 3 top 10 teams sit right there with them. After last week’s shaky start, the SEC poured it on in Week 2 with Georgia defending the Hedges against the Cocks, Florida pasting another team, Auburn dominating a game like they should be, and LSU getting out of the starting blocks.


Of Trophy Games
This week we had Iowa-Iowa State with the CyHawk.
We also had Notre Dame-Michigan with the


Next Week’s Quick Peeks
Next week’s slate of games promises to be even better than this week! Just take a look at some of the hotter action that will be out on that Grid Iron…

Utah @ TCU – It’s a Mountain West show down as incumbent Utah travels down to the Cotton Bowl to say hello to the newcomers. This one revolves around with Toads show up: the TCU squad that manhandled OU in Norman or the TCU squad that got manhandled by SMU.

Oregon State @ Louisville – This one could be delicious. The Beavers battled back to defeat Boise State last week and now get a crack and a bigger, faster, more athletic version of the same thing. The key in this one will if the Beavers can keep up with the Cardinals on offense.

Florida State @ Boston College – Are the Eagles for real? Can the FSU offense move the ball against a defense with a pulse? This one should be a helluva fight as BC is most definitely for real, but so is that fantastic Seminole Defense.

Miami @ Clemson – Is Clemson for real? Can Miami exorcize the demons from the Seminole game and take the fight straight to these Tigers?

Pittsburgh @ Nebraska – Wanny and the Pitts travel to Omaho for a tussle with the Hapless Husker O. Nebraska absolutely has to get that O figured out as they’ll begin their conference slate the following week. For Wanny, a win here is a must as another loss and the cat calls for his dismissal won’t be easily ignored.

Oklahoma @ UCLA - With UCLA pasting Rice over the weekend, the question becomes what can OU do against the Bruins? Yes, to be certain, Rice is no juggernaut, but neither are TCU or Tulsa and we know how well OU did with those teams. The Sooners have to get production out of the quarterback, otherwise this one could get ugly.

Alabama @ South Carolina - How will the Gamecocks respond after that close loss to the Dawgs in Athens? Will the Visor have a special reception waiting for Brodie Croyle and the Tide who struggled to get past Southern Miss? We’ll have to wait until Saturday to see, but remember this: the Cocks have a Rockin’ secondary.

Michigan State @ Notre Dame - Will the luck of the Irish hold true for their home opener or will Drew Stanton and the Spartans steal one in South Bend? ND played masterfully against Michigan and Pitt two weeks –definitely light years ahead of where everyone thought they’d be at this point. However, MSU presents a difficult match up for the Irish with such a mobile quarterback threat in Stanton and a versatile defense that is arguably better than the Wolverines.

UConn @ GA Tech - The Huskies have outscored their opponents 97-0 so far this year (okay so that was against Buffalo and D2A Liberty). The Yellow Jackets survived their home opener against the Tar Heels. Will the Jackets’ Calvin Johnson finally have a huge day against the Husky D or will Terry Caulley and the nation’s #2 ground attack keep the Jacket offense off the field long enough to preserve the win?

Wisconsin @ North Carolina - The Badgers new found offense gets its first serious test of the year against the Tar Heels. Can North Carolina contain an offense that piled up 51 first half points last year? Can North Carolina move the ball against a defense that gave up just 7 yards in 56 minutes of play last week? The answer is yes, but will it be enough to get that elusive dubbya?

Tennessee @ Florida - In theSEC matchup of the week, #6 Tennessee squares shoulders with #10 Florida. This game will revolve around one position and one position only: the quarterback. Is Chris Leak truly ready? Can Tennessee find the consistency and talent at quarterback that they’ve been searching for these past two seasons?

The Week 1 Wrap Up

Whew, what a week it was in college football! OU falling, A&M faltering, Boise State's Zebranksy self destructing in the worst individual performance I've seen in many a year, and much, much more. Yes indeed, it's good to have grid iron back.

Now, one more note before we get to it: This column has been picked up by football.com! It's a small step, but here's hoping it's just the first of many. The first column should be posted by Wednesday Evening --look for it under the 'ncaa'->'columns' section. It will be entitled Between the Hashes (at least initially). And so, without any further ado, here's your Week 1 Run Down:

What This Week Will Be Remembered For
Hurricane Katrina and those horrific images on all the news channels. As much as we’d like to remember something different from this, the first weekend of college grid iron action, it would be completely irresponsible for us to do anything but. And as such, here is a repeat of the message you’ve been seeing all week: If you haven’t already, pick up the phone and call 1-800-HELP-NOW to donate to the American Red Cross. Heck, pick up the phone and donate to an organization of your own choosing, it doesn’t really matter –the point is just get off the sidelines, make a difference, and get in the game.

And please, don’t just make this a one time donation –make it a monthly habit, at least for the foreseeable future. This disaster is going to be with us for the long haul, so don’t make the mistake of thinking in terms of just a single donation. These people’s lives are in ruins and will be in ruins for many, many months to come, and they need our help to get them back on track. If we, as a country and a people, can’t each come together to help out our own at a time like this, then what is the point of all that we have and all that we hold dear?


Today’s Topic – A Tale of Two Studs
Ok, so this is ‘old’ news, but I still find it irresistible to mention here as I’ve been stewing over this for a long while: Mo, otherwise known as Maurice Clarett (you know, the super-stud freshman at Ohio State that had a chance to win national titles, Heismann trophies, and untold millions as a professional) washed out at Bronco training camp. Early on in camp, Mo sustained a groin injury and subsequently spent more time riding the bench than the team bus. And so it came as literally no surprise last week when Head Coach Mike Shananon finally lowered the boom on Clarett. The main reason for his dismissal? His inability to get out on the field, show up for rehab, and his lack of interest in learning the Bronco playbook and talking to the staff about how to maximize his chances with the club. In short: a total lack of interest in being a team player. It’s a shame, really, that Mo has done nothing more than throw away his golden talent since stalking off the ‘Shoe. Whether its whining about illegal gifts during his ‘playing days,’ refusing to workout for teams or running slug slow at the combine, Mo hasn’t been able to cut it after dealing with a little bit of adversity. So I ask, can anyone truly say they’re sorry to see Mo go?

Now opposite him but not without his own adversity, you’ve got Bears’ Rookie QB Kyle Orton. In the first half of his senior season at Purdue, he lit the college football world on fire going 119 of 172 for 1,642 yards, and 18 touchdowns. It was at that point that his body started breaking down as the first of two hip pointers began bothering him (the first pointer was sustained during that grueling Badger-Boilermaker classic). From that point on in the season, he simply wasn’t the same. His injuries seriously hurt not just the success of his team, but his draft status as well (sending him all the way down to the 4th round where the Bears stole a playmaker). Now, in his first season playing with the big boys, Orton has shaken off the adversity and disappointment of his senior season, rehabbed his body, honed his skills and held open practices with any team willing to look his direction. In the end, he was rewarded for his efforts with a selection by the Bears and has now worked his way into the starting slot for the Bears. True, he didn’t have much competition to deal with at Chicago, but the point is this: he’s a hard worker that won’t quit, knows what it takes to succeed, and has now been rewarded for it. Much the antithesis of Mr. Clarett, who sadly is unlikely to ever play a down in the NFL.


The MXC Instant Impact Quotes of the Week Are:
Has it ever bothered you that sports commentators are paid a lot of good money to sit up in an air conditioned booth and blabber on about seemingly unrelated events to the game or banter back and forth about something obviously only important to them? Well, me to, and so each week we’ll bring you a catalogue of Quotes from the weekend’s games, just to highlight a problem that is systemic across the nation:

1. Craig James, always looking for Sean to keep him in line:
“You’ve got that family member that went to Harvard so I can always use you to check in with that grammar.”

2. Craig James and Sean McDonough for their stunning repartee about why they didn’t go to Harvard University:
“They had that little sticking point called academic standards.”
“You mean S-A-T qualifications?”
“Yeah, those.”
“We could have combined yours and mine to get in.”
“We still wouldn’t’ve gotten in.” ---Ah, right you are, Sean!

Oh, and by the way, thank you Sean for not stooping down to James’ level with the whole P-E-C-A-N pronunciation conversation –you literally saved me from turning off the tube and forgetting about football for the day.

3. The referee during the Oregon-Houston game
“Block in the back, #48 on the white team.” –Okay, so you can take the time to notice the jersey number but not the team name?

4. Mark Jones, covering the Bowling Green-Wisconsin game, after a nifty touchdown run by Badger stud Booker Stanley:
“You better talk to the hand, because my feet aren't listening.”

5. Charles Davis, talking about the Rams’ Josh Day:
“This may be the best offensive lineman that gets overlooked in terms of recognition.” ---Yeah, and you may be the best commentator that gets overlooked in terms of being um, well, good.

6. Mark Jones, reaching out to all of humanity for just a little bit of kindness:
“No matter the state, no matter the color, we’re all members of the human race.” –I think you’re right, but sometimes you say things that make me wonder about that. Things like… “As long as you look back, you can use your body parts as hands all you want.”

7. Mark Jones, again!, discussing the Badger Offense:
“That offensive line is working with glacial like deliverance.” --- so that would be good right? Like glacial good?

8. Mark Jones, again! -he’s a one man wonder this week:
“I’m still trying to figure out what arduous means –that was a slobber-knocker, just a real slobber-knocker …a SLOBBER-KNOCKER!”

9. Joel Lapham, discussing (I suppose) who Texas RB Jamal Charles reminds him of:
“He saw the backside collapse and he just cut it back and he was Ghandi!”

10. Joel Lapham, explaining why Texas Kicker Richmond McGee missed 3 of his 4 career PATs:
“He’s got First-tee-itis” ---Okay, that one’s an oldie, but so is Joel.

As for the commercials this week, I’d have to say the best one is a toss up between Mike’s Hard Lemonade at the Salt Lick Steak House in Austin and Hummer’s Mamma, Pappa, and Baby Bears. The Hummer ‘mercial saturated the market and was superbly done, the Mike’s one really isn’t all that impressive if you haven’t spent time up at the ole’ Salt Lick before.


This week’s Super-Stud Awards go to:
For those weekend warriors who leave it all out on the turf, we salute you:

1. The TCU Defense –They held Adrian Peterson to just 63 yards on 22 carries –if you take out his 6 carries for 43 yards on their first drive in the second half, that leaves him with just 20 yards on 16 carries! Sure, it’s cause they stacked 8 in the box since the Sooner Pass Attack couldn’t hurt a fly, but this is still a remarkable accomplishment by the Horny Toads.

2. Oh heck, the entire TCU Horned Frog Team – The Toadies not only came ready to play, but they took it to the Sooners for 60 full minutes, coming away with THE upset of the weekend. And the tagline for the game: The last time OU lost their home opener was the ‘96 season when these same Horny Toads came to town and knocked them off.

3. Brian Calhoun, RB Wisconsin – 43 carries for 258 yards and 5, count’em 5, touchdowns. This super stud is a transfer from Colorado and had to sit all of last season. Is it just me or have the Badgers automatically been upgraded to dark horse status?

4. Omar Jacobs, QB Bowling Green – 30 of 51 for 458 yards and 5 touchdowns. It’s not your fault two dropped balls on easy touchdown plays stopped your 4th quarter comeback.

5. DJ Shockley, QB Georgia – 16 of 24 for 289 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 rushes for 85 yards and another touch.

6. Chris Leak, QB Florida – 26 of 34 for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns. In Week 1, you’ve gone a long way to prove me wrong.

7. Steve Smith, WR USC – 7 catches for 185 yards and one touch as the Trojans road a big one down on the Big Isle.

8. Jad Dean, PK Clemson – You nailed all 6 of your field goals –and you needed them to as Clemson upset the Aggies on the last play of the game. Incidentally, this was the most upsetting moment of the weekend for me: my TIVO recording stopped right at the 0:02 mark as the kick sailed over the line –did he make it or didn’t it?!?! I had to wait until a score came across the ticker to find out.

9. The UCF Defense – Against South Carolina you might have lost, but you held them to only 32 yards rushing on 28 carries. Gamecocks: you’re going to have to do better than that to compete in the SEC.

10. Keegan Herring, TB ASU – 12 rushes for 134 yards. Ok, I know what you’re thinking –not that impressive stat-wise, and you’re right, but that’s the most rushing yards in Sun Devil history for a debut game. Hey, and who knew ASU was going to have a run game this year with such hosses at Q and WR? Call this an honorary selection.

11. Notre Dame’s RUSHING attack – While much will be made of the Irish passing game, opponents are served notice: the key here is to shut down the ground game, they covered 275 yards on 50 plays.


…and the ‘Bench Em’ awards go to:
Our weekly awards for the worst performances, bone-headed play calls, or anything else that smacks of ridiculousness or stupidity:

1. Mountain West Replay –The first major mistake of the season occurred just two minutes into the Utah game when the booth INCORRECTLY overturned the call on the field, giving Utah the ball back inside their own thirty. Sure, MAYBE it was a forward pass instead of a fumble (and that is a BIG maybe from the replays that I saw) but there was NOT a shred of conclusive evidence to support it.

2. Art Bryles, Houston Head Coach – Going for it on 4th down at the Oregon 10 with 10:24 left in the 3rd quarter and up by only one. That doesn’t take cajones, that takes stupidity my friend –and I know you’re smart enough to have figured that out by now.

3. Todd Turner, Washington’s Athletic Director – After suffering their first losing season in 28 years and their first ‘double-digit loss’ season in their history (115 years), he rewarded the university and everyone involved by jacking ticket prices up 33%. I’d say he’s pretty much got this year’s Scrooge Award all locked up.

4. Mike Stoops, Arizona Head Coach –What in the world were you thinking, punting the ball late in the fourth, in Utah’s territory, and only down by 3? That was a horrible decision –yeah, yeah, hindsight is 20-20, whatever: that was a bad call that virtually assured them of losing the game. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when your Big Brother calls and berates you for it and you just toss back that ‘Hey, how did your game go this week?’ hand grenade.

5. ABC’s new game graphic in the upper left corner. It’s not that the graphic itself is bad, but why on Earth are you trying to show what penalty has been called? …Maybe I’m just poor and they don’t care about me, but I just can’t read “pass interference” or “illegal formation” in mirconized letters on my 35” CRT.

6. Speaking of poor graphics: the FSN ‘tote board’ whenever a team scores. Okay, at first it just looked really stupid and amateurish, but after the 7th Texas touchdown it was just plain annoying. Dump it, or face our wrath (yeah, I’m curious to see what that might be myself...).

7. The Sooner QBs – Thompson and Bomar went 13 of 31 for 127 yards, 1 pick, no touches, and 3 sacks. Talk about ineffective –they were playing against 2004’s worst ranked pass defense. I am still utterly in shock by this game. Has Stoopsie lost his Mojo? Is Pete Carol Dr. Evil? Is so, then who, by the grace of God, who is fat bastard?

8. Fox Sports Net, Take 2 – You have by far the suckiest college football coverage of the nationally televised networks. Last year it was absolutely atrocious, and this year you’ve already started off in my dog house. First there’s the ‘tote board’. Then, there were the THREE times during the LONE game you broadcast for the Big12 that the audio cut out. On top of that, your camera work looks like its done by middle schoolers. And as if that weren’t enough, you’ve still got the stadium mic’d up way too much.

9. Dennis Frenchione, Coach Texas A&M – What in the world were you thinking, just going for one deep into the 4th quarter, clinging to a 1 point lead? If you’d gone for it and made it, you’d have at least gone to overtime with a better than average chance of pulling it out.

10. Richmond McGee, Texas K – You missed 3 of your first 4 career PATs. You are a kick off punter. You put it in the end zone, more than VY does. Just line up and smash the hell out of the little inflated piggy.

11. Jared ‘Subway’ Zabranksy, QB Boise State – 6 turnovers in the first half? SIX? I’m disgusted –almost as disgusted as Jared. 8 of 17 for 60 yards, 4 picks, and 2 fumbles –in just 25 minutes of play! This is so troubling that I demand somebody check his bank account for an ominously large cash deposit.


Random Hits and Misses
Isn’t it great to have the college pigskin back? With the pro’s not starting the regular season until September 8th, there are 25 days out of a possible 30 which feature a nationally televised college football game. And whereas Week One is supposed to be a bit of a laugher for interest and intrigue, we got served 4 upsets in the Top 25, a pasting of Boise State, the second most points ever scored at Camp Randall (the most was a 106-0 blanking back in 1890), Chris Leak and DJ Shockley announcing their arrival, and so much more. Boy, I can’t wait to see what the other 25 days in the month have to offer.

1. I think some statistician out there owes it to the football loving world to figure out if the odds have shifted substantially in favor of the PAC10 and Big10 winning national championships simply because the Big12, SEC, and ACC now play conference championship games.

2. I was not seeing things and no I’m not going crazy –Jerry Glanville is indeed the defensive coordinator of the Hawaii Warriors. Now, if only I could figure out if the Hawaii mascot is included in that inane NCAA crackdown on mascots.

3. Speaking of mascots –New Mexico State’s Pistol Pete has lost his pistol. The university, looking for a kinder and gentler mascot I suppose, made Pete turn in his six shooter for a Lasso. Now the only thing missing is a name change to Louie or Larry or something. Of course, if they did that then they’d be running the risk of incurring the NCAA’s wrath for taking advantage of people’s first names.

4. If Capt. James T Kirk were a Color Analyst, I think he’d sound eerily similar to Bob Davie.

5. Sign #456 that USC will not 3-peat as national champions: In preparation for the Trojans' game at Hawaii, Carroll took his team to a beach to watch the women's finals at the Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament -- Carroll wanted them to get used to ‘the view’ for the Hawaii game.

6. Sign #537 that USC will 3-peat as national champions: was it just me or was the entire Trojan offensive on speed during that Hawaii game?

7. The Stoopsie Twins are going to have a helluva club in Arizona a couple of years from now. Sure, the Wildcats tired rather easily against Utah but did see how they were jackin and smackin those Ute’s?

8. The Big House in Ann Arbor is beautiful. Memorial Stadium in Norman is not.

9. I love Camp Randall –how cool of a name is that for your football stadium? This week was a re-dedication of the stadium after a massive 100 million dollar renovation. To add to the atmosphere, the Badgers sported throwback helmets –ultra cool Badgers (although, those throw backs did look like a blind man simply slapped a hand scrawled dubbya on’em with barn red paint).

10. Sorry TIVO, but the Scientific Atlanta Series 8000 DVR from Time Warner is the nuts. It’s got a monster HD and dual tuners so you can literally watch 2 games at one time without missing a snap (and you don’t even have to use picture-in-picture to do it).

11. Do you think Auburn misses their backfield by GM? They managed just 50 yards rushing in their 23-14 loss to Georgia Tech this week.

12. I’d congratulate Iowa for their smashing success on Saturday, but they were playing Ball State after 13 of their players were suspended the night before the game so, well, it just wasn’t that impressive. Sorry Hawkeye fans –not to fear though, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to prove your worth this season.

13. You know, it’s really just sad when a middle aged sideline reporter like Jim Knox (of FSN fame) tries to plug his own online column (Ask Knox –yeah, that’s original), but becomes tongue tied and forgets his line as he turns to the cheerleading squad standing right beside him.

14. If you didn’t watch the final seconds tick off the clock at Camp Randall, you missed one of the most impressive goal line stands of the season. With first and goal to go INSIDE the Badger 1, the Badger D bristled and flat out refused to yield even 6 inches to the Falcons.


If I could be anyone from this past week, it’d be…
Brian Calhoun, the Junior Sled Dog in the Wisconsin Badger stable. Yeah, there were better performances out there, but honestly where would you rather be than at a gorgeous home opener at Camp Randall where the Badgers actually score more than 50?


Conference Corner
ACC - I’m not sure what’s more impressive: The NC State defense for keeping Virginia Tech in their sites, or NC State QB Jay Davis for his 27 of 43 for 311 passing day. Sure, he threw two picks but you still gotta like this newer, improved Davis Quarterback.

BEast - Pittsburgh has to be the third most disappointing team from week one (Oklahoma and Boise State being numbers one and two). They couldn’t do anything to stop the Irish, which is extremely surprising as Wanny is such a talented defensive mind and Defense is just about always quicker to pick up than Offense. Yes, indeed Syracuse has a defense, but their offense will keep them from winning many games. Louisville was also a bit of a disappointment, 31-24 over Kentucky? The Cards shoulda been more stacked than that.

Big10 - Without a doubt, the strongest and deepest conference in the country. Wisconsin’s power surge was completely unexpected and bad news for the non-elite defenses in the conference. Michigan and Ohio State did what they needed to maintain their respect, but it didn’t look as easy as it should have been. All told, the Big10 outscored their opponents a combined 383-165 en route to a perfect 10-0 record.

Big12 - Talk about your power outages. Last season the South Division was the class of the country, now both OU and A&M have been upset. It may be the year of the Longhorn, but a lot of Big12 Pride rests on that trip to the ‘Shoe. And what of the North? K-State struggled with Florida International, Iowa State struggled with Illinois State, Colorado barely escaped from Colorado State, Kansas was less than impressive against Florida Atlantic, and Nebraska coughed and wheezed its way to a win over perennial powerhouse Maine.

CUSA - I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to the Nov 19th showdown between UAB and UTEP. UAB came within 19 yards of pushing the #3 team in the country to probable overtime, and Mike Price’s UTEP Miners are poised to run the table this season.

MAC - How long has it been since this Giant Killer Conference knocked off a Giant? On opening weekend, the conference went 1-10 with Toledo’s trashing of Western Illinois being the lone bright spot (well that and Bowling Green’s 42 point outing against Wisconsin).

M-West - Who’s head of this class? Well, it ain’t Utah. They barely survived a vastly improved Arizona squad, but more than that TCU served notice that they are expecting a BCS Bustin’ Berth this season. Outside of that, a much hyped Wyoming squad got thumped by Florida 32-14.

PAC10 - This conference is looking deeper and deeper all the time. Obviously, you’ve got USC but you’ve also got a herd of hyenas raring to go in UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, and now a quickly improving Arizona. The loss of Longshore at quarterback definitely sets Cal back a ways, but they’ve got several weeks before they hit the meat of their schedule. If the O’s and A’s can keep the tempo going as the season wears on, this conference edges the Big12 in overall quality –and might even challenge the SEC if they don’t kick it up a notch from opening week.

SEC - The SEC race may just be a two horse affair, as the Vols certainly didn’t impress in their first outing, barely escaping UAB at home. UAB actually had the ball on the Vol 12 with 4 minutes left –that’s how close this 17-10 game was. Mark this as a definite gut check for Tennessee, who get a week off before traveling to the Swamp. In the West, Auburn stumbled and we have yet to see how big that Red Stick of LSU’s really is –Bama as a dark horse doesn’t look so far fetched now.

WAC - Boise State just isn’t that bad. Sure, I can concede they’re no Georgia, but I just don’t believe they are that bad. Take away the worst performance for a quarterback in the past five years and this would’ve at least been a competitive game.


Rivalry Round Up
Okay, everyone knows FSU-Miami, Louisville-Kentucky, and Colorado-Colorado State are a big time rivalry games, but how many of you know that the Auburn-Georgia Tech rivalry produced one of the greatest college pranks of all time?

In 1896, Auburn students greased the railroad tracks the night before the Georgia Tech team train was due in town. When the train arrived and attempted to stop, it slid all the way through Auburn and halfway to Loachapoka, 10 miles away. The Jackets had to get off the train and hump it all the way to the stadium. Needless to say, the Tigers won that one (45-nil). That single event is now celebrated each year as the great Wreck Tech Pajama Parade where, you guessed it, the student body attends pep rallies in their PJs.


Next Week’s Quick Peeks
Next week’s slate of games promises to be even better than this week! Just take a look at some of the hotter action that will be out on that Grid Iron…

Notre Dame @ Michigan – What was once thought to be a blow out with the Wolverine’s looking for a little pay back, now looks like a bone-a-fide Battle in the Big House with 100,000+ of your closest friends and relatives.

Iowa @ Iowa State – The CyHawk trophy goes on the line once again as the Cyclone’s host the Hawkeyes. While this one may not seem like it should be all that competitive, this could very easily be a trap game for Iowa before they kick into their conference slate.

South Carolina @ Georgia – The Visor gets a pass in week one, but this time around he’ll need more than simply a little ‘Cock-n-Fire’ O to stamp out the Bulldogs.

Boise State @ Oregon State – How will the Blue Turf fare after being obliterated by the Dawgs? This OSU team isn’t exactly what I’d like to face after such a huge loss, but if they can pull it off they’ll have their season back on track.

Wake Forest @ Nebraska – The Corn Coast Offense looked decidedly unimpressive in a 25-7 win against D2A Maine. Will they be vastly improved against a Demon Deacon squad that lost to Vandy?

Arizona State @ LSU – I’m not sure if this one will get played yet, but if it is it promises to be a doozy. ASU looks like it might just have a ground game to go along with Sam Keller and Derrick Hagan’s pitch-and-catch combo. LSU is all the talk even with the coaching change this year, will they put up or shut up?

Texas @ Ohio State – The headline game of the weekend. It’s the Longhorns traveling up to the ‘Shoe for a Tussle with Tressle. Will Vince Young and the new Horns backfield get it down against the nation’s premier linebacking crew? Will Ted Ginn get it a’Ginn and a’Ginn? Will the Terrible Texas D be Terrible or just plain terrible when matched up against so much talent?