here we go again ....

Florida rallies from 21-3 down to win

Minnesota wins a toughie on the raod, meanwhile Iowa biffs in East Lansing (if not for the choker w/o Smoker against La. Tech, MSU would be 5-0)

and in the mid-afternoon games Washington St. is putting a BLITZ on Oregon 38-2

Ron Zook better send Jared Lorenzen a huge Christmas present, because that interception may have saved Zookie's job (at least for now).

(Actually, I think he was throwing it out of bounds, but got twisted at the last second.)

Jim

Northern Illinois kept the undefeated season alive with a 24-16 win over Iowa St.

Kansas took it hard to Mizzou 35-14 (I was wondering if Bill Self was on teh sideline somewhere)

Arkansas trying to make things interesting trailing 31-17 with 8:40 to go but inside the Bama 5.

And Cal up 21-7 on USC in the 2nd .. another topsy turvy week ahead?

[ September 27, 2003, 04:46 PM: Message edited by: Breesboy ]

Hey Guys:

OK!! I will do my weekend roundup a little bit later, but for now, my Mom is force feeding my me blood pressure medicine and trying to give me oxygen so that I can recover from the heart attack that the Alabama/Arkansas game gave me!!! LOL I will be back on later to post my thoughts about this weekend's games. But once again, another great weekend of college football in September. You just got to love that, unless you are Notre Dame or Alabama fans!!!

David
Exfballplayer

The Hogs pulled one out there. I'd have to give the big winner of the week award to them and Wazzu. Meanwhile Cal-USC just went into OT

end of 1st OT, USC fumbles inside the 5, then blocks the winner after Cal just went right towards the middle of the field after getting a 1st down, going for the 3 instead of the 6 ... controversial strategy if I ever saw it.

2nd OT ... Cal strikes first on a nice TD pass on 3rd and 5 .... the Tedfords up 31-24 ... USC anwaers back .... onto the 3rd OT 31-all

3rd OT ... after a holding penalty virtually nullifies a potential roughing the passer, USC misses a 39 yard FG to the right ... Cal with the ball ... GO FOR 6, DON'T ASSUME THE FG. So the Tedfords naturally run 3 plays in the middle of the field .... and Cal does it 34-31 3 OTs

and a certain game in Knoxville is tied at 17 with 13 minutes left

[ September 27, 2003, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: Breesboy ]

I was watching that game trying to imagine what it was like at your place. I figured we'd be hearing from your mom that you were in the hospital again after that game. I was rootin' for the Hogs, and not just because I picked them to win, but because I didn't want to lose your posts for another 6 weeks!

Jim

With their backup QB, backup Center, and backup RB's, Ohio State wins a shutout !

the Marshall Thundering Herd: beat Kansas St. on the road last week, lose at home to Troy St. (TROY ST!) this week, the same Trojan team that lost to K-State 41-5

meanwhile another OT fest about to begin

South Carolina 17, Tennessee 17

Gamecock Ball .... reverse broken up on the first play (going for the razzle dazzle right away) 2nd and 14 .... Jabari Greer saves a touchdown but takes the flag, a little more air and it woulda been 6 ... Tennessee pressure forces a dump off and throwaway ... 3rd & 12 .... flag on the line now 3rd & 17, Summers gets the ball down to the 7, Weaver for a 24-yd FG ... good

South Carolina 20, Tennessee 17

Volunteer ball - Houston gets the ball down to the 21, another Houston run to the left and Tennessee down to the 11. 1st down .... Houston again to the left down at the 10. More Houston down to the 4. 3rd and 3 ... Clausen to Banks TD on the fade

Tennessee 23, South Carolina 20 (OT)

with LSU up comfortably next weeks top 10

1. Miami
2. Virginia Tech
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio St.
6. Florida St.
7. Washington St.
8. Arkansas
9. Tennessee
10. Texas

[ September 27, 2003, 08:09 PM: Message edited by: Breesboy ]

Well, of course, it was against the Mildcats ..... (but I acknowledge that a league win is a league win)

Also - just in from Tuscaloosa :MIKE PRICE - COME BACK , ALL IS FORGIVEN

Pullman to Tuscaloosa: YOu can have him, we're doing JUST fine ....

Hey Guys:

What was it like at my place? LOL Well, if America's Funniest Home Videos had been at my place today, I would be $10,000 richer!!! Actually, I was pretty calm during the first half, watching Arkansas do what it has done all year so far, run the ball down your throat. The penalties were a concern, but I wasn't too concerned about them in this game. Then when Alabama came out and just shredded Arkansas to the tune of 21 straight points, at first I just sat there stunned, not believing my eyes. Then for the next 1 1/2 quarters followed by 2 OT's, I have never shouted, yelled, cussed, screamed, celebrated, and jumped up and down on my couch so much in my life. Hell, I have had some pretty rough sex on that couch, (blushing) but it never took a beating like it did today. I must say that I am forwarding a bill for my new couch to Coach Houston Nutt next week, as I really did break two legs off my couch. (No shitting) I already emailed him and told him that. But this win was HUGE for Arkansas, because this team showed that it had the leadership, and the heart to battle back to win a game they had realistically been taken completely out of at the start of the 3rd Quarter. Arkansas has not been a good comeback team, with the exception of last year against LSU (but anyone can come back against them.) But, in fairness to all the games this weekend, I will post my thoughts tomorrow after I have objectively reviewed everything that has happened, as this is shaping up to be another huge news-making weekend.

I will just say this though, Ohio State looked MUCH better today, and that was with the backup QB. I think I was more impressed with him than I have been with Krenzel, and I am a Krenzel fan. So that tells you just how much Scott McMullen impressed me. And to give you a preview of what I am thinking; I think that USC and Iowa both severely overlooked their opponents this week, with Iowa looking ahead to Michigan and USC looking ahead to Arizona State. Both California and Michigan State were supposed to be easy blowout wins. Instead, two of the top teams in the country lost games today that they had no business losing. But once again, I will say this: The two teams playing for the National Championship will be made up of at least one 1-loss team. The upset bug is raging through College Football like a computer virus on the internet, and I do not see any team pulling out an undefeated season. Will post much more tomorrow.

Exfballplayer
David

[ September 28, 2003, 10:23 AM: Message edited by: exfballplayer ]

Not Mississippi State...

Umm... Oregon and USC don't play each other this year, which was creating a lot of comments during the week over on the coast about who would be more worthy of the PAC10 BCS slot.

Jim
(who can't believe he just corrected David [I'm not worthy], but would love to compare the picture of his sofa to what I did to a cabinet after Wide Right I)

My Gamecocks gave the Vols quite a battle in Knoxville but fell a bit short in OT ....were it not for our largely ineffective passing game (or should I say our starting QB, Pinkins, who is thankfully a senior but should still be on the bench in favor of the freshman dropback passer with the much stronger arm) we probably would have won tonight but anytime you play the Vols even for 60 minutes in front of 100K+ maniacs in Knoxville you can't be too upset, I suppose....the future does look bright in Columbia, though, especially our freshman RB Demetrius Summers who ran for over 150 yards (against a defense that was giving up barely 50 yards a game rushing as a team) for the 2nd week in a row and looked mighty impressive once again....this is the same guy, btw, who scored 127 TD's and ran for over 9000 yards in high school! -- I know it was only high school but that's still mighty impressive numbers no matter where you played.

Lou Holtz appeared to be much more energetic and emotional than usual throughout the game and I think it was reflected in the all-out performance of his team....despite the outcome, the Cocks cannot be faulted for their effort and, at the very least, USC should still be able to finish with a winning record in the tough SEC and make another bowl appearance....now if only Lou and Skip Holtz can make a few more adjustments to support our usually stellar defense, 2004 may finally be the year that we seriously compete for a BCS spot.

The number of OT games was, to me, the most notable aspect of the weekend. The Ark-Bama and USC-Cal games were extremely exciting, with each game marked by miscues from all four teams in the OT bracket. Blocked FG? Got it. Fumble on the one-yard line? Got it. Insane penalty? Got it.

USC lost the game in the first half, IMHO. I'm still in shock that lost to the Bears. I knew SC would lose to someone this year...but this wasn't the one that I'd thought it would be.

The Gamecocks' near miss against Tennessee, in Obknoxville, gives heart to other SEC teams still on the Vols schedule. Holtz really had his team performing in high gear. It still wasn't enough, but UT does look beatable.

Jim:

See, I told you I was not thinking straight last night!!! LOL I knew that USC played Arizona State this coming Saturday, but for some strange reason my hands typed out Oregon. Don't ask me to explain it, but it is now corrected. LOL Even this morning I am still not totally recovered!!! LOL

David
Exfballplayer

Hey guys:

Ok, it is Sunday night, my Dallas Cowboys won, and I can finally take the time to look over everything that has happened this weekend in college football. I saw several newsworthy events, some sad events, and a college football "feel-good" story.

To start with, it appears that the #3 AP Poll position is a bad omen to the team wearing that poll ranking going into Saturday, as the last 3 teams wearing the #3 ranking ALL LOST the followinig Saturday. Guess who the new #3 team is? Yeah, IT IS OHIO STATE!! And, as much as I hate to say it, Wisconsin actually could very well be the 4th team in as many weeks to knock off the #3 ranked team in the nation. But, Ohio State looked much improved, and (gasp) even impressive against an overlooked Northwestern team. As I mentioned above, Ohio State QB McMullen actually looked really good and confident throwing the ball around to Ohio State's spectacular wide receiver corp, something that I think Ohio State will need to do if they are to run the board and play for another National Title. OSU's running game is seriously starting to grow stagnant. Both USC and Iowa teams seriously did themselves a huge misjustice this week, as both teams were extremely more talented than the California and Michigan State teams that they lost to. Yes, Michigan State is on the way back, and has a legitimate case for their #25 ranking this week, but Iowa is truly a top 10 or 15 team. I really believe that Iowa went into East Lansing with the attitude that Michigan State would be an easy game on the way to playing Michigan this coming weekend, and this year, NO ONE can afford to have that attitude. USC was also caught up in the same pattern, looking ahead to an Arizona State team that is still smarting from the humiliating thrashing that Iowa handed them, and is sure to be up for the Trojans on Saturday. USC has by far the best talent of any team in the country, with maybe Miami (FL) and Oklahoma ranking up there with them. This loss to California has to be blaimed not only on the team, but on the coaching staff, for Pete Carroll did NOT have his team prepared for California. If they had been, you would have watched USC run up a 30 point lead, which is what the team is capable of doing. Oregon? Well, I told you last week that Oregon was seriously overrated at #10, and they showed it this weekend, as they suffered a seriously mental breakdown after that Michigan upset. But, what I came away with from that game was just how much Washington State, and Matt Kegel continue to improve as each game progresses. That is what you want to see as a coach, and you just may see Washington State repeat as PAC-10 Champions if USC has another meltdown.

I have read several articles today in which the writers have given USC, Michigan absolutely no chance to play for the National Title because they have 1 loss. I will say this again, at least one 1-loss team will play for the National Title, and do not be surprised if both teams playing for the title have 2 losses. Right now, I think I am going with Ohio State to be the next undefeated team, as they have to play AT Wisconsin in a late game, with kick-off at 9:08 PM for television, after having this weekend off for a bye week. Now, I want to take some time to talk about coaching, loyalty to the program, and fan expectations. I was very troubled to see Arizona firing Coach Mackovich after only allowing him 1 season plus 4 games to turn around a program that was already in the cellar of the PAC-10. If you have not read the story yet, here is the link: http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/...l/story/6679465. A coach CANNOT come into a program and make an immediate impact unless there is talent left over from the previous coaches recruiting. At Arizona, it was CLEAR that there was no talent there, so you HAVE to allow a Head Coach to come in, and recruit the type of players he needs, and build his program. That should give him 2 years minimum, and in some cases, 3 years before one can realistically expect a Head Coach to field a winning team when dealing with the talent that a school like Arizona had for him to work with. Another example of coaches being placed on the hot seats after only 1 year is Florida's Ron Zook. Zook is bringing in an offensive program that Coach Spurrier's offensive recruiting did not fit, so you have to allow him the chance to bring in his talent and develope it. Now, FL Freshman QB Chris Leak is VERY talented, so give him a year to mature, and Florida should start to see the Offensive output it is expecting this year, on next year's squad. Another Coach that is unfairly being criticized this weekend is Alabama's Mike Shula. Shula took over a program that was at best, demoralized. He took the program over in the summer, not having the luxury of spring practices to get to know his team. He was forced to work with position coaches and coordinators that were left over from Coach Price's short tenure, because all other collegiate coach changes had occurred months before. Luckily, Coach Price had made an excellent hire in Defensive Coordinator Joe Kines, and Shula was lucky to find Offensive Coordinator Dave Rader unemployed, and snatched him up. Now, the Alabama team that Shula is coaching has considerable talent, that needs to be developed, and then utilized. But this team goes out on the field week after week, and they put 110% into their playing time, but have been unfortunate to play teams like Oklahoma, and then Arkansas who just simply had more raw talent to work with, and they won. That game against Arkansas should NEVER have gone to OT, because Arkansas should never have given Alabama so many oppotunites to take turnovers and use them to their advantage. So people in Gator Land and in 'Bama land need to back off, and let these coaches develope their programs. If they do that, I think they will be very pleasantly surprised.

One last quick comment and I am done. The feel good story so far for this year, has to clearly be the Kansas Jayhawks. Here is a team that has only been able to put together 3 wins in an entire season for the past DECADE. Head Coach Mike Mangino went into Kansas and spoke frankly, telling Jayhawk fans that if they would come out and support their team, he would go out and find the best talent he could to turn around this team. He did that by dipping into a well of Junior College talent, and the Jayhawks are now 4-1, and ranked #2 in the Big 12 North. NO ONE saw that coming, but the Jayhawk fans came out to support their team anyways. Just so you know, Kansas has sold out their 2 home games so far this year, and the Athletic Director's office told media sources today that Kansas has sold out all but 1 remaining home game. Fans in Bama and Gator land need to look at Kansas fans, and learn a lesson or two.

I am done. If you want to see this week's Top 25 polls, here is the link:

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/polls

David
Exfballplayer

[ September 29, 2003, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: exfballplayer ]

Concur with you but for one point - Shula should bear the yoke of some blame. Bama was, through whatever reasons, up by 21. And they lost. When a team is up by 21 in the 3rd quarter, its up to the staff to call plays that will burn clock time and preserve the win. Shula's staff did nothing in this area.

Parole Tide is rolling down the bowl at this point. I said they'd lose 5 games this year. I was wrong - they'll lose six.

One thing I will say about Arkansas, they have one of the most charismatic and innovative young coaches around in Houston Nutt. Exfootball, does Arkansas have him signed up for a long time or are they worried about other programs coming hunting for him? BTW, Arkansas has an incredible tradition of coaching brains - Broyles, Holtz, Hatfield, now Nutt.

[ September 28, 2003, 11:08 PM: Message edited by: kattt ]

The Ohio State/Wisconsin game is October 11th.

My ass is still hurting because of the spanking the Ducks took at the hands of the Cougs. Damn the SI Cover jinx! In my best Rainman imitation, Not a good wekkend. Definitely not a good weekend.

Jim, LOL in agreement! For the record, I'm still a Zook supporter, and would have remained so if we had lost to Kentucky. I fully understand his need to develop his own players, but some of his coaching gaffes indicate room for his own growth.

What a weekend - I watched the SEC slate and nearly had heart attacks on each game. I'd be fine and good with lettin a pick slide if the SC/Teenysuck game had ended differently.

On to October...

gj

I don't know why Scott McMullen's success and composure is such a surprise. It should be remembered that Scott, not Craig Krenzel, was named to start when Steve "0.22 DUI" Bellisari was suspended.

In one of those matters of fate, Scott had a bad game (against the Illini IIRC) and was pulled by Tressel in favor of Krenzel. Once Craig led the team to victory against Meeesh*tgan, the die was cast and Scott didn't get another chance (until now) to prove what he could do.

Not to mention Scott is alot cuter than Krenzel

I wish Wisconsin was playing Ohio State this weekend instead of PSU! It's Penn States homecoming and I always thought that is when you were supposed to play someone you really knew you could beat. Although Penn State didn't beat all those teams so far this year either.

Sorry, my bad. Ohio State has a bye week this week and Wisconsin the following week. I was not wrong, Ohio State does have Wisconsin as their next opponent, and they still will be ranked #3 unless OU or Miami lose, so the jinx can still hit them. So I apologize if I misled someone, and the correction has been made in my posting. I just forgot about the bye week.

Aubie, I was talking about Coach Shula in the scheme of the entire year, not just the Arkansas game. But then again, Alabama was given a gift from Arkansas to allow them to be up by 21, because Arkansas showed dominance in every aspect of the game with the exception of the first 1 minute of the third quarter. Yes, Alabama should have held onto the 21-point lead, and I guarantee you that as the team continues to mature, you will not see them blowing 21-point leads. I will concur that Coach Shula shares part of the blame, but if he knew his team and talent better, you probably would have seen a different outcome. But there is no way that you can expect a coach to fully know the team after fall practice and four games. You may not agree with me, but even Todd Blackledge said the same thing during the broadcast of the game, and then again in his article that he wrote for the Dallas Morning News in Sunday's addition.

I just hope that Alabama does not drive Shula away, because in the long run, he is going to be a huge lift to this embattled program.

As far as Arkansas and Coach Houston Nutt, yes they have him tied up for 3 more years, but AD Broyles mentioned earlier in the season that he intends to sit down with Nutt to work out a better contract, especially if Arkansas wins the SEC West again.

David
Exfballplayer

[ September 29, 2003, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: exfballplayer ]