Week 1 College Football Newsletter

Football just snuck up on us this year, didn't it? That's how it felt to me anyway. A friend of mine just called me up last week and told me that he couldn't believe football was only a few days away. Even on Friday, I thought to myself, "Tomorrow is going to be the first Saturday in the new season" with surprise. There were a few decent games this past weekend, but too many cupcake games! This calls out for the BS committee to infiltrate strength of schedule as a component to the BS formula. I don't believe in Pre-Season polls, so I'll post my first poll after week 5's games. Let's get started!

The Bonehead Call of the Week
In the last couple minutes of the game between Boston College and Central Michigan, the Chippewas (no pun intended) had chipped away at BC's lead to come within a touchdown at 31-24. CMU had possession of the ball near midfield with under two minutes to play when the coaching staff decided to get a little bit fancy (an understatement). I don't know what one would call the play or even the formation. I personally refer to it as the "Tongue-stuck-to-a-frozen-light-pole-in-a-moving-car" play. Part of the person is stuck and well, frozen, while someone/something else is causing you pain. In this play, which would be the Chippewas final offensive play of the night, five players were lined up on the left hash like an offensive line would typically line up before the snap. On the right hash, where the ball was to be snapped were six players. Three of which went out for a pass, the quarterback, and two blocking for the quarterback. What did the five players on the left hash do while the quarterback scrambled? Absolutely nothing. They didn't move an inch. They stayed in their pre-snap positions as if posing for a photograph or a painting of some kind. The quarterback scrambled, chucked a catchable ball at a receiver and the ball was picked off by the Eagles to conceal the victory. That was the first time I've seen such a formation and I hope it's the last time.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
Fortunately for him, it came against Division I-AA Western Kentucky, but Georgia Bulldogs punt return man (#27) pulled something off that made Leon Lett look good. Remember the former Dallas Cowboys' Lett in the Super Bowl against Buffalo when he was about to go in for a defensive score when Buffalo wideout Don Beebe knocked the ball away from him inside the 5-yard line which allowed the Bills to get the ball back? Well, this return man for the 'Dawgs one-upped Lett on the embarrassment scale. He was about to take a punt back for a touchdown when he raised the ball up over his head as a pre-emptive celebration and with no one even around him, he dropped the ball at the one-yard line. The ball went out of the end zone for a touchback. He later made up for himself be actually taking a punt back for a touchdown.

The Conference Yo of the Week
Without hesitation, I'll have to give this to the SEC. Tennessee has a lot to do with that. They dominated pre-season #9 ranked Cal 35-18 and for anyone who watched the game knows, even that score is misleading. The Gators had a tough time early with the always pesky Eagles of Southern Miss, but pulled away in the second half for a 34-7 win. Ole Miss beat Memphis 28-25. Alabama defeated Hawaii 25-17. Auburn handled Washington State 40-14. Mississippi State played well defensively against South Carolina, but couldn't get much going offensively in a 15-0 loss to the Gamecocks. LSU beat up on Louisiana-Lafayette 45-3. Georgia put up a similar beating on Western Kentucky 48-12. Vandy played Michigan tough for three quarters before losing 27-7. Kentucky put up 28 points in a losing effort to Louisville 59-28. Finally, Arkansas played USC tough for a half before getting pounded 50-14. Overall, the SEC finished 8-4, while only playing one Division I-AA. They also faced two Pac 10 teams, a Big Ten school, and a Big East club. Compared to other conferences in the opening week, this is much more impressive.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
This was a much more difficult decision than the Conference Yo, because the Pac 10, Big Ten, ACC, Big East, and Big XII all played their share of cupcakes during week 1. In fact, teams from the ACC and Big XII lost to their cupcake opponents. But, I'm going to have to give the award to the Big XII. While they won most of their games, middle school kids could've probably beaten these same very teams. Baylor probably had the toughest opponent and while the Bears played pretty well for the most part, they still found a way to lose to TCU 17-7. Along with Nebraska, Iowa State is the North Division favorite and they almost lost their opening game to Toledo, but somehow managed to win a wild one 45-43 in triple overtime. Texas beat tough (tough for a Sun Belt team) North Texas 56-7. Nebraska defeated Louisiana Tech 49-10. Texas Tech beat fellow Texas power SMU 35-7. Oklahoma benefited from a whistle at the end of their 24-17 scare against UAB. That's only half of the conference right there that faced Division 1-A competition and outside of TCU and Toledo, the rest probably won't go bowling during the holidays (North Texas is a possibility for the simple fact that they play in the Sun Belt). The other half of the conference played Division 1-AA teams and didn't have the easiest time beating them. Texas A&M beat The Citadel 35-3. Kansas defeated Northwestern State 49-18. Missouri beat Murray State 47-7. Oklahoma State disposed of Missouri State 52-10. Kansas State barely snuck past Illinois State 24-23. Finally, the defending Big XII North Champion Colorado Buffaloes and new head coach Dan Hawkins opened the season with a 19-10 loss to Montana State! So, yeah, the conference went 10-2, but big deal. Big XII schools may want to stay away from Montana State as they lost to Oklahoma State 15-10 in last season's opening week and beat the Buffs 19-10 this time around. It was the first time in 22 years that Montana State had beaten a Division 1-AA opponent. Welcome to Boulder, Dan!

Game of the Week
If the game had actually been aired, I might say Toledo and Iowa State's marathon, but since I didn't actually get to see the game, I'm going to go with Miami and Florida State. No, it wasn't an offensive lover's game of paradise on Monday. In fact, it was pretty similar to last year's 10-7 Seminole victory. But, what other games are there to choose from? Oklahoma/UAB was a pretty good game. Notre Dame/Georgia Tech was a close contest throughout. The late-night Arizona win against BYU was a thrilling game, but there's nothing quite like an intense 60-minute battle between the Hurricanes and the Seminoles. If one doesn't like defense, then they probably won't care for these battles, because the defenses seem quicker than the offenses. Just ask the tailbacks and quarterbacks. Last time I saw, in the 4th quarter, Florida State had 1 yard rushing on 22 attempts and Miami had 1 yard rushing on 23 attempts. Both quarterbacks were getting hurried and pressured all game and in the end, in fitting fashion, Miami quarterback Kyle Wright got pressured him into throwing the game ending interception. Even in a 13-10 game, there's an intensity between the two Florida schools that can rarely be matched in other games (outside of the SEC).

Biggest Disappointment of the Week
Is there any debate on this one? Cal didn't bother showing up for the first three quarters against Tennessee. Cal could get away with that against the likes of Montana State, but against Tennessee in Knoxville? That's not going to happen. Cal better wake up and fast because they face another tough test this next week in Minnesota.

Kudos
Dave Wanstedt, head coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers, started this season the way he only wished last season would've. Wanstedt's Panthers were anything but consistent last year, as they finished the season with a losing record. But, on Saturday, a whole new season began for Pitt, as they trounced the underachieving Virginia Cavaliers 38-13. One season is no mark for a coach. Pete Carroll's Trojans went 6-6 in his first season there. They've been okay ever since. We shallst see what Dave Wanstedt can do following his first rollercoaster of a ride season. There's a long ways to go this year, but unlike last year, Pitt has definitely started off this season on the right foot.

No Kudos For You
27 Division I-A teams faced off against teams from Division I-AA this weekend and went 24-3 against these clubs. The only three losses were: Montana State over Colorado 19-10, Richmond shutting out Duke 13-0, and Portland State beating New Mexico 17-6. There were 24 other teams who faced off against lesser competition: UNLV (Idaho State), Arizona State (Northern Arizona), UConn (Rhode Island), Boise State (Sacramento State), Louisiana-Monroe (Alcorn State), New Mexico State (Southeast Louisiana), Tulsa (Stephen F. Austin), Oregon State (Eastern Washington), Iowa (Montana), Virginia Tech (Northeastern), Georgia (Western Kentucky), Purdue (Indiana State), Colorado State (Weber State), NC State (Appalachian State), Maryland (William & Mary), Central Florida (Villanova), Texas A&M (The Citadel), Kansas (Northwestern State), Oklahoma State (Missouri State), Cincinnati (Eastern Kentucky), Missouri (Murray State), Kansas State (Illinois State), Ohio (Tennessee-Martin), and Troy (Alabama State).

Player of the Week
This goes to Erik "don't call me Danny" Ainge, quarterback of Tennesee. The uncertainty at quarterback severely hindered the Vols' flow and confidence on offense last season. If the first game is any indicator, Ainge is the man in Knoxville and is ready to face the challenge. I also considered Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton, but based on the oppositions each faced, I had to give this to Ainge who took on the California Golden Bears. Ainge finished the game completing 11 of 17 passes (64.7%) for 291 yards (17.1 ypa) and 4 touchdowns.

Surprise of the Week
So, Richmond shut out Duke. If they faced off in basketball, this would be seen as quite the upset. Not so much in football, though. But, Montana State upending the defending Big XII North Champions? Now, that my friends, is an upset! Without any runners up, the surprise of the week has to go to Montana State's 19-10 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes. I bet you that Dan Hawkins wishes he was back in Boise and that Gary Barnett is glad he's out of Boulder!

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased person's viewpoint)
Living in Nebraska, I (and others) often times hear a biased review of a Nebraska football game. It's much like listening to an actor's review of a film that he or she is in. While I am from the state of Nebraska, I am not afraid to nit-pick at their play (or playcalling) and would therefore like to add my unbiased opinions in on the subject. On Saturday, Nebraska opened their season with a 49-10 home win against Louisiana Tech. All-in-all, Nebraska put up some very impressive numbers offensively, but what I was most impressed about on the offensive side of the ball was the fact that Nebraska attempted to run and pound the ball early and often, which, over a span of 60 minutes, provided for a pretty balanced offensive attack. Taylor also got pretty decent protection for the most part. He got hit a couple times in the first half, but not so much in the second. There were a couple things that can be improved upon, however. For one, dropped balls. I saw Hardy drop at least two passes and Swift drop another couple. Taylor's final numbers were pretty impressive, but are not as impressive as they could've been had his receivers caught the ball with their hands and not their chests. Secondly, penalties. Penalties hindered Nebraska rather consistently during Callahan's first two years as coach and if Saturday's game was any indicator, this year won't be much different unless something is done about it. Finally, Nebraska didn't make the most of their red zone opportunities, especially early in the game. Nebraska had a chance to blow things open right from the outset with their great field position and a Lousiana Tech fumble, but didn't do anything about it. There were a couple occasion on 4th down when Nebraska was in obvious field goal range and passed that up to go for it and fail. On defense, Nebraska's rush was dominant from start to finish, but they gave up a few decent run and pass plays along the way, especially through the air. Louisiana Tech wideouts Holland and Wheeler burned NU's secondary deep a few times in the game. When Nebraska's defense finally put the strangehold on Tech was when the offense garnered a large enough lead that there was no possible way Tech could've come back. It's hard to judge the special teams, considering Nebraska didn't have to punt much and didn't attempt any field goals. Their kick return coverage was great at times and average at others. Terrence Nunn fumbled a punt return. Overall, Nebraska played a solid game, especially offensively, but much can be improved upon. Offensive Grade: A-, Defensive Grade: B, Special Teams Grade: C+

Let's Not Over-Hype Them Already
Remember early in the season last year when Tennessee came back to beat LSU in overtime? Some claimed that the 'Vols were back at that point. That loss happened to be LSU's only loss of the season. But, there were plenty more to come for Phillip Fulmer and his Volunteers. While their performance on Saturday was quite impressive, offensively and defensively, it's only one game just as last year's victory over the Tigers was one game. If Tennessee wants to get back to where they were a few years ago, they'll have to play like this rather regularly, especially when the big dogs of the SEC come a-calling.

Bad News For Louisville
Louisville Cardinal's starting tailback and do-it-everything man Michael Bush broke a leg in Sunday's game against Kentucky and will be out for the season. Bush is a senior who could've left school early to go pro last year, but decided to stay put. Bush is a very talented player who hopefully will be ready in time for draft combines.

Solich Update
Frankie left the bar scene early enough to witness his very own Ohio Bobcats defeating the tough and stingy Tennessee-Martin club 29-3. Solich's Bobcats are 1-0 against Division I-AA foes and 1-0 overall.

Gill Update
Turner Gill started his Buffalo tenure on Thursday night with a 9-3 victory over Temple in overtime. Any win for Buffalo is a good thing and unlike 24 Division I-A programs, Gill can brag that he beat a Division I-A club in his first game. The only downside is the fact that Temple went winless a season ago. But, either way, a win is a win and being 1-0 feels a lot better than 0-1.

Rant of the Week: New Clock Rules
They've only been in effect for one week, but I'm already not liking the new clock rules. Who said football games were getting to be too long? I can understand and tolerate some of the changes. For example, I can tolerate that the clock starts after the first down chains are moved and I can tolerate that the clock starts after the ball is kicked. The old rule used to be that the clock didn't start until the ball is touched and well, if someone kicks the darn thing, it has been touched. So, again, I can understand that. But, the portion of the rule that bothers me the most is when the clock starts after the change of a possession. Why should a team, in essence, be penalized for making a great defensive stand or causing a turnover? In last night's game between Miami and Florida State, after Miami punted the ball away and tackled the Seminole returnman, Miami had to burn their first timeout, because the clock would've started. Before, that would've been a dead ball and no timeout would've been burned. The clock doesn't continue to run in basketball when the play is dead. Only when the ball is in court will the clock move. They don't even have that rule in the NFL where games are scheduled to last three hours. Halftime shows are shorter in the NFL than in college. Why not shorten those than the actual game? Teams will lose an estimated 10-15 plays each a game due to these new rules. What's that equate to? Less football. The less football there is, the less happy I'm going to be. What's more entertaining? Those 20-30 plays or listening to Craig James and John Saunders gab back and forth? I will take football any day over listening to those two.