First Half - X rated commentary
The Billy Flutie reverse throw is a Pontiac game changing moment. What an awful call. He fumbled with the ball like a teenager with a bra. He did not even look down field ensuring he did not fumble and that he had no chance for a completion. Not the time to try that play again (Wake Forest being the first) on a wet field at the 40. My Dad pointed out that almost any yardage puts you in 4th down territory and we promptly blew it.
Again, lets use replay effectively. Never had ball and possession on the VT TD. Not even close.
Two HUGE penalties. 15 yards unsportsmanlike for taunting and the false start when Callendar had a 12 yard run.
We need a dry turf. Tech is faster than us but our offense is based on precision routes and with our mite receivers we need that.
Look at prior blogs ... Cherilus allowing the end past him was as easy a call as Ferris yelling out for shots before 9PM.
Dry field ... I like our chances.
Right now, come on Jeff Smith!
Its Gameday
Hawaii is 17th in the BCS standings in a year where they should be ranked higher with the constant upsets going on.
Seeing Connecticut in the BCS rankings is shocking. They can prove they belong with a win over South Florida. It’s nice to see the Big East apologize for the huge blown call that went against Louisville in Friday’s night game against the Huskies. For those who missed it, the Connecticut punt returner signaled fair catch but started to run regardless. All the Louisville players had stopped on seeing the fair catch signal. Only problem was the referees did not notice the fair catch and allowed the play to continue which resulted in a Connecticut touchdown. Of course, the play can not be reviewed which calls into question why there are rules at all of what can and can not be reviewed. If the ultimate purpose of a review is to call the game correctly, then any call should be subject to review especially if a team wants to use their red flag. Anyways, Louisville blew this game by failing to stop Uconn on two fourth quarter drives after taking a ten point lead. They have no one but themselves to blame.
Drew Weatherford is back in as the starter for Florida St. at QB. With him at the helm, I give them a shot at beating BC. With Lee, they had no shot. Lee threw three consecutive passes into the ground when trying to run the two minute drill in an attempt to rally the Seminoles against the Canes.
Possibly playing South Florida in the Orange Bowl would be like dating a girl that has all the right credentials; 6 figure salary, college education, well read, athletic … and all you can think about is ‘Why aren’t you sexy?”
South Florida and Mississippi St. have both beaten an Auburn team that has influenced the national title picture as much as any team could. Auburn’s victory on a last second field goal may be keeping the Gators out of the top spot.
Despite USC’s 37-0 nothing victory over Notre Dame, I am not sold on them. Notre Dame rolled over and gave up and can you really blame them? They weren’t going to come back. Some of the missed tackles by Notre Dame defy explanation. Hazleton is not Reggie Bush. Regardless, at Oregon will answer most everything.
Was thinking about Tyrone Prothro the other day and whatever happened to him. Here is a link to his site which states that his football days are probably over. This is really sad as the kid could have been a slot receiver in the NFL and garnered a couple of paychecks. I hope the young man gets his education and does not live just for memories of his catch.
http://www.tyroneprothro.com/BC:
I can not help but think that this will be one of the most heavily watched Thursday night football games of all time. The whole college football nation will be tuned in to see if BC is for real or at least gain a level of understanding if BC is any good at all. The fact that BC is number two in the BCS and has a good shot of maintaining that ranking if they win out will not go over well, especially in the deep South. TV’s will be turned on in the bayous of LSU to the swamps of Florida to the rolling prairies of Oklahoma and to dorm rooms throughout the nation and everyone will have an opinion on a game that will be televised without college football competition. It is extremely ironic that the most anticipated BC game of all time will be bigger to people outside Boston than within the finest city west of Barcelona. I think you may have to go into a bar and ask for the BC game in Boston and you may not get it. Any TV not turned to the Sox could mean a loss of revenue… … The point is exaggerated of course but the game will not be front in center on the big screen TV’s nor front and center for a team that attempts to go where no BC team has gone before. The pressure for this BC team does not come from its fans or the local media but through a national prism consisting of ESPN, Sports Illustrated and anyone that spends their Saturdays rooting for a college football team. As long as BC keeps winning, they are no longer a nice little Catholic school from up North but a program that has a chance to drastically alter the college football landscape and the BCS formula.
The Dawg’s Top 10
1)LSU – Dramatic win against Auburn keeps them in the top spot.
2)Ohio St – Penn St. will be chomping at the bit for the upset but if Morelli maintains his track record, the Buckeyes will remain on the path to New Orleans.
3)Oregon – The Ducks are scoring and scoring and scoring. Who needs a defense. If Colvin holds on to the ball they would be the undisputed number one. Even though California has stumbled I think the Bears were hitting on all cylinders when they were up at Autzen so that loss should not hurt them too much. I do not want to rank them this high with that home loss but I need teams to prove they should be ranked ahead of the Ducks.
4)West Virginia – They have taken care of business since the South Florida loss and remain in the national title hunt.
5)Boston College – They know what they have to do.
6)Arizona St. – They get their shot to silence the critics.
7)Oklahoma – Struggling on the road against Iowa St. I almost don’t want to rank them. The Cyclones are awful. Ask Texas
8)Missouri – I like these guys. Oklahoma on a neutral field later.
9)Kansas – Boasts my new favorite quarterback.
10)Florida – These guys have just lost two games but boy are they scary and could shoot right up these rankings.
Lookin in: USC, Virginia Tech, South Florida, Kentucky.
Not exactly tearing it up.
Standings:
Ferris 14 15 1
Moore 12 18
Dawg 11 19
I had an awsome time in Chicago!
Wow, what a weekend! Not a great game but who cares. I did not. All I wanted was that win and we got it. It looked like a blowout was going to be in order as we marched right down the field on the first drive and scored a TD. However, missing the extra point always seems to take the wind out of the sail and we were unable to capitalize on the early success for ensuing scoring drives.
Thoughts on the game and season:
Our first round tackle, Gosder Cherilus, was beyond terrible. He committed five penalties and was uncomfortable in listening to the snap count. If he had problems at ND, you think he’ll have problems at Virginia Tech. I bet he was yelled at all week and it scares me that he might react to the defense and not the ball in the next game. If he reacts to the Virginia tech defensive ends, Matt Ryan had better hold on to the ball.
Andre Callendar is rejuvenated. He looks at ease catching the ball out of the backfield and is making the right reads to always pick up positive yardage. Those 3 and 4 yard gains allow us to have ‘on schedule’ drives. He has always been good at picking up the blitz and now must be considered an upper echelon back.
A lot of the fun that occurred on the weekend was after the game ended. Andrew had the brilliant idea of seeing if we could watch the Kentucky-LSU game by peering into the press box. Not only could we but the officials in the press box moved out of the way to allow us to have a clear view. The only problem was that the game just would not end and every two minutes the Notre Dame PA announcer became a little more hostile in his command to please leave the stadium. After 15 minutes and with the security guards approaching it was time to head down from the upper decks. I thought that was the end of our catching some of the game but right as we departed the stadium we noticed the concession room was open with a bunch of cooks and and service people gathered around the TV and they did not object to our brief campout at the door. It was with great pride that we left the stadium after Woodson pulled one out against the Tigers telling anyone that would listen, “LSU lost.” Little did we realize the grandiose dreams would continue …. …
And they continued on the bus. I think it was Moore who first shouted out that Cal was I in a dogfight with Oregon St. The Simons got a call from his brother …. Then my brother called me…. The updates kept coming until we heard the final score and everyone realized that we had just jumped up another position in the BCS. 2 or 3 who cares .. if we win, we’ll be there but the teams keep dropping like flies.
Lets give a shout out to Rich Brooks at Kentucky. What a job he has done. I want to know who their backup QB is as the momentum they have built from this year may rest on his shoulders if they hope to maintain their success. Losing to Florida today will not matter.
Troy got one vote in the AP Top 25. Who was that voter?
Once Matt Grothe gets a better haircut I think he will be my new favorite football player, well at least in terms of his Doug Flutie like running style. The kid needs to learn to throw however.
Ray Rice is tough. Boy does he lay the wood to tacklers. That is a man that I would love on my team.
OK, a shout out to Uconn. I think there a long ways away from bring a consistently good team but they are a lot better than I thought. They are more athletic and their offensive line impressed me against Louisville. Granted Louisville is nothing to write home about but the Huskies victory demonstrated a marked improvement from what I had anticipated. They now sit at 2-0 in the Big East. With 5 games left, they may have an outside chance of being in the Big East race at the end. Their 2-0 is against 2 of the 3 bottom feeders in the conference.
Why can’t ESPN Gameday have a new them song from year to year? Not a bad song but I expect more originality in their lead on song. They spend so much time working on their commercials so why not once a year for a song refresh.
ESPN has really lucked out this past Thursday and forthcoming Thursday with the number 2 and 3 BCS teams as part of their games with South Florida and BC. The funny thing about that is the headline teams for those games would have been the home standing Rutgers and Virginia Tech. All eyes will be on BC this Thursday. It will be the most highly opinionated game in the history of Boston College football - all coming from non BC fans
The Dawgs Top 10
This is how I would vote if given an AP ballot.
1)LSU – their only loss is a tough one on the road after beating Florida in a slugfest the previous week.
2)Ohio St. – They have hammered opponents albeit inferior opponents but they have taken care of business. Have not watched them too much so today’s game against Michigan St. will be a measuring stick.
3)South Carolina – Almost pulled the trigger on these guys at number two but I question their offense. Only loss at LSU. That’s fine.
4)Oklahoma – They have looked great at times and should be a team that improves as Bradford continues to mature though he has not been the problem.
5)Boston College – Win at Virginia Tech to move up
6)Oregon – Their injuries may catch up to them but they did not lose their QB which seperates them from California
7)Arizona St. – Undefeated at 7-0. Like BC, will have plenty of chances to prove themselves.
8)West Virginia – only loss was at South Flordia when Pat White was injured. They have rebounded well
9)Missouri – Tough to drop a team whose only loss is at Oklahoma.
10)California – Longshore is so key. Their ranking depends on his health.
Lurking: Kentucky/Florida winner, Kansas, Virginia Tech
USC does not even deserve to be lurking. They have as much to prove as BC and Arizona St. I have the Irish not only covering but pressing USC to win today. Why? Mark Sanchez playing for USC, 7 point win at home vs Arizona which is terrible when you were expecting a bounce back from the Stanford debacle. Also, I liked how Sharpley looked when given the reins last week.
Week 6
Ferris:
Rutgers +2.5 v. S. Florida
Penn St -7 @ Indiana
Michigan St. +17 @ Ohio State
Kentucky +7 v. Florida
S Miss -4 @ Marshall
Moore:
South Florida -2.5 @ Rutgers
Louisville -3.5 @ UConn
Wake -3 @ Navy
Kansas -4 @ Colorado
Tenn +1 @ Alabama
Dawg:
Notre Dame +17.5 vs USC
Mississippi St. +25.5 vs West Virginia
Michigan St. +17 vs Ohio St.
Florida -7 vs Kentucky
Maryland -4 vs Virginia
Chicago Baby!
Missouri – Oklahoma highlights the college football day. This is the toughest name game left on Missouri’s schedule with Texas not being on it. If they can get by Oklahoma, its then on to Texas Tech, Iowa St, at Colorado, Texas A&M, at Kansas St and at Kansas. Of that bunch only Iowa St. appears to be a pushover. Missouri dominated Nebraska as expected but they will have to be a very good team to run that table if they come out of Norman with a victory. With Missouri’s start and Illinois’s run, that first week game between them stands as the most meaningful game that no one saw.
Where is the hot seat in relationship to Bill Callahan?
When do you get respect as a coach? It’s not if you win a national title or lead a team to a great season. It’s when you do it year after year apparently. Else Larry Coker would be thought of as a great coach instead of being canned a few years after a national title. Even if BC does great this year, people will be knocking Jags real quickly when the players he recruits do not perform.
Who watched the Navy-Pitt game? Early in the fourth quarter, Lou Holtz commented that Navy would have the tailback wide open on an out and up along the sidelines whenever they wanted it. Rece Davis asked him, “Would you call it now”? Holtz replied “No”, that he would save that for when he really needed it if he were coach. Well, Navy head coach Paul Johnson must have been thinking the same thing as he called that play on Navy’s first play in the first OT. I thought it was a great insight into the coaching mind especially since the idea came to fruition in a touchdown pass.
Texas has 0 players from Oklahoma on their squad whereas Oklahoma raids Texas yearly for talent. Texas of course does not need to go out of state but its funny to see how many top players go across the state line to play for a top rival.
Kirk Herbstreit mentioned on ESPN what a homefield advantage Oregon really has at Autzen. Corso called it the best ‘pound for pound’ advantage in the country in terms of crowd noise. Despite hosting Gameday and having a top 10 team this year, I feel that most college football fans still do not think of Oregon in terms of a top program or having an enthused fanbase. I attribute this to the lack of big time games that are televised from the West Coast. If it does not involve USC, people don’t give it their full attention. Oregon may play big time games but most home games seem to be on Fox or a second tier network or part of a regional ABC broadcast. Only off hand comments by Herbstreit or Corso seem to give Ducks fans their due. The only reason I know people care so much is that Simons is from Eugene and has followed them for 30 years. When Simons and his brother were at BC’s whipping of NC St. my Dad said they were on the phone the entire time getting Oregon-Michigan updates. He said the two were riveted to their phone. So, I see the passion for Oregon football but I only can discern it from a personal connection. Maybe it has to do with me picturing ‘laid-back’ Bill Walton as what Oregonians are like.
There are going to be so many good moments this weekend in Chicago and South Bend that it will be tough to single out a defining moment. If we lose of course, it will be a long ride back from South Bend but that would be a monumental upset. But what I am really looking forward to is putting on my BC shirt and getting on that plane. There will be quite a few ND fans I presume for the short trip to Chicago so I think I will be in enemy territory. Makes for a fun walk down the aisle.
When did the phrase ‘Behind Schedule’ start? On schedule means that you have manageable down and distances like 3rd and 3. 3rd and 6 would be behind schedule.
I forget the name of Kansas quarterback but that kid made some big time throws last week.
OK OK. I think everyone in Oregon sits around and smokes all day.
A lot of people think USC will recover. I don’t think so. At Cal, Oregon and Arizona St? You think they will win all three? I don’t.
Does anyone know the full name of Ohio St’s quarterback? Well, maybe. What about spelling his last name?
Riley Skinner will be a Heisman candidate his senior year if he has any supporting cast.
Week 5 Picks
Ferris
Navy +4.5 @ Pitt
VT - 13 @ Duke
Alabama -6.5 @ Ole Miss
Georgia -7 @ Vanderbilt
Boston College -14 @ Some team
Moore
VT – 13.5 @ Duke
BC -14 @ ND
Auburn +3 @ Arkansas
Miami -2 vs GT
Tennessee -7 @ Miss St.
Dawg
Miami -2 vs GT
BC -14 @ ND
Baylor +27 vs Kansas
LSU -9 vs Kentucky
California -14 vs Oregon St.
Standings through week 4.
Not too good but who would have predicted Stanford to beat USC?
Standings:
Ferris 9 10 1
Dawg 8 12
Moore 7 13
Week 4 Picks
Ferris:
North Illinois -4 @ Temple
WF -7.5 @ Duke
Kansas St -3 v. Kansas
Colorado -8.5 @ Baylor
Troy -18.5 @ Florida Int'l
Moore:
1. Miami -6.5 @ UNC
2. GT -3 @ Maryland
3. UVA -10 @ Middle Tenn St
4. Rutgers -3.5 vs. Cincinnati
5. Wisconsin +2.5 @ Illinois
Dawg:
Oklahoma -11
Maryland +3
Miami -6.5
Rutgers -3.5
LSU -7.5
The ESPN Thursday night crew made reference to Florida Atlantic as the 'Burrowing Owls'. I thought what a cool nickname and why hasn't Ferris told me about this yet. A quick search showed they were the Owls but I did not see any reference to burrowing owls on the official sports site of Florida Atlantic. Though it did raise the question of why I did not go to school in the south again. They also should change their nickname to Burrowing Owls.
Andre Woodson said people are actually talking about the Kentucky football program in the state and there might be some momentum. Tough to do when its known as a basketball school. Then I thought that Kentucky basketball has not been an upper echeleon team for a while now and I can't think of anyone on the team really. I don't even remember if Ranolph Morris was a senior last year. Times have changed which is why Tubby is up here in Minneapolis.
I think I am being non-biased in my praise of Flutie but I learn more from him than any other announcer during the course of a game. He is always taking about formations and how one play has set up another. Someone in the mainstream media should be picking up on this.
A ramblings reader had a great comment about the Miami-North Carolina line which is at 6.5. "Is this really the line? Did I miss the headline that a bunch of Miami players were arrested again?" - Great call and what could Vegas possibly know?
10-4 Thoughts
Well, I am still in shock from the games this past weekend. No one could have predicted the upsets and the ensuing shakeup. A day that started with Oklahoma and Florida being part of a perceived top tier, ended with BC, South Florida and Kentucky all vaulting them in the rankings. Now, do I think that BC is better than those teams? Certainly not. But I do know that BC is 5-0 and has met the challenges laid out to them thus far. Win and move on appears to be the motto this year. Parity and competition lies everywhere and the difference between a win and loss may just be execution and avoiding critical turnovers. Ask Oregon and Oklahoma about turnovers late in games.
There was no question that Cameron Colvin fumbled the ball through the end zone for Oregon creating a touchback. I was just surprised that he was that careless with the ball.
OK, so Urban Meyer abided by the rules when calling a timeout to ice the kicker after this ploy had been done in the NFL just a few weeks before. Its bush league, pure and simple since no one even knows a timeout is being called until halfway through the play. This rule will be expedited through the change review process.
Illinois’s only loss is at the hands of number 17 Missouri. Missouri gets its first ‘test’ against Nebraska last week.
Oklahoma’s loss was the most surprising to me. They were up 17 and basically imploded. I expect them to rebound.
Texas has struggled going back to last year when they lost to Kansas St and Texas A&M. They almost lost to Iowa in their bowl game also. With that as their resume, is it really a shock that they continue to struggle? They might just not be too good right now. Did Vince Young cover up many flaws that are just becoming more apparent now?
I love planning my college football watching day. This week I have a disaster recovery exercise in the morning and if everything goes well I should be home by 1 or so which means that I can catch the 2nd half of most of the 11AM games. Illinois and Wisconsin should be great. This will be the first time that I get to see Illinois’ star freshman receiver Arrelious Benn. This is the kid that reneged on his Notre Dame commitment to attend Illinois. He torched Penn St. last weekend and has helped them get off to a 4-1 start as previously mentioned. Wisconsin has looked shaky in all their games but has won so here comes another test in an up and coming team. Also at that time is Syracuse and West Virginia. West Virginia could be without Pat White against the Cuse. I will just tune in to keep an eye on a possible upset as Syracuse does sit at 1-0 in the Big East. BC plays at the same time so that will divert my attention but that’s only available to the 3 subscribers of ESPNU. I do not know if Kansas and Kansas St is on but with the Wildcats crushing Texas last week and Kansas at 4-0, this also could be a quick hit on the remote. Georgia Tech and Maryland are on in addition to Miami and North Carolina so two more games to scout while enjoying the ACC games. That’s 6 games right there before 2:30. God, that’s great.
Now, on to the next set of games.
Lets start with North Carolina St. and Florida St.. The Wolfpack probably have zero chance to win but they are playing Florida St, who is in BC’s division, so if they keep this close then its worth flipping back to. Georgia and Tennessee is a worthwhile game but both teams already have in-conference losses so it gets thrown down the scale of need to watch games. The ‘big’ game is Oklahoma and Texas. With the losses last week, a lot of people say that this has lust its luster. But I disagree. Oklahoma still has a good shot of rebounding if they win out and this game will show if they can recover. Lots of interest in this game. At 3, we have Arizona St and Washington St and with an undefeated Sun Devils team, I will check in on this one also. So far, we have seven hours of must see TV!
As this set reaches the halfway point, Virginia Tech takes the field against Clemson. Interest? Yes. Which is then followed by USC and Stanford. USC dropped a spot in the polls and if they are the USC team from years’ past they cover easily. Then you have Ohio St. and Purdue and both are undefeated! Undefeated Cincinnati plays against Rutgers which will be fighting to regain respect after Maryland.
To end the night we get to laugh some more at Notre Dame and then take a first look at Missouri which starts at 8:15. That’s over 12 hours of scintillating football. I will have the wings ready and a couple of cold ones. How good is life?
Life in the SEC is tough. Tommy Tuberville was on top of the SEC world just a few years ago only to be almost down and out this year after losses to South Florida and Mississippi St. Then they rebound to beat Florida. It’s not tough for a team to get up to play Florida but Tuberville did a great job getting his kids to believe after what must have been a tough emotional start.
Ohio St. has looked very impressive so far. They dominated Washington where USC did not. I just can not get Florida running all over them out of my mind. Can that much change in one year?
I said after the Clemson game that Florida St. garnered some respect with the way they fought back, something that has been missing in past Seminole teams. Now they have wins over Colorado and Alabama. Not bad. I still don’t think they are playing their best ball.
Virginia is 4-1 and their next five games are M. Tenn St, Uconn, at Maryland at NC St and home against Wake Forest. I am thinking a couple of early turnovers from Maryland is all they need to be 9-1.
Many props to Maryland for their’s and the ACC’s big win. That is the way Maryland can perform if they do not turn it over. They shoot themselves in the foot more than any team I can recall.
What I liked about the last game – Gunnell 6 receptions for 97. What I did not – Challenger 1-1. Would need to watch game film to understand that one.
If Andre Callendar has to carry 32 times a game we are in serious trouble going forward. He can not take that pounding week to week.
Bowling Green passes a lot. I predict Dejuan Tribble gets a helmet sticker.
Remember Paul from Cheers? The short, fat guy that actually got a hot chick once? (There is one for every man by the way. Just have to find her.) He was actually called Glen in an early episode.
Here is the ACC bowl selection process. The Peach Bowl is in English to me but the Gator Bowl description is not the clearest thing I have ever seen.
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/111306aaa.htmlPeople in Syracuse might be getting delusional. I received an email from my uncle predicting an Orange victory. Would love to see it and the optimism coming from Central New York is great. (I actually read the email wrong. He predicted a WV victory). Now it makes sense. But will the cover 26?
It was reported in the Boston Globe that the ACC apologized for four illegal formation calls against BC on Saturday. None of them should have been called. Nice to have the apology but maybe it’s not a good idea if the referees can not call it correctly.
Brief Saturday Notes
Its not fun watching BC updates online in a game where they will be ridiculed if they lose.
Gameplan is paying its weight today as I would not get the Oregon, Rutgers, Texas or Clemson games. That’s worth a night out to me.
Notre Dame is improving. I am not afraid of them but they are improving.
2:53 central time. Ron Zook must be smoking a cigar.
A 21 and 19 yard pass for first down for UMass. They are good but it will not matter if we lose.
Staring at Gamecast hoping we stop a 4th and 5. Looks like they missed the field goal.
They did. I would have gone for it.
The gamenotes say BC has not turned it over. Please do not throw an interception Ryan.
Lets run some clock.
We got a first! On our own 40.
Maryland doing OK so far. Rutgers is improved but to date they have only beat Louisville (last year) in their resurgence.
Gunnell – 17 yard completion – this kid is good.
Boy does Dennis Dixon have skinny legs.
Yes! The football is in BC’s possession on Gamecast. Whew!
The announcers are saying that Colorado has been the superior team in the 2nd half. If so, that’s not good for Oklahoma
Oklahoma muffs a punt!
We need to devise a system that measures how good Subdivision teams are. The top 20 in the former Division 1-AA are solid top 60
Oklahoma and Colorado tied. Hawkins has these guys on the right path.
Rutgers down 14-3. Finally they play a real team. If they come back, I will be so impressed.
Colorado coming out for the win…..Good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
