NCAA Blagh: 9-14-11 Post Game Wrap Up Week 2

Outcome of My Picks With a Few Comments
12-5

WASHINGTON VS HAWAII :-)

CALIFORNIA VS COLORADO :-)

ALABAMA VS PENN STATE :-)

TCU VS AIR FORCE :-(

N C STATE VS WAKE FOREST :-)

PURDUE VS RICE :-)

SOUTH CAROLINA VS GEORGIA :-)

IOWA VS IOWA STATE :-(

VIRGINIA VS INDIANA :-)

TEXAS VS BYU :-)

VANDERBILT VS U CONN :-)

MISSISSIPPI ST VS AUBURN :-(

CENTRAL FLORIDA VS BOSTON COLLEGE :-)

NOTRE DAME VS MICHIGAN :-)

NO ILLINOIS VS KANSAS :-(

TENNESSEE VS CINCINNATI :-)

**** SPREAD GAME****

OHIO STATE (-19) VS TOLEDO :-( :-( <--Lotsa unhappiness

Eight games from last week’s pool were decided by 3 points or less. With so many close games it was difficult to keep track of them all and there was a lot of switching up and down the dial. It's a nice problem to have on a football Saturday.

Colorado lost by 3 points to California in overtime. Colorado’s passing game set records last Saturday with QB Tyler Hansen throwing for 474 yards, but their running game only yielded 108 yards on 32 carries. With Ohio State facing the Buffalos on 9/24 they’ll need to be ready to defend against the pass.

Penn State came out very strong and led 3 – 0 most of the first quarter. Then Alabama scored a TD late in the first quarter and another TD and field goal in the second. It appears that Penn St. gets tired after a quarter of intense play because after the half they held Alabama to 3 in the third quarter then gave up 7 in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s only TD occurred in the fourth quarter followed by a 2 point conversion. Penn State played their hearts out but unless their offense can find a way to score points their defense will only be able to make this season’s losses less embarrassing.

Wake Forest’s QB Tanner Price started and was in for the whole game and it made a difference. Wake started out with a 17 point lead in the first quarter and never fell behind. They also prevented NC State from scoring any points on the ground. But I do have one question about the team’s moniker: How can you be a “Demon Deacon”? I thought Demons were on one team and Deacons were on the other in the Heavenly realms. I guess that’s not the case in football.

Purdue vs. Rice: This was one of many close games last week and a blocked attempt for a 31-yard field goal prevented Purdue from a 1 point victory over Rice. (The spread was 1 1/5.) It was Rice’s first win over a BCS school since 2001. Purdue is not strong against the pass, they have allowed an average of 286 yards in their first two games. Despite that blocked field goal their kicking game isn’t bad. I’m jealous.

Iowa lost to Iowa State by 3 points in triple overtime in this huge rivalry game. Iowa’s defense allowed 473 yards but QB James Vandensomething is averaging 213 passing yards per game and has not been intercepted yet. Since they’re in the “Legends” division of the newly divided Big Ten, Ohio State won’t play them unless they were to meet in the conference championship.

Texas came out slow in the first half then went on to dominate the second half. They went to a 2 QB system after pulling starting QB Garrett Gilbert in the second quarter after he threw two interceptions and only gained 8 yards. The 2 QBs are: Somebody Ash and Colt McCoy’s younger brother Case McCoy. (So many c’s.) Each QB got a TD and were principal in turning the game around. If these two start against UCLA it will be an interesting game.

I can’t believe I picked the right team for Notre Dame vs Michigan!! As I wrote in my 9/7 blagh I struggled with this decision and was just sure I had picked the wrong team. That feeling persisted strongly through most of the game until the very last play. The only thing that assuaged my doubts was seeing a wide shot of the crazed sea of Maize. Seeing that is what made me believe Michigan would prevail despite what the scoreboard said for 3.5 quarters.

Setting the stage: It was the first night game in Michigan Stadium and the pre-game festivities began with a goofy TV drama complete with an announcer saying Michigan must “beat the darkness”. Get it? First night game, they now have lights…yeah. Then there was a flyover, it wasn't an F16 screaming into the night but a WWII-era cargo plane chugging across the sky that would be a foreshadow of the Michigan defense. Despite the slow moving pre-game dramatics the game itself was incredible and is what NCAA football is all about.

Notre Dame outplayed Michigan in the first half in every aspect. Michigan’s defense left holes the size of that C-47 and their offense struggled to make one TD the first three quarters. They couldn’t stop the run or the pass. Despite these problems and the scoreboard the game still seemed close, I think that was due to the fact that Michigan never gave up. In the fourth quarter that heart finally paid off, Michigan scored 4 touchdowns with two occurring with less than 1:30 left, causing Notre Dame's Brian Kelly to turn his back to the camera and drop F-bombs on his players. (Touchdown Jesus would not approve.) The really amazing, gutsy, bold, awesome thing Brady Hoke did was to go for it with less than 5 seconds left on the clock. Instead of going for 3 to tie it and take the game into OT, Denard Robinson threw a TD pass to Roy Roundtree and won the game! It was a great game (I usually say that when things are exciting and go my way in the end). Michigan has a lot of technical issues they need to work on but it was heart that won this game. They wanted it and managed to come back in the fourth quarter. They can do this at home with 110k fans backing them, now let's see how they do on the road.

A word about football pools…they mess with your head and your loyalties because it makes you root for teams you normally would never root for! Do you know what it's like for a born and bred Ohio State fan to find themselves saying "go Mich***"??? (I can't even type it!) But I want to win the football pool!! (Or make the leader page in pool.) So I am angrily putting aside my preferences...damn it!

Ohio State Segment

The one game I didn’t want to be a close one was Ohio State vs. Toledo. I don’t know how much of a factor the missing nine players were but Toledo was very physical and definitely outplayed Ohio State. The kicking game was still abysmal and Joe Bauserman felt the heat against a tougher team going 16 of 30 for 189 yards. On the ground OSU only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. The poor performance was noted and OSU dropped from #15 to #17 despite the win. Make no mistake, the Rockets are a good team and have beat top 25 teams 6 out of 9 times, with 14 penalties and a couple of missed field goals the game was theirs to lose. Let’s hope Ohio State can get it together for the Miami game.

Cirque du Soleil Play of the Week

Amazing plays involving acrobatic moves worthy of a Cirque du Soleil peformance.

Nothing inspired me this week, lots of good teamwork but I saw no acrobatics worthy of Cirque du Soleil.

Fashion Segment
With so many new, throwback, and limited edition uniforms in college football these days it deserves its own section. This section will also include commentary on fashion statements made by anyone involved in college football: coaches, officials, fans, and announcers. No one is safe. In some instances links must be used instead of images due to copyright restrictions.

Michigan wore a throwback inspired uniform with a genuine throwback helmet that had the original gray facemask. Bo changed this to blue because he didn't want gray on the uniform (think scarlet & gray).

Sneak preview of Brent Musburger’s new ride.

Here’s a sneak peek at the 2011 Ohio State Pro Combat Uniform that they’ll wear against Wisconsin. I really like it and LOVE the helmet that’s similar to the Georgia version. I have to admit I’m a bit disappointed in the gloves, if that’s a block “O” in all that gray I can’t make it out. Maybe they camouflaged it to throw off the officials.