Florida walks over Georgia in rivalry match
October 31, 2009
Greetings from “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party!” Of course, I’m not really in attendance, nor am I supposed to refer to this game by that moniker given the unsavory connotations. Since 2006, SEC officials have been calling it “The Florida–Georgia/Georgia–Florida Game.” How boring, but I understand their decision.
Since 1990, Florida has gone 16-3 in this game, following the domination by Georgia during the 70s and 80s. Last year, Florida got their redemption against Georgia after the notable “Gator Stomp” in 2007. Despite the intense rivalry, Florida was predicted to wipe out their opponents today. Simply put, Florida needed to have a huge day offensively to solidify their status as the No. 1 team in the nation. Although they weren’t dominant last week in their over Mississippi, Alabama wasn’t impressive either.
To the Gators’ delight, the entire team showed up in Jacksonville in today’s 41-17 route over Georgia. Coach Urban Meyer decided to open up Florida’s passing game, which has been an issue all season. In doing so, he also strengthened Tebow’s Heisman campaign. Tebow completed 15 of 21 passes for 164 yards and two touhdowns (both to Riley Cooper). Of course, Tebow still ran the ball, scoring two touchdowns on 18 carries. With the first, Tebow surpassed Georgia alum Herschel Walker’s SEC record for rushing touchdowns. Tebow now has 51 to Walker’s 49.
All in all, Georgia’s flimsy defense was just what Florida needed to break out offensively. Their defense is practically flawless week after week, so it should please Urban Meyer that his offense can overpower as well.
Man, we’re coming down to the wire. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens with Florida and Alabama.
Pregame ponderables from Stillwater
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Griffin
STILLWATER, Okla. — If it seems like old times for Mack Brown tonight, it’s understandable.
Tonight should be the toughest remaining challenge for the Longhorns en route to the Big 12 championship game. If they can win tonight, it should be smooth sailing to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 5.
It was similar in 2005, when the Longhorns similarly opened up a lead in the South after beating Oklahoma. They overcame a big deficit in Oklahoma State in what turned out to be their biggest challenge of the game en route to their first undisputed national championship since 1969.
A victory tonight puts the Longhorns in control of their BCS destiny. With Florida and Alabama bound to either lose or play each other in the SEC title game, the Longhorns are positioned to be in the top two if they can win out.
Here are some things I’m watching for tonight before what should be a record crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium.
- Colt McCoy will have a chance to state his Heisman case in a national spotlight. The game will either be on ABC or ESPN2, so a big night will receive a wide national spotlight. McCoy threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns last week. He needs another big game tonight — particularly after Tim Tebow’s big game against Georgia earlier this afternoon.
- But don’t discount Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson. If the Cowboys could engineer an upset tonight, his Heisman candidacy will get a boost. The fact he’s done it most of the season without Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter makes him a good story. But a victory tonight would introduce him to the nation.
- Oklahoma State needs to seal the deal if they get Texas behind. The Longhorns came back from a 19-point second-quarter deficit in 2005, to win a 47-28 game. In 2007, the Longhorns came back from a 21-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to escape with a 38-35 victory — the largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history. In those two games, Texas outscored the Cowboys, 100-7, in the second half.
- While Mike Gundy claims his team isn’t snakebitten against Texas, it might be hard to believe that after losing 11 straight games. Gundy has been around as the head coach for the last four of them.
- Whether Kendall Hunter plays in the game or not, it is critical for the Cowboys to run the ball effectively. That would give them the ability to keep Texas from being able to tee off on them with their variety of blitzes that have been so successful this season.
- Texas’ “Goon Squad” defense has knocked out three straight rival quarterbacks in their last three games. They’ll be gunning for four tonight against Robinson.
- The Cowboys must do a good job stuffing the Longhorns’ short passing game, particularly passes to Jordan Shipley. In order to do that, a big game from cornerback Perrish Cox will be critical. Look for Cox and Shipley to be hooked up often in one-on-one coverage.
- Whoever wins the special teams battle will likely win this game. The Longhorns lead the conference with a 31.4 kickoff return average and have produced two touchdowns. Oklahoma State leads the conference in punt return average and Texas is third with four touchdowns.
Oklahoma State special teams coordinator Joe De Forest typically plays as many starters on his special teams than any team in the Big 12. He’ll need a big game out of his unit tonight.
AFA’s Jefferson remains strong
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Welcome back Tim Jefferson.
After missing some time in the past four games and playing spotty when he was in the lineup, Jefferson had a big day and led the Falcons to a 34-16 win over Colorado State.
And Jefferson did most of his damage through the air.
Jefferson completed 7-of-12 passes for 11 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time all season that Air Force passed for two scores and the first time since last year’s game against Colorado State that the Falcons had two touchdown passes.
Jefferson also rushed for 35 yards.
With the win, the Falcons move to 5-4 and have a hold on fourth place in the Mountain West Conference. Colorado State drops to 3-6 and 0-5 in conference.
Temple gains bowl eligibility
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Temple is bowl eligible for the first time since 1979.
The Owls scored a touchdowns with 2 minutes 41 seconds remaining against Navy to take a 27-24 lead and hold on to win their sixth consecutive game.
Prior to this season, the most wins the Owls had had since 1979 was last year’s five tallies. The Owls have improved in the win column every year sincs coach Al Golden took over.
The win came courtesy of freshman running back Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 267 yards and two scores. To put that in perspective, Temple had just 311 total yards as a team.
The Temple defense also played strong, limiting Navy to 254 total yards and stopping a comeback effort by quarterback Ricky Dobbs off the bench.
Navy QB Dobbs plays late against Temple
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs entered the game against Temple with 2 minutes remaining to help the Midshipmen come from behind late.
However, Dobbs’ attempt to be a last-second hero fell short and Temple won, 27-24.
Dobbs re-aggravated a cracked kneecap against SMU a couple of weeks ago and missed last week’s game against Wake Forest. Coach Ken Niumatalolo said earlier this week that Dobbs would dress, but not play.
However, since Dobbs has a stronger arm than backup Kriss Proctor, Dobbs came in late to try to get the Midshipmen in field goal range to tie the game. He completed zero passes and was sacked on fourth down.
USC-Oregon battle for a happy Halloween
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Ted Miller
EUGENE, Ore. — The forecast for tonight from Autzen Stadium?
Noise. Darkness. Weirdness. High stakes, with the chance of a Pac-10 frontrunner.
And maybe a bit of rain. It just started to come down as of this typing. And then stopped by the last sentence below.
No. 5 USC (6-1, 3-1) visits No. 10 Oregon (6-1, 4-) in the conference game of the year — a Halloween night party that should be intense and colorful.
Tailgaters arrived early, many decked out in their Halloween finest. The theme in the stadium is “blackout,” meaning many fans will wear all-black, which should look interesting on television when the sun goes down.
The mood around Eugene is festive. The entire town seems taken by the prospects of their Ducks and first-year coach Chip Kelly. The nation is watching, too, with ESPN’s College GameDay in town.
An investigation launched by the Pac-10 blog at Taylor’s bar Friday night — with an assist from Bruce Feldman and a group of Oregon students and alumni who called themselves “The Musketeers” — concluded that things could get a little freaky in a stadium known to take things to wild extremes.
There will be plenty to entertain in the stands. Now, about the game part of the game.
The story late this week was some significant injury hits to USC’s receiving corps. Tight end Anthony McCoy (ankle) as well as receivers David Ausberry (calf) and Travon Patterson (ankle) didn’t make the trip. Fullback Stanley Havili, who is the Trojans third-leading receiver behind McCoy, also has been limited by a shoulder injury.
Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley still has Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson, an outstanding pair, but his options won’t be as diverse as they were the previous few weekends when the passing game starting clicking.
Speaking of passing games: Will Oregon, a run-first team, be able to exploit a USC pass defense, which has yielded big yards to Notre Dame and Oregon State?
Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has righted himself since a slow start. He’s completed 49 of 65 — 75 percent — of his passes with five TDs in his last three starts (he missed the UCLA game on Oct. 10 with a sprained knee).
But 280 of his 526 passing yards, and four of those touchdowns during that span, went to tight end Ed Dickson. Expect the Trojans to gang up on Dickson and see if Masoli can move the ball with his receivers, who have been inconsistent this year, other than Jeff Maehl.
Last week, Oregon State baffled the Trojans with tight end Joe Halahuni, who had career highs of nine catches for 127 yards. Might safety Taylor Mays take a special interest in Dickson?
On the other side of the ball, Oregon’s surprisingly stout defense has been a big story. The Ducks rank 19th in the nation in scoring and total defense.
But that defense hasn’t faced an offense as talented as USC’s, most particularly an offensive line like the Trojans.
The Trojans line is big but it also is very athletic, which means it might not struggle with the Ducks speedy but undersized front-seven. If USC can run Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford at will, then the Ducks will have to commit more guys to the line of scrimmage, which could leave a secondary that has been thinned by injuries exposed.
Or will the raucous Autzen magic rule the night?
Just moments ago, the students did their mad dash for seats. They immediately started chanting for their Ducks.
In the Pac-10′s biggest game of the year, though, only one team will have a happy Halloween.
Iowa’s fourth quarter magic works again
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
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| AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall | |
| Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi threw five interceptions against Indiana Saturday but an explosive performance in the fourth quarter helped the Hawkeyes to a 42-24 win. |
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The thought crossed Kirk Ferentz’s mind. The Iowa head coach started to worry that his team’s edge-of-the-cliff dance would finally come to a painful end.
“I thought maybe we had dug too deep a hole today,” Ferentz said.
As it turns out, there’s no hole too deep for Iowa. There aren’t enough interceptions to keep Ricky Stanzi from rallying his team. There aren’t enough mistakes to keep these Hawkeyes from believing and, eventually, prevailing.
And after escaping a 14-point canyon Saturday against Indiana, Iowa might end up on top of the mountain after all.
Team Comeback did it again, rallying for the eighth time in nine games, this time from its largest deficit of the season, to remain perfect at 9-0. It didn’t come down to the final play this time, as Iowa actually could relax in the final three or four minutes of a 42-24 win.
But Ferentz and his players agreed Saturday’s rally was the most improbable.
“It’s got to be up at the top,” Ferentz said. “I know I haven’t been in a game like this, and I doubt I’ve seen one like this because it was just so, so different. You never survive five turnovers, let alone five picks. The odds are, I would almost say nil.”
Almost. Iowa defied the odds once again, and the biggest boost came from the man who put the team in the hole.
Stanzi threw a career-high five interceptions Saturday, four in a miserable third quarter. Entering the fourth quarter, Stanzi had completed just 10 of 23 passes for 160 yards and no touchdowns.
A stat line like Stanzi’s usually lands the quarterback a seat on the bench, but Ferentz didn’t think twice about making a change, despite some boos from the crowd.
“I’m not alone in this one,” Ferentz said. “We all believe in Rick Stanzi. The guy has done a hell of a job.”
Stanzi has done his best work in the fourth quarter, and the trend continued Saturday.
His first pass went for a 92-yard touchdown to Marvin McNutt. His second went for a 66-yard touchdown to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. He finished the fourth quarter 3-for-3 passing for 177 yards and the two scores.
“The frustration doesn’t really mount,” Stanzi said. “That’s when it can explode on you and cause even more problems for the team. You don’t want to let your team down, and everyone on this team has a great job of having that attitude.
“We can all bounce back together.”
Padron sets SMU freshman record
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
SMU true freshman quarterback Kyle Padron has the Mustangs still angling for a Conference USA West title.
Padron completed 20-of-30 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 win over Tulsa. His 354 passing yards was the most by a SMU quarterback in his first start.
Padron was named the starter earlier this week after staring quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was ruled out because of a dislocated shoulder and a partially torn labrum. Padron had played against Houston last week after Mitchell went down.
The Mustangs are now tied atop Conference USA West with Houston, however, the Cougars hold the tiebreaker with a win over the Mustangs last week.
It’s amazing how quickly coach June Jones has been able to turn this team around and make it a formidable squad in Conference USA.
Iowa Hawkeyes: Luckiest Team in the BCS?
October 31, 2009
The Iowa Hawkeyes have led a blessed existence this season, and that charmed play continued on Saturday.
Not many teams can overcome the kind of atrocious circumstances that led to a 24-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, including four interceptions in the third .
Especially Iowa, a plodding offense that had barely summoned any momentum in the first half.
Adam Robinson, the Hawkeyes’ freshman running back, was out for the season with an injury, Adam Wegher and Paki O’Meara were getting stuffed in the backfield, and the playcalling was not testing Indiana deep.
But like the wind blustering through Kinnick Stadium (wind Iowa wisely chose to play at their back in the fourth), that all changed heading into the final quarter.
First, Tyler Sash returned a Ben Chappell interception 92 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-14.
Then Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt on a short completion that McNutt turned upfield for a 92-yard touchdown to make it 24-21. Then Stanzi hit Darrell Johnson-Koulianos for a 66-yard touchdown, and suddenly the rout was on.
Note to teams playing the Hawkeyes: do not get a lead on Iowa before the fourth quarter. Let them remain five points ahead all game. They’re 4-0 when playing from behind. Your best bet is to beat them on the last play like they did against Michigan State last week and Northern Iowa earlier in the season.
Just look at these little miracles:
Northern Iowa loses when Iowa blocks two field goals in a row to preserve the win.
Michigan loses when Iowa picks off Denard Robinson to ice the 30-28 victory in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Arkansas State loses when the Hawkeye D recovers an onside kick and breaks up a Hail Mary, ending a late rally to preserve their field goal lead.
Wisconsin loses after the Hawkeyes D allows no points in the second half and picks off Scott Tolzien three times.
Penn State loses when Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn blocks a punt and returns it for a touchdown to go up 11-10, and Darryl Clark throws two fourth quarter interceptions to upset the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley.
Michigan State loses in the most brutal fashion, losing on a slant pass for a touchdown on fourth down and the last play of the game.
And now Indiana, blowing their lead in the fourth quarter with some atrocious safety play.
Maybe it isn’t luck. Maybe Iowa is just the best second half, or even better, best fourth quarter team in the country.
That alone may be what determines the Big Ten championship in two weeks, when the Hawkeyes will have to do it in the ‘Shoe against Ohio State.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com
Iowa Hawkeyes: The Luckiest Team in the BCS?
October 31, 2009
The Iowa Hawkeyes have lead a blessed existence this season, and that charmed play continued on Saturday.
Not many teams can overcome the kind of atrocious circumstances that lead to a 24-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, including four interceptions in the third .
Especially Iowa, a plodding offense that had barely summoned any momentum in the first half. Adam Robinson, the Hawkeyes’ freshman running back, was out for the season with an injury, Adam Wegher and Paki O’Meara were getting stuffed in the backfield, and the playcalling was not testing Indiana deep.
But like the wind blustering through Kinnick Stadium (wind Iowa wisely chose to play at their back in the fourth), that all changed heading into the final quarter.
First, Tyler Sash returned a Ben Chappell interception 92 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-14. Then Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt on a short completion that McNutt turned upfield for a 92-yard touchdown to make it 24-21. Then Stanzi hit Darrell Johnson-Koulianos for a 66-yard touchdown, and suddenly the rout was on.
Note to teams playing the Hawkeyes: do not get a lead on Iowa before the fourth quarter. Let them remain five points ahead all game. They’re 4-0 when playing from behind. Your best bet is to beat them on the last play like they did against Michigan State last week and Northern Iowa earlier in the season.
Just look at these little miracles:
Northern Iowa loses when Iowa blocks two field goals in a row to preserve the win.
Michigan loses when Iowa picks off Denard Robinson to ice the 30-28 victory in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Arkansas State loses when the Hawkeye D recovers an onside kick and breaks up a Hail Mary, ending a late rally to preserve their field goal lead.
Wisconsin loses after the Hawkeyes D allows no points in the second half and picks off Scott Tolzien three times.
Penn State loses when Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn blocks a punt and returns it for a touchdown to go up 11-10, and Darryl Clark throws two fourth quarter interceptions to upset the Nittany ions in Happy Valley.
Michigan State loses in the most brutal fashion, losing on a slant pass for a touchdown on 4th down and the last play of the game.
And now Indiana, blowing their lead in the fourth quarter with some atrocious safety play.
Maybe it isn’t luck. Maybe Iowa is just the best second half, or even better, best fourth quarter team in the country.
That alone may be what determines the Big Ten championship in two weeks, when the Hawkeyes will have to do it in the ‘Shoe against Ohio State.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com
