College Football - Week 4 Games to Watch
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by Kwinger 00
Before I get to this week's games to watch and my picks for the week, let's take a look at last week.
- USC completely dominated Nebraska up front. Nebraska simply could not stop the run. Everybody will be talking about how USC's backs dominated the Huskers, but Dan Marino could have run for 100 yards with those holes. No matter what Nebraska did offensively, there is no way they could've won this game because of USC's dominance on offense. However, Sam Keller was his usual self. Apparently, he doesn't realize that defenses make adjustments at halftime. He is one of the worst second half quarterbacks I've ever seen. Nebraska moved the ball well in the first half, and Keller limited mistakes, keeping Nebraska in the game - offensively at least. Then, he comes out and throws two picks on terrible reads. Game Over. After that, he was comfortable again and ended with decent numbers (36-of-54 for 389 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT), but both touchdowns came in the fourth after trailing 49-17, and after he had given the game to USC for good. Needless to say, I'm still not sold on this guy. And for those who watched the USC-Idaho game and thought that USC was not for real - well, they're for real.
- I started out my preview of the Kentucky-Louisville game with, "Offense, offense, offense." Well, they didn't disappoint with 927 yards of total offense. Woodson and Brohm combined for 58 of 87 (66.7%) for 641 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT. Every guy I mentioned (except for Louisville TE Barnidge) had big games - Woodson (30 of 44 for 275, 4 TD, 0 INT), Little (27 carries for 151 yards, 1 TD), Burton (9 catches for 99 yards) for Kentucky, Brohm (28 of 43 for 366 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT), Allen (18 carries for 96 yards, 2 TD), Douglas (13 catches for 223 yards, 1 TD), and Urrutia (5 catches for 72 yards) for Louisville. An incredible game with an incredible finish, and one big upset.
- Everybody's favorite upset pick looked good until halftime. Then, Ohio St. comes out and score 24 unanswered to defeat Washington 33-14. Jake Locker threw key interceptions deep in Ohio St. territory, ultimately destroying their chances.
- Last week wasn't a fluke, Oregon's offense is good. But it was their defense that was just as impressive against Fresno St. I thought Fresno St. had a chance coming off a triple-overtime loss to Texas A&M, 45-47. Putting up 45 against a legitimate Big 12 contender. However, this game was over by halftime as Oregon led 42-14.
- Florida St. stepped up and answered all the questions in their first trip to Boulder, but it wasn't pretty. The defense carried FSU, to say the least, in their 16-6 victory. I had mentioned in last week's article that the key to this game was "whether Colorado RB Demetrius Sumler can get anything going on the ground and help out his young quarterback. If not, it's going to be a long day for the Buffaloes." Well, he had 8 carries for 15 yards. Colorado ended with -27 yards rushing and didn't score until 3:40 left in the game. Ugly.
- Another atrocious performance for Minnesota. They are 1-2 against national powerhouses Bowling Green, Miami (OH), and Florida Atlantic. They've given up over 36 points per game. They gave up 512 yards to Bowling Green (412 yards passing), 577 yards to Miami (OH) (418 yards passing), and 580 yards to FAU (463 yards passing). That is absolutely pathetic, and the Big 10 slate starts this week against pass-happy Purdue. Ouch.
- Did Iowa really lose to Iowa St? I said that I'd like to see Iowa St. keep it close, but I didn't see it happening. Well, it happened. After losing to Kent St. and Northern Iowa, Iowa St. needed five field goals and a solid defense to beat rival Iowa.
- Air Force! So far, they're 2-0 in the Mountain West with victories over conference favorites Utah (who just demolished UCLA) and TCU (who was supposed to be this year's Boise St.). Their Thursday night home victory over TCU in overtime was quite surprising. I had written in my preview, "Beware Horned Frogs." Unfortunately, I also wrote, "I'm still going with TCU in this one." What a great story for Air Force. First year head coach Troy Calhoun has the Falcons rolling, and you'd think it'd only get easier. Unfortunately, they travel to Provo to take on BYU, another MWC power. On the positive note, BYU has lost two straight, including last week to Tulsa, 47-55. Keep it going Air Force.
- Michigan wins the Toilet Bowl in a blowout. Mike Hart backed up his guarentee with 187 yards on 35 carries and 2 TDs in the 38-0 victory. Notre Dame racked up -6 yards rushing, pushing their season total to -14 yards on the ground. Ryan Mallett looked good in his first start, throwing 3 TDs despite only 15 attempts. He looked a lot better than Clausen, but to be fair, it's a lot easier to throw when a team has to be worried about stopping the run. Negative fourteen yards in three games won't have too many defenses worried about the run game. Michigan needs to build on this win. Since their National title shot is history, they're goal is to win the Big 10, and no better way to start than to play #10 Penn St. - again at home. Notre Dame just needs to worry about themselves.
- Boston College is the feel good story in the ACC this year. Seems like every team in that conference gets a shot - except for Duke and North Carolina of course. Matt Ryan is on fire and scorched the Yellow Jackets for 435 yards in a 24-10 victory over the #15 team in the land. However, it was the B.C. defense that was the big story, shutting down Tashard Choice who ended with only 31 yards on 15 carries. This is the same back that had 9 straight 100-yard games in a row. He's not getting much help in the air. QB Taylor Bennett hasn't thrown a TD yet this year. Next up for B.C.? Army, UMass, Bowling Green, and Notre Dame. They should be 7-0 before their big-time matchup with Virginia Tech.
- By far the biggest surprise of the weekend, besides Duke snapping its 22 game losing streak, was Utah's domination over UCLA, winning 44-6. Utah was coming off a 17 point loss at home to Oregon St. and an 8 point loss to Air Force. UCLA was coming off a 28 point win over Stanford and a 10 point win over BYU. They were also ranked #11 in the nation and supposed to give USC a run for their money with the possibility of a showdown between two undefeated teams for a chance to go to the national title. Instead, UCLA drops from the polls and Utah travels to UNLV. Welcome to the wacky world of college football, where anything can happen.
- I was 1-1 in my upset specials last week, making me 2-2 for the year. I whiffed big time on my upset call of Tennessee over Florida. I'll finally admit it: Tim Tebow is for real. I've been in denial for a long time now, but after watching him on Saturday completely dominate the Vols, I'm convinced. He's nearly unstoppable. Combine that with the surprise of the Florida defense, who returned only 2 starters from last year, and Florida is a contender. The October 6 match-up at LSU might be the game of the year. Baton Rouge will be waiting.
The one I did pick was Alabama over Arkansas. What a game this one was. A big comeback by McFadden and Arkansas, and a great finish orchestrated by John Parker Wilson. Incredible game.
- Although there were many great finishes and upsets last week, almost all of you missed the game of the week. #14 Sam Houston St., led by former Oklahoma QB Rhett Bomar, visited a sold-out crowd in the FargoDome in Fargo, ND on Saturday night to play #4 North Dakota St. Sam Houston St. had 495 yards of total offense, and all but 34 were attributed to Bomar. He was 36 of 61 for 358 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT. He also had 17 carries for 103 yards. He was absolutely sensational and showed why he could very well be playing on Sundays. However, he wasn't the player of the game. That would go to NDSU QB Steve Walker. Walker was 18 of 26 for 295 yards, 5 TDs, and 0 INT, but he saved the best for last. After trailing 34-21 in the third, Bomar led the Bearkats to 17 unanswered points in the fourth, including a 7-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds to go to take the lead. After a squib kick, it took Walker and the offense 3 plays and 19 seconds to travel 54 yards capped off by a thrilling 27-yard TD to Kole Heckendorf for the game-winner and a 41-38 win. There were some huge hits, some great quarterback play, and a great atmosphere where nearly 19,000 sold-out the Dome. Hopefully the Bison can build on that as they travel to Central Michigan to take on the Chippewas, who lost to Purdue by 23 last week. Sam Houston's next game is at Oklahoma St. in two weeks. Both could be potential upsets for the FCS schools.
Week 4 Games to Watch: *My pick in bold
Conference Games
- No. 12 South Carolina at No. 2 LSU
- LSU's second major test - again at home. South Carolina is still riding high after the upset at Georgia, and Matt Flynn may not play for LSU. LSU wins a tight one in the Game of the Week.
- No. 22 Georgia at No. 16 Alabama
- Another great SEC game. Alabama pulled off a great upset last week and vaulted into the Top 25. Now they have to prove their ranking is legit.
- No. 21 Kentucky at Arkansas
- Who would've thought that Kentucky would've been the one ranked in this match-up. Do I put this one in the "Upset Specials" section? I don't know what to do. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Don't expect the same offensive output from Kentucky. Arkansas' defense is a little better than Louisville's. Plus, it's at Arkansas.
- Iowa at No. 9 Wisconsin
- In my preseason preview, I had called Wisconsin the most overrated team in the nation. I'm sticking to my guns. They have made every game interesting so far, and none of them should've been. Wisconsin is safe for one more week at least.
- Illinois at Indiana
- These two teams combined for 7 wins total last year. This year, they already have five combined wins. Granted, they haven't played anyone besides Missouri (Illinois lost 34-40 on September 1), but trust me, this game is huge for them. The winner has the upper hand in going to a bowl this year.
- Texas Tech at Oklahoma St.
- Oklahoma St's defense gives up a lot of points. Texas Tech's defense gives up a lot of points. Something's gotta give.
- Washington at UCLA
- What happened to UCLA last week. 44-6? That wouldn't have been acceptable to USC, let alone Utah? Utah? The same team that lost to Air Force the week before? Washington is pretty good at home, we found that out. How can they do in a hostile environment.
- Air Force at BYU
- We'll see if Air Force can keep up this tremendous play and knock off not one, not two, but three Mountain West powers. I don't think so.
UPSET SPECIALS
- No. 10 Penn St. at Michigan
- I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. I'm going to regret this.
- No. 20 Texas A&M at Miami (*Thursday Night)
- This is a great non-conference match-up between two team nobody is really sure about. This game will tell us a lot about both teams. I don't know if this is even considered an upset, but we'll put here anyway.
- No. 15 Clemson at N.C. State
- That's right, this one could be a blowout. But, I have a feeling N.C. State is going to turn around their season. If they get killed here, I'll change my mind. If not, I'll look like a genius. Sounds like a win-win to me.
- North Dakota St. at Central Michigan
- Okay, so I'm a little biased here. Expect a ton of yards in this one. Both teams have tremendous offenses that are led by their quarterbacks, Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour and NDSU's Steve Walker. Central Michigan has given up 52, 31, and 45 points in there three games. NDSU can put up big numbers, but will their defense come to play? Craig Bohl will have the boys ready, guarenteed.
