Daily Archives: September 7, 2010

>College Football Week 1 Observations cont’d.

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  • Jacksonville State is this year’s Appalachian State after their double overtime win over Mississippi.  The Gamecocks were down 31-10 at halftime, but scored five touchdowns in their next six possessions, including outscoring the Rebels 21-3 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.  After trading touchdowns in the first overtime, Jax St. went for two in the second overtime and was rewarded on a play that looked like it would go nowhere as QB Coty Blanchard looked as if the play would go nowhere.  But he lofted a pass to RB Calvin Middleton and gave the Gamecocks the upset of the weekend.  The loss ruined the debut of Jeremiah Masoli, the controversial transfer from Oregon who was ruled eligible on a decision appeal just days prior to the game.
  •  Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas looked like he is going to be a force to be reckoned with after he rushed for 234 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA.
  •  Kenjon Barner rushed for a career-high 147 yards and scored five touchdowns, all in the first half, as Oregon rolled to a 72-0 win over New Mexico.  The Ducks rolled up a school-record 720 yards on the way to its biggest win ever over a FBS opponent.  
  •  Jacksonville State wasn’t the only FCS school that upset a FBS school.  North Dakota State shocked Kansas 6-3, ruining Turner Gill’s debut as Jayhawks coach.  The Bison shut out Kansas for the last three quarters and held their opponents to 293 total yards.  While those 293 yards were 130 more than their opponents had, North Dakota State did just the right things to keep Kansas on a slide from last season, where they lost their last seven games of the year.
  •  Leading up to game-time, the LSU-UNC game looked to be a let-down because of how many players UNC left at home.  Well don’t let the Tar Heels know that, as they woke up in the fourth quarter and made Tiger fans worry about their 31-10 halftime lead.  UNC had the ball down seven on the LSU six with a second left, before a T.J. Yates pass fell incomplete, allowing LSU to escape with a 30-24 win.  The Heels were able to shut out the Tigers in the second half.  
  •  In recent years, East Carolina has been known for a defensive team, but it was the offense that pulled out their crazy 51-49 win over Tulsa.  In his first start as a Pirate, QB Dominique Davis lofted a 33-yard Hail Mary pass to 6’8 Justin Jones as time expired and catapulted East Carolina to the win.Davis threw for 383 yards and five touchdowns.
  •  If anyone continues to say Boise State is a “Cinderella” or an overrated football team, they must not have seen Monday’s game.  Yes, the Broncos got off to a 17-0 lead and held only a 20-14 lead at the half.  Yes, they gave up the lead and had to rally for a last-minute touchdown to win, but it is how they did it that was impressive.  You could tell the team wasn’t rattled by the pressure put on them, as they drove down the field calmly and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09.  The defense then shut down Tyrod Taylor, who had been carving up the Bronco defense, and secured a win that strengthens their resume as they try to look to become the first school from a non-automatic BCS qualifying team to play for the National Championship.

>College Football Week 1 Observations

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  • SEC teams better be very, very scared.  South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore looks like he is the real deal.  Yes, he rushed 14 times for only 54 yards, but his two touchdowns and the speed he showed coming off of his rushes will be something that Gamecock fans should get used to.  The schedule gets harder than Southern Miss, but he looks as if he can live up to his high ranking he was given coming out of high school.
  • Utah won its 18th straight game and continually looks as if will be a force to reckoned with as they prepare for their exodus to the Pac 10.  Their upset win over Pittsburgh showed again how stout their defense might be.  However, if the Utes are to continue winning, they will need to learn to be able to keep a lead.
  • USC looks as if will be dominant again of offense, but their defense looked suspect against a mediocre Hawaii team.  While the offense set records, the defense gave up 588 yards, which was even more than the Trojans gained (544).  Matt Barkley went 18-for-23 for 257 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions.  Marc Tyler overtook Allen Bradford for the running back spot and showed he was worth the promotion after rushing for 154 yards on 17 carries.  
  • The Illinois-Missouri game turned out to be better than expected.  Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase looks legit and had an impressive debut in his first ever collegiate game.  His running ability will be something opponents will have to watch out for, as he has speed and moves like a running back or wide receiver.  Missouri quarterback recovered from a slow start and looked very impressive, completing 34-of-48 passes for 281 yards.  Receiver T.J. Moe looks like he might be the next in a long line of successful wide outs for the Tigers.
  •  Florida looks as if it might still have some kinks to work out.  Their offense looked dreadful against a MAC team that won a total of two games last year.  They had only 44 yards through three quarters.  
  •  Robert Bolden, Penn State’s first freshman starting quarterback since 1992, had a very impressive debut, completing 20-of-29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  He will have a tougher matchup this week though, as the Nittany Lions face off with Alabama.
  •  Sophomore Denard Robinson made his first game as a starter a memorable one, becoming the sixth quarterback since 2005 to run and throw for 185 yards or more.  His 197 rushing yards were the most ever by a Michigan quarterback in a single game.  His style of play looks to fit more of Rich Rodriguez’s style than last year’s starter Tate Forcier.