>Week 7 College Football Observations

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>   For seven weeks, we have been waiting for the so called “Upset Saturday.”  Well this past Saturday, we all got what we have been waiting for: seven Top 25 teams were knocked off by opponents either ranked lower than them or not ranked at all.  The latter was the case in six of the seven upsets.

  • For the second week in a row, the top-ranked team in the nation lost, this time Ohio State losing to Wisconsin on the Badgers’ Homecoming date, 31-18.  Wisconsin hadn’t defeated a No. 1 since 1981, when the Badgers knocked off Michigan 21-14. For Ohio State, its national title hopes are in critical condition after a third straight loss as the No. 1 team in the country. The last two came in the 2007 season, to Illinois in the regular season and in the BCS title game to LSU. That season was also the last time No. 1 in the AP poll lost in consecutive weeks.
  •  Florida lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2003 and dropped three in a row for the first time since the Steve Spurrier era. Urban Meyer has accomplished something that former coach Ron Zook never did. Mississippi State won in Gainesville for the first time since 1965. They snapped a 16-game losing streak at Florida Field.  It is the first time since 2004 that the Gators have not been ranked.
  • Kansas State quarterback Carson Coffman completed 15 passes in 16 attempts Thursday in the Wildcats’ 59-7 romp at Kansas. That 93.8 completion percentage is the best among FBS players this season (min. 15 attempts). Kansas lost 55-7 to Baylor last week and 59-7 to Kansas State tonight. Kansas has been playing football since 1890. Only once before in school history have they have allowed at least 55 points in consecutive games. In 1988 they lost 63-24 to Oklahoma State on November 12 and 55-17 to Missouri on November 19.
  • Missouri has allowed 65 points this season, including a shutout last week and nine points Saturday. That’s the Tigers fewest through six games since 1973, when they allowed 49.  It was the first time since 1967 that Missouri had held conference opponents scoreless for six straight quarters.  Missouri is 6-0 for just the third time in the last 50 years and fifth ever.
  • The Texas defense held Nebraska to 202 yards as the Longhorns beat the Huskers for the ninth time in 10 games since joining the Big 12. Nebraska ran for 125 yards. It was averaging over 337 yards a game on the ground entering Saturday, which ranked second in the nation. Texas ran for 209 yards. It averaged less than 130 on the ground entering the game.  Nebraska had not trailed all season.  Counting sacks, QB Garrett Gilbert entered with 19 career rushing yards. He had 51 in the 1st quarter
  • Eastern Michigan head coach Ron English gets his 1st win. He started his career losing 18 straight games before finally winning on Saturday in overtime at Ball State.  The Eagles trailed 28-7 in the second quarter, before scoring 28 unanswered points
  • Colorado State ended a 10-game conference losing streak with a 43-10 victory over UNLV on Saturday.
  • Auburn QB Cam Newton over 100 yards rushing for the 4th time in 7 games this season.  In that same game, Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett left the game with a  concussion
  • Matt Barkley passed for 352 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, and Southern California roared to a 42-point halftime lead while snapping its first losing streak in nine years with a 48-14 victory against California on Saturday. Cal hasn’t won at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a decade. USC hadn’t lost back-to-back games since early in 2001, former coach Pete Carroll’s first season. The Trojans’ dominant performance brightened a gloomy, gray day at the Coliseum, where USC had lost three of its past five games after a 47-1 stretch.

  • Iowa won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2002 despite allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns.  The Hawkeyes allowed more than seven points for the second time this season. Rich Rodriguez fell to 2-8 against AP top 25 teams as Michigan coach. 
  • SMU ended up losing its 20th consecutive nonconference road game, a streak that began after a win against Navy in 1998.
  • Justin Blackmon had a career-high 207 yards receiving with a touchdown for Oklahoma State, who beat Texas Tech 34-17 on Saturday for its first win in Lubbock since 1944.  Oklahoma State is 6-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Cowboys won their first seven games in 2008 before losing four of their last six. It was the first time the road team has won in this series since 2001 when the Red Raiders won in Stillwater.
  • Ross Jenkins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Louisiana Tech had 678 yards of offense in a 48-35 win over Idaho on Saturday. The Bulldogs needed their fifth-highest offensive total in school history as the Vandals totaled 526 offensive yards. 
  • Kentucky had its first win over a ranked team since beating then-No. 1 LSU in 2007.  South Carolina’s win over Alabama last week was the seventh win at home by a team ranked outside of the top 10 over a conference opponent ranked No. 1. The Gamecocks became the fourth straight such team to lose the following Saturday.
  • T.J. Yates threw for three touchdowns and North Carolina won for the first time since 1981 at Scott Stadium, beating Virginia 44-10 Saturday night.
  •  North Texas is on their fourth starting quarterback of the season, after Chase Baine had to replace Riley Dodge two weeks ago.  Dodge recently had surgery to insert a screw in his broken wrist.
  • The San Diego State Aztecs beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating No. 16 Wyoming 28-24 on Nov. 7, 1996. Since then, they’d lost 25 straight games to ranked opponents. Overall, SDSU is 6-55 against ranked teams dating to 1973.
  • San Jose State was outgained 537-80 by Boise State on the night, the fewest yards in a game for the Spartans since also getting 80 in a 13-12 win Stanford in 1971. The Broncos have the nation’s longest active win streak at 20 straight games. They’ve also won 16 straight road games, 18 straight conference games, and 31 straight regular season games. All of their marks are the longest active streaks in the nation. 
  • Alabama has won 10 straight home games vs. Ole Miss. It’s 24-1 overall in Tuscaloosa against the Rebels.  
  • After an upset loss at Hawaii, Nevada remains winless at Hawaii since joining the WAC in 2000, falling to 0-6 and hasn’t won at Hawaii since 1948

    >College Football Week 3 Observations

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    >Week Three gave us some very exciting games, as at least 11 games were decided in the closing minute(s) of the game. 

    • Missouri struggled with San Diego State, needing a last-minute Blaine Gabbert -to- T.J. Moe 68-yard touchdown pass to win 27-24.  Gabbert seems to have found his two favorite recovers in Moe and Michael Egnew, who had 14 catches for over 130 yards.

    •  Some believe that Georgia may be playing for Mark Richt’s job this year.  If they play as they did against Arkansas in the fourth quarter of last week’s game, that may not be the case.  Up 17-7 and 24-10 at one point, the Bulldogs tied the score and Arkansas needed a last minute Ryan Mallett touchdown to eek out the 31-24 win.  And even after that, the game wasn’t guaranteed a win, as the Razorbacks needed a sack at midfield to close out the game.  Georgia has struggled without star receiver A.J. Green.
    • Temple is now 3-0 for the first time since 1979, when the Owls finished 10-2. It was the first win for the Owls over a BCS opponent since a 34-24 win over Syracuse on November 13, 2004.
    • North Texas is down to their third-string quarterback after losing the starter of that game for the second week in a row.  Riley Dodge, son of coach Todd Dodge, takes over for the Mean Green, who haven’t been too mean as of late.  In his fourth season in Denton, Dodge is 5-34 as head coach.
    • Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas is showing the country what the Big 12 already knew: He is one hell of a running back.  Thomas has 552 yards through three games and has helped lead the Wildcats to their first 3-0 start since 2006.
    • With their win over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt snapped a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to 2008. The Commodores have beaten the Rebels four of the past six seasons. 
    • Wisconsin has started 3-0 in every season under Bret Bielema. Wisconsin is 9-1 in its last 10 games against Pac-10 teams.  The Badgers have won 27 straight nonconference regular-season games, the third-longest active streak (behind LSU and USC). Arizona State had 261 kick-return yards (including a 97-yarder and 95-yarder), more than either its rushing or passing total in the game.  Yet Wisconsin needed a last-second blocked PAT to win.
    • Auburn came back from a 17-0 deficit to defeat Clemson in overtime.  It is the Auburn’s 14th straight win over Clemson.  The game appeared headed to another OT when Chandler Catanzaro made a 27-yarder after a defensive stand kept Clemson shy of a winning touchdown. After a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty on the kick because center Dalton Freeman double-clutched the ball, the redshirt freshman’s second attempt hooked wide left.
    • Ryan Nassib threw a school-record five touchdown passes, and Syracuse pulled away in the second half to beat Maine 38-14 on Saturday night in the Orange’s home opener.  Nassib was 19-for-28 for 260 yards.
    • With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt’s 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win Saturday night.   The Spartans started 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and earned their third win over the Fighting Irish in four years.  Saturday was the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan State that the game was decided by seven points or less and it was the second OT affair since 2005.  The Spartans’ 28 victories against Notre Dame are the second most of any Irish opponent (USC has the most with 34). 
    • Nick Foles hit William Wright with a late 4-yard touchdown pass and No. 24 Arizona held its ground in the national spotlight with a momentum-swinging 34-27 win over ninth-ranked Iowa.  Keyed by their stingy defense and special teams, the Wildcats rushed out to a 27-7 halftime lead before having the Wright touchdown pick up the vital win.  Arizona beat a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10 at home for the first time since 1989. Iowa allowed at least 30 points for the first time since 2007 vs. Purdue, a span of 33 games. Iowa has lost six straight games when playing a regular season game west of the central time zone. The last win came in 1987.  Arizona sacked Ricky Stanzi six times, including three straight times on Iowa’s final drive. 
    • North Texas isn’t the only school with significant quarterback injuries this weekend.  Houston lost their top two QB’s, including Heisman hopeful Case Keenum, in the SAME GAME.  They will now be forced to go to freshmen as their starters.  With the win over Houston, UCLA avoided their first 0-3 start since 1971.  Houston had scored at least 20 points in 29 straight games before Saturday’s game.

    >Week 3 Preview

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    >Georgia Tech (1-1) at North Carolina (0-1)

       This is a game featuring two teams who are both looking to get back on track.  Tech lost last week at Kansas and the Heels are trying to get back to their winning ways after suffering a heart-breaking loss to LSU in Week One.  The Jackets feature a nice 1-2 running punch in Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen.  The two spearhead an attack that is second in the nation in rushing yards per game with 332 yards per game.  Nesbitt leads the team with 163 yards and five touchdowns, while Allen averages nearly seven yards per carry.  North Carolina is led by quarterback T.J. Yates, who threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns.  Jheranie Boyd leads the team with six catches for 221 yards.  He had 12 catches for 214 yards as a freshman last season. 

       Georgia Tech wins if...it can control the time of possession and play its stingy defense while running their attack to perfection.

       North Carolina wins if…it can continue to overcome the loss of six defensive starters.  Al Groh, GT’s new defensive coordinator, has been known to shut down the Heels so how they respond will be something to look for.

    Arizona State (2-0) at Wisconsin (2-0)

       This will be the first true test for the Sun Devils, as they travel to the always-tough Camp Randall Stadium.  Their offense is led by the quarterback-running back combo of Steven Threet and Cameron Marshall.  Threet, a Michigan transfer, has completed 47-of-70 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns, but has also thrown three interceptions.  Marshall has 14 carries for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

       The Badgers come into the game after defeated UNLV and San Jose State in their first two games.  Despite being known for their running game, quarterback Scott Tolzien has put up some impressive passing stats, completing 30-of-42 passes for 388 yards and one touchdown.  The team already has two players, John Clay and Montee Ball, who have rushed for over 100 yards.  Clay leads the team with 260 yards and four touchdowns, while Ball has 110 yards and two scores.

       ASU wins if…it can continue to throw the ball around.  The Wisconsin defense is tougher than the Devils’ first two opponents, but if Threet is on the same page with his receivers, they may be able to pull the surprise.

       Wisconsin wins if…it rushes the ball like it has been.  The Sun Devils have given up 149 rushing yards per game to two FCS schools, so if the Badgers are on their game, it might be a long day for the ASU defense.

    Clemson (2-0) at Auburn (2-0)

       The game at Auburn not only marks the first true test for the Tigers, but also starts a rough stretch of games, where four of five teams played in bowls and either are or have been ranked this year.  The offense has been pretty balanced between the passing game and the running game.  Quarterback Kyle Parker has thrown for 283 yards and four touchdowns.  The rushing load has been split amongst Jamie Harper, Andre Ellington, Roderick McDowell and Daniel Barnes.  Ellington leads the way with 133 yards and three scores.

       Cameron Newton has come in and run this offense in perfection.  The quarterback has thrown for 322 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 241 and two more.  His rushing total is almost 100 more yards than the next leading rusher.

       Clemson wins if…it contains the Auburn rushing game and gets a balanced game from all their players.  Shut Newton down and you have a good shot at the win.

       Auburn wins if...they shut down the Clemson rushing game, which averages nearly 230 yards per game.  If Auburn’s own rushing attack is on, it might also be a long day for their opponents.  Either way, look for a shootout.

    Iowa (2-0) at Arizona (2-0)

       The Hawkeyes are coming off of a big win against in-state rival Iowa State and are only giving up seven points per game.  Ricky Stanzi seems to be on a mission, completing 71 percent of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns.  He has been aided by a running game anchored by Adam Robinson.  Robinson has 265 yards and four touchdowns on the year, while averaging seven yards per carry.

       The Wildcats come into the game undefeated as well, and have one of the most prolific defenses and offenses in the country.  The team is second in points allowed per game, with four per game and is averaging 47 points per game good for 12th nationally.  The team is led by quarterback Nick Foles, who has completed 83 percent of his passes for 579\4 yards and three touchdowns.

       Iowa wins if…their defense is able to shut down the Arizona passing game, which is eighth nationally.The Wildcat defense hasn’t really been tested, so it’s up to the Hawkeyes to give them a good battle.

       Arizona wins if...Foles continues to sling the ball around.  The defense, ones of the best in the nation, will have to stop the balanced attack of Iowa

    >My opinions about Reggie Bush

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    >   As everyone knows, the topic of the week has been Reggie Bush and what has been happening with what is going to happen to the Heisman Trophy and yesterday it was resolved.  On Tuesday afternoon, Bush announced that he will forfeit his Heisman Trophy.  On Wednesday afternoon, the Heisman Trust announced that the award will be vacated and NOT go to Vince Young, who finished second that year in the Heisman voting. 

       Unlike voting for other events, the Heisman Trophy is an award that is based off of a player’s performance that entire year.  And there is no doubt that Reggie Bush put up stats that were more than deserving of the Trophy.  Now, if the award had been handed out after the National Championship Game, it may have gone the other way, after the incredible game Young had against Bush’s Trojans in an upset win.  Bush accumulated 789 first place votes; Young had 79.  Would the tally have been different had they done it in mid-January?  Possibly and maybe probably, but there is no doubt that the 1,740 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 4788 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns earned him the award.  Oh, did I mention ZERO fumbles????

       Reggie Bush did the right thing.  He gave up an award that should never been his.  I know earlier I made it sound like he deserved it and in 2005-2006 he did.  But that was 2005-2006.  At the time, nobody but Bush and his family knew about the money and gifts that he chose to accept.  So at the time, it made sense to award him the trophy.  But now with all of the allegations (and apparently truths) that have surfaced, they have shown that in actuality Bush should have been declared ineligible to play, therefore nullifying all of the stats and awards he earned that season.  Your numbers don’t count if you shouldn’t even be allowed to step onto the field.  But as the Heisman Trust said, it’s five years later.  There is no way to re-do the vote.  The best thing to do is keep the award vacated.

       The people to truly feel sorry for in this case are the current players at USC.  Many of them probably came to USC because of Bush and the success they saw the team have while he was there.  But now those players who came to follow in his footsteps are paying for his transgressions.  To me and many others, it’s an unfair thing that the NCAA Has done, but the university will have to live with the consequences, whether they knew what was going on or not.  Going to a bowl game is one perk many players look forward to when they commit to a school and the fact that many of the current players won’t have that opportunity for two years is something that will hurt recruiting.  Not to mention the loss of 30 scholarships over the next three years.

       The sad thing is that this happens much more than we all know of, but not everyone gets caught.  It’s become a game of ‘if you can do it w/o getting caught, continue doing it.’  You would think that stories like this would give other athletes thoughts of stopping all of this because of all of the trouble it can cost them, but they also see that if they do do it, it most likely won’t effect them or the school until they are long gone. 

       But again, the issue was the Heisman Trophy and what to do with it.  Reggie Bush did the right thing.  And so did the Heisman Trust…

    >Week 2 Observations

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    >Week Two was one that many had circled on their calendars because of some of the perceived “big-time” matchups.  But more about those later.  Some of the earlier games turned out to be pretty good.

    • West Virginia provided for the first drama of the weekend when they faced off with in-state rival Marshall.  Down 21-6 with six minutes left, the Mountaineers rallied for a 24-21 OT win.  They scored the game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with 12 seconds left in regulation.  
    •  Minnesota continued to struggle with teams from the FCS, as they lost to South Dakota 41-38.  Junior Dante Walker, making only his second start at quarterback for the Coyotes, accounted for 433 yards, three passing touchdowns and two more rushing for South Dakota, which is just in its third year as an FCS program.
    • A week after being upset by North Dakota State, Kansas needed to bounce back against Georgia Tech.  And bounce back they did, as the Jayhawks hung on for a 28-25 home win.  The win snapped an eight-game losing streak.  Freshman QB Jordan Webb threw for 179 yards, three TDs, and one interception in his first career start, while freshman RB James Sims ran for 101 yards and a TD in his college debut. 
    • Last week, I told you to watch out for stud freshman Marcus Lattimore.  Well, he more than lived up to the hype in South Carolina’s 17-6 win vs. Georgia.  He rushed the ball an astounding 37 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns.  Welcome to the SEC.
    • The biggest upset of the week belonged to James Madison who upset Virginia Tech 21-16.  The win against the Hokies, the team’s second loss in five days, is just the second win for a lower-level opponent against a ranked team.  Quarterback Drew Dudzik led the Dukes with two rushing touchdowns and also threw a 77-yard bomb for the team’s first score.
    • Michigan-Notre Dame is the one prime game that actually ended up being pretty good, going down to the last seconds.  Denard Robinson continues to look like the real deal, but might need to not carry the ball as much.  He finished the game with a QB – school record 502 yards total offensive yards, including 252 rushing yards on 28 carries.  He also happened to score with 27 seconds remaining to win the game and earlier had the longest run in Notre Dame Stadium history, an 87-yard touchdown.
    • Ohio State-Miami was supposed to be one of the big games.  Well, it got a little out of hand, thanks to Jacory Harris’ four interceptions.   OSU used a 33-10 outburst in the second and third quarters to erase a 7-3 deficit after one quarter.  Terrelle Pryor threw for 233 yards and a TD and ran for 113 yards and a TD as the Buckeyes improved to 27-2 at home under Jim Tressel against nonconference opponents. Dating back to last season, Harris has five touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the Hurricanes’ last five losses. 
    • Florida State also  laid down a big one as they came to Oklahoma and got throttled by the Sooners 47-17.  It was 44-7 after three quarters.  Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns against a defense coached by his coaches brother, Mark Stoops.  The Sooners won their 32nd straight game at Owen Field, extending the nation’s longest home winning streak.  Jones finished 30 for 40 without an interception. His 321 yards by halftime were the second-most in a half in Oklahoma history, behind only 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford’s 350 in the first half of a 79-10 blowout against North Texas in the 2007 season opener.
    • Mark Ingram missed his second straight game, but Alabama didn’t miss a beat yet again, as they beat visiting Penn State 24-3.  Trent Richardson bruised the Nittany Lion defense Saturday night, gaining 93 of his 144 rushing yards after contact with a defender.  He also had a touchdown.  Freshman quarterback Robert Bolden struggled in his first road start, completing 13-of-29 passes for 144 yards and two interceptions. 

    >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.  

    >Football Preview: Missouri

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    >  In the early 2000’s, an eight-win season would be considered a great success for the Missouri Tigers.  But that isn’t the case anymore and for a fan base that now expects nine wins or more, last season’s 8-5 season could have been seen by some as a disappointment.  But unlike last year, when the Tigers were one of the youngest teams in the country, the team brings back 16 starters and many others who have seen the field in their days in the Black and Gold.

       Offense – The team brings back seven starters from last year’s squad, most notably quarterback Blaine Gabbert.  But it is replacing who the offense lost that will define the season.  Last year’s top two receivers, Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, both have moved onto the NFL.  The team will also be without two-year starting running back and co-captain Derrick Washington, as he has encountered some legal problems that have caused him to be permanently suspended. 

       As of right now, Gabbert is the star of the offense and deservedly so.  He is only the most recent quarterback at a school that has had some of the best quarterbacks in the nation since 2002.  Gabbert is coming off a sophomore year where he threw for 3,593 yards, 24 touchdowns and only nine interceptions, despite playing with a severely injured ankle for half the season.  As was the case last year, the quarterbacks will be very inexperienced behind Gabbert.  Gabbert’s backup is a true freshman from Texas, James Franklin, who has impressed coaches so much that he has moved past returning players Jimmy Costello and Ashton Glaser to win the backup role.  In fact, Glaser, a redshirt freshman, has also moved past Costello, who was Gabbert’s backup last season.  The team also has Gabbert’s younger brother, Tyler, who will be another highly recruited true freshman in the fall.

       The loss of Washington can be one that is devastating to the Tiger offense.  It could also be a blessing in disguise, as it will give Mizzou an opportunity to see some of the younger players.  The team will look to sophomore Kendial Lawrence or De’Vion Moore to carry the load.  Lawrence was a Parade All-American in his senior year of high school and rushed for 219 yards as a true freshman.  Moore is coming into his junior year after backing up Washington last year as well.  He rushed for 258 yards and a touchdown in 2009.  The other two players on the depth chart are true freshmen Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy.

       Replacing Perry and Alexander will be key for the Tiger offense.  The two helped combine for 66 percent of the receiving yards lost.  But the cupboard isn’t bare in Columbia.  The team does return numerous players who saw action last year, as well as a cast of young players who will be looking to make their mark.  Wes Kemp started all 13 games for the Tigers last year and caught 23 balls for 418 yards and three touchdowns.  The only other player with starting experience, Jerrell Jackson, is coming off of wrist surgery.  Jackson, however, is the team’s top returning receiver after he had 37 catches for 458 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore T.J. Moe will be the other starter in the Missouri spread attack.  The Tigers also have redshirt freshmen L’Damian Washington and Jaleel Clark, sophomores Rolandis Woodland and Gahn McGaffie, as well as highly regarded true freshmen Bud Sasser and Marcus Lucas.  The Tigers will be young at the receiver position but quite talented.  The team is also one who uses the tight end in the spread offense and numerous players who have seen playing time return there as well.  Michael Egnew will be looking to make his first start of the year as he replaces last year’s starter, junior Andrew Jones.

       Defense – The defense returns eight starters from last year’s team, one which finished 26th in rushing defense.  The team does lose linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, but the teams’ recruiting has prepared them to overcome such a great loss.

       End Aldon Smith, is back for his second time around in a Tiger uniform, and he’s looking to build on his redshirt freshman season from a year ago that saw him earn Big 12 Defensive Freshman & Newcomer of the Year, as well as 1st-Team Freshman All-American honors. Smith ended his freshman season with 64 tackles, including team-high totals in tackles for loss (19) and sacks (11.5). The sack total broke the MU single-season sacks record of 11.0 set in 2000 by All-American DE Justin Smith, who has been in the NFL for a decade now. Smith’s sack total led all of the NCAA’s freshmen in 2010, and ranked 9th among all players.  Dominique Hamilton started 12 games last year and pitched in with 46 tackles.  The other two starters on the line figure to be Terrell Resonno and Jacquies Smith.

       Replacing Weatherspoon’s 111 tackles will be no easy task, but the Tigers will look to sophomore Zaviar Gooden, who saw action in all 13 games last season.  Gooden has improved his speed this offseason and hopes to provide Missouri a spark at the third linebacker position.  Andrew Gachkar returns as another linebacker after finishing second on the team in tackles with a career-high 80, in 2009.  The middle linebacker position looked to be a battle between Luke Lambert and Will Ebner, until Ebner

       The defensive secondary boasts five players who have started games in their Missouri careers.  Of those five, four are seniors.  Jasper Simmons returns at the free safety position after finishing fourth on the team with 73 tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.  Corner Carl Gettis started every game last year for the Tigers, on the way to 61 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  Fellow senior Kevin Rutland started opposite of Gettis in all 13 games.  He came up with 47 tackles and a team-high two interceptions.  Kenji Jackson and Jarrell Harrison split time at the strong safety spot and it looks as if they will continue to do the same in 2010.  Harrison was in on 47 tackles and three passes broken up.  He also chipped in with two tackles for loss, an interception and a sack.  Jackson, on the other hand, had 41 tackles, one for loss and one pass broken up.  A good but also potentially bad thing for the secondary is that there is little experience behind the starters, as most are either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.

       Recruiting – Missouri signed 23 recruits in it’s 2010 class and nine of them will play this year. James Franklin checks in as the backup quarterback after having a stellar career in the state of Texas, a state Missouri has recruited very well.  He comes in after being ranked no lower than No. 11 on any quarterback list.  As a senior, he threw for 2,360 yards, rushed for 1,282 yards and accounted for 41 total touchdowns.  Marcus Lucas and Bud Sasser are both third on the depth chart at receiver positions and deservedly so.  Lucas comes in as a four star recruit and, despite being blanketed his senior year, still managed to come up with 38 catches for 819 yards and nine touchdowns.  Sasser finished with 64 catches for 1,250 yards and a school-record 24 touchdowns.  The only defensive player getting playing time will be defensive back E.J. Gaines. He had a monster senior season, as he ran for 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 400 yards, while also starring in the secondary by making 72 tackles and 2 interceptions.  This is after a junior season where he had 89 tackles and five interceptions and a sophomore year when he had 88 tackles and five picks as well.


       Schedule – As they have for the majority of the decade, the Tigers start the season with a game against Illinois in St. Louis.  This, however, will be the last game of the Arch Rivalry for the foreseeable future.  The team then gets its next four games at home, while preparing for the rough stretch of the season.  The four games include tilts against McNeese State, San Diego State, Miami (Ohio) and Colorado.  The Tigers have a good shot at being 5-0 as they head to a grueling four-game stretch which will ultimately decide what type of season it will be.  The stretch starts off with a game at Texas A&M before the Homecoming game against Oklahoma.  Did you know Missouri is home to the first-ever Homecoming?  The team finishes the rough stretch with away games at Nebraska and Texas Tech.  The Tigers then finish with a home game against Kansas State, a road game at Iowa State and the traditional regular season finale against Kansas in Kansas City.

    >Preview: Louisville

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    >  After going to bowl games from 1998-2006, the Cardinals will look to get back to that plateau under new coach Charlie Strong.  Strong comes to the Big East after serving as Urban Meyer’s defensive coordinator at Florida.  Strong inherits a team that brings back 15 starters.

       Offense – Nine of those starters comes from the offensive side of the ball and look to improve in 2010.  The biggest question on offense will be at the quarterback position.  Three players who saw action as starters last year all return for the upcoming season, but who will take a stronghold on the position will still be unknown.  Adam Froman has the most experience after recording seven starts and throwing for 1,354 yards and six touchdown passes with five interceptions.  Justin Burke battled injuries and threw for 654 yards and three scores.  Will Stein threw for 450 yards in his two starts.

       Victor Anderson, Bilal Powell and Jeremy Wright give the Cardinals a very deep backfield. Anderson was the Cardinals’ leading rusher despite missing most of the season due to injury. After rushing for 1,047 yards in 2008, Anderson was hampered by a shoulder injury that limited him to 473 yards and five touchdowns. 
    Powell rushed for 392 yards and four touchdowns last season. He looks physically ready to be a force in the league and throughout the country. Wright is another talented running back who will fight for playing time.

        The Cardinals are extremely thin at wide receiver with only six scholarship players returning. Senior Doug Beaumont is the premier receiver of the group, having caught over 100 passes for 1,265 yards in his career.
    In 2009, Beaumont’s numbers dipped to 38 catches for 465 yards after catching 62 passes for 750 yards in 2008.  Senior Troy Pascley caught just four passes for 35 yards a year ago. Sophomore Andrell Smith is a big wide receiver who will need to step up and be a guy the Cardinals can count on. Knowing the lack of depth, Strong and his staff, signed six wide receivers in this recruiting class.

       Defense – The defense brings back six starters from last year’s squad.  There is inexperience on each of the line, linebacker and secondary units.
     
       A lot of the questions, surrounding the 2010 Cardinals sit with the development of the defensive line. Strong has emphasized that to play winning football teams must be strong upfront. After 15 spring practices, the Cardinals are still trying to find answers along the defensive line.  The spring showed that the Cardinals are going to need a lot of different combinations of players to step up if the defense is going to be successful. This group will be very young and inexperienced, but there is talent to build upon.

       Junior Greg Scruggs moved inside this spring to play tackle, but also did play some defensive end.  He started all 12 games in 2009 and came up with 21 tackles, five and a half of which were for loss. Senior Tim High bulked up and improved his conditioning, and will be needed to take snaps along the defensive line. Coming from Hutchinson Community College, Randy Salmon will be counted on heavily in the fall to be a playmaker upfront.  The Cardinals have some pretty good depth at the defensive end positions with senior Malcolm Tatum and junior William Savoy returning — both of whom started games in 2009. Tatum recorded 29 tackles in his first season, while playing both tackle and end, while Savoy was second on the team with five sacks. Both players will have to take on an expanded role for the Cardinals to be successful. Despite limited action, Savoy has recorded six sacks in his first two seasons.

       The Cardinals do have some talented linebackers returning in seniors Brandon Heath and Antwone Canady, but it is a unit that does lack much-needed depth. Heath, who will play the weakside, recorded 48 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown, while Canady, who will be in the middle, was credited with 34 stops. Heath also had three and a half sacks.  Senior Eugene Sowell and red-shirt freshman Jacob Geffrad also worked at the weakside in the spring. At the strongside spot, junior Dexter Heyman moved back to linebacker after working at defensive end last season. Heyman played a little at linebacker as a freshman, before moving to defensive end in 2009. He had seven tackles and a fumble recovery last season.

       The secondary also has a lot of question marks entering the fall. One question that has a good answer is senior Johnny Patrick, who played all 12 games a year ago. He recorded 53 tackles and was tied for second on the team with a pair of interceptions. A pair of red-shirt freshman Zed Evans and Champ Lee will compete behind Patrick for playing time. Senior Bobby Burns, who played quite a bit last season, will compete for reps at the other corner spot, with Darius Ashley, who made the move to defense in the spring. Burns had nine tackles and a pick last year.  At free safety, sophomore Shenard Holton has an opportunity to be a leader on defense. He played a lot towards the end of the year and showed that he has the potential to be an impact player for the next three seasons.

       Recruiting

       Schedule – The team starts off the season with two home games against in-state teams, Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky.  They then travel to Oregon State and Arkansas State before having a three-game homestand.  They welcome Memphis, Cincinnati and Connecticut to Papa John’s Stadium in consecutive weeks.  They then end the season with three of the final five games on the road.  They start with road games at Pittsburgh and Syracuse before hosting back-to-back games against USF and West Virginia before traveling to Rutgers to end the season. 

    >College Football Previews: Kansas

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    >   Two years after going 12-1 and getting an Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech, the Jayhawks are looking to rebuild under new coach Turner Gill, who takes over for Mark Mangino after Mangino resigned amid mistreatment rumors.  Gill comes from Buffalo after having turned one of the worst teams in college football into a conference champion.

       Offense – Despite returning eight starters, it may be the four that they lost that will be the most crucial.  Gill will have to replace departed seniors quarterback Todd Reesing, wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier and running back Jake Sharp.  It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Chuck Long’s scheme.

       The loss of Reesing hurts the Jayhawks the most.  Reesing threw for 3,616 yards on his way to breaking numerous school passing records.  He leaves Kansas as the school leader in career passing yards (11,194), career attempts (1,461), career completions (932), career touchdown passes (90) and total offensive yards (11,840).  The returnees, however, only threw for a combined 38 yards in 2009.  That’s not to say that there won’t be any depth at the position tho.  Kale Pick was four of five passing for 22 yards, while adding 167 rushing yards on 14 carries as a backup in 2009. Quinn Mecham is a junior college transfer who threw for 3,091 yards and 40 touchdowns at Snow Junior College in 2009. He is already on campus and will participate in spring practice. A trio of quarterbacks redshirted as freshmen in 2009 including Christian Matthews, Jacob Morse and Jordan Webb.

       Toben Opurum led the team in rushing as a freshman, rushing for 554 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009.  Rell Lewis saw limited time running for 72 yards on 13 carries. Angus Quigley, a running back at KU until playing linebacker last season, returns to his original position after gaining a medical hardship. Quigley ran for 309 yards in 2008.

       The Jayhawks lost the two most productive wide receivers in school history in Dezmon Briscoe, who declared for the NFL draft after his junior campaign, and Kerry Meier. In 2009, Briscoe caught 84 passes for 1,337 yards and nine touchdowns, while Meier pulled in 102 balls for 985 yards and eight scores. Johnathan Wilson had been the third option in his career and pulled in 35 receptions for 449 yards in 2009. Bradley McDougald started six games as the fourth wide receiver and caught 33 passes for 318 yards last year. Tertavian Ingram saw action a year ago and had two catches.  Daymond Patterson, D.J. Beshears, Erick McGriff and Chris Omigie ,a pair of redshirt freshmen all could make an impact.

       Defense – A mix of experience and youth returns on the defensive side of the ball for Kansas, including seven starters. Among the returnees are All-Big 12 Honorable Mention players in defensive end Jake Laptad and linebacker Drew Dudley. Linebacker Huldon Tharp and safety Lubbock Smith earned Freshman All-America honors in 2009. Chris Harris has been a regular in the secondary for the past three seasons. In all, five of the top eight tackle leaders from 2009 return.

       All-Big 12 Honorable Mention players in defensive end Jake Laptad had 49 tackles, including a team-high 12 for loss and six and a half sacks. Quinton Woods, who saw limited time with four tackles, is the only other end with experience. Inside, John Williams started the final seven games of 2009 at tackle after moving from the offensive line. He replaced Richard Johnson in the starting lineup, but Johnson returns this season as well.

       Last season Kansas used two linebackers in its 4-2-5 alignment and two of the main three players in last year’s rotation return. Drew Dudley was second on the team with 88 tackles last year, while Huldon Tharp made 59 stops as a true freshman en route to earning some Freshman All-America honors. Justin Springer has been a key reserve and last year had 25 tackles.

       The 2009 secondary was a team effort as 10 different players started games during the season. KU lost two long-time regular safeties in Darrell Stuckey, who led the team with 93 tackles, and Justin Thornton, who registered 80 tackles in 2009. Chris Harris leads the returnees. Harris has played safety and cornerback in his career and last year was third on the team with 84 tackles, while leading the team with nine passes broken up. 

       Recruiting – The Jayhawks signed a class of 18 in 2010, including 10 on the offensive side of the ball.  Of those 10, four are wide receivers.  Of the eight defenders, four are on the line.  Kansas was able to pull Brandon Bourbon out of Missouri and boy did they get a player.  On his way to being named the 3A Player of the Year, he amassed a school record 2,531 yards and 34 touchdowns.  He finished his high school career with 5,551 rushing yards.  On defense, the stud is linebacker Ed Fink.  He registered 149 tackles and eight sacks as a senior. 

       Schedule – This year’s schedule is relatively tougher than last year’s as two of their four nonconference opponents qualified for bowls, including a BCS bowl game.  Three of the team’s nonconference games are in Lawrence, as North Dakota State and Georgia Tech come to Lawrence, before the Jayhawks