R. Rich Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Great drama (if not great defense) to kick off the season from the TCU-Baylor game last night. What an upset win for the Bears! Yeah baby…..college football is back! We’re getting’ close to game time for the early ones today, so here goes my take on a few matchups from opening week. Here's a few games I'll be watching/tivo'ing/VCR recording this week: GAME #1: Indiana State @ PENN STATE Why this game?: Duh. It's the opening game for my beloved Nittany Lions! I think they could surprise some folks this season, but they are still not a finished product. Player(s) To Watch Out For: While neither guy is getting’ the All-America hype, DE Jack Crwaford and DT Devon Still are players who can make a difference for the Nittany Lions. LB Michael Mauti gets plenty of props as the next “great PSU ‘backer”. We’ll see if he can live up to such high praise. I am curious to see what sophomore RB Silas Redd can do. WR Derek Moye has been a good playmaker, but we’ll see what happens w/ the QB shuffle PSU seems to be set to use w/ Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin. Prediction: The Lions need to get off to a great start. They have to show they can run well, play good defense, and settle their QB issue. They had better get it together quickly. PENN STATE 30 – Indiana State 14 GAME #2: Louisiana-Monroe @ Florida State Why this game?: It's a chance to see one of the nation's top teams, the 'Noles, in their debut. I actually believe they could finish, if there are no stumbles along the way, higher than many of the polls and predictions I've read. What helps is that the ACC won't be nearly as treacherous to navigate for FSU as the SEC will be for LSU, 'Bama, Florida, and the like. Player(s) To Watch Out For: ‘Noles QB EJ Manuel can run it and throw it. Who will catch it? Well, that’s another story. The ‘Noles return 8 offensive starters, but will miss WR Willie Haulstead, who is out for this game w/ a concussion. Look for Rodney Smith and speed Bert Reed to step it up. On the defensive side, the ‘Noles have two of the better players in the nation in CB Xavier Rhodes and LB Nigel Bradham, but also have a couple of solid linemen in DE Brandon Jenkins and DT Jacobbi McDaniel plus the returning Everett Dawkins, who missed last year due to injury. Prediction: Louisiana-Monroe could be in for a long day. The ‘Noles bring back a wealth of talent and appear to be the class of the ACC and a legitimate BCS contender this year. Manuel could have a monster debut. Florida State 44 – Louisiana-Monroe 13 GAME #3: Oregon @ LSU Why this game?: Two of the top rated teams in the nation mixin’ it up @ the Jerrydome. Ducks have plenty of talent. Enough to slow down the Bayou Bengals? We shall see. Both teams are hurt by losses: the Ducks lose all conference defensive back/return man Cliff Harris, while LSU will be w/out QB Jordan Jefferson and, perhaps more substantial, WR Rusell Shepard. All three were suspended due to off the field infractions. Player(s) To Watch Out For: For the Ducks, it starts w/ their dynamite tandem of QB Darron Thomas and RB LeMichael James, a Hypeman finalist last season. Both players have game breaking ability and are threats to break off the big play. TE David Paulson is also a solid weapon for the O. The line, anchored by G Carson York, lost 3 starters, so we’ll see how they adjust. LSU will be led by backup signal caller Jarrett Lee, who has lost ‘bout 20 lbs this offseason and appears to be committed to gettin’ the job done. This is his chance. He’ll get help from the defense, led by CB Morris Claiborne and LB Ryan Baker. Prediction: The Bayou Bengals will certainly miss havin’ Shepard out there. They’re gonna have to get more out of guys like Lee, RB Spencer Ware, and WR Reuben Randle in order to keep up w/ the Ducks. What should help ‘em is their defense, in particular their front seven. I’ll give ‘em a slight edge since I’m old school and, as they say, defense wins championships. LSU 21 – Oregon 17 Enjoy the games, folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 So what is your assessment of today's action Rich? I had a great time watching my Wolverines win, even though it was cancelled because of lightning. Maybe, just maybe they are headed on the right track. What a shame for Utah State, they had Auburn beat. Louisiana State is going to be very tough, but SEC teams are always tough. Give Boise State credit, coming all the way down to Atlanta and taking care of Georgia. Did Ole Miss blow it, or did Brigham Young pull it out? I'm still not sure. Matt Barkley is good, but USC was fortunate today. Not a good start for Rick Neuheisel & UCLA today. It took South Carolina an entire half to get their act together, but they did. Ohio State looked great....against Akron. Nebraska looked great....against Chattanooga. Richmond beat Duke. Of course Duke is a basketball school, and Richmond has proven to be tough. Sacramento State beat Oregon State. Now that's an upset. The Beavers may not be the toughest team in the Pac-12, but it's not easy for a small school to go into Corvallis and leave with a win. September is my favorite month for college football. I just love those non-conference games. Can't wait for that Florida State-Oklahoma game on the 17th. And of course next week, my Wolverines go under the lights against "That School", next Saturday. WOOHOO!!!! I love this time of year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 So what is your assessment of today's action Rich? An interesting opening week, for sure. Give Boise State credit, coming all the way down to Atlanta and taking care of Georgia. Just another addition to their, "What else do we have to do?" file. Just like w/ Va Tech, they go into a hostile environment (one THOUSANDS of miles away from the blue turf!) and take care of business. It's such a shame that they still have to prove their worth to the higher ups (tards) in the NCAA. Did Ole Miss blow it, or did Brigham Young pull it out? I'm still not sure. I did get to watch the last 4.5 minutes of that game (in 'tween the FSU-La. Monroe game and the big prime time LSU-Oregon game). Just in time to see a complete Rebel meltdown. Houston Nutt's clock management was atrocious, and the decision making of the players (Stoudt threw some horrendous passes into coverage; WR ran a shallow route and came down IN BOUNDS late in game as time was tickin' away) was just as putrid. Give BYU credit for not goin' away, but man did the Rebs blow that one. Ohio State looked great....against Akron. Nebraska looked great....against Chattanooga. Hard to gauge either team based on the comp, but @ least they did what they were expected to do....crush an inferior opponent. PENN STATE looked okay vs Indiana State (liked how committed they were to runnin' the ball), but faded late as usual. Neither the Bucks or the Huskers did. Sacramento State beat Oregon State. Now that's an upset. The Beavers may not be the toughest team in the Pac-12, but it's not easy for a small school to go into Corvallis and leave with a win. Not quite Ap State-ish, but it was commendable. September is my favorite month for college football. I just love those non-conference games. I love the games where the "patsy" either puts a beatdown on the team that is supposed to win or where the team that is supposed to win blows it. I can't stand to see the 67-12 wins by major schools vs So and So Tech. That is the poll system @ work; gotta beat the crap outta our opponent so we don't drop in the polls. Goin' against that grain is what cost PENN STATE a national title (when they throttled down vs Indiana years ago, let 'em make it close, and then flip flopped w/ then #2 Nebraska as both teams won out). Can't wait for that Florida State-Oklahoma game on the 17th. And of course next week, my Wolverines go under the lights against "That School", next Saturday. WOOHOO!!!! I love this time of year! I will be very interested to see what the Wolves do on Saturday. Yeah, that school lost, but USF isn't an easy mark. FSU was very impressive on the defensive side in their win last week, but their offense found Louisiana Monroe's defense to be just as quick and made things a bit difficult. While they did end up scoring well, they weren't able to just march up and down the field on 'em and Manuel didn't tear things up nearly as much as I thought he would. OU-FSU could be the best big game of the early part of the season. We'll see. I agree w/ you: this is a great time of year for football! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 WOW!!! I cannot believe what I just watched. Once again Michigan & Notre Dame do not disappoint when they face each other. 5 TD's in the 4th quarter alone, and 3 of them taking place in the last 82 seconds of game time! That's ridiculous. I have never seen an ending to a game like that before. Of course I'm thrilled Michigan won, which now makes it 3 years in a row over ND, first time since 1908. Also gives this team more confidence. Denard Robinson completed only 11 passes, and he had a 300 yard game. An unforgettable inauguration under the lights at the Big House. GO BLUE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offside Number 76 Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) No offense to R. Rich, but why is this thread pinned two months later with four (counting this one) replies? Edited November 11, 2011 by Offsides Number 76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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