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The way it oughta be ~ Sports blog from Telegraph Sports reporter Ron Clements

The Baker’s Dozen: 13 games to watch in Week 12

November 20th, 2009, 12:34 am by rclements

Time to change things up a bit. I’ll still have my top 10 games of the week, but with a few bonus games to keep an eye on.

Before we get to that, how about the Thursday night game in the Big XII? No. 12 Oklahoma State pulled out a win against a three-win Colorado team at home.

In Oklahoma State’s defense, it was playing without starting quarterback Zac Robinson, and has been without Dez Bryant at receiver. But thanks to third-string quarterback Brandon Weeden, who threw three touchdown passes, the Cowboys pulled out the 31-28 win to move to 9-2 on the year, and if Texas slips against Kansas or Texas A&M, it could be the Cowboys playing in the Big XII title game on Dec. 5.

Saturday’s games really don’t have the punch you would expect in late November. No. 1 Florida continues its “stellar” non-conference schedule when it plays host to Sun Belt powerhouse Florida International. After all, the Panthers have beaten Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Lafayette and North Texas, and those are their only three wins.

Are Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators really better than everybody else in the country?

Are Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators really better than everybody else in the country?

Florida’s non-conference slate is a joke, padded with FIU, Troy and FCS foe Charleston Southern. The only decent game the Gators play out of league is the annual in-state grudge match with Florida State, which is 5-5 and will struggle to make a bowl game this year.

Second-ranked Alabama isn’t much better. The Crimson Tide takes on Tennessee-Chattanooga from the FCS on Saturday. It should be noted that Alabama has already beaten FIU and North Texas in its non-conference schedule. The Tide do get credit for beating a ranked Virginia Tech team to start the season, which is something Florida cannot boast. In fact, Florida has beaten just one ranked team all season - No. 8 LSU. Alabama has beaten four ranked teams.

But yet, Florida is No. 1 because its in the SEC, and its schedule is so much tougher and more rugged than say a Boise State team that has also beaten one ranked team - No. 11 Oregon. Both teams won those games on the road.

But the Broncos are penalized for being in the WAC, and playing a so-called weaker schedule. Never mind the fact that Boise has won its games by an average of 27 points, four points better than Florida’s average margin of victory. Boise also averages 10 points more per game than Florida.

I’m not saying Boise is better than Florida, but what I am saying is that maybe Florida and the SEC aren’t exactly head and shoulders better than everybody else in the country. For the record, Boise State travels to play Utah State this weekend before a WAC showdown next week with high-scoring Nevada, which is also unbeaten in conference play.

Now that we’ve looked at Florida, Alabama and Boise State, how about we do the top 10 games of the week? As always, all times are Central and BCS rankings are used.

10. Virginia at No. 23 Clemson, Saturday, 2:30: Clemson can clinch a berth in the ACC title game with a win over floundering

Clemsons CJ Spiller has rushed for 836 yards and six touchdowns while scoring four more through the air. Hes also return three kicks for scores, and even thrown a TD pass while leading Clemson to a 7-3 record.

Clemson's CJ Spiller has rushed for 836 yards and six touchdowns while scoring four more through the air. He's also return three kicks for scores, and even thrown a TD pass while leading Clemson to a 7-3 record.

Virginia. It’s no secret how the Tigers have gotten to 7-3 with a 5-2 mark in the ACC - riding the legs of C.J. Spiller.

The Heisman candidate has accounted for 14 touchdowns this season, six on the ground, four receiving, three kick returns and he even threw a TD pass. He’s rushed for 836 yards, and could eclipse 1,000 on Saturday against a Virginia team that is struggling to stop anybody.

The Cavaliers have lost four straight, allowing 32 points per game.

9. No. 16 Wisconsin at Northwestern, 2:30: The Badgers close their Big Ten schedule in Evanston, where they’ve struggled as of late.

Wisconsin has dropped its last two meetings at Northwestern, and the Wildcats come in with a 7-4 record and a pretty good defense.

The key for Northwestern to pull off the upset in its season finale is to slow the Badgers running game.

Wisconsin has the Big Ten’s leading rusher, and front-runner for conference player of the year honors, in sophomore John Clay. The 6-foot-2, 247-pound bruiser has over 1,124 yards with 12 touchdowns this season and is coming off a 151-yard performance in the 45-24 win over Michigan in which he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Behind Clay are two good backups in Zach Brown and true freshman Montee Ball. Even if Northwestern can slow Wisconsin’s rush attack, Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien is coming off a game where he threw for four touchdowns and ran another one in.

Northwestern will have to try to wear down a Badgers defense that is among the best in the league against the run. Michigan managed just 71 rushing yards, most of those coming late, and was unable to keep its defense rested. Northwestern doesn’t run the ball extremely well, so much of the onus will fall upon quarterback Mike Kafka, who has thrown for nearly 2,600 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.

8. Duke at No. 20 Miami, Saturday, 11 a.m.: The Hurricanes can ill afford to look past a Duke team fighting for bowl eligibility. The Blue Devils haven’t been to a bowl game since losing the Hall of Fame Bowl to Wisconsin following the 1994 season.

With only four wins over FBS opponents, Duke must win its final two games against Miami and Wake Forest to become bowl eligible. To prevent the upset, Miami must take the passing lanes away from Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. The senior signal caller has 2,640 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes to six interceptions. If Lewis struggles, Duke loses because the Blue Devils can simply not run the ball. Duke, as a team, has 639 rushing yards on the season with just five touchdowns.

Miami sits at 7-3 right now, and is out of the ACC race. But with Duke, South Florida and a bowl game remaining on the schedule, a 10-win season is in the reach of Miami, but it cannot afford to look past the Blue Devils.

 7. Connecticut at Notre Dame, Saturday, 1:30: Charlie Weis’ job might be on the line, so the Irish need this one.

Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen better get this thing figured out if Weis wants to coach in South Bend next year.

Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen better get this thing figured out if Weis wants to coach in South Bend next year.

Notre Dame is 6-4, but has lost two straight to Navy and Pittsburgh. It hardly seems like that big of a deal when you compare those two defeats to what UConn has lost this year. The Huskies are 4-5 and can still make a bowl by winning two of their last three. But their biggest loss came off the field when cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death following an on-campus dance. Since his death, UConn has lost three straight by a combined 10 points.

This could be the week UConn finally wins one in Howard’s memory. The Huskies are facing a vulnerable, but desperate, Notre Dame team that is doubting its abilities, and maybe its coach. It’s unquestioned that Notre Dame has talent. Jimmy Clausen is having a fine season, not Heisman-worthy, but still a good year. The junior is over 3,000 passing yards on the season and has 21 touchdowns. He’s rushed for two more. The Irish boast one of the best receivers in the country in Golden Tate and have a solid defense.

Should UConn pull this one out in South Bend, Charlie Weis’ seat might as well be on the sun.

6. Oklahoma at Texas Tech, Saturday, 11:30: It’s not exactly been the caliber of season the 6-4 Sooners were expecting. Touted as a national championship contender, that all went down the drain in the Week 1 loss to BYU when Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford went down with a shoulder injury.

Bradford came back a few weeks later, only to reinjure the shoulder and be put on the shelf for good with season-ending surgery. Without Bradford, and starting tight end Jermaine Gresham, who is also out for the year, the Sooners have not been able to put teams away.

The Sooners have lost four games by a combined 15 points, scoring just 49 points in those four losses. Oklahoma’s defense has been solid all year, allowing just 12 points per contest with two shutouts.

It’s been the offense that has been inconsistent. Landry Jones is the biggest reason why. When he’s good, he’s damn good filling in for Bradford. Last week he threw for 392 yards and five touchdown passes in the 65-10 win over Texas A&M. But on the season, he’s got 22 TDs with 12 picks. In three years as a starter, Bradford had just 16 interceptions to 88 touchdown tosses.

The Red Raiders are 6-4 also, but sit just behind the Sooners with a 3-3 conference mark. If quarterback Taylor Potts can get the Lubbock crowd buzzing, that could be enough to rattle Jones and allow Texas Tech the upset.

Kansas coach Mark Mangino has been the victim of his own success, and now has to face allegations of abuse from pampered cry-baby players.

Kansas coach Mark Mangino has been the victim of his own success, and now has to face allegations of abuse from pampered cry-baby players.

5. Kansas at No. 3 Texas, Saturday, 7:  This is the week when the Jayhawks are either going to fold up the tents and rebel against their coach, or rally around the Jabba The Hut look-alike.

Mark Mangino took over a fledgling Kansas football program eight years ago that would have been ecstatic to have a .500 record.

He led the Jayhawks to a 12-1 record two years ago, and an Orange Bowl victory. Because of that, he’s landed some four and five-star recruits who were pampered in high school and now want to turn on the coach who recruited them because he yells at them and pokes them in the chest. Big whoop. Go out there and win football games, and all is well.

Nobody complained about Mangino’s coaching style the first seven years, so why now? Sure, Kansas has lost five straight, but it has a 5-5 record, and still has a shot at a third straight bowl game - something the program hasn’t had in God knows how long.

It’s unfair that Mangino now has to deal with this while preparing to take his team into Austin to face an unbeaten Texas team with national championship aspirations. This game can be close, and is winnable for Kansas. But Texas is on a roll, and there’s a very good chance the Kansas players might have already given up.

4. No. 11 Oregon at Arizona, Saturday, 7: Both teams are in control of their own Rose Bowl destinies. If Oregon beats the Wildcats and then Oregon State next week, it will take on Ohio State in Pasadena on Jan. 1.

Jeremiah Masoli has accounted for 20 touchdowns this season for No. 11 Oregon.

Jeremiah Masoli has accounted for 20 touchdowns this season for No. 11 Oregon.

Arizona can taste the pedals if it can get by the Ducks, then win at Arizona State next week, and topple No. 18 USC in the season finale in Los Angeles.

The Ducks clearly have the easier path, and are coming off a 44-21 trouncing of Arizona State while Arizona lost to Cal. It is Senior Night in Tucson and the Wildcats have the nation’s 20th-ranked rush defense to go against the Oregon three-headed rush attack of LaMichael James, LaGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Masoli. James leads the team with 1,193 yards and 11 touchdowns while Blount is coming off a near-season-long suspenson after his famous punch in Week 1. Masoli can beat you with his arm as well as his legs.

The Oregon quarterback has nine TDs on the ground, but has thrown for 11 more and just three interceptions. He nearly single-handedly ran roughshod over the Trojans of USC in Oregon’s 47-20 whitewashing.

3. No. 8 LSU at Mississippi, Saturday, 2:30: Ole Miss has been one of the most inconsistent and underachieving teams all year, but has still managed a 7-3 record, and a 3-3 mark in the SEC. LSU has had two tough-luck losses to the nation’s top ranked teams, Florida and Alabama.

Mississippi snapped a six-game losing streak to LSU last season in Baton Rouge, but has not won in Oxford against the Tigers since 1998. If the Rebels want to snap that streak, they need a good game from quarterback Jevan Snead, who has embodied inconsistency this season.

Snead was touted as a Heisman candidate and was considered a top pro prospect when the season began. But he completed just 53 percent of his passes, thrown for less than 2,000 yards in 10 games, and has 14 interceptions to go with his 17 touchdown passes.

Snead had his third-best completion percentage last week, completing 65 percent of his passes in the 42-17 win over Tennessee. But he also had his fewest pass attempts in the game, going 13 of 20 for 133 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

That’s not going to get it done against a very good LSU defense that has allowed fewer than 14 points per game.

2. No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan, Saturday, 11 a.m.: It’d be easy to say one of the oldest and best rivalries in college football is about young quarterbacks Terrelle Pryor and Tate Forcier. Or the sweater-vested coach Jim Tressel against the beleagured Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

Ohio State junior Justin Boren is an Ohio native who originally attended Michigan before transferring to Ohio State.

Ohio State junior Justin Boren is an Ohio native who originally attended Michigan before transferring to Ohio State.

But this game is about bragging rights over one Justin Boren. The Ohio State offensive lineman, No. 56 in your game program, is an Ohio native who originally went to Michigan. He played for the Wolverines, but then decided to transfer to Ohio State, making him twice the traitor in many’s eyes.

The Buckeyes want to win to prove that Boren made the right choice by finally seeing the light and returning home. Michigan wants to win to get revenge on the guy who deserted them.

Oh yeah, and the Wolverines need the win to become bowl-eligible and possibly save their coach’s job. They might have a good chance to do it against an Ohio State team that is ripe for a letdown after already clinching the Big Ten title and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

But that’s all secondary to the Boren Ultimatum, right?

1. No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford, Saturday, 6:30: The best game of the week takes place in Palo Alto with the Bay Area clash between the Berkeley Bears and the Cardinal of Stanford and its fighting tree.

Long known as “The Big Game,” Stanford-Cal hasn’t meant much since “The Play” ended the game with Cal’s Kevin Moen running through the Stanford band to the end zone for the game-winning score in the 25-20 win back in 1982.

Since then, neither team has really been good in the same year, and the game hasn’t lived up to such legendary hype. That is, until maybe now.

Stanford is on fire, winning three straight games over Arizona State, USC and Oregon, and scoring 139 points in the process. The Cardinal has been led by freshman quarterback Andrew Luck and senior tailback Toby Gerhart.

The 6-4 Luck has outplayed USC’s over-hyped freshman Matt Barkley, throwing for 2,220 yards and 13 scores while rushing for 288 yards and two more scores. Gerhart has simply been a terrible omission from Heisman consideration. He has piled up nearly 1,400 rushing yards and has found the end zone 19 times.

Cal pulled off the upset of then-No. 17 Arizona last week without star running back Jahvid Best, who is still out with a concussion. Shane Vereen stepped in for best, and belted out 159 yards on 30 carries in the 24-16 win. The Bears will again be without Best, which means it will be on Vereen and quarterback Kevin Riley to outduel the Cardinal.

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Road to Pasadena becomes clearer in Week 11

November 11th, 2009, 11:49 pm by rclements

While most so-called experts agree that Texas will win the Big XII and play the SEC champion - either top-ranked Florida or No. 2 Alabama - in the national championship, unbeatens Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State still have hopes of crashing the party.

The Rose Bowl is the site of this year’s BCS title game, but a week earlier Pasadena will host the Rose Bowl game with tradition most likely to trump everything else. Expect the Big Ten champion to play the Pac-10 champ. Who those two teams will be will most definitely come into focus after Saturday with several key matchups in both conferences.

So, getting right into it, here are the top 10, or so, games of the week to watch in Week 11. As always, BCS rankings are used, and all times are Central.

10/10a. Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon and No. 17 Arizona at California, Saturday, 9:20 p.m.: Right now Arizona and Oregon are the only two teams in the Pac-10 with just one conference loss. The Ducks suffered a big setback last week with their upset loss to Stanford. Arizona’s lone defeat was an inexplicable three-point loss at Washington on Oct. 10. The two teams meet next weekend in Tucson.

LaGarrette Blount returns to the Oregon backfield Saturday following an eight-game suspension.

LaGarrette Blount returns to the Oregon backfield Saturday following an eight-game suspension.

But first they have to dispatch of this week’s opponents. The task is much easier for Oregon, which gets a sub-.500 Sun Devils team at home. Oregon will also see the return of tailback LaGarrette Blount, who’s been suspended since the season-opening loss to Boise State.

Arizona travels to Cal, which will be without star running back Jahvid Best, who is out with a concussion following last week’s scary fall into the end zone. Both Oregon and Arizona are favored, and both need to win to set up next week’s clash for the conference crown.

9. Michigan at No. 20 Wisconsin, Saturday, 11 a.m.: The Badgers would like to think they belong among the Big Ten elite, but haven’t been able to clear the Michigan hurdle very often.

Even last season, when Michigan won just three games and the Badgers were a seven-win team, the Wolverines beat Wisconsin.

This year, Michigan is 5-5, but has just one win in conference play. Meanwhile the Badgers are 7-2 and eyeing a Jan. 1 bowl game.

Despite their struggles, Michigan has the Big Ten’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 32 points per game. But they scored 63 against Delaware State, and have lost three straight to Penn State, lowly Illinois and Purdue.

Wisconsin has the Big Ten’s leading rusher in John Clay and a stout defense that has the Badgers favored at home. They should beat Michigan, but that could have been said last year, too.

8. Auburn at Georgia, Saturday, 6 p.m.: I can’t tell you the last time these two met when neither was ranked. It’s been awhile. That doesn’t diminish the tradition-rich history of one of the oldest rivalries in college football.

The fans will still be pumped and this game is the best matchup between two unranked teams. The season’s probably gone about as expected for a 7-3 Auburn team that wasn’t expected to contend for the SEC West title. But it’s been a disappointment for a Georgia club that entered the year with high expectations and even delusional national title dreams. But at 5-4, all the Bulldogs can hope for is to salvage their season. A win over Auburn would get them bowl eligible, and they can do so if they get a strong performance from quarterback Joe Cox.

The senior has thrown 17 touchdown passes, but also 12 interceptions. If he can limit those mistakes, Georgia has a real shot at pulling off the upset at home.

7. Notre Dame at No. 12 Pittsburgh, Saturday, 7: Jimmy Clausen put up good passing numbers last week versus Navy, but

Pittsburgh senior quarterback Bill Stull has quietly led the Panthers to an 8-1 record.

Pittsburgh senior quarterback Bill Stull has quietly led the Panthers to an 8-1 record.

couldn’t get the ball in the end zone when he needed to. Clausen threw three picks, and lost a fumble at the goal line to cost his team a shot at an unlikely BCS bowl berth and his own dim chances for Heisman consideration.

Now all the Irish can hope for is that their season isn’t going down the drains. A 9-3 season is still within reach, but so is losing all three of their games with Pitt, scrappy UConn and resurgent Stanford left on the schedule.

Clausen has put up pretty sick numbers this year, but lost in the shuffle of the Heisman-worthy quarterback numbers of Clausen, Colt McCoy, Kellen Moore, Tim Tebow and Case Keenum is Pitt’s Bill Stull.

The 6-foot-3 senior has Pitt off to its best start since Dan Marino was the quarterback. While leading the Panthers to an 8-1 record, Stull has thrown 17 TD passes to just four interceptions. He takes care of the ball, but knows when to hurl it deep with four touchdowns of 50 yards or more on the season. His two favorite targets have been receiver Jonathan Baldwin (35 catches for 698 yards and four scores) and tight end Dorin Dickerson (39 receptions for 450 yards and 10 TDs). Dickerson has caught at least one touchdown pass in five straight games.

6. Idaho at No. 6 Boise State, Saturday, 2:30: To call this a rivalry is almost an insult to the Broncos. Boise State has won the last 10 meetings, averaging 64 points over the last three matchups.

Idaho may be without starting quarterback Nate Enderle with an injured rotator cuff, but that didn’t stop Idaho coach Robb Akey from throwing down the gauntlet. Akey said he would be delighted to upset the WAC brass by dashing the BCS dreams of the league’s top team.

“My goal is that on Saturday night that I will be the least popular individual with every administrator within the WAC conference because we have taken the BCS hopes away from our conference,” Akey told local reporters earlier this week. “That’s my goal and desire.”

The Vandals were 6-1, but have lost two of their last three, including a 70-45 blasting at the hands of Nevada. If they’re going to back up their coach’s words, they need to shore up their defense. Boise quarterback Kellen Moore has been nasty this year, throwing for over 2,200 yards and 27 touchdowns. The Broncos have scored fewer than 28 points just once, and that was in their 19-8 win over Oregon in the season opener.

5. No. 25 West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati, Friday, 7: In order for the Bearcats to move to 10-0 and keep their BCS title hopes alive, they need to find a way to slow down West Virginia’s bevy of playmakers led by quarterback Jarrett Brown. The 6-4 senior makes plays with his arms and legs, making it easier for tailback Noel Devine to run loose.

Cincinnati, which has never been 10-0 in its history, has its own playmaker at quarterback in sophomore Zach Collaros. Since stepping in for senior Tony Pike, who went down with a left forearm injury against South Florida, Collaros has thrown eight touchdown passes in three starts and rushed for another two - all without a turnover.

Although Pike has been cleared to play, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is rewarding the youngster with a fourth consecutive start.

Although third in the Big East standings right now, the Mountaineers control their own destiny for the conference title. If WVU can beat Cincinnati Friday night, it could clinch the Big East with wins over Pitt and Rutgers to close the season.

4. No. 1 Florida at South Carolina, Saturday, 2:30: As Alabama should be cautious heading into Starksburg to face Mississippi State, so should the top-ranked Gators when they travel to Columbia to face the Ol’ Ball Coach.

Steve Spurrier will have his Gamecocks, and their stout defense, ready to take on his former school and quarterback Tim Tebow.

While the Florida offense has not been up to par with the last two seasons, and Tebow’s offensive productivity has dipped, he is still one of the best players in the country. But the main reason for Florida’s continued success is perhaps the nation’s top defense.

The Gators have allowed 20 points just once, and have only given up 91 points in nine games. South Carolina has had trouble scoring this season, so Spurrier may have to dig into his bag of tricks to pull off this upset.

With spots in the SEC championship game already secured, neither Florida nor Alabama can afford to stumble this weekend on the road. Of course, folks in Boise, Fort Worth and Cincinnati are hoping just that happens.

Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal will seek their second straight win over USC at the L.A. Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal will seek their second straight win over USC at the L.A. Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

3. Stanford at No. 9 USC, Saturday, 2:30: When the schedules were finalized last year, few people thought this game would have such an impact on the Pac-10 title.

After all, it’s lowly Stanford and powerful USC. Well, Stanford is 5-2 in the conference - half a game ahead of USC - and just throttled last week the same Oregon team that pummeled the Trojans a week earlier. Plus, Stanford beat USC two years ago in its last trip to the Coliseum.

Stanford won four games in 2007, then five last year. At 6-3 this year, the Cardinal is bowl eligible and thinking Rose Bowl, or at the very least Holiday Bowl.

Of course, Pete Carroll and his club are fully aware of what happened to them versus Oregon and two years ago against Stanford. So don’t expect history to repeat itself, ’cause it probably ain’t happening.

2. No. 10 Iowa at No. 11 Ohio State, Saturday, 2:30: The Big Ten title is on the line in the defacto Big Ten championship game Saturday in Columbus.

Iowa limps into this game down its starting tailback Adam Robinson, lost two weeks ago, and now senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who needed surgery to repair a severely sprained ankle suffered in last week’s loss to Northwestern.

Stanzi was sacked in the end zone with his team up 10-0 on the play. He fumbled, and Northwestern recovered for a touchdown to provide the spark for the 17-10 upset to give Iowa its first loss in 10 games.

Iowa’s defense is one of the best in the country, led by St. Louis native (Webster Groves) Adrian Clayborn. But if the Hawkeyes are going to win in Ohio Stadium, they will need a near-perfect performance from freshman James Vanderberg, who was just awful replacing Stanzi last week.

Vandenberg completed just 9 of 27 passes for a paltry 120 yards with an interception. Making his first start inside the Horseshoe against an aggressive Buckeyes defense could spell doom. Then again, maybe that fits right into the Iowa game plan. The Hawkeyes have been living on the edge all season.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes is the leader of TCUs top-ranked defense.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes is the leader of TCU's third-ranked defense.

1. No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU, Saturday, 6:30: In the game of the week, TCU has a chance to make its latest case for a berth in the BCS title game. The Horned Frogs, who won national championships in 1935 and 1938, haven’t finished a season unbeaten since 1938.

TCU has won 11 games in four of the last six seasons, and is 9-0 this year with hopes of sneaking into the BCS title game. Utah can prevent TCU from getting to 10-0 for the first time in over 70 years and possibly play itself into a BCS bowl game.

Utah owns a 5-1 series edge, with the only TCU win coming in overtime in 2005.

Both teams have strong resumes. TCU owns road wins against Virginia and Clemson out of the ACC and a 38-7 demolition of then No. 16 BYU (now No. 22).

Utah is unbeaten in Mountain West play, and its lone loss was a 31-24 defeat at No. 13 Oregon in week 3.

Neither team got caught looking ahead last week, cruising to easy wins.

The winner controls its own destiny for a Mountain West title (Utah hosts San Diego State and is at BYU, TCU is at Wyoming and closes at home against New Mexico), but both teams have their sights on a much bigger target.

Not too often does a late-season Mountain West Conference matchup have such national championship implications.

This one most definitely does, and it’ll be a blast to watch last year’s true national champions - after all Utah was the country’s only unbeaten and spanked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl - try to figure out arguably the nation’s best defense. Defensive end Jerry Hughes has nine sacks, and is the catalyst for a Horned Frogs unit that ranks third statistically behind Texas and Florida.

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The Heisman Trophy: Who will win it, but who should win it?

November 7th, 2009, 9:42 am by rclements

The Tim Tebow love is just crazy.

I know he’s the quarterback for the nation’s top-ranked team, and the defending BCS champions. (I refuse to say Florida is the defending national champions, because it’s not. Utah is still my 2008 national champion.)

Tebow threw two pick sixes against Mississippi State, and fumbled twice in another game. Those aren’t Heisman worthy acts. Tebow has only thrown for 10 touchdowns, rushed for eight more. And has thrown four interceptions. He’s accounting for less than 2,000 yards of total offense. That’s not exactly impressive.

While I believe Texas quarterback Colt McCoy will get the Heisman this year, I don’t think he deserves it.

Sure, Texas is undefeated, and McCoy’s got decent stats. He’s completing 72 percent of his passes for nearly 2,000 yards with 15 touchdown passes. But, those aren’t even close to Heisman numbers.

The Heisman is not a team award, it’s an individual award, and is supposed to go to college football’s “Most Outstanding Player.” That’s not Tebow, and it’s not McCoy.

Nebraskas Ndamukong Suh (93) has been a nightmare for opposing offenses.

Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh (93) has been a nightmare for opposing offenses.

This year, that is Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh. The kid is just sick. He’s got 13 tackles for a loss with five sacks. He’s also got an interception, and a forced fumble on his resume, and has blocked a pair of field goals. He’s just been a dominant force for the Huskers, and is near the top of most NFL draft boards.

Another defensive player worthy of Heisman talk, but getting none, is Wisconsin’s O’Brien Schofield, who leads the nation in tackles for a loss with 16 1/2 and also has 6 1/2 sacks.

As far as an offensive player, I really don’t understand the Jimmy Clausen hype. He’s got good numbers (2,318 passing yards, 18 TDs, two INTs), but isn’t even the best offensive player on his own team. If the Golden Domer Homers want to promote a Notre Dame player, they should be pushing Golden Tate, not Clausen, who, in my opinion is more Rick Mirer than Joe Montana. Tate has 927 receiving yards, and has caught half of Clausen’s TD tosses. Tate also returns punts, and has two rushing touchdowns.

All that being said, I think the best offensive player in the country this year has been Houston’s Case Keenum, and it’s not even close. Keenum’s numbers are crazy sick.

Houston quarterback isnt the prototypical NFL prospect, but hes got the best Heisman resume of any offensive player.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum isn't the prototypical NFL prospect, but he's got the best Heisman resume of any offensive player.

 While leading his team to a 7-1 record, and wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State, Keenum has nearly 3,300 passing yards, has thrown for 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for three touchdowns. In Houston’s inexplicable 58-41 loss at UTEP, Keenum threw for over 400 yards and five touchdowns.

Then there’s Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who is also having a great season for an unbeaten team. He’s got over 1,000 rushing yards (1,200 yards from scrimmage) and 11 total touchdowns. The stigma is off of sophomores winning the Heisman, thanks to the last two winners - Tebow and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.

Ingram is currently at the top of ESPN’s Heisman poll, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get the award, although he does deserve it more than McCoy or Tebow.

Just not more than Suh or Keenum.

If I had a vote, my Heisman top 5 would look like this:

1. Suh
2. Keenum
3. Ingram
4. Schofield
5. Tate

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The 10 best games of college football’s week 10

November 4th, 2009, 9:50 pm by rclements

It’s not the best weekend for college football, but there are always enough games with good matchups and/or storylines to keep us occupied all day Saturday.

Duke and North Carolina face off this weekend in what would always promise to be an epic battle on the basketball court, but inside Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, it’s just two average teams doing battle on the football field.

Both teams are 5-3 overall, and a win for Duke would have it bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. The Blue Devils are even 3-1 in ACC play, while the Tar Heels are at the bottom of the ACC’s Coastal Division. This is a very winnable game for Duke, and the Blue Devils will be looking for their first win over UNC since 2003.

It’s a game to keep an eye on, but not in my weekly top 10 games of the week. As always, all times Central, and BCS rankings are used.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham again has his Utes poised for a January bowl game.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham again has his Utes poised for a January bowl game.

10. New Mexico at No. 14 Utah, Saturday, 5: New Mexico hasn’t won a game, and is on the road visiting the Utes, who have lost just once in the last 21 games. So why should anyone pay attention to this game? Because Utah faces No. 6 TCU next week in a game that could not only decide the Mountain West Conference, but could have an impact on which non-automatic qualifier gets into a BCS bowl game.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham hasn’t decided which quarterback start - regular starter Terrance Cain or freshman Jordan Wynn. The Utes should win handily, but beware the trap game.

9. No. 6 TCU at San Diego State, Saturday, 3: As with Utah, TCU must be cautious of the trap game, only the Horned Frogs are facing a much tougher opponent. TCU is in San Diego to face an Aztecs team that has rebounded from a 1-3 start to win three of the last four.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Lindley is getting it done through the air, with over 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns. His two favorite targets have been wideouts Vincent Brown (45 receptions, 778 yards, six touchdowns) and DeMarco Sampson (44, 595, 7).

But TCU has one of the nation’s top defenses, allowing just 13 total points in the last three outings. TCU is 8-0 and looking to keep on the inside track to a BCS bowl game, and even a possible berth in the BCS national championship game.

8. Virginia at No. 17 Miami, Saturday, 11 a.m.: Miami has been living on the edge the last two weeks with an overtime loss to Clemson, and then a one-point escape at Wake Forest. Now they play host to a streaky Jekyl and Hyde Virginia team that began the season 0-3, won three straight, but has now dropped its last two games, both at home, to Georgia Tech and Duke.

Miami needs a win to keep its hopes for an ACC title alive, while the Cavaliers need a solid game from Jameel Sewell if it has aspirations of postseason play. Sewell was knocked out of last week’s 28-17 loss at Duke, so how his ribs hold up will be an interesting thing to note in Miami.

Golden Tate is Notre Dames true Heisman candidate.

Golden Tate is Notre Dame's true Heisman candidate.

7. Navy at No. 22 Notre Dame, Saturday, 1:30: While Jimmy Clausen continues to boost his Heisman resume at the expense of his more deserving teammate, Golden Tate, the Fighting Irish welcome in a Navy time eager to become bowl eligible.

The Midshipmen are again among the nation’s leaders in rush offense, led by running back Vince Murray and quarterback Ricky Dobbs. Murray has 638 yards and four scores while Dobbs has thrown for just 618 yards and three scores, but has rushed for another 584 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Navy can win this game, but needs to use ball control to keep the ball away from Notre Dame’s explosive offense, which will get a nice boost with the return of receiver Michael Floyd, who has missed the last six weeks with a broken collarbone.

6. Northwestern at No. 4 Iowa, Saturday, 11 a.m.: The Hawkeyes have more talent, but they’ve inexplicably struggled at home against lesser opponents. If Northern Iowa and Arkansas State took Iowa to task in Iowa City, then as the pressures of an unbeaten season build, Northwestern could be the team to step up and knock the Hawkeyes off the Big Ten roost.

Just don’t count on it.

Although Iowa has been living on the edge with close road wins at Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State, the Hawkeyes have done enough to remain unbeaten. When trailing at home to Indiana last week after three quarters, the Hawkeyes hit another gear to score 28 points in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi shrugged off five earlier interceptions to toss a pair of touchdowns to give the Hawkeyes a lead they would not relinquish. That could have been the kick in the pants Iowa needed.

5. No. 21 Wisconsin at Indiana, Saturday, 11 a.m.: Indiana is primed for a letdown game after its collapse last week at Iowa. Wisconsin has won five straight over the Hoosiers, including the last three by a combined margin of 100 points.

The Badgers were downright dominant in last week’s 37-0 thrashing of Purdue. Wisconsin’s John Clay leads the Big Ten in rushing yards and touchdowns (839, 10) while Zach Brown and Montee Ball give the Badgers nice depth in the backfield.

Wisconsin’s defense has gotten better every week, and could give the Indiana backfield fits, especially defensive tackle O’Brien Schofield, who leads the nation in tackles for a loss.

4. No. 23 Virginia Tech at East Carolina, Thursday, 6:30: Revenge will be on the minds of the Hokies when they travel to Greenville Thursday night.

ECU receiver Dwayne Harris lines up in the backfield, at quarterback and in the slot. The former high school quarterback also returns kicks, and has accounted for a team-high nine touchdowns this season.

ECU receiver Dwayne Harris lines up in the backfield, at quarterback and in the slot. The former high school quarterback also returns kicks, and has accounted for a team-high nine touchdowns this season.

ECU beat then No. 17 Virginia Tech to open the 2008 season in Charlotte. The Pirates thumped ranked West Virginia the following week in Greenville to propel themselves up to No. 14 in the national polls before a rush of injuries saw them fall from the rankings.

The Pirates still went on to win nine games and the Conference USA championship for the first time in school history. Both teams enter the game 5-3, and ECU wants another signature win over a ranked opponent. The Hokies want to make sure they don’t fall victim to the upset bug again under the lights of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The spotlight will be on the two quarterbacks as both Tyrod Taylor and Patrick Pinkney need to manage the game, and take what the two aggressive defenses are going to give them. Whichever team makes the fewest mistakes should win. One guy who could be a difference maker is ECU’s dynamic do-it-all playmaker Dwayne Harris.

3. No. 15 Houston at Tulsa, Saturday, 6:30: Tulsa was hoping for better things this season, but at 4-4, the Golden Hurricane can still make a run at the West Division title of C-USA. It won’t be easy with conference frontrunner Houston this week, and defending conference champion East Carolina coming to town next week. After that it’s a road trip to Hattiesburg to face high-powered Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles gave Houston all it could handle last week, but the Cougars pulled out a 50-43 win thanks to five touchdown passes from Heisman candidate Case Keenum. The Houston quarterback leads the nation in passing yards and touchdowns, and is among the leaders in completions and pass efficiency. He’s got 25 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Even in Houston’s lone loss, Keenum was lights out, tossing five TDs in the 58-41 loss at UTEP.

Houston has beaten Big XII teams Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. It also won in SEC country against Mississippi State. Should Boise State and TCU stumble along the way, a 12-1 Houston team could be right there ready to snatch up a BCS bowl berth.

2. No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State, Saturday, 2:30: Both teams need a win to try to keep pace with Iowa for the Big Ten title. Iowa beat Penn State earlier this year, and the Buckeyes get the Hawkeyes in Columbus next week. Ohio State controls its own Rose Bowl destiny, which is why Iowa fans are hoping for a home win for the Nittany Lions.

Ohio State leads the all-time series 10-6, but will need a solid game from Terrelle Pryor in front of the 100,000-plus at Beaver Stadium. The Lions counter with veteran quarterback Daryll Clark, who has thrown for 2,158 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine picks. He’s also rushed for five more scores.

Ohio State’s offense has been struggling, and the Lions win with defense, allowing more than 20 points just once. But that was also their only loss - the 21-10 home defeat to Iowa.

Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram is a top Heisman candidate thanks to more than 1,000 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram is a top Heisman candidate thanks to more than 1,000 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

1. No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama, Saturday, 2:30: Don’t expect a lot of points to be score in Tuscaloose Saturday afternoon. Instead, expect an ugly, old-fashioned defensive battle between two of the nation’s best.

Alabama can essentially wrap up the SEC West title, meaning a spot in the SEC championship game with a possible berth in the BCS title game on the line.

LSU has the same hopes, and actually has an outside shot at landing in the BCS championship as well. To do so, it would have to find a way to slow down super soph Mark Ingram, who has carried the Tide to its 8-0 start.

Should LSU knock off Alabama, it could mean a rematch with No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game. The Gators handed LSU its only loss of the year in 2009, and dealt then No. 1 Alabama its first loss last year in the SEC title tilt.

Both teams want another shot at the Gators, but have to first win Saturday to even think of getting that chance.

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No coincidence: Rams win when Jackson finally scores

November 1st, 2009, 7:04 pm by rclements

I hate to say I told you so, Steven Jackson, but I did.

While not as directly, so did your teammate Richie Incognito.

As Incognito said during training camp, the Rams go as Jackson goes.

It was pretty appropriate then when Jackson’s first touchdown of the 2009 season turned out to be the game winner in St. Louis’ 17-10 win Sunday at Detroit.

Steven Jackson ran for 149 yards on 22 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Rams 17-10 win at Detroit. It was Jackson's first touchdown of the season.

Steven Jackson ran for 149 yards on 22 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Rams 17-10 win at Detroit. It was Jackson's first touchdown of the season.

Jackson entered the game as the NFL’s third-leading rusher, but was the only back in the NFL’s top 10 yet to score.

 

When I questioned Jackson about that last week following their 42-6 loss to Indianapolis, he cut me off, saying it was about wins and losses, not his numbers.

I beg to differ, Steven. You score, and the Rams stand a much better chance of winning. You proved that Sunday.

Jackson has been playing great this season, but the offense repeatedly stalls inside the red zone. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in waiting for Jackson to just bust off a long touchdown run. It finally came with 1:38 remaining in the third when he broke loose for a 25-yard scamper down the right sideline to give the Rams their final 7-point cushion.

If you want to know why the Rams lost 17 straight games heading into Sunday’s game at Detroit, just look at what James Butler did Sunday.

 The fifth-year safety intercepted a deflected Matthew Stafford pass in the end zone, and then decided to bring the ball out. While trying to avoid a tackler, he retreated back to the end zone, and was dropped for a safety.

This was a microcosm of the Rams entire season, and their losing streak. Something good immediately followed by something bad.

 The Rams have raised the bar for football stupidity.

 Want another example?

On the opening St. Louis possession, the Rams moved the ball into the Detroit red zone. But two holding penalties stall another scoring opportunity, forcing a Josh Brown field goal from 41 yards out.

They even got help from the referee, when he flagged Julian Peterson for roughing the passer. Peterson hit Marc Bulger’s arm on a third-and-long pass, knocking the ball short and awry. On the follow, his hand glanced over Bulger’s helmet, drawing a roughing the passer penalty from the referee.

I know the rule is no helmet contact, but come on. It’s a terrible rule. There’s protecting the quarterback, and then there’s hamstringing a defense. It’s difficult to play hard if you’re thinking about penalties.

The Rams went up 10-2 late in the second on a brilliant, and I don’t use that term much when referring to St. Louis coaching, play call. Instead of attempting a 53-yard field goal, head coach Steve Spagnuolo and special teams coach Tom McMahon drew up a fake field goal that was executed to perfection. It ended kicker Josh Brown lofted the ball to third-string tight end Daniel Fells for his team-leading third touchdown of the year.

The Lions, who clearly missed receiver Calvin Johnson, tied the game at 10 when Stafford scored on a quarterback draw and converted the 2-point conversion.

Dropped balls plagued Detroit, including four in the first half as Johnson was in street clothes on the sideline.

As much as Jackson, who finished with 149 yards on 22 carries, means to the Rams offense, Johnson is a huge part of the Lions offense. Without him, Stafford was just 14 of 33 through the air for 168 yards with the Butler interception.

As much as Bulger is praised for his accuracy, he wasn’t much better. The nine-year vet who pushed Kurt Warner out of town, was 17-of-35 for 176 yards and an interception. So far this season, Bulger is completing just over 57 percent of his passes for a pedestrian 780 yards. Not exactly Pro Bowl numbers.

Now that the Rams have their first victory, the worst thing they can do during the bye week is savor it. They made plenty of mistakes, just fewer than the Lions did.

St. Louis needs to build on this win, try to get some guys healthy, and then prepare for Drew Brees and a much more offensively potent New Orleans team on Nov. 15.

Including the bye week, the Rams will be home for the next four weeks. If the Rams don’t learn from the mistakes they made Sunday at Detroit, all these three home games will be is the start to another losing streak.

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Finding out who’s genuine in Week 9

October 28th, 2009, 7:23 pm by rclements
The closer we get to the end of the college football regular season, the more we’ll learn about the teams at the top.

Right now there are seven undefeated teams in the country. They are ranked 1-4 in the BCS, and 6-8. The only team that doesn’t belong is No. 5 USC, which is 6-1. The Trojans can prove their merit this week at No. 10 Oregon, but it can’t be forgotten that it’s still the same team that lost to Washington. More on that game later.

Teams that should have no problem remaining unbeaten are No. 7 Boise State (hosting San Jose State) and No. 6 TCU (hosting UNLV). No. 2 Alabama is off this week after narrowly escaping upset-minded Tennessee last week.

Other unbeatens will be tested, as will some other ranked teams. With that said, I give you the 10 best games of the week (BCS rankings, and all times Central).

10. No. 8 Cincinnati at Syracuse, Saturday, 11 a.m.:Without Heisman candidate Tony Pike behind center, the Bearcats still trounced Louisville last week as backup quarterback Zach Collaros was superb in relief. Collaros completed 15 of 17 pass attempts for 253 yards and three scores in the 41-10 win.

The Carrier Dome has not been a tough place to play for Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 4-0 in Big East play against the Orange, winning on the road twice. The last defeat to Syracuse came in 2004, 19-7 at the Carrier Dome, when Cincinnati was still a member of Conference USA.

For the Orange to have a chance, former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus, must take care of the ball. Paulus has nine touchdown passes to 10 interceptions this year. If Syracuse protects the ball, it has a chance. If not, the Bearcats will improve their record to 8-0.

Hazelwood Central graduate Marvin McNutt is now making big plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes

Hazelwood Central graduate Marvin McNutt is now making big plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes

9. Indiana at No. 4 Iowa, Saturday 11 a.m.:The Hawkeyes should have no problem putting away a team that was blown out by Virginia. But this is the same Iowa team that struggled at home against Arkansas State and Northern Iowa.

Iowa moved to 8-0 for the first time in school history last week in dramatic fashion when St. Louis native Marvin McNutt caught the game-winning pass from Ricky Stanzi on the final play of the 15-13 win.

Iowa will need Stanzi and McNuttto make plays again now that starting running back Adam Robinson is lost for the year with a sprained ankle. The starting job now falls to fellow freshman Brandon Wegher, who has 321 yards and three scores on 87 carries.

8. Southern Mississippi at No. 18 Houston, Saturday, noon: The Cougars only slip up against a schedule that includes wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State is an inexplicable shootout loss at conference rival UTEP.

This week the Cougars welcome in the underachieving Golden Eagles, and their dynamic running back Damion Fletcher. The Southern Miss senior has 598 rushing yards with seven touchdowns.

Houston counters with Heisman candidate Case Keenum. The Cougars QB threw five touchdown passes in his team’s 58-41 loss to UTEP. In seven games, Keenum has 20 touchdown tosses and more than 2,700 yards through the air. He also has three rushing touchdowns and has thrown just four interceptions.

Houston is ranked No. 1 in Conference USA in total offense, while Southern Miss is No. 2. The Eagles are the league’s top-ranked defense, but will be tested against Keenum and his two favorite targets, James Cleveland and Patrick Edwards.

Cals Jahvid Best has 775 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Cal's Jahvid Best has 775 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

7. No. 24 California at Arizona State, Saturday, 2:30: After putting out an inept offense in two straight losses to Oregon and USC, Cal appears to have righted its ship. The Golden Bears have scored 94 points in the last two weeks - wins over UCLA and Washington State.

This week, Jahvid Best and Co. step up in competition, traveling to face an Arizona State team coming off a disappointing loss to Stanford.

The Sun Devils need a win to prevent a downward spiral. Cal is the first of three straight ranked opponents, with No. 5 USC coming in next week before a road trip to Autzen Stadium to take on No. 10 Oregon.

The Sun Devils must protect Danny Sullivan if they’re going to pull off the upset. Sullivan has been sacked 10 times this season, leading to five interceptions to just seven touchdowns.

6. No. 19 Miami at Wake Forest, Saturday, 2:30: Miami’s won five straight over Wake Forest, and has never lost to the Demon Deacons as an ACC opponent.

While going through another disappointing season, Wake has talent, and Miami could have a letdown game following last week’s overtime loss to Clemson.

Randy Shannon must ensure that Jacory Harris plays focused and that the Miami defense doesn’t allow Wake QB Riley Skinner to make plays downfield. Skinner’s approaching 2,000 yards through the air, and has thrown 16 touchdown passes. He was just 13-of-25 for 173 yards in Wake’s 13-10 loss to Navy last week. Like the Hurricanes, Skinner will be looking to rebound as well against a Miami defense that has been susceptible to the big play.

5. No. 22 South Carolina at Tennessee, Saturday, 6:45: The Gamecocks are just 1-13 at Neyland Stadium, and the teams appear evenly matched. While Tennessee has had hard-luck losses to UCLA, Florida, Auburn and Alabama, South Carolina has used defense to beat up on Ole Miss, North Carolina State and Vanderbilt.

The 6-2 Gamecocks also own a 28-26 win over Kentucky and a shootout loss to Georgia, a team the Volunteers pummeled. What Tennessee must avoid is a letdown after coming within two blocked field goals of knocking off second-ranked Alabama last week.

Jonathan Crompton will be the best quarterback on the field, but it could be New Bern, N.C. native Montario Hardesty that is the difference against a very good Gamecocks defense.

4. No. 11 Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt, Saturday, 6:30: Vandy is struggling at 2-6 and 0-5 in the SEC. The Commodores ranked 85th in rush defense while the Ramblin’ Wreck come in as the nation’s second-best rush offense. Mismatch, right?

Not so fast. This game is in Nashville, and while Georgia Tech is unbeaten in its last 11 matchups with Vanderbilt, the Commodores will not go quietly into the night.

Vandy has allowed more than 20 points just three times this season, losses to Georgia (34-10) and LSU(23-9) and Ole Miss (23-7). The Tech offense will have to play well against an opportunistic Vanderbilt defense.

Georgia Tech steps out of ACC play late in the year, and can’t be thinking about the ACC race, with just Wake Forest and Duke remaining on the conference tilt as Tech sits atop the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators will try to remain unbeaten and keep their top ranking Saturday against Georgia.

Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators will try to remain unbeaten and keep their top ranking Saturday against Georgia.

3. Georgia at No. 1 Florida, Saturday, 2:30: The Bulldogs have had two weeks off to get healthy and prepare for Florida. This is always a fun one in Jacksonville, but Florida has come out on top in 16 of the last 19 meetings.

Florida won last year’s contest “between the hedges” 49-10 as Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns and the Gators forced four turnovers.

This year, it’s Tebow who’s been prone to the turnover bug. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has already matched his interception total from last year of four, and lost a pair of fumbles in a 23-20 win over Arkansas.

As has been widely reported, the Gators have been the recipients of some fortuitous calls from the SEC officials. A neutral site and national scrutiny of the referees could be just what Georgia needs to help it knock off the country’s top-ranked club.

2. No. 3 Texas at No. 14 Oklahoma State, Saturday, 7: The last real remaining obstacle standing in the way of the Texas Longhorns and an undefeated season is Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys are without star receiver Dez Bryant, suspended for the rest of the season, but that didn’t stop them from dismantling Baylor last week.

After all that talk about how poorly the Texas offense has played, the Longhorns smoked Mizzou 41-7 last week in Columbia.

Oklahoma State has made a habit of building a huge lead on Texas at halftime only to blow it in epic fashion in the second half. Colt McCoy has never lost to Oklahoma State in three meetings, and Texas has won 11 straight in the rivalry. McCoy is completing nearly 80 percent of his passes in three games against the Cowboys.

Keith Toston has stepped up nicely in Bryant’s absence, and he’ll need another big game catching balls from Zac Robinson if Oklahoma State wants to avoid a 12th straight defeat.

1. No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon, Saturday, 7: Autzen Stadium can be a house of horrors for most visiting teams, as USC found out in 2007. The Trojans return there Halloween night to face a Ducks team that has not lost since its week one defeat to Boise State.

After close wins over Purdue and then No. 16 Utah, Oregon has been downright dominant in four blowout victories.

The supposedly stellar Southern Cal defense, on the other hand, has struggled in shootout victories over Notre Dame and Oregon State. This is a very winnable game for Oregon, who can’t hope to play for a national title as long as Boise remains unbeaten, but can gain the inside track to the Rose Bowl.

USC is not only playing for the Rose Bowl, but wants to continue to be in position for a possible berth in the BCS title game.

Posted in: College football • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Jones, Pickens highlight freshmen class at Missouri State

October 27th, 2009, 9:33 pm by rclements
Jerome Jones and Keith Pickens

Jerome Jones and Keith Pickens

As a newcomer to Alton, and The Telegraph, I still have ties to the other side of the river.

I worked for the Suburban Journals for two years, and in that time covered Oakville High School quite extensively. I also covered Public High League schools like Roosevelt, Gateway Tech and Miller Career Academy.

So when I had a chance to talk with Missouri State basketball coach Cuonzo Martin Tuesday at the Missouri Valley Conference basketball media day, I asked Martin about his two freshmen from St. Louis.

“They’re working hard, and that’s the biggest thing,” Martin said of Oakville grad Keith Pickens and Miller Career alum Jerome Jones. “They compete and play hard all the time.”

Pickens and Jones both led their squads to the Missouri state final four in Columbia last spring. Pickens is an athletic 6-foot-3 shooting guard who possesses amazing leaping ability. He led Oakville in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Jones is simply a 6-foot-4 scoring machine, averaging 24 points per game as a senior. Watching Jones play last year was a treat that not too many in the media got to enjoy. I was the only member of the St. Louis print media to see him score 65 points last season in a 5-overtime win over Gateway Tech.

Both players have impressed teammates already.

“They’re both great athletes,” said senior point guard Justin Fuehrmeyer. “Jerome is real strong, and just has a scorer’s mentality. Obviously he scored a lot of points in high school, so every time he steps on the floor, he thinks about scoring. It’s nice to have somebody on the team who thinks like that.

“Keith is a real good all-around player. He’s very athletic, and does a lot of things on the court. He’s just got a really good all-around game.”

Fuehrmeyer, a Francis Howell Central graduate, said the team success Pickens and Jones enjoyed last season will only help the Bears rebound from a disappointing 11-20 campaign.

“They’re both used to winning,” Fuehrmeyer said. “They had the leadership to take their teams all the way to state in high school, which is a big deal. I think that mentality of winning will be good for us.”

Fuehrmeyer added that health and preparation will be key to his team’s success this year.

“We had a lot of things not go our way last year, with injuries and stuff,” said Fuehrmeyer, who will miss the first three weeks of the season with a broken right thumb. “We got a lot of new guys who bring a lot of energy to the team. We’re just going to move forward.”

Jones and Pickens are the main cogs of Martin’s second recruiting class. His first brought in last year’s star, Kyle Weems, who averaged 10 points last year while earning all-MVC freshman honors. Weems said he’s been impressed with the willingness of Jones and Pickens to learn.

“They’re constantly asking questions, and wanting to get better,” Weems said. “They’re hungry, and that’s good for any freshman. They can score multiple ways. Keith can really run the floor, and Jerome can score from the outside and get to the basket.”

Both Jones and Pickens enrolled over the summer, something Martin pushes incoming freshmen to do. Weems said because of that, there’s already an established team chemistry that didn’t necessarily exist last year with a new coach.

“That’s something that helps those guys get acclimated to the college atmosphere,” Martin said. “They learn where their classes are, learn the buildings, but they’re also weightlifting, and being around the other players. It’s helps their overall development and growth.”

Martin said he has grown as a coach, and realizes now how he can manage things differently with three young playmakers. Now it’s just a matter of closing out games.

“We competed in every game down the stretch,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter of getting over that hump the last three minutes and winning it.”

Jones and Pickens are among some of the league’s top freshman – a list that includes Illinois State’s Justin Clark and Jon Ekey, and Bradley’s Jake Eastman.  Tony Freeman, a senior transfer to SIU from Iowa, is also another new name with a lot of buzz.

Missouri State is only three years removed from consecutive 22-win seasons, and Martin said Weems’ development as a floor leader will be the key for success this year.

“The key for him is being a complete player on both ends of the floor,” Martin said. “He’s probably our best player right now, and when you’ve got your best offensive player also being your best defensive player, then you’ve got a chance to be very successful.”

I don’t know how many times I’ll get to see Missouri State this year, but one thing I do know is that I’ll be monitoring the progess of both Jones and Pickens, and look forward to talking with both of them come March.

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Ten games that are great in Week 8

October 22nd, 2009, 12:16 pm by rclements

If Boise State wants a chance to play for a national championship, then the Broncos could not have been pleased with UTEP’s upset of Tulsa Wednesday night.

Then again, maybe UTEP isn’t that bad. It is the only team this season to defeat Houston. Texas Tech, Mississippi State and Oklahoma State couldn’t beat the Cougars, but UTEP did. Go figure.

In the meantime, Boise should have no problem when it travels way west to play at Hawaii Saturday night. Earlier Saturday, the Idaho Vandals travel to Nevada as they try to keep their impressive season going, and stay unbeaten in the WAC. Boise State and Idaho meet Nov. 14 in a game that could have more hype than ever before.

But back to this week. The only matchup of ranked teams is between a pair of Mountain West Conference rivals. That doesn’t mean other ranked teams won’t be tested. That list includes No. 3 Texas, which heads north to face Missouri, and No. 11 Oregon, which is also on the road in Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. Boston College-Notre Dame is also this weekend, and the loser may never return to the BCS Top 25 rankings.

Here are my top 10 games of Week 8 of the college football season (All times Central):

10. Connecticut at No. 23 West Virginia, Saturday, 11 a.m.: It’s probably good for the UConn Huskies to not be at home this weekend. The murder of Jasper Howard undoubtedly makes the campus a hard place to navigate on a daily basis for the players. A

UConn cornerback Jasper Howard was murdered last Saturday night following an school-sponsored dance on campus. This weekend the Huskies will try to move on without him.

UConn cornerback Jasper Howard was murdered last Saturday night following an school-sponsored dance on campus. This weekend the Huskies will try to move on without him.

trip to Morgantown may be just the distraction they need to help with the healing process.

Losing Howard is a big blow to the UConn defense, which will be tested against West Virginia playmakers Noel Devine, Jock Sanders and Jarrett Brown. UConn will either play inspired football to honor Howard’s memory, or they’ll be distracted by his death, and get blown out on the road. I’m hoping for the former. UConn has never beaten West Virginia in five meetings.

9. South Florida at No. 20 Pittsburgh, Saturday, 11 a.m.: The Panthers are 6-1 and a perfect 3-0 atop the Big East standings. Pitt hasn’t been 7-1 in almost 30 years, and will receive a stiff test from USF’s stellar defense, led by All-American defensive end George Selvie.

The Panthers are where they are because of the play of a senior and a freshman. Veteran quarterback Bill Stull has mananged the game well, and made plays when he needed to. Handing off to super frosh Dion Lewis is never a bad idea. Lewis has 918 rushing yards, and is on pace to break Tony Dorsett’s freshman school record.

8. Tennessee at No. 2 Alabama, Saturday, 2:30: Lane Kiffin vs. Nick Saban. That is enough to make you want to watch right there. Unfortunately for the Vols, it’s not coach versus coach, mano y mano. It’s the players for the Volunteers against the Crimson Tide.

Alabama sophomore Mark Ingram has 905 rushing yards with eight touchdowns through seven games.

Alabama sophomore Mark Ingram has 905 rushing yards with eight touchdowns through seven games.

Many people think Alabama is the best team in the country, yours truly included. Tennessee bottled up Mark Ingram last year, holding the then freshman to just one yard on four carries. Ingram can write his own invitation to New York if he continues his spectacular season, and leads the Crimson Tide to a dominant victory.

Trying to stop him will be Tennessee’s own Heisman darkhorse, cornerback Eric Barry, who is second on the team in tackles with an interception and fumble recovery. Alabama has playmakers all over its defense. The Tide’s second-ranked defense is fourth in scoring, and leads the SEC with 21 sacks and 10 interceptions. Those numbers could mean a long day for Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton.

7. No. 12 Georgia Tech at Virginia, Saturday, 11 a.m.: The Yellow Jackets go for the Virginia sweep in consecutive weeks. Last week, Georgia Tech upset then No. 4 Virginia Tech. This week, it will use its dominant ground game to try to keep that momentum going against the up-and-down Cavaliers.

Virginia opened the season with a 12-point loss to William & Mary, a lopsided defeat to TCU and a three-point shootout setback to Southern Miss. Since then, the Cavaliers have won three straight over two ACC opponents and a blowout of Indiana to even their record.

A win over Georgia Tech would put Virginia in the catbird seat in the ACC’s Coastal Division … for now. Games against Miami, Boston College, Clemson and Virginia Tech still remain.

6. No. 13 Penn State at Michigan, Saturday, 2:30: The Nittany Lions go on the road for just the second time in eight games when they travel to the Big House Saturday. Penn State won at hapless Illinois three weeks ago, and seem to be on a roll since their upset loss to Iowa.

Michigan is in danger of falling to 1-3 in the Big Ten with a loss, and it has history on its side. Penn State has not won at Michigan since 1996. Then again, maybe that just means Penn State is due.

Two of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks in Michigan freshman Tate Forcier and Penn State senior Daryll Clark square off in a game that could be decided by Penn State tailback Evan Royster.

5. Clemson at No. 10 Miami, Saturday, 2:30: The Tigers and Hurricanes meet up for the first time in four years in south Florida Saturday. Clemson needs a win to right its season entering the second half.

The Tigers pose the last real test for the Hurricanes, whose season began with four straight ranked teams, but ends with none in the last six games. Miami has lost just once this season, and a win over Clemson could mean a spot in the ACC title game. Jacory Harris will have to continue his superb play in the second half, and hope for another Virginia Tech conference loss for Miami to play for a conference crown.

4. Oklahoma at No. 25 Kansas, Saturday, 2:30: Who knew that when the season began, Kansas would be in the BCS top 25, but Oklahoma would be unranked? The Sooners are 3-3, with all three losses coming by a combined five points, and to teams currently ranked in the top 16. Kansas dropped its first game last week at Colorado, but returns to Lawrence with hopes of knocking off one of the perennial powers in the Big XII.

Todd Reesing is on pace for over 4,000 yards, and will be the best quarterback in this game as OU QB Sam Bradford is facing possible season-ending shoulder surgery. Landry Jones has filled in nicely for Bradford, but will have to be at his best if the Sooners want to avoid their first loss to Kansas since 1997.

3. Air Force at No. 18 Utah, Saturday, 3: Utah has won three straight since its 31-24 loss at Oregon. Air Force rebounded from consecutive three-point losses to Navy and TCU to shut out Wyoming last week.

The upset-minded Falcons are always a tough out with their dominant running game. Jared Tew, Asher Clark and Savier Stephens give the Falcons good balance in the backfield, and quarterback Tim Jefferson can make plays with his arms and legs.

Utah is at home, and is more talented, and should win, assuming Terrance Cain takes care of the ball. Utah has won five of the last six meetings in the series.

2. No. 6 Iowa at Michigan State, Saturday, 6: It’s hard to believe Iowa is 7-0. What is even more difficult to grasp is how Iowa is a two-point road underdog against the 4-3 Spartans. Iowa owns road wins over Wisconsin and Penn State, so East Lansing should be a breeze compared to Happy Valley and Camp Randall.

Still, since Michigan State’s slow start, it’s won three straight over Michigan, Illinois and Northwestern. The Spartans are 3-1 in Big Ten play with the only loss coming in Madison.

After showing a proclivity for throwing interceptions early in the year, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi has been at his best the last two weeks in wins over Michigan and Wisconsin. Stanzi’s favorite target has been tight end Tony Moeaki, who has 20 catches for 247 yards and four scores. 

Iowa has never been 8-0, and has lost four straight in East Lansing. Maybe that’s why Michigan State is favored.

TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes sacked BYU QB Max Hall four times in last seasons TCU wins. Hall was sacked a total of seven times and threw two interceptions in the loss.

TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes sacked BYU QB Max Hall four times in last season's TCU wins. Hall was sacked a total of seven times and threw two interceptions in the loss.

1. No. 8 TCU at No. 16 BYU, Saturday, 6:30: Strength versus strength as the nation’s No. 4 defense goes against BYU’s sixth-ranked offense led by quarterback Max Hall. The Cougars are scoring a lot of points, and Hall has 16 touchdown passes and more than 2,000 yards through the air. He’s also thrown 10 interceptions and, against a ball-hawking defense like TCU’s, mistakes like that could spell doom for the Cougars.

TCU has won four of its six games by double digits, with the only close wins coming  on the road over Clemson (14-10) and Air Force (20-17). BYU’s only loss this season was at home in embarrassing fashion to Florida State. Since then, BYU has won four in a row, and is 3-0 in the Mountain West. TCU owns two conference wins, and has Utah in three weeks. A win in Provo Saturday will turn that Nov. 14 game against the Utes into a defacto conference championship, as the Horned Frogs want to keep their BCS hopes alive.

TCU handed BYU its first loss last season, and then beat undefeated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl. BYU’s loss dropped it from the ranks of potential BCS busters last year. The Cougars would love to do the same to TCU this season.

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Handing out the Week 6 Rams report card

October 19th, 2009, 9:35 am by rclements

After such a positive start for the St. Louis Rams Sunday at Jacksonville, their offensive inconsistency, and timid coaching late, led to another loss.

Time to hand out the grades.

OFFENSE: C

Marc Bulger had a decent game, going 22-of-34 for 213 yards with a touchdown and interception. His TD toss to Donnie Avery in the first quarter was the first Rams score in the first quarter this season, but when Avery later went down with a hip injury, Bulger lost his best target. The Jaguars piled nine guys in the box at times, and Bulger and the Rams could not find any consistency.

The Rams scored a touchdown on their opening possession when Bulger hit Avery in the back of the end zone to cap an impressive drive.

Bulger did a nice job of spreading the ball around in the first half, but they need to do a better job of getting the ball to the tight ends to loosen up the defenses. Randy McMichael had two catches in the first half, but finished with just three receptions for 32 yards. Billy Bajema did not have a catch, and Daniel Fells caught two balls for only 11 yards.

Then there’s Steven Jackson. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur used screens to get the ball in his best player’s hands in the first half, but then kind of got away from that in the second half – until the very last drive. The two best screens came in the bookend drives. The last one set up the game-tying field goal when Jackson ran through and around the Jags defense. The other came on the opening possession when Jackson got a great block from Richie Incognito to pick up a first down.

Jackson finished with just 16 carries for 50 yards. He did have six receptions for another 78, but 16 rushing attempts aren’t going to cut it.

You play (and coach) to win the game, Steve.

You play (and coach) to win the game, Steve.

DEFENSE: C-

While there were outstanding efforts from Leonard Little and Clifton Ryan, the Rams defense gave up too many big plays to Torry Holt, and allowed Maurice Jones-Drew to run rampant in the second half.

A pair of Holt receptions led to a Jones-Drew touchdown on Jacksonville’s first possession, but the Jags had a botched snap on the extra point, and the Rams still led 7-6.

Holt had a great day against his former ’mates. His 101-yard day included an incredible one-handed grab late in the second quarter. Mike Sims-Walker led the Jags with nine catches for 120 yards, and David Garrard threw for 335 yards. He did not have a touchdown pass, and threw a pair of interceptions – one of which Little took back 36 yards for a score to regain the St. Louis lead at 17-13 midway through the fourth.

But both Ron Bartell and Craig Dahl dropped sure interceptions. The Rams were finally able to pick off Garrard in the third when Laurinaitis hauled in a ball tipped at the line by C.J. Ah You.

The Rams had an opportunity to put this game away, and led from their opening drive until Jacksonville took the lead with 8:05 remaining in the fourth. The offense’s inability to convert on third down led to Jacksonville dominating time of possession. The Jags held the ball for more than 42 minutes, and were able to wear down the Rams defense late, leading to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns from Jones-Drew.

Ryan, Little and James Hall all recorded sacks, but they didn’t get much support from their defensive teammates.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

Danny Amendola had a 57-yard kickoff return following the Jags’ first-quarter score, but that long kickoff was squandered when Bulger threw an interception in the end zone.

Josh Brown drilled a 52-yard field goal to give Rams their largest lead of the season at 10-6 just before the half. David Roach was impressive in return coverage.

But the reason this grade is so low is because of the punting game.

Donnie Jones uncharacteristically shanked a punt in the first half, an omen of a bad day ahead. The normally sure-footed punter had an off day, posting a 39.8-yard average on six punts. He did not have a single punt land inside the 20.

COACHING: D

We’ll begin with with the penalties, something that has plagued the Rams all season. It actually wasn’t that bad. There was a false start from tackle Alex Barron, and a tripping penalty on running back Kenneth Darby late in the first half that nearly knocked Rams out of field goal range.

Then there were a trio of pass interference calls, two of which came very late. The first was pretty questionable on Bartell, who was later justifiably called for pass interference when he was on Holt like a backpack.

Another very late flag was thrown on cornerback Jonathan Wade, but Wade thought he had gotten away with one, then acted like he did nothing wrong once the flag came out. It was a good call, as he had an arm around the tight end with the ball in the air.

Shurmur, for the most part, called a great game. It just comes down to execution, and the Rams didn’t for most of the second half. Then, thanks to Jackson’s efforts, the Rams moved the ball deep into the red zone. That’s when Spagnuolo got soft, settling for a field goal with seven seconds remaining and a timeout. Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch puts on his homer hat, and calls it a “wise” decision. I disagree. When you haven’t won in 15 games, you fire the ball to the end zone one more time, and then kick it if you need to. You play, and coach, to win, not just to not lose.

OVERALL: C-

The Rams offense regressed against a defense that is worse than Minnesota’s. They did hold their longest lead of the season. The previous was when they held a 7-6 advantage at Washington for 11:37 between the second and third quarters. But the defense gave up too many big plays, and the Spagnuolo turned spineless with a chance to win the game. There were some bright spots, but a game for the taking ended up being the team’s 16th straight defeat.

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Pick Six: Keys for the Rams against Jacksonville

October 16th, 2009, 12:15 pm by rclements

The St. Louis Rams offense played better last week against a very good Minnesota defense.

But, they still only scored 10 points, thanks to three turnovers inside the 5-yard line.

This week, the Rams get the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were pummeled 41-0 last week by Seattle - the same Seahawks team that put up a 28-0 shutout of St. Louis in week one.

Despite the lackluster performance last week, the 2-3 Jaguars are a 10-point favorite to beat the winless Rams.

How do the Rams pull off the upset?

 

 

If Steven Jackson gets into the end zone, it dramatically increases the Rams chances of winning.

If Steven Jackson gets into the end zone, it dramatically increases the Rams chances of winning.

1. Get Steven Jackson in the end zone: It sounds like a broken record, but Jackson has yet to score this year. It’s no coincidence that his lack of scoring comes in five losses. The Rams go as Jackson goes. While he’s third in the NFL in rushing yards, the Rams need Jackson to score if they want to pull off a road victory.

 

2. Capitalize in the red zone: The Rams were 0-for-3 in the red zone last week. Jackson fumbled at the 1, Daniel Fells coughed it up at the 3, and Kyle Boller threw a pick in the end zone. Finishing drives is something head coach Steve Spagnuolo mentioned in his post-game press conference, and should be a point of emphasis Sunday.

3. Pressure the quarterback: Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard takes care of the football. He rarely makes mistakes. One way to force him into mistakes is to get to him often. Every hit will take its toll, and eventually defensive playmakers like James Laurinaitis, O.J. Atogwe and Leonard Little can get some turnovers. While Garrard did not throw an interception last week, he did lose a pair of fumbles, contributing to the defeat.

Three things to avoid:

1. Big game by the tight end: Only the tight ends of the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins did not score touchdowns against the Rams. The Packers got big plays from their defense, and their wide receivers in their 36-17 rout of the Rams. Chris Cooley did not score for the Redskins, but did have a game-high seven receptions for 83 yards in the 9-7 Washington win. This week, the Rams face Marcedes Lewis, who has two of Jacksonville’s five passing TDs. If the Rams keep him in check, they’ve got a shot.

Its on Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo to hold his team more accountable for mistakes.

It's on Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo to hold his team more accountable for mistakes.

2. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers: Three times for the number of red zone turnovers last week against Minnesota. The other turnover the Rams had was a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. The Rams lead the NFL with a minus-7 turnover ratio, and have turned it over at least once in every game this season.

3. Penalties: As much as the Rams have hurt themselves with turnovers, they’ve also been repeatedly shooting themselves in the proverbial feet with penalties. St. Louis is the most penalized team in the NFL, and have had about a dozen plays of 10 yards or more this season negated because of penalties. If the Rams can keep the laundry off the field, good things can happen.

Prediction: I predicted a 6-10 record for the Rams prior to the season, and that prediction included an 0-5 start. This was the first win I saw for the Rams before the season began, so I am sticking with it - against my better judgment.

St. Louis wins a low-scoring affair, 19-17.

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