Another educational weekend for us college football fanatics. Arkansas and Penn State aren't clutch. Notre Dame and Syracuse show signs of life. Louisville and Nebraska march towards the brink of collapse. And Andre Woodson is clutch. Friday night is South Florida-West Virginia. I'm already excited. But we'll discuss this at length later.
Before we get into the weekend, I just want to say covering an NFL game is much different than covering a college game. Sunday was my first chance to do this at FedEx Field for the Giants-Redskins. Given the task of writing two sidebars was a blast because NFLers are much more open than the college kids.
1. The best quarterbacks come from the Bluegrass State
Brian Brohm's team is reeling and Andre Woodson's team is clicking. But both gunslingers are the cornerstones of teams with such opposite identities. Brohm's Louisville Cardinals again played little defense and could not offset Brohm's 555 yards and 4 TDs. As for Woodson, the poise he showed by playing in one of the tougher games of the weekend elevated his stock to Google prices. Woodson's numbers from Saturday won't blow your hair back, but here's the catch: his two touchdown passes and one touchdown run all came in the second half against an Arkansas team at home, desperate for a win. The kid is a gamer.2. Notre Dame can actually play offense
When Travis Thomas hit the end zone to give Notre Dame a 7-0 lead on Saturday, you would have thought Ian Johnson just scored on a Fiesta Bowl statue of liberty all over again. But when it's your first offensive touchdown in 13 quarters of football, you might get a little excited. The Irish didn't look good on offense by any means, with just 203 total yards, but it was a step in the right direction. The Irish are going to struggle for offense in every game until Nov. 17 when they play Duke. Jimmy Claussen is far from ready to be a starting quarterback, by the way - with that offensive line or not.3. Syracuse can actually play offense
After ripping off 32 points in their first three losses, the Orange posted 38 to shock Louisville and move ahead of them in the Big East race (granted, only two conference games have been played to date). Quarterback Andrew Robinson masterfully picked apart the joke that the Cardinals call their defense going 17-for-26 for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Orange are having a little trouble moving the ball on the ground, but if Robinson decides he wants to put up those numbers every week, the Cuse could actually win five games this year.4. 22 men are stronger than 2
Once again, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones can't do it all for Arkansas. It's really a shame to see such talent be overshadowed by back-to-back losses. Did anyone notice Felix Jones' speed on his kickoff return against the Wildcats? Quarterback Casey Dick completed under 50% of his passes against Kentucky and threw two interceptions. That's an easy way to erase 449 all-purpose yards from your two best players.We're only halfway there.
5. Nebraska should be worrying
A come-from-behind, one-point win over Ball State? Hangover game from getting smacked around by USC last Saturday night? Perhaps. Lincoln was jacked up and I'm sure Nebraska was drained when the day came to a close, but that's not an excuse for any team, especially one of Nebraska's stature. Playing like this, Nebraska would be lucky to win seven games. The defense better shape up. Seems like it's a problem in the Big 12 if your name is not Oklahoma.6. Fake field goals are awesome
Matt Flynn's flip was perfect. Colt David's sprint for his life was hilarious. Steve Spurrier's reaction was priceless. This was well-executed, well-timed and a blast to watch over and over. LSU is having some fun romping all over its schedule. I'd pay top dollar to see the Tigers and Trojans play for it all.
Comments (3)
C'mon -- give us the backstory about Bob.
Ditto on the Penn State game. If Morelli doesn't fumble, and hits his open receiver in the end zone from a mere 10 yards away, the Lions win the game.
But personally, I'd limit the blame there. Scott's not great, but he had some nice draws. The o-line didn't save the day, but they weren't just tumbling over. If you look at Penn State's receivers, they actually did a really, really nice job. They got quite a bit of separation and they caught a lot of balls that had no business being caught.
Morelli, unfortunately, missed a lot of open receivers. Can't do that for a rivalry game, where momentum is sooo important.
Adam, What no mention of the Hit by 6' 7" 220 lbs Wide receiver Wes Lyons of WVU?
It sent a charge through all 60,021 in attendance.
That hit was reminiscent of a hockey game and it came from an unlikely source, a lanky WR.