Tag: Texas

Around the Nation: Week 6 Wrap Up

Around the Nation: Week 6 Wrap Up

Who is the best team in college football?

Ohio State? The Buckeye had trouble early on with Maryland and gave up 170 yards on the ground to quarterback Perry Hills, who had rushed for 119 total yards in the previous five games. The Buckeyes have also not seemed to have solved their quarterback problem. Cardale Jones threw for 291 yards and two scores, but was replaced in the red zone for J.T. Barrett. For the defending national champions, Ohio State is far from dominant this season.

TCU? The Horned Frogs were almost upset, yet again, by Kansas State. TCU’s defense have up 52 points to Texas Tech, 45 to Kansas State, 37 to SMU and they rank 64th in the country in terms of yards given up per game. Injuries, offseason losses and players leaving the team have absolutely gashed this defense. Trevone Boykin, Josh Doctson, and the offense is dynamic and is averaging 616 yards per game, but cannot be relied upon to outscore their struggling defense on a week to week basis.

Michigan State? Connor Cook and the Spartans have been anything but dominant this season. Their narrow win over Oregon is worth nothing at this point and they’ve just managed to scrape by Purdue and Rutgers in back to back weeks. Their offense ranks 72nd in the country with an average of 397 total yards per game and Michigan State will definitely face a major test in Michigan this weekend.

On the other hand, a major case could be made for one of several teams for the title of “Best Team” in college football. Utah certainly has the most impressive resume, destroying Oregon on the road and defeating Jared Goff and Cal this past weekend. Clemson has one of the best wins on the season on their record after beating Notre Dame at home two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Michigan just recorded their third straight shutout of the season and might be the best team in the Big 10.

So what have we learned so far this season? For one, it’s a really good thing we have a playoff now because, if the season were to end today, the committee would have a hell of a time deciding who to pick. Fortunately for them, the season doesn’t end today and we will eventually have more upsets and losses to make things more clear in the playoff picture. Remember, Ohio State was written off last season after falling to Virginia Tech, but managed to rebound and win it all as a #4 seed.

We’ve also learned just how tough of a game football is. Injuries have absolutely decimated the ranks of college football and Georgia star running back Nick Chubb was the most recent loss this season. Chubb injured his knee on the very first play of Georgia’s eventual loss to Tennessee. The injury was brutal in the most terrible way and the entire nation wishes him a speedy recovery.

But we’ve also seen injuries to other great players. Here is a short list of some major talents that have gone down:

  • Taysom Hill, quarterback, BYU (foot injury)
  • Jalen Mills, safety, LSU (fractured fibula)
  • Ed Davis, linebacker, Michigan State (knee injury)
  • Malik Zaire, quarterback, Notre Dame (broken ankle)
  • Tarean Folston, running back, Notre Dame (torn ACL)
  • Tony Connor, safety, Ole Miss (meniscus tear)
  • Thomas Tyner, running back, Oregon (shoulder injury)
  • Byron Marshall, wide receiver, Oregon (leg injury)
  • James Conner, running back, Pittsburgh (MCL injury)
  • Eddie Vanderdoes, defensive tackle, UCLA (torn ACL)
  • Myles Jack, linebacker, UCLA (knee injury)
  • Corey Clement, running back, Washington (groin injury)

All of these players have serious NFL talent and this season will only serve to increase the amount of talk about lowering the current draft requirement of three years out of high school. That, and Leonard Fournette’s performance this season, will definitely give the NFL Player Personnel staff something to think about. All of these players are NFL-ready this season, but were prevented from jumping to the next level by this stupid rule. It would be a major advantage for the NFL to have these players in their ranks, so why prevent them from going pro?

Speaking of Leonard Fournette, he has the Heisman trophy wrapped up at this point. He is the best player in college football, hands down. Through five games, Fournette has rushed for 1,022 yards and 12 touchdowns. He leads the nation in rushing despite playing one less game and is the 10th player in NCAA history to cross the thousand yard rushing mark in the first five games of the season. He is the entire LSU offense, defensive coordinators know this, and they still can’t stop him. LSU travels to Alabama on November 7th in a game that will test Fournette against the SEC’s best defensive front.

Speaking of talented running backs, Dalvin Cook of Florida State continues to be dynamic. Cook rushed for 222 yards against rival Miami, the best performance by a running back in the long history of that rivalry. In the past two games, Cook has scored on the his very first touch of the game: a 94-yard run versus Wake Forest and a 72-yard run versus Miami. He injured his hamstring against Wake Forest, re-aggravated the injury versus Miami and then came back to rush for another hundred yards in the same game. Cook is an absolute freak of an athlete and here’s hoping his hamstring stays healthy.

A comparison of Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook this season. Credit to @joereedy.
A comparison of Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook this season. Credit to @joereedy on Twitter.

This week’s started on a Thursday when Washington upset #17 USC on the road. The Huskies, with a true freshman quarterback and a defense that played out of their minds, essentially ended the Trojans hopes for this season. Cody Kessler was terrible and USC, once again, proved that the hype was too much. USC will continue to be nothing more than a pretender in the world of college football. Today, it was announced that head coach Steve Sarkisian will be taking an indefinite leave of absence while he deals with an undisclosed condition. We all know what this is, and this is just another problem that the Trojans have to deal with. USC just might be looking for a new head coach sooner than later.

One team that probably won’t be looking for a new head coach is Texas. The Longhorns upset the #10 Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown, securing a crucial victory for Charlie Strong. Texas wasn’t anything special offensively, but Strong’s specialty is defense and they held the high-scoring Sooners offense to just 10 points. The players were ecstatic after the victory and they carried Strong out on their shoulders after the game ended. We all assume things are bad at Texas, but with time Strong might have something special building there.

Elsewhere in Texas, Baylor is certainly making a strong case for the playoff committee. They won 66-7 over Kansas and the Bears have scored no less than 56 points in every game this season. While the offense has been strong as always, the Bears have also been a nice surprise defensively. And in the Big 12, where defense is non-existent, this might be what pushes them over the top. Baylor plays TCU on November 27th in what will be the de-facto Big 12 title game.

A review of college football wouldn’t be complete without the SEC. Alabama rolled off another victory over Arkansas, Florida dominated Missouri and the two teams certainly look on track to meet in the Atlanta. Ole Miss is the one team standing in the Tide’s way at this point and they are certainly capable of running the table. Bama, LSU and Ole Miss have yet to meet each other, and those matchups will be crucial in determining the fate of the SEC West.

One team that is commonly overlooked is Texas A&M. Kyle Allen and Christian Kirk have the offense rolling and Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall are dominant on defense. The Aggies host Alabama next week in a game that will determine just how far Texas A&M can go this season. They might have the best collection of young talent in the nation and this is the game for them to put it all together. If not, they’re probably a year away from serious playoff contention.

The most surprising team in the nation so far might be the Michigan Wolverines. After losing their season opener to Utah (which doesn’t look so bad anymore), the Wolverines have allowed a grand total of 14 points through five games, including three straight shutouts. Jim Harbaugh is working magic with this squad that many predicted to have a rebuilding year this season. They’re nothing special offensively, but they are efficient and the defense is dominant. They rank #2 in the country, only allowing 181 yards per game. Harbaugh and the Wolverines might be the best team in the Big 10 and this week’s test against Michigan State, in front of College GameDay, might finally elevate them into the playoff picture.

There are also a hand full of undefeated teams left that might surprise you. Iowa is 6-0, Oklahoma State is 6-0, Toledo and Houston are both 5-0 and undefeated Temple and Memphis are sitting just outside of the Top 25. Upsets and losses will come, but it is surprising that this many teams are still undefeated. Toledo could easily cruise through their weak MAC schedule and new head coach Tom Herman has Houston rolling as well. We could easily be looking at 2-3 undefeated or one loss Group of 5 teams in the bidding for New Years Bowls.

Current Playoff Picture

  1. Baylor: They’ve been the most dominant team offensively and they’re defense isn’t half bad either. Their de-facto playoff elimination game isn’t until November 27th versus TCU, but the have plenty of time to prepare until then.
  2. Utah: Another victory over a Top 25 and the Utes just might be for real. Suddenly, their schedule doesn’t look so hard, but the Pac-12 has a way of getting weird for teams that are supposed to be favored.
  3. Alabama: Yes, they’ve lost a game, but they’re the best team from top to bottom in the country. They *should* take care of Texas A&M, and a test with LSU comes later. They also need Ole Miss to drop a conference game to get to the SEC Championship, but the Tide are in a good position at this point in the season.
  4. Michigan: Three straight shutouts have been the most impressive performance this season from any team. Harbaugh has them in prime position to take advantage of struggling Ohio State and Michigan State.

Heisman Race

  1. Leonard Fournette: The best player in college football. Period.
  2. Everyone else.

Next week, College GameDay travels to Michigan for the in-state rivalry between the Wolverines and the Spartans, but that’s only one of several good games to watch. UCLA takes on Stanford on Thursday night, Alabama travels to Texas A&M, and Florida and LSU square off in Baton Rouge. Other games that might be sneaky good include Ole Miss at undefeated Memphis, USC at Notre Dame, and Penn State at Ohio State. You’ll have no shortage of games to watch in week seven so enjoy it and make sure to say a prayer for Oregon, who are underdogs to Washington this week.

Around the Nation: Week 4 Wrap Up

Around the Nation: Week 4 Wrap Up

We’re four weeks through the college football season and so far Oregon hasn’t figured out their quarterback situation, TCU still can’t seem to play defense, and nobody can stop the freight train that is Leonard Fournette. What did we learn from this week? More teams can be crossed off of the playoff list. Sorry Georgia Tech, but apparently Duke is now a football school. My condolences Arizona, but The Chosen Rosen takes no prisoners. And… Oh shoot… Utah just scored on Oregon again.

#8 LSU 34, Syracuse 24

Give credit to this Syracuse squad. They started a true freshman walk-on quarterback and got this game within ten. But, unfortunately, LSU had the behemoth that is Leonard Fournette running the ball and he does things like this.

Leonard Fournette is an absolute monster. He had 244 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, but had an 80+ yard TD run called back on a holding penalty that would have put him easily over 300 yards on the day. Fournette is the Heisman trophy favorite for a reason, and he just might run LSU into the college football playoff.

Duke 34, #20 Georgia Tech 20

Duke, yes Duke the basketball school, is sitting at 3-1 on the season in football with this win over a Top 25 opponent. What has happened to the Blue Devils?

Well for one, Shaquille Powell is a pretty darn good running back, scoring three times on the ground. But it was the Duke defense that was the story of the day, holding Georgia Tech to only 173 yards rushing. Safety Jeremy Cash might be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the conference, and he finished the day with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and four quarterback hurries. Duke is in prime position to return to the ACC Championship game after this win.

Jeremy Cash is one of the top defensive backs in the nation. (AP Photo/Rob Brown)
Jeremy Cash is one of the top defensive backs in the nation. (AP Photo/Rob Brown)

Michigan 31, #22 BYU 0

Michigan has quietly put together three nice wins since their opening day loss at Utah. Saturday, they shut out the ranked Cougars in Jim Harbaugh’s biggest win as head coach. Offensively, the Wolverines still have a lot of work to do, but they made a statement on defense. They held BYU and freshmen sensation Tannner Magnum to just 105 (!!!) yards of total offense and 8 first downs. This Michigan squad is 3-1 heading into conference play and is in much better shape than anyone predicted at this point in the season.

Also, here’s a friendly reminder that Jake Butt is still playing and I’m only mentioning this because we are all 12 years old and it is funny to say “Butt” over and over again.

#24 Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27

So… uh… At least Texas still has… Basketball? Are they still good at basketball?

Another week, another special teams mistake that cost Texas the game. With the game tied late in the fourth quarter, Texas punter Michael Dickson fumbled the snap and, with pressure in his face, was forced to kick a 10-yard punt out of bounds. That set up Oklahoma State for the game winning field goal to win 30-27.

So now Texas sits 1-3 on the season, with their only win over the Rice Owls. While the talks of firing Charlie Strong are quite premature, it has to be noted that the seat is only getting warmer. And with a new athletic director on the way, these losses aren’t doing him any favors. Jerrod Heard was phenomenal against Rice, but was very pedestrian in this game. With Big-12 play starting soon, the schedule only gets tougher from here on out.

Sorry, Texas fans.

At least you have… uh… women’s gymnastics?

#3 TCU 55, Texas Tech 52

Hey, remember when you used to play your buddy on NCAA Football on Freshman difficulty and there was absolutely no defense whatsoever?

Yeah, that was this game.

TCU had 750 total yards of offense (503 passing, 247 rushing).

Texas Tech had 607 total yards of offense (392 passing, 215 rushing).

And you might be thinking to yourself, “Well there was probably a turnover or two, right? With that many passes being thrown, at least one must have been picked off?”

Nope. TCU and Texas Tech combined to throw 101 passes and not a single one was intercepted. They combined for 89 rushing attempts and not one fumble. Did the defense even step on the field?

This game also featured a safety when Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes forgot that he was supposed to catch the snap.

But if you think that’s crazy, just wait until you see how the game ended.

Senior running back Aaron Green just happened to be in the right place when Trevone Boykin’s pass bounced off of Josh Doctson’s hands. It was a play for the ages and one that Texas Tech fans won’t forget for a long time, as they came this close to upsetting #3 TCU at home.

But if you think that’s crazy, just wait until you see this!

Yes, somebody from the stands threw a tortilla onto the field. This raises two questions. One, why would you throw a tortilla onto the field? And two, how does one acquire a tortilla in a football stadium? Did he/she smuggle the tortilla in from home? Did they plan this tortilla escapade in advance? Why am I asking so many questions about a tortilla? Because this game was crazy, that’s why.

#14 Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21

Christian Kirk is the best true freshman in football, hands down. Yes, Josh “The Chosen” Rosen is great, but Christian Kirk might actually be a robot. Through four game, he has 24 catches for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns. Oh, and a punt return for a touchdown as well. This guy is a stud.

Moving on, Texas A&M edges out another close win over Arkansas in overtime. Kyle Allen is really blossoming into a good quarterback and has close to a thousand yards passing and a 11-2 TD/INT ratio so far this season. Defensively, Myles Garrett has 6 1/2 sacks so far and came up with a huge sack near the end of regulation to force overtime. This Texas A&M has the best collection of young talent in the nation and looks to be a playoff contender so far.

#9 UCLA 56, #16 Arizona 30

Last week, UCLA struggled to get by BYU and earlier this week, star linebacker Myles Jack was lost for the season with an ACL tear. So what do the Bruins do in response to this? They blow out Arizona in Tucson with College GameDay in attendance.

Josh Rosen was phenomenal, looking sharp in his first true road test as a college player. He finished with 284 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and another one on the ground. Paul Perkins had 3 rushing touchdowns and overall the Bruins scored five times on the ground. Defensively, they looked as good as ever even as injuries continue to pile up. In addition to Jack, star defensive tackle and former 5-star prospect Eddie Vanderhoes was lost earlier in the year as well. But this was a very good win for UCLA and they made a statement heading into conference play.

Unfortunately, Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon left this game early with a head injury. His backup, Jerrard Randall, struggled through the air, but Arizona’s ground game was the highlight of the game for the Wildcats. On defense, star linebacker Scooby Wright III made his return, but looked slow and rusty, which was expected after missing the last couple of weeks with injury. Arizona still has a shot at the South division title, as they themselves won the South even with two losses last season.

#18 Utah 62, #13 Oregon 20

Life after Marcus Mariota sure is hard.

To say that Oregon was blown out would not do this game justice. In fact, there isn’t a term in the dictionary that accurately describes the dominance Utah showed in this game. You could travel for hundreds of years to dozens of countries in search of a term that accurately describes the beat down that Utah put on Oregon and never find it. Humanity might never fully comprehend the severity of this loss for Oregon simply because no word or phrase exists that describes it.

Travis Wilson, in his thirteenth year at Utah, looked like a Heisman trophy winner against this Oregon defense. He finished the day with 227 yards and 4 touchdowns in the air and 100 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Utah was simply dominant in this game. At the end of the first quarter, Utah and Oregon were tied 6-6, but then Utah went on a 56-7 run that stunned the nation. Utah’s 62 points were the most the Ducks have ever allowed at home.

But the best play of the day was this punt return that Utah fooled everyone on, even the cameraman.

For Oregon, Vernon Adams was bad. And then Jeff Lockie came in and he was worse. Finally, redshirt freshman Taylor Alie came in. When your third string quarterback comes into the game and it’s not due to an injury, you know shit has hit the fan. Oregon dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2009 and it doesn’t look any better from here on out. Sorry Ducks fans, but Marcus Mariota isn’t stepping through that door and Mark Helfrich is slowly running out of Chip Kelly’s players.

Are the Oregon Ducks and the Philadelphia Eagles on similar paths of mediocrity? Looks like it.

So that’s that. Week four has come and gone and Georgia Tech and Oregon are out of the playoff picture. Next week, College GameDay travels to Clemson as the #11 Tigers take on #6 Notre Dame in what should be a very fun game. Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer, both members of the 2014 recruiting class, are good quarterbacks surrounded by electric talent and this game should feature a bunch of points. Elsewhere, TCU should absolutely destroy Texas, Oklahoma-West Virginia has the possibility to be a fun game, and Alabama travels to Georgia in a game featuring two of the best running backs in the nation.

Finally, I leave you with this because Leonard Fournette is a national treasure and we should cherish every second we get to watch him play football.