It was the week of the comeback in college football, especially in the ACC whose members were not shy about mounting thrilling, drama-filled comebacks in overtime or with minutes, or seconds, remaining. North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland and Florida State relied on the comeback to beat the likes of Connecticut, Army, Stanford, James Madison and Jacksonville State, respectively. Michigan/Notre Dame, Tennessee/UCLA, Wisconsin/Fresno State and USC/Ohio State were thrillers as well, and that's just naming a few.
Recapping the day in 500 words or less, here's what Saturday taught us about the season:
- Iowa is the worst preseason top 25 team to start the season 2-0 in this history of the game. They showed why they dropped out of the rankings following a win, and did little to help their bid to reclaim their spot in the top 25. The 35-3 score was misleading. It took two and a half quarters for the Hawkeyes to separate from an Iowa State team that closed 2008 with 10 straight losses. And the Cyclones really killed themselves with turnovers. I know it's a rivalry game, but c'mon.
- Connecticut's defense was stout, but if that's all North Carolina's offense can muster, they're in trouble. It took a holding call in the end zone to give UNC the win.
- Two games in and Lou Holtz has been proven mad. Armando Allen said that he wanted to break more big runs for Notre Dame this season. So far, so good. Too bad Tate Forcier decided to steal the show with 11 seconds left. Or was it 9?
- I asked myself three times, "Why is Aaron Eckhart carrying a clipboard on the Tennessee sideline?" before realizing that it was Lane Kiffin. Tennessee fans should take solace in their killer running back combo of senior Montario Hardesty and freshman Bryce Brown. Give credit to UCLA for beating a very good Tennessee team, but three interceptions and a botched exchange from center to quarterback didn't help the Volunteers' effort. If nothing else, the Vols should be happy they've now got a little big game experience to carry into the Swamp next week.
- I'm not worried about Oklahoma State moving forward. Down 24-7 at half, the Cowboys came out of the half with new energy and responded to adversity. The upset was more a testament to how well Houston played rather than how poorly the Cowboys played. If not for a tipped ball in the end zone and Dez Bryant's cramping legs that likely led to a pick-six, the Cowboys could be letting out a sigh of relief instead of lamenting a tough loss to an unranked and unheralded, but underrated and explosive, Houston Cougars team. Don’t be too surprised if Oklahoma State beats Texas or Oklahoma later in the season.
- I can't decide which true freshman starting quarterback impressed me more: Matt Barkley or Tate Forcier. On the one hand, Barkley led an impressive drive to close out the half for the Trojans. He followed that up with a game winning drive to end the game, but that was much on the back of Joe McKnight. Forcier, on the other hand, looked cooler, calmer and more poised than any true freshman quarterback leading a game winning drive in his second college game and one of the biggest games he will ever play. He made some huge throws, too. Yeah, it's Forcier, but with props going out to Barkley for keeping his pants clean while leading the game winning drive. These guys are good.
So in a week that saw more than a few fourth quarter comebacks and dramatic finishes, there aren't any games on Sunday or Monday to hold us over until Thursday's Miami/Georgia Tech showdown. Speaking of the ACC, did any conference need an 8-1 Saturday like the ACC did? Sure, they had to come from behind to defeat some less than spectacular teams, but they'll take it.
Every week a player decides to burst onto the national scene in a big way. This week's New Household Name is Derrick Morgan. The Georgia Tech defensive end was all over Clemson's backfield on Thursday night, finishing with 10 tackles and 3 sacks.
Last week, Dez Bryant Proved He's Worth the Hype. This week, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry did the same in a losing effort. Berry finished with 10 tackles and was all over the field for the Volunteers defense.
Next week's games to watch come before College Football Saturday even kicks off. Thursday night's Miami/Georgia Tech matchup promises to be a good one, as does Friday's Boise State/Fresno State game. On Saturday, Tennessee travels to Florida, Nebraska visits Virginia Tech, Utah and Oregon go at it and BYU takes on Florida State. Texas plays Texas Tech in the primetime matchup. North Carolina should be on upset alert when East Carolina comes to town, as should Iowa with the Arizona Wildcats visiting. Danny Hobrock
Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.----------
Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.
No comments:
Post a Comment