The Tally: 16-11 overall, 5-8 v. the cartel, 4-4 v. '08 bowl teams, 6-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 20-6 overall, 7-3 v. the cartel, 5-2 v. '07 bowl teams, 5-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 13-13 overall, 5-8 v. the cartel, 2-10 v. '06 bowl teams, 3-0 v. 2A teams.)
Air Force: 26-14 win v. SDSU. Although not yet well tested, it appears Colorado Springs is not going to be an easy place for visitors to win games. SDSU held the Falcons' usual-gaudy ground game to a pedestrian 243 yards and no TDs (both of AFA's 6-point scores came on defense), and penalty-ridden (-75 yards on 9 flags). But AFA's defense won the day, holding the Aztecs to an embarrassing 1.6 ypc, and touchdown-less until late in the fourth quarter. Reggie Rembert showed his value, getting a pick-six, and Connor Dietz got 60 minutes' experience as a starter in place of Tim Jefferson. AFA continues to show it can win with big pieces missing. Key stat: Asher Clark had only five carries for 20 yards.
BYU: 42-23 win v. Colorado State. Ah, the uptick. Few things are more sure for established college football programs than the heart-warming win following a thoroughly bewildering loss. Florida State further added bewildering to the loss, losing for its first time to USF this week, while CSU provided the fodder for the recovery-win in Provo. Good defense provided the spark, getting two takeaways in the opening frame, and in the end, the bigger, stronger Cougars exhausted the Rams. An under-appreciated win over an under-appreciated program. Key stat: BYU converted 11 of 16 third downs. That's not quite driving at will, but it's close.
Colorado State: 23-42 loss at BYU. There're silver linings here: Grant Stucker had a pretty good day, passing 30-50 for 372 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 interceptions; short Tyson Liggett came from backup to Rashaun Greer to shining star, hauling in 11 passes for 156 yards and a score. But a slew of turnovers in the game's first minutes, and a weak showing from the ground game doomed- but without embarassment- the Rams in the end. Key stat: five CSU receivers grabbed three or more passes.
New Mexico: 17-20 loss v. New Mexico State. It feels like the wheels are falling (have fallen?) off in Albuquerque. When the Lobos' running game finally showed signs of life (6 ypc, but only 3.5 without Demond Dennis's 62-yard scamper), its defense gave its rival a better day on the ground (113 yards on 31 carries for Aggie Sean Smith). When the Lobos' passing game finally showed signs of life (first TD pass this year), UNM gave up a last-second game-winning toss to NM State. Key stat: New Mexico converted only three of 12 third downs. That's moribund, and sadly, familiar. And to top it off, Coach Locksley added dark clouds to the general heaviness by punching one of his assistants in the face. It may not be mathematically possible for things to get any worse, but there's little reason to expect improvement soon.
San Diego State: 14-26 loss at Air Force. It's a simple formula, really: go minus-six in turnover margin, and manage only 1.6 ypc, and you'll lose. Every dang time. This was no exception, and until SDSU protects the ball better and gets more push for its runners, it'll keep competing with New Mexico for a long list of last places. Key stat: you've already read 'em, and probably wept. Here's another: SDSU sold less than 10,000 season tickets this season. The Aztecs have killed whatever buzz hiring Brady Hoke created.
TCU: 14-10 win at Clemson. In the end, probably the best analysis of the Frogs' win in Death Valley was that the Frogs' better array of weapons slowly overwhelmed the Tigers' reliance on the very remarkable C. J. Spiller. TCU stopped Spiller just enough to keep Clemson's tally at ten points, and fielded just enough fresh legs and brilliance in the air to tally 14 points. The difference was most obvious in the one scoreless quarter-- the third. TCU out-gained Clemson 98 yards to eight, while holding the ball for over ten minutes. Clemson's d-line never recovered. Key stat: Dalton ran for 62 yards and three first downs in the second half. His "inverted veer," run off audibles, was the x-factor, similar to Jeremy Kerley's Wild Frog plays against BYU last year. Clemson couldn't stop it, and now Frog fans are clamoring to know what else TCU has up its sleeve for tight games.
UNLV: 27-30 loss at Wyoming. UNLV lost its second game this season (see Oregon State) more by turnovers than bad performances elsewhere. The Rebels slightly bested the Cowboys in nearly every other phase of the game; but UNLV fumbled away its first possession, leading to Wyoming's first field goal, and Tashaun Gipson snagged an otherwise-UNLV-touchdown at the Wyoming one yard line early in the second half. Gipson got another INT later the game, leading to a Wyoming field-goal. Key stat: UNLV gave up two field goals to Wyoming off turned-over drives, and lost six more with the goal-line interception, and lost by three points. That's living too close to the edge.
Utah: 30-14 win v. Louisville. Utah hasn't lost at home since... since at least 2007. The Utes continued their winning ways at Rice-Eccles with a characteristic win over a shaky Big East team: forcing turnovers, good rush defense, and some striking pass plays. Terrence Cain was ultra-efficient (over 77% completion), and Eddie Wide filled most of the gap created by Matt Asiata's season-ending knee injury. The Utes will face much tougher defenses in conference play, and won't be able to depend on Cain as successfully as they could against the Cardinals. Key stat: even without his longest carry (25 yards), Eddie Wide still averaged 5.8 ypc. He's not an every-down back, but he'll carry the Utes further than dismayed Ute fans give him credit for.
Wyoming: 30-27 win v. UNLV. Are these green shoots? Three passing touchdowns and no interceptions for Carta-Samuels? Or is that the happy coincidence of a beleaguered offense and and equally-beleaguered UNLV "defense"? Because UNLV slowed Hawaii's defense appreciably last week, one may be forgiven for thinking Wyoming's reconstruction is proceeding with some visible result. Don't expect consistency in Laramie, however, for another year. Away from it: perhaps yet another year. Key stat: true freshman Alvester Alexander led the Cowboys on the ground, netting only 42 yards. Minus his longest run (10 yards) he averaged less than three per carry. Passing attacks need viable rushing correlatives, kids. Wyoming won't really fly until it can grind out a tough yards on command (or something like unto it). Wyoming has done neither for a long, long time.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
TCU 14, Clemson 10
It wasn't particularly pretty (TCU failed to convert 8 of 14 third- or fourth-downs, including a third down with about 60 seconds left in the game, giving Clemson another opportunity to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat), but it was on the road, in the pouring rain, against a credible BCS foe with TCU-level talent, and it came on a day when four top-10 teams lost. So TCU will take it, and ride this win at Death Valley right up to the edge of the top ten.
Dalton (at left) was tremendous, running a designed QB sneak with devastating effectiveness (64 yards in the second half), and finding receivers through tight coverage. Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker, and Joe Turner punished the tired Clemson D to start the fourth quarter (TCU held the ball more than 10 minutes in the third quarter), setting up a Dalton TD pass to Antoine Hicks with 28 rushing yards in three plays.
C. J. Spiller earned the unabashed love-fest that the ESPN announcers gave him, carrying Clemson on his shoulders (and injured turf toe), keeping the otherwise-overmatched Tigers in the game to the final seconds.
Having cleared this hurdle, the Frogs look to host SMU from their loftiest September ranking in generations, and have a chance to begin conference play both carrying the MWC banner, and doing so from the top ten. If Utah and BYU continue in their newfound winning ways, TCU likely will have two ranked opponents waiting in its conference schedule: a luxury Houston and Boise State cannot boast.
Here're the highlights.
Dalton (at left) was tremendous, running a designed QB sneak with devastating effectiveness (64 yards in the second half), and finding receivers through tight coverage. Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker, and Joe Turner punished the tired Clemson D to start the fourth quarter (TCU held the ball more than 10 minutes in the third quarter), setting up a Dalton TD pass to Antoine Hicks with 28 rushing yards in three plays.C. J. Spiller earned the unabashed love-fest that the ESPN announcers gave him, carrying Clemson on his shoulders (and injured turf toe), keeping the otherwise-overmatched Tigers in the game to the final seconds.
Having cleared this hurdle, the Frogs look to host SMU from their loftiest September ranking in generations, and have a chance to begin conference play both carrying the MWC banner, and doing so from the top ten. If Utah and BYU continue in their newfound winning ways, TCU likely will have two ranked opponents waiting in its conference schedule: a luxury Houston and Boise State cannot boast.
Here're the highlights.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What we learned, week 3
The Tally: 14-10 overall, 3-8 v. the cartel, 3-4 v. '08 bowl teams, 6-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 17-5 overall, 6-3 v. the cartel, 4-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 5-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 9-12 overall, 5-8 v. the cartel, 1-9 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
Air Force: 37-13 win at New Mexico. AFA is glad to have safety and kick returner Reggie Rembert back-- and hopes it hasn't lost Tim Jefferson for too long. Suddenly Coach Calhoun looks more than brilliant for practicing Asher Clark at QB in the spring; how the Falcons respond to a new signal caller, be it Clark or Connor Dietz, is the critical issue in the Academy's immediate future. In Albuquerque, so be sure, AFA outclassed its hosts from the first whistle, holding the ball almost twice as long as the Lobos, and forcing three turnovers. Key stat: newbie QB Dietz was 2-4 through the air, including a touchdown pass to Kevin Fogler. As long as Dietz successfully runs both dimensions of the Falcons' attack, Jefferson's absence won't derail the Falcon's third run to a bowl in three years.
BYU: 28-54 loss v. Florida State. Words don't fail a blogger often, but this one is simply inexplicable. The answer is not that Florida State woke up Saturday and decided to run the ball all over BYU; nor is it that BYU is slow, or untalented. More likely the answer lies somewhere in the Cougars' misperception that the Seminoles that nearly lost to Jacksonville State were coming to Provo. Instead, a hungry, physical team tribe of Seminoles showed up, and played with more intensity and mental sharpness than the Cougars, controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing five turnovers. Key stat: Florida State converted 13 of 15 third downs. That, my friends, is how you put Boise State back ahead in the race to the BCS.
Colorado State: 35-20 win v. Nevada. Don't look now, but Colorado State has put together its second complete team in as many years. While yet unwilling to pronounce the Rams old-fashioned good, the Wimple recognizes that CSU is the conference's only 3-0 team, and rides a six-game winning streak. Yesterday's win over Nevada featured a late lead so large that the Rams put in their second and third teams, against which the Wolfpack promptly scored twice. CSU scored once on a lateral to WR Dion Morton, who then tossed the ball to TE Eric Peitz. Key stat: CSU forced five turnovers. DC Larry Kerr said, "Our guys play with confidence. What we added today is the guys played smart. They didn't make dumb mistakes."
New Mexico: 13-37 loss at Air Force. The slide continues, although the Lobos did score their first offensive touchdown this season. AFA deliberately manhandled the bigger New Mexico: aside from James Wright's two long TD runs, New Mexico managed only 2.3 ypc. B. R. Holbrook played extensively, and performed lukewarmly, except for two interceptions. Key stat: New Mexico converted only three of 14 third or fourth downs. Until the Lobos can sustain drives, their season appears to be irredeemably in the tank, puddling as motivation for improvement in '10.
San Diego State: 20-34 loss at Idaho. San Diego State doesn't remember how to win on the road. They haven't done it in a few years, and now have given up their best chance to relearn in 2009. Air Force, Colorado State, Utah, and UNLV likely will be much ruder hosts than Idaho was. But their bigger problem may be in the trenches, where SDSU averaged only 2.4 ypc. Against Idaho. What'd they give up on the ground? 3.6 ypc. This team is just not physical enough, and will flounder until it becomes such. Add an early pick-six, and SDSU never recovered. Key stat: -85 yards on penalties. Sustaining drives has to begin somewhere, and not shooting oneself in the foot would be a good first step for the Aztecs.
TCU: 56-21 win v. Texas State. TCU played flat, but not too flat to win. At the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, TCU kept Texas State from scoring for 12 consecutive plays in the red zone, but collapsed on the 13th. They'd never have been there had Andy Dalton not thrown a bad-decision interception, attempting to avoid a sack. Good rushing (and Bart Johnson) saved the day; TCU averaged 6.2 ypc. Johnson had a career-best 7 catches for 70 yards. Hughes and the defense were usually dominant, except for a persistent soft spot in the secondary that Texas State exploited. Key stat: Dalton completed 75% of his passes. He'll need to be in synch with his receivers in a week; Clemson will be a much tougher test.
UNLV: 34-33 win v. Hawaii. This one meant a lot, for recruiting, for town pride (UNLV has a high Hawaiian and Polynesian population), for a fledgling winning program, and for a defense that caved on the final drive last week. This week it stopped a relentless offense on its final drive, preserving a victory. The (formerly Rainbow-) Warriors drove at will most of the game, but the Rebels never panicked. The Clayton-Wolfe connection was vibrant; the run defense stout; the run-offense servicable (Trotter talled 68 yards on 15 carries); and despite two costly interceptions, the Rebels proved themselves superior. Key stat: Hawaii pounded UNLV's secondary for almost 500 yards. Unless UNLV can figure out how to stop a pass attack, it will sit at home for (another!) bowl season.
Utah: 24-31 loss at Oregon. Three words: first-year quarterback. Terrence Cain, who will do very well later this season and next year for the Utes, played like the first-year quarterback he is when challenged: inconsistently. He had a "dead spot" midway through the first half, missing 11 consecutive passes, while Oregon scored 21 points. He got his game back after halftime, but was too far behind to pull off the upset. Key stat: Duck runner LaMichael James broke off 152 yards on 27 carries against the once-mighty Ute rush defense.
Wyoming: 0-24 loss at Colorado. Wyoming is fulfilling the Wimple's very dire predictions of an offense-less season in 2009. After being shut out in Boulder, Coach Christensen jettisoned hopes of a JUCO-jumpstart, and announced he'll start the true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels against UNLV this weekend. Carta-Samuels had been getting the majority of the snaps anyway, so this isn't too big a change. Key stat: only David Leonard caught more than two passes against the Buffs. Until his receivers brethren start hauling in more passes, the Wyoming blizzard game plan will keep floundering.
(2008 tally: 17-5 overall, 6-3 v. the cartel, 4-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 5-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 9-12 overall, 5-8 v. the cartel, 1-9 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
Air Force: 37-13 win at New Mexico. AFA is glad to have safety and kick returner Reggie Rembert back-- and hopes it hasn't lost Tim Jefferson for too long. Suddenly Coach Calhoun looks more than brilliant for practicing Asher Clark at QB in the spring; how the Falcons respond to a new signal caller, be it Clark or Connor Dietz, is the critical issue in the Academy's immediate future. In Albuquerque, so be sure, AFA outclassed its hosts from the first whistle, holding the ball almost twice as long as the Lobos, and forcing three turnovers. Key stat: newbie QB Dietz was 2-4 through the air, including a touchdown pass to Kevin Fogler. As long as Dietz successfully runs both dimensions of the Falcons' attack, Jefferson's absence won't derail the Falcon's third run to a bowl in three years.
BYU: 28-54 loss v. Florida State. Words don't fail a blogger often, but this one is simply inexplicable. The answer is not that Florida State woke up Saturday and decided to run the ball all over BYU; nor is it that BYU is slow, or untalented. More likely the answer lies somewhere in the Cougars' misperception that the Seminoles that nearly lost to Jacksonville State were coming to Provo. Instead, a hungry, physical team tribe of Seminoles showed up, and played with more intensity and mental sharpness than the Cougars, controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing five turnovers. Key stat: Florida State converted 13 of 15 third downs. That, my friends, is how you put Boise State back ahead in the race to the BCS.
Colorado State: 35-20 win v. Nevada. Don't look now, but Colorado State has put together its second complete team in as many years. While yet unwilling to pronounce the Rams old-fashioned good, the Wimple recognizes that CSU is the conference's only 3-0 team, and rides a six-game winning streak. Yesterday's win over Nevada featured a late lead so large that the Rams put in their second and third teams, against which the Wolfpack promptly scored twice. CSU scored once on a lateral to WR Dion Morton, who then tossed the ball to TE Eric Peitz. Key stat: CSU forced five turnovers. DC Larry Kerr said, "Our guys play with confidence. What we added today is the guys played smart. They didn't make dumb mistakes."
New Mexico: 13-37 loss at Air Force. The slide continues, although the Lobos did score their first offensive touchdown this season. AFA deliberately manhandled the bigger New Mexico: aside from James Wright's two long TD runs, New Mexico managed only 2.3 ypc. B. R. Holbrook played extensively, and performed lukewarmly, except for two interceptions. Key stat: New Mexico converted only three of 14 third or fourth downs. Until the Lobos can sustain drives, their season appears to be irredeemably in the tank, puddling as motivation for improvement in '10.
San Diego State: 20-34 loss at Idaho. San Diego State doesn't remember how to win on the road. They haven't done it in a few years, and now have given up their best chance to relearn in 2009. Air Force, Colorado State, Utah, and UNLV likely will be much ruder hosts than Idaho was. But their bigger problem may be in the trenches, where SDSU averaged only 2.4 ypc. Against Idaho. What'd they give up on the ground? 3.6 ypc. This team is just not physical enough, and will flounder until it becomes such. Add an early pick-six, and SDSU never recovered. Key stat: -85 yards on penalties. Sustaining drives has to begin somewhere, and not shooting oneself in the foot would be a good first step for the Aztecs.
TCU: 56-21 win v. Texas State. TCU played flat, but not too flat to win. At the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, TCU kept Texas State from scoring for 12 consecutive plays in the red zone, but collapsed on the 13th. They'd never have been there had Andy Dalton not thrown a bad-decision interception, attempting to avoid a sack. Good rushing (and Bart Johnson) saved the day; TCU averaged 6.2 ypc. Johnson had a career-best 7 catches for 70 yards. Hughes and the defense were usually dominant, except for a persistent soft spot in the secondary that Texas State exploited. Key stat: Dalton completed 75% of his passes. He'll need to be in synch with his receivers in a week; Clemson will be a much tougher test.
UNLV: 34-33 win v. Hawaii. This one meant a lot, for recruiting, for town pride (UNLV has a high Hawaiian and Polynesian population), for a fledgling winning program, and for a defense that caved on the final drive last week. This week it stopped a relentless offense on its final drive, preserving a victory. The (formerly Rainbow-) Warriors drove at will most of the game, but the Rebels never panicked. The Clayton-Wolfe connection was vibrant; the run defense stout; the run-offense servicable (Trotter talled 68 yards on 15 carries); and despite two costly interceptions, the Rebels proved themselves superior. Key stat: Hawaii pounded UNLV's secondary for almost 500 yards. Unless UNLV can figure out how to stop a pass attack, it will sit at home for (another!) bowl season.
Utah: 24-31 loss at Oregon. Three words: first-year quarterback. Terrence Cain, who will do very well later this season and next year for the Utes, played like the first-year quarterback he is when challenged: inconsistently. He had a "dead spot" midway through the first half, missing 11 consecutive passes, while Oregon scored 21 points. He got his game back after halftime, but was too far behind to pull off the upset. Key stat: Duck runner LaMichael James broke off 152 yards on 27 carries against the once-mighty Ute rush defense.
Wyoming: 0-24 loss at Colorado. Wyoming is fulfilling the Wimple's very dire predictions of an offense-less season in 2009. After being shut out in Boulder, Coach Christensen jettisoned hopes of a JUCO-jumpstart, and announced he'll start the true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels against UNLV this weekend. Carta-Samuels had been getting the majority of the snaps anyway, so this isn't too big a change. Key stat: only David Leonard caught more than two passes against the Buffs. Until his receivers brethren start hauling in more passes, the Wyoming blizzard game plan will keep floundering.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
TCU 56, Texas State 21
Despite a persistent lack of focus, the Frogs turned in a pretty good performance Saturday, knocking off one of the better 2A teams by a margin of five touchdowns. TCU played flat, giving up more points than they had to any team since the debacle in Norman early last season. Clearly the Horned Frogs have bigger things on their minds-- Clemson perhaps?Dalton looked good, but for one bad decision throw, which was intercepted, starting one of Texas State's touchdown drives. Joe Turned had a career night, running for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Four other frogs ran for touchdowns. Bart Johnson hauled in seven passes for 70 yards; Jimmy Young had another touchdown catch. The o-line play was as often uninspiring as not.
Defensively, the Frogs were mistake-prone in the secondary. Colin Jones got playing time, but Luttrell started another game at safety. Hughes racked up three more sacks, and Tank Carder looked good at linebacker. Washington was everywhere, and the line was dominating again.
Last, but nowhere near least, Ross Evans made all eight extra points.
Here're the highlights.
It's what's for dinner
At least SDSU and Utah have the excuse of a road game. But really, BYU: what was that you laid in Provo Saturday? Really, Boise State couldn't be happier.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
What we learned: Week 2
The OOC Tally: 11-6 overall, 3-5 v. the cartel, 2-2 v. '08 bowl teams, 5-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 10-4 overall, 2-3 v. the cartel, 1-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 4-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 7-8 overall, 3-7 v. the cartel, 0-5 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
Air Force: 13-20 loss at Minnesota. The Falcons scared the bejeebers out of a larger Minnesota team, and lost in the face of a nearly flawless performance from Gopher QB Weber. The Falcons couldn't disrupt the Adam Weber-Eric Decker connection (10 receptions, 113 yards), including three key first down catches by Decker in the second half. AFA sunk its own boat when Minnesota returned a fumble for a touchdown late in the game. Key stat: AFA got zero touchdowns from 13 tries in the redzone.
BYU: 54-3 win at Tulane. Letdown? Who said anything about a letdown after the thriller at OU last week? Oh: the Wimple did? Well, not this week; not these Cougars. BYU got rolling slowly (the Cougars only led 3-0 starting the second quarter) but finished with 527 yards, giving up only 162. Probably the most important event of the day was another injury along BYU's offensive line. Braden Hansen (Jason Speredon's replacement) will miss up to a month rehabbing his ACL; sophomore Marco Thorson replaces him. Key stat: no one BYU receiver caught more than 3 passes, and eight receivers caught more than one.
Colorado State: 24-23 win v. Weber State. There may be no moral victories in football, but CSU came about as close as possible to giving one to Weber State. The 2A team converted 13 of 23 3rd and 4th downs, while CSU converted none; the 2A team held the ball fully sixteen minutes longer than CSU. How did Colorado State win? The Rams were +2 for turnovers, including a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Key stat: 23 rush attempts for only 63 yards-- a measley 2.7 yards per carry. That's not going to cut it, and the Rams hope Shelley Smith's return (which is exactly when?) will be (a) soon, and (b) bolster that poor showing.
New Mexico: 10-44 loss v. Tulsa. It would be hard to imagine a worse start to this season than the Lobos particular version of 0-2. Fans had such high hopes for the many returners and new players. Instead they got another dose of ineffective quarterbacking from senior Donovan Porterie and young B. R. Holbrook. Demond Dennis looked very pedestrian at tailback, again. While Tulsa tore through the Lobos' D, the formerly proud New Mexico running game only managed 2.2 yards per carry. Key stat: zero offensive touchdowns in 2009. Still.
San Diego State: 35-19 win v. Southern Utah. That's more like it: Ryan Lindley, Vincent Brown, and Brandon Sullivan led the Aztecs to their first win under Brady Hoke. The offensive line was sharp, the defense swarming; next comes an incrementally more difficult test: doing the same on the road against a bottom-tier 1A team. Key stat: SDSU converted 8 of 14 third and fourth downs. Sustained drives cure a multitude of ills in football, and that medicine was sorely needed in San Diego.
TCU: 30-14 win at Virginia. The Frogs are not showing any more than they must so far, and didn't need to show much to beat the Cavaliers. Jerry Hughes was unstoppable, as were his three new starting brethren on the line (and their backups); after a slow start, Dalton was excellent, going 10-10 and four rushes for 28 yards to finish the game. Key stat: five different Frogs had seven or more rushes, and four had multiple receptions. That's spreading the ball around-- and not even showing off the new passing attack about which Frog fans have heard (but not seen) so much.
UNLV: 21-23 loss v. Jaquizz Rodgers. (OK, ok, "Oregon State.") As much as the Wimple loves UNLV, it appears to be time to narrow the eyes and admit that the Rebs' upgrade on defense failed. UNLV could not stop Jaquizz Rodgers. All Rodgers did was carry the ball 26 times for 166 yards and a TD, and catch it ten times for 65 more yards. And when it counted most-- up by one, third down, less than a minute left, the opponent deep in its own territory, the Rebs gave up a pass intereference penalty on that gave the aforementioned Mr. Rodgers the chance to get the Beavers into field goal range, which he promptly did. Key stat: backup QB Mike Clausen roared into the game after starter Omar Clayton nursed a hurt knee, and promptly led UNLV on two touchdown drives, taking the lead for the first time in the game. That said, the Wimple resigns from the Rebel fanclub until UNLV finds a run defense that can stop at least a Sunday school class.
Utah: 24-14 win at San Jose State. One expects a bumpy ride when breaking in a new QB, and Saturday was a stomach-turner for Ute fans. Utah didn't pull away until the fourth quarter, and may have lost Matt Asiata for a week or two in the process. Whether the offense has gelled enough to continue their nation-leading winning streak becomes a pointed question at Oregon this week. Key stat: SJSU managed only 1.0 yards per carry. Perhaps Koa M'isi's return was the spark the Ute D needed to reclamp opponents on the ground.
Wyoming: 10-41 loss v. Texas. It looked surprisingly even at halftime: Texas only up 13-10. But by then Colt McCoy and the Longhorns had adjusted to the altitude and reeled off the game's remaining 28 points. But green shoots abound in Wyoming. Eleven Cowboys caught passes; Carta-Samuels looked almost good as the backup true freshman. The defense, in a truly impossible situation, played manfully. Key stat: Wyoming complete 23 passes (out of 50). Improvement there is sure to happen, and will become lethal late this season.
(2008 tally: 10-4 overall, 2-3 v. the cartel, 1-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 4-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 7-8 overall, 3-7 v. the cartel, 0-5 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
Air Force: 13-20 loss at Minnesota. The Falcons scared the bejeebers out of a larger Minnesota team, and lost in the face of a nearly flawless performance from Gopher QB Weber. The Falcons couldn't disrupt the Adam Weber-Eric Decker connection (10 receptions, 113 yards), including three key first down catches by Decker in the second half. AFA sunk its own boat when Minnesota returned a fumble for a touchdown late in the game. Key stat: AFA got zero touchdowns from 13 tries in the redzone.
BYU: 54-3 win at Tulane. Letdown? Who said anything about a letdown after the thriller at OU last week? Oh: the Wimple did? Well, not this week; not these Cougars. BYU got rolling slowly (the Cougars only led 3-0 starting the second quarter) but finished with 527 yards, giving up only 162. Probably the most important event of the day was another injury along BYU's offensive line. Braden Hansen (Jason Speredon's replacement) will miss up to a month rehabbing his ACL; sophomore Marco Thorson replaces him. Key stat: no one BYU receiver caught more than 3 passes, and eight receivers caught more than one.
Colorado State: 24-23 win v. Weber State. There may be no moral victories in football, but CSU came about as close as possible to giving one to Weber State. The 2A team converted 13 of 23 3rd and 4th downs, while CSU converted none; the 2A team held the ball fully sixteen minutes longer than CSU. How did Colorado State win? The Rams were +2 for turnovers, including a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Key stat: 23 rush attempts for only 63 yards-- a measley 2.7 yards per carry. That's not going to cut it, and the Rams hope Shelley Smith's return (which is exactly when?) will be (a) soon, and (b) bolster that poor showing.
New Mexico: 10-44 loss v. Tulsa. It would be hard to imagine a worse start to this season than the Lobos particular version of 0-2. Fans had such high hopes for the many returners and new players. Instead they got another dose of ineffective quarterbacking from senior Donovan Porterie and young B. R. Holbrook. Demond Dennis looked very pedestrian at tailback, again. While Tulsa tore through the Lobos' D, the formerly proud New Mexico running game only managed 2.2 yards per carry. Key stat: zero offensive touchdowns in 2009. Still.
San Diego State: 35-19 win v. Southern Utah. That's more like it: Ryan Lindley, Vincent Brown, and Brandon Sullivan led the Aztecs to their first win under Brady Hoke. The offensive line was sharp, the defense swarming; next comes an incrementally more difficult test: doing the same on the road against a bottom-tier 1A team. Key stat: SDSU converted 8 of 14 third and fourth downs. Sustained drives cure a multitude of ills in football, and that medicine was sorely needed in San Diego.
TCU: 30-14 win at Virginia. The Frogs are not showing any more than they must so far, and didn't need to show much to beat the Cavaliers. Jerry Hughes was unstoppable, as were his three new starting brethren on the line (and their backups); after a slow start, Dalton was excellent, going 10-10 and four rushes for 28 yards to finish the game. Key stat: five different Frogs had seven or more rushes, and four had multiple receptions. That's spreading the ball around-- and not even showing off the new passing attack about which Frog fans have heard (but not seen) so much.
UNLV: 21-23 loss v. Jaquizz Rodgers. (OK, ok, "Oregon State.") As much as the Wimple loves UNLV, it appears to be time to narrow the eyes and admit that the Rebs' upgrade on defense failed. UNLV could not stop Jaquizz Rodgers. All Rodgers did was carry the ball 26 times for 166 yards and a TD, and catch it ten times for 65 more yards. And when it counted most-- up by one, third down, less than a minute left, the opponent deep in its own territory, the Rebs gave up a pass intereference penalty on that gave the aforementioned Mr. Rodgers the chance to get the Beavers into field goal range, which he promptly did. Key stat: backup QB Mike Clausen roared into the game after starter Omar Clayton nursed a hurt knee, and promptly led UNLV on two touchdown drives, taking the lead for the first time in the game. That said, the Wimple resigns from the Rebel fanclub until UNLV finds a run defense that can stop at least a Sunday school class.
Utah: 24-14 win at San Jose State. One expects a bumpy ride when breaking in a new QB, and Saturday was a stomach-turner for Ute fans. Utah didn't pull away until the fourth quarter, and may have lost Matt Asiata for a week or two in the process. Whether the offense has gelled enough to continue their nation-leading winning streak becomes a pointed question at Oregon this week. Key stat: SJSU managed only 1.0 yards per carry. Perhaps Koa M'isi's return was the spark the Ute D needed to reclamp opponents on the ground.
Wyoming: 10-41 loss v. Texas. It looked surprisingly even at halftime: Texas only up 13-10. But by then Colt McCoy and the Longhorns had adjusted to the altitude and reeled off the game's remaining 28 points. But green shoots abound in Wyoming. Eleven Cowboys caught passes; Carta-Samuels looked almost good as the backup true freshman. The defense, in a truly impossible situation, played manfully. Key stat: Wyoming complete 23 passes (out of 50). Improvement there is sure to happen, and will become lethal late this season.
Monday, September 14, 2009
TCU 30, Virginia 14
TCU blasted Virginia for 56 minutes Saturday, scoring 30 points while pitching a shutout and giving up under 100 yards. The Cavs could not move the ball against the Frogs' first team defense, but managed two face-saving touchdowns in the last four minutes of the game. TCU moved the ball through the air and on the ground, and out-possessed Virginia by almost ten minutes. Returning starter Joe Turner, redshirt freshman Ed Wesley, and true freshman Matthew Tucker gained 154 yards on ten carries each; eight different receivers caught passes (half of them multiple passes) for 177 yards. Kerley, Young, and Turner scored touchdowns (Kerley's is pictured at left).The defensive line had a very good day, tallying eight sacks, led by Jerry Hughes-- a one-man offense-wrecking machine. Hughes had a career best 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks; newcomer D.J. Yendrey pile-drove a Cavalier lineman into the QB for the day's most impressive sack. All told, the Frog D held Virginia to 57 yards rushing (and 65 negative yards); and 120 yards passing (all but 38 of those coming on the two last-minute TD passes).
The Horned Frogs looked very 2008, showing little, if any, of their upgraded passing attack. Look for more of the same in a week against 2A Texas State.
Here're the highlights.
Monday, September 7, 2009
What we learned:
Beginning a new tradition at The Wimple is this team-by-team breakdown of the weekend's MWC games, plus a snapshot of the conference performance in the last three opening weeks.
The Tally: 6-2 overall, 2-2 v. the cartel, 2-0 v. '08 bowl teams, 3-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 6-2 overall, 1-1 v. the cartel, 1-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 2-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 5-3 overall, 3-2 v. the cartel, 0-1 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
AFA: Troy Calhoun is sticking with his formula, which he revealed a few days prior to the opener, "I just think you’ve got to begin from scratch." Later he added, "We had a bunch of young ones that I think down the road are going to be good players, and yet what we’re going to do is we’re going to ask them to do it real soon." And so the coach sent in 15 freshmen during the Academy's first game. They joined about a dozen veteran sophomores, making AFA's performance Saturday even more intriguing: they absolutely dominated a 2A team. 72-0 was the final tally. Minnesota only has about 30 minutes' film on the first team, which largely sat out the second half. Key stat: Jefferson was 5-7 through the air for 102 yards and one touchdown, playing only about one half. If he can compliment Air Force's ground game with any semblance of a passing game, AFA will be very dangerous.
BYU: If there's fire where there's smoke, BYU is flaming hot. National title contender hot? Speculation to that effect has sprung up all over the sports chattersphere. This year's Cougars neatly pulled all of Boise State's spotlight onto themselves with the win over OU, and have a firm grasp on the MWC's banner. Max Hall was brilliant when it mattered: down by 6 in the fourth quarter, he led a Brian Johnson-like 8:38 minute, 16-play, 78-yard drive, converting five third or fourth downs, ending with a TD pass to a shockingly exposed McKay Jacobson. Key stat: Harvey Unga's backup, Bryan Kariya, rushed for 42 yards caught four passes for 76 yards. Mendenhall said he should be the player of the game.
If Florida State beats Miami tonight, and both teams meet undefeated in a few weeks, all eyes will be on Provo and the newly impressive BYU defense. The Wimple can't imagine a better showcase for the MWC. Meanwhile, Bronco Mendenhall is passing out earplugs to prevent any echos of '84 from reaching his team's ears...
CSU: The MWC's other upset of a cartel program came in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, in which the Rams beat the Buffaloes for the first time in most of the players' lifetimes. Fairchild's lines won the day, even without their star: Leonard Mason netted 107 yards in 23 carries, while all-MWC LG Shelley Smith sat out with an ankle injury. Defensive frontmen Macon, Morehead, Millerand, and Whittier led the Ram D that held CU to a TCU-esque 29 yards on the ground. Fifth-year senior QB Grant Stucker, starting for the first time, was adequate (10 of 17, 208 yds, 1 touchdown, 1 interception), while his receivers were very good.
New Mexico: the Lobos will want to forget this one. They went to College Station, lost two fumbles, gave up over 600 yards and 40 points. Demond Dennis ran like a freshman, Donovan Porterie couldn't turn redzone snaps into points, and safety Ian Clarke re-injured his shoulder. Key stat: UNM netted 0.9 yard per carry. Texas A&M's rush defense probably isn't as randy as TCU's, BYU's, Utah's, CSU's, AFA's. . . so until somebody lights a fire under the Lobos' line, Albuquerque is going to start talking about bowl-less streaks...
SDSU: The MWC's other unimpressive coaching debut came in the Rose Bowl, where Brady Hoke's Aztecs looked good for about twenty minutes, and then the wheels came off. SDSU gave up 33 unanswered points after scoring two quick touchdowns. Key stats: SDSU netted only 39 yards rushing, while Ryan Lindley and his receivers connected only eleven of 34 attempts after the first quarter. That kind of offense-less streak will make the few remaining Aztec fans pine for Chuck Long if it continues much longer.
TCU: bye
UNLV: Few coaches' seats are as hot as Mike Sanford's at UNLV, and the fifth-year leader of the Rebels did what he's done every year since his first: win the first game. This season, his troops did it convincingly, beating a 2A program 38-3. The offense looks very good: Clayton was flawless; UNLV had no turnovers; the running game was fine.
Stopping the 2A team's running game less fine for about a half, but in the second half, the defense rose up and that was that. If Sacramento State's Terrance Dailey netted over 100 yards on the ground; think what JaQuizz Rogers might get in a week... So the Rebels' run defense will continue to add gray hairs to Sanford's head for at least a week, and absent considerable improvement, much longer. Key stat: Channing Trotter also bested the century mark on the ground, netting 102 yards in 16 carries. For now, he's the Rebs' go-to back.
Utah: That giant whooshing sound you hear from the Wasatch Front in fact is not BYU fans' collective sigh of relief that they somehow escaped OU's clutches with a win, but instead is Utah fans' sigh of relief that they are going to be OK at quarterback this season. Terrence Cain performed very well against Utah State, as did new starting receivers David Reed and John Peel. The Utes' run defense may attract concern, giving up 3.8 ypc (not counting Robert Turbin's 96-yard touchdown scamper); clearly DE Koa Misi's absence matters.
Key stat: Jordan Wynn did not play. Whittingham is letting Cain garner all of the game experience so far; he'll need it for Oregon in two weeks. But if Cain goes down, the Utes'll find themselves in a scary place: Cain is presently the only quarterback on the team to have D-1 experience.
Wyoming: This may end up Wyoming's only win of the season, but barely beating a 2A team is better than losing to one. And there's good news amid the flotsam: the offense works some of the time. Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels will only get better, and they ran the scheme decently well, going 16 for 31 for 188 yards, and didn't throw any interceptions. The Cowboys could rely on their ground game to get points: Darius Terry and freshman Alvester Alexander proved adequate, combining for 180 yards and three touchdowns. The youth movement is underway in Laramie, and perhaps by this time next year, it'll net reasonable bowl hopes.
Key stat: David Leonard and Orlando Arnold combined for 11 catches and 134 yards. They are turning into the Cowboys' best weapons.
The Tally: 6-2 overall, 2-2 v. the cartel, 2-0 v. '08 bowl teams, 3-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 6-2 overall, 1-1 v. the cartel, 1-1 v. '07 bowl teams, 2-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 5-3 overall, 3-2 v. the cartel, 0-1 v. '06 bowl teams, 1-0 v. 2A teams.)
AFA: Troy Calhoun is sticking with his formula, which he revealed a few days prior to the opener, "I just think you’ve got to begin from scratch." Later he added, "We had a bunch of young ones that I think down the road are going to be good players, and yet what we’re going to do is we’re going to ask them to do it real soon." And so the coach sent in 15 freshmen during the Academy's first game. They joined about a dozen veteran sophomores, making AFA's performance Saturday even more intriguing: they absolutely dominated a 2A team. 72-0 was the final tally. Minnesota only has about 30 minutes' film on the first team, which largely sat out the second half. Key stat: Jefferson was 5-7 through the air for 102 yards and one touchdown, playing only about one half. If he can compliment Air Force's ground game with any semblance of a passing game, AFA will be very dangerous.
BYU: If there's fire where there's smoke, BYU is flaming hot. National title contender hot? Speculation to that effect has sprung up all over the sports chattersphere. This year's Cougars neatly pulled all of Boise State's spotlight onto themselves with the win over OU, and have a firm grasp on the MWC's banner. Max Hall was brilliant when it mattered: down by 6 in the fourth quarter, he led a Brian Johnson-like 8:38 minute, 16-play, 78-yard drive, converting five third or fourth downs, ending with a TD pass to a shockingly exposed McKay Jacobson. Key stat: Harvey Unga's backup, Bryan Kariya, rushed for 42 yards caught four passes for 76 yards. Mendenhall said he should be the player of the game.
If Florida State beats Miami tonight, and both teams meet undefeated in a few weeks, all eyes will be on Provo and the newly impressive BYU defense. The Wimple can't imagine a better showcase for the MWC. Meanwhile, Bronco Mendenhall is passing out earplugs to prevent any echos of '84 from reaching his team's ears...
CSU: The MWC's other upset of a cartel program came in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, in which the Rams beat the Buffaloes for the first time in most of the players' lifetimes. Fairchild's lines won the day, even without their star: Leonard Mason netted 107 yards in 23 carries, while all-MWC LG Shelley Smith sat out with an ankle injury. Defensive frontmen Macon, Morehead, Millerand, and Whittier led the Ram D that held CU to a TCU-esque 29 yards on the ground. Fifth-year senior QB Grant Stucker, starting for the first time, was adequate (10 of 17, 208 yds, 1 touchdown, 1 interception), while his receivers were very good.
New Mexico: the Lobos will want to forget this one. They went to College Station, lost two fumbles, gave up over 600 yards and 40 points. Demond Dennis ran like a freshman, Donovan Porterie couldn't turn redzone snaps into points, and safety Ian Clarke re-injured his shoulder. Key stat: UNM netted 0.9 yard per carry. Texas A&M's rush defense probably isn't as randy as TCU's, BYU's, Utah's, CSU's, AFA's. . . so until somebody lights a fire under the Lobos' line, Albuquerque is going to start talking about bowl-less streaks...
SDSU: The MWC's other unimpressive coaching debut came in the Rose Bowl, where Brady Hoke's Aztecs looked good for about twenty minutes, and then the wheels came off. SDSU gave up 33 unanswered points after scoring two quick touchdowns. Key stats: SDSU netted only 39 yards rushing, while Ryan Lindley and his receivers connected only eleven of 34 attempts after the first quarter. That kind of offense-less streak will make the few remaining Aztec fans pine for Chuck Long if it continues much longer.
TCU: bye
UNLV: Few coaches' seats are as hot as Mike Sanford's at UNLV, and the fifth-year leader of the Rebels did what he's done every year since his first: win the first game. This season, his troops did it convincingly, beating a 2A program 38-3. The offense looks very good: Clayton was flawless; UNLV had no turnovers; the running game was fine.
Stopping the 2A team's running game less fine for about a half, but in the second half, the defense rose up and that was that. If Sacramento State's Terrance Dailey netted over 100 yards on the ground; think what JaQuizz Rogers might get in a week... So the Rebels' run defense will continue to add gray hairs to Sanford's head for at least a week, and absent considerable improvement, much longer. Key stat: Channing Trotter also bested the century mark on the ground, netting 102 yards in 16 carries. For now, he's the Rebs' go-to back.
Utah: That giant whooshing sound you hear from the Wasatch Front in fact is not BYU fans' collective sigh of relief that they somehow escaped OU's clutches with a win, but instead is Utah fans' sigh of relief that they are going to be OK at quarterback this season. Terrence Cain performed very well against Utah State, as did new starting receivers David Reed and John Peel. The Utes' run defense may attract concern, giving up 3.8 ypc (not counting Robert Turbin's 96-yard touchdown scamper); clearly DE Koa Misi's absence matters.
Key stat: Jordan Wynn did not play. Whittingham is letting Cain garner all of the game experience so far; he'll need it for Oregon in two weeks. But if Cain goes down, the Utes'll find themselves in a scary place: Cain is presently the only quarterback on the team to have D-1 experience.
Wyoming: This may end up Wyoming's only win of the season, but barely beating a 2A team is better than losing to one. And there's good news amid the flotsam: the offense works some of the time. Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels will only get better, and they ran the scheme decently well, going 16 for 31 for 188 yards, and didn't throw any interceptions. The Cowboys could rely on their ground game to get points: Darius Terry and freshman Alvester Alexander proved adequate, combining for 180 yards and three touchdowns. The youth movement is underway in Laramie, and perhaps by this time next year, it'll net reasonable bowl hopes.
Key stat: David Leonard and Orlando Arnold combined for 11 catches and 134 yards. They are turning into the Cowboys' best weapons.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
BYU re-writes the script
What was that? Only a week ago The Wimple was predicting:TCU has the MWC's best chances of running the table... So what's the prognosis for BYU? The Wimple is tempted to downgrade the high expectations given them after spring; instability on the o-line is not a trifling weakness. But after a loss to OU, BYU remains as good, or better, than every remaining team on its schedule.And then BYU goes out there and kicks Oklahoma's butt. No, the score doesn't make it look like that's what happened, but considering the youth on BYU's o-line, and the supposed strength of OU's defense, one must conclude that BYU simply outperformed Oklahoma in the trenches. That's what butt-kicking is all about.
Consider now the rest of The Wimple's pre-season prediction for BYU:
Suddenly the road ahead for BYU looks lovely, and the Cougars aren't starting down it as a recovery project from a Dallas bruising.Getting Florida State, Colorado State, TCU, Air Force, and Utah at home has to be the best-breaking difficult schedule in the nation. BYU is the reasonable choice to win every one of those games-- even if only by a hair's breadth.
Is there a cloud in this sky? Yes: the season is 12 games long, and biffing an easy game takes away all the progress and poll capital you earn by winning the hard one. Witness: the last MWC team to beat OU in its home opener. TCU did just that in 2005, and then laid its biggest egg since 2000; the Frogs lost at SMU the following week. They didn't return to the polls for a month, but finished 14th, and would have auto-bid into the BCS under the present rules. Alas, those rules didn't take effect until the following year, giving us Boise State and Oklahoma in the best Fiesta Bowl since Penn State and Miami. (why is OU always lurking in non-cartel's BCS runs?)
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