WEEK 1: REVIEW

With one week in the books, let’s take a look back at some of the notable moments from this monster holiday weekend.


Thursday Night started off with a bang:

Wisconsin racked up almost 500 yards, and ushered in the 2011 season in style. Russell Wilson at QB proved to be just what the doctored ordered. He went 10 for 13, 255 yards, with 2 TD and no picks. Wilson rushed for 64 yards and a TD. The ground game is right where it should be with White and Ball in the backfield. Behind one of the best Offensive lines in the country, they combined for 21 rushes, 127 yards and 5 TDs. Wisconsin 51 - UNLV 17.

Syracuse under Doug Marrone has heart, and they did not give up in The Carrier Dome against Wake Forest. The Deacs led almost the entire game, led behind upstart Tanner Price. The QB for Wake Forest had a monster game in the losing effort and had he stayed healthy, I’m certain this game would not have gone to OT. But Tanner did go down early in the 4th Quarter (at the time the Deacons were up 29-14). But The Orangemen came back and rallied. Star performances from QB Ryan Nassib who went 20 for 28, 178 yards and 3 TDs. The balanced attack was carried out by Antwon Bailey (RB) who carried the ball 25 times for 114 yards and 2 TDs. The nail in the coffin came in overtime as Nassib threw a 4 yard TD pass to Van Chew for the go ahead score. The Syracuse D held out on the following possession and they escaped with a dramatic W. Syracuse 36 - Wake Forest 29 (OT).

Mississippi State was playing Memphis on Thursday night and The Bulldog offensive consistency and output is a thing of beauty. Mississippi State scored 14 or more points in every quarter. QB Relf was 13 of 21 for 202 yards and 2 TDs, but the star of the night was none other than Vick Ballard. He rushed 10 times for 166 yards and 3 TDs! Mississippi State 59 - Memphis 14.



Friday Night was Robert Griffin III Night:

The TCU - Baylor game was supposed to a good one, and boy did it live up to the hype. TCU’s defense gave up an astounding 564 yards to Baylor. Better stated: Baylor took those 564 yards from TCU, which is no small feat against a Gary Patterson led defense. TCU lost a lot, but no one predicted Robert Griffin’s absolute marvelous performance. RGIII went 12 for 27, 359 yards in the air, 5 TDs and 38 yards on the ground. With Terrance Ganaway at RB, the Bears have a very nice balanced attack. Ganaway had 24 carries for 120 yards and 1 TD. If this Baylor team can stay healthy…watch out. Baylor 50 - TCU 48.



Saturday was a wild one:

The majority of the noon games on Saturday went according to plan.

Iowa beat up on Tennessee Tech winning 34-7. James Vanderberg had a solid, productive day. Throwing for 2 TDs and 219 yards, Vanderberg was also aided by his defense which snagged a pair of interceptions. Iowa 34 - Tenn. Tech 7.

Ohio State pounded Akron. Joe Bauserman threw for 163 yards, 3 TD passes to Tight End Jake Stoneburner. Rod Smith and Carlos Hyde combined for 167 yards and a TD on the ground. Ohio State 42 - Akron 0.

Penn State started the season off in style as the opening kickoff was returned 95 yards by Chaz Powell for an early 7-0 lead. The Nittany Lions never looked back as JoePa and company cruised to victory behind a conservative running attack. Penn State rushed for 245 yards on the ground, racked up 21 first downs and had 0 turnovers. Penn State 41 - Indiana State 7.

The Auburn – Utah State game was crazy to say the least. Auburn barely got out of dodge on this one, but credit is due to the Auburn coaching staff. Those guys never say die and it shows. They pulled another one out of the hat in an inspired late game comeback that was highlighted most notably by a creative onsite kick that was literally snagged in the air by super clutch, Emory Blake. Blake also led Auburn receivers with 95 yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Dyer punched in a TD late for The Tigers to escape their season opener. They might have a bumpy post national championship season this year, but they were celebrating on The Plains today. Auburn 42 - Utah State 38.

Alabama took care of business at home by beating Kent State 48-7. Much to Coach Saban’s chagrin, The Tide had 5 turnovers on Saturday. AJ McCarron (starter) and Phillip Sims combined for 4 interceptions, and DeAndrew White fumbled. That will get worked on this week in practice I can assure you. Trent Richardson punched in 3 TDs and Marquis Maze snagged a TD as well.

Minnesota – Southern Cal was a highlight reel, record setting day for Robert Woods. Woods caught 17 for 177 yards and 3 TDs and sets a USC single game record. The Gophers showed some serious heart and would not go away. If QB Marqueis Gray does not go down with leg cramps late in the game, ushering in backup QB Max Shortell who threw a pick, then maybe we have a different outcome. Either way the Trojans performed when it mattered most converting a late drive into a TD to seal the deal. USC 19 - Minnesota 17.

The South Florida – Notre Dame game outside of the weather delays was a thriller. The Bulls came in and took advantage of a sloppy play on Notre Dame’s part. Coach Brian Kelly almost had an aneurysm, but hey I think it is great to have a coach with passion. He expects his players to do likewise. Look for Notre Dame to tighten up and right the ship. South Florida 23 - Notre Dame 20.

Now independent BYU travelled to Oxford to hand Ole Miss its first loss of the season. Ole Miss was up 13-0 coming down the stretch, but BYU put up 2 TDs to come back and win it. BYU had a total yards advantage on the day that was hard to miss 316 compared to Ole Miss’ 208. Turnovers were the Rebels undoing. BYU 14 - Ole Miss 13.

East Carolina – South Carolina started out a little shaky for The Gamecocks with Conner Shaw, but as soon as Garcia came in, the planets aligned. I was not surprised that Shaw started. After Garcia’s offseason antics, it was a more of punishment from up top than anything. This one was closer than many would have liked though. Pretty even total yards comparison: 345 (East Carolina) – 351 (South Carolina). Gamecocks will have to keep the turnovers to a minimum with UGA on the schedule next. Garcia threw for 110 yards and a TD. Lattimore had 23 carries, 112 yards, and 3 TDs. He also had 3 receptions for 33 yards. Alshon Jeffery had 5 catches for 92 yards. USC 56 - ECU 37.

Boise State – Georgia was a showcase for how far Boise has come and just how far UGA has slipped. Gone is the memory of the whooping that Georgia put up on Boise years ago. The Broncos marched in with one of the elite quarterbacks in the country, found wide open receivers. They played great defense, and Georgia looked confused and mediocre (again). Brandon Boykin (CB) was the leading rusher, and anytime your star cornerback is your leading rusher…there is trouble ahead. Star linebacker Alec Ogletree went down with a broken foot and it was over at that point. Score should have been worse. By my count it was 42-14, but Boise showed mercy and it was 35-21. For a Georgia team trying to find its way, they should start by looking up the term "Iron Man Football" and take it from there. Boykin, Smith, and Samuel should all be playing both ways from here on out. Moore was 28 of 34, for 261 yards, and 3 TDs, is now 39-2 over his last 41 games.

Oregon – LSU had all the makings and the off field drama for a heavy weight title bout, but in the end it was just another showing that Oregon is still not ready to hang with the SEC’s elite. LSU roughed up The Ducks and ended up with a slew yards on the ground. LSU behind Spencer Ware and Michael Ford rushed for a combined 195 yards and 3 TDs. On the other side of the ball Oregon’s touted ground game had just 95 yards on the ground going against one of the best defenses in the country. Oregon was outmatched: 4 turnovers and just 27 points illustrates. LSU now has 34 straight nonconference game wins (best in the nation). LSU 40 - Oregon 27.



Monday night capped off a great weekend:

Miami – Maryland was headlined by new coaches, new uniforms for Maryland, and a thrilling cap to the Labor Day weekend action. Maryland, behind the stellar performance of QB Danny O’Brien prevailed 32-24. O’Brien passed for 348 yards, and a TD. Maryland put almost 500 yards of total offense, and definitely enjoyed have Davin Meggett in the backfield. He carried the ball 21 times and accounted for 92 yards. Coach Randy Edsall has to like his team’s resolve. Exhibiting some red zone issues and some turnovers in the rain, The Terps hung in there and pulled out a victory. Maybe it was the new Under Armor uniforms, maybe it was the absence of a slew of Miami players, maybe it was life after The Fridge, or maybe this Maryland team finally realizes its future atop the ACC with FSU. Maryland 32 - Miami 24.


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