Category: College Football (Page 233 of 296)

      Louisville freshman Victor Anderson scorches Kansas State

      September 17, 2008 /

      Victor AndersonWeek 4 in college football kicked off with a bang as Louisville pulled off a small upset, beating Kansas State 38-29 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Wednesday night.

      Cardinals’ quarterback Hunter Cantwell had the game of his collegiate career, completing 22 of 33 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. He got into a nice rhythm several times during the game and was able to pick apart K-State in the short, to mid-range passing game.

      While Cantwell was impressive, UL freshman running back Victor Anderson stole the show, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns on only 18 carries. He had touchdown runs of 29, 56 and 27 yards, and flashed incredible speed and athleticism on every score. And while Anderson was incredibly impressive, it’s only fair to note that Cardinals’ senior back Brock Bolen pounded his way for 104 yards on 23 carries. Bolen was essentially the backbone of UL’s offense Wednesday night.

      While Cantwell and Anderson shinned for Louisville, Cougars’ quarterback Josh Freeman threw two interceptions, the first of which the Cardinals turned into a touchdown and took a 14-7 lead. Freeman did manage to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but the lack of a running game allowed UL’s front seven to focus on crashing the pocket and forced the Cougars to rely on the pass. Falling behind by two touchdowns didn’t help Freeman and the K-State offense, either.

      College Football

      Week 4 College Football Primer

      September 17, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 4.

      Les MilesTop 25 Action:
      No. 6 LSU (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 10 Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC), Saturday 7:45 PM ET ESPN
      The last time these two teams met in Auburn, JaMarcus Russell and the LSU offense was stuffed by the Tigers’ defense in a 7-3 loss in 2006. LSU hasn’t won in Auburn since 1998 and 11 of the last 18 meetings between these two schools have been decided by a touchdown or less. LSU and its 33rd-ranked offense might have trouble moving the ball against Auburn’s 10th-ranked defense, but the LSU defense should have no issues stopping an Auburn offense that has struggled mightily so far this season. LSU is currently a 2.5-point road favorite.

      No. 18 Wake Forest (2-0) at No. 24 Florida State (2-0), Saturday 7:00 PM ET ESPN2
      Don’t let Florida State’s gaudy stats fool you – the Seminoles have beaten two FCS teams and have yet to be challenged. They’ll get their first real test of the year when the Demon Deacons travel to Tallahassee this Saturday. While their two wins might have given FSU confidence heading into this game, the Noles are still young at a lot of positions, especially quarterback where sophomore Christian Ponder (396 yards, 6 TDs) is off to a great start this season but has yet to face a real defense. Deacons’ QB Riley Skinner will also look to continue his hot play after amassing 487 passing yards and five touchdowns in Wake’s first two games this season. The Seminoles are currently favored by 4 points at home.

      Todd BoeckmanUpset Watch:
      Troy (2-0) at No. 13 Ohio State (2-1), Saturday 12:00 PM ET Big Ten Network
      OSU head coach Jim Tressel said RB Chris “Beanie” Wells is questionable to play Saturday after missing the past two games with an injured big toe. The Buckeyes also have issues at quarterback, where incumbent starter Todd Boeckman has strung together three poor outings in a row, including a disastrous effort in OSU’s 35-3 loss to USC last week. Tressel appears to be giving freshman Terrelle Pryor more of a role in the offense, which might be aiding in Boeckman’s troubles, as it’s hard for a quarterback to establish rhythm when he’s coming out of the game every other snap. Troy has wins over powder puffs Middle Tennessee State and Alcorn State, but the Trojans are no pushovers. They currently own the top ranked pass defense in the nation and have averaged over 500 yards a game offensively in their two victories. If anyone thinks a smaller school can’t compete with OSU at the Horseshoe, just look at what Ohio was able to do two weeks ago in Columbus when they went toe to toe with the Buckeyes for three and a half quarters. Ohio State is currently a 21-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      No. 4 Florida at Tennessee, Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
      No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State, Saturday 8:00 PM ET ABC
      No. 9 Alabama at Arkansas, Saturday 12:30 PM ET

      College Football

      Chase Daniel takes lead in Heisman race?

      September 16, 2008 /

      Gene Menez of SI.com breaks down the Heisman race as college football enters Week 4 of the season.

      Chase Daniel1. Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, Sr.
      Last week: 23-of-28 passing, 405 yards, 4 TDs; 1 rush, 12 yards in a 69-17 victory over Nevada.
      Season: 65-of-90 passing, 973 yards, 10 TDs, 1 INT; 10 rushes, 58 yards.
      Heisman-o-meter: Daniel has been a regular on this list for three years, but he has never been No. 1 — until now. The Tigers’ triggerman has been mind-boggingly productive in his first three games as the Missouri offense has rolled. (In the last two he has played just four quarters total and has seven touchdowns against six incompletions.) How he plays in the Tigers’ tough October stretch (at Nebraska, Oklahoma State, at Texas, Colorado) will go a long way in determining if he stays at No. 1.
      Up next: Saturday vs. Buffalo.

      2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB, Soph.
      Last week: 18-of-21 passing, 304 yards, 5 TDs; 1 rush, 1 yard, 1 TD in a 55-14 victory at Washington.
      Season: 64-of-81 passing, 882 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs; 4 rushes, 4 yards, 1 TD.
      Heisman-o-meter: In other Big 12 news, the Sooners have the conference’s — and country’s — No. 2 candidate for the stiff-armed statuette. Bradford plays so smoothly when he’s rolling out of the pocket and hitting receivers on the run, and he has Oklahoma’s offense humming. The task of separating Daniel and Bradford (Does Daniel benefit from having better receivers? Does Bradford have a better offensive line, running game and defense to get him the ball?) could go into early December when the Big 12 title game is played.
      Up next: Sept. 27 vs. TCU.

      3. Tim Tebow, Florida, QB, Jr.
      Last week: Idle.
      Season: 30-of-49 passing, 393 yards, 3 TDs; 22 rushes, 92 yards.
      Heisman-o-meter: As Daniel, Bradford and others have made early-season cases for the Heisman, the incumbent has yet to be the Tebow we know. For Saturday’s game at Tennessee, it will be interesting to see if the Gators’ rushing attack has improved since the Miami contest and who’s doing the heavy lifting. None of Florida’s tailbacks were effective against the Hurricanes, forcing the running load onto Tebow’s legs, which could prove great for a Heisman repeat but not so good for the Gators’ long term goals.
      Up next: Saturday at Tennessee.

      Daniel has been the best quarterback of this young season and his play at the end of the opener against Illinois was fantastic. But even though the Illini proved to be a tougher opponent than many thought, Daniel’s first true test comes next week when the Tigers travel to Nebraska and take on an improved Huskers program.

      Unfortunately college football fans have to wait two more weeks before Bradford faces his first real test. After TCU this week and at Baylor next Saturday, Oklahoma hosts Texas and Kansas in back-to-back weeks. Bradford might have the chance to win or lose the Heisman in those weeks.

      College Football

      USC crushes Ohio State 35-3

      September 13, 2008 /

      Ohio State-USCThe USC Trojans proved Saturday night why they’re the top ranked program in college football, embarrassing the Ohio State Buckeyes 35-3 at the Coliseum. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez passed for 172 yards and four touchdowns as the Trojan offense amassed 348 yards of total offense.

      Sanchez certainly quelled any doubts that he couldn’t win on a big stage. He looked incredibly comfortable picking apart a very good OSU defense and was effective spreading the ball around. It also helped that Joe McKnight (12 carries, 106 yards) shredded the Buckeyes for over eight yards a carry.

      Without Beanie Wells, the Buckeyes could do nothing offensively. Jim Tressel’s strategy to rotate quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor backfired, as the Trojans’ defense remained unfazed by both signal callers. (Although the freshman Pryor did flash some of his outstanding potential.)

      USC was able to contain the run for the most part and was relentless crashing the pocket. Their overall speed on defense completely overwhelmed the Buckeyes and forced Boeckman into two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by standout linebacker Rey Maualuga.

      Ohio State-USCEven though the score suggests otherwise, OSU’s defense didn’t play that bad; they just wore down in the second half after being left on the field entirely too long. Of course, the missed tackles didn’t help. The Buckeyes also committed 10 penalties, which often cost them vital field position.

      You’d like to say that had Wells played, the outcome would have been much different. One would think he would have broken a run or two and kept USC’s defense honest instead of blanketing the pass as much as they did. So much for my prediction that Ohio State would keep this game close. USC made the Buckeyes look like a Pop Warner team.

      College Football

      Maryland stuns No. 23 California

      September 13, 2008 /

      Maryland pulled off the upset of the day, topping No. 23 California 35-27 in College Park Saturday.

      It was over when… Chris Turner hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for a 27-yard TD pass to give the Terps a 28-6 lead in the third.
      Gameball goes to… Turner, whose efficient afternoon included 156 passing yards and two TD throws.
      Stat of the game… 0. After Maryland QBs combined for five picks over the first two games, Turner threw none against the Bears.

      The media has been quick to note that the 12:00 PM ET kickoff (which is 9:00 AM PT) was a clear disadvantage for California, but they were just outplayed as Maryland did whatever it wanted on the ground in the second half. The Cal offense did its part in totaling 461 yards, but whenever the defense needed to get a stop, it just couldn’t get one. While looking at the overall numbers, it’s hard to fathom how Maryland won this game, but the win was impressive nonetheless.

      College Football

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