Category: College Football (Page 240 of 296)

      Missouri tops Illinois 52-42 in wild shootout

      August 31, 2008 /

      Jeremy Maclin helped No. 6 Missouri beat No. 20 Illinois 52-42 in a thriller Saturday night at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

      It was over when… Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon picked off Juice Williams and returned the INT 35 yards for a touchdown with 3:18 left in the game, pushing the score to 52-35 and ending Illinois’ comeback attempt.
      Gameball goes to… Chase Daniel, who saw a second quarter INT brought back for a touchdown, but settled down and finished the game with three TDs, 323 yards passing and 47 yards rushing.
      Stat of the game… 1,081: The Tigers and Fighting Illini combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense in their second straight thriller in St. Louis.

      Missouri’s defense didn’t look good, but Illinois deserves massive credit for hanging with the Tigers for four quarters. Even though they couldn’t pull out a win, the Illini needed a showing like this to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke and that the program is making strides. Ron Zook is turning Illinois into a competitor and if Saturday night was any indication of what’s to come for them, the Illini are going to battle Ohio State and Wisconsin this year in a weak Big Ten.

      As for Missouri, the defense was an issue but what an amazing offense. The season just started but I can’t wait for the MIZZOU-Kansas game.

      College Football

      Alabama stuns Clemson 34-10

      August 31, 2008 /

      No. 24 Alabama thrashed No. 9 Clemson 34-10 in Atlanta Saturday night.

      “Nobody can be satisfied with a one-game performance,” Saban said. “This will be a challenge for our team and it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.”

      Still, as the Alabama band broke into Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” at the end, you had to wonder if they were honoring the Crimson Tide’s past, with 12 national titles and years of dominance in the Southeastern Conference under Bear Bryant, or gazing into the near future.

      Tide QB John Parker Wilson was outstanding, throwing for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing. But Bama won this game by getting up early and completely taking away Clemson’s dynamic rushing attack. C.J. Spiller and James Davis came into the season as one of the best backfield tandems in the nation. But collectively they only rushed for 20 yards on eight carries. Outside of Spiller’s 96-yard kickoff return in the second half, the Tide owned the Tigers in every facet of the game.

      Looks like Saban is turning around Alabama’s program in just a few short years while Clemson continues to underachieve under Tommy Bowden. Alabama is a very improved program, but this loss is rather devastating to a Clemson team that was supposed to have an outside shot at a BCS title appearance.

      College Football

      Heisman hopeful Chris “Beanie” Wells injures foot

      August 30, 2008 /

      ESPN is reporting that Ohio State running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Chris “Beanie” Wells left the Buckeyes’ game against Youngstown State with an apparet foot injury.

      Wells fell to the ground in pain before he was even hit, fumbling the ball away on a first and goal at the Youngstown State 2 before grasping for his foot.

      Wells writhed on the ground in pain while he was attended to by several doctors and trainers, with his teammates standing around him watching. Coach Jim Tressel also ran onto the field.

      The junior had 111 yards on 13 carries, including a 43-yard touchdown burst as the Buckeyes rolled to a 26-0 lead at the time of his injury.

      This would be a massive blow to No. 2 Ohio State if Wells’ injury is serious. Hopefully it’s not and he won’t miss anytime, but Buckeye fans have to be incredibly concerned.

      College Football

      SI.com Game of the Week: Clemson vs. Alabama

      August 30, 2008 /

      Cory McCartney breaks down the Clemson-Alabama contest – SI.com’s Game of the Week in college football.

      Three Things You Should Care About

      C.J. Spiller1.Clemson has tons of talent and tons of hype. Can it live up to its billing? The Tigers head into the Georgia Dome with their highest preseason ranking since 1991 and 15 returning starters, including James Davis, Cullen Harper and C.J. Spiller, who finished 1-2-3 in the ACC preseason Player of the Year voting.

      2. Ladies and gentlemen, Julio Jones is in the building. There’s no arguing with the recruiting prowess of Nick Saban, who has brought in recruiting classes ranked 10th and first in two seasons at Alabama. The latest class includes five-star wide receiver/kick returner Julio Jones and linebacker Don’ta Hightower, both of whom who will be in the starting lineup Saturday.

      3. Atlanta and the Crimson Tide: two things that don’t bode well for the Tigers. Since Clemson joined the ACC in 1953, Hotlanta has been a city of horrors for the Tigers, who are 7-31-1 all-time in the Georgia capital. That figure includes trips to conference foe Georgia Tech and the Peach/Chick-fil-A Bowl, where the Tigers are 1-6. Since 1992 that bowl has been played in the Georgia Dome — where they’ll face the Tide on Saturday.

      The Pick:
      Clemson 24, Alabama 14. It would be a colossal disappointment for Bowden and the ACC if the conference’s best team choked in a high-profile opener. But it’s not going to happen. These Tigers are out to prove they’re beyond tripping on their own feet, and a win in an atmosphere that will be the closest they’ve seen to a BCS game would be a solid start. Clemson’s rebuilt offensive line could be an issue, but with so many weapons at the Tigers’ disposal, getting in the backfield may not help ‘Bama anyway.

      This is a great test for Clemson, who always seems to underachieve under Tommy Bowden at one point during the season. This is the most talented Clemson team Bowden has had so it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep his team focused to not only make a run at the ACC crown, but also a national championship.

      College Football

      The Seven Most Demoralizing Opening Day Upsets in College Football

      August 30, 2008 /

      Michigan-Appalachian StateIn honor of college football kicking off this weekend, In Game Now ranked the seven most demoralizing opening day upsets in CF history.

      1) 2007 – Michigan 32, Appalachian State 34
      Here’s how it works (usually): big conference school invites small market school to open the season and give both teams an opportunity to adjust to real competition. Small program takes a beating and earns a few hundred thousand dollars for their athletic department. If they’re nice they might get invited back.

      If an upset happens, it happens in basketball, NOT football. If it ever happened in football it would be the biggest upset in college football history…

      What happened: Michigan lost again the next week until they finally played Notre Dame (see #7 above). Appalachian State went on to win their third straight national championship.

      I sat in a section with a host of Appalachian State parents and fans surrounding me when the Mountaineers beat the Wolverines last year. When Michigan set up for a field goal with less than a minute to play in the fourth, it looked like the Wolverines were going to escape complete embarrassment. I thought to myself, “If Michigan misses this kick, I’m about to watch history unfold in front of me…”

      …then App State blocked the kick and held on for the win. Being in that parents’ section was unbelievable. I hope the talent level continues to increase at these smaller schools and fans are treated to more upsets like that one.

      College Football

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