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      Pittsburgh, Michigan fall in home openers

      August 31, 2008 /

      No. 25 Pittsburgh lost its home opener on Saturday, as Bowling Green pulled off a 27-17 upset over the Panthers.

      It was over when… Tyler Sheehan ran 11 yards for a TD on a QB draw early in the fourth quarter to give BG a 27-17 lead.
      Gameball goes to… Sheenan, who threw for 163 yards and had one TD pass to go along with his big scoring run.
      Stat of the game… 24-1. Pitt lost a home game for the first time in school history against a MAC school.

      So much for PITT being everyone’s sleeper in the Big East. This is yet another game that proves the MAC is only getting stronger. The conference’s talent level continues to rise and no longer can top programs get away with scheduling a MAC school in the first two weeks and assuming it will be a cakewalk.

      Utah also ruined Rich Rodriguez’s Michigan debut by knocking off the Wolverines 25-23 at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

      A lot of pundits figured Utah would challenge the Wolverines so this upse wasn’t a total shocker, but man, how far has Michigan fallen? Just two years ago they were one win over Ohio State in the final game of the year from appearing in a national championship game. Now they’re starting a walk on at quarterback and getting beat by Mountain West program.

      Losing top recruit Terrelle Pryor (who scored a touchdown for the Buckeyes on Saturday) to Ohio State this year was a killer for UM. It might have set the program back two to three years because Rich Rod doesn’t have the quarterback he wants to run his offense effectively.

      College Football

      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

      Has the quarterback situation improved in Miami?

      August 31, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback situation after the team added Chad Pennington.

      Chad PenningtonTo say the Miami Dolphins had quarterback issues in 2007 would be putting it lightly. Whether it was Trent Green, Cleo Lemon or rookie John Beck, the results were the same and losses piled up in the standings.

      Heading into 2008, the depth chart has changed but will the results? Gone are Green and Lemon; in are former New York Jets’ starting quarterback Chad Pennington and rookie Chad Henne.

      When Bill Parcells took over the football operations for the Dolphins this summer, one of the areas he knew he had to upgrade was quarterback. And after watching Henne and Beck struggle in camp over the summer, Parcells reached out to the recently released Pennington – the quarterback he drafted when he was the Jets’ head coach.

      The book is already out on Pennington: weak arm, severely limited, can’t throw downfield, etc. But he’s also a fundamentally sound veteran and a solid leader that can hopefully help tutor Beck and Henne for the future. Pennington is also familiar with the division and new offensive coordinator Dan Henning used to be his QB coach in New York so he knows the offense.

      Eventually the Dolphins have to see what they have in Beck and Henne. It’s wise to allow young quarterbacks develop slowly, but sooner or later they have to sink or swim on the field. And while Parcells has a tendency to prefer players that he had a hand in drafting, Miami did spend a second round pick on Beck last year, so it would be unfair to give up on him too soon.

      Chad HenneBut at the very least, Pennington buys Miami more time to see what they have at the position. It’s also fair to say that Pennington gives the Dolphins the best chance to win this season and Parcells did him a solid by drafting massive left tackle Jake Long with the first overall pick in last April’s draft. Long will be counted on to protect Pennington’s blind side and hopefully give the Dolphins a cornerstone tackle for years to come.

      While it’s unlikely he’ll lead the Dolphins to the playoffs this year, Pennington at least gives the team a respected veteran presence in the huddle and on the field. Time will tell if Henne or Beck can develop behind him.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      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

      Bengals cut Rudi Johnson

      August 30, 2008 /

      Two years ago, Rudi Johnson rushed for 1308 yards and 12 TD. In the two seasons before that, he rushed for at least 1450 yards and 12 scores. Today, he’s unemployed.

      …the Bengals cleared out right tackle Willie Anderson, running back Rudi Johnson, and cornerback Deltha O’Neal on Cutdown Day to get down to the 53-player limit.

      They all made Hawaii in 2005 as the Bengals celebrated the AFC North title. Johnson’s 1,458 yards and O’Neal’s 10 interceptions in that season are still in the book as club records.

      “Obviously the play fell off in ’07, and we just haven’t seen a lot of change thus far this year,” said head coach Marvin Lewis in a late afternoon news conference. “It’s a hard decision to make.”

      Even though he returned to practice last week, the Bengals apparently decided they hadn’t seen enough of the new and improved Johnson this summer and cut the man projected to once be their bell-cow running back in 2008.

      It’s amazing how over-the-hill the 28 year-old Johnson seems right now. He had 1039 carries from 2004-2006, and it appears that they really took their toll. If he can get healthy, he can probably help someone, but for now he’ll join former top fiver Shaun Alexander in the ranks of the unemployed.

      From a fantasy point of view, this is a big upgrade for Chris Perry (the current “starter”) and Kenny Watson. Perry has had his own injury problems in the past, so if you can grab both players, do so. Watson has always been productive when given the chance.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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