Oklahoma State proves they’re for real, upsets Missouri Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/11/2008 @ 10:41 pm) Coming into Saturday’s action, people were wondering whether or not No. 17 Oklahoma State was for real or not. Sure their offense was averaging 530 yards and over 50 points a game, but their toughest opponent prior to this week was arguably an unranked Troy team.
But no longer do we have to wonder if the Cowboys are for real after they beat No. 3 Missouri 28-23 in Columbia. They picked off Heisman candidate Chase Daniel three times in the second half, including on MIZZOU’s final drive when the Tigers were in range to possibly take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The job OK State’s defense did in getting pressure on Daniel was outstanding and the trio of QB Zac Robinson (19 of 28 for 215 yards, 2 TDs), RB Kendall Hunter (154 yards rushing, 1 TD) and WR Damian Davis (3 rec., 76 yards, 2 TDs) came up with big plays all night. Now that Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma all lost, the top 10 in college football will undergo a major shakeup. It’ll be interesting to see how everything takes shape when the new polls are released. How far will MIZZOU fall? College Football Week 7 Primer Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/08/2008 @ 12:00 pm) Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 7. Top 25 vs. Top 25 No. 5 Texas at No. 1 Oklahoma, 12:00 PM ET ABC Boy the schedule makers really screwed ABC by showing this game at Noon didn’t they? People on the west coast will have to get up at 9:00 AM to see the best game of the week. Ouch. The Sooners get a huge boost to their defense with the expected return of DT DeMarcus Granger and redshirt freshman Frank Alexander. They should help generate a pass rush, which will be imperative in stopping Heisman candidate Colt McCoy. Offensively for OU, the switch to the no-huddle has been a tremendous success for QB Sam Bradford, who seemingly has a leg-up on McCoy in the Heisman race. This game will come down to which secondary can rise to the challenge and which team can establish a running game against their opponents’ stingy front seven. At least on the onset, the Sooners have the edge in both categories.
No. 17 Oklahoma State at No. 3 Missouri, 8:00 PM ET ESPN2 This is going to be a shootout, which only favors QB Chase Daniel and the host Tigers. Missouri has scored in 19 of 20 quarters this year and have now gone 49 straight possessions with no three-and-outs. That’s a remarkable feat to say the least. But the Cowboys bring plenty of offense to the table themselves, scoring 56 points per game in their last four outings. Although MIZZOU doesn’t provide a huge challenge defensively, it must be noted that OK State has yet to face a tough defense on the road this year. The Tigers are 14-point favorites and that bodes well considering they’re 12-3 in their last 15 games as the favored team. No. 4 LSU at No. 11 Florida, 8:00 PM ET CBS Things got interesting on Tuesday when Tigers’ DL Ricky Jean-Francois stated that if he and his linemates got the opportunity, that they would take Florida QB Tim Tebow out of the game. Considering the Gators will try to use this game as a springboard to get back into the national championship hunt, Jean-Francois’s comments only fuel the fire. LSU has a new set of cornerbacks this year who have suffered communication breakdowns in previous games. Expect Tebow and speedy wideout Percy Harvin to try and torch the inexperienced Tigers’ secondary. Even though they have the edge in the plls, it’ll be tough sledding for LSU this Saturday in “The Swamp,” especially considering Gators’ head coach Urban Meyer is 22-2 lifetime in Gainesville. Upset Watch No. 13 Vanderbilt at Mississippi State, 2:30 PM ET The Commodores have the better overall team, talent and coaching, but if the 2008 College Football Season has taught us anything so far, it’s to expect the unexpected. This is a dangerous game for Vandy considering its coming off an emotional home win over Auburn and now have to go on the road to face an inferior Bulldog squad. Where the Commodores are currently ranked is roughly where East Carolina (college football’s previous Cinderella story) was a couple weeks ago when they were upset by NC State on the road. Granted, NC State is arguably a better team than Mississippi State, but the SEC doesn’t produce cupcake programs. Beware the upset.
Other notable games: No. 6 Penn State at Wisconsin, 8:00 PM ET ESPN The Badgers have dropped their first two Big Ten games of the season while the high-powered Nittany Lions are out to prove that they’re the best team in the conference. Tennessee at No. 10 Georgia, 3:30 PM ET CBS The Vols are off to a 0-2 start in the SEC, but they gave Auburn a run for their money a few weeks ago. This is always a great matchup and nothing beats a SEC game “Between the Hedges.” Notre Dame at No. 22 North Carolina, 3:30 PM ET Some believe the Irish are back after starting the season 4-1 and they’ll get the opportunity to prove it facing the ranked Tar Heels on the road. Posted in: College Football Tags: Big Ten, Chase Daniel, Colt McCoy, DeMarcus Granger, Florida Gators, Frank Alexander, Heisman Trophy candidates, LSU Tigers, Ricky Jean-Francois, Sam Bradford, Sooners switch to no-huddle offense, Tim Tebow
College Football Week 6 Primer Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/04/2008 @ 10:00 am) Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 6. Top 25 vs. Top 25: No. 14 Ohio State at No. 18 Wisconsin, 8:00 PM ET This was supposed to be a matchup of the best two teams in the Big Ten, but after the Badgers were embarrassed last week in Ann Arbor, this game has lost a lot of it’s luster. Despite Michigan turning the ball over five times and spotting them a 19-0 lead, Wisconsin fell apart in the second half as the Wolverines pulled off a 27-25 upset. For the Buckeyes, they seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing to USC a few weeks back, especially freshman QB Terrelle Pryor, who is out to use this game as proof that he can play on a big stage. It’ll be interesting to see how the dazzlingly Pryor does in his first road start of his young collegiate career; OSU has not won back-to-back games vs. Wisconsin since 1995/1996. Oddsmakers have established the Buckeyes as 1.5-point favorites. No. 13 Auburn at No. 19 Vanderbilt, 6:00 PM ET Vandy is off to a surprising 4-0 start this season, but their record is a bit deceiving. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in total offense and defense, and have been out gained in 3 of their 4 games this season. But they sit undefeated largely due to their plus-nine turnover margin, which leads the nation. They’ll get their first real test of the season against Auburn, who crushed the Commodores 45-7 in their last trip to Vanderbilt Stadium in 2003. The Tigers also handed Vandy a 35-7 beat-down last year and are trying to build some momentum off of last week’s 14-12 win against Tennessee. Still, this is the first time Vanderbilt has been ranked since 1984, so the home crowd will noty doubt be psyched. And it’s not like Tommy Tummerville’s team has been that dominant this season. (See the Tigers’ 3-2 victory over Mississippi State as proof.) Vandy is a 4.5-point home underdog. No. 23 Oregon at No. 9 USC, 8:00 PM ET The Trojans try to bounce back from their humiliating 27-21 loss to Oregon State last week – a defeat that dropped them from the top spot in the rankings. When these two teams met last year in Eugene, the Ducks used an electrifying home crowd to knock off the Trojans 24-17 in USC QB Mark Sanchez’s first start. It would be wise for Oregon to borrow the blueprint left by the Beavers and attack the middle of the Trojans’ beat up defense on the ground. Head coach Pete Carroll is dying to use this game to show USC can still compete for a national title this season and will try to flatten the Ducks, but Oregon’s defense is good enough to keep them in the game. The Trojans are currently 17-point favorites. Upset Watch: No. 4 Missouri at Nebraska, 9:00 PM ET It’s hard to fathom that the Tigers would stumble this week in Lincoln coming off a bye week and with so much on the line. But Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel has yet to see a decent defense outside of Illinois in the opener. And even though MIZZOU hammered the Huskers last year, Nebraska’s defense is a lot better than the unit that surrendered 41 points to Daniel and the Tigers last year. Missouri has better talent and the better overall team, but one thing to keep in mind is that the home team in this series has won the last six in a row. MIZZOU is an 11-point favorite.
Other notable games: No. 1 Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:30 PM ET Saturday The Sooners play their first game since being anointed the top ranked team in the nation. They get a decent opponent in the Bears, who have been a dramatically improved team with scrappy freshman Robert Griffin under center this year. Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama, 3:30 PM ET Saturday After crushing the Bulldogs in Athens last week, Nick Saban’s Tide can’t fall victims to the upset themselves this week against the unranked Wildcats. No. 5 Texas at Colorado, 7:00 PM ET Saturday Longhorns’ QB Colt McCoy will look to continue his bid to become this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, but he’ll face a decent Colorado team who is 3-0 at home this year. Posted in: College Football Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, Chase Daniel, College football odds, Colorado Buffaloes, Colt McCoy, Heisman Trophy candidates, Kentucky Wildcats, Mark Sanchez, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Missouri Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nick Saban, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Pete Carroll, Robert Griffin, Tennessee Volunteers, Terrelle Pryor, Texas Longhorns, Tommy Tummerville, USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores, Wisconsin Badgers
Heisman Trophy Watch: Week 5 Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/30/2008 @ 6:07 pm) FOX Sports.com has the latest breakdown of this year’s Heisman Trophy candidates as college football heads into Week 6. 4. Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State Ringer ran 44 times for 198 yards and a touchdown, and added two receptions for 20 yards in the win over Indiana.
3. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri Daniel completed 36 of 43 passes for 439 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-21 win over Buffalo. The Tigers play Nebraska this week. 2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma Bradford completed 19 of 34 passes for a career-high 411 yards and four touchdowns in the win over TCU. 1. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas McCoy completed 17 of 19 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran nine times for 84 yards and two scores in the win over Arkansas.
All of these candidates have been fantastic so far, but none of them have faced very legitimate opponents. That quandary will be fixed for two of these players when Bradford’s Sooners host McCoy’s Longhorns in two weeks. And I can’t wait to see how Ringer stacks up against Ohio State’s defense on October 18, because he has absolutely shredded opponents to date. Daniel will get a decent test this week against Big 12 opponent Nebraska, although the matchup looks less sexy after the Huskers fell to VA Tech last Saturday. This just in: Chase Daniel is freaking good Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/20/2008 @ 7:09 pm) Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel completed a school-best 20 passes in a row to help the Tigers crush Buffalo 42-21 on Saturday. Daniel finished 36 of 43 for a career-high 439 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 5 Missouri stay undefeated.
It was over when… Chase Daniel hit Chase Coffman on a 4-yard TD pass to put the Tigers up 40-21 in the fourth. Gameball goes to… Daniel, who threw for two touchdowns and a career-high 439 yards. Stat of the game… 20. Daniel set a Big 12 record with 20 straight completions.
After getting harassed last year by Okalahoma, voters are waiting to see how Daniel will fare against better defenses. Missouri is off next week, but Daniel will get his first big test two weeks from now when the Tigers travel to Nebraska. Two weeks after that, Missouri plays the Longhorns in Texas, so he could essentially win or lose the Heisman next month. I know outside of Illinois in the opener, Daniel hasn’t faced a team with a quality secondary, but he looks phenomenal. |