Tag: Colt McCoy (Page 17 of 19)

      Texas Tech upsets Texas – ‘Bama top team in the nation?

      November 1, 2008 /

      Texas Tech-TexasThe 2008 College Football Season just got a bit more interesting as No. 7 Texas Tech knocked off top-ranked Texas 39-33 in Lubbock on Saturday night.

      Pundits noted all week how the Red Raiders don’t play defense and while they did give up 33 points, the final score wasn’t a true indication of how well they shut down Colt McCoy and the Longhorn offense. Tech did a fantastic job of taking away what Texas does best – moving the ball with underneath routes and racking up the yards after the catch. Of course it didn’t hurt that Longhorn wideouts couldn’t hang onto the ball either. UT just couldn’t match Tech’s intensity the entire night and pressured McCoy with four, five and even three-man rushes.

      Texas didn’t match Tech’s emotion from the start. It’s clichéd to say that one team wanted a game more, but it really seemed like the Raiders went out and grabbed victory by the balls while Texas waited for things to happen. Even when they seized their first lead with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t keep Tech out of the end zone when all they were after was a field goal.

      So Alabama has to move into the top spot, right? Where do the Red Raiders fit into the picture? Penn State was idle so they could move down, but it’s doubtful. Florida absolutely hammered Georgia so they can only move up. The same could be said for Oklahoma, which waxed Nebraska. It’ll be interesting to see how things fall in the BCS when the new polls are released Sunday.

      College Football

      Week 10 College Football Primer

      November 1, 2008 /

      No. 25 vs. No. 25:
      Graham HarrellNo. 1 Texas vs. No. 7 Texas Tech, 8:00 PM ET ABC
      Both of these teams are coming off convincing wins but in completely different fashions. The Red Raiders absolutely routed a Kansas team that many thought could possibly hand Tech its first loss of the season. The Longhorns, meanwhile, got a major challenge from Oklahoma State but managed to hold on to victory despite some second half mistakes by Heisman candidate Colt McCoy. This will be the fourth consecutive ranked team (Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State) that UT faces in as many weeks. Can they keep playing at a high level or are they due for a letdown? The big question surrounding this game is how UT’s defense will stack up against TT’s explosive offense and vice versa. Not that the Longhorns are playing stout defense by any means, but they’ll be Tech’s toughest challenge to date. It’s going to be interesting to watch the dynamics of this game play out between Horns’ McCoy and Red Raider Heisman hopefuls Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. McCoy certainly has an easier challenge this week, but Harrell and Crabtree have helped Tech average over 400 yards of offense in every game this year. Texas is arguably the most complete team in college football, while Tech can light up the scoreboard. The team that plays defense last might be the one that comes out victorious.

      No. 8 Florida at No. 6 Georgia, 3:30 PM ET CBS
      The game formally known as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Party” should be quite interesting this year after Mark Richt instructed all of his players to have a team celebration on the field after UGA scored the first touchdown in last season’s contest. The shrewd move didn’t go unnoticed by Urban Meyer and the Gators, who will no doubt seek a measure of revenge this weekend in Jacksonville. Florida has come alive since Ole’ Miss upset them a few weeks ago, pounding Arkansas, LSU and Kentucky with the greatest of ease. The Gators seem to have re-focused and a win over the Bulldogs could make a huge statement. Both of these teams still have national title aspirations and there is absolutely no love lost here. This is one of the fiercest rivalries in college football.

      Georgia TechUpset Watch:No. 15 Florida State at Georgia Tech, 3:30 PM ET
      The Seminoles have ridden strong defensive play all the way to the No. 15 spot in the polls, but does anyone else get the feeling they’re due for a letdown? GA Tech was a major disappointment last week in losing to Virginia, but that might have been more a testament to how great of a coaching job Al Groh has done turning around the Cavs than an indication that the Jackets are overrated. Even though GT isn’t ranked anymore, this is still an even matchup and I think the Jackets are going to try and make a statement to get back into the top 25.

      Other notable games:
      Nebraska at No. 4 Oklahoma, 8:00 PM ET ESPN
      The Huskers’ defense has improved over the past couple weeks, but will they be any match for Sam Bradford and the explosive Sooners’ offense?

      Northwestern at No. 17 Minnesota, 12:00 PM ET
      It doesn’t have the same luster as Ohio State-Penn State did last week, but this is the best of what the Big Ten has to over this weekend. The transformation of the Golden Gophers has been remarkable after they one just one game last year.

      College Football

      UT’s Colt McCoy could break all-time competition record

      October 25, 2008 /

      Colt McCoyThe NCAA record for competition percentage by a quarterback is 73.6% held by Daunte Culpepper of Central Florida in 1998.

      Coming into Saturday’s action, Texas’ QB Colt McCoy had a completion percentage of 81.2%. He completed 38 of 45 passes (84%) for 391 yards in the Longhorns’ 28-24 win over Oklahoma State. Will he break Culpepper’s mark?

      The knock on McCoy this year is that he completes most of his passes under 10 yards and allows his receivers to rack up yards after the catch. But if defenses game plan to take away the big play, why is McCoy criticized for taking what the defense gives him? Isn’t that what a good quarterback does? Granted he doesn’t play in a conference dominated by tough defenses, but again, that’s not his fault. Even though there’s a lot of talk about him being the frontrunner for the Heisman, you hear a lot of “fraud” talk as well, perhaps more so than any other Heisman candidate over the past couple of years.

      Moving on, Oklahoma State deserves a ton of credit for hanging with the Longhorns on Saturday and shouldn’t drop too far in the rankings. UT jumped ahead 14-0 early, but the Cowboys answered the bell and had their chances to even win the game had the capitalized more on Texas mistakes. Some might discredit the Longhorns after this, but don’t forget that this was their third tough challenge in as many weeks. To suggest Texas played poorly would be a slap in the face to the Cowboys’ effort.

      College Football

      Week 9 College Football Primer

      October 25, 2008 /

      Top 25 vs. Top 25
      Zac RobinsonNo. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 1 Texas, 3:30 PM ET ABC
      Colt McCoy and the Longhorns are the talk of college football right now, and rightfully so with the way they destroyed Chase Daniel and Missouri last Saturday. But Zac Robinson and the Cowboys are playing as well as anyone right now and this is a huge opportunity for them to prove that they can hang with the big boys. Robinson is completing nearly 70% of his passes and has 14 touchdowns on the year to just four interceptions. But for OK State to pull off the upset, the Cowboy defense will have to be aggressive in getting after McCoy, who completed 29 of his 32 passes last week in the rout over MIZZOU. Mack Brown won’t let his team take their foot off the pedal, but this is UT’s third straight tough Big 12 matchup in as many weeks and the Cowboys won’t be any pushovers.

      No. 3 Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State
      The Nittany Lions are red hot and destroying everything in their path. The switch the spread offense has been a great success for PSU’s offense and QB Daryll Clark, who ranks 18th in the nation in pass efficiency. Clark will certainly have his work cut out for him this Saturday going against a veteran OSU defense, although the Lions can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the trenches. They also have protected Clark incredibly well this season, which has allowed for big plays in the passing game. For the Buckeyes offensively, frosh QB Terrelle Pryor is the real deal and really stepped up his game last week against Michigan State after struggling to make plays in previous weeks. PSU is allowing more than a half-yard less per carry than OSU’s stingy defense, so it might be tough sledding for Heisman candidate Beanie Wells. Either way, expect a battle at the “Horseshoe” this weekend in matchup of the best the Big Ten has to offer.

      No. 7 Georgia at No. 13 LSU, 3:30 PM ET CBS
      This is a huge game for UGA after clawing back into the top 10 last week. LSU is coming off a solid come-from-behind win over South Carolina last week and still has plenty to prove themselves after Florida ran roughshod over them two weeks ago. UGA’s inexperienced offensive line has been an issue at times this year, so QB Matthew Stafford must get the ball out of his hands quickly against a stout Tiger pass rush. And even though Heisman candidate Knowshon Moreno gets a lot more pub, LSU RB Charles Scott is rushing for over six yards a carry. The Tigers are a staggering 41-4 in Tiger Stadium since 2002, which doesn’t bode well for the road ‘Dogs.

      Graham HarrellNo. 8 Texas Tech at No. 23 Kansas, 12:00 PM ESPN
      The Red Raiders have flirted with disaster the past couple of weeks, even though Heisman candidate Graham Harrell continues to play beyond impressive. Still, Tech is off to its best start in 32 years and will get to test its mettle against the upper-echelon of Big 12 foes over the next four games. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, were drubbed by Oklahoma last week and just haven’t looked sharp in over a month. They have sorely missed Brandon McAnderson in the backfield, but they could be due for a game in which they put it all together. Could this be the prime upset of the weekend?

      Upset Watch:
      Michigan State at Michigan, 3:30 PM ET
      The Wolverines have been absolutely brutal this year, but this is a game they win. The Spartans were crushed by Ohio State last week in a game that they were trying to use as a measuring stick to see how good they were. This is a huge letdown game for them and Rich Rodriguez is desperate not to lose to his in-state rival and save at least a little face in his first year at Big Blue.

      College Football

      Colt McCoy overrated? Hardly.

      October 18, 2008 /

      Colt McCoyMost of the talk surrounding Saturday night’s Big 12 bout between Missouri and Texas was either about how Colt McCoy is the best quarterback in the nation or how overrated he is. He still might not be the best quarterback in college football, but he certainly made a compelling argument for himself in the Longhorns’ 56-31 rout over the Tigers in Austin.

      McCoy was a-beyond-impressive 29 of 32 for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He also didn’t throw any picks and even rushed for 23 yards and two scores.

      The argument from non-McCoy supporters will be that one, MIZZOU’s defense isn’t that good and two, McCoy completed a ton of short, underneath routs in which his receivers gained a ton of yardage after the catch. But aren’t good quarterbacks supposed to take what the defense gives them? You can’t fault McCoy for hitting open receivers, especially considering on more than a handful occasions he escaped defenders and kept plays alive with his feet. (On one play, he even fumbled the ball, but still had the wherewithal to pick it up and find an open receiver for a first down.)

      Too bad McCoy won’t face another tough defense the rest of the way, because doubters are going to point to the fact that even though Oklahoma’s D is still ranked in the top 25, observers will note that they haven’t been the same unit this year. But regardless, even those not convinced in McCoy’s play this year, it’s hard to say he’s overrated after his performances against OU and MIZZOU the past two weeks.

      College Football

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