Tag: Nebraska Cornhuskers (Page 2 of 4)

      Michigan State (and probably Missouri) come crashing back to earth

      October 30, 2010 /
      IOWA CITY, IA - OCTOBER 23- Quarterback Ricky Stanzi of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes warms up before action against the Wisconsin Badgers at Kinnick Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Iowa City, Iowa. Wisconsin won 31-30 over Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)

      Michigan State’s run at a dream season is over, and it was ended awfully abruptly by Iowa. The Spartans fell 37-6 to the Hawkeyes in a game that wasn’t even that close. If that’s even possible.

      The perfect analogy for this game came in the first quarter, when Iowa ran an interception back for a touchdown. There was a Michigan State fan with her head down, banging on the wall, and possibly crying. It was a moment she was probably expecting at some point this season, because she realized that she’s a Michigan State fan, but it’s still incredibly hard to take when your team has started 8-0.

      The Spartans were legit, don’t get me wrong. They beat up Michigan and Wisconsin. Sure, they had to squeak by Notre Dame (which just lost to Tulsa. Eek.) and Northwestern, but that happens during the course of the season. The big thing for the Spartans was that they were winning, and that’s all that mattered to a fanbase and program that doesn’t have a recent history of doing that. They can still come up with an amazing season, with three winnable games to close out the season. An 11-1 season could maybe still get them to a BCS bowl, which is huge.

      Meanwhile, Missouri is looking at its first defeat of the season, as well in Nebraska. So that’s two of three unbeatens who have gone down already this week. Isn’t college football fun?

      College Football, External Sports

      Oregon is USC’s title game, and other Week 9 college football picks

      October 30, 2010 /
      Oct 16, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) conducts teh band after the game against the California Golden Bears at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated California 48-14. Photo via Newscom

      With the prospect of a bowl game or a Pac-10 championship taken away from it before the season even began, USC’s football program has had to look elsewhere for motivation.

      After a lackluster showing in early-season matchups against Hawaii, Virginia and Minnesota, and a loss at home to Washington, many wondered if the Trojans really even cared. A last-second loss at Stanford and a blowout of California, however, has shown that not only do the Trojans care, but they’re still a pretty darn good football team.

      There was attrition at the school this offseason when the NCAA instituted a two-year bowl ban and a reduction in scholarships, but it’s still USC. It’s still the same team that has been bringing in top five recruiting classes year after year, and putting more five stars on the bench than many teams have seeing the field.

      So now nobody’s thinking of the Trojans, as they cannot be a part of the title discussion themselves. They can severely alter the landscape today, though, and I’d imagine they’ll be real excited to try and take advantage of that opportunity. Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      Big 12, Big Ten and SEC races should become more clear today

      October 23, 2010 /
      University of Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones drops back to pass against the University of Texas in the first half of their NCAA Big 12 football game played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, October 2, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      My wife essentially makes the schedule in our house. My job is to make sure I stay gainfully employed and just show up to the things she’s set up for us. It’s normally pretty easy and painless, to be honest. And since I’m a scatter-brain most of the time, I completely relinquish the scheduling.

      But she messed up this weekend. Big time. We’re signed up for a wine tasting at 6 p.m. (EDT) today, which will be smack dab in the middle of some of the best college football finishes of the day. It also means I’ll be out of commission after 6 p.m. (never drink and blog kids, it never ends up well), so expect heavier blogging early in the day, and not much later. I’ll let you decide if that’s good or bad.

      After the jump, I’ll dissect some of the great matchups of the day (there a couple of huge ones), and introduce a couple of new features for this morning forecast post. Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      The coronation of Taylor Martinez and Nebraska came a little too early

      October 16, 2010 /
      LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 11: Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez runs for his first touchdown fo the day during first half action of their game at Memorial Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska Defeated Idaho 38-17. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)

      Taylor Martinez went off a week ago against Kansas State, leading many (including myself) to think he could be the second coming of Tommy Frazier and lead Nebraska back to the promised land.

      Not so fast.

      Nebraska fell 20-13 today to a Texas team that has been listless at times this season. The Longhorns held the explosive dual threat quarterback to 21 yards rushing on 13 carries. Nebraska only mustered 125 yards on 44 carries as a team. It wasn’t much better through the air, as Martinez and backup Zac Lee combined for 77 yards on 8-of-21 passing. On the bright side, they didn’t throw any interceptions. So there’s that.

      It’s a big step for the Texas defense, which three weeks ago was embarrassed by UCLA. But mostly it’s a big wake-up call for Martinez and the Cornhuskers, who had moved all the way up to No. 5 in the rankings despite really not having beat anyone of consequence.

      It’s too early to completely write off the Cornhuskers. Texas was coming off of a bye week, so that definitely helped. Plus, Martinez is young and he’ll have games like this every once in a while. Nebraska will just have to hope that when that happens, its defense can do enough for the win.

      This is a stark reminder, however, that what you think you’re seeing in college football is normally not what you’re really seeing. This is one of the only sports in which that sentence makes sense.

      College Football, External Sports

      Big-time QB injuries around the country: Robinson, Mallett out

      October 16, 2010 /
      ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 21: Jareth Glanda #54 of the Ohio State Buckeyes tackles Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines on November 21, 2009 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ohio State won the game 21-10. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

      Two players who entered the day as Heisman Trophy contenders don’t look like they’ll be finishing their games. Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet was knocked out of his team’s game against Auburn with with a concussion and will not return. Michigan’s Denard Robinson was shaken up in the third quarter of his team’s game against Iowa, and has not returned. His injury has not been disclosed as of yet.

      Both quarterbacks are crucial to their teams, as they’re perfect for the systems their coaches run. Mallett’s big arm is just what Bobby Petrino needs in Arkansas, and coming back at unbeaten Auburn could be a very difficult task without him.

      Robinson is exactly the quarterback Rich Rodriguez needs to run his spread-option offense. His injury has forced Tate Forcier into action. Forcier responded by forcing a pass into coverage on his second drive, throwing an interception that led to a touchdown and a 21-point Iowa lead.

      Meanwhile, in Nebraska, star freshman Taylor Martinez has been benched in favor of Zac Lee as the Cornhuskers are getting beat on by Texas.

      Not a good day to be a Heisman-candidate quarterback, I suppose (unless you’re Cam Newton, who is carving up the Arkansas defense). Worried at all, Ohio State fans?

      College Football, External Sports

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