Loading ...College Kickoff Roundup…
College kickoff weekend did not disappoint. I had waited a long time for this past Saturday to finally come, and when it did, it was everything I had hoped…and then a little more. First things first, I was delighted to see Erin Andrews back to her sideline reporting. I was so afraid she wouldn’t do it anymore and they would hire some Michelle Tafoya-esque mutant to roam the college sidelines. So on top of watching the greatest sport in America, I got to see one of the hottest women in American sports do her thing.
But, I digress. The day opened up with a few things that surprised me. The first, Ohio State is in big, big trouble. They almost (and really should have) lost to Navy. Terrelle Pryor, who was wearing eye black with “Mike” and “Vick” written on each of them (to show his support for the wrongfully persecuted Mike Vick), played subpar football – going 14-21 for 174 with a TD and a pick. The final was 31-27, and that score does not do the game justice in showing how close it really was. Navy could have tied the game with a minute left on a 2-pt conversion, and instead Navy QB Ricky Dobbs decided to fire it into the chest of an Ohio State LB, Brian Rolle, who returned it all the way. Normally Ohio State waits until the end of the year in a BCS Bowl game to show they stink – I guess they didn’t want to keep anyone in suspense this year.
Daryll Clark throwing a TD pass to his new best friend, WR Derek Moye. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Penn State beat up on Akron unveiling weapons no one knew they had (i.e. WR Derek Moye who had six catches for 138 yards and a touch). Later on that day OK St got after it against Georgia. Although they started off a little slow, the Cowboys got the job done. Receiver Dez Bryant finally found his rhythm in that game, ending the day with three catches for 77 yards and 2 TDs, and the Cowboy defense stepped up and shut down what some people thought would be a young – yet potent – Bulldog offense.
On to Michigan and Notre Dame. Both these teams played well (and got more hype for their victories than needed). However, credit does have to be given out here. Granted Michigan played Western Michigan (and won 31-7) and N.D. played Nevada (winning 35-0), both of these teams were not heavily favored to win these games. Last year Notre Dame might win this game 23-21 because Nevada missed a late field goal, and Michigan would pull off a last minute 13-12 victory – if that. I am not saying these teams are back to being contenders, but they played well and showed signs of life, so keep an eye on them.
Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford holding his injured shoulder and thinking "Damn, I should of entered the draft last year." (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
However, the big story was Sam Bradford. First, Bradford should have gone to the league after winning his Heisman last season. Instead, he decided to come back (without four of his starting O-Lineman from the year before) and what happened? He got hurt. Bradford looked sharp in the first half, but got sacked in the final seconds of the second quarter and was done for the game. The injury, a sprained AC joint, does not require surgery, but he will be out for 2-4 weeks. The Sooners would then go on to lose that game to BYU, in one of the big upsets over the weekend. Now Oklahoma can still win the Big 12 and play for a National Championship, but they have to win out and that doesn’t look like it will happen. Even if Bradford comes back healthy, one of the other things shown in that game was that the Sooners have no defense. They let up 357 total yards, and two TDs – something that would have never happened to them while playing BYU before (even if BYU is as good as they appear to be).
The weekend wrapped up with Miami and Florida State playing one heck of game. Both teams look to have finally found some offense (or maybe lost a lot of defense). For the first time since 2001, the game was actually exciting and fun to watch and it was what the ACC needed after watching Virginia Tech prove they are still frauds (by losing horribly to Alabama) and then having Virginia drop one to William and Mary.
Miami QB Jacory Harris could be the real deal after watching him play last night. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)
I was thoroughly impressed with sophomore QB Jacory Harris, who went above and beyond the call of duty for the Hurricanes by going 21-34 for 386 yards and two TDs. He showed great poise in the pocket, played through an injury, and – unlike most young QBs – made plays with his arm when his team needed him to. Harris and the ‘Canes got some help from Florida State receiver Jarmon Fortson who chose to try and eat the ball, rather than catch it for the win.
After some poor clock management and play-calling, the Seminoles were down to their last chance, which was QB Christian Ponder throwing a bullet that was very low to Fortson. Fortson had a chance to catch it, but went down too fast and the ball bounced off his facemask, and then in and out of his hands as he hit the ground. It was a poor throw and would have been a tough catch to make, and I can understand if the kid drops it…but to have the game winning pass go off your facemask? and then in and out of your hands? Tough break. I just hope the kid can bounce back from it. I would hate to read in a few days that he pulled a “Wyatt Sexton.” The former FSU QB couldn’t handle the pressures of college athletics, as cops found him lying face down in a street, shirtless, screaming out “I am God! I am God and the son of God!” Hopefully Fortson will choose more practice, hard work, and dedication rather than LSD, alcohol, and a Dave Matthews Band Concert.
are you really knockin a guy for having some loyalty to his school and maybe even wanting to get an education??