For every hero there’s a villain, and college football is no
different in that regard. Here are a few who let themselves down this weekend:
Auburn: If
there’s a more overrated squad than the Tigers of the SEC then I’d like someone
to point them out. Coming into the season, they were touted as likely
challenging for the conference title, but something will have to change
drastically in the next few weeks for that to occur.
The Tigers, who had publically stated during the week that
they didn’t think they’d have too much trouble stopping Louisiana State RB
Leonard Fournette, actually had all the trouble in the world. Fournette ran
around Tiger defenders like they were orange traffic cones, and the Tigers,
under alleged defensive mastermind Will Muschamp, gave up 228 yards and three
touchdowns to Fournette alone. Overall, they leaked 411 rushing yards, and lost
to a rampant Bayou Bengals outfit 45-21.
Georgia Tech:
After rolling up yards and points seemingly at will in the first two games of
the year, the Yellow Jackets brought their triple option offense to South Bend
and were shown up by a Notre Dame defense that played smart, committed
football. The final score was 30-22 to the Irish, but it’s a score line that
flattered Tech more than they deserved. In reality, it wasn't that close. Back
to the drawing board for Paul Johnson’s squad.
Louisville under
Bobby Petrino: Fair to say that the second go-around in Louisville for the
controversial, team-hopping coach hasn’t been as good as the first stint that
included an Orange Bowl victory. The Cardinals faced No. 11 Clemson at home on
Thursday night, and despite having enough opportunities to, at the minimum,
force overtime, they lost 20-17, and drop to a paltry 0-4 against AP Top 25
opponents in Petrino’s second stint.
Arkansas: Remember
a week or so ago, when Arkansas coach Bret Bielema took a shot at Ohio State’s
weak schedule as compared to what the Razorbacks have to fight through in the
SEC? Well, it turns out that the ‘Hogs can’t even beat non-conference opponents
on the to conference play. In the last two weeks, Bielema’s men have lost to
unranked teams who came into the game as double-digit underdogs, losing this
week 35-24 to Texas Tech. It won’t be a pleasant week in Fayetteville.
Cardale Jones:
two interceptions against lowly Northern Illinois saw Ohio State’s National
Championship-winning hero yanked from quarterback in favour of J.T. Barrett,
who didn’t really look that good, either. That opens up an interesting
situation going forward in Columbus. The Buckeyes barely eked out a 20-13 win,
thanks to a defensive touchdown. Not pretty.
Oregon’s defense:
the Ducks took on lowly Georgia State and won 61-28, but their defense gave up
431 yards, including 318 through the air. That’s got to be of some concern in
Eugene.
Missouri: the No.
22 Tigers beat Connecticut 9-6 in what was perhaps the ugliest game of the
weekend. Mizzou should have taken the Huskies to the cleaners. They should
slide in the new rankings.
Alabama: So much
for the team getting revenge on Ole Miss for last year’s loss in Oxford. It
could not have gone much worse for the Tide than it did on Saturday night. I
can’t recall the last time I saw an Alabama squad so off their game. Nothing
seemed to click properly, and the mistakes we saw were shocking because
Saban-coached teams rarely make them. The Tide turned the football over five
times. Five times! When was the last time we saw them do that? A crazy game,
and although the Tide seemed like they might improbably steal a win, it wasn't
to be. Turnovers kill. It was strange to see what we saw from a team under Nick
Saban’s tutelage.
Texas: the
Longhorns rallied from 45-24 down but fell short on a missed PAT that would
have tied the game. Instead, Cal won 45-44, and the loss at home in Austin will
doubtless kick-start another week of loud, unhappy noise from the large and
vocal Longhorn fan base, not to mention the influential alumni.
Rutgers: An
embarrassing week for the New Jersey school. Head coach Kyle Flood was
suspended three games and fined a cool $50,000 after an internal investigation
determined that he had made improper contact with a professor regarding one of
his players’ academic status. That sort of behaviour is not on, and you really
have to wonder what on earth was going through Flood’s mind when he decided to
take that step.
Elsewhere, star receiver Leonte Carroo was charged with
domestic violence, after allegedly slamming a woman against a concrete surface
outside the Scarlet Knights’ football building following a loss to Washington
State. Carroo pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, ahead of a court
date on October 1.
On the field, Rutgers were dominated by Penn State in Happy
Valley, losing 28-3.
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