Clearly, the first ever Friday night game for the USC Trojans suited them nicely. It was a cold night in Boulder, Colorado, but QB Matt Barkley ley up the night for the Men of Troy, throwing a school-record 6 TDs in the 42-17 demolition of the injury-ravaged Buffaloes at Folsom Field. An impressive mark for Barkley - 25-39 for 318 yards, 6 TDs and 1 INT - especially when you consider the All Star list of quarterbacks who have thrown passes at USC before him: Leinart, Palmer, Peete, Sanchez, Johnson. USC fans everywhere, including this one, hoping Barkley comes back for his senior season.
WILD Mid-American Conference game on Tuesday night. 123 total points were scored - 17 touchdowns and 3 field goals - between Northern Illinois and Toledo in a game that featured 1121 total yards of offense, two scores by NIU on kick-off returns and only one turnover. It was a sensational game of football that didn't get much national recognition given it's Tuesday night slot. But those of us who stumbled across it saw something pretty amazing. Not since the days of Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour have we seen such crazy offense in the MAC.
Great to see Big Ten football played in November, when it's cool and overcast. Michigan vs. Iowa in Iowa City was a pretty entertaining football game. While defenses continue to force Denard Robinson 17-37 for 194 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT - to throw, the Wolverines, against good opposition, will lose more games than they'll win. Iowa forced two turnovers and managed a late stand against Robinson and the Michigan offense to get their season back on track at 6-3 after last week's tough loss to Minnesota. RB Marcus Coker is one of the most underrated runners in the Big Ten.
LSU vs. Alabama. The Game of the Century. It lived up to all the hype and more. We may not see two better defenses on the same field for a decade. The fitting overtime end served to put an exclamation mark on the game of the season. For those who dislike defensive struggles, this should have changed their mind. It was more gripping and compelling than Tuesday night's MAC shootout in Toledo, Ohio. It is a great shame that this was not the final game of the season. A better and more even contest seems unlikely.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban will be ruing many missed opportunities. The Crimson Tide out-gained LSU, but missed four field goals that would have given them the win. The Marquis Maze pass to the goal line, brilliantly intercepted after being reefed away from the Alabama receiver by LSU's Eric Reid was another turning point. Had that ball been thrown with just a little more power and accuracy, the result would have been six - and most likely seven - Alabama points, and the road back for LSU would've been much steeper uphill. Similarly, QB AJ McCarron taking a sack on the third down play in OT pushed 'Bama back into the No Man's Land of Field Goal attempts, one that was not successful. LSU went on to kick their own three-pointer and win the game again. Alabama would hope for another shot at Les Miles' team.
It will be interesting to see where Les Miles goes as far as the quarterback situation at LSU is concerned. Yes, Jarrett Lee made some bad throws and looked like the shaky QB we have seen in past years, but I am a firm believer that the Tigers need his arm as much as they need Jordan Jefferson's ability to use his feet to make a play. Jefferson may start going down the stretch, but I would be very surprised to not see Lee making a significant contribution.
A wild day in the Big Ten's Legends Division sees Michigan State on top, even though they barely survived a plucky Minnesota team in East Lansing today. Nebraska suffered a home loss to Northwestern who were without star QB Dan Persa, Michigan proved - see above - that they cannot win on the road - in Iowa City and suddenly, the much suggested Michigan State vs. Wisconsin Big Ten Title Game seems a reality, or at least a possibility, though there are still some key games to be played.
Oklahoma State barely survived their own game tonight. While the epic but dour struggle between LSU and Alabama played out, there was an epic and firework-laden game taking place in Stillwater, Oklahoma between OSU and Kansas State. QB Brandon Weeden led the charge for the Cowboys, rolling up 502 passing yards - a school record - and four touchdowns and RB Joseph Randle scored a 23-yard rushing TD to ice the game with 2:16 to play, giving the Cowboys a 52-45 victory. All American WR Justin Blackmon caught 13 balls for a whopping 205 yards and 2 TDs. Weeden to Blackmon is a heck of a pitch-and-catch combination.
In Las Vegas, QB Kellen Moore threw for 5 touchdowns, and the Boise State Broncos survived a slight first-half challenge from UNLV to extend their undefeated record. Moore, who left the game in the fourth quarter, added another 224 yards through the air in the Broncos 48-21 road victory, is now the winningest quarterback in college football history, with one more win than Texas legend Colt McCoy. Surely, too, Moore is a Heisman candidate.
Horrible news for Oklahoma's talented WR Ryan Broyles, the NCAA’s career leader in receptions, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Sooners' victory against Texas A&M today. Broyles will miss the remainder of the season.
Once more, Case Keenum won, and won handily. The Cougars, ranked fourteenth in the nation and sure to rise, defeated UAB 56-13. Once again, Keenum was superb. His figures on Saturday were not quite as gaudy as his 500 yard/9 touchdown effort last Thursday vs. Rice, but still nothing to sneeze at. He went 39-44 for 407 yards and 2 TDs, as well as 2 rushes for 2 yards and 2 TDs. Backup Cotton Turner played most of the fourth quarter.
The nation's longest winning streak stands at 17 after QB Andrew Luck threw 3 touchdowns on a chilly night in Corvallis, Oregon. Stanford, the best team in the Pac-12, beat the Beavers 38-13, but lost senior receiver Chris Owusu to a concussion in the second quarter after a heavy helmet-to-helmet collision. He was transported from the field by ambulance.
There are many scenarios, all complicated, that would see Alabama and LSU meeting at the New Orleans Superdome in the BCS National Championship Game. Let us all hope that those scenarios work themselves out over the next month, for a rematch of these two great SEC powers would be a fitting end to another epic season of college football.
Great to see Big Ten football played in November, when it's cool and overcast. Michigan vs. Iowa in Iowa City was a pretty entertaining football game. While defenses continue to force Denard Robinson 17-37 for 194 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT - to throw, the Wolverines, against good opposition, will lose more games than they'll win. Iowa forced two turnovers and managed a late stand against Robinson and the Michigan offense to get their season back on track at 6-3 after last week's tough loss to Minnesota. RB Marcus Coker is one of the most underrated runners in the Big Ten.
LSU vs. Alabama. The Game of the Century. It lived up to all the hype and more. We may not see two better defenses on the same field for a decade. The fitting overtime end served to put an exclamation mark on the game of the season. For those who dislike defensive struggles, this should have changed their mind. It was more gripping and compelling than Tuesday night's MAC shootout in Toledo, Ohio. It is a great shame that this was not the final game of the season. A better and more even contest seems unlikely.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban will be ruing many missed opportunities. The Crimson Tide out-gained LSU, but missed four field goals that would have given them the win. The Marquis Maze pass to the goal line, brilliantly intercepted after being reefed away from the Alabama receiver by LSU's Eric Reid was another turning point. Had that ball been thrown with just a little more power and accuracy, the result would have been six - and most likely seven - Alabama points, and the road back for LSU would've been much steeper uphill. Similarly, QB AJ McCarron taking a sack on the third down play in OT pushed 'Bama back into the No Man's Land of Field Goal attempts, one that was not successful. LSU went on to kick their own three-pointer and win the game again. Alabama would hope for another shot at Les Miles' team.
It will be interesting to see where Les Miles goes as far as the quarterback situation at LSU is concerned. Yes, Jarrett Lee made some bad throws and looked like the shaky QB we have seen in past years, but I am a firm believer that the Tigers need his arm as much as they need Jordan Jefferson's ability to use his feet to make a play. Jefferson may start going down the stretch, but I would be very surprised to not see Lee making a significant contribution.
A wild day in the Big Ten's Legends Division sees Michigan State on top, even though they barely survived a plucky Minnesota team in East Lansing today. Nebraska suffered a home loss to Northwestern who were without star QB Dan Persa, Michigan proved - see above - that they cannot win on the road - in Iowa City and suddenly, the much suggested Michigan State vs. Wisconsin Big Ten Title Game seems a reality, or at least a possibility, though there are still some key games to be played.
Oklahoma State barely survived their own game tonight. While the epic but dour struggle between LSU and Alabama played out, there was an epic and firework-laden game taking place in Stillwater, Oklahoma between OSU and Kansas State. QB Brandon Weeden led the charge for the Cowboys, rolling up 502 passing yards - a school record - and four touchdowns and RB Joseph Randle scored a 23-yard rushing TD to ice the game with 2:16 to play, giving the Cowboys a 52-45 victory. All American WR Justin Blackmon caught 13 balls for a whopping 205 yards and 2 TDs. Weeden to Blackmon is a heck of a pitch-and-catch combination.
In Las Vegas, QB Kellen Moore threw for 5 touchdowns, and the Boise State Broncos survived a slight first-half challenge from UNLV to extend their undefeated record. Moore, who left the game in the fourth quarter, added another 224 yards through the air in the Broncos 48-21 road victory, is now the winningest quarterback in college football history, with one more win than Texas legend Colt McCoy. Surely, too, Moore is a Heisman candidate.
Horrible news for Oklahoma's talented WR Ryan Broyles, the NCAA’s career leader in receptions, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Sooners' victory against Texas A&M today. Broyles will miss the remainder of the season.
Once more, Case Keenum won, and won handily. The Cougars, ranked fourteenth in the nation and sure to rise, defeated UAB 56-13. Once again, Keenum was superb. His figures on Saturday were not quite as gaudy as his 500 yard/9 touchdown effort last Thursday vs. Rice, but still nothing to sneeze at. He went 39-44 for 407 yards and 2 TDs, as well as 2 rushes for 2 yards and 2 TDs. Backup Cotton Turner played most of the fourth quarter.
The nation's longest winning streak stands at 17 after QB Andrew Luck threw 3 touchdowns on a chilly night in Corvallis, Oregon. Stanford, the best team in the Pac-12, beat the Beavers 38-13, but lost senior receiver Chris Owusu to a concussion in the second quarter after a heavy helmet-to-helmet collision. He was transported from the field by ambulance.
There are many scenarios, all complicated, that would see Alabama and LSU meeting at the New Orleans Superdome in the BCS National Championship Game. Let us all hope that those scenarios work themselves out over the next month, for a rematch of these two great SEC powers would be a fitting end to another epic season of college football.
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