Some of my thoughts from the opening weekend of the 2012 season...
South Carolina barely escaped a plucky Vanderbilt team in Nashville on Thursday night - for mine, Vandy showed enough to suggest they are no longer going to be the week-in, week-out SEC punching bag - and it was largely thanks to the 2-TD, 110-yard performance by RB Marcus Lattimore, who returned to the Gamecocks line-up after a year out, having suffered an ACL tear last season. When he's at full steam, Lattimore is close to the very best back in Division One football. With a few more games under his belt to get used to the speed of the game once more, he's going to scare some SEC defensive coordinators. Spurrier's Gamecocks might be the real surprise packet of the nation's premier conference.
South Carolina barely escaped a plucky Vanderbilt team in Nashville on Thursday night - for mine, Vandy showed enough to suggest they are no longer going to be the week-in, week-out SEC punching bag - and it was largely thanks to the 2-TD, 110-yard performance by RB Marcus Lattimore, who returned to the Gamecocks line-up after a year out, having suffered an ACL tear last season. When he's at full steam, Lattimore is close to the very best back in Division One football. With a few more games under his belt to get used to the speed of the game once more, he's going to scare some SEC defensive coordinators. Spurrier's Gamecocks might be the real surprise packet of the nation's premier conference.
As good as Lattimore was, Week One's ironman effort award goes to South Carolina's QB Connor Shaw who came back from a shoulder contusion and led his team down the field for the go-ahead score that eventually stood as the game winner. He took some shots on the way, putting his body on the line for the team when they needed him the most, after second- and third-string signal callers came into the game and had little effect. There's no doubt that South Carolian's offense is infinitely better with Shaw under centre. His running ability is a wonderful complement to RB Marcus Lattimore. As I wrote above, if the stars align for Steve Spurrier's team, watch out.
Two years after being fired from Texas Tech, Mike Leach, the Mad Pirate, is back as a head football coach with his air raid offense in tow, this time at Washington State. The Cougars were in Provo, Utah on Thursday night in the second game of the national TV double-header, and it didn't go at all well for WSU, routed 30-6 by the Cougars of Brigham Young. It was still a pleasure to see Leach back, and his comment about QB Jeff Tuel's performance being "average" will probably stand up as one of the best sound bites of the year. Leach has work to do. It was a night of missed opportunities and bad penalties for the Cougars of Washington State, and certainly not what the WSU faithful would have been expecting from the first game of the Leach era.
A career night for Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell (44 carries, 210 yards and 2 TDs) and it was just as well, because if Bell hadn't been on the field, the offense for the Spartans would almost certainly have sputtered and died. Sparty rode their undisputed No. 1 back all the way to a gritty 17-13 victory against the rebuilding Boise State Broncos. Of great concern for MSU's head coach Mark Dantonio was first-time starter at QB, Andrew Maxwell, threw 3 INTs, and didn't look particularly good, except when he handed to Bell and was able to bask in Le'Veon's reflected glory. MSU will need to find some more offense before Big Ten play rolls around, or it will be a long season in East Lansing.
Speaking of long seasons, Penn State might be in for one of those, too. Their first-up 24-14 loss against Ohio came after they took a 7-0 and then a 14-3 lead, and actually looked very good, with QB Matt McGloin effortlessly executing the new offense installed at PSU. 24-7 from the second quarter onward, and Bill O'Brien's honeymoon - if there even was one of those; okay, a football honeymoon, at least - is now well and truly over. McGloin had to throw it 48 times, because there just wasn't a running game to speak of. The transfer of RB Silas Redd to USC seems, as predicted, to be something of a body blow for the Nittany Lions. It could be a trying fall in State College, Pennsylvania.
Clemson appears set to be serious ACC contenders again in 2012, after grinding out an impressive 26-19 victory vs. Auburn in the Georgia Dome. Despite a relatively low-scoring game, there were plenty of big offensive plays in this one, from QB Tajh Boyd, RB Andre Ellington and the electric WR DeAndre Hopkins. The scariest thing, aside from how well the Tigers from Clemson played, is that their star player, Sammy Watkins, will return in the third game of the season, and add even more offensive power to a team not exactly short on it at the moment. Watch out, ACC foes. You figure the Tigers have something of a point to prove after West Virginia dropped 70 on them in the Orange Bowl.
Michigan will have something to prove the rest of this season after they were mauled 41-14 by the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night. If anything, the final score made the Wolverines loss seem far more respectable than it really was. Michigan were down 31-0 before they troubled the scorers, and basically had the Tide run all over their defensive unit. QB Denard Robinson, at the beginning of his senior season, looked okay at times, and horrible at others, tossing 2 INTs in a largely forgettable game for anyone wearing the maize and blue. In fairness, Robinson wasn't given very much to work with - nor was he given much time by a rampant Tide defense, the likes of which he's probably never seen before - and he still seems to be something of a tentative passer. The apparent shoulder injury probably didn't help. Once more, the reputation of the Big Ten takes another national stage pummeling.
How about Alabama? They lose some very, very good players from their National Championship-winning defense and seem to be able to rebound just like that. They faced a pretty good Michigan offense, smacked them right in the mouth and made them look decidedly third-rate. Anyone who thought the Tide wouldn't be right there in the hunt for this year's national title got a rude awakening on Saturday night. QB AJ McCarron silenced his doubters with a championship season in 2011, and looked good Saturday, too. That freshman RB TJ Yeldon looks like a serious player, with speed and moves, and he'll fight for backfield time with Eddie Lacy, a holdover from last year, who's certainly no slouch. Nick Saban just keeps reloading his gun. It's a marvelous program he's building in Tuscaloosa.
In sunny Southern California, the pre-season #1 USC Trojans wasted little time in showing everyone how dangerous they'll be in 2012. Returning QB Matt Barkley, who passed up NFL riches to return and spearhead the charge for a National Championship after the passing of their two-year Bowl ban, took only less than half a minute to show the country how good Lane Kiffin's offense will be. Their opening play from scrimmage? A 75-yard reception for WR Marqise Lee and a 7-0 lead. Lane Kiffin says Lee might be the best receiver in school history. Saturday's 10-catch effort (197 yards, and a TD) certainly set him off on the right foot. USC pummeled Hawaii 49-10 to signal their intentions.
First-up wins for notable coaches at new schools in 2012: Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Rich Rodriguez at Arizona (though barely; the Wildcats survived Toledo in OT, 24-17), Jim Mora and UCLA and Tim Beckman at Illinois. Not such a happy debut for, amongst others, Mike Leach at Washington State. Former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, now at Texas A&M, has to wait for his first win with the Aggies, whose game against Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac.
Best game of the first week? Northwestern vs. Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. For most of the game, seemed that no Northwestern lead was insurmountable for the 'Cuse, who rallied from a 35-13 deficit to take a lead at 41-35 before backup QB Trevor Siemian rallied the Wildcats, tossing a 9-yard TD score to snatch back the ascendancy for good. Pat Fitzgerald's team claimed a wild 42-41 win, and seem to be following their trend of abysmal late-game defensive fade-outs which plagued their 2011 season.
A career night for Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell (44 carries, 210 yards and 2 TDs) and it was just as well, because if Bell hadn't been on the field, the offense for the Spartans would almost certainly have sputtered and died. Sparty rode their undisputed No. 1 back all the way to a gritty 17-13 victory against the rebuilding Boise State Broncos. Of great concern for MSU's head coach Mark Dantonio was first-time starter at QB, Andrew Maxwell, threw 3 INTs, and didn't look particularly good, except when he handed to Bell and was able to bask in Le'Veon's reflected glory. MSU will need to find some more offense before Big Ten play rolls around, or it will be a long season in East Lansing.
Speaking of long seasons, Penn State might be in for one of those, too. Their first-up 24-14 loss against Ohio came after they took a 7-0 and then a 14-3 lead, and actually looked very good, with QB Matt McGloin effortlessly executing the new offense installed at PSU. 24-7 from the second quarter onward, and Bill O'Brien's honeymoon - if there even was one of those; okay, a football honeymoon, at least - is now well and truly over. McGloin had to throw it 48 times, because there just wasn't a running game to speak of. The transfer of RB Silas Redd to USC seems, as predicted, to be something of a body blow for the Nittany Lions. It could be a trying fall in State College, Pennsylvania.
Clemson appears set to be serious ACC contenders again in 2012, after grinding out an impressive 26-19 victory vs. Auburn in the Georgia Dome. Despite a relatively low-scoring game, there were plenty of big offensive plays in this one, from QB Tajh Boyd, RB Andre Ellington and the electric WR DeAndre Hopkins. The scariest thing, aside from how well the Tigers from Clemson played, is that their star player, Sammy Watkins, will return in the third game of the season, and add even more offensive power to a team not exactly short on it at the moment. Watch out, ACC foes. You figure the Tigers have something of a point to prove after West Virginia dropped 70 on them in the Orange Bowl.
Michigan will have something to prove the rest of this season after they were mauled 41-14 by the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night. If anything, the final score made the Wolverines loss seem far more respectable than it really was. Michigan were down 31-0 before they troubled the scorers, and basically had the Tide run all over their defensive unit. QB Denard Robinson, at the beginning of his senior season, looked okay at times, and horrible at others, tossing 2 INTs in a largely forgettable game for anyone wearing the maize and blue. In fairness, Robinson wasn't given very much to work with - nor was he given much time by a rampant Tide defense, the likes of which he's probably never seen before - and he still seems to be something of a tentative passer. The apparent shoulder injury probably didn't help. Once more, the reputation of the Big Ten takes another national stage pummeling.
How about Alabama? They lose some very, very good players from their National Championship-winning defense and seem to be able to rebound just like that. They faced a pretty good Michigan offense, smacked them right in the mouth and made them look decidedly third-rate. Anyone who thought the Tide wouldn't be right there in the hunt for this year's national title got a rude awakening on Saturday night. QB AJ McCarron silenced his doubters with a championship season in 2011, and looked good Saturday, too. That freshman RB TJ Yeldon looks like a serious player, with speed and moves, and he'll fight for backfield time with Eddie Lacy, a holdover from last year, who's certainly no slouch. Nick Saban just keeps reloading his gun. It's a marvelous program he's building in Tuscaloosa.
In sunny Southern California, the pre-season #1 USC Trojans wasted little time in showing everyone how dangerous they'll be in 2012. Returning QB Matt Barkley, who passed up NFL riches to return and spearhead the charge for a National Championship after the passing of their two-year Bowl ban, took only less than half a minute to show the country how good Lane Kiffin's offense will be. Their opening play from scrimmage? A 75-yard reception for WR Marqise Lee and a 7-0 lead. Lane Kiffin says Lee might be the best receiver in school history. Saturday's 10-catch effort (197 yards, and a TD) certainly set him off on the right foot. USC pummeled Hawaii 49-10 to signal their intentions.
First-up wins for notable coaches at new schools in 2012: Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Rich Rodriguez at Arizona (though barely; the Wildcats survived Toledo in OT, 24-17), Jim Mora and UCLA and Tim Beckman at Illinois. Not such a happy debut for, amongst others, Mike Leach at Washington State. Former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, now at Texas A&M, has to wait for his first win with the Aggies, whose game against Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac.
Best game of the first week? Northwestern vs. Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. For most of the game, seemed that no Northwestern lead was insurmountable for the 'Cuse, who rallied from a 35-13 deficit to take a lead at 41-35 before backup QB Trevor Siemian rallied the Wildcats, tossing a 9-yard TD score to snatch back the ascendancy for good. Pat Fitzgerald's team claimed a wild 42-41 win, and seem to be following their trend of abysmal late-game defensive fade-outs which plagued their 2011 season.
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