Week 8 Review
Observations
- Unbelievable Finish: I'm going to talk a lot about the end of the Michigan-Michigan State game last Saturday, and for good reason. It was crazy. I was eating dinner with some dorm mates of mine when the play happened, and everybody in the place went crazy. It was a very exciting moment. When we were walking out, some guys coming in asked who won the game. Of of them said "Michigan?", assuming they had won. Then I said "State", and we told them what had happened. They didn't believe us.
- A Victor Emerges?: Ohio State may have found the answer to who will lead their offense on Saturday. Although they once again used a two-quarterback system, one played much better than the other. Cardale Jones, who started once again, was 9 for 15 passing with 84 yards (he also ran four times for 16 yards). But it was J.T. Barrett who stole the show. He didn't throw much, completing all four of his pass attempts for 30 yards and two touchdowns, but he ran 11 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Barrett showed great vision reading the defense, busting options for big gains on multiple occasions. Barrett showed Saturday night that he is clearly the number one quarterback on Ohio State's roster. On Tuesday, Urban Meyer said they are switching to Barrett as the starting quarterback.
- Mid-Major Monsters: We mustn't forget about the mid-majors (teams from outside the Power Five conferences-Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, and ACC). There are now four mid-major teams in the Top 25, three of them from the American: #18 Memphis (American), #19 Toledo (MAC), #21 Houston (American), and #22 Temple (American). All four of them are undefeated, and not against extremely weak competition. Memphis beat then-#13 Ole Miss last week, Toledo beat then-#18 Arkansas in Week 2, Houston beat Louisville in the same week, and Temple has beaten Penn State and Cincinnati.
This week's choices for Play of the Week and Play of the Weak were pretty easy. My play of the week came early last week, in a Thursday night game between Stanford and UCLA. Already up 35-17 in the third quarter, the Cardinal added to the lead with this magnificent catch by Francis Owusu (brother of Jets receiver Chris Owusu). He reached around the face-guarding defender and held on to the ball the whole time. Many were calling this the play of the year so far, and it's hard to argue with that.
Play of the Weak
This week's Play of the Week, of course, is the amazing finish to the Michigan-Michigan State game. Up two with ten seconds to play, Michigan set up to punt on fourth down from the MSU 43 yard-line. The Wolverines were well on their way to a big win. But then, madness ensued. The snap was a bit low, but still catchable for punter Blake O'Neill. However, O'Neill (who had an 80-yard punt earlier in the game) muffed the snap and tried to pick it up and punt it in any direction in panic. He was bombarded by a hoard of Spartans, including Jalen Watts-Jackson, who caught the ball after it was knocked out of O'Neill's hands and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown as time expired (Watts-Jackson dislocated his hip on the play). You could say that the Wolverines shouldn't have punted it, but hindsight is 20/20. I think Jim Harbaugh made the right call there. The punter should have just dove on the ball or thrown it away after he muffed the snap, but he was probably in too much of a panic to think what the best action in that situation would be.
Game of the Week
Michigan State 27, Michigan 23
Surprise, surprise! I should have named this post something to do with Michigan and Michigan State. Before the insane finish, this was a wild back-and-forth game that included a highly questionable ejection for targeting (by "questionable", I mean it was bad), a nearly 13-second play from the one yard line, and an 80-yard punt (as I noted earlier). And it all culminated in one of the craziest finishes in college football history.
Top Performances
Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey vs. UCLA (W 56-35): 25 carries, 243 yards, 4 TD
McCaffrey had his Heisman Trophy candidate coming out party on Thursday night. The sophomore running back led the Cardinal to a blowout of UCLA, allowing them to seize control of the Pac-12 North.
Baylor QB Seth Russell (20-33, 380 yards, 5 TD) and WR Corey Coleman (10 catches, 199 yards, 3 TD) vs. West Virginia (W 62-38)
Baylor continued to do what they'v done all season: blow out teams. Last week, they did it with the lethal (as usual) passing attack featuring Russell and Coleman. Coleman had more receiving yards than the rest of the Baylor receivers combined.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry @ Texas A&M (W 41-23): 32 carries, 236 yards, 2 TD
The Tide are making their way back into the playoff picture largely thanks to their bruising tailback. Henry ran all over Texas A&M Saturday, and now has 901 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.
Top 4 After Week 7
1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes looked the best they've looked since their first game Saturday, as their offense finally seemed to break out of its slump with new starting quarterback J.T. Barrett. One area of concern, however, was their run defense, which gave up 194 yards to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. Next Game: @ Rutgers, Saturday, 8:00 PM
2. Baylor
Another week, another blowout for the Bears. Last week's victim was West Virginia, who was ranked just a couple of weeks ago. The Mountaineers did give Baylor their closest game thus far (they only won by 24), but right now, Baylor's offense looks unstoppable. Next Game: Iowa State, Saturday, Noon
3. Utah
UTAH had another big Pac-12 win last weekend, beating Arizona State. The Utes once again played outstanding defense, giving up just 257 total yards to the Sun Devils. This week they face another tough conference test in Pasadena against USC. Next Game: @ USC, Saturday, 7:30 PM
4. LSU
The Bayou Bengals could be higher, but the main point is they belong in the playoff (as of right now). They boast wins over Mississippi State, Auburn, and Florida, and have two talented athletes in quarterback Brandon Harris and running back Leonard Fournette. Next Game: Western Kentucky, Saturday, 7:00 PM
Next Four: Clemson, TCU, Alabama, Michigan State
Week 8 Preview
Quick Picks (home team listed last; all times are Eastern)
Last Week: 13-4
Overall: 40-14
#22 Temple 42, East Carolina 28 (Thursday, 7:00 PM, ESPN 2)
#20 California 35, UCLA 32 (Thursday, 9:00 PM, ESPN)
#18 Memphis 38, Tulsa 21 (Friday, 8:00 PM, ESPN)
#21 Houston 53, UCF 24 (Saturday, Noon, ESPN News)
#25 Pittsburgh 32, Syracuse 27 (Saturday, Noon, ESPNU)
#6 Clemson 28, Miami 24 (Saturday, Noon, ABC)
Iowa State 31, #2 Baylor 52 (Saturday, Noon, ESPN)
#19 Toledo 28, Massachusetts 13 (Saturday, 3:00 PM, ESPN3)
Upset Special: Texas Tech 47, #17 Oklahoma 45 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN 2)
With two high-scoring teams like this, anything can happen. The Sooners are at home, but that's where they lost to Texas two weeks ago. Texas Tech's two losses are to the two best teams in the conference (TCU and Baylor), and they only lost to TCU by three.
Kansas 7, #14 Oklahoma State 42 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, Fox Sports 1)
Indiana 34, #7 Michigan State 38 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN 2)
#23 Duke 27, Virginia Tech 30 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ESPNU)
Tennessee 28, #8 Alabama 45 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, CBS)
Western Kentucky 17, #5 LSU 31 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPNU)
Game of the Week: #15 Texas A&M 30, #24 Ole Miss 34 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPN)
This battle between SEC foes is the only ranked mathcup this weekend. 5-1 Texas A&M is coming off a loss to Alabama, while 5-2 Ole Miss beat Alabama earlier this season, but is coming off two losses in its last three games.
#9 Florida State 35, Georgia Tech 21 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPN 2)
#3 Utah 32, USC 24 (Saturday, 7:30 PM, FOX)
#1 Ohio State 35, Rutgers 21 (Saturday, 8:00 PM, ABC)
Washington 23, #10 Stanford 28 (Saturday, 10:30 PM, ESPN)
Play of the Weak
This week's Play of the Week, of course, is the amazing finish to the Michigan-Michigan State game. Up two with ten seconds to play, Michigan set up to punt on fourth down from the MSU 43 yard-line. The Wolverines were well on their way to a big win. But then, madness ensued. The snap was a bit low, but still catchable for punter Blake O'Neill. However, O'Neill (who had an 80-yard punt earlier in the game) muffed the snap and tried to pick it up and punt it in any direction in panic. He was bombarded by a hoard of Spartans, including Jalen Watts-Jackson, who caught the ball after it was knocked out of O'Neill's hands and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown as time expired (Watts-Jackson dislocated his hip on the play). You could say that the Wolverines shouldn't have punted it, but hindsight is 20/20. I think Jim Harbaugh made the right call there. The punter should have just dove on the ball or thrown it away after he muffed the snap, but he was probably in too much of a panic to think what the best action in that situation would be.
Game of the Week
Michigan State 27, Michigan 23
Surprise, surprise! I should have named this post something to do with Michigan and Michigan State. Before the insane finish, this was a wild back-and-forth game that included a highly questionable ejection for targeting (by "questionable", I mean it was bad), a nearly 13-second play from the one yard line, and an 80-yard punt (as I noted earlier). And it all culminated in one of the craziest finishes in college football history.
Top Performances
Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey vs. UCLA (W 56-35): 25 carries, 243 yards, 4 TD
McCaffrey had his Heisman Trophy candidate coming out party on Thursday night. The sophomore running back led the Cardinal to a blowout of UCLA, allowing them to seize control of the Pac-12 North.
Baylor QB Seth Russell (20-33, 380 yards, 5 TD) and WR Corey Coleman (10 catches, 199 yards, 3 TD) vs. West Virginia (W 62-38)
Baylor continued to do what they'v done all season: blow out teams. Last week, they did it with the lethal (as usual) passing attack featuring Russell and Coleman. Coleman had more receiving yards than the rest of the Baylor receivers combined.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry @ Texas A&M (W 41-23): 32 carries, 236 yards, 2 TD
The Tide are making their way back into the playoff picture largely thanks to their bruising tailback. Henry ran all over Texas A&M Saturday, and now has 901 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.
Top 4 After Week 7
1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes looked the best they've looked since their first game Saturday, as their offense finally seemed to break out of its slump with new starting quarterback J.T. Barrett. One area of concern, however, was their run defense, which gave up 194 yards to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. Next Game: @ Rutgers, Saturday, 8:00 PM
2. Baylor
Another week, another blowout for the Bears. Last week's victim was West Virginia, who was ranked just a couple of weeks ago. The Mountaineers did give Baylor their closest game thus far (they only won by 24), but right now, Baylor's offense looks unstoppable. Next Game: Iowa State, Saturday, Noon
3. Utah
UTAH had another big Pac-12 win last weekend, beating Arizona State. The Utes once again played outstanding defense, giving up just 257 total yards to the Sun Devils. This week they face another tough conference test in Pasadena against USC. Next Game: @ USC, Saturday, 7:30 PM
4. LSU
The Bayou Bengals could be higher, but the main point is they belong in the playoff (as of right now). They boast wins over Mississippi State, Auburn, and Florida, and have two talented athletes in quarterback Brandon Harris and running back Leonard Fournette. Next Game: Western Kentucky, Saturday, 7:00 PM
Next Four: Clemson, TCU, Alabama, Michigan State
Week 8 Preview
Quick Picks (home team listed last; all times are Eastern)
Last Week: 13-4
Overall: 40-14
#22 Temple 42, East Carolina 28 (Thursday, 7:00 PM, ESPN 2)
#20 California 35, UCLA 32 (Thursday, 9:00 PM, ESPN)
#18 Memphis 38, Tulsa 21 (Friday, 8:00 PM, ESPN)
#21 Houston 53, UCF 24 (Saturday, Noon, ESPN News)
#25 Pittsburgh 32, Syracuse 27 (Saturday, Noon, ESPNU)
#6 Clemson 28, Miami 24 (Saturday, Noon, ABC)
Iowa State 31, #2 Baylor 52 (Saturday, Noon, ESPN)
#19 Toledo 28, Massachusetts 13 (Saturday, 3:00 PM, ESPN3)
Upset Special: Texas Tech 47, #17 Oklahoma 45 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN 2)
With two high-scoring teams like this, anything can happen. The Sooners are at home, but that's where they lost to Texas two weeks ago. Texas Tech's two losses are to the two best teams in the conference (TCU and Baylor), and they only lost to TCU by three.
Kansas 7, #14 Oklahoma State 42 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, Fox Sports 1)
Indiana 34, #7 Michigan State 38 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN 2)
#23 Duke 27, Virginia Tech 30 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ESPNU)
Tennessee 28, #8 Alabama 45 (Saturday, 3:30 PM, CBS)
Western Kentucky 17, #5 LSU 31 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPNU)
Game of the Week: #15 Texas A&M 30, #24 Ole Miss 34 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPN)
This battle between SEC foes is the only ranked mathcup this weekend. 5-1 Texas A&M is coming off a loss to Alabama, while 5-2 Ole Miss beat Alabama earlier this season, but is coming off two losses in its last three games.
#9 Florida State 35, Georgia Tech 21 (Saturday, 7:00 PM, ESPN 2)
#3 Utah 32, USC 24 (Saturday, 7:30 PM, FOX)
#1 Ohio State 35, Rutgers 21 (Saturday, 8:00 PM, ABC)
Washington 23, #10 Stanford 28 (Saturday, 10:30 PM, ESPN)
No comments:
Post a Comment