Watching the offense sputter last night without a healthy Taylor Martinez made me think about how great next year will be on the Quarterback front. Martinez will have another year in the system and he should be better across the board, which is great. But even more important will be the improved Quarterback depth.
Nebraska's bread and butter is the Zone Read. It's extremely versatile and it allows you to be very creative. To run it successfully, you need an athletic, smart Quarterback. Taylor Martinez is mostly that. He's every bit as athletic as you need. He makes good decisions more times than not, though that's not even close to being good enough. He'll improve though.
The problem is, when Taylor gets hurt Nebraska doesn't have a Quarterback who can run the offensive scheme efficiently enough to move the ball. Instead, they have to make in-game adjustments and all but throw out everything you practiced offensively. That's just not smart or feasible. They try to run the same stuff with Zac Lee and he does about as well as expected, but he can only do so much. He's not too much of a threat when running the ball. He's a smart football player with his reads and I'm comfortable when he drops back to throw.
With Cody Green's, I'm not sure about his ability to make split-second decisions on whether to stick it in the belly of the back or pull it out and take off with it. When they run it with him, which isn't all that often, he seems like he makes good decisions. The problem with him is, it literally takes him 5 steps to get going. His lack of acceleration, in an offense that is predicated on getting a step on the defense, is tough to watch. Which is why they don't run the Zone option much. When throwing, I'm usually not liking what I see. He has a strong arm and that's it.
As I said, I'm comfortable with Zac Lee. He wont make the big mistake. Unfortunately for Nebraska is,
1) He's hurt and he doesn't seem like he's going to be able to help you on the field right now.
&
2) He's a Senior. He wont be there next year.
Which is why I personally cannot wait for the arrival of Bubba Starling and Jamal Turner. Both are great runners who will hurt you if you don't account for them on defense. Which is something they don't have at Quarterback with Taylor either severely hobbled or out.
I'm not sure what they'll do next year. Bubba Starling could opt to play Professional or College Baseball. Jamal Turner is going to be fantastic and you'd hate to see Nebraska burn a year of his eligibility by making him ride the bench. Brion Carnes, who is redshirted this year, is an interesting player. He's the third cousin of Nebraska great, Tommie Frazer. Carnes is pretty small(6'1, 180lbs). He's pretty impressive as a passer and he's got enough athletic ability to be sufficient in this offense.
It's going to be interesting to see what the coaching staff does at Quarterback behind Taylor Martinez next year. But any way they do it, the position is going to look a lot better this Spring as opposed to last.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Nebraska falls to the refs
If I was a Nebraska player, I would've just been flagged.
They dropped 16(145 yards) flags on Nebraska, while calling only 2(10) on Texas A&M. They're pretty much saying that Texas A&M didn't hold once in the game. They didn't get a little too physical with a receiver once. Yeah right! When a flag could be thrown on nearly every play, a 16-2 penalty disparity is very telling. I challenge anyone to find a game where the penalty differential between the two teams was 14. Because I've never seen that.
I didn't buy into the Big 12 referee conspiracies and I'm not saying I do now, but last night raised my eyebrows(and my blood pressure) on many occasions. Can anyone tell me when ABC stopped showing replays of penalties both during and away from the play? Maybe they were too thrilled with Bo Pelini's reactions to break away. Either way, the lack of replays only heightens my suspicion.
Worst part of it all is, there wont be any reprimandation. There might be some for Texas A&M's Defensive End, Tony Jerod-Eddie for his part in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I1lQwmSXO4 , but I wouldn't count on it. Why?
Because the Big 12 is pathetic, as is Dan Beebe, and his crew of referees.
Big Ten, you've never looked so damn good.
They dropped 16(145 yards) flags on Nebraska, while calling only 2(10) on Texas A&M. They're pretty much saying that Texas A&M didn't hold once in the game. They didn't get a little too physical with a receiver once. Yeah right! When a flag could be thrown on nearly every play, a 16-2 penalty disparity is very telling. I challenge anyone to find a game where the penalty differential between the two teams was 14. Because I've never seen that.
I didn't buy into the Big 12 referee conspiracies and I'm not saying I do now, but last night raised my eyebrows(and my blood pressure) on many occasions. Can anyone tell me when ABC stopped showing replays of penalties both during and away from the play? Maybe they were too thrilled with Bo Pelini's reactions to break away. Either way, the lack of replays only heightens my suspicion.
Worst part of it all is, there wont be any reprimandation. There might be some for Texas A&M's Defensive End, Tony Jerod-Eddie for his part in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I1lQwmSXO4 , but I wouldn't count on it. Why?
Because the Big 12 is pathetic, as is Dan Beebe, and his crew of referees.
Big Ten, you've never looked so damn good.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Who I want as the next head coach of the Cowboys
With the Cowboys seemingly back-flipping into football abyss, Wade Phillips is off the hot seat, which is good news for him. Bad thing is, he no longer has a seat. He(and Jerry of course and maybe Jerry more than anybody) drove the team bus and everybody inside it into complete mediocrity.
As I said in the last article, the problem with the team is culture and their mentality. The Cowboys' next coach needs to:
- Keep them accountable,
- Get them motivated and keep them motivated for the entire season and training camp.
- Maintain discipline in the players.
- Understand X's and O's. He's got to be able to put the players in the right position to make plays.
- Keep them humble. The team needs to ignore outside distractions
- Teach them how to deal with adversity.
- Instill fight in the team.
- Keep Jerry away from making basic football decisions.
- Have a winning track record and possibly a Super Bowl ring or two
Even so, the team needs major change. That starts with Jerry giving up control of basic football operations. Next, you need a new head coach and at the very least a new offensive coordinator.
I'll go through all the candidates that I want, rank them, and explain why I would want or wouldn't want a potential head coach.
10) Herm Edwards (54-74 Regular Season, 2-4 Playoffs)
Here's a name the people are familiar with, so I wont be giving the history like I did with the Brian Schottenheimer. Herm has about 20 years of coaching experience. I think he has an ability to relate to the players, which can be a really good thing. I think the players listen to what he preaches. The problem is, I'm not sure he preaches the right things. 56-77 all-time record, which obviously isn't very good. And to me, he seems arrogant. That's not good when the team is arrogant. The only reason I have him as a better option than Schottenheimer is because he has head coaching experience.
9) Steve Mariucci (72-67, 3-4)
He, unlike Herm, actually has a winning record as a coach, albeit, not by much. He has a 72-67 all-time record. 3-4 in the playoffs. He's an extremely likable guy and that, sadly, isn't good for the Cowboys. Just look at Wade. He could be good for Romo as he served as Brett Favre's Quarterback coach for 4 years. But that's not enough to warrant hiring. Jerry would walk all over Mooch. I would be optimistic if we hired him, but I sure would root like hell for him.
8) Jason Garrett
I have the current offensive coordinator sitting in 7th as far as head coaching candidates. He was well thought of when we hired him. Some think he'll be a better Head Coach than an Offensive Coordinator. He had a great year calling the offense in 2007 with Tony Sparano working with him. Other than that, he's been pretty mediocre.
The offense, like the entire team, just doesn't seem disciplined. A good thing if he was promoted to the head position is the offense wouldn't need to learn an entire new playbook. But to me, he doesn't have the offense firing on all cylinders, how could he get the entire team going? The Cowboys need big change and he definitely would NOT be change.
7) Jon Gruden (95-81, 5-4)
Jon Gruden seems like the favorite to be the next head coach. He apparently would be open to sharing the decision making with Jerry Jones. Jerry would be more inclined to hire a guy like that. Gruden as a head coach has been very inconsistent. His record as a head coach is 100-85. He took over for Tony Dungy in 2002 and won the Super Bowl. Gruden had a good year in '05 when he won 11 games. He also had some good years with the Raiders the 4 years before that. Other than that, he was sub par at best.
I'm not sure he understands X's and O's very well and he wouldn't he Jerry in check. Other than that, I think he could at least moderately improve the Cowboys' discipline and everything that goes into improving the culture of the team. I do not think he'd make them consistent.
6) Brian Billick (80-64, 5-3)
The Former Ravens head coach, like Jon Gruden, had a fairly inconsistent coaching career. He's 80-64 as a head coach including a 5-3 playoff record. Winning 4 playoff games in one year, including the Super Bowl. I believe has all of the qualities I want in a head coach. But like Gruden, I'm not sure how good he is schematically and if he'd demand that Jerry take a step back and out of every day football operations. I worry about how he handled his Quarterback situation all those years in Baltimore. I'm pretty sure he was viewed as an Offensive coach, though he was carried throughout his coaching career by his defense. I'd have some faith in Brian Billick though given his decent track record.
5) Jim Harbaugh
This is a relatively new name, but I personally have respected Jim Harbaugh for as long as I knew what football was. I think the first memory of football I have is of Jim Harbaugh leading come from behind victories as a member of the Colts. He's one of my favorite players, period. And that's saying something considering he never played for the Cowboys.
He coached at San Diego University where he racked up 29 wins, while only losing 6 times. He was then hired by University of Stanford in 2007. He's turned around Stanford team that won 1 game and lost 11 the year before he took over.
He interviewed for the Jets' Head Coaching job in '09. But as an NFL Head Coach, you'd have to believe he's green. I'm not sure if he can or at least assist in formulating an NFL game plan on defense. I believe he'd keep the players accountable, keep them motivated and humble, and get them disciplined. Jerry, again, would keep his nose in the coaches business though. And he'd have to win the players over. He doesn't have many skins on the wall as a coach, so they might try to walk over him ignore his teachings. But I believe he is a very good coach that demands your attention.
4) John Fox(72-64, 5-3)
The current Head Coach of the Panthers is on the hot seat himself. His Carolina Panthers have 1-7 record themselves. He's been pretty good. Under his rein, the worst a team has finished was 7-9 three times. He also has two 8-8's, two 11-5's and a 12-4. Fox has been to a Super Bowl in 2003, losing to the Panthers. He owns an overall record of
Jerry Jones apparently thinks pretty highly of John Fox. He's in the last year of his contract and he apparently would like the spotlight the Cowboys would provide. Jerry might allow him to do what he wants to do.
3) Marty Schottenheimer( 200-126, 5-13)
He's 67 years old and been out of coaching since the 2006 season when he was fired after going 14-2. He didn't have the best relationship with General Manager, A.J. Smith. He has a bunch of skins on the wall and he's definitely been around and seen it all. He doesn't have a great record in the playoffs and that's been well documented, but personally, I'm not thinking about the playoffs as much as I am about the team just being competitive on a weekly basis and getting to the playoffs.
He's very demanding and his players WILL respect him. Whether he wants the job and whether he can work with Jerry Jones at GM remains to be seen.
2) Mike Holmgren(161-111, 13-11)
Holmgren is in the same boat as Schottenheimer in that I'm not sure he wants to coach anymore or for how long. I'm not sure if he still wants to coach as he's 62 years old. I'm also not sure he can work with Jerry Jones. He holds a GM position currently with the Cleveland Browns. He has a winning track record and has a Super Bowl victory. He's very well respected around the league and he's a great coaching mind. Holmgren isn't a soft coach. He'd get something out of these players. If he wants the job, which is a big if, give it to him. But Schotty and Holmgren are very good Head Coaches, who have a good Head Coaching resumes.
1) Bill Cowher (149-90, 12-9)
Surprised? Of course not. Bill Cowher might be the best coach available consensually. He's definitely the most wanted coach among Cowboys fans, I'm sure. He's pretty much everything you could want as a coach and everything the Cowboys need. The players need their fair share of spray from Cowher's mouth. He has demeanor to change the culture pretty quickly. I'm not sure he'd want to work with Jerrah, but for the right price, maybe. This would be a HUGE win for the organization.
Coaches to remember:
Mike Zimmer - Bengals Defensive Coordinator. He runs the 4-3, though he did run the 4-3 Parcells' final year. Jerry has been reported to be pretty fond of Zimmer.
Leslie Frazier - Vikings Defensive Coordinator. Likes to run a Cover Two defense. I don't know much else about him really. I know he's been a hot commodity for several years.
Perry Fewell - Giants Defensive Coordinator. He runs the 4-3 in New York, but he does have 3-4 experience in Buffalo. He went 3 and 4 as an interim Head Coach last year.
Dom Capers - Packers Defensive Coordinator. He's extremely familiar with the 3-4 scheme. The Cowboys attempted to hire him as a defense assistant a few years back. He has a 48-80 All-Time head coaching record though.
Brian Schottenheimer - The son of former head coach Marty Schottenheimer. He began his college career as a Quarterback on the Kansas Jayhawks before traveling to Gainesville to back up then Quarterback Danny Wueffel at Florida. He was apart of the 1996 National Championship team in 1996. Schottenheimer was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Syracuse Orange, USC Trojans and Washington Redskins from 1997 to 2001, before becoming an assistant coach with the Chargers. He was an assistant under his father, Marty Schottenheimer, in three of those coaching positions: Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers per Wikipedia. He was rumored to be in the running for both the Dolphins job when Nick Saban left and the Jets job when Eric Mangini was let go.
I'm not sure he has the personality or the ability to command the Cowboys locker room. He doesn't give Jerry much of a reason to let him control everything about this team either.
The Cowboys fire Wade Phillips;Promote Jason Garrett
Finally. And it's the absolute right move. The Cowboys have been pathetic this year and it's only getting worse. Firing Wade Phillips, as crazy as it sounds, was like a mercy killing. I felt so bad for Wade last night as I watched him address the media after the game. He has not been good this year, obviously, but this year's embarrassment belongs on the shoulders of the players.
Jason Garrett, who has coached as badly as Wade has, has his hands full to the fullest extent. Unless there's something I haven't seen, he's not going to turn around anything. This team, I believe, is shown the right things during the week to prepare them for the games, yet they make the same mistakes every week. As I've said for weeks, they're uninspired, lazy, heartless, and in dire need of being motivated. I'm not sure Garrett can do that.
If Garrett can somehow turn this around even a little bit, Jerry will give him the benefit of the doubt and bring him back next year. As of now though, Garrett will keep calling the plays, still be in direct control on the offense. Defensively, I think Paul Pascoloni or Dave Campo will take over the play calling duties and I believe there will be some changes. I'm not sure it will be for the better, but it certainly couldn't get worse.
I expect the Cowboys to win just one more game. The same as I did when Wade was the coach. But at least, the Cowboys are moving forward.
It's the right move.
Jason Garrett, who has coached as badly as Wade has, has his hands full to the fullest extent. Unless there's something I haven't seen, he's not going to turn around anything. This team, I believe, is shown the right things during the week to prepare them for the games, yet they make the same mistakes every week. As I've said for weeks, they're uninspired, lazy, heartless, and in dire need of being motivated. I'm not sure Garrett can do that.
If Garrett can somehow turn this around even a little bit, Jerry will give him the benefit of the doubt and bring him back next year. As of now though, Garrett will keep calling the plays, still be in direct control on the offense. Defensively, I think Paul Pascoloni or Dave Campo will take over the play calling duties and I believe there will be some changes. I'm not sure it will be for the better, but it certainly couldn't get worse.
I expect the Cowboys to win just one more game. The same as I did when Wade was the coach. But at least, the Cowboys are moving forward.
It's the right move.
Friday, November 5, 2010
We all bought the hype that comes with the Cowboys
I honestly do not know where to start, so I'll start with the obvious. This team is bad. This team is really, really bad. This is the worst Cowboys team I've ever watched. What's worst than that is, they're embarrassing. It's the way they lose and how they act and what they say in defeat.
This isn't a team without talent. This isn't a team without a good share of coaching pedigree. This isn't a team who's trying to get over the hump. They have a recent history of piling up wins. Yet, this team plays like a bunch of losers. They show less emotion than a bunch of kids playing an organized football game in the park. It's pathetic.
It doesn't feel good when you're devoid of players and you're expected to win only a few games and as you watch the season sure enough that's the way it plays out. It sucks, but at least there's hope of turning it around. You can watch and hope for progress. It's worst when you have a team that's suppose to rival an All-Pro team and is expected by many to be the first team to play a Super Bowl in your own backyard and through 7 games, you've won one game.
I don't see too much hope other than imploding this team and starting over. The problem with that is the players have adopted a certain mentality. The culture isn't right. And that's not an easy change. It's not as easy as releasing players, unless you release them all. That's not happening. So you need to change the mindset of a locker room full of grown men.
Good luck with that.
This isn't a team without talent. This isn't a team without a good share of coaching pedigree. This isn't a team who's trying to get over the hump. They have a recent history of piling up wins. Yet, this team plays like a bunch of losers. They show less emotion than a bunch of kids playing an organized football game in the park. It's pathetic.
It doesn't feel good when you're devoid of players and you're expected to win only a few games and as you watch the season sure enough that's the way it plays out. It sucks, but at least there's hope of turning it around. You can watch and hope for progress. It's worst when you have a team that's suppose to rival an All-Pro team and is expected by many to be the first team to play a Super Bowl in your own backyard and through 7 games, you've won one game.
So many expectations, so many "Stars" with so many Pro Bowls(like that means anything). So many weapons on offense with such a great offensive mind to use them. A team with the highest payroll and the best stadium in all the world. Fact is, Pro Bowls don't mean anything at all. Nothing. As far as the stars, the Cowboys have 4 stars on this team. Romo, Witten, Ware, and Ratliff. There's a bunch of really good players and even more players who think they're really good. That's a huge problem.
Of course 9 times out of 10, anything to do with the Cowboys gets over-hyped. The media on every national station dedicates a large majority of their time to the Cowboys. Because they have the biggest, widest fan base in football. Fans will tune in and generally only stay tuned in if they hear things they like. I do that. I don't want to hear some talking head on TV blasting my team. So if there's something remotely positive, they'll find it and they'll sell it. And that's sticks with both a fan of an another team who's objective and a Cowboys fan who doesn't necessarily keep tabs on the team.
Of course, in a situation like this, everybody is going to jump all over the Cowboys because Cowboys fans have tuned out for the year and the haters are foaming at the mouth to hear about the Cowboys' demise.
I don't see too much hope other than imploding this team and starting over. The problem with that is the players have adopted a certain mentality. The culture isn't right. And that's not an easy change. It's not as easy as releasing players, unless you release them all. That's not happening. So you need to change the mindset of a locker room full of grown men.
Good luck with that.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the Cowboys lose their fifth game
This time to another conference foe. To another Division rival. This time, it's the New York Giants. This lost drops the Cowboys to 1-5, their worst start since 1989. If by some miracle, the season wasn't done before this loss, it's absolutely done now.
This loss is a little more painful than a 'normal' lose for two reasons. The first being the Cowboys curbed a myriad of issues and still found a way to lose. They fixed their Special Teams problems. Dez Bryant had returned a punt return for a touchdown in the 2nd Quarter. They won the turnover margin. The Cowboys picked off Eli 3 times and recovered an Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs fumble while turning it over twice themselves. And for the first time in seemingly forever, they had fewer penalties(5 to 6) and penalty yardage( 42-46). The Cowboys did what they do best. Find a way to lose.
That might not be the worst of it. They also lost Tony Romo for 6-8 weeks. But you have to believe that they'll at least consider sitting him for the rest of the year. There's absolutely no reason to rush him back with the team completely out of playoff contention.
For all the Cowboys fans who thought Romo wasn't all that good or important to the Cowboys, you'll see how unintelligent that is. Romo's what makes this offense go. The offense will only go as far as he'll take them. The Cowboys had a top 5 offense in terms of yards. That ranking will fall. The Cowboys had a Top 10 defense, I think that'll fall with Romo's injury. The offense wont be as able to sustain long drives that keeps the defense off the field.
Jon Kitna isn't a bad Quarterback, but he isn't Tony Romo. He never was. The running game is still on a bye week and the offensive line is still patchy at best. More often the offensive line is below average. This offense as a unit SHOULD still be fairly productive. They're too talented not to be.
Defensively, the Cowboys started off all right. Picking off Eli twice in the first quarter. But once Romo went down in the 2nd, they suffered a huge let down. They pretty much gave up. At the end of the day, they allowed 4 touchdown passes, 306 yards passing, and a Quarterback rating of 100.4. Ahmad Bradshaw had 126 yards (5.3 ypc) and backup Brandon Jacobs had another 12 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown.
The outlook of this team this year isn't good. The future of this coaching staff is even worse. These players are, as we all know, undisciplined. They look unprepared and uninspired. The game plans on both sides of the ball don't appear to be very well drawn up and/or poorly executed. That's all on the staff. There will be major changes next year.
As for now, just wait out the storm Cowboys fans because it's going to be a long year.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Bubba Starling's ESPNU Game versus St. Thomas Aquinas(KS)
Bubba Starling
6-5 and 1 inch, 200 lbs
Gardner Edgerton(KS)
Senior
GPA: 3.2
Favorite Subject: History
Ranked #112 in ESPNU 150(#6 QB)
Verbal to Nebraska(Football and baseball)
2009-10: All-State in football, basketball, and baseball
I was extremely excited to Bubba Starling after hearing some many good things about him and watching highlight videos on Youtube. Needless to say, he didn't disappoint. Bubba Starling plays the role of Tim Tebow in an Urban Meyer inspired offense by my eyes. He had 11 carries for 257 yards(23.5 ypc), and 3 touchdows at halftime on a rainy night in Kansas. His offense didn't face a 3rd down until there was 4:27 left in the 2nd quarter. On that third down, he took the ball right up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown. He finished the game with 19 carries, 310 yards, and 3 touchdowns. I'm not sure he got a carry in the 4th quarter. He only threw the ball 3 times in the game, but did have a touchdown passing.
Bubba Starling's skill set is extremely impressive. He is bursting at the seams with God-given talent. He's a three sport athlete. He's a member of the USA baseball U-18 National team. He's one of the top, if not the top high school player in the country as a baseball player. He's a consensus Top 10 MLB prospect for 2011. Keith Law of ESPN.com call him an "obnoxiously talented baseball player". And last year, he had 70 dunks as a basketball player. It's painfully obvious that he could pretty much play any sport he wanted.
But here at Cornboys, we talk football and this kid can play football. He has a reported electronically timed 4.36 40 yard dash. You can see his speed. Not necessarily because he's outrunning everyone, but because he's picking up and putting down yards at a alarming rate if you're the defense. Being 6-5. he's a long-strider and usually that's not a very good thing. Generally when you're tall and you take big, long steps you lose your change of direction and your acceleration. He hasn't. He's able to make cuts that only a 6'5 receiver might be able to make. Definitely not a Quarterback. And his burst is untouched. That's incredible to me. Once he finds a hole, he's gone. To go along with that COD ability and burst, he has very good vision and runs pretty hard. He gets tackled around his legs a lot, but that'll happen when you're that tall. I wish I could've seen him throw the ball more, but as a runner, he was great.
We'll see what he does. Will he opt for Major League Baseball or college baseball at Nebraska or will he play college football in Lincoln? You already know what I hope he does.
Bubba Starling post-game interview and highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwP9rQcfbgA
The game gets a little chippy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTvCNhC6-RE
(That number 27 made a ton of dirty plays in the game. As I went back and watched the game I swear, he was throwing cheap shots after every play. Or at least on the ones where he didn't find himself on his back after being blocked.)
6-5 and 1 inch, 200 lbs
Gardner Edgerton(KS)
Senior
GPA: 3.2
Favorite Subject: History
Ranked #112 in ESPNU 150(#6 QB)
Verbal to Nebraska(Football and baseball)
2009-10: All-State in football, basketball, and baseball
I was extremely excited to Bubba Starling after hearing some many good things about him and watching highlight videos on Youtube. Needless to say, he didn't disappoint. Bubba Starling plays the role of Tim Tebow in an Urban Meyer inspired offense by my eyes. He had 11 carries for 257 yards(23.5 ypc), and 3 touchdows at halftime on a rainy night in Kansas. His offense didn't face a 3rd down until there was 4:27 left in the 2nd quarter. On that third down, he took the ball right up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown. He finished the game with 19 carries, 310 yards, and 3 touchdowns. I'm not sure he got a carry in the 4th quarter. He only threw the ball 3 times in the game, but did have a touchdown passing.
Bubba Starling's skill set is extremely impressive. He is bursting at the seams with God-given talent. He's a three sport athlete. He's a member of the USA baseball U-18 National team. He's one of the top, if not the top high school player in the country as a baseball player. He's a consensus Top 10 MLB prospect for 2011. Keith Law of ESPN.com call him an "obnoxiously talented baseball player". And last year, he had 70 dunks as a basketball player. It's painfully obvious that he could pretty much play any sport he wanted.
But here at Cornboys, we talk football and this kid can play football. He has a reported electronically timed 4.36 40 yard dash. You can see his speed. Not necessarily because he's outrunning everyone, but because he's picking up and putting down yards at a alarming rate if you're the defense. Being 6-5. he's a long-strider and usually that's not a very good thing. Generally when you're tall and you take big, long steps you lose your change of direction and your acceleration. He hasn't. He's able to make cuts that only a 6'5 receiver might be able to make. Definitely not a Quarterback. And his burst is untouched. That's incredible to me. Once he finds a hole, he's gone. To go along with that COD ability and burst, he has very good vision and runs pretty hard. He gets tackled around his legs a lot, but that'll happen when you're that tall. I wish I could've seen him throw the ball more, but as a runner, he was great.
We'll see what he does. Will he opt for Major League Baseball or college baseball at Nebraska or will he play college football in Lincoln? You already know what I hope he does.
Bubba Starling post-game interview and highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwP9rQcfbgA
The game gets a little chippy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTvCNhC6-RE
(That number 27 made a ton of dirty plays in the game. As I went back and watched the game I swear, he was throwing cheap shots after every play. Or at least on the ones where he didn't find himself on his back after being blocked.)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Week 8 Analysis: Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
Nebraska downs the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys 51-41 in a good old fashioned shootout.
Make no mistake about it, Taylor Martinez won the game for his team. But this time he did it with his arm. Taylor Martinez thew the ball 35 times and completed 23 of them. He amassed 323 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air. To me, this is a signature win for the Redshirt Freshman. He consistently threw the ball well. He generally got the ball out on time and accurately. He kept it away from the defense and by my count only threw on ball that could've been picked off. He also found himself avoiding the rush and throwing the ball on a dead sprint for big first downs. He was magical today and doubled his highest passing total in a game. To be fair though, Okie State was ranked 114th in Pass Defense coming into the game.
But when Taylor wasn't complete the ball to his receivers, he was running the ball through the defense. He lead the Huskers in rushing with 112 yards on 19 carries. He became the first Husker Quarterback to ever throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game.
The Husker Running Backs did have the same luck. They mostly struggled as Oklahoma State's defense played the Running backs well. Which might be a big reason as to why Taylor had the day he did throwing. Helu finished with 42 yards on 12 carries(3.5avg) and Burkhead had 41 yards on 10 carries(4.1avg).
The receivers played pretty well. Mike McNeil had a drop and Niles Paul had two, I believe, but other than that they played well. Brandon Kinnie finished with three catches, all touchdowns. His longest was a 45 yarder in the first quarter where he slipped and tackle and raced for pay dirt. Niles was often targeted and ended up with 9 catches for 131 yards and no TDs.
Defensively, Nebraska was up and down. One thing that wasn't up and down was Nebraska's ability to stop or even slow down OSU's Running Back, Kendall Hunter. He rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska simply couldn't stop him. Nebraska's tackling problems, which plagued them versus Texas, hampered them again. That will happen though against this running back.
Justin Blackmon had his way with Prince Amukamara, much to my surprise. Blackmon, who lead the country in receiving yards coming into the game, beat Prince for an 80 yard touchdown in the 2nd Quarter on a flea-flicker. It appeared the Husker coaches actually flipped the corners before halftime, putting Alfonzo Dennard on Blackmon. The Sophmore receiver finished with 157 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 catches. The Nebraska secondary had a lot of problems defending the ball when it was in the air. The OSU receivers won a lot of underthrown, jump balls today. Whether it's by design or not, I don't know. But Nebraska can't afford to give up those passes.
When it counted though, the Blackshirts were able to get off the field. Okie State was 3-13 on third down. They had to routinely settle for field goals after marching the ball down the field. And they only allowed 14 points in the 2nd half.
Slowing down an offensive attack like Oklahoma State's is no small task. They're as good as anybody when it comes to moving the football.
Special Teams wise, Niles Paul had a 100 yard kick return in the first quarter. Niles had a 24 yard punt return in the 2nd. Nebraska had a few minor breakdowns. Credit them for not allowing those breakdowns to become something more. Alex Henery was 3-3 on field goals with a 52 yarder in 2nd Quarter. He made a 45 yard kick in the 4th that moved him past Kris Brown in all-time field goals made with 59. Henery also tied Kris Brown on most consecutive field goals made with 17 straight. Henery had a 27 yard run on a fake punt in the first quarter. That was the longest run from scrimmage for the Huskers.
This win puts the Huskers at 6-1 and drops OSU to 6-1. Nebraska hosts Missouri next week.
Here are the Highlights:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?categoryId=2564308&id=5720154
Other stats and notes from the game via the Huskers on twitter:
- The Huskers 51-41 win marks their sixth straight road victory dating back to the Virginia Tech loss last season.
- Nebraska's win is the 1st win in Stillwater since '95 and Oklahoma State is the highest ranked opponent Nebraska has beat since #2 OU in '01.
- Niles Paul's 100-yard kickoff return in the 1st quarter tied the second-longest kickoff return in school history. (Longest was 105 in 1911.)
- Niles Paul has a career-high 9 receptions for 131 yards and moved into 8th place on the all-time NU receiving list with 1,374 career yards.
- Niles Paul has a career-high 274 all-purpose yards and pushed his career total to 3,732 which is 5th place on the alltime NU list.
- Taylor Martinez's 323 passing yards are the most ever for a Nebraska freshman QB. (No. 2 - Crouch with 193 in 1998)
- Brandon Kinnie had 3 TD's (including 1st of his career.) Kinnie is the first Huskers WR to have 3 TD's since Maurice Purify vs. CU in '07.
- Tight End Kyle Reed had a 41-yard TD reception - his third of the season. All three have been over 33 yards. (33 vs. SDSU, 79 vs. KSU)
- Oklahoma State's 41 points ended a Nebraska streak of 14 straight game of holding opponents to 21 points or fewer which led the nation.
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Make no mistake about it, Taylor Martinez won the game for his team. But this time he did it with his arm. Taylor Martinez thew the ball 35 times and completed 23 of them. He amassed 323 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air. To me, this is a signature win for the Redshirt Freshman. He consistently threw the ball well. He generally got the ball out on time and accurately. He kept it away from the defense and by my count only threw on ball that could've been picked off. He also found himself avoiding the rush and throwing the ball on a dead sprint for big first downs. He was magical today and doubled his highest passing total in a game. To be fair though, Okie State was ranked 114th in Pass Defense coming into the game.
But when Taylor wasn't complete the ball to his receivers, he was running the ball through the defense. He lead the Huskers in rushing with 112 yards on 19 carries. He became the first Husker Quarterback to ever throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game.
The Husker Running Backs did have the same luck. They mostly struggled as Oklahoma State's defense played the Running backs well. Which might be a big reason as to why Taylor had the day he did throwing. Helu finished with 42 yards on 12 carries(3.5avg) and Burkhead had 41 yards on 10 carries(4.1avg).
The receivers played pretty well. Mike McNeil had a drop and Niles Paul had two, I believe, but other than that they played well. Brandon Kinnie finished with three catches, all touchdowns. His longest was a 45 yarder in the first quarter where he slipped and tackle and raced for pay dirt. Niles was often targeted and ended up with 9 catches for 131 yards and no TDs.
Defensively, Nebraska was up and down. One thing that wasn't up and down was Nebraska's ability to stop or even slow down OSU's Running Back, Kendall Hunter. He rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska simply couldn't stop him. Nebraska's tackling problems, which plagued them versus Texas, hampered them again. That will happen though against this running back.
Justin Blackmon had his way with Prince Amukamara, much to my surprise. Blackmon, who lead the country in receiving yards coming into the game, beat Prince for an 80 yard touchdown in the 2nd Quarter on a flea-flicker. It appeared the Husker coaches actually flipped the corners before halftime, putting Alfonzo Dennard on Blackmon. The Sophmore receiver finished with 157 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 catches. The Nebraska secondary had a lot of problems defending the ball when it was in the air. The OSU receivers won a lot of underthrown, jump balls today. Whether it's by design or not, I don't know. But Nebraska can't afford to give up those passes.
When it counted though, the Blackshirts were able to get off the field. Okie State was 3-13 on third down. They had to routinely settle for field goals after marching the ball down the field. And they only allowed 14 points in the 2nd half.
Slowing down an offensive attack like Oklahoma State's is no small task. They're as good as anybody when it comes to moving the football.
Special Teams wise, Niles Paul had a 100 yard kick return in the first quarter. Niles had a 24 yard punt return in the 2nd. Nebraska had a few minor breakdowns. Credit them for not allowing those breakdowns to become something more. Alex Henery was 3-3 on field goals with a 52 yarder in 2nd Quarter. He made a 45 yard kick in the 4th that moved him past Kris Brown in all-time field goals made with 59. Henery also tied Kris Brown on most consecutive field goals made with 17 straight. Henery had a 27 yard run on a fake punt in the first quarter. That was the longest run from scrimmage for the Huskers.
This win puts the Huskers at 6-1 and drops OSU to 6-1. Nebraska hosts Missouri next week.
Here are the Highlights:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?categoryId=2564308&id=5720154
Other stats and notes from the game via the Huskers on twitter:
- The Huskers 51-41 win marks their sixth straight road victory dating back to the Virginia Tech loss last season.
- Nebraska's win is the 1st win in Stillwater since '95 and Oklahoma State is the highest ranked opponent Nebraska has beat since #2 OU in '01.
- Niles Paul's 100-yard kickoff return in the 1st quarter tied the second-longest kickoff return in school history. (Longest was 105 in 1911.)
- Niles Paul has a career-high 9 receptions for 131 yards and moved into 8th place on the all-time NU receiving list with 1,374 career yards.
- Niles Paul has a career-high 274 all-purpose yards and pushed his career total to 3,732 which is 5th place on the alltime NU list.
- Taylor Martinez's 323 passing yards are the most ever for a Nebraska freshman QB. (No. 2 - Crouch with 193 in 1998)
- Brandon Kinnie had 3 TD's (including 1st of his career.) Kinnie is the first Huskers WR to have 3 TD's since Maurice Purify vs. CU in '07.
- Tight End Kyle Reed had a 41-yard TD reception - his third of the season. All three have been over 33 yards. (33 vs. SDSU, 79 vs. KSU)
- Oklahoma State's 41 points ended a Nebraska streak of 14 straight game of holding opponents to 21 points or fewer which led the nation.
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Week 8 Preview: Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
This week, the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys. This game is very important for both schools. For Nebraska, putting the Texas game behind them is essential. They need to get back into the win column as a loss here really could damage the mentality of this team. Oklahoma State on the other hand, is coming off a decisive win over the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. This will be Okie State's first "real" test. I'm sure Mike Gundy is using the fact that Nebraska has a loss, yet is still ranked higher than them as motivation. That's all fine and dandy, but when that ball gets kicked off, all of that stuff gets kicked out of the window. It's all about playing good football and executing at that point. With that said, here's the breakdown of the game.
Nebraska when they Pass:
Nebraska is coming off a game in which they really didn't get it done through the air. That was against the very good secondary of Texas. But if you watched the game you would've seen that opportunities were there. They dropped 8 balls and at least 4, did you get that, AT LEAST FOUR touchdown passes. Nebraska will not make those mistakes this week. As I said earlier in the week, I'd be surprised if the Husker receivers drop more than 2 passes in this game.
Statistically, Okie State ranks 114th in Pass defense, allowing 280 yards a game. To put that in perspective, there's only 6 teams allowing more yards than this defense. OSU has allowed 13 touchdown passes, while grabbing 8 interceptions. On the line, Nebraska has been a pretty consistent pass blocking team allowing 8 sacks this year. Oklahoma State is 42nd in the nation with 15 sacks.
Nebraska is definitely not the most efficient team when throwing the ball. Taylor Martinez still has a long ways to go as a passer after being benched by Bo Pelini and company. Nebraska's receivers haven't really stepped up this year and solidified themselves as a group. Individually, nobody has stepped up and adopted the role as the playmaker. I do believe they need to get Mike McNeil involved a lot more in the offense.
Nebraska will be able to throw the ball successfully if they have a running game and can throw off play-action. They're not going to line up 4 or 5 wide, throw the ball every down, and beat you. In fact, they wont even try. If Nebraska falls behind, they'll be in trouble. If they run the ball successfully or even somewhat successfully, they'll be able to pass the ball.
Edge: Nebraska(assuming they can run).
Nebraska Will They Run:
Nebraska has one of the top rushing offenses in the nation. And again, they're coming off a game in which they struggled. So I'm sure the coaches made it a point of emphasis this week in practice. I'm interested to see how Shawn Watson adjusts to the defense because Texas all but wrote the blueprint on how to stop this running game. Oklahoma State doesn't have the athletes that Texas has, but if you're a good enough coach your game plan and how you scheme will go a long way.
On paper, Okie State isn't a slouch when defending the run ala Kansas State or Washington. They rank 36th versus the run. Nebraska averages 302.2 yards per game, good for 4th in the country. I'd like to see Nebraska good to more of a traditional running game instead of heavily running the zone read. Or maybe, if the Zone Read just isn't working, don't force the issue like they did against Texas last week. Something else worth watching, does Taylor Martinez fumble this week? He really needs to do a better job of protecting the ball. It's simple fundamentals.
All in all, I don't expect Oklahoma State to be able to stop Nebraska for 4 quarters.
Edge: Nebraska
Oklahoma State when they Pass:
Oklahoma State comes into this game with one of the best passing offenses in College Football. Lead by 27 year old, Brandon Weeden and Sophmore receiver Justin Blackmon, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have the 3rd ranked pass offense averaging 361 yards per game. The aforementioned Justin Blackmon leads all receivers with 57 receptions for 955 yards, and an impressive 12 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma State is the Nebraska pass defense is among the top defenses in several categories. They allow the least amount of yards at 117 per game. They're 2nd in the country in allowed completion percentage. Their tied for 2nd in touchdowns allowed with 4. They're tied for 3rd in passes picked off with 11.
Nebraska has plenty of talent through out the secondary. Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard are the best pair of corners in the country in my opinion. Their do it all secondary mates Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg are also very good in coverage. And Freshman Ciante Evans has had his moments and earned praise from coach Bo Pelini.
Pass rush wise, I don't expect Nebraska to get much pressure on Brandon Weeden because, well, they don't apply much pressure on anybody. I don't expect them to blitz much because Oklahoma State's offense is pretty dangerous.
Oklahoma State is too good to not have their moments. Even with that though, I believe Nebraska's secondary will be too much and will get the better of them more often than not.
Edge: Nebraska
Oklahoma State when they Run:
I've always been a fan of Kendall Hunter for awhile. I've thought he was underrated for awhile, but he appears to be getting his due now as a Senior. This year, he's rushed for 100 yards in every game, but one against Tulsa. He had 11 carries and averaged 5.4 yards. Oklahoma State won that game 65-28. Kendall Hunter has 830 yards, with an average 6.1 yards, 10 touchdowns.
It's been well documented that Nebraska struggles with the run. They stopped Daniel Thomas because they keyed on him and Kansas State couldn't beat them with the pass like Oklahoma State can. Nebraska will not be able to focus all of their attention on Kendall Hunter like they did Daniel Thomas. Nebraska ranks 73rd in rush defense. They have a lot of problems stopping a team when they run right at them. Nebraska must play within the scheme, avoid breakdowns, and correct the tackling issue that they had last week when the missed, by Bo's count, 28 tackles.
In all, I believe Okie State's rushing attack will be too much to stop consistently. Kendall Hunter will force you to miss tackles and the fact that Nebraska's defenders really can't commit on stopping the run will allow Hunter to have running room.
Edge: Oklahoma State
Prediction:
As I said last week, I don't think Oklahoma State can match the focus and intensity that Nebraska will display today. Nebraska will be ready to redeem themselves on the road, which is convenient because they play better on the road. Nebraska wins this one, 34 - 24.
Nebraska when they Pass:
Nebraska is coming off a game in which they really didn't get it done through the air. That was against the very good secondary of Texas. But if you watched the game you would've seen that opportunities were there. They dropped 8 balls and at least 4, did you get that, AT LEAST FOUR touchdown passes. Nebraska will not make those mistakes this week. As I said earlier in the week, I'd be surprised if the Husker receivers drop more than 2 passes in this game.
Statistically, Okie State ranks 114th in Pass defense, allowing 280 yards a game. To put that in perspective, there's only 6 teams allowing more yards than this defense. OSU has allowed 13 touchdown passes, while grabbing 8 interceptions. On the line, Nebraska has been a pretty consistent pass blocking team allowing 8 sacks this year. Oklahoma State is 42nd in the nation with 15 sacks.
Nebraska is definitely not the most efficient team when throwing the ball. Taylor Martinez still has a long ways to go as a passer after being benched by Bo Pelini and company. Nebraska's receivers haven't really stepped up this year and solidified themselves as a group. Individually, nobody has stepped up and adopted the role as the playmaker. I do believe they need to get Mike McNeil involved a lot more in the offense.
Nebraska will be able to throw the ball successfully if they have a running game and can throw off play-action. They're not going to line up 4 or 5 wide, throw the ball every down, and beat you. In fact, they wont even try. If Nebraska falls behind, they'll be in trouble. If they run the ball successfully or even somewhat successfully, they'll be able to pass the ball.
Edge: Nebraska(assuming they can run).
Nebraska Will They Run:
Nebraska has one of the top rushing offenses in the nation. And again, they're coming off a game in which they struggled. So I'm sure the coaches made it a point of emphasis this week in practice. I'm interested to see how Shawn Watson adjusts to the defense because Texas all but wrote the blueprint on how to stop this running game. Oklahoma State doesn't have the athletes that Texas has, but if you're a good enough coach your game plan and how you scheme will go a long way.
On paper, Okie State isn't a slouch when defending the run ala Kansas State or Washington. They rank 36th versus the run. Nebraska averages 302.2 yards per game, good for 4th in the country. I'd like to see Nebraska good to more of a traditional running game instead of heavily running the zone read. Or maybe, if the Zone Read just isn't working, don't force the issue like they did against Texas last week. Something else worth watching, does Taylor Martinez fumble this week? He really needs to do a better job of protecting the ball. It's simple fundamentals.
All in all, I don't expect Oklahoma State to be able to stop Nebraska for 4 quarters.
Edge: Nebraska
Oklahoma State when they Pass:
Oklahoma State comes into this game with one of the best passing offenses in College Football. Lead by 27 year old, Brandon Weeden and Sophmore receiver Justin Blackmon, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have the 3rd ranked pass offense averaging 361 yards per game. The aforementioned Justin Blackmon leads all receivers with 57 receptions for 955 yards, and an impressive 12 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma State is the Nebraska pass defense is among the top defenses in several categories. They allow the least amount of yards at 117 per game. They're 2nd in the country in allowed completion percentage. Their tied for 2nd in touchdowns allowed with 4. They're tied for 3rd in passes picked off with 11.
Nebraska has plenty of talent through out the secondary. Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard are the best pair of corners in the country in my opinion. Their do it all secondary mates Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg are also very good in coverage. And Freshman Ciante Evans has had his moments and earned praise from coach Bo Pelini.
Pass rush wise, I don't expect Nebraska to get much pressure on Brandon Weeden because, well, they don't apply much pressure on anybody. I don't expect them to blitz much because Oklahoma State's offense is pretty dangerous.
Oklahoma State is too good to not have their moments. Even with that though, I believe Nebraska's secondary will be too much and will get the better of them more often than not.
Edge: Nebraska
Oklahoma State when they Run:
I've always been a fan of Kendall Hunter for awhile. I've thought he was underrated for awhile, but he appears to be getting his due now as a Senior. This year, he's rushed for 100 yards in every game, but one against Tulsa. He had 11 carries and averaged 5.4 yards. Oklahoma State won that game 65-28. Kendall Hunter has 830 yards, with an average 6.1 yards, 10 touchdowns.
It's been well documented that Nebraska struggles with the run. They stopped Daniel Thomas because they keyed on him and Kansas State couldn't beat them with the pass like Oklahoma State can. Nebraska will not be able to focus all of their attention on Kendall Hunter like they did Daniel Thomas. Nebraska ranks 73rd in rush defense. They have a lot of problems stopping a team when they run right at them. Nebraska must play within the scheme, avoid breakdowns, and correct the tackling issue that they had last week when the missed, by Bo's count, 28 tackles.
In all, I believe Okie State's rushing attack will be too much to stop consistently. Kendall Hunter will force you to miss tackles and the fact that Nebraska's defenders really can't commit on stopping the run will allow Hunter to have running room.
Edge: Oklahoma State
Prediction:
As I said last week, I don't think Oklahoma State can match the focus and intensity that Nebraska will display today. Nebraska will be ready to redeem themselves on the road, which is convenient because they play better on the road. Nebraska wins this one, 34 - 24.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Week 8: Nebraska Cornhuskers Review/Overview
As is the case in any sport after you lose, you have to hear people question how good you actually are. And it seems like the word around the College Football world is that Nebraska isn't as good as people originally thought, which is true if you thought they were National Championship material. They're chalking Nebraska's previous success up to playing weaker opponents. Don't be fooled, Nebraska is still a damn good football team, who can beat anybody, any given week.
On offense, obviously Nebraska needs to catch the ball. I believe their case of the dropsies will be cured and they wont drop more than 2 balls next week. I'd love to say that the fumbling issue has been corrected, but I don't think it has. Martinez simply has momentary lapses when he doesn't protect the ball. I think he'll need an off season of constant reminding and practice to really improve.
What I would've like to have seen last week against Texas was a change from the Zone Read running scheme. Going into the game, you had to have known Texas was going to be extremely ready for it and early on the confirmed it. Texas was absolutely geared up to stop the run. If you just had to run, put two Tight Ends in there and a Fullback and run it right at them. Get physical and establish yourself with the power run game. In the Spring, Shawn Watson said that that was still in the playbook and could be ran if need be. Well, I didn't see it last week. Texas is/was too fast for the Zone Read all day long.
What I would've like for Nebraska to do earlier than they did was try to get the passing game going. There's an old saying, "You take what the defense gives you", so why not throw it around? On that day, we might've dropped 16 balls had we done this, but I still think we should've done it. And it should've been done with Taylor Martinez in at Quarterback.
Taylor should've never been benched. He didn't really have a bad day. He didn't throw any passes that should've been picked off. He made a few incorrect reads in the running game and had a fumble that Nebraska recovered, but sooner or later he's going to have to start throwing the ball successfully. All I keep hearing is how he's actually a sufficient passer and we just haven't seen it. If that's the case, why pull him in favor of Zac Lee? When the going gets tough, Martinez needs to be in there unless you expect to pull him from every game in which he doesn't rush for 150 yards.
Defensively, Nebraska NEEDS to get more pressure with their front four. Pierre Allen has two sacks, Cameron Meredith has one, Jared Crick has three(all in the Idaho game), and Baker Steinkuhler leads the line with four sacks. That's not enough pressure, especially from the ends. You'd expect the line to be better with the way the secondary is playing, but it's not the case. Nebraska run defense can still use some work when teams decide to run right at them. The holes are just too big and the linebackers aren't filling them. Tackling was an issue against Texas. Rickey Thenarse especially needs to work on wrapping up after failing to bring down the ball carrier twice. Other than that, they're in pretty good shape.
Outlook:
Nebraska is going to come out of the Texas game with a renewed sense of urgency, purpose, and the need to prove to everyone again, that they are indeed for real. I'm not sure Oklahoma State can possibly know what's coming into Stillwater this week. Bo Pelini will have his guys fired up and looking for blood. I expect them to shock Okie State. They've got Missouri after that. Mizzou is playing some good football, especially on defense. But Nebraska has their number. They finish off their schedule with Iowa State, Kansas, Texas A&M, and Colorado who have a combined record of 11-14. Nebraska 'should' win those four.
On offense, obviously Nebraska needs to catch the ball. I believe their case of the dropsies will be cured and they wont drop more than 2 balls next week. I'd love to say that the fumbling issue has been corrected, but I don't think it has. Martinez simply has momentary lapses when he doesn't protect the ball. I think he'll need an off season of constant reminding and practice to really improve.
What I would've like to have seen last week against Texas was a change from the Zone Read running scheme. Going into the game, you had to have known Texas was going to be extremely ready for it and early on the confirmed it. Texas was absolutely geared up to stop the run. If you just had to run, put two Tight Ends in there and a Fullback and run it right at them. Get physical and establish yourself with the power run game. In the Spring, Shawn Watson said that that was still in the playbook and could be ran if need be. Well, I didn't see it last week. Texas is/was too fast for the Zone Read all day long.
What I would've like for Nebraska to do earlier than they did was try to get the passing game going. There's an old saying, "You take what the defense gives you", so why not throw it around? On that day, we might've dropped 16 balls had we done this, but I still think we should've done it. And it should've been done with Taylor Martinez in at Quarterback.
Taylor should've never been benched. He didn't really have a bad day. He didn't throw any passes that should've been picked off. He made a few incorrect reads in the running game and had a fumble that Nebraska recovered, but sooner or later he's going to have to start throwing the ball successfully. All I keep hearing is how he's actually a sufficient passer and we just haven't seen it. If that's the case, why pull him in favor of Zac Lee? When the going gets tough, Martinez needs to be in there unless you expect to pull him from every game in which he doesn't rush for 150 yards.
Defensively, Nebraska NEEDS to get more pressure with their front four. Pierre Allen has two sacks, Cameron Meredith has one, Jared Crick has three(all in the Idaho game), and Baker Steinkuhler leads the line with four sacks. That's not enough pressure, especially from the ends. You'd expect the line to be better with the way the secondary is playing, but it's not the case. Nebraska run defense can still use some work when teams decide to run right at them. The holes are just too big and the linebackers aren't filling them. Tackling was an issue against Texas. Rickey Thenarse especially needs to work on wrapping up after failing to bring down the ball carrier twice. Other than that, they're in pretty good shape.
Outlook:
Nebraska is going to come out of the Texas game with a renewed sense of urgency, purpose, and the need to prove to everyone again, that they are indeed for real. I'm not sure Oklahoma State can possibly know what's coming into Stillwater this week. Bo Pelini will have his guys fired up and looking for blood. I expect them to shock Okie State. They've got Missouri after that. Mizzou is playing some good football, especially on defense. But Nebraska has their number. They finish off their schedule with Iowa State, Kansas, Texas A&M, and Colorado who have a combined record of 11-14. Nebraska 'should' win those four.
Jerry needs to step down as GM after the season
Let me first start of by saying that Jerry is a great owner. There is absolutely nobody I'd rather have to get the brand out there. He has his team playing in the best venue the world has ever seen. The Cowboys are the 2nd most valuable sports franchises in the world behind Manchester United, the English Premier League soccer team and that wasn't always the case. He's a great business man and makes great business decisions.
But as a GM, my dog could make better football decisions half the time and I don't even have a dog. It's that bad. He simply isn't qualified in making the important decision and he makes all of them. He makes the decisions on who the team signs(Mike Vanderjagt), releases(Nick Folk(13-15 this year), drafts and where they pick in the draft(see the 2009 draft), who they give contract extensions too(Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin). He even goes as far as giving post-game speeches and determines where training camp is played(Oxnard, San Antonio and Dallas this year. They travel as much as the shrine circus and probably play football as well too). I understand this is all in hindsight and hindsight is always 20/20 and honestly, I didn't disagree with several of his decisions, but then again I'm not GM/Owner of anything besides my 4-2 fantasy team.
I don't blame him for wanting to be involved at all. The Cowboys are his. If I was the owner, I know I'd want to be in everything too, assuming I knew what I was doing. Jerry claims that winning is of the most importance to him and I believe him 100%. But like the team, he needs to look in the mirror and determine if he's doing everything he can to be successful and he's not.
But as a GM, my dog could make better football decisions half the time and I don't even have a dog. It's that bad. He simply isn't qualified in making the important decision and he makes all of them. He makes the decisions on who the team signs(Mike Vanderjagt), releases(Nick Folk(13-15 this year), drafts and where they pick in the draft(see the 2009 draft), who they give contract extensions too(Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin). He even goes as far as giving post-game speeches and determines where training camp is played(Oxnard, San Antonio and Dallas this year. They travel as much as the shrine circus and probably play football as well too). I understand this is all in hindsight and hindsight is always 20/20 and honestly, I didn't disagree with several of his decisions, but then again I'm not GM/Owner of anything besides my 4-2 fantasy team.
I don't blame him for wanting to be involved at all. The Cowboys are his. If I was the owner, I know I'd want to be in everything too, assuming I knew what I was doing. Jerry claims that winning is of the most importance to him and I believe him 100%. But like the team, he needs to look in the mirror and determine if he's doing everything he can to be successful and he's not.
The sad thing for this franchise is, I doubt he'll ever step down and when he does, he'll be handing over the reins to his son Stephen Jones. I'm not sure it's realistic that he could do much better than Jerry does. Another thing is, I doubt we could ever really have a successful coach here. Because Jerry wont let the guy do his thing without being heavily involved.
Sure the Cowboys will wins games, but honestly, a Super Bowl is not within reach and I don't see that changing.
Attitude and Approach dooms the Cowboys
After suffering yet another loss, thus all but ending their hopes for playing the Super Bowl in their own building, the Cowboys need to change. They need to change how they cover kicks. They need to change how they call plays. They need to change how they celebrate after they get into the end zone. They need to change their pants every Sunday after the game because they consistently crap themselves(I'm sure a few do. We all know Wade does) But do you get the idea yet? They literally need to change the whole operation from the very top(Jerry Jones) to the very bottom. (perhaps the ball boys?) Their biggest problem though is the general mentality of the team. It's the mentality that Jerry and his hand picked coach have allowed the team to adopt through their words and actions the last few years.
First of all the Cowboys act as if the depth Chart they roll out with in the first week of the Preseason is set in stone and cannot be change at any point during the season. Besides Leonard Davis getting benched for a quarter or two last week, when has a player ever been benched due to bad play in a game or in the middle of the season?
Here's a few examples: While Roy Williams has been very good this season, how in the hell was he starting over Patrick Crayton for the last year and a half? Why wasn't former Safety Roy Williams benched when he was giving up touchdown receptions weekly? Why is Marion Barber starting over Felix Jones? They've only very recently starting going away from Barber(who I believe is our third best RB). He hasn't been the same in 2 years. If John Phillips hadn't blown out his knee, would he have replaced Martellus Bennett? I told Martellus on Twitter after John Phillips suffered his injury that he needed to focus because he should've been bumped by John Phillips on the depth chart. He said that I was "stupid if I thought that" Why? The Cowboys act as if the amount of zeros in their paycheck should or does solidify their spot on the depth chart. And I seriously believe that's what's happening here.
This team is complacent and doesn't feel they have to work to get a win. The coaches should adopt Bo Pelini's philosophy. Perhaps every spot on Nebraska's roster is subject to change any given week and that forces the players to work hard in practice. The Cowboys though, they've got the person who's writing the checks and the person who start them every week telling them how great their stats look, how many Pro Bowl they've been too, how gosh darn talented they are, and weekly, after every loss, Cupcake Phillips is assuring this team that everything will be Ok. And believe me, this trickles down to the players.
Here's a few quotes from the players and Wade following the loss to the Vikings. See if you notice a trend.
Terence Newman : "No, it's not even close to being too late(to make the playoffs). There's still a lot of football games left. Say we lose 2 game and we end up 10-6.... You've got to look at the bright side. "
Roy Williams "We're too good of a football team to be 1-4"
Bradie James "We're doing a lot of good things....There really is a lot of guys making plays." "We've done a lot of winning around here lately"
Gerald Sensabaugh: " We're going to turn this thing around"
Wade Phillips: "We had a lot of opportunities...I think we're playing at a better level than to have only one win"
Did you catch it? The Cowboys is they're always searching for the silver-lining or looking at the bright side. I understand not everything is bad, but there's not enough good to warrant any talk whatsoever. With that said, this is definitely the most somber I've seen/heard the Cowboys at this point in the season. The players said a lot of the right things, as did the Wade and Jerry. They actually seemed like they were fairly accountable. I just don't think they practice what they preach and it's obvious.
Wade said he's going to go "back over it a thousand times and watch the tape a thousand times to see what we can do to improve" Sorry coach, the Cowboys biggest problems aren't the X's and O's. The players don't really care if they lose or not. I'm not sure if the majority of the players feel like losing is a big deal.
We'll see how this team does going forward. The players are lost. They have no idea why they're losing. The coaches don't really know. Some teams fight back and some teams collapse. This is a team that never could fight back after being punched in the mouth.
"There's a feelin' of despair, it's a lot of frustration, it's a lot of everything", said Bradie James. Sounds like a player that's defeated and he's usually the player that speaks for the defense. Wade said, "This team is going to come back fighting, I don't have any doubt about that."
I have doubts because this team has shown in the past that when facing adversity, they just don't have it in them to get tough, stand together, and fight back. And this round of adversity is worse than any this team has seen yet.
First of all the Cowboys act as if the depth Chart they roll out with in the first week of the Preseason is set in stone and cannot be change at any point during the season. Besides Leonard Davis getting benched for a quarter or two last week, when has a player ever been benched due to bad play in a game or in the middle of the season?
Here's a few examples: While Roy Williams has been very good this season, how in the hell was he starting over Patrick Crayton for the last year and a half? Why wasn't former Safety Roy Williams benched when he was giving up touchdown receptions weekly? Why is Marion Barber starting over Felix Jones? They've only very recently starting going away from Barber(who I believe is our third best RB). He hasn't been the same in 2 years. If John Phillips hadn't blown out his knee, would he have replaced Martellus Bennett? I told Martellus on Twitter after John Phillips suffered his injury that he needed to focus because he should've been bumped by John Phillips on the depth chart. He said that I was "stupid if I thought that" Why? The Cowboys act as if the amount of zeros in their paycheck should or does solidify their spot on the depth chart. And I seriously believe that's what's happening here.
This team is complacent and doesn't feel they have to work to get a win. The coaches should adopt Bo Pelini's philosophy. Perhaps every spot on Nebraska's roster is subject to change any given week and that forces the players to work hard in practice. The Cowboys though, they've got the person who's writing the checks and the person who start them every week telling them how great their stats look, how many Pro Bowl they've been too, how gosh darn talented they are, and weekly, after every loss, Cupcake Phillips is assuring this team that everything will be Ok. And believe me, this trickles down to the players.
Here's a few quotes from the players and Wade following the loss to the Vikings. See if you notice a trend.
Terence Newman : "No, it's not even close to being too late(to make the playoffs). There's still a lot of football games left. Say we lose 2 game and we end up 10-6.... You've got to look at the bright side. "
Roy Williams "We're too good of a football team to be 1-4"
Bradie James "We're doing a lot of good things....There really is a lot of guys making plays." "We've done a lot of winning around here lately"
Gerald Sensabaugh: " We're going to turn this thing around"
Wade Phillips: "We had a lot of opportunities...I think we're playing at a better level than to have only one win"
Did you catch it? The Cowboys is they're always searching for the silver-lining or looking at the bright side. I understand not everything is bad, but there's not enough good to warrant any talk whatsoever. With that said, this is definitely the most somber I've seen/heard the Cowboys at this point in the season. The players said a lot of the right things, as did the Wade and Jerry. They actually seemed like they were fairly accountable. I just don't think they practice what they preach and it's obvious.
Wade said he's going to go "back over it a thousand times and watch the tape a thousand times to see what we can do to improve" Sorry coach, the Cowboys biggest problems aren't the X's and O's. The players don't really care if they lose or not. I'm not sure if the majority of the players feel like losing is a big deal.
We'll see how this team does going forward. The players are lost. They have no idea why they're losing. The coaches don't really know. Some teams fight back and some teams collapse. This is a team that never could fight back after being punched in the mouth.
"There's a feelin' of despair, it's a lot of frustration, it's a lot of everything", said Bradie James. Sounds like a player that's defeated and he's usually the player that speaks for the defense. Wade said, "This team is going to come back fighting, I don't have any doubt about that."
I have doubts because this team has shown in the past that when facing adversity, they just don't have it in them to get tough, stand together, and fight back. And this round of adversity is worse than any this team has seen yet.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Week 5 Analysis: Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings
The Cowboys drop to 1-4 by doing what they do best. They beat themselves. After coming into the game ranked 31st in penalties(trailing only Oakland), they played as if they really wanted to lead the league in that category by weeks end. They committed 11 penalties, for 91 yards. Several of those were extremely iffy calls. As always, the referee's hand is seemingly in his pocket on every play. Calls didn't go both ways and anybody who thinks different obviously didn't watch the game or is either blind with hatred or homerism.
The first was an Offensive Pass Interference call on Miles Austin which wiped away a 68 yard touchdown catch. Another was on a Punt Return, they called a hold on Alan Ball, who was blocking the gunner and it wasn't much of a hold. It's something that happens on every call. That wiped away a 37 yard return by Dez Bryant and instead of the Cowboys starting in Vikings territory, they starting backed up on their 14 yard line. And lastly, Mike Jenkins got called for a Pass Interference that extended the drive, which prevent the offense from getting the ball until 13 seconds left. The game was pretty much over at that point. I doubt the Cowboys could've scored had Jenkins not been flagged, but there's a chance. A chance they realistically never got.
Both run games were mostly ineffective. Felix Jones lead the Cowboys in rushing with 32 yards on 14 carries. Marion Barber had 10 carries for 3 yards. Tony Romo had the longest run for the Cowboys with a 14 yard run in 2nd quarter. Adrian Peterson was limited to 73 yards on 24 carries, his longest was 15 yards.
Both passing game have certainly seen better games. The Cowboys seemed afraid of getting the ball down the field in the passing game and settled with check downs often even when the pass rush was no where to be seen. Romo wasn't sacked, Farve got dropped 3 times and hit many more, especially in the first half. Moss, who seemingly everyone had as a lock for burning the Cowboys as he's done in the past, showed up for one quarter and finished with 50 yards receiving.
Defensively, the Cowboys played well. The Vikings had a couple of short fields and the not-so-Special Teams allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the 2nd half which swung the momentum heavily in the Vikings favor. The Cowboys came into today with the 31st ranked coverage unit on kicks. I'm sure they are the worst after today.
The first was an Offensive Pass Interference call on Miles Austin which wiped away a 68 yard touchdown catch. Another was on a Punt Return, they called a hold on Alan Ball, who was blocking the gunner and it wasn't much of a hold. It's something that happens on every call. That wiped away a 37 yard return by Dez Bryant and instead of the Cowboys starting in Vikings territory, they starting backed up on their 14 yard line. And lastly, Mike Jenkins got called for a Pass Interference that extended the drive, which prevent the offense from getting the ball until 13 seconds left. The game was pretty much over at that point. I doubt the Cowboys could've scored had Jenkins not been flagged, but there's a chance. A chance they realistically never got.
Both run games were mostly ineffective. Felix Jones lead the Cowboys in rushing with 32 yards on 14 carries. Marion Barber had 10 carries for 3 yards. Tony Romo had the longest run for the Cowboys with a 14 yard run in 2nd quarter. Adrian Peterson was limited to 73 yards on 24 carries, his longest was 15 yards.
Both passing game have certainly seen better games. The Cowboys seemed afraid of getting the ball down the field in the passing game and settled with check downs often even when the pass rush was no where to be seen. Romo wasn't sacked, Farve got dropped 3 times and hit many more, especially in the first half. Moss, who seemingly everyone had as a lock for burning the Cowboys as he's done in the past, showed up for one quarter and finished with 50 yards receiving.
Defensively, the Cowboys played well. The Vikings had a couple of short fields and the not-so-Special Teams allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the 2nd half which swung the momentum heavily in the Vikings favor. The Cowboys came into today with the 31st ranked coverage unit on kicks. I'm sure they are the worst after today.
Week 7 College Football Rankings and Analysis
1) Boise State (7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. San Jose State 48-0
2) Oregon(6-0) Last Week, Idle
3) Oklahoma(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Iowa State 52-0
4) TCU(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. BYU 31-3
5) Auburn(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. 12 Arkansas 65-43
6) Ohio State(6-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. 18 Wisconsin 18-31
7) Michigan State(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Illinois 26-6
8) Alabama(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Ole Miss 23-10
9) LSU(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. McNeese State 32-10
10) Utah(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Wyoming 30-6
11) Wisconsin(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs 1 Ohio State 31-18
12) Florida State(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs Boston College 24-19
13) Iowa(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Michigan 38-28
14) Nebraska(5-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. Texas 13-20
15) Stanford(5-1) Last Week, Idle
16) Missouri(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Texas A&M 30-9
17) Oklahoma State(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Texas Tech 34-17
18) Arizona(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Washington State 24-7
19) Arkansas(4-2) Last Week, Loss Vs. 7 Auburn 43-65
20) South Carolina(4-2) Last Week, Loss Vs. Kentucky 28-31
21) West Virginia(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. South Florida 20-6
22) Texas(4-2) Last Week, Win Vs. 5 Nebraska 20-13
23) Kansas State(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Kansas 59-7
24) Virginia Tech(5-2) Last Week, Win Vs. Wake Forest 52-21
25) Nevada(6-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. Hawaii 21-27
****
This was an extremely telling week in College Football as several ranked teams went down, including 3 teams ranked in the Top 10. The Poll setters are going to have fun this week.
The first question is obvious. How far does Ohio State fall? Well, if you look to last week when top ranked Alabama lost to then 19th ranked South Carolina you'd see pretty much what's going to happen to Ohio State after losing to a physical Bret Bielema squad coming into Saturday night's game ranked 18th. 'Bama fell 7 spots in the polls, I have Ohio State dropping 5 spots leaving them in 6th. This loss will inspire this Ohio State squad and the only game I can see them possibly losing is to Iowa on the 20th of November.
I might have Michigan State a little high, but I believe this is a very strong Spartan team. Besides the Notre Dame game, where they won the game on a fake field goal, they have won fairly decisively. Their Wisconsin's only loss. They beat a pretty dangerous Michigan team in Ann Arbor and just last week defeated Illinois, whom I believe are pretty underrated. I believe Michigan State will lose when the travel to Iowa City in two weeks though.
Auburn, for me, like LSU, is very hard for me to get a grasp on. I'll be honest, I haven't seen very much of them thus far. I know they're pretty good football teams, but both have had to win some very close games. Auburn beat Mississippi State, Clemson, and Kentucky by 3. LSU hasn't been much better. They ousted North Carolina by 6, Tennessee by 2, and the Gators(who got beat by Mississippi State this week) by 4. You can only survive these types of games for so long. It'll never last. Just ask the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes. It especially wont last when these two teams play each other, which happens next week, in Auburn. I like the home team in that game.
I had a very hard time ranking teams 12-15. All four teams have a loss to a good football team. (Nebraska's loss being the only one to an unranked opponent. Don't let that fool you, Texas is TOUGH. But I'll have more on that later.)
I have Florida State ranked ahead of the other 3 simply because they are shellacking teams. They had a bad loss to Oklahoma in Norman, but other than that they're outscoring their opponent 227-66. You have to wonder how much of that is the product of the poor play of their fellow ACC conference-mates though. But still, they're winning like a top team is suppose too.
I have Iowa next at 13. This is a very good, sound, well coached, veteran, battle-tested team. Like Florida State, they're winning like they're suppose too. I watched their only loss Vs. Arizona and I can tell you, that wasn't Iowa football. And the chances of seeing that again are slim. With that said, Iowa still hasn't got to the meat of their schedule yet. They've got 3 incredibly tough games left, but they're all at home. Wisconsin travels to town next week, followed by Michigan State after that. The cherry on top is the aforementioned Ohio State Buckeyes on the second to last week of November.
Next up is my Nebraska Cornhuskers, which I should have an article on, so just jump over there
Finally, I have the Stanford Cardinals, whom I like a lot. I'm a fan of Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck. And honestly, had they beaten USC more decisively, they would've most likely been higher than Nebraska and perhaps a little higher than that. Their only loss was to Oregon and they hung with Oregon for awhile in that game. Going forward, Stanford has a fairly manageable schedule, with games they 'should' win, but only one that appears to be a cakewalk(if that really exists anymore) in Washington State. After that, they've got to travel to Seattle to take on the Huskies. Washington has been coming on as of late, so that could be tough. Then Standford ends their schedule with games against Arizona, Arizona State, California in Cal, and Oregon State. Not easy, but games they, again, 'should' win.
Undefeated Missouri(lead by a stingy defense that ranks 2nd in the nation with 10.8 points allowed per game) and Oklahoma State(which has an explosive offense ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring offense with 49.5 points per game) both are ranked pretty low for being undefeated but for good reason. They haven't played anyone yet and compound that by not having a 'signature' win. They've also struggled a bit with lesser opponents, albeit neither very lately. Good news for them is, they'll have their shot at good teams. Mizzou has Oklahoma next week, followed by Nebraska. And Oklahoma State has Nebraska next week, Oklahoma the final week, and Texas sandwiched right smack-dab in the middle of those two. Both teams will be tested and both teams will have ample opportunities to capture the College Football world's attention and move up the rankings.
I put Texas back on the map. They were down, but boy they've got to be sky high after that victory in Lincoln. If they had confidence issues, I doubt they remain. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but I believe Texas is once again very dangerous. It remains to be seen, however, if Mack Brown and Will Muschamp can keep their players playing at that high of a level.
I have Kansas State at 23. They were on the verge of being ranked last week before Nebraska rolled into town, demolished them, and removed them from the class of unbeatens. But they must've taken note because they beat Kansas worse than Nebraska beat them the week before. That's an impressive win, no mater how bad Kansas is.
And lastly, I have the Virginia Tech Hokies in at 24th. They really dropped the ball when they lost to FCS 's James Madison. That coming of the heels of an opening week loss to Boise State. But since then, they've played some good football. They've won their last 5 games by an average of 21.4 points. Again, you have to question the competition the ACC provides, but they look like the team everyone was expecting out of the gate.
2) Oregon(6-0) Last Week, Idle
3) Oklahoma(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Iowa State 52-0
4) TCU(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. BYU 31-3
5) Auburn(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. 12 Arkansas 65-43
6) Ohio State(6-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. 18 Wisconsin 18-31
7) Michigan State(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Illinois 26-6
8) Alabama(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Ole Miss 23-10
9) LSU(7-0) Last Week, Win Vs. McNeese State 32-10
10) Utah(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Wyoming 30-6
11) Wisconsin(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs 1 Ohio State 31-18
12) Florida State(6-1) Last Week, Win Vs Boston College 24-19
13) Iowa(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Michigan 38-28
14) Nebraska(5-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. Texas 13-20
15) Stanford(5-1) Last Week, Idle
16) Missouri(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Texas A&M 30-9
17) Oklahoma State(6-0) Last Week, Win Vs. Texas Tech 34-17
18) Arizona(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Washington State 24-7
19) Arkansas(4-2) Last Week, Loss Vs. 7 Auburn 43-65
20) South Carolina(4-2) Last Week, Loss Vs. Kentucky 28-31
21) West Virginia(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. South Florida 20-6
22) Texas(4-2) Last Week, Win Vs. 5 Nebraska 20-13
23) Kansas State(5-1) Last Week, Win Vs. Kansas 59-7
24) Virginia Tech(5-2) Last Week, Win Vs. Wake Forest 52-21
25) Nevada(6-1) Last Week, Loss Vs. Hawaii 21-27
****
This was an extremely telling week in College Football as several ranked teams went down, including 3 teams ranked in the Top 10. The Poll setters are going to have fun this week.
The first question is obvious. How far does Ohio State fall? Well, if you look to last week when top ranked Alabama lost to then 19th ranked South Carolina you'd see pretty much what's going to happen to Ohio State after losing to a physical Bret Bielema squad coming into Saturday night's game ranked 18th. 'Bama fell 7 spots in the polls, I have Ohio State dropping 5 spots leaving them in 6th. This loss will inspire this Ohio State squad and the only game I can see them possibly losing is to Iowa on the 20th of November.
I might have Michigan State a little high, but I believe this is a very strong Spartan team. Besides the Notre Dame game, where they won the game on a fake field goal, they have won fairly decisively. Their Wisconsin's only loss. They beat a pretty dangerous Michigan team in Ann Arbor and just last week defeated Illinois, whom I believe are pretty underrated. I believe Michigan State will lose when the travel to Iowa City in two weeks though.
Auburn, for me, like LSU, is very hard for me to get a grasp on. I'll be honest, I haven't seen very much of them thus far. I know they're pretty good football teams, but both have had to win some very close games. Auburn beat Mississippi State, Clemson, and Kentucky by 3. LSU hasn't been much better. They ousted North Carolina by 6, Tennessee by 2, and the Gators(who got beat by Mississippi State this week) by 4. You can only survive these types of games for so long. It'll never last. Just ask the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes. It especially wont last when these two teams play each other, which happens next week, in Auburn. I like the home team in that game.
I had a very hard time ranking teams 12-15. All four teams have a loss to a good football team. (Nebraska's loss being the only one to an unranked opponent. Don't let that fool you, Texas is TOUGH. But I'll have more on that later.)
I have Florida State ranked ahead of the other 3 simply because they are shellacking teams. They had a bad loss to Oklahoma in Norman, but other than that they're outscoring their opponent 227-66. You have to wonder how much of that is the product of the poor play of their fellow ACC conference-mates though. But still, they're winning like a top team is suppose too.
I have Iowa next at 13. This is a very good, sound, well coached, veteran, battle-tested team. Like Florida State, they're winning like they're suppose too. I watched their only loss Vs. Arizona and I can tell you, that wasn't Iowa football. And the chances of seeing that again are slim. With that said, Iowa still hasn't got to the meat of their schedule yet. They've got 3 incredibly tough games left, but they're all at home. Wisconsin travels to town next week, followed by Michigan State after that. The cherry on top is the aforementioned Ohio State Buckeyes on the second to last week of November.
Next up is my Nebraska Cornhuskers, which I should have an article on, so just jump over there
Finally, I have the Stanford Cardinals, whom I like a lot. I'm a fan of Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck. And honestly, had they beaten USC more decisively, they would've most likely been higher than Nebraska and perhaps a little higher than that. Their only loss was to Oregon and they hung with Oregon for awhile in that game. Going forward, Stanford has a fairly manageable schedule, with games they 'should' win, but only one that appears to be a cakewalk(if that really exists anymore) in Washington State. After that, they've got to travel to Seattle to take on the Huskies. Washington has been coming on as of late, so that could be tough. Then Standford ends their schedule with games against Arizona, Arizona State, California in Cal, and Oregon State. Not easy, but games they, again, 'should' win.
Undefeated Missouri(lead by a stingy defense that ranks 2nd in the nation with 10.8 points allowed per game) and Oklahoma State(which has an explosive offense ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring offense with 49.5 points per game) both are ranked pretty low for being undefeated but for good reason. They haven't played anyone yet and compound that by not having a 'signature' win. They've also struggled a bit with lesser opponents, albeit neither very lately. Good news for them is, they'll have their shot at good teams. Mizzou has Oklahoma next week, followed by Nebraska. And Oklahoma State has Nebraska next week, Oklahoma the final week, and Texas sandwiched right smack-dab in the middle of those two. Both teams will be tested and both teams will have ample opportunities to capture the College Football world's attention and move up the rankings.
I put Texas back on the map. They were down, but boy they've got to be sky high after that victory in Lincoln. If they had confidence issues, I doubt they remain. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but I believe Texas is once again very dangerous. It remains to be seen, however, if Mack Brown and Will Muschamp can keep their players playing at that high of a level.
I have Kansas State at 23. They were on the verge of being ranked last week before Nebraska rolled into town, demolished them, and removed them from the class of unbeatens. But they must've taken note because they beat Kansas worse than Nebraska beat them the week before. That's an impressive win, no mater how bad Kansas is.
And lastly, I have the Virginia Tech Hokies in at 24th. They really dropped the ball when they lost to FCS 's James Madison. That coming of the heels of an opening week loss to Boise State. But since then, they've played some good football. They've won their last 5 games by an average of 21.4 points. Again, you have to question the competition the ACC provides, but they look like the team everyone was expecting out of the gate.
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