2009 College Football Week 3 Discussion

[larrymcg421]

Way too early to go for the onside kick.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Way too early to go for the onside kick.

If you're having that much trouble stopping the offense, and allowing the kick returns past the 40 anyways, it's not that bad an idea.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

EDIT - and obviously Michigan St. @ Notre Dame 3:30 NBC, but I suspect there is less interest on other people's part there.

This is the game I'm most looking forward to. A huge game for both schools and especially for Charlie Weiss. These games have been wildly entertaining the last several years.

Go Sparty!

[Recoil]

I want to run through walls, but I'm gonna drink myself retarded first.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Recoil

I want to run through walls, but I'm gonna drink myself retarded first.

Don't try it, you'll just get tackled behind the line since there's not much blocking in front of you.

[cartman]

Interesting story line (maybe for some) in the Alabama-North Texas game. Greg McElroy, the QB at 'Bama, played in high school under NT coach Todd Dodge at Southlake Carroll, where he took over after Chase Daniel graduated and won a 5A title.

[Swaggs]

Nothing against USC, but if I have to watch the USC/Lean on Me thing on ESPN one more time, I'm going to go apeshit.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Dola.

Looks like the U is back. At least early in the season. They look good.

Yep, that they do. Very much in the driver's seat in the ACC right now (so far).

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Nothing against USC, but if I have to watch the USC/Lean on Me thing on ESPN one more time, I'm going to go apeshit.

Seriously. 8 seconds into the first time I saw it I thought "God, just please stop this"

[the_meanstrosity]

Being in the Big 12 region, these two are the most intriguing matchups this weekend. This is a huge test for Nebraska, but is a winnable matchup. I think defensively they should be able to hold Virginia Tech, but I'm really interested to see how NU handles V-Tech's defense.

This is the revenge game for Texas after losing to Crabtree and Tech last year. I have a feeling that Texas wins easily, but I'm hoping for a good game.

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Nebraska @ Va Tech 3:30 ABC - Two similar power running, defense-oriented teams. One of the two will probably end the year in the top 10.

Texas Tech @ Texas 8:00 ABC - Not quite the nightcap Ohio St/USC was, but a good litmus test for both teams. Tech obviously lost a lot of offense, but they've never had a problem reloading. If Texas comes out like they did against Wyoming, this could be a game. If they're really a NC contender, it shouldn't be.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

This is the game I'm most looking forward to. A huge game for both schools and especially for Charlie Weis. These games have been wildly entertaining the last several years.

Go Sparty!

Obviously CMU and LeFevour are better than the average MAC team, but losing to them really took the luster off this matchup. Half of me is going to be really mad if MSU is within 2 touchdowns, but considering MSU has won 6 straight at ND, I should probably be happy if they can just manage a win.

btw, meanstrosity - any chance you could put your reply below the quoted text in your posts? It always throws me off by looking like a signature or an article you're posting.

[whomario]

not an expert on either team, but Georgia doesn´t have any passing game at all, do they ?
Weird fact of the night : They had 1 receiver catching any passes, Demaryius Thomas with 6. That´s it, no one else caught a ball.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Nothing against USC, but if I have to watch the USC/Lean on Me thing on ESPN one more time, I'm going to go apeshit.

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Seriously. 8 seconds into the first time I saw it I thought "God, just please stop this"

Same here. I wanted to vomit.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Nebraska @ Va Tech 3:30 ABC - Two similar power running, defense-oriented teams. One of the two will probably end the year in the top 10.

Disagree. I'm of the opinion that these two teams couldn't be more overrated than they currently are. With that said, it would be a major embarrassment for VT to lose this game. VT should win this game easily.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by whomario

not an expert on either team, but Georgia doesn´t have any passing game at all, do they ?

Did you mean Georgia here, or Georgia Tech. If the latter, obviously not. If the former, they've got a darned good receiver in A.J. Green but it's still unclear whether they've got a QB that can get him the ball.

Weird fact of the night : They had 1 receiver catching any passes, Demaryius Thomas with 6. That´s it, no one else caught a ball.

He also caught 3 of 4 passes (the other went to RB Allen) against Clemson.
And caught the only completed pass vs UGA last year, and all 9 completions vs Duke last year, and was the only actual WR to catch a pass in 8 of Tech's 13 games last season. So really not that weird once you get used to seeing the offense really, since he's been the only WR to catch a pass in 10 of 16 games in the Paul Johnson era.

[cschex]

The thing that struck me in the game last night is how vulnerable GaTech is to a team with a lot of athleticism and discipline on defense, mainly because Nesbitt does not appear to be that good of a passer. (This was the case in Chick-Fil-A Bowl against LSU as well). I wonder if Johnson will be able to recruit a good option QB who can be more of a passing threat to at least keep the defense honest. It's hard for a team like that to win when they are constantly in 2nd/3rd and long situations all night.

[MrBug708]

UCLA is likely going with Kevin Craft over Richard Brehaut. Craft led the PAC-10 (and nation?) in INT's last year with 20

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

UCLA is likely going with Kevin Craft over Richard Brehaut. Craft led the PAC-10 (and nation?) in INT's last year with 20

That is a rather dubious statistic, eh?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

That is a rather dubious statistic, eh?

Meh. If you include those interceptions as completions, his completion percentage is really good.

[RomaGoth]

Looking for Notre Dame to crush Michigan State tomorrow. This is not so much because I think ND is a great team (they are above average, but not great), but more because MSU is just not that good.

ND 39
MSU 20

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

He also caught 3 of 4 passes (the other went to RB Allen) against Clemson.
And caught the only completed pass vs UGA last year, and all 9 completions vs Duke last year, and was the only actual WR to catch a pass in 8 of Tech's 13 games last season. So really not that weird once you get used to seeing the offense really, since he's been the only WR to catch a pass in 10 of 16 games in the Paul Johnson era.

Coming into last nights game Thomas was the only WR with a catch on the team...a single shut down corner ends techs passing game and lets a D play 8 if not 9 in the box

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

UCLA is likely going with Kevin Craft over Richard Brehaut. Craft led the PAC-10 (and nation?) in INT's last year with 20

Seems like a bad sign for those who thought Brehaut was going to be the golden boy for the Bruins.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

a single shut down corner ends techs passing game and lets a D play 8 if not 9 in the box

Actually Nesbitt's passing accuracy pretty much takes care of that even if your corners are 4'7" and on crutches.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Disagree. I'm of the opinion that these two teams couldn't be more overrated than they currently are. With that said, it would be a major embarrassment for VT to lose this game. VT should win this game easily.

Ehhh... for overrated I'd go Utah, LSU, UNC and Boise St. I think Va Tech and Nebraska around 20 are about right right now. I still don't want to see either team play (except for Ndamokung Suh or however you spell it) and I won't be happy if either makes a BCS bowl, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Boise St. returns a pick for a TD and is up 10-0 after 1 in Fresno.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Actually Nesbitt's passing accuracy pretty much takes care of that even if your corners are 4'7" and on crutches.

true...

[RomaGoth]

Good grief, Boise State's defense is awful tonight. Just awful.

[RomaGoth]

dola

This game is fucking ridiculous. Looks like the old WAC games from the 80's...

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Seems like a bad sign for those who thought Brehaut was going to be the golden boy for the Bruins.

Why?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I just looked at the box score for this game, which is now 48-34 Boise with still 13 minutes left. There's gotta be some sort of obscure record here somewhere.

Fresno's scoring drives include:
1 play 69 yd TD (Matthews 69 yd run)
3 plays 66 yds TD (Matthews 60 yd run, just 2:35 after the first one)
3 plays 77 yds TD (21 yd pass)
2 plays 75 yds TD (Matthews 68 yd run)

In all, ten touchdowns between them so far and only one of those drives has lasted more than 3 plays.

[Big Fo]

Damn, the Fresno St. took a huge hit but got up well before the Boise St. linebacker. Kind of fits in with the whole crappy defense thing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Why?

If Brehaut can't even beat out Craft, last year's interception machine, then it would seem he isn't as good as some were making him out to be when he was being recruited.

[DeToxRox]

Jon - Honest question, if you had to pick your QB right now, would it be Ball or Nesbitt? This isn't trying to flame you I am just genuinely curious what GT fans say.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

If Brehaut can't even beat out Craft, last year's interception machine, then it would seem he isn't as good as some were making him out to be when he was being recruited.

Sure, that is one reason

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

If Brehaut can't even beat out Craft, last year's interception machine, then it would seem he isn't as good as some were making him out to be when he was being recruited.

Eh. Breuhart came out of HS as being a raw QB who had a lot of talent but needed work. I don't see any reason to risk starting 3-0 on the road vs a beatable K-State team. If UCLA was better and didn't have a young OL, it'd make more sense, but they're young on the line and pretty beat up if I recall. Let Craft go out and play, he won't be as bad as last year with another year under his belt, and UCLA should win.

It's all not worth burning a red shirt.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nesbitt, without even a second's hesitation.

His passing woes are troublesome & they're holding back the offense a good bit IMO but that said there are definite signs of improvement. He's not fumbling at at last year's rate, he really does look more comfortable with the offense, and he may actually have improved his durability which is huge in this scheme. I'm more familiar with his high school career than I am with most college players I guess and I'm confident that he's actually a better passer than he's shown thus far, he's just in a horrible deep blue funk when it comes to throwing it & I just wild-assed guess that it has something to do with being so focused on the running/decision making aspects that his brain is on overload.

I picture the Sponge-Bob-forgets-his-name episode (where the little SB's run around in a panic searching through file cabinets inside his head) going on for Nesbitt every time there's a drop back pass play.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Nesbitt, without even a second's hesitation.

His passing woes are troublesome & they're holding back the offense a good bit IMO but that said there are definite signs of improvement. He's not fumbling at at last year's rate, he really does look more comfortable with the offense, and he may actually have improved his durability which is huge in this scheme. I'm more familiar with his high school career than I am with most college players I guess and I'm confident that he's actually a better passer than he's shown thus far, he's just in a horrible deep blue funk when it comes to throwing it & I just wild-assed guess that it has something to do with being so focused on the running/decision making aspects that his brain is on overload.

I picture the Sponge-Bob-forgets-his-name episode (where the little SB's run around in a panic searching through file cabinets inside his head) going on for Nesbitt every time there's a drop back pass play.

That's the answer I expected. GT is a 9 win team as long as a guy like Nesbitt is QB, but can take a run at a top 5 type team when they get a QB who can throw. Right now though it's obvious teams just stay in their gaps and they blitz the safety to cause disruption without worrying about being beat deep.

I'd shudder to think how a kid like Robert Griffin III would do at GT. They'd probably never lose.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Eh. Breuhart came out of HS as being a raw QB who had a lot of talent but needed work. I don't see any reason to risk starting 3-0 on the road vs a beatable K-State team. If UCLA was better and didn't have a young OL, it'd make more sense, but they're young on the line and pretty beat up if I recall. Let Craft go out and play, he won't be as bad as last year with another year under his belt, and UCLA should win.

It's all not worth burning a red shirt.

The redshirt was already burned this year. But you're reasoning is sound and I think it's true, not so much the raw part but everything else. UCLA needs to finish out the OOC at 3-0 and I think the coaches aren't playing for the future, they are playing now. Prince was both, Craft is now, Brehaut has the potential. Why risk a game in a classical letdown situation? I can't imagine Craft has a long leash, but I think he'll be fine. The offensive line is actually giving the QB's some time this year so maybe Craft can make a read other then throw on the run

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

The redshirt was already burned this year. But you're reasoning is sound and I think it's true, not so much the raw part but everything else. UCLA needs to finish out the OOC at 3-0 and I think the coaches aren't playing for the future, they are playing now. Prince was both, Craft is now, Brehaut has the potential. Why risk a game in a classical letdown situation? I can't imagine Craft has a long leash, but I think he'll be fine. The offensive line is actually giving the QB's some time this year so maybe Craft can make a read other then throw on the run

Ah, didn't know that on the red shirt, but yeah, UCLA needs these wins bad and at K-State is one you just cannot afford to lose. He'll be ready eventually but it's still early and as bad as he was last year, Craft still is your best option to win this one game, and it's the one game that Neuheisel and co. should care about.

[MrBug708]

Seeing as how KSU was the worst team vs the run last year, I would imagine UCLA runs the ball straight up the middle on 9 of 10 plays

[Logan]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Jon - Honest question, if you had to pick your QB right now, would it be Ball or Nesbitt?

Ouch.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Logan

Ouch.

Nah.

When a guy is 15/40 (37.5% comp%) it's a fair question. The scary part is that, flawed though the stat may be, his QB rating is currently a career best 118.97. And it's even more appropriate when you consider his performance against Miami was his 2nd best completion rate in his past five games.

There are several factors (reduced INT's, reduced sacks, reduced fumbles) that prevent him from reaching Ballish levels of concern but the question is a fair one IMO.

[flounder]

I don't think that a poor passing game is Georgia Tech's problem. There was barely any passing game at all last year (besides the Duke game). The problem in the Miami game and the second half of the Clemson game was that the players seemed dead tired. Derrick Morgan is by far GT's best defensive lineman, and he was on the sideline as much as he was in the game. Nesbitt looked like he could barely stand up after that last drive in the Clemson game.

I don't know if the problem is conditioning, lack of depth, 3 games in 12 days or if Paul Johnson has been pushing them too hard at practice to try to improve the execution. Whatever the problem, if it keeps up there will be a lot more blowouts this season.

[Dr. Sak]

Penn State is not a top 5 team. They are a borderline top 15 team.

[sovereignstar]

Minnesota is hanging with 8th-ranked Cal 21-21 early in the 4th after a brutal start.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Michigan clearly does not have a Top 25 defense. No. Not at all.

[Eaglesfan27]

No real surprise. Barkley was too hurt to practice all week, so Corp is starting today. Taylor Mays is also out today.

[Eaglesfan27]

USC marches down the field, covering 80 yards in 6 plays including a 38 yard run by Havili and a TD run by McKnight.

[JonInMiddleGA]

OMG !!! Crompton just completed a pass against an SEC defense.

Also today, dogs & cats living together, film at eleven.

[Eaglesfan27]

Corp is lucky not to have gotten picked off as he just threw into triple coverage.

On this drive, two 25 yard plus runs as USC has a 7 play 68 yard drive that ends in a field goal. 10-0 lead.

[JonInMiddleGA]

13 rushes, 1 pass for UT in their first drive (and 3 conversions on 3rd down) ... Daniel Lincoln ties it 3-3 with a 24 yd FG. Just 3 mins left in Q1, great time consuming drive by the Vols, the shorter this game is the better the final score will be.