Looking at the matchups for this week in college football it looked like we were going to have to sleep through the day before the OU-Miami game. We were wrong. There were plenty of exciting game throughout the day. It was a great day of calllage footbawl, so let's get to it.
ACC Football
What we learned in the ACC: Week 5 (Annette)
"Anyone can win the Atlantic Division -- if anyone wants to. Any takers? Clemson has a division loss now. So does Wake Forest. And Boston College. And now Florida State. And NC State. Heck, the only team in the division without a loss is Maryland, which wouldn’t have beaten the Tigers had Clemson not missed two field goal attempts. One thing is for sure -- Boston College wanted it more than Florida State did in Chestnut Hill, and the Noles are off to their first ever 0-2 start in the ACC. BC is to be taken seriously now that the Eagles have defeated two division opponents and Clemson somehow collapsed in College Park."
OTB’s ACC Power Poll: Week 5 (On The B.Rink)
"ACC! ACC! ACC! (lol) Miami gets the banner win the conference so desperately needed in eliminating the Sooners from the national title scene and therefore vaulting the Canes into that position. Georgia Tech continued the conference pride with dominating a solid Miss State team. The Atlantic Division flipped upside down, Duke and North Carolina went opposite ways in losses, and Virginia Tech just keeps winning. Yes, we are in week five–and we still know nothing about how this will all end up."
Forget everything you think you know (Instead of Texting)
"After a month of watching ACC football, a few logical conclusions could have been drawn about the conference. Saturday blew up most of them. Here are a few reasonable assumptions about the ACC that could have been made before this weekend — and how Saturday changed them."
Virginia 16, North Carolina 3
Virginia 16, UNC 3 (ACC Now)
"Butch Davis tried to warn his team about winless Virginia. The Tar Heels didn't get the message. Virginia beat UNC 16-3 at Kenan Stadium on Saturday for its first win of the season. Mikell Simpson ran for 100 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cavaliers to their fourth straight win over UNC and 10th in the past 12 meetings. UNC's offense was ineffective and the return of Simpson from a leg injury, was a boost for the Hoos, who came into the game with an 0-3 record."
Heels Offense Experiencing Technical Difficulties (Joe Ovies)
"We learned Saturday that Div. I-AA teams are impervious to Virginia’s defensive schemes, but North Carolina is susceptible to its attack. The Tar Heels managed 174 yards of total offense, with the running game ground to a halt for only 39 yards, in a 16-3 loss to the Cavaliers. T.J. Yates was simply off, throwing 2 interceptions late and occasionally throwing the football right into the chest of the defensive line. Maybe he was thinking "if I throw it hard enough, the ball will go right through the large man!""
How Ya Like Us Now? (From Old Virginia)
"And if you thought the ACC looked bad before, hooooooboy you ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait'll you see what people say about this conference when two of the three teams you declared the bottom tier, wrote off, and told everyone you couldn't be responsible for how they represented the conference, when those teams sit atop their respective divisions. Undefeated. And you have only yourselves to blame. And We're. Not. Sorry. At. All."
Virginia 16, UNC 3 (Carolina March)
"Yeah. That was a motherfucker. I want to say, "On the bright side..." here, but there is no bright side. There is only this. And this is very, very bad football."
UVa 16 UNC 3 (Tar Heel Fan)
"This was an atrocious performance on the offensive side of the ball since…well…last week. At least last week it was against a legitimate team that had some potential NFL players on defense not to mention a skewed time of possession which kept the offense of the field. In this one there was very little excuse. The defense did their job with the exception of not creating enough turnovers. Other than that, holding the opponent to nine points until the final five minutes of the game is more than enough to secure the win."
Virginia 16, UNC 3: Tar Heel Mania Is a Sad Panda (Tar Heel Mania)
"Against BCS teams we are averaging less than 200 yards of offense per game.The offensive line is decimated, the wide receivers are still green, and John Shoop hasn’t changed up anything. At all.As bad as T.J. Yates has played, Dave Shinskie is in a better offensive situation than he is. And that’s saying a lot."
Maryland 24, Clemson 21
Maryland-Clemson Report Card and Helmet Stickers (Testudo Times)
"If Maryland loses this game, the 4th and 1 call gets rehashed and rehashed and rehashed, as it should've been. That was a really bad decision that could've lost Maryland the game. Other than that, it wasn't a terrible game for the coaching staff. The playcalling wasn't amazing, but it was definitely better than Clemson's, and props to Ralph Friedgen for icing the kicker - twice."
Tommy West Syndrome - For those Bottle half empty people (Sporting Gnomes)
"If you suffer frequently from CCA, or Cardiac Cat Arrest, you may indeed develop TWS. Although the initial result of TWS is what seems to be a cure for CCA. You will quickly find that you have lost all heart. You continue to suffer with TWS and lose not only heart, but hope, love, joy, and pride. (Commonly known as Holtzing – ask an SC fan. ) TWS can cause you to feel completely numb while watching Clemson Football. This numb despair can spread to watching football in general, to watching other sports, and eventually, to doing anything whatsoever that would require hope, pride, joy, heart, and "toughness.""
More of the same shit (Clempson Football)
"Damn I thought we fired Spence and Tammy's bitchasses last year? What I saw today was a loss in true Bowden fashion. Complete ineptitude, lost in all 3 phases. Totally unprepared to play. Defense came out a little flat and played one half of football, offense was inept at basically everything, ST cost us a punt then 2 FGs. I'm surprised this team knows how to wipe their own ass at times. Spiller is the only man on the field who has a clue."
Wake Forest 30, NC State 24
Adams, Deacs hurdle N.C. State (ACC Now)
"The missed tackles were the final, decisive error in a mistake-filled game for the Wolfpack. N.C. State (3-2, 0-1) committed three turnovers. Seven first-half penalties on N.C. State gave Wake Forest 80 yards. Russell Wilson’s Football Bowl Subdivision-record streak of consecutive passes without an interception ended at 379 as Josh Bush and Kenny Okoro intercepted him. Still, the Wolfpack had a chance to get the ball back and win until Adams refused to be tackled."
You Too? Pack Falls Short At Wake (Joe Ovies)
"What really hurt NC State were the Wake series before and after that final Wolfpack possession. Lovell Jackson took a kickoff 80 yards and set up a 21-yard field goal for the Demon Deacons. When Wake got the ball back after intercepting Wilson, Josh Adams broke 4 (!!!) tackles to get a first down and give his team the ability to run out the clock. NC State had their opportunities, but turnovers and missed defensive stops foiled the comeback."
Deacs bounce back (Blogger So Dear)
"With strong performances from Riley Skinner and the receiving trio of Devon Brown, Chris Givens (pictured) and Marshall Williams, Wake Forest held on to beat N.C. State by the count of 30-24. The Demon Deacons picked off sophomore Russell Wilson twice, the first interceptions of his career. This is a huge win for the Deacs, as the Atlantic division is wide open after today's unexpected results in the ACC."
Awful Pack Handed Awful Loss (StateFans Nation)
"Without question, this was the worst game (relative to personnel) of the Tom O’Brien era. The players and the coaching staff have alot to answer for after this one. Completely, absolutely, unequivocably inexcusable."
Wake Forest 30, NC State 24 (Backing The Pack)
"This may sound strange, but it's nice to feel agony again."
Boston College 28, Florida State 21
Notes from FSU Game (Eagle All Access)
"It’s hard to believe that after all that happened this off-season we would be talking about a 4-1 BC squad. At this point BC has a realistic shot at another Atlantic Division title. I’m not sure if this is a reflection of a poor ACC field or a just a good BC team, perhaps a little of both. Either way BC can make a run at this especially if Shinskie continues to play as well as he had the past two weeks. Playing in Virginia Tech will be a real test for them but as we have seen you have to expect the unexpected."
Bowden Shows He Has Lost All Control of Seminole's Program (Tomahawk Nation)
"The solution is simple. Promising young coaches must be allowed to work unimpeded (and without active sabotage from disgruntled older coaches). FSU is close enough that they could see an enormous improvement in 2010 if they make the coaching change. It might be too late to salvage even a decent recruiting class, however, and the only way to save that will be to make the change. One thing's for sure, those inside the program worried about Bowden dragging down their reputation and thus future job prospects, will only get louder as they continue to leak details about the dysfunction caused by Bowden."
Miami’s Back, Noles Aren’t, My Face Still Hurts And A Blackout On Saturday? (Scalp Em)
"But by all means, please don’t embarrass FSU or yourselves with a half-brained blackout next Saturday night against the Yellow Jackets. Do you think the Gators would do that? Wouldn’t ESPN love to talk about how classless FSU fans are at that point? Instead of wearing black on Saturday night, wear garnet on Saturday night, bring a notepad, Blackberry, whatever and write a letter or an email to the people in charge at FSU and tell them what you want. Tell them you’ll pull your money. Tell them FSU needs a change. Do this the right way."
Georgia Tech 42, Mississippi State 31
The Morning After (For Whom the Cowbell Tolls)
"At least you can say that the team did not stop fighting, but not matter how many yards you run or throw, no matter how many touchdowns you score, you just can't win if you turn the ball over 4 times to a team like Georgia Tech. Oh yeah, Tyson Lee threw an INT late in the 4th, but it was already over by then."
Miami 21, Oklahoma 20
Miami outlasts Oklahoma at 'The Shark' (AllCanes)
"3-1 when many of the critics were calling for 0-4. How runny in that egg on your face this morning, haters? Same to be said for a strong portion of the UM fan base, pissing and moaning about Randy Shannon these past few years. Don't look now, but that coach you didn't believe in has your beloved program back in the top ten (at least as soon as the new polls are released.)"
Game 4 Recap: W 21-20 vs. Oklahoma (Anton Azucar)
"After the game finished, I was elated. For the obvious reasons of course, but also because Miami didn’t squander this opportunity. This team is too young, as they should have blown OU out. On the flip side, Miami did still almost lose it, and could have. So it’s great that such a young team didn’t waste a victory with a late letdown. The past four seasons, could I make that same claim?"
Sooners Can't Rain On Hurricanes' Coming Out Party (Canespace)
"After suffering through a rain ruined game in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech just week ago, Miami fans were relieved to see no rain in sight in sunny South Florida for the big showdown with the Sooners. In the end the Hurricanes would celebrate a victory as they made a loud and clear statement to the NCAA, the media and their fans that they are indeed back by hanging on to beat #8 ranked Oklahoma 21-20 in a 60 minute slug fest."
Sooners Play Familiar Tune In South Beach (Crimson And Cream Machine)
"Frustration levels are going through the roof as we are discovering that this OU football team isn't up to par to the Big 12 Championship teams from the past three seasons. Oklahoma once again leaves South Florida scarred, bruised and with a loss. We can't blame this loss on the absences of Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham and Ryan Broyles because none of them play for a defense that allowed Javarris James to run for 148 yards on 15 carries (9.9 yards per carry). In what has become typical fashion for the Sooners in a big game Oklahoma had their share of meltdown moments. They featured 7 penalties, a blown assignment in the defensive secondary, a missed block and a very crucial fumble."
National College Football
Auburn 26, Tennessee 22
The Edge of The Cliffs of Insanity (Rocky Top Talk)
"Big things or small things, Crompton or Stephens, home or away...sooner than later the Vols need to put it all together, stop being close, and get a win. We're an understanding lot in a coach's first year, no one was expecting miracles and we're all excited about the process for the most part. But every now and then, we need our faith to be made sight. It's been two full years since the Vols really enjoyed that."
Tigers Hold Off the Vols! (Track Em Tigers)
"Auburn did exactly what they had to do, going into Knoxville. They disrupted Tennessee's bread 'n' butter running game, and continued to generate offense. The special teams stepped up, and played pretty close to a complete game, for the first time all year. It wasn't always pretty, and Tennessee came roaring back in the end, but the Tigers held on for a 26-22 win. They don't come often in Knoxville, as this is only Auburn's third win in Neyland Stadium in the past 30 years. With the win, Auburn is 5-0, and has equaled their wins from last season. The offense is only one point shy of its total points, in 12 games last year!"
Alabama 38, Kentucky 20
Initial Impressions from the Kentucky Game (Roll 'Bama Roll)
"From the outset, looking at the entire picture, the Tide simply did not play very well against Kentucky. Of course you should never complain too much any time you can go on the road in conference play and get an 18-point victory, but by the same token you shouldn't be so blinded by the scoreboard to not realize that we played poorly and that, based purely on the performances of the two teams, that this game should have been a lot closer."
LSU 20, Georgia 13
LSU 20 - Georgia 13: Snap Judgments (And The Valley Shook)
"Well well well. That was about the strangest game I've ever seen. We completely dominated the 1st half but didn't have a big lead to show for it because we kept stalling out when we got close to the end zone. We developed a power running game, spotty as it was, but the offense still struggled."
So after the laughter, I guess comes the tears. (Hey Jenny Slater)
"I will say this: The second-half effort against LSU demonstrates improvement in a number of areas over where we were coming out of the Oklahoma State game, particularly in the area of turnovers and QB pressure, somewhat less so in terms of consistency in the run game. And a Georgia team playing at exactly the level it did in the second half Saturday will be good enough to beat Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt, perhaps also Tennessee and Kentucky."
South Florida 34, Syracuse 20
That Old Familiar Feeling (Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician)
"Greg Paulus bore the brunt of things with five interceptions, the most by a Syracuse QB since 1982, and tying the school record. The third quarter pick-six to Jason Pierre-Paul was the most damaging as it opened the floodgates for a 20-point USF 3rd quarter. Paulus finished 25-46 with two touchdowns to go with his five picks."
Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 28
Clay wears down Gophers (Bucky's 5th Quarter)
"The Badgers survived another late comeback from an opponent, but this time from their bitter rivals who were hosting their first conference game at brand new TCF Bank Stadium. John Clay ran for a career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, and once again took over a game that had been opened back up by a key Wisconsin fumble."
Iowa 24, Arkansas State 21
Holy Crap We Actually Did It (Black Heart Gold Pants)
"OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!! Iowa comes through with the sensational, shocking win by the count of 24-21! Nobody gave Iowa a chance, like usual. But for the steady, reasonable, consistent leadership of Ricky Stanzi, we'd all be lost--as would be the season. Celebrate with your pants off, people. We've never been this happy about a football win ever. As history dictates, we dance and we get naked."
Michigan State 26, Michigan 20 (OT)
The Rising (The Only Colors)
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. That's all I have to say about that. This looked to be a mirror image of 2004, where Michigan scored two late touchdowns and pulled out a win in OT. The same event was about to occur here, except for one crucial third down play: Danny Fortener jumped a route and Chris L. Rucker plucked the ball out of thin air. From there, it was one heart-rending missed pitch, one decent pass, and one awe-inspiring Larry Caper run to victory."
Agony of Defeat (Maize n Brew)
"Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor combined for ten carries.... TEN @#%@#% CARRIES! Of my "um, excuse me coaching staff, would you mind addressing this?" questions from this football game, this is at the top of the list. That Carlos Brown touched the football eight times total is CRIMINAL. I mean, I have no explanation for it, none. Brown deserves to touch the football 20 times a game, period. He's the most explosive player on the field, feed him the ball."
Oregon 52, Washington State 6
Oregon trounces Washington State 52-6 (Addicted To Quack)
"While Washington State is likely the worst team the Ducks will face this season, it's very encouraging to see that there was no letdown, and that the Ducks did what a team contending for the Pac-10 title should do."
On Kelly’s decision with Blount, and a report about a lawyer (George Schroeder)
"Chip Kelly vehemently denied Friday night an attorney was involved at all in his decision. He also said the decision was "100 percent my decision," said he was not pressured to change his initial decision and said he would have resigned before being pressured to do something."
USC 30, Cal 3
USC had the Better #4 on the Field! (Conquest Chronicles)
"SC did what they needed to do in containing Jahvid Best. He rushed for more yards than he did last year against USC but it really did not matter...SC had his number. Cal QB Kevin Riley never got into a groove after throwing that INT in the end zone. He made a few nice throws here and there but he really never really was a threat to SC. The defense pressured him all night."
More Quarterback Blues (California Golden Blogs)
"Two mistakes made a big difference in this game's outcome. The first mistake was the Riley interception (the worst of many bad throws), which turned a promising Cal start into a deflating Trojan bite-back touchdown drive. The second was the straight-on punt by Anger to Damian Williams right for the touchdown. Although I knew we'd get an Alamar special one of these days, these are the sort of things you throw out over the long run as anomalies rather than trends. Those two mistakes comprise a 15-21 point swing right there, which could've turned a 23 point margin into a field goal/touchdown margin going into the 4th."
Stuff Only I Care About
Edmond: Week 5 recap (Bob Przybylo)
"Back-to-back blowout wins have the Antlers feeling good about themselves. They’re still not quite healthy as coach Grant Gower would like. Alex Christensen has come on in the last couple of weeks at QB. Look for a story on him in Tuesday’s Oklahoman. Big thing about last two weeks: getting the rhythm going on both sides of the ball."
Red Sox finish season with sweep of Indians (Over the Monster)
"Finishing the regular season with a win is a good way to go out -- no matter what. A sweep, though, is even sweeter."
How 4-year-old boy mastered 'Miracle' speech in YouTube hit (Puck Daddy)
"No professional coaching. No fancy editing. No script, because Rizzo hasn't learned to read yet -- he was just 4 years old when his father filmed the speech earlier this year, making it all the more remarkable. If you haven't seen this clip yet, you've not seen anything like it before."
Sabres Drop Opener in Overtime (Die By The Blade)
"Another season and the same old disappointment. The Buffalo Sabres dominated the Montreal Canadiens for most of the game but dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime. The Sabres deserved a better fate tonight but the play of Carey Price, a controversial goal by Habs forward Travis Moen and a lucky bounce off the glass gave the Canadiens their second consecutive overtime win."
Ranking The Northwest Division (The Copper & Blue)
"The team here wanted to do a preseason roundtable, and I wanted to do a preseason divisional rankings post. Like cheese sauce and jalapenos combine to make fantastic stadium nachos, our ideas melded into our Northwest Division preseason preview. We ranked each line and pairing against the rest of the Northwest (yes, we know the Oilers' lines change by the hour) to come up with a top-to-bottom ranking system. I can't speak for the rest of the crew, but I thought for sure that Vancouver was my preseason favorite."