How's that for a start to the home stretch of the college football season? After a kind of lame first two months of oblong, it looks like the last month is going to give us a lot more drama. Week 10 saw upsets and great games with each click of the remote. Like Zenyatta, this calllage footbawl season is going to finish strong.
ACC Football
What we learned in the ACC: Week 10 (Annette)
"He moved ahead of Reggie Bush on the all-time NCAA all-purpose list with 6,702 yards. He rushed for a career-high 165 yards, and had his 20th career touchdown of 50 yards more, his eighth this season. Spiller is one of the best players in college football. Period."
OTB’s ACC Power Poll: Week 10 (On The B.Rink)
"We could be seeing a whole different story being told this season and even month in the ACC. The two front-runners for the ACC Championship Game would struggle at home, but somehow pull it out. Is this consistency I am seeing from ACC football? The toughest games left for Clemson and Georgia Tech are next week which will tell you exactly who will be in Tampa. As for everybody else, UNC took a step forward to bowl contention while Duke’s bowling trip is on hold, Miami slept through most of another game and rolled still as the Groh era presses on to its extinction, and NC State defeated Maryland in a high scoring game with almost FCS teams."
Yarr! Calls for an 'All Carolina Conference' Baseless (BC Interruption)
Brian and Jeff take time off from celebrating Northwestern and Clemson's wins (and getting yelled at for putting all the laundry into one load and just putting the water on cold) to debate ECU in the ACC: "Brian: Tonight Virginia Tech goes on the road to face East Carolina in ESPN’s Thursday night game. The Charlotte Observer's Caulton Tudor awoke from college basketball hibernation to wax poetic about how this game would mean more if East Carolina was included in ACC expansion instead of Boston College or Miami. Has the North Carolina media lost all sensibility?"
2010 Unbalanced ACC Schedule (Carolina March)
"Ah twelve-team ACC and the all the scheduling problems you bring, how do we love thee? We don't, actually. We miss the good old days, where everyone played everyone else home and away, and schedules were balanced. Now? Teams get screwed. And who's getting screwed this season?"
BtB 2009-10 ACC Preview (Blogging the Bracket)
"Seth Greenberg has a major hole to fill, thanks to the graduation of A.D. Vassallo, but the Hokies' roster still features a lot of talent. 6-3 junior PG Malcolm Delaney becomes the face of the program, and he's already one of the best returning players in the league (18.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.5 apg). 6-7 FJeff Allen (13.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) could fill the same role in the frontcourt, if he stays consistent and on his best behavior."
NC State 38, Maryland 31
Here's To Another Week Of Being Mostly Dead (Backing The Pack)
"Whew. Sleep deprivation, beer, mildly painful near-death in the margins experience ... I'm exhausted. Though that hasn't stopped me from thinking about those two interesting 4th down calls by TOB almost non-stop since the game ended."
It's Official: Maryland No Longer Bowl Eligible (Testudo Times)
"Lastly, it's time to start Jamarr Robinson, regardless of Chris Turner's health. The only game he should start is Senior Night. I hate to do it to Chris, but you have to consider the future of the program, and that appears to be Jamarr Robinson at this juncture. Besides, Turner's not going to have a career in football. He's a smart kid who interned on Capital Hill last summer and will likely go into politics - if he had a shot at the NFL, then I wouldn't say it, but everything as it is, it's acceptable and necessary."
North Carolina 19, Duke 6
UNC 19 Duke 6 (Tar Heel Fan)
"The defense came to play, building off a stellar performance in Blacksburg to completely shut down the Duke offense. And when I say shutdown I mean Duke has fewer yards total than Ryan Houston had rushing the ball. Duke came in with the 5th best passing offense in the country averaging 325 yards per game. UNC held them to 113 yards passing along with 12 yards on the ground. The Heels did everything right on the defensive side of the ball holding to redzone drives to FGs and intercepting Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis following an atrocious INT from T.J. Yates."
Duke offense sputters (Blue Devil Nation)
"It was a day when everything the Devils tried pretty much backfired and Thaddeus Lewis had very little time to try and find his receivers. Duke just got their tales whipped on both sides of the ball and in doing so fell to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC."
Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 27 (OT)
Wake a wreck in overtime as they fall to Georgia Tech (Blogger So Dear)
"I wish I could say "well at least they played hard." Or "this team showed a lot of heart." I refuse to say that. This team should have won the Baylor game. They should have won the BC game. They should have won the Navy game. They should have won the Miami game. And they should have won this game."
Clemson 40, Florida State 24
Florida State Wrapup (Block-C)
"Clemson fans were relatively cautious coming into the game against the Seminoles. Games like this – national audience, conference title hopes on the line, following up a string of victories – were where Clemson teams had failed in the recent past. Dabo Swinney seems to have instilled the Tigers with a different mentality, at least for the time being."
Post-game impressions (Shakin The Southland)
"Honestly, this game should not have been as close as it was. Clemson failed to capitalize on huge opportunities provided by our defense and if we had not fucked up a chance to score at the damn 4 inch line it would've been as decisive as some were saying coming into this game."
Tellingly Random and Meaninglessly Meaningless Thoughts (Scalp Em)
"Gene Deckerhoff summing up Saturday night’s loss to Clemson: "We’ve seen this before." All too often lately I’m afraid. Although the seven turnovers was a new and "interesting" twist."
National College Football
Jahvid Best Only Suffers a Concussion (College Game Balls)
"Best crash landed. The brunt of the impact was absorbed by the back of his lower head and upper back. Gravity is a bitch.I’m an optimist, but when that clip was shown during Alabama-LSU (or was it Georgia Tech-Wake or tOSU-Penn State, to be honest I can’t remember there was a lot of flipping and early beers) I thought the worst. Concussions are nothing to fuck with, but that type of hit, the one so catastrophic you’ve never seen before or will see it again, is the one you watch and think to yourself how is he going to get up from that?"
Missing helmet FOUND, and RETURNED to owner (George Schroeder)
"The helmet, which was the subject of a column I wrote for Thursday’s edition of the RG, had belonged to Campos’ son, Chuck, who was killed last January. The helmet went missing last Saturday, as the family tailgated at Autzen Stadium."
ESPN's GameDay Making Third Appearance in MWC (Mountain West Connection)
"ESPN GameDay is heading once again to a Mountain West school; this time they will be in Fort Worth for when TCU takes on Utah. The decision was down between Utah/TCU or Iowa/Ohio State but since Iowa lost that game has lost some luster and now the GameDay crew is heading to Fort Worth."
Just Old Friends Getting Together Again... (Corn Nation)
"Yeah, but it's been what, 12 years?Maybe you should accept the fact that time has moved on. But you can't do that, can you, because you're still in love with Oklahoma. The problem is, it's not based on reality, it's based on a concept. An idea. You're in love with what you used to have and since it's been so long, you've romanticized it to the point that no one else will ever be good enough."
Kafka on GameDay (Black Heart Gold Pants)
"C. Fowler: How do you compare the two quarterbacks, Stanzi and Kafka? F. Kafka: I do not know how to make a distinction between tears and music."
Larry Elin Doesn't Go To Many Sports Stadiums (TNIAAM)
I'm not saying Syracuse fans are right to boo their own players, especially since that doesn't even seem to be the point you were trying to make. I don't like it any more than you do. But booing the opponent? Come on now....of COURSE that's fair game. Show me a fanbase that doesn't boo their opponent as they take the field in order to create a hostile environment and I'll show you a fanbase that is apathetic and worthless."
Boise State 45, Louisiana Tech 35
Boise State turns it on late to beat Louisiana Tech (OBNUG)
"Were you happy with Boise State's defense? Reflecting back on the game, it didn't seem like the Broncos played that awful. They didn't allow any big plays. They didn't miss a ton of easy tackles. They just gave up yards and first downs, bending and eventually breaking. It makes quite a difference when you can't score TDs in the red zone but the other can."
Texas 35, Central Florida 3
Texas Overwhelms UCF 35-3 (Burnt Orange Nation)
"Heading into next week I feel: Steady. The team is in the ideal position we hoped it would be, the defense is a dream, and the offense has over the past three weeks begun to round into form -- if not yet to the point where I'll predict great success against Alabama or Florida, at least to the point where it's almost unimaginable the team could fail to reach Pasadena."
Tennessee 56, Memphis 28
Lane Kiffin does whatever he wants (Rocky Top Talk)
"En route to a 42-7 halftime lead, the Vols never punted, tried the onside kick, went for it on fourth down three times (including once at our own 35), forced a fumble and got Eric Berry six yards closer to his record with an interception, dialed up two unsuccessful trick plays, and basically did anything they wanted to on every snap."
Northwestern 17, Iowa 10
Belief Without Evidence - 'Cats Win Program Catapulter (Lake the Posts)
"The program was teetering on regressing back to medicore-ville, but this win is just what the doctor ordered for the injury-riddled 'Cats to put the momentum back in Evanston for a back-to-back bowl appearances and hopefully the first win in 60 years in a bowl game to really start making some waves among fans and recruits."
Northwestern Steals Another Upset at Kinnick (Black Heart Gold Pants)
"The SEC may be gagging people from criticizing referees, but since they refuse to admit BHGP as a 13th member, it's open season. The holding call on Eubanks on the touchdown was bullshit. The fumble call on Wegher was bullshit. The three consecutive defensive holding/pass interference calls on the last drive were supreme bullshit. We can't claim that the referees cost Iowa a win, but it's plain to see they cost Iowa their shot at the win."
Pittsburgh 37, Syracuse 10
Now the Fun Begins (Eye of a Panther)
"Dion Lewis solved the Orange defense with 114 yards and a TD averaging 6 yards a carry. His numbers are starting to look pedestrian and that's a scary thought. Ray Graham looked pretty mediocre today and I'm starting to fall into the group that would be fine to see him only enter in for a few plays per game. There's no reason to pull Lewis at this point and even the announcers seemed confused when Graham came in for one series, thinking Lewis had an injury."
Serene Dion: Pittsburgh Runs All Over Syracuse, 37-10 (TNIAAM)
"Syracuse did look frisky...with three minutes left with the game compluetely out of reach. A late Averin Collier-TD and onside-kick recovery at least speak to the never-say-die attitude of the team. Of course, we've been hearing about that for weeks now. They played hard. Again. Got it. Understood."
Navy 23, Notre Dame 21
Postgame Haiku (The Birddog)
"HAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHA"
The Thrill Is Gone (Subway Domer)
"The Fighting Irish lost their edge this week and it took a long time before they were able to sharpen it in the slightest. A flat and uninspired team came out against Navy and lost. Mistake after mistake was made on offense, defense, and in the playcalling for both units. "How", is almost irrelevant when you consider "why"."
Air Force 35, Army 7
Air Force Blows Out Army After a Slow Start (Mountain West Connection)
"Neither schools getting the coveted Commander-in-Chief award, that is going to Navy, and all three service academies are still the same as Air Force and Navy are going bowling while Army is trying to improve off of their three win campaign and should with games aganist VMI and North Texas."
Stanford 51, Oregon 42
Toby Gerhart! Also, Andrew Luck is the Special One (Various Provocations)
"That was the best win since I’ve been a Stanford fan. Better than USC 2007, because this win announces the team as an offensive juggernaut, announces the team as a legitimate force, sends it bowling, and, most important—was not in any way flukey. The USC 2007 win was wonderful, but in retrospect we were lucky. But this win was in no way lucky."
Stanford offense pummels Ducks (Addicted To Quack)
"Stanford's execution put the Ducks into react mode early, and if your defense is reacting rather than going out there and playing their own game, your will not often be very successful. Oregon was taken off their gameplan early, was forced to respect the pass, and could not generate pressure with their front 4. A defense that has to deal with a diverse offense that can throw or run will typically not be able to stop either."
Ohio State 24, Penn State 7
Seven Point Army (Eleven Warriors)
"We won’t get into whether or not Penn State’s cupcake-laden schedule caught up with them again. What we will dive into and explore in all of its glory is the huge punch to the mouth the Buckeyes applied to the Nittany Lions in front of 110,000+ in Beaver Stadium."
And Here Come The Pretzels (Black Shoe Diaries)
"Sifting through the rubble this morning, and nothing has changed. Yesterday's game was an absolute owning of the home team -- coaches, players, fans, offense, defense, special teams -- from beginning to end. Cameron Heyward is an unblockable monster. No matter which Penn State offensive lineman he lined up against, they were quickly and embarrassingly thrown aside. Daryll Clark was hit and hurried, and again unable to carry the team in those circumstances."
TCU 55, San Diego State 12
TCU marches past SDSU toward BCS, 55-12 (Mountain West Connection)
"Missing Ladanian Tomlinson on the side lines didn't stop the Frogs from beating San Diego State at Qualcomm stadium. The Frogs dominated in all facets of the game, and the Aztecs didn't give TCU any trouble in San Diego as they had in the past. Andy Dalton used his arm and his feet to thrash the Aztecs defense, and the Frogs number one overall defense held the Aztecs to 12 points. Of course, those 12 points nearly matched the offensive output of TCU's last three opponents, but you won't hear Coach Hoke talk about moral victories."
Baylor 40, Missouri 32
Loss to Baylor is frustrating, but reaction from fans is inexcusable (Rock M Nation)
"This came on the heels of several Missouri tweeters, one in particular who I refuse to link to out of principle, condemning Missouri players on Twitter, particularly Blaine Gabbert. It quickly escalated, as Derrick Washington and others had to come to the aid of their quarterback, a quarterback that has clearly earned respect and trust in the locker room (which can't be overlooked). The flamer (double meaning) even went as far as to say directly to Gabbert online, "Do you not realize that no one likes you? You single handedly ruined our season.""
Alabama 24, LSU 15
Initial Impressions from the LSU Game (Roll 'Bama Roll)
"First and foremost, it was obviously a huge win for the Tide yesterday. We came in absolutely needing to get the job done, and with LSU giving us their best shot we answered the bell. We played the best we've played since late September, and truth be told there was absolutely what was required. Credit goes to LSU for playing well in their own right, and they made us take our game to the next level to get the win."
Well, That Sucked (And The Valley Shook)
"Patrick Peterson's non-interception was a key play, but not nearly as big as LSU's failure to get two yards on 3rd and 2 up 15-13. If LSU converts there, maybe they can put together a drive, or at least give the defense a much needed breather. Instead, LSU punted and then Julio Jones made his big catch. With Peterson sitting on the bench, still trying to recover from injury."
Oregon State 31, Cal 14
Canfield Prevails in Quarterback Duel (Building The Dam)
"Overall, I felt both the offense and defense played great. The defense stepped up to stop Jahvid Best, Shane Voreen, and the whole Cal ground attack. Kevin Riley picked up 200 yards in the air, but wasn't able to hurt the Beavers much. The Bears obviously are having some offensive line troubles, and Riley didn't have much time to throw. He was sacked twice, once by Gabe Miller and once by Keaton Kristick. Canfield won the quarterback battle, and Oregon State won the game."
I'm Steve Marshall, And I'm Here To Make Your Offense Terrible (California Golden Blogs)
"Hi, I'm Steve Marshall. You might remember me as the guy who coached the O-line that got David Carr sacked 76 times or the dude that coached an O-line on a Browns team that had the fifth to last rushing offense in the NFL last year. You might also remember me as the guy who's spent no more than one to two years at any one destination. You'd think that'd be a telling sign that teams might be happy to get rid of me."
Florida 27, Vanderbilt 3
Victory By Cruise Control (Alligator Army)
"There isn't much to say new about the Gators' 27-3 win over Vanderbilt. It was clearly a low-key Gators team with low-key fans perfectly willing to hit cruise control for a night. Against a better team, nine penalties and allowing 7-16 on 3rd down conversions would have been a death sentence. But against Vandy, it is a 24 point win."
Nebraska 10, Oklahoma 3
Blackshirt Defense Puts a Beatdown on the Sooners! (Corn Nation)
"If you're one of those who want to see a Husker team that smashes it's opponents and puts a lot of points on the board, you're going to have to wait at least another season. If you're one that wants to see defense take over and win a game, you're going to be having a lot of fun for the rest of the season."
USC 14, Arizona State 9
USC 14 ASU 9 (Conquest Chronicles)
"This is a mediocre USC football team. I hate to say it but it is true. The team is just disjointed in a lot of areas. The excuse of youth and depth is wearing thin. Injuries happen, we have dealt with them before. This program has played under classmen in the past so whay is it a big deal now?"
Cincinnati 47, Connecticut 45
I am officially losing it (The UConn Blog)
"And despite five dispiriting losses by a combined 15 points, it is absolute nonsense that this team is 4-5 and needs to sweep its last three games to make a bowl. This team finishes third in the horsesh-t Big 10, and it is at least 8-2 with Iowa’s schedule. But because UConn has – for whatever reason – pissed off the football gods, it can’t buy a victory."
Stuff Only I Care About
Stuff Oklahomans Like: Sonic Ice (The Lost Ogle)
"Oklahoma is mainly known for petroleum, but the biggest cash cow in this state is frozen water. The technical term for it is "nugget ice," but it can also be called "cubelets" or, according to one website, "rabbit turd ice." Around here, it has only one name: Sonic Ice."
Champagne Goggles Ruin Fun? (Bootlegger Sports)
"Like if your girlfriend came out of the room wearing lingerie and goggles. If the get-up doesn’t get you more excited, you’re probably dating the wrong gender. If seeing players sporting Champagne goggles makes you angry, you’re probably a douchebag who should stick to watching shows on MTV."
Sabres Have Best Fourth Line in NHL (Die By The Blade)
"The Buffalo Sabres were able to rebound from their disappointing loss last Saturday by shutting out the New York Islanders 3-0. Two power play goals and the best fourth line in hockey were the difference for the Buffalo Sabres. It was amazing to see how good Patrick Kaleta, Paul Gaustad and Matt Ellis were in the victory. They were so good they actually had more ice time than the top line of Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford."
Going after Gonzalez (Globe)
"The one thing the Red Sox must do to bridge the gap between them and the World Series champion Yankees? Acquire Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez."