Sportaholic College Football Finale

In a word, wow is all I can say about this past weekend of college football. One of the best slates of finishes we’ve seen in awhile. Mississippi State and Auburn played one of the wackiest games you will see with a stop at the goal line finish. Notre Dame had every opportunity to put away Denard Robinson and Michigan at the Big House and couldn’t do it. South Carolina scored in some of the most unconventional ways to defeat Georgia as the seat continues to warm under Mark Richt and Tyler Bray of the Tennessee Vols showed why many think he is the best sophomore QB in the game with his performance against Cincinnati.

Just a great weekend to be a college football fan as it seemed every marquee game had a great finish. The teams that are at the top will face even tougher opposition this week so the games should only get better. One thing I noticed the most this weekend was the lack of defense on most teams. QBs were chucking the ball all over the place in many games and the defenses were defenseless in defending them.

Now its time to breakdown the weekends top games:

Michigan 35 Notre Dame 31 – Now if your going to have your first night game at the big house, this is the way you want it to go down. Denard Robinson led Michigan to a scintillating comeback that saw him throw 2 touchdowns and an on his final three drives. He capped the game with a 16-yard strike to Ray Roundtree with 2 seconds left to lift the Wolverines to victory. Notre Dame was actually the team out the gates that looked as if it would run all over the Wolverines, as their first two drives led to touchdowns. QB Tommy Rees was sharp most of the game as he threw for 315 yards going 27-39 and 3 TD passes in the process. But Rees also had two costly interceptions and the Fighting Irish couldn’t stop the Michigan offense at all in the second half. Rees threw a 29-yard pass to Theo Riddick with 30 seconds left as Notre Dame looked to seal their first victory of the year, only to have Robinson connect with Jeremy Gallon on a wide open pass that got the Wolverines in field goal range. Instead of going for the FG that would have tied the game, Robinson took a shot at the end zone and found Roundtree for the game winner. This is the first time Michigan has beaten the Irish three times in a row since 1908. The teams rolled up the offense as they combined for 965 yards of total yards. Robinson completed only 11 passes good for 338 yards or over 30 yards a completion if you want to look at it that way. The Big House lived up to its billing in its first primetime game.

Auburn 41 Mississippi State 34 – So much for Auburn being overrated huh? The Tigers found a way to pull out a SEC slugfest as they outlasted the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare stadium. This was another down to the wire game that saw its share of offense. Auburn jumped all over the Miss. State with a pair of quick TDs in the first from Michael Dyer on a burst of 35-yards and an interception return to take the quick 14-0 lead. The Bulldogs would come storming back and tie the game as LaDarius Perkins had a 40-yard burst of his own for a score and Chris Reif vindicated himself from his earlier Int as he found Brandon Heaven for 15-yard Td pass. It really got crazy in the 2nd quarter as the two teams traded touchdowns back and forth and ended the half with Auburn up 31-24. Vick Ballard and Chris Reif begin to pound the Tigers defense in the 2nd half as Ballard finished with 106 yards on 21 rushes. Reif was basically on the same pace as he finished with 106 yards on 27 carries. Not to be outdone, Tigers running back Michael Dyer finished with 150 yards but it was the last play of the game that saw the Auburn defense stop Reif on the hard yard line to seal the game. “We didn’t come up with the big inch,” he said. “I should have made the play.” One of the best finishes in a game you will see this year.

South Carolina 45 Georgia 42 – Another high scoring affair in the SEC that quite frankly we’re not use to seeing in the ultra physical and defensive conference. The Gamecocks got two unusual touchdowns from defensive end Melvin Ingram. The burly 276 pounder rumbled 68 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt and also recovered a fumble and took it to the house for the short score. Those two scores proved to be the difference as Georgia falls to 0-2 this season. Marcus Lattimore continued his dark horse Heisman campaign as he rushed for 175 tough yards on 27 yards. Even top freshman Jadeveon Clowney got in on the act as he burst through the line unblocked and slung Georgia QB Andy Murray to the ground causing him to fumble. That led to one of Ingram’s touchdowns as he batted it toward the end zone and took it in for a TD. Georgia did look impressive on offense as Andy Murray threw form 248 yards and four scores and running back Isaiah Crowell racked up 118 yards but it wasn’t enough to overcome its 3 turnovers. The Gamecocks take the early lead in the SEC East race.

Other notable games and players:

Tyler Bray of Tennessee: Bray just performed surgery on the Cincinnati Bearcats defense going 34-41 for 405 yards and 4 TD passes. He along with receivers Justin Hunter (10 catches 156 yards 1 TD) and Da’rick Rogers (10 catches and 100 yards 2 TDs) are beginning to form a devastating passing attack for the Vols. Bray can make all the throws and Hunter and Rogers are big physical receivers who can make all the catches. It will be fun to see how these sophomores develop as they could form the best passing trio in UT’s storied history. They will have there stiffest test yet when they face Florida this weekend. Game on.

Alabama’s defense: These guys have the resemblance of a NFL caliber defense. On a weekend of wild offensive outbursts, the Tide flexed their muscle and absolutely pounded Penn. State into submission defensively. Bama just comes at you in waves as they are deep and talented. If you watched most of the games on Saturday, there was a noticeable lack of defense in most games. You won’t have to worry about that when you watch the Tide play as they have standouts Dre Kiltpatrick, Mark Barron and Dont’a Hightower just to name a few. Alabama is allowing 1.8 yards per run and 2.8 yards per pass. Their offense seems to rely on Trent Richardson too much as A.J. McCarron continues to learn but as long as that defense shows up they will win a lot of games.

Mark Richt coaching future: The Bulldogs have to go a 7 or 8 game winning streak including a win over Florida to possibly save the longest tenured coach in the SEC job at this point. Georgia did look much improved against South Carolina but they still had far too mistakes. Richt tried to get his team’s attention this year by scheduling maybe the hardest first two games of the year for any team as they faced #4 Boise State and then #11 South Carolina, but his plan may have backfired as the young Bulldogs seem to need more seasoning before they can start to do some damage. Hopefully Richt’s job status won’t be a distraction going forward for Georgia but it more than likely will.

Texas Longhorn QBs Case McCoy and David Ash: Garrett Gilbert has been giving every opportunity to show his talents in Austin and he finally got the leash against BYU after throwing a pair of interceptions. Enter in Case McCoy and David Ash and the two went a combined 9-11 for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Gilbert short lived days of starting Texas QB may be over with his latest poor performance.

And that does it for the Sportaholic College Football Finale. Make sure to check back this week as chronicle the top games for the upcoming week including Oklahoma vs. Florida State and Tennessee vs. Florida.

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup

At last the time has come for another season of college football. I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to post an article last week for the season opener and I still can’t get that out of my head. But alas I am now back in the game and have a fresh take of the biggest games of the weekend. Bama and Penn State should be an interesting game among two of college football’s flagship programs. Michigan vs. Notre Dame just conjures up those old school images of football and this will be a slobberknocker in the Big House. Those are two of the better games this weekend we will touch on plus more. So sit back and enjoy as we set your primer for the weekend in college football.

Alabama (1-0) vs. Penn State (1-0) – This will be the 15th meeting between the two football juggernauts and the first time in Happy Valley since 1989. Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions traveled to Tuscaloosa last year and got whipped 24-3. This year shouldn’t be any different as Bama’s vaunted defense is just as good as or even better than last year’s. Led by Dre Kiltpatrick, Mark Barron and Dont’a Hightower, they are loaded on that side of the ball. In last week’s dismantling of Kent State, the Tide held them to a paltry 90 total yards of offense on 70 plays. Penn State has a chance though because Bama is relying on A.J McCarron, who looked good but not great last week. If Rob Bolden and or Matt McGloin can generate enough offense to at least put a bit of fear into the Crimson Tide, then they may be able to make a game out of this one. In the end though, Bama will just be too strong on the ground with Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy and will just wear down Joe Pa’s boys with their defense. The Pick: Bama 28-14

Michigan (1-0) vs. Notre Dame (0-1) – You know the Big House will be rocking in Ann Arbor for this one Saturday. This is the first time in 84 years that the game will be played at night. The Wolverines looked good in Brady Hoke’s new pro-style offense including Denard “Shoelaces” Robinson. I thought he would have a difficult transition from the spread to Hoke’s more disciplined pro style but so far so good. His numbers may not have showed it as he was 9 of 13 for 98 yards passing and added 46 yards on the ground but he looked comfortable in the pocket and didn’t look to run as much as did last year. The Michigan defense is still a work in progress as they let lowly Western Michigan gain almost 300 yards in total offense (279) but they did make some big plays as they forced 3 turnovers. And what can we say about Notre Dame? Once again they were hyped as being championship material this year and low and behold they lose their season opener to South Florida. As I was watching that game I kept saying to myself “Alright Notre Dame lets get for real now.” But they never could compose themselves and take over the game. Coach Brian Kelly subbed the inefficient Danye Crist for Tommy Rees and that seemed to spark the Fighting Irish offense as they finished with 508 total yards of offense. In order for the Irish to win this game they will need to get Michael Floyd the ball early and often. He had 12 catches for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns last game and could be just as effective in this one. I get the feeling that Notre Dame has a lot to prove in this game and will be up to the challenge against the Wolverines. The Pick: Notre Dame 35-30

South Carolina (1-0) vs. Georgia (0-1) – The SEC game of week features the two favorites to win the SEC East. The Bulldogs are facing yet another stiff challenge after losing to Boise State last week. I was very disappointed in Andy Murray and the entire Georgia offense with their dismal performance against the Broncos. I was also disappointed with those ugly red uniforms but that’s another story. With all due respect to Boise State’s defense, I believe the Bulldogs were not prepared for the challenge and intensity of the first game on that side of the ball which says something to the coaching of that team. Mark Richt already is on the hot seat and how warm will that seat get if the “Dawgs” get off to a 0-2 start. The Gamecocks on the other hand did won in extraordinary fashion last year as they spotted East Carolina an early 17 point lead with hand picked Connor Shaw at the helm. It was at this point the “Ol Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier realized that umm yeah that Stephen Garcia is pretty good and put him in. Garcia immediately got to work as he ran for a 32-yard touchdown and the offense took off from that point. Marcus Lattimore is just a beast in every meaning of the word. He tore up the ECU defense for 122 yards on the ground and just controlled the game once he got into his groove. Alshon Jeffrey continues to be the big time wide receiver he is suppose to be with 5 catches for 92 yards. This one will come down to the trenches as Georgia will have to find a way to stop Lattimore. He is the key to the game in my opinion and I just don’t think the Bulldogs will be able to stop him even though they have a good defense. The Pick: South Carolina 23-16

Game of the week – Notre Dame vs. Michigan - For traditions sake, I have to go with the old Midwest rivalry dating back 84 years ago. And this one will be the first time they face off under the lights. Notre Dame can’t start off 0-2 if they plan on going to a BCS game but I get the feeling the Wolverines could care less about any of that.

Most Intriguing game - Mississippi State vs. Auburn - Why is this intriguing you ask? Well lets see, this will be the first test for Miss. State and coach Dan Mullen who some have pegged as a darkhorse in the SEC West. The defending national champs Auburn dropped out the poles with a unsavory victory over lowly Utah State. Auburn has won 17 of 18 SEC openers and nine in a row at home. They have also won 9 of the past 10 against the Bulldogs, so something has to give here in this game.

Under the radar game – BYU vs. Texas - This is just the third meeting between the two and BYU actually has the upper hand 2-0 against the Longhorns. The Longhorns and Garrett Gilbert better come to play because if not, BYU can spring the upset over Texas. Malcolm Brown has to continue to be the foundation of the Texas offense.

Wake me when its over game – Memphis vs. Arkansas State - Yes my hometown of Memphis has a football team and no they are not very good. Arkansas State also has a pretty bad team so this one gets the first triple Z’s rating this season. Memphis has lost 10 straight and couldn’t beat an elite JV high school football team. Arkansas State has lost 8 straight non-conference games as well. Sounds like a sleeper to me as in I will sleep through this one. Keep it classy Memphis.

Coach better get it right game – South Carolina vs. Georgia - Mark Richt can go down two roads this game. If the Bulldogs win, then all is well and Georgia can make a run at the SEC East crown. If they lose then all the swirling negativity will engulf the program Its hard enough to play in the SEC but when you’re a coach who trying to keep your job its makes it that much harder. Richt and co better get this one right before its too late. And I can’t wait to see those away jerseys.