Friday 29th August - Week 1 - RESULTS

So, as promised, my second installment of the upcoming season. Only a few games today so I will include the top 15 games from Saturdays' lineup and then the 2 games on Sunday at the end.

Temple Owls at Army Black Knights - For me, Temple have a more rounded unit than Army as it stands. They have a leader at QB in Adam DiMichele and some playmakers at WR. RB could see a battle for the #1 spot, but that's not something of concern. The other 'weakness' in the Owls setup is at LB, look for some shifting of players there. Army on the other hand have lost a lot of their big playmakers - 2 going to the NFL (S Caleb Campbell and K Owen Tolson). While the QB situation seems shaky, there is depth at RB, but that will only be effective if the offensive line can pull together as a unit, something that didn't happen last season.
My pick - Temple Owls.
Winner - Temple Owls - A convincing 35-7 win for the Owls, thanks to some solid all-round production in all areas. Adam DiMichele had a nice outing, completing 15/22 passes for 159 yds and 2 scores. The ground game was less than steller, but grabbing a late score to secure the win even more. Jamal Schulters returned the second half kick off to the house. Army managed some nice numbers rushing, putting up over 200 yards and managing a 3rd quarter td.

Southern Methodist Mustangs at Rice Owls - Despite the name, the Mustangs were not all they were cracked up to be last year, finishing 1-11. There are flashes about the team that seem to have potential, but the lines on both sides of the ball need improvement. With all starting jobs up for grabs, it would seem that this will be an unsettled position for the first few weeks. Rice meanwhile have some big-play guys on offense, including school record-breaker QB Chase Clement. While the depth at RB will provide support, look for Clement to fire plenty over the top to his speedy receivers. The defensive line will need to prove itself, but it may get held up by a deep field at LB and some stars at DB.
My pick - Rice Owls.
Winner - Rice Owls - A nice win for Rice here 56-27, accumulating over 450 yards of total offense. Chase Clement once again returned to dominant form, leading the Owls to 258 yards passing (with 6 tds) and 87 yards on the ground. Jarett Dillard had a stellar performance at WR, netting 3 trips to the endzone from 87 yards. Andrew Sendejo grabbed an interception midway through the 3rd and took it the house for a pick-6. SMU can take a positive though in QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who racked up 244 yards and 3 scores against a potent secondary; though it is worth noting he threw 3 picks.

Youngstown State Penguins at Ohio State Buckeyes - #2 national rank Buckeyes line up against non-ranked Penguins. I think this could be a no-brainer! Keep a watch for the Bucks to bring in some freshmen for a run around, particularly QB Terelle Pryor, who many have tipped to become OSU's very own Tim Tebow. Couple that with Heisman hopeful Beanie Wells at HB (who many, or may not see some action in this game) and you have a formidable offensive lineup. OSU lost Vernon Ghoulston to the NFL Draft earlier this year but they is plenty of depth to answer the call. The linebacking duo could be the best in the country - James Laurinitus and Marcus Freeman. Expect them to be hungry for tackles, maybe getting 100+ each by the end of this year, and Laurinitus is a sure-fire 1st round Draft pick.
My pick - Pretty obvious, but it will be nice to see some true Freshmen from Ohio State Buckeyes.
Winner - Ohio State Buckeyes - Very convincing win 43-0. Todd Boeckman took the majority of the snaps under center, completing 14/19 for 187 yards and 2 tds. As expected, freshman Terelle Pryor got a look in and completed 4 out of his 6 attempts and also managing 52 yards on 9 carries. Junior RB Chris Wells had the performance of the night though netting 111 yards on 13 carries (a whopping 8.3 ypc!) and nabbing a score in the process. Maurice 'Beanie' Wells had a run around taking 5 carries for 32 yards. As was anticipated though, OSU rested a lot of the potential starters for the big games, chossing to give some of the depth chart a look in.

Akron Zips at Wisconsin Badgers - Despite Wisconsins' apparent depth at RB, the situation at QB and WR could cause them problems. They have 2 proven TE's that can carry them forward, but beyond that, playmakers that can play deep are lacking. The QB issue is another concern as neither player has played many snaps. Look for Allen Evridge to take the starters role for now though. Depth problems on the defensive line and small linebackers could be they're undoing. The Zips are looking to rebound after 2 disappointing seasons. Can they do it? Well, they need an in-form QB, HB and defensive line to be able to achieve some status.
My pick - Wisconsin Badgers.
Winner - Wisconsin Badgers - The Badgers steal this one 38-17, but still the apparent lack of experience showed at QB, with Allen Evridge only taking 10 snaps. He did complete 7 for 75 yards and a score, but one his 3 incompletions was picked off. Story of the night is actually split down the middle for me - P.J.Hill (Badgers RB) produced the goods, claiming over 200 yards on the ground and 2 scores. But I've split his performances with a steller production by Zips QB Chris Jacquemain; who completed 22/36 for 227 yards and 2 scores. My reason for this is that the running game could not get into the swing of things against the Badgers weaknesses, so Jacquemain stepped in and performed.

Georgia Southern Eagles at Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs. ESPN's #1 ranked team. Let's talk about the Eagles first though :). What is fast becoming a necessity in college ball is a QB who can not only pass, but escape the pocket and make plays on his feet. Jayson Foster is just such a player - last season his stats looked like this - 109/170 att for 1203 yds (6 tds); 261 car for 1844 yds (24 tds). It's not very often you see numbers like that!! Will it be enough to down the Bulldogs? Well, with a dominant defensive line and capable enough linebackers to shut down the run, and with the Eagles lack of passing capacity, the Bulldogs should have it sewn up.
My pick - Georgia Bulldogs.
Winner - Georgia Bulldogs - A 45-21 win over the Eagles is a good result for the Bulldogs. So is racking up over 500 yards of total offense. What doesn't look good however, is the 2-2 on 4th downs by the Eagles and the Bulldogs giving up 11 penalties for 70 yards. The Eagles had no Jayson Foster, and it showed. Only 188 yards passing and 102 on the ground was not enough to scare the Bulldogs. Georgias' combined passing numbers were 17/27 for 323 yards and 3 tds, and no turnovers. Knowshon Moreno made limited appearances, carrying the rock 5 times for 59 yards, but nevertheless, landing 3 tds. Caleb King saw the most action at ground level getting 12 carries for 95 yards.

Hawaii Warriors at Florida Gators - Hawaii lost Colt Brennan. They may struggle early on with his replacement being his backup for 3 years. Sure Tyler Graunke has the experience and some numbers to go with it, but in a pass-heavy offense with no feature back, he could struggle. On defense they stay much the same, although losing 3 starters on the line shouldn't hurt too much. When talking of the Gators, it's hard not to talk about Tim Tebow...but I'm not going to! Instead, I'm going to talk about the machine that is Percy Harvin. He's got speed, plays receiver or tailback and he's got enough power to bounce around tackles and get to the straights. This kid could be in the running for the Heisman, if he gets he enough plays. Florida also lost Derrick Harvey to Jacksonville in the Draft, but they have enough depth to cover the loss. There could be concerns in the secondary, but with Hawaiis' apparent QB indecision, this may not factor too much.
My pick - Florida Gators.
Winner - Florida Gators - 56-10. It isn't very often you can say that Tebow has a quiet afternoon, but this is one such occasion. The coaches have been talking of letting Tim take a more backseat role and be a vocal leader rather than a numbers leader, we may have seen the beginning of it here. Completing only 9/14 attempts for 137 yards, and rushing 9 times for only 37 yards keeps his stats low. But he rallied his troops. The Gators ended up with 250+ yards of rushing, with Jeffrey Demps carrying only twice for 76 yards. Safeties Major Wright and Ahmad Black both returned interceptions to the paint and Brandon James took a punt return all the way. Hawaii's insecurities at QB don't seem to be solved; managing to complete a grand total of 21/39 for 181 yards and 4 turnovers. The running game was no better, managing only 60 yards from 24 carries. The only thing the Warriors can walk away with was a decent performance by only one of the 3 QB's fielded - Inoke Funaki, who completed 8 of his 11 attempts for 110 yards and the Warriors only td.

USC Trojans at Virginia Cavaliers - USC have a battle at QB between Mark Sanchez and Mitch Mustain. It seems as though Sanchez has the top spot, but Mitch as an Arkansas transfer has a solid record. With solid depth at HB and WR, this offensive unit could be formidable. A HUGE loss at nosetackle will be the now New Orleans Saints tackle, Sedrick Ellis. Although his shoes are far too big to fill, they have dependable backups to do the job. When the coach says "This DB unit could be the best we've ever had" you have to sit up a bit. The secondary could be huge this year. Virginias' offense is big and powerful; with a 6'5" QB, some beastly running backs and a couple of big additions to the receiving corp this could be as a good a unit as Virginia have had for a while. Some losses at the line will be of concern, not the least will be the loss of Brandon Albert to the Draft. Defensively, the loss of Chris Long also to the Draft will hurt badly, being one of the top rated pass rushers in the country. Elsewhere behind the ball, the Cavaliers look comfortable with a solid LB corp and some good depth in the secondary.
My Pick - As tough as this game will be, it's hard to bet against USC Trojans.
Winner - USC Trojans - 52-7. Well the battle for starting QB could be over. Mark Sanchez could have secured it with a 3 touchdown, 338 yard performance. Another notable mention is RB Joe McKnight who cashed in a 10.0 ypc performance. The WR corp looked solid, with 3 guys netting more than 60 yards each. The Cavaliers starting QB had a bit of nightmare, completing just over half his attempts for a measly 155 yards. The ground game wound up with a grand total of 1.5 ypc overall. I thought the Cavaliers might have put more effort in than this, but not taking anything away from USC here, they were proving they can be the best in the country and I think it shows.

Appalachian State Mountineers at LSU Tigers - With an uncertain QB situation, most teams might stumble. But this is LSU, a team that doesn't know failure. With a very good choice of RB's and a pair of top receivers this offense is explosive to say the least. Not to mention some quality young 3rd and 4th spot receivers and a TE that can catch a speeding bullet! Both sides of the trenches are loaded with talent and experience, but further behind the ball, the LB and DB corp is relatively new and inexperienced, give or take a few guys. Although on-the-job training is not the best idea, sometimes it's the best way to learn. Appalachian State has some playmakers; Junior QB Armanti Edwards is as deadly with his arm as with his feet, landing 3500+ yds rushing and passing (1588 and 1948 respectively). The loss of Senior RB Kevin Richardson, who romped home for 1348 yds last season will hurt, hopefully Devon Moore can step up and make plays in his place.
My pick - Despite an upset to Michigan last year, LSU Tigers will take this one.
Winner - LSU Tigers - 41-13. Before the game, I was watching the ESPN crew talk of how Appalachian could sneak this one like they did Michigan last year, and I couldn't help thinking to myself "It just won't happen"! I like to think I was right :)! The uncertainty at QB showed as Sophomore Jarrett Lee and Junior Andrew Hatch combined for 13 completions and 193 yards. Still, they landed 3 scores in the process. Of special mention here though is Senior TE Charles Scott, who not only grabbed a catch for 14 yards, but led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 160 yards and 2 tds. The Mountineers running game looked poor, combining for 52 yards. QB Edwards put together 155 yards through the air but at a cost of completing less than half his attempts.

Chattanooga Mocs at Oklahoma Sooners - You may be wondering why I'm including what will most certainly be a romp for the Sooners? I don't know either, I just like the way Oklahoma is setup for this one and there are some guys to watch for. Having lost some Juniors to the Draft earlier this year, the Sooners will see some battles on the depth chart; record setting QB Sam Bradford returns to dominant the passing game, but the battle for receiver is underway. TE Jermaine Gresham is a big target, but with the loss of Malcolm Kelly (who took most of the opponents focus), there will be some questions as to who will breakout big. On the flip side, 5 starters from the offensive line return, including monster tackle Phil Loadholt. The linebacking corp is an area to watch, several guys have been switched around after the loss of Junior backer Lofton to the Draft. The secondary could be a weak area due to some key losses andlack of experience.
My pick - Chattanooga might be lucky and land a score here, but coming to Sooners house is never easy. Oklahoma Sooners.
Winner - Oklahoma Sooners - 57-2. Before I begin to talk about the domination showed by the Sooners, I have to let you know that the Mocs only got 36 yards of total offense! That's right, 36! Right, enough jaw-dropping stats :). Sam Bradford returned to top form again, completing 17/22 for 183 yards and 2 tds. Junior QB Joey Halzle got in on the action too, completing 14/16 for 122 yards and a score, but turning one over in the process. Senior WR Manuel Johnson led the receivers with 9 grabs for 120 yards and a score. Senior Jacquin Iglesias also had a nice outing snatching 4 for 73 yards a score. Sophomore RB DeMarco Murray had the best performance of the backs, getting 124 yards and 2 trips inside the endzone.

Western Illinois Leathernecks at Arkansas Razorbacks - With possibly the best team name in the country, Arkansas boasted one of the top rushing duos last season. But with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones lost to 1st round Draft picks, can the backups produce? Well, I have a feeling that with the double-headed monster gone, Arkansas may just use this oppurtunity to change their offensive approach. With an under-developed (but experienced) QB, this year could be the year of the pass. With no real threat in the backfield now and with a strong mix of incoming talent at WR, the ideas exist. With returning starters on the left side of the offensive line, the QB should be well protected to spend some time picking his targets downfield. The secondary corp is inexperienced but there's talent to be found. However, there has been a few incidents at LB that could cause problems. Despite a healthy production by RB Herb Donaldson for the Leathernecks last year, the passing could get going. This will not make this game any easier for them as the Razorbacks have speed and power on the defensive line.
My pick - Arkansas Razorbacks.
Winner - Arkansas Razorbacks - Just pipping it 28-24. The departure of the best RB 1-2 punch to the NFL left Arkansas licking their wounds. Many thought that replacing McFadden and Jones would not be possible, others (like myself) foresaw a change in play style. And it came. Razorbacks Senior QB Casey Dick, threw for over 300 yards in this game, and although his completion rating was pretty low, he did manage 2 scores. It's worth pointing out here that he only threw for 1700 yards in the entire of last season, so another couple of good passing numbers in the next few games should see him getting a standout year. The receiving corp saw a good variety of guys making plays with almost everybody getting into double figures on yards per catch. For the Leathernecks, Donaldson once again was the highlight reel player - netting 157 yards on 35 carries.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Clemson Tigers - This is one of the highlight reel games of the weekend. Bama's school record holder at QB, John Parker Wilson returns for his senior year looking to improve on his numbers, as does speed back Terry Grant. With the addition of Julio Jones, the highest rated recruit in the country, at WR it's another target for an already potent offense. Bama's defense has taken a few knocks, between guys graduating and off-the-field issues the lack of depth and talent is blindingly obvious. Clemson is returning HB's James Davis and C.J.Spiller which is great news for the running game, look for Davis to get the majority of the tough yardage carries though. WR's Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham and Jacoby Ford all return as targets for the schools leading touchdown passer, Cullen Harper. 3 starters on the offensive line will mean that some younger guys get the chance, but they will be learning on the job, which is never reassuring. The defensive line lost Philip Merling in the Draft, but there is plenty of depth there to fill a gap. The linebacking issues surrounding the Tigers have reared an ugly head this spring, with the loss of 2 key players. With young, inexperienced talent filling the holes, this is of major concern. The secondary looks as solid as last year with 4 starters returning at the major positions; though depth is a worry.
My pick - Clemson Tigers.....just.
Winner - Alabama Crimson Tide - 34-10. I'm quite sad to admit that fact, I was deeply rooting for the Tigers here. Clemson looked a mere shadow of the team they could be; 188 total yards of offense, only completing 1-9 3rd downs and turning the ball over twice. But not to take anything away from Bama, they took full advantage of an underperforming Tigers squad. John Parker Wilson shone again at QB, netting 2 tds off 22/30. The Crimson Tide washed over the Tigers on the ground for 239 yards on 50 carries total. Tigers RB C.J.Spiller had limited usage in the backfield, but returned the opening kickoff in the 3rd quarter to the house for a 96 yard td. Bama's K Leigh Kiffin had a stellar performance landing 4/5 fg and all xp atts.

Illinois Fighting Illini at Missouri Tigers - The Tigers return with school record holder Chase Daniels, who figures to have another monster year. Jerry Maclin returns as a target for Daniels and it's difficult to hold this guy down. The offensive line returns 3 starters but has graduated most of it's experienced depth. On the defensive side, most of the big-play guys have returned and are hungry for more production; none more so than FS William Moore, who is looking at the Draft next year providing he stays healthy. Illinis' key rusher, Rashard Mendenhall, is now a Pittsburgh Steeler but they are returning controvertial QB Juice Williams (love that name!). There's no one back that will replace Mendenhall, but a rotational system should be enough to see them through. The WR corp is deep and experienced and should provide more than enough targets for Williams to hit. Both sides of the trenches is returning some exceptional talent; Xavier Fulton is being scouted as a 2009 1st round Draft pick, All-America candidate Ryan McDonald, All-Big Ten end Will Davis and most of the starters from last year. The LB selection is solid, but depth is an issue in terms of experience. The DB will get a boost from returning Junior Vontae Davis and the talent at all positions is evident.
My pick - Missouri Tigers.
Winner - Missouri Tigers - 52-42. End to end football, a thoroughly entertaining display by both teams that culminated in me not minding who won as the game was so wide-open. I thought I was watching a game of NCAA 09 on my 360! Illini QB Juice Williams stacked up over 450 yards through the air for 5 scores, but 2 costly turnovers. On the flipside, Chase Daniels racked up 323 yards for 3 tds. The ground game was dominated by Tigers Sophomore RB Derrick Washington, nabbing 19 carries for 130 yards and 2 trips to the endzone. Illini had 2 WR's with 100+ yards and 4 tds between them. Player of the game for me though is Tigers Sophomore receiver Jeremy Maclin; managing 4 grabs for 31 yards but more importantly returning a 2nd quarter kickoff 99 yards for a score and ending with a total kick return of 145 yards and 56 yards of punt return.The Tigers looked good, but so did Illini.