The "We Couldn't Have Done It Without You" Player of the Week: Week No. 2

Appalachian State's Corey Lynch. Duh!

My Two Yards: Week No. 2

What three teams is the nation sleeping on as possible contenders for the National Championship?

Randall: Let's see... I'd say Florida, Oklahoma, and Penn State. Too many people have counted the Gators out as National Championship contenders, but did you see how solid they looked in their opener? True, tougher tests will come later in the season, but Tebow seems to be fitting in quite nicely. The Sooners were on fire and are playing with purpose. I wouldn't at all be surprised if they took the Big XII, or if they played for it all on January 8. But the Sooners have got to get by Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Oklahoma State. Finally, the Nittany Lions could play for it all. Sure they play Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, but three of those are in Happy Valley. And if Penn State beats Notre Dame and then a hurting Michigan squad, the Nittany Lions will be rolling and could start the season 6-0.

Erick: Lets go with TCU because of a dominant defense, a potential key win in Texas, and an otherwise easy schedule. How about Michigan as a sleeper. They still have the playmakers on offense and if they finish 11-1, they'll have win against Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State offsetting their loss to Appalachian State. And finally, Georgia. With Mark Richt coaching the Bulldogs up, and with every other SEC East having a few flaws, the Bulldogs have a chance to do some major damage in the SEC if their young talent plays as well as they did against Oklahoma State.

Games To Watch: Week No. 2

VIRGINIA TECH v. LSU
The Hokies can’t afford to Baton Rouge and play like they did in the season opener. Defense wasn’t bad, but they’re offense has got to find some type of rhythm to stay in a game against a team like LSU who were defensively dominate against Mississippi State. VT thumped LSU 26-8 when these two met for the first time back in ’02. Don’t expect any thumping on Saturday.
PICK: LSU

NOTRE DAME v. PENN STATE
A win in Happy Valley would be consolation for the way Notre Dame started the season. Jimmy Clausen will be making the throws for the Irish against a stout Penn State defense, and if the line can’t buy Clausen any time, he’ll be eating grass for four hours. The Nittany Lions put up 59 points in their opener; Notre Dame managed a single field goal. Happy Valley is about to get a little happier.
PICK: PENN STATE

OREGON v. MICHIGAN
It will be interesting to if Michigan can bounce back from that embarrassing loss. And this just may work in their favor. The Wolverines find themselves out of the top 25 and underdogs going into this game. At this point, they have nothing to lose, and the underdog factor could propel them to victory. But unless these underdogs actually play defense this weekend, they haven’t got a chance at stopping Oregon’s prolific offense. If they lose, and they will, it will be the first time since 1959 that the Wolverines have lost their first two home games. Yikes.
PICK: OREGON

MIAMI v. OKLAHOMA
This is an old-school match-up. It’s also Randy Shannon’s first real test since taking over the Hurricanes, and what a test it is. Oklahoma may just be the team to beat in the Big XII, even in the nation. The Sooners produced 668 yards of offense last week and post 79 points. If Miami has something to prove, this is the place to do it. But by no means will it be easy.
PICK: OKLAHOMA

TCU v. TEXAS
The Longhorns and the Horned Frogs haven’t met in 12 years. TCU has won five straight against Big XII opponents, and the sixth would be the sweetest of ‘em all.
PICK: TEXAS

SOUTH FLORIDA v. AUBURN
Many of tagged this one as a possible upset, and that would be huge for the Big East. Auburn struggled against Kansas State, and remember that USF isn’t intimidated by playing on the road. Just last year they whooped West Virginia in Morgantown. Did somebody say upset?PICK: SOUTH FLORIDA

SOUTH CAROLINA v. GEORGIA
Between these two, Georgia’s won the last five. And they looked damn good against the potent Oklahoma State in their opener, while South Carolina struggled. That may have been because the Gamecocks’ starting QB Blake Mitchell wasn’t playing. He will be Saturday. Don’t expect a blowout.
PICK: GEORGIA

NEBRASKA v. WAKE FOREST
It’s not clear whether Riley Skinner will be playing for the Deacs. If he’s not, that’s bad news. Nebraska seems to be on a roll, and they’ll roll right over Wake Forest—with or without Skinner.
PICK: NEBRASKA

NC STATE v. BOSTON COLLEGE
Tom O’Brien knows all, or at least most, of BC’s tricks. I hope they’ve got some new ones. PICK: NC STATE

BOISE STATE v. WASHINGTON
The Broncos look to extend the nations longest winning streak to 15, but Washington looked good against Syracuse. I imagine this will be a close one, and a good win for Ty Willingham.
PICK: WASHINGTON

ORDER ON THE FIELD: Tigers Justify Hype

Last Thursday night, LSU dominated Mississippi State in every facet of the game, and while it took a little while to kick in, the Tigers showed us exactly why they are predicted by so many to face USC for the National Championship.

Tigers QB Matt Flynn didn’t set the world on fire. Remember, though, that this was his first start in two years, and it came against a respectable Mississippi State defense. Taking those things into consideration, Flynn was solid, going 12-19 for 128 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. The running game earned nearly 200 yards, with Ryan Perrilloux scoring three touchdowns.

But, not surprisingly, the Tigers seemed most in tune on the other side of the ball where Mississippi State ran the ball 26 times…for ten yards, and QB Ryan Henig threw the ball another 26 times, but six of those were caught by LSU defenders.

Critics will say that almost of all LSU’s scoring drives were the result of short fields. But, LSU’s offense shouldn’t be blamed for scoring most of their points on a short field.

Anybody knows that a good team forces its opponents into mistakes, then they capitalize on those mistakes. And LSU’s offense was excellent in that aspect. Even if the offense isn’t great at grinding out 80 yard touchdown drives, who can score against that defense?

Virginia Tech will try this week when they take their offensive struggles to Death Valley. But they only put up 10 offensive points against Eastern Carolina, and if they play that way against the Tigers, Saturday’s game will be ugly for VT’s offense.

And with the offensive playmakers the Tigers have augmenting their defense, expect a lot of ugly games for SEC teams facing LSU this year.

Flawless? Maybe not. Ruthlessly efficient? Absolutely.

—E. Blasco

EAGLES SOAR, DEACONS SORE: Channeling Flutie, Ryan Delivers

The greatest moment in Boston College football happened the day after Thanksgiving 23 years ago when Doug Flutie scrambled away from the Miami Hurricane defense and, with six seconds left in the game, threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan, giving BC a 47-45 win.

Current BC QB Matt Ryan wasn’t even born.

Nevertheless, no Hail Mary was necessary to win last weekend against defending ACC champions Wake Forest. But Ryan did throw for 408 yards and for an impressive five touchdowns—at BC that’s second only to Flutie. Not only that, but Ryan also threw the ball 32 times, connecting with ten different receivers, one of which, I should add, was Billy Flutie, Doug’s nephew.

The Deamon Deacons’ performance was less than legendary. Deacon QB Riley Skinner was picked off 3 times by DeJuan Tribble, two of those in the end-zone and the third after Skinner’s short return to play following a separated shoulder that came late in the third. The Demon Deacons managed a couple of rushing yards, but their passing game, led by Skinner, back-up QB Brett Hodges, and WR Kenneth Moore, kept the Deacs alive, accounting for 99% of their offense. With 15 catches Moore tied the Wake Forest record and came just one shy of the ACC record. At the half the score was 21 all, and it was only in the third quarter that the Eagles began to soar. Had Wake Forest been able to move the ball on the ground and through the air, the outcome might have been different.

BC starts the season 1-0, giving Jeff Jagodzinski his first victory in his debut as head coach.

The Eagles, and the Deacons, for that matter, still have chance in a down ACC.

It has been said that history repeats itself, and with all of the Doug Flutie undertones if the BC-Miami game on November 24—which just happens to be just after Thanksgiving—comes down to the wire and BC has the last shot, Randy Shannon may want to send his whole squad, coaches and all, down field to send Mary to hell. Otherwise we may have another reason to compare Matt Ryan to Doug Flutie.

—R. Cooper

IRISH STING: Yellow Jackets Hold Notre Dame to Three

The last time someone held Notre Dame to zero touchdowns was during an NCAA 08 game in “Rookie” mode on their Xbox 360.

But led by Tashard Choice and his two touchdowns, the Yellow Jackets handed the Irish the most lopsided opening season losses in their very storied history and left the fans in South Bend wondering “WTF?!”

A trio of quarterbacks vying to replace the “Golden Boy" Brady Quinn failed to make any impressions at all. Starter Demetrius Jones lost two fumbles and just looked plain lost at times.

Next.

Then, Evan Sharpley trotted onto the field, only to be sacked seven times.

Next!

Weiss finally called upon all frosh phenom Jimmy Clausen, who looked good but still has a lot to learn.

The Irish didn’t just see problems at QB, it was just a case of mediocre play, and perhaps a comedy of tragedies, that proved to be the factor of the game. Choice broke a Georgia Tech record by rushing for 100+ yards in his 8th straight game. QB Taylor Bennett was solid, and a stifling Jacket defense shut down the Notre Dame ground game forcing the inexperienced QB's to be effective.

They were not.

While Charlie Weiss still has much to prove in his 3rd season as coach, Chan Gailey's squad made a statement that they are a still a force with in the ACC. In holding the Irish to 122 total yards while gaining 386 yards of their own, either GT is the real deal or it just may be a long year for Notre Dame.

GT couldn't have started the season in a better way. But on the other side of the field, it's not quite that nice. It won't get any easier for the Irish as they make a trip to Penn State next week. And with still no starting quarterback to pencil in, Michigan is looking like it might be the easiest early game after all.

—C. Nierman

SON KNOWS BEST: Clemson Edges Florida State…Again

Monday Night’s 24-18 loss at Clemson had the same old result for Florida State: another game against a competent defense, and another inept offensive performance.

In the past, the blame has been presented squarely on the feet of Drew Weatherford. But blaming Weatherford as the reason for the Seminoles’ anemic offense the last few years would be taking the easy way out. Not only was he not the problem for Florida State against Clemson, but he actually played reasonably well.

The real problem for the Seminoles is their god-awful offensive line.

Clemson got pressure in the backfield and stopped runs behind the line three times in the first quarter. The only time Weatherford had a chance to step into a throw the entire game was on 15-yard touchdown pass to Richard Goodman. And though Weatherford stepped up on the throw, he was hit in the mouth by a Clemson defensive tackle that beat his man.

Other than a brief period extending from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth, the offensive line couldn’t create any running lanes, and allowed six sacks to six different Clemson defenders over the course of the game.

Sure, Weatherford doesn’t look like a potential Heisman trophy winner. He threw a couple of bad balls to the wrong shoulders of his receivers and took a couple of sacks too many. But he made a number of nice plays on the run, and he seemed to always be on the run. Weatherford also made several big throws as the ‘Noles were trying to struggle back into the game and kept his composure in difficult circumstances.

He can lead Florida State to success if he gets a little bit of time. But with the offensive line he has, particularly freshman left tackle Daron Rose, Weatherford will be running for his life all year.

As for Clemson, they had a flawless game plan from the start. Every play had a reverse or decoy reverse to keep the aggressive FSU linebackers honest. C.J. Spiller and James Davis were explosive running the football, with Davis on one play, breaking a tackle and making four separate cuts to get into the end-zone. Once the linebackers stepped up to fill, bubble screens like the 41 yard touchdown to receiver Aaron Kelly would go for huge gains.

Clemson QB Cullen Hooper managed the game smartly and made some good throws on some short passes. Still, he doesn’t look like a guy who will make big plays. But, his composure and his intelligence allowed the play calling and the talent to win the game.

Most of all, Clemson’s secondary was solid and the front seven was dominant. The Tigers blew up the line of scrimmage repeatedly, chased down the Seminole athletes, and made things miserable for Weatherford.

If Clemson can play a complete 60 minute game, and shore up a few special teams and long snapping gaffes, they can be dangerous in the ACC. The lack of a great quarterback, and their overall inconsistency will hurt them against more polished teams like Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

—E. Blasco

BEAR NECESSITIES: Jackson, Longshore Lead Redemption Song

We've all heard it, and might've even said it ourselves. But if the SEC is more talented than the Pac-10, no one would've known it watching this game on Saturday.

In last season's opener, these two squads bumped helmets down in Knoxville. And halfway through the third quarter Cal found themselves down by 35. They lost by seventeen. But this time, the Vols headed west, and Cal had redemption on their minds.

They got just that.

With an offense that was way too talen... err, too much for Tennessee, QB Nate Longshore led the Vols up and down the field, showing off his wide array of weapons and firing at seven different receivers. Longshore was also loaded in the backfield where Justin Forsett took 26 carries for 156 yards and one touchdown and Jahvid Best averaged 11.5 yards on his four carries.

And, oh yeah, there's this guy named DeSean Jackson — you may have heard of him — who happens to be Cal's weapon of mass destruction; he had four receptions and after he, in Heisman-like fashion, returned a punt for a 77-yard touchdown, Tennessee never sent another one his way.

Also worth noting is Tennessee's QB Erik Ainge. Going into the game, Ainge sported a broken pinky, and there were doubts about his ability to perform.

Apparently, quarterbacks don't use their pinkies; Ainge was stellar, completing 68 percent of his passes for 271 yards.

Notwithstanding this effort, the Vols came up short, and racking up 45 points against an SEC powerhouse, the Bears didn't just look good; they were, well, golden.

— R. Cooper

BIG HAUNTED HOUSE: Appalachian State Pulls Upset For the Ages

Silence befell Ann Arbor, while jubilation erupted in Boone, North Carolina. Television viewers around the nation did double takes, took shots of whiskey and checked their contact prescriptions. Had this really happened? Had a little school from rural North Caroline slain a football giant? Indeed it had; those other Mountaineers had done the unthinkable.

In quite possibly the greatest upset in college football history, the other Mountaineers scored early and often, never letting up. After being one of the stingiest units in the nation last year, the Michigan defense showed that they have a very long way to go. The middle of the field was literally left for the taking, and Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards seized the opportunity, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns and eluding the young Michigan defense all afternoon.

Working with a tweaked hamstring, Michigan RB Mike Hart gave all he had, but neither his three touchdowns and 188 yards nor Mario Mannigham’s 46-yard reception with six seconds left in the game were enough to prevent the Wolverines from becoming the highest ranked “Bowl Subdivision” team to fall to a “Championship Subdivision” team…ever.

Blown opportunities and inconsistent play haunted Michigan all game long, and when Corey Lynch blocked a 37-year FG attempt that would have given Michigan the win, what was once unfathomable was now reality.

Perhaps, it was karma.

At that very moment, the Big House became haunted, and the thud from that FG block will echo throughout it forever.

Looking at App State’s credentials makes you wonder why no one saw this coming.They have won their division’s National Championship for the last two seasons.

Still, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Michigan has nine more National Championships, 356 more total wins, 29 more bowl appearances, 257 more NFL players, and 28 more players in the College Football Hall of Fame.

But these things didn’t matter. The intangibles played a huge role in this win.

Appalachian State played with the right amount of heart and mettle to do just what they weren’t supposed to be able to do.

Once again, David has slain Goliath, and at that moment Appalachian State was the center of attention in the world of sports. And they deserved it.

Many favored Michigan to win the Big Ten, now they look extremely vulnerable. And as they downright embarrassed the Wolverines in front of 107,000 of their fans, it was Armanti Edwards and Appalachian State that were hot on Saturday, now the only thing hot in Ann Arbor is the seat Lloyd Carr is sitting on.

—C. Nierman and R. Cooper

CFU: Week No. 2 — "Appalalling State!"

I can’t think of a better way to have opened the season. In usual college football fashion, we were shocked, disappointed, and reassured.

Obviously, somebody forgot to tell Michigan to show up on Saturday. I mean, I’ve heard of “playing down” but what the.... The Big House is no longer a home, and while Michigan may be red in the face and may have to pick up their dignities up off the field, they aren’t alone.
Charlie Weiss is doing his share of sweating; even after withholding the name of his starting QB, he just coached the beloved Irish through their worst season opener in school history—that includes the three openers Ty Willingham coached. The Seminoles used to be indigenous people to the lands of the ACC; now that they no longer have the best talent on the field week in and week out they just look out of place, and Drew Weatherford had better wear a condom if he wants protection because that offensive line won’t do it. That O-Line is no line.

Even Auburn, Texas, and (gasp) USC looked sluggish.

But everyone didn’t open 2007 with disappointment. Louisville, Boise State, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Alabama all started on high notes, scoring fifty plus. LSU was solid. And with Tim Tebow in the driver’s seat Florida’s offense looked prolific.

But the real story of the weekend lives in Michigan. That huge upset at the hands of Appalachian State has left the Michigan program and its faithful in, well, an appalalling state, and I wouldn’t trade places with Lloyd Carr for nothing in the world.