SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 9-11-14
BLOGGERS PREFACE: An abbreviated Beano-blog follows since I was on the road to Montana during much of Saturday’s action. I just happened to be on I-29N & I-90W traveling through what has to be a stretch of the ugliest, most desolate, sections of Iowa and South Dakota –if not the entire globe- while the afternoon games were being played. And yet I felt sorry for you as my experience and view was preferable to most college football fans at the time. Hopefully I will be at my Reader’s Digest best as I hit the highpoints of what was mostly a forgettable –yet still precious- college football weekend.
WHAT WE LEARNED IN WEEK 2
NATION:
FOUR IS ENOUGH: As talk of the first season for the College Football Playoff heated up the main topic of discussion was the format’s exclusion of at least one Power-5 Conference Champion. With only four spots available and 5 power conference champions there is no way that all deserving contenders would be given a fair opportunity, right? Wrong! We all forgot just how accommodating the current membership of the Big-10 can be. Had the committee sent out engraved RSVP invitations the dozen Big-10 members would have sent them back with the
With apologies we will be unable to attend box checked.
We will be unqualified would be more appropriate. After Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State were tuned up by a cumulative score of 112-48 Saturday four slots seems as if it will work out just fine. Oregon had almost 500 yards and scored 28 unanswered points running away from the vaunted Michigan State defense as if they were Sacramento State. Urban Meyer may be wondering why he returned from
retirement only to suffer his second man-crushing event with Braxton Miller’s injury following too close to Tim Tebow’s graduation to allow his heart –or his super-QB-driven offense- to heal. Michigan not only lost in embarrassing fashion in the last game versus Notre Dame for the foreseeable future but probably launched their next coaching search as well. Combine that with Melvin Gordon’s strange disappearance and Wisconsin’s loss to LSU in Week 1 and the Big-10 not only removed itself from further National Championship discussion but from an opportunity to play in the coveted Rose Bowl as well which will host a semifinal playoff game. We will eventually see an 8-team bracket determine NCAA Football’s Major Division Champion. But this year four will be enough to satisfy the
Power-4 conferences that have seemingly left the proud old Big-10 behind.
STRONG IS ONLY A COACH’S NAME: The eyes of Texas are upon you Charlie and in what has to be the most premature criticism in blogging history I write
what have you been doing since last December? Judging by the results versus BYU alone the perception would be very little. Oh I guess that’s not entirely fair; Texas’ defense slowed the Cougar rushing attack down from 550 yards in 2013 to paltry 248 and 4.1 yards per clip last Saturday. Taysom Hill who has been a one-man two-year plague ran for 99 yards and three second half touchdowns while throwing for 181 additional.
SEC:
PT BARNUM WAS RIGHT: The wisdom of
there is a sucker born every minute was never so profoundly demonstrated then this past Saturday in stadiums throughout the country and specifically in the Southeast. SEC schools fleeced their fans out of millions of dollars with a menu that would make Shawshank Prison inmates gag. According to
saturdaydownsouth.com (
if there are math mistakes they are mine not theirs) 797, 301 flocked to stadiums in the 10 true SEC home games to watch their favorite teams annihilate an influx of incompetents to the tune of 501-102. I’m surprised the SEC powers-that-be don’t capitalize further by selling togas in school colors as they throw the proverbial Christians to the lions.
VANDY FOOTBALL IS BACK: Looks as if order has been restored; Vandy fans are once again reduced to chanting
“you’ll work for us someday” and their team is back on welfare. Ole Miss proved Temple was no fluke thrashing Vandy as if they belonged in the gaggle of garbage non-conference opponents the rest of the league throttled. Call Hollywood and let them know Nashville is once again a candidate for a shooting location for
The Walking Dead and Derek Mason can be a bit player as most every Vandy coach not named James Franklin have been in a College Football graveyard.
WHAT WE WILL LEARN IN WEEK 3:
IS HE STILL THE HEAD BALL COACH? If you consider longevity, success at schools that previously experienced little. Innovation and entertainment both on the field and at the podium Steve Spurrier has no equal. Lately however I have seen what could be cracks in the armor. They are brief glimpses but may signal the end is near. First he allowed the SEC network to produce and air a documentary entitled
“The Believer” a look back at his glorious career as both a player and coach. He is more than deserving but it struck me out-of-character for a man that rarely reflects on or mentions his many accomplishments. He has always been an in-the-moment, forget the rearview mirror and look through the windshield type personality and that is what has fueled his consistent excellence. Secondly his team appeared as complacent and ill-prepared in a week one thrashing –at home no less- to Texas A&M as I can remember. Spurrier has already bucked a trend that I often reference concerning diminishing returns for coaches after seven years at one SEC Institution. He is entering his 10th season as South Carolina’s Head Coach and not only orchestrated the Gamecocks first 11 win season in history but accomplished the feat three straight years in his 7th, 8th and 9th seasons at the helm. I’m beginning to believe his overdue decline has begun. Saturday will shed more light on the accuracy of my perception. A loss to Georgia and a 0-2 start in the SEC would almost assuredly shatter all of the Cocks 2014 goals with the exception of a State Championship after only three games. The Head Ball Coach I know, with his back to the wall, facing a hated foe as an underdog at home, would shock the world. I’m just not certain Spurrier is still that guy.
BIG-12 FLEXING ITS MUSCLES? I’m not sure the Big-12 can grab a claim as the strongest conference this weekend but they certainly can garner some national attention. With seven matchups versus other Power-5 league opponents they will likely end the weekend puffing their chests out or reciting coach’s manual conference strength excuses and licking their wounds. The slate is no-doubt daring with three games versus the Big-10 (WVU @ MD, Iowa St @ Iowa, Minn @ TCU); two versus the SEC (Tenn @ Okla; Ark @ Texas Tech) and one versus both the ACC and PAC-12 (Kansas @ Duke, UCLA @ Texas). The breakdown shows the Big-12 hosting four of the seven games yet a favorite in only 3. Most believe the SEC and PAC-12 to be the clear Gold and Silver winners as the strongest leagues. For the Big-12 to cast doubt on that perception Oklahoma must win big, Texas Tech must protect their home turf and Texas must avoid a second straight embarrassment.
WHAT WE MUST SEE FROM VOLS IN GAME 3:
KEEP IT CLEAN: To date the Vols have protected the football (+3 turnover margin) and limited mistakes (8 total penalties for 27 yards per game). Anything less than a relatively clean performance will prove disastrous.
DON’T LET LET-UP BECOME GIVE-UP: One of the few disappointments of the young season has been Tennessee’s tendency to miss opportunities to put their foot on their opponent’s throat. The Vols blew 1st half chances to put the game away against Utah State and repeated the theme in the 2nd versus Ark State. This weekend’s opponent will present no such opportunity but there is a fine line between letting up and surrendering. In the likely occurrence that adversity strikes the Vols must not concede to what most of the nation feels is inevitable and play with a sense of urgency and confidence throughout.
STAY PROFOUND ON 3RD DOWN: The Vols have converted on 47.2% (17 of 36) of their 3rd down opportunities while holding their first two opponents to a paltry 22.6% (7-31). Though the early-season competition was nowhere near what they will encounter Saturday anywhere close to repeating that success will have the Big Orange nation unexpectedly on the edge of their seats throughout the contest.
KICK-IT IN GEAR: George Cafego, Willie Gault, Fuad Reveiz and a Colquitt by any first name where have you gone? The Vols are 9th in the SEC in kickoff returns (20.8); 13th in Punting (37.1); 10th in FGs (3-5) and dead-last in Kickoff Coverage (38.0). The General is on a rotisserie and the Sooners are trying not to laugh during their film study. If the Vols don’t show dramatic improvement in all of these areas they have no chance in Norman.
STRETCH BEFORE YOU STRETCH: Justin Worley has enjoyed a solid start to the 2014 campaign but he must improve his deep ball accuracy and it has to start this weekend. If the Vols passing game can’t stretch the field they can’t effectively execute the stretch running play. Utah State and Arkansas State’s seasons may show that both have better front-7s than their name implies. I can almost guarantee however that they pale in comparison to Oklahoma’s.
WHAT VOL FANS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OKLAHOMA?
OFFENSE
In seven games as a starter, QB Trevor Knight has completed over 58 percent of his passes, throwing 12 TDs and six INTs, averaging 11.3 yards per completion
Knight set personal bests for completions (32), attempts (44), passing yards (348) and passing touchdowns (4) in the Sugar Bowl (1/2/14).
The running back trio of Keith Ford (19-138, 4 TDs), Alex Ross (16-126, 3 TDs) & Samaje Perine (23-110, 1 TD) give the Sooners a solid rushing game.
In just over two seasons WR Sterling Shepard has 108 receptions for 1450 yds and 12 TDs
-Phil Steele ranked the Sooners O-Line the 6th best in America
DEFENSE:
OU has 49 defensive TDs under Bob Stoops. The defense has scored at least one TD in all of Stoops’ 15 seasons, including five in 2013 which ties with 2007, 2001 and 2000 seasons for the most in the Stoops era.
DL Charles Tapper has played in 19 career games (13 starts), totaling 54 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks
LB Eric Striker a Nagurski, Bednarik and Butkus Award candidate led the Sooners in TFL (10.5) and sacks (6.5) while adding a FF and FR in 2013.
Soph CB Zack Sanchez nursing a sore shoulder is slated to play Saturday. He started all 13 games as a freshman in 2013, finishing with 46 tackles and a team-leading 13 PBUs. Also recorded two INTs for 117 return yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There have been 33 special teams’ touchdowns, which have come via five different kinds of plays; punt returns, fake field goals, blocked punts, kickoff returns and a fake punt in the Stoops era
PK Michael Hunnicutt ranks second all-time, and first among kickers, in career scoring at OU with 1 TD, 65 FGs and 172 PATs
P Jed Barnett has punted 7 times this season for a 39.9 ypp avg with a long of 43
KR Alex Ross had an 80 yard return in his first attempt as a Sooner vs La Tech
Shepard also poses a threat as a punt returner
OTHER FUN (or maybe not) STUFF:
Oklahoma (44 games) owns the second-longest active victory streak in the nation when leading at halftime, trailing only Oregon (61).
OU has won 20 consecutive games when scoring 30 +points and has registered 49 straight wins when scoring 40+ points.
During their six-game win streak the Sooners have outscored their opponents by a combined 263-119 margin.
NO-SHOW BEANO: Due to family and work obligations my September appearances with Tony on Fridays and after games will be sporadic at best. I miss being TBs sidekick and especially speaking with you on a weekly basis and look forward to a resumption of a more normal schedule in October. In the meantime thanks for taking time from your day to read the blog; I greatly appreciate it
NEVER FORGET: 13 years ago while conducting an OSHA training class for the Operating Engineers the awful news of the World Trade Center attacks began to resonate. A month later my friend Paeson –who heroically worked for the entirety of the rescue, recovery and cleanup at Ground Zero- called me to the site to help and witness first-hand the cowardly destruction and evil that NYC and our country had suffered. I saw something else however; the resilience and determination of New Yorkers and Americans. We must never forget the loss and the courage of those who carried on. Take every opportunity to thank all those who protect and care for us on a daily basis whether it be our Service Men and Women, Police, Firefighters, Medical Professionals or countless others who toil in anonymity. We owe you all a debt of gratitude we can never repay. Thanks and God Bless You and God Bless America.
IN A PERFECT WORLD: 9-11 would be just another day.