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Posted 09/04/2009 at 05:04 AM
The college football season is underway, and with just one night in the books, we already have one ugly incident to report. Oregon was awful in their opener at Boise State. This game yet again displayed why it’s very risky to have confidence in teams with very inexperienced offensive lines, especially when opening at a difficult road venue. The Ducks were pushed around at the point of attack, and could easily have been blown out by halftime if not for some unforced Boise State errors.
As for the Broncos, they now have a clear path to 13-0 and a spot in what I refer to as my Bullshit Championship Game. That’s roughly the same thing as the BCS Championship Game which will feature two teams from the bigger conferences. But the BCS game is also for a bullshit title, as the teams are voted into the game. My championship game is also meaningless. But it does have a catchier name and it will decide my national championship. That’s the beauty of the current non-system. There is no true champion. Therefore, we are all free to choose any criteria we like to determine our own champion. Great concept, huh?
Anyway, on to the post-game incident. There was evidently some type of verbal exchange between some of the opposing players, and Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount decided that firing an overhand right at one of the Broncos was the proper response.
The good news for Blount is that this was the most effective offensive attack of the entire night for the Ducks. The bad news is that this is the second time in the last few months Blount has blown his cool. He got tossed out of a practice session for losing his temper and clearly didn’t learn a thing from that punishment. This time, the consequences will undoubtedly be more severe. He’ll be suspended indefinitely, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this penalty is substantial.
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The NFL finally puts the wraps on the seemingly endless exhibition season tonight. Here’s a look at the curtain closer on the left coast between the 49ers and Chargers.
For the 49ers, #2 Alex Smith has a sprained thumb and didn’t play last week and they released QB Damon Huard this week. QB Nate Davis will get most of the snaps tonight. The 49ers drafted Davis in the fifth round from Ball State, well aware of the fact he had a dyslexia-like learning disability that makes reading comprehension difficult for him. In each of the first three exhibition games, Davis was given a package of plays that required shorter calls at the line of scrimmage with a limited number of formations and motions. “But other than that, we give him the same rack of plays going into the game,” OC Jimmy Raye said. “We may cut down some of the things that are a little more difficult for him to call.”
As for Smith, he let loose 50-60 passes with the splint removed from his injured hand on Wednesday. “It felt good. I’m ready to go,” Smith said. That said, Smith will not play tonight. Hill and the first unit will play one or two series, and Davis will be under center the rest of the way.
Head coach Mike Singletary is a fiery guy and this is his first preseason, as he became head coach in the middle of last season. The offensive line and the passing game have struggled at times, which could therefore be a problem against San Diego. The new-look secondary had a three-interception performance against Denver, a 17-16 win. However, they allowed 341 yards to Denver, 20 of 33 passes and 7-of-12 on third downs, and even allowed 371 yards (252 passing) in Saturday’s 20-13 win at Dallas as a +6 dog. The 49ers had only 36 yards over their first three drives against Dallas. They even used their version of the Wildcat formation twice to try getting something going, with little success. Davis went 10 of 15 for 132 yards and leading two scoring drives in the final quarter, bolstering his chances of sticking with the club. “It meant a lot to me,” Davis said. “That’s one thing I want to be on this team — a leader.”
The Chargers offense was one of just three in the league to average more than six yards per play in 2008, and they’re going to be very explosive again. The preseason QB rotation has been excellent, with Philip Rivers and Billy Volek. Charlie Whitehurst has improved as well. Turner runs wide-open offensive attacks, even in preseason. The Chargers rolled up 384 yards (329 passing) in the opener, a 20-14 home loss to Seattle, before getting 325 yards in a 17-6 win at Arizona. Saturday they had 438 yards in a 27-24 last second loss at Atlanta. Even the backup RB’s are strong with Darren Sproles and Mike Bennett.
But the Chargers are not doing much preparation for this game, and Coach Turner decided to break camp one day earlier than expected, which indicates the staff just wants to get this game in the books and start playing contests that count. I’ll therefore side with the 49ers plus the points tonight.
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