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Posted 09/08/2009 at 02:22 AM
Let’s go through some notes from the first weekend of action. Penn State could have named the score in their win against Akron. The Nittany Lions basically took the second half off after doing whatever they wanted early against the Zips… UConn no longer has bulwark RB Donald Brown as the focal point of their attack, but they can still pound it. The Huskies racked up 259 yards overland in a solid road win at Ohio.… Georgia had all kinds of trouble generating offense at Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs will need to get improved QB play in a hurry or they’re going to have trouble against all those speedy SEC defenses… We will never know what the result would have been had Sam Bradford not gone down with an injury. But the fact is BYU played a terrific game against Oklahoma and deserved to win the football game. The Cougars have a real shot to run the table and make a strong argument for a shot to play for that mythical title at the end of the season… Ron Zook and Dan Hawkins are now both squarely on the hot seat at Illinois and Colorado, respectively. The Illini were terrible in their loss to Missouri. Zook appears to be a guy who’s full of positive energy and he’s a very good recruiter. But his teams have not been sound fundamentally, and Saturday’s blowout loss was a miserable way to start what is supposed to be an up season for Illinois. As for Hawkins, it’s just not happening at Colorado. The Buffaloes were pushed all over the field in Boulder by Colorado State and were fortunate to even get close with a late score. Colorado is weak at QB, and they looked soft in the trenches. This program has not progressed at the pace required and expected under Hawkins, and he could be in real trouble if things don’t turn around quickly… UAB blew out Rice on the scoreboard and got a huge effort from exciting QB Joe Webb. But the final tally was a little misleading as the Owls screwed up three great scoring opportunities. UAB hosts SMU on Saturday and the Mustangs barely survived this weekend, rallying late to get past Stephen F Austin… Armylooked good in racing past Eastern Michigan. The Cadets racked up 300 yards on the ground with their option. The Eagles are breaking in a new offense and, to put it mildly, haven’t quite mastered it yet… Auburn broke open a close game against Louisiana Techwith a big play early in the third quarter and never looked back. I liked how aggressive the Tigers were on offense with their play calling. The Gene Chizik hire generated lots of controversy off his mediocre numbers at his prior stop, but that will be forgotten once this program makes its way back to a high level… It looks as though it’s going to be a very long year for New Mexico. The Lobos are down defensively, and they don’t have the personnel to run the new wide-open offense that’s been installed. The could be one of the worst teams in the country this season… Lady Luck is still smiling on Buffalo. The Bulls are not only very well prepared under Turner Gill, they also have a knack for catching opponents on their worst days. UTEP killed themselves with crucial penalties throughout this opener, including a holding call that took an apparent game-winning TD off the board. This was a game the Miners probably should have won handily, but instead they’re now 0-1… Things are looking up for San Diego State. The Brady Hoke era began with a loss at UCLA but the Aztecs played the Bruins tough. SDSU needs to find a way to run the ball a little better. If they do, they could be a handful for some unsuspecting MWC teams… The most impressive loser of the weekend had to be Washington. The Huskies outplayed powerful LSU for much of Saturday’s game. The packed house in Seattle was absolutely rockin’ for this contest. Washington may take some lumps this year, but off just one game it’s not to early to forecast a return to winning ways and bowl games for this program under Steve Sarkisian… Mississippi was a 45-14 winner over Memphis on Sunday, but the game was much closer than that. The Rebels are good, but they won’t be sneaking up on anyone anymore. My initial impression is that they’re a tad overrated… The wrapup to opening week was as good as it gets. Miami and Florida State may not be at the same level they were a decade or so ago, but it’s still a great rivalry and Monday’s thriller was an absolute classic!
Finally, a quick note of congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who clinched their 17 consecutive losing season on Monday. That’s evidently the longest streak of utter futility ever in any major American team sport. It’s also proof positive of what can be accomplished when you set your mind to it. Make no mistake, the Pirates have tried not to win for most of the past two decades and they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The good news is that the Bucs will almost certainly extend the streak in 2010, and perhaps well beyond that!
Next blog will focus on the NFL and my scattershot predictions for the upcoming campaign. Just so we’re straight, the NFL is definitely NOT my specialty. But, like everyone who’s a fan, I’ve got my opinions and I’ll put mine in print tomorrow.
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