Pilfering Pete

Hot: Iowa

People may have already been congratulating Penn State on their undefeated season and impending trip to the national championship game, but Iowa was not among them. They proved this weekend that no matter how good a team is, the season is not over until every game is marked off the calendar. Right, Florida? USC? What’s most entertaining is that Daniel Murray, who kicked the game-winning FG with one second to go, was only 1 of 3 on field goal attempts coming into the game. He actually hadn’t made one since the season opener! Nice!

Not: Tennessee

Remember the curse of the “W” and how Wyoming was among those terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE teams? Well, apparently Tennessee is even MORE terrible. As if losing to the Crudy Cowboys wasn’t bad enough, the Vols did it at home on Homecoming. Yes, the lowest-scoring team in college football held the Vols to seven points, their lowest-scoring non-conference game in six years. SUPER ouch! 

Hot: Texas Tech

Yes, they’ve still got it. Like most of the nation, I was pumped up to watch another nail-biting, high-scoring shoot out Saturday night. Instead, I nodded off for a good portion of Tech’s lopsided victory over Oklahoma State. Remember, though, Red Raiders, just like Penn State learned this weekend, the season is not over until every game is finished. Oklahoma is going to be a crazy tough hurdle to overcome.

Not: Schools talking to Coach Pete

Rumor has it that several schools are trying to persuade Chris Peterson to leave Boise State. To those schools, I have this to say: “You can’t have him. So there!” Scary, right? Seriously, though, Coach Pete already committed to “Beat Coach Pete” so he pretty much has to stay at BSU forever! http://rec.boisestate.edu/beatpete/index.cfm

Hot: Pat Hill’s pants….which are on fire

According to the commentators in yet another pathetic Fresno State loss, Pat Hill cited the reason for Fresno’s tough non-conference scheduling as that they can’t get anyone else to play them. Yeah right, Pat! Let’s review: Fresno does or does not have a good track record against schools at or below their level? DOES NOT is the correct answer. So tell me, Pat, why exactly would those teams have a reason to be scared to play you? Shame on you for lying.  

Not: WVU’s overtime loss

Just when things were back on track, West Virginia loses to Cincinnati in overtime and Michigan beats Minnesota! For much of the game, the Mountaineers never even looked to have a chance at winning. They were down 20 to 7 at the start of the fourth quarter. From there it was Fiesta Bowl-level craziness to take the game into overtime. WVU scored a safety, a TD complete with a 2-point conversion, recovered an on-sides kick, and made a 52-yard FG to tie up the game! PHEW! Going into overtime, it seemed like WVU was destined to win, but they could only manage a FG on their possession. From there, the offense could only watch helplessly as the Mountaineer defense roughed the passer and failed to stop the Bearcats’ TD attempt.  

Hot: George Iloka….and the rest of the team too!

Bronco fans were definitely non-plussed with the plethora of mistakes in Saturday’s game. However, on paper, the Broncos are wicked hot (unless you look at the penalties…)! FOUR players passed for TDs: Coughlan, Perretta, Moore, Bissel.  The offense accrued 563 yards. The defense forced SIX turnovers. FIVE different players scored: Pettis, Powers, Childs, Johnson, Perretta. But my favorite player of the game was George Iloka who snagged two interceptions!

Not: Football fan fatalities

This is most definitely the most unimpressive thing in college football right now. Apparently, a heated argument about the Alabama/LSU game led to the fatal shooting of two fans. Read the limited details here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3693334

Hot: Ball State

Quietly, but steadily, Ball State continues to win and climb in the polls. The undefeated Cardinals are now sitting at 14 in the BCS poll. Ball State, currently 9-0, is having its best season in more than forty years. And Wednesday night, they had a chance to show the nation why. The Cardinals easily breezed past MAC opponent Northern Illinois, beating them 45 to 14 when all was said and done.

Not: Not getting to watch Utah versus TCU

When two ranked potential BCS busters play, shouldn’t that be televised? On a channel people get? Rather than watching an exciting TCU/Utah game that could have had major implications for other BCS hopefuls, we had to sit through the Maryland/Virginia Tech game instead, just to see the score scroll by on the bottom of the screen! A wag of the finger to you, programming decision makers!

W for Weaklings

Hot: Vinny Peretta; Ian Johnson; Jeremy Childs, Jeremy Avery

Despite their 11 penalties and two turnovers, the Broncos did some excellent work Friday against San Jose State. Vinny Peretta made an AMAZING catch, dragging his toe on the grass as he caught Kellen’s Moore’s pass on the way out of bounds. Ian Johnson captured the school record for touchdowns, 51, and is 7 away from the most in WAC history….behind LT and Marshall Faulk. Jeremy Childs blocked a punt, setting up excellent field position, and Jeremy Avery showed just how quick and powerful he is. Kudos, boys!

Not: Trailing Tennessee

As the commentators pointed out incessantly, “you only get so many chances”…..and Tennessee failed to make the most of any of them. The Volunteers had the talent and the opportunities they needed to get the upset Saturday, but instead they flailed around painfully for the majority of the match up. Daniel Lincoln missed a field goal near the end of the first half. On the next possesion, two penalties backed the Vols up from 14 yards to go to 34, setting up another miss by Lincoln. All together, the Vols offense only managed to NOT go three-and-out 4 times.

Hot: Making a Penn STATEment 

The Nittany Lions (which is a type of mountain lion, if you wondered) managed to get their first Big 10 victory in the Horseshoe Saturday night. The majority of the game was a (dare I say boring?) defensive battle, but Penn State’s offense turned up the heat in the fourth quarter, scoring a TD and a FG. The defense intercepted a would-be-game-winning TD attempt by the Buckeyes to ensure the win. Joepa and crew look to continue undefeated for the remainder of the season.   

Not: Roughing the Passer

The Cowboys’ defense was primed and ready to go against Texas Saturday. Deep in Cowboy territory, their defense got in Colt McCoy’s face, causing him to throw a costly interception. Oh NO! A flag — roughing the passer. (Didn’t see that coming did you?) Rather than gaining possession and preventing a score, the penalty set up a TD run that arguably cost them the win.     

Hot: 50s and 60s

In Farenheit, this may not be hot, but on a college football scoreboard it certainly is! This week several teams scored big and embarrassed their opponents: Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas Tech, TCU, Mizzou, Rutgers (yes….Rutgers!), Kent State, and Oregon.

Not: W

No, not the president…..it seems that schools starting with W are having a tough go of it this season: Wisconsin is 1-4 in Big 10 play; Washington is 0-7; Wake Forest has lost 3 of its last 4; Western Kentucky is 2-6; Wyoming is 2-6; and Washington State is 1-7. West Virginia (5-2) and Western Michigan (6-2) are the exceptions to the W rule.  

Hot: Nicks Carolina

Things didn’t look good in the first quarter, with UNC down by 10, but explosive second and fourth quarters soundly put BC in its place. Hats off to Hakeem Nicks who gained 127 yards in the second quarter! Nice! And don’t forget the defense: they intercepted 3 BC passes along the way!

Not: Terrible Tuitama

Arizona’a defense couldn’t have done anything more to get a win against USC, unless they went out on offense too. The Wildcats’ D held USC to only 17 points, the lowest ever under Pete Carroll, but QB Tuitama was completely inept in the second half. And with last week’s breakout performer, Keola Antolin, injured in the second quarter, the rest of the offense was unable to make up for Tuitama’s struggles. In all, he completed only 14 passes out of 30 attempts.

America’s Next Plus-Size Running Back

Hot: Myron Pryor

ALL of Kentucky’s TDs came from turnovers Saturday against Loserville (err…Louisville), but none was more exciting then the 72-yard fumble returned for a TD by the big burly 300+ lb Myron Pryor. The only guy who even had a CHANCE to run him down was the CENTER. Never a good sign. Louisville’s performance was dismal during the good times, and even worse during the bad, which was certainly satisfying for the Kentucky fans who had to pay more than $70 a ticket to attend the game (compared to $40 for Louisville fans).

Not: ACC, Football that is…

Thank goodness for basketball, because if it were up to football results, the ACC might as well join the WAC. Wake Forest and Maryland were the ONLY ACC teams to beat 1-A….excuse me, Football Championship Division….teams. BC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina managed to beat some less-than-highly touted 1-AA teams….Clemson, Virginia, and NC State lost to Alabama, USC, and South Carolina, badly.  And Virginia Tech, try as they did, could not stave off ECU. Attack the WAC, ACC! Attack the WAC!

Hot: Pirates of the Carolinabean

I know I wasn’t the only person to scratch my head and say “Who in blue blazes is ECU?” before the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl following the 2007 season. But people across the country are starting to take notice of the Pirates who are now on a roll after beating the world’s greatest football team (Boise State) in Hawaii and starting the season with a thrilling victory over Virginia Tech.  Only time will tell if this team is as legit as Johnny Depp’s career. Perhaps even too legit to quit!

Not: Idaho

Arizona generally goes overlooked in the football world, but leave it to Idaho to make them look like USC up against Palo Alto High School. Arizona’s 70 to 0 destruction of the Vandals was the their highest scoring game since flappers were in style! Not only that, this was Arizona’s first shutout in 12 years! And all this in the rain no less! Idaho’s Nathan Enderlie completed a miserable 10 passes. Even if counting his intercepted throws as completions, he STILL wouldn’t make it to 50%. Looks like the Vandals can look forward to a permanent spot in the Bottom 10….AGAIN!  

Hot: Florida

No, not just Tebow, not just the offense, EVERYONE got in on Florida’s scoring frenzy Saturday. The defense scored two TDs, both off interceptions…and special teams scored on a punt return. Perhaps most impressive….Florida did not score at all in the first or fourth quarters. Imagine if they’d kept things fired up for all four quarters! Hawaii on the other hand had 6 turnovers….at least one from each of their quarterbacks….Colt, oh Colt, where-fore-art-thou, oh Colt? 

Not: Oregon State’s final drive

The Beaver’s conference and season opener against Stanford was nothing if not a nail-biter. Down by 8 with two minutes left to play, it looked like the Beavers were surely going to lose. But as luck would have it, Stanford couldn’t move the ball and had to punt it away with a little over a minute and a half left. The Beav’s were ready to make the most of the opportunity. Several well-executed plays later, they found themselves at 3rd and 4 with 16 yards to the goal. Just then, Darrell Catchings made a great catch, running 15 yards toward the end zone. With 44 seconds left on the clock, and a first down secured, Catchings stretched for the end zone….lost the ball….and fumbled it right through the end zone. And in that briefest of moments, the team and fans alike fell from the thrill of victory into the misery of defeat….starting the season on a down note and having to face a 0-1 record when conference play begins.

Hot: UCLA

Despite throwing back-to-back interceptions, Kevin Craft lit things up in the second half to lead UCLA and new head coach Rick Neuheisel to an exciting overtime victory over the supposedly superior Volunteers. It couldn’t hurt that, according to Coach Fulmer, “[Tennessee] made enough mistakes to fill three of four games.”

Not: Fresno’s win over Rutgers

On their first possession, Rutgers made it within 30 yards of the goal line, but failed to score with a missed field goal. On the second, they made it to first and goal….but 4 tries later, still had no points. On the next, they only had 36 yards to drive, but threw an interception immediately. Two possessions later, they made it down to the 4 yard line, again failed to get the TD, and missed another field goal. AND SO….at halftime, the score was all tied at zero, instead of Rutgers 24, Fresno 0. Thus, after a miserable first half, Fresno was able to come out for the second half with a clean slate, and they certainly made the most of it. Thanks for nothing, Scarlet Knights.

Hot: Bowling Green

Props to Bowling Green who managed to ARM PITT with their first home loss to an MAC team in school history (24 games in all). Pitt possessed the ball seven minutes longer than BG, but that was not enough to offset their 4 turnovers. And what’s good for Bowling Green in good for BSU…until September 13, anyway.  

Not: June Jones’ Debut

Hopefully June’s big fat paycheck makes him happy cause there is no way the performance of his new team is doing anything for him. Not only did SMU fall on their face in the season opener, they did so against Rice, who hasn’t scored that many points since 1944….and now have a conference loss under their belt.  Five turnovers and seven penalties were not exactly what the lei-free Jones was hoping for.