Isn’t it awesome when a good prime-time game (or a few of them) coincides with changing the clocks? Here’s what I learned while staying up past midnight and still getting a decent night’s sleep:
-The big game first: I’m gutted for LSU. They dominated Alabama for 58 minutes of that game and deserved the win, even with a few (very) questionable play calls from Les Miles. Alabama was 1-9 on 3rd down; LSU was 10-20. The Tide committed two turnovers, LSU had none. Time of possession was 20:45 for Alabama, 39:15 for the Tigers. Total yards were 331 to 435 in favor of LSU. And so on.
-Who was that quarterback in purple and gold last night, and what closet did Les Miles lock Zach Mettenberger in? Best game that kid has ever played, hands down.
-Speaking of winning teams that probably should have lost, I don’t want to hear any Notre Dame fans arguing today that they should be higher than #4. At least not this week. That said, they are still 9 and 0 which keeps them alive, but they will need one of the other 3 big undefeateds to take a loss.
-Texas has gone back to David Ash at quarterback. He threw a fairly conservative 19 passes, completing 11, but the Longhorns have a good enough running game that 11 of 19 was good enough for the win. Seth Doege, on the other hand, attempted 44 passes and completed 26. Opposite approaches to the game, and surprise surprise, the running game won. Both teams hurt themselves with penalties, though- Texas had 9 for 85 yards, Texas Tech 8 for 64 yards. Do that against a more disciplined opponent and you’re in trouble.
-In the absence of Denard Robinson, Michigan turned to former QB Devin Gardner, who’s been playing at WR this year. He got off to a slow start (his first three dropbacks resulted in a completed pass, a sack, and an interception), and then in the second quarter he did this. He only got better from that point, and the Wolverines rolled 35-13 over a Minnesota team that’s improving in their second year under head coach Jerry Kill. At 5-4, the Golden Gophers are one win away from bowl eligibilty. They still face Nebraska and Michigan State, but next on their schedule is 2-7 Illinois, which should be a winnable game for them.
-Another team that’s improving under a new coach is Ole Miss. They played Georgia tough in the first half, but a last-second TD by the Dawgs gave Georgia a 14-10 halftime lead. Mentally, it seemed to break the Rebs, who ended up losing 37-10. But from a technical standpoint, I like how they played in the first half. Hugh Freeze has this team heading in the right direction.
-Florida was lucky to escape Missouri with a 14-7 win. It was nice of Mizzou QB James Franklin to help them out with four INTs, because the Gators are going nowhere until their own passing game improves. It’s a shame, because they have a very good defense and Mike Gillislee is a heck of a running back.
-Man, is Oregon’s offense fun to watch. I’ve been waiting seemingly forever for them to play a game that starts at a reasonable hour on the East Coast. Kenjon Barner is just ridiculous. Their defense is a bit worrisome, though- USC was held to just 131 rushing yards, which is good, but the Ducks allowed Barkley to pass for 484 yards. I’m not at all sure that will cut it against K-State or Alabama.
-Kansas State remained unbeaten, but it’s hard to say much about them with regards to the BCS until more is known about the injury to Collin Klein.
-Perennial potential BCS buster Boise State won’t be busting anything this year after losing to San Diego State. 8-1 Louisiana Tech might be this year’s best bet.
That’s all for this week, stay tuned for Last Word’s rankings later on today!
