September 11, 2015

They Are Who We Thought They Were; The Week 2 College Football Preview

“They are who we thought they were!” Most football fans will remember that post game rant form former Chicago Bears coach Dennis Green. Turns out to be a legitimate thought to the early start on the college football season also…..they are who we thought they were. The top portion of the Last Word on Sports Top 25 did what we thought they would do in week 1; they won. Alabama, Oregon, Michigan State, TCU, Baylor and of course Ohio State all did what they were supposed to do. And now that they have reeled you in with flashy opening week games, it is time to get back to the normal, picking on our little brothers, out of conference schedule for most teams. Still there are a handful of noteworthy games this week so we can see who they really are:
South Florida (1-0) @ Florida State (1-0); Sat. 11:30am EDT ESPN; On the surface this may not sound like a marquee matchup, and well, it isn’t. In fact South Florida had to return nearly 8,000 unsold tickets from its allotment, because even their fans aren’t convinced. But in the land of “They are who we thought they were,” this is a step up from Florida State playing Texas State last weekend. FSU quarterback Everett Golson threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns in his Seminoles debut last week, so he looks to be who they hoped he would be. South Florida is coming off a 51-3 beat down of Florida A&M and heck, the last time the Bulls came to Tallahassee in 2009, they beat FSU 17-7. It’s a decent enough way to start your Saturday games.
Oklahoma (1-0) @ Tennessee (1-0); Sat 6pm EDT ESPN; A matchup of two programs trying to get back to who they used to be. Oklahoma opened the season with a thumping of Akron so we are not yet sure if they are back in the big picture conversation yet. Even though the Sooners are loaded at running back, it was new quarterback Baker Mayfield who impressed the most with388 yards passing and three touchdowns. In Knoxville, Butch Jones thinks he may be seeing the payoff from all of his hard work on the program’s reclamation project. He even has his own coach; a sleep coach, because he is putting everything he has into rebuilding the Volunteers. He is going to have to ride on the backs of the Tennessee offensive line providing enough pass protections for quarterback Joshua Dobbs against a truly impressive Oklahoma defensive front seven. Is Tennessee all the way back yet? They have lost eight in a row against Top 25 teams. Are they who they think they are? Or are they not yet ready for prime time?
Oregon (1-0) @ Michigan State (1-0); Sat. 8pm EDT ABC; We all hope this turns out to be what we think it will be; a compelling rematch of last year’s game in Eugene when the Ducks had to come from behind to score what looked on paper like a blowout win. Last week both teams played markedly inferior teams yet Eastern Washington gained 549 yards against the Oregon defense. New Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams was respectable with 246 yards passing and two touchdowns, considering he had all of two weeks of practice with the team. Michigan State’s Connor Cook is who we think a Spartans’ QB is…a little bigger than most, a little slower than many, but a seasoned veteran with decent enough arm. The fifth year senior threw for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week against Western Michigan. The reality check here will be Michigan State’s defense trying to slow down a not-yet-full-speed Oregon offense. And because this game should be what we think it is, we offer this final note…this is the first game between two top 10 teams at Spartans Stadium since 1966.
LSU (0-0) @ Mississippi State (1-0); Sat 9:15pm EDT ESPN; LSU is thought by some to be a contender for the SEC West this year. Mother Nature wasn’t ready for that though and last week’s season opener against McNeese State was cancelled due to a lightning storm. Reality is the Tigers needed the game to see where they really are. They would have a faced a mobile McNeese State quarterback, and they needed the work prior to playing against Mississippi State’s dual threat, Dak Prescott. Last year, Prescott threw for nearly 400 yards and the Bulldogs rolled up 570 yards as a team, the most ever given up by a Les Miles coached LSU team. Flipping the field is where the critical thinking is going to happen. Mississippi State gave up 300 yards passing last week to a mediocre Southern Mississippi team, but LSU’s quarterback situation is murky at best. Brandon Harris barely edged out last year’s subpar starter Anthony Jennings for the starting job, and neither of them saw any action last week because of the cancelled game. Running back Leonard Fournette is likely to see the “Tiger’s share” of the work Saturday. Two teams who are on the fringes of the SEC West race looking to see if they know who they are.
Boise State (1-0) @ BYU (1-0); Sat. 10:15pm EDT ESPN 2; Logic says this is what we think it is, a tough guy, down-in-the trenches, grind –it-out game. After all, Boise State’s defense gave up only 179 of total offense in the win over Washington last week. And BYU lost starting quarterback Taysom Hill to a season ending injury for the third time in four years. So we are going to see a 10-7 game, right? Well hold on to your late night, insomniac football viewing sensibilities. BYU got crushed on the Smurf Turf in Boise last year 55-30, and while he may have started the season as the back-up QB, Tanner Mangum says he has had this game circled on his calendar for some time. The Cougars new starter is from Boise but was recruited more heavily by BYU than his hometown Boise State. After last week’s miracle finish against Nebraska, it will take very little motivation for his game week prep against his one-time favorite school.
Final Note: I had been planning for weeks to include the Oregon State @ Michigan game in this preview. The return of Jim Harbaugh to Ann Arbor is certainly compelling and facing a Pac 12 foe should be a good story. But then Oregon State threw for only 110 yards against Weber State last week. And Michigan gained only 76 yards rushing in the loss to Utah, averaging a whopping 2.6 yards per carry. I didn’t do the anticipated preview because I became concerned that these two teams might be who we think they are.

Week 1 of the college football season was predictable. Will the week 2 big games provide any surprises?

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

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They Are Who We Thought They Were; The Week 2 College Football Preview

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Day: September 11, 2015