Week Three of College Football: another week, another player dropping the ball before entering the end zone. In fact, this week it happened twice. Surprisingly, the refs picked up on the one I thought was borderline (by Cal’s Vic Enwere) and missed the one I thought was obvious (by Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon). The main thing I learned this week is that these guys need to learn to hold onto the ball!
–An even bigger brain cramp occurred in the Clemson-South Carolina State game. SCSU’s Ahmaad Harris caught a kickoff in the end zone and tossed the ball to the ref without taking a knee to stop the play. Clemson recovered the ball (if you can call it that) for a touchdown. Since the kickoff came after a Clemson score, the Tigers actually managed to score two touchdowns without taking any time off the clock.
-Good call by the coaches to play 12-minute quarters in the second half with Clemson up 45-0. Neither team was benefiting significantly from the game at that point.
-Another thing I learned this weekend is that Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the real deal. It was one thing to write off his first two mind-boggling performances as being, well, against Charlotte and Syracuse. But to dominate Florida State the way the Cardinals did with Jackson at the helm (he led the Cardinals in both passing and rushing, accounting for 362 yards and five TDs) takes talent. This kid is a gem. Michael Vick seems to be the popular comparison for the athletic, mobile Jackson, prompting this tweet from Vick himself yesterday:
Lamar Jackson 5x better than what I was at V-Tech….Enough said!! #future
— Mike Vick (@MikeVick) September 17, 2016
-Louisville at Clemson looked like a good game at the beginning of the season. I’d categorize it as “can’t-miss” at this point. That game is on October 1.
-Congratulations to the North Dakota State Bison (that’s pronounced “BY-zen”, by the way, not “BY-son”) on their first-ever upset of a ranked FBS team. I admit, I was surprised to hear that, because beating FBS teams is kind of the Bisons’ thing. I would not have guessed they had never beaten a ranked one before. (Side note: in 2011, NDSU beat Minnesota. I’m guessing Iowa fans let the Gopher faithful hear about that, and that there are some very amused people in the Twin Cities this weekend).
-Much to the delight of hockey fans everywhere, the NSDU quarterback is named Easton Stick. For the blissfully uninitiated, Easton is major manufacturer of hockey gear, including sticks. I have a couple of old Easton Sticks in my garage.
–Michigan woke up about four o’clock for their 3:30 game with Colorado and still came within five points of starting 3-0 with fifty points in each game for the first time since 190-something. (It’s in my game notes, but I can’t read my handwriting. Now I know how my teachers felt). In the first quarter, Colorado had 150 passing yards to Michigan’s three. In the second, Michigan had 121 passing yards to Colorado’s 17. Mathematically, this game was in reach for the Buffaloes well into the fourth quarter. Realistically, it was in reach until Michigan knocked quarterback Sefo Liufau out of the game, and red-shirt freshman Steven Montez had to replace him.
-The Big Ten’s Eastern division continues to be intriguing. Michigan State faced their first real test against Notre Dame and came through with flying colors. Sparty, Michigan, and the Buckeyes are all 3-0 and in all likelihood will be until they start facing each other.
–Wisconsin and Nebraska survived close games to remain atop the Big Ten West at 3-0. Nebraska’s victory over Oregon was a surprise, as was the fact that Wisconsin only beat Georgia State by six points. However, I still like Iowa to win the division.
-Ducks’ running back Royce Freeman left the game during Oregon’s second possession and didn’t return. If he misses a significant amount of time, the Ducks could be in trouble.
-Lots of scares in the SEC yesterday. LSU nearly let Mississippi State force overtime after having a 20-6 lead, Ole Miss nearly Ole Miss’ed Alabama for a third straight year, and South Carolina managed a 20-15 with over East Carolina despite allowing ECU receiver Zay Jones 22 receptions for 190 yards.
-In three games, LSU has missed two extra points. They’ve won both games, but in competitive conference play that could be significant.
-I say this at least once a year, but I don’t know how these guys in the SEC and the Pac-12 South do it. Last night in Baton Rouge, the temperature was 87 degrees, with a heat index (“feels like” temperature) of 99. Do you know what we do in New England when it feels like 99 degrees out? We crank the air conditioning and stay inside.
Speaking of staying inside, I’d highly recommend it next weekend as there’s a great slate of games. Florida-Tennessee, Wisconsin-Michigan State, and Georgia-Ole Miss should all be good ones. I’ll be here next Sunday morning recapping the action. Have a great week everybody!
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