Author: Wes Simms

Tomorrow, Tuesday at 7 PM, the official College Football Playoff Section takes place on ESPN. #1 and #2 are pretty established, but #3 and #4 are unknowns. College Football is an unpredictable game, you really don’t know how the dice are going to land, especially towards the end of the season. I will say this, do not put it past this committee to put two SEC teams in the playoff, even if one of them lose in the conference title game. But enough of that, there is still plenty of football left to play. Let’s take a look at what happened over the weekend.

1. UGA vs. Florida (42-7) – The gators were coming into this game with high hopes of winning because of their past dominance in this rivalry. Yet, how do you expect to beat a good team like Georgia when you have no resemblance of an offense? Easy, you don’t! The bulldogs pretty much did anything they wanted against the gators on Saturday. Sony Michel rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb rushed for another himself. If the bulldogs do anything specifically great, it’s their run game. Defense looked great as usual too- they held Florida to 66 passing yards and 183 rushing yards. Florida is now without a head football coach as the school has parted ways with Jim McElwain, who was hired to fix the gators broke offense. It’s still broke, folks. It looks like Florida is going to hire THE GUY this time around, and let me just say, they better!
2. Penn St. vs. Ohio St. (39-38) – This was the game of the day. Penn St. came into this game as the #2 team in the nation, and in the first half of the game, they looked the part. Saquon Barkely kicked everything off with his 97 yard kickoff return touchdown. Later in the second quarter, Barkley had another 37 yard rushing touchdown to put the Nittany Lions ahead, 21-3. But Urban Meyer had the Lions right where he wanted them. J.T. Barrett threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the Buckeyes ahead, 39-38. Penn St. could not make a comeback and the Buckeyes prevailed. What a game!
3. TCU vs. Iowa St. (14-7) – It think it’s time for the Big XII to start taking the Cyclones seriously. I know am. With TCU going down, Iowa St has now defeated two Big XII teams that were in the top 10. That’s a resume builder. Can the cyclones win out?
4. NC State vs. Notre Dame (35-14) – This was a tale of two halves. The first half looked to be a offensive shootout. The second half looked like one team kept going, the other put the brakes on. The Irish rushed for 318 yards against the Wolfpack. An area of concern for NC State is their rush defense, which will play Clemson this Saturday. Time to tighten up if they want to win the Atlantic division. Great win for the Irish. They control their own destiny now.
5. Georgia Tech vs. Clemson (24-10) – I’m curious, is this shocking? Paul Johnson is an stubborn coach. He’s a great coach, especially with his X and O scheming, but he has yet to learn to adapt, and it’s hurting his team’s success. Clemson refused to let Tech run any part of their base offense Saturday night. The Clemson defensive front was in the backfield while QB Taquon Marshall was still in the process of starting the play. At what point do you say ” I think we need to do something different?” Clemson looked like a team focused and wanting to more. Look for them to finish strong this season.

This past Saturday’s match up’s were not the most appealing of the regular season, yet we still found a way to watch, didn’t we 😉 Here’s what went down:

1. Tennessee vs. Alabama (45-7) – If there was a game that Butch Jones could had changed his status as head man to a better favor, it was this one. However, losing bad has been the Vols mojo this season and Alabama only made things worse for coach Jones current job situation. Even if UT wins out, I don’t forsee how Butch Jones is the head coach in 2018.
2. Michigan vs. Penn St. (42-13) – You want a heisman favorite? Watch Saquon Barkely out of Penn St. The stud running back ran for 108 yards on 15 carries with 2 touchdowns, as the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan last Saturday, 42-13. I’m curious when Jim Hardbaugh is going to turn the corner at Michigan. He took this job because he loves Michigan  and loves to win. Is the honeymoon period over? Because I don’t see anything that tells me that Michigan is going to be a contender right now. I will say this, if he doesn’t beat Ohio St., the dogs will start barking.
3. Syracuse vs. Miami (27-19) – The Miami Hurricanes don’t really dominate their opponents, but they find ways to win. They did it again against Syracuse last Saturday. The Orange are a solid football team that just upset Clemson only a week ago, but you can tell Miami had a great game plan and shutdown the Orange’s offense for most of the game. Hurricane Quarterback Malik Rossier threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns. If he keeps putting up numbers like this, he could sitting next to some special people on the second Saturday of December.
4. USC vs. Notre Dame (49-14) – Since their 20-19 loss to Georgia, Notre Dame has been on fire. The Fighting Irish put on an clinic against the Trojans of USC last Saturday night, winning 49-14 in South Bend. Irish Quarterback Brandon Wimbush passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 as well. Coach Brian Kelly had a great game plan that kept the Trojans on their heels all night. A well balanced offense usually wins games, but the defense allowed only 76 yards rushing! Bravo. Notre Dame still has to play Stanford, Navy, NC State, Miami, and Wake Forest on their schedule. If they can run this gauntlet, they will be sitting fine in the playoff.
5. Oklahoma vs. Kansas St. (42-35) – Once again, the Sooners find a way to rescue themselves from mistakes and set backs and win a game. This is starting to become a habit. Kansas St. rushed for 268 yards against Oklahoma last Saturday, exposing a defense that was suppose to be better from a year ago. Bill Synder’s group gave the Sooners all they could handle, and them some. If the Sooners are going to win the Big XII, they better make defense a priority or they will not be  winning anything significant.

Phew, what a weekend of College Football. The Red River Shootout was an classic. Clemson fell into the Syracuse trap. Also, Miami gets another last second win. Let’s take a a look.

1. Georgia Tech vs. Miami (25-24)– This was probably a tougher pill to swallow for Paul Johnson and the Rambling Wreck than the Tennessee game. You controlled the clock, the line of scrimmage,  shoot, the entire game…and you let this one slip, once again. Defense has to be addressed at Tech, or they will continue to lose these types of games. Kudos to the Hurricanes, they kept on fighting and found a way to win. Good teams do that.
2. Clemson vs. Syracuse (27-24) – It’s mid-season, which means it’s time for Clemson to lose a game they shouldn’t. Syracuse was able to get away with pretty much anything against the Tiger defense, however Kelly Bryant getting hurt didn’t help things either. Huge win for the Orange and their program. I do recall though, a certain tiger team losing to Pitt last season and still winning the national championship. Can’t slip up again or they will not get in the show.
3. Washington St. vs. Cal (37-3) – What the heck happened here? Washington St still high on the beating USC? Because they looked drunk out there against Cal. Say goodbye to the playoff, Cougars.
4. Auburn vs. LSU (27-23) – Tigers vs. Tigers. One shall stand, one shall fall. This was a good game and the LSU offense came alive. Auburn is now out of the playoff hunt and this does not look good for Malzhan who is already on the hot seat. Huge win for Coach O.
5. Oklahoma vs. Texas (29-24) – This was the first red river shootout for Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman as head coaches. As expected, both Quarterbacks had a solid showing. Mayfield got the Sooners on the board first with a 54 yard bomb to Jeff Badet. Same Ehlinger got the longhorns offense humming with a 16 yard pass to Kyle Porter to get Texas on the scoreboard. Late in the fourth, trailing the Longhorns by 1, Mayfield threw a 59 yard pass to Mark Andrews to setup the go ahead touchdown and seal the win for the Sooners. Another instant classic at the Cotton Bowl.
6. Washington vs. Arizona St. (13-7) – The Sun Devil defense stuck it to the Huskies all night, defeating the #5 team in the nation and probably ending Washington’s playoff hopes at the same time.

Probably one of the most celebrated rivalries in college football is the Texas/Oklahoma game-aka “The Red River Shootout”.  The mid-season contest is played annually at the Texas State Fair and traditionally inside the cotton bowl. This rivalry will be played for the 112th time, with Texas holding the series lead at 61-44-5. However, within the past 33 years, Oklahoma leads the series 18-13-2. And since 1946, both teams are deadlocked at 34-34. Needless to say, this is a pretty even series. This Saturday, both teams head coaches are getting their first taste in this rivalry as the head man and both will find out really quick what this game means to it’s team and their fans.

Great games in this series

1900- The very first game between Texas and Oklahoma came at a time when the two teams didn’t even use their respective nicknames. Texas was known as “Varsity” and was a very good team at the time, while Oklahoma was still trying to find their identity. Texas won 28-2.

1958- The 1950’s were kind to the Sooners, as they dominated the Longhorns and college football for most of the decade. However, former sooner Darrell Royal was now the head coach at Texas and he knew how important this game meant.  His Longhorn team defeated the Sooners by one point, ending a decade long skid.

1963- Oklahoma was number 1. Texas was number 2. That match up could not be bigger. It was only the seventh time that two teams ranked like this were playing during the regular season. Texas held on to win and went on to win their first National Championship.

1977- This was the game where Earl Campbell carried the Longhorns on his back. In the first half, Texas lost their starting and backup quarterback to injury. Yet, the Longhorn defense held their ground and behind a future heisman running back, the Longhorns won 13-6.

2000- Y2K was the year of the Sooner. Bob Stoops showed the world that not only is Oklahoma back, but they trailed blazed Mack Browns Longhorns 63-14. They held the Longhorns to -7 rushing yards. This was the most lopsided win in the series history. Oklahoma went on to win the National Championship against Florida St.

2005- This was Vince Young’s swan song. Teammate Jamaal Charles put on a clinic against the sooners and set a freshman rushing record that day. He set the longest rush from scrimmage in the series with his 80 yard dash against the sooner defense that was banged up and non-existent. Texas went on to win the National Title against USC.

2007- Sam Bradford vs. Colt McCoy. Jamaal Charles vs. DeMarco Murray. This game was built up before the season even started and it was one for the record books. A game that had so many turnovers and lead changes, it lived up to the billing. Bradford and Murray stole the show and helped Oklahoma defeat the Longhorns 28-21.

The first weekend of October brought some intriguing match ups, as well as some shocking finishes. Let’s take a look.

Oklahoma vs. Iowa St (38-31) – The theme this year in College Football is ” You plant your flag, I’ll plant mine”. That’s exactly what happened as the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the Iowa St. Cyclones. This was a game that should had never been a struggle, yet Iowa St. find a way to win. Oklahoma is now looking from the outside-in at the College Football playoff.

Alabama vs. Texas a&m (27-19) – If College Football awarded moral victories, the aggies would had won first prize on Saturday night. The gave the Crimson Tide their toughest game yet, just not the result they wanted to achieve. The Tide did not look like the team that has been trailblazing people this season, but their defense was still dominate.

LSU vs. Florida (17-16) – Not exactly the match up of the century, but a good game nonetheless. LSU made the plays. The gators made mistakes. Guess who won? Bayou Bengals.

Wake Forest vs. Clemson (28-14) – Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant left the game with a sprained ankle, making a easy game not so easy. The tiger defense made enough plays, but the demon deacons came to play and it showed. Look for the Tigers to rebound against Syracuse.

Michigan St. vs. Michigan (14-10) – If Jim Harbaugh is going to take Michigan to the next level, they have got to win these types of games. The spartans controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game and the Wolverine offense was very inept. Michigans playoff look to be diminished after Saturday night’s loss in Ann Arbor.

Miami vs. FSU (24-20) – The game that use to send you the National Championship has lost some of its shine as of late, but that doesn’t mean that the game means nothing.  With 11 seconds left in the game, Miami Quarterback Malik Rosier threw a 23-yard bomb to Darrell Langham to seal the deal against the FSU seminoles. This ends a 7 year skid for the Hurricanes and avenging last years loss in Coral Gables.

Air Force vs. Navy (48-45) – This game started out as a blowout. The sailors rushed ahead of the airmen 28-10 in the first half. Game over, right? Not so fast my friend. Air Force got their offense clicking through their passing game, not their run game. With a 45-41 lead, the Falcons looked to win this thing…but again, not so fast my friend. Navy Quarterback Zach Abey threw a 16 yard pass with 15 seconds left in the game to seal the deal. Navy only has one game left to win back the CIC trophy….Army!

West Virginia vs. TCU (31-24) – In a game that had over 900 yards of total offense, it’s hard to find much of a defense. This is the Big XII we’re talking about, now. However, TCU put the clamps down late and held West Virginia when it mattered. Player of the game goes to TCU Quarterback Kenny Hill who won the game with his hands and feet.

Week 5 came with some blowouts, upsets, and LSU losing to Troy.

Notable games:

USC vs. Washington St. (30-27) – The cougars get the win Mike Leach has been looking for. And it was not the best performance for USC Quarterback Sam Darnold. The Trojans needs to bounce back quick if they want to stay in the PAC 12 hunt.

Ole Miss vs. Alabama (66-3) – I guess Bama only knows how to dominate. Close wins are not in their blood.

Georgia vs. Tennessee (41-0) – The bulldogs pound the Volunteers on their home field. If Butch Jones was nervous before this game, I would hate to check his blood pressure now.

Clemson vs. Virginia Tech (31-17) – Enter Sandman couldn’t help the Hokies Saturday night. The Tiger Defense controlled this game from the get go. Tiger Quarterback Kelly Bryant had another break out game, making the loss of Deshaun Watson more of a memory.

Mississippi St vs. Auburn (49-10) – The War Eagles have been playing great football since their loss to Clemson. Can the finish strong?

Oklahoma St. vs. Texas Tech (41-34) – This was the shootout we all thought it would be, though the Cowboys found some defense late in the game and scored just enough to hold on and win. The Big 12 is wide open folks.

Vandy vs. Florida (38-24) – The gators lose Junior Quarterback Luke Del Rio but may have found their offense under youngster Feleipe Franks. The youngster has been inconsistent at times and the gators will need him to step up his game as the schedule gets tougher (Cocktail Party).

Troy vs. LSU (24-21) – This was the upset of the night(maybe year), as the Troy Trojans defeated the LSU Tigers 24-21. It’s hard to win a football game when you can’t score, but it’s ever harder to win when you turn the ball over four times.  LSU has an identity crisis. They need to figure out who they are quick!

Quick Hits:

Alabama vs. Vandy (59-0)- Note to Vandy: Never call out Alabama, ever.

Miss St vs. UGA (31-3)- UGA defense is playing at a high level. Nice win.

NC State vs. FSU (27-21)- You had three weeks off…Wolfpack still wins??

TCU vs. Oklahoma St (44-31)-Horn Frogs beat the fighting mullets on the road. Not easy.

Oregon vs. Arizona St. (37-35)- The Ducks should had prepared better for a road game in the desert. If Oregon wants to contend in the PAC 12, they need to find a defense.

Penn St vs Iowa (21-19)- Literally a last second victory. Great road win for the Nittany Lions.

Florida vs. Kentucky (28-27)- How many late game heroics do the gators have up their sleeve? Wow.

Oklahoma vs. Baylor (49-41)- Baylor teased us for a while, then they did Baylor things like losing.

USC vs. Cal (30-20)- Trojans are THE team in California.

Week 3 in the College Football universe did not bring as many top-tier match ups as weeks 1 and 2, but it did bring in some games with last second finishes and crazy late heroics. Top it off with a night cap BCS rematch, it was a solid Saturday. Let’s take a look of what went down over the weekend.

Let’s start with Tennessee vs. Florida (26-20) – In the past three seasons, this game has come down to the final minutes, sometimes seconds. This years version of the Vols vs. Gators didn’t start off like the barn burner most wanted. Florida Quarterback Feleipe Franks struggled to connect to most of his targets in the first half, and the Volunteer defense was able to get enough pressure on the young quarterback to make him unsettle. On the other side, the Volunteers handed their offense off to running back John Kelly who totaled 19 carries and 141 yards with 1 touchdown for the day. At half time, the gators were up 6-3. Yes, 6-3. Florida has had a rough time getting anything going on offense…until the fourth quarter of this game. With 9 seconds in the 4th quarter, trailing the Vols 20-17, Franks threw a 63 yard bomb to Tyrie Cleveland to win the game. I’m not exactly sure what Coach Jones was trying to do defensively, but he is probably kicking himself about that one.

Texas vs. USC (27-24 2OT)- Tom Herman brought his Longhorns to the coliseum Saturday night for the rematch a decade in the making. Herman gave the reigns of the offense to Sam Ehlinger who replaced a struggling Shane Buechele. The freshman looked exactly like one, throwing two picks and missing open receivers most of the night. Ehlinger did start to put things together late in the game as he connected to Amarti Foreman to give the Longhorns a 17-14 lead late in the 4th. USC’s Sam Darnold however put the game on his shoulders. Darnold connected to Deonte Burnett to give the Trojans a 24-17 lead in first overtime. The Longhorns tied the game and pushed for second overtime and then the incredible happens-fumble. Finally, USC’s Chase McGrath drilled a 45 yard field goal to put the final nail in the coffin to the Longhorns. Not exactly the Hollywood ending we got in 2006, but a great game nonetheless.

Clemson vs. Louisville (47-21)- The Lamar Jackson hype machine came to a sudden stop Saturday night. The cardinals hosted the Clemson Tigers in a rematch from last season that came down to the wire. The Clemson defense set the tone early in this match up. Jackson was either missing targets, running away from defenders, or throwing the ball away. The Tiger D held the Cardinals to only 116 yards rushing. Through three quarters, the cardinals only scored 7 points. The Clemson offense had no problem moving the ball as Junior signal caller Kelly Bryant put on his best performance so far this season. Bryant connected for 22 of 32 passes and threw for 316 yards with one touchdown run. It was a true team effort by the Tigers who look like a team who has not missed a beat since the National Championship game a year ago.

Notable Upsets: Northern Illinois over Nebraska. Memphis over UCLA. San Diego St. over Stanford.

Bowl season came early for college football fans this past Saturday. Not 1, not 2, not 3, but four big match ups were on display Saturday: Auburn vs. Clemson, Standford vs. USC, Oklahoma vs. Ohio St, and UGA vs. Notre Dame were the big games and they did not disappoint. More importantly, some teams put themselves in great position to make a case for the college football playoff. Yes, it’s only two games in the season, however, what I saw Saturday gave me confidence that certain teams will be tough to beat and should make the four team playoff at the end of the regular season.

First up is UGA vs. Notre Dame. You have to applaud uga fans. This was 35 years in the making. This was Notre Dame. This was touchdown Jesus. Who knows when the dogs would make this trip again. A lot of dog fans had been waiting on this game ever since it was announced and the dog faithful took advantage of the opportunity as they covered  South Bend in red on Saturday night. Know what else was covered in red? The receivers for Notre Dame. Not one wide out for the Irish had a touchdown on Saturday. The only touchdown the Irish got was from Quarterback Brandon Wimbush, and that was a rushing touchdown. As for rushing, the Irish were contained to only 55 yards on the ground. Coach Smart has to be happy how well his defense is playing, especially on the road in South Bend. Great win for the Bulldogs.

On to the Coliseum, where the USC Trojans hosted the Stanford Cardinal for an early Pac-12 matchup. Since 2007, the Cardinal have dominated this rivalry with an 8-3 record. Well that didn’t mean much Saturday in LA. The Sam Darnold show got off to a great start as the sophmore connected three times in the air and lead the Cardinal 28-17 at half time. Ronald Jones II and Stephen Carr got the ground game going as the both combined for 235 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. The Cardinal could not get much penetration on the line of scrimmage and when you give a QB like Darnold time to throw, that usually doesn’t go well for the opposition. USC is now 2-0 and will host Texas this Saturday.

Two traditional powers met at the horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio- Oklahoma and Ohio St. A rematch from last season, the Sooners were out for revenge after being embarrassed in Norman last year. If this was a statement game for Oklahoma, then they did just that as the defeated the Buckeyes 31-16. Senior Quarterback, Baker Mayfield put on a performance worthy of legends as he passed for 386 yards and threw three touchdowns. The Buckeyes could not get anything going on offense. J.T. Barrett had no touchdowns and one interception as the buckeye offense acted like they were still playing Indiana. Sorry guys, the Sooners are not Indiana. Look for the Sooners to contend for the Big XII title and the four team playoff.

Last but not least, the Auburn Tigers made the trip on 85 north to Death Valley, home of the Clemson Tigers. This was the game of the evening. If Clemson fans were worried that their defense was going to take a step back, I think their fears vanished after Saturday night. Auburn had a total of 117 yards. 79 of those were passing, 38 were rushing. That’s not taking a step back, that’s taking a giant leap forward. Clemson’s defense made Jarrett Stidham uncomfortable all night. Stidham could not get in any kind of groove, and if he did, it was short lived. The Auburn Tigers held their own on defense as well. They only allowed 96 yards rushing and 185 yards passing, but could not stop Junior signal caller, Kelly Bryant, even after coming back from getting hurt earlier in the game. Clemson won 14-6. Clemson has now defeated Auburn the past four times they have played.

In front of a sellout crowd in Atlanta, GA the Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech put on a performance that would had made Barry Switzer proud. The yellow jackets gained a total of 535 rushing yards. 249 of those yards came from quarterback TaQuan Marshall, who in his first start put on a clinic. The junior signal caller looked like a veteran as he broke the school record for scoring 5 touchdowns and breaking the conference record for rushing yards (249) in one game as a Quarterback. Amazing as that is, the yellow jackets found a way to lose that game. You can point the blame on Shawn Davis for missing two easy field goals. You could also point the blame on the defense which looked great for three quarters(Gosh if that doesn’t sound familiar) and then looked gassed by the end of the game. Or you could put the blame on head coach Paul Johnson for rolling the dice and going for the two point conversion at the end of the second overtime. As you can see, it was a team effort. Tech had many opportunities to seal the deal, but left the door ajar and allowed the Volunteers to stay in the game and grab the W.

Yet, as tough and as heart-breaking as that loss was, I came away feeling optimistic about this Yellow Jacket squad. The offense looks good, really good. If the offensive line can push a talented SEC team like Tennessee around, then the jackets o-line should have no problem holding their own against the likes of Clemson, Miami, and UGA. B-Back Kirvonte Benson had a great first start as well, racking up 124 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. He is not the speedster Mills was, but he is definitely a load to take down. Tech will need Benson to improve on his ground game so that the jackets can have a threat at that position. Another promising player was Nathan Cottrell,, (Knoxville, TN native) who showed his skill with the ball and as a blocker. He had a nice game, rushing for 79 yards on 6 carriers. I look for him to contribute a lot this fall.

I did come away wondering about the defense again. As a unit, the defense only gave up 148 yards on the ground, most of those came late in the game. The Tech defense made some great plays, but at the same time gave up some big plays, especially in the secondary. The volunteers aired it to Marquez Callaway just 4 times but he took in 115 yards and two touchdowns. It was a mismatch that Tennessee saw and they took advantage of it. On the ground, tailback John Kelly rushed for 128 yards and score 4 touchdowns on the yellow jackets. Tech had a tough time wrapping Kelly up and you know Kelly will not be the best back the jackets see this season. Lastly, something has to be done about the kicker. Coach Johnson said that Shawn Davis had a good fall camp…well he didn’t have a good night against the Vols. Credit to Tennessee blocking the kick at the end of regulation, but Davis just didn’t get enough air under it. PJ better fix this quick or Tech could be going for two a lot this season.

Looking at Tech’s remaining schedule, it’s easy to see a 8-4 or 7-5 season. That is very possible, but Tech has to fix it’s problems on defense and the kicking game. If the jackets can address these two areas and get consistent production out of TaQuan Marshall, I think this could still be a special season for the Old Gold and White.