JDubb's Sideline Report

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. 

 

There is not another program in the country that does more with less quite like the Naval Academy. Considering their lack of talent compared to the likes of Alabama or Ohio St, it would be rather harsh to play those power schools on a regular basis; but Navy does it anyway. They do it because they have a formula that levels the playing field. It’s a proven method that has give them many commander-in-chief trophies, beating rivals like Notre Dame, and winning bowl games. It has made them to be a formidable opponent and opposing teams have to prepare differently because of it. This secret weapon I speak is none other than the mighty Triple Option.

Now, let me clear up something right away- the triple option is just one play, not a offense. Its more like the old wishbone, but in a spread option formation. What makes this offense special is it’s design. Looking at the diagram below, you see the base offense. You have the two RB’s, which we call A-backs. Then you have the one FB, which we call the B-back. The QB is the director of the play. His decision to keep it, hand it off, pitch it, or throw it is all on his shoulders. Once the play is in motion, the question is, who has the ball? That’s the magic of this offense and it is a lot of fun to watch.

Due to the nature of the triple option, opposing defenses have to play assignment football. You have to be on your toes and pay attention because dive after dive can be easy, but it’s the play-action pass that catches you off guard. It’s the mid line from the QB that decides to take it to the house. That is what makes this offense dangerous and what has helped Navy get back to their winning ways.

Prior to 2002, Navy had not had a winning season since 1997. Before their 1996 bowl game, Navy had not been to a bowl since 1981. That should tell you right there that Navy football was treading water(no pun attended). From 1990-2000, Navy had a 4-7 record against Army. That is unacceptable in Annapolis. In 2002, Paul Johnson took over the program and inserted his option offense. It was rough the first year as Navy only won 2 games but they beat Army and laid the foundation for what would be a comeback not seen since the days of Roger Staubach. In 2003, the middies went 8-5 and went to their first bowl game since 1996. Most importantly, since 2002, Navy has gone 14-1 against Army. That is a record that Navy hopes to keep building on and I believe they will.

The option has been a God send for Navy. It has brought them wins and stability. It has made them a force to be reckoned with. I know most fans could care less what the academies do on Saturday and I’m sure that the only game people watch is the Army/Navy game. However, if you want to see a fun offense that puts up a lot of points and watch kids that play hard to the last whistle, I highly recommend you catch boys from Annapolis. You will not be disappointed.

Is USC back? Depends on who you ask. However, they do have a a signal caller that shows promise to lead them back to greatness, as in a decade ago greatness. Sam Darnold, the redshirt sophomore from Capistrano Beach, California, has put the trojans back on the map in college football; an area where they have lived in mediocrity and not won anything significant, like the PAC 12. When Pete Carroll was running the show, USC put out great Quarterbacks like Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, two quarterbacks that took USC to new heights not seen for almost thirty years. Now Darnold is looking to make a name for himself to be mentioned in conversation with these former greats. There are three key factors that can make him a heisman trophy contender. Let’s take a look.

1. Arm Strength– If anything sticks out to me about Darnold, it’s his arm. It’s NFL caliber and you better believe scouts are licking their chops watching him sling the rock. Sam has a very gentle touch with the football and it looks effortless for him to throw the long ball. Last season, Darnold threw 31 touchdowns and 9 picks. He had a total of 3086 passing yards. That’s more than Carson Palmer’s freshman season at USC(1755 yards).
2. Field vision– This is one quality that does not come easy for a lot of quarterbacks but for Darnold, it seems to come naturally. When he reads the field, he looks like a veteran, like Peyton Manning in his prime. Now I hear you saying “slow down trigger, he only played one season.” That’s correct, but look at the Rose Bowl game. He single handily put that game on his shoulders and helped USC beat Penn St. He threaded the needle like a true pro. Shoot, go look at all the games he started in last season- there were so many times where he could predetermine what the defense was going to do that he didn’t have to call any audibles. This kid knows how to read a defense!
3. Decision Making- Not only does Darnold have a great arm and great eyes, he is incredibly smart. He knows his surroundings. Just from the few games I watched him,  he has an uncanny ability to avoid pressure. Not to say he didn’t look like a freshman out there(because at times he did), it was very minimal. However when pressure would come, majority of time I see him extend plays and and make first downs(see rose bowl game). For a guy who only played one season, he could avoid taking many unnecessary sacks. Of course I could be Jon Gruden and show you some of his young mistakes he made, like in the Washington game where he threw two pics that really didn’t have to be pics. A minor blemish but it does stick out.

Darnold is far from a finished product, but there is no denying that he is special. He is eaten up with raw talent and he will only get better. If he continues to improve on strengths and work on his weaknesses, he could help launch USC into the playoff picture, and also, the heisman trophy.

It’s been pretty quiet on the plains the past couple of seasons for Gus Malzahn and his Auburn Tigers. After a tremendous 2013 season that included a National Title appearance and two huge last second comeback wins against Alabama and Georgia, the Tigers have been trying to find an identity behind center. Coach Malzahn has had a luxury of using many quarterbacks the past couple of seasons, but nothing has really equated to wins or championships. Sean White was the starter last year and he showed signs of greatness, but he was inconsistent throughout the season. And now that John Franklin III has transferred, the Tigers are looking for a new signal caller.  Enter Baylor transfer, Jarrett Stidham.

As backup for Seth Russell, Stidham recorded 75 completions out of 109 attempts, 1265 yards passing, and 12 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions during the 2015 season. Not bad for a backup, and everyone knows the backup is the most popular player on the team. When Russell went down with a neck injury, Stidham started three games against Kansas St, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma St. During this three game span, Stidham preformed remarkably well, throwing for 934 yards, 6 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions.

As you watch Stidham, you see exactly why he’s the perfect fit for Malzahn’s offense. The dual-threat quarterback has a very accurate arm, and some underrated foot speed; two key ingredients that makes the Tigers offense dangerous. Not a knock on Sean White or Jeremy Johnson, but that duo never could put it together for the offense. Stidham is the complete package and that is why he is now named the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. What he lacks in experience pales in comparison to his overall athleticism I believe that makes the Tigers a dark horse for the SEC west.

The Clemson Tigers were not alone at dethroning the SEC in 2016. Their comrades in the ACC had plenty of success beating the big boys in the South Eastern Conference. Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Florida State took care of business against their SEC rivals at the end of the regular season. On top of that, the ACC went 8-3 during bowl season, which was the best win/loss record in the power five for college football and the most bowl wins in conference history. What does that mean for a conference known for so many years as a basketball league? I have the answer-opportunity!

Yes, the ACC has an opportunity to change perceptions on exactly who they are. For many years the ACC was the conference that always sent North Carolina and Duke to the Final Four-in basketball. That’s wonderful, but not if you’re a football fan. Not if you have been the laughing stock of college football. Not if you were known to choke in the big games or get killed by your rival school. I’m not saying the ACC has been awful in football, more like mediocre. They have been more of a tease, toying with your emotions and presenting a false narrative about who they are. Grant it, Florida State has carried the torch for this conference for a long time(can I get a amen?) but somewhere down the line, someone else has to do it too and not just one team but many teams.

The ACC use to be known as “Florida State and the seven dwarfs”. It was a joke that was told at most bars, parties, and at Steve Spurrier’s lake house. For majority of the 1990’s, Florida State owned this league. Then in 2004, Miami and Virginia Tech came in to crash the party. The thought was when the canes and hokies came in it would bring some much needed football balance and stability to this conference. But on the contrary, it only created parity and more separation between the haves and have not’s. Yet, the torch was handed off. Teams started winning more and coaches started to get more love and recognition for what they did on and off the field. Yes, coaches do leave and players do graduate but new coaches come in and new players suit up. It’s a new era for the “basketball conference” and it’s starting to look more like a football conference.

Since 2013, the ACC has won two National Championships thanks to FSU and Clemson. You add some great coaches in Paul Johnson, David Cutcliff, and Bobby Petrino, you have some of the best minds in the game right here in the ACC. But this success has to be sustained. This cannot be a one time fluke if the ACC wants perception to change. It’s a new season, one with many opportunities for this conference to make another jump; to make that next step as an elite football conference. For that to happen, you just have to do one thing: win.

The University of Texas has had it’s share of legendary players and coaches come through Austin: Ricky Williams, Darrell Royal, Vince Young, Mack Brown, Earl Campbell, Tommy Nobis, and Bobby Layne. Those names are some of the greats to coach or play for the Longhorns. It’s no secret Texas that has not been Texas since Mack Brown retired. Honestly, the last couple of years that Mack was in Austin, it was not up to Texas standards and you could tell he was just not enjoying the game anymore. Next up was Charlie Strong who is a great defensive-minded coach and heck of a recruiter. Yet, when you only win 5-6 games at a school like Texas, you’re not going to be coaching there for very long. Strong is a great man and will be a successful head coach one day, I just don’t think he was ready for all that is Texas football.

For the record, Texas has 5 National Titles to their story program. They are in the Big XII and play in the “Red River Shootout” against Oklahoma every season. Getting players to come to Austin is not a problem. What has been the issue is finding the right coach -until now. Texas has gone after a hot commodity; someone that has been moving up in the coaching ranks and has a great offensive mind, which is something that has been missing in Austin. Texas has picked up the #1 coaching prospect in America-Tom Herman. Herman is known an offensive guru-his Air Raid tactics won a National Championship at Ohio State in 2014 for Urban Meyer. In his previous stint at Houston, he compiled a record of 22-4, and never lost a home game. He also beat FSU and Oklahoma. On top of that, he led the Cougars to their first ever American Athletic Conference title.

It’s easy to get lost in the rumor mill with a top coach like Tom Herman. So many schools came courting Herman that each media outlet had a different story about a different school every day. To be fair to Herman, he knew where he wanted to coach. Texas brings in the most revenue for any school in the FBS. It has the largest alumni base in the state of Texas, and it is home of the most fertile recruiting in the nation. He would had been an idiot to pass this opportunity up. But with a big coaching gig like Texas will come big expectations, and Herman knows it. He has plenty of talent to work with, which includes sophomore quarterback, Shane Buechele. Shane threw for 2598 yards last season with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Not bad for a freshman quarterback, but Coach Herman will demand more out Buechele. How well the young quarterback adapts to Herman’s offense will tell a lot about 2017.

Tom Herman has rejuvenated the Longhorn fan base, there is no question there. Like a rechargeable battery, the Longhorn faithful are ready to start a new journey with a young, bright head coach who knows how to score a lot of points. But this is Texas. This is the Big XII. Herman will have to win out of the gate to keep the faithful happy, because with those kind of expectations, losing is not an option.

A shockwave went through the streets of Oxford, Mississippi yesterday as Hugh Freeze, head football coach for the Ole Miss Rebels, resigned after allegations of calling an escort- service from a university phone. Jeffery Vitter, Ole Miss Chancellor was quoted on Freeze and this situation saying “a pattern of personal misconduct inconsistent with the standards we expect from the leader of our football team. While Coach Freeze served our university well in many regards during his tenure, we simply cannot accept the conduct in his personal life that we have discovered.” The athletic director of the school, Ross Bjork along with internal help, noticed unusual phone behavior and a pattern with coach freeze’s phone calls. The phone calls apparently started after in early 2012 but the one that stuck out was a phone call made in January of 2016. The phone call was to a Detroit, MI area code and it lasted one minute. The phone number was associated with a website that advertised a female escort business. Naturally, Freeze is denying any such phone call as saying “We call the wrong numbers all the time.”

Now, I’m no rocket scientist but if you’re being accused of such behavior, couldn’t you find another excuse to come up with than saying “We call the wrong numbers all the time”? Look, none of us where there when this went down. I’m not calling Freeze a liar and I’m not saying this wasn’t a legit number. It’s possible this was a mistake and that Freeze had no clue who this number belonged to. All I know is that he had to resign over it and it could cost him more than his job. I know a lot of people out in the media and social media are having fun with this situation and especially rival schools. However, Hugh Freeze is a married man. He is going to have to explain this to his wife and family. We all need to pray for this man. None of us should be throwing stones at him. We all need to lift him up and give him our support instead making a mockery of him and this situation.

Where does Ole Miss go from here? Matt Luke is now the interim head coach. He was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the rebels recently, but now he is the head man. I believe the team will rally to him and make the most of the season, even if they aren’t playing for a bowl. Ole Miss will survive this minor setback and become a contender in the SEC again, it’s just going to be a process and their fans better develop some patience because to be frank, they don’t have a choice.