Aside from a 30 second period where they apparently misplaced their brains under a rock and allowed a 100 yard return and 2 point conversion, Rutgers played a great game.
You can't imagine how much I was yelling at my television when our receivers kept dropping passes in the first half. Teel kept putting the ball where it needed to be, but they couldn't come down with it (even on the first play, where the receiver slowed up to try to shake off his defender and then was too short to make a reception).
I'm glad we did have a bit more of a balanced attack, though. The second half was amazing. I have to give the game ball to William Gay, though - great coming through for us in the clutch.
Schiano really found the answers at the half, though, and made the right adjustments. A bunch of mostly unrecruited defensive players just doing what he tells them to - just think when we have top flight recruits in those same positions in the coming years.
I have to say, there are plenty of good feelings in NJ tonight - and much drunken revelry in New Brunswick and Piscataway. Eight days to enjoy this win before a tough game against Cincy on the road. Just gotta keep choppin'.
My projection is a move to #9 in the AP/Coaches polls, and #8 in the BCS (obviously depending on what else happens this weekend). If we win out the year (still unlikely with tough games ahead), we'd probably rise to about #3-#5 or so. I suppose we'll see.
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Oh, and Frisco, I'm hoping more and more that you're right with Cincy upsetting WVU. That way, the door would be open wider for us to win the Big East and get a BCS bowl bid. :crosses fingers:
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I have to change my BCS Bowl predictions now.
Troy Smith vs. Colt McCoy in the NC (Texas, 37-24) Florida vs. Rutgers in the Sugar Bowl (Rutgers, 20-13) Cal vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl (Cal, 35-32) Auburn vs. Maryland in the Orange Bowl (Auburn, 38-10) Boise State vs. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl
I predict BSU beats Notre Dame 74-71. Boise's swiss cheese pass defense vs. ND's porous run defense.
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If UF or Ark or if Aub goes to CG 1 loss they will put texas out of the NC. A win by UF over a #6 or #10 will look better than an unranked nebraska that could still beat them. Same goes for Aub and Ark, they will have to play a top 10 team in the Title. However if SEC goes to NC then it will most likely be SEC(2) vs ND in the sugar.
As for strange predictions ill go ahead and predict that Cal beats USC. Mich beats OSU.... and just for kicks, Tex A&M beat Tex.
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quote:If UF or Ark or if Aub goes to CG 1 loss they will put texas out of the NC.
You're probably right, but stranger things have happened. Texas has looked much more impressive than any of the SEC schools as of late, but it's mostly wishful thinking on my part to get the best two teams in the NC game.
Actually, you're not all right. Florida winning the SEC CG would likely put Texas out of the NC game, but I don't think either of the other two winning it would.
If USC wins out (they play #21 Oregon, #8 Cal, and #9 Notre Dame yet), then I think they could push Texas (and Florida, even) out, too.
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THe way things are going, it will be OSU and Mich in the national title game... and from what I've seen, they are the two best teams in the country, and deserve to be there.
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If Arkansas wins out they will have defeated (2)* Auburn, (12) Tennessee and (13) LSU having only lost to (2)* USC in the first game of the year.
IF we pull that off we deserve to be in the NC game.
quote:Originally posted by Paul Goldner: THe way things are going, it will be OSU and Mich in the national title game... and from what I've seen, they are the two best teams in the country, and deserve to be there.
This is my personal optimal scenario, provided the Big Ten still gets a "Conference Champion" BCS bid. Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Frisco: I have to change my BCS Bowl predictions now.
Troy Smith vs. Colt McCoy in the NC (Texas, 37-24) Florida vs. Rutgers in the Sugar Bowl (Rutgers, 20-13) Cal vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl (Cal, 35-32) Auburn vs. Maryland in the Orange Bowl (Auburn, 38-10) Boise State vs. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl
I predict BSU beats Notre Dame 74-71. Boise's swiss cheese pass defense vs. ND's porous run defense.
Wow, Frisco, you actually think that it'll be a Texas vs. OSU Championship game. I figured that even if Michigan lost to OSU they would still keep their no. 2 seat considering they are undefeated and would only have lost to the no. 1, but I guess Texas is in the same boat. What happens if Mich beats OSU???
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No matter who loses, I don't think they'll keep a ranking of #2 with the computer if Texas or an SEC team finishes with 1 loss. The polls are a different story, of course, but I can see either Texas or a 1-loss SEC team slipping into the #2 spot with the OSU/Michigan loser dropping to #3.
If Rutgers is undefeated, Rutgers might end up #3, with the OSU/Michigan loser dropping to #4.
Best case scenario? OSU, Texas, Florida, and Auburn all lose, Rutgers goes undefeated, and it's a Michigan/Rutgers defense-fest for the NC!
A guy can dream, can't he? Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Holy Cow. I just read on ESPN.com that a botched replay booth feed allowed the winning touchdown in last year's Rose Bowl between Texas and USC. Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Yeah, I remember that play. It should have been ruled down from what I saw on the replay and I hate when things like this pop up so late. Maybe Texas wil get another chance at the NC to rectify the call??? But then again it won't be Texas vs. USC either.
And Michigan vs. Rutgers would be an awesome NC!
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Florida gets to exhale after a game they should have probably lost. The spot the refs gave Leak on that last run of his was pretty darn favorable, setting up the game-winning TD. On top of that, if S Carolina's special teams could, you know, block, Florida's NC hopes were done. Florida did everything they could to give that game away.
Just wow.
Go Tennessee! Go Oregon!
PS - Frisco, you might want to rethink those BCS predictions again. Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Tennessee needs to win... that effectively removes arkansas, and tennessee both from the NC game. WVU, Louisville, are already out of it. Cal is now out of it. Auburn is out of it.
I'm pulling for that ohio st michigan rematch, and that becomes more likely the more of these one loss teams pick up a second Posts: 4112 | Registered: May 2001
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Well, that Mich Rutgers NC is looking more likely after the Texas loss and the Louisville upset. Wow, what a week in college football. Without McCoy Texas didn't stand a chance though, Snead is good but he hasn't really played all season. Be interesting to see who ends up where in the BCS on Monday.
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quote:Originally posted by Ecthalion: well today certainly took the linchpin out of the BCS system didnt it.
My prediction of a OSU Mich rematch might come true....
Yeah, computer ranking systems just can't account for a lot of things. Being the Texas fan that I am I wonder if the computers factor in things like only losing to the #1 team and an injury to your starting quarterback. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that Texas should get anything higher than a #10 spot but I have a feeling they are going to fall farther than that and if McCoy is out for the Season than it doesn't really matter much anyhow? Posts: 871 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Auburn, Texas, Cal, Louisville all fall out of the NC race this weekend. Pretty much Florida, Rutgers, Mich, Ohio State, USC, Notre dame, Arkansas are all thats left, I think. Notre Dame, and Rutgers are only in the hunt if they win out, AND some of the other top teams lose again. And michigan would have to get blown out for those two teams to climb over them in the BCS, I think. Really, its probably Ohio St, Michigan, Florida, USC, and arkansas, fighting it out right now. The other two are slim hopefulls that are relying on a lot of things happening before they get in.
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Boy, am I done making predictions. You can watch all the football you want, and still if one team comes to play, and the other doesn't, it doesn't matter if you have the #3 offense in the country or the #73 offense.
Boise State freaked me out! San Jose isn't a bad team by any means (no matter what you "power" conference snobs say ), but they took it to BSU like it was the biggest game of their season.
Which it is.
That's the rough thing about being a conference juggernaut--it's just that much easier for your opponents to get pumped up about playing you, especially in their own house.
quote:they should win out (the only possible challenge coming from San Jose state, who has the best defense of the remaining teams at 52nd scoring defense and 69th total defense)
After the half, I really thought San Jose had it. Their defense had held BSU to 6 points, and they seemed like they had control. They were even up by one after three quarters. If it wasn't for that big return in the fourth quarter, they would probably have had to go to overtime.
Well done San Jose. They played a great game.
I was amazed that Texas lost, but after hearing McCoy went out, it wasn't as shocking.
The BCS is wide open at this point. I think Arkansas will probably come out of the SEC with one loss, beating Florida in the SEC title game - but Arkansas had a longer way to climb in the rankings than Auburn or Florida.
It's possible that Rutgers could leapfrog them if they win out (which is possible, but unlikely). Then again, this is still really a building year for Rutgers, and we weren't expecting this sort of success for at least another couple of years - we're ecstatic over 9 wins, forget about what else could happen this season.
Still, I can't help but cheer on LSU to a defeat of Arkansas, and Arkansas to a defeat of Florida, leaving no one-loss SEC teams.
Edit: The computer average ranking for Rutgers is #2! We're #6 in the BCS! (why is there no fainting smiley?)
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Wow, Wisconsin is #9 in the BCS? Talk about awesome! I wonder if it's possible that Wisconsin goes to a BCS game even without the OSU/Michigan NC game...
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quote:Wow, Wisconsin is #9 in the BCS? Talk about awesome! I wonder if it's possible that Wisconsin goes to a BCS game even without the OSU/Michigan NC game...
Unfortunately for Wisconsin fans, no more than two teams from any conference can play in the BCS bowls.
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I didnt know that, I guess the only way for Wisc. to get a BCS would be for Umich to slaughter OSU next week. I would love to see Umich-rutgers NC, but I dont think it is likely.
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Well, as long as one of the two (UM or OSU) drops to at least #5, it'll be up to the BSC selection committee to choose, since unless you're in the top 4, the only way to secure an automatic bid is to win your conference.
OSU has the biggest chance to drop that far, since they dropped to #3 in the computer rankings this week. But unless they get totally embarassed by UM, I don't think it'll happen.
But it could...and then Rutgers (and Wisconsin) fans can just hope for Cal to beat USC and USC to beat Notre Dame and LSU to beat Arkansas who can beat Florida.
But Wisconsin only plays Buffalo (last place in the MAC) to finish the season, while Rutgers can get a boost in the polls by beating Cincinnati (possibly bowl bound) and #8 WVU.
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And Colt McCoy had better be healthy by the Fiesta Bowl, so when BSU beats them, they can't come up with an excuse as to why.
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Maybe Texas will hire San Jose's defensive coordinator as a consultant... then BSU would be in *big* trouble.
I'm still trying to figure out how the computers have Rutgers ahead of Ohio State. I mean, we have a lot of comparable wins... but Rutgers has an I-AA team on its schedule, and has still only played 9 games to OSU's 11. I don't get it.
Edit: I just looked, and OSU's opponents are a combined 55-62, while RU's I-A opponents are 42-37 (all opponents combine to 46-43). I guess that swings the computers?
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Well, bugger. Forgot about that "only two teams" garbage.
Aren't there only two conferences where that would be an issue anyway? Most of the other BCS conferences have a championship game, which almost necessarily prohibits a national 1-2 ranking within the conference.
*kicks Michigan for being so darn good*
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quote:Originally posted by Frisco: And Colt McCoy had better be healthy by the Fiesta Bowl, so when BSU beats them, they can't come up with an excuse as to why.
If Colt McCoy can go for the rest of season. He'll win the rest of the games and BSU won't stand a chance. If he isn't they'll probably lose another game and be out of it unless they can win the B12 Championship.
And I have a feeling Dame's gonna give USC their second loss. Michigan will beat OSU. Florida will lose to Western Carolina (sorry it's a dream of mine! ) And I'm pretty sure Arkansas will get taken out by LSU. Hey it could all happen. Posts: 871 | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:If Colt McCoy can go for the rest of season. He'll win the rest of the games and BSU won't stand a chance. If he isn't they'll probably lose another game and be out of it unless they can win the B12 Championship.
What did Colt McCoy have to do with giving up 45 points to KSU (who, up to that game, had logged 15 points/game and a single win over opponents with a winning record)? What will the Texas D do against a real offense--one not led by a freshman QB who completes 50% of his passes?
BSU doesn't go to the ground game because of necessity. Jared Zebransky's more than capable of firing off a 300+ yard game, as he's proved in his 4-year career (30-5 as a starter) at BSU. Two years ago, pre-Ian Johnson, he threw for almost 3000 yards with an average of 9 yards/pass, second best average among the top 20 QBs that year--right behind #1 draft pick Alex Smith.
BSU is going to take Texas's #117 rated pass defense for the ride of its life. If Colt McCoy's healthy, he may be able to do the same to BSU (#78 pass defense). If so, it's going to be close.
I almost think having Ian Johnson sit out (partially collapsed lung in last week's game) next week at home against Utah State will help BSU prepare for either Texas or Nebraska (a similarly horrible pass defense ranking-#107).
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If by 16 you mean 69, you're absolutely correct. Of course, K-State averages only 123 yards/game on the ground, anyway, while BSU averages 227.
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16 or 69, its still a rediculously low number. And 16 was the last graphic i saw during the game. The point was to note that it was done all through the air, even when Kansas state wasnt even dedicated to the run, texas then would put more focus on the pass and still ended up losing.
to sum it up texas pass defence=suck
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But you're right. It is pretty telling that they knew what was coming and had the chance to gear their entire defense towards stopping it...but still couldn't.
Nebraska's got the type of balanced offense that's gona give Texas a fit, and A&M isn't too bad in that respect, either. Which disappoints me, because in addition to getting to the BCS, I'd also like for BSU to get a shot at playing a top 10 team.
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Jeff Bowden, son of Bobby, has resigned as offensive coordinator at Florida State.
We've hit rock bottom at Florida State. We've lost every game in our division and got shut out by Wake this weekend. What was once the elite team of the last decade is in the gutter with an inept offense. Hopefully this signals our return to greatness.
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quote:What did Colt McCoy have to do with giving up 45 points to KSU (who, up to that game, had logged 15 points/game and a single win over opponents with a winning record)? What will the Texas D do against a real offense--one not led by a freshman QB who completes 50% of his passes?
A lot actually, moral and spirit play an important role. If he keeps driving them down and scoring KS loses moral and spirit in the game and thing maybe don't go the same as they did. But they could've just as easily scored as much with McCoy in the game. Turnovers is what allowed KS to win the game. There was something like 21 points scored off turnovers in 3.5 minutes of play or something like that. I wasn't able to watch the game cause they showed the wake game instead so I don't know the exact details enough to really comment on it anymore than that.
As for their defense, yeah their secondary isn't the best out there and ranked horribly but they get the job done against much better teams. When they almost lost to Nebraska, I think it was one of the CBs that caused the fumbled that gave them the go ahead score so they do what they need to do to win games. Plus the KS quarterback is pretty good generally speaking from what I hear so he gets a lot of credit for making the great reads and capitalizing on all the UT mistakes.
If Texas beats A&M I am pretty sure they can handle Nebraska. Beyond that if they play BSU remember that Texas has the #2 rush defense in the nation and BSU isn't known for their passing game (not in the top 50 pass offense that I saw) and is big on the running game so it'll be interesting to see how far that ride you were talking about goes. I'm guessing less than 100 yds. on the ground and depending on if the secondary that day less than 250 in the air. Posts: 871 | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Mig: Jeff Bowden, son of Bobby, has resigned as offensive coordinator at Florida State.
Unfortunately it was inevitable because of all the talk about nepotism. Sucks cause he's not bad just hasn't had the best talent to work with lately. Aren't they sort of rebuilding their dynasty anyways?
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whereas i wouldnt think its his fault, or even bobby's for FSU's bad luck, it does have to be rooted somewhere. Watching them play this year i just dont believe they have good players, but then you look at S.Car and Spurrier has a group thats playing better than their what analysts are claiming their talent level is.
Well, im fairly certain that since Jeff is gone, Bobby will follow in a few years, although he may hold out for Joepa to get hit again and be taken out indefinately. I cant imagine who they could hire that would replace him though.
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quote: Beyond that if they play BSU remember that Texas has the #2 rush defense in the nation and BSU isn't known for their passing game
I see you stopped reading my post after the first line.
BSU is known for its passing game. Only this year, Ian Johnson has become a star, so it's taken a backseat to the ground game. Jared Zebransky's a senior (three full seasons as a starter) who threw for almost 3000 yards two years ago and almost 2600 last year, both BI (Before Ian). He's just attempting only 2/3 the number of passes he has either of the previous two seasons because the running game is such a powerhouse. He's more than capable of exploiting a weak pass defense. He's the 13th ranked QB in the nation, and ranks 11th in yards/attempt at 8.6--ahead of one Colt McCoy.
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I'm just hoping Pitt can top WVU tonight in Pittsburgh - backyard brawl and all that. If WVU gets a second loss, that really opens the door for Rutgers to win the Big East.
Granted, we have to get by a very tough Cincy squad this weekend, which will be no walk in the park. They have five losses, but four of them are away games against ranked opponents (#1 OSU, #7 Louisville, #10 WVU, #11 VTech). They're 5-1 at home, outscoring their home opponents by 130-66... and giving up only 9 points in their last two home games. They're also coming off a rough loss at WVU, and Rutgers is coming off a big win at home.
It's practically the definition of a trap game, and it makes me worried. I sure hope we can pull it out. We're only a 6 point favorite. Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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If only Pitt could have played as well in the second half! They were doing great! :sigh:
They just didn't have the defense to hold WVU for that long, and as good as Palko is he couldn't go blow for blow with Slaton and White. I mean, it really was two on one... how fair is that?
It was a good showing for Big East football, though, and a display of what WVU can do - even if they lost to Louisville. I just hope RU can win this weekend. :crosses fingers:
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quote:It was a good showing for Big East football, though, and a display of what WVU can do
What, beat the same defense that gave up 46 points 5 days ago to the University of "They have a football team?" Connecticut?
Pitt's DEs and LBs looked like they'd never even watched video of an option offense in their lives, let alone played against one.
More and more, I'm thinking Rutgers is going to "upset" WVU. All it takes to score on them is a QB with two functional arms.
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Well, to be fair, 14 of those 46 points were scored in overtime, and Connecticut is not actually as bad as all that. They have a freshman RB named Donald Brown who's just lighting up the field right now - but he's only started playing the last two games since their starter got hurt.
Pitt's defensive line is porous, admittedly. Their offensive line is mostly freshmen, too, which is how Rutgers got to abuse Palko all game.
It really seems that the defense of the league has fallen to Cincy and Rutgers, while the offense has fallen to Louisville, WVU, and Pitt.
The thing that bothers me about WVU is that, although they're sloppy and screw up 3 out of 4 plays, the plays they make are *huge*. White and Slaton are both phenomenal athletes who often do better when plays break down then when they go as planned. And they're both only sophomores.
The trick is staying consistent, forcing White to pitch the ball on the option, and keeping Slaton in check. It's not easy, because they're both freakish athletes, but if you can contain those two guys, the rest of the team can't beat you.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves - Rutgers has to get by Cincy, which will not be a walk in the park. Arguably, though, we could lose to Cincy and still win the Big East if we beat Cuse and WVU. Not that I'm advocating that route, of course.
Edit: As an aside, Rutgers has a QB with two functional arms - he's actually very good - it's just receivers that I worry about. Then again, by WVU, our senior WR who broke his ankle will be back, which should help.
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Well, I wouldn't say very good. He's the 89th rated QB in the country, with a 53% completion percentage (98th) and 7 TDs to go with his 9 INTs. That can't all be because of dropped passes and bad routes.
But still, he should be able to do better-than-usual damage against the WVU secondary and pass rush.
Hopefully that'll be enough, because he's not exactly mobile enough to do any damage with his legs.
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He is very good, but he's also a sophomore with all freshman/sophomore receivers. He's 34-1 in career starts between high school and college, and his only loss was at Louisville last year (where we got plastered).
There are at least four touchdown passes I can distinctly remember that were just plain dropped, and a couple of the interceptions were good passes the receiver just couldn't pull in and were tipped. On top of this, there are at least four or five easy catches the receivers drop in each game. Most of the routes are sound, they just aren't holding onto the ball.
Our starting receivers have a total of less than 15 starts between them. Freshman Kenny Britt, Sophomore Tiquan Underwood, and Redshirt Freshman Dennis Campbell are all very talented, they just haven't gotten a lot of game reps. Add to that the fact that our offense runs the ball *way* more than it throws, and they don't get so many touches in game scenarios.
All our veterans were hurt early in the season (two before the season began), and they've been forced to turn to raw, inexperienced talent.
While a lot of Rutgers fans are very critical of Teel's performance, and a lot of defensive plans are designed to force him to throw the ball, I'm not one to jump on the guy. He's very good - he was considered one of the nation's 50 best players coming out of high school (23-0 and two state championships as a starter), and was highly recruited by Penn St, BC, Maryland and Virginia.
I've got confidence in him - and I'm slowly gaining confidence in our receivers, Britt in particular. They just need to mature a bit and get some experience.
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Boise's swiss cheese pass defense vs. ND's porous run defense.
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Florida did everything they could to give that game away.![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
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