utah should be giving not oregon. there is tuna in the houseI was on Purdue this saturday night, until I see something out of their defense I will play against the Ducks
You say the offense will eventually gel, and you are closer to the situation then I am....
and no I meant the Spartan is indeed underrated but I dont think many have them on any map...
But what most saw is the Utes could only put up said amount of points
I had the Utes and the end of that game was fishy
Utes defense is undervalued as well IMO
Couple games no one has spoken about
Cal @ Minny
Looks like HC Tedford is going to spend a couple extra bucks and have his team fly out Thursday afternoon and practice Thursday night and Friday Day to get his team ready for the 9AM PST kick (12 EST). Hoping to prevent another ambush similar to Maryland roadie. Minny unable to stop the run and was dominated on the clock by AFA LW. Still trying to figure out how AFA did not cover in this game. If they don't stop the Cal run game KRiley is a much better passer than Jefferson from AFA and has far superior weapons. But it's Cal on the road and they are laying DDs
ULMonroe @ ASU -17
Don't laugh but this is pretty tough spot for Devils off bye week with trip to UGA on deck. UL Monroe has some athletes and has won at Alabama a couple years ago and last year Arkansas had to come from behind late to win by 1 on the road so SunDevil Stadium WILL NOT intimidate them at all. They have some speed at wideout and should be able to protect against the ASU rush and make some plays. Hoping this goes up a bit but really taking look at Monroe in this one.
Haw @ UNLV -7
Finally I think Hawaii might be in a really bad spot on trip to Vegas. UNLV is getting better and BU QB can throw the ball a bit. I don't see Hawaii being as good as the numbers looked v Wazzu. Wazzu might not be able to beat my HS team right now...as a matter of fact, there are several HS teams in the Dallas area that would be laying points to the Coogs. WSU had 7 TO's and Hawaii kicked in with 5 of their own along with 12 penalties. Hawaii tendencies are to play bad on the mainland and with this being the second game, I see a huge dud here for the Bows. Think Rebels get the $$ in this one. I dont think there is a huge drop is Claussen gets the start at QB
Thoughts
WinOne!!
Cal @ Minny
Looks like HC Tedford is going to spend a couple extra bucks and have his team fly out Thursday afternoon and practice Thursday night and Friday Day to get his team ready for the 9AM PST kick (12 EST). Hoping to prevent another ambush similar to Maryland roadie. Minny unable to stop the run and was dominated on the clock by AFA LW. Still trying to figure out how AFA did not cover in this game. If they don't stop the Cal run game KRiley is a much better passer than Jefferson from AFA and has far superior weapons. But it's Cal on the road and they are laying DDs
ULMonroe @ ASU -17
Don't laugh but this is pretty tough spot for Devils off bye week with trip to UGA on deck. UL Monroe has some athletes and has won at Alabama a couple years ago and last year Arkansas had to come from behind late to win by 1 on the road so SunDevil Stadium WILL NOT intimidate them at all. They have some speed at wideout and should be able to protect against the ASU rush and make some plays. Hoping this goes up a bit but really taking look at Monroe in this one.
Haw @ UNLV -7
Finally I think Hawaii might be in a really bad spot on trip to Vegas. UNLV is getting better and BU QB can throw the ball a bit. I don't see Hawaii being as good as the numbers looked v Wazzu. Wazzu might not be able to beat my HS team right now...as a matter of fact, there are several HS teams in the Dallas area that would be laying points to the Coogs. WSU had 7 TO's and Hawaii kicked in with 5 of their own along with 12 penalties. Hawaii tendencies are to play bad on the mainland and with this being the second game, I see a huge dud here for the Bows. Think Rebels get the $$ in this one. I dont think there is a huge drop is Claussen gets the start at QB
Thoughts
WinOne!!
Sorry for being out of touch the last few days,I didn't have a choice in the matter, but here is the latest news on USC with the game they have vs. Washington in Seattle this week.
* Matt Barkley did not throw this afternoon. He tried to throw this morning but said there was too much pain. He couldn't get his shoulder to make the throwing motion.
* Aaron Corp took vast majority of first team snaps and looked good. He scrambled a few times. Threw nice passes to Damian Williams and Blake Ayles. Was picked by Josh Pinkard. Was asked after practice if he is ready to go, he said "I was ready to go last week, I was ready to go two weeks ago".
* Taylor Mays did not practice because he didn't have a brace yet for his knee but it arrived shortly after practice. He will try to practice tomorrow while wearing the brace. Said the knee is stiff, he wouldn't have been able to play if a game was today.
* PC gave no time frames for a decision on either Barkley or Mays playing.
* Drew McAllister practiced today and would move into #2 safety spot if Taylor cannot go.
* MArshall Jones flipped back to safety today and he could play at either corner or safety on Saturday. With travel roster restrictions, MArshall gives good flexibility.
* Matt Barkley did not throw this afternoon. He tried to throw this morning but said there was too much pain. He couldn't get his shoulder to make the throwing motion.
* Aaron Corp took vast majority of first team snaps and looked good. He scrambled a few times. Threw nice passes to Damian Williams and Blake Ayles. Was picked by Josh Pinkard. Was asked after practice if he is ready to go, he said "I was ready to go last week, I was ready to go two weeks ago".
* Taylor Mays did not practice because he didn't have a brace yet for his knee but it arrived shortly after practice. He will try to practice tomorrow while wearing the brace. Said the knee is stiff, he wouldn't have been able to play if a game was today.
* PC gave no time frames for a decision on either Barkley or Mays playing.
* Drew McAllister practiced today and would move into #2 safety spot if Taylor cannot go.
* MArshall Jones flipped back to safety today and he could play at either corner or safety on Saturday. With travel roster restrictions, MArshall gives good flexibility.
The over looks easy but I'm suspicious.
I think the Beaver D will be the deciding factor. UC has racked up the points but SEMO gives away 50+ to a BCS team every year. They've won just 7 games in 2 years. Maybe everyone is putting too much on UC's big win over them. Same kind of opponent in W1. The Beaver D is the first real test for Pike and his O this year. We'll see how good they really are after this week.
Also I'd just like to point out that in Corvallis, nobody stops the Rogers bros. I think UC's defense has a tougher task than OSU's does in that respect. I'm just not 100% sold on Pike vs a Beaver D that sneaks up on people, especially in their own house.
But it's like I was saying, this one will come down to how well the Beaver D performs. If they can't slow down Pike and his passing game well enough, Cincy may score too often and make it very difficult for the Beavers to stay on the ground and control the tempo of the game. Canfield might suprise but that's a harder task for them than for JR + JR to keep a lid on things for the Beav.
But it's like I was saying, this one will come down to how well the Beaver D performs. If they can't slow down Pike and his passing game well enough, Cincy may score too often and make it very difficult for the Beavers to stay on the ground and control the tempo of the game. Canfield might suprise but that's a harder task for them than for JR + JR to keep a lid on things for the Beav.
...and, I'd really really like to bet on Stoops defense this week @Iowa with most of a TD, but without Gronk I'm having a tough time pulling the trigger. I feel a lot safer going under here than relying on what's left of Zona's offense to keep within a TD (in a Gronkless sense.)
Wish I could bet UCLA this week too but the injuries are starting to hit them in the wrong places once again. Dangit. They might be a fade this week but I can't dismiss the fact that Brehaut could move them just as well as the other "Kevin" rookie dude that got his jaw broke playing some of that "smash mouth" football last week. Grrrrr. Too frustrating to call it.
Wish I could bet UCLA this week too but the injuries are starting to hit them in the wrong places once again. Dangit. They might be a fade this week but I can't dismiss the fact that Brehaut could move them just as well as the other "Kevin" rookie dude that got his jaw broke playing some of that "smash mouth" football last week. Grrrrr. Too frustrating to call it.
unlv might be the play but say this might be game to stay away from. everyone is saying how bad hawaii is on the road. this is a different hawaii team under coach mack. unlv just better hope hawaii doesn't get off to a fast start. hawaii offense has yet to peak and their defense may be bad against the run but has the bend but don't break attitude
Watched the UNLV/OSU game over the weekend and wasn't very impressed with the Beaver D. Sounds bad - but if Clayton had gotten injured earlier UNLV probably wins that game by a TD+. Don't know how many times Clayton missed open receivers but thats something Pike just isn't going to do. If the Beaver secondary doesn't improve from last Saturday they're going to have to hope the Rodgers brothers have a career weekend...GL on your plays Conan
i dont think brehaut will have any issues. i have a friend who happens to be a HS coach here in so cal and he ran into norm chow some type of function in the offseason. anyway to make a long story short, norm said that brehaut was "his recruit" and basically raved about his potential. well we've seen "norms recruits/players" before havent we
mcmahon
young
detmer
rivers
palmer
leinart
hell, even robbie bosco got off under norm
the kid will be fine
4 more good reasons to lay off UCLA this week
(from ESPN's Pac-10 blog) :
UCLA is making things hard on itself for Kansas State's visit.
Starting cornerback Courtney Viney is among four UCLA players who have been suspended from the Bruins game Saturday against the Wildcats.
Also suspended by coach Rick Neuheisel for violating undisclosed team rules were freshman running back Milton Knox and freshmen wide receivers Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll.
The players will participate in practices during the one-game suspension.
(However the under remains a possible play, but the number isn't so attractive 43½ I believe the last time I checked -- UCLA laying DD's makes it look like a 28-14 type score. That just doesn't ring true to me. I'm thinking perhaps it will look more like UCLA 27-10 but I am not as confident in the Bru's offense with a fresh starter at QB.)
(from ESPN's Pac-10 blog) :
UCLA is making things hard on itself for Kansas State's visit.
Starting cornerback Courtney Viney is among four UCLA players who have been suspended from the Bruins game Saturday against the Wildcats.
Also suspended by coach Rick Neuheisel for violating undisclosed team rules were freshman running back Milton Knox and freshmen wide receivers Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll.
The players will participate in practices during the one-game suspension.
(However the under remains a possible play, but the number isn't so attractive 43½ I believe the last time I checked -- UCLA laying DD's makes it look like a 28-14 type score. That just doesn't ring true to me. I'm thinking perhaps it will look more like UCLA 27-10 but I am not as confident in the Bru's offense with a fresh starter at QB.)
Those last two were two of the recruits that neuheisel took from usc while knox and viney are basically backups who get playing time. vineys new position as starting cb will be filled by a guy who will have more size. i still say this is a nonfactor but hopefully pushes the line to 10
Some disquieting news for Stanford backers... I have no action on them presently but this story most definitely needs some follow up.
(09-15) 20:58 PDT -- The most disquieting part of Stanford's 24-17 loss at Wake Forest was not that the Cardinal didn't score after the intermission. It wasn't that Toby Gerhart had only six carries in the second half or even that the team gave up a long pass play on 3rd-and-long to set up the winning touchdown.
Those were problems, to be sure, but the bigger issue was the defense's failure to pursue aggressively. Wake rushed for 251 yards, and three tailbacks and two receivers accounted for 212 of them, a 6.2 average per carry.
All five had runs of at least 11 yards, but none longer than 19, so the stats weren't inflated by long bursts. In other words, the defense was pierced repeatedly.
"We have to get our guys running to the football," coach Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday. "I think we're tackling better as a defense, but not getting enough bodies to the ball."
There might be lineup changes before Saturday night's home opener against San Jose State, he said. "There's a definite opportunity for guys to get on the field."
One change has already been made, as a result of an injury. Defensive tackle Matt Masifilo will miss about six weeks because of a knee injury, Harbaugh said. Masifilo probably will be replaced in the starting lineup by Sione Fua.
Middle linebacker Clinton Snyder, who had a game-high 13 tackles, said the pursuit fell off in the second half, when Wake had 311 total yards.
"When that happens, whether people are out of their gaps or getting blocked, if you don't have everybody running to the ball, that's when they make big gains," Snyder said.
(09-15) 20:58 PDT -- The most disquieting part of Stanford's 24-17 loss at Wake Forest was not that the Cardinal didn't score after the intermission. It wasn't that Toby Gerhart had only six carries in the second half or even that the team gave up a long pass play on 3rd-and-long to set up the winning touchdown.
Those were problems, to be sure, but the bigger issue was the defense's failure to pursue aggressively. Wake rushed for 251 yards, and three tailbacks and two receivers accounted for 212 of them, a 6.2 average per carry.
All five had runs of at least 11 yards, but none longer than 19, so the stats weren't inflated by long bursts. In other words, the defense was pierced repeatedly.
"We have to get our guys running to the football," coach Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday. "I think we're tackling better as a defense, but not getting enough bodies to the ball."
There might be lineup changes before Saturday night's home opener against San Jose State, he said. "There's a definite opportunity for guys to get on the field."
One change has already been made, as a result of an injury. Defensive tackle Matt Masifilo will miss about six weeks because of a knee injury, Harbaugh said. Masifilo probably will be replaced in the starting lineup by Sione Fua.
Middle linebacker Clinton Snyder, who had a game-high 13 tackles, said the pursuit fell off in the second half, when Wake had 311 total yards.
"When that happens, whether people are out of their gaps or getting blocked, if you don't have everybody running to the ball, that's when they make big gains," Snyder said.
