Week 3 was the last real bastion of cupcake games and the beginning of conference play. When SEC plays SEC, you know one team is going to come away happy and the other will have a bit of a snippy attitude.
SEC vs SEC
Florida beats Tennessee on a last second Hail Mary, 26-20. Butch Jones awards the Vols 'Participation Trophies'. pic.twitter.com/OAXXqCsbfm
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) September 16, 2017
Florida 26 Tennessee 20
As I am sure you recall from last October, Tennessee had a @miracle@ Hail Mary touchdown to defeat UGA who had scored the go-ahead points only seconds before. Well, Lady Karma just cashed in her debt and collected on the Vols with a Gators win in the same fashion. This game was a true Derp-fest and it made sense that the game should end on such a elementary defensive gaffe. Both teams had 3 turnovers apiece and they combined for 15 penalties. At the end of three quarters, it was a 6-3 Gators lead marred by 3-and-outs, turnovers, and missed field goals. It is moments like this late in games when a defense could use a little Coach Cochran in their lives. Too bad...
[Ed. note: For those of you wondering what @this@ means, that is sarcasm.]
Mississippi State 37 LSU 7
This was a pretty close game... for about a quarter and a half. Seriously! The first five possessions ended in punts before both teams scored touchdowns on near-identical 8 plays and 65 yards drives. And then Coach O prep kicked in. LSU had some blown coverages, missed assignments and penalties galore that put them behind the 8-ball that they could not escape. Donnie Alexander and Neil Farrell were both ejected in the third quarter for targeting on the Bullies QB Nick Fitzgerald. The second of these got MSU out of a big hole and led to a 27-7 lead that took the air out of LSU’s sails. The Bayou Bengals pretty much quit at this point.
This biggest shocker is that MSU running back Aeris Williams (23-146) actually outrushed QB Nick Fitzgerald (14-88). Derrius Guide (15-76) and the other Tigers rushers did not do much of anything, compiling 133 yards, while Danny Etling could manage only 137 yards through the air. If there is a silver lining to the game for LSU, it is that they did not turn the ball over.
Kentucky 23 South Carolina 13
Sacaralina gonna Sacaralina, ya know? After an impressive win over NC State at a neutral site (Charlotte) and a big road win at Mizzou, the Gamecocks finally made their home debut with a good chance of starting the season 3-0 for the first time since 2012. Instead, SC fell flat on their faces. The game started out well enough for the home team as they scored a 68-yard TD on the first play from scrimmage on a Jake Bentley pass to Deebo Samuel (five catches for 122 yards and his sixth touchdown of the season). Two plays later, SC got a pick that set them up on the UK 35 but then missed field goal. They got the ball right back on a UK fumble in their own territory but Bentley threw an interception a few plays later.
The rushing of the 'Cats RB Benny Snell was the big difference in the game as he grounded out 102 yards and two TDs. SC missed three field goals and an extra point. However, two of the kick attempts were from over 50 yards. Blame Will Muschamp. He has to know the limitations of his kickers. To add insult to injury (or maybe injury to insult), the Gamecocks lost their Mr. Everything Deebo Samuel to a broken leg (above). Samuel’s season is done and so may any fantasy SC had about getting to Atlanta in December.
P5 vs P5
Clemson 47 Louisville 21 - Lamar Jackson did not have any TV magic this time around against a stout Tigers defense. The reigning Heisman winner finished 21 of 42 passing for 317 yards, 3 TD, and 1 pick. However, two of the touchdowns and 204 yards came after the score was 33-7 and the Tigers began substituting. Clemson QB Kelly Bryant finally put in a worthy passing effort completing 22 of 32 for 316 yards and a TD, plus two rushing scores.
Detractors of the Tigers (me included) have doubted the completeness of this team due to their lack of offensive production. Some of those former detractors are now impressed but I remain skeptical. The numbers look good but they came against a defense that gives up 36.7 ppg (116th in FBS). Clearly, this is a one-game season for Clemson when they face FSU on Nov. 11.
Southern Cal 27 Texas 24 (2 OT) - Are the Trojans overrated or are the Longhorns underrated? One thing for certain, So Cal did not deserve the number 4 ranking they held last week. This was a back and forth hard-hitting affair that all came down to a late mistake by a freshman quarterback having the game of his life. Texas took the lead with 45 ticks remaining but could not keep the Trojans from driving into field goal range and connecting from 31 yards to send the game into overtime. Both teams scored easily in the first extra frame. However, Texas QB Sam Ehlinger was stripped of the ball at the goal line in the second OT and So Cal converted a field goal to escape with a win.
Although they lost, Tejas put up a good effort and many of their fans were encouraged. Yes, this is what it has come to in Austin: moral victories.
Cal 27 Ole Miss 16 - Everything was going hunky-dory for awhile for the Rebs on the Left Coast. OM took a 16-7 lead into the 3rd quarter before the wheels began to fall off. The Rebels failed to score over the final 43 minutes, while the Bears had their way scoring 20 unanswered points. First time head coach Justin Wilcox has Cal at a surprising 3-0 record. He is a name to keep your eye on.
Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson had big passing numbers but the biggest might have been the three interceptions thrown. He is averaging 41 attempts per game. Rebels running back have attempted only 53 rushes (17.7 per game) all season! Ya think Matt Luke is relying on the passing game a little too much?
Wide receiver A.J. Brown left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Placekicker Gary Wunderlich injured himself during a missed PAT (I bet they wish they had Andy Pappanastos right about now).
Vanderbilt 14 Kansas State 7 - This is how the Commodores win football games: tough defense and keeping mistakes to a minimum. 18th ranked K-State had a chance to tie it up but could not convert a fourth down with 52 ticks at the VU 13 yard line. Vandy has allowed only 13 points this season.
Oklahoma State 59 Pitt 21 - The Cowpokes’ Mason Rudolph finished 23-32, 497 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT. However, OSU had only 104 yards rushing. This offensive strategy of everyone-go-long could be a problem against conference foes. The first test begins Saturday against TCU. OSU is favored by 13. I am tempted to take the underdog.
SEC vs CUPCAKES
Alabama 41 Colorado State 23 - CSU scored 13 fourth quarter points against the Bama scrubs to make this look closer than it was. The Tide has not lost a regular season game since two years ago today.
Texas A&M 45 La-Laf 21 - More struggles for the Aggies. TAMU scored first but then allowed 21 second quarter points to the Ragin' Cajuns. The second half was all Texas A&M but there are still major issues in College Station.
Auburn 24 Mercer 10 - Speaking of struggles, the Tigers put forth a sloppy lackluster effort against this FCS foe who is only in their fifth year of modern era football (Mercer dropped football in 1941). Auburn lost four fumbles by four different players and Jarrett Heisman Stidham threw a pick. Stidham was an efficient 32 of 37 passing but oddly had no passing scores.
Purdue A lot Missouri Not much - I said it when they hired him and I’ve repeated my mantra that hiring Barry Odom was a big mistake. Odom has no business being a head coach at the SEC level. The Tigers were outclassed in every phase of the game. I won’t give you all the stats but here are a couple: Purdue first downs 26, Mizzery 10; PU time of possession 43:43, UM 16:17; Rushing 205 to 70.
Georgia Who cares? Samford Nobody - UGA beat up on Bobby Bowden's alma mater like they should have.
LOL
Duke 34 Baylor 20 - another W for Karma. The Dukies are 3-0 and may hold their fans attention a smidge longer.
THE DESMOND HOWARD JINX
The ESPN blabbermouth picked Stanford, Georgia, Wisconsin, Miami, and Okie State to win their conferences. One down, four to go.
- San Diego State 20 Stanford 17 - And that should just about do it for the the Trees (1-2).
- Georgia - wait for it.
- Wisconsin - wait for it.
- Miami - wait for it.
- Okie State - wait for it.
IRMA 3 Lame Sunshine State ADs 0
Full flight operations at Miami International Airport by all airlines were back this past weekend. Delta was already back in full operation by last Tuesday. I don’t know why Miami and FIU could not make these games work.
Miami at Florida State - postponed due to the Canes’ inability to get to Tallahassee - TIN FOIL HAT CONSPIRACY THEORY ALERT! Leading Miami receiver Ahmmon Richards suffered a hamstring injury just before the season began. He missed the opener against Bethune Cookman. Ya think the ‘U’ would like him to heal a little before facing the ‘Noles? The sophomore had 49 catches for 934 and 3 TDs a season ago and earned Freshman All-American honors.
Florida International at Indiana - cancelled. Weenies.
Georgia Tech at UCF - cancelled - I have a hard time believing Orlando couldn’t handle this game this past Saturday.
To continue my diatribe from last week... in the same time it took some lazy overpaid ADs to rubber stamp cancellations of a games, Indiana and Charleston Southern were able to put their noggins together and schedule to play each other on on the first Saturday in October due to lost games due to Irma. Both teams had a bye that same weekend. CSU was supposed to play South Carolina State in Orangeburg, South Carolina, who foolishly cancelled. Meanwhile on the same day, Citadel and Presbyterian were able to play their game about 100 miles away with no problem. Indy lost their game because FIU felt they couldn’t travel to Bloomington this past weekend. M-kay...
BAMA STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Crimson Tide don’t need no strength of schedule (SOS) on their side this season! Just keep winning.
- FSU (0-1) Miami cancelled on them. Up next, NC State.
- Colorado State (2-2) The Rams head to Hawaii. Well, that doesn’t suck.
- Fresno (1-2) was routed by Washington 48-16. They host Nevada on Saturday. Say ‘hi’ to David Cornwell.
- Mercer (1-2) put up a good fight but fell to Aubie. Next: at ETSU.
ADOPT-A-TEAM
- Haven’t I been telling you all about San Diego State? The Aztecs are now 2-0 in the Pac 12 (wins vs Arizona State and Stanford). Rashaad Penny @had an off-week@ putting up @only@ 175 rushing yards - his lowest output of the season. The SDSU defense held Cardinal QB Keller Chryst to 9 of 20 passing for 72 yards, 0 TD, and 2 INT. Stanford had a paltry 8 first downs and 3 turnovers versus 21 and 0 for the victors. The ‘Tecs (as we cool kids call them), kickoff against Air Force at 6pm/7pm on CBSSN.
- Also, keep an eye on Memphis. They have a good chance at running the table.
COUSINS
We all know who little brother is. These guys are more like cousins that you hang out with on holidays.
- South Alabama (1-2) After two games against Power 5 teams, the Jags found their way into the win column against Alabama A&M 45-0. Next, Idaho comes to town. (Who’s da ho?)
- Troy (2-1) won at New Mexico State 27-24 ending the game on a grueling 11 play, 56 yard drive that ran off the final 6:15 of the game. Up next, the Akron Zips coached by Terry “Spanky” Bowden!
.@UAB_FB leads Coastal Carolina 16-5 after 1st half at Legion Field. Great defensive performance!#UAB #Blazers #TheReturn pic.twitter.com/9XIWfWa9bJ
— Tim Melton (@MeltonTalks) September 16, 2017
STEP-BROTHER
UAB beat Coastal Carolina 30-23. Both fans are overjoyed. If you are one of those annoying little Blazers fans who whined and moaned about losing your team, you are pathetic. Where are you now? A perfectly beautiful day and you are nowhere to be found.
D-Bag of the Week
NEWSFLASH! It’s James Franklin.
Penn State had a 56-0 lead with 11 seconds remaining against visiting Georgia State on Saturday. The Panthers who lost to Tennessee State in Week 1 found themselves with an opportunity to get on the scoreboard on a 31-yard field goal attempt. The kick was true but Franklin timed it perfectly to call timeout just before the snap. Clearly, he was trying to ice the kicker. Of course the poor GSU kid missed the ensuing attempt, preserving the shutout for Penn State.
Some of you may say, “hey, he is just being competitive.” Or maybe some B.S. about “he is trying to get into the playoffs.” To that I ask: What Would Saban Do?
Witness the douchebaggery here. Please send all your bad vibes his way.
The FAU! PSUCK Report
FAU! beat up on Bethune Cookman, so let’s talk about Penn State for a minute here.
As you can see above, they are led by an unsportsmanlike Grade-A jerk. Last week, he threw some heavy shade Pitt’s way. Franklin would cut block an old lady if it meant he could get to the Tater-Tot bar at Golden Corral two seconds sooner.
Put aside the whole Paterno-gate and the way their defiant fans acted towards it all for a minute. For some reason, the press is just in love with this team. Cuz ya know, THEY WON THE BIG TEN LAST YEAR BUT WASN’T INVITED TO THE PROM!!! They also lost the Rose Bowl to the same team Alabama beat 52-6, but that was last year. Let’s focus on 2017.
Week 1: the Nittany Lions beat Akron 52-0 at home. Pretty impressive, huh? Not when you consider that pissant Iowa State beat them too, but in Akron, 41-14.
Week 2: they defeated Pitt to the tune of 33-14 at home. Beat a top ACC team, right? Wrong. These Panthers are a shell of what they were the last two seasons. A big reason is they lost OC Matt Canada to LSU. Plus, they lost a lot of talent to the NFL (5 draft picks). To prove the point, Oklahoma State just housed them in Pittsburgh 59-21 on 676 yards. PSU managed only 342 against Pitt.
And you all know what happened Week 3. The fourth ranked N-Lions finally leave the friendly confines of Happy Valley for the cornfields of Iowa (3-0) this week. Come ON, Chaos!
SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS
- Air Force (1-1) - The Falcons gave Michigan a tough game but lost 29-13. The Wolverines led 16-13 late into the third quarter but finally overtook the smaller team. Up next is a tough one for air Force: San Diego State.
- Army (2-1) - The Black Knights lost at an Ohio State 38-7. They now travel to Tulane (1-2).
- Navy (2-0) - The Midshipmen had no game this weekend as they prep for Cincinnati’s arrival in Annapolis.
ELIMINATED
All non-Power 5 teams
Stanford - KO’d by Sand Diego State!
Tejas - two losses
UCLA - any team that loses to Memphis (no offense Tigers) isn't going to the playoffs
Nebraska - NIU? Really?
South Carolina - home loss to UK
Mizzou
Pitt
Arizona
Arizona State
Baylor
Boston College
BYU
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa State
Kansas
North Carolina
Northwestern
Oregon State
Purdue
Rutgers
Syracuse
Virginia
AND... Ole Miss
THE CONTENDERS
A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:
- ACC - Clemson with FSU fading if they ever play a second game.
- Big Ten - Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan all still breathing. Ohio State hanging on.
- Big 12 - Okie and Okie State. The K-State dark horse was put out of its misery.
- PAC-12 - Southern Cal, Washington, Oregon?
- SEC - Alabama followed by UGA. Auburn and Florida are not looking strong.
LSUis likely out. -
Indies-Notre Dame,BYU- #LoLNope
FINAL FOUR
Flapping gums are fixating on the following:
- The talk is all about Clemson for beating @superpowers@ Aubie and Ville.
- Alabama is second, but it doesn’t matter as long as you are in the top 4, right?
- Oklahoma is the new cute girl at school everyone wants to be friends with.
- Penn State is a tenuous #4. BAD VIBES, Y’ALL!
The playoff games are in Pasadena and New Orleans with the final game in the new Bryant Denny East.
Krazy Kristi's "SHUT UP!" of the Week goes to Josh Rosen. This guy has all the talent in the world but he makes some really stupid decision with his arm and mouth at times.
STAT OF THE DAY
Against Purdue, Mizzou punter Corey Fatony was called into service 9 times. He had only 6 punts in the first two games combined.
RTDB! ...OR NOT
Rank | Team | G | Att | Yards | Avg. | TD | Att/G | Yards/G |
115 | South Carolina | 3 | 81 | 257 | 3.17 | 3 | 27.0 | 85.67 |
123 | Mississippi | 3 | 76 | 209 | 2.75 | 2 | 25.33 | 69.67 |
126 | Florida | 2 | 56 | 179 | 3.2 | 0 | 28.0 | 89.5 |
HEISMAN HYPE
With the exception of TWO YEARS, the Heisman Trophy voting is basically a hype award. Last year was yet another exhibit of the voters falling in love with someone way too early. That being the case, we'll bring you "Who Will Win" and "Who Should Win".
- Who Will Win -
Lamar Jackson (QB Louisville) I have an interesting story. On Saturday afternoon, I tweeted “It's going to be hard to root for Clempson but Lawd! I am so sick of hearing about how wonderful Lamar Jackson is.” A few minutes later, Jackson Liked my Tweet. Now, I did not @ link him nor do we follow each other. So, he is doing a search for his own name on Twitter just a couple of hours before Louisville’s kickoff with Clemson. Ya think maybe he should’ve been thinking about the game instead of what people are saying about him on Twitter? Jackson may have blown any fleeting chance he had at a repeat.
Baker Mayfield (QB Oklahoma) The Sooners were never really challenged by the Tulane Green Wave. The best Mayfield can hope for in a game like this is NOT getting noticed.
Mason Rudolph (QB Oklahoma State) The Cowboys QB has some really good wide receivers on the other side of his passes making him look good. Not to say that he won’t be playing Sundays someday, but this receiving corp could make Jarrett Stidham look like a Heisman candidate. That said, his candidacy may depend on the Oklahoma game.
Sam Darnold (QB Southern Cal) Honestly, some of these sports writers are absolute idiots. I am guessing most of these guys have an early beddy-bye time so that they can get up early and catch the neighbor’s dog deucing on their front lawn, because proclaiming Darnold back in the Heisman race indicates that you did not watch the game. More likely, they watched the 2-minute ESPN recap and rubber stamped their ballots.
Saquon Barkley - Stats against a ridiculous excuse for a FBS team don’t count. - Who Should Win - Have I told you about this guy Rashaad Penny? The San Diego State running back is legit! In three games (UC-Davis, Arizona State, Stanford), he already has 588 yards rushing and has scored six touchdowns via rushing, passing, and kickoff return. He has more rushing yards than 91 of the 130 FBS teams.
THE SICK REPORT
- Right after making his first reception of the season Alabama tight end Miller Forristall came down awkwardly on his knee and tore his ACL. He is out for the year.
- Ole Miss’ best wide receiver A.J. Brown (sprained MCL) and placekicker Gary Wunderlich (hamstring) both suffered injuries against Cal. Both players hope to be ready for the team's game against Alabama on Sept. 30.
- Auburn lost their right tackle Darius James to a neck injury and left the Mercer game on a cart. However, he was back at practice but did not participate. His condition is shrouded in mystery.
- Deebo Samuel’s season is over (broken leg) and so is the Gamecocks’ season. He was their Mr. Everything.
- Tennessee senior linebacker Cortez McDowell sustained what appears to be a serious wrist injury that could keep him out an extended amount of time. This is a big blow for the Vols who are already thin at linebacker with Quart’e Sapp, Darrin Kirkland, and Austin Smith all on the shelf.
- Southern Cal coach Clay Helton said OLB Porter Gustin's surgically repaired broken toe flared up and they also fear he has a torn bicep.
- Reportedly, New Mexico head coach Bob Davie is under investigation for alleged player mistreatment. Davie is currently in his sixth season with the Lobos, with whom he holds a 28-38 record as head coach. His team made it to back-to-back New Mexico Bowl appearances in 2015 and 2016, beating UTSA last year, 23-20. Prior to landing at New Mexico, he was the head coach at Notre Dame from 1997-2001.
Below are just the highlights for games this weekend. If you want to know the game time of Western Illinois-Coastal Carolina, you should probably look elsewhere.
Thursday, Sept 21:
Temple at South Florida 6:30/7:30 ESPN - The first two episodes were meh but I will give The Orville one more shot.
Friday, Sept 22:
Virginia at Boise 7pm/8pm ESPN2 - too much orange.
Utah at Arizona 9:30/10:30 FS1 - Watch RichRod’s head coaching career slowly creep to an end.
Saturday, Sept 23:
SEC:
UMass at Tennessee 11am/noon SECN - For masochist only.
Texas A&M vs Arkansas 11am/noon (Arlington, TX) ESPN - If a trainwreck bound for Arlington leaves College Station at 9:22am and another trainwreck leaves Fayetteville at 2:47am, how can one trainwreck actually be declared a winner?
Louisiana Tech at South Carolina 2:30/3:30 SECN - SC needs to get over their loss to UK pretty quick because this is a loseable game.
Mississippi State at Georgia 6pm/7pm ESPN - Are the Bulldogs a little too full of themselves right now? (Yes, I know what I did there)
Syracuse at LSU 6pm/7pm ESPN2 - Time to regroup.
Auburn at Mizzou 6:30/7:30 ESPNU - relegated to the ESPNU. Nice.
Florida at Kentucky 6:30/7:30 SECN - Suddenly, a big game in deciding the SEC East.
Best of the Rest:
NC State at Florida State 11am/noon ABC - Well, well, well. Look who’s back for Game #2. It seems so long ago that Bama beat the Noles. Ya think they are ready to hit someone?
Penn State at Iowa 6:30/7:30 ABC - MOJO!
During Commercials:
Southern Cal at Northern Cal 2:30/3:30 ABC - This could get interesting.
TCU at Oklahoma State 2:30/3:30 ESPN
Michigan at Purdue 3pm/4pm FOX
Insomnia?
Washington at Colorado 9pm/10pm PM FS1 – two undefeateds.
Hawaii at Wyoming 9:15/10:15 PM ESPN2 – Not sure why everyone is so gaga over the Cowboys QB. Watch and report back to me. I think he is mediocre at best.
UCLA at Stanford 9:30/10:30 PM ESPN – Someone's season is about to go down the drain.
#ALABAMA
GAME 4 at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN
ALABAMA at Vanderbilt Saturday, September 23, 2017, 2:30/3:30 CBS - BRAD NESSLER, YAY! and... ugh Gary.
Bama enters league play against a tough Vandy team with a chip on their shoulder.
Peace and blessings to you all!
#RollTide!
Poll
Mississippi State at Georgia?
This poll is closed
-
20%
MSU by 7 or more.
-
24%
MSU by 7 or less.
-
42%
UGA by 7 or less.
-
12%
UGA by 7 or more.