Hokies fall to 14th in AP Poll

After the 34-24 loss to Alabama in the Georgia Dome Saturday night, the Virginia Tech Hokies fell from seventh to 14th in the AP Top 25 poll. They are one spot behind Oklahoma, who fell from third after losing 14-13 to BYU. 

Week One Power Rankings

I didn't make a preseason power rankings poll, because I'd much rather get at least one look at everybody before I started making up the board. Here is the look after week one.

1.     Florida

The Gators were a huge disappointment this week. They failed to cover the 73-point spread against Charleston Southern, instead only winning 62-3. The Gators won’t be tested until the 19^th against Lane Kiffin and Tennessee.

2.     Texas

Colt McCoy was most impressive in the start to his 2009 Heisman Trophy campaign. He threw for two touchdowns in a 59-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe, but there will be much more more where that came from this season.

3.     USC

The biggest question coming into this game was if true freshmen quarterback Matt Barkley would handle San Jose State’s attacking defense. To say that he proved the doubters wrong would be the understatement of the year.

Barkley went 15-19 for 233 yards and a touchdown in the Trojan’s 56-3 rout of the Spartans. He looked every bit worthy of the hype surrounding him out of high school. The test comes this Saturday night, when the Trojans travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes.

4.     Alabama

It wasn’t quite the woodshed beatdown they laid on the Clemson Tigers in the same game last year, but Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide looked very impressive in a 34-24 victory over Virginia Tech. Alabama’s defense looks just as stout as it did last season, allowing only one scoring drive that started in Virginia Tech territory. They held the Hokies to only 24 points, despite playing on a short field for much of the game.

Greg McElroy looks capable of running a powerful offense, led by Mark Ingram and Julio Jones, who is flat-out uncoverable. After seeing LSU hang on against Washington, and Ole Miss struggle with Memphis, the Tide look like the team to beat in the SEC West.

5.     Oklahoma State

This is my national championship game team (along with Florida), and they made me look smart in game one. The Cowboys welcomed a green Georgia Bulldogs team into Stillwater and sent them home emphatically with a 24-10 win. The best part about the win for Cowboy fans was to see a vastly improved defense under new coordinator Bill Young. It won’t be long before the entire country is jumping on the Cowboy’s bandwagon; at least I can say I was there from the start.

6.     Penn State

Joe Paterno’s squad handled its season-opener against Akron quite easily. The rest of the way, Penn State’s slate might be a bit easier than that of nearby Hershey High School’s. With the easiest schedule in the country, it looks like Daryll Clark will have enough receivers to throw to and Evan Royster will be the best back in the conference. This team looks very much like an 11-1, or maybe even 12-0 squad.

7.     LSU

Don’t be fooled by the score of their visit to Washington. Even though they only beat the Huskies by eight points, they went into a tough environment against a motivated, much improved football team and came out with a hard-fought victory. Jordan Jefferson will be a solid quarterback, perhaps even a dangerous threat by mid-season, and the Tigers will be in the thick of the SEC race.

8.     Ohio State

The collective sigh of relief the came from the Horseshoe after Brian Rolle’s interception on a Navy two-point conversion could be heard as far as Akron. The Buckeyes faced a game Midshipmen team that gave Jim Tressel’s bunch all they could handle. This game should not concern Buckeye fans too much, and in the long run this could prove to be a great test for their beloved team as they run into USC this weekend.

9.     Cal

Anytime you beat an ACC team by forty not named UVA or Duke, you accomplished something. The Golden Bears turned the Terrapins into tadpoles at home Saturday night, winning 52-13. Jahvid Best looks just as his surname would indicate, and his 137 yards on only ten carries make him a legitimate Heisman threat. All it took was two touchdown runs within a minute of one another in the first quarter to show that Best was definitely the top back in the country.

10. Boise State

If it were not for a disgraceful episode after the game where Oregon running back LeGarrete Blount did his best…or maybe worst… Chuck Norris impression, a lot more people would be talking about Boise State as a top-notch football team. Although typically known for a high-powered offense, it was the Bronco’s defense that did not allow the Duck’s offense to make a first down until the second half. If Chris Peterson’s group is that strong defensively, it’s hard to imagine them losing a game the rest of the way.

11. Ole Miss

12. Virginia Tech

13. Oklahoma

14. BYU

15. Notre Dame

16. Tennessee

17. Georgia Tech

18. TCU

19. North Carolina

20. Nebraska

21. Utah

22. Miami

23. Georgia

24. Missouri

25. Florida State

Week one awards…or not so much

The opening week of the college football season has come and gone. This first set of games sets up what should be a fantastic year.

We had upsets, we had epic top-25 battles, and we had injuries to marquee players. Now to give some teams the recognition they deserve (or maybe they don’t?).

Best Game: Ohio State-Navy.

The Buckeyes battled a spirited rally by the Middies, who were within a two-point conversion from tying the game with two minutes to go. Brian Rolle did his best to crush Navy’s hopes, picking off that two-point attempt and returning it for a deuce of the Buckeye’s own.

After Matt Barkley tore apart Dick Tomey’s ultra-confusing defense on Saturday, next week’s showdown in the Horseshoe looks like it might be a little closer than experts thought.

Biggest Statement: The Football Championship Subdivision (former 1-AA)

William and Mary beat Virginia. Richmond beat Duke. Villanova beat an upstart Temple program. Northern Iowa came within two consecutive blocked field goals of taking down Iowa. Southern Illinois blew a late lead, but still only lost to Marshall by three points. Northern Illinois came within eight points of Wisconsin. Massachussets came back and nearly spoiled coach Bill Snyder’s return to the Kansas State sidelines. East Carolina narrowly escaped against Appalchian State. Liberty did more than just scare West Virginia.

The little brother to the FBS stepped up to the challenge last week. Ten years ago, no matter how good the FCS school, or how bad the FBS team, there was still a giant gap between the two divisions.

This exhibit of close losses and even a few upset wins shows the gap has closed tremendously. App. State is no longer the only flag-bearer of the FCS. There are quite a few other teams that can play, too. It will be intriguing to see how the FCS fares against the upper division the rest of this season, and in the future.

Biggest scare: Sam Bradford’s injury

This is slap-me-in-the-face obvious, but hey, they guy is the defending Heisman winner; this is big news. I said before the season that Oklahoma was overrated, and Bradford would not turn defenses to shreds like he did in 2008. However, I was shocked that even without Bradford, Oklahoma could only score 13 points on BYU.

This should scare the Sooner faithful to death. Coach Bob Stoops says Bradford should return in two to four weeks, and he better pray for the quickest of recoveries. If Bradford’s replacement Landry Jones thought BYU’s defense was fast, wait until he sees the Miami Hurricanes in a few weeks. Also, if Jones is still in the lineup when the Sooners meet Texas next month…ugh. The Longhorns will be partying all night long in Dallas if that’s the case.

Biggest Surprise: Greg Paulus’ performance.

Yes, Syracuse lost. But they lost in overtime. This is the same Syracuse program that according to a sarcastic Kirk Herbstreit, “hasn’t won a game in five years.” Paulus played great in his return to the gridiron, throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Yes, his interception in overtime cost the Orange the game. But he proved that he will be good enough to make Syracuse much more relevant this year than in recent memory.

Doug Marrone has to feel pretty good about his football team after game one, and it looks like the ‘Cuse can play some competitive games this season.

Player of the Week: Mark Ingram, Running back for Alabama

Ingram broke just enough big runs in the Tide’s win over Virginia Tech to earn his team the huge opening-week victory. Ingram lined up in the wildcat formation several times throughout the game with mild success.

His two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one on the ground and one through the air, made the difference in the game.

His showing in the Georgia Dome set the stage for him to have a breakout season as the feature back in Nick Saban’s offense; with him the Crimson Tide look as dangerous as anyone in the country.

Team that looked great, but nobody wants to hear it: Notre Dame

They are the team everyone loves to hate. They are college football’s version of the Yankees or Cowboys. Hate them or love them, Notre Dame looks pretty darn good.

Jimmy Clausen looks like he is finally going to live up to the enormous hype surrounding him. The junior third-year starting quarterback for the Irish completed 15 of his 18 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 35-0 romp of Nevada.

When the Irish were ranked 23^rd in the preseason polls, fans across the nation were outraged. How could a team that went 7-6 a year ago, including a late-season to Syracuse, be regarded as one of the better teams in the country?

Well, they are pretty darn talented. Last year, they did not live up to expectations while struggling mightily on the defensive side. Now they have brought in highly regarded coordinator Jon Tenuta, and it looks like he is already making his presence felt in South Bend.

With an extremely talented offense that is also experienced this season, and Tenuta’s improved defense, Notre Dame looks every bit worthy of their preseason ranking, and maybe more.

New coach making the best first impression: Steve Sarkisian, Washington

I almost wanted to give this one to Marrone, but it could not be more obvious how huge the difference Sarkisian has made in Seattle already.

The Huskies, led by Jake Locker, gave perennial SEC contender a run for their money Saturday night, but came up just short. That is probably just fine with Sarkisian, whose troops looked nothing like the team that went winless under lame-duck coach Tyrone Willingham last season.

Washington is on the rise…even if there technically is nowhere to go but up. Sarkisian brings a new attitude with him from USC, where he was the offensive coordinator the last few years. He will recruit well, and he will direct a great offense while he is in town. Husky fans can expect a return to competitiveness sooner rather than later.

(Honorable mention for this award goes to Lane Kiffin. Even if the Volunteers did beat Western Kentucky, the sheer fact that the offense produced 63 points is noteworthy. Maybe Florida won’t be able to beat Kiffin’s bunch by 70 after all).

Note: the FSU-Miami game has not ended as of yet…and right now in the fourth quarter it looks like this might be the game of the week instead. Great game, making up for the terrible weekend the ACC endured.

 

Five things to take from Bama-Tech

Sorry, I just made it back from a weekend in Atlanta. I had a great time with my boys, spent the day tailgating, and even made it onto College Gameday!

Virginia Tech fell to Alabama 34-24. It was a hard-fought game, and very exciting. Both factions of fans were out in full force, and the game carried more of a New Year’s Day bowl environment.

24 hours later, here are the five things I am taking from this game.

1.     Greg McElroy is a big-time player.

The first-year starter for the Crimson Tide showed tremendous poise in this game, going 15-30 for 230 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. He was under pressure from the Hokies’ defense on every possession, and he took quite a few heavy blows.

Several times the Tech defense would strike McElroy to the ground as he was throwing the ball. The Hokies came up with two sacks in the game, and their pressure forced one interception, when McElroy was crushed during his throw, lofting the ball in the air for an easy interception by Antoine Hopkins. That interception set up a Matt Waldron field goal.

After that interception, McElroy did a great job avoiding sacks and making accurate throws.

Three plays stand out to show McElroy’s in-game maturation. On third down in the fourth quarter, McElroy threw a perfect pass across the middle to Julio Jones that would have moved the chains had the All-American receiver not dropped the perfect throw. It was the great accuracy in a tough situation with a three-point lead that was most impressive.

The next play was his two-point conversion completion to Colin Peek in the back of the end zone. That score put Alabama up by seven points, another clutch throw.

The final play to epitomize McElroy’s great play was the game-sealing touchdown pass to Mark Ingram. McElroy scrambled outside the pocket, looking as if he may need to tuck the ball and run for a first down amid heavy pressure. Instead, he found Ingram as his safety valve breaking towards open field, and hit him in stride as Ingram raced into the end zone.

It is clear that McElroy can handle the pressure of the SEC. He has an accurate arm and a toughness about him that makes Alabama look very dangerous in the national championship race.

2.     The Hokies are the class of the ACC

Let’s face it; Alabama would walk over the rest of the ACC. That was not even in doubt before this game, and nobody is arguing that now. The question going into this game was if the Hokies could hang with the Tide, unlike Clemson a year ago. Not only did the Hokies hang with ‘Bama for three quarters, they looked like they could just as easily have won the game. 

Granted, the Hokies were severely outgained offensively. Nevertheless, Tech played its typical style of tough defense, not allowing a lot of touchdowns (until late), and forcing turnovers.

As long as Tech continues to play that style, they will keep dominating the ACC. Even with the loss, this team looks like it could be the most talented coach Frank Beamer has had since joining the conference.

Looking ahead on the schedule, the Hokies should be able to handle Nebraska and Miami at home. The biggest test the rest of the way will come right back in Atlanta, when they take on Georgia Tech.

Judging by the way they hung with the top of the class in the SEC, it should all be downhill from here.

3.     Ryan Williams is the real deal

Mark it down: there will be no more than two running backs carry the ball for more than a hundred yards against Alabama this season. Williams finished with 76 yards, including a spectacular 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Not too many running backs will see as much success the rest of the year against Nick Saban’s defense.

Williams showed both a powerful style along with the speed burst that Hokie fans haven’t seen since Kevin Jones was wearing the orange and maroon. He always fell forward, moving the pile an extra yard or two. Once he reached the corner on a few of his runs, he made big gains, including that fourth-quarter score.

Alabama has by far the best defense on the Hokies schedule. If Williams continues to run like he did Saturday night, he could make fans forget about Darren Evans very quickly.

4.     Florida is still head and shoulders above the rest of the SEC.

 

OK, so this has a little bit to do with the Gators’ performance against Charleston Southern. Alabama was very impressive in the win over Tech, but they did not show the kind of dominating presence and intimidating style that the Gators have.

All the prognosticators and their mothers are already anointing the Gators and Tide as destined for the conference title game. While that is not a given, especially for the Tide in the brutal west division, even if both teams do indeed make it that far, Florida looks right now to be in a class by itself.

If the Gators had faced the Hokies Saturday night, it would not have been too pretty. A 50-14 post could probably have illuminated the scoreboard.

While the Tide seems to have all the pieces to be one of the elite teams in the nation, it still looks as if it is Florida, and then the other 119 teams in the FBS.

5.     Something is seriously wrong with the passing game in the Tech program

The pieces are in place. They have been much of the last seven years. Ever since Bryan Stinespring as been at the helm of the Hokies’ offense, the passing game has been a huge disappointment. When you look at the receivers to come through the Tech program, and what they are doing in the NFL now, you would think the Hokies would have been one of the best passing teams in the country.

Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Justin Harper, David Clowney, and Jeff King are all making names for themselves professionally, yet none of them were expected to make such impacts when they left college. It is clear the talent has been in place, and there have been quarterbacks in the program capable of making the passes.

Finishing no better than 99^th in the country in total offense over the last four years does not reflect the talent the Hokies have had.

Last night, Tyrod Taylor again dropped back and just did not look in sync with his receivers at times. The offensive line gave him time in the first half, and Taylor still couldn’t seem to find open receivers.

This is attributed to playcalling, as much as anything else. While other teams across the country are baffling opposing defenses with the spread offense, racking up huge passing numbers and blowing up scoreboards with so many touchdowns, Tech’s passing game continues to be enemic.

Xavier Boyce, Dyrell Roberts, Jarrett Boykin, and Danny Coale comprise as good a unit as you need at the wide receiver position to score plenty of points. Having said that, when the offense can’t seem to dictate a style of play, and rather lets the defense control and intimidate them, you have a giant problem.

Yes, the Alabama defense is rock-solid. Javier Arenas is a great cover corner at the college level. But if Greg McElroy can find holes in a Tech secondary littered with All-Americans, Taylor should have completed more than nine passes in this game.

With Williams looking like a stud at running back, the Hokies could be unstoppable in the ACC with a more successful passing attack. The spotlight falls directly onto coach Stinespring now, more than ever. This is a make-or-break season for the often-criticized offensive play caller, because he has run out of excuses. Stinespring is a great man and has a great football mind, but his playcalling abilities are questionable at best.

 

Top Ten college football games since 2000- #8

    #8 Colorado-Nebraska 2001

In a matter of three hours, Nebraska went from being one of the most feared programs for three decades to becoming an afterthought in the Big 12. The man most responsible for the demise was Colorado running back Chris Brown.

Brown ran for 198 and six touchdowns, the most ever against the Huskers, as Colorado dominated Nebraska 62-36.

Nebraska entered the game with a perfect 11-0 record, and controlled its own destiny in the national title chase.

Colorado was 8-2 entering the game, going largely unnoticed while enjoying a very successful season.

This game boiled down to the Big 12 North division’s championship game. Colorado was 6-1 in conference play, with Nebraska 7-0. The winner of the game would play in the Big 12 championship game the following week.

Colorado shut the door on the Huskers title dreams very early. The Buffs scored two touchdowns in the first three and half minutes, and led 28-3 at the end of the first quarter. The home crowd at Folsom Field was ready to explode already.

Early in the second quarter, Brown scored his second touchdown, putting the Buffs ahead 35-3.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch was not ready to wave the white flag just yet. He led the offense to two scores, pulling within 19 points at 35-16. Just when it looked like the Huskers might have a little bit of life, Brown went back to work. His third touchdown of the game tied the record for most rushing touchdowns in a game against the Huskers…with three minutes before halftime.

Nebraska scored once more before the break to trail 42-23.

The third quarter provided much less firepower, with the only score coming on a six-yard touchdown run by Eric Crouch. Before you knew it, Nebraska was only two scores behind the Buffaloes entering the final quarter.

But on this day, there was no way Brown and the rest of the Buffaloes would go down. The star of the game ran for three more scores, putting his team up 62-30, and ending all hope Nebraska had regained.

Colorado ended up wining the Big 12 title the following week, and made it to the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon.

Don’t forget, we are in the era of the BCS and its computer rankings system. So of course, Nebraska made it to the national championship game, where Miami embarrassed them in the Rose Bowl.

Along with the Miami game, Colorado became the architect for the destruction of a dynasty. Ever since Nebraska played for the championship that season, they have not made it back to a BCS bowl again. 

Top Ten college football games since 2000- #9

9. West Virginia – Georgia 2006

It was a sure as apple pie, or maybe more appropriately peach pie, that the Georgia Bulldogs would crush the Mountaineers. After all, the game had been moved from New Orleans to Atlanta due to the wrath Hurricane Katrina imposed on the Superdome.

Georgia was prohibitive favorites, with a top-notch defense and a backfield loaded with future pros.
West Virginia was largely unnoticed all season, dominating a watered-down Big East conference with a diminutive freshman quarterback, Pat White, and his backfield companion Steve Slaton. Also a freshman, Slaton had rushed for 924 yards during the season, taking over the starting role midway through the year.

This was the game where White and Slaton put themselves and their program on the map.

In front of a predominantly red and black-clad crowd, not even sixteen minutes of game time had elapsed, and the Mountaineers were leading 28-0. That’s right, the champion of a conference whose lack of talented teams left people wondering if they even deserved an automatic BCS bid was embarrassing the mighty Bulldogs from the SEC.

Slaton ripped off two touchdown runs in the first half, while receiver Darius Reynaud caught and ran for one touchdown apiece.
Mark Richt, head coach of the Bulldogs was not about to let his team lay down for the Mountaineers. Quarterback D.J. Shockley led a second quarter charge, capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Leonard Pope in the final minute before halftime, to pull Georgia within ten points at 31-21.

After such a dominating start, West Virginia was losing confidence with every snap. Georgia was inching closer, and just as every underdog who holds a big lead, the pressure to hold that lead became monumental.

In the third quarter, West Virginia barely moved the football on offense, while Georgia finally broke through late in the period with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Shockley to A.J. Bryant.

Entering the fourth quarter, David had 15 minutes to hold off Goliath with a three-point lead.

Midway through the final quarter, Slaton busted loose again for his second 52-yard touchdown run of the game, giving the Mountaineers a ten-point cushion.

All Georgia did was take the ball 90 yards in seven plays on the ensuing possession to draw back to within a field goal.
The game clock showed five minutes, 13 seconds remaining, but it might as well have been 5 months, 13 days, for the West Virginia faithful.

West Virginia coach and offensive mastermind Rich Rodriguez had to keep his offense on the field long enough to run the clock out, or at least put another score on the board.

The Bulldog defense finally clogged the drive, and the Mountaineers were forced to punt with under two minutes to play.
Georgia was lined up with every intention to block the punt and set up a game-saving score.

That’s when West Virginia punter Phil Brady took the snap and scampered. On fourth down and six yards to go, Brady ran for ten yards on the fake punt to resuscitate the drive, and end Georgia’s hopes for a comeback.

It was one of the gutsiest play calls ever made. With the reputation of a school, a football program, and an entire conference on the line, Rodriguez risked everything with the fake punt at midfield, and the returns on his gamble were unthinkable.
West Virginia ran the clock away, winning the game 38-35. Slaton ran for 204 yards, and his three touchdowns were good enough to earn him game MVP honors.

For the next four seasons, White was a hero on the Mountaineer campus in Morgantown, becoming the only quarterback to ever start and win four bowl games in his career.

With the win, West Virginia marked themselves as the class of the Big East, and they have been the consummate team to beat in that league ever since.

Top ten college football players since 2000 -- number 9

9. Larry Johnson, RB (Penn State)

Johnson was a solid running back for the Nittany Lions; just solid, though. That was until his senior year, when Johnson ripped defenses apart week after week en route to a 2,000-yard rushing season. Johnson broke the Penn State record for rushing yards in a game three times in 2002.

During the regular season, Johnson averaged eight yards per carry, which would have been an NCAA record, had the statistics from the bowl game not counted. Johnson was held to 72 yards on 20 carries against Auburn in the Capital One Bowl, dipping his average to 7.8 yards per carry, just under Mike Rozier’s record of 7.9.

Johnson lost the Heisman Trophy to Carson Palmer, though he won the Maxwell Award as college football’s best player, and the Doak Walker award as the nation’s best running back.

Top Ten College Football players since 2000 (offense) -- #10

    And the countdown begins.....

       10.LaDanian Tomlinson, RB (TCU)

Despite finishing as one of the all-time rushing leaders in NCAA history, Tomlinson went largely unnoticed until his senior year for the Horned Frogs. His 400-yard rushing game in his senior year put him on the map, and helped earn him the fifth pick in the NFL Draft.