Death Valley Saturdays

New Blog

2006-02-03T09:21:00.000-06:00

I've changed my address: The Highland Road Blog

What the fuck are we doing? How the fuck did we win?

2006-01-22T15:07:00.000-06:00

So this is my motto for college basketball season this year. You'll catch me changing it up a bit depending on the results. For instance a couple weeks ago against UCONN it was "What the fuck are we doing? How the fuck did we lose?" Yes, LSU basketball is crazy this year and will drive all Tiger fans completely insane.

The SEC season has started out wonderfully however with wins at home against Tennessee (beaters of Tex-ass and Florida) and Alabama, and wins on the road against Arkansas and Mississippi State. This does much to offset shoulda-coulda-woulda losses to Houston, Northern Iowa, Cincinatti, Ohio State, and UCONN. With Kentucky coming to the PMAC this year we are definitely good enough to run the table and lose only one or two. But we are also bad enough to lose seven or eight.

There's no doubt that the Tigers have enough to talent to go a very long way in March/April, even with losing Brandon Bass to the NBA and Tack Minor to injury that was not a question. With Glen Davis clogging up the middle, Tyrus Thomas averaging 29 blocks per game, Tasmin Mitchell hitting huge shots and getting huge boards, and Darrell Mitchell averaging 15-plus per game we can expect to have success. Where we run into problems however is consistency. I cut Darrell Mitchell some slack in this regard since point-guard is not his true position.... but too often we throw away the ball during crucial moments and give the other team free points. It happened yesterday against Alabama, its happened in every game we've played, and it will happen in a few days against Georgia. If we want to make a run at the SEC Championship, if we want to make a run at the Final Four (which we are capable of) we simply CAN NOT turn the ball over like we have been so far this year.

I know this will sound obvious, but its true, we must play smart basketball. If any one moment exhibits what I am talking about it is the final seconds of the UCONN loss. We were down by one and Darrell Mitchell had the ball and was running downcourt. With about three seconds left he abruptly pulled up way beyond the tree-point line and threw up a prayer shot. Naturally he missed it and we lost. But with three seconds left he could have driven to the hoop, passed the ball, pulled up and set his feet, any number of things. But the worst thing to do was throw up a shot without a chance of going in. Smart basketball man.

Alabama hung with us most of the game and was actually leading for a while. The reason we were struggling was very clear to me. Simply put: we weren't getting the ball down low. With an enormously gifted Center such as Glen Davis we ought to get the ball down low every chance we get right? So you'd think.... but yesterday during most of the first half and parts of the second LSU simply moved the ball around the perimeter and seemingly refused to put the ball in Glen's hands down low. We only started to pull away once we had established a presence down low with Big Baby.

Yesterday LSU got a huge win against Alabama. Of all the teams in the West Bama probably was the closest to us in talent (or Arkansas). The more we keep on winning the more we have a shot at success in March and April. I know this sounds obvious but we cannot afford to get in a funk and start playing bad basketball and turn the ball over with consistency. If we can keep it together all we will have to do is hope the coaching is there.......

Thoughts on One-peat

2006-01-19T22:11:00.000-06:00

Chances are if you are reading this you know what the One-peat billboard scandal. If you don't just click around on the ole blogroll.

My thoughts on this are mixed. As an LSU fan I love any jab at (F)USC. Yes, I realize Tiger fans stand on USC is totally insane seeing as we haven't played since the 80's, but they are SO easy to hate. LSU fans were the first (besides UCLA fans) in CFB who just wanted USC to go away. As this year came to a close many fans felt this way. As far as the actual "dynasty" goes, everyone agrees that things got out of hand by the end of this year. I wouldn't classify them as a dynasty yet even if they had won the Rose Bowl. Why? Well it isn't because I don't like them.... I just think it takes more than one set of players to establish a dynasty. Now if Pete Carrol keeps on rolling with anywhere near the success he's had the last four years in the NEXT four years than yes, that is a dynasty.

As far as 2003 goes I say its a split title. There's precedents for this obviously.... it happened three times in the 90's after all. Anyway plenty of schools claim titles which were in fact split. LSU won the Football Writers of America Association's national title in 1936, thus I say we have a title in 1936 on the top of my blog. I think the problem that many LSU fans have with 2003 is the way the title was portrayed by the media. It made it look like LSU was lucky to have gotten a shot at the title, like we fluked our way into it, like we were the odd man of the three contenders. Put it this way: if USC and LSU had switched bowl games and results would there have been a split title? I don't think so. The fact is both teams were equally deserving of the title. Yes LSU won the official title, and yes the standard for college football polling in the last however many years voted USC #1. That's okay. I don't have a problem with that as long as each team's national title is treated the same. One complaint: I do think that you'll often hear LSU's title referred to as a "co-championship" or a "split title" while USC just a "national title" or a "championship".

As far as the signs go: I think its amusing. But whatever some USC grad does to our campus or Baton Rouge or the Reveille or the Advocate or whatever.... LSU students will retaliate and it'll be even better than the "One-pete" sign.

Ryan's End of the Year Top 25

2006-01-06T10:53:00.000-06:00

1. Texas- No real doubt here, very deserving certainly
2. Southern Cal- Sooo close to three-pete (or two-pete considering your take on 2004)
3. Penn State- Deserves the #3 spot, probably should have taken care of FSU a little better
4. Ohio State- Did a nice number on Notre Dame, a top contender next year
5. LSU- One of the most satisfying victories in a long time
6. West Virginia- Big win against Georgia, ought to have held it together though
7. Virginia Tech- Its hard to like these guys after the antics of Vick
8. Georgia- Those first 17 or 18 minutes were appalling, feel bad for Shock that they didn't win
9. Alabama- Has there ever been an uglier kick?
10. Notre Dame- Why all the hype? The Irish definitely were beaten in every phase
11. Wisconsin- Out-performed Auburn, Stocco, Calhoun, and Williams were all clutch
12. UCLA- I have a grudging respect for these guys
13. TCU- The OU win now looks very very impressive
14. Oregon- Credibility diminished with the Holiday Bowl loss
15. Florida- Vernell Brown's TD was pretty cool, benefitted in a severe way from refereeing decisions
16. Auburn- I hope Herbstreit watched the Cap One Bowl
17. Oklahoma- Progressed steadily over the course of the season
18. Boston College- Nothing spectacular really, should have taken care of Boise
19. Louisville- They had a real chance against VT but didn't take it at all
20. Florida State- Their great game against Orange Bowl puts them this high
21. Clemson- All those close losses early on really hurt them, they could have been in Jacksonville or Atlanta instead of playing Colorado
22. Nebraska- Good win against Michigan, they are starting to find their way again
23. California- Good win, solid season
24. Toledo- Best in the MAC this year
25. Navy- Underrated, came up with a real good win against Colorado State

After that performance by Miami they don't deserve to be ranked, and Texas Tech isn't ranked because their "high-powered" offense looked like a joke in the Cotton Bowl.

Rose Bowl continued

2006-01-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

My takes on a variety of topics regarding the game:

Reggie Bush... The stupidest play I've seen all year. And you know what play I'm talking about. His run was electric, one that really was something that defined his year. But the lateral. What was he thinking? He wasn't really that effective after that play. Yeah he got the ridiculous jump and that long run at the end, but Bush wasn't all that impressive.

Going for it on 4th... USC did it twice, I don't remember the circumstances of the first try but I do know they ran an obvious sneak. Texas also went for it and missed it early on, but USC's ended up being far more critical. The second time I would have punted, made the Horns go 80 yards. But I'm not going to argue that. I'm going to argue that the playcall was terrible. It was an obvious run, they should have dumped it to a TE or thrown it to Jarrett.

Reviews... I think there were some poor individual calls and some of those plays should have been changed. But each team had their chance to win and well... the reviewed plays shouldn't be used as a crutch per se.

Defenses... woo Pac 10 defense! (I'm kidding ya'll) USC's D wasn't spectacular at all, lots of missed tackles. Texas' defense played pretty well but really didn't do enough to upset Leinart's timing. Of course its near impossible to stop that Leinart-Jarrett combo. Michael Huff... hasn't been talked about much, but that guy can tackle, some of those tackles were jaw dropping in my opinion. Griffin's INT in the endzone was impressive. But most importantly the front stepped up HUGE on the fourth downs.

Coaching... USC got outcoached. I'm not questioning Carroll's ability, I'm just saying he got outcoached. For much of the first half the Trojans looked completely unfocused, as my dad described it: nonchalant (for most of the first half both teams looked unfocused actually). In the second half USC wasted all three of their timeouts, most seriously in the 2pt conversion situation. His defense looked weak to say the least. Some of those designed runs or whatever they were, were as sure as the sun rising tomorrow. Their defense looked unprepared to face a running QB. Finally as I mentioned before- the two 4th down calls were weak, obvious, and conservative. Yes I realize it took balls to go for it in the first place, but please do something the entire country isn't waiting for.

The game itself... simply an all-time classic. Besides LSU's demolition of Miami it was the most I've enjoyed a game this bowl season. Both teams came to play, they looked a bit slow in the first half, but the second half was amazing. My hat goes off to both teams. I thank them. USC's run was simply incredible. Two national championships (one shared of course!, 34 games, blah blah blah go watch ESPN. That backfield was the best I've ever seen. Dwayne Jarrett doesn't get enough publixity. Texas... well I can't say I like them but I was impressed. It was pretty cool at the end to hear the Eyes of Texas. Anyway I fully expect Young to declare, hopefully the Longhorns will wait another 35 years for a title.

Great game, everybody enjoyed it. Congratulations to the Longhorns.

Texas 41 USC 38

2006-01-05T09:44:00.000-06:00

Well I'm sure if you've meandered over here even though I haven't done anything in a couple months you've already read ALL about this game. This game was particularly interesting because I hate both of these teams, which I will explain in a minute, and by halftime I was comparing Young and Leinart to see which I would love to see in black and gold next year.

First I really can't stand USC for the same reason a lot of LSU fans don't like USC, they stole our thunder a couple years back. I'm pretty much over that now, but like many CFB fans I can't stand the USC overkill that was overflowing from ESPN's toilet for the past month.

Second I hate Texas because they are Texas. It helps that LSU and Texas are often mired in recruiting battles (see the battle for Vince Young and the battle for Ryan Perilloux). Also there is a sizeable contingent of LSU students from Texas who are always gushing at the gills with their love for the Longhorns. Once you step foot on Highland or Nicholson or Raphael Semmes or wherever your heart belongs to the Tigers. Fuck the Longhorns man.

Leinart vs. Young- Before the game I was all about Leinart in black and gold. To me Young was too similar to Brooks, all raw talent, little inteligence. But after Leinart looked okay in the first half and Young played well I had second thoughts. But after Young's jaw-dropping performance in the second half, well I didn't care about what Leinart did, Young was amazing. Who do I want for the Saints with the second pick in the draft? Vince Young baby.

More to come on the game later.

Looking Ahead to Rivalry Week (part 2)

2005-11-21T11:37:00.000-06:00

Well last weekend was the traditional rivalry week, but I think Thanksgiving Weeks has a solid share of blood-boilers:
Georgia-Georgia Tech
Florida-FSU
Arizona-ASU
Texas-A&M
LSU-Arkansas
Pitt-WVA
CU-Nebraska
Ole Miss-MSU

Of these I'm dreading the A&M game because I felt like A&M would win this game before the season. Franchione's performance this fall is one of the worst in the past five years. Honestly he and Fulmer are neck-and-neck for worst fuck up jobs this year. LSU fans shouldn't get their hopes up for an upset here.

Georgia-Georgia Tech ought to be the best of the rivalry games this weekend I think. I was amazed by what Tech did this week in Miami all things considered. LSU fans should be cheering for the Dawgs in this one. Honestly I think Tech is too much of a yo-yo team to pull off great wins in back to back weeks.

LSU-Arkansas- There is no reason why we shouldn't dominate this game. Realistically I expect McFadden to put up big numbers running the ball... but they can't throw the ball on any D, so I don't expect it will be too much of a problem. Our offense ought to have a field day against the Hawg D. I just wonder what problem will crop up again this week (dropped balls? turnovers? wild JMR?)

After class I'll be back to hand out some awards for this week's performances. This is a very easy week of school so I should be able to focus on my blogging. I appreciate the anonymous poster who called my attention to the crickets.

LSU 40 Ole Miss 7

2005-11-21T11:33:00.000-06:00

This game was a doozy. Ole Miss looked absolutely helpless. I thoroughly enjoyed Ethan Flatt's re-enactment of Eli Manning on 4th Down two years ago. Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten in the middle were monsters for the second week in a row. I'm confident that they are in the top 3 or so DT tandems in the country.

The offense- well I still feel there is room to complain with the offense. It always seems like we get one bad habit out of the way (JM Russel inconsistancy) we return to another (turnovers). This game could easily have been up there in terms of beat downs of the Rebs with the 61-17 win decades ago, and I think it would have been if it weren't for those two turnovers.

I'm confident heading into Friday that we don't have our head up our asses. More to come later in the day.

AWOL and the new Monday Award Show

2005-11-14T13:39:00.000-06:00

Well I've been AWOL for the past week, and for that I apologize. The life of a college student is filled with odd events at odd times, and mine is no exception. Well in order to return triumphantly I have created a new segment: The Monday Award Show. I can only hope that somewhere down the road there is a blog called the Mondaypundit. Right- on with the awards:

OMGGMFGOTYOTW Award- (aka the Oh My God Greatest Motherfucking Game of the Year, of the Week Award or the USC-Notre Dame award)- LSU at Alabama AND Auburn at Georgia-These two SEC games were so game-of-the-century spectacular that they have a split title for this award. The drama of the two games intermingled and copulated along with the UF/USC game to spawn an all-day(er) in the SEC. LSU beat Bama in OT(it feels so good to say that) after looking like Tulane in the first half and then LSU circa 2003 in the 2nd. Georgia had the Tigers beat but gave up a horrible 62 yard play on 4th and 10 with less than 2 minutes left. More on that to come.

UCLA Award- (aka Biggest Chokers of the Weak award)- Florida State and Colorado- Both of these teams choked like UCLA this week. FSU was coming off a loss to lowly NC State and needed to beat Tommy B and the Clemson Tigers to regain credibility. Colorado was steadily climbing up the polls in anticipation of a showdown with Texas in the Big XII Championship. Both teams sucked this weekend. FSU got knocked around by Clemson and Iowa State beat up on the Buffs. FSU is out of the talk for the nation's elite and Colorado is a slip up away from a Boulder weekend come December 3.

Psycho Killer Award- (or the Talking Heads award. This one came to me after I was singing these lines in the song "Psycho Killer": "Can't seem to face up to the facts, I'm tense and nervous- I can't relax." This goes to the game and player which made fans the most nervous this week.)- Chris Jackson, LSU at Alabama- I was sure Jackson was going to miss the crucial kicks against Auburn a couple weeks ago. He made them. I was sure he was going to make them against Bama this weekend. He missed them. This game, and more specifically the thought of needing him to tie the game in OT almost gave me a heart attack. Thank you Dwayne Bowe. Thank you.

Charlie Weis Trophy- (Or which coach deserves a $120 Billion, 400 year extension based on the weekend performances of their team)- Steve Spurrier- I couldn't stop laughing whenever the Cocks scored. Seriously I love knowing that Gators fans have to suffer through losing to their own damn guy. He has done the best job of any coach in CFB this year in my opinion and it won't be very long (like next year) before the Cocks are in the SECCG.

Les Miles Trophy- (the Coach most likely to get lynched for his team's performance the previous weekend)- Urban Meyer- If there was one game Gator fans wanted to win, HAD to win: it was the game with the Cock boys. Gator fans had to suffer the downfall of losing to their own damn guy. and I can't get enough of it. C'mon Gator fans: blame it all on ole' Urban.

Jack Black Award- (the Defensive Coordinator of the team who exhibited the most Tenacious D)- Bo Pelini- I'm not a big Pelini guy, but he really made some high quality adjustments on the Defensive side of the ball for LSU. In the second half our defense was simply unstoppable. Tenacious D at its finest for the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.

Led Zeppelin Award- (or the Ronnie Prude Trophy, named in honor of the song "When the Levee Breaks" and Prude's performance at the very end of last year's Capital One Bowl.)- Georgia Defense- Really. How could you let that happen? You had the War Chickens backed up, less than two minutes left, and it was 4th and 10. A 62 yard catch-and-run. Unbelievable. Not only that, you couldn't recover the fumble when they fumbled it away into the endzone. This isn't the first time this has happened- remember the Skyler Green TD when LSU and UGA met in Tiger Stadium in 2003? Come on, make a play.

Matt Leinart Vanity Trophy- (or the player whose performance most deserves Orson to blog about a day in his life)- Kyle Williams- The LSU DT was simply unstoppable against Alabama. He was in the backfield in nearly every play, and beat the OL off the ball on almost every play. He also played team leader by rallying the troops in the locker room at half time. Laron Landry's killer hit on Brodie may get more notice, but it was Kyle Williams who provided most of the stopping in the stopping of the Bama offense.

The Big 6 Award- (the 6 offenses which are revolutionizing football this week)- Louisville, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Buffalo, and finally the Grambling Tigers and their Rural Central Louisiana Ouachita River Coast Offense

Weekend Recap

2005-11-07T11:24:00.000-06:00

Well I went 15-3 in my picks this weekend- but laid huge duds in those I got wrong: UCLA-Zona, FSU-NC State, and VT-Miami. I don't really think this weekend deserves too much commenting- LSU looked downright dead against ASU on Saturday. We better wake up this week if we want a W in T-town.

As far as SEC action goes- well it was mostly as I expected. Tennessee came tantalizingly close to beating the Vols. They had all the momentum in the very early stages of the 4th and then gave it up on three plays: the long catch-and-run by Samrdzija and Ainge's two throw-it-right-to-the-other-team interceptions. It was sort of a microcosm of the entire Vol season: flashes of brilliance followed by utter incompetence. In Gainesville Cutler proved he is the best QB in the SEC by far by taking the Gators to the limit. The Commies got the shaft when the refs called a completely ridiculous excessive celebration penalty. Simply speaking it was one of the most Gawdawful hang-the-refs-from-the-crossbar calls of the year. South Carolina got another big win against the Hawgs. Expect to see Visor Boy in Nashvegas this winter for the Music City Bowl.

Nationally it was all about two drubbings. Miami laid the smackdown on the Hokies who turned in a Hokie-Pokie performance. The Cane D was spectacular in stopping I'm-Not-Michael-I'm-Marcus Vick. The Techsters look like they could be facing another November slide. Also on the left coast UCLA became the laughingstock of the country with their performance against the Arizona Mildcats. Really... 52-7? I thought the announcer in Tiger Stadium was misreading the score for like three quarters. Penn State also did a number on Wisconsin and proved they are a top 6 team.

Most Impressive Teams: Miami, Penn State, Vanderbilt
Least Impressive Teams: UCLA, Virginia Tech, LSU
Stars of the Weekend: Jay Cutler, Jeff Samardzija, the Miami D

CFB Weekend: Quick 11

2005-11-04T15:47:00.000-06:00

Iowa at Northwestern- Well the Cats won't be winning the Big 10- but they are still one of the most entertaining teams in the country. I think they can pull this one out late against the Steelers... I mean Hawkeyes.
Final score: Northwestern 31 Iowa 27

Boston College at North Carolina- Just like I said Miami would struggle with UNC I think Boston College will struggle with the Heels. I think the Heels will have control most of the game, but BC will take the lead in the end. That is until Connor Barth hits a game winner.
Final score: North Carolina 23 Boston College 21

Texas at Baylor- I can't believe I'm picking this game. I'm gonna say the Horns will be down at the end of the first quarter but win it big.
Final score: Texas 45 Baylor 17

NC State at Florida State- I fully expect that either this year or next year will be Amato's last in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will struggle mightily in Tallahassee tomorrow. The Seminoles can't be looking ahead to a possible ACC Championship or to the Florida game in a few weeks. They won't be.
Final score: Florida State 35 NC State 13

Cal at Oregon- All year long I've thought that Cal was one of the more overrated teams in the country. Oregon won't have Kellen Clemens any more, it'll be Dennis Dixon with all the pressure on his shoulders. I think Cal will be winning for the most of the first three quarters- but Oregon will bust out in the fourth and get a win- in OT.
Final score: Oregon 41 Cal 34

Wisconsin at Penn State- The matchup in Happy Valley is one of the better ones in the country. Wisconsin's star tailback Brian Calhoun will be coming up against Paul Pozluzny and a top-notch PSU D. The Penn State offense should have an easy time with a below-par Badger D. Alvarez will want this one bad considering its his last shot at a Big 10 title. The game will be close for all four quarters- but ultimately Calhoun and Stocco won't be enough and the Badger D will have let them down.
Final score: Penn State 27 Wisconsin 17

Missouri at Colorado- Week-in and week-out Brad Smith is one of the most overrated players in college football. The Buffs are the favorites to be Texas's last obstacle before the Rose Bowl. The status quo won't change here. Expect a big win for the Buffs.
Final score: Colorado 33 Missouri 13

UCLA at Arizona- The cardiac kids take on an Arizona team which gave USC some problems earlier this season. Maurice Drew and Drew Olson will be as spectacular as ever- but Zona has a new weapon in Willie Tuitama at QB. I think the Cats can keep it close for three quarters- but come fourth quarter UCLA will once again show its strength. I think Chris Markey has a big game in addition to Maurice Drew.
Final Score: UCLA 38 Arizona 28

Texas A&M at Texas Tech- Well I no longer think the Aggies have a shot at UT this year. Coach Fran has done one of the poorest coaching jobs of the year in the nation. Reggie McNeal's talent has gone completely wasted in College Station. I hope A&M beats the Red Raiders though.
Final score: Texas Tech 31 Texas A&M 20

Stanford at USC- The Trojans won't have a problem in this one- and once again will prove that there is a huge difference between them and the Bruins. I'm expecting Bush to score at least once on a non-running play and Lendale White to get 150 and two td's.
Final score: USC 49 Stanford 24

Miami at Virginia Tech- You didn't think I could forget this one did you? The Hokies have all of the advantages in this one. The game is at home, they have momentum, they have played consistant, and they have the X-factor: Marcus Vick. Miami will come in strongly and start off with the lead. The Hokies will start slowly but grow as the game goes on. Miami will get a TD before the end of the half to secure a halftime lead.
Half-time score: Miami 13 Virginia Tech 10
The second half will see Vick come out red-hot. He'll throw for a TD on the opening drive. The D will force a three-and-out and then promptly block a punt to set up another VT TD. The Canes won't be able to recover from the sudden momentum swing and the Hokies will be on their way to Jacksonville.
Final score: Virginia Tech 30 Miami 20

SEC Weekend: Picks for the worst weekend ever

2005-11-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

Tennessee at Notre Dame- The Vols are really shitting it this year. They don't have a decent QB (please for the sake of it- play Jim Bob Cooter!), the WR's can't catch, and their best back is out for the year. At least they have a solid defense. Mahelona and Harylson help compose the best defense the Irish will see all year. The defensive tenacity will put the Vols in the lead early on in the game as Quinn will struggle to find a rhythm.
Half-time score: Tennessee 6 Notre Dame 3
The second half will not be kind to the Vols. The Irish will get their first touchdown on a long pass to Samardzija or whatever- and shortly after that will get another on a Darius Walker draw play. LaMarcus Coker will break a long run to give the Vols a chance after they get the 2 point conversion- but on the game winning drive Erik Ainge throws an INT to Zbikowski.
Final Score: Notre Dame 20 Tennessee 14.

South Carolina at Arkansas- If it was any other coach I'd say the Hawgs win in Hawgvegas- but I think Spurrier will have his evil face on for this one. Darren McFadden will be amazing though. McFadden breaks 125 in the first half and gets two td's on the Cocks soft D. Blake Mitchell gets a rhythm though and answers McFadden.
Half-time score: South Carolina 14 Arkansas 14
Its McFadden vs. Mitchell in Hawgvegas. Mitchell reaches 300 yards in the 3rd quarter after throwing another td and setting up a field goal. McFadden continues to plow away at the Cock D. The fourth quarter sees mitchell out gun the Hawgs and Spurrier gets a key victory. McFadden gets 275 yards.
Final score: South Carolina 31 Arkansas 28

Auburn at Kentucky- Wildcat players are talking about a bowl game. Yeah. Right. Irons is going to put up McFadden like numbers in this game. The Mildcats will hang in there for a quarter or so before being blown away.
Half-time score: Auburn 17 Kentucky 6
Final score: Auburn 41 Kentucky 16

Alabama at Mississippi State- I can't wait until November 12. As for this game- the Bama O starts slowly, but it won't matter.
Half-time score: Alabama 10 MSU 0
Final score: Alabama 27 MSU 0

Vanderbilt at Florida- The Commodores still need two wins- and Gainesville is the least likely source of the W. In this game I see that offense waking back up for Meyer- the Commie D ain't much to talk about. Boring game by the third quarter.
Half-time score: Florida 17 Vandy 14
Final score: Florida 34 Vandy 20

Wake Forest at Georgia Tech- Its a classic stumbling block for the Techsters this week. I expect Wake to come out and grab the lead for the whole first half, and the Tech offense will look horrible.
Half-time score: Wake Forest 14 Tech 0
The second half will see the Tech offense wake up. Ball connects with Johnson on a long pass to put Tech on the board. PJ Daniels will bust out for more than 100 in the second half. But the real difference in the game: the Tech D will score a safety.
Final score: Georgia Tech 23 Wake Forest 21

Dammit All I Want To Do Is Watch Football And Write About It

2005-11-03T23:54:00.000-06:00

Well a month into this blogging thing I realize I've got it bad. I may not post as frequently as I might wish (prolly cause my main hobby consists of sitting on the couch shooting the bullshit with my roomates)- but I know its bad when I'm thinking about blogging when I have a history test in eight hours (class starts at 8:30!) or when I walk into Biology 1001 and think to myself "I'm a jorunalism major- I don't want to be here! Dammit all I want to do is watch football and write about it!" So tomorrow if George Washington turns into "Washington, who was defeated by Carrol" or if I compare the duel between Aaron Burr and Alex Hamilton to the duel between Leinart and Olson, or if I say the defenses in the trenches at Bunker Hill were like the defenses in the trenches of Knoxville- you'll know I'll have spent way too much time reading the blogs.

LSU Weekend: Appalachian State at LSU

2005-11-03T22:13:00.000-06:00

Well this one should be exciting- VERY exciting.
Half-time score: LSU 24 ASU 6
Final score: LSU 48 ASU 13

I can't wait til November 12!

SEC Rankings: The Big 13

2005-11-03T15:15:00.000-06:00

Well I'm behind schedules- so this week's rankings will be a bit abbreviated.

1. Alabama- The Tide are the lone unbeaten in the SEC now... but expect that to change in 9 days when me and my Tigers come to town.

2. Georgia- I think they should have won that game. Florida had two good drives, but apart from that didn't do anything. Shockley would have given the Dawgs a win- but Tereshinski performed admirably.

3. LSU- We punded on North Texas last week- this week we get to pund on Appalachian State. I just can't wait til the 12th.

4. Auburn- The Plainsmen put a beat-down on the Rebs last Saturday. They have a huge one in Athens coming up.

5. Florida- I wasn't impressed with the win. But I'm praying they beat the Noles in a few weeks.

6. Georgia Tech- The Techsters put in a very SEC-esque performance against Clemson last week. They need to beat UVA if they don't won't to be in Boise.

7. South Carolina- The chickens looked great in the upset of the Vols. I think Spurrier really has the wheels turning in South Carolina.

8. Tennessee- Pathetic. How did we lose to this team?

9. Arkansas- The Hawgs need to beat the Cocks this weekend. Cody Dick is the new QB... is he any good though?

10. Vanderbilt- They need to beat Kentucky on the 12th and they could make a bowl with an upset of the Vols.

11. Ole Miss- They're going with Ethan Flatt for the Arkansas game, which is a good thing- Spurlock is hopeless.

12. Kentucky- Its almost basketball season!

13. Mississippi State- How can you lose to Kentucky?

The Big Six!

2005-11-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

Blogger TKlyeKing posted an excellent article earlier on the new "Big Six". An excellent shot at the west-coasters who are glorifying the spread offense and all it isn't.

Rising and Falling

2005-11-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

LSU

Rising:Bennie Brazell- The Senior Wide Receiver has represented LSU and the United States in the Olympic Games, but up until this fall he had never caught a touchdown pass. Brazell has been burdened by the "trackstar playing football" label ever since he stepped on campus in Baton Rouge, but during LSU's win over Florida Brazell caught his first touchdown as a Tiger. Last weekend against North Texas Brazell once again performed solidly. The WR core looks to be making up for earlier miscues. Early Doucet also had a great night against North Texas catching two touchdowns from...

Matt Flynn- The sophomore Quarterback has been overshadowed by JaMarcus Russel and Ryan Perilloux all year- but against North Texas he was the real story. He only played one quarter but Flynn went 7-7 for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad. Not bad at all Mr. Flynn. This week he will get another oppurtunity to play as the Tigers take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Hopefully he will once again be dynamite on offense.

Falling:Midweek Interest Levels- We are playing Appalachian State for chrissakes. I haven't been so unexcited for a game in a while.

SEC

Rising:Jeremy Mincey- Mincey, a sophomore DE was a star on defense for the Gators this past Saturday. Mincey made several key plays at the end of the game for the Gator D, including a pass knockdown on the final drive. Mincey made several tackles behind the line, batted many JTIII passes and was generally a menace to the Bulldawg offense.

South Carolina- The Evil Genius has looked impeccable in his first season in Columbia. He took a team which nobody was expecting much of and made a game of it in Athens, and beat the Vols in Knoxvegas. The only thing better than that would be to knock off his old team on November 12. Spurrier will have this team in the Conference Championship in four years. I guarentee it.

Falling:Michael Spurlock- Coach O's QB at Ole Miss hasn't looked spectacular this year or last year. Numerous mental mistakes have plagued Spurlock all year long. Reb fans will point to the Bama game and show you the delay of games. I'll point to the Auburn game and show you the missed executions, most notably at the goalline in the first quarter. The play on fourth down- a toss sweep- was botched by a horrible pitch by Spurlock. The Rebs lost the ball and killed their momentum.

Tennessee- Need I say more. This team has played one half of good football. They were ranked #2 in the Athlon Preview this year. Pathetic. Look for an upset against the Commies.

NCAA

Rising:Marcus Vick- With every game the younger brother gets even more dominant. Against a tough BC D Vick was cool, calm, and collected. He mechanically marched his team down the field with less razzle-dazzle than Michael- but more cold efficiency. Perhaps a top candidate for the Heisman next year. Please stop showing Michael on the sideline. Nobody cares.

Michigan- The Wolverines are cresting at a good time. They took care of Northwestern last week and now they have a bye before an easy win against Indiana. Then comes the real test: the Buckeyes come to town. They only have two Big 10 losses so they are still in the hunt for the Big 10 title. All I know about that is that a bunch of stuff has to happen and they have to beat Ohio State. The rest is beyond me. Somebody else can figure it out for me though.

Falling:Brad Smith- This guy is overrated every year and never produces. He already gets more talking time than he deserves so I'm not going to say anything more than this. He's overrated and overhyped. Face it.

UCLA- So they're still undefeated... well they were losing 21-3 to Stanford with 6 minutes left. That's hardly impressive. I'm betting they wilt real soon.

November 2, 2005- Here's What's Coming Up

2005-11-02T11:13:00.000-06:00

Well depending on my mood today here's what will be coming up today. I will provide a few links to the masses regarding football. Also I will likely be posting my SEC Rankings and Rising and Falling. I may also get around to previewing the LSU game.

The Curse of Duval

2005-11-01T14:28:00.000-06:00

The LSU student newspaper had an article today which covered a subject which I have been certain of the past couple of weeks. I would say that the curse even effects LSU kickers- who aren't known to always be dead on. Anyway enjoy: The Curse of Duval

SEC Weekend- Florida 14 Georgia 10

2005-11-01T14:24:00.000-06:00

Aside from the first two drives- the Bulldogs played better in this one. Tereshinski played admirably- he didn't light the Gators on fire... but he played well nevertheless. Chris Leak playd much, much better in an offense more suited to his game. Florida didn't exactly tear the Dawgs up... but they moved the ball.

A couple of missed field goals by Couto in the swirling winds of Alltel proved to be the difference. Georgia looked to have a shot at stealing a victory, but the fell victim to outstanding plays by the Gators and poor playcalling. Georgia's chance at a Rose Bowl bid seem to have dissipated, but they are still on track to be in the SEC Championship. The Gators will need Georgia to lose against Auburn to take the SEC East lead.

SEC Weekend: Roundup

2005-10-31T14:16:00.000-06:00

Alabama 35 Utah State 3- Yawn. Bama takes on State next week. Prolly won't be a good game. November 12 is THE date though. That's when the Tigers travel to T-town.

Auburn 27 Ole Miss 3- This was actually a pretty decent game. The Rebs gave AU problems at times and looked good driving the ball in the first half. Of course they made it to the one yard-line before an awful play on fourth down by Spurlock and McSwain gave the Tigers the ball. Ultimately the D got worn down and the O couldn't produce.

South Carolina 16 Tennessee 15- Everybody knew it was coming. Deep down, you knew it had to happen. I doubt anybody was actually surprised. The Vols will get slaughtered in South Bend. The Cocks have to get ready for a date with Spurrier's ol' boys.

Georgia Tech 10 Clemson 9- These two rivals had a very SEC-esque encounter in Atlanta on Saturday. The Tigers killed themselves with turnovers and gave up a series of big plays to set up a 3-yard TD run by PJ Daniels to give Tech the lead.

Kentucky 13 Mississippi State 7- Losses to the worst team in your conference are setbacks. This is a major setback for Sly Croom and Mississippi State. With Rich Brooks about to be on the out, State needed a victory to keep from looking bad. They lost, and now they look bad.

Weekend Roundup

2005-10-31T11:28:00.000-06:00

Well I went 13-6 this weekend. My SEC Roundup is coming up soon.

Virginia Tech 30 Boston College 10- The Hokies once again proved that they are worthy of a shot at the national title. They took the field in Godawful uniforms, but aside from that they are easily as good as Texas and Southern Cal.

Ohio State 45 Minnesota 31- The Buckeyes looked strong in the Metrodome against the Gophers. Minnesota went through their annual collapsing adventure and look like Sun Bowl contenders. Michigan should be worried about this Buckeye team who could very well win the Big 10.

Oklahoma 31 Nebraska 24- The Sooners got the W in Lincoln in a renewal of one of the classic rivalries in college football. The Huskers continue to look average while the Sooners are sailing towards an Alamo Bowl birth. Who cares?

Florida State 35 Marlyand 27- The Terps gave Bobby Bowden and his Florida State Seminoles a run for their money this weekend. Maryland had the lead at half time, but they couldn't keep up with FSU. Not that impressive of a victory for the Noles.

USC 55 Washington State 13- The Trojans don't like being ranked #2. This was obvious as Southern Cal torched the Cougars over and over again for 55 points. This is one of the scariest offenses in CFB history.

Iowa State 42 Texas A&M 14- Basically the Aggies embarassed themselves out there.

UCLA 30 Stanford 27- Once again UCLA came from behind in the fourth quarter and lucked out in getting a victory. Sooner or later the Bruins won't be so lucky. Like on December 3rd maybe.

Michigan 33 Northwestern 17- The high-powered Wildcat offense didn't look like much against the Wolverines at home last Saturday. Northwestern's push for a Big 10 title is now effectively over, and Michigan's campaign is now in full throttle. Michigan will need some help- but need to focus on their own games. The Buckeye game will be huge yet again.

Penn State 33 Purdue 15-Penn State faces a much bigger test this weekend when they host Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions ought to be able to score on the Badger D. The PSU-UW game is the second biggest game of the day.

Texas 47 Oklahoma State 28- Yeah Vince Young and Texas got the W, but everyone knows they were down by 19 to OK State. Texas should not be having to swat flies like this, they should handle everybody on their schedule. Next week they face Baylor in another yawner.

Miami 34 North Carolina 16- The Canes had trouble with UNC, just like I said they would. Tyrone Moss was huge down the stretch and basically won the game for Miami. They travel to Blacksburg this week to attempt to derail VPI's title hopes.

NC State 21 USM 17- Honestly, I don't care enough about this game to write any more than I've already written.

LSU Weekend: Mean Green Make Mean Cupcakes

2005-10-30T11:10:00.000-06:00

Not much to say about this one folks, LSU beat the hell outta the Green. 56-3 was the final score, and boy did it feel good to kick ass again.

As for the actual run of play... well I'd say the offense did very well even though Russell started a bit shaky. Addai ran the ball well while he was in, and Carey, Vincent, and Hester all had really good games. The receivers also had an excellent game. Buster Davis was really on last night, and Early Doucet caught two touchdowns in the latter stages of the game. Matt Flynn was superb in the fourth quarter, he didn't throw an incomplete pass and had three TD's.

The defense was a little shaky- but they only let in three. It was a little bit "bend-but-don't-break"- but as long as they don't score I'll take it. We had too many penalties, so we must keep working to end this ailment.

If you thought this was an awful game- well just wait til next week.

CFB Weekend: Quick 11

2005-10-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

Ohio State at Minnesota- The Gophers are just waiting to collapse. They take the Buckeyes at home. Supposedly it s a dangerous situation for OSU... I ain't buyin it.
Ohio State 34 Minnesota 17

Oklahoma at Nebraska- This used to be a top rivalry in college football. Well the Big 8 is history and neither team runs their patented offenses any more. As for the 2005 game I think NU wins it, chalk it up to home field advantage. The demise of OU will be remembered after this game.
Nebraska 23 Oklahoma 21

Maryland at Florida State- In a minute I'm going to write a piece on the worst uni's in college football... one of these teams will be featured. Anyhow, Florida State will lose one more game this year at least. This won't be it. Expect the Seminoles to put up points.
Florida State 41 Maryland 24

Washington State at USC- The media is going to cover the hell out of this game because they like kissing USC's royal asses. I'll spare you.
USC 45 Washington State 23

Iowa State at Texas A&M- All year long I've secretly thought A&M had a shot at beating Texas at the end of the year. I'm not exactly ready to back off that statement... but if I'm not impressed this weekend by the Aggies I will. For the record I think the Aggies will give em' hell... in the 4th Quarter. It'll stay close for a while.
Texas A&M 27 Iowa State 13

UCLA at Stanford- It seems like this UCLA team is just ripe to be beaten. But can I possibly pick a team that lost to UC-DAVIS to beat an undefeated UCLA? No- so I'll take a step back and say UCLA gets them on the last possession. Maurice Drew prompts more recognition as "Diet Reggie Bush" by having a big day.
UCLA 41 Stanford 38

Michigan at Northwestern- Besides the game in J'ville this ought to be the most interesting game of the week. On one hand you've got the white-hot Northwestern Wildcats- a team everyone in America is cheering for. On the other you've got the Michigan Wolverines- the same Michigan Wolverines we've seen every year since 1997. Utterly, boringly, incomprehensibly on their way to another 8/9/10-3 season. Earlier this week I wrote that Northwestern was on the rise, but that's not why I'm going to pick them. I'm going to pick them because this is the same Michigan team as always.
Northwestern 27 Michigan 24

Purdue at Penn State- The quintessential Big 10 nooner- except its the 2:30 ABC game. These teams are headed in opposite directions. This Purdue team sure was a bust.
Penn State 20 Purdue 6

Texas at Oklahoma State- This isn't Bedlam so the 'Boys aren't going to be interested in an unbelievable upset. The Longhorns take this one... big.
Texas 55 Oklahoma State 19

North Carolina at Miami- The Canes have VT next week- and will probably be looking ahead. Last week I thought the UNC/UVA score was abysmal and couldn't get any worse. Then I came home after the LSU/Auburn game and saw the Bama/Vols score. Right. In any event UNC is going to scare the shit out of the Canes. Watch out Miami.
Miami 27 North Carolina 24

USM at North Carolina State- I'm boycotting the Big East, so really that's the only reason why I'm picking this game. I want USM to win- and I believe they can. That's why I'm picking the Wolfpack.
NC State 26 USM 17

SEC Weekend: SEC Picks

2005-10-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Right, we all know what time it is.... Halloween weekend... its LSU-Ole Miss time! Oh wait, they cancelled out history and moved that game to November 19, oh well. But it is time for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party!

Georgia vs. Florida Look, if you really want to know what happens in this game go see EDSBS . My take on the WLOCP: Florida is going to stink it up on offense yet again.I'm sorry- if you can't make your offense work with Leak then you are terrible. Well Meyer is terrible again in Jacksonville. The Dawgs meanwhile will open the game with an onside kick- which will negate any ideas of them playing tentative with Tereshinski in the game. Anyway the Dawgs go on to get a field goal off the onside kick. The first quarter will move on with more anxiousness. Florida ties it up before the half after Wynn breaks a long draw.
Half Time Score- Georgia 3 Florida 3
Everybody will be thinking of UA-UT as both offenses look sluggish. The tird quarter will see Tereshinski look more comfortable and Leak more antsy. UGA gets a long drive and scores on a Ware run. Florida answers with a long kick return, a couple first downs, and a field goal. The fourth quarter will start with Tereshinski hook up with Massaquoi, Ware will get a long run, and Tereshinski will throw it to Pope to get in the redzone. Florida will hold the Dawgs to a FG however. Florida will try to answer but the offense will look hopelessly inept. Georgia will score a TD in garbage time.
Final Score: Georgia 20 Florida 6

South Carolina at Tennessee- This game reeks of bad karma for the Vols. What with Peyton's jersey being retired before a game with Spurrier. Anyway the Vols will have a hard time fucking up their O against the Gamecock D. LaMarcus Coker will lose his redshirt status but run well. The Vols will be able to move the ball against SC.
Half Time Score: Tennessee 13 South Carolina 3
The second half will be more of the same. Ainge will get some playing time and look good, prompting for calls for his name before the trip to South Bend. The Cocks will get a long TD, but thats about it. LaMarcus Coker will establish himself as the Vols back for the rest of the year. Clausen will look average.
Final Score: Tennessee 23 South Carolina 13

Mississippi State at Kentucky- Is anyone actually going to watch this game?
Half-time score: Kentucky 7 Mississippi State 7
Final Score: Kentucky 20 Mississippi State 17

Ole Miss at Auburn- The WarChickens will be hungry after the loss to LSU last Saturday. Kenny Irons will come out looking strong, but Cox will look a bit run-of-the-mill against the Rebs. Ole Miss meanwhile will have their best QB playing FB and will be hopelessly lost on offense. Auburn will ride Irons to two second quarter touchdowns.
Half-time score: Auburn 14 Ole Miss 0
Ole Miss will come out with Lane at QB and will look better. Mico McSwain will get a little rhythm and the Rebs will out together a drive and score on a pass to Mike Espy. Cox will answer with an interception. The Rebs will try to capitalize but will be forced to settle for a FG after McSwain is stopped. The Rebs will miss the field goal. Thoroughly deflated, the Rebs will allow Auburn to run the ball down their throats. Irons goes for 150 yards, Cox throws for 2 INT's and no TD's. Lane looks much better than Spurlock- but still doesn't play that well. McSwaim gets 125 on the ground.
Final Score: Auburn 24 Ole Miss 10

Utah State at Alabama- See LSU-North Texas prediction.
Half time score: Bama 24 Utah State 0
Final Score: Bama 45 Utah State 0

Clemson at Georgia Tech- It will be a game of two halves in Atlanta. Whitehurst will come out of the gates white-hot, Reggie Ball will be stone cold. Blah blah blah, I've got to go to class in five minutes.
Half time score: Clemson 20 Georgia Tech 6
Ball comes into the second half a new playa. Clemson has a driving desire to make every game interesting. Clemson lets the Jackets back in, but wins the game on an INT return for a TD.
Final Score: Clemson 30 Georgia Tech 23

Cupcake Special: North Texas at LSU

2005-10-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

(The Mean Green take on the Tigers!)

We get our first cupcake of the year this Saturday... and boy do we need it. Our boys are banged up, the coaches running out of ideas, and the backups getting rusty. A very good time for a creampuff.

Lord knows Ryan Perilloux is probably itching to transfer right now, and God help us if Addai gets hurt, because his backups are sucking it up right now, and we REALLY need to work on our catching. If you want to see the future of LSU... stop by this Saturday. The best game in Tiger Stadium this weekend however is on Sunday when the San Antonio Saints welcome Saint Nick and his 'Phins. Honestly I don't feel like going into the details of the Mean Green matchup... just know the AD at North Texas will be happy with all the green he's getting for this game.

Half time score: LSU 31 North Texas 3
Final score: LSU 51 North Texas 13

Thursday Night Football: Boston College at Virginia Tech

2005-10-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

Boston College gets their second shot to announce their arrival to the ACC world tonite when they take on the undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg. Boston College will give the Hokies a run for their money and the score will be tight. It'll be BC ahead at the half... BC 14 Virginia Tech 10. The third quarter will be a bit of a doozy and Va Tech will even it up after BC hits a field goal. It will be tied going into the fourth and the ESPN guys will talk about how BC can really win this game. Well the Hokies will do the Hokie Pokie on their asses and score two quick ones to make it 31-17. And that's how it will end. Again- BC will keep it close- and even have the lead for a while... but VT will wear them down and overrun them in the 4th.
Final Score: Virginia Polytech 31 Coston College 17

Rising and Falling

2005-10-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

Here are the players and teams who are rising and falling this week:

LSU

RISING: WR Skyler Green- Yeah I know, y'all know who Skyler is already, but after a ho-hum performance at best against Florida Skyler came back in a big way against Auburn. If only we could give him the ball on every play.

LB Ali Highsmith- The sophomore linebacker has been a knockout so far this year for the Tigers, and he keeps getting better every game. He ought to have a field day against North Texas and Appalachian State. He is a WLB who swarms to the ball, look for him on All-American lists in the future.

Falling: WR Dwayne Bowe- Yes I know Bowe caught a TD against Auburn, but he looked terrible in the latter stages of the game. He held up on a fade route where it looked like he could have caught the ball, and he dropped a perfect pass in the endzone- a catch which would have prevented overtime.

SEC
Rising: Arkansas Razorbacks- Maybe not this year, and maybe not next year, but just wait- the Hawgs are on the up. The QB situation is screwed this year, but next year High School All-American Mitch Mustain comes in to Hawgvegas- and he's going to get a chance to play. Couple this with the Hawgs ground game- Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis- and you have a recipe for success. Once they revamp the D they could be in for a good thing.

Darren McFadden
- So I already said Arkansas. But this Frosh TB is something special. McFadden has been tearing it up so far this year for the Hawgs (190 against Georgia last Saturday). They expected to have a solid backfield with DeArrius Howard and Peyton Hillis- but McFadden has blown them away. The group of young RB's in the SEC is a very deep crop- and McFadden may be the best.

Falling: Tennessee Volunteers- The Vols are having a terrible season- and the end may not be as close as it seems. They have looked downright awful on offense and special teams this year and nobody seems to know what to do... except Voluminous and TennVolChamp. That is... fire Fulmer and Sanders. Regardless the Vols have potential upsets against South Carolina and Vandy looming as well as a nightmare trip to South Bend.

John Vaughn- 5 missed field goals. Need I say more?

NATIONAL

Rising: Northwestern- The Wildcats beat the living shit out of a team who was ranked above them on the road, on their homecoming. Since Gary Barnett took over in the 90's this team has had a hard-working attitude and managed to win even though they were perennial underdogs. Brett Basanez is simply superb at QB for them, and Tyrell Sutton is a fantastic back. Simply put: Its hard to cheer against this team.

Jerome Harrison- The Cougs may have lost... but Harrison absolutely torched the Cal D. His 160 yards against the Bears were nothing compared to what he did against UCLA (260 yards) and Stanford (218 yards). The Cougars are riding this guy like a horse, and I'll be shocked if he doesn't end up on a roster next year.

Falling: Virginia- Just when everyone forgot Virginia's ho-hum start the Cavs go and shoot themselves in the foot. Sexy Results wasn't surprised, and neither was I. It seems like the Cavs have been stuck in the same spot since the win over FSU in 1995... good enough to make a bowl every year, and bad enough to make a crappy one every year. Hoos gonna be in Boise?

Drew Stanton- The Michigan State QB was a media darling after the Notre Dame game. Who cares anymore? His performance against Northwestern (20-38 234 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT) was shockingly below par considering. Yeah, the yardage was pretty good... but the INT's were killers.

SEC Rankings 1-2

2005-10-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

Oops... here are #'s 1 and 2: Georgia and Alabama

SEC Rankings 3-4

2005-10-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

3. LSU Tigers- The Tigers got a big win Saturday against Auburn and now have North Texas and Appalachian State. The offense didn't turn the ball over against the 'Barners but still looked a bit off. Perhaps Dwayne Bowe and Early Doucet have learned how to catch again- but its not likely. The D played good- except for the whole tackling part on a couple of plays. If it wasn't for that second half against Tennessee this team would be a legitimate title contender. For now the Tigers are on the outside- hoping everyone loses.
Up next: North Texas

4. Auburn Tigers- The 'Barners lost to the foot of John Vaughn Saturday against LSU and now take on Ole Miss. The Tigers looked good in the losing effort, especially RB Kenny Irons. QB Brandon Cox looked steady against the hostile crowd of Tiger Stadium, and the Defense was never really blown open by LSU. In fact Auburn mostly played like winners against LSU... except for the whole kicking part.
Up next: Ole Miss

SEC Rankings 5-8

2005-10-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

5. Florida Gators- The Gators are at eight only because everyone else sucks more than them. Basically if Florida is going to have any shot in Jacksonville this weekend the offense is going to have to make something happen. Chris Leak HAS to make plays, the WR's HAVE to catch the ball, DeShawn Wynn will HAVE to come up with a big run, the line HAS to protect Leak. The defense also needs to stop the Georgia rushing attack.
Up next: Georgia (Jacksonville)

6. Georgia Tech- The Techsters don't need a calculator to figure this year out (they'll use one anyway though). If they are going to have any shot at reaching the SEC Championship Reggie Ball has to start playing big in big games. It also hurts that more people attend South Gwinnet High School football games than attend Bobby-Dodd Stadium.
Up next: Clemson

7. Tennessee- The Vols need to get their shit together. The offense is dire, the defense is incredible, the special teams is well "special". Like I said after the Bama game- Tennessee has a better shot of losing to Vanderbilt than beating Notre Dame in South Bend. This season has been a nightmare for Vol fans, Fulmer needs to take his head out of the Krispy Kreme box and do something about it. Right now this team is lucky to not be heading for a losing season.
Up next: South Carolina

8. South Carolina- The Gamepenises get the same treatment as Florida- they're here because they suck less than everyone else. Right now the ass kickin chickens have a shot at an upset against Tennessee, but the Cock n' Fire needs to be like the South Carolina offense circa 1st Qtr UCF game. The Ol' Ball Coach has a legitimate shot at making a bowl game this year- don't fumble it Stevie baby.
Up next: at Tennessee

SEC Weekly Rankings

2005-10-26T14:20:00.000-05:00

9. Vanderbilt Commodores- The 'Dores will be heartbroken by the loss last week to South Carolina. They now face a situation where they must win two of their last three games. They can beat Kentucky... but they must win against either Tennessee or Florida in order to become bowl eligible. QB Jay Cutler has been spot on all year for Vandy, and if they have any shot at Tennessee or Florida he must continue to play up to form. Up next: BYE

10. Ole Miss Rebels- Coach O's wild bunch got a key victory against Kentucky last Saturday... but the performance was far from special. Simply put the Rebel offense has been downright dour. The D has been all Bob Seger, but the Offense must step it up for the last four games. Mico McSwain has been the only thing of note for this team on offense. Up next: at Auburn

11. Arkansas Razorbacks- The Hawgs nearly upset a Shockley-less Georgia Bulldog team on Saturday but instead came home with only dreams of what might have been. The QB situation in Hawgvegas is still up in the air... but the RB situation is all dynamite. A trio of backs: Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis, and most importantly Darren McFadden has kept Houston Nutt's boys in most games this year (not even a backfield of Tommie Frazier, Barry Sanders, OJ Simpson, and Archie Griffin could have saved them against USC). The Hawgs have a shot at a bowl game- but must get an upset in Baton Rouge to make one. Up next: BYE

12. Mississippi State- Coach Croom has a pretty solid D- not Bob Seger D- but good nonetheless. Its the offense that stinks. You know that roadkill you passed this morning on the highway? Thats their offense- dead, run over, beaten up, with the guts falling out. They're BAD. Jerious Norwood is a pretty good back, but the passing game needs a bit of a spark. A spark the size of the H-bomb maybe. Up next: at Kentucky

13. Kentucky- BORING. Is this team even in the SEC? When are they going to fire Rich Brooks? When are they going to hire Ashley Judd? Up next: Mississippi State

TOP 25- October 25, 2005

2005-10-25T14:24:00.000-05:00

1. USC
2. Texas
3. Virginia Polytech
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. UCLA
8. Notre Dame
9. Penn State
10. Florida State
11. Miami
12. Ohio State
13. Boston College
14. Northwestern
15. Wisconsin
16. Oregon
17. Florida
18. Auburn
19. Texas Tech
20. West Virginia
21. TCU
22. Minnesota
23. Fresno State
24. Colorado
25. Michigan

The 13: SEC Rankings

2005-10-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

1. University of Georgia Bulldogs- The Jawga Bulldogs lost their dynamo on Saturday to the Hawgs. QB DJ Shockley has been the catalyst this year for the Bulldog offense and will be dearly missed. The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is this weekend and is a traditional stumbling block for the boys of Athens. Many Bulldog fans are dreaming of trips to Atlanta and Pasadena but first must get by the Gators with a solid performance from interim QB Joe Tereshinski.
Up next: Florida (Jacksonville)

2. University of Alabama Crimson Tide- The Tide squeeked out another W this weekend with a last second field goal. The rampagin elephants looked short of ideas on offense against the Vols. Their D put up another stellar performance, including a crushing hit from Roman Harper on Vol FB Cory Anderson which caused a game changing fumble. The Tide offense is struggling without playmaker WR Tyrone Prothro and must fix things over the next two weeks before the showdowns with LSU and Auburn.
Up next: Utah State

SEC Recap: Alabama 6 Tennessee 3

2005-10-24T14:57:00.000-05:00

Alabama 6 Tennessee 3- For the second week in a row Jamie "Money" Christensen helped Alabama eke out a win with a game winning field goal. Last week it was Coach O's Ole Miss Rebels who were the victimes, this week it was the Tennessee Vols who had to slink off the field with their heads hanging.

The Tide and the Vols fought hard for sixty minutes before Christensen settled it. The two defenses shined the whole game, and neither offense could get a rhythm. The Vols had their best TD oppurtunity late in the 4th Quarter, but a series of penalties, mistakes, and finally a fumble kept them from the endzone.

Cory Anderson's rumble towards the endzone on 3rd and Goal was stopped short by Bama safety Roman Harper, and the ball jarred loose. On any other day, in any other year the ball may have bounced to a Tennessee player... but on this day, in this year the ball bounced in the favor of the elephants as if it was guided by the Bear's hand.

Following the fumble QB Brodie Croyle and his offense marched down the field before giving Christensen his shot to win the game. Key runs by Ken Darby and a 43 yard Croyle-to-DJ Hall hookup gave "Money" his shot. And his shot was right on the money.

These two teams are headed in opposite directions- Bama looking to November 12 with hope and anticipation. They should be 9-0 when they take on LSU in Bryant-Denny. The Vols are left looking towards November 5 and their trip to South Bend. They need a win against the Irish to save their season. Sure, the win in Tiger Stadium was amazing, but right now Tennessee has a better chance of losing to Vanderbilt than beating Notre Dame.

LSU Recap: LSU 20 Auburn 17

2005-10-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

LSU 20 Auburn 17- Well LSU shortened my life by about three months with the unnecessary amount of added stress they created Saturday night. I'd like to personally thank Mr. John Vaughn for his kindness. The overtime win was spectacular considering how ungodly dreadful I felt before Chris Jackson's kick to tie the game at 17 in the 4th, and his kick to take the lead in OT. To top it off the people behind me asked me to SIT down during the 4th Qtr. and Overtime. Are you freaking kidding me? SIT FREAKING DOWN?

The first half was pretty decent on our part- Skyler had an electrifying TD run on a punt return. The half would end at 7-3 LSU. Compared to last week's game it was astonishingly fast moving. LSU gave up a touchdown to Kenny Irons to open the third quarter, but we quickly returned the favor with an 18 yard Russel-to-Bowe touchdown reception.

Kenny Irons managed to churn out 218 yards for the Plainsmen, and LSU's defense gave an exhibition on how NOT to tackle. But brandon Cox had trouble moving the ball on the Tigers pass defense. Cox gained 221 yards on 16 completions. The LSU offense moved the ball well but never fully capitalized. They missed two field goals and had a stunning drop by Dwayne Bowe in the 4th quarter.

A five-yard touchdown pass from Cox to TE Anthony Mix gave AU a three-point lead. Chris Jackson tied the game up with a minute left at 17. Auburn could not hit a game winning field goal- kicker John Vaughn's fourth miss- so the game went to OT.

It was LSU's second Overtime game in 2005, and just like the first they lost the toss, chose to play towards the student section, and had to settle for a field goal. This time, unlike against Tennessee LSU managed to stop Auburn's offense and force a Vaughn field goal attempt. Vaughn's kick looked to be heading for good, but much to the relief and amazement of the crowd... the ball CLUNKED against the upright and bounced into the endzone. A very strange game, a very lucky win, a very heartbreaking loss. All are characteristic of LSU-Auburn matchups, and 2005 lived up to that reputation.

Sorry boys

2005-10-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

Been a bit busy lately.... sorry. But hey the Tigers got a big W last nite so I will be reviewing that sometime tonite. I was not impressed with the team last nite- especially the LB crew- not so much Highsmith- but more so Vaughn and Hollis. I also was not impressed with Dwayne Bowe or Early Doucet. Bowe dropped that pass in the back of the endzone- he was wide freakin open- no way he should have missed that. He also looked a little lazy on a couple of plays- specifically the long fade in the 4th Qtr where he could have made the catch but held up a little. Doucet pretty much cancelled out his heroic ASU catch with that "Oh my God..." drop in Overtime last nite. Russell once again looked like a question mark... until the end when he really turned it up and became wonderfully steady. Well I'll be back later to recap LSU and the SEC.

Updates Lacking... sorry

2005-10-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

I apologize for my lack of updates.... its midterm week. I had planned to start a weekly routine on here, but fitting in tests, two concerts, and the LSU game leaves little room for blogging.

Ryan's Top 25

2005-10-17T22:53:00.000-05:00

1. USC- Lucky to be here
2. Texas- If they do well against T-Tech I may bump them up
3. Virginia Tech- Won't move until they, USC, or Texas loses or until the Miami game
4. Georgia- Looking more impressive every game
5. Alabama- Not a performance they wanted, but not enough to slide them
6. Miami- Creeping under the radar
7. LSU- Eventually the turnovers will get to them
8. Notre Dame- So unlucky, should have won
9. UCLA- Need to start winning games handily
10. Texas Tech- Second game of the season this week
11. Ohio State- Looking like Big 10 favorites
12. Auburn- First real test on road coming up
13. Florida State- Disappointing loss against UVA shows this team ain't that great
14. Boston College- Lucky to pull out a win against lowly Wake
15. Penn State- Hardly a surprising loss, still in the Big 10 lead though
16. Florida- Do they have an offense?
17. Oregon- Looking better with every game
18. Wisconsin- Do they have a defense?
19. Michigan State- Northwestern game is huge if they want a shot at the Big 10
20. Tennessee- Will prove doubters wrong with Fourth Saturday win
21. Northwestern- Puts themselves in a position to win Big 10 with win against MSU
22. West Virginia- Favorites to win Big East
23. Virginia- Collapse probable
24. Iowa- Still in the Big 10 hunt, need to beat Michigan this Saturday
25. TCU- Looks to be best non-BCS conference team (besides ND)

LSU Recap: LSU Performance Grades

2005-10-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

DEFENSE

D-Line: A+ Excellent game for the whole line. Wroten and Williams were nasty in the middle, and Pittman and Oliver were consistantly getting around their blockers to provide pressure. The running game wasn't too damaging, most of UF's yards came from draw plays- something that has been beating us all year. Still, top-notch, spot-on, what-can-I-say kind of performance here.

Linebackers: A- Highsmith is really developing into a class LB. He is leading the team in tackles and comes up with a ton of big plays. Vaughn was as consistant as ever also. The only negative is that they LB's had a hard time stopping the draw to Deshawn Wynn. We cannot afford to let Ken Darby run wild on us in T-town, or Kenny Irons to run wild on us on Saturday.

Defensive Backs: B+ It would be an A, but I felt there were times when the receivers were open and Leak just didn't make the plays. Also there were a couple plays- namely one involving Laron Landry- when we could have picked the ball off and dropped it. Otherwise this is likely the Defensive Backfield's best game of the year.

LSU Recap: Performance Grades

2005-10-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE GRADES

Quarterbacks: B- Russel continues to remain steady- steadily average. He can make some wonderful plays- like his two touchdown throws, one to Bennie Brazell and one to Dwayne Bowe. However he was off target on some of his throws, had an interception, and took too many sacks. Russel needs to get better at game management over the next few weeks. Honestly we can't afford so many mistakes against Auburn or Alabama.

Running Backs: A- Joseph Addai once again proved that he and Ken Darby are the two best tailbacks in the SEC. His 156 yards were key to the Tigers winning the game. He came up with a number of mid-yardage runs which extended LSU drives. Clutch performance. Justin Vincent solidified his fall from grace by fumbling on his only carry.

Wide Receivers: A Our wide receivers looked much better this week. Benny Brazell really stepped up in a way I had not anticipated. Bravo to him. Dwayne Bowe once again made a couple of key grabs and proved he's our best receiver. And finally, Early Doucet made a huge catch on 3rd down in the 4th Qtr. Early was wide open and probably would have scored on the play had Russel made an accurate throw. But Russel's throw was off and Early had to come back to the ball to make the grab. Very big play, Early continues to iprove with every game.

O-Line: B- The line had a few problems against a solid Gator D. They opened up holes for Addai, but they were leaky on pass protection at some points. May need to be better for the Bama game in a few weeks.

Saturday Recap: Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 17

2005-10-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 17

The Commies kept it close early, but ultimately were not enough for the Georgia Bulldogs. DJ Shockley was excellent for Georgia throughout the game and was the difference between the two teams. Vanderbilt and Georgia were tied at some points of the game, but mental mistakes from Vanderbilt allowed Georgia to take the lead. The Commies had a chance to make it 27-21 in the third but a sure fire touchdown pass was dropped and they had to settle for a field goal. Georgia's offense was not enough for the soft Vandy D eventually as Shockley proved to agile to keep under grips.

Georgia (6-0 4-0) up next: Arkansas
Vanderbilt (4-3 2-2 up next: at South Carolina

Georgia will look to score a poll victory by pounding on the Hawgsin Sanford Stadium. It should provide a chance to work out any kinks before the World's Largest Cocktail Party on the 29th. The 'Dores must get a win in Columbia if they have any designs on a bowl this year. Their D will struggle against Blake Mitchell and co. but Cutler could have a field day against the weak Cock defense.

Saturday Recap: Auburn 34 Arkansas 17

2005-10-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

Auburn 34 Arkansas 17
The game went like I expected, Auburn struggled in the first half, and kicked it into gear in the 3rd Quarter. How does this reflect on the team though? The Tigers played their first road game last night, and it was obvious. The offense, especially Brandon Cox struggled early. He was able to put it together in the second half, but it is certainly of concern for next week that he had trouble dealing with the hostile crowd. However, the Tigers were able to find a running back: Kenny Irons. Irons busted out with 33 carries for 182 yards. Arkansas showed they can be competitive at home.

Auburn (5-1 3-0) up next: at LSU
Arkansas (2-4 0-3) up next: at Georgia

Auburn faces its first SEC test with a road trip to Baton Rouge. If Auburn has designs on the SEC Championship- then this is a must win. Arkansas is the sacrificial lambs in Athens next week. Expect Georgia to get a pretty win i.e. a conference blowout.

Saturday Recap: Alabama 13 Ole Miss 10

2005-10-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

Alabama 13 Ole Miss 10
I thought the Rebs would keep it close- didn't think it would be this close though. Ole Miss played and mighty well, and had their oppurtunities to win. They missed two field goals, and had 3rd and Goal at the 2 before getting two delay of games. Mico McSwain looked good for the Rebs and could definitely be a spark in the future.

Bama could have beaten this team by more, and should have. A few costly mistakes- turnovers and missed field goals kept the Rebs in the game. Bama cannot afford performances like this against the likes of Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn. Brodie Croyle proved once again he is an excellent leader for the Tide, and gave Bama everything Spurlock took away from Ole Miss- namely game smarts and leadership. Darby played well and gave the Tide their only TD with his 48 yard run.

Alabama (6-0 4-0) up next: Tennessee
Ole Miss (2-4 0-3) up next: Kentucky

Alabama has the Third Saturday on the Fourth Saturday. They need a win against the hated Vols to keep them alive for the Rose Bowl run. A loss means they cannot afford any slip ups against LSU or Auburn if they want to win the West.

Ole Miss needs a win against Kentucky if they want any shot at a bowl this year. They seem to be improving steadily, and if their D continues to remain strong they ought to have a chance of upsetting LSU or Auburn.

Saturday Recap: LSU 21 Florida 17: By The Ways

2005-10-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

By the way: Is it me or is JaMarcus Russel overrated? Every analyst says he is "improving" every game. But is he? I'm not saying he's getting worse, but he's not really improving. He made some dumb decisions that led/almost led to turnovers. Also I remember a coulpe of plays where if he had made a better throw, we would have scored. There is one Early Doucet catch which comes to mind. It was a 20 yard completeion, which is great, but if Russel had made a good pass it would have been a 55 yard TD or something along those lines.

By the way: Shyrone Carey should be put in ahead of Justin Vincent: Vincent has not been doing well all year, and the fumble yesterday only solidifies this. Vincent right now is essentially only a 3rd down back, and Carey is a better than Vincent in this role in my opinion.

By the way: I don't think the spread option is going to work in the SEC.

Saturday Recap: LSU 21 Florida 17

2005-10-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

Well to talk about Saturday I have to talk about Friday night. I don't think I've ever had a worst night of sleep than on Friday. So after hours of miserable no-sleep I got up at 3 AM and read Rammer Jammer Yello Hammer and the Tailgater's Guide to SEC Football. I tried to go to sleep at 6:30, but about twenty minutes later I said "Fuck it", took a shower, put on my gameday T, jeans, Sperry's, and my LSU hat and hiked a half/mile to campus. I think I will take a morning walk to campus every gameday now. It was perfect, the air was crisp, breezy, the crowds were filling up, the grills being fired up, beers cracking open, people had beers in one hand and coffe in the other. Very inspiring walk around the stadium.

Now to the game: The first half was incredibly long, INCREDIBLY long. Things were looking up for us, we were moving the ball and stuffing the spread option. 14-0 looks good to me. But we all know what happened against Tennessee.

Well we tried to pull a Tennessee. That is, we turned the ball over 5 times, gave them 17 points, and started running the same plays over-and-over again. When we didn't turn the ball over their offense had no shot. Leak was terrible, the only play that worked all game was that little draw they kept running. The D-line looked fantastic, Williams, Oliver, Wroten, Pittman, and co. had pressure the whole game. I was in the upper deck and knew that Leak was getting battered. My roomate, who is an equipment manager and was helping the chain game was on the field, and he said "You have no idea." Anyway we won, which is all that matters really. And it was exactly as I predicted it to be.

CFB Weekend: USC (5-0 3-0) at Notre Dame (4-1)

2005-10-14T20:58:00.000-05:00

The Irish play hard, score a lot, USC takes the lead at the end and wins. Can't wait for this one to be over.
Final Score: USC 45 Notre Dame 41

CFB Weekend: Quick 11

2005-10-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Here are my picks for eleven of the best games this Saturday.

1. Michigan State (4-1 1-1) at Ohio State (3-2 1-1)
Michigan State will try to keep their challenge for the Big 10 title going with a win at the Horseshoe. Ohio State meanwhile will attempt to recover from the setback in Pennsylvania. Expect the Buckeyes to come out hungry and with guns blazing. Michigan State will bring their usual firepower, but it won't be as strong against the Buckeye D. OSU pulls out by virtue of the D.
Final Score: Ohio State 30 Michigan State 28

2. Penn State (6-0 3-0) at Michigan (3-3 1-2)
Everybody is on the Nittany Lion bandwagon after the titanic victory over Ohio State. Now they must get another titanic victory over OSU's eternal enemies: Meechegunn. The Wolverines are staring at the Sun Bowl right now, and if they have any shot at winning the Big 10, they HAVE to win this one. Penn State must find its offense more consistantly if they wish to follow through on the OSU win. I think Michigan will pull it out by coming out fierce and hungry after losing the Jug last week.
Final Score: Michigan 24 Penn State 16

3. Wisconsin (5-1 2-1) at Minnesota (5-1 2-1)
Essentially an elimination game for two teams who beat Michigan. Each team had opposite weekends last week, Wisconsin lost a barnburner, Minnesota won a nailbiter. Minnesota's annual collapse is due any time now, and Barry Alvarez will want to win his last Paul Bunyan Trophy. Its also a duel of two excellent RB's: Brian Calhoun and Laurence Maroney. I think Calhoun gets 175 and the Minnesota collapse starts here.
Final Score: Wisconsin 38 Minnesota 27

4. Northwestern (3-2 1-1) at Purdue (2-3 0-2)
Two teams seemingly moving in opposite directions. Northwestern got a huge win last week over Wisconsin, Purdue solidified itself as one of the season's biggest busts with a loss to Iowa. What to think of Northwestern? It seems like every year they upset someone, so was last week's game just a flash in the pan? Or are they legit? I think its a combination, they can compete with anyone in the Big 10, its just a question of whether or not they will. I think Purdue will try to get its season back on track, and the Wildcats suffer a letdown at Ross-Ade.
Final Score: Purdue 34 Northwestern 30

5. Kansas State (4-1 1-1) at Texas Tech (5-0 2-0)
After a fantastic win at the last second versus Nebraska last week the Red Raiders host the Kansas State Wildcats. The Cats will quickly prove that they do not deserve to be a 1-loss team, and the Red Raiders will play their usual pitch-and-catch ball. Tech won't have a tough time with this one.
Final Score: Texas Tech 45 Kansas State 20

6. Louisville (4-1 0-1) at West Virginia (5-1 2-0)
This is the Cardinals first Big East game since the USF debacle, and its a possible showdown for the Big East title and a spot in the Orange Bowl. I really hate the Big East. Dumerville will get sacks, Louisville will throw the ball, WVA fans will yell a lot. Yawn. Change the channel.
Final Score: Louisville 38 West Virginia 33

7. Colorado (4-1 2-0) at Texas (5-0 2-0)
Likely this is essentially a tune-up for the Big 12 Championship. Colorado is good enough to beat Texas, but the pieces have to fall the right way. Texas can't relax after finally beating Oklahoma last week, and Young has to protect the ball, this Buffs team is very underrated and has been flying below the radar for weeks. But... Young will get the W, with a lot of help from Jammal Charles.
Final Score: Texas 27 Colorado 17

8. Oregon State (3-2 1-1) at Cal (5-1 2-1)
I have maintained all season long that Cal is overrated. And I still hold that to be true. However, they will not lose this one at home. I expect Oregon State to make it a close game for the first half, but eventually the Beaver D will be worn down by the onslaught of Lynch and Forsett. Attribute this win to the Cal running game.
Final Score: Cal 41 Oregon State 21

9. UCLA (5-0 2-0) at Washington State (3-2 0-2)
UCLA looks incredibly beatable, especially considering the game against Washington. Washington State should hang in there, I wouldn't be surprised if UCLA was in a bit of a hangover after last week. Eventually thought the Maurice Jones-Dew show will get the best of the Cougars.
Final Score: UCLA 35 Washington State 25

10. Oklahoma (2-3 1-1) at Kansas (3-2 0-2)
Now that nobody cares about them any more the Sooners can focus on trying to reach a bowl. Reach? Yes, they still have important games left which they might lose. This one though is definitely one which OU should win. Kansas won't give them too much trouble unless Oklahoma comes out sluggish, which they won't.
Final score: Oklahoma 23 Kansas 10

11. Florida State (5-0 3-0) at Virginia (3-2 1-2)
Virginia is going to do what they do every year, come tantalizingly close and then fall apart. FSU wins this one. Read Sexy Results if you want to know more.
Final score: Florida State 31 Virginia 23

UF/LSU Roundtable

2005-10-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

Four Unimpressed People: Check out my verdicts and thoughts at UF/LSU Roundtable on EDSBS.
I even bring up Cecil Collins and Aaron Brooks. Be sure to check it out, and admire at how late I was on some of my replies.

SEC Weekend: Georgia at Vanderbilt

2005-10-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

Last week LSU played Vandy and did not look too spot on. An over-abundance of turnovers by the Tigers led to a close game up until the very end. That and the repeated showing of Jay Cutler's parents did not leave me happy. This week its the Jawga Bulldawgs who take on the Commies.

Vandy comes in at 4-2 on the year. Surprising wins against Wake Forest, Arkansas, and Ole Miss had this team at a national talking point. Then they did like a dog and shat... on their season. That is... they lost to Middle Tennessee. Good jub Bobby Johnson, way to ruin ALL your momentum going into a huge matchup with LSU. Now they hope to play spoiler against Jawga.

Georgia comes in undefeated and ranked in the top 5. First they brushed aside Boys State like they were flies hovering over their unwashed dishes. Then they barely beat South Carolina only because it was South Carolina and Spurrier was coaching. Then they blah blah blah Tennessee. Now they are looking good with steady, decent play from DJ Shockley, a diverse rushing attack, the best TE in the land, and the man with the best name: Mohammed Massaquoi. Boy do I freakin love that name. Sometimes its Massa-quoy, other times its Massa-quaw, all the time its freakin incredible. Oh yeah, they have an OK D too.

Vandy will come out and score first, just watch, Vandy WILL score first. But Georgia will even it back up and it'll be tied for a while. Probably for the length of a quarter. Then Georgia will get a TD, and Vandy wii reciprocate with a field goal.
HT Score: Georgia 14 Vandy 10

Georgia will come out sluggish, and the game will be kinda weird, games in Nashville are like that. Vandy will keep it tight for the whole of the tird quarter, at some point it will be a tie game agains. Then Georgia will break it open, having worn down the Vandy D with Ware, Brown, and Lumpkin. They'll get a couple of td's to put the game away.

Final score: Georgia 31 Vanderbilt 20

SEC Weekend: Auburn at Arkansas

2005-10-13T18:47:00.000-05:00

Cox takes on the Hawgs in this one in Fayetteville. Thats right, Cox takes on the Hawgs. This game is a particularly important one for PlainsWarTigerManEagles, its their final tune-up before they head down here to the bayou to take on LSU. Its also important for Arkansas because they can regain some respectability by winning this one.

Arkansas will want to knock down a big time opponent at home, especially considering the USC embarassment. They come in with a few solid pieces to the puzzle: Marcus Monk, Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden, DeArrius Howard. However they lack more of what it takes to win in the SEC: a big time, nasty D.

Auburn hasn't really done much since they lost to SEC opponents Georgia Tech (1-0 so far this year in the SEC) on the opening weekend... which is to say they've won four relatively meaningless games in a row. The question is whether this team will be ready for brilliant zone scheme employed by Beaux Pelini on Oct 22. Will AU be able to handle being wide open every play?

As for the game at hand- Arkansas will hang around for the first half- but by the second quarter Cox will start to find a rhythm and the Tigers will move the ball.
HT score: Auburn 13 Arkansas 7

Auburn will pull away from the Hawgs in the 3rd Quarter, Cox will continue to move the ball, and any Razorback dreams of an upset will quickly dissipate. Expect Arkansas to score at least once in garbage time however. Auburn will largely keep the Arkansas running game in check, and Monk will do little damage.

Final score: Auburn 30 Arkansas 14

SEC Weekend: Alabama at Ole Miss

2005-10-13T14:24:00.000-05:00

The first SEC game of the weekend pits the Tide and the Rebs in Oxford. I give an advantage to Ole Miss... I mean Bama has some great fans and they travel to every game, but you can't beat the Grove. Chandeliers at tailgate parties? TOP-NOTCH. Also, how many NC's has UA won? 12. UM? 3 at the most, with the last one coming in 1963 or so. And they still get great support from the Grove. So thus, the Grove over Bama's travelling legion of non-alums.

Oh yeah, and the game. I'm only gonna say it once: Prothro. There, I got the obligatory mention of the guy who got hurt when the game was over out of the way. Bama has a definite advantage in this game, and really should have an easy time of it. After all, Ole Miss has only beaten them eight or so times in all of history. But something says the Rebs are gonna creep up on the Bleach. The Rebs will get fired up, cause thats what Coach O does, gets you fired up. It doesn't matter if he doesn't communicate in normal American-English tongue, its sorta like Bluto: "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? HELL NO!" The Deltas are fired up, and likewise the Rebs will be fired up too.

The Rebs may get one first down all game long. Spurlock or Lane? We don't really know who the QB is for UM. Supposedly Lane will get some PT... its very reminiscent of the Randall-Russel thing at LSU last year or maybe the Clausen-Ainge deal at UT. Either way the Bama D will smother them like an infant under a blanket. For the Rebs, their D may have to be their best O.

The Rebs have a pretty good D, and potentially can stop the Croyle engine. But they have to be very bend-but-don't-break. I know... its not the most fun D to have your D run, but it comes in handy when you are playing a high caliber offense. The Tide will likely score points... but they are prone to "off" games. Just look at the USM and Middle Tennessee games from earlier this year. They weren't "electrifying" like they were against the Cocks and the Gators.

So here is what I think: The Rebs come out ready to go and play fired up ball and contain the Tide. HT score: Tide 10 Rebs 3

2nd Half: The Tide start to bust it loose towards the mid-3rd, the Rebs D can only hold back the Tide for so long. They get back some points in the late 3rd and late 4th, but ultimately the Tide offense just outpaces them.

Final Score: Alabama 27 Ole Miss 13

A respectable performance for the Rebs, a typical "SEC" win for the Tide.

Hey, did you know?

2005-10-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hey did you know there is more than one game this weekend?

Concert Review: Robert Earl Keen Jr. and the Captain Legendary Band

2005-10-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

While I love writing about college football.... I had such a good time at the Robert Earl Keen show last night, I felt compelled to write about it.

The concert was set at the SoGo Live in good ole downtown Baton Rouge, and since my buddies and I weren't from the BR and had never been to SoGo, we didn't know where the hell it was. So after driving aimlessly through the streets of downtown BR we asked help from a cop (the only time a cop has ever been helpful) and found our way to the venue.

The opener was the Captain Legendary Band, some native Baton Rougians. They were pretty good... very "College Band." They were a country band and did some old covers. They had the look, they need to develop their sound to find an "identity" as a band I guess. Still very fun though.

But Robert Earl is what we came to hear. Robert Earl Keen is an old-Texas country kinda guy. He doesn't conform to the Nashville-run-of-the-mill-bubblegum-country-sell-your-soul-to-the-ceo type stuff that most country musicians sell out to. But boy does he sound real good. His band was top-notch and sounded incredible on "Corpus Christi Bay" "That Buckin Song" and "Feelin Good Again". In fact they sounded freakin awesome on every song. But Robert Earl really shines when he gets up front by himself and plays "Front Porch Song". If you haven't heard "Front Porch Song"... download it. Great song, especially if you like to keep it laid back and alcoholized.

But in the middle of the best part some douchebag Pike pledge who is drunk falls backwards, grabs a wire from the stage, and pulls on it to keep his balance. In the process Robert Earl's guitar is unplugged and he gets pissed. Well he went back and played the part, but he was not happy. Later on towards the end of the night the same pledge throws beer or some other beverage all up in the air, on the stage, on REK Jr. REK steps up to the edge, bends down, and grabs the kid by his collar and yanks him up. I believe his words were "Don't fuck with me during my concert". Needless to say the kid left.

I don't believe Robert Earl was too happy after that, but he ended with the amazing "The Road Goes on Forever (And the Party Never Ends). He went throgh that song as fast as he could, he was ready to hit the road, and he was pissed. After the show we walked past him storming onto his tour bus after yelling at some SoGo employees. Good ol' Robert was pissed. Oh well, he played an amazing show, and he wore us out. Hopefully he'll be back in the BR area some time soon.

So if you like good music, and REK is playing in town, I suggest you go take it in. Rating out of ten: 9.

In honor of the boys at EDSBS

2005-10-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

Over at EDSBS its "Mustache Wednesday"... so in honor of the mustache I give you the guys from Super Troopers, who sport some of the most phenomenal mustaches known to man.

LSU v. Florida CFN: Redemption & Disappointment

2005-10-12T11:52:00.000-05:00

Aemek offers a thoughtful piece on the UF at LSU game: LSU v. FLorida. Hopefully the Tigers will be the redeemed and the Gators will be wondering why they hired Meyer's overhyped offense.

Wednesday SEC Rankings

2005-10-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

Every Wednesday I will be ranking the SEC- so here is my first Wednesday SEC Rankings:

1. Georgia- So far they've looked cool as UGA's balls on a hot day, but the Cocktail Party is just aroumd the corner... and we all know what Georgia usually does at the Cocktail Party

2. Bama- Roll freaking tide! So they've made everyone forget what they looked like against MTSU and USM- and that Croyle is overdue for an injury. Third Saturday er.... Fourth Saturday is next Saturday and we know UT would love to stop their fall with a win over the Tide.

3. Auburn- I guess... Cox has gotten some time to grow before they dive into their real games: at LSU, at Georgia, and of course the Tide. The Tech loss hurts their image, but thats about it... it was so long ago in the season.

4. Florida- Honestly Florida and LSU are interchangeable. I hate when people say "Leak is not the right QB for the system" and somehow apologise for the suckiness of Urban Meyer's offense so far. Leak is one of the most gifted QB's in the country... if you can't make it work with Leak, you're atrocious. Big game this weekend.

5. LSU- AKA the most talented team in the country... its a shame Miles and Pelini have molested our season. Its not their fault we turned the ball over 5 times against the Dores, but UT IS their fault.

6. Tennessee- Clausen sucks (how did this guy beat us!), Ainge sucks, Riggs is overrated (or at least has not risen to meet expectations), Fulmer and Sanders run the same plays over and over again. I feel like I've heard this before... like every year since they won the MNC.

7. Georgia Tech- Ball is really way too inconsistant, and they can't rely on Daniels and Johnson all the time. What's that? They aren't in the SEC? Oh sorry....

7. South Carolina- Its hard to believe but this team is looking at a bowl bid. They could definitely beat Vandy, Arkansas, andClemson to go 6-5... but will they? Mitchell has looked solid, and he is the key to the team, if he stays healthy the Cocks go 6-5.

8. Vandy- I love Vandy, their my #2 team, I want desperately for them to win two more games.... but they won't. They'll beat Kensucky, but the Cocks... they'll lose that one. Whatever, I just hope that when I'm watching Cutler play they don't show his parents and talk about how they don't like him being hit (if you missed the LSU-VU game they did this ALL GAME LONG) He plays QB in the freakin SEC.... he's gonna get knocked around a little... deal with it.

9. Arkansas- When are they going to fire Houston Nutt?

10. Mississippi State- The over/under on the number of safeties they have in the Alabama game on Nov 5 is 4.5. With that being said I bet the guys at EDSBS appreciate his mustache( see above). Maybe this team will be good in oh.... ten years.

11. Ole Miss- The only thing interesting about this team is that animal Orgeron. Nevertheless they'll manage to lose to LSU 24-21 in November.

12. Kentucky- The Mildcats are eagerly preparing for basketball season. They also need a new coach.... maybe Ashley Judd?

SEC schedules get the best of good teams

2005-10-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

Everybody's down on UT, just check out Voluminous and you'll see the ranting and raving of many UT fans. But honestly- every year one major SEC team is forced to run the proverbial "gauntlet" of conference games. Last year my Tigers played at Auburn, at Georgia, and at Florida in a span of four weeks- very similar to UT's nightmare this year. Its preposterous to claim that UT is a wreck this year and a major disappointment (not that they aren't) and proclaim the other UT to be the 2nd best or best team in the land. Its a crime for a big time program to go through such an easy schedule- Ohio State and Oklahoma don't look so hot now do they? Their two hardest games left are against a largely untested Texas Tech team, and a dire Texas A&M. And it isn't Texas's fault, coming in they had a pretty formidable schedule which certainly stacked up with that of USC... but to have some teams waltz through their conferences while others have to hit the road and play in the Swamp and Tiger Stadium in back to back weeks is idiotic. Everbody has proclaimed the sudden Penn State "renaissance"- but up until OSU they had not received a tough game- Minnesota is hardly a world-beater... they fold up every October, it just so happens Purdue and Michigan picked this year to suck royally. So while you can get down on Fat Phil, and you can bash his playcalling, the stupid mistakes by Clausen and Ainge, the dropped balls... its hardly surprising that UT is 1-2 in the SEC after playing at UF, at LSU, and UGA in Neyland. *end rambling*

UF unconvinving in MSU win

2005-10-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

LSU's next opponents, the hated Florida Gators are a team in a very similar position to the Tigers. Both teams have one SEC loss to an opponent in the opposite division, which is a disappointment since both had MNC aspirations coming into the season. Both Florida and LSU disappointed their fans with their losing performances- Florida by not showing up for the Bama game at all, LSU by forgetting there are two halves in a football game. This past weekend both looked tentative in their tune-up for October 15. UF let MSU hang around for a while even though they knocked the MSU Offense around like pinballs. LSU did the same with Vandy, beating up on Cutler like we were the NOPD.

But even with the defensive ass-kickings, both UF and LSU offenses struggled, Urban Meyer's "world conquering" spread offense apparently an offense that doesn't "fit" the most talented QB in the SEC. LSU struggled because we're nice guys and wanted the underdogs to have a shot, so we turned the ball over 5 times. The guys at EDSBS apparently were as impressed with Florida as I was. Hopefully both teams will reach some sort of offensive epiphany and make the game on Saturday a decently watchable affair.

LSU 34 Vanderbilt 6

2005-10-10T18:32:00.000-05:00

Nashville has always been a strange place for LSU- witness the game in 1997 which ended Cecil "The Diesel" Collins's short but memorable career with LSU, or the game in 1991 when LSU had a game-winning touchdown reception called back for offensive pass-interference. Add that to Vandy's shocking 4-1 start, the SEC's most experienced, and dare I say: clutch QB, the most swiss-cheese(if you look closely at the pic you might see Derek Hagan and Moey Mutz) LSU D since the Tepper era, and Les "is not more" Miles and you've got a recipe for Cajun suicide.

But alack and alas for the Commies, LSU's D came with their A game on Saturday night. For a second I thought maybe Saint Nick was on the sidelines, but then we got on offense and I remembered it was all a tantalizing mirage. Our offense has some nice guys, we aren't Texas Tech, we don't beat the living shit out of directional schools for the sheer satanic joy of it. But please.... JaMarcus, Joseph, Justin.... you can be nice and not hand them the ball at the same time.

So five turnovers after we put up a TD on them and the score is 9 to 6. It seems like its time to look around for a convict we can sacrifice from the team(Cecil the Diesel style) in order to eke out a W... when finally the O comes alive and we get some points. Now if they'll stop showing Cutler's parents I might get a LITTLE bit of satisfaction out of the game. We win 34-6, but it was a very unconvincing 34-6, but at least they've stopped showing Cutler's parents.