College Football Week 19 – Backup Florida QB Brissett transferring
First the Tide rushes in,
Plants the Irish on the turf
There was no ebbing of the Tide in the BCS Championship Bowl.  Alabama gave Notre Dame a thorough cleaning, 42-14.  The Tide looked soapy, while the Irish looked dopey.  As John Lennon and Yoko Ono once said, “If you had the luck of the Irish, you’d wish you were dead instead.”

But was anyone surprised?  I mean, really?  Notre Dame didn’t play anybody all season, except for Stanford.  And the refs gave them that game.  Remember, the Irish were lucky to survive against two really bad teams – Purdue and Pitt.  And they barely beat a mediocre BYU.  Now you know why Notre Dame joined the ACC. 

So Alabama wins its third national championship in four seasons.  And A.J. McCarron becomes the first quarterback to win back-to-back BCS titles.  Speaking of McCarron, his girlfriend – Miss Alabama Katherine Webb – stole the show at the game.  She was more exciting than the contest on the field.  Just ask Brent Musberger.  Ole Brent was so turned on by Webb, he was about to jump out of the broadcast booth. 

And even though Webb is Miss Alabama, she doesn’t go to Alabama.  She goes to Auburn.  There’s nothing slow about ole A.J.  He knows which school has the prettier girls.  
 
Just as last year’s BCS title game was a rematch between Alabama and LSU, hindsight tells me this year’s title game should have been a rematch between Texas A&M and Alabama.  Even the SEC title game between Alabama and Georgia was a lot better and more exciting than Alabama and Notre Dame. 

It wasn’t a night for the Irish.  It was a night for the Tide.  Saban’s eyes are smiling.  Nick can return to Tuscaloosa, saying “Kiss me, I’m Saban.”  And Notre Dame fans leave yet another bowl game wondering, “Where was Touchdown Jesus?” 


Some people in Pennsylvania still don’t get it.  Now Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is suing the NCAA over its sanctions against Penn State.  Corbett, the governor who up until the last minute was pouring millions of dollars of Pennsylvania tax payers’ money into Jerry Sandusky’s fraudulent charity, has reopened the wounds that had all but healed at Penn State.

Corbett was also the Attorney General of Pennsylvania when that office took on the Sandusky case in early 2009.  Under Corbett, the investigation was bungled, taking almost three years to charge Sandusky.  Someone needs to take Corbett aside and explain a few things to him.  What doesn’t he understand about pedophilia?        

Florida, both the football team and its fans, was a no-show at the Sugar Bowl game.  You know it was bad when late in the second quarter Swamp Mama said, “Well, it won’t be hard to get Gator tickets next year.”

Florida was trialing Louisville, 24-3 at that point.

Then at halftime, Swamp Mama muttered, “I can’t watch anymore of this.”  And with that, she stomped off to bed.

Actually, the Gators were looking better at the half, trailing only by 14 points – 24-10.

Me, I’m a glutton for punishment.  I watched the game to the very end.  Louisville beat Florida, 33-23.  I even watched West Virginia’s loss to Syracuse until the very end.  I know; I’m sick.

It appeared that Florida’s game plan against Louisville was to play like a bunch of thugs.  When that plan didn’t work, it was obvious there was no Plan B.  The Gators didn’t know what to do.  Florida’s offense and defense played poorly. 

That was not so surprising for the Gator offense.  It lived on the edge all season.  But the Florida defense was the big disappointment.  During the season, it was the defense that always was dependable.  The defense saved Florida in many a game.

I would suspect Will Muschamp had some harsh words for his coordinators – Brent Pease and Dan Quinn – after the game.  Neither had their squads prepared to play.  Of course the ultimate blame falls on Muschamp.  And let’s don’t take anything away from Louisville coach Charlie Strong.  He and his staff definitely had the Cardinals prepared to play.

Then there were the Florida fans….where were they?  They didn’t show up for the game either.  The attendance at the Sugar Bowl was only about 50,000 or so – mostly Louisville fans.  The Superdome seats close to 72,000 for football.  It was the smallest Sugar Bowl crowd since 1939 when 44,308 saw TCU beat Carnegie Tech, 15-7.

Actually, if truth be known, the Florida fans were missing in action most of the season.  Of seven home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, only two were played before capacity crowds – LSU and South Carolina.  And that’s probably because of the large fan bases that came from LSU and South Carolina.

In the other five home games, the stadium was only about 70 to 85 percent full.  Florida had an 11-2 season, but something about the program is at a low.  Obviously, Gator fans weren’t too thrilled or excited about what they saw in 2012.         

Speaking of thrilled, or a lack thereof, the Big Ten Conference isn’t thrilled about playing the SEC anymore.  The Big Ten decided it has had too much of the SEC in bowl games.  Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said the conference has decided to diversify its bowl lineup to get away from the SEC teams.

What that means is the Big Ten is tired of getting whipped by the SEC every year.  As a result, the Big Ten plans to cease its affiliation with one or two of three Florida bowls – the Capital One, Outback and Gator.

And apparently the Big Ten may be foregoing one of the Florida bowls for the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium.  The Pinstripe Bowl is looking to change its affiliation and begin matching teams from the Big Ten and ACC.  Delany said the Big Ten would like to have an equal number of bowl games against the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC each season.   

I think the thing that impressed me most in the Fiesta Bowl was the Oregon defense. 
The Ducks beat Kansas State in the bowl, 35-17.  We knew Oregon’s offense would show up.  It has been impressive all season, averaging 51 points a game.  But the Oregon defense was prone to have lapses at times.

In the Fiesta Bowl, Oregon was playing a Kansas State team that averaged 41 points a game during the season.  But the Ducks shutdown Collin Klein and the K-State offense, holding the Wildcats under their season average for both passing and rushing yards.  Watching the game, made me realize even more what a joke it was that Klein won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.     

Speaking of Johnny’s, how ‘bout Johnny Manziel – Johnny Football.  Manziel almost single-handedly beat Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.  Texas A&M beat the Sooners, 41-13.  Manziel was responsible for 516 yards of the Aggies’ 633 yards of offense.  The A&M quarterback passed for 287 yards and rushed for 229.  Manziel had more yards individually than OU did as a team.

Often is the case that the Heisman Trophy winner fails to live up to his status in a bowl game.  Not Manziel.  He not only lived up to his status, he exceeded it.  The Heisman voters who put Manziel in first place on their ballots should feel gratified and justified.  They knew what they were doing.

We learned that if Oregon coach Chip Kelly moves on to the NFL as expected, then Mark Helfrich, the current offensive coordinator at Oregon, will be named the Ducks’ head coach.  Stay tuned!

No more mañana for Florida International.  Tomorrow is here.  FIU hired Tampa Bay Bucs quarterbacks coach Ron Turner as its new coach.  Turner is a former head coach at Illinois.  The FIU announcement was followed the next day by Texas A&M special teams coordinator Brian Polian being named the new coach at Nevada.  Polian has also coached on the staffs at Stanford and Notre Dame in recent years.  He is considered to be one of the top recruiters in the country. 

Ole Miss dominated Pitt in the BVDs Bowl…..I mean…..the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham.  The Rebel Black Bears downed the Panthers, 38-17.  Like Detroit, I’m not convinced playing a bowl game in Birmingham is a reward for a player.  The highlight of the players’ activities during the days prior to the game was going bowling.  What else are you going to do in Birmingham?

Ole Miss fans flocked to the game.  But then compared t anything in the state of Mississippi, Birmingham is an oasis.

In a bit of a surprise, the Buffalo Bills named Syracuse coach Doug Marrone its new head coach.  Marrone coached Syracuse for four seasons, compiling a 25-25 record.

Florida announced that backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is transferring.  Brissett’s departure will leave the Gators without any experience behind Jeff Driskel at the start of next season. 

Brissett has expressed interest in transferring to West Virginia, Louisville, Arkansas, NC State or Duke.  He will have to sit out a year.  Meanwhile, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said he will be back at Georgia next season for his senior year.  Murray had considered entering the NFL draft this spring.        

No more suspense with Chip Kelly.  The Oregon coach looked around the NFL, didn’t like what he saw and decided to remain in Eugene.  Now will Nick Saban and Brian Kelly do likewise?    

In a defensive battle, Arkansas State edged Kent State in the Yo Mama…..I mean…..Go Daddy Bowl, 17-13.  Both teams had some offensive weapons but none got loaded.  If they did, none fired.  The defenses kept the offenses jammed up.

With Doug Marrone’s departure to the Buffalo Bills, that leaves Syracuse as the only school looking for a new coach.  Look for the Orange to announce someone within the next seven days.

Bootsie is such a strong Auburn fan and Rockledge Gator is too, second to Florida, that it is all but impossible for them to cheer for Alabama.  It’s hard.  But Rockledge Gator smiled and said only Notre Dame can make us Bama fans.   

The next and season’s last issue of College Football Week (CFW 20) will be posted Monday morning, September 14.

Touchdown Tom
January 8, 2013
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


Bowl Game Review

Albert choked on a crawfish tail (in the Sugar Bowl) – Louisville 33, Florida 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, Louisville 23).  Well, I almost had the score right – just had the teams reversed.  Louisville jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back, building to a 33-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.  Florida was 3-for-10 on third down efficiency.  Louisville’s first and only punt in the game didn’t come until 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.  A crowd of 54,178 attended the game in New Orleans.

Kelly’s heroes (in the Fiesta Bowl) – Oregon 35, Kansas State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 44, Kansas State 43).  Oregon jumped out to a 15-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back, building to a 32-10 lead midway through the third quarter.  The Ducks racked up 385 yards of offense.  K-State suffered from two turnovers, both were interceptions throw by Collin Klein.  A crowd of 70,242 attended the game in Glendale.

Johnny Football was a one-man wrecking squad (in the Cotton Bowl) – Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 35, Oklahoma 31).  Good game for two quarters.  A&M led at the half, 14-13.  It was all over after that.  The Aggies came out to play football in the second half and the Sooners didn’t.  OU never scored another point, while A&M added another 27 points in the second half.  The teams combined for 1,034 yards of offense.  But the Aggies had 232 more yards than the Sooners.  The lack of a running game hurt Oklahoma.  Johnny Manziel passed for 287 yards and rushed for 229.  A crowd of 87,025 attended the game in Arlington.

Due South beat Due North (in the Compass Bowl) – Ole Miss 38, Pitt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 24, Pitt 19).  Ole Miss was in the lead throughout the game.  The Black Bears led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter; 24-10 at the half, and 31-10 at the end of the third quarter.  Pitt was 4-for-16 on third down efficiency and 0-for-2 on fourth down efficiency.  Ole Miss held the Panthers to 81 yards rushing.  A crowd of 59,135 attended the game in Birmingham.

The Flashers weren’t Golden (in the Go Daddy Bowl) – Arkansas State 17, Kent State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas State 33, Kent State 27).  If you tuned into the Go Daddy Bowl, all you had to watch were the second and third quarters.  That’s when all the scoring took place.  After a scoreless first quarter, the Red Wolves and Golden Flashes got some action going in the second quarter.  Ark State led Kent, 14-10 at the half.  Then the two teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter.  The fourth quarter was like the first – scoreless.  Kent State outgained Ark State 350 yards to 285 in total offense.  And the Golden Flashes held the Red Wolves to only 72 yards rushing.  But Ark State won the most important statistic – total points.  A crowd of 37,913 attended the game in Mobile.

Tidal wave washes away the Irish (in the BCS National Championship Bowl) – Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 20, Notre Dame 13).  Alabama led Notre Dame 35-0 late in the third quarter before the Irish scored their first touchdown.  The Tide’s offense couldn’t have been more balanced – 264 yards passing and 265 yards rushing.  Eddie Lacy rushed for 140 yards and T.J. Yeldon had 108 yards.  Bama’s defense held ND to 32 yards rushing.  A crowd of 80,120 attended the game in Miami Gardens.

Last Week’s Bowl Picks:    5 Correct,    1 Wrong   (83.3 percent)
Total Bowl Game Picks:     22 Correct,   13 Wrong   (62.9 percent)


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel – 22-34-1-287 yards; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 35-48-1-278; Notre Dame’s Everett Golson – 21-36-1-270; Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater – 20-32-1-266, and A.J. McCarron – 20-28-0-264.


Impressive Runners:  Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel – 229 yards; Oregon’s Kenjon Barner – 143 yards, and Eddie Lacy – 140 yards. 


Weekend Review

FCS Championship Game

North Dakota State 39, Sam Houston State 13


Quotes of Last Week

“He’s terrible.  What did he do that was good?  He didn’t do nothing that was good.  We were killing him.  He’s not good at all,” Florida State linebacker Vince Williams, on NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch, after the Orange Bowl game.

“I think the Big East is done.  How are they not done?  They can’t get a TV deal done for any revenue.  There are schools publically looking to leave,” a Boise State official.

“I think the Big Ten, talent-wise, is a lot better, and the defenses in the Big Ten are better than the SEC defenses.  This was supposed to be one of the top defenses in the SEC, and we pretty much did anything we wanted against them,” Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, after the Capital One Bowl game against Georgia.

“There have been a lot of embarrassing days for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and, by association, Penn State, but Wednesday was the worst of all,” USA Today columnist Christine Brennan, on the announcement by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett that the state was suing the NCAA over sanctions levied against Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

“Has no one in Pennsylvania learned anything over the past 14 months, since the news of the Sandusky horrors broke?,” USA Today columnist Christine Brennan.

“Florida fans clearly didn’t want to be here and their team responded in kind,” Fox Sports writer Steve Eubanks, on the Sugar Bowl.

“If 50,000 people saw the Sugar Bowl in person (counting the bands), I’ll eat a fried gator,” Fox Sports writer Steve Eubanks. 

“The Gator Nation has become the Gator Neighborhood,” Fox Sports writer Steve Eubanks, on the Sugar Bowl.

“There’s no question.  He’s driven to be the best,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, on Nick Saban.

“I’m not a one-and-done guy.  I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that’s what I’m going to do.  I’m not gonna cut and run after one year.  That’s for sure,” Penn State coach Bill O’Brien, deciding not to pursue an opening in the NFL.

“I have no unfinished business in the NFL.  At this time, coaching in the NFL is not something I want to do,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, prior to the BCS Championship game against Notre Dame.

“How can you not be intrigued?,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly when asked if he would accept an NFL job if offered.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football…. East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill fired his defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell.  Mitchell was also the Pirates’ secondary coach.  East Carolina gave up 244 points in its last six games – 102 points in its last two games.

Fired NC State coach Tom O’Brien will be the new tight ends and assistant head coach at Virginia under Mike London.  O’Brien is no stranger to Virginia.  He was the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for the Cavaliers from 1982 to 1996.  He left Virginia after the 1996 season to become the head coach of Boston College.

New Auburn coach Gus Malzahn completed his staff, hiring Rich Bisaccia as his running backs and special teams coach.  Bisaccia will also be the assistant head coach.  Bisaccia had been an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers….  Recently fired Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit is the new offensive coordinator at Illinois….  Eastern Michigan coach Ron English hired ex-Ball State coach Stan Parrish to be his new offensive coordinator.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were four passings of note last week – Harry Carey Jr., Patti Page, Bryan Stoltenberg and Pete Elliott.

Harry Carey Jr., an actor who made his mark as a boyish sidekick to John Wayne in westerns like “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), “Wagon Master” (1950) and “The Searchers” (1956), and later became a character actor in American television, died last week in Santa Barbara, California.  He was 91.  Carey appeared in nearly 100 movies in his 50-year career, including “Red River” (1948) and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.  On television, he appeared on “Bonanza” and “Have Gun Will Travel,” among other shows.  From 1955 to 1957, Carey portrayed Bill Burnett, the popular Triple R Ranch camp counselor in the “Spin and Marty” series, featured on “The Mickey Mouse Club” show.  Harry Carey Jr. was born March 16, 1921, on his family’s ranch in Saugus, California.  During World War II, he served in the Navy.   

Patti Page, whose sentimental and soothing hits like “Tennessee Waltz,” “Let Me Go, Lover,” “I Went To Your Wedding,” “Old Cape Cod” and “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window” made her one of the most successful pop singers of the 1950s, died last week in Encinitas, California.  She was 85.  Prior to her solo career, Page had been a singer with the Benny Goodman Band.  “Tennessee Waltz” sold more than 10 million copies.  The song is considered to be the first true crossover hit.  It spent months on Billboard’s pop, country and rhythm-and-blues charts.  In the 1950’s, Page hosted three television shows – two on NBC and one on CBS.  Clara Ann Fowler was born on November 8, 1927, in Claremore, Oklahoma, a small town near Tulsa.  She was one of 11 children.  She began her career on Tulsa radio station KTUL doing a country music show called “Meet Patti Page.”  She eventually adopted the name.  In addition to the Benny Goodman Band, Page also sang with the Jimmy Joy Band.  Her first solo hit came in 1950 – “With My Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming.”  Among her other notable recordings were “Cross Over the Bridge,” “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “Left Right Out of Your Heart,” “Allegheny Moon” and her last hit, “Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” which was nominated for an Oscar.  In the 1960s, Page appeared in three movies: “Elmer Gantry” (1960) with Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons; “Dondi” (1961) with David Janssen, and “Boy’s Night Out” (1962) with Kim Novak and James Garner.
     
Bryan Stoltenberg, an All-American offensive lineman for the Colorado Buffaloes died last week in Sugarland, Texas.  He was 40.  Stoltenberg played for Colorado in the mid-1990s.  He played in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.   

Pete Elliott, an All-American back who played on two unbeaten Michigan football teams in the late 1940s and who played and coached in three Rose Bowl games, died last week in Canton, Ohio.  He was 86.  In addition to being a football star, Elliott was an All-Big Ten basketball guard and a member of the Wolverine golf team.  His brother, Bump Elliott, also played at Michigan.  The two were later coaching rivals – Pete at Illinois and Bump at Michigan.  After working as an assistant under Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma, Pete Elliott became the coach at Nebraska in 1956.  He then coached California the next three seasons, 1957-59.  He then became the coach at Illinois for seven seasons, 1960-66.  Elliott was the coach at Miami (Florida) in 1973 and 1974 and served as the Hurricanes’ athletic director.  Peter Elliott was born on September 29, 1926, in Bloomington, Illinois.  He played sports at Michigan from 1945 to 1949.