So, Brady Hoke, that seat feeling a little, uh, warm this morning?
-I’m not going to talk about Jameis Winston latest idiocy, except to say that when you’re the starting quarterback of a premier program like Florida State, you don’t get to be a typical 20-year-old knucklehead. He just doesn’t seem to get it, and most guys his age didn’t when I was in college either. But he needs to get it, and quick.
Things We Learned In College Week Four
-Now, about the actual game: Florida State clearly did not play one of their better ones. With a backup quarterback starting, that’s not a surprise. What is a surprise is that they pulled out a win despite taking eight penalties, throwing two interceptions, and having just 13 yards rushing. No, I didn’t leave off a zero, it was 13 yards. Obviously, this game was an anomaly, but it could leave some pollsters puzzled about how far to drop Clemson- on the one hand, FSU is the #1 team, Winston is just one player, and the Tigers did take them to OT; on the other hand, the Seminoles were missing their most dynamic player and leader and Clemson still couldn’t win. I lean more toward the former point of view, but we’ll see how the real pollsters feel later today. (Of course, you can see how the LWOS pollsters feel too- check back tomorrow morning for our poll).
-Speaking of the Sunshine State (which is where I’d really like to be on this cold and rainy morning), Florida’s game can be summed up in one word: sloppy. And for the first half, Alabama was willing to match them mistake for mistake. At halftime- during which I’m pretty sure I could hear Nick Saban yelling from my living room- it was a seven-point game. After halftime, a different Alabama team came out and scored another three touchdowns, while the same Florida team returned to the field. But four turnovers and 11 penalties for 80 yards don’t exactly bode well for the Tide going forward.
-Staying in the SEC, what is it with LSU and fourth quarters? For the second time this year, they’ve put up fifteen or more points in the fourth quarter in a comeback attempt. Fifteen against Wisconsin was enough for the Week One win; 19 against Mississippi State last night wasn’t. Last week I said LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings was impressing me with his decision-making; last night he looked very much like the sophomore- albeit a very talented one- that he is. And give credit to the Bulldogs; based on what I saw last night, I’m surprised they weren’t ranked already. I’ll be more surprised if they aren’t later today.
-Add Missouri to the list of one-loss teams. The SEC East is back up for grabs with all teams in the division having at least one loss.
-Good job, good effort Vanderbilt.
-After their big win at Ohio State two weeks ago, Virginia Tech has now lost consecutive home games for the first time since 1995.
-Wisconsin had an ok day. All they did was break the Big Ten record for rushing yards in a game, with 644. Melvin Gordon had 253 of those yards, on just 13 carries (averaging 19.5 yards each!) as well as five touchdowns. Sure, it’s a little less impressive when you know that the opponent was Bowling Green, but you can only play the opponent you’re given.
-Two schools to keep an eye on if you’re looking for someone to throw a wrench into the bowl picture: East Carolina and BYU. After beating Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last weekend, ECU welcomed North Carolina yesterday- although “welcomed” probably isn’t the right word. Running up 70 points isn’t exactly great hospitality. As for BYU, they’re 4-0 and have a really good chance to run the table. What the committee does with them will be a situation to keep an eye on.
-Something to watch in Iowa: a possible quarterback controversy. Starter Jake Rudock (5/10 for 80 yards, one touchdown, one pick) got dinged up in the third quarter against Pitt, with the Hawkeyes down 17-7, and was replaced by backup C.J. Beathard. Beathard didn’t throw any touchdowns, but he went 7/8 for 98 yards with no interceptions, and the Hawkeyes came back to win 24-20. Who does head coach Kirk Ferentz start next week?
That’s all for Week Four. Remember to check back later for the LWOS College Football Rankings!
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