Who Made A Statement?
Ole Miss -
I, like some others picked Ole Miss to beat Alabama. I even stated that I would be “shocked” if Ole Miss lost this game. But still, it was tough to bet against Bama. I mean for a team that has only lost 3 times at home in the last 7 years, how can you pick against them? I picked Ole Miss because of 2 things. 1) I thought they had tremendous talent on both sides of the ball and 2) Bama’s uneasiness at the quarterback position. And that’s what the difference in the game was. It’s not that Bama’s quarterbacks played terrible, but the lack of big plays, missed passes, and turnovers proved to be big reasons for the huge deficit’s faced, and ultimately coming up short. But this is about a statement victory and Ole Miss did that. To go beat Bama, in Tuscaloosa is huge and Hugh Freeze has truly turned this team into a contender. There’s a long way to go but for now, I like the Rebels chances.
Leonard Fournette-
I’m not sure how early you can submit Heisman ballots but if Fournette didn’t basically secure this award yesterday after running over, around and straight through the Auburn defense, I don’t know what will. There are several really good running backs in the country, but I still think there’s a good sized gap between him and the next guy. Not only did he put himself at the top of the that list, but along with the defense and no mistake play of quarterback Brandon Harris, I think he put LSU right up there in the race to win the SEC West. I still don’t know if Harris can win a game with his arm yet, but with Fournette running the ball the way he can, Harris may not have to.
Most Impressive Win…
Notre Dame –
I personally have never been a fan of Notre Dame, but my respect for Brian Kelly and that program is growing by the week. Already without their starting quarterback, running back, tight end, and more, they lost their safety yesterday to injury. And still won. They beat a tough Georgia Tech team who appear to be a true ACC contender this year. Deshone Kyzer has filled in admirably at QB and that defense continues to improve. They still have several tough games left on the schedule but despite all the injuries, I expect the Fighting Irish to continue to do just that..fight.
Stanford –
I thought Stanford would win this game. I figured that mainly because I thought it was a must win game for them if they wanted to be a contender for not only the PAC 12, but the playoff. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan said as much after the game, that this was one they had to have. And he played like it. Hogan might have played the best game I have ever seen him play as he picked USC apart all night long winning the shootout at the Coliseum by 10. This win puts Stanford back on pace for the PAC 12 crown.
Quick Takes:
How good is Ohio State?
Yes, this is a serious question. I know they are stacked with talent but how many wins have just been super impressive this year? If Virginia Tech’s quarterback doesn’t get hurt in that close game in week 1, how does the final score look? They looked very sloppy last week in a shutout and even worse yesterday with 5 turnovers and hanging on to beat NIU. Braxton Miller looked great in his new role in week 1 but hasn’t done much of anything since. Everyone talked about how they had 2 great quarterbacks all offseason but so far, neither Jones, nor Barrett have looked great. Maybe it’s a lack of interest or motivation but if they get caught by the right team on the right Saturday, there will be a lot of questions for Coach Meyer.
Kliff Kingsbury
So last night in Fayetteville, Texas Tech controlled and ran through the Arkansas Razorbacks. But that’s not the only story. After the game Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury had some REAL comments for Arkansas coach Bret Bielema. “At the Texas High School coaches convention this summer, he stood up and said, if you don’t play with a fullback, we’ll kick your (expletive), if you throw it 70 times a game we’ll kick your (expletive), and he just got his (expletive) kicked twice in a row and probably will again by A&M next week.” Now I personally LOVED these comments. Bret Bielema just does not know when to shut up and coach. He has been making all kinds of crazy statements for years and it’s good someone has finally called him out. First it was Rex Ryan last week with a point about Bielema calling out Ohio State’s schedule and going out and losing to Toledo right after, and now this. As long as he keeps talking, it will keep happening. Bielema is turning into a laughingstock nationwide and for a guy who is 2-14 in conference games, and has 11 wins in his 3 year tenure so far at Arkansas you would think he would learn his lesson.
Way to early top 6
1) Ole Miss – Great talent on both sides of the ball. Doesn’t play down to the competition and able to stand up in a big game.
2) Michigan State - Proved they can play and win with multiple styles. Continuing to get better each week with the passing game to pair with a great running game and defense.
3) TCU- Offense is clicking on all cylinders right now but that defense better get it together before conference gets going or they could fall
4) Ohio State – Most talent in the nation.
5) Notre Dame – Impressive wins each week despite numerous key injuries. Showing the true definition of a “next man up” mentality.
6) Georgia – Great running game lead by Nick Chubb and a defense that’s looking better each week. If Lambert can play anything like he did yesterday the rest of the year, Georgia is a true contender.
Week 3 is in the books and the season is really about to take off. Many teams will now be starting conference play and bringing their A game each week. Contenders and pretenders will surely reveal themselves sooner than later. All the teams dealing with injuries will now truly be tested as the grueling part of the schedule starts. I could not be more excited for what’s to come. How does Alabama and USC respond after home losses to underdogs? Does Ohio State get back on track and be the dominant team we know they can be? As I always say, so many questions and we get to have them answered right in front of us every Saturday.
This is "My Take"
No comments:
Post a Comment