College Football

[Rob]

Game of the week for October 1. Virginia Tech @ West Virginia. VA Tech looks very good right now, possibly even a #2 or #1 team in the land. Morgantown is not an easy place to play. Have not seen a line on this but I would say Tech is favored by at least 2 touchdowns. This game has the potential of being closer than folks think, but in the end VA Tech leaves Morgantown still among the undefeated.

VA Tech 24- WVU 10

Rob

[dolfan]

I am still not happy about this game (lsu/ut) YES I am happy they won, NO I am not happy about the setup of the game. Don't tell me that UT was just as prepared as LSU (if you read my post before I deleted it because I was having a bad night an my attitude was not the best) I said it would take UT half a game just to get into the game. UT did not play well at all until the second half.

Careful! You're starting to sound like us Bama fans! I had the same feeling after the Arkansas game (about Alabama's performance although they won). I still have to disagree on the setup issue, but that is ALL academic now. (Ha! It'd be the first thing all academic in college football. Whaaa-ha! I kill me.)

You guys are going to waltz through this Saturday. We'll try to help you out ... MAYBE we'll beat UF. Maybe. The more experts (The Tillman guy off CBS picked Alabama in a walk-away on Paul Finebaum's show this afternoon. ) who predict we win, the worse I feel about it. If Lee Corso picks Alabama, I'm going to get sick!

[Mole_J]

I think a few posters are very happy now. Alabama is up 24-3 at halftime.

[TC]

wasn't a waltz UT looked TIRED...VERY TIRED... a lot of mental mistakes.

NOW I am pulling for bama to win but I would like to see FLA do a little better so show some of the cracks in ALA. We know now that UT/FLA game was a stuggle of "d"s' but ALA seems to be able to score SO UT needs to know how to stop them. I know that UT game was really 3 or 4 bad defensive plays that killed them. WHICH most game, the difference is the number of mistakes.

UofL bounced back today. Slow to start but a Killer second half, Got 6 Td's on 6 straight series. I was pulling for WVA, and SCUSE... both did not pull it out.

[Mole_J]

Upset in the making???? Arizona State is up by 4 with 5:57 to go in the forth. Come on ASU!!!!!


Now USC can go ahead and score 21 unanswered points and win the game by 17

[TC]

they have played and won more close games than anybody in the country.

People need to get a lead on then and then run it out and don't give them an chance at a score.

[TW]

dolfan,

Congrats . . . your 'bama boys put a major butt whippin on Florida
But then there's always "next year."


TW

[lady4jc]

Game of the week for October 1. Virginia Tech @ West Virginia. VA Tech looks very good right now, possibly even a #2 or #1 team in the land. Morgantown is not an easy place to play. Have not seen a line on this but I would say Tech is favored by at least 2 touchdowns. This game has the potential of being closer than folks think, but in the end VA Tech leaves Morgantown still among the undefeated.

VA Tech 24- WVU 10

Yes I know my team lost ...

[Worshipn4ever]

Just thought I'd share that...And did y'all see #4 Prothro's ankel breaking? AAH...I hurt for him. But it was cool to see to different prayers. Right when it happened there was a small group on the sidelines...then as they were putting him on the strecher the whole team was on the 25 yard line...it was cool.

Oh and Brodie earned the Walter Camp National Player of the Week Honor after Saturday's game... Yeah I'm a happy camper.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

[dolfan]

Thanks to all for the gracious RTR's! Contrary to what many in Alabama will hear today on the Paul Finebaum show (that being lots of ratcheded up racket about how wonderful Bama is and how UT will be deer in the headlights, and how AU will be like whipping elementary school kids, etc.), let me say these few things:

1. It felt WONDERFUL to win Saturday the way we did, and Lord bless Tyrone Prothro and if he's not a Christian, help him become one. Use Brodie's faith as a door to that young man's heart. As a player, Prothro will be missed sorely. I didn't get to go to the game (trying to go see the Ole Miss game, though --- PastorAbles, wanna go? --- as I want to see a game in Oxford in October. Just sounds pretty thinking of it on that gorgeous campus.) But, I saw Prothro's ankle roll under and knew that was it. Two words came to mind: Joe Theisman. I hope that surgery advances can help him come back next year.

2. Urban Meyer, welcome to the SEC. I've seen the spread option offense on paper, I've read about it, I've been impressed with it, and I've been in awe at Chris Leak's ability to run it. But, I never thought such an option-heavy offense will work well in this conference. Defensive speeds are light years ahead here of what you've seen in the Mountain West and at Bowling Green. You're an innovative guy, and a bit cocky --- both of those traits will do you good, but you're going to have go back to the drawing board. That offense is not going to fly here long. Bama's defense is good, but not good enough to so thoroughly dominate an offense that was supposed to be so ahead of the curve in college football offense theory. UT could've stopped you, but for whatever reason didn't; your win over UT was more about your own defense (which is incredibly fast) than your offense, which scored only 16 pts. to beat UT. You should be thankful you don't play Auburn this year, too.

3. Joe Kines: You're no Bill Oliver, but by George, you had 'em ready on Saturday. Don't know that, short of a few games in the 1990's with Bill Oliver vs. UF and Miami, I've ever seen a better coached Bama D than the one that took the field on Saturday. Great job, but that soft zone coverage is not going to cut it as well against UT. We'll need to see the same D that we saw against S.C. and UF to beat UT, especially coming off a game that will have followed an off-week (we're off this coming weekend, then go to Ole Miss) which historically have not been our strongest showings. The D that beat Arkansas will never pull it off against UT, whose coach always arranges his bye-week before Bama and they'll be ready. Get 'em ready to play the Rebels with intensity and good technique, and I'll be convinced that you've coached that bunch of boys into top-level readiness.

4. Kenneth Darby: Bless your heart. I love you, man. You ARE the best thing to watch about this Bama team, IMHO, even with Brodie Croyle playing as he is this year, without injury. You are one hungry, football running machine. I just love to watch you play, and I'm glad you wear crimson.

5. Juwan Simpson: Home boy from my old HS alma mater. You blanket the field. Best LB at Bama since Derek Thomas, maybe. Not putting you in that category yet, but no one else has gotten closer than you. Keep it up.

6. Archie Manning: Thanks for the love on CBS on Saturday. A true SEC man, even though I don't like your elder son. (Side note to Peyton: I don't like you, but you are the best QB in the NFL, IMHO. Congrats on your number being retired at UT in the next few weeks. Congrats on passing the Young/Rice TD connection with your man Rodney H --- which I have no problem with since you're no longer an AFC East team! I'm glad Bama willl never have to play another #16 in Vol Orange.)

7. To everyone else: We're back, finally. We're back, and we're ready to play. Let's settle 'em ALL on the field, and not in shady deals that dishonor us all. Hey, let's even not try to settle 'em as fans on talk radio, huh? How 'bout that, Finebaum listeners? Let 'em play, (and let ours play the best!!!!)

8. Coach Mike Shula: Tell your father, the mighty Don, my all-time-fave, thanks from the bottom of my heart for wearing that crimson Bama golf shirt on national TV on Saturday. My heart was so warmed, I almost cried. I don't know if I'd have felt any better if my own father had been on there in a Bama shirt being interviewed.

[TC]

2. Urban Meyer, welcome to the SEC. I've seen the spread option offense on paper, I've read about it, I've been impressed with it, and I've been in awe at Chris Leak's ability to run it. But, I never thought such an option-heavy offense will work well in this conference. Defensive speeds are light years ahead here of what you've seen in the Mountain West and at Bowling Green. You're an innovative guy, and a bit cocky --- both of those traits will do you good, but you're going to have go back to the drawing board. That offense is not going to fly here long. Bama's defense is good, but not good enough to so thoroughly dominate an offense that was supposed to be so ahead of the curve in college football offense theory. UT could've stopped you, but for whatever reason didn't; your win over UT was more about your own defense (which is incredibly fast) than your offense, which scored only 16 pts. to beat UT. You should be thankful you don't play Auburn this year, too.

OK... what games have you been watching, Chris leak is not an option QB by any means. He can not run it because he wants the ball ALL THE TIME... TO run the option you have to at least BELIEVE that there is a chance that he will toss it back. HE is not able to do it without telling eveyone in the stadium where the ball is going.

The problem with UT during the FLA game is 3 plays... THREE plays on special teams that allowed FLA to score, and UT not being able to sustain a drive. UT has a great Bend don't break defense, they may let you have one or two good runs but they are going to stop you sooner or later. UT during the LSU game (after they were awakened at half) were able to make a positive drive and not lose it on the next drive...

[dolfan]

So, you're saying that Leak was so bad that UT broke down on 3 plays? The problem with that spread option offense is precisely that it takes too long to develop the play. That isn't Leak's fault; it'd be that way with any QB, although I admit he's not the fastest quarterback around. Alex Smith was faster, but he faced slower defenses. The UF offense has a problem of that being flipped around: zooming D backs attacking plays that just draw out. I just don't think that, long term, the system will hold up here. It seems like Johnny Highschool football to me, but that's just my .02.

From what I saw, it wasn't so much that he would telegraph who was getting the pitch as it was the nature of the number of options going down the closer you get to the line of scrimmage. Every back and receiver in the play gets covered, or is close enough to the line that blocking has begun to break down (due to the time the play takes to develop with all that lateral movement) and you get small gains. UF's blocking is just bad.

I don't see it as a Leak issue. I know you UT fans have some animosity on Leak, and I understand that. But, the problem with the UF offense is not Leak. It is the scheme itself in this very quick conference. Coming into the Bama game, Leak was about 6 or 7 passes away from setting a UF record for most attempts without an interception (he didn't make it!).
The fit, maybe, is not there. But Leak is a quality QB and good player, and he's not the one who cost UF a game on Saturday. You can lay that one at the feet of Urban Meyer --- and about 35 guys in crimson jersies.

What happened to UT was the danger of the spread option, and you played into its hands on at least one occasion --- overpursuit. Too many guys commit to one or two of the possible 'receivers' on a rollout, holes open up. It is like running a blitz --- sometimes you'll just get burned.

There's no question that UF capitalized on UT and that the game was close but for those choice few plays. But, those plays count, and an entire game plan often gets aimed at plugging away until such a mistake gets made and taking advantage of it. That's how underdogs often win. And, in that case, they did. Happens every week somewhere.

[dolfan]

UT has a great Bend don't break defense, they may let you have one or two good runs but they are going to stop you sooner or later. UT during the LSU game (after they were awakened at half) were able to make a positive drive and not lose it on the next drive...

Stop replaying the LSU game! You WON IT! Enjoy it. Goodness gracious.

UT's defense is great. They run the same style that Alabama does, and that's my problem with Joe Kines. I don't like the 'bend-but-don't-break' D --- and that term was invented when he was the coordinator at Bama in the 80's. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. I much prefer the Bill Oliver style of attack, and I saw some flashes of that Saturday. I do know that Oliver and Kines have talked, based on what Bill Oliver said last week on Finebaum, but I don't know how much or when.

[TC]

I want MY teams to play a FULL game... UT has yet to do that. UofL (my other team is the same way) I wouldn't care if it was a loss as long as they played the whole game. Playing Half a game will cost you in the end

I have no problem with leak, Yep he is a good player and a fair QB' he is not an OPTION QB. TO run an option you need someone that had hide the ball and then show a good fake.

NO ONE SAID anything about leak being so bad that UT broke down... LOOK at the game UT had 4 or 5 real bad breakdowns in that game and the worst part was most if not all was on special teams. (that has nothing to do with either off or def) UT/FLA was struggle of "D's" when you have that you have a game that a field goal can beat you much less three breakdowns on special teams that lead to points. NOT sure if this is actually the numbers but I was told that in the UT/FLA game that 45% of FLA off yards game on those special teams breakdowns.

THe problem with FLA is Urban is wanting to run a system that he does not have the players to run as well as players that are not picking it up that quick. YES the SEC has better D's than most other conferences BUT If you score 30 the other team has to score more and MOST teams can not do that. MOST teams in college football are not able to 30 points day in and day out. At Utah they would hit you hard with a few quick scores and made you play catch up and that limits the offense. It is almost like Hal Mummie (sp) at kentucky, His plan was to out score you and he thought he could score more than you and he just had to stop you ONE more time than you stopped him. BUT there is a flaw in the plan (just look at the colts the last few years) IF you can not stop someone then they will score as much as you.

IF Urban can Stay at FLA long enough to get his freshmen to their Sr Class then Most likely he will be successful with his offense. He is now using Zook's Players and Zook had no luck getting kids in since MOST knew that he was out the door.

I don't like the 'bend-but-don't-break' D --- and that term was invented when he was the coordinator at Bama in the 80's. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now.

I know that EVERYONE wants to give bama the credit for everything, IF he started it WAY earlier than it could be as you have said BUT I know from personal knowledge that it was used when I was in Jr. High (late 70's) we even had TSHIRTS that said "we may bend" on the front and "We WON'T BREAK" on the back. That same coach was my coach from 6th grade all thru highschool and he was NOT a bama boy. (at one time he had the most wins of any HS coach in Ky) I just know that IF you say he used it in the 80's that may be true but IF that is when he "invented" it .. He didn't... no one wants to see those 70's pics of me in that Tshirt.

THE difference in UT/FLA and UA/FLA was that along with UA having a good D, they had offense and didn't have many mistakes all day. They played a full game. IF UT does not play a full game they will go down about as hard as FLA. I am praying that Phil has some things he has not shown yet that can beat bama.

[MrDanger]

I don't know if it was my hatred for the gators or if Bama was just that good, but what an incredible game. Thanks Bama for doing what my team (UT) couldn't do. Makes me sorry for all that probation stuff....nah. I don't mean that last one. I'm not that generous.