NFL Recap: Week Three

Sunday’s word of the Day was BENGAL. The Word of The Day was brought to you by Hines and Heinz.


Bengal [ben-gawl, gahl]
-noun
1. a former province in NE India, now divided between India and Bangladesh.
2. word made up in Ohio, referring to a mediocre athlete wearing orange and black and based out of Cincinnati. (possibly an attempt to relate to the Bengal Tiger)
-pronoun
1. used interrogatively as a request for specific information: e.g. Bengals? (meaning: What the hell happened to the Steelers?)

Before Sunday, the last time the Bengal’s beat the Steelers, “Ocho Cinco” was still just Chad Johnson. This Sunday’s game looked a lot like last week for the Steelers. They dominated the ball, but didn’t deliver and a missed Steelers field goal (again) allowed them to be beat by three points (again). Even though, it may have seemed like déjà vu to the Steelers, this is the first time Big Ben has lost in Ohio, ever. I am not ready to believe in the Bengals, quite yet, but I do love a last second touchdown (unless my team is playing then I will take them winning in a blow out over the panic of a close game, any day). 20-23, Cincy.


Matt Stafford had a party an no one came, except Jim Zorn and the Skins. The Lions finally won a game, but there were only 40,000 fans in attendance. (It’s okay Matt. I’d come to your party! However, I wouldn’t come to see the Detroit Lions play football). We knew it couldn’t go on forever, but I really thought it was going to be the St Louis Rams who put an end to the Lions 20-game losing streak, but the Redskins beat them to the punch and boy, boy was Washington looking ready and willing to take the embarrassing title of the first team to lose Detroit. Jason Campbell continued to “drop the ball.” Seriously, I have never seen unassisted fumbles quite like those of Campbell. I am pretty sure that every starter on the Washington defense got injured. But the likely guest of honor at Matt Stafford’s “The Lions Finally Won” party, Jim Zorn. When Zorn made the call to “go for it” on 4th and 2, this is what fear looks like…


Fear, not only that they wouldn’t get the two yards (they didn’t), but for his job and most likely that of his terrible quarterback. 14-19, Detroit. (But the real loser here is anyone who bought season ticket to the Redskins!)

Like every other team, the Packers breezed through their game against the St. Louis Rams, who are now on a 13 game losing streak. Aaron Rodgers threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and was only sacked twice (which actually is a good thing considering he was sacked 10 times in the first 2 games). I am glad Rodgers and his O-line made up this week, because if the Packers don’t win next week when they take on the Vikings and old Favre, there is no justice in this world. I wanna see the Pack win by at least this margin Monday Night. 36-17, Green Bay.

Speaking of Fav-ruh. The Vikings won the Super Bowl? Oh no wait, it was just Favre throwing a touchdown pass. I don’t get it. I know everything Brett does has to be dramatic, but quarterbacks throw touchdown passes every week. I don’t know if you know this, but it is actually what they get paid to do. So please, explain to me why there was more hugging and celebrating when the Vikings squeaked passed the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers, then at the Lions first victory in 20 games? Was this a big game? Even when he breaks records, I am not impressed. If you do something for a 100 years you’re bound to break a few records. I guess I should be impressed that a 40-year-old arm can throw a touchdown pass, but I am really tired of Brett Favre on my TV. 24-27, Favres.

As for Quarterbacks that are not quite what they used to be, I find Tom Brady to be inconsistent, at best. Sure, he threw his 200th touchdown pass on Sunday and he still better than most quarterbacks in the league, but he doesn’t look like a guy who can pull of a season of 18 wins (and most importantly, ONE LOSS). Unlike the 500 passes Brady usually averages per game, this week’s win over Atlanta was a running game. Randy Moss is getting up there and the Patriots aren’t scoring like they used to, but it was enough to give the Falcons their first loss of the season. 10-26, New England.

Better than Matt Cassel, though. Who was 14/18 for 90 yards on Sunday against the Eagles. The only Quarterback to produce less yards was Michael Vick, with a whopping 0 yards passing and 7 yards rushing. That’s right, after all the controversy stirred up by PETA’s new best friend and the Eagle’s ‘46th man’ roster problems, Vick was nothing more than a decoy, sent out to “distract the dogs” so other players could safely pass. Announcers referred to a “wildcat offense” but I am pretty sure the Eagles were just making it up as they went along. (I’d give them tame-kitten, at best). But if you are going to experiment with your offense, do it against the Chiefs. 14-34, Eagles.

Zero first downs for three quarters and 86 total offensive yards…who can pull something like that off? Who else? The Giant Defense! Tampa Bay had no passing yards until late in the 3rd and 20 yards rushing…then the G-men put in their second string. The Giants ground attack returned and Bradshaw and Jacobs each had a touchdown. No turnovers, 3 for 5 in the red…. Too bad the Bucs didn’t make it to the game. They could have learned a few things. 24-0, Giants.

When the Titans and the Jets took the field it was a clash of ugly jerseys and fumbles. The Titans in their Oilers throwbacks and the Jets in their old, yellow Titan uniforms, each had 2 fumbles. However, both of Tennessee’s fumbles were Ryan Mouton special teams fumbles, which the Jets converted into 14 points. The Titans are 0-3 for the first time since 1990 and this week the Titans beat themselves. 17-24, Jets.

Kurt Warner threw with an amazing 92% passing accuracy. There were no parades or fireworks, like there was for Favre’s one touchdown pass (and Warner is pretty old), but it could be because the Cardinals got spanked by the Colts. 31-10.

I heard a lot of questions about the reflectors running around on the field in Seattle, but I liked the Seahawks bright jerseys. It takes real guts to pull of fluorescent green. Nice job, guys! But while the Seahawks were strong in the fashion risk department, they didn’t bring that, “je ne sais quoi” to the field. Since when does Jay Cutler do things like, 21-of-27 passes for 247 yards with three touchdowns? I guess, Sunday. 25-19, Chicago.

The Saints trampled the Bills and T.O. didn’t have a single reception and I told you the time bomb was ticking. It had been too long since we heard from T.O. and I was beginning to think he was going to let Kanye West take his title as King of Stupid. After the game, sports commentator Rodney Harrison accused Owens of having a “me-first” mentality and putting his needs over his teams. Naturally, T.O. used his favorite medium to reply, Twitter. (Didn’t they ban this from the NFL?)



T.O. targeted Harrison's suspension for using “hormones” when he played in the NFL, calling him a "loser" and "cheater" and asking "Hey rodney! Send me sum steroids 2 the Bills facility next week!" 27-7, Saints.

Miami lost Chad Pennington for the entire season on Sunday against the Chargers; Henne and White, both rookies, on the bench, it is anybody’s team. With an 0-3 start, there is no place to go but up. 13-23, San Diego.

Last night, the Cowgirls played the Panthers and with both Romo and Delhomme’s future being questioned, the Dallas stadium looked like a huge, over-hyped pressure cooker. I was hoping to watch “Jerry’s World” fall apart, as two quarterbacks battled to prove themselves. Instead, I was bored out of my mind, which gave it plenty of time to wander…
Observation I made during the Cowgirls-Panther game:
1. When moms tell their kids, “don’t take candy from strangers” they especially mean, Jerry Jones. He is creepy! (and I am pretty sure that taking things from Jerry Jones is a lot like selling your soul).

2. Tony Romo didn’t get any better; the team he played is worse.

3. Jake Delhomme’s O-line, hates him!

4. Soon the Panthers Steve Smith will be known as “the other Steve Smith” and the NY Giant Steve Smith, will just be Steve Smith.

5. I am pretty sure that Tony Romo and Jason Whitten are “more than friends.”

6. The saying “everything is bigger in Texas” should be followed by the cliché “bigger isn’t always better.”

7. How does Tony Romo change so fast after the game? Was he wearing that ugly flannel under his jersey?

8. People continue to talk about Dallas like they are a great football team, yet they haven’t won a Super Bowl or a single play-off game this decade.

9. The Cowboy’s pants don’t match their shirts. (hey, it was a boring first half)

10. The Panthers know one play: deep to Steve Smith, even if he is covered.

7-21, Dallas.

PS.
Baltimore over Cleveland, 3-34.
Jacksonville over Houston, 31-24.

NFL Recap: Week Two

In Dallas, fans arrived more than 3 hours before kick off to see what 1.2 billion dollars could buy. The Cowgirls now play in one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. In case you haven’t heard (over and over and over) the retractable roof was specially designed by a structural engineer and is opened to reveal a glowing Dallas star, but can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements. Inside a pair of nearly 300 ft tall arches span the length of the stadium dome and are anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes "more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field," and a center-hung video display board that is the largest high definition television screen in the world. Glass doors, allow each end zone to be opened…

…The one thing that Jerry Jones can’t buy…and the one thing the stadium can’t do is….win!

The stadium outshone the team, as the biggest cheers in Dallas came for the commercialization and exploitation of their football team in a stadium that held 105,000 disappointed fans. Each and every one of them got to see Romo’s THREE turnovers, on the BIG TV! (and that fumble, too!!!) The Giants, again, disappointed in the red zone, but their defense was, as usual, unmatched.

The lead changed hands several times (and we only got a shot of Jerry Jones in his comfy booth, when Dallas was winning….hmmm…wonder why?).



But the politicians and celebrities invited to this media fest all got a front seat to the “Giant Defense Show!”

They also got to see, Eli Manning go 25/38 for 330 yards and two touchdowns, Mario Manningham catch 10 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown and Steve Smith with 10 passes for 134 yards and a score.

While the Cowgirls focused on impressing the world with LCD displays, the G-men decided to play some high-definition football!

Pole dancing cheerleaders, ex-con (I mean ex-cowboy) players, flashing lights and fireworks, the Dallas Cowgirls were a side event in their own freak show. That stadium was their circus…and Tony Romo was their clown!



In case you can’t see him juggling the football…here it is on the BIG TV!



By the way, Flozell Adams, Justin Tuck is coming for you!!!
(What kinda name is Flozell? Do you know Plaxico?)

You know what usually happens when you can’t deliver in the red zone (and don’t have the Giants amazing defense)? You lose to the Baltimore Ravens. San Diego had to settle for 3, four times while inside the Baltimore 10. With 436 passing yards for Rivers, the Chargers still fell short to Flacco and the Ravens. 31-26 Baltimore.

You have to play Defense. Defense wins games. Perhaps they should have taken a look at the Denver Broncos who defenses came out of nowhere, literally, with 4 sacks on Brady Quinn. (Oh Brady Quinn, it just keeps getting better for you, doesn’t it?) Kyle Orton outplayed Quinn, but that isn’t hard…the Browns have scored ONE offensive touchdown in 2 games. However, they owe their win to the run game (or the Brown’s poor run defense); Buckhalter rushed for 76 yards and Knowshon Moreno added 75 yards as the Broncos ran the ball 37 times for 449 yards. 6-27, Broncos.


Jay Cutler must die! (The actual movie is John Tucker Must Die, but I doubt anyone actually saw it). When everyone else makes fun of you Jay Cutler, I defend you. (except for last week...but you had 4 interceptions, what do you want from me?) Yet, every year, you screw up my elimination bowl pick!! I suppose I could blame the Steeler’s 3 missed field goals (just one would have tied things up) or the fact that there were huge seams in the field’s turf because Chicago had a U-2 concert the weekend before the game, but I am not an Eagles fan. I am not making excuses…I’ll just blame JAY CUTLER! Chicago beat the Steelers with a last second field goal, kicked by Robbie Gould (WE ARE…PENN STATE!). 14-17, Bears.

If the 49ers keep winning games, I am going to be forced to learn the names of some of their players. I guess I will start with Frank Gore, who had 207 yards rushing and two touchdown runs over 75 yards. (It is clear that the Seahawks had some trouble catching on to that play). Matt Hasselbeck had to leave the game with a rib injury and I don’t have much else to say because I know nothing about San Fran, except that they don’t usually win. 10-23, 49ers.

T.O. played for the Buffalo Bills this week (He was on the field last week, also, but didn’t do much “playing”). He only had 3 receptions, but one was for a touchdown, which means unlike last week, T.O. was willing to talk to the press after the game. He didn’t cry, but give him time. He did nothing last week and only 3 receptions this week…can you smell the fuse burning? Tampa Bays offense put up 450 yards rushing last week against the Cowgirls, and the offense wasn’t a problem this week, either, however their D allowed 438 yards for Buffalo and I’ve said it before (in this blog and in this post) Defense wins games! 20-33, Buffalo.

Tony Gonzalez, Tony Gonzalez, Tony Gonzalez…that is all I keep hearing. So I kept an eye on him this week. What is the big deal with Tony Gonzalez…well, he is very obviously, Matt Ice’s favorite receiver, but it isn’t so much how often he catches the ball, but how he catches the ball. He picks the ball out of the air with his fingertips and pulls it in when you think it is just out of reach, in a way that made me want him on my team. I couldn’t quite figure out why I liked him so much, until I realized….Plaxico Burress. He uses his tippy toes and fingertips, like Plaxico did when he had 2 feet. What I would do for a Plaxico Burress, hold the drama! Anyway, back to the game. The Panthers went back to Delhomme after some confusion and 5 turnovers last week. His game improved drastically (perhaps out of fear for his job) 25/41 for 308 yards passing, BUT there was that pick late in the game on the Falcons 17 yard line. (Maybe next week, Jake). 20-28, Atlanta.

Detroit scored a touchdown!!! (Small victories, for these guys). In fact, when the Lions scored, the Favre-prone announcers cheered “Touchdown Minnesota!” Oops! I am not sure if it is the fact that they have yet to get off of Brett Favre’s….bandwagon or they just aren’t used to saying “Touchdown Lions!” Perhaps a mixture of both, but there was no time to make up for the mistake, because that was the Lions only touchdown. The NFL’s favorite geriatric, unretired quarterback was Favre was 23 of 27 for 155 yards…seems like a lot of passes for only 155 yards, doesn’t it? That’s because Fav-ruh has yet to throw deep downfield once. (I don’t think you have it in you Favre!!) Let’s see what happens when he plays a real team. See ya week 16 old man! 27-13 Minnesota.

The Bengals beat the Packers by once second, literally. A false start penalty kept Cincinnati from losing their lead to the Packers. Aaron Rodgers faked a spike and looked to the end zone to put Green Bay in the lead, but a false start blew the play dead and the Bengals managed a win. Interesting but useless fact? This is the first time the Bengals win at Lambeau Field. 31-24, Bengals.

Who thought Houston was going to beat Tennessee? I didn’t. That is why I lost my second pick, when they did. (By a field goal, again.) The freakin Texans? Stupid, Titans. 34-31, Texans.

Oakland beat Kansas City and if this is the game they were showing in your area…I am so sorry. I can’t even pretend I watched it. 13-10, Oakland.

Brett Favre captures the media with all his whining and retiring, while Kurt Warner actually plays a quality game of football at the age of 38 (which is like 100 in football years!) Warner was 24/26 for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Jaguars. His first 15 passes and broke the NFL's single-game record for completion percentage and 12 of 14 were for first downs. (He’s not afraid to throw down field, Fav-ruh! Take that!!!) He sat the bench with a sore shoulder in the 4th and Matt Leinart showed his pretty face for a few plays, but did nothing more than smile and flex, however, not before the Cardinal put the Jaguars away. 31-17, Arizona.

The Redskins surprised no one by continuing to be the worst team in the NFC Beast. Even though Washington beat the Rams, they headed to the locker room to a familiar sound, “booooooooo!” Fans were likely upset because Washington failed to score a single touchdown, but the fact that they failed to do so against the St. Louis Rams, who if it weren’t for the Detroit Lions would likely be the worst team in the NFL for the second season in a row, probably didn’t help. Don’t expect much from the Skins or the Rams. 7-9, Redskins.

Some of those recaps may seem rushed, but it is only because I couldn’t wait to get to this last one. The only thing that could make a better day of the Giants beating the Cowgirls, at home, in their first game, in their pretty new shiny, stadium, is if the Eagles got their a** handed to them, too… and they did!

“We don’t have McNabb.” “Next week we will have Vick.” “Kolb has never served any serious jail time.” “The sun was in my eyes.” “Mommy, the Saints won’t let us score.”
In what was obviously another week tainted with whining poor excuses as to why Philadelphia had been defeated on all aspects of the game, I am left to wonder, is McNabb really hurt or were the Eagles just thinking ahead?

There were no wings flapping in the end zone this week, as the New Orleans Saints marched all over Lincoln Financial Stadium and the Eagles just couldn’t keep up…or score, or defend or really do anything about it, at all.

Kolb threw three interceptions and Philadelphia still didn’t feel desperate enough to go with Garcia, who they signed to a 2-week contract, with the loss of McNabb. In the event something happened to Kolb, with Vick in eligible, (you know, for being a criminal), Garcia was there for emergencies.

I call three interceptions and complete domination on the field and emergency, but not one I would call Garcia up for…that kind of emergency would have to be more like “Oh no! Kolb has lost both legs…and both arms…and he’s gone blind…right before entering a coma.” (Okay, put in Garcia).

I don’t think it would have mattered. Nothing could save the Eagles from the total domination and embarrassment they underwent on their own turf on Sunday…and I loved it. ☺

Come on. Dance for me, McNabb.

NFL Recap: Week One

The only thing longer then the Thursday night NFL Kickoff Game was the intro to the Thursday night NFL Kickoff Game. After what seemed like hours of “EA Sports presentations” including Tim McGraw and the Black Eyes Peas, the Steelers and the Titans finally took the field to kick off the best season of the year…football season.

The Titans were the last team to beat the Steelers in a game that ended with the Titans stomping on Terrible Towels. Not this time! Santonio Holmes had 9 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown…exactly what he had as the MVP of the Super Bowl and it looked like the Steelers were going to pull the plug on the Titans, who just wouldn’t die, until Hines Ward fumbled on the Titans 4 yard line with under a minute to go, sending the game into OT. After winning the toss, the Steelers kicked a field goal on first down, to win the game 10-13.

However, the biggest loss in the game was not to the Titans, but when Troy Polamalu was forced to leave the game with a left knee injury. The Steelers are shaking it off, but, no matter what you say Pittsburgh, you are not fooling me. Regardless of how the Steelers want to play it, or how long he is out, they will feel it. We know Troy is more to the Steelers than just his long tousseled hair.



Miami played Atlanta in the Dome and the picture says it all. The Dolphins laid down and the Falcons danced all over them. A pair of touchdown passes for Matty Ice and 4 turnovers for the Dolphins, looked like a shut out until Ricky Williams put up 6 for the Dolphins late in the 4th. 7-19, Atlanta.

But it’s okay Miami, just point at St. Louis and say, “at least we aren’t them!” The Rams did get shut out and looked like the same old 2-14 Rams of last season, against my favorite blue-eyed baldy and the Seattle Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck, missed 9 games last season and came back just in time to send the Rams back to St. Louis without a single point. The only time the Seahawks beat a team by more than 28 pts was when they beat the Eagles 38-0 in 1998. (No, I never miss a chance to take a shot at the Eagles!). 0-28, Seattle.

Broncos- Bengals game in Cincinnati was a sleeper until Brandon Stokley's touchdown reception with 11 seconds remaining which game off a tipped ball and resulted in 87-yards, where Stokely ran along the end zone to run out the clock before stepping in for 6. Final, a riveting 12-7, Denver.

The Minnesota Vikings took on the Cleveland Browns (as much as one can actually “take on” the Browns) where after throwing his first touchdown pass the ESPN world stopped for just one second (more like a minute and a half) to watch 39 year old QB, Brett Favre celebrate. However, the play of the game belongs to Brady Quinn.


I wish that Quinn would just give up already. His NFL career started as we all watched him sit in an emptying room, as player after player was drafted until finally, in what seemed like a pity draft, the Cleveland Brown put an end to his embarrassment. Then his NFL starting debut was overshadowed by none other than JAY CUTLER! Then we watched him take the bench and finally, this…


You want to hang on to the ball until your arm actually moves forward or at least until there is someone around to make it look like you didn’t just drop it. Obviously, the Vikings beat the Browns, 34-20. But seriously, I am tired o hearing about Favre already. Yeah yeah, he is 100 years old and he won a football game, but it was the Browns. Do you need to see this again?


After the game, Favre went over to shake hands with his old pal, Mangini. I can only imagine how that conversation went.




I picked the Saints over the Lions this week and was a little nervous for a while, but then I remembered…it is the Detroit Lions and before I knew it, Drew Brees had thrown for six touch down passes. Two of those passes were to Jeremy Shockey, who hadn’t scored a single point since the New York Football Giants traded him. It was Matt Stafford’s first day with the big boys, and he scored his first rushing touchdown. Yay Matt! (He also had 3 interceptions.) 14-28 Saints.

Tony Romo got rid of the nagging girl and Jessica Simpson (Haha. Get it? The nagging girl was T.O.) and is a better man for both. Romo threw for his career-best 353 yards passing, and three touchdowns. Not to mention his 80-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton was the longest of Romo's career. Both teams had more than 450 total yards and zero turnovers. But unfortunately the Cowgirls won, 21-34, Dallas.

There was nothing but confusion in North Carolina, as the Panthers tried every quarterback they had to no avail after Delhomme racked up his 5th turnover of the game. But perhaps the biggest confusion of the game came when ancient, I mean veteran Eagle quarterback, McNabb was crushed in the end zone (that’s why you don’t want a running quarterback), with Vick not eligible until week three, we were all left to wonder, “who the heck is that white guy playing quarterback for Philadelphia?” Kevin Kolb did nothing more than run out the clock, which probably couldn’t happen fast enough for the hopeless Panthers. 38-10, Philadelphia.

For the record, I don’t want to see anyone get hurt, ever. But if it absolutely has to be someone, McNabb is my first choice. Lets see you flap round with those broken ribs. With Vick watching from the luxury box and McNabb being old, what will the Eagles do next week?

Rookie QB, Mark Sanchez made his NFL debut against the Houston Texans (sure, give him an easy one). I am sure Sanchez owes a little bit of his win to the Texans who are consistently bad and the Jets defense who allowed Houston's offense past midfield just once in the first three quarters. (Again, some credit to the Texans for being a horrible football team). The only thing I can be sure didn’t contribute to the Jets win was Joe Namath’s pre-game pep talk with the rookie. When Sanchez asked Nameth about his first career start, Namath said, “I don’t remember.” Good talk, Joe! See ya out there!

The Redskins almost traded Campbell for a chance at Mark Sanchez. They didn’t and kept Campbell, who apparently just isn’t Mark Sanchez, enough. The New York Football Giants racked my nerves for 4 quarters, sending Ware inside early with a wrist injury and watching Hicks return to the game on crutches in the fourth, as usually the G-men easily moved the ball down field, but refused to deliver from the red zone. Maybe they should start taking a few delay of games from the red zone to back them up until they are comfortable. Good thing it was only the Redskins. 17-23 Giants.

Jay Cutler's comment was that "its hard to win games with three turnovers in the first half." Oh yeah, Jay. You should know because they were all yours and there were four in total! 4 picks...all thrown by you! "There were a lot of failures," Cutler said. Yes, Jay Cutler, that would be you! Sorry. Green Bay over Chicago, 15-21.

Peyton Manning tied the franchise record for victories, in a win over Jacksonville. 12-14 Colts. (I forgot about this game and went back and added it. Sorry Peyton.)

And the question of the week. How do the defending NFC Champions lost to the San Francisco 49ers? (How does anyone lose to the 49ers?) 20-16, San Fran over Arizona.
Tonight we find out if Brady still has what it takes to go 18 and 1, when the Patriots play the Bills on MNF.

San Diego takes on Oakland, I guess. But I am not staying up to watch that and will check out the highlights, if there are any. (I took San Diego in this game, actually, so GO CHARGERS!)

Memorial Day Special: College Football Recap

Who said Week One is boring?

Thursday night, Utah (19) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games, beating in-state rival Utah State for the 12th straight time. Coincidentally, Utah State has lost 12 straight season openers.

However, Utah’s 38-17 win over Utah State was over shadowed the 19-8 victory for Boise St. (14) over the Oregon Ducks (16). Played on the Broncos Smurf Turf, there was very little to say about the Ducks offense (other than their ugly jerseys having feathers printed on their shoulders). Boise State controlled the ball for 43 of the 60 minutes. The real news came when the game that started with handshakes, didn’t end quite the same way. Oregon running back, Blount, who spoke before the game about “keeping emotions in check,” checked his emotions on jaw of Boise State’s, Hout, after Hout tapped him on the shoulder and shared some words I am sure were not “good game.” While Hout did hit the blue turf, nothing was seriously hurt other than his feelings and Blount’s season. He will not be playing with the Ducks for the rest of the year. If you didn’t see this, I don’t know where you have been, but check it out, below.



Not quite as exciting, was the Florida Gators (1) 62-3 victory over Charleston Southern. The Bucs field goal wasn’t the only charity at the Swamp, Florida’s very own Mother Teresa, Tim Tebow spent pregame warm-ups pushing the wheel char of a 7-year old, Atlanta boy with cerebral palsy, signing autographs and handing out practice balls. The youngster is a huge Tebow fan. Funny, I found most people in Georgia hate Tim Tebow.

Texas (2) also eased into their schedule with a 59-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Any hope that ULM had of repeating their one time upset of Alabama, with the Longhorns was quieted when the Longhorns showed off their own Monroe, redshirted last season, who sped his way to a TD return in the second quarter. Colt McCoy had a completion percentage of 72.4, which was actually down from last seasons 76.7. Watch out for Texas.

Among the expected results, was USC (4) Quarterback Matt Berkley’s coming out party, with a 56-3 win over San Jose State. Berkley is the first true freshman to start a season opener in USC history. I am holding out to see how he does against the Buckeye’s next week.

North Carolina (21) beat Citadel 40-6, but I know nothing else about that game.
The consistently overrated Notre Dame (23) over came their 15 losses in the last 2 seasons to pull out a 35-0 win over Nevada showing us that maybe this year they actually deserve their ranking at number 23. The Irish had 510 offensive yards, but Charlie Weiss put the biggest effort in South Bend forth, as the hefty coach huffed and puffed his way through a post-game interview.

If you can hear anything over the inevitable cries of always-delusional ND fans who suddenly think they deserve to be number one, it is the sobbing from Oklahoma Sooners (3). The number three Sooners were upset 14-13 by BYU after Heisman Trophy QB, Sam Bradford, went down in he first half with and suffered a shoulder injury. Bradford returned with a sling and street clothes for the second half, but his X-rays were negative (I have no idea what that means. It isn’t broken, which sounds quite positive to me) but what this means for his season is still unknown. However, we all know what one loss does to your season in college football, unless you in the SEC, of course.

Speaking of the SEC. WE said bye-bye to Georgia (13) when Oklahoma St. (9) beat a ranked non-conference opponent at home for the first time since 1975, 24-10. Georgia had 3 turnovers and only 4 third down conversions, clearly missing Matt Stafford, but in their defense, very few ranked teams played rank opponents this week. Plus, they’ll get the SEC freebee.

Before receiving their 15th straight loss, Washington put up a fight against LSU (11), whose lead in the third was a, too close for comfort, 17-13. But the Tigers longest plane ride for a road game in school history ended in a ‘W’ with 31-23 over the Huskies.

The Tide rolled in 800th win in Alabama (5) over Va. Tech (7), but it wasn’t easy. Bama trailed by a point at the half but 2 fourth quarter TD’s put the Hokies to bed. 34-24, Alabama.

The Big Ten underperformed, in general beginning with trouble at the ‘Shoe, where Ohio State (6) skimmed past Navy, 31-27. Buckeyes by 15 in the 4th, made a poor decision to “go for it” on 4th down and didn’t convert, leading to a Navy TD and an interception by Pryor lead to a second Navy TD. The save for OSU came with the rare, return of a 2-point conversion attempt to keep the Buckeye’s from falling out of BCS view.

Iowa (22) eked past N. Iowa, 17-16. Iowa blocked what could have been N. Iowa’s winning field goal at the end of the 4th, as the ball rolled on the field, Iowa players stood and watched, until a confused Panther scooped it up. Ooops. Giving N. Iowa a second chance at the game winning field goal…and it was blocked again to avoid another Big Ten upset.

Lions roar over Akron. (I should write headlines) 82 yrs old Joe Paterno ran out of tunnel with his Nittany Lions, to lead Penn State (9) to a 31-7 over Akron for his 384th win. Penn State played an amazing first half, holding Akron to -2 yards with Daryll Clark tossing three first-half TDs and finished with a career-high 353 passing yards. The second half was less than impressive.

Nebraska (24) racked up a W with a not-so-surprising slaughter of Florida Atlantic, 49-3. Matching the Kansas (25), 49-3 win over Northern Colorado.

Last night Ole Miss (3) outscored Memphis 28-7 in the fourth quarter, including 21 points in the last 6 minutes making what was a relatively close game…not so close. With a final of 45-14, Ole Miss.

Tonight an in state rivalry takes over the state of Florida. Anywhere you go, you hear how the Trailer-hassee Criminoles of FSU are going to blown away by the Miami Hurricanes or the constant tomahawk chopping of FSU fans. Everyone is wearing a jersey and households are divided, but when I heard the chant of “what do you bleed” answered by someone’s distant “ORANGE AND GREEN!” I thought…

“yup, its college football season!” (FINALLY!)