TheDOCTORdre
10-12-2006, 03:11 PM
1. Oregon-Oklahoma
Both teams have lost again, so the impact of the refusal of Pac-10 replay official Gordon Riese to overturn the ruling that the Ducks recovered an onside kick has been muted. The fact is, Oklahoma wasn't good enough to stop Oregon from scoring again.
Another fact: The Ducks escaped with a 34-33 victory that had an inquiry light attached to it. And another: The memory of Oklahoma president David Boren's emotional outburst demanding that the game be stricken from the record books will follow him, just as his predecessor (George Cross) had to deal with once saying that he wanted a university the football team could be proud of.
Cross, unlike Boren, had his tongue in his cheek.
The short-term impact may no longer be felt, but the long-term impact will be. More scrutiny has been applied to replay officials and how they operate. Pac-10 athletic directors will discuss Thursday the league's policy that Pac-10 crews work Pac-10 home games. In a season when the NCAA Football Rules Committee has endured harsh criticism for new clock rules that have shortened the game by 10 percent, the last thing anyone needed is continued controversy over instant replay.
2. Tennessee's third-quarter onslaught in the opener against California
The Volunteers had heard it for eight months. No, make that nine months. They didn't play in December. For the first time in Phillip Fulmer's 14 seasons as head coach, they didn't go to a bowl. Fulmer had his first losing record (5-6).
He didn't like that very much, and he made sure that his players didn't enjoy themselves, either.
Fulmer rehired his close friend, David Cutcliffe, to reshape the offense. The players rededicated themselves to the weight room. They got sick of hearing about the decline of the Vols. They got tired of hearing about how this would the season that the Golden Bears challenged USC for supremacy in the Pac-10.
From the first play, Tennessee became the aggressor. They dominated the first half against Cal, yet led only 14-3 at intermission. By the time 6:29 had elapsed in the third quarter, the Vols led 35-3. Cal tacked on a couple of touchdowns against the scrubs. Tennessee has returned to the top 10. So, too, has Cal, making what Tennessee did in the opener all the more amazing.
3. Michigan blows out Notre Dame in South Bend
It seems like a long time ago now, since the Wolverines are ranked fourth in the nation and are looking unstoppable. But don't forget that they went into Notre Dame Stadium having lost three of four to the Irish. The natives, as well as everyone else, had begun to question coach Lloyd Carr.
It didn't take long to figure out this was not the same Meeshigan. Prescott Burgess stepped in front of Brady Quinn's second pass, intercepted it and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. Exit crowd noise, exit momentum, exit the Irish -- and by the time Michigan led 34-14 at the half, exit the Carr doubters. Michigan cruised to a 47-21 victory, and everything is copacetic in the land of maize and blue.
4. The rise of Missouri
It stood to reason that some team in the Big 12 North would halt the division's slide into mediocrity. But few people outside of Columbia thought it would be Missouri, a team that had defined mediocrity over coach Gary Pinkel's five seasons (29-30).
But the Tigers have seven senior starters on defense and a young quarterback, redshirt sophomore Chase Daniel, whose light had been hidden behind the aura of former Tigers QB Brad Smith.
The defense has been nothing short of magnificent, holding the Tigers' first five opponents to a total of 50 points. When it gave up 21 to Texas Tech, it also forced five Red Raiders turnovers, including two interception returns for scores, 17 yards by end Xzavie Jackson and 22 yards by reserve free safety William Moore.
Missouri fans are beginning to ask about a 13-0 season and what might happen to the Tigers in that scenario. The funny thing is, it's not such an outlandish question.
5. Texas A&M's calculated risk with its nonconference schedule.
The Aggies played I-AA The Citadel, Louisiana-Lafayette, Army and Louisiana Tech. Do the math: two (military academies) plus two (Louisiana hayrides) equals 4-0, a start that coach Dennis Franchione could use as a shield with which to fend off frustrated Aggies fans.
A 4-0 record, even with a narrow escape against Army, is all well and good, but the Aggies had lost four of their past five against the Red Raiders, a latecomer to the old Southwest Conference and a school that all self-aggrandizing Aggies look down upon. When A&M led Tech 27-24 in the final minute, it looked as if the Aggies might be on their way to being mentioned in the same sentence as Texas and Oklahoma.
But Tech QB Graham Harrell had other ideas. He threw a 37-yard textbook fade directly to the right pylon. Wide receiver Robert Johnson brought it in without a footstep to spare before angling across the side boundary of the end zone with 26 seconds to play. Texas Tech won 31-27, and the Aggies' agony extended again.
Texas A&M is 5-1 with four ranked opponents (Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, at Texas) to come. Fran could have used that win over Tech.
Both teams have lost again, so the impact of the refusal of Pac-10 replay official Gordon Riese to overturn the ruling that the Ducks recovered an onside kick has been muted. The fact is, Oklahoma wasn't good enough to stop Oregon from scoring again.
Another fact: The Ducks escaped with a 34-33 victory that had an inquiry light attached to it. And another: The memory of Oklahoma president David Boren's emotional outburst demanding that the game be stricken from the record books will follow him, just as his predecessor (George Cross) had to deal with once saying that he wanted a university the football team could be proud of.
Cross, unlike Boren, had his tongue in his cheek.
The short-term impact may no longer be felt, but the long-term impact will be. More scrutiny has been applied to replay officials and how they operate. Pac-10 athletic directors will discuss Thursday the league's policy that Pac-10 crews work Pac-10 home games. In a season when the NCAA Football Rules Committee has endured harsh criticism for new clock rules that have shortened the game by 10 percent, the last thing anyone needed is continued controversy over instant replay.
2. Tennessee's third-quarter onslaught in the opener against California
The Volunteers had heard it for eight months. No, make that nine months. They didn't play in December. For the first time in Phillip Fulmer's 14 seasons as head coach, they didn't go to a bowl. Fulmer had his first losing record (5-6).
He didn't like that very much, and he made sure that his players didn't enjoy themselves, either.
Fulmer rehired his close friend, David Cutcliffe, to reshape the offense. The players rededicated themselves to the weight room. They got sick of hearing about the decline of the Vols. They got tired of hearing about how this would the season that the Golden Bears challenged USC for supremacy in the Pac-10.
From the first play, Tennessee became the aggressor. They dominated the first half against Cal, yet led only 14-3 at intermission. By the time 6:29 had elapsed in the third quarter, the Vols led 35-3. Cal tacked on a couple of touchdowns against the scrubs. Tennessee has returned to the top 10. So, too, has Cal, making what Tennessee did in the opener all the more amazing.
3. Michigan blows out Notre Dame in South Bend
It seems like a long time ago now, since the Wolverines are ranked fourth in the nation and are looking unstoppable. But don't forget that they went into Notre Dame Stadium having lost three of four to the Irish. The natives, as well as everyone else, had begun to question coach Lloyd Carr.
It didn't take long to figure out this was not the same Meeshigan. Prescott Burgess stepped in front of Brady Quinn's second pass, intercepted it and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. Exit crowd noise, exit momentum, exit the Irish -- and by the time Michigan led 34-14 at the half, exit the Carr doubters. Michigan cruised to a 47-21 victory, and everything is copacetic in the land of maize and blue.
4. The rise of Missouri
It stood to reason that some team in the Big 12 North would halt the division's slide into mediocrity. But few people outside of Columbia thought it would be Missouri, a team that had defined mediocrity over coach Gary Pinkel's five seasons (29-30).
But the Tigers have seven senior starters on defense and a young quarterback, redshirt sophomore Chase Daniel, whose light had been hidden behind the aura of former Tigers QB Brad Smith.
The defense has been nothing short of magnificent, holding the Tigers' first five opponents to a total of 50 points. When it gave up 21 to Texas Tech, it also forced five Red Raiders turnovers, including two interception returns for scores, 17 yards by end Xzavie Jackson and 22 yards by reserve free safety William Moore.
Missouri fans are beginning to ask about a 13-0 season and what might happen to the Tigers in that scenario. The funny thing is, it's not such an outlandish question.
5. Texas A&M's calculated risk with its nonconference schedule.
The Aggies played I-AA The Citadel, Louisiana-Lafayette, Army and Louisiana Tech. Do the math: two (military academies) plus two (Louisiana hayrides) equals 4-0, a start that coach Dennis Franchione could use as a shield with which to fend off frustrated Aggies fans.
A 4-0 record, even with a narrow escape against Army, is all well and good, but the Aggies had lost four of their past five against the Red Raiders, a latecomer to the old Southwest Conference and a school that all self-aggrandizing Aggies look down upon. When A&M led Tech 27-24 in the final minute, it looked as if the Aggies might be on their way to being mentioned in the same sentence as Texas and Oklahoma.
But Tech QB Graham Harrell had other ideas. He threw a 37-yard textbook fade directly to the right pylon. Wide receiver Robert Johnson brought it in without a footstep to spare before angling across the side boundary of the end zone with 26 seconds to play. Texas Tech won 31-27, and the Aggies' agony extended again.
Texas A&M is 5-1 with four ranked opponents (Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, at Texas) to come. Fran could have used that win over Tech.