The Beeze's College Football Wrap Up

 

Saturday afternoon brought a match up between two Heisman hopefuls...Two Big-12 QB's...(#13...all rankings used this week reflect the BCS rankings) West Virginia's Geno Smith, was looking to lead his team to bounce back win after last week's loss to Texas Tech...Standing in his way was my Heisman sleeper, (#4) Kansas State QB, Collin Klein and the undefeated Wildcats...

I was expecting this game to be a real battle...K-State has played excellent defense all season, but I thought this game may push them a bit more, especially with WV coming off last weeeek's loss...But instead, it was a blow-out...K-State's defense, and ball control offense dominated...And the domination was lead by Klein...Klein passed for 323 yards and 3 TD's, while also rushing for 41 yards and 4 more TD's...The Wildcats romped, 55-14...

Not to toot my own horn, (okay maybe a little) but I called for RG3 as the Heisman winner last year in my pre-season predictions...And this year, I had Klein as one of my dark-horses...It's time to start paying attention to the Beeze kids...I've got this shit covered!  I also called for K-State to shock the Big-12 this year, and they're doing that people...

Sticking in the Big-12, we may have this week's No Defense Bowl...(#17) Texas Tech was back at racking up points...This week against (#23) TCU...Tech QB Seth Doege was looking to pick up where he left off last week...This week he threw for 318 yards and 7 TD's in a triple overtime thriller...With his Red Raiders squeaking out a 56-53 victory...

Those two teams just beat out Texas and Baylor in points, as Texas held on to beat the Bears 56-50...They love scoring in the Big-12!

In the SEC, (#7) South Carolina went to (#2) Florida, looking to save their season after last week's loss to LSU...Instead, Florida killed off the Gamecocks hopes of an SEC title, rolling to a 44-11 win...Actually South Carolina helped the Gators quite a bit, turning the ball over 4 times, and giving the Gators great field position...You can't win on the road doing that...Shit, Spurrier and the 'Cocks, never seem to be able to win on the road...

Then there was the (#6) LSU at (#18) Texas A&M...Everyone was excited to see A&M QB, Johnny Manziel take on LSU's highly-touted defense, after his un-Godly stats last week...And LSU knew stopping Manziel was the key to them winning...Now, when you look at the numbers from this game, you may find yourself scratching your head, and thinking, 'How did LSU win 24-19?'  There's only one stat you have to look at...Turnovers: LSU-0...A&M-5...You can gain all the yards you want...You can have less penalties...You can convert 3rd downs all you want...But if you keep coughing up the ball, you're screwed!  Fucking Aggies...Way to keep LSU's hopes alive...Dicks!

           
In the Big-Ten, Michigan may have won a 12-10 snooze fest against Michigan State, but Sparty here looks like the real winner!

Ohio State had a scare Saturday...Well, two actually...First they spent Saturday struggling against Purdue...Then QB Braxton Miller was knocked out of the game, and taken to the hospital...Kenny Guiton helped lead the Buckeyes from behind...Tie the game...And then win it 29-22 in OT...Reports are saying Miller is fine, and was taken to the hospital to be checked out for a concussion...

Now, to the (#5) Notre Dame Fighting Irish, at home taking on BYU...

Lots of people were talking about this game, possibly being a problem for the Irish...1. Coming off the big OT win last week against Stanford, and 2. Looking ahead to next week against Oklahoma...Me, I wasn't concerned about that...Brian Kelly doesn't let his teams look ahead...My concerns were about Everrett Golson not starting/playing after leaving last week's game with a concussion...Kelly started Tommy Rees, and said Golson wouldn't play...They're being careful with the kid, and I can respect that...But with Rees you lose a big chunk of your playbook...He doesn't have the mobility...You also lose Golson's escape-ability, and improv skills...Also with Rees there is the fear of him having his eyes glued to his primary receiver, and throwing picks...

So how did the Irish handle it...They played tough defense and ball-control offense...Even after being down 14-7 at halftime, Kelly stayed patient with the offense, and kept pounding away at BYU...They didn't put it all on Rees to win it...Afterwards, people called the 17-14 Notre Dame win, "ugly"...You know what, if my team rushes the ball for 270 yards, and wins...Fuck you...Call it ugly if you want, but my guys just pounded your ass for 270 on the ground and won...I'd call that an ugly loss for BYU!

Cierre Wood here, gained 114 yards on 18 carries...While Theo Riddick (at the top of this section) rushed for 143 yards on 15 carries...

The Irish are now 7-0 and head to Oklahoma next week, to face the Sooners in prime-time...This, with out a doubt will be the toughest game yet for Notre Dame...Oklahoma has been out to make a statement since their loss to Kansas State...Notre Dame and K-State both play tough D, and ball control offense...This should really be a good game...And I'll bet the TV ratings are going to be huge for ABC...

The Big East was feeling good about having 3 teams in the BCS standings...Well, they lost one for sure this week as (#21) Cincinnati went to the Glass Bowl to face Toledo, and was stunned with a 29-23 loss...The Rockets jumped out to an early 10-0 lead...They were still up at halftime, 16-13...after 3 quarters it Toledo was up 26-20, and held on for the upset victory...

(#16) Louisville also had a bit of a scare as BJ Daniels and the USF Bulls surged late to try and steal one in Louisville...With under 4 minutes left USF went ahead 25-21...But Cardinals QB Teddy Bridgewater brought his team right back and went back on top 27-25 with a minute and a half left...

PAC-12 surprise team (#8) Oregon State remained undefeated after grinding out a 21-7 win over Utah...

The Surprise in the ACC...Besides Virginia Tech sucking...It has to be the fact that Duke...Fucking basketball playing Duke, is 3-1 in conference, and 6-2 overall, and leading the Coastal Division...That said, their next two games at Florida State, and home against Clemson...So their season may come crashing down around them, but still, they're playing football at Duke finally!

That's it for this week...Feel free to give your two cents about the games you were following...

The Beeze.

Irish Get First Win of the Season...

And right there above is one of the keys to their success...Cornerback, Robert Blanton, who has been one of the defense's most consistent players this season, had a hell of a game against Michigan State...Blanton had 6 tackles, 3 for a loss, 1 sack, 3 passes broken up, and an interception her returned 82 yards, deep into Michigan State territory...

Saturday afternoon, in South Bend, the Irish defense finally nutted up, and took control of the game...Safety Harrison Smith was all over the place making plays...And the defensive line looked great...Lead by Freshman Aaron Lynch...Yeah, remember I mentioned him in my season PREVIEW...18 years old, 6'6" 265 lbs. and the kid was putting pressure on MSU Quarterback Kurt Cousins all day long...

he Irish gave up too many yards through the air for my liking, but holding a team to 29 yards on the ground is nice...

The Irish offense got two touchdowns from Cierre Wood, who has been rock solid for them now through 3 games...QB Tommy Rees did not put up flashy numbers like he did the last two weeks, but he has been consistent with turning the ball over...Adding another interception and another fumble to his tally...5 INT's and 3 Fumbles in two and a half games...So he has 6 TD's...5 INT's...and 3 Fumbles...Okay, Irish fans, lets stop acting like he's the greatest thing since Tony Rice...

Then the Special Teams...The Irish got a 89 yard kickoff return from Freshman George Atkinson III...I've been waiting to see this kid, and what a way to get people's attention...But then sure handed punt returner John Goodman fumbled a fair catch at his own 21 yard line...Luckily after that was when Blanton made his pick...

These guys need to seriously work on fielding punts...

I'll be honest, I kept my hopes in check this week...Even when the Irish seemed in control, I waited...After the first two games, I had no reason to be confident...Now I hope the Irish can build on this...But I'm not going to get my hopes up for next weeks game against Pitt...There are still plenty of things that need to get cleaned up...This is a good team, with plenty of talent...They just need to cool it with the brain farts!

Later, The Beeze.

The Beeze's 2011 Notre Dame Football Preview

I figure I better get this done since the Irish kick off their season Saturday...And in case you don't know, that guy above, Manti Te'o is going to be a big factor again this year...

Te'o, (133 tackles last season) leads a Notre Dame defense that showed steady improvement throughout last season...And the heart of the defense is Te'o and his fellow linebackers...Playing in the 3-4, he is joined in the middle by Carlo Calabrese, a run stopping machine...Seniors Anthony McDonald and David Posluszny add depth at middle linebacker...Sophomore Kendall Moore hopes his play on special teams will help get him in the rotation...

Senior Darius Fleming and sophomore Prince Shembo will be the starting outside linebackers with senior Steve Filer getting plenty of time in the rotation...Junior Dan Fox hopes to see more playing time either at the middle or outside, after having a great spring...

As good as the Irish look at LB, they look just as good at quarterback...


Dayne Crist will once again be the starter, no matter how much Irish fans fell in love with Tommy Rees late last season...Crist and his skill set are perfect for coach Brian Kelly's offense...Much of the playbook went un-used when Rees had to step in...While he is a excellent passer, he lacks the all-around athletic ability of Crist...Of course Crist has to stay healthy, something that has happened the last couple years...

If injury strikes, Rees, while he has experience, may not be the guy, as Sophomore Andrew Hendrix, who has the strongest arm of the bunch, is breathing down his neck...Hendrix is also a very tough and physical runner...Behind him is Freshman Everett Golson who is the fastest and most athletic of all the QB's...

With Armando Allen, and Robert Hughes now gone, the bulk of the running back duties fall to Cierre Wood...


Wood has a great speed, and excellent vision, and should do well in the spread...For the tougher yards, that Hughes pounded out, the Irish will look to Jonas Gray to be tougher, and hold onto the ball...But the Irish are thin at RB...Freshman Cam McDaniel will most likely be the third back on the team, and will get a look on kick returns...

At Wide Receiver, the Irish will look first and foremost at Michael Floyd...Floyd of course needs to stay healthy for once, and stay out of trouble...Personally I was disappointed that he wasn't hit with a tougher punishment for his latest DUI...

Behind Floyd is TJ Jones, and play-maker, Theo Ridick...Seniors John Goodman and Deion Walker need to step up this year...While undersized, Robby Toma (5'9", 175) seems to make all the tough catches, and makes a nice slot receiver...

Tyler Eifert is looking to be the next in a long line of excellent ND Tight Ends...Fifth year senior Mike Ragone is trying to comeback from countless injuries...Look for Sophomore Alex Welch to get some looks this year...

The Offensive Line is loaded with experience, and depth...Junior left tackle Zack Martin is one of the best in college football...He'll be joined by Chris Watt on the left side...Senior Braxton Cave anchors the line at center...Next to him on the right is seniors Trevor Robinson, and Taylor Dever...The Irish have 3 seniors to work in the rotation, including the versatile ANdrew Nuss...The Irish also have 5 freshman and a couple of sophomores waiting in the wings...

Lead by senior ends, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan Johnson, the defensive line should be just as good as the linebackers...Junior Sean Cwynar will start at Nose Tackle, but Hafis Williams and Louis Nix will get plenty of playing time...But the player to watch, is early enrollee DE, Aaron Lynch, (6'6", 260) who by all accounts was the most impressive player in the spring game...


While, raw, the Irish coaching staff love his skill and athletic ability...Another top recruit, and DE, Stephon Tuitt (6'5", 270) could also find his way into some playing time...

Now we come to the Secondary, which will be lead by fifth-year senior, safety, Harrison Smith...


Smith is an intense, hard hitting, athletic player who was the teams second leading tackler last season...He needs to be even better this year, if the Irish defense is going to continue to progress...Playing the other safety spot will most likely be Zeke Motta, who stepped in when Jamoris Slaughter went down with an injury last year...Slaughter should still get plenty of playing time, and may be the teams nickel back, since the Irish are so thin at corner, and having played corner in the past...

the Irish have two excellent corner backs in Robert Blanton, and Gary Gray...Both have plenty of experience, quality cover skills, and both play the run very well...But behind them is youth and inexperience...Sophomores Bennett Jackson and Lo Wood need to really step up, or the Irish could be in trouble, if either Blanton or Gray get injured...

As for special Teams...the Irish have an excellent kicker in David Ruffer...Freshman Kyle Brindza will push for kick-off duties, and to take the punting job, as he has shown to have the teams most powerful leg...The Irish have plenty of talented players to use in the return game...Look for Theo Riddick and Bennett Jackson to get the first cracks at it...

I expect 10 wins this year...The Notre Dame schedule is not a walk in the park...They open Saturday against a good USF team, that has an underrated, multiple-threat QB in B.J. Daniels...And lots of team speed on the defensive side of the ball...This game should give us a good read on what the Irish really has as a team...

Stay tuned...

Go Irish!

The Beeze.