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Sooners Say Hello To No. 1
By MoonDog | September 28, 2008
Oklahoma, Alabama and Penn State Make Strong Statements.
Apparently coaches of top-ranked teams didn’t read my latest post, discussing the need for the remaining BCS national championship hopefuls to take USC’s loss to Oregon State as a warning.
Considering what happened last season, we should have expected this. In college football, Murphy’s Law applies and over the course of four days, anything can and did happen to No. 1 USC, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Florida, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 15 Wake Forest, No. 19 Clemson, No. 21 Illinois, and No. 23 TCU.
Oklahoma Sooner QB Sam Bradford Passes Against TCU
With Oklahoma’s impressive victory over the Horned Frogs, the Sooners will vault to No. 1 in both polls this week. Quarterback Sam Bradford completed 19-of-34 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Sooners romp.
Bradford has passed for 1293 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, making him one of the leading contenders for the Heisman Trophy. Oklahoma is averaging 49.75 points per game and are No. 7 nationally in total offense, averaging 537 yards per game.
The Sooners (4-0) have a road trip next week to Baylor and then the schedule gets interesting, starting with the Red River Shootout against Texas on October 11.
When the polls are released later today, Oklahoma will be ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2003. The Sooners will also set a record with 96 weeks atop the AP poll, breaking a tie with Notre Dame for the most weeks ranked No. 1.
Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow Feels The Pain
The most shocking upset was USC’s loss to Oregon State Thursday night, but Florida helped get Saturday’s action started by losing at home to Ole Miss 31-30. Ole Miss had lost nine straight SEC games entering Saturday’s game and 14 straight SEC contests on the road.
The Gators played as if they were still hung over from their impressive victory against Tennessee last week. Florida fumbled the ball five times, losing three, and lost a chance to tie the score at 31 with 3:28 left in the game when the extra point attempt was blocked.
Florida gave up what became the game-winning touchdown on a blown coverage in the secondary that allowed Jevan Snead to connect with Shay Hodge for an 85-yard catch and run.
Despite being down 17-7 at halftime, Ole Miss played with intensity and showed signs of pulling the upset. The Rebels were able to put consistent pressure on Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, sacking him three times and forcing him to get rid of the ball to avoid sacks.
The Michigan Wolverines Celebrate Their Victory Over Wisconsin
The Trojans loss to Oregon State was bad, but the Wisconsin Badgers loss to Michigan after taking a 19-0 lead was even worse. The Badgers had a chance to tie it with 0:13 remaining in the game, initially connecting for a two-point conversion that would have tied it at 27.
But Wisconsin was called for an illegal man down field that negated the play and on the ensuing 2-point attempt, quarterback Alan Evridge’s pass went high and through the end zone.
For Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, it was a game full of emotion. The Wolverines were booed leaving the field at halftime before 109,833 at Michigan Stadium, but those boos turned into cheers as Michigan completed their biggest comeback in the Big House’s rich history.
The Badgers lost a chance to take early control in the Big 10 race and now face Ohio State and Penn State in the next two weeks.
The Crimson Tide Rolled Over Georgia
Easily the most impressive victory this weekend was Alabama’s thumping of Georgia, 41-30 in a game that was over at halftime. The Tide opened up a 31-0 lead going into the locker room and withstood the Bulldog’s second half rally.
Despite playing in front of 92,746 at blacked out Sanford Stadium, ‘Bama controlled the game from the opening snap. Quarterback John Parker Wilson completed 13-of-16 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown.
The Tide’s defense held Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno in check and ostensibly took him out of the game when they rolled up a huge early lead. Moreno finished with just 34 yards on 9 carries, scoring the Bulldog’s first touchdown with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Of all the teams I’ve seen this season, Alabama by far has been the most complete. The Crimson Tide’s offense is well-balanced and methodical while the defense has been opportunistic and at times, stifling.
The Tide will rise to at least No. 5 and could vault as high as No. 3 when the polls are released.
Penn State RB Evan Royster Rumbles Against Illinois
Last week I asked if Penn State was any good and at the time, I honestly didn’t know. After the Nittany Lions 38-24 victory over Illinois, I can safely say Penn State is pretty good.
Quarterback Daryll Clark completed 14-of-20 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Clark also had a 1-yard run in the first quarter to tie the game at 7 with 6:16 left.
Penn State’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, gaining 422 yards against the Illini. Running back Evan Royster gained 139 yards rushing on 19 carries to lead the Nittany Lions ground game.
With 109,626 at Beaver Stadium dressed in white - save for a few Illini fans dressed in orange who stood out like a sore thumb - the Nittany Lions celebrated the 377th coaching victory in Joe Paterno’s illustrious career, one victory ahead of Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden.
The Naval Academy Got a Huge Win Over No. 15 Wake Forest
I’d be remiss if I didn’t send out some love to the Naval Academy for defeating Wake Forest Saturday 24-17. Being a veteran of the U.S. Navy, I’m always very pleased to see the Midshipmen get a big win, especially against a ranked opponent.
Last season the Middies got their first win against Notre Dame in decades and Saturday they outplayed the Demon Deacons to get their third win of the season. Navy controlled the clock for 36:49 by doing what they do best - run the football.
Eric Kettani led the Midshipmen’s ground game with 175 yards on 19 carries. Meanwhile, Wake Forest turned the ball over six times, with quarterback Riley Skinner throwing four interceptions.
Just a few words regarding Clemson - OVERRATED. The Tigers lost to Maryland 20-17 Saturday and let the Terrapins come back from an 11-point deficit. After being in the preseason Top 10 and having ACC and BCS title aspirations, Clemson has lost two games before October.
My personal Top 5 for the week:
1. Oklahoma
2. LSU
3. Missouri
4. Alabama
5. Texas
Check out the latest AP and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Polls here
Visit YMSWWC for another great review of the college football week that was.
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Tags: Midshipmen, top 25, Penn State Nittany Lions, ole miss rebels, Top 5, Rankings, Polls, Oklahoma Sooners, Upsets, clemson, alabama crimson tide, NCAA Football, Southeastern Conference, MoonDog, usc trojans, Naval Academy, college football, florida gators
Topics: NCAA Football, Southeastern Conference |
7 Responses to “Sooners Say Hello To No. 1”
Comments
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September 28th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
This isn’t going to last long…
September 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
with the state of college football does anyone actually want to be in the top 5? it’s not a good position to be in right now.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I don’t know if I’d want to be in the Top 15.
PARITY.
Perhaps more so than the NFL.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
[...] ESPN GameDay Signs Pwned Video - Super Chuck Norris Bros. Video Game Demo Video Moon Dog Sports - Sooners Say Hello to No. 1 Cheat or Beat - Cyclist Frank Schleck implicated in Doping Scandal Cuzoogle - Ben Gordon does not [...]
September 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Bahh. It is good to be on top; all others are just jealous. When you are good, you are everyone’s target. We shall see how this develops…
Mark
September 29th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
“Good to be on top” has connotations I won’t get into at this time, but it’s better than being Tennessee right now.
Anything is better than that, including root canals and fat chicks smiling at you.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
[...] (from NFL.com) -The top 20 ESPN Gameday signs. (from Busted Coverage) -How long do you think the Sooners will remain #1? (Well, they won’t win it all, anyway, is what I’ll say.) (from Moondog Sports) [...]