CRIER'S CORNER - FOR READING PURPOSES ONLY - SR CREW - SEPT. 3, 2010

CRIER'S CORNER - FOR READING PURPOSES ONLY!

Written by: SR Crew
Date posted: 9/3/2010

This weekend marks the beginning of the major college football season in our country. A large number of people, especially in the South and in the Midwest, have been anticipating this week the same way that seamheads looked ahead to Opening Day in April. For those folks, this is a time to celebrate. For me and my crew, it's a time to get back to work.

Below are SR write-ups on games of local interest for reading purposes only: 

SATURDAY'S GAMES

TEXAS vs. RICE (Houston, TX) 

"Playing Texas is a Texas-sized deal for the Owls. They also have talent to battle. The backfield is littered with big program transfers who can play ball. Starting QB Fanuzzi transferred from ’Bama and he’ll be handing off to Michigan transfer RB McGuffie (pictured), who made some noise in Ann Arbor two years ago. The offensive line is a vet crew with 91 starts between them.

Texas’ D is no small challenge and new d-line starters are highly touted, but they’ve still got some learning to do. As for the Longhorn offense, replacing do-everything QB Colt McCoy cannot be done in one off-season. This year’s signal-caller Gilbert doesn’t have near the versatility (rush/pass) that McCoy had and that will make Mack Brown’s offense a bit more vanilla. Don’t get us wrong. Texas will push the pile and score some points.

Rice’s D struggled big time last season, but their front seven is much improved this season, starting two of the best defensive tackles in C-USA.

Finally, new Owl offensive coordinator Beaty was a coach at Kansas the last two years where he played Texas twice. Knowledge is power. TEXAS, 40-21." END.







UTAH STATE AT OKLAHOMA*

"Utah St. will have a nice offense and an improved defense this year….when playing WAC teams. Playing in Norman, OK is a total different ball game. Sooner coach Stoops wants to get his offense humming and the visitors will oblige.

The Aggies play a lot of man coverage – meaning that OU QB Jones and his wideouts will have a huge day through the air against a defense that gave up 30+ points in each of their last six games a year ago. OKLAHOMA, 46-17." END.








OREGON STATE vs. TCU (at Arlington, TX)

"Habitual slow starts, and the former starting quarterback being drafted into the NFL place relatively low expectations on the Beavers. A #6 ranking places high expectations on TCU. Sometimes, expectations are realized.

TCU’s 4-2-5 defense is hard to get around or behind, so OSU’s famed Rogers boys may have as many problems as Clemson had trying to crack the end zone against it last season. Also, any new Oregon State quarterback is usually good for tossing three interceptions in a non-conference road game against a strong defensive foe.

Oregon State’s defense prides itself on clogging the run between the tackles, but TCU’s multiple-formation spread can go four-wide to two-back in a heartbeat, tossing in a little option to keep ‘em honest and off-balance. TCU, 31-17." END.

SUNDAY'S GAME


SMU at TEXAS TECH*

"Transition is the word of the day in Lubbock, as Tommy Tuberville takes over for Mike Leach, bringing in Troy’s offensive coordinator to keep the passing game alive and switching to a 3-4 defense. Stability at the skill positions will help, but the o-line will be sluggish as they learn a new system.

Good opportunity for SMU to steal one in their home state. They’ll need young play-makers to step up if that is to happen and their secondary may be too weak to hold back the Red Raiders’ experienced QB-WR combo. TEXAS TECH, 31-23." END.




WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?



COLORADO (-11.5) over COLORADO STATE by 25 (at Denver)

"SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4 -- The Buffs got caught with their pants down early in last year’s renewal of this rivalry, when CSU started a senior quarterback who went vertical for a TD on the opening series, behind a veteran offensive line (that has since graduated most of its starters) and against a Colorado secondary that was waiting for better starters to become eligible or return from suspension.

Also, Colorado was fooling people leading into last season, when, according to one reporting outlet, “defensive players and coaches, often insisted they weren`t making significant changes in advance of the 2009 season…Turns out they were. All you hear these days from the Buffs as they reflect on the past is how they`re much better acquainted with the schemes they plan to use this year.” ‘It was a lot newer last year,’ coach Dan Hawkins said. ‘Newer schemes, all of that. We basically changed some things before camp last year. We`ve been in this obviously since last season and you saw the defense kind of get better as the season went on. We`re just a lot more confident and know what to do.”

Unfamiliarity with the defense and having to think too much led to what was termed “a bloody September” in Buffalo circles. Most of it was nationally televised. The carnage was incredible and it still leaves an image in many minds. Overall in 2009, Colorado surrendered 53 plays of 20 or more yards and 12 plays of 45 yards. Nine of the 12 gashers happened in the first four games during the difficult transition to the new schemes in live action. Opponents gained nearly 70% of their total offense for the season against Colorado in 17.9% of the plays.

Colorado went into last season with head coach Dan Hawkins as the receivers coach. This season, they have a guy coaching receivers who is a real receivers coach (Robert Prince, most recently with the Seattle Seahawks). This coincides with Colorado having its deepest receiving corps during the Hawkins era. Prince is the passing game coordinator, and Prince will also assume Hawkins' sideline role of getting personnel in and out of the huddle. The latter part should not be taken lightly. Any coaching duty not being done by Dan Hawkins is addition by subtraction. “You're always looking forward to the first game,” says Colorado offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau, who was another newbie of sorts last season, his first as a play-caller after taking the job after spring practice in the wake of a late defection. “But this one kind of resonates more because we didn't play very well last year.” He says the difference between Year 1 and Year 2 in his job is "100 percent.”


After CSU scored 20 points in the first half of last season’s game, they scored only 3 after Colorado made the necessary adjustments after halftime. Program followers of CSU say that it will be hard to make new strides off a 3-9 season when the quarterback reins are being held by either a true freshman or redshirt freshman, after Fairchild went with senior quarterbacks in each of his first two years for his “best chance to win.” COLORADO, 38-13." END.


PURDUE at NOTRE DAME* (TOTAL UNDER 55)



"SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 -- Brian Kelly, Brian Kelly, rah, rah, rah. Brian Kelly, Brian Kelly, blah, blah, blah. There seems to be a perception that the new Notre Dame head coach was brought in to install an offense that is fast-paced and scores lots of points.

Correction. He was brought in to win more games. Kelly has developed winning programs. Points are immaterial vs. the W/L columns. Notre Dame’s quarterback is a first-time collegiate starter coming off knee surgery, and his back-ups are woefully inexperienced. Teams normally do not march up and down the field and score on every series in situations like this. And if the pace is increased significantly, the offensive linemen will be falling down late in the third quarter.

As it was last season, Notre Dame’s offense wasn’t on the field long enough, a factor in many meltdowns by the poor defense and its bozo, high-energy, high-risk, low reward ex-defensive coordinator. First time around trying to play a little faster in a new system will more than likely be “offense interruptus” with false starts, delay of games trying to get plays in from the sidelines, etc. This is very possible for both sides, since Purdue’s starting QB Marve will be playing his first game with the team.


Notre Dame’s best running back Armando Allen didn’t play in the 24-21 win against Purdue last season, but he could be QB Dayne Crist’s best friend in this game, helping the Irish grind it out against a notoriously soft Purdue defensive front, avoiding mistakes and establishing good field position for both the offense and the defense. That defense is switching to a 3-4, but they have the players for it, and Purdue’s lackluster running game often leaves its offense unbalanced and predictable, especially in the second half.

Kelly got to Cincinnati in 2006. That season, his defense got a 31-0 shutout in the first game, against D-1A Eastern Kentucky. In the next three games against Pitt, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech, Cincinnati got 15, 7 and 13 points. A recap of the Pitt game said the following:


“…The first half bogged down in a routine: Cincinnati would get a couple of first downs, stall around midfield, then pin the Panthers with a punt. Pitt's first five possessions started at its 15, 26, 15, 2 and 17…”


The next season, Cincinnati opened with a defensively dominant 34-3 win against Oregon State. After dropping down in class and running up scores (40s and 50s) against MAC and Mountain West opposition, Kelly’s Cincinnati team scored a more realistic 28, 24 and 17 in its first three Big East games, with plenty of offensive talent. NOTRE DAME, 22-14." END.




HMW

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