I was able to see the ending of Baylor/TCU. Pretty exciting stuff!
I think I'll make this a weekly Saturday Night recap for College Football. I watch a good portion of the games, might as well break them down:
(14) TCU 48
(0-1, 0-1 away)
Baylor 50
(1-0, 1-0 home)Last season, TCU shut down Baylor and QB Robert Griffin III and Griffin stated that it changed the outlook for the rest of the season for them. As you can probably guess, this game meant so much for the Golden Bears, same goes for TCU which was bringing in the longest winning streak in College Football and the longest consecutive road wins not to mention the top defense in the country for the past three years. A good portion of the first half was a very contested game between the two teams, if you love scoring this was the game for you. But, towards the end of the second quarter and going into the third, Baylor definitely had the momentum as they jumped ahead of the Horned Frogs by as many as 27 points going into the fourth.
As you would think, it looked hopeless for the 14th ranked team in the country, this loss would dash any hope for TCU to make a bid for the National Championship, but something amazing happened. The offense that couldn't get anything consistent going started to get points on the scoreboard. The defense that couldn't stop Baylor started to make them go three and out, and in the matter of 5 minutes, TCU shaved that 27 defect to a 2 point game! The last time I heard a team score that many points in the fourth quarter, let alone the second half, was when Frank Reich played for the Maryland Terrapins when they came back from a 31-0 defect at the start of the third. He also did it in the NFL, but I'm sure you have
heard of that. The main difference is that TCU did it in
5 MINUTES INTO THE FOURTH! That is just unbelievable. TCU would actually take the lead for the first time since the first half with a late Field Goal to go up by 1 with 1:05 left in the game. Baylor though would find they're groove in the slimmest of times and get an INT to close out the game.
I really don't remember the last time I saw a game like this so early in the season, especially since you had so many other marquee games that next day. I told my brother that this would be a great game, and it was.
Players to Watch:Robert Griffin III - QB - Baylor21/27 359 Yards 5 TD 0 INT
He has so much poise in the pocket, and he has the legs to evade the defense and make something happen should he have too. The only problem is that when he does take off and run, he doesn't protect the ball very well and if you watch the highlight I posted he would end up fumbling the ball at a very crucial time of the game. The good thing is that it is something you can fix, but that shouldn't be a problem against him from scouts in the big league because he can be a very essential asset to any team. He is one person that could make a Heisman push this season, watch out for Griffin III.
Casey Pachall - QB - TCU25/39 251 Yards 4 TD 1 INT
If you would have told me that Casey Pachall would handle the starting QB position with no problems considering Andy Dalton was starting there for 4 years and was spectacular, I would have slapped you in the face. For a sophomore to carry this team that asks alot from their QB because they are a very pass happy team, for the first time in his collegiate career with ease was very shocking to me. I knew Coach Gary Patterson would prepare him well for whatever adversity he will face this year, but for him to light it up last night was very cool to watch. He was playing like a veteran for most of the game, but when he tried to do too much was when he threw that costly INT at the end of the game. But, it's going to be a long process for him and as he showed last night, he can handle it. Watch out for Pachall people, He good.
Notes: (Courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info)-- TCU allowed only 54 points and seven touchdowns in five road games all of last season. On Friday, TCU allowed 50 points and seven touchdowns.
-- TCU and Baylor combined for a total of 98 points. In the previous 106 meetings between the teams, the schools had never combined for more than 77 points (Baylor won 56-21 in 1983). The 48 points scored by TCU were the most in series history for the Horned Frogs (47 points in 1968).
-- TCU only gave up 14 points in the first quarter once all of last season (11th game of the season against San Diego State).
South Florida 23
(1-0, 1-0 away)
(16) Notre Dame 20
(0-1, 0-1 home)Talk about an upset! This one will be short and sweet: If you make 3 redzone drives and 2 of them end in INTs and one ends in a fumble for a TD, you are not going to win the game. For this Notre Dame team that had so much hype and promise coming into this season, this was a good sock in the mouth. Props to USF and coach Holtz because they came here to play and do the fundamentals right. I don't know where Notre Dame's heads were, but they certainty weren't in the game tonight. Sure, the Irish made a comeback towards the end, but they always do that. They are never ahead in most games and have to always fight back and win in the end. The defense looked OK, but the coverage is still not there. I see guys out of assignment and are always looking back, which by the time they do that the ball is already ahead of them. Dayne Crist layed an egg out there tonight, and he was just announced as the starting QB for the Irish not a couple of weeks ago and now it seems it's Tommy Rees job to lose. I don't want to keep talking about the Irish since they lost, so for USF this is a great win to build upon. They got a very favorable schedule with the only roadblocks being Pitt, Miami & West Virginia at the end of the season so this is only going to help them in the long run. For the Irish, they got alot of work to do, especially since they got Michigan next Saturday at the Big House and then Michigan State the next week after that.
Players to Watch:Michael Floyd - WR - Notre Dame12 rec 154 yds 2 TD
Floyd took awhile to get going in this game, but no one was going to deny this great WR. He had a career day with the most receptions in his Irish career, and you can tell that he is ready for the NFL. Top 10 pick? Wouldn't surprise me.
Notes: (Courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info)-- South Florida became a FBS program in 2001. They didn't even start playing football until 1997. In the last 3 years, they have gone on the road and beaten 3 giants in the sport: Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame. They have combined to win 15 national titles (we count from start of AP Poll, which is 1936)
-- Notre Dame lost its season opener for the fourth time in the past 15 seasons. The Irish finished with non-winning records in all the previous occasions. Twice, it resulted in the Irish changing coaches.
Quick Hits:-- LSU looked great tonight despite losing their starting QB Jordan Jefferson. They relied on their running game and their stout defense. Oregon is going to have to do something about their defense, which was gutted this past offseason with most of their players now in the NFL.
-- Boise St. handling Georgia was not surprising, but the way everyone makes it seem like it was an impossible feat is just...you know..typical darling coverage. I won't say that this was an easy win, because none should be, but playing a Georgia team that is in the rebuilding phase is like saying we beat the 2007 BCS champions who have had 3 mediocre seasons. Let Boise have a SEC schedule like the one Alabama has and see how they fare. I know people are going to vote them high tomorrow, but I still don't buy this team.
-- Texas & Oklahoma joining the Pac-12? That seems to be the case, as they are discussing of joining the conference along with Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to make it the Pac-16. We are seeing the alignment of super-conferences around the country, which will hopefully lead to a much needed playoff system....lol. No it won't.
-- Auburn coming from behind late in the fourth against Utah State was exciting, but at the same time that was considered an automatic win for the defending champs. The road ahead does not look good for them.
