Football Articles
Big 12 Football Wrap Up
Posted by Scipio Tex on September 13th, 2008 under Football
The Wrap saw some great games and several more that were unlikely to make the cut for oral tradition around campfires.
Kansas - 34
South Florida - 37
I picked South Florida to win a close one in a game dominated by both QBs. I also said that despite USF winning, KU would cover the 3.5 point spread. I’m sort of in awe of myself right now. Now I will pay Mephistopheles my soul. Reesing was exceptional with only one error all night and Kansas controlled the first half with his clutch third down conversions against USF’s puzzling zone defense. KU WR Jonathan Wilson went off in a way unseen by a lanky Caucasian since Bob Saget in the Aristocrats. The third quarter was totally dominated by South Florida’s defensive line aided by Leavitt’s decision to switch to man and make Reesing hold onto the ball. Grothe exploited a glacial Kansas DL working the edges. The Rock Chalkers were missing OT Anthony Collins and CB Aqib Talib like the Chinese gymnasts miss their village Fuck Panda. Then USF slapped the Kitten. You don’t slap the Kitten. Two quick KU touchdowns. Tie ballgame. Reesing throws a pick that you just felt was coming at the start of the play. Ballgame. Kansas has nothing to hang their head about, but Schedule Matters.
You can also read Phenomenal Smith of Atomic Teeth’s Postgame analysis of the Kansas-South Florida game.
Baylor - 45
Washington State - 17
I mentioned before the season in my Baylor Football Preview that true freshman QB Robert Griffin - then running 3rd team at QB - had the potential to singlehandedly save Baylor Football. May I pull the ultimate act of disgusting ego and quote myself?
Truthfully, Briles may just say fuck it (actually, it’s Baylor, so he’ll say “Goosefeathers!”) and start true freshman Robert Griffin, who is a sensational athlete. Which is what I’d do. If Baylor Football can reach respectability by 2010 it will be because of Griffin. Art’s best offenses, whether at Stephenville or at U of H, needs the running threat at QB to make it work. The QB draw in an an empty set, the zone read with a one back, the QB lead when the other team plays dime - it opens it all up. Without that threat, they’re just Texas Tech without the polish, execution, and slutty co-eds.
Against a hapless Washington State team, Griffin rushed for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries with three runs longer than 50 yards. He allowed Baylor to rush for almost 400 yards. He also threw a 61 yard pass. This is one of most dynamic football players I’ve ever seen. He’s headed for tougher times as his competition stiffens, but this is a stock I’d buy. He’s 18 years old playing at a level I’ve not seen from a teenager since Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf. I’m very impressed that Briles put the reins of his team in the hands of a true freshman. That takes BRASS BAWWWLS, gentleman.
Texas - 0
Bye - 0
Davis was shut out. Son of a bitch.
Nebraska - 38
New Mexico St - 7
Nebraska dominated to run their record to 3-0 under Bo Pelini. They’re playing hard, they’re only giving up 14.3 ppg, and the Husker faithful think they may have their guy. Get back to me after they play Va Tech, Missouri and Texas Tech over their next three. If they’re 2-1, I’m buying what Pelini is selling.
Texas A&M - 0
Depression - 2
Aggies used the break to pass the hat for a buyout package in 2011 and ponder their next hire. Two words for you, Ags: Gene Hackman.
Oklahoma State - 57
Missouri State - 13
A huge victory for the Cowboys. Taking down the prohibitive favorite to win the Big North is the big win Gundy has been looking for. T Boone Pickens just lit a victory cigar with a $14,000 dollar bill. Eskimo Joes is rockin’ and Stillwater is electric…err, what? Oh. My bad. Missouri State. Missed that. Three Cowboy runners broke 100 yards rushing, each averaging greater than 10 yards per carry.
Missouri - 69
Nevada - 17
Hello Mudd-ah, hello Fadd-uh.
We just mudholed,
The Pack from Nevada.
Forget da Pistol,
They’ll say in Bristol,
Chase Daniel is one gnomish enchil-ada.
Gimli played out of his mind and the Missouri secondary showed some pride shutting down the Pistol offense. I’m a huge admirer of Jeremy Maclin and his dominance of Nevada’s cornerbacks should have yielded action from child protection services. Coffman and Sanders also went triple digit receiving yardage as Mizzou threw for 500+. The Missouri offense is playing Playstation right now.
You should also read Guest Columnist Gene Claude’s postgame analysis of the Missouri-Nevada game.
Texas Tech - 43
SMU - 7
I grant that SMU is pitiful, but three things occurred in this game that should interest you. First, Tech almost pitched a shutout. SMU’s TD came with 3:30 left in the game. Second, Tech relied heavily on their running game early before letting Harrell throw every down. Woods and Batch combined for 180 yards rushing. Third, the Tech defense forced five interceptions and continues to show a front 4 with legitimate quickness and playmaking ability. Same old Tech? Maybe not. We’ll see once they start playing teams with a discernible pulse.
You should also read dedfisher’s postgame analysis of the Texas Tech-SMU game.
Iowa State - 5
Iowa - 17
Kirk Ferentz is back! Watch out college football world. Actually, this was an even contest in which Iowa State outgained Iowa 325 - 240. The decisive play was Andy Brodell’s 81 yard punt return for a touchdown. You guys may remember Brodell as the white boy sprinter who whipped Aaron Ross in the Alamo Bowl. He missed all of last year with a torn hamstring and now he’s back.
OU - 55
Washington - 14
Bradford goes 18 of 21 for 304 with 5 TDs. Brown and Murray both break 100 rushing. Gresham catches 2 TDS. This was a dominant performance on the road against a depleted Husky team. Most impressive for the OU running game was that their yardage didn’t come via long runs - it was 7, 8, 10 yards a pop every time they ran the ball. Something tells me that Stoops pre-game talk involved no mention of withstanding Washington’s surge.
The Big 12 had a pretty solid weekend though we could have used a KU victory at USF. And after watching Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi State set back offensive football to 1895, I’m fairly convinced that you’re watching the best and most exciting league in college football right now.
You can also read more Barking Carnival musings on the college football scene from a national perspective here.
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chitwood said:
September 13th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Thank you for that last sentence Scip, I used that exact quote with a friend of mine but I only proffered that they had set offensive football back 50 years. I think I grossly underestimated. It’s not that hard to have “awesome SEC defense” when you are facing a system less advanced than the Wing T.
NateHeupel said:
September 13th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
“And after watching Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi State set back offensive football to 1895, I’m fairly convinced that you’re watching the best and most exciting league in college football right now.”
It sure as shit isn’t the Pac 10.
We’re going to ignore UW getting prison raped by OU. That was to be expected. Same for USC-tOSU because we all saw that coming.
-Washington State got massacred by BAYLOR.
-Arizona lost to New Mexico.
-Arizona State lost to UNLV. At home. Let that one sink in.
-UCLA beats Tennessee last week…and promptly gets humiliated by BYU 59-0.
-Cal got beat by an inferior Maryland team.
-Stanford gets whipped by TCU.
-Oregon hangs on to win a nailbiter against a mediocre Big 10 team in Purdue after having another QB go down.
USC may not face another moderately competent opponent for the rest of the season.
Facebook User said:
September 13th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
3 to fucking 2? Sweet creeping Jesus.
Parlin Hall said:
September 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Nice post, as usual, Scip.
The Husker Faithful will politely point out that Bo is now 4-0 as the head coach at NU.
tigerfan said:
September 14th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Watchinbg Mizzou put up 69 and Auburn 3 makes me believe that all spread offneses are not created equal. If Auburn were in the Big 12 it would be known as Iowa State
Scipio Tex said:
September 14th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Let’s not get carried away.
mutiger91 said:
September 14th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
You had me until the part about “could have used a ku victory at USF”. Do you root for OU victories in non-con games or would be be expelled from the Republic of Texas for an act of treason like that?
I’ve decided Sod Reesing is Graham Harrell’s mini-me. He can look really good slinging the ball around, but when it’s a big game against a quality opponent he can’t quite close the deal.
Huckleberry said:
September 15th, 2008 at 3:15 am
I am shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, to see that the front page photo for this blog shows an OU offensive lineman with a handful of a defender’s jersey.
utgrad89 said:
September 15th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Huckleberry,
I was shocked and appalled. A letter to the editor?
And, for gripe’s sake, can’t we just let A&M have a small beak? New HC, new offense, new defense, give them a little latitude.
kuelguapo said:
September 15th, 2008 at 10:48 am
in big game against a quality opponent reesing can’t close the deal? are you serious? guess that victory over vtech last year doesnt count. i mean it was only the orange bowl… and it was definitely reesing - not a piss poor 3rd quarter by the defense or lack or running game - that cost ku on friday. definitely… (picking up my sarcasm yet?)
on another note, sat night reaffirmed to me that leach is a total prick. up 41-7 with 40 seconds left in the game, he runs up the score rather than kneeling and ending the game. total lack of class… pretty sure they took the margin of victory out of BCS calculations, asshole…
vvn8bs said:
September 15th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Can someone please give me a rational definition for “running up the score” and, then, a rational argument for why it is immoral, hateful, mean and shameful?
I agree with Kuel, though, I think Reesing has proven to be pretty damn good no matter the clutchiness of the situation. I’m impressed, even as a Mizzou fan.
kuelguapo said:
September 15th, 2008 at 11:13 am
in the pros - i say f’ing go for it. you’re getting paid to be an elite athlete and if you can’t stop the other team then there’s a reason your paycheck is less than the guys on the opposite side of the field.
i even get it in a conference/rival collegiate game. hell i enjoyed every second of ku thumping nu last year - that was 35 years of angst finally getting paid off. but this was different. in a nonconf game when the opposition is clearly overmatched and at that time of the game the point had been proven, why score again? that’s not proving any point. that’s just being a douche.
hiphopopotamus said:
September 15th, 2008 at 11:45 am
@ mutiger91 - Not that his opinion matters to you, but you should read what your beloved Dave Matter had to say about Reesing…
“I know Missouri fans don’t want to read this. I know they don’t want to believe this. And I know Missouri fans would never root for him unless he was playing against the Al-Qaeda All-Stars. But you have to appreciate Reesing, not just because he’s short and scrappy, but dude can play football. With absolutely no running game, an offensive line with two freshman tackles and his best receiver out with an injury, Reesing almost single-handedly pulled KU back from a 14-point deficit on the road against the most talented team in the Big East. His second touchdown pass, a classic scramble drill heave was nothing short of impressive. If I were starting a spread offense from scratch and could pick any college quarterback to run it, I’d go Chase Daniel first, Tim Tebow second, then Reesing.”
But your analysis makes a lot more sense, considering he is now 14-2 as a starter at a school that hadn’t sniffed legitimacy for over a decade before he got there.
mutiger91 said:
September 15th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Teams it is ok to run up the score against:
- Your hated rival (ku in my case)
- Teams currently considered conference powers (hell, they could come back)
- Teams that took pride in running up the score on conference teams for many years. (Nebraska comes to mind)
Last year’s ku game was the only time in my life I have enjoyed (and probably ever will again) watching ku just destroy an opponent. Indeed, the fact that it was a long-time doormat like ku doing it to NU made it funnier.
As far as all the sarcasm about from kuel about ku from last year, I’m not buying that position. V-Tech is nobody and they weren’t anybody then. It is debatable why their conference even gets an automatic BCS spot. It’s like going to a bowl game and having to play a badass Iowa State team. As far as I’m concerned the ACC and Big East should both just disappear until basketball season every year. It’s been something like 7 years since the ACC has won a BCS bowl. That tells you a lot right about the quality of that “big win”.
Doperbo said:
September 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Leach’s scoring isn’t malicious, he’s more like an elemental particle that spins in one direction regardless of circumstance. There is no element of coxcombery, no fanfaronade. After shellacking aTm he deadpanned “I feel we all had a measure of disappointment that we weren’t able to score on that last drive”. Then he bent down to study a grasshopper. He’s eccentric as hell but personally I don’t asssociate that with douchebaggery in the classical sense.
coach Callahan said:
September 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Of course for years Nebraska ran up the score with the 4th team I-back and some guy they picked out of the stands to play QB and didn’t throw the ball after 4 minutes were gone in the 3rd quarter. But please continue to whine about us running up the score and we will continue to laugh at you.
Parlin Hall said:
September 15th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
The only thing more enjoyable than watching Missouri get caught out with NCAA sanctions-and this is as inevitable as the sun coming up in the morning-will be listening to its fan base keen like a blunt-trauma survivor.
utgrad89 said:
September 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I wasn’t aware Missouri was under investigation. Enlighten me.
vvn8bs said:
September 15th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Parlin, I understand casting the sanction stone at the Rich Dalies and Quin Snyders of the world. Fair enough. But to cast aspersions on Pinkel’s program when KU just richly rewarded Mangino for sticking his head and seven chins in the sand while his graduate assistants provided test answers to JUCO recruits seems a bit more hypocritical than even a diehard KU fan could ordinarily muster.
I’ll tell you what: When Pinkel’s program serves more than the 3 years of probation KU is currently serving for academic fraud, you are free to return to your previously scheduled level of uber-superciliousness. Until then, please focus on your witty “Our Coach is PHAT!!!!” t-shirts and such things.
Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin said:
September 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Parlin Hall
Phenomenal Smith said:
September 16th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Parlin Hall is clearly haunted by the spirit of the Jayhawk. Might be time to raze that one.
Parlin Hall said:
September 16th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Apologies to Tiger Fan-I was out of line.