Author: rickro51 Page 20 of 29

Saturday, San Diego’s aged stadium (known as Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm in previous incarnations) hosted perhaps its last grand event.

63,626 watched Navy host Notre Dame.  Since large swaths of green reminded all that Irish faithful easily outnumbered Midshipman fans, Navy proved a very generous “host,”  However, “NAVY” was emblazoned in both end zones to remind all that this was indeed a Navy home game.

Despite the fact that the San Diego stadium situation is currently in flux (a ballot initiative is on tap next Tuesday), the current stadium wheezes in hospice.  The 91st edition of the Navy-Notre Dame series attracted a lively crowd and was likely the last event to attract this level of interest in the concrete edifice that was built in a bygone era when stadiums were built for all-purpose use for both football and baseball.

I will be sad to say goodbye.  From the view section, one could enjoy a mountain view on pristine San Diego days.  Goodbye to the memories of Tony Gwynn, Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.  In its heyday, the stadium hosted Super Bowls and two World Series.  On one unforgettable Saturday night, BYU spotted Marshall Faulk’s San Diego State a 45-17 second half lead, only to forge an amazing rally to salvage a 52-52 tie and pry a Western Athletic Conference title from the Aztecs.

Ironically, Oklahoma State  hosted Texas at the same time as the Navy game.  In Stillwater, fans were celebrating the 30th anniversary of Barry Sanders’ legendary Heisman season, still,  the best ever by a collegian (although this year’s Tua is challenging this previously accepted fact).  I saw Sanders’ last collegiate game in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.  The incredible Oklahoma State offense, quarterbacked by current coach Mike Gundy, romped at will against a helpless Wyoming team.  So, perhaps it was karma that Oklahoma State, in their slick-looking 1988 retro unis, would go on a similar offensive blitzkrieg against Texas, posting 260 yards of  offense in the first quarter, en route to an upset of the sixth-ranked Longhorns.  Yet another reminder of long-gone days.

I will be very sad to say goodbye.

Ecstasy reigned in West Lafayette on Saturday night.  #2 ranked Ohio State was exposed as the Boilermakers throttled the Buckeyes, 49-20.  At upset’s end, fireworks went off, the field was stormed and general pandemonium was happily present.

It is hard to imagine that anybody was happier than Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey.  The third-year starting linebacker had the game of his life.  Not only did he amass 15 tackles, Bailey put the exclamation mark on the upset with a 41-yard pick six to close out the scoring.

Bailey’s background may explain his epic performance.  He is from Columbus and naturally wanted to be a Buckeye.  No scholarship offer came from Urban Meyer.  Prior to Meyer’s regime, Bailey might have received a coveted OSU scholarship but Meyer’s recruiting emphasis has clearly been national despite the abundance of talent in Ohio.  Other Big 10 teams have been happy to accept the “leftovers.”  MSU’s ascendance the past decade has been due, in part, to the Spartans’ canny recruiting of numerous Ohio preps.   Congratulations to Markus for using “rejection” motivation to be a catalyst for his great, great performance.

As fate would have it,  Bailey was not the first Markus to haunt the Buckeyes.  In 1996, a Michigan team limped into Columbus, fresh off consecutive losses to Purdue and Penn State.  One of OSU’s best teams ever, the undefeated Buckeyes, awaited.  Despite being an 18-point underdog, Brian Griese and Company pulled off a 13-9 stunner.  Who made the game-saving interception?  None other than Columbus prep and 2-time All Big 10 defensive back, Marcus Ray.

While the nation paid close attention to the Little Brother (Michigan State) – Little Sister (Michigan) grudge match in East Lansing, Saturday afternoon offered Michigan residents another traditional rivalry as Western Michigan visited Central Michigan for the 89th edition in their rivalry.  WMU was no doubt still smarting from blowing a 28-14 fourth quarter lead in their 2017 duel.

The Odyssey’s Senior MAC Correspondent, Chris Roeder, was in attendance and offered the following:

Strong winds altered game plans.  For example, WMU’s more-than-capable QB, Jon Wassink, attempted just one pass in the third quarter.  Western did not want to deal with the teeth of a strong wind.  WMU ran the ball effectively, racking up 300+ rushing yards in a convincing 35-10 win.

Central continues to have massive QB issues.  The Chippewas benched Tony Poljan a month ago in favor of Tommy Lazzaro.  While the wind was no doubt a factor, his throws were often of such nature that a GPS would have been useful in getting balls to their intended destination.

Poljan entered the game late in garbage time.  Was this a reward or a punishment?  CMU’s coach, John Bonamego, evidently wanted to prolong the agony as he curiously called timeout with 6 seconds to go in the game.

The crowd was a huge disappointment.  Announced attendance was 10,000 and that crowd was reduced by at least 50% after a lighting delay (a similar delay occurred earlier in the afternoon in East Lansing).   Was the small crowd a byproduct of Central’s 1-6 start?  Or did the interest in the televised Michigan-MSU game keep away fans?  Or is it the fact that Central’s low octane offense does not raise pulse rates?

The dismal weather, which also featured a combination of rain, sleet and snow, certainly made one wonder as to why the game’s locale was in not-so-aptly named Mt. Pleasant (The “Fire Up Chips” sign in the stadium may be a helpful suggestion as to how fans can best avoid frostbite). The weather proved a metaphor for one of the most miserable weeks in Chip history.  One week earlier, CMU had a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter against Ball State in Mt. Pleasant.  A Ball State team that had won all of 4 games in 2017 and 2018.  Regardless, the Chips succumbed, 24-23, on a last-minute field goal.

We guesstimate that the Chippewas will finish with a 2-10 mark.  Is that record and a general lack of interest in the program enough to get 4th year coach John Bonamego fired?  Given that Central did make a bowl game in each of Bonamego’s first three years and that a contract extension was inked thru 2022, our guess is “no” but he should definitely not buy new real estate in the area.

Both Central and Western’s latest coaching hires have one interesting parallel:   Tim Lester, WMU’s coach, and Bonamego are alums who were quarterbacks.  Perhaps the thinking, in both cases, was that their alumni status would make them less likely to jump ship in case of successful stints.   Tenures of MAC coaches tend not to be long.  Either they  successfully (think Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, Don James, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Gary Pinkel) get “promoted” to a Power 5 program or are canned.  So, unlike Western Kentucky’s Mike Sanford, who will get fired after last night’s bizarre loss to Old Dominion, we believe Mr. Bonamego will not be shown the door in a month (But if the Odyssey can make a suggestion:  Recruit a quarterback or two!!)

It is just as well that Eastern Michigan does not have hordes of fans because their glut of close games would be troublesome for those with heart conditions.

The Eagles (formerly called the Hurons in less politically correct times.  Good lord, people have not renamed the Huron River or the Huron Valley) have been the hard luck team of college football since the beginning of 2017.

Last year, the 5-7 Eagles lost 5 games by 5 points or less.  This year, they have dropped 3 games by a field goal.  Although, they have won several close games, their net luck has been in the category of “not much.”  Perhaps their two most painful losses were the 28-27 defeat to Army in 2017 or when they lost a game in overtime at San Diego State earlier this year when the Aztecs forced overtime with a late 50-yard field goal.

Last week, their negative karma looked like it was not going away.  Their biggest tormentor, Toledo, made the short trip to Ypsilanti sporting a lopsided, 34-11 series edge.  EMU looked like a sure winner at halftime, galloping off to a 28-3 lead.  Uh oh.  The Rockets furiously rallied, closing the deficit to 28-26 in the waning seconds.  Perhaps justly, the 2-point conversion, to tie the game, failed.  Finally, some due karma for the Heartbreak Hurons.

This week, EMU travels to windy Muncie to take on Ball State.  The experts expect yet another close game for Eastern as EMU is a narrow 3 point favorite.  Yet another nail-biting finish looms on the horizon.

Trivia Question:  Can you name 4 other FBS schools who have changed nicknames to be more politically correct?  Answer below.

ANSWER:  (Stanford, Louisiana Monroe and Arkansas State all used to be called the Indians.  Miami (Ohio) used to be the Redskins)

The genius of Mark Dantonio and Pat Fitzgerald were again front and center on Saturday.  Dantonio’s Michigan State squad, decimated by injuries, traveled to Happy Valley to face a rested Penn State team.  Dantonio knew his team was outmanned so he kept rolling the dice.  MSU’s first touchdown drive featured both a fake punt and a halfback pass.  Down 17-14 with 6 minutes to go, Dantonio passed on a 40+ yard field goal in favor of yet another fake.  The pass was incomplete but Dantonio felt he had to keep the Nittany Lions off balance to have a chance to win.

Undaunted,  Brian Lewerke threw the game-winning touchdown pass to the Spartans’ only healthy starting receiver, Felton Davis, with only 19 ticks left on the clock.  Dantonio’s record in his past 14 games against Top 10 foes:  9-5.  Even more amazing given that the Spartans’ roster is usually scarce of 4 and 5 star recruits.

Michigan State will likely again be an underdog on Saturday when the hated Wolverines head northwest on I-96.  Big deal!  Dantonio is 8-2 in his last 10 rivalry tilts with Michigan and will eternally have the pleasure of outcoaching Jim Harbaugh in the most infamous play in Wolverine history (Sparty’s scoop and score on the last play of the epic 2015 game).

Dantonio’s stellar record would burn even brighter if he could regularly beat Northwestern.  The Wildcats currently sport an improbable 3-game winning streak against MSU.  Coming into 2018, Fitzgerald faced even more obstacles than usual at the Big 10’s only private university.  All-time top 10 rusher in NCAA annals, Justin Jackson, had graduated.  A couple weeks ago, Jackson’s replacement, Jeremy Larkin had to retire for medical reasons.  Coming into the season, the Wildcats’ excellent quarterback, Clayton Thorson, was not 100% physically recovered from an ACL tear in the Music City Bowl.

Improbably,  Northwestern has now won 3 games in 2018 that were eminently losable.  In the past 2 weekends, Northwestern’s non-existent running game rushed for 40 yards – TOTAL – in the past 8 quarters.  Relying 100% on a now-healthy Thorson produced an upset win at East Lansing  and a one-for-the-ages comeback win  over luckless Nebraska in overtime.  In Northwestern’s opener, Fitzgerald’s charges managed to win at Purdue despite a less-than-100% Thorson and a Purdue offense that racked up 472 yards.

The margin between winning and losing is often paper thin.  Contrast their repeated success with the enormous burden Penn State’s James Franklin is now carrying. His last 5 losses have come by a microscopic total of 12 points — if that was not sufficiently nightmarish, Penn State had leads in the 4th quarter of all 5 nailbiters.  Factor in that 4 of the 5 losses come against Big 10 East Uber Rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State. OUCH!!

Even while talk of the College Football playoff and the latest superhuman Alabama team often suck much of the oxygen out of the room, Fitzgerald and Dantonio continue to shine  among the very best coaches in college football.

This evening, two games feature emerging stars with fantastic hair.

Colorado was supposed to be heartbroken over the graduation of the stellar receiving trio of Shay Fields, Devin Ross and Bryce Bobo.  Phil Steele’s pre-season annual said the Buffs’ best returning receiver as none other than the head coach’s son, Jay McIntyre.  Out of nowhere comes the lightning bolt with the lengthy dreads, Laviska Shenault Junior!!  Halfway into the year, some have dubbed the whirlwind as the best player in the Pac 12.  If the Buffs can upset USC tonight in the Coliseum, rest assured that the stellar passing duo of Steven Montez to Shenault will play a major role.  The undefeated Buffs are still not getting full respect as an underwhelming USC teams was still tabbed as a touchdown favorite.

Gameday was in Ann Arbor this morning.  Michigan’s “other” defensive end, Chase Winovich is rapidly climbing up draft boards.  He is no doubt aided by Rashaun Gary’s imposing presence at the other DE position.  Winovich’s flowing blond locks are unmistakable when he takes flight with another hell-bent gallop toward an unsuspecting QB.  Because his personality is as sunny as his hair, he has become a media darling.  He can take some heat off Jim Harbaugh if he can sack Alex Hornibrook a couple times this evening in the Big House.

Last night,  BYU  hosted in-state upstart Utah State.  Halfway through the first quarter, BYU had a 4th and 1 on the USU 39.  Curiously, the Cougars called a pass play.  Disaterously, Utah State picked six its way to a 7-0 lead that would never be relinquished in a 45-20 thrashing to retain the Old Wagon Wheel.  For Utah State, the occasion was momentous as one has to go back to 1974 for the last time the Aggies tallied back-to-back victories in the rivalry.

BYU coach, Kalani Sataki, may need a realtor in 7 weeks.  When BYU upset vaunted Wisconsin earlier this year, Mormon ecstasy prevailed.  Now back to earth with a 3-3 record and fresh off a self-confessed “butt whipping” to its supposed little brother, Sataki must be worried.  Coming off a 4-9 record in 2017, he reminds exactly nobody of the legendary Lavell Edwards (who ironically went to Utah State).  Worse, his style of football is boring, the polar opposite of the Edwards’ pass-first style that propelled BYU out of its historical doldrums.

However, his situation is sunny compared to that of Bowling Green’s Mike Jinks.  With probably the worst defense in football, BG heads 37 miles north today to take on Toledo in the annual battle for Northwest Ohio.  The underrated series is tied 39-39-4.  Bowling Green is deservedly a 22-point dog.  If the Falcons cannot be competitive in this game, the Odyssey predicts Mr. Jinks will be the first in-season firing– perhaps in 24 hours or so.  If Bowling Green chooses to keep him, the decision will be as curious as to way green is not one of their school colors.  The Odyssey  notes that Western Kentucky, located in another Bowling Green, also eschewed green as a school color.  Their color selections are as confusing as  why there are so many cities named Bowling Green.

We were tempted to put a 3rd coach, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, on this list after last night’s listless performance.  The Cardinals held a 2-3 Georgia Tech team to 66 points in Louisville.  This disaster came after Petrino threw away a game against Florida State last Saturday.  With 2 minutes left and with Louisville having a first down on the Florida State 20, nursing a 24-21 lead, Petrino called for a pass play instead of a series of runs that would force FSU to use all their time outs.  Shades of last night’s BYU game.  Pick six!!  If not for Petrino’s previous successes, we would put him on the scorch seat.  Instead, his derriere is just hot.  Ah well, if he is fired, his buyout will enable the character-challenged Petrino to purchase as many motorcycles as he wishes.

2018 K-State football keeps going down the rabbit hole.  On Saturday, Texas won their first game in the Little Apple since 2002, jumping off to a 19-0 halftime lead.

78-year-old coaching icon, Bill Snyder, shifted quarterbacks at halftime.  The ineffective Alex Delson was benched in favor of Skylar Thompson.  Thompson’s ability to throw the ball provided the Wildcats with a strong pulse as K-State rebounded to make a game of it, losing 19-14.  Truly, a tale of two halves.

For the second straight week, the post-game comments from 78-year-old coaching icon, Bill Snyder, were both curious and a bit disturbing.  For the second straight year, the Wildcats’ QB position has devolved into a confusing carousel.    When Snyder was asked if it would have made a difference if Thompson would have played the whole game, Snyder said “no.”  When asked if Thompson had shown enough to be the clear starter, Snyder said that the skills of both quarterbacks would continue to be employed.

Wow!

Bill Snyder will be turning age 79 on Sunday.  His Wildcats have already lost 3 games (and came perilously close to losing a 4th to an FCS team in their opener.  Thank God UTSA was on their schedule).   Best case for KSU this year appears to be a 4-8 mark.  We would not even pencil in a sure win for K-State on November 10 in their Sunflower State rivalry with downtrodden Kansas.  Please, Mr, Snyder, we wish you a great 79th but think about the future of the K-State program (The Odyssey wrote a longer piece in this regard a week ago.)

A typically sweltering Orlando afternoon did not deter the Odyssey from showing up for the Central Florida-Pitt game yesterday.  If one thought that the cheekiness of the Knights’ self-proclaimed 2017 national championship would have stopped in January, one would have been very mistaken.  Upon entrance into Spectrum Stadium, possibly the first item noticed is the “2017 National Champions” verbiage prominently posted on the facing of the press box.  I was fantasizing that Alabama would show up and the affair could be decided once and for all.

Like Alabama, the 2018 version of UCF football shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.  Like Alabama, in  Mackenzie Milton, UCF has one of college football’s very best quarterbacks.  Like Alabama, both star quarterbacks hail from the seemingly endless supply emanating from Honolulu.  Like Alabama, the UCF quarterback is a prime Heisman Trophy candidate.   Like Alabama, the game morphed into a rout that turned the entire second half into garbage time (Alabama laid a 49-0 thrashing on hapless Louisiana Lafayette yesterday in the first 30 minutes).

In Orlando, a Group of Five team hosted a Power Five team.  The game proved to be a mismatch with roles reversed.  Behind the arm of the redoubtable  Milton, UCF sprinted to a 38-7 halftime lead behind 317 yards of offense.  After the Knights jumped off to a 14-0 advantage, Rafael Araujo Lopes’ scintillating 85-yard punt return touchdown gave the Panthers momentary hope.  Fools’ gold as that notion turned out.  The other key play of the game occurred late in the 2nd quarter with UCF up 28-7.  A rare poor throw from Milton resulted in a 90-yard interception return that was wiped out by a roughing the passer call.  Ballgame.

The Odyssey was stunned by one element.  UCF’s 2017 defense would never be classified as a defensive juggernaut.  In pulsating wins over South Florida and Memphis, both were scorefests where Milton and Company needed to tally half a zillion points to narrowly prevail.  The 2018 UCF defense was stripped of  linebacker Shaquem Griffin and defensive back Mike Hughes, both high NFL draft picks.  So how on earth could  the hapless Pittsburgh offense not find the end zone until deep into the second half??

The Panthers were even more irritating on defense.  In the game’s first 25 minutes, no fewer than 4 times after big UCF gains, time was stopped because of a Pitt “injury.”  Football is a tough, tough game but the Pitt defense has to be the most brittle on this planet.  Was it remotely possible Pitt was faking because of the UCFast offense?  Since we are now in the era of “fake news,” I  can almost appreciate the irony.  But, please, change the rules, NCAA, to charge a team a timeout for each such stoppage.

Time to admit it, Pitt.  Pat Narduzzi is a flop of a coach.  He was hired because of his prowess as a defensive coordinator at Michigan State.  How many good defenses has he had at Pitt?  If you answered zero, that is not fake news.  Instead, Pitt’s defense allowed the Knights 30+ points for UCF’s 17th consecutive time in their not-coincidental 17-game winning streak — in the first half alone, mind you.

UCF has so much momentum that the heat did little to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm.  In the Deep South, TV is the devil when it comes to scheduling day games in September (an often lovable devil, one must confess).  The UCF band paid a tribute to the band Chicago at halftime.  One of the songs was “Make Me Smile.”  For the many UCF fans in attendance, how could you not?

Before reading this, understand that I have been a big fan of Bill Snyder.  It cannot be overemphasized that K-State football was historically the worst among Division 1-A schools when he took the reins in 1989.  And I’m not sure there was a close 2nd, this side of Vanderbilt.

His petulant remarks after yesterday’s 35-6 trashing at West Virginia were inexcusable.  “I can’t coach a team that can’t get 6 inches.”  OK, so don’t coach the team going forward.  Please!  The Wildcats have already been manhandled twice in the first month (Two weeks ago, Mississippi State ran roughshod over K-State).

Traditionally, Kansas State’s recruiting classed have never ranked highly.  This is partly due to K-State’s heavy reliance on junior college talent.  The conclusion was that Snyder had few peers in coaching ’em up.  For most of his career, we would have heartily agreed.  However, their talent gap in 2018 seems even more pronounced.  Besides All-American right tackle Dalton Risner, can you readily identify another elite player on K-State?  I cannot.

Now, in addition to throwing his team under the bus yesterday, there are some disturbing coaching elements that are contributing to the demise of this year’s Wildcats.  Snyder’s decisions have given a lot of credence to the adage “If you have 2 quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks.”  For the 2nd straight year, the quarterback carousel has not worked in Manhattan.  Post-Jesse Ertz, the QB play has been substandard.  Yesterday, 3 of West Virginia’s touchdowns were exact carbon copies:  a 1-yard TD pass to the tall (6’4″) David Sills.  Fine, we understand single coverage on the first of the 3 alley oops — that follows the book.  But when West Virginia keeps calling the play over and over, should not K-State modify coverage?  Should the coaching staff also be thrown under the bus?

Bill Snyder has been viewed, rightfully, as a savior in Manhattan.  He is the only current FBS coach who has a stadium named after him.  When you enter the KSU stadium from the west, it looks like an entrance to a medieval castle.  Like royalty, the 78-year-old icon wishes to pass the baton to his son, Sean.  This passing of the torch smacks  more of 16th century France than 21st century America.  What has Sean done to deserve this?  With the exception of Godfather 2, sequels are generally a big disappointment.  The Odyssey thinks that K-State would have been much better served to have kept Jim Leavitt from leaving after his second stint in Manhattan.

Recruiting against the aged Snyder will be easier and easier with each passing year.  I can personally attest to the tyranny of time.  As a youth, I could catch a pitcher all day and not ache.  Yesterday, as a 66-year-old, even squatting for 15 minutes to catch my son proved a difficult effort.  In his prime, Willie Mays was one of the best centerfielders.  EVER.  So, when he wandered around as a 40-year-old New York Met in an epic struggle to catch a routine fly ball, an eternal message was reiterated.

Mr. Snyder, please take a much deserved curtain call and call it an era.  If you truly care about K-State football, exit right or exit left.  But please exit!