Category: Uncategorized Page 17 of 29

Troy Calhoun is in his 13th year as Air Force’s coach and reportedly has been grumpy the past two weeks.

A week ago, the Falcons had to make the long trip to Honolulu.  Calhoun was musing about whether Mountain West affiliation made sense for the Falcons.  Gosh, coach, most people yearn to go to the Islands.  What would Calhoun prefer?  Independence?  Ask BYU about scheduling in November while the vast majority are playing conference games.  Does Calhoun really think that either the Big 12 or the Pac 12 would covet Air Force?

As it is, the Mountain West offers 3 regional rivals for Air Force:  Colorado State, New Mexico and Wyoming.  This year, you had the satisfaction of playing a 4th regional rival in Colorado and emerged with a thrilling victory in Boulder.  Coupled with your two annual games against the other service academies, life could be much, much worse.  Even if you despise the air travel to Oahu, such trip only occurs once every 4 years.  We feel certain that many of your players would be thrilled to make the trip, that is if you let them dip their toes into the Waikiki surf for at least a few minutes.

Last week, Calhoun was quoted in the Utah media as saying that schools such as BYU and Utah State had unfair advantages because they could use older players after their two-year missions.  Research was done indicated that only 18 of the 110 Utah State roster members had been on missions with just one having started a game in 2019.

Utah State had such an advantage last night that the Aggies held their blowout loss to the Falcons to only 31-7.  In Honolulu, Air Force annihilated Hawaii, 56-26, despite having to use a backup quarterback.

We wonder what Calhoun will complain about next.  It does seem to be working.  The 2019 Falcons are the best Air Force team in years, their only losses coming to Boise State and a heartbreaker to Navy.

Apologies for our recent posts being so Carolina-centric, but among some stunning events on Saturday, one season-long trend stuck out:  The North Carolina State Wolfpack is horrific on the road and should do whatever is needed not to leave the Triangle in 2019.

NC State has had 3 road games, all bitter disappointments.  The latest fiasco occurred yesterday at Boston College team missing its starting QB, Anthony Brown.  The Pack were 3.5 point favorites yet were blown out.  The strength of this year’s NC State team was supposed to be its defensive front 7.  Yesterday, the good news for the Wolfpack was that they held BC’s backup running back, David Bailey, to 181 yards rushing.  Because stud RB, AJ Dillon, romped for 223 yards in a 45-24 rout not as close as the final score.

NC State’s first road trip, also as a favorite, was at a West Virginia team ravaged by graduation like few others.  The result, against a very inexperienced offense, was a 44-27 embarrassment.

Their other trip was to a Florida State team  sporting a 3-4 record.  One of the “3” was a 31-13 triumph over the Wolfpack.

North Carolina State has lost 14 players to the NFL over the past two years but 3 “no shows” illustrate a lack of  _________ (you fill in the blank).

In August, the Odyssey picked 4 teams to exceed expectations and 4 teams that would fall short of said expectations. How did we do?

EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

Virginia.      ???   With the Cavaliers’ loss at Miami last Friday, Virginia has two losses with a misfiring offense that offset an important opening game win at Pitt.  The good news for the Wahoos is that none of their final six opponents have defenses remotely as stout as Notre Dame and Miami.  We still think 10-2 is in sight but even 9-3 would be a really solid year that merit our selection.

Minnesota.    Yes!   Cannot do better than 6-0 with Rutgers and Maryland on deck.  Cannot hurt that in 4 games, the opponents had to play back up QBs.  The Golden Gophers have been quite lucky but they are getting better each week at rowing the boat.

Syracuse.  No!  It is not just the 3-3 start that we did not see.  The offense, a Dino Babers staple, has been dormant behind a putrid offensive line and a QB who reminds us each week that he is not Eric Dungey.  The Cuse were also victims of the most baffling blowout of the year, 63-20, at Maryland.

Northwestern.  No.   We anticipated that Northwestern would upset Stanford in the opener behind Clemson transfer, Hunter Johnson.  Johnson has been a major dud, as has the entire offense.  Their 1-4 start is not on a defense who has played exceedingly well, particularly in holding powerhouse Wisconsin to 243 yards.

FALL SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS

Mississippi State.  Yes!  With each passing game, Cowbell U. gets reminded as to what a gift Starkville had in Dan Mullen.  Worse, his successor, Joe Moorhead, is a Damn Yankee. No way could all those departing defensive studs could be adequately replaced in 2019.  Getting owned by both lines last Saturday by Tennessee is just the latest “uh oh” moment.  Did we mention that LSU pays a visit tomorrow?

Purdue.  Yes!  Their remarkable 40-14 victory over Maryland with a decimated team, notwithstanding. the unlucky Boilers are still 2-4.  Their come-from-ahead loss at Nevada was a killer.  Road trips to Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern still loom.

Michigan.  Yes.  In August, folks were building up Michigan as a possible playoff team.  Like Mississippi State, too many defensive studs lost.  Turnovers and an overhyped offensive line have been disappointing — just because you have a lot of returning starters does not necessarily translate into excellence,  especially with a lack of breakaway running backs.  However, if Michigan surprises Penn State in Happy Valley Saturday night, we move “Yes” into  ??? territory.

Stanford.  Yes.  The Cardinal was a clear yes, until an upset over Washington achieved with a 2nd-string QB and a very inexperienced offensive line  However, the Tree got rolled last night  by a 1-5 UCLA team.  Stanford had to play UCLA with a deer-in-the-headlights 3rd string QB.  Said offensive line gave up 5 sacks in the first quarter.  Further, the Odyssey believes their overall talent level has declined over the past 3-4 years.    Their 3-4 mark says we were right but wins over Northwestern and the Huskies are to their credit.   A tough schedule has also conspired against a team rated #17 in pre-season polls:  Washington, Oregon, USC and UCF have already been played.

OVERALL

Our mid-term grades:  5-2-1.  We live it to our readers to give us a grade.

Saturday, the Odyssey was in the press box watching a South Carolina team play a Georgia team.  What an exciting double overtime shocker!  Oh, wait, we were actually in Conway, South Carolina to see Coastal Carolina host Georgia State.

Georgia State’s QB, Dan Ellington, showed why he is the most valuable player in the Sun Belt.  While most of his pub has come due to his passing chops, he repeatedly torched the Chanticleer D with his legs, amassing 128 rushing yards.  He was one of 3 Panthers to rush for 100+ yards as Georgia State’s run game trampled a respectable Coastal defense, igniting a 31-21 victory.

With Georgia State’s only Sun Belt blemish being an overtime loss at Texas State, all of a sudden its  November 16  date in Atlanta with Appalachian State takes on greater import.  The game’s biggest surprise is that the Panther D showed up, limiting Coastal to 322 yards of offense.

The game’s 2nd biggest surprise was the presence of the Panther band, 349 miles from Atlanta.  The upper deck, opposite the press box, was vacant save for the band, which was  exiled to the boondocks.

The third surprise is the ongoing excellence of a Georgia State team picked toward the bottom of the Sun Belt.  Kudos to coach Shawn Elliot as Saturday night was a rewarding homecoming for the South Carolina native.  When a commuter school in the shadows of both Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Falcons has much success, such success is against absolutely all odds.

Elliott’s surging Panther team provided a contrast to two rebuilding teams in Raleigh on Thursday night.   North Carolina State and Syracuse are both examples, among many, of the ACC’s big decline in 2019.  After watching the Orange only tally 10 points against a middling defense, it strained belief that some thought in August that Syracuse might be the league’s 2nd best team.

Syracuse coach, Dino Babers, built his reputation on offense, believing in quick tempo.  At his previous stop at Bowling Green, he dubbed his offense “Falcon Fast.” Should this offense be called “Syracuse Slow”?

Babers’ QB, Tommy DeVito, took 8 sacks and often would immediately scamper out of the pocket if his primary receiver was covered   Which might have been fine if DeVito had the running chops of his lauded predecessor, Eric Dungey.  Instead, DeVito made Dungey look like the 2nd coming of Donovan McNabb.

In Devito’s defense, he likely was not 100% after a shoulder injury suffered several weeks back.  Still, one of his forays out of the pocket had to be disheartening to Syracuse fans.  After a cavalcade of punts in the first quarter, Syracuse faced a 3rd and 8 in its own territory.  DeVito successfully broke contain and the line of scrimmage.  He slid down, 2 yards short of a first down, when normal effort seemingly would have produced a desperately needed first down.

Perhaps a QB needs to be 120% healthy to play behind that offensive line.  North Carolina State’s defensive front 7 often had their way with the Syracuse front, holding the Orangemen to 41 net rushing yards on 37 attempts.  DeVito throws a beautiful deep ball but badly needs not to lock in on his primary receiver.

NC State’s 16-10 triumph showed enough promise behind newly anointed starter, Bailey Hockman, that Wolfpack fans should enjoy a bowl trip after a 4-2 start.  Let’s see if the Wolfpack can finally play well when they next leave Raleigh as their first two trips to West Virginia and Florida State were unmitigated disasters.

The weekend’s 4th surprise was Myrtle Beach.  The Odyssey did not know how extensive and festive Myrtle Beach and its first cousin, North Myrtle Beach, were.  Possibly the most festive place in the state to celebrate Will Muschamp’s shocking upset of Jake Fromm and Company.  Conway’s proximity to Myrtle Beach cannot hurt Coastal Carolina recruiting.

8 sacks   37 rushes for 41 yards….

NC State only TD came on a double pass.

The Odyssey is in Raleigh tonight for a game that was highly anticipated before the season.  Now,  not so much.

North Carolina State has proven that the Wolfpack is  a “rebuild not reload” program after significant graduation losses on the heels of two fine seasons.  Its 2 most pivotal games to date have both been embarrassments:  a 45-27 loss at a rebuilding West Virginia and a stomping at Florida State.  Quarterback woes have been an issue (not the only one as the defense has played poorly in the aforementioned losses).  Dave Doeren has demoted Matt McKay in favor of 4-star transfer from Florida State, Bailey   Hochman.  Based on Hochman’s previous play this year, we have doubts this solves the woes of NC State.

Despite said woes, NC State is a 4.5 point favorite over Syracuse — which tells you a lot about Syracuse.  The Orange (and they reportedly will be wearing all Orange unis tonight, even as a road team) has laid the biggest egg of the year.  No, we are not talking about Clemson’s decisive  41-6 victory at the Carrier Dome.  We are referring to the shocking, embarrassing 63-20 annihilation at Maryland when the Cuse were utterly helpless against Maryland’s offense. Did we mention that Syracuse was favored in their visit to College Park??

Still, we think Syracuse’s excellent pass rushers and some NC State defensive injuries will combine for us to think the Orange will pull the upset if the Cuse QB, Tommy DeVito is back to 100% physically.  Regardless, we look forward to an enthusiastic crowd, as one constant for NC State is a passionate fan base.

Tomorrow, the Odyssey travels to Conway, South Carolina (close to Myrtle Beach) for Saturday’s Coastal Carolina – Georgia State tilt.  While most view this as a ho-hum Sun Belt tilt, we beg to differ.  Both have upset Power 5 teams impressively.  OK, Coastal beat Kansas, 12-7, so perhaps not so impressive, but they did hold the Jayhawks to 280 yards of offense.  Georgia State pulled off the year’s biggest upset by pummeling Tennessee, 38-30,  in a game they outplayed the Vols in all phases.  Georgia State pulled off another upset last Saturday by beating perennial Sun Belt power, Arkansas State, 52-38.  Led by QB Dan Ellington, the Panthers shockingly tallied 722 yards against the Red Wolves.  Georgia State’s success is doubly impressive since their Atlanta home is overshadowed by both the Falcons and Georgia Tech.  Their 2019 is tremendous when grading on the curve as an ATL afterthought.

We slightly had to modify James Taylor’s song “Carolina On My Mind” in our article title to again reference the great luck of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers.  For the 4th straight game, the undefeated Gophers may be facing a backup quarterback in the wake of Adrian Martinez’ injury in Nebraska’s 13-10 win over Northwestern last Saturday.

We are wondering if P.J Fleck is  the 21st Century version of Joe Hardy and that some Satanic pact has been bartered.  Regardless, the weather will not be Hellish on Saturday as Winter arrives early to the Twin Cities:  temps will be in the high 30s, with wind and possible snow flurries.

In the first week of October, it can be premature to say that the division title is squarely on the line but, with all due respect to Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois, Western Michigan’s short trip to Toledo on Saturday afternoon is critical.

Both came off impressive wins last Saturday.  Toledo’s late interception produced a heart stopping 28-21 win over BYU.  WMU rolled over CMU in its Victory Cannon rivalry, holding the Chippewas off the scoreboard for the first 47 minutes.  While the Las Vegas experts have pegged the expected total points at a whopping 72 in Saturday’s clash, their surprising defensive efforts last Saturday indicate that 72 might be a tad high.

Our Senior MAC Reporter, Chris Roeder, offers his analysis of last Saturday’s rivalry game in Kalamazoo:

In-conference, in-state rivalry games are usually reserved for October and November in the college football landscape. Saturday’s 90th meeting between Western Michigan and Central Michigan was the 27th time that the rivals have met in September. Certainly both programs prefer to meet on a Saturday prior to the late season mid-week, made-for-TV MAC schedule commences. Prior to the season, this match up looked to be lopsided. Many assumed that Jim McElwain’s first season will surely be a rebuilding effort after the Chippewa’s finished 2018 at 1-11. The CMU faithful have been praying for a quarterback since the graduation of Cooper Rush in 2016. In 2018, CMU had 5 different quarterbacks taking snaps, none of which appeared to be a solution. This year the Chips lost their starting quarterback Quinten Dormady (Transfer from Houston/Tennessee) to injury in a lopsided 61-0 blowout at Wisconsin. In contrast Western Michigan entered the season with a 3-year starter, senior quarterback Jon Wassink, in command of the offense. Western Michigan’s balanced attack has thrived when Wassink has been healthy, being able to both pass and run the ball effectively. With that being said, CMU played Miami (FL) tough in week 3 only losing to 17-12 on the road with David Moore (JUCO Transfer) playing quarterback. Maybe the McElwain rebuild was moving along quicker than expected. 

The quarterback play had an impact right from the start of the game. CMU quickly racked up 3 first downs on its first possession of the game moving the ball to midfield. Then David Moore threw a pass over the middle of the field which was tipped and intercepted by Patrick Lupro (Miss. St. Transfer). WMU wouldn’t waste any time by scoring a touchdown on an easy 4-play drive. CMU would respond nicely on the next drive by moving the ball all the way to the WMU 9 yard line where the drive stalled. CMU was facing a 4th & 3 and McElwain elected to go for it instead of kicking the field goal. On 4th down the Chips elected to run a misdirection direct snap to running back Kobe Lewis which was stopped for no gain. Two possessions, two turnovers for the Chippewas. This would be a theme for the rest of the game with CMU turning the ball over 5 times (2 Interceptions, 2 on Downs, 1 Fumble). The Bronco offense played well enough to ensure a victory by building a 24-0 lead by the end of the 3rd quarter using a balanced attack (244 yards passing and 188 yards rushing) with the final score being 31-15. One of the most bizarre stats from this game was the number of offside penalties that CMU defense was charged for: 7!! This surely assisted the WMU offense, and one has to wonder if this is a FBS record. I can’t imagine the coaching staff’s search for sufficiently strong language after committing a 7th offside penalty. 

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for either the Broncos or the Chippewas. Western Michigan heads to the Glass Bowl for a crucial MAC West tilt with Preseason favorite Toledo. CMU travels to Eastern Michan fresh off a 3-1 start to the season with a win over Illinois. Both teams will have to play my diciplined football to come away with a victory in week 5. 

Pictures from the Game: https://www.croederphotography.com/s

Take a bow, Golden Gophers!

PJ Fleck and Minnesota had the luxury of a bye week to reflect on 3 thrilling victories in a 3-0 start that could easily have been 0-3.

Minnesota needed a late stop to hold off the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in its opener.  In week 2, the Gophers travelled to Fresno and converted a 4th and long in the final minute of regulation en route to the tying touchdown in the final minute of regulations.  In OT, Fresno State’s Jorge Reyna threw a pass into the end zone that momentarily looked to be the game winner.  Except stellar safety, Antoine Winfield Junior, swooped in out of nowhere and snagged the game-ending interception.

Two weeks ago, the Gophers looked not to have a nail biter in the 4th quarter of their game against Georgia Southern, leading 28-18.   All of a sudden, Southern gets two non-offensive touchdowns courtesy of a blocked field goal and a fumble recovery.  Suddenly, the Golden Gophers needed a last ditch drive to stay undefeated.  Helped again by its stellar receiving corps, Minnesota successfully overcame a 3rd and 30 and a 4th and 8 to score a last-gasp touchown.  35-32, Gophers!

To stay undefeated, Minnesota will need to win at Purdue this Saturday.  Will Minnesota have the good fortune of facing a backup QB for a second straight game?  Purdue’s Elijah Sindelar did not play against TCU, two weeks ago,  Jeff Brohm was mum on his availability for Saturday.  If Sindelar’s absence was strictly due to concussion protocol,  it seems that a 3-week hiatus would be sufficient.

We will see if PJ Fleck has any more lucky horseshoes in his boat.

Pre-season projections were unanimous in one regard in the Big 12.  Kansas State, West Virginia and Kansas were going to bring up the rear, almost always in that order.

Last weekend was an absolute revelation for the conference!  Perennial doormat Kansas performed a rope-a-dope worthy of Muhammad Ali.  The Jayhawks gave up an early lead to Boston College then, amazingly, dominated the last 40 minutes of the game.  It is hard to recall the last time a visiting 3-touchdown underdog was so dominant for so long.  BC was shut out in the 2nd half.  KU’s QB, Carter Stanley, shut up his numerous critics with a terrific performance that was greatly aided by Les Miles opening up the playbook.  Maybe Les should have “48-24” tattooed on his body as this truly was a signature win.  Or, at the very least, eat two extra helpings of grass.

West Virginia’s projected rebuild in 2019 was deemed so extensive that Dana Holgerson did the virtually unprecedented:  He bolted Morgantown for a Group of 5 program!   West Virginia was coming off a 38-7 blowout at Missouri even more putrid than the score indicated.  The Mountaineers proceeded to spank undefeated NC State 45-27.  This West Virginia team is 2-1 with their other victory coming over FCS power, James Madison, and is officially off the mat.

Kansas State ventured to  Cowbell U. for a daytime sauna and emerged with yet another upset, riding a game-winning kickoff return touchdown for a 31-24 win over Mississippi State.  Road wins over SEC teams are tough to come by. K-State’s 3rd straight impressive performance indicated that the Wildcats were extremely wise to tap North Dakota State’s Chris Klieman (69-6 in Fargo!) as their new head man .

Can this possibly be too much good news for the conference?  Only if one takes a playoff-centric view.  The Big 12 round-robin schedule will be a much tougher gauntlet to navigate than anybody foresaw a month ago.  Going 8-1 and then winning the Big 12 title game will be quite a feat.  Anything short of that and the conference will likely miss the playoffs, paradoxically, for being too good.

No big secret that college football attendance has been declining in recent years.

The biggest reasons:

1. Virtually all the games are on TV or a streaming device.
2. Due to ever increasing technology, the TV experience for couch potatoes keeps improving.
3. Game times often discourage attendance.  In a non-TV world, there would be no day games in the Deep South until mid-October.  In late October and November, beautiful days in the Mountain time zone and the Pacific Northwest morph into chilly nights but this reality does not  stop lots of night games.   Day  games at Alabama, Mississippi State and Baylor have already been played in blazing heat.
4. The actual game times are often “TBA” for power conference games to kowtow to TV’s whims with game times often not set until 13 days (or in some extreme cases, one week).  This is highly problematic for fans who have to drive hours to a game or grab a flight.
5. Ticket cost, especially for season ticket holders who are paying for a couple “less desirable” games on the schedule.
6. The expansion of the schedule to 12 games over the past decade.

The latest evidence as to the attendance malaise: Marquee names such as Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC  were all on the road.  In former days, the hosts (UCLA, Indiana and BYU, respectively) would have all sold out.  No more.  The UCLA situation is easily the most concerning.  The Oklahoma game resulted in an “announced” attendance of 52,578 on a picture perfect day at the Rose Bowl.  This number hides the depth of the problem.  The turnstile count was hugely inflated by Sooner fans.

Saturday’s attendance at the Rose Bowl included free tickets for the 36,951 who watched UCLA’s debacle the previous Saturday against San Diego State (For the first time in 23 tries, the Aztecs prevailed against the Bruins).  The attendance for the Aztecs was the lowest for a UCLA home game in 25 years.  Of course, it might help if Chip Kelly and Company could score more than 14 points in a game but UCLA issues run deeper than the megacontract given to a coach who is already on the hot seat.

However, if athletic directors were watching Saturday, a partial solution was right in front of all of our eyes:  regional rivalries.

Example #1: Colorado.  Pre-season hopes for the Buffaloes were not at Rocky Mountain-high levels. Yet, the Buffs created massive amounts of positive energy on the Front Range during the season’s first 3 weeks.  After its Rocky Mountain Showdown opener with Colorado State, Colorado renewed its Big 8 rivalry with Nebraska.  Cornhusker fans bought tickets in droves and helped generate more energy at a CU game since the McCartney days.  Buff fans were rewarded with a comeback from 17 down and an electric overtime victory that resulted in a passionate field storming.  Normally a fitting encore would be impossible, but another long lost regional rival visited Boulder last Saturday: Air Force.  The last Air Force-Colorado tilt was in 1973.  Yet another CU comeback resulted in overtime.  This time, Air Force prevailed in front of another energetic crowd that was highly entertained.

Example #2:  Pitt-Penn State.  After a hiatus, the 2016-19 renewal of one of the country’s great rivalries resulted in a passionate, exciting 17-10 game.  The 100th installment was more than worthy of annual renewal but, amazingly, there is no 101st installment scheduled.  Massive stupidity.  If anybody needs passionate regional rivalries, the Pitt Panthers do with their tepid fan base in a town that worships the Steelers.  And while Pitt is at it, get the Backyard Brawl back on the schedule.  Pitt football has suffered mightily with the loss of its two grudge games with Penn State and West Virginia.

Example #3:  Iowa-Iowa State.  Kudos for Gameday going to Ames for this always passionate, usually razor-close game.  The intensity of the game leaps off the TV screen.

Example #4:  Texas visited Rice on Saturday night.  OK, this is not really a rivalry since the Longhorns have won 42 of the last 43 but  nostalgia buffs, who still pine for the days of the Southwest Conference, were appreciative.  And Rice’s home attendance for the balance of 2019 will not come close to the 42,000 fans who showed up.

Example #5:  North Carolina visited Wake Forest in a game that was so desirable for both schools that the ACC schools scheduled a non-conference matchup. Excellent!!  This was the 107th meeting for the Tobacco Road rivals who had once met for 85 consecutive years, but not since 2015.  As with Rice, UCLA and Colorado, the home gate was greatly goosed by the many fans for the visitors, which, in turn, created a much more exciting environment.

Example #6:  Oklahoma State visits nearby Tulsa and injects the aging beauty with fans and energy.

For all you AD’s who say that it is just too hard to schedule exciting regional games such as Texas – Texas A&M, Kansas-Missouri, Nebraska-Anybody in the old Big 8, I hope there is a special place in hell reserved for you.

There is little wonder Antoine Winfield Jr. was named Big 10 player of the week.  For the second straight year, the Safety made a game-saving interception in the end zone to derail Fresno State.  Winfield rocketed out of nowhere to snag a pass that would have been a game-winner for the Bulldogs.  Winfield’s grab preserved an exciting 38-35 overtime win for the Gophers.  For Fresno, Winfield’s INT provided some horrific deja vu, as Fresno’s attempt to tie USC the previous Saturday was also extinguished by a killing interception.

Last year, in Minneapolis, Winfield’s end-of-game heroics preserved a 21-14 win over Fresno State.  Two 7-point losses were the only blemishes on an outstanding 12-2 campaign for the Bulldogs.

Junior does have excellent genes!  Daddy had a stellar career, both as a collegian and as a 3-time Pro Bowler during 14 years with the Bills and Vikings.  As an All American and Jim Thorpe winner while attending Ohio State, Antoine Winfield saved some of his very best games against Michigan.  David Boston may have gotten the most pub during Dad’s OSU days, but the best Buckeye against Michigan during in the 1996-98 era was Winfield.

P.J Fleck chortled, “They may never let Antoine back in the state of California.”  In this case, the acorn surely did not fall far from the tree.