Blanket Coverage: Freshman Drive Time

Just So You Know ...Three of the largest venues in the country -- Michigan Stadium, Ohio Stadium and Neyland Stadium -- featured a game decided by four or fewer points in which the quarterback of the winning team was a cool freshman from Southern California with precocious poise. So if you're nervous about that first chemistry exam you'll be taking with 800 other students, ask the nerdy kid from Santa Ana to take it for you.

West Coast Bias Ballot

Since the AP directive to its voters is "Base your vote on performance, not reputation or preseason speculation.", then why does anyone have Florida No. 1 after two weeks? The Gators have played one FCS opponent (Charleston Southern) and one non-BCS conference foe (Troy), and both in Gainesville. On Saturday-and yes, it was raining-Florida fumbled the football six times in the first half, losing three.

After the Gators beat Troy on Saturday, wideout David Nelson said in reference to Saturday's looming hate-fest with Tennessee, "The season starts now."

Fair enough. But the season started for a lot of other teams two weeks ago. The Gators may be worthy of No. 1, but they're going to have to catch up to the field and earn it.

My top ten, after two weeks, based solely on performance, which takes into account who and where you played as well as how dominant you were:

1) USC -- Momentous final drive at the Horseshoe

2) BYU -- Beat OU and never punted versus Tulane

3) Boise State -- Have allowed 8 points in two games

4) California -- Averaging 55.5 points per game

5) Alabama -- Silenced Hokies

6) Florida -- Oh, Gators will be climbing

7) Cincinnati -- Outscoring opponents 58-9

8) Texas -- Only led by 3 at half at Wyoming

9) Nebraska -- Outscoring opponents 43.5-6

10) Penn State -- Not overwhelming, just ... whelming


Print the Legend

USC's game-winning touchdown drive was the highlight of this nascent season and sure, Matt Barkley is probably approaching Michael Phelps territory in terms of Facebook friend requests right about now.

Lost in the ether, however, are two huge plays that directly preceded USC's game-winning 85-yard drive. First, on its previous series USC was punting from its goal line. Grant Schwartz of the Buckeyes broke through the line and arrived in plenty of time to block the punt. He simply whiffed on it. Make that play and it is either 17-10, Buckeyes, by virtue of a safety, or even 22-10.

Second, after that punt Ohio State faced a thrd-and-8 from the Trojan 33. An incomplete pass sets up a 50-yard field goal which, while not a gimme, is worth trying. Instead, USC defensive end Everson Griffen beats his man and sacks Terrelle Pryor for a 3-yard loss. Buckeyes opt not to attempt 53-yard field goal and instead punt.

Two huge plays ... even if they never made the highlights.

Cougar Town

Coming to ABC this fall ... Courtney Cox is a recently divorced single mother exploring the honest truths about dating and-pardon me. Wrong Cougar. Houston upset No. 5 Oklahama State, 45-35, joining BYU as the second Cougar squad to upset a top five opponent, on the road, this season. We are feeling you, Washington State, for your visit to No. 3 USC in two weeks.

So does this mean it didn't work out with Chandler?

Or Maybe Case Keenum is just Really, Really Good

Oklahoma State fans -- at least a few of them -- are blaming their Cowboys' appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week for the shocker in Stillwater. The cover jinx. After all, everyone who has ever appeared on the cover of SI has died (Ed., "has died or will someday die"... JW: "Oh, yeah; I guess that's an important clarification. Thanks.").

On the other hand, Houston's junior quarterback, Keenum, was the nation's total offense leader last season. That probably was a bigger factor. And the folks over yonder in Norman best have been paying attention, because Tulsa and their own dynamo QB, G.J. Kinne, visit this week. Looking ahead to Miami could be fatal for the Sooners.

The Andrews Sister

Beguiling ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews (a.k.a., EA Sports) appeared on Oprah last Friday and the blogosphere is all, She just did that to advance her career! How dare she! I mean, really, exploiting someone else to draw more interest to yourself (or your Web site)? Who would be so crass?

My thoughts? First, until you are invited to appear on Oprah and reject the offer, child, please. Second, if Andrews wants to make the leap in celebrity from peephole-level to People-level, who are we to begrudge her that? Finally, did you notice that the celebrity prognosticator on "College Gameday" was former Buckeye wideout Santonio Holmes, whose own self is extremely exposed in a photo on the web...and who is yet to garner an Oprah invite?

I do hope though that next week, in the spirit of sportsmanship, the NCAA suggests a pregame handshake between Andrews' bodyguards and the coaches'. That would be nice.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Hawaii, which played Washington State in Seattle last Saturday, does not play its next home game at Aloha Stadium until October 10th. This Saturday the Warriors visit UNLV. So, instead of returning to Honolulu from Seattle, the team flew directly to Las Vegas, where they will spend the next week preparing for the Runnin' Rebels.

Fifty-five or so FBS-level college football players, their coaches and support staff spending a week in Sin City? Is there a college version of "Hard Knocks"?

Moments Later, Jim Tressel Invited Him to Walk On at Linebacker

Frank Cosenza, Jr., a souzaphone player in the Ohio State University marching band (and not the guy who invented Festivus), may have had the best hit in Saturday night's USC-Ohio State game. The senior was chosen to dot the "i" in Script Ohio and when an ABC cameraman came too close, Cosenza went full-blown Laurinaitis on him. The best part? Cosenza was polite enough to warn, "Watch out!" a split-second before the brass-kicking.

"Having Your Jaw Wired Shut is Winning"

At halftime of his UCLA coaching debut against Tennessee last September, Rick Neuheisel famously told his equally green quarterback, Kevin Craft, "Punting is winning." Craft, you see, had already tossed four interceptions at that point.

Craft listened and the Bruins won that night. Last Saturday UCLA found themselves in Knoxville for a rematch with the Vols. Leading 19-13 late in the game and backed up to their own 2-yard line on third down, Bruin quarterback Kevin Prince inadvertently took one for the team, getting hammered in the end zone for a safety. (Yo, Kev: Kneeling is also winning).

But the strategy eventually paid off and UCLA held on for a 19-15 victory. As for the fresh Prince of adjacent-to-Bel Air? The redshirt freshman suffered a broken jaw, lost a tooth, and will be out three to four weeks with his jaw wired shut.

"My dad's probably going to be mad at me," Prince said afterward.

Why? Because he's a dentist.

He Wasn't Bad in Ladyhawke, Either

Maybe it was only me, but every time a score update appeared for the Rutgers-Howard game I thought of that Dutch dude from Blade Runner.

The Backout Bowl

Adding insult to Ohio State's loss to USC-the Buckeyes' sixth straight to a top-five opponent -- the Buckeyes were originally scheduled to play another Pac-10 team last Saturday: Washington State. Ohio State reneged on the deal in order to play the Trojans and sent a $450,000 check to Pullman to void the contract.

He is Marshall ... Really

Marshall's leading rusher in their loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday was Darius Marshall. Marshall's Marshall gained 109 yards, but the Thundering Herd lost 52-10.

Charlie Was Right

Here was the situation at Michigan Stadium on Saturday: The Irish have the ball on their own 29, second-and-10, with 2:29 remaining. The Wolverines have just called their first timeout. Wideout Michael Floyd was injured on the previous series and tailback Armando Allen, who rolled an ankle two plays earlier on a 13-yard gain, is also out. Robert Hughes, Allen's replacement, just carried for the first time all afternoon for no gain.

Michigan, well aware of Allen's absence (as well as Floyd's), stacks nine defenders in the box. Two more Notre Dame run calls will, while compelling Michigan to exhaust their final two timeouts, not likely net a first down. The Irish will likely punt to the Wolverines with just over two minutes remaining.

Weis took a chance and the execution of the two pass plays failed. But to argue that he made the stupid call is to believe that Michigan could not have executed a two-minute drill for a touchdown with no timeouts remaining. With the Wolverines at home, was that really so implausible?

Beyond the Austin City Limits

In their Sept. 5th season opener, the Longhorns played in front of 101,096 fans, the largest crowd ever to watch a football game in the state of Texas. Last Saturday they were on the road at Wyoming, where 31,017 fans jammed War Memorial Stadium to see the nation's No. 2 team. So cramped were the confines, and so remote is Laramie, that the Longhorn marching band remained in Austin, missing their first game in 25 years.

"I'm like, 'Where is everybody?'," said Texas tailback Tre Newton, who rushed for 62 yards in the 41-10 win.

How Many More Wins Before the "Yes, But He's Doing It With Ty Willingham's Players" Columns Begin to Appear?

Washington ended the nation's longest losing streak, 15 games, and first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian earned his first victory with a 42-23 defeat of Idaho. The latest Huskies streak may be short-lived as USC visits this Saturday.



Mama Said Knock You Out

This is Central Michigan defensive back Tommy Mama, who helped the Chippewas pull off one of the bigger upsets of Saturday, a 29-27 win at Michigan State. It is too much to wish for, I know, but imagine if he were to win the trophy annually bestowed for excellence in scholarship, citizenship and leadership. The headline would read: "MAMA WINS DRADDY!"


Gophers Leave Their Hole

Minnesota played its first home game outdoors since 1982 on Saturday. The Golden Gophers, long the tenants at the Metrodome, christened their new on-campus venue, TCF Bank Stadium, with a 20-13 win against that service academy from Colorado Springs. It was Air Force losing to Fresh-Air Force.