Quick Hitters
*Sooners Solid. I'll have a longer write-up tomorrow. Looks like there's still plenty to work on, but, overall, this was a good win for OU.
*Irish Ineptitude. I was able to catch parts of the Notre Dame-San Diego State pillow fight during breaks in the OU game. At this point in his head coaching career, it appears the only thing Charlie Weis learned under the tutelage of Bill Belichick was how to get paid.
Was that supposed to be improvement? A win's win, but the Irish gave no reason to think they were any better than last season. Having lost at home to Cal-Polytechnic last week, the Aztecs probably rank among the worst teams in D-I. When such putrid football is on display, it's tough to say that either team really outplayed the other, and, in fact, both teams were had nearly equal total yardage. Still, the fact of the matter is that SDSU was on its way into the end zone for a fourth quarter TD that would have provided a two touchdown lead before fumbling the ball into the Irish end zone for a touchback. It was the kind of lucky break that always seems to follow ND around, in good times and in bad. The Aztecs might have lost this game right before the end of the first half, when, clinging to a 7-0 lead, head coach Chuck Long decided to run the two-minute drill, rather than milk the clock. The result: a three-and-out, followed by a blocked punt at the SDSU 23 yard line, followed by an ND touchdown.
To his credit, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who looks like a Dawson's Creek extra these days, played well down the stretch. ND nation--especially Weis--better hope something clicked late in this game that will hold up the rest of the year.
(I realize it's a bit early, but if Weis gets canned at the end of the year, who's next on the ND hit list? I'll throw a few names out there: Skip Holtz, Jim Harbaugh.)
*Washington's Woes. I made my opinions known regarding this new emphasis on excessive celebration penalties last week. Hopefully, the egregious over-officiating at the end of this game will provide some impetus to re-visit this.
*Gaining Gators. It took three quarters, but it looks like Florida has re-discovered its offense. (Tebow will win the Heisman again this year.) While I didn't think it would be this low scoring, I expected the Gators to pull away late. The 'Canes are a year or so away from having the depth to hang with a team like Florida. However, given the state of the ACC, could Miami be bound for a BCS game?
*Buckeyes Broken. I'm sticking with Wisconsin to win the Big Ten. Admittedly, I didn't watch much of the Ohio-Ohio State game today. But it sounds like quarterback Todd Boeckman was all over the place. Homerism just doesn't think Boeckman has the chops to take a team to a national championship. Can't see OSU winning in Los Anglese next week.