The Long Snapper – Penn State, Tennessee, Dan Hawkins, and More…
. I can say the same thing about
Texas
because of my ongoing hatred for
Cedric Benson
. No one outside of Los Angeles wants to see
USC
back in it. But Penn State? Ehh. Whatever.
After 3 straight losses, the Wisconsin team that was ranked as high as #8 earlier this season finds itself near the bottom of the Big 10 standings.
Javon Ringer Watch: 247 carries, 1,112 yards, 4.5 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns.
The Tommy Bowden era is over at Clemson. The Tigers are clearly one the year’s biggest busts and look like they could actually be home for bowl season. The firing in the middle of the season is an interesting move considering possible reactions from players and potential recruits. Not that Bowden didn’t need to go, but this could turn out very bad for Clemson. Without a coach, how are they going to convince high school kids to even visit the school?
After beating Oklahoma 45-35, Texas is the new #1. The Longhorns definitely deserve it after putting up 45 on the team that held the top spot at the time. Both teams looked incredible on offense, but then again so does most of the Big 12. Texas’ schedule may make it hard to keep the number one ranking, but here’s one good reason they could…
Stat of the Week:
Texas
quarterback
Colt McCoy
is completing 79.4% of his passes with a low game of 69.0%. Early in the season, many stats are skewed, but we’re 6 games in and McCoy seems to be just as accurate.
Of course McCoy might not be the only reason the Longhorns beat the Sooners. The universe may have been seeking retribution after seeing this guy. Thanks to the guys at Every Day Should Be Saturday for showing us a little more than we’d like to see of that Oklahoma fan.
Things keep getting worse for Tennessee. After losing the Georgia, the Vols fell to 2-4. Their 0-3 conference record makes them the worst team in the SEC at the midway point of the season. And it doesn’t look like the future will be any better. Jonathan Crompton was unable to excel and is now in a position where he hasn’t taken a snap in the last two games. New starting quarterback Nick Stephens has yet to throw an interception, but is completing only 49% of his passes. And the running game is averaging less than 4 yards per carry. Not many people see the Vols turning it around this season and if they don’t, Philip Fulmer might be on his way out. But Fulmer has been at Tennessee for so long now and reached the SEC Championship Game only last year, meaning he might be given more time. However, the Vols might not be the national power they are perceived to be. During Fulmer’s tenure, they have a national championship and have won 10 or more games 9 times, but have only appeared in 3 major bowl games – each year from 1997 to 1999. Since 1999, Tennessee has had 6 seasons with 4 or more losses and posted a losing season as recently as 2005. As loyal as some fans may be to Fulmer, some change needs to be made and it usually all starts with the head coach.
BYU will lose to TCU on Thursday night. Okay, so I have no idea if that will really happen or not, but if it does I’ll have my “I told you so” ready.
Stat of the Week 2: Unless he puts up ridiculously gaudy numbers over the remainder of the season, it looks like Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won’t repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner, but he still has a very impressive statistic. In 149 pass attempts over 6 games, Tebow has only been intercepted 1 time.
Last week,
Colorado
head coach
Dan Hawkins
received a contract extension that will keep him with the Buffaloes through the 2012 season. Hawkins wasn’t even halfway through the 5-year deal he originally signed with the school. In his two and a half years with Colorado, he is 11-20 and 3-3 this season. For all I know, Hawkins could be a great guy, but does anyone else see a problem with extending the contract of a guy who has only won 35% of his games with the school? The reasons were that Hawkins has great work ethic and dedication and will improve the program over time. Those are all good reasons, but he has still only won 11 of 31 games. The main objective in any sport is to win and Hawkins has lost nearly twice as much as he’s won at Colorado. With two and a half years left on his original contract, there’s no reason to offer him an extension at this point. Give it a little more time and see if he really does turn the team around. It really doesn’t matter how you feel about a guy, at least wait until he is winning more than he’s losing before you commit to keeping him around even longer.
Florida beat the tar out of LSU. Just thought I should mention that one more time.
Mock BCS standings have Texas and Alabama playing for the national title. No surprise here as the two teams are #1 and #2 in the polls.
Some quick picks for this weekend. Be aware that I don’t know what I’m talking about 99% of the time though and I base most of my picks on silly mascots and shiny uniforms. Texas and Oklahoma over Missouri and Kansas. Vanderbilt drops its second straight, this time to Georgia. And Michigan State downs Ohio State.