To say the Buckeyes have looked and been sluggish in the first two games is no under statement. Neither Jones or Barrett have played all that well. Part of the problem in my opinion has been the play calling By Warriner from the sidelines. Last year Tom Herman called the plays from the pressbox. Coach Meyer has said that may change this week??
Terry, I think Tom Herman is going to surprise a lot of folks. He is an excellent recruiter and from Texas as well.
Me thinks BYU did a good enough job making believers out of folks that they're a good team. Mich better be ready to have that ball thrown all over the place....how's the DB's and Safety's BOBDA? Foggy in the Motherland.......are we better than we look?......are we playing grab ass in the 1st half and then play ball in the 2nd?.....or did BYU and Miami just gear down?......injuries have wiped out DONU even before the season started.....and then we lost 2 starters on D line before the Miami game......78 players traveled to Miami.....24 were from the walkon program.....hhhmmmmmmm.
BYU does look like they are a very good team and they have certainly played a good schedule, with games at Neb, at UCLA and vs Boise State, so Joel always says you can't get ready for big games by playing pussies...so watch out Michigan. Still I think at home Michigan will be up to the task. Don I suggest you put max points on the team up north.
Don, as I recall the Buckeye's were sluggish a good bit of the year last year then came on like gangbusters in the Big 10 Championship game and two NC games. Lot's of time left. Bama really confuses me. They aren't out of it but that game Sat didn't help.
Bama definitely not out of it, I think they will still win the SEC West and SEC Championship. That game last week was so un-Saban like, all those turnovers, esp the ones on Kickoff just aren't going to happen again. But they will have to beat Georgia twice which is always tough to beat a team twice esp a good team.
MCG, Bill, there is a good article on Gator QB Verbal Kyle Trask in today's Houston Chronicle. I didn't know who he was, turns out the reason I don't know is that he plays behind a top rated Dual Threat QB who is a TCU verbal at Manvel, a Houston area HS. It's a good article on him, how he got noticed because he went to a camp and the Gator coaches noticed him. Seems like a good kid, a lot of families would have tried to transfer or move to a private school to get him on the field as a starter, but they've stuck with the program. Is he your only QB verbal for this class? I'd link the article but you'd not be able to read it unless you register.
Irish not the only team hit hard by injuries to starters. UCLA lost it's 3rd defensive starter in Myles Jack the All-Pac12 LB, they have also lost a starter at CB and a DL (Eddie Vanderdoes). Jack was the kid who went 2 ways as a RB and LB as a freshman, and was outstanding at both positions.
Didn't realize that the Gators were on a 10 game winning streak vs the Vols....law of averages starting to tip towards the Vols.
I'll have to check that out Terry.... thanks. I think if coach Mac keeps a competitive product on the field this season and adds a bowl win to his credentials then recruiting will be fine next Feb....maybe even top 10 most likely. Shhhhhhh.... on the 10 game winning streak. Don't want to jinx it. Like saying that kicker hasn't missed in 75 PAT tries as he shanks one horribly.
Hmmm what's the law of averages say to the Gators defeating Kentucky for the 29th time in a row??? To put this in context Bo Jackson made his MLB debut 29 years ago..... Talent is the end game as the Wildcats and Vols have not matched up in a long time, hell my hair was brown ten years ago....BUT this just may be the year for the Vols as their talent level has improved to what it was a decade ago...
Speaking of law of averages......here's some wierd stats: Here we sit one fourth of the way through Nebraska's 2015 regular-season football schedule. And here's what we know so far: 1.) NU's record is 1-2. That's the first time since 1981 that the Huskers have started the season at 1-2. 2.) NU obviously is unranked. 3.) This is the first time since 1985 that Nebraska lost its home opener. 4.) The two losses were to unranked teams (when the games were played). 5.) Those losses were to teams that now have a combined 5-1 record. 6.) Both losses have been by a combined 8 points. 7.) Nebraska's only win so far has been at home against a South Florida team that started playing football in 2009 and didn't achieve FBS status until just four years ago. 8.) On defense, Nebraska is giving up an average of 451.3 yards a game (94.3 rushing, 357 passing) 9.) On Offense, NU is averaging 489.3 total yards per game (179 rushing and 310.3 passing) 10.) NU's is averaging 36.3 points per game while allowing 26. WEIRD SCIENCE? Here's where things get really weird: 1.) Two years ago for the first time in program history, the Huskers had two walk-off wins in one season. Right? 2.) And this year, for the first time ever, NU has had two walk-off losses. Right? 3.) And what's scary is that both the Husker wins (2013) and the two losses (this year) have been by the same plays - a Hail Mary pass at home and a field goal in OT on the road. 4.) In 2013, the Huskers beat Northwestern on the last play of the game with a Hail Mary pass from Ron Kellogg III to Jordan Westerkamp and beat Penn State that year with a 42-yard field goal in OT by Pat Smith. 5.) And this year, the walkoff losses were by a Hail Mary pass by BYU at home and an OT field goal on the road Saturday at Miami. 6.) What's scary is that both the Hail Mary passes were thrown by reserve QBs who wore the same #12 jersey number. (Ron Kellogg III for Nebraska and Tanner Mangum for BYU) 7.) And both players threw the passes from about the same place in Memorial Stadium (about midfield) and were caught in almost the same place in the south end zone. 8.) This year is also the first time in at least a half century (maybe ever) that there is an entire new coaching staff. Devaney didn't have one. Osborne didn't, Solich didn't, Neither did Billy C or the Bo Man. 9.) Also, this year is the first time in decades that Nebraska has successfully converted two double extra point tries in one game. (@Miami) STRANGER IN THE NIGHT? And here's where things get even stranger: 10.) Both Husker losses this year have three remarkable things in common. Look at the offensive figures for BYU and Miami. Are you ready for this? Rushing Passing Total Offense BYU@NU 132 379 511 yards NU @Miami 132 379 511 yards TAKE COVER!!! I mean, how does that even happen? There is something going on in the universe. Take cover. Go to your bomb shelter. Play the lottery. Hug your wife, kids and grandkids. Check your 401k. Change the locks on your doors. This is going to be one strange Husker football season. Hang tight. There are at least nine more games to play
Their talent level has definitely been elevated by Jones in the past couple of years but are they being coached up like Ron Zook coaches up his accumulated talent or are they being coached up like Urban Meyer coaches 'em up? The former coudn't win enough at UF although he won some tough ones. We all know about the success of the latter.
No doubt Jones has been very successful on the recruiting trail, he recently got a top QB right out of the ND backyard who we also wanted. Not to mention he's been very agressive in pushing the limits on the size of the class, I think including JUCO's he's had at least one class of about 30 and maybe last year almost half his team was 1st or 2nd year players. That makes for a young squad of course, but they get older and this year he should be starting to reap the rewards.
Urban Meyer has named Cardale Jones the starter. Are you surprised Don? Do you think he will continue to play both of them in this game. He said after last weeks game it was time to name 1 guy and go with him.
Terry, Yes I am surprised, but I do not think all of the problems rest with the QB. A local poll shows most fans unhappy with naming Cardale the starting QB for Western Michigan. I am anxious to see what happens this Saturday!
Cardale Jones and the offense had a better day yesterday. Still work in progress, but Cardale looked more comfortable and threw for two touchdowns. Defense scored another TD on an interception. Play call appeared to be better in my opinion, of course it always looks better when you score! :wink: On another note Michigan creamed BYU and I am looking at a much improved Wolverine team. They could be trouble come late November.