College Football 2008

[Anatole Kuragin]

1. OU
2. BAMA
3. LSU

I agree Bama/LSU, what I saw in Norman yesterday just confirms that OU plays well against shit teams. I'll wait for the Texas game to say anything else though.

[dornish prince]

this is the USA today poll.

1.oklahoma
2. lsu
3. mizzou

i can see that also. bama is 4, btw.

[url="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex"]article[/url]

this was a rough week. i need to reevaluate almost everyone. it has also convinced me that i'm gonna start taking more + teams when i gamble :P

ETA: sorry that ya'll lost, THR. :cheers: hopefully the falcons can pull it out for us.

[TheHoundRules]

Moreno may miss the next game b/c of a elbow injury. Lots of injuries for us in the game. Sprained knees, ankles, shoulder injuries.

I am feeling better today. I did not think we would go undefeated this season. I just did not think the loss would be to Alabama. Oh well. Time to move on.

[S John]

Wow, crazy weekend. I figured Saban would get Alabama turned around, but I didn't figure they'd make such a splash this year. Florida loss surprises me as well.

I got tickets to the WVU Marshall game at the last minute so I didnt end up catching many of the other games. Yesterday I was either tailgating, inside the stadium, or in the post-game drunken haze. Glad we beat Marshall, I don't think the Thundering Turds have ever beat us, happily, we didnt start this weekend.

Team looked a lot better.... defense was solid, offense was better, but still not banging on all cylinders. There were three offensive drives that were executed to perfection. One of those drives was the last of the game and was orchestrated by our 2nd string QB and 2nd string freshman RB which gives some hope to the post Pat White era. Unfortunately Stewart took a knee on the 5 yard line with 1:00 to go instead of letting the young bucks punch in the TD that they earned. Nice guy move.... but what do you think Marshall would have done if it were us? So, anyway, there were flashes of offensive brilliance... but more consistency is needed.

One final observation: I have been to many games at Mountaineer Field, and strangely, I feel that yesterday's game was one of the loudest ones I've ever been to. I think maybe it had to do with losing the last two games, angry fans are louder perhaps.

[SergioCQH]

Missouri is way overrated. So is LSU.

[Anatole Kuragin]

[quote name='SergioCQH' post='1534909' date='Sep 28 2008, 23.00']Missouri is way overrated. So is LSU.[/quote]

I don't agree about either team. Neither has proved itself adequately this year, but I think they're better than the teams below them.

The last team anyone with a pen wants as #1 is LSU.

[H von T]

What a crap sports weekend. Florida and Arsenal both sucked the big one. It helps that Georgia lost too, but I am very worried about our offense. Tebow's a good passer, but Urban needs to let him throw on first down. And that fourth down call was fucking ridiculous. Anybody who has watched a Gator game in the last two years knew exactly what was going to be called. Urban did not earn his $3 million per year on Saturday.

At least we play Arkansas this weekend and then another open week before LSU. Hopefully we can get our shit together.

[HokieStone]

Just got back from Lincoln. Great game for my Hokies! We let the game stay a little too interesting by missing some very wide open receivers, but I'll take a win over Nebraska in their house with a record crowd any day of the week. I don't know how it showed up on TV, but I felt like we had a respectable number of VT fans there. While out and about in Lincoln, we were told numerous times something to the effect of "just how many of you are there?!?!"

Kudos to the Nebraska fans...an extremely nice bunch of fans. We kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially after the game, but I can't think of a single negative thing said to us. Great college football atmosphere - I just have one nitpick. They pipe in music over the loudspeakers between plays, during timeouts, etc. I would think that an institution with the tradition of Nebraska would stick with the band providing the music. The piped in stuff just felt a little too...slick - like it was an NFL game or something.

[lokisnow]

When Nebraska came to USC they were a great bunch of fans. and I'm from Missouri, therefore I hate nebraska. of course, the geniality may have been due to the fact that the nebraska fans were nice enough to wear USC cardinal, so they blended in. ;)

[Lukkake]

[quote name='HokieStone' post='1534934' date='Sep 29 2008, 00.14']Just got back from Lincoln. Great game for my Hokies! We let the game stay a little too interesting by missing some very wide open receivers, but I'll take a win over Nebraska in their house with a record crowd any day of the week. I don't know how it showed up on TV, but I felt like we had a respectable number of VT fans there. While out and about in Lincoln, we were told numerous times something to the effect of "just how many of you are there?!?!"

Kudos to the Nebraska fans...an extremely nice bunch of fans. We kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially after the game, but I can't think of a single negative thing said to us. Great college football atmosphere - I just have one nitpick. They pipe in music over the loudspeakers between plays, during timeouts, etc. I would think that an institution with the tradition of Nebraska would stick with the band providing the music. The piped in stuff just felt a little too...slick - like it was an NFL game or something.[/quote]

That sounds awesome HS! Even from just reading articles and blogs and article/blog comments leading up to the game, I got the impression that Nebraska fans took a lot of pride in having respectful fans with a lot of football knowledge. The atmosphere of these interconference games reminds me a little of bowl games. Two teams and fanbases can come together in one city and mix a little more freely and friendly when they don't have any particular reputation with one another.

This is the first game where Taylor has been a legitimate downfield passing threat. We've always known he has the armstrength, and it seems like he's always heaved about two passes downfield everygame but this is the first time they connected. The passes were accurate as well, so it isn't just our recievers doing the work. Except for doing a poor job in the red zone, I would say this was Taylor's best game yet. It might still be his best game because he didn't waste any time outs and kept the dead ball penalties to a minimum. That has been a problem of his in the past and its a good sign of maturity that he could overcome it in a notoriously difficult road stadium.

Defense and our defensive special teams still can't tackle. Sometimes I really think Macho Harris is the only Hokie on the team who puts in 4 hours a game every game. His interception was huge, but he also saved us on a couple of those open recievers. I think Bud and Beamer need to get the defense and kick coverage squads out of the weightroom and onto a practice field and go over basic tackling and wrapping up the runner. The blue collar approach has served us very well but right now its obvious these guys having been trainning for speed and power and sacrificing some of their fundamentals.

[HokieStone]

[quote name='Lukkake' post='1534987' date='Sep 29 2008, 04.19']This is the first game where Taylor has been a legitimate downfield passing threat. We've always known he has the armstrength, and it seems like he's always heaved about two passes downfield everygame but this is the first time they connected. The passes were accurate as well, so it isn't just our recievers doing the work. Except for doing a poor job in the red zone, I would say this was Taylor's best game yet. It might still be his best game because he didn't waste any time outs and kept the dead ball penalties to a minimum. That has been a problem of his in the past and its a good sign of maturity that he could overcome it in a notoriously difficult road stadium.[/quote]

Well, I'm gonna disagree with you on the accuracy of Tyrod's passes. In fact, I think that's a big liability right now. He missed several receivers that were wide open - and missed them badly, including a wide open Boone in the endzone for a TD. Of those 4 FGs we had, all of them could've been TDs, and Tyrod missed some "easy" passes on all of them. Teams are stacking their D against his running ability, and he needs to start hitting these passes in order to keep the defense honest. To be honest, I think our o-line has shown quite a bit of improvement, and I'm not so sure Glennon wouldn't do a better job with the passing game right now.

[quote]Defense and our defensive special teams still can't tackle. Sometimes I really think Macho Harris is the only Hokie on the team who puts in 4 hours a game every game. His interception was huge, but he also saved us on a couple of those open recievers. I think Bud and Beamer need to get the defense and kick coverage squads out of the weightroom and onto a practice field and go over basic tackling and wrapping up the runner. The blue collar approach has served us very well but right now its obvious these guys having been trainning for speed and power and sacrificing some of their fundamentals.[/quote]

Well, we're really young on that side of the ball (both sides, really). This is clearly a rebuilding year for the defense, with losing the likes of Hall, Adibi and Flowers. There's room for improvement, sure...but I'm not unhappy with what I'm seeing in a "rebuilding" year. I am concerned about the kickoffs - our kicker wasn't getting them anywhere close to being touchbacks...seemed like Nebraska was starting at their own 35-40 every time.

[Original Ned's Bones]

No, Missouri isn't overrated. If anything, I think they're stronger than LSU, from the games I've watched from both teams. And yes I realize Missouri is just starting the "real" season. They ended in the top 5 last year, losing very few players, and have continued where they left off. They are in the perfect position, and it's entirely up to them how far they go. If they can win out (not an easy task going through Texas, but the rest of their schedule is 1/2 as difficult as last year), they will play for the Big 12 Championship. Most likely it would be against Oklahoma, so that gives them the opportunity to take down #1. If it's not Oklahoma, it means that OU would already be dropped from the list. LSU and Alabama have to play eachother, so one of them will have a loss. So, at minimum, that would put Mizzou at #2. It's all in their hands. Missouri still has to ask Oklahoma permission to come out and play, so until they can conquer that.....

Big game against Nebraska. I wasn't impressed with Nebraska's defense, so it will be interesting to see how they rebound. If they don't get any better, Mizzou will run up some big points. Mizzou's defense is still lacking a bit, so unless they can improve it, they're going to have massive shootouts with every team they play from here on out. Mizzou hasn't won in Lincoln since the late 60's. They broke through a lot of these kind of "barriers" last season, so it's time to break through another one.

For Lockesnow: "M-I-Z!!!!"

[Ken Stone]

[quote name='HokieStone' post='1535078' date='Sep 29 2008, 07.26']Well, I'm gonna disagree with you on the accuracy of Tyrod's passes. In fact, I think that's a big liability right now. He missed several receivers that were wide open - and missed them badly, including a wide open Boone in the endzone for a TD. Of those 4 FGs we had, all of them could've been TDs, and Tyrod missed some "easy" passes on all of them. Teams are stacking their D against his running ability, and he needs to start hitting these passes in order to keep the defense honest. To be honest, I think our o-line has shown quite a bit of improvement, and I'm not so sure Glennon wouldn't do a better job with the passing game right now.[/quote]

I agree. There were a few passes to wide open receivers that left me thinking "Chase Daniels (Mizzu QB) isn't going to be missing those next week. We're screwed."

All in all I think my worst fears were confirmed. Nebraska is going to struggle this year to make a bowl game. Our offense, which came on very strong at the end of last year, has fallen apart. Our defense looks a bit better but sill is inexperienced and lacking in talent.

[TheHoundRules]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1536239' date='Sep 29 2008, 18.28']In other news, Little Triskele was voted Pac-10 defensive player of the week with 11 tackles and the big pick to seal it v. USC. 'Quizz Rodgers not surprisingly was offensive player of the week.[/quote]

That is awesome. Congrats.

[Lukkake]

Saying Tyrod Taylor improved his accuracy a little is a far, far cry from comparing him to Chase Daniel. I just mean to say he isn't a finished product yet, but it's good to see him improving without having to take him out of the game every other drive. I'm going to stick with my optimism though. He completed at least two plays in this game that had been called a few times before this year, and he couldn't even get the ball close in those cases.

[quote name='Triskele' post='1536239' date='Sep 29 2008, 17.28']In other news, Little Triskele was voted Pac-10 defensive player of the week with 11 tackles and the big pick to seal it v. USC. 'Quizz Rodgers not surprisingly was offensive player of the week.[/quote]

That's incredible man. Congratulations to you and yours. I trust the Trisk bros and Rodgers bros were able to celebrate the occasion properly. :cheers:

[Gold Storm]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1536239' date='Sep 29 2008, 15.28']Had a great time watching games this weekend. I think we are entering an era where college football will be an annual exercise in madness. Certainly there are teams like USC and Florida who have superior talent, but there is enough parody that anything is possible.
[b]
In other news, Little Triskele was voted Pac-10 defensive player of the week with 11 tackles and the big pick to seal it v. USC. 'Quizz Rodgers not surprisingly was offensive player of the week.[/b][/quote]

That's awesome, if he gets pick at Utah that would make it three games in a row, hope he does. from what I have heard, both Rodgers brothers are very good guys and very down to earth.

[lokisnow]

[quote name='Smiler' post='1535448' date='Sep 29 2008, 09.20']No, Missouri isn't overrated. If anything, I think they're stronger than LSU, from the games I've watched from both teams. And yes I realize Missouri is just starting the "real" season. They ended in the top 5 last year, losing very few players, and have continued where they left off. They are in the perfect position, and it's entirely up to them how far they go. If they can win out (not an easy task going through Texas, but the rest of their schedule is 1/2 as difficult as last year), they will play for the Big 12 Championship. Most likely it would be against Oklahoma, so that gives them the opportunity to take down #1. If it's not Oklahoma, it means that OU would already be dropped from the list. LSU and Alabama have to play eachother, so one of them will have a loss. So, at minimum, that would put Mizzou at #2. It's all in their hands. Missouri still has to ask Oklahoma permission to come out and play, so until they can conquer that.....

Big game against Nebraska. I wasn't impressed with Nebraska's defense, so it will be interesting to see how they rebound. If they don't get any better, Mizzou will run up some big points. Mizzou's defense is still lacking a bit, so unless they can improve it, they're going to have massive shootouts with every team they play from here on out. Mizzou hasn't won in Lincoln since the late 60's. They broke through a lot of these kind of "barriers" last season, so it's time to break through another one.

For Lockesnow: "M-I-Z!!!!"[/quote]
Z-O-U!

[L'Sana]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1536239' date='Sep 29 2008, 16.28']In other news, Little Triskele was voted Pac-10 defensive player of the week with 11 tackles and the big pick to seal it v. USC. 'Quizz Rodgers not surprisingly was offensive player of the week.[/quote]

Many congradulations. He definitely deserved it. USC looked like they were going to come back before that pick.

On a completely unrelated subjecct, I just realized that we missed out on the traditional Late September Freakout from the talking heads. I'm sure everyone has seen this, the time at the end of September when all the good teams are just finishing with their cupcake games, and the guys at ESPN scream in unison, "OMG! We have 12 undefeated teams! What happens if they are all still undefeated at the end of the season? The system is going to crash! We are all doomed! DOOMED, I tell you!" And then at the end of the season somewhere between 0-2 teams are undefeated, and we get no more reference to the September freakout until the next year when it happened again.

This year, though, we missed it. I wonder if the commentators learned something from last year, or if USC just lost so early that the ESPN guys were freaking about that before that had a chance to worry about undefeateds.

[Rhom]

[quote name='L'Sana' post='1537045' date='Sep 30 2008, 11.18']Many congradulations. He definitely deserved it. USC looked like they were going to come back before that pick.

On a completely unrelated subjecct, I just realized that we missed out on the traditional Late September Freakout from the talking heads. I'm sure everyone has seen this, the time at the end of September when all the good teams are just finishing with their cupcake games, and the guys at ESPN scream in unison, "OMG! We have 12 undefeated teams! What happens if they are all still undefeated at the end of the season? The system is going to crash! We are all doomed! DOOMED, I tell you!" And then at the end of the season somewhere between 0-2 teams are undefeated, and we get no more reference to the September freakout until the next year when it happened again.

This year, though, we missed it. I wonder if the commentators learned something from last year, or if USC just lost so early that the ESPN guys were freaking about that before that had a chance to worry about undefeateds.[/quote]

Well... when you consider that everyone at the beginning of the season picked either USC, Georgia, Florida, or Ohio State to be national champs... I'd say they aren't worried now.

[Kalbear]

Congrats to Triskele the lesser. :)