SB Nation - Case Keenum

Undeserving Winners Of National Awards Announced

Beergut — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:06:08 -0000

The winners of the Maxwell, O'Brien, Walter Camp, Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski, Butkus, Thorpe, and just about every other individual college award were announced yesterday at the ESPN Awards Show. Ndamukong Suh, the incomparable defensive tackle from Nebraska, won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman, the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's best defensive player, the Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player. Suh winning all of these awards was somewhat predictable, because they were well-deserved.

What was somewhat surprising was that texas QB Colt McCoy won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top QB. McCoy isn't even the best quarterback in his own conference, forget the nation. I'm very surprised the O'Brien didn't go to Case Keenum of Houston. Keenum has led the nation's top offense all season long, passing for 5,449 yards and 43 TDs against only 9 interceptions. Compare this to McCoy, who had 3,512 yards passing and 27 TD passes with 12 interceptions, to go along with 3 fumbles, and the decision to give the award to McCoy is a head-scratcher. McCoy averaged over a turnover per game, but we're supposed to believe this is the nation's best quarterback? McCoy also won the Maxwell Award for the nation's best all-around player. The Maxwell really should have gone to C.J. Spiller of Clemson, the multi-talented RB who is equally dangerous as a runner, receiver, and returner. Spiller rushed for 1,145 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 5.7 yards per carry, had 33 receptions for 445 yards and 4 TDs, AND finished fourth nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 33.7 yards per return while taking 4 of them all the way back for touchdowns. Those stats are a little more impressive than a QB with whom there is a better than 50% chance he'll turn the ball over than pass for a TD.

McCoy also won the Walter Camp Football Foundation's player of the year award, but that was somewhat expected because he won the same award last year.

The Biletnikoff Award for the nation's best wide receiver went to Notre Dame's Golden Tate; that award should have gone to texas' Jordan Shipley. Tate had 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 15 TD receptions. Shipley has 106 receptions for 1,363 yards and 11 TDs, and still has one more game to play. Shipley built his stats against the Big 12 Conference, not against a padded schedule with the likes of Navy, Nevada, and Washington State. Tate is a phenomenal receiver, but no moreso than Shipley. Given the opponents Shipley faced, and the game-by-game production, the best wide receiver in the nation this year is Shipley.

The Jim Thorpe Award for the nation's best defensive back went to Tennessee safety Eric Berry. While I think a good argument could be made for texas safety Earl Thomas, who finished tied for second in the nation in intercepions, with 8 on the season, Berry was dominant playmaker on a top twenty defense for Tennessee. Berry also garnered more national attention early on because of his stellar play against Florida and Heisman-hopeful Tim Tebow early in the season, while Thomas was coming off a season on one of the worst pass defenses in the nation in 2008, so that probably played into consideration for the award.

Overall, with the exception of the defensive awards which went to Suh and Berry, a lot of these national awards went to the wrong person. It seems some of these committee's make up their minds early on who the winner is going to be during the season, and don't let other candidates or other information sway their opinion, and that is a shame.

Would The Real Heisman Candidates Please Stand Up

ccmachine — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:25:55 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Colt McCoy has led Texas to an unblemished record but has he done enough by himself to be the Heisman frontrunner? (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Depending on what network you watch, who you listen to or what you read you may have noticed that there are a handful of "Heisman Frontrunners" out there right now. Many feel that Colt McCoy lighting up the worst defense in the Big 12 made him the clear frontrunner going into the final week of play. Others believe that it's Alabama's Mark Ingram who can become the first Tide football player to bring home the hardware with a solid performance against Florida. Speaking of Florida there's still the Tim Tebow factor out there and with all due respect to McCoy the best performance by a quarterback last weekend belonged to the holy one. Still there are some who believe the efforts of the individual account for the award and not necessarily the prestige of the team. For that reason Stanford's Toby Gerhart, Houston's Case Keenum and Clemson's CJ Spiller are in the conversation.

Some would say that in a year where there is no clear cut leader in the Heisman race then there really may not be a legitimate candidate. I disagree. I think that this is the way the race should shake out. The Downtown Athletic Club should invite the following five guys to New York City with each having a legitimate shot of their personal accomplishments earning them the most prestigious award in college football.

Toby Gerhart, Stanford Running Back - 311 rushes/1736 yards (5.6 ypc), 26 touchdowns, 1/1 passing, 18 yards, 1 touchdown, 10 receptions/149 yards (14.9 ypc). What Gerhart has against him is the fact that his regular season ended last week with the win over Notre Dame while Ingram, Keenum, McCoy and Tebow have the national spotlight of conference championship games this weekend. Don't blame Conference USA, the Big 12 and SEC for this blame the Pac 10 for not manning up and playing a conference championship game. Gerhart has been amazing this season as the workhorse for the Cardinal and at this point would be my frontrunner if I had a vote. Unfortunately his accomplishments may be lost in the hoopla of this coming weekend's events.

Mark Ingram, Alabama Running Back - 221 rushes/1429 yards (6.5 ypc), 12 touchdowns, 28 receptions/246 yards (8.8 yps), 3 touchdowns. Ingram has fewer touches, yards and touchdowns than McCoy but his 6.5 yards per carry is insane and he has the stage of the SEC championship game against Florida in his favor. After being nicked up a bit last week a big outing against the Gators could be labeled as a gusty performance and provide him a "Heisman moment."

Case Keenum, Houston Quarterback - 412/584 passing (70.5%), 4,922 yards, 38 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 49 rushes/120 yards (2.4 ypc), 4 touchdowns. If you're looking for the best quarterback in the country then here he is. Keenum also has one more game to pad his stats when the Cougars play East Carolina Saturday for the Conference USA championship. There's no reason why Keenum shouldn't be on anyone's ballot. Even the strength of schedule argument doesn't work here as he's led Houston to victories over two Big 12 and one SEC school.

Colt McCoy, Texas Quarterback - 310/432 passing (71.8%), 3,328 yards, 27 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 111 rushes/368 yards (3.3 ypc), 2 touchdowns. McCoy has been exactly what the Longhorns have needed him to be. He's been a leader both on and off the field, he's been the experienced quarterback who wills his team to victory, he's been the face of the franchise so to speak and he's been the model citizen. All of these things factor in to the process, or at least they should, but the one thing that McCoy has going for him that no other candidate does right now is the idea that he somehow got robbed last season. Don't underestimate the power of the sympathy vote because McCoy is going to get a share of them.

Tim Tebow, Florida Quarterback - 162/244 passing (66.4%), 2,166 yards, 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 193 rushes/796 yards (4.1 ypc), 13 touchdowns. Tebow's passing and rushing stats don't really stand out on their own but combined they become quite impressive. The question is, are they more impressive than any of the other guys on this list to which I must answer perhaps some but not all. Like Ingram, Tebow has the national stage in college football's game of the week and has the opportunity to sway votes. I believe that of anyone on this list Tebow needs a big performance Saturday because to this point of the season he's made it on name recognition and legacy more than anything else as far as the Heisman race is concerned.

Poll

Who would get your vote as the Heisman front runner?

Toby Gerhart Stanford Running Back

119 votes

Mark Ingram Alabama Running Back

37 votes

Case Keenum Houston Quarterback

145 votes

Colt McCoy Texas Quarterback

82 votes

Tim Tebow Florida Quarterback

15 votes

398 votes | Poll has closed

Spiller for Heisman?

BirdGT — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:00:16 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

Georgia Tech wants Spiller to win the Heisman and lose to Georgia Tech. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Georgia Tech has faced eight Heisman Trophy winners during their Heisman Trophy season since 1942. They were Frank Sinkwich, Steve Spurrier, Pat Sullivan, Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Charlie Ward, and Chris Weinke. Eight games, eight losses. C.J. Spiller is the closest thing to a Heisman contender that GT's faced since Philip Rivers or Brady Quinn. Spiller is the first return man to contend for the Heisman since Reggie Bush so I'm gonna start with a comparative breakdown of Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, and Reggie Bush alongside C.J..

In all purpose yards/game, Spiller is quite comparable to Desmond Howard while his TD's per game is more similar to Reggie Bush. Reggie Bush is hard to beat as he played in a relatively weak defensive conference and pretty much got the ball whenever he wanted. Spiller also doesn't have near the surrounding talent that allowed Bush to pile up yardage against puny Pac 10 defenses. Woodson and Howard's stats are difficult to compare in all purpose yardage because of their positions.

Splitting up the yardage by type shows why fans of C.J. and Clemson's sometimes fruitless offense love C.J. Spiller. He gives Clemson good field position and 18.52% of his returns, he'll put 6 on the board.

The main flaw in C.J.'s campaign is that these other three guys had a Heisman tipping point that put them over the top against quarterbacks. Reggie Bush was a threat to score on every offensive play and would've had even more rushing touchdowns if not for the presence of the touchdown vulture. Charles Woodson was a great defensive back and a phenomenal weapon for Michigan's offense. Desmond Howard broke Notre Dame and Ohio State's backs in the same season with game breaker, nationally televised plays.

What do you all think? Does C.J. Spiller deserve the Heisman over guys like Case Keenum, Toby Gerhart, Colt McCoy, Mark Ingram, or even Tim Tebow?

Poll

Does C.J. Spiller deserve the Heisman Trophy?

Yes

71 votes

No

34 votes

Depends on his performance against GT this weekend

21 votes

What's the Heisman?

4 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

College Football Week 11 Morning Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:27 -0000

Injury reports for Cal-Arizona: Cal--Jahvid Best and Anthony Miller (out), Derrick Hill (doubtful), Matt Summers-Gavin (probable); Arizona--Greg Nwoko, Conan Amituanal and Nic Grigsby (questionable)

7 AM PST/10 AM EST
College Gameday from Dallas at TCU!

9 AM PST/noon EST
Tennessee at Ole Miss, CBS--Might not be interesting for this season, but the winner of this game could be a team to watch out for going into next season to be an SEC upstart.

Michigan State at Purdue, ESPN--Ugh. No.

Georgia Tech at Duke, ESPN2--You know, I hate Duke basketball almost as much (if you had to put a gun to my head and ask, "Bin Laden or Coach K", I'd probably have to think about it for awhile). But Duke football behind David Cutcliffe, one win away from bowl eligibility? Oh, I can so get behind that. Go Devils!

Florida State at Wake Forest, ESPNU--you're running out of chances to see the ol'football coach.

Texas at Baylor, FSN/CSN Bay Area--if Robert Griffin had been present, this would've been a fun game. Baylor would take a 10-0 lead then blow it in the 4th quarter. As it is, another Longhorn blowout.

Houston at UCF, CBS College TV--I'm guessing if I had to rewatch one team's games this season, it's going to have to be Case Keenum and his Cougars.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt, SEC TV/CSN California--The SEC is on pace to have ten of twelve teams be bowl eligible. Gotta love how beating up on patsies is not only strategically encouraged, but economically encouraged too.

9:30 AM PST/12:30 PM EST
Missouri at Kansas State, Versus HD--A win by Kansas State and a loss by Nebraska punches their ticket to the Big 12 Championship game. Or they can just beat Nebraska next week in Lincoln. All hail Bill Snyder.

Poll

I'm _____________________ about today's games.

excited

7 votes

angry

3 votes

hopeful

26 votes

depressed

36 votes

drunk

11 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Pittsburgh Panthers Edition

CW — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:15:43 -0000

by Keith Srakocic - AP

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1. Pitt hasn't really played anybody yet. They've played teams that aren't bad - Rutgers, South Florida, NC State, Connecticut, NAVY - but there isn't one that makes you nod in appreciation of their great work. To their credit, they take care of business against the bad teams, but Sagarin has them with the 70^th ranked schedule in the nation. For comparison, Boise State is at 82, Penn State is at 72 and Notre Dame is at 26.

2. They get to the quarterback. Dave Wannstedt is a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator, so it's not a total surprise when you see Pitt all the way at the top of the national sack leaders page with 4.33 sacks a game and 39 sacks overall. Do you know who is next on the list? USC, who you might remember from that time they ran around Paul Duncan and Sam Young for three quarters as if they were on a friendly neighborhood stroll to maul Jimmy Clausen. Greg Romeus is the lead sack man with 7.5, but linebacker Adam Gunn - a fantastic name for a linebacker, or really just in general - has 5.

3. Bill Stull is sneaky good. If I asked you to name the top QBs in the nation, you'd rattle off names like Kellen Moore or Max Hull or Tim Tebow or Jimmy Clausen, and those would be good names, because those guys are all in the top eight. (Colt McCoy, the new Heisman frontrunner because he blew up against Central Florida and ESPN says so, is 13^th, right around similarly heralded signal callers like G.J. Kinne and Kirk Cousins.) But who is fifth in the nation, ahead of Case Keenum, Ryan Mallett and the Tebow Child? Bill Stull. 17 TDs, 4 picks, 67.6% completion percentage. Considering what every single quarterback has done to Notre Dame this season, I'm doubting Mr. Stull's numbers suffer.

4. He has some nice targets to throw to... You might remember Jonathan Baldwin from last season, where he hauled in the game-tying touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter in South Bend. He hasn't really missed a beat, catching 35 balls for 698 yards (a smooth twenty yards per catch) and four scores in 2009. The big time red zone target is tight end Dorin Dickerson, who has ten touchdown catches on the season, getting to the end zone in each of the last five games. Considering what Anthony McCoy did to the Irish, I can't imagine the Tenuta scheme having any trouble containing Dickerson, who had a season high 118 yards against Syracuse last week.

5. ...and a great running back to hand off to. LeSean McCoy, who ran over, around and through the Irish last season, has thankfully departed for the NFL. Those of us thinking there would be a giant gap at running back were painfully mistaken, as freshman Dion Lewis has stepped into the role and done exceptionally well. He's the seventh leading rusher in the nation, with just a shade over 126 yards per game and nine touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 134 yards and another score. Greg Schiano compared him to Ray Rice after the Panthers won at Rutgers, so the Irish front seven will have its hands full attempting to contain the 5' 8" workhorse.

6. Pitt's secondary is relatively untested and possibly not good. The Panthers' pass efficiency defense is only ranked 49^th in the country despite going against a list of QB's that don't exactly inspire fear. The one top they've faced, NC State's Russell Wilson, went 21 for 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns despite being in a 31-17 hole late in the third quarter, handing Pitt their only loss. Wilson spread it around to eight different receivers, with no one catching more than four balls. If the Irish can protect Clausen against Romeus and company, they can possibly have some success through the air.

7. Dave Wannstedt is coach. I grew up a Miami Dolphins fan. Many of my friends are Chicago Bears fans. The common bond we share? Both teams had the pleasure of being guided by Diamond Dave Wannstedt, possibly the best mustache in all the land, but a sort of inconsistent head coach. There are a lot of things going against the Irish in this game, but the one ace up their sleeve is Dave Wannstedt On A Winning Streak, something that by the rules of nature has to come to an end. (This is my personal favorite Wanny collapse.)

Ed Orgeron returns to Oxford, gives all of us the silent treatment

Joel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:31:27 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

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Ed Orgeron will not be speaking with the media in advance of the matchup against his former employer this week. The Rebels, though, are talking, and if the Vols can find motivation in Tommy West's stupid joke about a talking dog, they might be able to do something with this:

[Some unidentified dude referred to only as "Hodge:"] The first one against Tennessee is kind of personal. Coach O never did anything to me, but the way I saw him treat some people, I know some guys are going to come out with a real fire in their belly and get after (UT) pretty bad."

Defensive end Kentrell Lockett added: "Great guy, but he just wasn't that head coach. He was a great D-line coach but he wasn't that head coach. I haven't talked to him (since Orgeron was fired). I might get a chance to talk to him after the game Saturday - might not, but life goes on, you know."

John Adams may have neglected to fully identify the source of that first quote, but he closed strong: "My guess is the Vols won't find talking Rebels any funnier than a talking dog."

All is well with Nu'Keese Richardson, who said that the weight of his homesickness and introverted personality was what was causing his issues last week. Credit Richardson's roommate Marsalis Teague for helping him through the situation, encouraging him to listen only to the advice of those closest to him -- his aunts and his high school coaches (!) -- who told him to tough it out. According to Kiffin, Richardson had one of his best weeks of practice, and against Memphis, he caught three passes for 54 yards and got his first touchdown. More importantly, he was laughing, joking, and at ease with his role.

And now it's running back Tauren Poole's turn, apparently. Poole was not demonstrably not happy with playing only on special teams against the Tigers, and Kiffin sent him to the locker room with time left on the clock (duplicate link). I'm guessing it was the confirmation that he was behind both Bryce Brown and David Oku in the pecking order. "I don't expect kids to agree with our decisions on playing time," Kiffin said. "I expect them to think that they're the best guy at their position. But they need to respect those decisions and not let their feeling show, and just keep practicing hard and playing hard when they get an opportunity." Kiffin met with Poole yesterday, and, not having had any problems with Poole in the past, Kiffin said he'll be available to play this weekend.

Not only is Jonathan Crompton ranked 1st in the SEC and 4th nationally in touchdowns thrown, he's done it on fewer attempts. Nationally, Crompton's behind only Houston's Case Keenum, Boise State's Kellen Moore, and N.C. State's Russell Wilson. But Crompton's done it on 264 attempts, and Keenum, Moore, and Wilson have 458, 268, and 293 respectively.

Huh. Despite both being charter members of the SEC, Tennessee has only played Ole Miss at Oxford three times.

Notes From Around the College Football World

Nico2.0 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:55:22 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Ken Niumatalolo led Navy to their second win over the Irish in three years.

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Assorted ramblings after week 10 of the season. Alabama analysis will be coming soon...

We hope that Jahvid Best's injury is "only" a concussion and not spinal. That was a seriously nasty spill he took and it was quite scary to watch. You never want to see someone injured and we wish him a speedy recovery.
With Iowa's loss, six undefeateds remain: Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, TCU, Texas
With Iowa's loss, it puts Ohio State back in control of their own destiny to win the Big 10. The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes meet next weekend and the winner still controls their own destiny in the race for the conference title.
Looks like Temple is going bowling for the first time in 30 years.
I don't care if it was against Tulsa, Case Keenum put up some sick numbers against them. 40 of 60 for over 500 yards and he led them to a late comeback.
It was upset city this Saturday for ranked teams: Iowa, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and Cal all lost to teams that were unranked or ranked lower than them. Several others including USC, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin survived scares. Boise State got a bit of scare too on Thursday, but not like the others.
Michigan lost to Purdue to slide to 5-5 for the season. With their remaining two games being at Wisconsin and hosting Ohio State, they Wolverines are likely looking at a 5-7 season and a second season in a row of no bowl game. We really do need to send Rita a gift basket.
You've gotta think Charlie Weiss' days at Notre Dame are numbered. 1-2 against Navy over the last three years (0-2 in South Bend.) I imagine they'll get at least one win out of their remaining three games, but if they lost all three to Pitt, UCONN and Stanford, I wouldn't be terribly surprised either. That would leave them at 6-6.
They must really want USC to win at least a share of the conference championship out in Pac-10 country. The race continues to be tight after Oregon lost to Stanford tonight. Maybe it's just been so long since anyone else has won it that nobody remembers what it's like to play with weekly pressure.
The SEC has five teams that are already bowl eligible (Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Auburn.) Though Ole Miss has six wins, two of them are against FBS teams, so only one of them counts towards bowl eligibility. Ole Miss, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky are all one game away and Mississippi State needs to pick up two more wins to go bowling. Vandy, at 2-7 is done on November 28th.
UAB hammered Florida Atlantic to pull to 4-5. With three games left against Memphis, East Carolina and UCF, UAB could get bowl eligible. Even if they didn't get an invite, making it to 6-6 would be huge for them. They probably aren't going to win at East Carolina, so they'll need wins at Memphis and at Legion Field against UCF.
Duke needs one more win to get bowl eligible. It'll be no easy task though, their remaining games are against Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest. It would be their first bowl appearance since 1995. Regardless of whether the Blue Devils go bowling or not, Cutcliffe clearly has them headed in the right direction. In less than two seasons, he's eclipsed Duke's win total over the five previous seasons.
Troy looks on pace to at least share a part of the Sun Belt title for the fourth year in a row.
Don't forget there's more football on TV on Sunday. Nevada at San Jose State on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.

Mountain West and their Road to the BCS: 11/6/09

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:04:07 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Time to feature games of interest that will affect the possibility of the Mountain West getting into the BCS this year. These games will not include all the teams ahead of any MWC team, but will be games that the higher ranked team may lose and thus drop in the rankings All rankings listed are from the BCS.

TCU still controls their own destiny if they win out. As always absolute chaos is my goal in an effort to promote change.

All time eastern:

New Mexico @ 14 Utah (MTN, 4pm)

Only reason Utah is here is because they technically are still in the BCS race by winning out and a Boise loss. Utes are experimenting at the quarterback position with most likely Jordan Wynn getting the nod.

MWC rooting interest: The Utes of course, because if they can at least get into the top 14 to possibly force the BCS to take two non-BCS.

9 LSU @ 3 Alabama (CBS, 3:30pm)

This game will shape the SEC West to see who gets to go to the conference title game. Now, if my research is right the winner clinches the SEC West title. With only two teams per league able to get into the BCS the loser is essentially eliminated from the BCS and will be heading to the Cotton Bowl.

MWC rooting interest: LSU, because TCU should be able move ahead of Alabama --at least temporarily-- and move closer to the number two spot that even with an LSU win is still out of reach.

Connecticut @ 5 Cincinnati (ABC, 8pm)

Cincy wants revenge after last year beat down, and only conference loss en route to their first BCS apperance. Cincinatti is the obviously better team, but the quarterback situation is still undecided whether starter Tony Pike or backup Zach Collaros will start.

MWC rooting interest: Connecticut, this is a long shot with the way the Bearcats playing at home and are just really good. A Bearcat loss does essentiall the same as an LSU win over Alabama.

22 Navy @ Notre Dame (NBC, 2:30pm)

Notre Dame gets WR Michael Floyd back after breaking his collar bone earlier in the season. Navy gave Ohio State all they could handle on opening day, and will need to have a similar game. The Midshipmen need to control the time of possession and try to get pressure on QB Jimmy Clausen.

MWC rooting interest: Navy, but not likely. The Irish only need to get into the top 14 to be considered, but everyone knows if they are available they will get in.

Northwestern @ 4 Iowa (ESPN, Noon)

Northwestern is not all that good, but Iowa seems to struggle against all opponents and has yet to blow any team all year.

MWC rooting interest: Northwestern, because Iowa is due for a loss someday, and if Iowa some how sneaks into the title game they will get crushed. Who am I kidding they will get smoked in the Rose Bowl as well against Oregon.

16 Ohio State @ 11 Penn State (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)

The Terrelle Pryor Nutcracker shirts are being recalled, but there is still reason to watch this game. The winner will move into the top 14 of the BCS, and Ohio State controls their destiny to the Rose Bowl if they win out. This game also is known as 'what quarterback is under-achieving the most.'

MWC rooting interest: Penn State, not for BCS standings but if the Buckeyes lose then ESPN's Gameday will most likely be headed to Fort Worth with the Utah vs. TCU game.

12 USC @ Arizona State (ABC, 8pm)

USC is trying to recover from their worse loss in the Pete Carrol era. Arizona State could be in for a beat down by the revenge factor by the Trojans.

MWC rooting interest: Arizona State, but really? No way Peter Carrol is losing three conference games, and USC is trying to stay in the picture for a BCS bowl game.

15 Houston @ Tulsa (CBS College Sports, 7:30pm)

Tulsa used to have a great offense, but it could re-emerge with the lackluster defense of Houston. An interesting fact is that if Houston QB Case Keenum throws for 400 yards his passing average goes down! Expect this to have a lot of points and go down to the end.

MWC rooting interest: Houston. They should be in the top 14 in the BCS standings and be an at-large choice. While they probably will not be choosen, but it narrows the BCS schools to be choosen and possibly for the BCS cartel to take two non-BCS teams in Boise or TCU/Utah and take away money from the Big Six leagues.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Kansas St. Wildcats Edition

Seth C — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:00:30 -0000

This weekly feature considers five reasons why Texas Tech will win and five reasons Texas Tech will lose to each opponent. Related: Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Kansas St. Wildcats Edition.

Reason #1 :: The Sheffield Spark: There's no doubt that QB Steven Sheffield provided a needed spark in the wanning seconds of the first half, driving the team 86 yards in 0:56 seconds, completing passes for 12, 17, 25 and 32 yards, eventually resulting in a touchdown to WR Alexander Torres. The start of the second half was equally as strong as Sheffield led the team to 3 straight touchdowns. The problem with having that energy is that it can sometimes be difficult to maintain for such a long period of time. A fumble, interception and punting the ball on the next 3 drives before getting two additional scores late. I'm somewhat of an "even keel" sort of guy, although I can appreciate the energy Sheffield brings to the team and I'm hoping that same spark continues this week as well.

Reason #2 :: Stuffing the Run: Despite what we thought was a rough week last week against New Mexico (giving up 115 yards on 35 carries) the rush defense has really been pretty damned good this year, good for 4th in the conference, and is 4th in the conference in yards per attempt. But for the year, the Red Raiders limited Texas, who is averaging 200 yards a game, to 135, while Rice and North Dakota failed to muster more than 135 yards combined. The one "bad" game was Houston, where Texas Tech allowed 144 yards on the ground. KSU QB Grant Gregory is similar to Case Keenum in the sense that he can run with the ball, however, I'm guessing that the Red Raiders and Ruffin McNeill have learned their lesson in allowing quarterbacks to kill you on 3rd downs and would look for a little better containment from the defensive line.

Reason #3 :: Cohesive O-Line: The return of RG Brandon Carter is going to be huge for the line. As much promise as guys like Lonnie Edwards and Mickey Okafor have, they're not quite ready for prime-time, but I feel pretty good about the rest of the group. LT Terry McDaniel is learning on the run and although he did have a holding call last week, he didn't give up a sack and looked pretty solid. The loss of C Shawn Byrnes was significant last week, but the more I consider this, I think Justin Keown is going to be fine, that it's just a matter of making the right call and having an entire week with the first team will help him significantly.

Reason #4 :: Playmakers: Last week there were a number of plays for 20 yards or more: 79 yards to WR Tramain Swindall (TD); 32 yards to WR Detron Lewis; 32 yards to Swindall; 25 yards to WR Alexander Torres (TD); 20 yards to Lewis; and 62 yards to RB Harrison Jeffers (TD). That's 6 plays for 20 yards or longer, 3 of which went for touchdowns. I've sort of bemoaned the idea that this club doesn't have a ton of playmakers in this group, but that's really not an accurate statement. Watching Jeffers makes all of us realize that he's a guy that needs to have the ball in his hands as he has the ability to make plays, but I won't sleep on Swindall any time soon. Since he was benched for the first game, he's leading this team with a little over 90 yards a game.

Reason #5 :: Struggle to Score: The Kansas State Wildcats have truly struggled to score this year and are dead-last in the Big 12 in scoring offense at 23.6 points a game. There are some interesting splits as well in that in KSU's two road games, they're averaging only 12.0 points a game, while averaging 35.0 at home. The one score that's swaying the 23.6 average, being the 49 points put up against Tennessee Tech (this happens against all non-conference opponents, so Texas Tech is in the same boat). If the Red Raiders can hold Kansas St. to their average and the Red Raiders do their thang offensively (and not turn the ball over, please do not turn the ball over), then there's not any reason this shouldn't be a 14 point affair in favor of Texas Tech.

Postgame Reaction: K-State vs. Tennessee Tech

TB — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:18:05 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Brandon Banks and company want you to read the Postgame Reaction. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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We're going to try not to overanalyze this one, and positive noted below should come with the huge caveat that we were playing Tennessee Tech. This is an FCS program that hasn't had a winning record since 2004. In other words, they're really bad, and the way we played yesterday really should have been the minimum achievement.

On the bright side, this was a perfect game for a team coming off a two-game losing streak and heading into conference play. We'll have to wait until next week to see how things translate, but it had to help Carson Coffman's confidence complete some passes and move the ball effectively, for the most part.

What I liked...

...seeing Brandon Banks find his groove. There's not much you can add to the stat line when I guy has two kickoff returns for two touchdowns and a 92-yard average. He also had three receptions for 90 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown catch.

...a little rumble from the D-Train. After last week's frustrating performance against UCLA, Daniel Thomas was back in form this week, rolling for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Overall, the rushing game was very solid, as Keithen Valentine had 73 yards on only 10 carries. As a team, the Cats averaged almost five yards per carry, picking up 296 net yards on 60 (!) carries. Once again, repeat the refrain with me -- "it was against Tennessee Tech" -- but hey, ya gotta start somewhere.

...the passing game, when used, being downright efficient. For the day, our passers were 10-11 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. It's been a long time since we've seen 60 rushing attempts against only 11 passing attempts, but in a game like this, there was no reason to air it out. Further, we probably maintained our national lead in time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes.

...after a rough first drive, a stifling defense. The great frustration of having to rely on Wyatt and Stan during games is that, no matter how well they describe what happened, you can't see exactly what happened. It sounded like we had a complete coverage fail on TTU's opening drive, resulting in a wide-open tight end for a touchdown. A lot of credit to Vic Koenning and the defense, though, because those 73 yards on that opening drive were almost 3/4s of TTU's total yards on the day. And anytime you hold any opponent to -19 yards rushing on 25 rushing attempts, something went right.

What I didn't like...

...very little explosiveness offensively. Other than Banks' 64-yard touchdown reception, our yards largely came in smallish chunks on sustained drives. Ordinarily, I'd say there's nothing wrong with sustained drives, but when you're playing an opponent that's completely outmanned, you'd like to see some big plays. We got them on special teams, but it's clear that our offense is going to struggle against better opponents. The more plays you run have to run to score, the more likely a mistake is, and our offense has been mistake prone against the teams we've played this year that weren't completely outgunned.

...penalties galore. It was good that things improved in the second half, after being penalized nine times for 87 yards in the first half. But 10 penalties for 96 yards is still too much.

OK, that's enough of that. Hit the jump for what it means, where we're going, a look at how our opponents fared, and the Big 12 Roundup.

What it means and where we're going...

It means we can beat up on completely overmatched opponents. That's certainly better than the alternative, but still, 478 yards and 49 points is not really the beatdown you'd expect of a team this bad. Further, two of our touchdowns came on kickoff returns. So really, our offense only scored 35 points. Granted, we called off the dogs in the third quarter, but don't get too overblown from this game. Tennessee Tech is, by far, the worst team we will face this season.

Next week, K-State travels to Kansas City, Mo., for the Farmageddon at Arrowhead matchup with Iowa State. Tickets are still available, and in fact, I'll be ordering mine as soon as I'm done writing this post. If you're going, let me know, either via email or in the comments. We won't be setting up an official BOTC tailgate, but I plan on tailgating at Arrowhead with a friend or two, so feel free to stop by and introduce yourself.

What our opponents are doing...

UCLA had the week off, and Louisiana played Nebraska this week, so we'll cover that one below. Massachusetts rolled Stony Brook, 44-17, improving to 3-1 on the season. In the win, UMass compiled 500 yards of total offense against a Stony Brook team that was 5-6 last year in the Big South (they're an FCS opponent).

Big 12 Roundup

Missouri 31, Nevada 21: While I didn't see all of this one, I'm comfortable saying that it wasn't as close as the final score indicated. Mizzou led 31-13 before a junk-time touchdown late pulled Nevada to within eight with only 2:32 remaining. Blaine Gabbert was outstanding, completing 25-40 for 414 yards and three TDs against no INTs. Mizzou fans are probably a little concerned at the continuing inability to run ineffectively, as the Tigers gained only 78 yards rushing on the day. Giving up 218 rushing yards to 0-3 Nevada is probably a little concerning, too, especially with Nebraska and Roy Helu on the horizon.

For more: Rock M Nation

Up next: Nebraska (Columbia, Mo.), Thurs. 10/8

KU 35, Southern Mississippi 28: A 21-14 halftime lead gave way to a nightmare third quarter that saw USM tie the beaks up at 28-28 heading into the final stanza. That said, a lot of credit goes to the KU defense for figuring things out and stifling USM when it counted in the last 15 minutes. Todd Reesing was back on track for the beaks, throwing for 331 total yards and three touchdowns, with one INT. KU's running game looked worse in the final stats than it really was, as five sacks of Reesing resulted in a lot of yards lost. USM's rushing game was pretty weak, too, but the Golden Eagles and quarterback Austin Davis torched KU for 331 passing yards on the day.

For more: Rock Chalk Talk

Up next: Iowa State (Lawrence, Kan.), Sat. 10/10

Texas 64, UTEP 7: When a pick-six is your only score on the day, you know you're pretty bad. After Melvin Stephenson picked off Colt McCoy and took it to the house, the Miners may as well have headed back to El Paso, because nothing good happened the rest of the day. On the day, UTEP gained 53 total yards (not a misprint), while yielding 639 to the Longhorns. It wasn't even this close for UTEP, as the final margin of the game was set five seconds into the fourth quarter. Other than the early pick, McCoy played more like he did last year, going 28-35 for 286 yards and three TDs. The sometimes-maligned Texas rushing game steamrolled through the Miners for 304 yards on 42 carries.

For more: Burnt Orange Nation

Up next: Colorado (Austin, Texas), Sat. 10/10

Iowa State 31, Army 10: It's official, Paul Rhoads is a better coach than Gene Chizik. The Cyclones have now topped their win total for all of last year, and could double it with a win at Farmageddon next week. No unit was particularly spectacular for ISU, but whatever they did, it was effective. Austen Arnaud was only 11-20, but the Clones picked up 175 yards and two TDs through the air. On the ground, Alexander Robinson diced up Army for 127 yards on only 21 carries, although more than half of that came on one 68-yard run. Defensively, ISU withstood a balanced Army attack that controlled the clock but didn't amass much yardage (316 total) or many points (10).

For more: Clone Chronicles

Up next: K-State (Kansas City, Mo. | Arrowhead Stadium), Sat. 10/3

Nebraska 55, Louisiana 0: Nebraska celebrated 300-straight fall Saturdays of nothing better to do than watch the Huskers in style. Zac Lee bounced back from his nightmare game in Blacksburg last week by going 15-18 for 238 yards and a TD with no INTs in limited action. On the day, the Huskers threw for 300 yards and rushed for 133, a shockingly low total (433) for how many points they scored. Talk about being efficient. On the complete opposite side of the efficiency coin, UL managed only 222 yards. Brutal.

For more: Corn Nation

Up next: at Missouri (Columbia, Mo.), Thurs. 10/8

Oklahoma State 56, Grambling 6: Nothing like wacking a SWAC team to get your mojo back. This was more like the Cowboy team we expected to see all year long, racking up 587 yards, including 321 on the ground. Jeremy Smith may not be 40, or a household name anywhere other than with his immediate family, but he was a man in this one, rushing for 160 yards on only 15 carries. One question: where was Dez Bryant? He doesn't show up anywhere in the box score, and I hadn't heard that he was hurt.

Up next: at Texas A&M (College Station, Texas), Sat. 10/10

Baylor 68, Northwestern State 13: The real Robert Griffin returned as far as throwing the ball (13-19 for 226 yards and three TDs), but the all-world sprinter still is doing nothing rushing the ball (four carries for 16 yards). Didn't matter in this one, though, as the Bears jumped on the Demons early, leading 41-10 at halftime. Baylor more than doubled NSU's offensive output, gaining 567 yards to Northwestern State's 248. Shocking stat of the day: Baylor did all that on only 58 plays while controlling the ball for only 21 minutes of the game.

Up next: Kent State (Waco, Texas), Sat. 10/3

Texas A&M 56, UAB 19: The Aggies continued their offensive barrage against outmanned UAB (1-3 on the season, with losses to Southern Methodist and Troy). In three games against completely overmatched competition, A&M has rolled up yards and points by the bundle, clearly indicating they are a better team than last year, when they couldn't even beat Arkansas State. Just how much better is a judgment that will have to wait until they play someone decent. That could be next week, when they take on Arkansas in Dallas, but the Razorbacks look pretty bad, too, getting into a shootout with Georgia last week (they lost) and getting blown out by Alabama this week.

For more: I Am the 12th Man

Up next: Arkansas (Dallas, Texas | Cowboys Stadium), Sat. 10/3

Houston 29, Texas Tech 28: This was one of the more entertaining games I've seen in a long time. In a battle of Texas gunslingers, Case Keenum outdueled Taylor Potts, leading the Coogs to their second victory over a Big 12 opponent this season. Some will probably question how much defensive improvement Tech has really made after UH put up 579 total yards, but the mere fact that Houston gained that many yards and scored only 29 points says something for Tech. Further, it's not like anybody has stopped the Cougars effectively this season, as they are second in total offense and sixth in scoring offense. Texas Tech finally found a running game, picking up 163 yards rushing after having only 92 yards on the season coming into this game. I'll argue, however, that Mike Leach's stubborn refusal to stick with a running game against a clearly undersized Houston defense probably contributed to Tech's loss as much as anything.

For more: Double T Nation

Up next: New Mexico (Lubbock, Texas), Sat. 10/3