Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East Recap- Week 7
By John Kelly
Football Reporters Online
Senior Writer
Midwest/Northeast Correspondent

Longhorns prevail in Red River Shootout, Cincinnati legitimizes itself in the Sunshine State, Iowa holds their ground while OSU falters, and close but no cigar in South Bend

Midterm grades are in and all report cards have been distributed. Some parties got a pat on the back while others took a whipping to the backside.
The 2009 College Football season would drive thoroughbred handicappers crazy
Preseason darlings that swept up preseason polls now are a distant memory. Iowa and Cincinnati, dark horses of their conferences, closed in on the field down the stretch.
However, do not play that exacta anytime soon. Cincinnati looks like a sure thing. Iowa still might find itself place or show. Conference favorites Ohio State and Penn State are no longer the studs at the post. West Virginia and South Florida have gone off the grid. The state of Oklahoma doesn’t even have a say for the overall purse.
Oklahoma literally got a shot in the arm in the Red River rivalry. However, it’s not the type they hoped for. Texas held off the Sooners 16-13 and knocked Sam Bradford out of the game in the second quarter. Last years game provided fireworks before the end of the Texas state fair. This year the fireworks remained on schedule. Texas used its defense to force 5 turnovers en route to victory over the Sooners. Despite, no Sam Bradford and a porous rushing attack the Sooners hung in the game. Oklahoma might be the best 3-3 team in America while having several opportunities to win the game. The Longhorns face a tough test versus Missouri and need to get that offense cranking or their bound to fall into the same trap they did in 2008.
Nebraska seems resemble Charles Manson during his parole hearing. The Cornhuskers always seem poised to turn the corner and then they lay an egg. The 31-10 thrashing by Texas Tech and backup Steve Sheffield showed the country that the Big 12 North is division by cybil. Nebraska’s offense is atrocious and it really takes the spotlight away from intimidating defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Kansas finally showed us how vulnerable they were by being upset by a backup Quarterback in his opening start 34-30. While the South Division is Texas’s to lose the North will continue to shuffle around like a card deck till the championship game in December.
By the way what ever happened to Texas A&M football. After leading the nation in total offensive yards and averaging 50 points a game the Aggies were thrashed 62-14 by an inferior Kansas State team. College Station probably should have kept R.C. Slocum around. At least he mashed inferior talent and boosted an intimidating defense.
Iowa is the Seabiscut of the Big 10. No matter how far behind they are they continue to leave the field in the dust. Iowa fell behind early in Madison last week 10-3. They ran off 17 straight points to take out Wisconsin 20-10. Ricky Stanzi is one of the most underrated signal callers in the country. He threw for a modest and controlled 17-23 for 218 yards and a Td. Adam Robinson has made injured starter Jewel Hampton an afterthought. When it has mattered most Robinson has ran hard and fought for the extra yards.
Ohio State and Penn State are the Smarty Jones of thoroughbreds in the Big Ten. Every year they seem to be to powerful for weaker conference foes. Purdue showed that Ohio State is not worth the dough by upsetting them 26-18. In West Lafayette its great to see Danny Hope get a reprieve for letting the Notre Dame game slip away. Tyrell Pryor looked horrific. He seems to be confused whether to run or sit in the pocket. Jim Tressel and the staff might have made the wrong move to throw Pryor into the fray. To bad that redshirt year is no longer an option. Penn State has been laughable this year with all 5 wins versus teams below .500. The Big House beckons ahead for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has lost 6 straight since 1996. Michigan’s defense no doubt is susceptible to yielding 30 or more points. However, Sean Lee’s injury and the defensive injuries might make tackling Tate Forcier a headache. Michigan will be juiced for this game hopefully Penn State provides the same flavor.
Cincinnati has become the War Admiral of the Big East. We knew they were strong on offense but the defensive play makes them a pretty site. The Bearcats handled South Florida 35-17 without Tony Pike. Pike has a cast on his wrist and is questionable for the Louisville game. Even Cincinnati could take this contest even without Pike at the controls. With tougher tests in the future he should sit out. Pike is on fire with flashy receiver Marty Gilyard.
Pittsburgh is a couple defensive plays away from being undefeated. Their crucial 24-17 win in Piscataway vs. Rutgers was a huge statement and they should be ranked in the Top 20. Dion Lewis has eased the blood pressures of the Panther faithful with 1,500 yards on the year and Jonathon Baldwin continues to look like a Big East All America.
Connecticut got an important win over Louisville to move to 4-2 but lost something even bigger. Jasper Howard was stabbed during a school dance after the game. Howard died from an abdomen wound from the stabbing. No doubt about it Howard was a major asset to the team off the field. Jasper left Miami to get away from the gangs and trouble. Connecticut showcased his skills and now he will be unable to fulfill them. These are the tragedies that hurt college sports the most. Condolences to the Brown family and the UConn community.
4 yards separated Notre Dame from forcing overtime against USC. The Trojans built a 20-point and saw it evaporate in the fourth quarter. After Robby Parris caught a crucial fourth down pass to extend the game-tying drive, a spear from Taylor Mays knocked him out for the game. Mays penalty helped the Trojans in the long run because Jimmy Clausen’s last pass was supposed to be directed towards Parris’s hands. Instead, the play went to Duval Kamara and he slipped on his cut with the ball sailing away from him in the end zone. Notre Dame got another chance to score when the officials thought the game was over even though one second remained. Right then and there you thought the Irish would tie it based on the events in 2005. A clock error during that game allowed students to run on the field and slow the pace down. USC sneaked it in to win with the help of Reggie Bush. Notre Dame did not have the same luck.
For all the Weis haters Notre Dame showed the country they have the athletes to compete with the Elite game in and game out. I know USC led by 20 points and might have let up but championship teams don’t do that. Troy’s hiccups have cost them a place in the title game and the fourth quarter revealed similar tendencies. The Irish are far from being an elite program. However, they now have the depth to compete with the elite. Losses hurt in the eyes of all teams but this one helped the Irish image and recruiting chances. It was the biggest recruiting weekend ever at Notre Dame and they couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

                                          OVC Week 7 Wrap Up
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Murray St. 9 TSU 6
TSU entered LP Field in first place in the OVC on Saturday. They came in with a plan to run the ball and control the clock. Things didn’t work out as planned when starting quarterback Calvin McNairl hurt his back and backup Jeremy Perry could not move the offense. McNairl later returned but was not effective. Some may have been wondering how the injury figured into the loss, but head coach James Webster felt different. He said he would not use it as an excuse because he still expected the rest of his team to do their part. He thought his team could run better even though they got 169 yards on the ground. The passing game was not much better with McNairl going 6-13 for 62 yards and a pick. He did add a late touchdown pass to Joseph Hills to make it 9-6. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Murray St. to seal the win.  This was the second straight year that Murray upset the Tigers. Perry could do nothing right and finished 2-6 for six yards and an interception. Murray St. cornerback Nathan Brinkley had a good game with the interception of McNairl and the recovery of the onside kick at the end of the game. Next up for TSU (3-4, 2-1) is an idle week where they will heal up. As for the Racers (2-4, 1-2), they go to UT Martin (2-5, 1-3) to try and win back-to-back games and get even in the conference.
 
Eastern Illinois 23 Tennessee Tech 15
 
It was Tony Romo day for the host crowd as his jersey was retired. Still the Panthers had to hold off a late rally by Tech and stop them at the Panther 14 with 12 seconds left. It was 20-0 late in the third when Tech got started with a safety. They came out on the next possession and scored when quarterback Lee Sweeney hit Alden Olverson from 29 to make it 20-9. Sweeney then threw his second touchdown pass of the quarter to Colin Allen and all of a sudden it was 20-15 going into the fourth. After a field goal by E. Illinois made it 233-15 Tech had one more chance. Mauricio Wallace returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to set up the possible tie but the Panther defense held on and the game was over. Tech hurt themselves with six fumbles, three that they lost, as well as two interceptions by Sweeney. Eastern held the ball for 43:10 and had 23 first downs to Tech’s 14. Next up for Tech (3-3, 2-2) is one of those games they are supposed to win when the host SEMO (1-5, 0-4). Eastern (5-2, 3-1) goes to Jacksonville St. (4-2, 2-0) next week. J State is ineligible for the league title this year.
 
Eastern Kentucky 31 UT Martin 25
This was the last of three pretty decent games on the slate this weekend. It was homecoming in Richmond and the Colonels did not disappoint their fans as they intercepted four passes in a win that keeps them in first place in the OVC. Even though they had the picks it was just a 21-13 after a Cade Thompson scoring run. It got to 24-19 and then Eastern had to punt to Martin. They had their chance and then muffed the punt away to give the Colonels a first down at the four. C.J. Walker’s two-yard run made it 31-19 and a touchdown as time expired accounted for the final points of the game for Martin. Eastern QB T.J. Pryor finished 19-33 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. His counterpart Thompson was 30-44 for 334 yards, three touchdowns and the four picks. Next up for Eastern (4-2, 4-1) is a trip to Austin Peay (2-4, 1-2) and for UTM (2-5, 1-3) it’s a home game against Murray State (2-4, 1-2).

Week

WEEK 7 ACC WRAP UP

By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
assisted by contributing writer William Queen for Football Reporters Online

 
Below is the Week 7 ACC Wrap. Surprisingly, there were only 5 games involving ACC teams.

 
GEORGIA TECH – 28 VIRGINIA TECH – 24
It was upset city in Atlanta this weekend, as Georgia Tech rallied to a surprising victory over the heavily favored Hokies. Yellow Jackets quarterback Josh Nesbitt was practically the whole story of this game, running for 122 yards and 3 scores, and ultimately winning a key match-up. For Virginia Tech, I hate to say it, but I saw it coming. Though they stomped Boston College last week, they nearly lost vs. Duke the week before, and never really gained any respect in the college football world in my opinion. As of Georgia Tech’s future, I think they’ve really learned from their loss against Miami earlier this season. Right after that loss, they bounced back with dominant wins over UNC, Mississippi State and Florida State. All these games led up to an impressive win over a highly ranked team. As for Tech they continue to play inconsistently. Trips to Georgia this year ruined any hopes of an ACC title and a possible national championship. They have slipped from fourth to about 15th depending on which poll you look at. The ACC picture begins to take shape with the regular season winding down.
 
CLEMSON – 38 WAKE FOREST – 3
No, it’s not a typo. Clemson quite simply slaughtered Wake Forest. A very balanced offensive attack, countered by a rock-solid defense, and an incendiary special teams won it. Where has this Clemson been all season? C.J. Spiller had touchdown runs of 66 and 14 yards. Freshman quarterback Kyle Parker shined going 10-17 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 3-yard rushing score in the second quarter. I haven’t seen one defense all year shut down Riley Skinner this well. After throwing for more than 300 yards in his last 3 games straight, the Tigers held him to just 82 yards and picked off 2 passes. This game may be one that comes back and bites Wake Forest in the back later. These two teams are tied for second in the Atlantic division of the ACC and because of Clemson’s convincing win, they would easily win the tiebreaker.  Once again no one knew what Clemson team would show up but this one wasn’t bad.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE – 52 NC STATE – 20
They exploded. No one saw it coming; well at least not the State defense. It was 14-13 in favor of BC when they just went off scoring 31 unanswered points. This was practically the story of the game. In a 19 minute 11 second span, the Wolf pack turned the ball over three times, couldn’t seem to get any momentum going, and played some of the worst defense all year. And Montel Harris, where has he been? He had 27 carries for 254 yards and 5 touchdowns for the sophomore running back. He matched his rushing touchdowns this season in just one game! For the Eagles, they couldn’t be any happier with the way this season’s going. 5-2, #1 spot in the Atlantic division of the ACC, things are going well for Boston College. However, this loss pulls the Wolf pack down to a 3-game losing streak; the exact opposite of what head coach Tom O’ Brian was hoping for.
 
VIRGINIA – 20 MARYLAND – 9
Virginia is beginning to set a tempo for their football program. Earlier this season, they were losing to schools like William & Mary. Forcing 4 turnovers in their win over Maryland, the Cavaliers have turned their season around, now riding a 3 game winning streak.
 
MIAMI – 27 UCF – 7
The Hurricanes kept their impressive high ranking a reality, winning a predictable game over UCF. Throwing for 293 yards and one score, quarterback Jacory Harris’s performance helped Miami win perhaps their easiest non-conference game. They are number 10 in the first BCS poll and still have a shot at the division title.

                                        SEC Wrap Up Week 7
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
 
(1)    Florida 23 Arkansas 20
It was supposed to be easy when you looked at this game at the beginning of the season, but the Hogs had other plans. They were the first team to score first on the Gators this year. They sacked AT&Tebow six times and forced four Florida turnovers. For the first time in awhile a team made the Gators look normal. As a matter of fact they led 10-3 at the half on the strength of their defense and some good early running by Broderick Green. He had a 19-yard touchdown run called back for holding but later atoned for it by punching it in from the one to make it 7-0. The score was made possible when Tebow was sacked and fumbled the ball back to the Hogs. In the second half the Gators took the lead when Tebow hit Deonte Thompson on a 77-yard strike to make it 13-10. It was the longest scoring pass of his career. This came after Arkansas kicker Alex Tejada missed his first of two field goals that would prove to be the difference. So after three hard fought quarters the game turned in to an offensive one. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet came out in the fourth and started the scoring tossing a 75-yarder to Greg Childs. The score did was not official until a review of the play showed that Childs recovered a loose ball in the end zone. It put the Hogs back up 20-13 and it looked like Florida may go down on this day. On the next possession they went right down the field with the help of some penalties and tied it at 20. Arkansas got another shot to take the lead when Mallett moved them far enough to set up a Tejada 38-yard attempt. The kick sailed wide left and the Gators took over at the 31. The winning drive was typical Tebow as he drove his team down the field. He hit Riley Cooper a couple of times and ran the ball five times to set up the game winning 27-yard filed goal from Caleb Sturgis. The game told a story for both teams. For Florida it showed that they could have an off day. That you can prepare for them and possibly beat them in this derby for the national championship. It showed that maybe the Gators depend too much on Tebow as he accounted for 324 of his teams 391 yards of offense. They will have to take a closer look at who else can help in the stretch run. To win the BCS title you will need more than one player on your team to do it all. Arkansas will not find comfort in losing the game but found out a few things. Mallett looks everything like they guy they envisioned to lead their team back in the SEC. He has poise and the arm and is only getting better. The young defense showed what it could do against top-tier teams, as they held their own. So if you thought that maybe the SEC might slip up some time soon you were wrong. This conference is stronger than ever and with the new recruits waiting in the wing it will just get stronger.
 
Kentucky 21 Auburn 14
It had been forever since the Wildcats beat the Tigers. It was way back in 1966 to be precise and they did it in comeback fashion. Auburn had come in with this offense that was producing so well, it was assumed that Kentucky would have problems with it. What they did was make it look like another ordinary offense as quarterback Chris Todd had trouble connecting with his receivers all game long. It all started out fine for the Tigers when they blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt and ran it back 69 yards for a 7-0 lead. Kentucky countered with a four-yard run by quarterback Morgan Newton to tie it. Newton had a miserable day, in place of the injured Mark Hartline, going 5-13 for 39 yards but was able to count on his running game to carry the team to victory. Auburn took the lead back on a Ben Tate one-yard run to close the first half. Tate had a great day running for 132 yards on 31 carries. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Yet the Tigers would not score in a second half that belonged to Kentucky. The third quarter was scoreless setting up an exciting fourth. Will Fidler got some time at quarterback for Kentucky and had a 4-yard score late in the fourth to tie the score at 14 with just over six minutes left. He was also 4-9 for 36 yards and will compete for the starting job this week. So the stage was set when the Tigers got the ball again and Randall Cobb (19-126) had a sweet run for 61 yards and then two plays later scored to winning touchdown. Auburn started this season with so much hope only to lose key games that will hurt them at years end. Kentucky got a big win but must deal with the reality that they need to choose a QB and hope to make the right choice.
 
Alabama 20 South Carolina 6
It was the eve of the BCS polls and the Tide wanted to make a statement to the rest of the football world. It could be a number one team if the pollsters just gave them a chance. Well it worked and it didn’t work you could say. By Sunday night they would be No. 2 in the BCS and No. 1 in the AP. It was not one of their best outings of the year because they were up against the best defense they had faced all year long. Quarterback Greg McElroy was not on so he handed the ball off the Mark Ingram 24 times and all Ingram did was rush for a career best 246 yards and a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game for the win. McElroy finished 10-20 for a mere 92 yards and two picks. The Tide had three chances in the red-zone but could only score once. They had as many turnovers in this game as they had all year with four. They got help from a strong defensive showing as the Tide had five sacks and nine tackles for loss. They have not given up a touchdown in two games now. South Carolina had a few chances to put the ball in the end zone but came up short. McElroy’s receivers missed several passes in the end zone that could have turned the game the other way. So now the Tide host Tennessee next week and look to get a hold onto the top ranking in the BCS if possible.
 
Ole Miss 48 UAB 13
It wasn’t even this close as Jevon Snead threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. They also added 163 rushing yards to finish with just over 500 yards of offense as Ole Miss takes advantage of a lesser opponent to get back into the win column.
 
Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 10
The Bulldogs ended a two game skid while extending Vanderbilt’s losing streak to three. The story of the game was field position as Vandy found itself with horrible position while giving the Dawgz good field position all day. Head coach Bobby Johnson expressed his disappointment with special teams play and the offensive line’s inability to give QB Larry Smith time to throw. The Dawgz needed this one after the whipping they took last week against Tennessee.