The Trojan (Mystique) Broken Again

Every man's nightmare, but every USC fan's reality. Time and time again, we here how USC is the most talented team in CFB, how this could be one of the all-time great teams, we buy into the hype (myself included, see last post) and proclaim them the Kings of College Football. Well, we've seen this script before, the kings are really queens, with their dynasty once again taken down by a lesser advisary (this one happening to be a beaver). While every sports reproter in the nation criticizes Ohio State for their recent meltdowns, we hear nary a peep about the Condoms continuing their yearly ritual of buying into their own greatness, only to see a dream season wiped away by a bottom tier Pac 10 program.

For argument's sake, lets say the Pac 10 and Big 10 are equally difficult conferences. Now look at the losses over the last 3 years for OSU and USC. OSU: Florida (NC Game), Illinois (went to Rose Bowl), LSU (NC Game), USC (greatest team of all-time). USC: Oregon State, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon (the only respectful lose amongst the bunch), Oregon State. Yet USC is the media anointed Kings of College Football. Anyone can get up for the big games (well, anyone except OSU I guess), but it's consistency that makes a champion. Year after year, USC sits back in their posh digs provided by slimey agents and even slimier boosters, hearing how good they are after an early season demolition of a marquee opponent(Arkansas, Nebraska, OSU), and they buy into it all. Inevitably, this program will continue down this path until some measure of discipline is instilled, and I don't think Sneakey Pete is going to be laying down discipline anytime soon. This shakes up the CFB world, and I'm sure fans in Norman, Baton Rouge, Gainsville, Austin are excited...oops, I broke into my best Craig James there. Anyways, here's to the Trojans being put into their place by OSU, even if it was the one with beavers instead of nuts.


OSU (the one with Nuts)
3 things that really excited me from Saturday (lets be honest, barely handling Troy doesn't produce much more than 3 excitable moments):

1) Seniors, have a seat. I love the fact that the Vest pulled the trigger on Pryor. I wanted him to be ready for Wisco, and it looks as if lack of playing time will definitely not be an issue. TP looked great, should have had another TD (why are the senior WR's not being shown the bench?), and had great poise and presence. I have to keep reminding myself that he's still a frosh, but that game was awfully VYesque, right down to the terrible throwing mechanics. In addition to TP, nice to see the 1st member of Block O crack the starting line-up, impressive to see Sabino move in to the 2-Deep, but please, get Posey and Flash Thomas some run time.

2) Bold moves on the O-Line. We took out (well, by injury) our fattest, slowest, dumbest lineman, replaced him at guard with a much quicker (albeit slightly undersized) former C, and insterted a true freshman in to handle the the snapping. I love it. I love getting quicker up front. I love putting Brewster at C after I'm sure he and TP took tons of reps together in pre-season, I love thinking about a more athletic line blcoking for Beanie and TP. Great move.

3) The Glenville Pipeline. They just keep churning out stars, and it looks like the latest may be Jermale Hines (I really wish he was #57). The kid has some unreal football instincts, can lay the wood, and fits that hybrid LB-S role that teams need to combat the spread. He's going to be a star.

Gopher Hunting
No, not what the crew will be doing down in Bloomington this weekend, but hopefully what the OSU defense will be doing Saturday. I still didn't see the emotion and nastiness out of this team that they need to win the big games. Here's hoping that the start of conference play awakens the sleeping giant, that or they can clone various forms of Malc Jenkins prior to the game. While I still agree with the Boom and Zoom statement from last week, there's no getting around my giddiness for the return of Beanie. How do you stop TP and Beanie running an option? The playbook will be conservative this week, but I'm looking for all the stops to be pulled out a week from Saturday.

SOA (Sons of Anarchy for you tv novices)
Watch it. Seriously. It's the best new show of the fall. How can FX get away with the content though? When I hear a basic cable station touting nudity amongst it's content warnings, it blows my mind. In the last 3 weeks alone, we've seen a dude go Mike Tyson all over a carnie's ear, a child molester get his junk cut off and then the junk got mailed to the girl's father, an axe to the back of the dome, strippers, a doberman on meth, more strippers...it's amazing. Enough to make me contemplate starting a biker gang in Bucktown, which would no doubt be fierce.

Hurricane's
They come in with such anticipation, leave devastating destruction in their path, and then are forgotten about weeks later...sounds like any scandal invovling a White House intern. America is one big country of ADD.

My Living Situation
Out of fear that during a drunken rambling I may slip something out about the fact that I have a blog, I'm going to abstain from commenting publicly on this.

Last Thoughts
Someone fix Jesse Palmer's fucking tie!!!!
Why do people feel the need to wear a jersey to a sporting event of a team not even involved?
I wish they'd set up an emergency loan program for recent college graduates, "Um, yeah, I ended up dropping a $500 dollar bar tab last night, not sure I'm going to be able to pay my cable bill this month, and I sure would miss HBO, Showtime, Encore, Skinemax and my DVR...can I get $1000 to tide me over to next paycheck?"
Lastly, when will going back for a weekend at college not be one of the highlight's of my year? I'm guessing not for a while.

A Game of Substance

Beam Team

Yesterday I was awash with uncertainty as the announcement came over the wire that the Nebraska v. Mizzou game had been moved to ESPN primetime. My mind immediately wandered to last years debackle; a painful day that laid the foundation for an even more painful and empty conference season. Today, I'd like to say that Im more certain about the saltyness of the 2008 'Skers and their ability to overcome not only this weeks foe, but to hand Mizzou a loss. But the reality is that I'm still not over yesterdays flashback. I tremble with trepidation when I feel, not just remember, but feel the sting of last years game. In my youth I cried over Husker losses. The raw emotion was too overwhelming for a 21, eh, I mean 11 year JuDa. Last year I treated my pain with wine, or women (which is a great way to deal with big losses); but this year I planned on using wine, or women as celebratory enhancements, and not loss-therapy. I hope yesterdays moment of uncertainty is exclusive to this sad, sorry excuse for a fan, and isnt shared by Bo's Boys. If so, we're in for a long evening Oct. 4th.

On to VA Tech. Beamer Ball is fun to watch, and his always-salty squad rolls into Lincoln off consecutive conference wins against well coached teams. They toppled GA Tech two weeks ago, and then came from behind to punch Butch Davis in the mouth and steal a win in Chapel Hill last Saturday. Tyrod Taylor is the teams offense, a dynamic QB he is a Mike Vick clone. What he does behind a veteran offensive line dictates the tempo for the offense. The blight on the team is inexperience at both RB, and WR. Last years leading rusher, Brandon Ore, and his back-up Jahre Cheeseman, are no longer viable options in Blacksburg, and the receiving corps features a 5-10 white-boy starter. Yeah, you read that right, and No its not Wes Welker.

The defense is led by the teams best player, and in my opinion, the best defensive back in all of college football - Macho Harris. At 6-2, 210, Harris reminds me of Antonio Cromartie. He hits like Felix Trinidad, shuts down one side of the field, and runs like a gazelle. The defense takes their que from him. Look out for Macho on select offensive plays and returning kicks as well.

This game will be a hell of a challenge for the Big Red. Finally, a Game of Substance to alleviate my trepidations about our preparedness for Oct. 4th.

(Im having trouble maintaining focus right now because Michael Irving just came on ESPN radio

plugging his new afternoon show in Dallas. This man was/is an amazing addition to Americana pop/sports culture. If I had a Delorion, and a magic Geenie to grant me three wishes, my third and final wish would be to hang with Irvin, Nate Newton, Deion, Leon Lett, and the rest of the knucklheaded Cowboys at their "whitehouse," circa 1995. Deion, and Micheal are now outspoken Christians. Fellas, some of the shit that undoubtedly went down in that house simply cannot be forgiven). Oh, my first two wishes involve some combination of gummy worms, a bowling pin, one size 9.5 Chuck Taylor shoe, and my favorite WVU soccer player featured below.)

Slac 10

USC currently has ZERO ranked opponents for the remainder of the year. Their toughest opponent - Notre Fucking Dame. Pencil Petey C. in against (blank) for the NC in January. This boggles my mind. How can a region that feeds off California talent be so bereft of qaulity players. As it stands, I'd rather see USC play the Mountain West than line-up against the likes of ASU, Oregon, and Washington.

Big yEast Infection

I chose today to feature Miss WVU soccer to remind everyone why the Big East desereves a BCS bid. God knows their collective play has yet to merit anything other than ridicule, and a series of pre-christmas bowl births. This conference has a yeast infection... and its spreading. Remember when Louisville came into last season with bountiful promise, and WVU, along with Rutgers were all looked at as legitimate title contenders. What a sham. Last Thursdays Colorado blunder for the Mehtaneers is what we can expect from the worst conference in the game for the foreseeable future.

Ohio State Seniors, your legacy is at stake...

If you had to choose the most under-acheiving unit four weeks into the season the answer is clearly the Ohio State offensive line. What the hell happened to Alex Boone and crew? I know Chris Wells was a hell of a running back, and his loss was a detrimental blow to the running game. But against marginal competition OSU should manufacture 100 yard rushers. The OSU offensive line, and the entire Senior class for that matter, needs to wake-up and remind the Big Ten that they are the only true football factory left standing.

To All heading to Bloomington - be safe, and pour one out for JuDa!

Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes...

That's what the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Program is in for (or in one humble fan's opinion SHOULD be in for). Before I discuss what changes I want to happen and what changes I'm reading/hearing ARE happening, lets talk about why OSU fans shouldn't be jumping off bridges just yet.

1. USC is DAMN good. Not great, but an incredibly smart, well coached and composed football team who just isn't going to make mistakes or beat themselves. They have the best QB they've had there since Mr. OSU hater himself Carson Palmer, the most dynamic RB they've had since the Heisman tarnisher, an absolute stable of skill position players, big time defensive playmakers, and their line play is just solid at every spot. Could they have a slip up as past USC teams have been plagued by? Sure, but I don't see it happening. They have a pretty easy rest of the way, seeing as they play in the FOURTH best conference in CFB(one team does not make a conference, so the Big Ten is still 3rd by default).

2. Our best player, a sure fire all-american, and heisman front runner was out. Would we have won with him? Nope. Would we have lost by 32? Nope. Beanie takes the pressure of our happy feet QB, which is exactly why he looked like an all-conference QB for the first 8 games last year. TB reminds me of Ken Dorsey, everyone remember the pressure OSU put on him once Willis McgahKNEE got KO'd? Add to that the ability to actually run the ball in the red zone, and this game would have been dramatically different.

3. Just read the "Letter to Ohio State Fans" at the bottom of this link: http://cfn.scout.com/2/557922.html
This put a little charge in my step today, leading to me finally coming out of my Obama...er Osama like hiding to show my Scarlet (Letter?) and Grey pride. We are still a ridiculously talented football team, we have won 3 straight conference titles, we are STILL the best team in the Big Ten, and we can still go back to play in our 6th BCS game in the last 7 years. That's a pretty impressive, consistent run of stellar football.

4. Lastly, and this leads perfectly into the needed changes, we graduate a TON of seniors next year. Wait, how is this positive you say? Well, these seniors, many of whom have played vital roles in the last 3 "National Stage" nightmares, have psyche's as fragile as Brittany pre-VMA comeback or Lindsey Lohan pre-4th rehab stint. They EXPECT to lose in big games, and when the adrenaline wears off, all it takes is one stupid penalty (not one, but TWO holding calls negating huge plays Saturday), one botched play (Robo's drop in the LSU game ring a bell), or one fluke injury (Teddy Ginn) for these guys to completely unravel. It's time for a changing of the guard. The 2008 and 2009 classes will define OSU football for the next 10 years, lets hope they're up to they're up to the challenge. So what changes need to happen now to ensure these young Buckeyes are in the best position to continue the golden era of OSU football:

Get Pryor Ramped up for Madtown: He's getting 65% of the reps in practice this week, lets hope he gets at least 50% of the snaps Saturday, push him up to 80% next week, and be confident in the fact that when those crazy hippies start jumping around at the end of the 3rd Qtr (to support their marginal football program), TP will be ready to show everyone who's still king in the Big Ten.

If Beanie's not full go, it's Boom and Zoom Time: I want Beanie ready to go, and at some point this year I suspect he will be, but at what point is that? If you know he won't be ready for Madison, it's time to look towards the future. He's leaving after this year regardless, so it's time to get the Boom and Zoom show on track for next year. Unless Saine is injured worse than is being let on, he and Herron need to be getting ALL meaningul carries over the next 2 weeks.

No more seniority points: Sorry Todd, thanks for all you've done, here's hoping you get a NFL FA contract. Alex, if you want to keep getting beat off the line in huge games, then it's time to let the Block O get their feet wet. Steve, you're too fat to even move from your guard position, we'll draw from a hat to see which Block O memeber replaces you. Ross, you're just not a strong enough athlete to play LB for us, and we've go this freak of a freshman on the sidelines (from Florida, not Coldwater) who could be one of our best ever, good luck finishing your career at Mt. Union. Brians, we'll call you when we need a slot receiver to pick us up 4 yards.

New Coaching Blood: If Tress wants to keep calling the offense, then so be it. He adapted when we had Troy, he'll adapt again with TP. However, our "Offensive Coordinator" who is really a glorified o-line coach has to go. I'm not a technique guy, so I'm receiving this info from other sources, but I've read/heard that people are disgusted by the technique they see from our o-line. That's a coaching issue, and that signifies it's time for a change. Don't think I forgot about the defense. Remember when we were the "Silver Bullets"? Those nasty black shields on their facemasks, intimidators all over the field, no one every bringing up our lack of speed our toughness. Get back to that, we're not a finese team, we don't play zone, we blitz, we make the other team beat us. Time to get back to the intimidating days of Mike Doss, Big Kat, AJ, and Rob Reynolds choking Wisconsin's QB in the middle of a pile.

Follow the lead of the porn industry, at some point you have to put your stars from the golden era on the sideline (Jenna, Jill Kelly, etc) to make room for the new talent and maintain your stranglehold on society (aka the Big Ten and CFB).

Buckeye of the Week: TP, carpe diem young man, here's a Jameson to you.

Coming Friday: Thoughts on Sons of Anarchy (falls best new show), America's fascination with Hurricane's ("We got Ike'd!" t-shirst available soon across the country), the affects on the 25yr old male psyche by having a random female suddenly become your roommate, and a look ahead to a really solid weekend of God's Game.

Beyond the Preseason

Yeah boy thats my (song) girl!

~Weezy F. Baby

As if our friends in Columbus needed any further validation of SC's superiority let the Song girls seal the deal.

And thats the last of I'll speak of ESPN/ABC's "Game of the Century" that proved to be about as competitive as USC's trip to Idaho two seasons ago. Dont fret OSU, right in line with Juda's prediction, you basically lost by 35. And right in line with Juda's predictions, you still have a good chance to back-door the National Championship game. Consider this beleagured Buckeye: The Top 11 teams in the country, outside of SC, are either from the Big 12, or SEC, meaning attrition will rapidly change the current standings. And the other team from a non-dominant conference, Wisky, you get a crack at in Madison. All was not lost ... well accept a little pride. Oh well, atleast you didnt get 76 smeared all over your grill by the Jayhawks.

Baby 'Shirts

Through three games (v. 2 WAC opponents, and 1 MAC squad) the Bo Pelini cultural awakening seems to be more than just coach-speak and idol promise. If not for a fumbled snap by a Frosh QB working in mop-up duty, the Big Red would have pitched a shut out against one of the country's most talented QB's. For those keeping score, which includes any of our embarrassingly small catalogue or readers, the Nation of Bo is averaging roughly 40 points for, to just 10 points against through three games. That my friends, is marked improvement and reason to buy-buy-buy Nebraska stock. The games on the October docket, which include a home contest against the golden boy Chase Daniel, will feature an NU squad looked upon as distinct underdogs in games against Mizzou, and Texas Tech. While the current state of the game has both the Tigers and the Red Raiders positioned ahead of Grand ole' Red, this season is the final time that will hold true. Bo is about do to Nebraska what Tressel did at OSU, Meyer did at Florida, and Stoops did at Oklahoma... and thats dominate conference first, and then the national scene shortly thereafter. This is a two year turnaround my friends. With that as the caveat...

Big 12 Saltlick

Mizzou looks dangerously good on offense, and Lubbock, Texas is a scary setting for Husker fans that remember the last time we broke in a new coach in the arid Texas desert (70-7 ass kicking/Red air-Raid for those short on memory). What is more, Mizzou has a team that believes the hype and has bought into their abilities. They will ride a wave of confidence enough to subdue reminders of the thirty years that have elapsed since the last time Nebraska lost at home to a team from CoMo. I'm truly nervous about this game. The only saving grace is that Mizzou will have yet to leave the state of MO when they ride into Lincoln. But enough of the Tigers until the October.

Outside of the Tigers and Red Raiders the Big12 is the crazy with depth. What a strange turn of events in the Heartland. I can remember but two seasons ago when an average Husker squad cakewalked through Chase Daniel, Josh Freeman at KSU, and a Kerry Meier led J-Hawk team on the way to a seemingly pedestrian Big12 North title. These days winning the North is anything but pedestrian. And winning the Big12 all together, well that could qualify the winner for a spot in Miami. Oh conference, my conference how dirty thine has becometh! Which is fine, just fine as the wins that were once perceived walkovers will only serve to hasten the Big Reds ascent to National notoriety. The SEC aint got stuff on the Big12. Maybe the Big Ten Network should drop the conference tag, and embrace the Midwest's best conference.

Heismania

Wheres the love for my boy Mark - Vinny Chase - Sanchez. This dude puts Chase Daniel, and Sam Bradford to bed when it comes to talent, and he is finally getting it done on the field. One cannot help but question why Steve Sarkisian refused to replace J.D. Booty with Dirty Sanchez earlier in his career. Its not as if starting in Trojan land is any guarantee of NFL success - so he wouldnt have done his SR QB a disservice (I believe Matt Cassel is producing the best numbers of any Trojan in the League). Anyways my vote, after nearly a month of play, is for Mark Medellin Sanchez.

Lets get it done on Wednesday night K-State ... to kick-off a Big12 sweep of three hapless Big East squads this weekend.

Scarlet Good-Knight

My girl Goldie will tell you that cheering for Butch Davis' Heels in a place once referrenced as "hostile" was anything but on Thursday night. Apparently folks from Piscataway forgot that Ray Rice is their only notable contribution to God's Game in the past 75 years. If not, then last nights 44-12 back-to-reality moment was a less than subtle reminder. Getting bitch slapped in Thursday night action to a team that hadn't won outside of its home state since 2002 is quite the testament to the coaching prowess of Greg Schiano, and the overall strength of the Big Least. The ACC is down - but the Big East needs to be out. Let the rock-chalk echo loudly tonight for the fighting Mangino's to remind the world that USF is just as downtrodden as their Big East brethren. Cincy, West Va., Louisville, and now Rutgers x 2 have all lost face in the nonconference. I expect more of the same from the Bulls. One more note on Schiano - remember all the lauding of Schiano for his purported loyalty to Rutgers as he turned down coaching opportunities elsewhere time and time again? Am I the only one that thinks this dude was simply passed over for these jobs, and feigned Rutgers loyalty to simply save face? After an 0-2 start with losses to two also-ran programs this scenario appears much more likely.

Is there a game in LA Saturday?

Seriously - does USC play this weekend? The hype for this game has actually supplanted the Presidential election and Obama-Palin mania in the headlines this week. Shamefully, I was watching Lou Dobbs last night and the ticker broke-in with urgent information about Chris Wells status for Saturday... on CNN! I respect both of these programs but enough is enough. USC by 35, and OSU still backdooring the National Championship game seems likely at this point.

Feeling Bullish - or - Keep your racial slurs to yourself Bill Stewart

Trivial pursuit question; category Sports and Leisure: Were there games other than OSU v. USC on Saturday, 9/13/2008. Answer: Chris Wells Foot. Not to be confused with the other body-update-headline-grabber of the week, Tom Brady's knee.

The docket for the weekend is laden with games that will begin to clarify what we know about college football... and no, Missouri v. South Arkansas Institute for the Transgendered is not among them. Kudos Mizzou for another stellar non-conference slate. Lets take a look at what your weekend should consist of...

KU v. USF

I cant wait to see George Selvie, the self proclaimed baddest-man-in-college-football, struggle against the mediocre Jayhawk offensive line. Reesing is a Doug Flutie clone, and the 'Hawks linebackers are salty, but this team is simply below Big 12 standards in the trenches. Good thing for the Stay-Puffed-Mangino-Man that below Big 12 standards is still good enough for tops in the Big East. KU 45, USF 28.

Colorado v. West Va.

Hey Bill Stewart - ITS THE BIG 12 ... IT AINT INTRAMURALS BROTHER! Thanks coach Hawkins. You're a player, and I cant wait for you to roll some heartland/mountian football all over the Meth-aneers. I think a better bet than the outcome of the actual game would be how many Nbombs Bill Stewart drops to the number of actual bombs Pat White attemtps. How does a man once reprimanded for dropping an Nbomb on a player get a job in a major conference? Oh thats right, the Nword is in the West Va. constitution. Ralphie 31, West Va. 17.

NU v. NMSU

New Mexico State comes to Lincoln with a potential NFL'er at QB and a bastardized version of the spread offense. I will be interested to see how the baby-Shirts in the secondary and along the Dline manage to get pressure on Chase Holbrook and contain his speedy receivers. This one should keep me on my toes for the first, oh, 22 minutes of action... but I expect us to ring-the-alarm by the middle of the second quarter. Look for a resurgent rushing attack now that starting RT Murtha is back off the IR list, and starting RG Andy Christensen is back on the team after beating sexual assault charges (the Big Reds back baby! Somewhere Christian Peter is smiling). NU 38, NMSU 21.

Other games of note I am eager to see include Fresno State v. Wisco (beware of the valley), OU v. Washington (beware of the zebras), and Iowa State v. Iowa (beware of the levee). The dockets full ladies and germs - pop a top for your Boy!

Scared, Confused, Excited, Nervous...

If I sound like a 14yr old about to lose the v-card, then I've done an accurate job describing my feelings leading up to the biggest regular season game for OSU (and the Big Ten for that matter) in the last 3yrs. The added sense of urgency that has been generated from the last 2 NC Game performances is beyond the urgency from any other regular season game in recent memory (excluding any scUM games of course). It seems to me that these players realize they aren't only playing for redemption for OSU, but for redemption for the entire Big Ten. While I don't necessarily approve of this new phenomenan of rooting for your conference (SEC, SEC, SEC...), it's necessary in the BCS world, and even more necessary when you're the king of the mountain.

I've been going back on forth since Saturday on how I feel about this game, but the one good thing is I've continued to feel mo

re and more confident as the week has gone on. Why you ask?

Saturday was an abberation. It's shocking to see a Sweater Vest coached team look ahead, but I'm confident that's what happened. When they HAD to turn it on, they dropped 20 straight points. Did our offense look awful? Yes. Did the oline look slow? Yes. Did the receivers lack the ability to get separation? Yes. Those are all still huge concerns, but concerns I think we can overcome. The playbook has been vanilla, based on what I've read/heard from pre-season practices. It's time to turn the weapons loose. TP is going is going to be fully unleashed, Beanie sounds ready to go, Saine should be full steam ahead, the D is ready to knock heads. It's going to be a war, and our boys are ready to prove that they belong. Take the 10.5pt spread, USC mouthing off that this is just another game, and all the hype around the vaunted Condoms, and I smell an overconfident USC team.

Will it get ugly if we perform like we did last week? Yes. Is that going to happen? No. These seniors didn't pass up millions to go to LA and get smoked. Game time is less than 4 days away, the nation better get ready for a shocker (as it looks like those ASU girls already are).

OSU 31-USC 27

3 Low Points from last week:

1. We heard going in that officials were going to focus on celebration penalties more, but what happened to Jake Locker and UW was ridiculous. In fact, everything about the whole thing was ridiculous: the actual penalty, the justification from the officials and the Pac 10, our friend Mark May saying Locker just flipped the ball over his head, everything. Hopefully the scorn coming down from the media pundits will cause officials to use a little restraint when pulling out the yellow hankees when a teenage kid decides to celebrate.

2. Anyone who thinks ND's late rally to beat SDSU was a "good" thing for this team is really grabbing for straws. This kids aren't stupid, they realize they just beat a team who lost to CAL POLY the week before. Cal Poly, didn't they just play DeLasale HS on Friday night? Worlds collide saturday, should be a thriller! Go...scoreless tie?

3. Why is no one mentioning the fact that Urban Meyer's decision to tack on a extra 3 resulted in the Gators covering the spread on Saturday? Instead he's an ass who's just trying to run up the score (albeit while he's still able to) on Da U. Wrong, he's just an ass who's trying to make some dollars or save his knee caps from his bookie.

Buckeye of the week: Boom Herron. Future looks bright young man, but it's not your time Saturday. Beanie, got getcha Heisman Trophy. Lets paint the Coliseum Scarlet and Grey boys.

PS: This post sucked, I have no excuses other than I've spent the last few days finalizing my "divorce" papers.

Tuesdays Gone With the Wind...

Sun Devil-ed Egg on My Face

My apologies to Arizona State for suggesting that Stanford had the sand to give y'all a legitimate scare. Sorry for the misgivings ladies... although its still unclear how one gives the shocker to a Cardinal arbor (check the shirts). Two in the phloem, and one in the xylem? Or is it the other way around? I digress...

NU, Turner the Spurner

Saturday was yet another day of excitement, promise, and trepidation for Huskerdom. In sum, an anemic offense, seemingly prolific red-zone defense, and defensive line play that was as disruptive as Ive seen from the Shirts in a long time are fitting descriptions of what transpired on Saturday. Couple all of the above with a 4th quarter kick return for a score by Niles Paul (Ahman's lil' play cuzin), and a resurgent performance by Ndamakong Suh, Zach Potter, and Pierre Allen and the game is more or less encapsulated. Commentary skewed too much to the negative (see Tom Shatel, Omaha World Herald), or skewed too much to the positive (Sam Mckewon, Daily Nebraskan) this early in the season is just page-filler. The jury is still out on this years brand of 'Skers. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the hell out of the 21 unanswered we dropped in the final stanza... now get your popcorn ready for New Mexico State, and Chase Holbrook.

What we do know however is that the biggest blow of the day was the injury sufferred by DE Barry Turner. Turner, a player former DC Kevin Cosgrove compared to All-American Erasmus James at Wisconsin, was the nuts of this years Dline. His loss will be felt heavily against Mizzou, TTech, and OU - and thats not page filler, but a sobering reality that Husker nation needs to embrace. My zeal for those three games eroded when our best defender was sidelined for the season. "I like our starters on the D Line, but I say a prayer every night before I go to bed that no one gets hurt," Bo Pelini in late August. Like I said, get your popcorn ready for New Mexico State, because conference play promises to pull at the heart strings.

The Game of the Week

OSU / USC will be covered so thoroughly that the game itself will disappoint. Outside of this certainty, not much else can be speculated. Did OSU struggle against Ohio - hell yes - and they needed a blocked kick to salvage momentum, and eventually the game. Does USC look dominant - also, hell yes - but when hasn't USC looked dominant over the last 6-7 years? Buckeye nation quakes at the thought of another primetime, uber-hyped nonconference affair that serves to remind the world that the Big Ten has fallen sluggishly behind teams from the warmer states. But to my pensive, and meek friends from the North I say do not write this one off the way the odds makers, and the media might have already. I was shocked to hear that the Bucks were a 10.5 point dog; 5-7 points seemed much more reasonable. And I will be shocked again if USC actually covers a double digit spread. So to ScarletandGray, and a nation on the verge of calling J. Tressel the next J. Cooper, I say temper your emotions and expect a good game. OSU is capable of stunning Petey C. the Trojan MC - but then again I predicted a Husker win in last years USC Nebraska game. Oh well, atleast we get to see the Song Girls in primetime.