Scoreboard Watching...
7 comments so far
November 23, 2008 by
While the Huskers were resting on their bye week, other teams were playing. And, fans were watching some games and scoreboards very closely. Two scores jump off this morning’s sports page more than the others. Let's start with Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21. It's also worth taking a peak at this little gem of a score - Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 23.
Sooners Booming
Lets start with the Big 12 showdown of the week. The Sooners made a laughter of their game with Texas Tech. Similar to what they did to NU, the game was over almost before it started. OU jumped out 28-zip on the Raiders. The Sooner defense swarmed and tackled. Sam Bradford was ridiculously accurate, and the Sooner running game wrecked Tech. (DeMarco Murry is a freak....)
Okay, seriously, what Husker fan didn't see this one coming? I'm not too much of a "common opponent" guy, because college football is so random. But I know the Huskers. And, when NU played these teams on their home fields the difference was obvious. NU played right with Tech and could have won the game in overtime. The Huskers didn't belong with the Sooners in Norman. That played out pretty clearly on Saturday when the teams met.
OU is the class of the conference at this point. I realize they lost to Texas earlier this year. And, that still counts. But the best teams play their best ball in November. Right now, that's Oklahoma. Of course, they still have to face Oklahoma State in their "bedlam" game next week. But the Sooners are firing on all cylinders.
As a side note, my BRN buddy Steve and I have long believed that Mike Leach lacks a soul. There is just a giant whole in his chest where his soul should be. That showed up again Saturday. Late in the fourth quarter, he sent a limping Graham Harrell out against the Sooner backups to try and generate more points. It ended in a late score, sure. But, there is a line between competitiveness and arrogance. There is another line between arrogance and stupidity. Playing an injured kid late in to a blowout game is on the farthest end of the little spectrum I just drew for you.
A Holiday Gift From the Golden Domers?
Maybe Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis really likes Nebraska. He gave Husker fans a possible early Christmas gift when his team got stunned by previously 2-8 Syracuse at home on Saturday. The loss surely removes the Irish from Gator Bowl contention. This leaves NU in line for a New Year's Day Bowl birth, providing they can beat Colorado.
I am not going to lie to you. I was watching the Notre Dame game until nearly the end of third quarter. I shut it off with Notre Dame ahead, 23-10. I got tired of watching a mediocre team beat a bad one. I should have stayed tuned in. The Orange scored two fourth quarter touchdowns - the last one coming with less than a minute left - to take the wind right out of the Irish, and scoot away with an improbable win.
There are sub-plots galore with this game:
- Lame duck coach Greg Robinson got another win for the Orange. Is Turner Gill in line for the Syracuse job?
- Notre Dame's misery continues. They lost to an 8-loss team at home for Pete's sake. Is Charlie Weis feeling heat? He has a 10-year contract...is there enough money under the Dome to buy him out?
- If he's not feeling heat, then maybe he is feeling the cold from the snow. Notre Dame's fans threw snowballs at the Fighting Irish players on the sideline. What the Hell? Seriously...this is what fans do now? WOW.
Even with all of those sub-plots, I'm really only interested in how this affects the bowl alignments. At 6-5 and with USC still on the schedule, Notre Dame just likely took itself out of the running for the Gator Bowl. For NU, that is a gift just sitting on the table. It's up to the Huskers to unwrap that gift by beating Colorado.
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K. D. ABBEY Nov 23 08
Darren,
Turner Gill WILL be leaving Buffalo and will land a real decent job. I feel that it will happen at this seasons end. Syracuse? Not too sure. Could Tennessee possible pull the trigger on that deal? I kind of doubt it.
Weis is toast. The "holier than thou's" should melt down the dome and buy out that "clown in coaches clothing's" contract. On second thought...I hope they extend his contract another 10 years.
HuskerDeck Nov 23 08
Darren, I agree with you on your comment about Leach, but he is not the only one to leave a QB in when getting blown out. I will never understand why a coach does that. I think that should be the time to play your back ups, since your starters aren't doing much. I do think it is the arrogance of coaches who do this or trying to pad stats which I also hate. I thought we did the latter when Crouch was going for the Heisman to the detriment of Lord.
The ole Swede and Husker in South Arkansas
teamster Nov 23 08
Did dogmatic faith drove the ND AD to give Weiss a 10 year contract, of which 7 years remains? The Super Bowl jewelry garnished big guy won't ever have a need to look for another job after his buyout. But at least ND has access to a bottomless source of wealth. Another case of the NFL persona not being a good mesh or having a capacity to instill passion in young men?
ze bop Nov 24 08
K, well, I didn't expect OU to completely OWN Tech; figured they'd win by 2-3 tds though. The real significance of that game is that, per transitive property, NE is better than Tech since we scored 28 on the Sooners and 'held' them to a mere 62! Woohoo!
I dunno if Leach lacks a soul, I tend to like the guy's quirky personality, but I thought his immediate post game comments were pretty LAME:
*Most lamest post game quote......., ...in the history of the world.....*
zE bOp
post Yesterday, 06:16 AM
Post #1
Blackshirt (701-1000 Posts)
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***Coach Leach in response to, "what happened?" queries post OU game:
"I think that we wanted to do well and we over-tried," Leach said. " Rather than just trying to do the little routine plays, we tried to make super plays. I felt that we squandered the first half trying to make too much happen and trying to be too good."
K, i have to pause for a long laugh...
K, better now.
REALLY, Coach Leach, REALLY? Dude, uh, a giant can of whoop azz was just opened and poured all over you and your team for 60 minutes and all you can come up with is, "..we were trying to be T-T-oo GOOD"?!
OMFG!....pause..... laugh.
Oh, and it was soOO obvious TT was trying to make some "super" plays: NOT!!! They were lucky to even get a play off b4 the Sooners were all over them.
"Every facet of that game was controlled by OU from start to finish", Coach Leach, why don't you man up and say THAT instead(he prolly did later)? "OU was bigger, faster, tougher, smarter across the board, basically out or our league", that works too. But NO, the coach says they were worrying about being "too good"! Man, I could see the Sooners just shaking in their shoes over your "goodness". And yes, you soO "squandered away" the 1st half, ya beat yourselves, right? "Runnin' for your lives", "deer in headlights", do these ring a bell?
That has GOT to go down as one of the lamest post-beat-down quotes in the history of the planet.
Well done, Coach Leach sir, WELL DONE!
--------------------
--".....don't 'TAZE' me, bro...."
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As for Turner, I think he lands in Syracuse, like the day after this season is over.
Weis is toast. Thought they might keep him around for another yr to see how it goes, but now he could get the ax this yr. Problem is he has a 20 mil buyout clause, so how does that work?
JBLING22 Nov 24 08
I hope for Turners Sake he gets a better job than Syracuse....... I would like a job in the ACC if I was a coach, they suck and still get love... They keep trying to have an ACC team in the top 25 , just for Puck SaKE and they keep losing...
JBLING22 Nov 24 08
I hope for Turners Sake he gets a better job than Syracuse....... I would like a job in the ACC if I was a coach, they suck and still get love... They keep trying to have an ACC team in the top 25 , just for Puck SaKE and they keep losing...
WOW Nov 24 08
"Another case of the NFL persona not being a good mesh or having a capacity to instill passion in young men?"
Very much a contributing factor but there are other aspects of "The Great Weiss Hope" that are just as much a factor.
There is also the fact that he is a known cheater.
Most everybody associates the words 'Patriot's, Cheating and Belichick' but tend to leave out Weiss.
Sorry, but who stands to gain the most from knowing things about the defensive unit their team is facing.
Offensive Coordinator.
I don't think the University will be buying him out for at least another two seasons, IF at all.
Hell, he has just now sunken to the Bob Davie level and he is 'head and shoulders' above Davie in the 'cred' that matters to many of the folks that run that show.
JR