Week 6 Review

BCS Shake Up! 

As we reached the midway point of the regular season we faced a HUGE Saturday of football with a few battles of undefeated teams facing off and other big match-ups that I dubbed Statement Saturday. It was a chance for teams to begin separating themselves from the rest of the pack. A few rose to the occasion and answered the call while others failed miserably and took a step back. From a personal standpoint, I took another step back this week. After running the table and going 10-0 last week, I went 9-5 Saturday to make my overall record this year 50-19...which isn't too shabby I suppose. Lets take a look back on all the happenings from around the nation that took place Saturday. 

The Gators Are Back! 

Florida knocked off LSU in the swamp 14-6 to improve to 5-0 on the season. Led by Mike Gillislee with 146 yards and 2TDs, the Gators continued their impressive start to the 2012 campaign and proved they are the real deal and are a force again in the SEC-East. The Tigers were doomed by poor play, turnovers (3) and penalties (8-83 yards) and simply could not stop Gillislee. Another striking stat was 42 yards...that was what LSU rushed for as a team. I don't care who you are and what offense you run..when you gain less than 50 yards rushing...you are probably going to lose. Zero balance or significant offensive production at all for the Tigers. LSU had struggled as of late and had not been very impressive so this shouldn't be a major surprise though its still a huge upset for the Gators. LSU now prepares for the Gamecocks in that "other" Death Valley next week, 8pm kickoff. Florida meanwhile heads to Nashville to take on the Commodores for a 6pm kickoff. 

Geno Smith For Heisman? 

I still have nightmares anytime I think about Smith and the WVU offense. As much as I dislike them, gotta give them credit as they continue to put up big numbers. They are impressive on offense but like my Tigers, could use some major improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Smith though is making up for the lack of defense as he put up impressive numbers again this weekend going on the road against Texas and getting the 48-45 victory . Smith was threw for 268 yards and 4 TDs while Andrew Buie had a record setting day rushing for 207 yards and 2Tds.  And if that's not impressive enough for you...Smith has now thrown for 24 touchdowns and get this...ZERO interceptions this year. Geno is what you call a "grown man"! 

Buckeyes Keep Winning

I said it last week and I'll say it again...the path to the BCS championship is becoming more and more doable for OSU if they keep winning. With losses coming for either Bama, LSU, South Carolina and Florida...all the Buckeyes have to do is keep on winning and they will have a solid argument for a spot in the title game. They keep winning and doing it in style..example being knocking off Nebraska this weekend 63-38. Miller, another Heisman hopeful rushed for 186 yards...72 of which coming off just one carry. Another dual threat QB like Smith who should be in NYC at the end of the season...and also likely to have his team in the top 5 as well. 

Clemson racks up 600 yards of offense, rally to beat Georgia Tech

It wasn't pretty and at times....it was flat out ugly. But Clemson found a way to get the job done and thanks to a huge 4th quarter, a safety, big stop in the red zone and a blocked FG, the Tigers held on for a 47-31 win against its rival from the Coastal Division and kept its ACC Championship hopes alive. (More on how big this win was later on) Nuk Hopkins continued to show up and show out reeling in 7 passes for 178 yards and 2 big play Tds. Tajh Boyd struggled early but settled down and made some good passes down the stretch and had a huge game one the ground making things happen when his wide outs were covered. He rushed for 63 yards and averaged 4.3 per carry and had some big runs that kept the chains moving for Clemson. Roderick McDowell again came into the game and helped finished the job with some fresh legs and energy rushing for 56 yards and 2 TDs. Boyd moved ahead of Charlie Whitehurst with the most career TD passes. He is on pace to absolutely smash that record, especially if he is to return next season. With the win, Clemson now prepares for a much needed bye week. Next up will be the Hokies October 20th in Death Valley, a noon kick. Which makes zero sense to me...ESPECIALLY seeing as North Carolina @ Duke has the prime time slot....but I won't even open up that can of worms. 

Will The Real Seminoles Please Stand Up?

Well FSU did what I expected them to eventually do this season and lose a game they had no business losing. I had been neck-deep in this FSU hype all off season and through the first half of this season. The Noles traveled to North Carolina State and fell to the Wolf Pack 17-16. The Noles were shutout in the second half and NCST hung around and after blowing a chance late in the game to score on a questionable play call, they cashed in on their last chance with 15 seconds remaining on 4th down. With the game on the line, Glennon stood in the pocket and fired the ball into the chest of Bryan Underwood from 2 yards out and the extra point proved true securing the upset over the #3 ranked Seminoles. Bad news for FSU is they still have to travel to Virginia Tech and Miami so the race for the Atlantic division just got VERY interesting. And more importantly, for me, my Clemson Tigers are without a doubt, right back in the race. Just gotta keep winning. FSU now must refocus and get ready for Boston College. 

South Carolina dominates Georgia, improves to 6-0

I missed the first quarter of this game where most of the damage was done, but it was clear to me that South Carolina was the better team, was better prepared and had the better game plan and smothered UGA's offense. Clowney, Taylor and the rest of the D-line gave Murray and the offensive line fits all night long and they simply could not block the Gamecocks. I recall numerous times where Clowney was literally hurdling offensive linemen and tight ends rushing towards the backfield. Meanwhile, South Carolina was firing on all cylinders and recorded another punt return TD via Ace Sanders. (Note to everyone: don't kick to him) UGA not only was dominated they barely escaped the shutout scoring a TD with less than 2 min remaining in the game. Lattimore had another big game against the Red and Black rushing for 109 yards and 1TD. The Gamecocks gave their fans a great show and kept them cheering all night long which didn't help the Bulldogs struggles. With the 35-7 win, the Gamecocks now prepare for another road trip as they head to Baton Rouge for LSU next weekend. After that, they head to the swamp..that is followed by a home match up against Tenneessee. Ranked #3 in the nation and having to go on the road in hostile environments can they keep up this streak...a 10-0 streak which is now the nation's longest active streak? We will see. 

Other News

Its not just about Basketball in Durham anymore. Duke is now 5-1 following a 42-17 beat down of UVA. Not going to lie, that Clemson-Duke game in Durham is slowly but surely looking like a major trap game for the Tigers. The Blue Devils are playing well and are gaining more and more confidence as the season grows. They could easily be some the party crashers for some ACC teams this year. Funny thing is...if  the ACC Championship were played today, it'd be Maryland vs Duke. Again...this is football. My oh my how times have changed! In other news, Vanderbilt knocked off Missouri 19-15 Saturday. Zac Stacey rushed for 72 yards and 2 TDs. Missouri is still searching for that first SEC victory. North Carolina got past VT 48-34 behind a 262 yard 1 TD showing from Gio Bernard. Kansas St gave Kansas all it could handle 56-16 and remained undefeated. Oregon cruised past Washington 52-21. Notre Dame steamrolls Miami (FL) 41-3. Iowa St upsets TCU and snaps their 12 game winning steak, 37-23. Oklahoma had not problems with Texas Tech, 41-20 over the Red Raiders. And Stanford outlasted Arizona in 4 OTs, 54-48. In a battle of struggle city, Arkansas beat Auburn 24-7. Gene Chizik...I feel your pain, but I hope you don't win another game this season. Back to GT for moment, they announced Monday that Defensive Coordinator Al Groh had been fired following its third straight loss in which his defense gave up an average of 46 points and twice gave up over 600 yards of total offense. And finally, back to the UGA game. After finding out his father had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer Friday, Murray had one of the worst games of his life Saturday and returned home to find his house had been egged and rolled with toilet paper. C'mon people...its a football game. Its just a game! There are far more important things in life. Win, lose, or draw...stay classy!