Week 1 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
When discussing BYU for the 2009 season during many summer editions of the Power Hours on VI Radio, I never once called for the Cougars to beat Oklahoma outright. However, on a number of occasions, I stated that if Bronco Mendenhall’s team could find a way to pull a shocker against OU at Cowboys Stadium, just like Mountain West rep TCU did in Norman in 2005, then BYU would have a legitimate shot at the BCS Championship Game this year.
Now certainly, the Cougars still have a long way to go and will need a bunch of help. And obviously, we all know they won’t get invited to Pasadena ahead of other potentially unbeaten teams like Florida, Texas and/or USC, and we know they still have to navigate their 12-game slate unscathed.
But if things unfold as they did two years ago, when a twice-beaten LSU squad won it all, then BYU will very much be in business. And that’s because for “mid-major” standards, Mendenhall put together the ideal schedule.
For starters, BYU put itself in an opening game where it could immediately grasp the nation’s attention. Consider that done after the Cougars beat Oklahoma 14-13 Saturday as a 23-point underdog.
Furthermore, the school best known for its success under Lavell Edwards, who developed some of the NCAA’s best all-time QBs like Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer and Steve Sarkisian, has another high-profile opponent lined up. Florida St. and legendary head coach Bobby Bowden will come to Provo in Week 3.
With that in mind, we know that BYU fans are rooting hard for Oklahoma and FSU to play well in 2009. And of course, the Cougars still must deal with TCU and Utah, both of whom have been perennial top-25 programs the last few years. Also, we saw Colorado St. look strong in Week 1, winning 23-17 at Colorado as a double-digit underdog in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
Best of all, the Seminoles, Rams, Horned Frogs and Utes all have to come to the altitude of Provo, where Mendenhall has posted a 21-3 straight-up record during his four years at BYU. Again, the Cougars will need help -- and lots of it -- but as long as they stay undefeated, there’s no doubting the legitimacy of their national-title hopes in 2009.
Those aspirations are a reach for Boise St. because it doesn’t play another BCS school the rest of the season, but that won’t prevent us from expecting the Broncos to get into a BCS game like they did in 2006. BSU dominated Oregon on Thursday night, winning a 19-8 decision as three-point home favorites on the smurf turf.
Chris Petersen’s team didn’t even allow a first down by the Ducks until the third quarter. QB Kellen Moore showed no signs of a potential sophomore slump, completing 19-of-29 attempts for 197 passing yards without an interception. The Broncos should be favored in every game they have left, but mark Oct. 14 on your calendar because that’s when Boise goes to Tulsa for a Wednesday night showdown on ESPN.
Alabama opened its season at the Georgia Dome for a second straight year but unlike the seal clubbing it gave Clemson, it got all it wanted from Va. Tech this time around. The Crimson Tide captured a 34-24 win over the Hokies as a six-point favorite.
Nick Saban’s team out-yarded Va. Tech 498-155, but Beamer Ball had the Hokies in the lead both at halftime and early in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, ‘Bama made all the plays at crunch time and pulled out the spread cover.
Coming into the season, Alabama had two main concerns: An offensive line filling a few holes, particularly the loss of All-American OT Andre Smith, and the lack of playing experience for junior quarterback Greg McElroy. With Mark Ingram rushing for a workmanlike 150 yards and Roy Upchurch gaining 90 yards on the ground, the o-line is off to a nice start.
As for McElroy, he clearly has the toughness and composure to lead the Tide back to the Georgia Dome in early December. Under adverse conditions before a raucous environment in his first career start, McElroy stepped up and made plays when it mattered. He finished the night with 230 yards passing and his lone mistake was a first-half interception on a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage.
Oklahoma State has to feel good about its improved defensive play after it won a 24-10 decision over Georgia as a five-point home favorite. The Cowboys didn’t light up the scoreboard, netting just 304 total yards, but Zac Robinson found Dez Bryant for a pair of TD hook-ups.
The Dawgs couldn’t overcome costly turnovers, not to mention an extremely questionable call that proved to be crucial early in the final stanza. They also lost stud offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant for the season – again – when he tore his ACL.
Mark Richt’s team can’t lick its wounds for long because a physical South Carolina team will come calling Saturday. As of early Monday night, most betting shops had Georgia listed as a seven-point ‘chalk.’
Steve Spurrier teams are 2-1 straight up and 3-0 against the spread at Sanford Stadium. The Gamecocks looked ferocious on defense in a 7-3 win Thursday at North Carolina State. On the other hand, Spurrier’s offense looked anemic yet again.
The hot seats for Rich Rodriguez and Charlie Weis may have cooled somewhat – for now, that is – at both Michigan and Notre Dame, respectively, after both schools looked impressive and easily cashed tickets in Week 1 wins. The Wolverines jumped all over Western Michigan early and cruised to a 31-7 win as 14-point home favorites at The Big House.
The Irish pounded Nevada by a 35-0 count, making some pundits (such as me, who touted the Wolf Pack in this contest for most of the summer) look downright stupid as they dominated as 14-point favorites. Jimmy Clausen enjoyed a career performance, connecting on 15-of-18 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.
California lost 35-27 at Maryland in 2008 and Jeff Tedford’s bunch was revenge-minded going into its opener against the Terrapins. The Bears wasted no time in quickly disposing of Ralph Friedgen’s squad. They dumped the Terps 52-13 as expensive 21-point home favorites and in the wake for Oregon’s dud at Boise, clearly established themselves as the team most likely to give USC a run for the Pac-10 title.
LSU wasn’t impressive in a 31-23 win at Washington, failing to cover the number as an 18 ½-point road favorite. Jake Locker’s nine-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left allowed ‘over’ backers (like me) to cash tickets on the 53-point tally.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
South Carolina lost LB Rodney Paulk to a season-ending injury when he tore his ACL in the first half against the Wolfpack.
Arkansas WR London Crawford is out 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone. Crawford, who had two receptions for 44 yards in the Hogs' 48-10 win over Missouri St., started 11 games in 2008.
Vandy collected a 45-0 win over Western Carolina in a non-lined affair. The Commodores had not issued a bagel in a decade. The ‘Dores out-yarded the Catamounts, 620-115. Bobby Johnson played a pair of true freshmen at RB since senior Jared Hawkins still isn’t quite 100 percent. Zac Stacy ran for 133 yards and a touchdown, while Warren Norman went for 105 yards and a pair of TDs. QB Larry Smith was sharp in his second career start.
If I’m Les Miles, I’m extremely concerned about my secondary. As of Monday night, LSU was a 14 ½-point home ‘chalk’ for Saturday’s SEC opener against Vandy.
Another epic FSU-Miami game goes to the 'Canes by a 38-34 count. UM wins outright as a six-point underdog to hook up money-line backers with a plus-200 payout (risk $100 to win $200). It turned out to be irrelevant, but what the hell was going on with the clock keeper's multiple mistakes on the final possession and more importantly, why/how the hell did Miami not notice and bitch about it more? Unreal!
Biggest Upsets:
1-BYU 14, Oklahoma 13
2-William & Mary 26, Virginia 14
3-North Texas 20, Ball St. 10
4-Colorado St. 23, Colorado 17
Coaches on the Hot Seat:
1-Al Groh (UVA)
2-Steve Kragthorpe (Louisville)
3-Rich Rodriguez (Michigan)
4-Charlie Weis (Notre Dame)
5-Dan Hawkins (Colorado)
Stock Down:
1-Illinois
2-Virginia
3-Iowa
4-Oklahoma
5-Ohio St.
Stock Up:
1-Missouri
2-BYU
3-Cincinnati
4-Notre Dame
5-Alabama
vegasinsider.com.