And the College Football season begins!!!

[drothgery]

They were out played, the spotting of the ball for the last play was very generious, and how many times does fumbling actually set up the game winning TD for the people that fulbmed it?

You're kidding, right? ND was only in the game because of rotten officiating (most notably that well out-of-bounds catch) and because Steve Smith failed to catch the ball a few times when wide open and given a perfect pass to work with.

 

[Crothian]

You're kidding, right? ND was only in the game because of rotten officiating (most notably that well out-of-bounds catch) and because Steve Smith failed to catch the ball a few times when wide open and given a perfect pass to work with.

USC was only in the game because ND wasn't perfect either...it goes both ways. :\

 

[Dimwhit]

You know what else impresses me about USC? They play to win, not to not lose. That last play was also way gutsy. 7 seconds left, no timeouts, and the run the sneak. If Leinart doesn't get in, they lose. I think a lot of teams would have spiked the ball and gone for the FG and OT.

That last drive just impressed me a lot.

 

[Crothian]

I think if more players were allowed to call thie plays they would all go for the win. Its the coaches that go for the tie a lot of time becasue they are afraid to lose a sa bad choice like that can get them fired.

 

[drothgery]

I think if more players were allowed to call thie plays they would all go for the win. Its the coaches that go for the tie a lot of time becasue they are afraid to lose a sa bad choice like that can get them fired.

And the thing is it's really a better idea to go for the win. It's much more likely that you'll score a TD from less than 2 yards out than win in overtime (overtime is basically a coin flip; 3 plays from the 2 should result in a TD at least 75% of the time).

There's just an element of illogically conservative playcalling, like SU kicking field goals late in the game yesterday. Losing 31-9 rather than 31-6 or 31-3 made no difference; they needed touchdowns if they wanted to get back in teh game.

 

[The Shaman]

They were out played, the spotting of the ball for the last play was very generious, and how many times does fumbling actually set up the game winning TD for the people that fulbmed it?

I didn't see anything in spotting the ball that was "generous" - the side judge was right there and marked where forward progress stopped immediately after the play was whistled dead.

As far as setting up the fumble setting up the TD...sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Both teams made mistakes, both teams got breaks (like the catch-that-wasn't-a-catch). Both teams also made some great plays - the choice by both coaches to go for it on 4th-and-1 was just awesome.

As far as ND "outplaying" SC, I would have to give the play-calling nod to Charlie Weis - there's a reason he was the best OC in the NFL, and he showed it. However, that final score isn't a fluke - in fact, I was a bit surprised that it was that close. I credit the fact that ND had two weeks to rest and prepare, that they were playing at home in front of an insane crowd and Touchdown Jesus (not necessarily in that order), that this is a tradition-drenched rivalry and rivalry games usually bring out something special, and that Charlie Weis not only had a chance to study how Oregon and ASU challenged SC but also call on Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick for ideas. Even then, ND could never shake loose - SC held on with a beat-up, young D.

My biggest surprise of the game was how well ND's secondary played, but they were aided by a less-than-stellar Leinert performance and some dropped balls. SC should've been able to air it out, and they couldn't. (As a result, Reggie Bush will earn the Heisman Trophy.)

This game was everything you could've hoped for from a top-10 matchup midway through the season.

SC has some work ahead of it: Special teams. The cornerbacks. The stupid penalties. (There's no excuse for the false starts and the personal fouls.) Cal in Berkeley. UCLA anywhere.

Interesting note: Texas has played only two ranked teams, and against another top-10 team the margin of victory was...(*drum-roll*)...three points. The Longhorns have looked good against a bunch of stiffs (and that includes OK - never thought I'd call a Sooner teams "stiffs"...good job, Bob Stoops!). Texas hasn't played anyone of the caliber that SC has beaten so far this year (and yes, I'm including Ohio State in that). They haven't given me any reason to believe that SC couldn't beat them in a head-to-head match-up. (That may change after the game with Tech, but we'll see.)

It's taken me a full fourteen hours since the game ended to actually start thinking about this one - I was too wiped out last night!

 

[fett527]

Interesting note: Texas has played only two ranked teams, and against another top-10 team the margin of victory was...(*drum-roll*)...three points. The Longhorns have looked good against a bunch of stiffs (and that includes OK - never thought I'd call a Sooner teams "stiffs"...good job, Bob Stoops!). Texas hasn't played anyone of the caliber that SC has beaten so far this year (and yes, I'm including Ohio State in that). They haven't given me any reason to believe that SC couldn't beat them in a head-to-head match-up. (That may change after the game with Tech, but we'll see.)!

OSU's defense is not only high-caliber it is the best in the nation. Texas was able to overcome what I believe that defense and you must give them props for that. I don't believe USC's defense comes close to OSU's. Texas will score points on USC and that is why they can beat them. And before you point out how many yards OSU gave up to MSU, you better read a careful synopsis of the game to realize the defense is why they won that game. Not only the blocked field goal but also the fact that they were on the field for so long and never gave up. They stuffed MSU when they had too.

 

[fett527]

And sorry I couldn't participate over the weekend- too much to do.

 

[Crothian]

So, was the Bush push of Leinart an illegal move?

 

[Dimwhit]

So, was the Bush push of Leinart an illegal move?

Why would it be? Far as I know, he could pick him up and carry him over the goal line if he wanted, couldn't he? (I honestly don't know--are there rules about it?)