Blanket Coverage: Surviving Week 3

I don't know if there is an inscription on that glass trophy awarded to the winner of the BCS Championship Game, but I have a suggestion. Last Saturday night, after Texas outlasted Texas Tech, a team which by all rights derailed the Longhorns' BCS title game hopes by a single second a year ago, their coach, Mack Brown, uttered this truism to ESPN's "College Gameday" gang: "I think college football is all about survival. It's not about who the best team is. It's who the best team is that day."

Amen, Mack.

Two weeks ago Miami edged Florida State, which went to to Provo, Utah, Saturday and crushed BYU, which upended Oklahoma in Week 1, which on Oct. 3 will visit Miami. Got that? So the Hurricanes will be favored by plenty, right?

Don't count on it. The Sooners, since their season-opening loss that also left them without their Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, under center, have rebounded to win their next two games by a combined score of 109-0.

In college football the past is not prologue. It's often your worst enemy.

It's about survival. In Gainesville, Tim Tebow failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 30 games, but he did enough (did you see that scramble on third-and-four?) to lead the No. 1 Gators to a 23-13 win over the surprisingly tough Vols.

Meanwhile in Seattle, No. 3 USC threw for the fewest yards (110) in the Pete Carroll era, but that should not have mattered with a stable of former five-star tailbacks and arguably the best O-line in the nation. The Trojans lost to an unranked opponent from the Pacific Northwest yet again, 16-13.

There is no objective "best" in college football, unless its first name is Jahvid (131 rushing yards and five TDs on Saturday against Minnesota). And as for "better?" After the Trojans lost at Washington, a program that two weeks earlier had the nation's longest losing streak in the Bowl Subdivision (15 games), Trojan tailback Joe McKnight said, "Washington wasn't the better team, they just outplayed us."

Say it ain't so, Joe. You've got a lot to learn about college football.

Ironically, His was the More Kafkaesque Performance

Ever since quarterback Mike Kafka arrived on campus at Northwestern, former English majors in the press box have contorted their copy so as to include the term metamorphosis. So it was bizarre on Saturday when Northwestern visited Syracuse that Kafka's counterpart was Greg Paulus. The erstwhile Duke point guard was 24-of-35 for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for a 10-yard score, as the Orange outlasted the Wildcats 37-34.

Rock Bottom

With his Buffs starting out 0-2, Colorado linebacker and team captain Marcus Burton might not be surprised if he were called out in a film session. But in geology class?

"You people may think this class is boring," Burton's professor reportedly said. "We're just talking about rocks. But it's no more boring than both the CU games. Marcus, you're a captain. Can you tell us about that?"

CU beat Wyoming 24-0 on Saturday.

Steer Clear

Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown against Texas Tech. Shipley scored untouched, but as he ran out of the end zone he startled an 1,800-pound observer who could have done much worse than put a lick on him: Bevo, the Longhorn mascot.

Bevo rose quickly to his feet. The Longhorn's long horns came eerily close to Shipley, as Colt McCoy's favorite target nearly became the steer's as well. "Bevo surprised me," said Shipley. "I looked up and there he was. I'm going to try to avoid Bevo from now on."

Good idea. Hook 'em, Horns, is just a figure of speech, after all.


It Only Took 743 Days

In case you had not noticed, both Washington and Washington State won on Saturday. The last time both the Huskies and the Cougars notched victories on the same day was September 8, 2007. U-Dub, as you know, beat the Trojans, 16-13. Wazzu rallied late to defeat SMU, 30-27, in overtime in Pullman. The Cougars' game-winning field goal marked the first time at any point in three games this season that they've held a lead.

Get Well Soon

The game will be without three of its more dynamic offensive players the rest of the season. With his team up 28-0 South Florida senior quarterback Matt Grothe, the Big East's career leader in total offense, suffered a college career-ending ACL tear. Notre Dame sophomore wideout Michael Floyd, who was leading the nation in yards-per-catch (29.1) and was second in receiving yards per game (160), broke his collarbone when he fell out of the end zone attempting to catch his sixth TD of the season. And on Saturday, Arizona coach Mike Stoops confirmed that junior tight end Rob Gronkowski, a third-team All-American last year, will undergo back surgery and is out for the season.

Get Well Sooner, Sooner

Since Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was sidelined with a sprained right shoulder in Week 1, his understudy, redshirt freshman Landry Jones, has thrown nine touchdown passes in two starts while completing 62 percent of his throws. Jones' six TD tosses in Saturday's 45-0 rout of Tulsa was a school record in Norman.
And they say that Mike Leach is the Big 12 coach who develops "system" quarterbacks.



Mississippi, It's the New Utah

Heading into the weekend everyone was abuzz about the Beehive State. Utah had the nation's longest win streak at 16 games, while BYU was the highest-ranked non-BCS school at No. 7. Then the Utes lost at Oregon while the Cougars were humbled at home by Florida State.

May we direct you to the Magnolia State, where both Mississippi and Southern Mississippi won their eighth straight games last weekend? The Rebels, No. 4 in the AP poll (and one of three SEC teams ranked in the top five) are at South Carolina on Thursday night. The Golden Eagles could be ranked next week if they win at No. 20 Kansas on Saturday.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Revival

A thunderstorm delayed the start of the West Virginia-Auburn game by about an hour, during which fans were advised to seek cover from lightning. Yet some 15,000 loyal (and likely lubricated) fans remained in the student section and broke out an improvised rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic, "Who'll Stop the Rain".
One question, Tiger fans. That tune came out 39 years ago. Next time this happens, can you update your playlist and go with Rihanna's "Umbrella"?

Overheard

ESPN's Rece Davis, after the latest of Mark May's outlandish statements on "College Football Final" "We're going to have to adjust the prescription of your Ashleigh Banfield glasses."

High School Reunion

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge did not need to see any tape of Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy when the Mean Green visited the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Dodge was McElroy's high school coach at Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School.

Then again, maybe he did. McElroy completed 13-of-15 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown as the Tide rolled, 53-7. As familiar as Dodge is with the Tide's QB, he knows the tendencies of his current QB even better: that would be his son, Riley Dodge.

For One Week, at Least, Charlie Weis Does Not Have the Biggest Officiating Gripe

Elon cornerback Karlos Sullivan was doing his job, running stride for stride with Wake Forest wideout Chris Givens on a go route. As the two neared the goal line, Sullivan was tripped and the ball fell into Givens's arms for a 54-yard touchdown and a 21-0 Demon Deacon lead.

No penalty flag was forthcoming because it was back judge Tommy Pace who tripped Sullivan. The official, who inadvertently got in Sullivan's way, was also sent sprawling. Pace rose to his feet and signaled touchdown. Sullivan, his palms pointing to the sky as he glared at Pace, probably wanted to signal something else.

Name of the Week

Last week it was Central Michigan defensive back Tommy Mama. This week let's give it up for Wake Forest linebacker Gelo Orange, who sounds like a refreshing new flavor from Vitamin Water. The redshirt sophomore, a native of Haiti, recorded the third blocked kick of his career in the Demon Deacons' 35-7 win.

Consistently Reliable and Reliably Consistent

In each of Notre Dame's first three games, safety Kyle McCarthy has recorded nine tackles and one interception. The fifth-year senior's pick with 57 seconds left against Michigan State saved the game for the Irish, as well perhaps as their nascent BCS hopes and their coach's job.


Color Uncoordinated

It was a wonderful gesture by Central Florida, honoring members of the 1958 University of Buffalo team who long ago refused an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl which, like UCF, is based in Orlando because its two African-American players were not invited. Members of that '58 Bulls squad were flown to Orlando and honored during Saturday's game between the schools ... but perhaps it was not the best game in which to also promote a "white-out."


And Ohio State Could Do an USO Tour

Greg Auman, who covers South Florida for the St. Petersburg Times, notes that Florida State will visit the Bulls Saturday in the Palindrome Bowl (FSU-USF). Other potential Palindrome Bowl matchups would pit Colorado State versus Southern California (CSU-USC), Kentucky-Kansas (UK-KU) and, of course, an intrasquad scrimmage at the Air Force Academy (AFA).