What we learned Week 1

[CoachCB]

Please post up any observations noted during week 1 (misleading scores, box scores, turnovers, defensive standouts, etc).

- UCLA scored 28 points vs a shitty UVA...but only 1 was an Offensive score.

- Bama rolled up 500 yards of offense...but couldn't manage to score at will (QB execution, IMO. Kiffin called a good game).

- FSU's D has some holes.

- Vandy is a dud w/out Franklin.

- Gurley gets my vote for Heisman.

 

[stander]

Wisky coach will lose you some $ this year. Tread with caution

 

[Soriano12]

Not sure if it was just because they were playing Baylor and trying to slow down the pace of the game, but SMU used the whole playclock for almost every single offensive play. Plus since their QBs were pressured almost immediately, most plays were quick, very short passes that kept the game clock running and there offense was pretty much non existent.
Imo worth a look because such a pace offensively would greatly affect the probabilities for over/under.
And in case you have access to in-play wagering, there might be highly inflated o/u lines in blowout games because high octane offense (especially pass heavy teams) will tone it down in blowouts while SMU just can't score even in garbage time.

 

[TyBounce]

Agree with all coach. ...And kinda shocked by Vandy , i thought their fall from grace would be casual over 2-3 years , but i thought they would still be a 6-6 competative team this year. ... but WOW !

Agree on Gurley as well.

Very surprised also to see urban meyer and nick saban coached teams have such bad penalties. ...both had delays 1st play after chang of possesion and calling timeouts right after a timeout. ... just unprepared and undisciplined stuff. .... i suspect those will get straitened up by both teams.

 

[Gravy]

The MAC conference is down this year

Michigan and Penn St looked alot better

Ohio State will struggle this year IMO maybe 2 to 3 losses this yr

Georgia looks good but hate the QB

Curious to watch the Stanford VS USC game this week along with Oregon and Mich State

 

[russ1945]

" Bama rolled up 500 yards of offense...but couldn't manage to score at will (QB execution, IMO. Kiffin called a good game)."

Did you notice how Saban was hawking Kiffin the entire game. I get the impression that he is not willing to let Kiffin open up the offense the way Kiffin might if Saban was not hawking him. That shows me Saban will not relinquish his hold on Kiffin. Saban still is conservative. He will not admit that you can open up your offense more and become less predictable. He is all about defense but it is obvious that wide open offenses expose his defense and at the very least wear it down. Look at Baylor last night. Their defense was aggressive the entire game. That defense practices against their offense all the time. They are in top physical condition and also mentally conditioned for fast paced offenses. Opening up his offense could allow Saban's defense to do the same.
The SEC has changed from a trench oriented defensive approach to an athletic conditioned skilled player defensive approach. DB's are more important than ever as is the ability to pressure a QB who is not a statue.

 

[russ1945]

Mike Gundy proved he is a quality HC against Florida St. Okla St was ranked last (#128) in Steele's experience rankings. His players gave maximum effort from start to finish and were properly prepared on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Granted Mr. Heisman was not at his best but I don't think he was ready for what he faced last saturday. Gundy is a competitor and as a former player (QB) he has been there done that, something not all HC's can say. Florida St won the game but Okla St won my admiration. Who wanted to face the defending national champion in their opening game. Nobody saw that one coming when it was scheduled but it was what it was. And as it turned out Okla St gave hope to all the other teams who will face Florida St this season and to all those teams who are striving to reach the playoffs. You can't judge a season based on one game but being that was a season opener Gundy has sent a message to future foes not to take his team for granted. They come to play.

 

[GoSooners]

I've learned from many years of doing this not to get too carried away with week one. Those were games that teams prepared all summer for. Now week 2 is another story...

 

[russ1945]

" Bama rolled up 500 yards of offense...but couldn't manage to score at will (QB execution, IMO. Kiffin called a good game)."

Did you notice how Saban was hawking Kiffin the entire game. I get the impression that he is not willing to let Kiffin open up the offense the way Kiffin might if Saban was not hawking him. That shows me Saban will not relinquish his hold on Kiffin. Saban still is conservative. He will not admit that you can open up your offense more and become less predictable. He is all about defense but it is obvious that wide open offenses expose his defense and at the very least wear it down. Look at Baylor last night. Their defense was aggressive the entire game. That defense practices against their offense all the time. They are in top physical condition and also mentally conditioned for fast paced offenses. Opening up his offense could allow Saban's defense to do the same.
The SEC has changed from a trench oriented defensive approach to an athletic conditioned skilled player defensive approach. DB's are more important than ever as is the ability to pressure a QB who is not a statue.

(found this at vergasinsider.com)

Tide shows glimpse of no-huddle offense
August 31, 2014
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]ATLANTA (AP) - Looking for a way to calm a jittery first-time starting quarterback, No. 2 Alabama broke out the no-huddle offense for a while against West Virginia.

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The move helped recalibrate Blake Sims, and the Tide went on to roll to victory.Up-tempo Alabama? And with the shifty Sims, guiding the offense could the zone-read and spread be next?
Not happening.
Nick Saban is fine with the Tide's old-school ways. In fact, being the ''dinosaur'' in this age of high-tech offenses is now to Alabama's advantage, Saban said after a 33-23 victory against West Virginia.
The Tide's no-huddle tweak against the Mountaineers came in the second quarter, a suggestion Saban made to new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who is calling plays from the sideline instead of from the coach's box above the field as so many coordinators do.
Going no-huddle helped simplify things for a few moments for Sims, but it's not as if Alabama was suddenly playing at a pace befitting Oregon or Auburn.
The Tide went back to the huddle for most of the game and held the ball for more than 37 minutes. And while Sims' mobility is a new weapon for Saban's offense after years of Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron tucked contentedly in the pocket, don't expect the Tide to stray too far from its traditional sets.
''We're one of the few teams in the world that still play regular people,'' said Saban, referring to a tight end, two backs and two wide outs. ''That's like when I played, that was like getting an empty (backfield). And now we're like the dinosaur age when it comes to that. We also play two tight ends and two wide outs and one back.
''But one thing that I found out about all that is because everybody else is spread and no-huddle, people really have a tough time defending what we do because nobody does it. And it allows us to be more physical and it does allow us to play more players.''
It certainly worked fine at the Georgia Dome.
Alabama gained 538 yards and at a very solid clip of 6.6 per play. Last season, Alabama averaged 7.15 per play, tied for fifth in the nation with Ohio State, a spread team, and just a bit behind hurry-up, no-huddle juggernauts Oregon, Baylor and Texas A&M.
No. 1 in the country was Florida State at 7.67 per play - another team that plays dinosaur football, and further proof that it's more about the players you line up than how you line them up.
Kiffin was brought in to replace Doug Nussmeier after last season because he is a believer in a more traditional approach to offense, too.
Saban said having Kiffin on the sideline helped Sims.
''That's why we put him there because that's what we thought he could do to affect the game. Told (Sims) a lot about what we were going to do next so he could anticipate what he had to do,'' Saban said. ''I thought (Kiffin) did a fantastic job.''
Kiffin, the former Southern California coach who was fired five games into last season, doesn't have to deal with the media anymore - Saban's assistants are off limits.
Answering questions from reporters was an assignment that often didn't show Kiffin's best side whether it was at USC, Tennessee or as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
As Alabama's players and coaches cleared out of the Georgia Dome, Kiffin leisurely made his way toward the exit and past dozens of reporters who were finishing up interviews with players outside the Tide locker room.
He stepped to the side for moment to fiddle with his phone and headphones. The only question he had to field was from someone who asked him how he was settling into Tuscaloosa and then wished him luck.
''We're 1-0,'' he said and smiled.
[/FONT]

 

[russ1945]

I've learned from many years of doing this not to get too carried away with week one. Those were games that teams prepared all summer for. Now week 2 is another story...

Across the board that is probably true but some teams, like Okla St, proved the preseason forecasters pretty much wrong. Not many people expected Tennessee's defense to do what they did. Many picked Utah St to win outright. The teams who exceeded preseason expectations are the ones to keep your eyes on. Rutgers has a good running game. Cal has better balance. W. Virginia, like Okla St, came to play. Nebraska, USC and Notre Dame showed they have real potential this season. Biggest disappointment, S. Carolina.

 

[GoSooners]

The problem with Saban's defenses is he uses 250 linebackers and 300+ pound defensive lineman that are ready made for the NFL. But can't chase around no huddle offenses all game. Especially with no substitution. He's got a real dilemma on his hands against these new spreads in the SEC.

 

[GoSooners]

Across the board that is probably true but some teams, like Okla St, proved the preseason forecasters pretty much wrong. Not many people expected Tennessee's defense to do what they did. Many picked Utah St to win outright. The teams who exceeded preseason expectations are the ones to keep your eyes on. Rutgers has a good running game. Cal has better balance. W. Virginia, like Okla St, came to play. Nebraska, USC and Notre Dame showed they have real potential this season. Biggest disappointment, S. Carolina.

Don't get too carried away with OSU.

 

[CoachCB]

Washington = huge disappointment.

I said this before, Peterson should have stayed at Boise. Both coaches who built that program before him (Koetter & Hawkins) failed MIS-ER-A-BLY when they left. I don't expect much more than 8-4 seasons out of him at Washington...

 

[Albatross]

Hundley excused himself from the Heisman discussion.

UGA has a legit shot at the NC.....if we get some QB play.

Gurley is the best player in the country.

Mike Leech is still a bad coach.

Big 12 will take the place of the PAC as the second best conference.

Funny that TAM gets no offensive respect but how bad the USC D is..

 

[MoneyMiller]

I was at the Wazzu/Rutgers game and my god coach leach is brutal, bad play calling on offense. 60 two yard passes, 10 runs for negative yards. Just a pathetic defense and no special teams to speak of...Green light to fade away. Im going to play the over and whoever they're playing in a parlay for the next month, think I'll be 2-2 at worst.

 

[tmader7]

Don't get too carried away with OSU.

I never do, TBP almost hired me once, lol. They have a rising star in the backfield though, you have to admit it even bleeding crimson. I like the early look of the Big 12, everybody came to play, everybody that might matter that is.

~T~

 

[ERockMoney]

The ACC may be even worse than last year, which I suspected would be nearly impossible since they were horrific last year.

 

[WinOne]

Tread lightly this week on Texas. David Ash got concussed AGAIN!! I said last year that he went to 3 doctors before someone finally cleared him. I think his career may be over at UT.

Agree with Coach about HC Petersen. UW looked horrible and were fortunate to win. I want to see IF he can adjust to the different type of athletes he has inherited at UW.

I dont think its a QB Hundley issue, I think its an OL issue. This kid has been sacked 90+ times in 2 seasons and 1 game. Granted he can hold the ball sometimes however his line looked very confused while playing without their starting center.

Don't sleep on UTSA. They get Zona this week and that might be much closer than the experts in the Desert think. That was a pretty darn good UH team that they held to 7 points in Houston.

Agree with GS about Saban. I've been preaching this for 2 years as he's not adjusted his defenses to the spread offenses. If he does not adjust, Sumlin/A&M will get them again in T-Town.

Also on Bama, they still can't cover. Their corners are not very good once again.

USC....I know its only Fresno St but they looked really good. Gonna be watching them this week as they play Stanford.

Ohio St, watch out for Va Tech this weekend. They struggled to move the ball against an undersized Navy Defense. I guarantee you Bud Foster will be licking his chops knowing he's facing a pup at QB. He'll throw everything including the kitchen sink at the young QB

UGa looked really, really good. That was supposedly a really good Clemson defense and UGa just rolled up their sleeves and shoved it down their throat. And the UGa defense was flying around. Its been years since the junkyard dog days since a UGA defense went out and was "the hammer" instead of being "the nail".

 

[groundhog11]

" Bama rolled up 500 yards of offense...but couldn't manage to score at will (QB execution, IMO. Kiffin called a good game)."

Did you notice how Saban was hawking Kiffin the entire game. I get the impression that he is not willing to let Kiffin open up the offense the way Kiffin might if Saban was not hawking him. That shows me Saban will not relinquish his hold on Kiffin. Saban still is conservative. He will not admit that you can open up your offense more and become less predictable. He is all about defense but it is obvious that wide open offenses expose his defense and at the very least wear it down. Look at Baylor last night. Their defense was aggressive the entire game. That defense practices against their offense all the time. They are in top physical condition and also mentally conditioned for fast paced offenses. Opening up his offense could allow Saban's defense to do the same.
The SEC has changed from a trench oriented defensive approach to an athletic conditioned skilled player defensive approach. DB's are more important than ever as is the ability to pressure a QB who is not a statue.

keep in mind....40 yards came from a 3rd and long busted defensive play, and another 40 yards came after a result of bs personal foul out of bounds...it would of made bama punt.

 

[groundhog11]

I was at the Wazzu/Rutgers game and my god coach leach is brutal, bad play calling on offense. 60 two yard passes, 10 runs for negative yards. Just a pathetic defense and no special teams to speak of...Green light to fade away. Im going to play the over and whoever they're playing in a parlay for the next month, think I'll be 2-2 at worst.

think how wvu fans feel with holgs.....came from the same tree, does the same bonehead mistakes week after week, year after year...