What we have learned….

Week three of the college football season is usually when patterns are starting to develop. With this in mind, here are some of the things we learned this past weekend.

1)Alabama could be as explosive as anyone in the nation: The Crimson Tide racket 626 yards in their 62-13 pasting of Duke. Heisman trophy winner, RB Mark Ingram showed no ill effects from his recent injury rushing for 151 yards, including a 50 yard TD dash.

2)TCU is more than the real deal: While the talk of the non-BCS title contenders teams center on Boise State, the Horned Frogs are quietly setting them self up for a title shot. Their 45-10 romp over a very athletic Baylor team is another sign that they can beat anyone in the nation.

3)Texas is the more beatable top 10 team in the nation: For the past three weeks we have seen poor overall performance by the Longhorns. They have looked sluggish on offense while the defense has been suspect, especially in the secondary.

4)Nebraska is back: The Cornhuskers demonstrated on Saturday that they are the class of what is beginning to look like a diluted Big XII. Nebraska put 56 points on an underrated Washington defense. The big difference for the ‘Huskers this year is that they have a quarterback (redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez) athletic enough to run the new combination of the spread-option the club is employing. It sure seems like old times in Lincoln.

5)West Virginia is a juggernaut: The Mountneers have not only demonstrated that they are the beast of the Big East, but they could sneak into the national championship contention. QB Geno Smith could gather some Heisman votes if he helps West Virginia defeat LSU next Saturday.

6)QB Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks are ready for Alabama: For two years now, the big Arkansas’ signal caller has been teasing us with the possibility of greatness, now it seems those lofty expectations are being met. Mallett looked like a number one NFL draft pick on Saturday when he shredded Georgia’s secondary for 380 yards and 3 TDs.

7)Wisconsin is not a legitimate top 15 team: For three weeks now, the Badgers have struggled to defeat opponents they were supposed to blow out. Their defense is sound, the problems rest on offense where imagination and explosiveness are not part of the vocabulary.

8)The PAC-10 is more than underrated: This weekend showed how little respect the once perennial conference in the nation is getting. Aside Cal implosion on Thursday, the rest of the league have looked sharp, even beleaguered USC. Oregon looks like a national championship contender blowing people out. Arizona’s big win (34-27) over #9 Iowa is another clear sign the league is much better than advertised. Plus, don’t forget about Stanford which has a player (QB Andrew Luck) that could take over any game.

9)Robinson is saving Rich Rodriguez’s job, for now: QB Denard Robinson (10-14, 241 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTs, 17 carries for 104 yards, 1 TD) is Michigan football. He is the main reason the Wolverines are 3-0. The defense looks like the same unit that imploded last season. UMass managed 429 yards, including 217 on the ground. That wouldn’t cut it in the rushing-driven Big Ten.

10)Florida’s talent is far superior to anyone, except ‘Bama, in the SEC: Despite another lackluster offensive performance, the Gators easily defeated Tennessee, 31-17, showing in the process that their talent is good enough to compensate for turnovers (4 fumbles, one lost) and penalties (5). But they would need more if Urban Meyer’s club wants to challenge the Crimson Tide for SEC predominance.

By Raul Colon
rcolonfrias@yahoo.com

Boise State Ready to Shock the World, Again

The Broncos of Boise State have defeated a Top 10 team before, upsetting the more highly regarded Oklahoma Sooners in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and the TCU Horned Frogs at the same venue two years later, will they do it again this Monday?

It all rest on the shoulder of the defense. Last year Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski and the ‘Blue Defense’ dominated the Broncos’ two biggest rivals, as both the Oregon Ducks and TCU managed to put a combine 18 points on one of the most underrated units in the nation.

Nine starters return from a unit that forced 35 turnovers and racked 26 sacks last season. Both ends, Ryan Winterswky and Shea McClellin, are potential All Western Athletic Conference [WAC] candidates. Winterswky is the most active player along the line. Last fall, the 6-4 senior registered 9 unassisted sacks, tops in the Conference.

While the ends will provide outside rush, it is the interior line that would be actually the key Monday night. Look for junior tackle Billy Winn [12.5 tackles for loss, also the best mark in the WAC] and the underrated Chase Baker, to be heavily involve in attacking Virginia Tech’s unorthodox running attack.

Last year North Carolina showed how to stop RB Ryan Williams and company by splitting the gaps in the line and maintaining a constants edge rusher on patrol at each side if the defensive line. The Tar Heels limited the Hokies to just 95 (2.9 ypc) rushing yards. Boise has the same defensive structure and philosophy.

If the Broncos managed to shut down the Hokies’ vaunted ground attack, it will be up to QB Tyrod Taylor to win the game. Despite his vastly improved passing stats [136-243-2,311 with a 13-5 TD/INT ratio], the senior multithread signal caller is still a 56.0 completition percent passer with most of his connections going in front of the secondary, not over the top.

This means that probably most of the passes Taylor managed to connect against Boise will not travel more than 10 to 15 yards, well within the range of one of the fastest linebacker corps in the nation and the best overall secondary V Tech has faced in two years.

The Broncos defensive backfield is lead by Fiesta Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player [MVP] and All American candidate, CB Brandyn Thompson. The other corner, Jamar Taylor, although only a sophomore, has the ability to cover speedy Jarret Boykin, the Hokies’ best wide out.

Of course, the best bet for the Broncos is for Heisman Trophy candidate, QB Kellen Moore to have one of those career-defining games, such as the one former Nebraska Heisman winner, Eric Crouch had against Oklahoma almost a decade ago.

Moore have the ability to do juts that and more and with All-WAC wide receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young, tight ends Tommy Gallarda and Kyle Efaw, the Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP and a plethora of efficient running backs. Boise should not have trouble moving the ball against a stingy but soft secondary.

In 2009, V Tech allowed an average of 167 passing yards a game [47.4 completition percentage], but that was mostly done versus average passing schemes. Sophisticated, pass-first teams such as Duke, which torched the Hokies for 359 yards, give Tech problems.

Keeping Moore straight will be another matter. The Hokies had one of the most active defensives fronts in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year registering 36 sacks, including three games with at least six drops.

But that part of the defense lost five starters, including both ends and one interior lineman. The secondary is vulnerable as it had only one starter back, Rashad Carmichael, who led the team with 6 INTs in 2009. The rest, CB Jayron Hosley, and safeties Davon Morgan and Eddie Whitley lack the experience to cover more than simple pass routes.

Prediction: The game is at Blacksburg, Va., which gives the Hokies an advantage, at least on paper. They are a well rounded team with Williams, who is a special talent that should, despite Boise’s best efforts, eclipse the 100 yard mark. The problem for Tech is that wouldn’t be enough to stop the most explosive offense they have faced in three seasons.

This game is the Broncos’ season. A win over the 10th ranked Hokies will almost assure them a trip to the Bowl Championship Series title game and boost Moore’s Heisman credentials.

Boise by five, 25-19.