College Football Random Thoughts Week 2: Second Half Implosions

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There were two big SEC vs Big Ten match-ups last Saturday. One was an all-time classic. The other was a double dumpster fire.

Texas 24 Ohio State 23 – The Buckys blew a 20-point 4th quarter lead on the biggest of college football stages. anOSU had a 3-and-out, a missed field goal, and a game-ending interception in the final frame while the Longhorns scored 21 points.

Ohio coach Ryan Day has a tendency to get conservative when games tighten, especially against elite competition. He called for drop-eight coverage after going up 20-3, which Texas picked apart in the fourth quarter after Arch Manning struggled against it early. And the there was a punt on 4th-and-5 from Texas’ 39 yard line while up 20-3 that netted Ohio State all of 26 yards. There was also criticism of Day’s decision to not let Texas score at the end so they could get the ball back with some workable time on the clock. The Longhorns reached the one-yard-line with 1:23 remaining. Texas was stopped on the first two run plays and finally converted the TD on third down. By that time, only 25 seconds remained and anOSU had to burn their final timeout. The Bucks had only two plays with the last play ending in a desperation interception.

Michigan 17 Oklahoma 10 – John Mateer is terrible. The Okie quarterback went 17/33 for 189 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and was sacked three times. More importantly, he could not get much offense going. The Sooners led many of the offensive stats but could not turn the gains into points. Michy head coach Kyle Whittingham wised up after last week and called for only 17 passes and 41 rushing plays. Bryce Underwood was only 9/17 with 111 yards through the air, but picked up 87 on the ground and that was the difference.

Alabama 45 Kentucky 17 – The Crimson Tide faced significant adversity in Keelon Russell’s first road start in front of a hostile (drunk?) crowd as well as some crazy officiating. The Bama QB made some big rookie mistakes with the Tide falling behind 17-13 at the break. The second half was a completely different story as Alabama outscored UK 32-0 behind a dominating defense and a strong running game.

Missouri 38 Kansas 21 – The fireworks for this “Border War” game started well before the first whistle. The two programs have a heated rivalry that started back during the Civil War. It began as being on separate sides of the war, but over the years things have calmed down to more of a friendly rivalry. The two teams used to play every season but had not played since Mizzou left the Big XII for the SEC in 2012. The rivalry was rekindled last season with the Ozark Tigers comfortably winning 42-31 in Columbia. Leading up to this year’s game, the Kansas social media team tweeted a tasteless video that basically called the current members of the University of Missouri a bunch of slave-loving racists. It also portrayed controversial/polarizing John Brown as a hero (and he wasn’t even from Kansas). Coming into the Friday night game, the word “hate” was batted around a good deal and it boiled over into the game. Kansas came out fired up, hitting hard, and running wild on adrenaline. But adrenaline eventually runs out. In the first half, the Jayhawks blocked two Mizzou field goals with the second one run back for a touchdown (see down below somewhere). Former Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons, now playing for the Ozark Tigers, was harassed and the rushing game was contained for much of the first half, though Mizz put together two long drives for scores. KU had a TD drive as well for a 14-14 halftime score.

The second half was a different story. The hate high had drained from Kansas and the more talented team took over. Former Auburn/current Mizz linebacker Robert Woodyard produced back-to-back turnovers, the Tigers running game found their footing (All-SEC RB Ahmad Hardy is still out after getting shot in the leg at a rap show over the summer), and Simmons guided his team to 24 second half points, turning a tie game into a rout. Hmm. A basketball school all fired up for a half before falling to the superiority of the SEC in the 2nd half. Sounds familiar.

Oklahoma State39 Oregon 31- In my Blogpoll last week, I put the Ducks at No. 14. I see now that I may have been a little bit charitable. After losing at home to Tulsa a week prior, Drew Mestemaker led the Cowpokes with 317 passing yards and 109 rushing while Caleb Hawkins added 110 rushing yards. THE OSU outgained the unmighty Ducks 554 to 281 and doubled them up on first downs 25 to 12.

ESS-EE-SEE

Tennessee 45 Georgia Tech 24 – The Yeller Jackets had a 10-7 advantage in the first quarter. However, the Vols opened up a can of whup-ass as DeSean Bishop rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Daune Morris pitched in 98 yards and a score. Tennessee tallied 299 yards on the ground attack. GT’s Alberto Mendoza was sacked four times and threw two picks, one returned for a score. [ED.NOTE: Alberto Mendoza sucks.]

Texas A&M 48 Arizona State 20 – This was a tight entertaining game through three quarters with A&M holding a slim 24-20 lead. Then the Sun Devils fell to pieces. ASU’s last four possessions resulted in a first play pick-six, a first play fumble, another pick-six, and a turnover on downs that netted five yards.

^{Look at home much time he has in the pocket. He could have made a sandwich and still completed the pass.}

Mississippi State 38 Minnesota 13 – In a first time meeting, the Bulldogs bullied the Gophers from the first whistle. Kamario Taylor had 313 total yards and Fluff Bothwell added 113 rushing and two ground scores. Anthony Evans grabbed seven passes for 121 yards and a score. Minnie managed only 13 net rushing yards. The only thing that went right for the GGs was a sack and recovery in the end zone for the only touchdown of the game for the home team.

Utah 43 Arkansas 10 – Ugh. Arky is awful. This rebuild is going to take awhile.

NOTHING TO ESS-EE-SEE HERE

LSU 45 Louisiana Tech 14 – Sam Leavitt threw three first half interceptions as the Purple Tigers led only 10-7 at the break. This one had trap game written all over it. Had it been a more substantial team, the Cajun Tigers might have gone down.

Georgia 70 Western Kentucky 20 – It took four offensive snaps for the Dwags to go up 14-0 on the Hilltoppers. Gunner Stockton did not play the second half.

Vanderbilt 35 Delaware 26 – The ‘Dores had a second straight struggle win against a cupcake. Vandy trailed 17-14 at the half before coming back. It’s going to be a loooong season for VU.

Florida 52 Campbell Soup 3
South Carolina 45 Robert Towson 9
Ole Miss 41 Charlotte Rae 9
Auburn 43 Southern Miss 8

OTHER STUFF

Clemson 22 Georgia Southern 7 – After a three-and-out to open the game, the Orange Tigers recovered a muffed punt and scored their only touchdown of the game on a ridiculous 7 play, 27 yards drive. The rest of their points came on field goals. CU was only 2-14 on 3rd down conversions. All of the points came benefit of special teams returns and a turnover on downs.

Texa$ Tech 35 Oregon State 24 – The Red Raiders needed a fourth quarter go-ahead touchdown pass to spoil the Beavers’ upset bid. The Beavs led 24-21 midway through the final period. Now down 28-24, THE OSU was forced to go for a first down on 4th & 13 at their own 11 with 1:19 to go. They turned the ball over on downs. Instead of kneeling down, Tech ran some plays and eventually scored another late touchdown to make the final score look bigger.

BYU 28 Arizona 17 – ‘Zona led 17-14 at the half but left their playbook in the locker room for the second half. The Wildcats had two crucial fourth-down plays late in the game – one that concluded in the decision to punt on the BYU 36-yard line on a 4th & 10 and the other being a turnover on downs on the penultimate possession.

Duke 31 Illinois 27 – The Dookies kicked the go-ahead field goal early in the 4th quarter. The Illini rebuttal was to throw an interception and twice turn the ball over on downs.

Iowa 16 IowaState 13 – Low-scoring crapfest from the corn-eaters? Big shock. Neither team gained over 300 yards and they totaled a combined 23 first downs. 13 of 21 full possessions ended in a punt.

Pitt 12 Center Florida 7 – A sloppy game in a driving rain that yielded 17 total penalties, 14 punts, 123 combined rushing yards, and a safety, but surprisingly no turnovers.

Penn State 27 Temple 9 – After a scoreless first quarter, it was 3-3 until the Brittany Lions punched one in with 8 ticks left in the half. PSU got their s**t together in the second half, but not a good look. While technically a “road” game, the Owls play their home football games at the Philadelphia Eagles’ home stadium. There were more Penn State fans than Temple fans.

PARTICIPATION AWARD GAME OF THE WEEK

Boise 38 Memphis 20 – Stop me if you have heard this one before: The Blue Tigers led 20-17 at halftime but were outscored 21-0 in the second half.

RED BANDANA GAME

Boston College 28 Rutgers 21 – If you don’t know this heroic story of former Boston College student-athlete and have 13:28 to spare, I encourage you to watch this video.

COLD TAKES

COWPOKES HOEDOWN

THERE IS COCKY AND THEN THERE IS STUPID

What was Will Stein thinking here? On your own 32 yard line, bro.

THOUGHTS IN UGA’S ALL-WHITES?

The all-whites are okay, but the red and black stripe on the helmet is kinda goofy looking.

INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK

Some people think Sark is being a big meany. But I love this. Go celebrate with your team. Although, it is sounfortunate that we’ll never know the answer to “coach, how big is this win?”

Holly Rowe thinks she is SO important. She wanted to make that moment all about her. Honestly unless a sideline reporter is reporting on a injury or an official ruling, what good are they? Save some money, ESPN, and ditch them.

SPEAKING OF INANE SIDELINE REPORTING

This is the kind of crap I can’t stand. If you don’t have anything significant to add to the game, keep it to yourself.

NEWS FLASH: QUINN EWERS HAS BEEN GRANTED ANOTHER YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY

TARGETING OR NOT

I was watching this live and it sure looked like the official threw the flag as a reaction to the crowd groans. Thankfully, the call was overturned.

FAKE PUNT OF THE WEEK

As cool as that was, the ‘Cuse lost to Cal at home 21-18.

UNLUCKY BOUNCE OF THE WEEK

It’s ironic that an ex-Aubie is the victim of a wacky bounce.

ADD INSULT TO INJURY

Not just an interception, but watch the hit the QB took. Kinda surprising there was no flag.

YOUR WEEKLY LAME ASS SO CAL FANS REPORT

Southern Cal beat ULL 49-30.

WORST FAN BASE OF THE WEEK (NON-SO CAL)

Even Michigan fans thought Oklahoma would win.

WHY WATCH THE NFL WHEN YOU CAN HAVE THIS?

I DON’T THINK I WOULD BE CELEBRATING THAT S**T SHOW

JFF YOLO OF THE WEEK

DERP OF THE WEEK

Are we doing this again?!?! In the end, it didn’t really matter as the Hokies destroyed ODU 44-21.

SPECIAL TEAMS DERP OF THE WEEK

BUTTERFINGERS OF THE WEEK

That is why you play offensive line.

SO, WHERE IS THIS GUY GOING TO BE PLAYING NEXT SEASON?

$$$$

CELEBRITY BAMA FAN OF THE WEEK

Clayne Crawford plays one of the coaches on the TV show Chad Powers. He is best known for the Fox series Lethal Weapon (2016–2018) and the TV series Rectify (2013–2016) <- I highly recommend Rectify if you are looking for a show to binge. While not a UA alum, Crawford was born in Clay, Alabama and graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School where he was on the football and wrestling teams.

WORST ACTING JOB OF THE WEEK

My Gawd. That up-back didn’t even try to disguise the fact that it was a fake. At least four defenders pointed at the Sun Devil when he moved up. How do you not call a timeout there?

HANGING OUT WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS

LANE KIFFIN WOULD APPROVE

The officials ruled the contact was forced by Iowa State, so the Hawkeyes kept possession. I seem to recall guys trying to do this a few years ago. I don’t know what made them think this would be allowed. LOL

WORST OFFICIATING OF THE WEEK

Explain this one to me, @SECOfficiating.

STOP TRYING TO BE NAJEE

AMAZING. KIFFIN DIDN’T LEARN A DAMN THING UNDER SABAN

How do you let a guy, much less a guy you want to be a team leader, show up to the walk looking like a damn Jersey Shore d-bag? LFK trying to be the cool dad. It is going to be so much fun when this whole thing implodes.

HOW OLD IS THIS DUDE?

TROLL OF THE WEEK

Too bad the team wasn’t as sharp.

DOINK OF THE WEEK

FACE DOINK OF THE WEEK

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER FORGET

Akron had a promotional event in which a fan was allowed to call the plays for the opening drive of the Zips versus Robert Morris. Things were actually going pretty well with Akron picking up 21 yards on the first three plays. But then a false start backed the offense up five yards. On 3rd & 6, a short pass picked up 7 yards and a potential first down except the receiver lost the football.

It should be mentioned that the play-caller Marty Whims is an Akron alumnus and Chief Financial Officer for the Cleveland-based real estate development company. He probably has a ton of money and they are hoping he’ll share some of that cashola.

WORST FIELD GOAL UNIT OF THE WEEK

Kansas blocked two field goal attempts by Mizzou. YOu may want to work on that some this week, Drinky.

NAME OF THE WEEK

This is his real name. Key & Peele never came up with a name so bizarre. And the Geri-curl and neck tattoo are just… **chef’s kiss**.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Miami-FL and FAMU combined for 963 total yards. The Rattlers share was 107. And this was with the fourth quarter cut down to 10 minutes instead of 15.
• Troy committed 12 penalties for 120 yards, but still came out on top over Alabama State.
• Oklahoma State stunning upset of No. 6 Oregon ended the Cowboys’ 21-game losing streak to FBS opponents.
• Teams were 0-223 against AP No. 1 teams since 2003 when trailing by 17-plus points before Saturday.

THE WACKY WORLD OF CORSO SABAN CUSSING

What is it about College GameDay? They just think it is the funniest thing in the world when Nick Saban says a dirty word. At this point, I wonder if it’s in his contract to do it.

Pat McAfee is again doing the fan field goal attempt for money thing. Kirk Herbstreit, and Texas mega-fan Matthew McConaughey pitched in some money as well for this soccer playing ringer. I don’t know about you, but I prefer the unathletic doofus randos who miss miserably and peg an onlooker in the head.

“Chad Powers” star Glen Powell was the guest picker. The Austin, Texas native attended the University of Texas for one year before dropping out to pursue an acting career. He went 7-2 in his picks. Powell has also starred in “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Twisters”, and “The Running Man.” CGD will be in Oxford for Ole Miss-LSU.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was in Ann Arbor for Oklahoma-Michigan and the barstool Michigan meatheads were were in full bloom. BNK is heading to Wembley Stadium in London, England for Arizona State-Kansas.

GAMEDAY SIGN

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• Western Michigan (1-1) thumped FCS Monmouth 49-14.
• Memphis (2-1) lost at Boise 38-20. Ugh.
• I was a little worried that Tulsa (2-0) would suffer a letdown on the road against Sam Houston after their opening win over Oklahoma State. SHSU fumbled on 4th & goal at the Tulsa 5 yard line with 1:23 remaining as the Golden Hurricane escaped with a 23-17 win. Following a game with East Texas A&M, Tulsa is at Arkansas on Sept. 26.
• Someone mentioned possibly adopting Kennesaw (1-1). However, the Owls lost the Battle of Atlanta to Georgia State 31-17 at home on Saturday. I don’t think KSU is very good this year.

COUSINS

• Jacksonville State (1-2) – The Gamecocks lost a heartbreaker to Ohio 29-27 in four overtimes. Georgia Southern pays a visit.
• South Alabama (1-1) – The Jags gave up a TD with 1:17 remaining and could not answer Tulane in a 28-24 defeat. USA welcomes Ohio to Mobile.
• Troy (2-0) – The Trojans got by FCS Alabama State 34-17, but it wasn’t easy. A trip to Missouri is on tap.
• West Alabama (3-0) – Scott Cochran’s Tigers topped #25 Pittsburg State 24-23 thanks to five forced turnovers.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO PUTS THE SHOPPING CART IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE

• UAB (1-1) – After trailing 20-10 in the 3rd quarter, the Dragons came back to defeat UL Monroe 26-20. Bham travels to ULL as an underdog.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

Ugh. Not a good weekend for the service academies. All three lost.

• Army (1-1) – The Black Knights gave up a touchdown with 19 ticks to play to fall to USF 28-24.
• Navy (1-1) – The Midshipmen trailed FAU by 38-14 and scored 16 unanswered 4th quarter points but could not close the gap any further, losing 38-30.
• Air Force (1-1) – The Falcons also trailed big entering the final period. Down 35-13, they scored three straight touchdowns but could not catch up with North Dakota State 38-32.

All three of these teams coincidentally have a bye week.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Rutgers

In Danger: Boston College, Clemson, Cal, FSU, Georgia Tech, NC State, Stanford, Syracuse, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Center Florida, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma

Still Alive: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, Texa$ Tech, Utah, West Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, Washington, Southern Cal, Virginia, North Carolina, Stanford, Duke, Louisville, Pitt, SMU, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Clinched Playoff Birth: Miami-FL (due to lame-ass schedule)

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture

POWER 2

• SEC – The SEC is off to a solid start. Texas and UGA are 1-2 in the polls. LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama are 7-8-9-10, making six of the top 10 from the SEC. Tennessee (15), Mizzou (20), and Chokelahoma (24) are also ranked.
• Big Ten – Ohio State and Oregon were the favorites in this league. They still could rebound, but the damage is done. Indiana has a pillowy-soft schedule and the idiots will keep voting for them because tHEy wErE gOod LaST yEaR. Southern Cal, Michigan, or Penn State could sneak their way into the CFP.

SECOND 2

• Big 12 – Utah, Houston, BYU, and Texa$ Tech will vie for the B12 title. Half of the conference’s 16 members already have a loss.
• ACC – Miami-FL is a big favorite. SMU and Louisville follow. Duke, Virginia, Pitt, and Va Tech are hoping to catch fire.

AT LARGE

• Indies – Notre Dame beat up on big bad Rice. Sparty and Purdue are next. Must be nice.

PARTICIPATION TROPHY

• Memphis (AAC) lost to Boise (PAC-12) by 18. The Smurfs have a pretty clear path to the Participation Trophy slot of the CFP.
• Is Tulsa (2-0) for real?
• UTSA (2-0) travels to Texas this weekend.
• Navy and Army lost. Both sit at 1-1.
• Tulane (1-1) is taking a step back this year.
• It would be kinda funny if South Florida (2-0) had a big year.
• UMass (2-0) is the only team in either the MAC or Conference USA with a winning record at the moment. Every other team is either 1-1, 1-2, or 0-2.
• Colorado State (2-0) is the only winning team in the PAC-12 2.0.
• North Dakota State (3-0) could be a dark horse.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

It should be no surprise that Texas moved up to No. 1 in the two polls. I would not want that target on my back. Alabama is back in the top 10 where they should have been all along. Oregon dropped like a rock to No. 21 in the AP and 18 in the Coaches/Receptionists at the Athletics Center Poll. The Ducks should have never been No. 2. anOhio State fell from No. 1 to No. 6. Oklahoma barely stayed in the rankings, plummeting from No. 11 to 24.

AP POLL

1. Texas (56)
2. Georgia (3)
3. Notre Dame (1)
4. Indiana (3)
5. Miami (4)
6. Ohio State
7. LSU (1)
8. Ole Miss
9. Texas A&M
10. Alabama
11. BYU
12. Southern Cal
13. Texas Tech
14. Penn State
15. Tennessee
16. SMU
17. Utah
18. Iowa
19. Michigan
20. Missouri
21. Oregon
22. Houston
23. Louisville
24. Oklahoma
25. Virginia

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• North Dakota State and Southern Cal are the only teams at 3-0.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• In the blink of an eye, Georgia Tech is 0-2.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Louisiana Governor Huey Long 2.0, Senator John Kennedy (not related to the JFK family), Congresswoman Julia Letlow, and all the other Louisiana politicians with an election coming up who deemed it necessary to weigh in on the LSU-SEC kerfuffle. Nobody outside your state gives a flip what you have to say.

HEISMAN HYPE

Jeremiah who?? Malachi Toney is blowing minds right now. And with all the cupcakes the Hurricanes have coming up, expect many more highlights.

Odds per FanDuel:

1. QB Darian Mensah (Miami-FL) +550
2. WR Jeremiah Smith (anOhio State) +700
3. QB Arch Manning (Texas) +850
4. QB CJ Carr (Notre Dame) +1000 – Former top ranked.
5. WR Malachi Toney (Miami-FL) +1200
6. QB Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) +1200
7. QB Julian Sayin (anOhio State) +1400
8. QB Josh Hoover (Indiana) +1600
9. QB Kamario Taylor (Miss. St.) +2200/QB Jayden Maiava (So Cal) +2200/QB Gunner Stockton (Georgia) +2200

* Keelon Russell +5500

THE SICK REPORT

• Boston College’s Bodie Kahoun has movement in ‘all extremities’ after a scary injury.
• Tennessee starting tight end Ethan Davis suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
• Clemson’s crappy QB Christopher Vizzina is week-to-week after sustaining an injury to his non-throwing elbow in Saturday’s 22-7 home win over Georgia Southern. Freshman Tait Reynolds is the expected starter when the Orange Tigers host North Carolina in their ACC opener Saturday. Dabo Swinney says the decision to start Reynolds over Vizzina is exclusively based on those two quarterbacks’ body of work and performance through two games — the decision to start Reynolds wasn’t impacted by Vizzina injury.
• Former Alabama current Georgia Tech cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe was released from the hospital Sunday after he was taken off the field on a stretcher in the third quarter of a 45-24 loss to Tennessee the previous night. Mbakwe went to make a tackle but instead his head collided with a teammate’s knee. He stayed down on the turf for several minutes.

BEST INJURY OF THE WEEK

Official Jason Autrey hurt his hamstring and/or calf during the Mizz-Kansas game and had to leave the game. You may recall this bozo’s crew made the controversial late pass interference call that negated Kool-Aid McKinstry’s interception against Tennessee in 2022.

DRAMARAMA

Man, all the craziness of last week happened just moments after Random Thoughts posted on Tuesday. Catching up:

• If you have been in a coma, first off welcome back. Secondly, you probably heard that the SEC leaders were on the brink of kicking LSU out of the club. The corndog-lovers finally backed down when they realized that the rest of the conference were serious. By “adding” DE Gabriel Reliford and CB Aidan Anding to the roster to get to the 105 limit, the pro players can not be brought in. Just recently, Lane Kiffin and LSU were claiming that the NFL players they wanted to add were not taking the place of other players. But then this past week they are “added” two sophomores who were on the team last year? Liars.
• You are probably sick of the Michigan Clockgate, but it should be mentioned that our suspicions that the review officials got it wrong were confirmed. It is amazing how many in that UM fan base AND in their local media claimed the lame excuse tweet put out by the Big Ten was gospel. The infamous tweet is actually what condemned them. The NCAA put out a statement in regards to the whole snafu. In short, it says that the replay angle the Big Ten officials used (that the conference shared in the tweet) didn’t have the game clock – i.e. “visible stadium clock” – embedded. Instead, the B1G officials wrongly matched up game action split-screen with a shot of the clock. Who knows who did that edit job? The NCAA secretary-rules editor said that any decision to put time back on the clock must be based on video from the broadcaster that either has the game clock embedded or a clock graphic on the screen. So, yeah. The game should have been over the first time and Michigan should have been credited with a loss.
• They are back at it again with expanding the already too big College Football Playoff. Although nobody is clamoring for it, the ”leaders” of the CFP agreed to open a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN, with the purpose of expanding the field to 24 teams as soon as 2027.

KOACHES KORNER

HOT SEAT

• Florida State has fired athletic director Michael Alford. Is Mike Norvell next?
• Greg Schiano, Rutgers
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson

DICKWEEDS

• Urban Meyer told his wife that he was giving her an anniversary gift that “goes from zero to 200 in 6 seconds”. Expecting to find car keys, she opened a gift-wrapped box to find a brand new bathroom scale.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer’s spirit animal is a couch.

TEEVEE

Alabama-ECU was not a ratings buster (3.78M viewers), but it got almost a million more set of eyeballs than defending champ* Indiana vs North Texas (2.82).

^{* Mark Cuban purchased National Champ.}

THIS WEEK

Below is just a sampling highlight of games of interest this week. If you REALLY MUST know about the BIG Coastal Carolina-Delaware blood bath, click here.

Thursday, September 17

Syracuse at Pitt 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Friday, September 18

Miami-FL at Wake Forest 6:30/7:30 ESPN
Houston at Texa$ Tech 7pm/8pm FOX
Portland State at Oregon 9:30/10:30 BTN

Saturday, September 12

SEC

Georgia at Arkansas 11am/noon ABC
NC State at Vanderbilt 11:45/12:45 SECN
Kentucky at Texas A&M 2:30/3:30 ESPN
Mississippi State at South Carolina 3:15/4:15 SECN
Troy at Missouri 6pm/7pm SECN+
Florida at Auburn 6pm/7pm ESPN
LSU at Ole Miss 6:30/7:30 ABC
New Mexico at Oklahoma 6:30/7:30 ESPN2
Kennesaw at Tennessee 6:45/7:45 SECN
UTSA at Texas 7pm/8pm SECN+

OTHERS

SMU vs Louisville 2:30/3:30 ESPN2

My Teachers Told Me To Follow My Dreams, So I Went To Sleep

Purdue at UCLA 10pm/11pm BTN
Montana at Oregon State 10pm/11pm USA

#ALABAMA

• The officiating in the first half of the Kentucky game was absurd. The Tide was flagged seven times for 40 yards in the first 30 minutes including some phantom calls and a baffling defensive holding call on a UK run play. Bama was flagged once in the second half, a false start of 5 yards. And then there were the replay reviews. Daniel Hill got screwed on a touchdown romp and a Kentucky receiver was granted a crucial first down catch and a fumble out of bounds that looked like he never had full control of the ball.
• After allowing 63 net rushing yards, Bama is now 4th in the nation in rushing defense with an average of 32.5 ypg.
• Alabama has two pick-sixes in as many games this season. The 2025 Tide defense scored 3 defensive touchdowns for the entire season, only one in 2024, and two in 2023.
• It’s been 12 games since Alabama had a 100 yard rusher. Daniel Hill’s 104 yards versus UK broke that drought. He is averaging 5.6 ypc. EJ Crowell is second on the team with a 5.4 average. 150 of the Tide’s 155 yards came in the second half. [ED.NOTE: Many of the negative first half yards cam from sacks.]

• In two games, Crimson Tide opponents have converted one 3rd down in 23 attempts. That is a 4.35% conversion rate. Both numbers are easily tops in the nation. The next closest is four shared by five teams.
• Starting Alabama OL stats according to PFF:
  • LT Jackson Lloyd: 0 pressures, 0 penalty
  • LG Mal Waldrep: 1 pressure (1 sack), 1 penalty
  • C Racin Delgatty: 1 pressure, 1 penalty
  • RG Will Sanders: 0 pressures, 0 penalties
  • RT Javin Jaymes: 0 pressures, 1 penalty
• Waldrep was flagged for ineligible man downfield. James was questionably called for holding. Delgatty had a phantom false start.
• Kaleb Edwards was charged with one sack allowed. He struggled some during pass protection packages, finishing with a team-low 38.7 overall PFF grade for the game. The other two sacks recorded against Russell were attributed to a coverage breakdown and an intentional grounding penalty rather than direct offensive line blocks.
• The RBR staff is hearing that the nature of Michael Carroll’s injury is a mild concussion. If true, that would mean a strong chance that he returns to the starting lineup against FSU.

• Linebackers Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz put up excellent performances. Metz recorded a 34-yard pick-six, 3 solo tackles, 5 assists, and a QBH. Woodson led the team with 4 solos, 8 assists, 2 sacks.

• By all reports, Alabama got out of this game without any serious injuries. Freshman safety Jireh Edwards made his collegiate debut. Just 19 days after undergoing surgery for a broken arm suffered in fall camp, he played with a cast and recorded a tackle for a 6 yard loss in which he took down the running back and quarterback on the same hit. He is going to be a good one.
• The Alabama vs South Carolina game will air on ESPN at 6pm CT/7pm ET.

GETTING GUMPY

Granted it’s only two games against lesser opponents, but there is a great deal to like about this year’s squad. The main thing that jumps out is discipline. When everyone does their assigned jobs instead of ad libbing, there is a higher chance for success. Jireh, Metz, and Woodson got the highlights against UK, but they were beneficiaries of teammates filling gaps and taking on blockers that opened holes for them to run through.

Another asset is the depth on this team. Alabama has three standout running backs (with AK Dear expected back in a few weeks) that all bring different styles. While there is no superstar at tight end, the Tide has a deep group of contributors. Bama played so many different players on defense. In a reserve role, Chuck McDonald stood out at the Husky (Nickel). The sophomore had two solo stops, two assists, and a pass break-up. Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was also flying around the field. He was credited with a solo tackle and a forced fumble.

63 Tide players participated in this game, including 32 defenders and five specialists. Eight true freshmen saw the field.

GAME 3: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) vs Florida State Seminoles (1-1)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 2:30/3:30 ABC

• Coach: Mike Norvell… for now (39-35 in 7 seasons as FSU head coach; 22-27 ACC)
• FSU 2025: Former OC Gus Malzahn spent all of the 2025 pre-season preparing for the Crimson Tide and then spent the rest of the fall searching Zillow for houses in Port St. Lucie. From that point on, the ‘Noles would go 4-7.
• FSU 2026: FSU opened the season with 34-17 win over New Mexico State in Week 0. The second game was a Monday night choke job against SMU in which the Mustangs turned the ball over four times but still got the 27-24 win.
• Series: Last year saw one of the most improbable Alabama defeats since the Tide fell to UL-Monroe in 2007. Previous to that meeting between Bama and FSU, the Tide opened the 2017 season in the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against No. 3-ranked Florida State and came out with a 24-7 victory. In 2007, Bama suffered an excruciating 21-14 defeat in Jacksonville. Alabama won in 1965 and 1974, and had a 37-37 tie in 1967.
• Editorial: FSU is a dumpster fire. But they were a dumpster fire last season too and we all know how that match-up went down. The ‘Noles are a step down from Kentucky but definitely better than ECU. If the Tide takes them lightly… AGAIN (too soon?)… anything can happen. Every game is an opportunity to get better.
• Weather: Yep, another hot one with a high around 98° and mostly sunny skies.
• TV Announcers: Once again, it’s the team of Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Katie George.
• Radio: Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts, Cory Reamer on Alabama Radio.
• Vegas: The FanDuel opening point spread has Alabama as a 18.5 point favorite. Over/Under is 50.5.

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