Hello Hokies!

Another exciting week in college football! While there wasn’t much movement in the Top Ten (other than Tech’s leapfrog over Tennessee), there were still plenty of great games and big surprises.

Thanks to those of you who offered comments and suggestions last week. As always, feedback (whether it be positive or negative) is welcomed and appreciated.

OK…here we go…

The Wolverines continue to dominate in conference openers (their 18^th straight) as they beat the Badgers for the third consecutive year. Heisman candidate Ron Dayne, coming off a huge performance last week, was held to zero yards in the second half and a mere 88 overall.

Michigan took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after an uncharacteristic Dayne fumble. The Wolverines pulled a fast one on Wisconsin with a double reverse, 45 yard touchdown run. Wisconsin pulled to within five after a field goal and a tremendous touchdown run by Dayne, but couldn’t get much done in the second half. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter before another score, when Michigan’s DiAllo Johnson caught a touchdown pass in double coverage – giving his team a 21-9 lead. The nail in the coffin came with just over 11 minutes to play in the game. The stingy Wolverine defense stopped a fourth down pitch to Dayne, handing him a two-yard loss.

The reason for dubbing this the "game of the week" was due to the fact that this was the only contest between two ranked teams. Other than that fact, this was a somewhat boring game. Both offenses struggled, though there were a couple of big plays that kept it interesting. I will give all the credit in the world to the Michigan defense…they looked pretty damn good. I stated last week that Michigan was overrated…I’ll stick by that comment, but I was impressed after they pulled out their second straight road win. If the Wolverines plan on running the table and keeping their spot in the Top Five, they have to settle on a quarterback and focus on improving their offense. I say go with Tom Brady over Drew Henson. As for the Cheeseheads…this loss was a huge blow to their season as well as Dayne’s hopes at a Heisman.

Overall performance: Michigan – B…Wisconsin – C

FSU keeps its spot as the top team in the nation with a blowout against the Heels. The Seminoles, an offensive powerhouse, had this one put away early. They scored four touchdowns 8 minutes into the first quarter. Luckily for UNC, the ‘Noles let up, substituting a large portion of the team. I think FSU is by far the best team in the nation…their defense has improved tremendously, and their offense (in particular, Peter Warrick) is incredible. I’m tempted to name them a lock for a spot in the Sugar Bowl. I hate giving this much credit to a team other than the Hokies (especially FSU), but hey, they’ve got a great squad. Things are looking pretty bad for the Tarheels…still having to face Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Overall performance: FSU – A…UNC – C

I didn’t see too much of this game, so I don’t really have too much to offer in the form commentary. Quarterback Rashard Casey had a solid performance, completing 13 of 15 for nearly 200 yards. He also added a touchdown on a crazy scramble from 31 yards out. I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t be overly happy with that play. It did work out for the best, but 9 times out of 10, you end up losing yards (or getting hurt). I don’t mean to take anything away from Casey, he is a talented athlete. Indiana played tough, but in the end, the Lions were just too much.

Overall performance: PSU – B…Indiana – B-

As my Dad aptly put it, "Has anyone alive ever seen Kentucky beat Florida?" Good question. Florida dominated this game on both sides of the ball, and (somewhat surprisingly) had a strong running performance. Dusty Bonner, the Kentucky quarterback who is expected to successfully fill the shoes of Tim Couch, wasn’t all that impressive. Granted, he was going up against the number three team in the nation. Other than that, there isn’t too much else to discuss with this one. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Gators play FSU later this year. That will be quite the showdown…

Overall performance: Florida – B+…Kentucky – C

I am in shock. Miami absolutely dominated the first half, only to collapse in the fourth quarter. Though the ‘Canes are to blame for losing this one, I will give quite a bit of credit to the Pirates of ECU. They played with so much heart…away from home…against a better team. Kenny Kelly, much like Vick, has a lot of work to do. He had a chance to win the game and threw four straight poor passes. Though he didn’t come up with the dramatic victory, I don’t blame him for the loss. The ‘Cane defense was simply terrible in the fourth quarter…Kelly should never have been in such a pressure situation. Miami, the team to beat this year, is suddenly 2-2 with a couple of tough games ahead. Looks like all the "we’re back" comments were a little too premature. ECU moves to 4-0 and makes a debut appearance in the top 25.

Overall performance: Miami – A (first half) D (second half)…ECU – A

Being in Atlanta, I am subjected to (too much) Dawg propaganda. Georgia, year in and year out, can’t seem to live up to fans’ expectations. They beat Utah State and (ha!) South Carolina, and suddenly they’ve got a great team. Well, the reality check came on Saturday, as Central Florida nearly pulled out the victory (they should’ve won, as a matter of fact). The Bulldogs got a lucky break, as CF’s final extra point attempt hit the upright…sealing the "victory" for Georgia. Coach Jim Donnan said, "We might not be as good as everybody wants us to be."

Tennessee just doesn’t have the same stuff that won them the championship last year. They have some tough games ahead of them, and I really don’t think they have the talent to stay in the Top Ten.

Kansas State was getting beat SO bad in the first half, that I figured it was over. While I was watching the Michigan/Wisconsin game, a gentleman asked me if there were any upsets earlier in the day. I told him that K-State got their butt’s kicked. Then the score came up and he thought I was an idiot…

The Huskers make up for last week’s offensive woes.

Though the Aggies may have struggled a little on offense, the Top Five better watch out…

The Buckeyes were in a little bit of trouble in the first half but came back strong. I still think they are overrated. And look out for the Bearcats…that’s two straight strong games from them.

Drew Brees proved why he is a Heisman candidate…avoiding the upset with a couple of huge plays.

I took some cheap shots at Alabama last week and I’ll do it again…The Tide still stinks.

Quote of the Week: "It was like a nightmare we couldn’t wake up from." – UNC Coach Carl Torbush. Duke might have the same dream next week as the Blue Devils visit FSU.

Best Overall Performance – Offense: Peter Warrick – Florida State. Warrick had over 100 yards receiving and a 75 yard punt return for a touchdown…remaining the early-season favorite for the Heisman

Best Overall Performance – Defense: Corey Moore – Virginia Tech. I was going to avoid giving awards to Hokies…but what the hell. Corey Moore is the MAN!

Best Performance in a Losing Effort: The Memphis Tigers. "We gave them fits. Our guys gave a heck of an effort" – Memphis coach Rip Scherer on his squad’s near upset of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Best Supporting Cast: The Michigan run defense. The Wolverines shut down Ron Dayne and the Wisconsin Badgers.

The LaVar Arrington Sportsmanship Award: The Georgia defense. The Bulldogs had a slew of personal fouls and late hits…adding to the 103 yards they gave up in penalties. I suppose they were just mad because they found out their team stinks.

Most Likely to Give Tech a Tough Game: Virginia. As much as it pains me to say this, VT may have its hands full next week. The DSU offense was pretty good…especially RB Thomas Jones. We’ll see how that offense matches up against our exceptional defense. And they did give up 40 points to BYU…maybe it won’t be so tough after all…

Best Catch: Dwayne Goodrich – Tennessee. Goodrich made an AMAZING interception against Memphis. Falling back, he got a hand on the ball, juggled it around, and finally pulled it in to give the Vols possession. It was a sight to see…

 Final Thoughts:

Though there weren’t too many great match-ups this Saturday, there were still plenty of moments, making for an interesting weekend. The Top Ten (for the most part) looked pretty good…it’ll be fun to see who stands the test of time. A couple of newcomers (i.e. Syracuse and ECU) to the Top 25 scene could give some of the big boys trouble later on in the season. I still like Tech’s chances…they’re just as good as anyone in the Top Five.

Well, that’ll do it for me. Thanks again for reading!

Take care y’all…and as always….