CigarSmokinFootball

Cigar Butts from Week 6

This weekend held some of the year’s best games so far. Here at CigarSmokinFootball.com some of our predictions were just flat out wrong, most were right. My editor will point out that where he differed from me, he was proven right, but there’s really no point in delving into that subject. Trust me, he’ll get even more cocky and arrogant and I already hear about it during cigar time.

First off, Maryland, who was playing so well this season, came into Tallahassee and was annihilated by Florida State, 63-0. The whole mystic of fearing the turtle  went right out the window. Maryland had no answer for the speed of FSU. On the line of scrimmage they were mauled. CSF hopes this game doesn’t send UM into a downward spiral for the season but they have a long way to go before the talent level matches up with the Seminoles.

A really good game took place in the Great White North Conference where Michigan State took on Iowa. Both teams kind-of circled each other like equally matched boxers, neither team really doing much. Then in the second quarter they came alive and traded punches, touchdowns, with Iowa going into the locker room at half with a 14-10 lead. The Spartans came out in the 3^rd and added ten  points to their tally, then another 6 in the 4^th to win the game 26-14. MSU now sits at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Iowa is just lacking, they’ve got some talent but they appear to be a one step behind most everyone else in the North, Great White.

The best game of the day had to be Georgia vs. Tennessee. Georgia came ranked 6^th in the Nation and Tennessee was not even in the top 50. It didn’t seem to matter to the Vols. The Vols came out in “Smoky” grey uniforms, and even to someone like me, who hates UT, they looked good. Georgia came out of the gates and put up ten points by the end of the 1^st quarter. In the second, UGA scored another touchdown with UT kicking a field goal. While the crowd caught its breath for 20 minutes, the Bulldogs looked like they were going to run away with it. However, in the third stanza, something happened to the Volunteers. “Rocky Top” blared across the countryside as Tennessee scored twice, making it a new ballgame. Georgia was in one heck of a game and the momentum was with the boys in “Smoky Grey”. The fourth quarter was as suspenseful as any game so far this season. The teams fought tooth and nail. UT took the lead late, leaving it up to Aaron Murray to drive the Dwags down the field and score in the final seconds  to send it into overtime. The stadium was rocking, the band was playing Rock Top, people were screaming, they could feel the upset happening. It sent a crackle of electricity through the air as UT got the ball first. The Vols drove from the 25 to the seven. The Vols seemed in control of their destiny. They handed the ball off to Alton Howard on an end around, and, as he was getting knocked out of bounds, he stretched out toward the goal line and the official standing there signaled Touchdown! The fans in Knoxville went NUTS! Then the call came from the press box that the play was under review. In the replay it was obvious that Howard, when stretching out, lost his hold on the football and fumbled it through the endzone. No score, touchback, Georgia ball. UGA ran three plays and on 4^th and 10 from the 25, Marshall Morgan kicked the ball right through the uprights, 34-31, game over, Georgia survived. Head Coach Butch Jones needs a significant win this season and he darn near got it Saturday. UT is not the first team to wear grey unis, but it seems that every time a team does wear grey they play SO much better than they should. CSF says there is something about the Grey that is working. Robert E. Lee said the same thing, a few years back.

After that game it was time for a cigar and a cold Mountain Dew.

Next up was the premier game of the weekend, Ohio State vs. Northwestern. Ohio State, the current big boy in the weak Great White North Conference, taking on the Wannabe Big Boys of Northwestern. The Cats in purple and black came out all fired up and it showed in their play. They were flying to the ball on defense, Ohio State looked flustered and confused. QB Miller was throwing the ball everywhere OSU didn’t have a receiver. Whatever NW was doing to mix up their coverages was working. Miller didn’t look like a Heisman Hopeful. What didn’t look bad was the Buckeye running game. The Wildcat defense did everything they could, bending but not breaking, and it almost worked. In the end, the OSU offensive line was just too much. Running Back Hyde had some outrageous numbers, 168 yards on 26 carries for 3 TD’s. There was nothing the Wildcat defense could do to stop the run, the OSU O-line had a helmet on everyone pushing them out of the way. Hats off to the boys in Purple, they played a heck of a game and never gave up, but they just weren’t big enough up front. Side Note, OSU did not look all that good in this game, their defensive line was suspect. In the GWN it won’t matter too much because of how weak everyone else is, but outside conference play, with the Big Boys, it could cost them. This won’t happen until they play in a Bowl game, though.

Next up was another close game, Washington vs. Stanford. The Cardinal was looking for revenge on the Huskies from giving them their one loss last year and costing them a chance to be beaten by Alabama. Because of that, they wore all Black to show their resolve. Stanford should never wear black, it just doesn’t work and its hard for me to wrap my head around the fact I’m watching Stanford. From kickoff until the end it was fantastic game. Washington was in it the entire way. In the preview of this game, CSF wrote that this game will give a good indication on how big of a gap there is between #15 and #5. It turns out that the delta is 3 points. Stanford scored first and held the lead the entire game, but the pesky Huskies refused to quit. They fought their way back to end the 3^rd at 31-21. Washington then drove down and scored again making it 31-28. When the Huskies got the ball back with time running out they were driving, it was 4^th and ten from Stanford’s 49-yard line. Price rolled out and fought through a would-be sack, scrambled around and threw a low 16 yard pass on the sideline to Kevin Smith, who dove to make the catch. Washington hurried to the line of scrimmage, anxious to run another play. A split second later, half a second, really, the officials blew the whistle. The previous play was under review. Stanford fans held their breath;- Washington fans, gasped. After the review it was determined that Smith had not caught the ball and that the nose of the ball hit the ground. Incomplete pass, UW turned the ball over on downs. Stanford ran two plays in Victory formation, game over. After watching the replay myself, it’s hard to determine if that ball hit the ground first. It’s very unfortunate that the game was decided on the judgment of an official, replay or on the field, but such seems to be the case out west this year. It was still a terrific game and worth staying up until 2:00 am to watch.

Other games:

Navy beat Air Force, 28-10

Penn St. lost to Indiana, 44-24. Has that ever happened before? Don’t think so.

Nebraska pounded Illinois, 39-19

Ball State upset Virginia, 48-27. Not looking good for UVA this year.

Kansas thought they were going to give Texas Tech a game after the 1^st quarter, but, alas they fell, 54-16

Alabama rolled all over Georgia State,45-3, Duh!

VaTech beat up on North Carolina, 27-17. Something’s just not right at UNC, they should be better than this.

Wake Forest came out of nowhere and beat NC State, 28-13. Shocker.

Clemson had no problems with Syracuse, 49-14.

Kansas St. gave Oklahoma St. a heck of game only to lose, 29-33.

Georgia Tech almost beat Miami (FL), but didn’t, 45-30.

The Pirate-loving coach at Washington State led the Cougars over the California Bears, 44-22. Watch for WSU to pull a major upset this year (beating USC upset no one).

Oregon ran all over Colorado, 57-16, but CSF says that won’t happen in the future. The Buffs will get much better.

Ole Miss did their best to come back in the second half, but fell to Auburn and made my Brother mad. Tigers won, 30-22.

Arkansas lost to Florida, 30-10.

LSU had their hands full with Mississippi State until the 4^th quarter when they scored 28 points to put the game away, 59-26.

USC-South allowed the Kentucky Wildcats to score 21 points in the fourth, but the Gamecocks still won, 35-28.

And, finally, Arizona State proved my Editor right in losing to Notre Dame, 37-34.