CigarSmokinFootball

Week 8 Cigar Butts

Texas A&M vs Alabama– Who can stop Alabama? That is a legit question after Saturday afternoon. Alabama was able to run against the Aggies, The number 6 team in the Nation, until they got into the red zone. Then, they stumbled, bumbled, fumbled, and had to settle for field goals. The defense was stellar as they prevented the Aggies from getting into any sort of rhythm. Early in the third quarter, A&M managed to score for the second time and took the lead over the Tide, 14-13. Then said defense stepped it up, Jonathan Allen picked up an A&M fumble and ran it back for a touchdown, the 12th game in a row that the defense has scored at least once. This turned the game around, the Crimson Tide got “Ole Mo” (the momentum) and the game ended 33-14. The Texas A&M Aggies are a very good team with a stout defense. It’s doubtful they will lose another game all season. The Daughter was…well…let’s just say she was a bit mad. She didn’t talk to me until late Saturday night. Bama can move the ball on the ground, and they have a stalwart defense, but if they don’t get a semblance of a passing game, they’re not going to win another National Championship. I don’t care about Hurts’ numbers, inflated by short throws for no gain and bubble screens, he has no confidence in throwing the ball down the field, and he started the season doing well at this particular aspect. It is a travesty because Alabama has some very good receivers. Don’t get me wrong, love the win but there are concerns. So, back to the question, “who can stop Alabama?” Three answers come to mind. 1.) Alabama, 2) LSU, and, 3) Auburn. But none of the above if the Tide develops a passing attack.

 
Colorado vs. Stanford– The Buffaloes have now won 6 games and are bowl eligible for the first time since 2004! There is even talk about Colorado making it to the Rose Bowl! They didn’t beat the Cardinal in a very impressive fashion, but, hey, they won, and that’s what counts. It was not a pretty game, neither team mounted much of anything. CU won, 10-5. I’m thinking it was the power of the grey uniforms that the Buffs wore. Stanford had no answer to the Power of the Grey. To celebrate the victory, Coach MacIntyre took the entire team to In and Out Burgers.

 
Ohio State vs Penn State- In the biggest upset of the weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions handed Ohio State their first loss of the season. The fans of Happy Valley made this a white out game, and when they make it a white out, they mean a white out, 100,000 strong. The entire stadium was a wash of white. Ohio State struggled to a 14 point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions managed ten points, but with 4:27 remaining, the score was 21-17, OSU. The Buckeyes lined up for a field goal to put the game away. The kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown, giving Penn State a 24-21 lead. Now all they had to do was stop Ohio State. It was a gut-wrenching 4 minutes, but the Lions’ defense mounted a fierce pass rush and stopped OSU cold. Now Michigan, who has played only one ranked team, is the leader of the Great White North.

 
Houston vs SMU– Speaking of upsets, did y’all see what SMU did to Houston? The Mustangs must have had Calvin’s Chocolate Coated Sugar Bombs for breakfast because they didn’t play like they were scheduled to. Instead, they pounced all over the Cougars. At half time the game was 28 to 7, and Houston had the 7. UH was not able to mount any sort of a come back. The game ended 38-16. Which leads us to the question, “what’s going on at SMU?” We’ll have to keep an eye on these Mustangs and see if they’re for real. Herman is still coaching Houston, is he not?
Oklahoma vs Texas Tech- for those that love offensive explosions, this was the game for you! Back and forth, back and forth they went. First one team would score, and then the other, neither team displayed any defensive prowess. I guess there were defensive players on the field, someone made a tackle every now and then, but not enough to matter. OU won the game, 66-59. WOW! More points, not more tackles.

TCU vs West “By Golly” Virginia– The Mountaineers are now 6-0 and one of only two undefeated teams in the Big 12 that only has ten teams, ( and they’re not going to expand). Baylor is the other undefeated conference team, in case you’re wondering. I still doubt WVU, but we’ve got to give credit where credit is due. They beat TCU, 34-10. It was in Morgantown, by the way, but the Mountaineers are playing very well. They have some challenges ahead, but, for now, they are undefeated.

Nebraska beat Purdue to reach 7-0, but they have their biggest games ahead. Be interesting to see what the Cornhuskers do.
Wisconsin won the bronze cow, or pig, or some farm livestock as they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Washington had minimal trouble with Oregon State, 41-17. I think the Huskies are for real.
Louisville continued its winning ways by pummeling NC State, 54-13.
Michigan played another team with a losing record, YAWN, Illinois, 41-8. Who made up the Michigan schedule? Or Ohio State’s, for that matter.
Arkansas ran into a buzzsaw at Auburn where the Tigers of the Plains barbequed the Razorbacks, 56-3. Did not see that coming.
Utah put UCLA away, 52-45. Looks like Southern California teams are not doing so well this year.
Western Michigan downed Eastern Michigan, 45-31. Western Michigan is ranked. Michigan doesn’t play the Broncos.
North Carolina had little trouble with Virginia, 35-14. Bronco was busted.
LSU unleashed RB Leonard Fournette on Ole Miss, and the Rebs couldn’t counter, 38-21.
Navy put Memphis in their place, drowning the Tigers, 42-28.
North Alabama treated the Crusaders of North Greenville poorly, 52-21. Roar Lions! Not real sure why UNA allowed NGU to score 21 points, they need to work on that.
Just in case some of y’all missed it, there was some baseball history that went down Saturday night. The Chicago Cubs beat LA to make their first trip to the World Series since 1945. My Dad remembers that. It’s when World War II ended. I’m willing to bet there was a rush on Chicago Hospitals with Cub fans having heart attacks, and pretty sure the bars have run out of likker by now.