By Brian Towle
The 2011 college football season is finally upon us. The first week brings some great storylines with it. High aspirations of teams such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida State and Stanford will give way to inevitable separation of wheat from chaff. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at some notable games this week. All times listed are in CST.
UNLV at #11 Wisconsin (7 PM Thursday, ESPN)
The Russell Wilson Show finally takes center stage with a nationally-televised debut at Camp Randall. Wilson, a transfer from NC State, has a one-year deal with Wisconsin, bringing a fairly accurate arm and quick feet to the Badgers offense. On the UNLV sideline, second year coach Bobby Hauck has a very young Rebels team that simply won’t be ready for prime time in Madison.
The interest of this game lies in how Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema gets Wilson involved in an offense that revolves heavily around ball control. Don’t expect to see fireworks from the Badgers. Pay close attention to how Wilson is used, though. This will give Husker fans a potential peek at how their October meeting with Wisky might play out.
#14 TCU at Baylor (7 PM Friday, ESPN)
This game should, and probably will be, much closer than it would’ve been last year. While Gary Patterson brings his fabled defense led by senior linebacker Tank Carder into Waco, gone is All-Everything quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The reins of the Horned Frogs’ offense have been handed to sophomore Casey Pachall, a very athletic player in his own right.
Pachall has been fighting shoulder issues coming into this game, and there are whispers that he’s not completely healed. Baylor has Robert Griffin III under center yet again. While Griffin still has senior wide receiver Kendall Wright to go to, Baylor lost its leading rusher from 2010 in running back Jay Finley.
Defensively, Baylor was atrocious last year giving up almost 31 points per game. This contest will be a great measuring stick for Griffin as a stout TCU defense will be very difficult to score against. If this game was in Fort Worth or at a neutral site, there’s no way Baylor would stand a chance.
However, with the game in Waco and a very rare sellout crowd expected, the Bears’ chances improve. A Baylor win with a solid performance by Griffin would solidify his claim as a legitimate Heisman candidate.
Appalachian State at #13 Virginia Tech (11:30 AM Saturday, Gameplan/ESPN3.com)
Not to put the Michigan jinx on Frank Beamer, but the Hokies start off the season with a new quarterback and a large chip on their shoulder thanks to a blowout loss to Stanford in last January’s Orange Bowl. Sophomore Logan Thomas has stepped in at quarterback replacing a talented but often-criticized Tyrod Taylor.
The Hokies have four returning starters on their offensive line, and reports indicate that junior running back David Wilson will help to ease the loss of Ryan Williams. The defense’s front seven is now healthy, something that plagued defensive coordinator Bud Foster last year. The Mountaineers, led by Jerry Moore, will be their typical scrappy selves, especially in both teams’ first game of the season. Look for the Hokies to do well regardless.
Minnesota at #25 USC (2:30 PM Saturday, ABC regional/ESPN3.com)
The second year of the Lane Kiffin/Matt Barkley experiment begins at the Coliseum starting with a tilt against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and new head coach Jerry Kill. Last year, Kiffin and the Trojans seemed to have severe issues giving all games equal focus. Hopefully Barkley will have matured as he will be constantly evaluated heavily by NFL scouts.
The Gophers, on the other hand, are beginning the Kill regime by playing in one of the nation’s more intimidating environments. Quarterback Marquis Grey, a converted wide receiver, will get his first start in front of about 92,000 fans on a likely hot day in Los Angeles. Minnesota should score occasionally as the Trojan defense isn’t going to be great, but Southern Cal should roll.
If the Gophers get blown out of the water, it will be interesting to see how Kill is treated by the media and fans over the next few weeks.
#3 Oregon vs. #4 LSU @ Cowboys Stadium (7 PM Saturday, ABC national)
The most intriguing game of the day takes place in Arlington, Texas where a high-octane Oregon offense will go up against the craziness that is Les Miles and the LSU Tigers. LSU won’t have speedster wide receiver Russell Shepard, and once-expected starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s status with the team is in limbo.
Quarterback Jarrett Lee will take over an offense that was being guided by former offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe before his recent battle with cancer was made public and he stepped down. Lee has matured under some intense pressure during his time at Baton Rouge, but doesn’t have the trust of the Tiger faithful quite yet.
Oregon returns an offense based on keeping their opponents tired by running plays at a very quick pace. The duo of quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James led the nation in points per game last year and look to do the same this season. The more points scored in this game, the more likely it will be to Oregon’s benefit.
LSU knows the tempo of the offense that Chip Kelly runs, but there is a difference between practicing it and actually attempting to defend the real thing. The Tigers can win this game if they are more physical than Oregon. As we all know, Les Miles has a horse shoe attached to his body, but all the luck in the world can’t help you when key players keep getting arrested. Oregon wins, but it’ll be close.
#5 Boise State vs. #19 Georgia @ The Georgia Dome (7 PM Saturday, ESPN)
The final game on our slate is the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic featuring Kellen Moore and Bronco Nation going deep into Dixie to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia head coach Mark Richt appears to be preparing for a make-or-break season in Athens. With his underachieving teams and the rise of Georgia Tech, Richt needs a win against Boise to start off a season that can bring the Bulldogs back to the Georgia Dome for the SEC title game.
Sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray returns to lead the Bulldogs after a solid freshman season that saw him throw 24 touchdowns versus nine interceptions with a 61 percent completion rate. The problems for the Bulldogs start on the defensive side of the ball. Allowing 22 points a game isn’t a killer in most conferences, but we’re talking about the SEC.
When you face the nation’s best quarterback in Kellen Moore, you’d better be able to score. Boise State’s record will continue to be questioned even as they move to the Mountain West Conference in an attempt to raise their credibility, albeit slightly. Critics seem to forget that Moore and Boise won a slugfest in Washington DC last year taking down eventual ACC champion Virginia Tech.
What others forget is that not only was the offense impressive (No. 2 in the FBS), but the defense was stellar, too (No. 2 in scoring defense). The biggest factor for Georgia is that there is no A.J. Green for Murray to throw to. The Broncos don’t scare easily, and Kellen Moore will show the nation why he should be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy.
Of course, along with great teams, there are the struggling ones. Let’s examine some of the coaches on the hottest seats in the country.
Paul Wulff, Washington State (first game, vs. Idaho State) - The Cougars could actually begin the season 3-0. However, a loss to ISU will cause vultures to immediately begin circling in Pullman.
Mike Locksley, New Mexico (first game vs. Colorado State) – Locksley seems lucky to still have a job and amazingly has a new contract. In theory, he’s in a win-win position as losing to CSU won’t hurt much and a win can only be seen as immediate progress.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers (first game vs. North Carolina Central) – Schiano, who has gotten a raw deal in Jersey as of late, would be lauded anywhere else. Unfortunately, losing as often recently hasn’t helped his stock. 2011 could be better for him especially with a doormat to begin the year.
Turner Gill, Kansas (first game vs. McNeese State) – How far have you fallen, Jayhawk Football? Hopefully, the beginning of a good season starts here, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Houston Nutt, Mississippi (first game vs. BYU) – The quarterback-killer that is Houston Nutt will face a team that is far better than the Jacksonville State team that Ole Miss lost to in last year’s opener in BYU. In true Reverend Nutt style, if they do lose, expect a 25-minute tangent on how that 36th player he wanted to sign two years ago couldn’t make it to camp.
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