2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 2 RECAP

Hello football fans! Sorry for not updating over the past few days (internet problems), but if you thought Week 1 of the 2011 NCAA football was exciting, then Week 2 added to the electricity. Here are some of the biggest stories from this week.

CARDIAC CATS STRIKE AGAIN

On their road to the national championship last season, the Auburn Tigers had more than their fair share of close victories coming down to the last minute.  After two games in 2011, they are continuing the trend.

Auburn defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 41-34, thanks to a brilliant goal line stand in its second nail biter of the season.

For senior Bulldog quarterback Chris Relf, this was second straight year he came close against Auburn, only to come up empty in the end.

Last year, Relf tried to convert a pass on fourth down to keep the drive alive for a game-tying field goal, but the pass was dropped. This year, he tried to run the ball in for the game-tying touchdown but he was stopped at the one-yard line by Auburn sophomore defensive back Ryan Smith.

“We didn’t come up with the big inch,” Relf said. “I should have made the play.”

Relf and the Bulldogs have a short week to put this loss behind them as they play LSU Thursday night, while Auburn travels to Clemson on Saturday.

TIDE ROLLS OVER PENN STATE

In the only matchup between ranked teams in Week 2, Alabama clearly showed why it is a serious national championship contender with a 27-11 win over Penn State.

In nearly a duplicate of last year’s Alabama/Penn State game, the Crimson Tide dominated on defense and the running game.

Junior running back Trent Richardson ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while Alabama looks like it has its next great running back in Eddie Lacy. Lacy did not score but he ran for 85 yards.

Defensively, the Tide allowed 251 yards and forced Penn State to turn over the ball three times.

 “We certainly deserved a whooping today,” Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno said. “I think we’ve just got a lot of work ahead of us.”

MICHIGAN SHINES BRIGHTEST UNDER THE LIGHTS

Down 24-7 at the start the fourth quarter, Michigan looked dead in the water after fumbling near the goal line.

Then, Denard Robinson happened and took over the whole fourth quarter as Michigan won over Notre Dame, 35-31.

In the first night game in Michigan Stadium’s history, this installment of the Michigan/Notre Dame rivalry was everything many expected it would be—and more.

Notre Dame jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and looked great on defense, forcing the Wolverines to few yards and an interception to end the quarter. The same momentum would carry for two more quarters as Irish quarterback Tommy Rees outperformed Robinson at that point.

However, it all changed when Robinson ran in Stephen Hopkins’ fumble for a touchdown six seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 10.

Michigan’s defense forced the Irish to go three-and-out on the following drive and Robinson hit Jeremy Gallon for a passing touchdown as Michigan then trailed, 24-21, with 10:47 remaining.

There would be no more scoring until Robinson took over the Wolverines’ next to last drive and found Vincent Smith with 1:12 left to finally take the lead.

The Irish would not go away, however, and regained the lead when Rees found Theo Reddick with 30 seconds left.

Down 31-28, Robinson had one last chance to deliver a win to Michigan. After an incomplete pass, Robinson found Gallon as he ran for a 64-yard completion to the Irish 16-yard line, setting up one last play for Michigan to win the game.

Robinson then sealed the deal when he found Roy Roundtree in the end zone as the Wolverines won the game.

Robinson finished the night accounting for 446 yards and five touchdowns, despite throwing for three interceptions and completing only 11 of 24 passes.

His counterpart, Rees, threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Notre Dame will look to avoid a 0-3 start against No. 15 Michigan State.

WEEK 2 PREDICTIONS

Alabama 28, Penn State 10 (Alabama won…nearly got the score right!)
South Carolina 31, Georgia 17 (South Carolina won)
Notre Dame 24, Michigan 20 (Michigan won)

WEEK: 2-1 (.667)
SEASON: 3-3 (.500)

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 3

No. 3 LSU 27, No. 25 Mississippi St. 24 (Thurs.)
No. 1 Oklahoma 35, No. 5 Florida State 31 (Sat.)
Miami 27, No. 17 Ohio St. 24 (Sat.)