2011 NFL WEEK 8 PICKS

WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS
Seattle @ CLEVELAND
Atlanta @ DETROIT
HOUSTON @ Tennessee
DENVER @ Miami
San Diego @ N.Y. JETS
Chicago vs. TAMPA BAY
Washington @ CAROLINA
Kansas City @ OAKLAND
PITTSBURGH @ Arizona
St. Louis @ DALLAS
GREEN BAY @ Minnesota
Indianapolis @ NEW ORLEANS
BALTIMORE @ Jacksonville


WEEK: 9-4 (.692)
SEASON: 65-38 (.631)


PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 8
Indianapolis @ TENNESSEE
NEW ORLEANS @ St. Louis
Miami @ N.Y. GIANTS
Minnesota @ CAROLINA
Arizona @ BALTIMORE
Jacksonville @ HOUSTON
Washington @ BUFFALO
DETROIT @ Denver
New England @ PITTSBURGH
Cleveland @ SAN FRANCISCO
CINCINNATI @ Seattle
DALLAS @ Philadelphia
SAN DIEGO @ Kansas City


Byes: ATLANTA, CHICAGO, GREEN BAY, N.Y. JETS, OAKLAND, TAMPA BAY

2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 8 RECAP

COUGS CRUISE AS CASE GETS CONGRATS

Case Keenum scans the field for an open receiver against Marshall.
(Photo by Thomas Campbell/US Presswire)

With a 30-yard pass to Justin Johnson, Houston Cougars quarterback Case Keenum became the most prolific player in total offense in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history.

Keenum, a sixth-year senior, blew past former Hawai’i standout Timmy Chang’s former record of 16,910 yards. He would finish the day with 17,173 career total offensive yards.

“It’s awesome, it’s incredible,” Keenum said. “It’s very special, to be in a place like this, in front of a home crowd, and to be able to do that. Nobody else has been able to do that. It means a lot to me.”

Keenum finished the day with 376 yards and six touchdowns on 24-for-28 passing.

As far as the game itself, Houston demolished the Marshall Thundering Herd 63-28 to stay undefeated and to keep its hopes of making a BCS bowl alive.

With no tough opponents on tap for the next three weeks, the Cougars could be 10-0 before showdowns with SMU, Tulsa and the Conference USA championship game. However, Houston is not jumping the gun quite yet.

“We’re doing a really good job of taking it a week at a time,” Keenum said. “We know that each week is the biggest game of the season. And that, in turn, makes the next week after that the biggest game of the season. That’s just kind of how we look at it.”

WRITER’S NOTE: Keenum threw for nine TD’s against Rice this week, so I might give him some more love in next week’s recap or in the near future.

LSU, ALABAMA INCH CLOSER TO SEC SHOWDOWN

LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle scored on two receiving
touchdowns against Auburn. (Photo by Gerard Herbert/AP)

Auburn and Tennessee were the last two roadblocks that stood of the possible game of the year, and LSU and Alabama ran over them like road kill.

With both teams having one last chance to prepare for their Nov. 5 tilt, all eyes were glued at the LSU/Auburn and Alabama/Tennessee games to see if both would deliver.

In Baton Rouge, LSU was not fazed one bit by Auburn last week after three players were suspended for a failed drug test.

The Tigers won 45-10 while gaining 174 rushing yards without Spencer Ware—their leading rusher—and even returned an interception for a touchdown without Tyrann Mathieu and Tharold Simon.

A clear sign that things did not go Auburn’s way was when LSU scored three touchdowns within the span of 90 seconds to put the game well out of reach.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson (3) continues to build
his case for the Heisman. (Photo by Trent Penny/The Anniston Star) 

While in Tuscaloosa, Alabama did have a little trouble early with Tennessee, but was able to win 37-6 to continue its perfect start.

The Crimson Tide struggled just like LSU a week earlier to put the Volunteers away, but they also used a dominant second half performance to prevail.

Alabama’s defense only allowed 155 total yards and six first downs—none after halftime.

Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson only had 77 yards on 17 carries, but he scored twice to give him an eye-popping 18 touchdowns this season.

The game on Nov. 5 should be a treat to see, even if we do have to wait another week for it.

OKLAHOMA FALLS SHORT TO TEXAS TECH

Sometimes even the littlest of things can get in the way of victory.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, a missed chip shot off the upright and a failed onside kick were the possible differences between a win and the real outcome—a 41-38 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

A distraught Michael Hunnicutt (18) after missing a field
goal against Texas Tech. (Photo by Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)

First, props should be in order to Texas Tech for the upset and coming out firing after two close losses to Texas A&M and Kansas State.

The Red Raiders shocked the Sooners with a 24-7 lead at halftime. That lead would swell to 31-7 after Seth Doege connected with Alex Torres on an 11-yard pass, but Oklahoma started to make their push.

The Sooners would score 17 unanswered to cut the lead to a touchdown. However, Doege continued to make things tough after his 14-yard strike to Tramain Swindall gave the Red Raiders a 41-24 lead with 7:38 remaining.

Nearly one minute later, Landry Jones found Jaz Reynolds on a 55-yard pass to cut the lead to 10. They would force Texas Tech to go three-and-out to get the ball back.

After the Sooners’ drive stalled, Michael Hunnicut attempted a 28-yard field goal, but it would hit the upright.

Oklahoma finally got the touchdown it needed when Jones found James Hanna to cut the deficit to 41-38, but the team could not recover the onside kick as Texas Tech snapped the Sooners’ 39-game winning streak at home. TCU was the last team to beat Oklahoma in Norman.

“I told the players that anyone who we’ll play the rest of the year will whoop us if we don’t play better than we did today,” Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. “They just flat out beat us.”

Oklahoma will try to pick itself up against Kansas State this week.

PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED IN EAST LANSING!

The Hail Mary pass can be one of the more exciting plays in football—if not the most exciting one.

It all began in 1975, when Roger Staubach found Drew Pearson in the NFC Divisional Playoffs to win a game over the Minnesota Vikings en route to Super Bowl X.

If you are looking for the college football equivalent, look no further than Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan to beat the Miami Hurricanes.

Michigan State Spartan players Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol can now place themselves on that list after a thrilling 37-31 win over the Wisconsin Badgers.

“We knew we had a chance,” Cousins said. “There’s always a chance.”

Michigan State's Keith Nichol (7) fights his way into the end
zone against Wisconsin. (Photo by AP)

The Spartans trailed behind 14-0 before mounting a 23-point second quarter to take the lead.

Michigan State would then have a 31-17 lead with just under 11 minutes left to play, until Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson would add two touchdowns—one rushing and one passing, respectively—to tie up the game with 1:26 left.

But Cousins would be magnificent on the final drive by going 6-for-8 passing on the 78-yard touchdown drive to seal the victory.

“It’s a play that everybody practices,” Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio said. “You never know when it’s going to come to fruition.”

Since the Big Ten now has two divisions and both teams are in opposite ones (Michigan St. is in the Legends, Wisconsin is in the leaders), it is possible that this matchup can happen again in Indianapolis on Dec. 3 for the conference title.

MY WEEK 2 BCS RANKINGS

LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma St., Clemson, Boise St., Stanford, Oregon, Kansas St., Arkansas, Oklahoma

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS
LSU 30, Auburn 20
Michigan St. 28, Wisconsin 21
Stanford 38, Washington 24

WEEK: 3-0 (1.000)
SEASON: 20-7 (.741)

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 9
No. 11 Michigan St. 31, No. 14 Nebraska 27
No. 9 Oklahoma 35, No. 8 Kansas St. 25
No. 6 Stanford 45, USC 21

2011 NFL WEEK 7 PICKS

WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS
Carolina @ ATLANTA
Indianapolis @ CINCINNATI
San Francisco @ DETROIT
St. Louis @ GREEN BAY
BUFFALO @ N.Y. Giants
Jacksonville @ PITTSBURGH
PHILADELPHIA @ Washington
Cleveland @ OAKLAND
Houston @ BALTIMORE
DALLAS @ New England
NEW ORLEANS @ Tampa Bay
MINNESOTA @ Chicago
Miami @ N.Y. JETS


WEEK: 8-5 (.615)
SEASON: 56-34 (.622)


PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 7
Seattle @ CLEVELAND
Atlanta @ DETROIT
HOUSTON @ Tennessee
DENVER @ Miami
San Diego @ N.Y. JETS
Chicago vs. TAMPA BAY (at London)
Washington @ CAROLINA
Kansas City @ OAKLAND
PITTSBURGH @ Arizona
St. Louis @ DALLAS
GREEN BAY @ Minnesota
Indianapolis @ NEW ORLEANS
BALTIMORE @ Jacksonville


Byes: BUFFALO, CINCINNATI, NEW ENGLAND, N.Y. GIANTS, PHILADELPHIA, SAN FRANCISCO

2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 8 PICKS

WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS
Michigan 24, Michigan St. 23
Texas A&M 38, Baylor 35
Oklahoma St. 30, Texas 13
Oregon 42, Arizona St. 28


WEEK: 3-1 (.750)
SEASON: 17-7 (.708)


PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 8
No. 1 LSU 30, No. 20 Auburn 20
No. 16 Michigan St. 28, No. 6 Wisconsin 21
No. 8 Stanford 38, No. 25 Washington 24

RANKING THE 2011 BCS—WEEK 1

We are midway through the college football season and you know what that means?

The Bowl Championship Series rankings are finally here!

Now while for the most part, I like some of the placing of most of these teams on the original copy, there are some things I do beg to differ on.

Here is my list on how the top 10 should have gone…

     1)      LSU (7-0): It is only right that the LSU Tigers are the No. 1 in the BCS polls. Looking at their body of work you can see why. Beating Oregon, Mississippi St. and West Virginia away from Baton Rouge is no easy task and seeing that the Ducks and Mountaineers are still doing well, it adds on to the Tigers’ case. With an efficient offense and even better defense LSU has set itself up nicely for the epic showdown against Alabama on Nov. 5—as long as they do not overlook Auburn this week. THIS WEEK: vs. Auburn. RANKINGS: 1 (BCS), 1 (AP), 2 (Coaches), 1 (Harris), 3 (Computers).

     2)      ALABAMA (7-0): With all due respect, the Alabama Crimson Tide is a close No. 2 on my poll. Alabama impresses everyone thanks to its running game and stifling defense. Junior running back Trent Richardson already has 15 rushing touchdowns this season while the defense has only allowed seven points a game—best in the nation. Like the Tigers, the overall strength of schedule is strong with the Tide beating Penn State and Florida on the road, and Arkansas at home. The Tennessee Volunteers are next and Alabama will be looking to beat them by more than 31 (like LSU did). THIS WEEK: vs. Tennessee. RANKINGS: 2 (BCS), 2 (AP), 3 (Coaches), 2 (Harris), 2 (Computers).

     3)      OKLAHOMA (6-0): Almost as impressive as LSU and Alabama have played, the same can be said about the Oklahoma Sooners. The preseason No. 1 team has a lot of talent on the field and it continues to show. The Sooners boast the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense thanks to junior quarterback Landry Jones spreading the ball around. Oklahoma might have started sluggishly against Kansas, but the second half was where the team took care of business. With games against Kansas State and Texas A&M looming in the horizon, the Sooners must take care of business against Texas Tech first this week. THIS WEEK: vs. Texas Tech. RANKINGS: 3 (BCS), 3 (AP), 1 (Coaches), 3 (Harris), 4 (Computers).

     4)      OKLAHOMA ST. (6-0): Oklahoma State is finally living up to being a true dark horse candidate as the team comes in at No. 4 on my list. The Cowboys have not blown away ranked teams like LSU, Alabama or Oklahoma, but they do have the wins to show for it and a lofty No. 1 computer ranking. One of those wins came against Texas A&M, where Oklahoma St. trailed by 17 before taking the game in the second half with a 30-29 victory. With one of the best QB-to-WR tandems in Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, the Cowboys look to keep the wins coming this week at Missouri. THIS WEEK: at Missouri. RANKINGS: 4 (BCS), 6 (AP), 6 (Coaches), 6 (Harris), 1 (Computers).

     5)      WISCONSIN (6-0): Wisconsin seems to have taken a page out of defending national champion Auburn’s playbook this year—have a talented quarterback for one year to guide the program to a championship. Auburn did it last year with Cam Newton and this year the Badgers landed North Carolina State transfer Russell Wilson to rejuvenate their offense. As a result, they are the highest-scoring team in the nation while Wilson is currently a Heisman candidate. However, the debate is who have they played? A soft non-conference schedule gives them no love from the computers and they have not played a true road game this season (Sept. 17’s game against Northern Illinois is designated as a neutral-site game). All of this will change as Wisconsin travels to East Lansing to take on Michigan St. this week. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State. RANKINGS: 6 (BCS), 4 (AP), 4 (Coaches), 4 (Harris), 11 (Computers).

     6)      BOISE ST. (6-0): For now, I have Wisconsin just ahead of Boise, based on who all Boise has played this season. The Broncos best opponent was a Georgia team that might be in the middle of the pack in the SEC but is improving, yet no one else on is really a team to lose sleep over. However, Boise St. helps out its case with back-to-back 50-point blowouts against Fresno State and Colorado State. Senior quarterback Kellen Moore is still running the offense and is still accurate with his passes despite breaking in some new receivers as main targets. The rest of the season might be one where Boise needs style points—and a lot of them—for a shot at the title, but for now, they appear to be BCS bound. THIS WEEK: vs. Air Force. RANKINGS: 5 (BCS), 5 (AP), 7 (Coaches), 5 (Harris), 6 (Computers).

     7)      CLEMSON (7-0): Clemson nearly reverted back to its old self last week against Maryland, yet the team found a way to win once again. Last week’s game against the Terps marked the fourth time that Clemson trailed or was tied at halftime only preserve its perfect 7-0 start thus far. It has not been pretty, but the Tigers’ stretch of wins against Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech while each team was ranked is a good reason why they are at this spot. Anything is possible in the unpredictable ACC, but Clemson must play more consistently at the beginning of games if they want to stay undefeated. THIS WEEK: vs. North Carolina. RANKINGS: 7 (BCS), 8 (AP), 8 (Coaches), 8 (Harris), 5 (Computers).

     8)      STANFORD (6-0): Another team that no one is really talking about as a whole is Stanford. Sure, they have Heisman hopeful and possible No. 1 pick Andrew Luck quarterbacking them, but not many people know much about them. Quietly, the team is 6-0, but like Wisconsin they get little to no love from the computers (Kenneth Massey has the Cardinal ranked No. 20 in his ratings). Part of this is that Stanford has yet to face a team that is above .500 at this point, but the second half will be much tougher. Games against Washington, USC, Oregon and Notre Dame will determine if this team is indeed a title contender. THIS WEEK: vs. Washington. RANKINGS: 8 (BCS), 7 (AP), 5 (Coaches), 7 (Harris), 8 (tie) (Computers).

     9)      OREGON (5-1): There are two great one-loss teams in college football so far, but in my opinion the Oregon Ducks narrowly take the cake here at No. 9. The Ducks have shaken off their season-opening loss to LSU in Cowboys Stadium quite well, by scoring many points with the quickness. Only one computer ranking has Oregon in the top 10—Richard Billingsley has the team at No. 7—but it did not stop the team from beating then-No. 18 Arizona State without Heisman candidate LaMichael James and Darron Thomas for most of the second half. The Ducks should have no trouble against Colorado and Washington State if both players decide to nurse their injuries, but if all’s not well for back-to-back road games at Washington and Stanford, they could be in trouble. THIS WEEK: at Colorado. RANKINGS: 10 (BCS), 9 (AP), 8 (Coaches), 9 (Harris), 12 (Computers).

     10)   ARKANSAS (5-1): The Arkansas Razorbacks have not missed a beat without Ryan Mallett, but they will come in at No. 10 in my poll. Like Oregon, Arkansas lost to a top team for its only loss, but games against Troy and Texas A&M show that this team can be vulnerable at times. The Razorbacks do have a pair of road game coming up against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, so all they must do is take care of business and everything will follow. THIS WEEK: at Ole Miss. RANKINGS: 9 (BCS), 10 (AP), 10 (Coaches), 10 (Harris), 8 (tie) (Computers).

\    NEXT FIVE UP: Kansas State (6-0), Virginia Tech (6-1), Nebraska (5-1), South Carolina (6-1), Texas A&M (4-2)

2011 NFL WEEK 6 PICKS

Hello all!


Once again I am so sorry to not have an NFL recap for Week 5, blame my procrastination, somewhat laziness and me doing other things. However, I will try to do better and for the weeks I do not have anything, I will give you my weekly picks. So without further ado...


WEEK 5 PREDICTIONS
PHILADELPHIA @ Buffalo
Kansas City @ INDIANAPOLIS
Arizona @ MINNESOTA
Seattle @ N.Y. GIANTS
TENNESSEE @ Pittsburgh
NEW ORLEANS @ Carolina
CINCINNATI @ Jacksonville
OAKLAND @ Houston
Tampa Bay @ SAN FRANCISCO
SAN DIEGO @ Denver
N.Y. Jets @ NEW ENGLAND
GREEN BAY @ Atlanta
Chicago @ DETROIT


WEEK: 9-4 (.692)
SEASON: 48-29 (.623)


PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 6
Carolina @ ATLANTA
Indianapolis @ CINCINNATI
San Francisco @ DETROIT
St. Louis @ GREEN BAY
BUFFALO @ N.Y. Giants
Jacksonville @ PITTSBURGH
PHILADELPHIA @ Washington
Cleveland @ OAKLAND
Houston @ BALTIMORE
DALLAS @ New England
NEW ORLEANS @ Tampa Bay
MINNESOTA @ Chicago
Miami @ N.Y. JETS

Byes: ARIZONA, DENVER, KANSAS CITY, SAN DIEGO, SEATTLE, TENNESSEE

2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 6 RECAP

HUSKERS WIN IN HISTORIC FASHION

Four minutes into the third quarter and down 27-6 to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers looked as it would suffer its second straight crushing defeat in its new conference.

But the Huskers kept on fighting en route to a 34-27 victory.

Nebraska sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez had a rough game against Wisconsin a week earlier and things did start well for him in this one. However, he was able to shake things off and amass 293 total yards and three total touchdowns.

“He kept fighting,” Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said. “He led the team, and I was proud of how we played. That’s why he’s the starting quarterback right now.”

Martinez started the comeback after running for an 18-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14.

As the Nebraska defense finally shut down the Buckeyes, the Concord, Calif. native threw for two touchdowns and the game was tied at 27-27 with 7:35 remaining.

Ohio St. tried to regain momentum on their next drive, but Joe Bauserman’s pass would be picked off. Four plays and 78 yards later, Rex Burkhead would score his second touchdown of the night to give the Huskers the lead.

Nebraska will take on Minnesota this week, while Ohio State plays No. 16 Illinois.

THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM FOR THE AGGIES

After two straight weeks of blowing just as many three-possession leads at halftime, Texas A&M’s 31-20 lead over Texas Tech did not look safe.

But unlike games against Oklahoma St. and Arkansas, the Aggies held on to win, 45-40.

In a game where the Red Raiders were rowdy—some in more ways than others—the game was all about the offense.

Aggies senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill scored three total touchdowns in the game and became the first player in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) with 3000 passing yards and 1500 receiving yards in a career.

Texas Tech was fueled early by junior running back Eric Stephens, but he went down with a season-ending injury to his left knee in the third quarter. He would finish with 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

The Red Raiders would still show fight without Stephens thanks to quarterback Seth Doege.

Down 45-33 with 2:55 left, Doege led Texas Tech on a nine-play, 91-yard drive capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Alex Torres to put the Red Raiders only down by five.

But the ensuing onside kick would not go their way and Texas A&M came away with a win.

A relieved Mike Sherman said, “It seems like it’s been forever since we’ve had this feeling.”

WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS
Oklahoma 24, Texas 17
LSU 31, Florida 10
Auburn 45, Arkansas 38

WEEK: 2-1 (.667)
SEASON: 14-6 (.700)

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 7
No. 11 Michigan 24, No. 23 Michigan St. 23
No. 21 Texas A&M 38, No. 20 Baylor 35
No. 6 Oklahoma St. 30, No. 22 Texas 13
No. 9 Oregon 42, No. 18 Arizona St. 28

2011 NFL WEEK 5 PICKS

WEEK 4 PREDICTIONS
Carolina @ CHICAGO
BUFFALO @ Cincinnati
TENNESSEE @ Cleveland
Detroit @ DALLAS
MINNESOTA @ Kansas City
Washington @ ST. LOUIS
San Francisco @ PHILADELPHIA
NEW ORLEANS @ Jacksonville
PITTSBURGH @ Houston
N. Y. GIANTS @ Arizona
ATLANTA @ Seattle
Denver @ GREEN BAY
NEW ENGLAND @ Oakland
Miami @ SAN DIEGO
N.Y. Jets @ BALTIMORE
Indianapolis @ TAMPA BAY

WEEK: 10-6 (.625)
SEASON: 39-25 (.609)

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 5
PHILADELPHIA @ Buffalo
Kansas City @ INDIANAPOLIS
Arizona @ MINNESOTA
Seattle @ N.Y. GIANTS
TENNESSEE @ Pittsburgh
NEW ORLEANS @ Carolina
CINCINNATI @ Jacksonville
OAKLAND @ Houston
Tampa Bay @ SAN FRANCISCO
SAN DIEGO @ Denver
N.Y. Jets @ NEW ENGLAND
GREEN BAY @ Atlanta
Chicago @ DETROIT

Byes: BALTIMORE, CLEVELAND, DALLAS, MIAMI, ST. LOUIS, WASHINGTON

2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RECAP

NAVY FORCES OVERTIME BUT LOSES DUE TO CELEBRATION RULE, BLOCKED KICK

Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson scored the
game-winning touchdown against Navy, but
what happened before was the main story.
(Photo by Luis M. Alvarez/AP Photo)

The Navy Midshipmen were on a roll after coming back from 18 points down in the fourth quarter and a 28-17 with just over two minutes in regulation to force overtime in its game against the Air Force Falcons.

Navy senior quarterback Kriss Proctor scored his third rushing touchdown of the day in the first overtime and things seemed normal until Proctor seemed to taunt Air Force player Nick DeJulio and Jon Davis afterwards.

The referees had no choice but to penalize the Midshipmen for an unsportsmanlike conduct call moving the extra point attempt from the 3-yard line to the 18.

Navy kicker Jon Teague tried to get the extra point attempt through, but Falcons linebacker Alex Means blocked the try. Five plays later, Falcons quarterback Tim Jefferson punched it in from a yard out and Parker Harrington made the extra point giving Air Force a 35-34 win.

However, the focus remained on Navy’s celebration penalty.

“The Navy player got in the face of an Air Force player right after the play,” referee Mike Defee stated on why the penalty was called.

Proctor offered his explanation and maintained that he did no wrong.

“I got up and I was trying to run to our sideline,” Proctor said. “Some guy got in my way and I just told him to move explicitly and he called it. It’s unfortunate that the refs made a call like that, but it’s football.”

On Sept. 6, 2008, nearly the same exact situation came up in a game between Washington and BYU, when Jake Locker scored to bring the Huskies to an extra point of tying the game, but he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for throwing the ball up in the air.

As a result, Washington also had to attempt a PAT from the 18, and the Cougars blocked it giving them a 28-27 win.

A&M GETS A SAMPLE OF SEC PLAY…AND BLOWS ANOTHER SECOND HALF LEAD

Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman looks on
as the Aggies suffer their second straight second
half collapse. (Photo by John F. Rhodes/AP Photo)

This time, Texas A&M could not catch a break from its soon-to-be new conference.

In the game before, the Aggies blew a 17-point halftime lead to Oklahoma State. This game, an 18-point halftime lead was not safe as Arkansas defeated Texas A&M 42-38 in Arlington, Texas.

For Arkansas, it was a career day junior quarterback Tyler Wilson as he threw for a school record 510 yards. His favorite target of the day was Jarius Wright, who also had a school record of 281 receiving yards on 13 catches.

The duo picked apart the Aggies’ defense as the Razorbacks give Texas A&M its second heartbreaker in as many weeks.

Down 35-17 at halftime, Arkansas only needed 19 minutes to tie the game up when Wright recovered as fumble and Wilson converted the two-pointer to make it 35-35.

Texas A&M would make a field goal, but Broderick Green’s score from three yards out gave the ‘Hogs a 42-38 lead with just 1:41 left.

The Aggies will hope to keep a lead for the whole game against Texas Tech this week.

PRIMETIME DUDS

Last Saturday, two games between ranked opponents (Wisconsin/Nebraska on ABC and Alabama/Florida on CBS) came on as marquee games of Week 5. While both showed some promise early, Wisconsin and Alabama quickly gained stream and blew out their unfortunate opponents. So here’s a look at both games.

Badgers give Huskers an inhospitable welcome to the Big Ten: Wisconsin rolled out the red carpet of the Big Ten for Nebraska last week and then proceeded to thump the Cornhuskers 48-17. Badgers senior quarterback Russell Wilson continues to impress and show why he is a Heisman candidate after throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns and 14-for-20 passing. Wilson even added a rushing touchdown as Wisconsin overcame its slow start. The Huskers led 14-7 just 20 minutes into the game but could not keep up after committing three turnovers and allowing Montee Ball to score four touchdowns on the ground. Nebraska’s Big Ten home opener is against Ohio St. this week.

Nebraska had a hard time containing Montee Ball (center) last Saturday.
Ball ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns in Wisconsin's 48-17 win.
(Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/US Presswire)

Tide washes away Gators: Just like in Madison, the scene in Gainesville turned from competitive to a blowout as Alabama crushed Florida, 38-10. With a 10-10 tie at the end of the first quarter, the Crimson Tide quickly did work on the Gators, who lost John Brantley in the second quarter. Junior Trent Richardson ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, while Alabama’s defense kept Florida’s running game in check. Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps were held to four rushing yards each and neither had an impact. As for Brantley, he is listed as out this week as Florida takes on LSU in Baton Rouge.

WEEK 5 PREDICTIONS

Texas A&M 20, Arkansas 17
Clemson 31, Virginia Tech 29
Alabama 28, Florida 21
Wisconsin 17, Nebraska 10

WEEK: 3-1 (.750)
SEASON: 12-5 (.706)

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 6

No. 3 Oklahoma 24, No. 11 Texas 17 (in Dallas)
No. 1 LSU 31, No. 17 Florida 10
No. 15 Auburn 45, No. 10 Arkansas 38

TONY ROMO DESERVES BLAME AND PRAISE FOR DALLAS COWBOYS SEASON THUS FAR

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo could only
just hang his head in shame after Sunday's 34-30 loss to the
Detroit Lions. (Photo by Khampha Bouaphanh/Star-Telegram)

Dallas Cowboy fans are all too familiar with this story.

After another epic Tony Romo collapse—a 24-point comeback by the Detroit Lions in a 34-30 loss—the Cowboys are now 2-2 in the 2011 NFL season.

The thing that makes this agonizing is that while Romo deserves most of the blame for both losses this season, he deserves most of the praise for both wins.

NBC’s Bob Costas summed it up best at halftime of the Sunday Night Football game between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens.

“Here is a guy who see-saws between hero’s laurels and goat horns, seemingly from game to game”, Costas said.

The collapses to the Jets and the Lions began with crucial mistakes that gave the opponent life and ended with an interception that allowed the other team to score on the game-winning drive.

However, the wins to the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins came in gutsy performances where he battled through a broken rib. In both games, Romo led the Cowboys to victory on a clinching drive.

Romo has battled everything this season from criticism to broken ribs.
(Photo from bigleadsports.com)

It is easy to say that with or without Romo, the Cowboys could be anywhere between 4-0 and 0-4 if certain things were played out differently. Yet, the Cowboys are 2-2, and it leaves many fans with a wide range of emotions from frustrated and mad in the losses to relieved and satisfied in the wins.

When Romo plays well, he plays like one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league. A three-time Pro Bowler, he never completed less than 61.3 percent of his passes or had a passer rating below 91.4 in a regular season.

Yet, the focus remains Romo’s more notable performances in the clutch. He is 1-3 in the playoffs and has yet to reach the NFC Championship Game. Plus, in some games he tries to do a bit too much, leading to forced passes for momentum-swinging interceptions.

The only solution for the Cowboys and their fan base? Just stick with him and take the good with the bad. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shares the same attitude.

“However we go, we go with Tony,” Jones said. “As Tony goes, we’ll go.”

The Cowboys will have two weeks to mentally prepare for a tough road test against the New England Patriots on Oct. 16.