Kickoff

This was a fun weekend with a few very good games that will make a difference for the entire season.

I watch football from 11 a.m. until midnight on Saturdays. I am not able to watch every game, but I flip channels and watch parts of as many games as possible. I love College Football!!! It is my favorite sport to watch.

1. Clemson 24 – Texas A&M 10. The 17.5 spread was not covered

Clemson, the #1 team in the nation knew they would have their hands full with #12 Texas A&M. Even though Clemson came in a 17 point favorite, the Aggies did not lie down and give the game away. TAMU’s defense was able to hold Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne to only 389 yards total offense. That took a very good defense that was able to stop them like that.

As good as the Aggies defense was the offense just didn’t seem to be able to get the ball rolling their way. The Tigers defense held them to only 289 total yards with only 53 yards rushing. That average to less than 2.0 yards per carry. TAMU could only manage one field-goal until late in the 4th quarter when Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was intercepted, giving the Aggies good field position and the ability for Kellen Mond to throw his one TD pass with only 6 seconds remaining in the game.

One of the things that hurt TAMU was their penalties. They lost 85 yards in 9 penalties called. You can’t beat Clemson giving away 85 yards. It isn’t going to happen.

Clemson should have an easy ACC schedule and shouldn’t even be threatened again until the playoffs. They are expected to hold their opponents to be double-digit underdogs the rest of the regular season.

Clemson opens ACC play by traveling to Syracuse as a 27 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

2. Alabama 62 – New Mexico State 10. The 55 spread was not covered.

Alabama dominated the Aggies of NMSU, all though it wasn’t as great as the predicted 55 points.

Receiver, Henry Ruggs III opened with a 75-yard touchdown lateral from Tua Tagovailoa on the first play from scrimmage. It has been said that he ran 25 mph on this play, the average person runs at about 15 mph. I know he was moving on leaving everyone watching stunned.

The Tide racked up 603 yards of total offense in the triple-digit heat. Tua was able to toss three touchdown passes for 227 yards. The Tide’s offensive line was down with some injuries so incomes 3rd team Center, Landon Dickerson, and 2nd team, right guard, Matt Womack to start the game. Dickerson had been the starting right guard. So the offensive line was a bit different than usual. They started two massive guards in this game. Womack at left guard is 6’7”, 325 pounds on the other side of center, right guard Landon Dickerson is a huge 6’7”, 360 pounds! What do they feed these young men?

Probably the biggest news of the day for Bama fans was kicker, Will Reicherd’s two field-goals from 48 and 49 yards! Yes, this got Tide fans very excited!

Alabama travels to South Carolina to start SEC play as a 25.5 favorite on Sept. 14th.

3. Georgia 63 – Murray State 17. The spread was off for this game.

The 3rd ranked Bulldogs began a little slow this past Saturday ending the first quarter tied at 7 with Murray State. Then the second quarter happened! Jake Fromm and company scored 35 unanswered points in one quarter to end the first half a devastating 42-7.

The first-team offense and defense played very little in the second half for Georgia giving their younger players much needed real game experience.

The Dawgs were very stingy with Murray States offense allowing only 23 yards rushing in 27 attempts for the entire game. When they moved the ball it was in the air. The Racers were able to add 10 points in the second half against the Bulldogs second and third team.

Georgia will host Arkansas State as a 33 point favorite on Sept. 14.

4. Oklahoma 70 – South Dakota 14. The spread was off for this game.

Wow! The Oklahoma Sooners managed 733 yards of offense against a much weaker S. Dakota Coyotes team. The Sooners had over 400 yards passing and over 300 yards rushing in the slaughter.

Oklahoma’s defense was able to force three turnovers, one for a Sooner touchdown. The Sooner second and third-team defense allowed only 14 points in the 3rd quarter.

Oklahoma quarterback, Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes and ran for 47 yards before being replaced by the second string.

The one thing the Sooners must work on… penalties. They lost 96 yards on 12 penalties. That was okay against the lesser Coyote’s but it will not stand up to their Big12 foes.

Oklahoma travels to UCLA as a 22 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

5. Ohio State 42 – Cincinnati 0. The spread was off for this game.

The Cincinnati Bearcats came into this game with high hopes following their win against UCLA last week. Their hopes were quickly trounced as Justin Fields and company put the peddle to the metal and never let up.

The Buckeyes defense was able to block a field goal, sack the Bearcat quarterback six times, intercept a pass and picked up a fumble for a touch-back all while holding the Cincinnati offense to only 273 total yards.

Meanwhile, Ohio State played one of the cleanest games of the day with only 25 yards in penalties and 0 turnovers. The Buckeyes were also able to put up more than 500 yards offense and had 31 first downs all while giving their second and third teams plenty of playing time.

The Buckeyes played with intensity and determination in this game. They were one of the best teams of the day to watch as they were crisp and had basically no errors. If this team continues to play this way they are going to be tough for any Big 10 opponent… or anyone else for that matter.

Ohio State opens Big 10 play on the road to Indiana as a 22 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

6. LSU 45 – Texas 38. The 5.5 spread was covered.

The kind of College Football game we all live for! Two excellent, well-coached teams. The last time these neighboring state universities met was in the Cotton Bowl Class in 2003. This game resulted in a 35-20 win for Texas.

Most of the hype before this game was on Texas QB, Sam Ehlinger. After the game, the attention turned to LSU QB, Joe Burrow. Pregame Burrow was little known, he put every team on their schedule on notice. Both Ehlinger and Burrow ended the game with four touchdown passes.

LSU has changed their offense to a wide-open spread offense with a lot of passing. They were clicking on all cylinders. Just as much as the Tigers were clicking, so were the Texas Longhorns.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron said his defense was “riddled” by the Texas offense and Ehlinger. It was so close, Coach Oregon stated, “… if they get the ball back, it would have been a different story”.

Both teams were playing at their best and that had to be tough in the 100 degrees Texas heat. This game could have gone either way. These teams were very evenly matched and that made for a very fun game for the spectators!

LSU will host N’western State on Sept. 14th. At this time the spread is “off” for this game.

7. Michigan 24 – Army 21. The 22.5 point spread was not covered.

This may have been the surprise game of the day. No one expected the Army Black Knights to play the mighty Michigan Wolverines into two overtimes. It was shocking, especially for the Wolverines.

At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied. At the end of the first half, the Black Knights were leading the game by 7. The third quarter saw the Wolverines score 7 more points. The end of regulation time this game was tied at 14 all.

Michigan was able to hold Army to only 43 yards passing. But the Black Knights rushed for 200. The Wolverines, on the other hand, were able to pass for 232 yards and rush for 102. Both teams had 3 turnovers. Michigan fumbled three times while Army had two fumbles and one interception.

In my humble opinion, the Army came in with more fire in their bellies to win this game. They wanted it! The rest of CFB has been put on notice by Army. They scared Oklahoma at the first of last season by taking them into overtime. Then they went on to win eleven games including a bowl game. No one can take Army lightly again.

Michigan has a much-needed bye week coming up. They will play Wisconsin on Sept. 21st.

8. Notre Dame – Enjoyed a bye week.

Notre Dame will host New Mexico as a 36.5 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

9. Texas 38 – LSU 45. The 5.5 spread was covered.

I’ve already covered this game, so I will give you the stats from this game here.

Matchup LSU-----------------------------------------------------------------Texas

1st Downs 28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------30

3rd down efficiency 6-12-----------------------------------------------------8-15

4th down efficiency 0-0 ------------------------------------------------------1-3

Total Yards 573--------------------------------------------------------------------530

Passing 471------------------------------------------------------------------------ 409

Comp-Att 31-39------------------------------------------------------------------ 32-48

Yards per pass 12.1-------------------------------------------------------------8.5

Interceptions thrown 1-------------------------------------------------------- 0

Rushing 102---------------------------------------------------- 121

Rushing Attempts 29------------------------------------------------------ 37

Yards per rush 3.5----------------------------------------------------- 3.3

Penalties 6-65----------------------------------------------------6-50

Turnovers 1--------------------------------------------------------- 0

Fumbles lost 0--------------------------------------------------------- 0

Interceptions thrown 1-----------------------------------------------------------0

Possession 26:07----------------------------------------------------33:53

Texas will travel to Rice as a 35.0 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

10. Auburn 24 – Tulane 6. The 18 point spread was a push

The best thing about the Tigers in this game, their defense dominated the Green Wave offense holding them to only 223 total yards and never allowing them to cross the goal-line.

The Tigers came out slow in the first quarter not scoring at all. The second half saw the Tigers score two touchdowns behind a struggling offensive line.

Auburn lost two fumbles and two receivers in this game. They already had their top starting receiver recovering from hand surgery. In this game, Seth Williams went out with a shoulder issue and will probably miss next weeks game. Will Hastings went out of the game in the third quarter after being hit in the helmet by Tulane’s Macon Clark. Hastings walked off the field under his own power and is expected to return this Saturday.

Clark was ejected from the game for targeting.

Auburn won their first game against Oregon in the final few seconds of the game. They were very sluggish in this game. They have got to find a way to wake up their offense if they want to remain in the Top 10.

Auburn hosts Kent State as a 35.0 point favorite on Sept. 14th.

I am looking forward to this coming weekend to watch more football. Pete and I go to high school games on Friday nights and we watch college games on Saturdays. It is something we truly enjoy doing together.

Until next week,

Mama