Orange Squeeze

Oklahoma State had gone 66 years before finally winning in Lubbock last year.  So just how odd was it, that in their first visit back, the Cowboys put "66" on the scoreboard against a Texas Tech team that has nose-dived since a massive upset win over Oklahoma 3 weeks ago.  

I'm sure there have been happier days before.

The Red Raiders scored more points in that game (41) than in their next three games combined (33), and have given up a total of 159 points in that same span.  In fact, had it not been for Cornelius Douglas' fumble return for a score, Texas Tech would have wound up scoreless; which I'm pretty sure hasn't happened in Lubbock. 

The Cowboys made light work of the Red Raiders, scoring just about every time they touched the ball in the first half.  It also didn't hurt that Texas Tech was intent on shooting themselves in the foot; something that the Cowboys defense appreciated, considering that they didn't have to spend almost 40 minutes on the field.  Still, the defense recorded 3 takeaways, each of which was converted for a touchdown.

Joseph Randle had 3 rushing scores to bring his season tally to 21 TD, trailing Wisconsin's Monte Ball (23 TDs), and Justin Blackmon got to pad his stats as well; but a person making a "Heisman statement" was Brandon Weeden who went 31-37 for 423 yards and 5 TDs. 

Weeden became the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes, and is 3 scores short of matching his totals for last season.  Throughout the season, he has slowly built his resume which will receive a massive boost should the Cowboys beat Oklahoma in their season finale. 

Next up for the Cowboys is Iowa State on Friday night.  The Cyclones are on a 2 game win streak, but I doubt they'll be able to match the Cowboys' firepower.

College Football Week 9: Hot, Not & Really?

 

After week 9 of College Football, I'm working on introducing a new segment called "Hot, Not & Really"; which rather speaks for itself.  Hopefully this can be a continuing theme as the season goes on.  Without further ado, let's get to it.


WHO'S HOT:


Case Keenum: The Cougars signal caller threw for 534 yards and 9 touchdowns (NINE!!) against city rival Rice.  Keenum is the NCAA's all time leader in TD passes, and should soon be the all time leader in passing yards as well.  More importantly, Houston stayed undefeated.


Oklahoma State's Defense: This unit may have surrendered a lot of yards, but lead the nation in turnover margin.  They've now forced 12 turnovers in their last 3 games; I'd have included the 4 against Kansas, but that wasn't much of a contest.


Oklahoma Sooners: It might seem too soon, but the turnaround is hard to overlook.  After getting embarrassed in a loss to Texas Tech, the Sooners bounced back to crush the previously unbeaten Kansas State; completely dominating both sides of the ball.  They've earned it.


Ohio State Buckeyes: After an off-season they would rather forget, the Buckeyes are making the most of this season.  They blew a 21-point lead in a loss to Nebraska, but responded by handing Illinois their first loss, then soiled any BCS hopes that Wisconsin had, courtesy of QB Braxton Miller's late game heroics.


Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Big Red machine are currently riding a 3 game winning streak, after receiving a rude awakening in their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.  Their latest antics involved a dominant performance against Michigan State, leaving both teams tied for 1st place (along with Michigan) in their respective division.


Oregon Ducks: They've reeled off 7 straight wins in dominant fashion.  Doesn't matter what they wear, or how they wear it, they just wear opponents out.


WHO'S NOT:


Wisconsin Badgers: Playing within the confines of Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers carved out a 6-0 start, and were in the running for a national title.  Then came the next 2 games out of state, and after a couple of "hail marys", they're all but out for not only the national title, but the conference title as well.


Texas A&M Aggies: A 38-31 loss to Mizzou marked the 3rd time that the Aggies held a double digit lead (they led 28-17), only to lose the game.  This was a team that most people thought would factor in the national title discussion.


Clemson Tigers: They started off their season by defeating 3 ranked opponents - including defending champ Auburn - and seemed to control their own destiny as far as the national title was concerned.  The Tigers were done in by their inability to stop Georgia Tech's "triple option" attack.


Kansas Jayhawks: They're riding a 6 game losing streak and easily boast the worst defense in all of college football.  In their last outing against Texas, the Jayhawks could only manage 46 total yards (!!!).  I could go on, but there's no fun in flogging a dead horse.


Colorado Buffaloes: They're 1-8 (0-5 in conference).  Can someone please remind me why they moved to the Pac-12?


REALLY?

Tommy Tuberville followed up a signature win
with an embarrassing loss.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Coming off consecutive losses, the Red Raiders put on a clinic in an upset win over Oklahoma.  Just when you thought that they were finally on track, they lay an egg against Iowa State.  Did I mention that this game was in Lubbock?  In a weird twist of irony, they trailed 24-7 at the half, and conceded 41 total points; a complete reverse from the previous week when they led 24-7 at the interval, and scored 41 points.


Marquel Wade, Arkansas: The Razorback wide receiver delivered "The Cheap Shot Heard Around The World" while covering a punt that was about to be fielded by Vanderbilt's Jonathan Krause.  Wade arrived early and put a hit on Krause before he could even field the ball.  Wade was subsequently ejected from the game, and is suspended for the game against #9 South Carolina.  He has since issued an apology, and you can expect him to have learnt from this episode.