Week 2

Week 2

Results of Last Week's Top 2 Games to Watch

1. Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State Spartans

Final score: Oregon 46 Michigan State 27

At halftime, Oregon was down by 6: 18-24.  However, in the second half the Oregon defense started to clamp down, and only gave up 3 points.  The Ducks' offense kept flapping along and flew through the Spartans defense on their way to 4 second half touchdowns.  After this big win, I would now have to say they are men with a unique and awesome sense of style.

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Michigan Wolverines

Final score: Notre Dame 31 Michigan 0

In this shutout victory, quarterback Everett Golson had an exceptional game, finishing with 3 touchdown passes.  This is the first time since 1984 that Michigan has been shutout and the first shutout in this rivalry's history.  Notre Dame will have the last laugh for a while at least as this is the last currently scheduled meeting between these two football powerhouses.  They have been playing on and off since 1887 for a total of 42 games.  However, the loss of this rivalry is not as bad as some would bemoan, because this isn't the biggest rivalry game for either team.

Top Two Most Exciting Games of the Week 

1. San Diego State Aztecs @ North Carolina Tar Heels

First off, I'm sure you're all wondering what a Tar Heel is.  The name comes from a story from the Revolutionary War.  British soldiers waded across a river and when they reached the other side they found tar covering their feet.  Some believe that a bunch of inventive North Carolinians dumped some pine tar, which was their most important export at the time, into the river to slow down the Redcoats.  The British said that if you went to North Carolina you would get tar on your heels.

Back to football, the first score of the game came by way of a Sportscenter worthy 100 yard interception return for a touchdown by North Carolina.  But early in the 4th quarter the Tar Heels found themselves down by 10 points.  North Carolina needed a touchdown drive desperately and they came up big.  Quarterback Marquise Williams threw a perfect pass and his receiver Mack Hollins caught it in stride and raced down the field for a 91 yard touchdown.  The mass of fans wearing light and dark blue were jumping for joy.

The North Carolina defense did their job on the ensuing San Diego State drive, holding them to a field goal.  The Tar Heels offense kept scampering forward, scoring 10 points on their next 2 drives, giving them a 4 points lead with 4 minutes left: 31-27.  The Aztecs needed a touchdown to win. They fought their way down the field to set up 1st and Goal at the 2 yard line.  But with a mighty kick, the Tar Heels stopped Aztecs' running back for a loss back at the 5 yard line.  So, San Diego State decided to try another short pass at the goal line which didn't work out so well in the 1st quarter. And just as before, the pass failed to reach the intended target and was intercepted in the endzone, which sealed the victory and sent the North Carolina faithful into a frenzy.  I guess the raiding party of Aztec warriors could not avoid getting tar on their heels.

2. USC Trojans @ Stanford Cardinal (yes there's no "s" because it refers to the color)

This game was anything but flashy as this in-state battle was knotted at 10 at the beginning of the final quarter of play.  The USC sideline was an unlikely source of excitement as the head coach was called for a 5 yard delay of game and 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for arguing with the referees.  Someone needed to take a chill pill that day!  Fortunately for him, his antics didn't hurt his team much.  

With 5 minutes left the Trojans fought like warriors defending their city (think Homer's The Iliad) against the tough Stanford defense and got to the Cardinal's 35 yard line.  Like a reliable catapult, USC kicker Andre Heidari fired the ball threw the uprights for a 53 yard field goal.  That's all the Trojans needed as they held on for a 13-10 victory.  This victory was nearly identical to USC's win last year over Stanford with a late field goal.  I can't imagine how frustrating it is as a player to lose by a field goal to the same team two years in a row.  Boy, that burns.  

Top Two Games to Watch: Week 3

1. No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs @ No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks (think fighting roosters): Saturday 9/13 at 3:30 p.m. on CBS

This game is the only top 25 matchup this week and is the second ranked opponent for both teams. Will the Bulldogs chew through their opponents defense like they did against Clemson, or will South Carolina's defense have learned something from their shellacking at the hands of Texas A&M in Week 1 and play for an upset in front of their home crowd?

2. No. 21 Louisville Cardinals @ Virginia Cavaliers

Will Louisville continue their winning ways against conference foes in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) or can Virginia manage a much needed win with their fans around them?