By RUPackers
Published: December 9, 2007 PrintEmail
2WO
I start off this article about the number two with another number.
Seven.
Seven teams. Seven dreams of the BCS Championship. Seven dreams…dead.
(2) USC 23 Stanford 24
(2) California 28 Oregon State 31
(2) South Florida 27 Rutgers 30
(2) Boston College 17 Florida State 27
(2) Oregon 24 Arizona 34
(2) Kansas 28 (4) Missouri 36
(2) West Virginia 9 Pittsburgh 13
In this article I will attempt to figure out what exactly went wrong in these seven games that brought these teams to their collective knees.
USC vs. Stanford
It was over when: Mark Bradford caught a 10 yard Tavita Pritchard pass on 4th and goal with 0:49 remaining.
Stats: Pritchard (backup quarterback mind you) was 11/30 on passing. Anthony Kimble had 37 rushing yards. The tree was outgained 459 yards to 235.
Indeed, it isn’t yardage gained that is the difference maker…more often than not it’s winning the turnover battle…precisely what Stanford did. All the props in the world go to the Cardinal defense, as they blocked an early extra point that proved to be critical, and intercepted John David Booty four times, one returned for a touchdown early in the third quarter…getting Stanford on the board. Booty’s inaccuracies may stem from an injury he sustained in the second quarter, when he cracked a bone in his middle finger on a helmet. Still though, USC not being able to get over 100 cumulative rushing yards on a team that Las Vegas had them defeating by 41 points is inexcusable. There was no bad call, no horrible injury, none of that. One team was simply better that the other, for one night only. And it wasn’t the one with the 35 game home winning streak.
California vs. Oregon State
It was over when: Kevin Smith ran out of time as he orchestrated a hurry up offense from his own 6 with 79 seconds remaining. The drive stalled at the OSU 12 with a decision that still has me scratching my head.
Stats: Cal’s top two wideouts outgained OSU’s 260 yards to 96.
Let’s just jump to 58:41 seconds into the game, because as far as I’m concerned these two gutted it out, neck and neck, neither team ever having more than a 7 point lead at any point. Kevin Smith trotted onto the field to orchestrate a two-minute hurry-up offense in 1:19…from his own 6. Incomplete. 18 yard pass for first down. Sacked for a loss of 7. Incomplete. Incomplete. Fourth and 17, he chucks it for 19. Incomplete. Pass for 37 yards and a first down. Incomplete. Incomplete. At their opponent’s 27, they’re awarded a gift pass interference, with the ball at the 12. At this point things got hinky. With only 14 seconds remaining, a #2 ranking at stake, in chip shot field goal range, with no timeouts left, Smith chose to scramble with it, only gaining three yards. THROW. IT. AWAY!! The clock winds down, they try to pull the Jason Elam play by getting the field goal unit out to tie the game, to no avail.
This loss I attribute to poor decision-making by Cal coach Jeff Tedford. Considering the implications the #2 ranking carries, now and down the road, you absolutely have to play for overtime. Kick the field goal. Then squib kick it. You’ll leave Oregon State with 60 yards to go in what, 7 seconds at most? They’re not going to score. LSU lost earlier. You don’t have to win decisively. Just win. And you’re the kings of college football. Instead, a critical blunder by Kevin Smith made them the tenth top-10 team to lose this season…8 weeks in.
And #1 LSU lost earlier that day too. God bless them…they’re the sickest team in America!!
South Florida vs. Rutgers
It was over when: Zaire Kitchen intercepted Matt Grothe’s desperation 4th down Hail Mary with under two minutes left, sealing the win.
Stats: No one had rushed for over 100 yards on South Florida since Ray Rice did it in 2006. He had 181 yards on the night. Three different Rutgers players completed passes, including punter Jeremy Ito. 114 of Mike Teel’s 179 passing yards went to Tiquan Underwood. Matt Grothe led the Bulls in passing AND rushing.
Since I was there to watch the third #2 ranked team in as many weeks fall, this one was easy. The atmosphere in Piscataway that Thursday evening was incomparable. Towels waving from every direction, the crowd louder than it had been since last year’s Louisville, and the electric feeling of an upset in the air set the stage beautifully. And from the get-go, you knew things were going to bounce Rutgers’ way. Jeremy Ito chucked a 36 yard pass on fourth and long to keep the first drive of the game alive…leading to a field goal. The unconventional playcalling would continue later on into the second half, when third string QB Andrew DePaola took a snap for a presumed field goal, then rolled out, avoided a snap, and threaded the needle to Kevin Brock, thereby extending the Rutgers lead to 10 points late in the third. There would be no such playcalling from Jim Leavitt, as early Heisman candidate Matt Grothe couldn’t pony up the numbers he needed. 50% completions, slightly over 3 yards per carry…not sufficient enough for the leader of the #2 team in the nation.
But did the South Florida Bulls really merit being #2? Like I said earlier, USC and California lost the two previous weeks, and #1 LSU lost 5 days before also. With a reasonably weak schedule early and a dramatic win over West Virginia, the guys in green found themselves catapulted to the top of the BCS faster than the Rutgers kids can storm the field. Perhaps it was the inexperience? Perhaps it was the added pressure to compete and prove yourself worthy? Regardless, South Florida entered that contest second best in the nation, and left second best in New Jersey.
Boston College vs. Florida State
It was over when: Geno Hayes picked off Matt Ryan and returned it 38 yards to the promised land with about a minute left, slamming the door on another team’s hopes.
Stats: Boston College racked up 415 yards in the air, compared to 30 on the ground. Each quarterback threw for 2 touchdowns, but Heisman candidate Matt Ryan had 3 INT’s compared to Drew Weatherford’s 0. Boston College had fewer penalties than FSU, but was penalized for over twice as many yards (121 to 58).
They avoided the scare of becoming the fourth team in four weeks to fall victim to the newfound Curse of #2, rallying to defeat Virginia Tech late a week ago. Their luck would promptly run out when they met unranked Florida State. Ryan’s Heisman hopes were effectively demolished with his three-interception performance, each of which came at rather costly times. The first came after he led his team inside the Seminole 10, the second came early in the third which set up an FSU field goal, making the deficit 10-0. The third interception, as mentioned before, doomed them. On the other side, give Drew Weatherford all the credit in the world for stepping up and having a banner game, completing over 64% of his passes for 354 yards.
Let me point out here, that the remnants of Hurricane Noel were making their way up the coastline, bringing winds of 50 MPH that lasted all evening long, and a soaking downpour that lasted the duration of the first quarter. Do these conditions excuse the loss? Hardly. In such oppressive conditions, it’s imperative that the running game gets established early and often, something Boston College failed to do. And when your leading rusher is known for being a pocket passer, something is glaringly wrong (Ryan racked up 30 yards on 9 carries). And not for nothing, if you don’t score in the first half and make yourselves known, you’re in trouble. Quoth Lombardi – “Trust in the running game, and winning will follow.”
Oregon vs. Arizona
It was over when: Dennis Dixon’s leg bent the way legs aren’t supposed to bend, and didn’t return to the game. The Ducks wouldn’t find the end zone again until it was too late.
Stats: Oregon outrushed Arizona 238-56, and outgained them 463-322.
Thrust into the #2 slot with Ohio State falling to Illinois, and LSU stomping Louisiana Tech, Oregon found themselves in the prestigious, and now dubious #2 slot. Late in the season, with newfound Heisman frontrunner Dennis Dixon, the Ducks were well on their way to the national championship. That was, of course, until Mike Stoops and his knack for knocking off ranked teams in November appeared on the schedule. Reeling from a knee injury suffered 12 days prior to Arizona State, Dixon tempted fate and chose to play, a choice that would ultimately doom his season. He would be replaced by Brady Leaf, of Leaf quarterbacking infamy who, unfortunately, kept the Leaf legacy going. He would finish the game with a completion percentage under 50%, 2 interceptions, and looking utterly confused. Credit for the victory goes to Arizona for essentially striking while the iron was hot. They saw Dixon go down, and decided to kick it into a higher gear, scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter, which covered all three bases, offense, defense, and special teams. A Leaf interception returned 42 yards for 6, a Willie Tuitama 42 yard pass, and an Antoine Cason 56 yard blocked punt return for touchdown that gave the Wildcats a 20 point margin, effectively driving the Ducks into the ground before halftime. There would be no rallying here. Dixon was gone, the national championship was out of reach, and the Ducks were left in a daze, a daze they would be unable to recover from all season long.
Kansas vs. Missouri
It was over when: Jeff Wolfert kicked a 43 yard field goal with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter, giving Mizzou a 13 point lead. Kansas would respond by cutting the deficit to 6, getting the ball back with 12 seconds left, DEEP in their own territory until Todd Reesing was sacked in the end zone for a safety.
Stats: Chase Daniel’s completion percentage was a whopping 82%, and he went for 361 yards and 3 TD’s. Kansas was 3-3 on fourth down conversions, Missouri only 1-3. Missouri was penalized 14 times for 141 yards, Kansas only twice for 26 yards.
In the matchup of the week, and one of the most anticipated in the year, two of college football’s biggest surprises of the year met on neutral turf to fight for the chance to play in the national championship. The perfect Kansas Jayhawks, playing with a giant bulls eye on their collective backs that was the #2 ranking this year, met their fierce Big 12 rival Missouri, who had a Heisman candidate of their own, in Chase Daniel firing on all cylinders. Never was this more evident than when he had a career game against Mark Mangino’s streaking Kansas team. This game truly came down to quarterback play, where Daniel clearly outplayed Reesing. Through some reasonable fault of his own, Reesing’s squad wasn’t able to find the end zone until he found himself trying to dig himself out of a 21-0 hole. His Achilles heel that evening, however, was his two interceptions, each of which set up Missouri touchdown drives. Opportunities were present for Kansas’ taking, but they simply failed to capitalize and move the chains as efficiently as Missouri did. #2 would fall once again, and the already wacky college football season became even more so.
West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
It was over when: Pat White dislocated his thumb and recieved an ice dressing the size of a bowling ball. Jarrett Brown, the leader of West Virginia’s offense in last year’s 3OT finale against Rutgers, found himself in direr straits as the Mountaineers’ explosive offense was reduced to a dud firecracker.
Stats: West Virginia didn’t exceed 50 yards offensively in any of the three major categories all game (50 passing, 41 rushing, 46 receiving). Coming in they averaged 292+ rush yards per game, good for 4th in the nation. LeSean McCoy had more than twice as many rushing yards as Pat Bostick had passing (148 to 67).
The final week of the college football season appropriately ended the way it had played out all year. New #1 Missouri fell hard to Oklahoma. The BCS standings had been shaken up like a Southern California earthquake. And what better way to top it off than having the seventh, yes, SEVENTH #2 team in the nation fall. This time it would be West Virginia, in the 100th round of the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia. We should have known something was funky when Pat McAfee missed a 20 yard and a 34 yard field goal early in the game. Then Pat White went down with a hurt thumb, taking him out of the game until late in the fourth, when he tried, in vain, to save the day. Despite earning a bunch of questionable calls and penalties swinging in West Virginia’s favor, Rich Rodriguez simply couldn’t figure out Dave Wannstedt’s defensive scheme. Another #2 fell, and West Virginia’s dreams of New Orleans were finished.
So what have we learned?
-Injured quarterbacks, especially Heisman candidates, when they go down, kill their teams. -Lack of running game means lack of wins. -The correct frame of mind is needed with such a ranking. You need to have the resolve to stay composed and not crumble under the pressure, because on false move can effectively ruin any chance at a national championship.
So now we’re left to see what next year’s college football season has in store. Perhaps some more of that wacky BCS? Or maybe the #1 team keeps on losing? Wouldn’t THAT be fun? Stay tuned.
