Cup O' Joe: Week 9, 2005
Cup O' Joe
Songin's Swan Song, Ronde Rises, and a nation turns its eyes to Happy Valley
by Joe Simpson
- Marion Songin will be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy fesitivites. Many people say he'll win. But I think he is now the bridesmaid for the award, and it may be because of his first fumble lost of the year. With the Aggies beginning to move on a potential lead-taking drive, Songin fumbled on his own 37. The Sooners recovered, and six plays later, Ray Jimoh's touchdown sealed Oklahoma's 39-27 victory over the previously unbeaten Aggies. Songin did his share against the Sooners' defense, running for 236 yards and a touchdown. His yardage was largely unproductive, though; his touchdown did bring A&M's deficit to 26-20. But his fumble was extremely costly; it did not cost the Aggies the game. It came at the most inopportune time, but QB Samari Dennison's two INTs hurt the Aggies just as much.
On a personal standpoint, Songin's fumble will hurt him far more than any single play this year; in the eyes of the voters, his fumble will be looked at as the choke job of the year. That's unfair, but at the same time, it's not. This was his chance to show he can play with one of the national title contenders, and dominate a game against them the way he had against the Baylors, the UNLV's, and the Utah States. And he had; he rushed for 236 yards on the vaunted Sooners defense. But only one touchdown, and that fumble...oh, that fumble...may very well have dashed Songin's chance at the Heisman.
- Then again, it may be that Ronde Samuels just takes it away from the competition. Samuels has completed 73.2% of his passes (172-235) for 2,326 yards, 26 TD, and just four interceptions. He has done it against tough teams (Miami, Maryland), and while the Seminoles have Clemson still to come, I think it's obvious that Samuels has become the favorite for the Heisman...if only a slight favorite. He's incredibly efficient; over a two game stretch (UCF, North Carolina), he completelyed 63-73 passes for 754 yards, 8 TD, and 2 INT. He has not thrown an INT in this last two games. He was considered the preseason favorite, and has quietly put up excellent numbers, while Songin and Kurt Laird generated all the press. Now, with the spotlight beginning to come back to Tallahassee, Samuels is peaking.
Right now, I think these are the top five for the Heisman:
1. Ronde Samuels, FSU QB
2. Marion Songin, Texas A&M RB
3. Kurt Laird, Clemson QB
4. Jared Bingaman, Georgia RB (Jr)
5. Sage Stith, PSU QB (Jr)
I think it's a two-man race, with Laird getting back into the discussion if he leads Clemson to the victory over Florida State. Bingaman and Stith will be the top candidates next year, and they are having Heisman-worthy years. But Samuels and Songin are having unbelievable seasons. You can justify the trophy to either one of them.
- Finally, the nation's eye will be in Happy Valley this week, as the Big Ten race will go a long way towards being decided. Minnesota, undefeated and #3 in the polls, travels to Penn State, where the Nittany Lions have been death to ranked teams, going 4-0 against them this year. However, I really like Minnesota in this game. Here's why:
1) Minnesota owns the nation's best defense. They fly all over the field. Harry Diamond is a probable All-American, and a frontrunner for the Butkus Award, and he leads this defense with an aggressive style, combined with smart decisions. They destroyed a Purdue offense led by Davey O'Brien candidate Homer Pierosante last week, holding the Boilermakers to just six points. Purdue scored 20 on Penn State (but held them to 38 points on defense). Penn State's offense is ranked eighth in the nation, and their defense is much better than advertised, at 26th in the nation. But, can they beat Minnesota in a low-scoring affair? I don't think they can. As long as Minnesota keeps it down in the scoring column, I like their chances.
2) The loss of WR Sean Robertson and, more importantly, CB Kimo Tice to academics really hurts the Lions' chances. They get preseason All-American candidate RB Max Dixon back, giving them the deepest stable of running backs in the nation. They're going to need all three--Dixon, Jeremiah Rambo, and sophomore stud Chance Scharder--if they're going to offset the loss to Robertson. Expect Minnesota to stack eight in the box, and force Sage Stith to beat them without their second-best wideout. Claxton Hope is an All-American right now, but can he deal with triple-teams? The team will have to rely on true freshman JC Bruce (23 catches, 360 yards, 3 TD), who thrived in the slot. But will he be able to draw enough attention to get Hope open? I don't think so. And while Dixon gives the Lions the potential to pound the ball in the fourth quarter against a possibly tired Gophers defense, the Lions will need the lead in the fourth to do that. And the loss of Robertson may have cost them that opportunity on offense.
The loss of Tice is much worse for the Nittany Lions. Tice is the only shutdown corner in the Big Ten. He is the best corner in the conference, and the Lions are not deep in the secondary. The opportunity for the Gophers to throw on the Lions, to open up their offense and throw them off-guard with playaction, really gives Minnesota the edge in this game. Tice also hurts PSU in the return game, where he was a threat every time he touched the ball. I think Penn State's defense is now dented to the point that they're going to have to try and turn this into a track meet to beat Minnesota. Against Minnesota's defense, that just isn't possible.
Prediction: The loss of Tice is what will cost Penn State this game. The game may not even be close, and that's a shame. These are the two best teams in the conference this year, and unfortunately, the fact that two of Penn State's studs could not take care of business in the classroom will cost them the Big Ten crown.
Minnesota 27, Penn State 17
Songin's Swan Song, Ronde Rises, and a nation turns its eyes to Happy Valley
by Joe Simpson
- Marion Songin will be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy fesitivites. Many people say he'll win. But I think he is now the bridesmaid for the award, and it may be because of his first fumble lost of the year. With the Aggies beginning to move on a potential lead-taking drive, Songin fumbled on his own 37. The Sooners recovered, and six plays later, Ray Jimoh's touchdown sealed Oklahoma's 39-27 victory over the previously unbeaten Aggies. Songin did his share against the Sooners' defense, running for 236 yards and a touchdown. His yardage was largely unproductive, though; his touchdown did bring A&M's deficit to 26-20. But his fumble was extremely costly; it did not cost the Aggies the game. It came at the most inopportune time, but QB Samari Dennison's two INTs hurt the Aggies just as much.
On a personal standpoint, Songin's fumble will hurt him far more than any single play this year; in the eyes of the voters, his fumble will be looked at as the choke job of the year. That's unfair, but at the same time, it's not. This was his chance to show he can play with one of the national title contenders, and dominate a game against them the way he had against the Baylors, the UNLV's, and the Utah States. And he had; he rushed for 236 yards on the vaunted Sooners defense. But only one touchdown, and that fumble...oh, that fumble...may very well have dashed Songin's chance at the Heisman.
- Then again, it may be that Ronde Samuels just takes it away from the competition. Samuels has completed 73.2% of his passes (172-235) for 2,326 yards, 26 TD, and just four interceptions. He has done it against tough teams (Miami, Maryland), and while the Seminoles have Clemson still to come, I think it's obvious that Samuels has become the favorite for the Heisman...if only a slight favorite. He's incredibly efficient; over a two game stretch (UCF, North Carolina), he completelyed 63-73 passes for 754 yards, 8 TD, and 2 INT. He has not thrown an INT in this last two games. He was considered the preseason favorite, and has quietly put up excellent numbers, while Songin and Kurt Laird generated all the press. Now, with the spotlight beginning to come back to Tallahassee, Samuels is peaking.
Right now, I think these are the top five for the Heisman:
1. Ronde Samuels, FSU QB
2. Marion Songin, Texas A&M RB
3. Kurt Laird, Clemson QB
4. Jared Bingaman, Georgia RB (Jr)
5. Sage Stith, PSU QB (Jr)
I think it's a two-man race, with Laird getting back into the discussion if he leads Clemson to the victory over Florida State. Bingaman and Stith will be the top candidates next year, and they are having Heisman-worthy years. But Samuels and Songin are having unbelievable seasons. You can justify the trophy to either one of them.
- Finally, the nation's eye will be in Happy Valley this week, as the Big Ten race will go a long way towards being decided. Minnesota, undefeated and #3 in the polls, travels to Penn State, where the Nittany Lions have been death to ranked teams, going 4-0 against them this year. However, I really like Minnesota in this game. Here's why:
1) Minnesota owns the nation's best defense. They fly all over the field. Harry Diamond is a probable All-American, and a frontrunner for the Butkus Award, and he leads this defense with an aggressive style, combined with smart decisions. They destroyed a Purdue offense led by Davey O'Brien candidate Homer Pierosante last week, holding the Boilermakers to just six points. Purdue scored 20 on Penn State (but held them to 38 points on defense). Penn State's offense is ranked eighth in the nation, and their defense is much better than advertised, at 26th in the nation. But, can they beat Minnesota in a low-scoring affair? I don't think they can. As long as Minnesota keeps it down in the scoring column, I like their chances.
2) The loss of WR Sean Robertson and, more importantly, CB Kimo Tice to academics really hurts the Lions' chances. They get preseason All-American candidate RB Max Dixon back, giving them the deepest stable of running backs in the nation. They're going to need all three--Dixon, Jeremiah Rambo, and sophomore stud Chance Scharder--if they're going to offset the loss to Robertson. Expect Minnesota to stack eight in the box, and force Sage Stith to beat them without their second-best wideout. Claxton Hope is an All-American right now, but can he deal with triple-teams? The team will have to rely on true freshman JC Bruce (23 catches, 360 yards, 3 TD), who thrived in the slot. But will he be able to draw enough attention to get Hope open? I don't think so. And while Dixon gives the Lions the potential to pound the ball in the fourth quarter against a possibly tired Gophers defense, the Lions will need the lead in the fourth to do that. And the loss of Robertson may have cost them that opportunity on offense.
The loss of Tice is much worse for the Nittany Lions. Tice is the only shutdown corner in the Big Ten. He is the best corner in the conference, and the Lions are not deep in the secondary. The opportunity for the Gophers to throw on the Lions, to open up their offense and throw them off-guard with playaction, really gives Minnesota the edge in this game. Tice also hurts PSU in the return game, where he was a threat every time he touched the ball. I think Penn State's defense is now dented to the point that they're going to have to try and turn this into a track meet to beat Minnesota. Against Minnesota's defense, that just isn't possible.
Prediction: The loss of Tice is what will cost Penn State this game. The game may not even be close, and that's a shame. These are the two best teams in the conference this year, and unfortunately, the fact that two of Penn State's studs could not take care of business in the classroom will cost them the Big Ten crown.
Minnesota 27, Penn State 17
posted by The Incoherent | 8:08 PM
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