Cup O' Joe: Week 11, 2005
We had some major stories come through this week, and of course, we have to cover them. So, here we go:
- Clemson's loss to Maryland at home is still causing many within the coaching ranks to scratch their heads. How could the Tigers lose this one? Simply put, the shock of the 30-yard touchdown from Tory Smerlas to Edd Dorsch stunned the Tigers offense. They suddenly had a lot of pressure to perform, and Kurt Laird got happy feet. "He was hopping all over the pocket, looking to make a play," said one ACC coach, who saw the tape on Monday. "He never got set. His last throw wasn't even close. The protection was good. He just let (the pressure) get to him." The normally calm and collected Laird had a solid game, completing 25-of-38 for 357 yards and three touchdowns. But the Terps knew they were going to throw in the fourth quarter, and they forced Laird to beat them on the sidelines, taking everything away down the middle of the field. "(Maryland's secondary) gambled that Laird would get desperate to hit one of his slants, and would try to stay away from the fade. It was a gamble that really paid off," said another ACC coach. "If you're Florida State, you have to love the loss. But what you have to love even more is how the Terps exposed the Tigers' offense here. They presented a blueprint in how to shut down their passing game."
Another question is how Clemson's fourth-ranked defense gave up 41 points to Maryland's offense. Credit the Maryland coaching staff with varying up their gameplan, keeping the Tigers guessing. The Terps somehow got the win, despite going 2-of-10 on third down...
- Minnesota's loss gives the Big Ten some interesting scenarios. Right now, the race contains four teams: the Gophers, Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan. One of the latter two will get knocked out of the race, when they face off in a month. Penn State is expected to win their last two games, on the road against Northwestern, and at Illinois. That puts a lot of pressure on Minnesota, and Ohio State, actually, to keep winning. If Minnesota, Ohio State, and Penn State win out, it is unknown who would get the title, due to tiebreakers being nullified. If Minnesota, PSU, and Michigan win it, Minnesota gets the title, due to tiebreaking wins over the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines. If Minnesota falters again, Penn State is back in the driver's seat, via their win over Ohio State. How Michigan falls into this is unknown, if Minnesota loses; the Lions and Wolverines don't play one another this year, and both would have wins over Ohio State, and losses to Minnesota. Penn State was more impressive in their loss to Minnesota, and blew out the Buckeyes. Needless to say, this is a race that will go down to the wire, no matter what.
- You read it last week, but I think it's official now; no matter what Ronde Samuels does, he's getting the Heisman Trophy...
- While Samuels, Laird, and Marion Songin get all of the headlines, there deserves to be something written about South Carolina QB Artrose Stratton. The 6'3 senior has thrown for over 2,300 yards, 18 TD, and only three interceptions. He plays on a mediocre team, without much of a running game. Their leading rusher, A.J. Soltau, has battled injuries and a less than 4.0 YPC rate all season. Stratton has been sacked 24 times this year, including eight times against Georgia, and six times against Kansas. His numbers in those two games: 45-for-64, 593 yards passing, 4 TD, 0 INT. He threw 25-for-29 in the Kansas game, and has only one truly pourous game this year, that being the Auburn loss, where he was 13-of-31, but had to deal with several drops. Scouts have raved about his arm strength, and he is moving up the boards quickly. He's not projected as a first-round prospect right now, but he is considered a first-day draft pick.
- While we're at it, here's who I think are the top ten picks, as of right now:
1. Marion Songin, RB, Texas A&M
2. Ronde Samuels, QB, FSU
3. Claxton Hope, WR, Penn State (early entry)
4. Fred Chamblin, DE, Auburn
5. Harry Diamond, LB, Minnesota
6. Bernard McCormack, CB, Auburn
7. Wade Benson, T, FSU
8. Jake Hanson, LB, Virginia
9. Kurt Laird, QB, Clemson
10. Verron Chancey, WR, Notre Dame
It's likely that Songin will be the #1 pick, though someone is going to get an absolute stud in Ronde Samuels. All the guy does is win. It is likely that Claxton Hope will bolt for the NFL after this season; he is second in the nation in catches, yards, and leads the nation in touchdowns. After that, it's a crapshoot. Harry Diamond is likely going to be the first defensive player off the board, probably going to New Orelans or Houston at #5. The draft is deep at the offensive skill spots, which means some of the top juniors, such as Sage Stith (QB, PSU), Hope, I.M. Dressel (QB, Syracuse), and Melvin Landry (RB, Tennessee), will stay in school. Hope is the most likely to leave after this season, but don't rule out someone like Darius Peelle, the junior defensive end out of South Carolina, taking the plunge. There's little a few of these guys have left to prove at the college level; but, due to the level of talent coming out this year, it's unlikely that leaving early is a good move, financially.
- Clemson's loss to Maryland at home is still causing many within the coaching ranks to scratch their heads. How could the Tigers lose this one? Simply put, the shock of the 30-yard touchdown from Tory Smerlas to Edd Dorsch stunned the Tigers offense. They suddenly had a lot of pressure to perform, and Kurt Laird got happy feet. "He was hopping all over the pocket, looking to make a play," said one ACC coach, who saw the tape on Monday. "He never got set. His last throw wasn't even close. The protection was good. He just let (the pressure) get to him." The normally calm and collected Laird had a solid game, completing 25-of-38 for 357 yards and three touchdowns. But the Terps knew they were going to throw in the fourth quarter, and they forced Laird to beat them on the sidelines, taking everything away down the middle of the field. "(Maryland's secondary) gambled that Laird would get desperate to hit one of his slants, and would try to stay away from the fade. It was a gamble that really paid off," said another ACC coach. "If you're Florida State, you have to love the loss. But what you have to love even more is how the Terps exposed the Tigers' offense here. They presented a blueprint in how to shut down their passing game."
Another question is how Clemson's fourth-ranked defense gave up 41 points to Maryland's offense. Credit the Maryland coaching staff with varying up their gameplan, keeping the Tigers guessing. The Terps somehow got the win, despite going 2-of-10 on third down...
- Minnesota's loss gives the Big Ten some interesting scenarios. Right now, the race contains four teams: the Gophers, Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan. One of the latter two will get knocked out of the race, when they face off in a month. Penn State is expected to win their last two games, on the road against Northwestern, and at Illinois. That puts a lot of pressure on Minnesota, and Ohio State, actually, to keep winning. If Minnesota, Ohio State, and Penn State win out, it is unknown who would get the title, due to tiebreakers being nullified. If Minnesota, PSU, and Michigan win it, Minnesota gets the title, due to tiebreaking wins over the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines. If Minnesota falters again, Penn State is back in the driver's seat, via their win over Ohio State. How Michigan falls into this is unknown, if Minnesota loses; the Lions and Wolverines don't play one another this year, and both would have wins over Ohio State, and losses to Minnesota. Penn State was more impressive in their loss to Minnesota, and blew out the Buckeyes. Needless to say, this is a race that will go down to the wire, no matter what.
- You read it last week, but I think it's official now; no matter what Ronde Samuels does, he's getting the Heisman Trophy...
- While Samuels, Laird, and Marion Songin get all of the headlines, there deserves to be something written about South Carolina QB Artrose Stratton. The 6'3 senior has thrown for over 2,300 yards, 18 TD, and only three interceptions. He plays on a mediocre team, without much of a running game. Their leading rusher, A.J. Soltau, has battled injuries and a less than 4.0 YPC rate all season. Stratton has been sacked 24 times this year, including eight times against Georgia, and six times against Kansas. His numbers in those two games: 45-for-64, 593 yards passing, 4 TD, 0 INT. He threw 25-for-29 in the Kansas game, and has only one truly pourous game this year, that being the Auburn loss, where he was 13-of-31, but had to deal with several drops. Scouts have raved about his arm strength, and he is moving up the boards quickly. He's not projected as a first-round prospect right now, but he is considered a first-day draft pick.
- While we're at it, here's who I think are the top ten picks, as of right now:
1. Marion Songin, RB, Texas A&M
2. Ronde Samuels, QB, FSU
3. Claxton Hope, WR, Penn State (early entry)
4. Fred Chamblin, DE, Auburn
5. Harry Diamond, LB, Minnesota
6. Bernard McCormack, CB, Auburn
7. Wade Benson, T, FSU
8. Jake Hanson, LB, Virginia
9. Kurt Laird, QB, Clemson
10. Verron Chancey, WR, Notre Dame
It's likely that Songin will be the #1 pick, though someone is going to get an absolute stud in Ronde Samuels. All the guy does is win. It is likely that Claxton Hope will bolt for the NFL after this season; he is second in the nation in catches, yards, and leads the nation in touchdowns. After that, it's a crapshoot. Harry Diamond is likely going to be the first defensive player off the board, probably going to New Orelans or Houston at #5. The draft is deep at the offensive skill spots, which means some of the top juniors, such as Sage Stith (QB, PSU), Hope, I.M. Dressel (QB, Syracuse), and Melvin Landry (RB, Tennessee), will stay in school. Hope is the most likely to leave after this season, but don't rule out someone like Darius Peelle, the junior defensive end out of South Carolina, taking the plunge. There's little a few of these guys have left to prove at the college level; but, due to the level of talent coming out this year, it's unlikely that leaving early is a good move, financially.
posted by The Incoherent | 12:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home