Week 6 Reflections

Once again this week, the games I picked out to analysis turned out to be two blowouts for the most part. We look back at what went on during those games.

Kirk Cousins looked good against the Wolverines

#17 Michigan St. 34 #18 Michigan 17: This game showed that times have certainly in Michigan football. History shows that all big games between these two rivals goes Michigan's way. Not so fast my friend. Michigan St. looks for real. The Spartans offense looked unstoppable and gathered 536 total yards. However, what won them the game was their defense. They made Denard Robinson a pocket quarterback, and looked what happened. Robinson threw three interceptions and only ran for 86 yards on 24 carries. Looks like the Spartans checked out our keys to the game and used them to their advantage. Looks like a new era in the state of Michigan football.

Prediction: #18 Michigan 35 #17 Michigan St. 17 Wrong

Chris Thompson ran for 158 yards and a score

#23 Florida St. 45 # 13 Miami (FL) 17: The Seminoles may be back. They appear to be the early season ACC favorite, as they trounces the Hurricanes on the road last weekend. No game winning field goal was needed, as the Seminoles were in control the whole way. The key to the game was the 298 rushing yards Florida St. racked up on the ground. They were able to establish the run game as needed, allowing Christian Ponder plenty of time behind center. Jacoby Harris really struggled, going 19-47 and throwing an interception. Florida St. plays Florida later this season to find out who the best team in Florida is.

Prediction: #13 Miami (FL) 27 #23 Florida St. 13 Wrong

Season Record: 2-2

Check back soon for Week 7 previews and predictions!

Preview: #23 Florida St. @ #13 Miami

Jacoby Harris needs to hold on to the ball

One of college football's biggest rivalries continues this Saturday when the #13 Miami Hurricanes (3-1, 1-0) host the #23 Florida St.  Seminoles (4-1, 2-0) in a crucial Atlantic Division ACC football game.  The Canes have held the advantage recently, winning eight of the past 11 meetings between the two schools. Miami returns home for the first time since their opener against Florida A&M. The Canes have picked up impressive wins over former Big East rival Pittsburgh and Clemson. They are led by senior quarterback Jacoby Harris who has struggled at times this year with turnovers. Harris, who threw 17 interceptions last year, has already found the wrong team seven times this year. Harris protecting the ball will be a key for the Hurricanes against a swarming Florida St. defense.  Miami needs to get the ball into the hands of their go to wide receiver Leonard Hankerson. Hankerson has big play potential, and found the end zone three times against Clemson in their ACC opener.

The Seminoles enter Saturday's contest with two ACC wins under their belt. Last weekend in Charlottesville, Florida St. demolished a weak Virginia squad 34-14. In their two ACC wins, Florida St. has outscored their opponents 65-14. Seminoles quarterback Christian Ponder has been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and has thrown for over 600 yards with 4 scores in his past three games. More importantly, Ponder has not turned the ball over. Ponder's play has helped open up the Seminoles run game. Ranked 26th in the nation, the Seminoles are led by two backs, Jermaine Thomas and Ty Jones. Both backs are averaging well over six yards per carry. The key to the Seminoles success will be their defense, which ranks 21 in the nation in points per game. They will need to slow down a potent Miami passing attack that will be looking for big plays through the air.

Can Jimbo Fisher lead the Seminoles to an ACC title?

Keys to the Game:


Miami: Miami's pass protection is going to be a key. Florida State leads all of college football in total sacks, and it is not even close. The Seminoles have wrapped up the quarterback 25 times, seven more than second place. Harris needs to deal with the pressure and make smart throws.


Florida St: Miami's key's directly relate to the Seminoles. Florida St. has to get pressure on Harris so that he cannot sit in the pocket and easily find wide receivers.  It's also important for the Seminoles to establish and run game early to take the pressure off of Chrstian Ponder.

Prediction: Wide Right again? It won't be an issue as Miami should have this game in control. Jumbo Fisher looses his first Miami-Florida St. showdown.

#13 Miami 27 #24 Florida St. 13

Preview: #17 Michigan St. @ #18 Michigan

Michigan Quarterback Denard Robinson

It's been years since both these teams have been relevant in the Big Ten race. Michigan (5-0, 1-0) is coming off back to back losing seasons while the Spartans have hardly been nationally relevant. The winner of this contest will take a huge step forward. Michigan is coming off of a thrilling a thrilling 42-35 shootout win over the Indiana Hoosiers. Denard Robinson made FBS history in the win,  becoming the first player to throw and run for 200 yards in a game twice in their career in the regular season. The heisman hopeful has already amassed over 1,000 yards through the air and 900 yards on the ground. When Robinson doesn't have the ball in his hands, Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw have done a formidable job carrying the load on the ground. They have racked up over 500 yards on the ground, making the Wolverines running game on the best in the nation.  The defense has been suspect, giving up 35 points to FCS Massachusetts and Indiana. Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell lit up the Wolverine's secondary last week, throwing for 480 yards and scores in the air.

Michigan St (5-0, 1-0) certainly haven't been perfect this year either, however they looked like a force to be reckoned  with last week against #11 Wisconsin. The Spartans are led by quarterback Kirk Cousins who has looked good in his second year as a starter. Cousins accuracy has improved greatly from last season, and he is holding onto the ball. Michigan St.'s ground duties have been shared by Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell, who each have ran for over 470 yards this season. It's possible we could see two 1,000 yard rushers by the time the season is finished in Lansing. The Spartans defense looked good last week, giving up only 292 total yards. They are going to need another impressive effort in order to shut down Michigan's potent spread offense.

The Big House will be ready for the Spartans

Keys to the Game:


Michigan: The Wolverines need to hold onto the ball and keep their offense on the field. One of the problems of their potent offense has been time of possession. Last week their offense was only one the field for 18 of the possible 60 minutes. The Wolverine's defense was worn down and probably the reason for Indiana's gaudy offensive numbers.

Michigan St: Their keys to the game are going to be the same that every team will have when they play Michigan. Slow down Denard Robinson and keep him in the pocket. Nobody has been successfully able to do it and that is why nobody has beaten Michigan. If Michigan St. can use a spy and keep Denard Robinson in front of them they have a great chance to win the game.

Prediction: I don't see any reason that heisman hopeful Denard Robinson doesn't have a huge game. Therefore, Michigan will prevail.

#18 Michigan 35 #17 Michigan St. 24

Week 5 Reflections

Week 5 was slated to have some of the most appealing games of the year. That turned out to be completely false. We look back at some of last week's key games.

James rushed for 257 yards,
 second on the ducks all time
single game rushing list

#9 Stanford @ #4 Oregon: Wow. Oregon is good. Really good. Stanford jumped out to a 21-3 three lead early in the first quarter and from that point forward they never had a chance. Oregon's high powered offense blitzed Stanford for 52 points in their 52-31 victory over the Cardinal. Even more impressive? The Ducks shut out Stanford's prolific offense and made Andrew Luck look confused behind center. That's an impressive feat considering Luck came into the game with eleven touchdowns thrown against only two interceptions. Look for Oregon to be in the national championship chase all season. I was right about the outcome, but didn't see Oregon blowing out the Cardinal like they did.

Prediction: Oregon 42 Stanford 38 Correct

#8 Florida @ #1 Alabama: Could Alabama be better this year? I didn't think it possible but after last weeks 31-6 drubbing of SEC rival Florida, its a distinct possibility. The Alabama offense didn't have a particular impressive game, but they didn't need too. The defense forced 4 Gator turnovers, and completely shut down the Florida running game holding them to 79 yards on the ground. Brantley was not able to do anything against the Crimson Tide's defense, and Bama rolled to it's 18th straight regular season SEC win. Next week will be a great test for Alabama as they travel to South Carolina to take on Steve Spurrior and the Gamecocks. 

Prediction: Alabama 27 Florida 14  Correct

Season Record: 2-0

Check Back Soon for Week 6 Preview's and Predictions!

Substance Abuse in College Athletics

Masoli was suspended for the
 use of street drugs

Partying has been associated with athletes for years. Click Here for the article.

The NCAA needs to test more for the use of Marijuana. Currently most tests done on the student-athletes are testing performance enhancing drugs, not the use of street drugs. While street drugs are probably not going to help you athletically, they may be detrimental to your success in life.