Tidbits: September 22

I should receive a delay of game penalty for delivering these tidbits late.

In this week's edition, we will discuss and dissect the important events from last week, and answer the tough questions surrounding the college gridiron and beyond. Such as.....

What's up in South Bend? Is Michigan for real? Can the Hoosiers steal a win next week against the Wolverines? Was Washington's victory over USC legit?

Let's find out...

1. Notre Dame escapes Michigan State

Fresh off a loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House a week ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looked to put aside the heart-crushing defeat, and move on against the struggling Michigan State Spartans in South Bend. Although the game favored the Irish early, the Spartans, once again, and played well in their 'second home.'

Down 13-3 after the first quarter, Michigan State found a way to move the ball effectively against the Irish defense, leading to two touchdowns before halftime. Notre Dame added a field goal before the break, but Sparty led the Irish 17-16 at intermission.

Down a point, and needing a quick score, Jimmy Clausen and the Irish offense drove the length of the field on the first drive in the third quarter, ending with an Armando Allen touchdown pass to Robby Parris. Allen set up in the 'Wildcat' formation, faked a draw up the middle, and found an open Parris in the back of the endzone. The fireworks didn't end there. 

Michigan State fired back with two more touchdowns in the second half, giving the visitors a 30-26 lead with under five minutes left in regulation. It was put up or shut up at this point for the Irish.

The echos rang load and clear on Notre Dame's last offensive position of the game, as Clausen connected with Golden Tate for a 33-yard touchdown pass. All Notre Dame had to do now was stop the Spartans inexperienced offense, which for some reason, was no easy task on this day.

Under three minutes left, the Spartans attacked the Irish's secondary, and quickly moved the ball down the field, setting up for another potential upset at Notre Dame Stadium. When the Irish needed a stop, the defense one-upped its goal with an interception, as Kyle McCarthy saved the day after picking off a pass from a hurried Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins, ending the game at 33-30.

While the old saying goes 'a win is a win,' Notre Dame's victory over Michigan State came at a cost, both on the injury list and among Irish fans.

Sophomore wide out Michael Floyd will miss the rest of the season after suffering a collar bone injury in the second quarter. Further, before the game, the Irish were picked as the clear-cut favorite to win, but the home team didn't play like the best squad on this day.

Until Notre Dame can stop the run and put pressure on the opposing team's quarterback, it's going to be a rough journey the rest of the season. Despite the recent loss of Michael Floyd for the entire season, the Irish offense, as a whole, is fine, with Clausen, Tate, and Allen running the show. However, Notre Dame won't be able to outscore every opponent, most notably USC in a few weeks. A new defensive game plan must be a priority, or else Weis will be out as coach at season's end.


2. Michigan is on a roll, but for how long?

The Michigan Wolverines showed the country they're on their way back to national prominence last weekend after beating Notre Dame in Ann Arbor, 38-34. Could the Rich Rodriguez's squad continue the momentum against Eastern Michigan this past weekend? Take a guess, and you would be right.

The Blue and Maize put on another fine showing, especially in the second half, in defeating the Eagles, 45-17. Although Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier had a good day under center, he wasn't the main man in the win. That title belonged to running back Carlos Brown, who rushed for 187 yards on 13 carries, and two touchdowns.

Brown's coming out party couldn't come at a better time for Michigan, as they begin Big Ten play next Saturday at home against Indiana. If the Wolverines want to build on their ongoing successful season, they must continue to make big plays and put the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. In my crystal ball, I see the Wolverines winning their next four games, until they travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State. Not only are the Nittany Lions a strong opponent, but Happy Valley is an extremely tough place to play.

Until then, you have to be impressed with what Rodriguez is doing with this young team. With more wins, comes more confidence. This could be a scary thing for Michigan opponents down the road.....

3. Indiana zips by Akron; Bring on Michigan

In the first two games this season, Indiana has struggled to put teams away with the victory in hand. Although the Hoosiers won these games, the two wins, mind you, came against Division II program Eastern Kentucky (19-13) and MAC-opponent Western Michigan (23-19).

On Saturday, however, the Hoosiers came out with an extra fire in their pads, having little trouble defeating Akron, a top-tier MAC team, 38-21. The Hoosiers are now 3-0, heading into next's week game against Michigan at the Big House. The real test begins next week.

Leading the Hoosiers to victory was the running back corps made up of Darius Willis (15 carries, 66 yards, a touchdown), Trea Burgess (13 carries, 59 yards, a touchdown) and Demetrius McCray (12 carries, 45 yards). As a unit, the grouped averaged 3.9 yards a carry. Starting quarterback Ben Chappell had a good day, as well, throwing for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and only one interception.

At 3-0, IU sits atop the big ten standings. As mentioned, the Hoosiers' first real test will come against a tricky, option-friendly Michigan squad. Indiana will be the underdog, and they can upset Michigan if they slow down the Wolverines' rushing attacking. The problem, though, no one has been able to slow down Michigan, yet.

Although I don't see an IU win next weekend, anything can happen. Just ask USC.

4. SAC Power Poll

John's SAC Power Poll (after Week 4) 

1. Bishop Dwenger
2. Harding

3. South Side

4. Snider

5. Wayne

6. Bishop Luers

7. Elmhurst

8. Concordia

9. North Side

10. Northrop

Player of the Week: Snider running back Jason McCraw ran 18 times for 242 yards and two scores against Concordia.

5. Irving Drops Indiana from Recruitment

Indiana Hoosiers #1 recruiting target Kyrie Irving announced last week that he will no longer consider the Hoosiers in his ongoing recruitment this fall. Talks between Irving and the Indiana coaching staff turned south following an in-home visit a week ago. For more information on this story, click the link below.

Story written by Mike Pegram of Peegs.com on September 18, 2009.

       
6. We're Back...

Miami, BYU, Florida State, and Michigan. After lack luster seasons the past couple of years, it's nice to see these former college football powerhouse programs back in the national spotlight. The biggest surprise has to be Michigan, who began the 2009 season unranked, but now #23 in the polls and owns a 3-0 record, with wins over Western Michigan, Notre Dame and Eastern Michigan. Miami has also been impressive in wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech.

7. Ramblings

-Running back Jahvid Best of California is the Heisman favorite right now. Did you see his five touchdowns against Minnesota? Whether he ran north-south or around the edges, Best is a dominating force right now.

-On occasion, I like to look at my past predictions, and figure out where I went wrong with them. My biggest flop so far this year was calling Alabama overrated. True, it may be too early to call this pick a flop, but they have played extremely well up to this point. Bama is ranked #3 in the country this week.

-Call me 'Mr. Obvious,' but it appears Boise State will go undefeated, and have a shot at playing for the National Championship this season.

-Not to take anything away from Washington, who played flawless defensive football on Saturday against USC, but their win over the Trojans was a fluke. 

-With Indiana off Irving's list, look for the Hoosiers to make a push for 6-9 power forward Brandon Mobley.

-Until further notice, Kentucky is still the favorite to win the NCAA Title in 2009-2010.