40 Acres Sports

Our Thoughts

Brian – Brady Quinn just drops like a rock, and he’ll have a tough time working his way back up the list. He looked rattled on Saturday and was almost completely shut down by the Michigan defense. In Eugene Bob Stoops nearly rode Adrian Peterson into the ground but still ended up losing the game to Oregon. The 34 carry and 211 yard performance by Peterson boosts him this week but could be a sign of trouble for Peterson long-term. He’s averaging thirty carries per game behind an inexperienced line and is even returning kicks. There’s no way he makes it through the season 100%.

Matt – Adrian Peterson proved this weekend that he is the best player in college football. When everyone else was tired in the 4th quarter, Peterson went ahead and rattled off over 140 yards. Brady Quinn just keeps falling and falling, and now he is out of the Top 5. Troy Smith is looking more and more like the best QB prospect for the NFL next year. Steve Slaton continues to rack up some big numbers, and most of it is only in the first half of games. Imagine when he starts to play the whole game.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian – “Separation Saturday” ended up only separating a couple of teams. I finally admit Notre Dame might be decent and move them to #4 and pick them to win, and then they confirm my suspicions that they blow. Michigan didn’t look like anything special in their first two games and then comes out and whips the Irish in South Bend. I think the game likely tells us more about Notre Dame than it did about Michigan.

The Big 12 took a beating during the weekend with a controversial loss by Oklahoma, Texas Tech getting embarassed, as well as losses by Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State, and Baylor. And Texas A&M ended up winning over Army but did so in laughably bad fashion. Ouch.

Matt – Lots of movement for me this week after 7 Top 25 matched up this past weekend. Notre Dame was annihilated by Michigan, although it is probably more of a sign how overrated Notre Dame is than how good Michigan is.

Auburn had an impressive win over LSU and I have now moved them into my #2 spot. And after Louisville’s crushing of Miami, I sadly have them out of my Top 25 for the first time in probably two years.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Isn’t it strange what happens when you play a half-decent team?

Article on Chris’ basketball travels now that he’s in Berlin.

Sounds like a good kid making the best out of a tough situation.

Complaining about an obvious signal anyone on TV would notice?

It explains the penalties but it’s still not much of an excuse.

The final score against [tag]Rice[/tag] wasn’t close and the game was over by halftime, but picking guys as players of the game was surprisingly difficult. There were solid performances from multiple guys on both sides of the ball and most of the big guys only played about a half. As for the play of the game, with several big gainers in a game that got out of hand quickly I chose a play that could end up being a signal of what the offense is capable of.

Players of the Game

Offense – [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] even with only eight carries put up the biggest game Saturday, 110 yards with an average of a whopping 13.6 yards per carry and a TD is a hell of a day. He even ripped off the team’s longest run of the year with a carry of 46 yards. The team had three runs of over 35 yards, hopefully the big plays continue against some stiffer competition.

Defense – [tag]Tim Crowder[/tag] edges out a surprising Scott Derry. Crowder finished with seven solo tackles (eight total), seven tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and he recovered a fumble for his first career touchdown. You can’t ask for a much better day out of defensive lineman. He was in the Rice backfield on seemingly every play and was a big reason the Owls finished the game with -12 yards rushing. He’s been a consistent force all season.

Play of the Game

The most important play against Rice wasn’t the most explosive play of the day and didn’t result in points, but does tells us a lot about the future of this offense this season. Here’s this week’s play of the game:

On the play [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] hits freshman tight end [tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] for a 22-yard completion on the first pass attempt of the game. McCoy makes a good read and throw to Finley who is running a 15-yard out. McCoy drops the pass in nicely and Finley makes a leaping grab on a ball a little behind him. It was the first completion to a tight end of the season and something I hope to see a lot more of. It’s important that the young quarterbacks have solid tight ends to rely on. Hopefully this isn’t the last time this season we see these two hook up.

After the loss last week, here’s a few things to be watching for today.

Westlake star offensive lineman and future Longhorn [tag]Matt Nader[/tag] collapsed tonight during the Chapparal’s game at A&M Consolidated. His mother performed CPR and emergency medical personnel used a defibrillator when they did not detect a pulse. Matt is currently in a College Station hospital but is now alert and talking. Our thoughts are with Matt and his family.

More details over at the NCAA FanHouse.

Update: It looks like Matt Nader has been forced to give up football due to a heart condition. Thankfully his doctors say he will lead a normal life. Also, it looks like Matt will still have the opportunity to get an education at UT, as coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] has a policy of standing by a scholarship agreement, even if a player can no longer play.