Baylor: A Tough Team to Beat

               The fourth week of the college football and the Big 12 season has come and gone.  The most exciting Big 12 game was Baylor vs University of Louisiana Monroe.  This game was closer than I thought it would be. 

                In the first quarter, Baylor struggled against ULM because they threw two interceptions to ULM.  ULM proved that they were ready to play and Baylor was not.  Baylor cannot play against Big 12 teams in this manner or they will have a tough time winning games.  In this quarter, Baylor’s defense was not ready for the trickery that ULM had in their arsenal.  The offense of ULM’s second drive had two quarterbacks on the field at the same time and Baylor could not stop them.  This is something other Big 12 teams should look at, because it might be a new way to confuse a team like Baylor.  At the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-0 ULM.

                At the start of the second quarter, Baylor was driving down the field to quickly answer the scores by ULM.  Baylor’s quarterback, Nick Florence, threw the football to wide receiver, Tevin Reese,  for a 43 yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-7 ULM at the 14:22 mark.  Baylor may have had a bad start, but they showed how quick they can get back into the game.  Baylor’s defense struggled in the second quarter.  They still could not figure out how to stop ULM’s offense because their running back, Jyruss Edwards, would bounce off one guy and gain a few more yards before being brought down.  Big 12 teams need to study this game closely if they want to find a weakness for Baylor.  ULM took the ball down the field again in a hurry to answer Baylor to make the score 21-7 ULM.  Baylor’s next possession was precarious because they had a number of passes that could have been intercepted, but were not.  That’s something Baylor cannot have happen against Big 12 teams because they will capitalize on their mistakes to force a turnover.  During this possession, Baylor took the football into the red zone and had to decide whether to go for it on fourth and goal or kick a field goal.  They decided to go for it and their running back, Glasco Martin, scored to make the score 21-14 with ULM still leading.  This is where the momentum shifted in the game and Baylor was showing more confidence on the field.  This was evident when Baylor’s defense came out on the field and forced a turnover.  Baylor’s offense capitalized on the turnover making the score 21-21 at the 5:25 mark of the second quarter.  Baylor’s defense started to put more pressure on ULM to get the ball back before the end of the half.  Baylor added a field goal at the end of the first half to make the score 24-21 Baylor.  In the first half, neither team seem they were putting pressure on the other team’s quarterback.  

                At the start of the third quarter, ULM’s offense had the ball first.  They played like they did at the start of the game and Baylor’s defense was on their heels once again.  At the 13:10 mark, the ULM running back, Jyruss Edwards, could not be stopped.  He ran the ball for a 58 yard touchdown to make the score 28-24 ULM.  Later, in the quarter, Baylor’s offense started to pick up on mismatches in the secondary of ULM’s defense.  Baylor’s quarterback, Nick Florence threw to wide receiver, Tevin Reese, for a touchdown at the 5:11 mark to make the score 31-28 Baylor.  Baylor’s offense started to be too much for the ULM defense to handle, which is one of their strengths.  They can wear a team out if they are not conditioned for a long game against them.  Big 12 teams need to condition themselves to play this type of game or Baylor will capitalize on this in the second half of the game.  When Baylor’s defense went on the field again, they forced a turnover and their offense was able to score a field goal before the end of the third quarter to make it 34-28 Baylor. 

                In the fourth quarter, Baylor’s defense was too confident and it backfired on them.  ULM scored quickly to make the score 35-34 ULM at the 10:54 mark.  Baylor’s offense then came back out on the field and started to be too much for ULM.  Baylor then scored at the 7:10 mark to make the score 40-35 Baylor.  They tried for a two point conversion and it was no good.  This did not matter because ULM’s offense fumbled the ball at the 5:40 mark.  Baylor scored to make the score 47-35 with 2:25 left in the game.  The final score was 47-42 Baylor because ULM’s offense scored with six seconds left in the game.

                This game was fun to watch, but  Baylor has to improve their preparations for the game or Big 12 opponents could take advantage of their weakness and not let Baylor have a chance to come back in the game.  Baylor is still a team to watch because they will get better as the season progresses.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?catid=34621&id=1055203

KU: Offense Needs Work

           College football and the Big 12 is in its third week of the season.  This week I went to see KU versus TCU at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.  The game was close all day long until near the end.  KU put up a great fight against the 16^th ranked TCU.  I have included a photo of KU welcoming TCU to the Big 12. 

            In the first quarter, KU won the coin toss and decided to start on defense first.  In the beginning, it looked like KU was about to let the game get out of hand early with the way TCU started on offense.  KU lined up against TCU near the goal line and TCU’s center, James Fry, hiked the ball low to quarterback, Casey Pachall.  This resulted in a fumble due to Pachall not being able to handle the ball, which resulted in KU recovering the ball.  This was a great momentum shift for the start of the game for KU.  KU took the ball down the field and kicked a field goal to make it 3-0 at the 8:45 mark of the first quarter.  After the field goal, KU’s defense came out on the field and held TCU on the drive.  This was great to see, because KU prepared well for TCU all week and it showed.  After the defense of KU game back on the field, they forced a fumble and recovered the ball.  The momentum looked like it was in KU’s favor, but then the offense came back on the field for KU. Quarterback, Dayne Crist, threw an interception and gave the ball right back to TCU.  After that, the momentum started going back to TCU.  This is something KU cannot do against the other Big 12 teams, because they have to make the most out of the opportunities that are given to them.  This is where KU’s defense could not handle the quickness of TCU and TCU quickly scored a touchdown to make it 7-3 at the 4:20 mark of the first quarter.  Then KU went back on offense and started a drive.  The end of the first quarter came and KU had to make the decision to go for it on 4^th and 1 or kick the ball.  At the end of the first quarter the score was 7-3 TCU.

            At the start of the second quarter, KU decided to go for it on 4^th and 1 and they converted it to make it 1^st and 10 at the TCU 26 yard line. KU had a great drive, but then started going the wrong way.  I say this because at the 14:33 mark of the second quarter, KU committed a holding penalty.  KU just could not keep the drive going and quickly it was a fourth down.  KU tried for a 45 yard field goal and did not score.  TCU’s offense got the ball back and started to drive the ball down the field.  I have to say that KU’s defense was doing a great job of open field tackling on the TCU drive and only let them get minimal gains.  KU forced TCU to two fourth downs in this quarter and they converted on the first one.  KU needs to work on stopping teams going for it on fourth downs, so the offense can get the football back.  On the first fourth down, KU forced TCU to kick a field goal.  KU’s special teams put enough pressure on TCU’s kicker, which forced the ball right, resulting in no points, making the score still 7-3 TCU.  On the next KU offensive drive, quarterback, Dayne Crist, and running back, Tony Pierson, helped take the ball down field in a hurry.  KU looked like they would get a touchdown out of this drive, but they did not get one and settled for a field goal once again, making the score 7-6 TCU. 

The bad thing about KU in the first half was how they would have things going their way, but would end up going backwards by committing penalties.  I could see the KU coaches on the sideline were not happy with their players in the second quarter.  This is something for KU to improve on and even though this happened, KU was able to at least score points. KU’s defense then came onto the field and let TCU drive the football down the field, but KU forced them to make a field goal.  This made the score 10-6 TCU, which was stunning at halftime.  I do not think the fans of either team thought this game would be as close as it was at halftime.  Charlie Weis and the other KU coaches deserve a lot of credit, because their team was ready to play.  I could tell in this game that KU played together and never gave up, which is something not seen from this team often.

            In the third quarter, KU started with the ball and could not do anything with it.  The same happened to TCU at the beginning of the third quarter as well.  This is where the game started to slip away from KU, because their offense could not do anything with the football and had to punt several times.  The defense for KU started getting tired, which was evident when TCU took the football and scored a touchdown at the 5:12 mark of the third quarter.  At the end of the third quarter the score was 20-6 TCU.

            The fourth quarter is where it started getting strange for KU.  The offense kept coming off the field quick and the defense was able to make plays.  TCU’s quarterback, Casey Pachall, was running for the end zone, when right before he got to the end zone, Toben Opurum, for KU forced a fumble and the ball went out of the end zone for a touchback.  It was a great break for KU, but they could not capitalize on this and gave the ball back to TCU.  At the 3:11 mark in the fourth quarter, TCU fumbled again.  KU’s offense went down the field and fumbled the ball to end the game.  The final score was 20-6 TCU.

            This was a game to watch, because it showed that Charlie Weis is taking KU in the right direction.  This is evident because KU’s defense has improved a lot.  If the defense plays the way they have been so far and keep improving, they will be in a lot of games until the end.  For KU to win these games though, they will have to play better and not waste possessions, so the defense can have a rest between the drives.  If they can do this, I see them being able to win against some of the Big 12 teams in Charlie Weis’ first year as KU’s head coach.  If you want to see highlights of this game, then here is a link for you. http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?catid=34330&id=1050688 

I have included a slideshow of pictures that I took while at the game, so you can see the experience you would get if you went to a KU football game for yourself.  Click on the box to be able to view the slideshow. 

View all

Get your own

TCU: Not A Pushover

           The second week of the college football season was played this past weekend.  I watched several games this weekend and the one that stood out to me was Grambling State vs Texas Christian University.  After watching this game, I can say that the Big 12 teams have a major threat in the conference and this would be TCU.

            The first strength of TCU is their coaches.  They had the team ready to play.  It looked like they were in midseason form, but this was their first game of the season.  That is a credit to the head coach, Gary Patterson.  He is a great coach for any team to have.  I say this because when the camera showed him on the sidelines he would be rallying his team. At any time during the game, the momentum could have shifted to Grambling State, but it never did.  The last reason why he is a strength for this team, is due to him making sure his team knew Grambling States’ ways of playing the game so they would be ready to play.

            In the first quarter, TCU started out fast, which is a strength all teams need to have.  The first strength of TCU in the game was their defense, which forced Grambling State to punt not too long after the game started.  They also were able to accomplish this by swarming to the ball wherever it was on the field.  When Grambling State punted the ball to TCU, TCU’s Deanté Gray caught and ran the ball for a 70 yard punt return touchdown.  This made the score 7-0 within the first two minutes of the game.  After TCU’s defense came out on the field for the Grambling State possession, they quickly forced them to punt.  This is why they should be feared.  Now, I know you might be thinking what about the strength of the offense?  Their quarterback, Casey Pachall, and the running back, Waymon James, are real strengths for this team.  Pachall has the ability to find his teammates easily and quick.  James is quick and he looks for the open holes in the defense.  He did this in the first quarter really well and helped put his team up 14-0. 

The great thing about this team is they score quick and often, which makes them hard to stop.  This was evident when the defense was back on the field.  In less than ten seconds from when the offense scored, the defense intercepted the ball and scored a touchdown, making the score 21-0.  Before the first quarter was over, the offense, special teams, and defense had scored.  This team has no weakness, only strength.  They were solid in all phases of the game in the first quarter and it continued throughout the game.  This is a perfect scenario for teams to have at the start of a new season.  At the end of the first quarter, TCU had a 28-0 lead.  After the first quarter, I thought TCU might have started to relax and take it easy, but that was not the case.  They stayed motivated and ready to go.  I also thought they would have had more penalties in the quarter and in the game as well, but surprisingly they only had a couple.  At this point, I do not see a team who could stop TCU’s abilities.

            At the start of the second quarter, TCU continued to play as well as they did in the first quarter.  This was evident because Grambling State could not move the ball or stop TCU’s offense.  There were only a few times TCU was forced to a 3^rd down in the first half.  The offense was still able to convert and score two times before the end of the half to make it 42-0.  This speaks volumes for how solid this team is because they do not let anything get to them.  When Big 12 teams face TCU, their defense needs to make sure to stop TCU or the game could be over before the second half begins.  TCU completely dominated Grambling State by not letting them make any kind of drive.

            In the third quarter, TCU finally was stopped by Grambling State and had to punt for the first time.  This should make Big 12 teams take notice and prepare for all the ways TCU can win.  TCU scored their last points late in the 3^rd quarter, which did not matter because Grambling State was not going to be able to make a come back from a 56 point deficit.

TCU’s strength in this game was not letting the players of the other team bother them.  They kept pushing forward without taking any steps backward.  They know how not to be stopped because they rarely punted the ball in the game.  With the way TCU played, I have no doubt they will be a great addition to the Big 12 Conference.  They are going to be able to win against the bigger teams of the Big 12, such as Oklahoma and Texas.  In closing, I would like to say Grambling State fought as hard as they could, but were completely out matched in this game.  They did not If this game showed anything, it showed that if the Big 12 teams are not prepared physically or mentally for TCU, they will dominate the conference.  TCU should not be taken lightly.  If you want to see highlights of the game, here is a link to watch them.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?catid=34330&id=1043049

The University of Kansas will be TCU’s next opponent.  This will be the first game of the Big 12 Conference.  It will be one to watch to see how TCU will do against one of the regular teams of the Big 12.  The game will take place in Lawrence, Kansas at Memorial Stadium.  Here is a Google map for the location of the game.

View Larger Map

A Dominant Force

           College football and the Big 12 Conference are officially underway.  I watched several Big 12 games this weekend and they were all great to watch, but the game that was the most intriguing was West Virginia playing a non-conference game against Marshall.  It may have been a blowout, but it showed that they are a threat in the Big 12 right now.

            West Virginia showed that they have a lot of strength on offense and defense, this weekend.  First, I want to talk about their offense which dominated Marshall from the start.  The first strength West Virginia has is their offensive line.  They know how to block up front really well.  The offensive line makes holes so the running backs can make big gains.  Also, by protecting the quarterback they give him more time to find someone open to throw the ball.  This is a true testament to the coaching staff teaching them proper technique on how to block.  One of the other major strengths I saw from West Virginia was their running back Shawne Alston.  He is a force to be reckoned with because when he was carrying the ball in the game against Marshall it took a lot of the defense to bring him down.  If he has one defender tackling him, he lowers his shoulder and knocks them to the ground.  He can also evade tackles real well.  When I was watching the game and saw him run on the field, I immediately was stunned by his performance on the field.  I could not believe how strong he was.  I think the Big 12 teams have to prepare for his abilities.  West Virginia’s quarterback, Geno Smith, has strength for this team as well.  Smith is a big help to his team because he shows really good poise in the pocket.  What I mean by this is when Marshall’s defense was getting close to him he would either start running to avoid the sack or throw the ball away.  He would step up and make the throw even though he knew he would get hit by defensive linemen.  Even though I am saying West Virginia looked great on offense, this does not mean they were perfect.  They sometimes fumbled the football and were lucky to recover the ball, which is what the special teams did as well.  Their kickoff return team bobbled some of the catches on the return which is something you cannot have happen.  They may have had bad drives every now and then in the game but they were quick to recover from them.  When a play did not work, they forgot it and learned from it.  They were able to make a play on a 3 play drive for 83 yards in under a minute and play as a unit.

            Marshall is not a Big 12 team, but they showed how to get West Virginia off their game.  One way they did this was by forcing fumbles on defense and getting pressure on who had the football.  They were also able to block a punt to get the momentum to shift in their favor on defense and to motivate their offense to get a touchdown.  The real weakness on both sides of the ball for Marshall was they did not have the conditioning to keep pace with West Virginia.  The key for the Big 12 teams is to be conditioned for a long game against West Virginia.  They will also need to make sure they do not commit numerous penalties.  When playing West Virginia, the teams of the Big 12 need to stay composed and try not to have a bad penalty.   

The other strength of West Virginia was how they put tremendous pressure on the quarterback, Rakeem Cato, of Marshall with their defense.  Any time Marshall’s running back, Travon Van, had the ball, it did not matter which way he ran.  The West Virginia defensive players made it impossible to gain many yards.  The West Virginia defense may have looked good, but their defense did have a weakness of being too confident.  There were times they began to relax and Marshall was able to score by West Virginia’s lack of focus.  This is something a team would not want to have happen.  It could potentially unravel the work the team did and allow the other team to make a comeback.  An important thing teams need to do is play the entire sixty minutes of the game.  This is the type of strength Big 12 teams need to have if they want to beat West Virginia. 

The game’s final score was 69-34 West Virginia.  Later in the season the opponents for West Virginia will be tougher but if the opposing team does not prepare well, a loss will be in their future.  The coaches for the Big 12 teams need to review game tapes to be prepared to beat West Virginia.  West Virginia is a force to be reckoned with and a threat to all the Big 12 teams.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?db_oem_id=10410&id=1040920&catid=undefined