The Week 2 Post-Amble

As I am certain all reading this do, I remember 10 years ago today vividly, the same way my parents remember President Kennedy’s assassination or grandmother remembers Pearl Harbor. I was in just my third week of my freshman year at the University of Arizona, away from home for the first time. My roommate and good friend Russell and I were making our customary Tuesday-Thursday walk to English class and stopped off at the 7-11.

“This is crazy. It’s World War III!” the likely burnout clerk told us. We heard something on his radio about attacks on the World Trade Center. Remembering the 1993 WTC bombing and dismissing the severity of which the clerk spoke as pot-fueled delusions, we continued to class. But entering my fifth floor room at the Language Arts building, I saw my professor stonefaced, her radio on.

“Classes are cancelled,” she said somberly.

Then, the magnitude began to slowly sink in. I returned to my dorm where Russell was already waiting. CNN was on our TV. I saw the smoke billowing from the towers. That first glimpse of the devastation will remain etched in my memory forever. We all have such stories to share. Our divisions that existed before that day are probably at a greater distance than previously, but when we stop to remember Sept. 11, 2001, we remember being connected.

The frivolity of sports is evident, but the positive energy of them solidified that connection. Ten years later, it reaffirms the camaraderie we shared every time tens of thousands of us pack into a stadium and join in the Star Spangled Banner. This weekend’s memorials across the nation exemplified athletics bringing us together as equals.

A record amount of Americans packed the Big House for the latest installment of Michigan-Notre Dame. Mentioned yesterday in Today in College Football History is the luster that has come off the rivalry. It’s been 17 years since the two met as top 10 teams, but that didn’t stop Saturday’s edition from setting a high bar for single quarter excitement. I add the caveat “single quarter,” because for three quarters this was a rather pedestrian game. Auburn-Mississippi State was better played all around, but UM-UND had the most furious finish since…well, a week ago when TCU-Baylor played a breathtaking final stanza.

Sporting their throwback duds and with a raucous 114,000-plus under the lights, Michigan completed one of the more impressive comebacks of recent memory. Others have come back from further behind than 24-7 — the aforementioned TCU nearly did so just a week ago — but Michigan’s offense flipped from complete ineffectiveness to unstoppable force in record time. The 28 points UM scored in the fourth quarter were a touchdown-plus-two more than the Irish’s complete 2010 allowance, and the Wolverines did it with a combination of the pass and rush.

Denard Robinson is still obviously working through bumps in acclimating to Al Borges’ offense as his three interceptions exhibited. Of course, when nearly 40 percent of your completions are good for touchdowns that’s a pretty impressive stat. Shoelaces threw some perplexing picks but came through when Michigan most needed it.

Notre Dame’s BCS aspirations are now about as realistic as my shot at a date with Marissa Miller. The Irish would need 10 consecutive wins with USC, Stanford, Maryland and Michigan State all still to come. ND will lose at least one of those, but it isn’t necessarily time for Irish fans to start panicking. Tommy Rees and Michael Floyd made for a potent combination sure to strengthen the more repetitions they get together, and running back Cierre Wood exhibited a running game that makes the Irish offense explosive.

Rees showed supreme confidence in leading the Irish on what should have been the game winning drive had the defense held up. Brian Kelly’s commitment to Dayne Crist was admirable, but it’s apparent the offense is far better with Rees behind center.

Michigan’s defense still has serious issues that should keep the Wolverines from Big Ten contention this season, though it’s reasonable to assume Greg Robinson’s unit last season would have surrendered roughly 98 points to this UND team. It’s also interesting to ponder how Rich Rodriguez would have handled the final play. The Wolverines were in field goal range with an opportunity to tie, but Brady Hoke made the decision to run another snap. That decision, of course, resulted in Robinson’s hook-up with Roy Roundtree.

Had Kyle Whittingham made a similar decision in Los Angeles, perhaps Utah’s inaugural Pac-12 contest would have turned out better. The Utes went toe-to-toe with USC, and were driving on their final possession. UU was out of timeouts, and Whittingham must have assumed a final shot at the end zone would run out the clock.

Heisman Hunters

Andrew Luck continued his systematic decimation of secondaries, this time at Duke. Granted the Blue Devils and Stanford Week 1 opponent San Jose State aren’t the most indicative of Luck’s game, but everyone’s well aware of what Luck is capable. His name recognition and lofty stats make him the clear cut frontrunner early into the season.

Likewise, Russell Wilson hasn’t faced the stiffest of defenses in UNLV (more on them later) and Oregon State (same). However, the Wisconsin quarterback has had no trouble whatsoever familiarizing himself with Bret Bielema/Paul Chryst’s offense. He was 17 for 21 Saturday with three touchdown passes

The players most closely behind Luck and Wilson suffer from cases of out sight, out of mind this week: quarterbacks Kellen Moore and Robert Griffin III. Both had impressive Week 1 performances but were off on Week 2.

Marcus Lattimore’s candidacy got a 174-yard boost via his outstanding showing against Georgia. Lattimore running wild at a 6.8 yard per carry clip against that particular foe was fitting given his breakout party last season was against those same Bulldogs.

Fellow SEC’er Tyler Bray may pop up on the national radar sooner than later if his hot start extends into conference play. The Volunteers looked awfully impressive against Cincinnati, and Bray has seven passing touchdowns with zero picks. That’s a figure Houston quarterback Case Keenum has matched in an offense synonymous with exaggerated passing stats.

Ronnie Hillman isn’t going to get much attention outside of Mountain West regions, and with his conference already claiming one candidate in Moore a second is unlikely to generate national buzz. However, the San Diego State back is having a fine start to the season with four rushing touchdowns and over 300 yards.

Strange Happenings in the Pac-12 North

UNLV’s lack of defensive prowess was readily evident at Wisconsin in Week 1, and even more so Week 2 at Washington State. Back-up quarterback Marshall Lobbestael made Jeff Tuel at least temporarily a distant memory with his five touchdown strikes. A 52-point drubbing to a program that has languished in the subdivision’s lowest echelon the last three seasons isn’t the best start to Bobby Hauck’s contract extension.

As for the Cougars, they are 50 percent of the way to their complete win total from Sept. 2009 to Aug. 2011 heading to San Diego State — and getting some nicely dressed-up recaps on their official athletic website, courtesy of Adam Marantz (@adamstar83). SDSU is the first accurate barometer of this WSU team. A win, perhaps even a good showing, might be indicative of big things to come.

WSU certainly looks to be ahead of divisional partner OSU, the only team the Cougars have beaten in-conference the last two years. The Beavers are completely disjointed in all facets. Mike Riley really needed a bounce back season after last year’s 5-7 finish; so did Jeff Tedford, and the latter is on a much straighter path to redemption. The Golden Bears’ non-conference defeat of conference mate Colorado has Cal 2-0 with Presbyterian rounding out their non-league slate. Cal is almost assuredly going to start Pac play halfway to bowl eligibility.

Disappointing Days

OSU’s goose egg in Madison wasn’t the worst of Saturday’s disappointments. Any number of nominees can stake claim to a showing more disappointing, ranging from Boston College to Penn State to Minnesota.

BC is off to an 0-2 and in serious danger of ending its nearly decade-and-a-half bowl appearance streak. The Eagles had no chance at UCF, losing in a 30-3 drubbing. The defense that was BC’s hallmark last season is looking mighty porous, and the offense is sputtering.

Mississippi State was not on the receiving end of a blowout like BC, but its 41-34 loss at Auburn continues a familiar trend in Starkville. The Bulldogs are one of those programs that can never quite seem to climb over the hump into greatness. Chris Relf showed glimpses of being the SEC’s new star quarterback — and another six inches, perhaps that conversation’s starting. Instead, the Bulldogs are 0-1 in conference and needing to regroup with the meat of the divisional slate still to come.

PSU wasn’t expected to beat Alabama, but the Nitanny Lion offense didn’t look like it even belonged on the field with Alabama’s defense. The confusion the Tide caused PSU had it in immediate disarray, the game opening field goal marking the only competent possession it had before the final pity score.

Penn State’s loss to one of the nation’s top tier teams has to be disheartening for a program that has designs on a surprise conference championship run, but it’s far more understandable than Minnesota losing to a team from the FBS bottom tier. New Mexico State is typically a punching bag for BCS conference opponents, but came out swinging in Minneapolis. Jerry Kill’s seizure, from which he needed to be carted off field overshadowed the outcome. Thankfully Kill is OK, which makes talking the severity of this 28-21 loss far less callous.

The Golden Gopher offense was no more potent against NMSU than it was USC. That’s not a testament to the Aggies nor a knock on the Trojans. It is, however, a lingering symptom from the Tim Brewster era when Minnesota often played down to its competition.

Saturday was a pretty bad day across much of the Big Ten Conference. Iowa dropped a triple overtime decision to rival Iowa State. The Hawkeye defense showed major deficiency in allowing a Cyclone offense that struggled against Northern Iowa a week prior nearly 500 yards. Now, UNI is a team I project to play into December pursuing the FCS Championship, but Kirk Ferentz’s team should never look like the state’s third best.

Credit is due Steele Jantz, who showed, shall I say “steely” reserve in scoring four touchdowns.

Were it not for Ohio State’s defense getting the final stop it needed against Toledo, Saturday would have been a monumentally bad day for the Big Ten. The Rockets’ Eric Page was the day’s standout, though OSU quarterback Joe Bauserman was…well, something. Adequate seems the most appropriate descriptor, and adequacy could be all Luck Fickell needs to get into the Rose Bowl race.

Heck, even Big Ten teams that won did so in unspectacular fashion. Nebraska didn’t pull away from Fresno until late, and while Michigan State routed FAU, it did so with The Situation on its sideline.

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One can only assume Ronnie is a Wolverine backer.

Keep Focus on Concussions

ISU Big 12 rival Missouri nearly bridged a two-touchdown, fourth quarter gap before falling at Arizona State. The overtime win was called “marquee” or “signature” numerous times. I suspect MU isn’t quite the top 25 team it was pegged heading into Tempe, but I digress.

Brock Osweiler and the Sun Devil offense looked as sharp as the new black duds ASU wore. Of course, the path to Osweiler’s starting job was paved due to the retirement of Steven Threet. Threet was a victim of the ugliest reality of football, head trauma. His choice to walk away from the playing field will prove the right one later in life, but it’s a difficult one for any football player to make.

Concussion talk was widespread and becoming more adult a year ago. Yet today, watching NFL broadcasts on RedZone I heard more than one commentator lament how soft the game was becoming as a result of protective measures. The offseason may have brought regression in how pundits and fans view head injuries. Maintaining a sensible and open dialogue about protecting athletes is critical to avoid others being forced out. Just this week, Lafayette running back Jerome Rudolph retired with a season of eligibility remaining.

Rudolph’s retirement shows how far this epidemic extends. No level of football is free from concussions, including the non-scholarship Patriot League. Former Harvard player Chris Nowinski suffered concussions in a non-scholarship conference, and is now the driving force of the Sports Legacy Institute. Nowinski told me last fall that reform is coming slowly to youth levels, but that the NCAA still has the longest way to go in terms of limiting head injuries.

Must-Change TV

I watch a lot of TV, though the vast majority is sporting events. My other viewing is limited to “Breaking Bad,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Eastbound & Down” and, *sigh* “Jersey Shore.” Thus, I may not be the most accurate indicator of the network’s fall lineups but boy do they look awful.

Advertising for new series is ramped up with the season nearly underway, yet I assume half of the shows inundating us during timeouts will be gone by Christmas. And, if not Christmas, than certainly a year from now.

I’ve been meaning to get into “Spartacus” at the suggestion of my aforementioned friend. The first season’s star, Andy Whitfield, passed away today at just 39 years old. Whitfield’s long battle with lymphoma pulled him from the show’s second season, during which the producers changed course and made a prequel.