The Hangover Week 4: Kansas State, Florida State Send Messages

Sept 22, 2012; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback E.J. Manuel (3) gestures at the line of scrimmage during the first half of the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-US PRESSWIRE

EJ Manuel and Collin Klein led their Florida State and Kansas State teams into prime time Saturday clashes with conference foes, and both sent the nation emphatic messages. Theirs are championship caliber teams.

Each had lost to the same opponent a season ago — Clemson for Manuel and Florida State, Oklahoma for Klein and Kansas State. Gaining measures of revenge were only highlights of greater, overall purposes. But it’s not a bad byproduct of victory.

K-State dictated the game’s tempo, something it failed to do in last year’s Sooner rout. There are few styles that clash quite like the Wildcats’ and Sooners’, somewhat ironic given OU head coach Bob Stoops branched from Bill Snyder’s coaching tree. Imposing style becomes all the more important when the two philosophies are vastly different.

Snyder’s philosophy is control the ball, limit mistakes while capitalizing on the opponent’s, and . Old school characterizes the Wildcats, an approach that doesn’t fit the spread-laden Big 12. Perhaps deviating from the norm is what it will take to emerge from a deep conference in 2012. Two crucial fumbles by Sooner quarterbacks Landry Jones (into the end zone, recovered for a Kansas State touchdown) and Blake Bell (with OU feet from the goal line) certainly didn’t hurt the Wildcats, either. There’s where that capitalize on opponent miscues mindset comes into play.

The K-State style isn’t typically conducive to blowouts, which last season resulted in numerous single-digit decisions. Pundits roundly criticized the 2012 Wildcats and their hopes for replicating 10 wins because of the 2011 team’s close calls. But in Norman, KSU looked prepared for the challenges of a nailbiter. Pretty simply explanation: it’s because K-State was prepared. Knowing how to execute in tight contests is never a bad thing, and can ultimately be the determining factor in a team’s championship mettle.

Collin Klein is the perfect captain of such a steady ship. He doesn’t let rocky waters move the boat, steering the offense with steely precision. He did his part in complementing a tough running approach with an accurate passing touch, and first mate John Hubert brought the cannon fire. Hubert was the right pinch of explosiveness to complement the leather helmet-era style that K-State employed to ground OU.

The Florida State-Clemson match-up was the antithesis of Oklahoma-Kansas State. There was offense in bunches, and FSU needed a rollicking rally in the second half after surrendering 28 points early into the third quarter. The Tigers’ ability to get points on the vaunted Seminole defense might be seen as a negative. Not by me.

FSU will not see another offense as talented or potentially explosive as Clemson’s, a fact plainly evident when wide receiver Sammy Watkins threw a long touchdown pass to running back Andre Ellington. Seriously, how often are the ‘Noles going to see trickery like that?

Florida State rose up after falling behind by two touchdowns on that particular play, but perhaps more meaningful for the Seminoles’ championship aspirations is that quarterback EJ Manuel took control. The ‘Nole defense will be just fine, but Manuel showed that the offense just might be at a level capable of backing it up.

Manuel was the FBS star of Week 4 (emphasis on FBS; more on that later) with a 27-35 passing performance for 380 yards and two touchdowns, and another 102 yards and score on the ground. With preseason Heisman favorites like Matt Barkley and Montee Ball faltering, Manuel is working his way into the forefront of the conversation.

Notre Dame and Michigan both would have used Manuel’s services; quarterback play between the rivals was pitiful, though the Fighting Irish deserve commendation for containing Denard Robinson all four quarters. Last season, UND failed to contain the Wolverine quarterback in the fourth quarter. There would be no comeback this time around though, as arguably the best defense in the nation kept Michigan out of the end zone all night.

Robinson was intercepted four times in the first half and lost a fumble. The outstanding defensive performance would have been the main ingredient for a blowout, were it not for UND suffering through some equally inept quarterback play. Everett Golson was intercepted twice, opening the door for Tommy Rees to see more reps. Rees scored the sole touchdown of the game, which was enough to elevate Notre Dame to 4-0.

UND still faces Oklahoma, USC and Stanford. All have reasonable BCS aspirations, which means for the Irish to achieve its, the offense needs to get up to speed with the defense. But in the interim, that defense is outstanding and provably good enough to win UND games.

I DON’T NEED YOUR CIVIL WAR

Clay Travis pointed out via Twitter that Saturday marked the 150^th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s announcement foreshadowing the Emancipation Proclamation. There’s no presidential speech in American history more famous. Others might be equally so — the FDR inauguration speech and his address after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Ronald Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech come to mind — but none are more so.

On the anniversary of a landmark date in the Civil War era, the two universities that play in the rivalry game of the same name had banner Saturdays. Oregon snuffed out six red zone attempts for Arizona, wearing down the Wildcats until a fourth quarter deluge slammed the door. Meanwhile, Oregon State earned its way into the Associated Press top 25 with its second defeat of a ranked opponent in as many opportunities.

POWER OF THE PUNT

Previously, I discussed the importance of special teams play, in particular punting. Sparking my interest in the topic was the wide praise lavished on San Diego State head coach Rocky Long this summer for his declaration the Aztecs would not punt inside the 50. Since, Gregg Easterbrook’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback has championed Pulaski Academy in Arkansas and head coach Kevin Kelly’s complete refusal to punt.

Friday night I covered a prep contest pitting two teams ranked in the San Diego Section, San Pasqual (Escondido) and Mt. Carmel (San Diego). The two were locked in a 7-7 stalemate most of three quarters, but SPHS broke the standoff in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns in its Army-like version of the option. The Eagles won 21-14.

The Eagles played a strategic special teams chess match, punter Roberto Reyes routinely pinning the Sundevils deep in their own territory. The SPHS defense held up its end, which gave the Eagles closer and closer starting field position.

While the score was a whole lot different, Oregon’s aforementioned rout of Arizona was largely contingent on winning the field position battle. UA defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel drew up a strategy that contained Oregon about as well as a Pac-12 opponent contains Oregon for most of three quarters. However, when the Wildcats weren’t blundering in the red zone, the Duck defense was forcing them to punt from their own territory, because UO’s special teams had them starting deep in their own territory.

Arizona’s wheels fell off in the fourth quarter largely due to the Ducks winning the special teams battle in the third.

MAKING SENSE OF THE BIG TEN

The Big Ten has four unbeaten teams: Ohio State, Northwestern, and Minnsota. Raise your hand if you projected such a start. *looks around* You! Put your hand down! I know you’re lying.

Ohio State’s 4-0 start is unsurprising, though having to hold off UAB late certainly was. I wrote before the season that Northwestern could be undefeated as late as the first week of November, so its 4-0 opening isn’t particularly shocking to me. But Minnesota?

The conference has been targeted for scrutiny, and Saturday did nothing to dispel any of the criticisms: Iowa lost to Central Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State barely held off Conference USA opponents, Michigan State had to rarely to beat winless Eastern Michigan. Is the stage set for one of these surprises to steal the league?

FLORIDA’S DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD

Florida chomped away at hapless Kentucky Saturday to improve to 4-0, but the Gators are just about done with Swamp romps. Saturday Down South columnist Jon Cooper tweeted Florida’s remaining schedule is about as difficult as any in college football.

ASPCA & LOUISIANA TECH UPDATES
Sep 22, 2012; Champaign, IL, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs wide receiver Myles White (7) runs after a reception for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE
SaturdayBlitz.com is donating $5 for every 10,000 views during the college football season to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in memory of Louisiana Tech mascot Tech XX, who died this summer because of a kennel worker’s negligence. The ASPCA is an organization dear to my heart, and this week it scored a major win when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation banning horse slaughter in the Garden State. New Jersey was reportedly an epicenter for horse meat trade into Canada.

As for Louisiana Tech, a team I’ve had my eye since late last season rolled in Big Ten country Saturday night. The Bulldogs had no trouble with Illinois, blasting the Illini 52-24. Wide receiver Quinton Patton had his first breakout showing of the season, snagging a pair of touchdown passes from Colby Cameron and pulling in 164 yards altogether.

RETURN OF THE WAC

The impending closure of the Western Athletic Conference is sad, particularly for someone who grew up in the West as I did. I have fond childhood memories of tuning into a northern Arizona independent station, which typically filled its airtime with reruns of 1950s comedies, to catch the WAC Game of the Week.

Camera quality was not exactly HD. While this was the early-to-mid-1990s, the transmissions beamed into my home were coming from equipment Cecile B. DeMille would have deemed unfit for shoots in the silent film era. Whether producers slathered Vaseline on the lenses, or the mountainous locales games were played diluted the feed was irrelevant. I got to see some great teams with college football legends.

Marshall Faulk running wild at San Diego State, LaVell Edwards’ explosive offense, Sonny Lubick’s transformation of Colorado State into a top 20 program: I was privy to it all because of syndicated TV. The WAC was doomed when it expanded to 16 teams, and this season is the final phase of a long procession as Dead Conference Walking.

That said, it’s great to see the conference go out strong. Louisiana Tech is unbeaten and playing like a possible top 25 team, but a repeat as WAC champion is not guaranteed. Utah State handled former WAC member Colorado State to move to 3-1, and San Jose State matched that mark with its road defeat of another former WAC program, San Diego State.

The WAC has just a single bowl bid, but all three teams look worthy of the postseason.

GAME BALLS

Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion

Old Dominion sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke set the Div. I record for passing yards with an absurd 730 in the Monarchs’ 64-61 win over New Hampshire.

Mike James & Stephen Morris, Miami

It’s only fitting behind Miami’s never-say-die approach in the late second half at Georgia Tech were two players whose presence exude the same. Both had career afternoons in the Hurricanes’ 42-36, overtime win.

Zach Bauman, Northern Arizona

The Lumberjacks had a bleak start to 2012, getting absolutely blasted by Arizona State. Since, NAU has won three straight and scored a pair of program milestones. Last week’s defeat of UNLV was NAU’s first of an FBS/Div. I-A team ever, and Saturday’s win at Montana was the Lumberjacks’ first in Missoula since 1987.

Zach Bauman powered the NAU offense with three touchdowns off 253 yards rushing.

Kenny Cain, TCU

Senior Frog linebacker Kenny Cain intercepted a pair of Virginia passes and recovered a fumble in TCU’s 27-7 win.

Gary Nova, Rutgers

The perpetual quarterback controversy that is Rutgers’ offense is controversial no more. Gary Nova has improved every week, and Saturday at Arkansas set his bar. He threw for 397 yards and five touchdowns, the final of which stymied an Arkansas rally. The win in SEC territory is landmark for RU, a team that has the look of a frontrunner in the Big East.

Former Scarlet Knight teammate Mohammed Sanu one-upped his old quarterback on Sunday morning, though.