So far this season, the elite teams from the Big 12 conference have been scoring at will. You might know that the Big 12 currently boasts four of the top seven teams in the country. What you probably did not realize is that the conference also owns four of the nation’s top six passing offenses, and seven of the top twenty. I wonder what Tom Osborne thinks of this?
Obviously, these statistics are skewed because of the level of competition. Teams like Chattanooga, Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Washington don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of these teams. However, the fact is that the Big 12 is racking up huge amounts of yardage and points (six of the top nine scoring teams in the country). The Big 12 has six teams averaging over 43 points per game.
Now that conference play has started, things are certainly going to get more interesting. The question is: Will these teams continue to rack up points, or will they be stymied by better defenses?
Games of the week:
No. 9 USC 44, No. 23 Oregon 10
With a tough loss last week, USC was sure to have a good game this week. After a slow first quarter, USC picked up their play dramatically and rolled to a blowout victory. When it was all over, the Trojans had produced 598 yards of total offense and scored the game’s final 41 points. During one stretch, USC scored on six consecutive possessions.
This game proves that USC is still the team to beat in the Pac-10. As for Oregon, they really did not have a chance in this one. Starting your third-string quarterback and playing at the Coliseum against an angry USC team is not a recipe for success.
Pittsburgh 26, No. 10 South Florida 21
What a difference a week makes. Pitt played very poorly in their win versus Syracuse last week. Meanwhile, South Florida looked great in a win at North Carolina State. But in Tampa last Thursday, they both looked like completely different teams. Pittsburgh used a smothering defense to upset the No. 10 team in the country. The Panthers held South Florida to 245 yards of total offense, which is over 200 yards below its average. Pittsburgh constantly brought pressure, and USF’s junior quarterback Matt Grothe looked frustrated all night. This game proves that the Big East does not have a team this year that can challenge for the national title.
No. 19 Vanderbilt 14, No. 13 Auburn 13
While fans in Ann Arbor can already see some progress with Michigan’s new spread offense, Auburn’s version of the spread still has a long way to go. Auburn managed a measly 208 yards of total offense on the road at Vanderbilt. After a first quarter which saw Auburn score all 13 of its points, the War Eagle's then had to punt on nine consecutive possessions.
Vanderbilt’s offense wasn’t much better, but it didn’t have to be. The Commodores are 5-0, and I am excited for them. I love when a regular cellar dweller is able to rise up. However, I have to point out that Vanderbilt is winning games with smoke and mirrors. See below for Vandy’s ranking among the twelve teams in the SEC.
CATEGORY/SEC RANK
Passing yards per game: 12th
Rushing yards per game: 3rd
Passing yards allowed per game: 10th
Rushing yards allowed per game: 10th
How are they winning games, you ask? The answer is turnovers. Vanderbilt leads the nation with a +1.8 turnover margin per game. Turnovers can be the golden goose for a football team. The problem is that you can’t count on them. At some point, Vanderbilt is going to have to start plugging the holes in their defense and start creating offense on their own.
No. 14 Ohio State 20, No. 18 Wisconsin 17
For 53 minutes and 29 seconds, the Wisconsin defense made Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor look like the true freshman he is. What they couldn’t do was stop him when it counted the most. The Buckeyes drove 80 yards in the waning minutes for a go-ahead touchdown. On the final drive, Pryor threw for 59 yards before scoring on an 11-yard run. With Pryor running the offense and a relatively healthy Beanie Wells in the backfield, Ohio State is a very formidable team. I bet they would love another shot at USC with this squad.
Wisconsin let a game slip away that they really needed to have in order to vie for the Big Ten crown. After blowing a big halftime lead against Michigan last week, Wisconsin is now 0-2 in the conference. Next week against Penn State will define which direction their season is going. A loss to the Nittany Lions would all but end any chance the Badgers have of winning the Big Ten.
Hawaii 32, No. 22 Fresno State 29
Fresno State simply did not come to play in this one. They reminded me of Wile E. Coyote, standing dumbfounded as an Acme missile hurls itself in his direction. Fresno State committed six turnovers, missed three field goals and still took the game to overtime. However, OT was more of the same, as Fresno missed a field goal before Hawaii finally put the game away.
Fresno State is never able to put together a complete season. I think the main reason for this is that they try to stack their schedule. I believe this really wears on the players. This was only the fifth game, but already the Bulldogs have played a Big East team, a Big Ten team and a Pac-10 team. Meanwhile, many of these big-time programs load up with cupcakes before starting their conference play.
Play of the week
After an Alabama punt in the third quarter, Kentucky started with the ball at its own 30. To that point, Kentucky had managed only 73 yards of offense. After a ‘Bama penalty, Kentucky completed a wide receiver bubble screen for 36 yards. On the very next play, Kentucky ran the same play to the opposite side. This wide receiver bubble screen resulted in a 26-yard touchdown pass.
The first screen was a good call because Alabama was regularly sending extra men. The second screen was an even better call. Sometimes you just need to go with what works. You see this all the time in high school football, where coaches have much smaller playbooks. College coaches often try to outthink the opponent, when the most obvious answer is often the correct one.
Things we learned this week:
• The Big 12 offenses are deadly.
• With UConn and South Florida both losing, the Big East is in bad shape.
• After some good preseason hype and a solid start, Arizona State looks like it is in disarray.
Closing thoughts
Why do teams bring in the “BIG” formation on short yardage situations in the middle of the field? Big formations are referred to as “goal-line” sets. This is because they are best suited for use on the goal line, where the end zone is only 10 yards deep and linebackers and safeties are right behind the line of scrimmage. End zones are only 10 yards deep in order to make it more difficult for offenses to gain yardage when points are on the line.
By using a "BIG" set in the middle of the field, an offense is allowing the defense to treat it as a goal line situation, which is playing right into their hands. Even if teams throw out of this set, all of the players are crowded around the line of scrimmage to begin with. This gives a huge, yet unnecessary, advantage to the defense.
The use of a "BIG" set in middle-of-the-field short yardage situations is even more confounding when the offense normally features a spread system. I am perplexed why a team that runs the spread offense would all of a sudden use a goal-line set on fourth-and-one at the opponent’s 40-yard line. It takes a different type of mentality to put nine guys on the line of scrimmage and try to plow ahead for one yard. Teams that run the spread offense, with the quarterbacks constantly in the shotgun, are not used to playing smashmouth football. The offensive linemen often line up in a squatting stance and create multiple running lanes. It is the running back's responsibility to find an open lane to run in. Rarely are these linemen asked to drive forward off the line of scrimmage.
Why don’t these teams stick to their normal offenses on fourth down? I have seen countless examples of spread offenses getting stuffed when they bring in their "BIG" formation. Teams need to have an identity and stick with it, no matter the situation. Asking your players to do things they are not accustomed to is a recipe for disaster.
This is an open call to all coaches. Please stop using goal-line sets in the middle of the field. The only one benefitting is the defense.
