College Football Week 5 Recap

USC/Oregon State
Matt: I flipped this game on during the 2nd quarter, just to see what the score was. When I saw it was 14-0, I knew I had to keep watching the rest of it. I thought Oregon State would have a chance, if only because they play USC well at home. But after seeing them against PSU, I really didn’t think they had a shot. But it was a great game by OSU, and a great game by Jacquizz Rodgers. He had 99 yards against Penn State, and he continued his strong play in this one. That little guy can really run. USC chokes in yet another early season game, but I do see them rebounding and getting back into the national championship picture.
Ahad: USC falls again to a team they are supposed to crush. After watching PSU dominate the Beavers, I thought USC would have no trouble. I should have known better since Oregon State has a history of playing USC tough at home. USC will most likely still win the PAC 10 and get back to a BCS Bowl.
Mike: I’m with Matt, I didn’t think Oregon State would do anything after seeing them play Penn State. The USC defense is just too tall, they couldn’t see Jacquizz getting by them. The OSU fans needed to calm down a little bit. After the missed extra point by OSU, USC still had a shot and the fans were jumping onto the field.
Evan: The reason I was surprised by this game is because everyone was throwing out the “USC better be careful” line based on what Oregon State had done 2 years ago, but no one actually believed it would happen again. I’d put money on USC running the table and still getting into the national championship game. I do like how this will help Penn State in the computer rankings.

Florida and Wisconsin Losses
Matt: Ouch and incomprehensible, respectively. It looked like Florida ran into a tough team, and they just couldn’t hold on. That blocked PAT obviously hurt them, but it looked like they had some other chances to come away with points. Wisconsin’s loss was such awful. Michigan had 5 turnovers and 20 yards total offense in the first half! They aren’t a very good team. They are fairly decent on defense, but come on, they are young and adapting to a new coach. I just don’t know how you could lose a game like that, but Wisconsin found a way.
Ahad: After the way Michigan played in the first half, they had no business being in the game. That should have been a rout. Wisconsin needs to be careful because this is the type of loss that could demoralize the team for the rest of the season. I only saw highlights from the Florida game, but that outcome is unexplainable. I will let our colleague Evan speak to this.
Evan: We completely looked past Ole Miss. We didn’t really start playing until the 4th quarter and by then it was too late. Inexplicable turnovers after we hadn’t turned the ball over once this year. I do not understand the play call of Tebow going right up the gut to try to get the first down. Everyone and their mom knew what was going to happen. He could have easily hopped to the outside, but he decides to plow through a pile of crap. Wisconsin’s collapse was poetic, and I was a fan strictly because of the chaos it created.

Alabama/Georgia
Matt: I should have went with my pick for SEC winner, but I thought Georgia could get the win at home. Alabama jumped all over them right away, and Georgia made a nice little comeback in the 2nd half, but it was too little, too late.
Ahad: The blackout failed miserably. It doesn’t hold a candle to the PSU White-Out. Is it me, or do teams always lose when they bust out a gimmick jersey? Georgia was dominated in every aspect of the game.
Evan: The only thing that made me feel better about the Gator game was watching the Bulldogs get rolled in the first half of this game. It will dull the specter of the cocktail party at the end of October.

Illinois/Penn State
Matt: My concerns over the defense were justified early on, but they held it together and made plays when they needed too. What a great game by Derrick Williams. We really need to learn how to hold onto the ball a little better. Daryll Clark is the type of leader at QB we have been sorely missing since Michael Robinson left. I am very excited about this team, but we have a very tough stretch coming up in October. It was a great game though, and an awesome stadium atmosphere.
Ahad: This is the game I have been waiting for out of Derrick Williams. Juice also played a nice game, but he needed help. After watching Clark this season I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Paterno pulled the plug on Morelli. Don’t give PSU the Big 10 title yet, as the tough part of the schedule is still ahead. The defense has some holes, most notable at middle linebacker. I haven’t yelled this much at a PSU middle linebacker since a bum named Gino held down the position. I also don’t understand the personnel for the nickel defense. Why do they bring in an extra safety and play Rubin at corner?
Mike: I was worried about the special teams and rightly so. The first two Illinois scores were as a result of a poor punt and then a poor kickoff. I don’t know why Collin Wagner was kicking off to begin with, but after that he was not seen again. I was impressed Illinois was able to go no huddle the whole game without too many mistakes.Their offense was a little scattered, if something didn’t work on one play they’d abandon it for a while. If they had a gameplan and stuck to it, they would be dangerous.
Evan: I was flipping over to this game during breaks in the Bama/Georgia game. I was very proud of my jersey-twin, D Will, I think this is what everyone was expecting when he came to State College.