Sunday, October 16, 2011

College Football Corner-- what a sack of...

I follow both college and pro football. And while I can appreciate some differences, a few have aggravated me for some time. One such difference is how colleges compute sack yardage. In the NFL, it's taken away from the net passing yards because you are attempting to pass the football. In college, it's taken away from the net rushing yards total. Which would be okay, except that there are a lot more running quarterbacks who pass a lot in today's college game. And rushing totals should reflect how one runs-- instead of how one runs and avoids getting sacked. Say Tyrod Taylor last year ran the ball 5 times for 40 yards but was sacked 3 times for 25 yards... all of a sudden his "rushing totals" become 8 for 15. A complete misrepresentation of how he actually played. This change won't happen anytime soon... but stat-junkies, make the adjustment at home.



Alma Mater Update-- the Orange took the week off from their Paper Tiger run through 2011... and even in an off week they managed to make things interesting by having just enough detergent to wash the uniforms and just enough bleu cheese dressing for wing night. Somehow these are related. SU plays West Virginia Friday night... and that means a big night at Sign of the Whale in DC, before said location turns into "Club W" where neck-chains for men and hairspray for women are required.

Maryland (2-4) jumped out early against #8 Clemson... leading the unbeaten Tigers 35-17 early in the third quarter before the Tigers used a CJ Brown interception to jumpstart a ridiculous second half where the Orange and Purple paws put 39 points on the board... topping the Terps 56-45. Terrapin Triumphs-- CJ Brown passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns while running for 162 yards and a score... Matt Furstenburg emerged as a a major threat with 5 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns... and two first half takeaways led to 14 points (a muffed punt and a pick six). Terrapin Troubles-- Missed tackles contributed to the 576 yards allowed while dropped passes and holding penalties stalled second half drives. Next Up: Saturday at Florida State.


#19 Virginia Tech (6-1) spotted Wake Forest an early double-digit lead before rallying to rout the Demon Deacons 38-17. Beamer's bunch has a few tuneups on tap before a Thursday night showdown against Georgia Tech. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson rumbled for 136 yards and a touchdown while Logan Thomas ran two two scores while throwing for two more... the defense held Wake to 59 yards rushing on 31 tries (but how many sacks?). Hokie Humblings-- have the first quarter blahs of 2010 come back? Better to start slow than finish slow. Next Up: Saturday against Boston College.


Virginia (4-2) held on for dear life in the fourth quarter against #12 Georgia Tech... escaping with a 24-21 win. The Cavaliers first ACC win since last October... and to celebrate Kippy and Buffy popped open a bottle of Conundrum (incredible white blend with 11 grapes in the mix) with Muenster on toast points. Cavalier Congrats-- holding the Yellowjackets to 24 yards passing was a key... while UVa ran at will (272 yards on 47 carries) and controlled the ball for the final six minues of the game. Cavalier Concerns-- the passing game was somewhat flat (9-19, 135 yards with a touchdown and a pick-six). And I'm running out of wines and cheeses to give my pals each week. Next Up: Saturday against North Carolina State.

No comments: