B1G Undefeated Today
B1G has two games tonight and both ended victoriously. Minnesota did not look all that impressive (and barely threw to Maxxxx Williams) but they did eventually blow out their opponent.
Rutgers looked much better than i expected. Nova played pretty well and they look to have a legitimate player int RB Paul James. They are typically the team to muff a punt late to lose a game, not capatalize on one which is a nice change for them. Hopefully the B1G continues its unbeaten streak through Saturday.
August 29th, 2014 at 7:15 AM ^
not the team that they play this week
August 29th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
Yes, i would love nothing more than to see Sparty faceplant against Jacksonville St tonight. Even though it will hurt the perception of the B1G, I can't resist the schadenfreude.
But I want them all business against Oregon and pull out a statement win at Autzen.
That is one of the things I love about college football: the interesting and contrasting styles of an Oregon against an MSU. You don't get that in the group-think NFL where they all do pretty much the same thing the same way.
August 29th, 2014 at 7:16 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 7:53 AM ^
Leaders and Legends was simply marketing nonsense and easy to ignore - Rutgers being a B1G conference member is undeniable reality. Your revolution is over, Mr. Rederik. Condolences. The bums lost.
August 29th, 2014 at 8:55 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 7:59 AM ^
is the state school there like Michigan is here. But as I've posted several times, everyone will disdain the new kids until the upsets start to occur, and--of course--they will occur. Being in the B1G is going to lift Rutgers. (Saw a lot more red Rs on cars during my trip there in August than I have in the past.) Let's hope we're not among the first to receive an ignominious thumping.
Rutgers was, btw, one of the first schools in the country to PLAY football. So there's a certain tradition there. And NJ has turned out some players through the years. One now works for us. May not be so easy to lure them away in future.
August 29th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
We need Rutgers to have a pulse to pull some talent away from Penn State.
Penn State is like Ohio State in that they are the only major program in a talent-rich area. Paterno had that program absolutely sleep-walking for a decade (he did not even go out recruiting). Franklin is in position to biuld a monster there once sanctions are done.
It is in our interest to have Rutgers and Maryland reach a certain critical mass that keeps Penn State from being the only game in town for top PA/NJ/DMVrecruits that want to stay close to home. These are two programs that genuinely hate Penn State and will be geeked out of their minds to beat them, the way Sparty gets with us.
August 29th, 2014 at 7:52 AM ^
That's a great start to their Big Ten tenure. This could a big season for building their program. They could do well if they can just keep a lot of the local talent at home. Joining the Big Ten was a big first step. Looking like a credible team instead of a doormat is the next. Too early to say they are, of course. They don't need to be good, just look like they're on the way up.
I find it interesting that there hasn't been a single mention of Mike Leach in this thread.
August 29th, 2014 at 7:56 AM ^
On the flip side, they also gave up 532 passing yards.
August 29th, 2014 at 8:22 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 8:24 AM ^
He likes to fling it around. 56 attempts kind of seems on the low end of a typical Leach game. ... okay I was curious and just had a look. Last year they ran the ball 234 times 719 for a 3.07 ypc. Take out QB attempts, it's 184 for 896 for a 4.9 ypc. Not bad but they just don't run much. RBs carried it 14 times pg last year.
Last year they threw 756 attempts - 58 attempts per game ave. over 13 games. So 56 attempts last night looks par for the course.
4:1 pass to RB carry ratio.
August 29th, 2014 at 8:28 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 8:08 AM ^
SEC - what a mediocre conference...
August 29th, 2014 at 8:29 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^
August 29th, 2014 at 9:02 AM ^
He thinks they are going to come into the Big House and beat us this year! Seriously! He was hating on our coach (bragging on his) and says we have become a joke!
August 29th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^
I believe it. Not that Minnesota will run roughshod over us but that that particular mindset has spread to many opponents. Normally I'm of the opinion that it does no good for coaches to pay attention to what people feel about their teams. However, this season I actually hope that Hoke, the rest of the coaches and the players know that the team and program are being completely overlooked and non-respected for the most part. I want them to make statements, win big, play like they have something to prove.
August 29th, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^
Including Rutgers fans.
Here's to dropping eighty on the lot of them.
Also (@bubba), cut the gopher some slack. Hoke has gone 135-26 score wise against the gophers the last three years. The gopher wanting blood is understandable. They won't get it, though.
That being said, I have a lot of respect for Kill. He's a very good coach.
August 29th, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^
I'd guess the UM-Utah kickoff is no later then 9pm east coast time. UM is a big draw on TV. I don't think they are going to want to put a team that pulls good TV ratings on a late night east coast time slot.
August 29th, 2014 at 9:19 AM ^
I hope MSU and OSU lose. My dislike for rivals trumps any conference support or affiliation each and every time.
August 29th, 2014 at 10:05 AM ^
I was impressed with Rutgers' running game. Their offensive line definitely got the better of WSU's front and both Rutgers backs were effective. OTOH, the Rutgers passing attack was not too impressive. They hit an 80-yard bomb on the first play of scrimmage, but otherwise it was pretty rough. Their QB (Gary Nova) was inconsistent throughout the game, and (other than the 80-yarder mentioned above) most of his success came on short routes that the receivers turned into big plays. Ralph Friegen is their OC now and I thought he called an excellent game.
Defenisvely, Rutgers wasn't all that impressive. They didn't give up much on the ground, but they were facing a Mike Leach team so that doesn't mean a whole lot. WSU abused their secondary the whole night, though Rutgers did have a nice 4th-down play on WSU's flex receiver to win the game (Halliday put too much air on his pass, and the DB was able to rake the ball out of the receiver's hands as he was making thec catch). Rutgers' line didn't get a ton of pressure, but one guy (Turay) got through a few times and put a couple vicious hits on Conner Halliday (including one that I thought was going to knock him off the field). That said, the Air Raid makes a lot of people look bad; maybe they would do better against a more standard offense.
August 29th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^
Gave my thoughts on Minnesota here.
Watched the first half of the Rutgers game, thoughts to come at 11:00.
Solid win for both.