As you’re aware, this site uses Twitter a lot. And we’re far from the only ones. MILLIONS (really) of other people use the social media site as well, sharing information in 140 characters or less.
Despite the issues many of you probably have with the site, whether you use it or not, it is a good way to keep up on things. Particularly, Syracuse Orange football, since the SU staff and the media around it is so active there.
So if you’re already on Twitter, or if you were ever considering just lurking and following for news, here’s every account you’ll need to be keeping an eye on this season.
The release of the first Associated Press Poll of the season holds a great deal of insight for the coming weeks and months. Paired with the Coaches Poll, there is now substantial evidence that the ACC is shaping up to be the best conference in college football.
In the AP, five ACC teams are ranked in the top 25 including Florida State at three and Clemson at five. Louisville (16), Miami (18) and Virginia Tech (21) round out the full 20% of teams that are from the conference. Counting the “Others Receiving Votes” category, NC State comes in at 30 and Pittsburgh at 32. Notre Dame is in at unofficial 28.
All in all, this is a very solid representation for the ACC. The SEC comes in with six top 25 teams but only Alabama (1) in the top 10. The University of South Florida is the only non-Power 5 school in the poll, checking in at 19.
It will not take long for the “Best Conference in America” debate to kick off as the SEC will be challenged in the first full week of the season. Alabama and Florida State will square off in what will be a very meaningful season opener. Florida (17) will take on Michigan (11).
In addition to the Seminoles opener, the ACC will have a chance to make its mark early. Virginia Tech and West Virginia (21) will renew their rivalry. Georgia Tech will also get a shot at Tennessee (25).
For the Tar Heels, the poll brings pre-season expectations into sharper focus. A handful of votes in the Coaches Poll and nothing to speak of in the AP Poll means that, generally, there is not a lot of optimism surrounding this team. However, that could just signal more room to grow.
Dig deeper, though, and it is easy to be borderline giddy. Carolina does not play either of the highest ranked league powers and gets both Louisville and Miami at home. Virginia Tech is the only ranked team that the Heels will have to travel to meet.
Games against almost ranked Notre Dame, Pitt, and NC State provide great opportunities for strength of schedule boosts. At least Pitt will provide a boost. Notre Dame is teetering on mediocrity. By the time November 25 rolls around, NC State could very well look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In total, the schedule is very manageable while providing a bit of punch. As the league continues to gain respect on a national level, scheduling concerns will diminish. The polls tell us that North Carolina is not feared on field. Not yet.
On Tuesday, we got final confirmation that the Russell Athletic era at Georgia Tech is about to be over. The moment it ends is the same moment that the adidas era will begin on the Flats.
The change should be a positive one in every way — the three-stripe brand will be an upgrade that helps to boost perception among recruits (across all sports), helps to bolster apparel sales among fans, and serves as a strong partner as the GTAA administration continues to solidify its visual branding.
Speaking of which, it should also be mentioned that this move to a new apparel provider is indicative of a new era on the Flats in more ways than one. While this is the first major move made by Todd Stansbury in terms of financial impact to his athletic department, it’s just the latest in a series of decisions and moves Stansbury’s made so far that are incredibly encouraging for the future. In under nine months on the job, this is yet another problem that Stansbury has identified and taken action to improve upon. It’s a refreshing change from Stansbury’s predecessor, who took several years just to identify some internal issues that faced the department (despite how minimally they seemed to move the needle in the court of public perception). The guy before that was personally responsible for extending the Russell contract that clearly put Georgia Tech behind the curve, only to leave for Clemson less than three months later, while the guy before him was responsible for a contract the department still hasn’t finished paying off, even though the recipient hasn’t coached the men’s basketball team in over 6 years.
Plain and simple: Stansbury is a perceptive, active, visible, and responsive athletic director like Georgia Tech hasn’t had in the last 20 years. Without a major change in his constraints, Stansbury has rapidly taken considerable steps to elevate the athletic department from the inside out, and every move he’s made inspires more confidence in his ability to increase Georgia Tech’s profile on the national stage in the years to come.
The new uniforms, new apparel, and revamped visual brand are all going to make for an extremely exciting time to be a Yellow Jacket fan. The large-scale trend that this change is a part of is going to make it fun to be a Georgia Tech fan for years to come.
On Monday night, after the first practice of the start of the fourth week of training camp, head coach Chris Ash made the announcement that seemed inevitable for awhile now. Louisville grad transfer and newly appointed team captain, Kyle Bolin, was named the starting quarterback. After taking the majority of the first team reps the past couple of weeks, it seemed pretty clear Bolin would be the choice. Aside from having the most experience of the three quarterbacks in competition for the starting job, Bolin’s key attribute is his accuracy. Rutgers needs the player under center to execute and Bolin showcased strong fundamentals in workouts even before camp began. Picking him to lead the Rutgers offense this season was the easy choice for Ash and offensive coordinator Jerry Kill.
Now comes the hard part, in terms of determining who will backup Bolin this season. Ash spoke after practice Monday night about the position and had this to say:
“All three guys have done a great job through training camp. The backup right now is still undecided. Both Gio and Johnathan will potentially have an opportunity to play, depending on the situation. Right now, moving forward, Kyle will be our starting quarterback.”
While it has to be tough for Rescigno, who performed admirably as the starter the second half of last season, after entering training camp in 2016 as the fourth quarterback, Ash confirmed that he is taking the news as best he can:
“Gio has been great. Gio is a team guy. He’s a competitor. He’s battling. He knows how many quarterbacks we used last year, for whatever reason. And Gio is going to do everything he can to support Kyle. He’s going to do whatever he can to get better. He’s going to be ready if his number is called.”
Between Gio and Johnathan Lewis, the intriguing freshman who is a true dual threat, it’s Rescigno that offers stability in having game experience and being more seasoned entering his fourth year of college football. However, the upside of Lewis and his potential as the future leader of the program is undeniable. Ash spoke about what type of role Lewis may have this season:
“Yeah, right now that is yet to be determined. We’re having those conversations about what Johnathan Lewis’ role will be in our offense. Johnathan is going to be an outstanding quarterback here. He’s done a lot of great things in training camp. He is still learning, he got here on campus in July. It’s really hard for a quarterback to learn everything he is going to need to know to play major college football in basically a month and a half like Johnathan has tried to do. He has done some great things and here over the next couple of weeks we will decide what type of role that will be.”
Ash was asked how he will determine who will be the backup for Bolin and was straightforward in his response:
“It’s between those two guys. We talked about the same thing about what separates a starter and a backup. Same thing, who understands the offense, who is dependable, who will go out there and execute, take care of the ball, make good decisions. That will decide who the #2 is.”
The truth is while Bolin is the clear choice to lead the program this season and gives the team the best chance to win right now, how Ash and Kill handle the backup situation with Gio and Lewis is critical as well, both in the short term and long term. As is the reality with college football, as Ash said in his presser, often times multiple quarterbacks are needed throughout the season. In fact, for Rutgers, other than Gary Nova’s impressive 2014 season, the program hasn’t experienced true stability at the most important position since the days of Mike Teel a decade ago.
Ash and Kill are weighing their contingency plans now, while also keeping an eye on the future. It’s an interesting situation and here are some aspects to consider.
Gio is a more reliable option right now, based on his experience, in regards to replacing Bolin during game action for an extended period of time. Lewis offers potential for the offense to throw a curve ball at opposing defenses and give a different look within games right away, with Bolin still in the role of starting quarterback. It’s been hinted that Gio could be that change up option as well, as he did flash his ability to run well at times last season.
The other aspect that Ash and Kill must consider is the long term development of Lewis. He is physically ready and seems very mature for a true freshman. What he needs most now is polish, which should come with time. It’s obvious that Lewis has the higher ceiling long term and he has two more seasons of eligibility than Rescigno does. With Bolin in his last year of eligibility, the job will be between Lewis and Rescigno next season. The handling of these two quarterbacks will be of major importance, both this season and beyond.
In my opinion, here is what makes the most sense this season. Gio demonstrated he could make difficult throws at times and proved how tough he is after taking a beating behind the offensive line in 2016. In the short term, he seems to be the best option as the true backup to Bolin. However, it would be great to see Lewis given some opportunity to get his feet wet and be used as a running option right away this season, potentially giving the offense another weapon.
Another thing to consider is that Rutgers has a bye in the first week of October. They’ll have five games behind them at that point and will be gearing up for the stretch run of the season. Perhaps Lewis will have shown enough at that point that during the bye week, the staff will shift gears and Lewis would be the first option moving forward if a backup quarterback is needed for an extended period. Heck, that might be their decision anyway before the season even starts. Gio is certainly going to fight for playing time and the competition between the two is beneficial for both their own development, as well as for the depth at the position.
Either way, there are a lot of reasons to feel good about the quarterback position for Rutgers football. Bolin makes the most sense to start and whoever the staff chooses to back him up, whether it be Gio or Lewis, both would bring positives with them on the field. How Ash and Kill handle all three quarterbacks this season will be an interesting storyline to watch and will be vital to the success of the team. And to eliminate any doubt of the idea of a week to week competition, this is how Ash responded directly to that question:
“Kyle is our starting quarterback, that’s it.”
Who ultimately backs up Bolin is the real question. How it is answered remains to be seen. The good news is for the first time in recent history, Rutgers seems to have three legitimate options at the most important position on the team.
Maryland football went 6-7 in 2016. This year, the Terps should be better by most metrics, but might not have a postseason appearance to show for it.
The difficulty of Maryland’s 2017 schedule has been a topic of discussion among Terps fans for a while. As preseason rankings continue to pour out, that difficulty is becoming easier to quantify. The AP and Coaches Poll have four of Maryland’s opponents in the top 10 and five in the top 25. Our SB Nation friend Bill Connelly has ranked all 130 FBS teams, and his list includes seven Maryland foes-to-be in the top 35.
Connelly divided teams into eight tiers. It’s sort of like a bell curve; the first tier (“Contenders”) has just five teams, while the eighth has only nine. Maryland is toward the back of the fifth tier (“A Decent Bowl is the Goal”), slotting 56th overall. Using Connelly’s system, here’s a look at what lies ahead.
Tier 1: Ohio State
The Buckeyes’ 11-1 campaign last year included a 62-3 curb stomping of Maryland in College Park. This year’s game is in Columbus.
Tier 2: Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin
All three of these teams won at least 10 games last year. Penn State made the Rose Bowl by beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, and Michigan led the East division for most of the year. The AP and Coaches Poll both have all of them in the top 10.
Tier 3: Texas
The Longhorns are 16th in Connelly’s rankings and S&P+ and 23rd in both major polls. They went 5-7 last year, but made perhaps the most noteworthy coaching hire of the offseason in Tom Herman.
Tier 4: Northwestern
The other premier journalism school in the Big Ten has the conference’s other premier Justin Jackson, who’s a star running back. Maryland was atrocious against star running backs (as well as most good ones) last season. It’s a winnable game in College Park, but the Wildcats are still a tough matchup.
Tier 5: Minnesota, Indiana
Both teams beat Maryland last year. Minnesota has the super-energetic P.J. Fleck as its new head coach, while Indiana’s Tom Allen was an in-house hire after Kevin Wilson resigned amid some controversy. The Hoosiers are one spot behind Maryland in Connelly’s rankings, so that’s pretty close to a toss-up on paper.
Tier 6: Michigan State, UCF
These are the two best teams Maryland beat last year. One win required a minor comeback; the other took double-overtime. Michigan State is two years removed from making the Playoff, so expect a product somewhere between that and the Spartans’ 3-9 train wreck of a 2016. UCF went from 0-12 to 6-7 in Scott Frost’s first year, and should put up somewhat of a fight again.
Tier 7: Rutgers
Maryland’s beaten the Scarlet Knights in each of the last two years. The two meet at Yankee Stadium this time around. Maryland should be favored, but this won’t quite be automatic.
FCS: Towson
At least in theory, the Terps’ home opener will be automatic. Towson went 4-7 against FCS competition last season. Maryland has beaten an FCS team every year this decade, most recently dominating Howard to start 2016.
Here’s Maryland’s schedule in table form.
Week
Opponent
AP
Coaches
SBN
S&P+
Win%
Exp. Margin
Week
Opponent
AP
Coaches
SBN
S&P+
Win%
Exp. Margin
1
at Texas
23
23
16
16
14%
-18.7
2
Towson
NA
NA
NA
NA
96%
30.8
4
UCF
NR
NR
77
78
58%
3.7
5
at Minnesota
NR
50
32
47
32%
-8.3
6
at Ohio State
2
2
2
2
4%
-30
7
Northwestern
31
35
23
37
37%
-5.5
8
at Wisconsin
10
10
13
11
10%
-22.5
9
Indiana
NR
NR
57
39
38%
-5.5
10
vs. Rutgers
NR
NR
107
92
63%
5.9
11
Michigan
9
9
11
10
14%
-18.8
12
at Michigan State
44
56
74
44
30%
-9.1
13
Penn State
6
6
8
8
12%
-20.3
Maryland’s rankings: NR, 56, 56, 72
The 2016 incarnation of Maryland wins no more than four games against this schedule. Adding up the win probabilities of each game leads to an expected output of 4.1 victories. So let’s make that the baseline expectation. Another six-win season, then, would be a success, and even five wins could suggest an improved product.
If the Terps don’t pull off an upset against an upper-tier team, they’ll need to win six of the other seven contests to make it back to the postseason. It’ll take both consistency and an improved team across the board. With the right breaks, though, it can happen.
Of course, DJ Durkin and his players have loftier goals than that. Talk to enough players about the season and someone will inevitably say “championship.” Their road ahead is as treacherous as they come, but the dreams are still alive.
Is David Blough the next player in The Cradle? After years of uncertainty at the quarterback position Blough is in line to be the first player to start consecutive season openers at quarterbacks since Curtis Painter from 2006-08. Robert Marve did start two season openers in there, but they were not consecutive.
With two years remaining Blough already is all over the Purdue record book. He has had 6 300-yard passing games (Kyle Orton only had 7). He is 10th in school history in total offense, and with a pedestrian season he can move as high as 5th in that category. His 35 career touchdowns have him 8th in school history, with the potential to easily move to 4th by the end of the season. His 4,926 yards passing is also 10th in school history, and with another 3,000 season he can move to 5th and be in line for the all-time record of 11,792.
Bear in mind, these numbers came under a pretty weak offense, especially since he had John Shoop to start his career. Now with his third offensive coordinator, and a head coach known for developing quarterbacks, Blough could explode over the next two seasons. He has been slowed by a shoulder strain that has caused him to miss the last few practices, but as long as he returns 100% it could be a big year for him.
Among the boneheaded decision by the previous regime (and there were many) the benching of Antoine Miles has to be up there. Purdue needed more of a pass rush last season. It was non-negotiable. Miles had played in all 12 games as a sophomore in 2015, started 6 of them, and led the team in sacks with four. He also had 28 tackles, a modest amount for a defensive end.
Instead of using a player to build on a decent sophomore year (which was his debut) Darrell Hazell & co. benched him. He didn’t play a single snap in 2016 for reasons unknown. He spent it with the scout team.
Fortunately for him, the new coaching staff has realized that a decent player can be used on a defense to help the team get better. Miles is expected to start at one of the defensive end spots, and hopefully he plays like a rage monster after the previous staff robbed him of a year of playing time. I know I would play pissed off.
It has been a long offseason, but the 2017 college football season is now less than 10 days away. On August 31st, your Wake Forest Demon Deacons will kick off Dave Clawson’s fourth season with Wake Forest at 6:30 p.m. against the Presbyterian Blue Hose in front of the Deacon faithful at BB&T Field.
Our coverage will soon be shifting from season overviews to game (Presbyterian) specific material, but over the coming days we will have a few more overarching pieces. Today I looked at the reasons Wake Forest football fans should be optimistic about the upcoming season. I chatted with Mark Rogers of Mark Rogers TV to go over some of the top reasons.
Thanks as always to Mark for having me on his show to talk Wake Forest. Be sure to check out articles later this week where we discuss reasons to be concerned, the quarterback situation, and preview the schedule. For all things college football, be sure to follow Mark @MarkRogersTV and check out his YouTube channel.
What do you all think are the top reasons to be optimistic about this season?
Jordan Villamin has the ideal size (6-5, 222 lbs) and athleticism for the receiver position. When Villamin is at the top of his game, he is arguably one of the best receivers in the Pac-12. Villamin was impressive during his Freshman season in 2014 as he quickly established himself as one of QB Sean Mannion’s favorite targets. Villamin had 35 receptions, 578 yds. receiving, and 6 TD’s in 2014. Beaver Nation had high hopes for the talented receiver’s future from Fontana, CA.
In 2015 Villamin led the team in receiving yds. with 660 yds. In addition, Villamin scored 5 TD’s and had 43 receptions. Opposing Defensive coaches made it a priority to slow down Jordan. His numbers were impressive, especially during the 2015 season where there was instability at the QB position. Although the Offense struggled mightily in 2015 (the entire team struggled for that matter), Villamin was one of the few bright spots of the 2015 season. It was widely speculated that Villamin was just at the beginning of his super stardom.
Villamin was expected to put up huge numbers in 2016. Before the 2016 season, there were some people predicting that Villamin might declare for the draft after his Junior season. Villamin possesses the size and athleticism that NFL scouts drool over. In addition, Beavers had named Darrell Garretson starting QB, which meant that there was finally going to be stability in the passing game.
Even Jordan Villamin would tell you himself that the 2016 season was a disappointment. He ended the season with only 21 catches for 253 yds. and only 1TD. Villamin found himself out of the starting lineup in several games. In fairness to Jordan, the overall passing game was not successful at all in 2016, which contributed to his low numbers. Villamin admitted in an interview in the Oregonian in 2016 that the frustration of losing got to him, which made him complacent on the field. Additionally, Villamin also blamed himself for not doing a better job paying attention to the opposing defensive coverages, which often led him to be in the wrong spot to receive the football. Villamin did have an amazing performance against Arizona, where he had 6 catches for 124 yds., including a 53 yd. touchdown reception on the Beavs first drive of the game. Villamin looked like the star receiver that Beaver Nation had grown accustomed to. Although, Jordan only had 1 catch for 4 yds. against Oregon, he did amazing job blocking, which aided the running game in the teams 34-24 victory over the Ducks.
2017 should be a banner year for Jordan Villamin. Villamin and his teammates are more comfortable in their knowledge of the offense. For the first time in his OSU career, Jordan will have the same Offensive Coordinator (Kevin McGiven) for more than one season, which will contribute to his comfort level within the Offense. Also, the Beavers have named Jake Luton starting Quarterback, and he has looked good according to reports. Stability at the QB position will help Villamin’s numbers rise. Plus, Villamin will be aided by playing with a talented receiving core, and opposing defenses are likely to focus on stopping the talented Beaver running game, which should open things up in the passing game. The overall improvement of the Beaver Offense, will also likely boost Villamin’s level of play in 2017. Villamin is expected to be a huge part of the passing game with his impressive frame, athleticism, and his experience. Will Jordan Villamin live up to his remarkable talent level in the 2017 season? Stay tuned…
Yesterday was Fan Day on the Plains, giving the Auburn family a chance to meet the current and future stars of the football program at the Auburn indoor facility. When I was younger, meeting a coach or a player was one of the biggest thrills I could have, so Fan Day is always a fun time.
As for something a bit more serious, there’s already been a lot of talk about Auburn this year and the fact that the Tigers may be set up for some pretty good success. We usually like when Auburn’s underrated, but eventually you’ve got to find a way to live up to the expectations when they’re given.
Well, they’ve being given right now.
We’ll give you the skinny from that article — Mel picks Auburn, Washington, Ohio State, and Florida State to go to the playoff, with the Huskies coming out on top. It’s an interesting pick for sure.
For a little more analysis, broad strokes if you will, College Football News has given its short preview on Auburn and essentially says that the Tigers are the only team that compete with Alabama. Again, there are the expectations.
Something that should bode well in the meeting-expectations game is the fact that for the first time in a couple years, Auburn hasn’t endured a critical injury during the preseason (knock on wood), and the bumps it has encountered haven’t been anything to really fret over.
The little scrapes even provided an opportunity to give younger guys a bit of an extended look in scrimmages and practices, which only helps out with depth and the case for playing time.
If you check that link, they talk a good bit about Marlon Davidson’s injury and how it’s allowed Nick Coe more snaps in practice, but what about other defensive ends? Paul James III was the MVP of A-Day on defense, and he should end up having a good role this fall on the line.
And in case you were unsure, even in the NFL, everyone wants to be just like Auburn.
Final two weeks before kickoff, people. Buckle up! War Eagle.
We’re only 13 days away from the start of the 2017 season, and I can think of no better way to celebrate the occasion than by giving a shoutout to the 2000 Oklahoma Sooners and their 13-0 record.
In 1999, first-year head coach Bob Stoops led the Oklahoma Sooners to a bowl game for the first time since the 1994 season. There was plenty of reason for optimism in 2000, and Oklahoma fans were pumped about making appearances in the preseason polls for a change. The excitement was palpable, but I don’t think even the most loyal Oklahoma fans envisioned what was about to come next.
Bob Stoops led his Sooners to a 13-0 record and an BCS Championship in 2000, and the Sooners had more than their share of incredible moments along the way. Let’s take a look at the most memorable moments form that season, shall we?
The Texas Massacre
Oklahoma entered the Red River Shootout with a 4-0 record, but the Sooners really hadn’t faced a quality opponent up until that point. Because of that fact, many were skeptical as to whether or not No. 10 OU could hang with the No. 11 Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma didn’t just hang with UT that day — they hung 63 points on them.
Bob Stoops and Oklahoma experienced a run against Texas that we will unfortunately never see again (though one can wish, right?). The five-year streak fittingly began with a 63-14 blowout in which the Sooners allowed only 154 yards of total offense. Quentin Griffin led the way with six rushing touchdowns — a school record that still stands to this day. My favorite moment from this one has to be Rocky Calmus’ pick-six with his left arm in a cast.
Bob’s first big road win
On Oct. 14 of 2000, Bob Stoops would finally face his old mentor in Manhatton for an opportunity to claim his first big win on the road. On top of all that, Oklahoma was finally starting to gain some much-deserved national attention, having cracked the top 10 in both polls after its big win over Texas the previous week. Wagner Field was rocking that day, but OU was still able to jump out to a 38-14 by the middle of the third quarter. However, K-State was a team loaded with playmakers such as Aaron Lockett, Quincy Morgan and Terrance Newman, and they would not go away quietly. The Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points to make it a one-score game with about 10 minutes remaining, but the Sooners had the resolve to eventually suppress the late charge.
OU fans storm the field after beating No. 1 Nebraska
After two straight wins over top-10 teams, Oklahoma hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers for one of the most heavily-hyped games in school history. The 11 a.m. kickoff didn’t deter Norman from being at its rowdiest, and the atmosphere was like nothing I had ever seen before or since. The night before the game, my dad said, “Jack, you’ve never been to a wild football game before”. I kind of shrugged it off, but I now know that he was trying to prepare me for what I was about to experience — stuff that a child probably shouldn’t be allowed to see and hear in person.
In spite of the raucous crowd, the Huskers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. That lead, however, would diminish in the blink of an eye, as OU would score 24 unanswered points in the second quarter. Derrick Strait’s pick-six to begin the second half would serve as the icing on the cake, as Oklahoma would go on to win by a score of 31-14. Afterwords, Oklahoma fans (myself included) stormed the field en masse, something that hasn’t happened in Norman since.
Torrance Marshall stuns the Aggies
Texas A&M was out for revenge after the 51-6 shellacking from the previous season, and the Aggies were primed to ruin No. 1 Oklahoma’s perfect season. For a while, it looked like it would happen, as A&M would build a 24-10 advantage by the middle of the third quarter. After OU clawed back to make it 24-21, A&M wrecking ball Ja’Mar Toombs rumbled his way into the endzone, which is why a door at my parents’ house still doesn’t shut properly to this day. Luckily, OU clawed back again with Quentin Griffin TD run and a two-point conversion. What followed was one of the greatest plays in OU history.
Derrick Strait saves the season
The Cowboys limped into Bedlam with a record of 3-7, and Bob Simmons was on his way out in Stillwater. However, rivalry games have a tendency to defy expectations, and that’s just what happened that day. After OU had jumped out to a 12-0 lead, OSU freshman Tatum Bell raced to the endzone to make it a ballgame once again. With 3:20 left in the game, the Cowboys went for it on fourth down to for a chance to take the lead. Derrick Strait would be having none of that, as he knocked the ball out of Marcellus Rivers’ hands to turn the Cowboys over on downs.
The rematch with K-State
Oklahoma was able to escape Manhattan with big “W” earlier in the season, but they needed a bit of late-game magic to get it done. Needless to say, the Wildcats were out for blood on that cold (and I mean COLD) December night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. With a Big 12 Championship on the line, both teams were exceptionally physical from start to finish, and it made for a great game that is often overshadowed in OU lore by other great victories from that season.
OU would come out on top once again, this time by a score of 27-24. Trent Smith was the hero of the night, hauling in nine catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
The icing on the cake
Despite carrying a No. 1 ranking and an unblemished record, Oklahoma entered the Orange Bowl as a double-digit underdog to No. 2 Florida State. The Seminoles were led by Heisman Trophy winner, but a certain Oklahoma linebacker didn’t think Chris Weinke deserved the award to begin with.
Marshall’s calling-out of Weinke set the tone for the Oklahoma defense, who held the best offense in college football to 301 total yards — 248 yards under its season average up to that point — and zero points.
Leading 6-0 late in the game, Rocky Calmus knocked the ball out of Weinke’s arms and into Roy Williams’ grasp to give OU the ball in the red zone. Two plays later, Quentin Griffin took it 10 yards into the end zone, and OU was sitting pretty. Florida State later scored a pair of points when the ball was snapped over punter Jeff Ferguson’s head, but it was all for nothing as OU would go on to win 13-2 and claim its seventh championship.
