Notes from a wild and wacky college football Saturday … The much-anticipated ‘game-of-the-year- between Tennessee and Georgia turned out to be something of a dud as the UGA defense simply overwhelmed the usually dynamic Vols offense and turned what could have been a barn burner into a 27-13 yawner. And that should have Georgia back in the #1 ranking. Elsewhere, though, the college football world got turned on its ear as it appears that both Alabama and Clemson, who have been pretty much fixtures on the CFP playoff landscape the past few years, will need a ton of help to get to the post-season that matters. Alabama did not go down easily, but ultimately lost in dramatic fashion at LSU when the Tigers converted a two-point conversion in OT to win 32-31. Clemson, on the other hand, came down to earth with a thud in a 35-7 loss at Notre Dame in which the ACC Tigers were never really competitive. That leaves just 4 unbeaten FBS teams including Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan, who play each other at the end of the month, and surprising TCU from the Big XII. The losses by Clemson and Alabama, though, may have possibly brought several one-loss teams including Oregon, UCLA and Southern Cal from the PAC-12, as well as Mississippi back into the CFP picture. So is Tennessee, although all those teams will need some help from somebody. Stay tuned!
We’d also hate to be an NFL scout from an team hoping to grab a QB with an early pick at the 2023 draft trying to make sense of the play of the top prospects at the position this weekend. It wasn’t pretty as there were almost as many downs as ups. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker who had been the hot guy in the class, looked very ordinary in the Vols’ loss to Georgia. He did complete 23 of 33 passes for 195 yards, although most of those completions were underneath stuff. However, Hooker never looked comfortable in the pocket as he was sacked 6 times, including several in which he simply held onto the ball too ball. Hooker also looked somewhat robotic in his mechanics; he didn’t move around the pocket much at all and the ball seemed to take awhile coming out. At the same time, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, the presumptive #1 QB in this year’s class, really had to battle the elements in windy, rainy conditions when the Buckeyes played at Northwestern. Ohio State did prevail 21-7, but Stroud was just 10 of 26 passing for a measly 76 yards. Again, most teams will write it off to the elements, although it might give pause to some northern teams that do play in those conditions. Kentucky’s Will Levis also did get a win yesterday as his Wildcats managed to hold off Missouri 21-17 as he completed 13 of 19 passes including three for scores, but had just 170 yards and was sacked 6 times. It was also an up-and-down type game for Alabama’s Bryce Young who did throw for 324 yards in the loss at LSU; he also rallied the Tide to a couple of late scores that at least got the game into OT including one on which he made a houdini-like escape from trouble to complete a long TD pass. However, on the night, Young actually completed less than 50% of his throws – 25 of 51 – and had what may have been a career’s worth of errant balls that weren’t anywhere near a possible receiver.
But that’s why pro scouts get the big money!!! Have a great Sunday!!!
