Here are a couple of quick hits to get us going (not quite
as quick as the Auburn offense, but the Wing Expert is changing up his plays a
little more).
First down: Florida State rolled in an uneventful and
rather dull rivalry game with Florida today. Jameis Winston threw for 327 yards
and three touchdowns as the Seminoles beat the Gators, 37-7.
Second down: Ohio State held on to defeat Michigan in “The
Game.” The Buckeyes are 12-0 this season, but not after a scare in Ann Arbor,
as the Wolverines scored in the final minute, but couldn’t convert a 2-point
conversion to take the lead.
Third down: Alabama versus Auburn, the Iron Bowl, was an
absolute beast of a game that had me pacing back and forth and on my knees at
the very end. Auburn shocked the world and won, but it was how they won that
still has everybody perplexed. The Tigers out-rushed the Tide, 296-210, and of
course the 100-yard missed field goal return didn’t take away from the game’s
excitement.
Fourth down: It was a little close here and we needed a
measurement to make sure we didn’t turn the ball over on downs, but Duke held
on today to beat North Carolina and earn its first berth into the ACC Championship
game, 25-23.
It’s rivalry weekend and it has been a wonderful one at
that. Here are the games that did not disappoint.
Mississippi State pulled off a huge win over Mississippi at
home on Thursday night. Scoring in the final minute to force overtime and
eventually winning after a Bo Wallace fumble as he was trying to walk into the
end zone. Dan Mullen is granted another season after the Egg Bowl victory.
I don’t know why I doubt this matchup, but the Battle for
the Golden Boot is year-in and year-out one of the best matchups in college
football. LSU was a three-touchdown favorite over the Hogs, but Arkansas had its
back to the wall and nothing to lose. Zach Mettenberger had to be helped off the
field in the fourth quarter and Arkansas pinned the Tigers on the one-yard line
with a three-point lead. Freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings stood tall in
the pocket and ran when he needed too, marching the Cardiac Cats down the field
and connecting on a wide-open 49-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers the
lead. LSU retains the Golden Boot for another year.
Ohio State survived Michigan and This Wing Expert tips his
hat to Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke, who attempted a 2-point conversion
instead of kicking the point-after attempt to tie the game. It was a back and
forth game all the way though, and Hoke made the right choice in my mind by
going for the win and not the tie in what would’ve been an enormous win for the
school. Devin Gardner’s pass however was intercepted and the Wolverines lost.
Injured Georgia prevailed in a game against Georgia Tech, after
two overtimes, 41-34, getting 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns from
running back Todd Gurley. Georgia Tech jumped out to a 20-7 lead before
allowing 20 points in the second half and eventually falling.
Auburn pulled off another stunner at Jordan-Hare Stadium
Saturday, beating top-ranked Alabama, 34-28, after a 100-yard return following a missed
field goal attempt with one second left. Auburn took an early lead over
the Tide in the first quarter, but allowed 21-unanswered points in the
second quarter. The Tigers looked broken and stunned, it happened so
fast, how did they score so fast? The Tigers managed to put together a drive of 80 yards before the
half to regain some confidence, trailing 21-14. Auburn added another touchdown in the third to
tie the game and proceeded to pin it’s in-state rival on the one-yard line two
straight times. Bama would march down and miss a field goal on the first and
A.J. McCarron connected with Amari Cooper on the second for a 99-yard
touchdown. Auburn fought back though, marching down the field in a rather quick
fashion, until quarterback Nick Marshall connected with Sammie Coates for the
game-tying touchdown. Alabama answered with two draws up the middle and after a
booth review put one second back on the clock, the Tide stared down a 57-yard
field goal for the win. Gus Malzahn called a timeout for Auburn and sent Chris
Davis back to the goal post to set up the return that would shock the football
world. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it, because Auburn had this planned
the whole time and Alabama watched as history wrote itself.
Auburn is now preparing for an SEC Championship and possibly
a National Championship. I realize that I am an Alabama fan, but Auburn held
their own against my beloved Crimson Tide and in the end, made the plays needed
to win the game. Congrats Auburn, I hope to never say that again. Roll Tide.
Moving past my stunned view of Davis running the missed
field goal back for a touchdown, Duke defeated North Carolina, earning the Blue
Devils a trip to the ACC Championship against juggernaut Florida State. Duke
has won 10 games in a season for the first time in school history, earned its
first berth in the ACC Championship and is bowl eligible in consecutive
seasons. Duke has won its last eight games and needs one more to set the
longest winning streak in school history. Watch out Florida State, the Blue
Devils are coming.
Keep an eye on David Cutcliffe for the open coaching
positions this offseason. He may be 59 years old, but he gets the most out of
his players.
Speaking of coaching vacancies, well they aren’t vacant yet, but these schools need to look at their selves and think about a little change in
the future.
Florida is missing a bowl for the first time in more than 20
years and lost to an FCS team for the first time in school history. Let me make
this clear, the Gators cannot miss a bowl game and lose to an FCS team, they’re
too good and deep for that. Now I realize they have had injuries all over the
field, but even the Gator second string should roll through some non-conference
and SEC East opponents. It looks like Will Muschamp is getting to stick around,
but he’ll need to re-energize his offense LSU-style next year. I’m not saying
there is another Cam Cameron out there, but being one dimensional is never good.
Nebraska fell to Iowa on Friday, 38-17, and while this is no
pushover Hawkeye club, the Cornhuskers managed only 89 rushing yards and
surrendered 24 points in the second half for their third home loss of the
season. Nebraska is giving up 25.3 points per game, which is embarrassing compared
to the old “Black Shirt” Husker days. Nebraska needs to get back to basics, line up, run
the ball and stop the run on defense.
Texas and USC were on this list early in the year, but both have
turned around their seasons and possibly found the future (or past) of their
programs. Running the football has saved both teams. Texas has a stable of
skilled running backs and some big offensive lineman that the Longhorns can
bring in to overpower teams. USC has done the same, taking some of the
pressures of a young quarterback, while both teams are keeping their defenses
off the field and not allowing them to get worn out. I don’t think Ed Orgeron
will get the USC job, but Mack Brown will retain his, I just hope both programs
don’t try to get too cute.
This upcoming weekend features some unusual conference championship
matchups.
Stanford is taking on Arizona State in the Pac-12
championship, with the Sun Devils hosting. Stop me if you thought ASU would be
playing in the championship over USC and UCLA, let alone hosting the game over
Stanford and Oregon. Todd Graham has the Sun Devils rolling and should get some
solid considerations for head coaching vacancies next season, and with his history
should jump at the chance for a couple.
Ohio State is playing Michigan State, with both teams coming
into this game with 23 combined wins and just one loss. The Buckeyes lead the Big
Ten in offense, while the Spartans boast the conference’s top defense. These
are the matchups I enjoy watching, hopefully Michigan State’s offense can stay
on the field long enough to give the defense a breather.
Florida State is taking on Duke, yes I’m still talking
football, in the ACC Championship. Florida State is led by Heisman front-runner
Jameis Winston, and the Seminoles have rolled through opponents all season
long. Duke has won its last two games despite scares in each. This may
be the biggest mismatch in all the games next week, but the Blue Devils seem to
find a way to win and I think Florida State is beatable, especially if Winston
investigation heats up. Don't sleep on Duke.
Auburn takes on Missouri in the SEC Championship, which has
to be the most shocking and least predicted matchup of the conference
championships. Both teams combined for eight wins and 16 losses last season,
but came through this year with 22 combined wins and only two losses. Auburn
and Missouri both run fast spread out offenses, so this game will be very
un-SEC like. The winner should play in the National Championship, each has
deserved it and the conferences track-record has earned it.
All in all it’s been a great weekend and a wonderful way to
finish up the best holiday and month of the year. I have a tee time tomorrow, but afterwards I think I'm going to work on a little something to give you three days in a row of reading material. It was a great day for college football and I'm still proud of my Alabama Crimson Tide.
-The Wing Expert
