...for no real reason. Just felt like doing it. Yep. Pretend national championship game coverage after the jump.
I am a few minutes late to this party (which is OK, because no one is reading this). Actually, perfect timing, Jamario O'Neal just returned the opening kick off not very far.
Todd Boekman's first pass attempt results in him flat on his back and missing his receiver by three yards and Chris Wells - this is the man they call "Beanie," no? - doesn't do much better on second down. Sweater Vest dials up a nice pass play on third down for the conversion.
Remember how Beanie Wells didn't do a damn thing on second down? Well, he just did the complete opposite of that for like 60-some yards. Well then. 7-0 Buckeyes with 13:34 left in the first. I wish I woulda had the guts to pick OSU. I knew this shit was gonna happen.
I don't know Les Miles' coaching strategy perfectly, but I am willing to say he is going to make one borderline crazy call - going for it on fourth and 12, faking a punt from his own end zone, something - and I wonder if it is going to come now....nope, LSU settles for the FG. 10-3, slow guys from the North.
Beanie Wells is gashing the LSU front seven. He is gonna get some more stickers on his helmet, I think. Did anyone from Ohio State ever fill up their whole helmet with stickers? I'm not making fun - I think it is a cool tradition, actually - but what happens if they fill the whole helmet up?
LSU muffs a punt at the 15! Huge pile of people, but somehow LSU retains possession. I hate when mad dudes just pile on forever and won't let the refs get to the bottom of the pile. If you have no shot at the ball, you should get a penalty for doing that. I hate that shit.
Early Ducet gains 6 yards on his third catch of the game to close out the first. Gotta like how it is going, Buckeye fans.
I just realized that little "Hype it Up!" button is in the wrong place. I don't know how to fix it. You may just have to live with it. I am sorry though.
Matt Flynn is opting to leave his mouthpiece lodged in the top of his facemask instead of inserting it into his mouth. I don't know why, but he is. His choice, I guess.
Tedd Ginn Jr on the sidelines rocking a flat-brimmed White Sox hat and Mardi Gras beads, barking furiously into some wide receiver's ear - Hartline? What could he possible be talking about? His experience here last year (come to think of it, he did do pretty well for himself)? Maybe tales from a 1-15 season? I don't think I'd let him on my sideline; he seems like bad luck.
Boy, LSU is really screwing the pooch to get things started here. A Charles Barkley-tuuuurrible snap from center leaves LSU with 4th and 24 from their own 5. Hartline runs the punt back to the 41.
Break up the Buckeyes! Boeckman hits a wiiiiiiiide open dude down to the 15 yard line. LSU looks completely baffled. This is why it is so great that college football's champion is decide on the field.
OSU will settle for a FG after Boeckman can't find anyone open on second or third down. 10-0, Buckeyes. Lotta time left though, LSU, lotta time.
Chris Myers is a shmuck. Unless they make him talk about this cheesy shit, then its cool. But if this is the stuff he comes up with on his own? Shmuck.
This doesn't really feel like a big game right now. Is that just me? I think its the announcers. Or FOX. Both suck.
Hester busts through the line for a 20 yard pick up, followed by Flynn hooking up with Early Ducet along the sideline for the second time tonight. LSU looks like they may have realized why there are so many people watching them this evening.
Nine-yard game out of the "pistol" formation for LSU. I am intimately with the pistol: I had a dynasty one time in NCAA in the WAC with my brothers and my little brother had to be Nevada and all they had was the pistol. We made fun of him mercilessly - seriously, the pistol sucked - until he whipped his controller across the room, punched me as hard as he could, told us all to shutup and stormed out of the room. Love the pistol.
I think Trindn Holiday just screwed up the play, becuase Flynn is yelling at him - really, say Trindon did stay in to block...buys you an extra, what? Half a second? It'd look like the commercial where Matt Hasslebeck's o-line gets picked up and chucked down field.
LSU is marching...the cameras catch a young lady from Louisisana in a purple and gold Snow White costume...surrounded by no one in a costume. Wonder if she just makes small talk with everyone like shes not dressed like a Disney character?
Tie game! Flynn finds his tight end wide open. This game is becoming very entertaining...too bad Fox hired that robot who jumps around before NFL games to announce this evening's contest.
Beanie Wells is a monster. He's a, he's a, he's a monster. What a freaking stiff arm. He basically just picked up a LSU d-back with one arm and threw him to the turf as he was running. Poor LSU dude looked like he'd been thrown from a truck on the freeway.
Ooooooooooooooooooh! Robiskie drops a touchdown pass - nice job by the corner to get his hand in there at the last second. This game is all about the big play. Craig Stetlz hurt his hand or something...we'll be back for the FG try when he's OK.
Blocked! Man, another big play. ESPN might actually be forced to show more than three highlights from this game before 17 experts tell me why they were wrong before the game.
I am not a fan of all this shameless promotion, but I really like "Jumper Cam."
I am not a fan of Charles Davis. At all.
Rarely do players actually look like waterbugs when announcers claim they do, but Trindon Holiday actually did look like a little bug right there. He skittered.
I take back what I said about big plays. OSU had needed the big play to score thier 10 points. LSU has more or less marched down the field. This bodes well for LSU, I think.
Touchdown, LSU. Flynn hits Brandon LaFell sprinting to the left corner. 17 straight for LSU. Ohio State has to have a sick feeling of deja vu right about now.
Charles Davis warns Ohio State not to let Glenn Dorsey become emotionally nor physically involved in this game. Control Dorsey's emotion, Ohio State. It is your only hope.
Ohio State's gameplan seems to be revealing itself: throw deep. LSU is catching on and picks off a Boeckman bomb and runs it back inside the 30. Two quick passes has LSU down to the 1. My favorite play from the 1? Back shoulder fade. It is 99% impossible to stop, surveys have shown.
LSU tries to run up the middle on first down and gets stuffed. Told ya. Same result on second down.
I really wish Charles Davis would shut up. No one cares what you would do with LSU's running back. Why don't you tell me why Les Miles is doing that with the running back? Thanks.
You know what All State? No one does care who the kicker is. Ever.
Hester punches it in and LSU is an extra point away from 24 unanswered points. I am pretty glad my not-to-be named former college roommates is an hour away; kind of a big OSU fan known for slamming dudes into walls who mouth off about the Buckeyes. Nice guy, though. Really, he is.
Ohio State is busy not doing a thing on offense, so they punt to LSU, who is content to go into the locker room content to be on pace for a 48-20 blow out. Here's hoping Ohio State makes this fun. Back after the half.
We open the second half with Jim Tressel staring intently into his giant play card. The front says "Run" and the back says "Pass Deep." I'd stick with "run," Jim.
He is going to have to get the ball back first, though. Staying true to form, however, LSU is picking up chunks of yards on every snap, zapping the clock in the process. A score here sucks for everyone except LSU fans.
Trindon Holiday skittered again. (In Lil John voice): Awwww skit skit skit!
Another first down for LSU. Know what sucks about this? Les Miles isn't going to get to call an awesome play. During routes we all lose.
Trindon Holiday just got closed lined. It was like a water bug on a windshield.
Matt Flynn intentionally grounds the ball, leaving LSU with third and really long near midfield. They have a nice lead, could play it safe....I think this is where Les Miles makes his mark. Let us see. Well, Les burns a time out to think it over. This is gonna be good.
That did not live up to my lofty expectations. LSU looks like they were gonna go deep, but it was covered; Flynn throws it into the ground. Well, at least it gives the Buckeyes a chance to make it interesting.
Scratch that. OSU roughs the kicker. You know what? Kickers need a little roughing. And it isn't like he tried to lay the punter out, he just missed the ball. What a dumb penalty.
LSU busts out the Pistol again and Hester breaks off an 9-yard run. Somehow a screen on the following play works and LSU is down to the 4. Seems like whatever LSU tries, it works. Aaaaand Early Ducet is the lucky beneficiary of two lousy tackles and LSU is now up by three scores. Looks like a might make my bed time.
If Ohio State wants to make this game remotely interesting, it needs a touchdown on this possession. Beanie Wells is averaging like 12 yards a touch. Let's get him the ball.
Seems LSU is aware that Beanie was gonna be getting the ball. Time to flip the play card over.
Apparently, LSU is playing man-to-man on OSU's wide receivers and then using the extra defenders to annihilate the run. This means that we are going to have to listen to how the South is so, so much faster than the North for the next month. This sucks.
Here we go! Malcolm Jenkins picks off Flynn and nearly runs it back to the house. OSU has the ball at the 11. 3:44 to go in the third: this is 4-down territory.
Man, Jenkins stepped out by like a pinky toe. Will this do anything to stop people from saying how much faster LSU is? Nope, definitely not.
On third and 1, Wells gets stuffed for about a 4 yard loss. Looking at 4th and 5 after that disaster. Sweater Vest is not phased: Buckeyes will go for it.
Touchdown! Hell of a catch from Robiskie, diving parallel to the goal line to snag a must-have conversion.
Charles Davis, after a nice OSU stop: "You feel the momentum? It hasn't shifted." You just let me know when something happens, momentum-wise, Charles. I can handle the rest myself.
I got a Sven for Christmas this year.
3rd and 7 for LSU at thier own 33. Flynn can't find anyone open, so he runs and is tackled. Punt time...I think a safe assumption would be that OSU has the return on. Doesn't matter, though, cuz LSU's punter booms it through the end zone.
Back-to-back first downs for the Buckeyes: Hartline for the first, Beanie for the second. Make that three in a row as Boeckman finds Robiskie.
Big third down coming up for Ohio State. Boeckman wanted the quick slant, it wasn't there and Boeckman paid for it. They'll go for it on fourth down.
Talk about your all time back fires. Boeckman gets drilled by the entire defensive line as he tries to throw, fumbles and the ball winds up going 30 yards the wrong way. If Jim Tressel has an easy button, now would be the time to use it.
LSU pulls out the pistol to kill some clock. Tressel looks like he'd put a pistol of his own to good use.
OSU will get the ball at their own 20. This is their last shot.
4th and 1. Here's the ballgame. Wells moves the pile and picks up the first.
Boeckman ends it with a pick and OSU's title dream mercifully comes to an end. Congrats to LSU for losing twice this seasons and winning the national title. Goodnight.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Live Blogging the BCS National Title Game
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
:35 Second Shot Clock
:35 Second Shot Clock will now be brought to you on Tuesdays (because no one wants to compete with Peter King's MMQB column, even in this off season...yea, that's why). Please adjust your schedules accordingly.
Since the NBA has mandated that the kiddies have to spend at least one year in college before hopping to the draft, I wondered whether schools would welcome those kids who have made it abundantly clear that they will spend just one season hitting the books. Obviously, the schools have, but is it really the best thing for the program?
Take Texas. Kevin Durant is hands down the college player of the year. He could break his leg right now and still win that award. He is dominating college hoops like no one I can remember. Carmelo comes to mind, but more for his brilliance in the tournament. Durant is just killing people. No one has any idea how to guard him. He does whatever he wants; his versatility is disgusting. The way he plays makes me jealous that this rule wasn't always in place so we could have seen what LeBron or Dwight Howard or Amare would have done with one year of eligibility. Texas is without question a better team this year with him than without him. They win games they would never win without him and they hang around games in which they should be getting blown out - like last night at Texas A&M.
But does this help Texas in the long run. Like, next year? Durant is gone after this season, make no mistake about this. Rick Barnes wishful thinking that he'll come back for round two of classes and co-eds is just that: wishful thinking. So will his team be better next year? Texas has a terrible habit of just standing around and watching Durant (which is actually hard to fault them for; he really is incredible to watch) with the exception of freshman PG DJ Augustine. Won't this set them back next season? They just sat around and watched. How are they getting any better?
Wouldn't it be better to only sign these types of players if you have a shot to win a national title this season? If you don't have a chance to win the national title - and let's be honest, Texas doesn't; they don't guard anybody - wouldn't the school be better served pouring its time and resources into somebody who won't be as dominant as Durant right away, but will stick around for three, maybe four years and help them contend for the ultimate prize? Greg Oden at Ohio State or Brandan Wright at UNC (who is likely one and done, too, as much as it breaks my little Carolina blue heart) are the leading reasons why their teams are considered front runners to win the national title. Doesn't that make more sense than just letting some phenom showcase his skills for the L with nothing to show in return for it next fall?
Of course, everyone else on the team is getting exposed to a post season type atmosphere on a daily basis, they are seeing how to win and be in close games and they are watching greatness up close. Plus Texas is getting all kinds of television exposure that they would never get otherwise (seriously, they are on ESPN every other night; not that I'm complaining, I'm just sayin') that will only help recruiting.
So who knows, pluses and minuses, I guess.
Oh, and for what its worth, this is how you guard Durant, I think: he draws your best defender, obviously. Hopefully, that defender is a rangy, long athletic dude (not everyone has one, but still). Whoever guards him has no help responsibility. They chase him off every screen and do everything in their power not to even let him catch it. When he does catch it, you crowd the hell out of him. No shots, especially no threes.
Make him put it on the floor. He's tough off the dribble, to be sure, but I think he has a habit of driving into crowds and turning it over or putting up tough shots in traffic. He makes his share, but I'll live with him shooting contested mid range pull ups of the dribble rather than letting him shoot the three. He loves - loves - taking one or two dribbles, faking a crossover with his left hand and then pulling up for three. Its virtually unguardable if you play him straight up. Crowd him and make him go to his mid-range game. It is the lesser of like nine evils.
When he goes into the post? Double team. Immediately. No questions asked. Not sending a double-team when Kevin Durant is posting up is dumber than kicking to Devin Hester. There isn't a big man who can stop him in the post outside of Greg Oden, and even that is a stretch. I would attack him defensively, too - make him work hard on defense. Tire him out. Hey, its something. And understand he's still gonna kill you. But if it takes him 30 shots instead of 20, I think that's the best you can do.
Speaking of that Texas-Texas A&M game, Acie Law IV handed in a stellar performance. (Isn't the IV a little presumptuous? Are you sailing on a yacht sipping chardonnay and wearing a goofy Popeye hat? If the IV is some tribute to a deceased father or something, then I'm an asshole and I apologize.) He got A&M out to a huge lead, sustained that lead when foul trouble wrecked them (Durant is starting to get the D Wade treatment...look out), got everyone involved (15 dimes!) and then iced the game late. He's really something else. That said, is he the best PG in the nation? What PG would you take right now and feel most confident that he could lead you to a national title?
Well, Taurean Green already did it last year, but he wasn't really the focal point of the team, even if he did play some ballsy hoops. Drew Kneitzal has been carrying Michigan St. all season and coming up big in the clutch, even if his team has fallen short. Chris Rock has done a good job playing consistently at Wisconsin. Sean Singletary is a hell of a scorer and nearly impossible to contain of the dribble, at least from what I've seen. If you want a scoring point guard, he's your man. Mike Conley is tough at Ohio St. but he needs to get the ball into Oden more. Oden disapears at times, as hard as that may seem, and it is Conley's job to make sure that doesn't happen. Sherron Collins can ball at Kansas and Levance Fields is a gamer at Pitt in the mold of Brandan Knight and Carl Krauser. AJ Graves at Butler is good, too (even if he does look like the kid from Hook).
To me, though, it comes down to three guys. Two freshman: DJ Augustine and Tywon Lawson. Augustine is a terrific penetrator and is a good finisher, especially on the left side with his right hand. Lawson is the fastest player in college hoops, period. He is surrounded by a plethora of talent, true, but it is young talent and he has done a job with them, plus he gets better every game. If I could have anyone, though, it would be Dominic James. He's the most athletic PG in college hoops, if you ask me, and no one is stopping him from getting to the rim. Plus, he's a little older and seems like a fiery leader that his team responds to.
Last on this list? Greg Paulus. Of course. You know what the most amazing thing to me about Paulus is? That Notre Dame recruited him to play quarterback. Quarterback! How bad is he under pressure? He's missed makable game winners in Duke's last two games and he absolutely crumples when an athletic guard applies any type of pressure - bad passes, dribbling around aimlessly, kicking it off his foot, not getting Duke into it's offense. Could you imagine him in a collapsing pocket? He'd look like Troy Smith in the National Title game crossed with Grossman in the rain, except all the time. Jake Plummer would shake his head at his decision making. How the hell did someone this bad at pressure get recruited to play the toughest and most pressure-packed position in all of sports? No wonder ND sucked for so long. It is actually incredible Duke is so competitive with him at point guard.
Staying in the ACC, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you VTech was overrated. After beating Tabacco Road, they have losses to Florida St., NC State and got shellacked by Boston College. Again: they have first round upset written all over them.
More ACC: Who ya got in UNC/Duke? I'm setting the line at 15.5 and I'll take UNC. Goofy shit always happens in these games, but then I remember that Paulus will be guarding Ty Lawson. This game will resemble the layup lines before the game.
The worst part will be who's calling the game. I know Vitale has been called Dookie V, but Mike Patrick is a hundred times worse. He can't get over himself. He adores Duke. He trips and stumbles all over himself to find superlatives to describe their greatness. Some announcers secretly cheer for teams, but Patrick has no such subtlety. He is like that pathetic kid in high school who so desperately wants to hang out with the cool kids and will say and do anything just to be around him. He should listen to the rebroadcast at 3 am later that night; I think he would be stunned to hear himself.
As of right now...
Final Four: UNC, Kansas, Ohio State, Florida.
All-Americans: Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Alondo Tucker, Tyler Hansbrough, Joakim Noah.
POY: Kevin Durant.
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Indiana.
Monday, January 29, 2007
:35 Second Shot Clock
Since we are all up-and-running again and what not, why don't we try to start a regular post that I'd like to do every Monday morning, but that we all know will last three, maybe four weeks, mysteriously dissapear for a couple of weeks, have a brief resurgence for a week or two, and then die forever a week before March Madness?
Since we're a little late to the party, let's start at the top: Who's the class of '07? Seems like there are two, maybe three choices here: North Carolina or Florida, and Ohio St. just because no one has any idea how good Greg Oden is going to be once The Dance starts.
UNC, at least to me, is the odds-on favorite to go home with the hardware in April. Yea, they are ridiculously loaded (witness the dismantling of Arizona without Brandan Wright). Yea, they are the deepest team in the country. Yea, they have a brilliant (yes, brilliant) coach. But the thing about the Heels that has to scare the hell out of every team in the country is its up-tempo transition game. No one in American runs like the Heels and it isn't even close.
Carolina's transition game is like a devastating rushing attack in the NFL. If your defense is a little suspect, or your stretch-the-field passing attack takes the occasional day off, or your offense is having trouble executing between the twenties, you know that grind it out rushing attack can bail you out. Just hand it off to your clock killing running back and let him run behind his mammoth offensive line, you'll own the time of possession and field position categories and cover up a few deficiencies. It makes the rest of your team look better.
This is what the Carolina transition game does. Even if UNC isn't shooting particularly well (this has happened, and will happen in The Tourney) or if the defense is getting exposes (no one is confusing Carolina with the Bulls or even Pitt for that matter) or their half-court sets are being well-defended, they always have the transition game to rely on. It is relentless, and it is available every single game.
As deep as they are, they can run all game, although it is much more effective with human blur Tywon Lawson pushing the ball, and it changes the way teams have to play. Teams can't send as many rebounders to the rim as they'd like; if they do, they risk easy 2-1's at the other end. Long jumpers, not high-percentage to begin with, come with long rebounds as consequences; those are death wishes disguised as open invitations to run. The less you execute on offense, the more you pay for it on defense. Even if you score, Carolina has it out of the net and past half court before you've finished your follow through. If there was a stat for "most layups made within 5 seconds of an opponent field goal" UNC would easily be the nation's leader.
Could I see Florida's experience getting them a tough, March Madness win? I guess (although I refuse to admit they are good; something about them rubs me the wrong way and that something is Joakim Noah). Could I see Greg Oden dominating a game at both ends for the upset? Sure. Kevin Durant handing in a virtuoso performance? Absolutely. But the point is, to beat Carolina, some team is going to have to play a brilliant game and get a monster effort from its best player. Carolina doesn't need to hand in their A game to win the National Title. That's the difference.
As of right now, who are the four No. 1 seeds? Seems fairly straightforward: UCLA, Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin. Those four seem to be the consensus top-four in the nation right now and I think anyone would be hard pressed to see another team sneak in there. Maybe Ohio State. Maybe.
That maybe all hinges on Greg Oden. He opened up the Michigan State game with seven straight points, all on unguardable baby hooks, from both the right and the left. Izzo had the absolute right strategy - make him make actual moves, limit his dunks and second chance points - and by the end, it nearly worked for the Spartans. Oden's physical ability is light years - light years - ahead of his actual skill, but he's playing with a bum right hand for God's sake. That's why he's the x-factor in the tournament: how good (read: healthy) can he be by March? If he plays the way he did in the first five minutes of the MSU game - hooks from either block over either shoulder, pinning shots all over the place - Ohio State is a very real title contender. If he's up and down, their chances decline considerably.
That said, who would you take No. 1 next year, Oden or Durant?
(Quick aside: how pissed is Rick Barnes that he gets a talent like Durant to come and he doesn't have a title-worthy team around him? Imagine Durant a few years ago with PJ Tucker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, that Paulino dude who bombed threes and that huge white guy with really, really blond hair? I mean, I'm sure Barnes isn't mad, per se...but he really has to be frustrated with the timing, I think.)
I think Oden can be a Bill Russell-type and dominate both ends of the court. (Not win 11 title - shutup. Just that style of player.) He has a long way to go offensively - can he face up? his a mid-range J? does he have any actual moves? - but I think will be able to do it all eventually. and defensively...no one scores on Ohio State in the paint. Ever. He gets everything, or he alters it, or guys are so conscious of him they don't even drive. He gets help side blocks and few times has someone scored directly on him. He's just a defensive terror.
One thing that is completely arbitrary: I can see Durant hitting game winners in the playoffs; I can't see Oden doing that. I don't know why, maybe its because Durant is already so polished and Oden isn't exactly the most suave public speaker (but, hey - that's why he's in school, damnit!). I really don't know why; chalk it up to an irrational gut feeling.
That said, I'd still take Oden. He has the potential to dominate at both ends. Few players today can make that claim. Kobe? Yao? Artest, maybe?
A few quick thoughts:
Speaking of the draft, Alondo Tucker reminds me of Dwyane Wade. Not their style, necessarily, but just the way they go nonchalantly about their business. They both have that same uber-confident, unfazed look in their eyes.
Virginia Tech is overrated. They beat a Duke team that isn't that good to begin with (and it was a revenge game to boot) and then played the game of their life against UNC (and if you think this is all a not-so-subtle attempt to make UNC look goo by comparison, well...you're correct).They have lost to Marshall, GW and Western Michigan for God's sake. They have one-and-done written all over them in the NCAA Tourney. Although I did love that guy putting his nuts right in Greg Paulus's face. Made my day.
That's alot to talk about - Who's the four No. 1 seeds? Oden or Durant? Name one reason UNC won't win the title?
Thursday, November 02, 2006
I'd Like to See It, But I Hope I Don't
I've heard this more than once: if the Michigan/Ohio State game is a classic, then it should be played again for the national championship.
As much as I'd like to see Michigan play Ohio State ten times this season, this idea is stupid. Say Michigan goes into the 'Shoe and knocks of Ohio State. Fine. Now say they play eachother again in the National Title game and Ohio State redeems themselves and beats Michigan.
The two teams each won one game against the other. Both Michigan and Ohio State are 1-1 head-to-head. But Ohio State is your national champion becuase they won the second time around. How does that make any sense at all?
Why should the team who loses the first game get a second crack at the national title? Didn't they 
This line of thought just makes no sense to me. The national championship shouldn't be double-elimination.
I understand that the national championship should pit the top two teams in the country, and those two teams are probably Ohio State and Michigan. But we will already know who is better between those two teams once they play. Playing it again is redundant.
Now, I'm not saying it a Michigan/Ohio State rematch wouldn't draw higher ratings; that match up would probably be the ideal national championship, ratings-wise. But does it make sense when crowning your national champion? I think not.
