Showdown Saturday

Best day of football so far this year. Every game I watched was decided in the waning moments.

Northwestern 51, Wisconsin 48. It's always entertaining when Northwestern is playing, especially at Northwestern. Brett Basanez threw for 361 yards and Tyrell Sutton rushed for 244, including a 62 yard run that seemed to put the game out of reach. NW led 51-34 with 4:22 left, but that's an eternity especially when NW plays zero defense. The Badgers scored two quick TDs and got the ball back with more than a minute left, but John Stocco was picked off and finally, the Wildcats had it won. The two teams combined for 1189 yards of offense, about 2/3 of a mile. Sutton is a true freshman who was Mr. Ohio (MVP) of Ohio high school football. Ohio St. missed out on him. Congrats to former Miami coach Randy Walker on the win.

Minnesota 23, Michigan 20. For the first time since 1986, the Gophers own the Little Brown Jug. I didn't think this was possible after Michigan found a way to win at East Lansing and the big fat egg Minnesota laid at Penn St. last week. Laurence Moroney and Gary Russell combined for 257 yards rushing while Michigan only had 249 yards of total offense. Michigan is 3-3 and may not be playing on New Year's Day. They don't have the standout defensive player and their offense, even with Mike Hart, lacks imagination.

Georgia 27, Tennessee 14. The Dawgs showed they are Top 5 worthy, making plays on defense and special teams. In addition, DJ Shockley showed he is a capable passing quarterback, leading the Georgia offense when the running game broke down. The defense shut down Gerald Riggs, forcing Rick Claussen to be the man. Although he threw for 309 yards, Tennessee is extremely ineffective when they're forced to be one-dimensional on offense. It's tough to decide between Georgia and Alabama who has the best defense in the SEC.

Penn St. 17, Ohio St. 10. Penn St.'s freshmen didn't wilt under pressure, and the defense showed they might be better than Ohio St.'s. Penn St.'s front 4 were the difference in the game, putting constant pressure on Troy Smith. This allowed Penn St. to drop 7 into pass coverage, giving Smith nowhere to throw or run. Ohio St. came out flat after their week off, as the linebackers weren't very sharp in the 1st half. This is how I would describe Ohio St.'s offense: vanilla. Penn St. is good, but I'm still not convinced they're top 10 material.

UCLA 47, California 40. Gotta love Pac-10 football. If I had a vote for the Heisman, it would go to UCLA tailback Maurice Drew. Tonight: 15 carries, 64 yards, 3 TDs; 2 catches, 53 yards, 1 TD; 1 kickoff return, 20 yards; 2 punt returns, 149 yards, 1 TD. California's 547 yards of total offense, which included 2 100-yard rushers, wasn't enough. Both of these teams will threaten USC with their offensive capabilities.

Time for the Top 10:
1. USC. The Trojans are beginning to worry more about how they look instead of how they play. Arizona isn't very good, so for the Wildcats to hang in for 3 quarters isn't a good sign for the Trojans. They won't be able to just turn it on next week at Notre Dame.

2. Texas. The monkey is finally off Mack Brown's back. 45-12 is how this game should've ended up. Oklahoma isn't very good. Texas hosts Colorado next week in a game that won't be easy. The Buffs took it to a good Texas A&M team tonight.

3. Virginia Tech. After sleepwalking through the 1st half vs. Marshall, the Hokies played good Beamer ball in the 2nd. The Hokies get 12 days to prepare for a Thursday night roadtrip to Maryland.

4. Georgia. Ok, I was impressed by Georgia's win today. Tennessee seemed to have it all together, but the Dawgs were the better team. DJ Shockley was 16/27 for 207 yards in his first big road game start. One has to be impressed with that. Next is a road trip to Vandy.

5. Florida St. Wake Forest should've been blown away, but the FSU offense continues to improve. Drew Weatherford threw for 351 yards and 3 scores, and the running back tandem of Washington and Booker averaged 8 yards per carry. The Noles travel to Virginia to play a hungry Cavalier team that has been reeling. Charlottesville has been a tough place to play in the past for FSU.

6. Alabama. Bye. Travel to Ole Miss next week, which should be a gimme.

7. Miami. Duke had 8 yards passing against the Canes today. 8?!?!?! Tough game at Temple next week. The Canes shouldn't lose before their meeting with Va. Tech November 5th. We'll see then how the Cane offense has come along.

8. Notre Dame. Charlie Weis is divising as we speak. Notre Dame will score against USC, but can they stop the Trojans' air attack. Will they be able to sustain the pounding of White and Bush??? I'd love to be at the Friday pep rally. Maybe Digger will show up for this one. And, will we see the green jerseys????

9. LSU. They are one bad possession from being a Top 3 team. Vanderbilt gave a great effort for 3 quarters, but LSU's depth was too much for them. The Gators come calling to Baton Rouge this week.

10. Penn St. I don't know if they should be here, but they got it done this week. If it's possible, their defense is quicker to the ball than Ohio St.'s, which I didn't think was possible. The freshmen, though relatively quiet tonight, didn't make any mistakes which says somethng about the poise they have. We'll find out more next week in Ann Arbor.

Knocking on the door: Texas Tech (only because they're unbeaten, which won't be for long), UCLA (great offense, no defense), Tennessee, Florida, and Ohio St. (top 10 talent, but lack top 10 results)

Tomorrow, Da 1st place Bears go to Cleveland to play the Browns. In the evening, Who Dey goes to Jacksonville to play on ESPN Primetime. Also, John Daly leads the American Express Championships by 1 over Monty, Tiger is 2 behind.

Finally, my prayers go out to those affected by the earthquake that occurred in Pakistan. It registered a 7.6, causing major damage and loss of life.