OLE MISS GRADES
Well, it wasn't pretty, but better to come away with a 'W' less than loss - just ask Utah State. The Cougars rallied for a 14-13 victory over Ole Miss and opened the season with a win for the 5th straight season. Here is a quick breakdown of how I would grade the team's opening week performance.OFFENSE: their ability to move the ball, but their low amount of points was about what I expected (see game prediction from last week). Similar to the Boston College, Arizona, and Oklahoma seasons openers of years past it was more or less what I expected. For some reason the team can't just click out of the gates. That being said, though, Jake Heaps looked more like the Jake Heaps of the last six games from last season on the 4th quarter scoring drive which ended with Ross Apo's first touchdown reception as a Cougar. They rushed for more yards than Ole Miss and passed for more yards. GRADE: C-
SPECIAL TEAMS: the special teams unit was far from special. A missed field goal, a shanked punt (11 yards), and giving up a long punt return which shifted the momentum and field position and allowed Ole Miss to get on the board first with a field goal. Riley Stephenson is either hot or cold and perhaps the same could be said for Justin Sorensen. Not many return opportunities last week, but JD Falslev was adequate on punt returns. GRADE: C
TEXAS PREVIEW
It could be easily argued who has more to prove in this one ... a Texas team looking to rebound from a mediocre season last year in which they didn't go to a bowl ... or an independent BYU team looked for a statement against a big time opponent (possibly a future conference foe?). I think a win for BYU wins more to them than a win for Texas means to them, however, I think a Texas loss means more to them than a BYU loss means to them. In short, if Texas loses, their fans have to think they are in trouble again, whereas if BYU loses they can still feel good about a 1-1 record over the first two road games. It is difficult to put a lot of pressure on an early season game, but I certainly think the Cougars will be in for a special year if they can get two straight road victories to open the season. It is not often the Cougars open the season with two or more games away from home. Here is a quick recap of such instances since 1980:
2009 Season:
1 - (Neutral site) Oklahoma W, 14-13
2 - @ Tulane W, 54-3
Season Finish: 11-2
2000 Season:
1- @ Florida State L, 3-29
2- @ Virginia W, 38-35 (OT)
Season Finish: 6-6
1994 Season:
1 - @ Hawaii W, 13-12
2 - @ Air Force W, 45-21
Season Finish: 10-3
1991 Season:
1 - (Neutral) Florida State L, 28-44
2 - @ UCLA L, 23-27
Season Finish: 8-3-2
1982 Season:
1 - @ UNLV W, 27-0
2 - @ Georgia L, 14-17
Season Finish: 8-4
There is probably not a good enough sample size and of course, every team and season is different, however, both times the Cougars opened with victories away from home to start the season it led to 10 and 11 win seasons respectively. If they win ... I predict they will win 10+ games this season. I'll have my Texas score prediction up by Saturday morning.
3 comments:
Very accurate prediction of the Ole Miss game, but the one thing i am curious about is how do the receivers match up against more athletic defenses. Ole Miss' athleticism showed as BYU's running backs tried to take it outside. I just never thought the receivers got good separation from corners. Texas has some good athletes in the secondary which makes me think the receivers are going to struggle once again.
I live is Big 12 country the folks down here will have their eyes on the game in Austin. No tears will be shed in the Sooner State if BYU comes away with a victory. It is being broadcast on Oklahoma radio.
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