Octopus Overlords

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:57 pm Bah, another one sided shellacking. I guess we are doomed to another Alabama - Clemson match up.

They were clearly the two best teams this year. I'm not particularly surprised.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:25 pm Was really surprised OU didn't take the ball first.

Looks like a huge mistake right now.

Playing ALA looks like a huge mistake.
Loving this game though(just hope Texas doesn't duplicate it vs UGA on the 1st ).

GungHo wrote:

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:25 pm Was really surprised OU didn't take the ball first.

Looks like a huge mistake right now.

Playing ALA looks like a huge mistake.
Loving this game though(just hope Texas doesn't duplicate it vs UGA on the 1st ).

That too, but I felt their best shot was to try to get ahead early and try to make Alabama play from behind.

So much for that strategy.

Alabama has lost some intensity and OU is cranking up theirs.

Lots of mental errors in the second half by Bama. We are fully capable of beating ourselves.

However, I'm happy about this:

Tagovailoa finishes 24 of 27 for 318 and 4 TDs

More TDs than incomplete passes.

I suppose it was too much to hope for 112-0...

msduncan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:54 am
Tagovailoa finishes 24 of 27 for 318 and 4 TDs

More TDs than incomplete passes.

Why is that guy not a shoo-in for the Heisman?

Well... For one... It's already been awarded but I figure you already know that. For two he had a bad game at the wrong time and everyone is getting serious Alabama fatigue. Why doesn't LeBron win the mvp every year? Other players are great but.. I mean LeBron is clearly the best. But people get bored of it. We're all a little bored of Alabama.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:22 am

msduncan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:54 am
Tagovailoa finishes 24 of 27 for 318 and 4 TDs

More TDs than incomplete passes.

Why is that guy not a shoo-in for the Heisman?

I still have my doubts about his ability to perform under pressure. I may be the only one, but he has only really brought his team back last year, when he came in and really had nothing to lose. The one game this year he had to, he went out injured,and was bailed out by Hurts.

I think he can do it,but I haven't seen it yet.

So, IMHO, that's your best shot at beating Alabama. Put him under pressure to win the game on his own and see if he cracks.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:32 pm So, IMHO, that's your best shot at beating Alabama. Put him under pressure to win the game on his own and see if he cracks.

Clemson is good enough that they should be able to put him under that kind of pressure.

I don’t follow Miami at all, but Richt retiring seems a bit of a surprise. Already hearing rumblings about Cristobal at Oregon heading there.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:36 pm

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:32 pm So, IMHO, that's your best shot at beating Alabama. Put him under pressure to win the game on his own and see if he cracks.

Clemson is good enough that they should be able to put him under that kind of pressure.

Yup, but I think they will need to score first against that great Alabama defense and carry that lead into half to have a chance.

In other news, Mark Richt retired from the U today.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 4:18 pm I don’t follow Miami at all, but Richt retiring seems a bit of a surprise. Already hearing rumblings about Cristobal at Oregon heading there.

Yeah..was that really a retirement or did he get forced out after a subpar year with a lot of player drama? I don't follow them either but I heard something about there being issues at QB and off the field stuff. Dunno tho. He's a really good coach but I think he was just in the wrong place (SEC then to the ACC) at the wrong time (while Spurrier was there and then Dabo) and he couldn't get over those humps. Tho few have in his defense. He had some great teams at UGA but he always seemed to lose to Florida. And Clemson is a juggernaut now too. Tough road but I'm sure he's been well compensated....

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:32 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:22 am

msduncan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:54 am
Tagovailoa finishes 24 of 27 for 318 and 4 TDs

More TDs than incomplete passes.

Why is that guy not a shoo-in for the Heisman?

I still have my doubts about his ability to perform under pressure. I may be the only one, but he has only really brought his team back last year, when he came in and really had nothing to lose. The one game this year he had to, he went out injured,and was bailed out by Hurts...

His poor showing in the SEC Championship Game had everything to do with him being injured on the second play from scrimmage and nothing to do with the high stakes involved (as he proved against the same defense last year and against Oklahoma yesterday). Still, I agree that the best way to beat Alabama this year is to put Tua under heavy pressure. Clemson can certainly do that with their awesome defensive line, but I don't think their offense is potent enough to go score for score with Alabama. That, and the fact that Clemson has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball this season make me have doubts that they can beat the Tide. Still, if I had to pick one team to beat Alabama right now, they would be #1 on my list so we'll see...

Apollo wrote:

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:32 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:22 am

msduncan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:54 am
Tagovailoa finishes 24 of 27 for 318 and 4 TDs

More TDs than incomplete passes.

Why is that guy not a shoo-in for the Heisman?

I still have my doubts about his ability to perform under pressure. I may be the only one, but he has only really brought his team back last year, when he came in and really had nothing to lose. The one game this year he had to, he went out injured,and was bailed out by Hurts...

His poor showing in the SEC Championship Game had everything to do with him being injured on the second play from scrimmage and nothing to do with the high stakes involved (as he proved against the same defense last year and against Oklahoma yesterday). Still, I agree that the best way to beat Alabama this year is to put Tua under heavy pressure. Clemson can certainly do that with their awesome defensive line, but I don't think their offense is potent enough to go score for score with Alabama. That, and the fact that Clemson has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball this season make me have doubts that they can beat the Tide. Still, if I had to pick one team to beat Alabama right now, they would be #1 on my list so we'll see...

Oh, I agree that the injury was huge, it's just that this team is such a juggernaut that it just seems like the only way anyone could beat them to me.

He's the weakest link, and yet he still probably should have won the Heisman. That's a juggernaut.

Still, it's football and a lot can happen. Clemson can definitely win this game, but it will require luck and a lot of breaks. Getting a lead and putting the pressure on Tua to win the game is the best way to enhance the chance of those breaks., IMHO.

Skiny, WTH happened? I miss the 3rd quarter and WTF?

I saw 2 fumbles and an int.

They were dominant and now look hapless.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 11:03 pm Skiny, WTH happened? I miss the 3rd quarter and WTF?

We utterly imploded, plain and simple. Not sure I've ever seen a disaster quite like that from a Whit team before, and certainly not in a bowl game.

The inexperience of Shelly showed with 2 INTs and 2 fumbles (one returned for a TD), every single bounce went Northwestern's way (NW actually fumbled three times...with the ball bouncing right back to them each time), our receivers couldn't catch a goddamn cold (two of the INT's hit them right in the hands and ended up as picks) and fumbled it away even when they did (twice), and - most importantly - NW did a great job adjusting while Utah did nothing. I had my reservations about Troy Taylor (our OC) coaching this game to begin with, but his playcalling in the second half was utterly abysmal. To the point that I honestly wonder if that wasn't a final "fuck you" to Whit on his way out the door.

Mostly, I think our lack of depth finally just caught up to against against a good team. Our top 4 offensive players and best defender were all out, and it showed. Shelley has his moments, but he's also accounted for 7 turnovers in the last two games. That ain't gonna cut it, and there's a damn good reason Huntley was the starter. Shyne (the #2 RB) can run straight forward, but can't make a cut to save his life and almost always goes down on the first hit. The fact our receivers can't catch for shit was probably the biggest factor in Utah losing both the P12 title game, and this game.

Shitty way to end what could have been a special season. Oh well...at least I've been hearing rumors that Moss might come back next year.

It's possible that it was my mother's doing.
We had her over for NYE last night... and we had the game on... She is a NWU alumni, and we were not really watching it - as the score was looking grim. 3 - 20.

Well, she sat down in front of the TV to try and root her team on. And the first play she watched - she yelled "INTERCEPT !!!" .... and they did.... and they scored a TD.
It went on like that... she would panic-beg for something, and it happened. 3 times. And, well - the rest is history.



That was one of the largest (mass) NWU teams I've seen.

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 11:06 am It's possible that it was my mother's doing.
We had her over for NYE last night... and we had the game on... She is a NWU alumni, and we were not really watching it - as the score was looking grim. 3 - 20.

Well, she sat down in front of the TV to try and root her team on. And the first play she watched - she yelled "INTERCEPT !!!" .... and they did.... and they scored a TD.
It went on like that... she would panic-beg for something, and it happened. 3 times. And, well - the rest is history.



That was one of the largest (mass) NWU teams I've seen.

Props to her then, she did a hell of a job.

After sleeping on it, I really think the game boiled down to one play: Shelley’s first fumble. Utah was driving, got down to the NW 5 yard line, and was looking to score and go up 28-10 early in the third. Instead, Shelley tries to do too much on a boneheaded rollout, fumbles, and it’s returned 85 yards the other way. So instead of being up 28-10 and simply grinding down with a strong running game, it’s now 20-17...and Utah (well, Troy Taylor) panicked. Started throwing the ball all over the yard, which then led to multiple tipped passes, INTs, and WR fumbles.

Had that play gone differently, I expect we see a different result...but it didn’t, and we didn’t. Such is football.

Wow. Somehow I missed that Dana Holgorson left West Virginia for... Houston?

Wow. Very strange move.

Ib other news, I think Utah should look at Major Applewhite at OC.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 3:29 pm Wow. Somehow I missed that Dana Holgorson left West Virginia for... Houston?

Wow. Very strange move.

I saw an interesting article last week about the utter shitshow that the whole firing Applewhite/hiring Holgorson/batting eyes at the Big 12 has been.

The Rose Bowl has pretty much gone the way I thought it would (21-3 half). Washington can't score. It amazes me they beat Wazzoo.

Washington's hands of stone not helping.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:03 pm Washington's hands of stone not helping.

They made it respectable, but OSU holds on for Urban Meyer's final win. And what the heck has gotten into Texas? I figured this would be another one-sided SEC slaughter.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:23 pm

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:03 pm Washington's hands of stone not helping.

They made it respectable, but OSU holds on for Urban Meyer's final win. And what the heck has gotten into Texas? I figured this would be another one-sided SEC slaughter.

it's the ole let Bama beat you twice syndrome.
Spent too much time complaining about not being in the playoffs and not enough time concentrating on the next opponent.

Jaymann wrote:

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:03 pm Washington's hands of stone not helping.

They made it respectable, but OSU holds on for Urban Meyer's final win. And what the heck has gotten into Texas? I figured this would be another one-sided SEC slaughter.

For the first three quarters we saw the Ohio state team which should have made the playoff. For the 4th quarter we saw the Ohio state team from the end of the Purdue game, and why they didn't make it.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:39 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:05 pm Eek, Michigan is getting an ass whooping from Florida.

I honestly did not see that coming. Didn’t think Florida was that good, or that Michigan was that bad.

For our resident Michigan fans, how hot is Harbaughs seat getting after those last couple blowouts?

It's as hot as it was at the beginning of the year, which is not very hot. I didn't expect a beat down of this proportion, but I wasn't surprised to lose. Our top two All American defenders sat out, as did our starting All Big Ten RB and our starting RT. This wasn't the same team that played the rest of the year. Still shouldn't have lost that bad, but things kind of snowballed there.

Harbaugh's got the highest ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten coming in and the Urban Meyer problem is going away on its own. It remains to be seen whether Ryan Day will be able to continue the dominance against Michigan, so there's a window here. And when it boils down to it, Michigan's biggest problem has been (as it always was and always will be) Ohio State. There's an interesting (to me, anyway) Twitter thread about how successful Michigan has been overall under Harbaugh - if you take OSU out of the equation. Obviously that's being very selective, but the overall point is that this is the opportunity to change the narrative. Here's the thread if you're interested, but fair warning - the author is a big Michigan fan/apologist.

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 3:29 pm Ib other news, I think Utah should look at Major Applewhite at OC.

Heard rumblings to that effect.

Also heard we might make a run at Sark. Not sure how I feel about that one.

Lassr wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:28 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:23 pm

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 9:03 pm Washington's hands of stone not helping.

They made it respectable, but OSU holds on for Urban Meyer's final win. And what the heck has gotten into Texas? I figured this would be another one-sided SEC slaughter.

it's the ole let Bama beat you twice syndrome.
Spent too much time complaining about not being in the playoffs and not enough time concentrating on the next opponent.

There's definitely something to that; bowl games are so often a test of 'who wants to be there' as opposed to 'who wants it more'. And you could tell from some of the plays UGA made that maybe their head wasnt in this game 100%; missed throws by a sure fire first round qb, fumbles by another first round guy (ehh maybe 2nd round but still). But that was also a 'Big 12 defense' that held UGA to their lowest rushing total of the season. We were not pretty, at all, on offense and selfishly I'm hoping our 2 stud WRs realized they might not be NFL ready just yet, having failed to produce vs NFL quality defensive talent (something they don't often see in the Big 12..) but our defense came to play. UGA helped with some miscues by their offense, no doubt, but I think maybe, finally, a decade of wandering in the desert has come to an end. Not saying we'll be in the CFP but I think we'll be playing meaningful football in December again next year. About all anyone can really ask for.
And also thank you to whomever, correctly, decided that New Year's Day should be non-stop bowl games again. I know they made this decision a couple of years ago but it's just one of the best things in sports. Right there with the first week of the NCAA tourney IMHO.

Thought this deserved a separate post.

I can only hope to be as strong and brave as he was when the time comes. RIP young man.

Adding to the P12's dumpster fire this year, a 5-star DB recruit from California just chose Florida over a P12 school because...wait for it...the P12 officials are so bad.

New Florida commit Chris Steele has dropped a bit of knowledge regarding his decision to pick the Gators over programs in his home state of California.

Apparently, the top-tier CB had an issue with a crucial part of the game. Steele felt like his physical style of play ​wouldn't work in the ​Pac-12, and he would therefore be excessively penalized.

How Larry Scott (P12 commish) still has a job is entirely beyond me.

What a first half so far.

Hope you took the over.

Go Clemson!

Can Jalen Hurts come in and lead them to a second half comeback?

Well, if you wanted to look at the bright side for Alabama for some reason, minus the pick six it's only 24-16. That's nothing in college football, it might as well be 0-0 and anyone's game. I'm looking at the 31 points in the first half alone from Clemson and find that pretty impressive though.

31-16 at the half. But this game has a long way to go.

Good lord, this Ross kid from Clemson is amazeballs.