The Hit Herd Round the World

It is no secret that Jadaveon Clowney is the most dominant player in the game of college football.

It is also no secret that Clowney isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

See here a helmet signed by Jadaveon Clowney this offseason:

In all honesty, Clowney signs alot of autographs (Not as many as Manziel), and could have simply forgotten to add the 'a' in heard.  I've made similar mistakes before when signing my name.

However it doesn't shine a very bright light upon a player who is often ridiculed for his inferior intellect.

Clowney doesn't care.  I imagine he is taking " We'll see who has the last laugh," approach.

Either way, still goes for a good laugh or two.  

College Football Weekend Preview

Week 5 of the college football season is upon us.  It is already off to a blazing start with Washington pulling a top 10 upset on the Stanford Cardinal 17-13.  Here are some games for this week to watch for and why.

#1.  (17) Clemson @ Boston College.
Clemson comes into BC reeling after a painful loss to Florida State which puts them behind in the race for the ACC.  Their two deep threats at WR, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant, have been ruled out because of an abdominal virus and groin injury respectively.  The Tigers offense should not have any trouble putting up points against Boston College.  The only way Clemson loses is if they are not mentally in the game.  They cannot let the Florida State loss "beat them twice."  If Clemson walks into Boston with last week still fresh on their mind, Boston College will win.  But Clemson has shown growth in leadership, especially from quarterback Tajh Boyd.  They will be able to brush aside the loss and move forward.  The defense still has its rough spots, which means Boston College will score some points.  Clemson beats Boston College 41-23 and improves to 4-1.

#2 (6) South Carolina @ Kentucky
Kentucky is coming off a loss last week to Florida and a loss to Western Kentucky the week before. Needless to say, they are not very good.  South Carolina is coming off an extremely impressive win against Missouri last week, where Connor Shaw shined, completing 20/21 of his passes for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Shaw finally showed his worth as a passer last week and has seized control of this offense and this team.  Lattimore rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns last week.  Carolina has struggled in Kentucky at times, which is the only reason I give the WIldcats 17 points, but South Carolina wins decisively 34-17.

#3. (12) Texas @ Oklahoma State
Texas comes into this game ranked 12th in the nation with their first chance to prove themselves against a very dangerous Oklahoma State football team.  Texas and Oklahoma State are two of the highest powered offensive scoring machines in the nation.  Texas is averaging 44 points per game, while Oklahoma State has the first ranked scoring offense and is averaging 62.3 points per game.  oklahoma State will pull the upset, based on the fact that they are hosting Texas.  Home field advantage is crucial in college football.  Cowboys 34 Longhorns 31

#4 Baylor @(9) West Virginia
Baylor comes into West Virginia 3-0 fresh off a tight win against a viable Lousiana Monroe football team.  West Virginia will be hosting and playing in its first ever Big 12 matchup.  The Mountaineers are led by Heisman frontrunner Geno Smith who has an 81.4 completion percentage on the year, has thrown for 1,072 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Smith is accompanied by lightning rods Tavon Austin and Shawne Alston.  Austin has caught 34 passes for 345 yards and 5 touchdowns on the year, while Alston has run for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns on 30 carries.  The Mountaineers defense is not a force, but it doesn't have to be.  The West Virginia offense has outscored its opponents 142-67 this year and average 47.3 points per game, which ranks 10th in the nation.  WVU should have no issues with Baylor, but will give up some late points.  West Virginia 50 Baylor 24

#5 (14) Ohio State @ (20) Michigan State
College gameday heads to East Lansing for a showdown between the Buckeyes and the Spartans.  This has been a down year so far for the Spartans and the league as a whole.  The Spartans dropped a game against a tough Notre Dame team 2 weeks ago and almost lost last week to Eastern Michigan.  Ohio State and Michigan are fairly even when it comes down to statistics, both teams blending in with the middle pack of the nation.  Ohio State wins in an ugly, close matchup 17-13

#6 Wisconsin @ (22) Nebraska
Wisconsin is a team that is a prime example of the underachievement of the Big 10 this year.  The Badgers are (3-1), but could easily be (0-4), squeaking out wins against Northern Iowa, Utah State and UTEP.  WIsconsin ranks 102nd in scoring offense and 112th in total national offense.  Nebraska will stand as too much of a challenge for the Badgers, especially at home. Nebraska wins 24-10

The Flight 09-08-12

The Flight Sports Talk Radio Broadcast.  FIrst twenty minutes missing.  Just click on the title above and it will take you there.  Show is about an 1 hour and 40 minutes on this podcast.

USC @ Vanderbilt Halftime Recap

The first half of the college football season has come to a close and what a great one it was.  I was high on Vanderbilt before the game, but picked the Gamecocks to win.  Early on my worries for South Carolina were coming to fruition.  Lattimore, who normally never fumbles, put the ball on the ground on USC's first offensive play.

As advertised, the Gamecock defense is stout.  The gamecocks pushed Vandy back about 9 yards forcing a punt.  Two plays after USC repossessed the ball Shaw threw a pass into the secondary and it was intercepted.  Vanderbilt seemed completely in control.

After driving down to the Carolina 5, disaster struck.  Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin called a backdoor screen on 3rd and goal, causing Jordan Rodgers to throw an egregious pass across his body, which was intercepted by South Carolina defensive end Shaq Wilson and returned 50 yards.  Two plays later Marcus Lattimore galloped into the endzone giving USC a 7-0 lead.  USC once again overpowered the Commores and put three more points up on the board.

Thats when the momentum once again, shifted.  Jordan Rodgers connected with WR Jordan Matthews for a 78 yard touchdown.  Vanderbilt forced Carolina into a three and out and ended up putting a field goal up before the half was over.

However, the biggest story of the game to this point occurred right before the half ended.  Connor Shaw scrambled for an 8 yard gain and slid head first.  Three Vanderbilt players landed on him as he slid, injuring his right shoulder.  Shaw exited early into the locker room clearly in pain.  The Gamecocks will certainly have to make immense adjustments and rely on their defense if he cannot return.  Also, Lattimore played very well on his knee in the first half, racking up 38 yards on 5 carries with a TD.

NOTES FROM FIRST HALF

1.  USC is having trouble throwing the football

2.  Connor Shaw is very very...very fast

3.  Marcus Lattimore isn't as quick around the edge but is definitely as powerful as he was last year

4.  Momentum is HUGE.  

5.  Jordan Rodgers is feeling the pressure from USC

6.  Vanderbilt can be resilient.

7.  Vanderbilt has momentum and swagger heading into half.

8.  Jadavean Clowney is a freak of nature.   

9.  SOUTH CAROLINA'S DEFENSE IS DANG GOOD.

Halftime 
Vanderbilt 10 South Carolina 10

FOOTBALL IS HERE

Guys, Football is here.  43 minutes til' kickoff!  Bettin' on USC, cheerin' for Vandy.  

Comment with your predictions below!

Carolina vs. Vanderbilt preview.

This morning I woke up, took a deep breath in, and smiled.  It was finally here.  College football is finally here.  The season gets off to an excellent start tonight as the South Carolina Gamecocks are taking their talents up to Nashville TN to battle against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Going into this game there are many things I am looking forward to seeing.

Number 1: I am interested to see how comfortable Marcus Lattimore is playing on his previously injured knee.  It is one thing to return physically and practice on it, but playing is an entirely different story.  Secondly I want to see how he returns mentally onto the national scene.  Being away from the game for so long not only can hurt you physically, but his mental toughness may have to be reinstalled. Im not saying he will or will not come out with a solid mental ferocity, but its something to watch for.

Number 2 and 3:  I want to see Connor Shaw reestablish himself as the quarterback of this football team.  Last year Shaw came in mid-season and performed excellently.  This year he returns and begins the season as starter.  However, unlike last year, he has no Alshon Jeffrey to spread the field.  This leads me to point three.  I am looking forward to seeing someone within the South Carolina receiving core establish themselves as a go to guy.  In summary, Shaw and the receivers have to step up tonight.

Number 4:  I want to see if Jordan Rodgers has taken steps forward in the offseason as a quarterback.  Jordan (younger brother of NFL Super Bowl Champion Aaron) was named starter mid-season last year  and kept the team in every game, winning some and losing some.  Vanderbilt returns 4 starters on the offensive line, which will hopefully be able to slow down the pass rush of USC.

Keys to game for USC

1.  Establish Lattmore early on

2.  Create defensive pressure

Keys for Vanderbilt

1.  Find ways to score and score early

2.  Make Shaw uncomfortable

3.  Keep game in sight

Analysis and Prediction

South Carolina returns most of its defense and replaces most of their holes very efficiently.  If Vanderbilt is to pull the upset tonight they will need to  find ways to put points on the board.  Vanderbilt has experience, returning almost all of its starters from last year.  In the end, I think Vanderbilt won't put up enough point to pull the upset, but it will be close.  Don't be surprised if Vanderbilt pulls this out though.  USC you are officially on Upset Alert

USC 24
Vanderbilt 21