Official College Football Thread

[ilsox7]

no i am not talking about the last play.  This was the whole game.  These were Sun Belt Refs.  Michigan played a good game IMHO.  Henne played well, Avant got to 1,000 yards, Mike Hart showed what he can do when healthy, the pass rush defense was scary good, and Lloyd coached a very good game.  This was officiated like a junior high game.  And this is the first time I have ever blamed the refs for a loss like this but it just makes me want to hurl.

 

 

The officials did not fumble twice with the lead in the 4th quarter. You can thank Avant and Henne for those give-aways. Bottom line is this was a pathetic, underachieving Michigan team. Has been since the NIU game.

[Rex Hudler]

no i am not talking about the last play.  This was the whole game.  These were Sun Belt Refs.  Michigan played a good game IMHO.  Henne played well, Avant got to 1,000 yards, Mike Hart showed what he can do when healthy, the pass rush defense was scary good, and Lloyd coached a very good game.  This was officiated like a junior high game.  And this is the first time I have ever blamed the refs for a loss like this but it just makes me want to hurl.

 

Michigan never established a ground game. They didn't score after Nebraska turnovers in their own territory. Michigan turned the ball over twice in the 4th quarter with the lead.

 

The officials were terrible, but they did NOT cost Michigan the game. That game should never have been close. Michigan should have been up at least two touchdowns in the first half and running away with it.

 

b**** about the refs all you want Josh, but Michigan did not play well and the referees were not the reason they lost.

[YASNY]

Michigan never established a ground game.  They didn't score after Nebraska turnovers in their own territory.  Michigan turned the ball over twice in the 4th quarter with the lead. 

 

The officials were terrible, but they did NOT cost Michigan the game.  That game should never have been close.  Michigan should have been up at least two touchdowns in the first half and running away with it.

 

b**** about the refs all you want Josh, but Michigan did not play well and the referees were not the reason they lost.

 

Josh sees everything through ... well ... Josh colored glasses.

[White Sox Josh]

Michigan never established a ground game.  They didn't score after Nebraska turnovers in their own territory.  Michigan turned the ball over twice in the 4th quarter with the lead. 

 

The officials were terrible, but they did NOT cost Michigan the game.  That game should never have been close.  Michigan should have been up at least two touchdowns in the first half and running away with it.

 

b**** about the refs all you want Josh, but Michigan did not play well and the referees were not the reason they lost.

that Henne play was the wrong call. It looked like to me that he had thrown the ball and that his arm was hit while he was throwing. I thought that they were gonna call intentional grounding on him because he was just getting rid of the ball. The Avant turnover was stupid however no points came out of it.

[White Sox Josh]

The officials did not fumble twice with the lead in the 4th quarter.  You can thank Avant and Henne for those give-aways.  Bottom line is this was a pathetic, underachieving Michigan team.  Has been since the NIU game.

Avant's play had nothing to do with it. The Michigan defense held them and forced a punt. That henne play was not a fumble. The replays will show this.

[Mplssoxfan]

I love stories like this. From The New York Times:

December 29, 2005

Who Do You Root For? The Brother or the Beau?

By JOE LAPOINTE

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 28 - Brady Quinn of Notre Dame is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. A. J. Hawk of Ohio State is one of the best linebackers.

 

When Notre Dame plays Ohio State on Monday in the Fiesta Bowl, Hawk will spend much of the game trying to jump on Quinn and drive him to the ground. This behavior, generally accepted in football, could be awkward for Laura Quinn, who will be in the stands.

 

She is Quinn's older sister, but she is also Hawk's girlfriend. "She's going to be nervous, obviously, for the game, just like she is for any game she's watching her brother play," Hawk said Wednesday at a news conference before practice. "It'll be fun."

 

At another news media gathering, Quinn acknowledged that he had bought his sister a Buckeyes shirt for Christmas - the family lives in Dublin, Ohio, near Ohio State's Columbus campus - but said that he expected his sister to cheer for him because they are siblings.

 

However - in that Laura Quinn is a college student in California studying sports broadcasting - Quinn was asked whether his sister might claim journalistic objectivity and remain neutral. "She could, potentially," Quinn said with a smile. "That could be her out."

 

Coincidentally, Quinn and Hawk sat in the same chair at the same table, at different times, while interviewed here in a resort hotel.

 

Laura Quinn, a senior, said in a telephone interview Wednesday that she would wear a specially made jersey with Notre Dame on the front and Ohio State on the back. Both sleeves, she said, would have the numbers of both players.

 

Laura Quinn has said recently that Hawk is a player "you don't want to mess with," but added Wednesday: "Off the field, he's the sweetest guy. He doesn't play dirty. He doesn't do anything under the pile. He thinks Brady's great."

 

She met Hawk two years ago through a mutual friend. Their relationship became more serious this summer when they watched a football game together on television. "He thinks I should root for my brother," she said. "I'm cheering for both."

 

The Quinn siblings and Hawk tried to keep the relationship a secret, but it became publicly known this month when discussed on a nationally televised awards show. Laura Quinn, 22, said she had worked behind the scenes in Fox's Los Angeles studio during professional football telecasts and hoped to get an industry job on camera after she graduated.

 

Even without the family factor, the game between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish in Tempe, Ariz., would be intriguing. Although the universities are in neighboring states and have had prestigious programs for many years, they have played only four times, most recently in 1996.

 

This season, both teams are 9-2. Ohio State is ranked fourth and Notre Dame fifth. The Fiesta matchup is second in importance only to the Rose Bowl, which will pit two undefeated teams - top-ranked Southern California and second-ranked Texas - in a game that will decide the Bowl Championship Series national title.

 

Hawk, a 21-year-old senior, and Brady Quinn, a 21-year-old junior, have been bestowed with honors.

 

Hawk won the Lombardi Award as the best defensive end or lineman. He led his team in tackles with 109 and had 7½ sacks.

 

Quinn threw for 32 touchdowns and finished fourth in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

 

Players on both sides are aware of the complicated relationships. Anthony Fasano, the Notre Dame tight end, said the Irish players would prefer to avoid the topic.

 

"We feel bad for him already," Fasano said of Quinn. "We're really not going to rip him."

 

There is another wrinkle to the loyalty question. Brady Quinn said Ohio State was one of his three choices when he was selecting a college (the third was Michigan).

 

He added that he was a Buckeyes fan growing up. "I still am," he said. "I root for Ohio State in certain circumstances."

[Pierzynski 12]

Poor Josh.Can't handle the fact that your Michigan Wolverines lost.Blow a 15 point lead to Nebraska.Perfect day for me when Michigan loses.Get over it.You're a whiner when something doesn't go Michigan's way.When they lose,take it like a man.

Edited December 30, 2005 by Pierzynski 12

[ilsox7]

Avant's play had nothing to do with it.  The Michigan defense held them and forced a punt.  That henne play was not a fumble.  The replays will show this.

 

Replays showed the Henne fumble was inconclusive at best, and most likely a fumble. As for the Avant play, it killed momentum UM had. When he made the catch, I believe he had a first down near midfield. Meaning UM was another first down or two away from pretty much icing the game. Stop making excuses for players you blindly love.

[White Sox Josh]

Poor Josh.Can't handle the fact that your Michigan Wolverines lost.Blow a 15 point lead to Nebraska.Perfect day for me when Michigan loses.Get over it.You're a whiner when something doesn't go Michigan's way.When they lose,take it like a man.

shut the f*** up. Get your facts right. It was an 11 point lead.

[White Sox Josh]

I'm a Michigan fan.  We've sucked all year, that's why this game did not surprise me.  This was a team we should have beaten easily and we blew it.  I didn't see the whole game but all accoutns say the officiating sucked.  Doesn't matter, Michigan sucked this year.  Lloyd is probably another bad year away from early retirement.  And hopefully Henne removes his head from his ass this spring.

you think they should play Gutz? He was supposed to be the starter last year but he had a problem with his arm and he got surgery for it.

[greasywheels121]

We don't need any of that.

[Pierzynski 12]

We don't need any of that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well,geez Josh whines over his Michigan team losing.Give me a break.

[greasywheels121]

Well,geez Josh whines over his Michigan team losing.Give me a break.

 

And name calling is necessary? You could just be mature about it.

[Pierzynski 12]

And name calling is necessary?  You could just be mature about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yea,i could be more mature about it.

[ilsox7]

you think they should play Gutz?  He was supposed to be the starter last year but he had a problem with his arm and he got surgery for it.

 

I'm really not sure. I think that Henne should be challenged though. If he depends that much on his RB to be good, then we have a problem. For all of the supposed talent that team had, they sure did suck. And part of that has to fall on the coaches, if not most of it.

[whitesoxfan101]

The PAC 10 and USC are sooooo overrated.....showing it again tonight. I can't wait until Texas wins it all in a week. Is USC winning 34 in a row damn good? Yes....but the 90's Nebraska and Miami teams of a few years ago were both better IMO.

[Rex Hudler]

I'm really not sure.  I think that Henne should be challenged though.  If he depends that much on his RB to be good, then we have a problem.  For all of the supposed talent that team had, they sure did suck.  And part of that has to fall on the coaches, if not most of it.

 

There is plenty of blame to go around. Let's keep in mind that in Alamo Bowl, Michigan started their 6th different combination on the offensive line. Anyone who thinks a lack of continuity on the offensive line will hurt a team on offense if overlooking a very important part of the game.

 

Massaquoi was hurt for several games this year, including last night. Hart was hurt most of the year. The offense was adjusting after losing Braylon Edwards at WR. You could say that Steve Breaston never really stepped up as a WR threat to help that transition. Guys like Arrington, Tabb and Dutch never stepped up to play a significant role.

 

When you are Michigan and you are playing at least four freshman significant minutes (three on offense) something isn't going right. They don't have the necessary depth at WR right now, when that looked like it was going to be a position of strength. They are losing their top two TE's.

 

I don't think Henne is the big problem here. A lack of depth and injuries hurt this year as much as anything. I could be wrong here, but how many of the QB's in Michigan's "NFL Pipeline" started as a freshman and were expected to be a star as a sophomore. I would be willing to bet the majority of them were eased into the system much more than Henne has been. As frustrating as they were at times, growing pains from Henne should have been expected.

 

Michigan's play calling will always be a bit conservative for me, but I'm no Offensive Coordinator so I won't claim to be an expert on offense.

 

The biggest problem of all for Michigan this year was that the combination of all of the above kept them from developing an ability to put teams away, to win games they should win (Minnesota) and games they should have been able to win (Notre Dame, Ohio State and Nebraska) with less mistakes and taking advantage of opportunities.

[WHarris1]

Holy s***, after making an amazing play to put them into FG position Leaf losses the game with a brutal INT.

[whitesoxfan101]

lol...thank God Oregon lost, else i'd look dumb. This continues the longstanding tradition of teams that b**** like pathetic babies about not getting a BCS bid going on to lose their bowl game.

[Rex Hudler]

I didn't hear a lot of b****ing at all....

[BHAMBARONS]

Holiday Bowl

 

Oklahoma 17 Oregon 14

 

 

Wow that was a great 4th period Oregon made a great rally only to have Clint Ingram make an awesome pick of a pass at the OU 10 with .33 seconds remaining that pick saved what would have been a touchdown for the ducks as they had a WR headed wide open for the endzone.

[IlliniKrush]

Some of you guys were spot on when you said Oregon deserved a BCS bid over Notre Dame........

[Heads22]

So, the Big 12 is reppin'.

[whitesoxfan101]

I didn't hear a lot of b****ing at all....

 

Then you need to open your ears. Oregon made quite a fuss over not getting a BCS bid, and of course being the good soliders of the PAC 10, went on to lose a lesser bowl to a lesser team.

[White Sox Josh]

There is plenty of blame to go around.  Let's keep in mind that in Alamo Bowl, Michigan started their 6th different combination on the offensive line.  Anyone who thinks a lack of continuity on the offensive line will hurt a team on offense if overlooking a very important part of the game.

 

Massaquoi was hurt for several games this year, including last night.  Hart was hurt most of the year.  The offense was adjusting after losing Braylon Edwards at WR.  You could say that Steve Breaston never really stepped up as a WR threat to help that transition.  Guys like Arrington, Tabb and Dutch never stepped up to play a significant role. 

 

When you are Michigan and you are playing at least four freshman significant minutes (three on offense) something isn't going right.  They don't have the necessary depth at WR right now, when that looked like it was going to be a position of strength.  They are losing their top two TE's. 

 

I don't think Henne is the big problem here.  A lack of depth and injuries hurt this year as much as anything.  I could be wrong here, but how many of the QB's in Michigan's "NFL Pipeline" started as a freshman and were expected to be a star as a sophomore.  I would be willing to bet the majority of them were eased into the system much more than Henne has been.  As frustrating as they were at times, growing pains from Henne should have been expected.

 

Michigan's play calling will always be a bit conservative for me, but I'm no Offensive Coordinator so I won't claim to be an expert on offense.

 

The biggest problem of all for Michigan this year was that the combination of all of the above kept them from developing an ability to put teams away, to win games they should win (Minnesota) and games they should have been able to win (Notre Dame, Ohio State and Nebraska) with less mistakes and taking advantage of opportunities.

only guy who stepped up on offense was Jason Avant. Of course Mike Hart did when he was healthy but he wasn't healthy very often. I have said it once and I will say it again: Steve Breaston is an average WR. He is a very exciting player to watch however he has yet to make the leap that most people expected him to make. Did you know who The Sporting News ranked as the #1 WR in the country before the year started? It was Breaston. I was shocked to see that. He is a great KR or PR but he isn't a great Wide Receiver. He needs to step it up and become that #1 Wide Receiver. I think that Michigan has a very good shot to win the Big Ten next year because of how improved their defense is and how weak the Big Ten will be next year. Mike Hart has to stay healthy and if he does he will be a player in the Heisman race. They have some great recruits coming in so that should help things. Henne needs to step up also and if that means having a QB competition so be it.