Denard Robinson continues to impress
Here's a recap of Week 2 and an early preview of Week 3 in college football:
Denard Robinson continues to impress: What is left to say about Denard Robinson? Michigan’s sophomore quarterback did it again on Saturday in a 28-24 comeback win against Notre Dame in South Bend. Robinson directed the game-winning drive, scoring from 2 yards out with 27 seconds remaining. Robinson compiled a mind-boggling 502 yards of total offense, including 258 yards rushing on 28 carries and 244 passing yards. Robinson’s rushing total is the fifth highest in school history. Remember, this is a quarterback who didn’t play much last season. His numbers thus far: 43 of 62, 430 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has 455 yards on 57 carries (8 yards a carry) and three touchdowns. He ripped off an 87-yard touchdown run against the Irish. Robinson should be at the top of any Heisman list at this point. The real question is: how long can he keep this up? Eventually, the Wolverines are going to need some other players to step up on offense, especially when the heart of the Big Ten schedule gets going. As far as Michigan, the Wolverines are 2-0 against two good teams (Connecticut and Notre Dame). Michigan is ranked in both polls. But are the Wolverines really back? We’ll know starting on Oct. 9. Michigan begins a difficult three-game stretch in the Big Ten with home games against Michigan State and No. 9 Iowa, and then a tricky trip to Happy Valley to play No. 22 Penn State in a night game – the day before Halloween.
ACC has an awful weekend: Rough weekend for the ACC. First, Virginia Tech loses at home to FCS member James Madison, 21-16. Perhaps Boise State beat the Hokies twice? Then Florida State goes to Oklahoma and gets destroyed, 47-17. Georgia Tech’s trip to Kansas was also a blow to the conference. The Jayhawks got a 28-25 win over the Yellow Jackets. This was the same Kansas team that lost to South Dakota State 6-3 a week earlier. The ACC has just one team ranked in the polls. Miami (Fla.) is ranked No. 17 in both the AP and USA Today polls. But the Hurricanes were beaten by No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday, 36-24. The one bright spot was Virginia, which went out west and hung with USC, losing 17-14. There is reason for optimism for all ACC fans. The conference appears to be wide open. An ACC title and BCS bowl bid are still nice prizes.
South Carolina a surprise: Next to Michigan, South Carolina has been a real surprise for me. The Gamecocks are winning with a potent rushing attack and tough defense. South Carolina dominated Southern Mississippi 41-13 in the opener and then started SEC East play with a nice – and key – 17-6 win over Georgia on Saturday. Stephen Garcia hasn’t thrown a touchdown yet, nor as he passed for over 200 yards in the first two games. But freshman running back Marcus Lattimore looks to be a serious player. Lattimore scored twice against Southern Miss. and then rushed for 182 yards and another two touchdowns on 37 carries against Georgia. Much like Michigan, we’ll know a lot more about South Carolina after a big three-game conference stretch. South Carolina goes to No. 16 Auburn for a night game on Sept. 25, then home to top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 9 and at Kentucky a week later.
Ranked teams hit the road this week: This week’s schedule is not nearly as attractive as last week. But there are some intriguing games involving ranked teams. The only game involving two ranked teams is Saturday night as No. 9 Iowa travels to No. 24 Arizona. It’s a big game. Arizona’s defense has given up just eight points. OK, it’s been against The Citadel and Toledo. The Wildcats’ offense has been very sharp this season. Nick Foles has completed 83 percent of his passes and Nic Grigsby has five rushing touchdowns. It should be an interesting matchup against Iowa’s stout defense, led by Adrian Clayborn. An Iowa win would be a huge statement to the rest of the country. The Hawkeyes do have a tough three-game stretch coming soon: vs. Penn State on Oct. 2, at Michigan on Oct. 16 and vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 23. But a win at Arizona is key before the Big Ten schedule starts. Also on Saturday: No. 12 Arkansas at Georgia, No. 1 Alabama at Duke, No. 8 Nebraska at Washington, No. 10 Florida at Tennessee, No. 18 USC at Minnesota, No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech, No. 23 Houston at UCLA. Of those games, I’d keep an eye on the Cornhuskers going to Washington to play Jake Locker and the Huskies.
Other top games this week: We’ll learn a lot more about Michigan State, off to a 2-0 start. The Spartans host Notre Dame on Saturday night. If Michigan State beats Notre Dame, the Spartans should be 4-0 heading into the Big Ten schedule. Could be a big statement game for Michigan State. … Maryland and West Virginia are both off to 2-0 starts. The Terps visit Morgantown on Saturday. … It will be interesting to see how Florida State looks against BYU at home on Saturday. Will the Seminoles allow last week’s thrashing at Oklahoma to impact their play on Saturday? … Oklahoma, which shut down Florida State last week, gets a whole different challenge this week when Air Force comes to town. Air Force is averaging 423 yards on ground, tops in the nation. … Virginia Tech looks for its first win against unbeaten East Carolina on Saturday. The Pirates are averaging 50 points per game thus far, but allowing 38 points per game. … Finally, Clemson visits Auburn on Saturday night. Both teams are 2-0. I’m interested to see how Auburn plays. Auburn escaped with a 17-14 win at Mississippi State last Thursday. Auburn, with quarterback Cameron Newton, could be a sleeper in the SEC. After Clemson, there’s an hige showdown at home against South Carolina.
