Pigskin and Pine Tar

The last play of the Ohio State-Indiana game perfectly encapsulated the theme of the entire game. Indiana battles hard-drives to the five yard line. Something goes awry-bad snap, injuries to Nate Sudfeld and Jordan Howard. Despite that, Indiana continued to battle-backup QB Zander Diamont scrambled away from the pressure and threw a catchable ball. Ultimately though, Ohio State was too much, as Indiana came up just short-Ezekiel Elliot showed why he is a Heisman Favorite, and Eli Apple knocked the pass away at the last second.

Instead of piling the blame on Ohio State as this season’s Florida State, how about some credit to the Hoosiers. With Sudfeld and Howard, this game might have ended up very differently. Howard currently leads the FBS in rushing yards, a testament to not only his talent but the imposing Indiana offensive line. Sudfeld was excellent until he was sidelined with an ankle injury, but props to Zander Diamont for doing a nice job in the biggest moment of his life and using his rushing abilities to keep Indiana in the game. This game signified a cultural shift in Indiana Football. It would have been so sweet to get the victory and to be doted upon by ESPN, but they should be proud of how they battled against the number one team in the country. The secondary was excellent for most of the game, and there was no quit in the Hoosiers. This bodes well for the future, not only in 2015 but beyond. If Indiana can begin to lure some of those stud athletes out of Chicago away from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Michigan State, there might be something brewing in Bloomington on the gridiron. Indiana should find themselves in the tail end of the Top 25 next week.

The Hoosiers are ready to make some noise in the B1G East.

Zander Diamont filled in admirably for Nate Sudfeld at QB.

Up Next: @ Penn State

This game is almost as important as the game against Ohio State. It’s easy to play when there’s no pressure and you’re big underdogs. It’s a different story when people start paying attention. Indiana needs to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke and they’re here to stay. The secondary will be tested by PSU QB Christian Hackenberg, an expected top pick in next year’s draft. That being said, Penn State hasn’t proven themselves to be a powerhouse team this year. Indiana needs to win by at least a touchdown to secure their place among the best teams in college football and a spot in the top 25.

 

The Return of the Hawkeyes

Iowa’s battle to rejoin college football’s elite teams has been long and arduous, but the fruits of their labor should come in the form of a Top 25 ranking for the first time in five years. It wasn’t their best offensive game, as CJ Beathard struggled but was bailed out by running back Jordan Canzeri’s big day. But the defense stepped up in a big way, with Desmond King providing the big plays  as he pulled in two more interceptions. Wisconsin was almost a foregone conclusion as B1G West champion before the season started, but it’s been a different story than expected this year. Both Iowa and Northwestern have jumped out to impressive 5-0 starts. Iowa’s resurgence has been on the back of CJ Beathard’s promising first season as a starter and the leg of kicker Marshall Koehn. If Beathard continues to grow and Iowa dominates in the trenches as they have historically, there could be a lot of good things happening in Iowa City this year. With four spots available in the College Football Playoff and 5 power conferences, the B1G is a virtual lock to have a team end up in the playoff. Why not Your Iowa Hawkeyes?

Reunited and it feels so good. Iowa finally reclaims the Heartland Trophy from Wisconsin.

Cornerback Desmond King has been key for the Hawkeye defense.

 

Up Next: Illinois

Illinois has been a much downtrodden program due to former coach Tim Beckham verbally abusing his players and forcing them to play while injured. With him gone, it seems as if a dark cloud has been lifted from Fighting Illini football. Illinois went out and scorched Kent State in their first game without Beckham, and then continued to destroy FCS opponents by trampling Western Illinois. Illinois seemed vulnerable in a blowout loss to North Carolina, but they secured a win in B1G action last week, squeaking past Nebraska 14-13. Iowa needs to make sure they don’t fall into a trap game while coasting on the good vibes of being ranked for the first time in too long. Beathard will need to improve from last week, as Illinois’ defense appears to be legit. There are no more gimmie’s on Iowa’s schedule, and even one loss could eliminate them from B1G West title contention as Northwestern continues to cruise.

Other Notes from around the division:

• Northwestern’s victory over Stanford looks better and better as the Cardinal continue to demolish preseason Pac-12 favorites. Stanford is undefeated in Pac-12 play, winning over USC and putting a beatdown on Arizona. Conversely, with Northwestern’s continued success, Stanford’s loss to them suddenly doesn’t look so bad.
• It was a good day for football in Indiana, as Purdue almost came away with the upset at Michigan State. MSU appears more vulnerable than they did at the beginning of the season, as their “statement game” victory over Oregon is now unimpressive after Oregon got absolutely torched by Utah last week. None of the Top 5 teams have appeared dominant in every game they have played. Michigan State needs to kick it into high gear before it gets too late.
• Speaking of Michigan State…This is a perfect time for Rutgers to pull off the upset. While everyone is writing them off due to the Scarlet Knights mediocre start to the season, Purdue has yet to beat an FBS team but almost managed to shock the world last week. Also, Rutgers’ loss to Washington State, a proverbial nail in their coffin of B1G hopes, appears less so now that Wazzu duked it out with Cal (No. 24) for four quarters last week. Rutgers fans were excited for a potential Rettig-Carroo connection this year, but so far all they’ve gotten is Laviano-Opposing Defense. Rutgers is still 0-0 in B1G play. There is still hope.

Pictures:

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=indiana+vs+ohio+state&oq=indiana+vs+ohio+state&gs_l=img.3..0i30j0i8i30l4j0i24l5.1432.6827.0.7328.26.23.2.1.1.0.87.1397.23.23.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..0.26.1403.nGbxuiGM_q4#tbm=isch&q=zander+diamont+vs+ohio+state&imgrc=u0xKDul12_jCzM%3A

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=indiana+vs+ohio+state&oq=indiana+vs+ohio+state&gs_l=img.3..0i30j0i8i30l4j0i24l5.1432.6827.0.7328.26.23.2.1.1.0.87.1397.23.23.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..0.26.1403.nGbxuiGM_q4#tbm=isch&q=indiana+vs+ohio+state+2015+football&imgrc=pj3A79ItcAPF_M%3A

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=iowa+vs+wisconsin+football&oq=iowa+vs+wisconsin&gs_l=img.1.0.0l3j0i30l4j0i8i30j0i24l2.3124.7327.0.9102.19.16.1.2.2.0.97.1224.16.16.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..1.18.1163.F6ib6duKA44#tbm=isch&q=iowa+vs+wisconsin+football+2015&imgrc=Gp8xwn3udhQhpM%3A

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So about that optimism…

Yeah, Kaepernick isn’t very good. Neither are the 49ers. 

The Arizona Cardinals’ secondary is exceptional. So are the Cardinals. 

Unstoppable force meets very moveable object-Niners vs Cards Week Three. 

Going to be a long season in Santa Clara.

Let’s just skip over the bottom feeders such as Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan. We all know they’re not going anywhere, right?

Iowa Builds on Impressive Start in Glorified Scrimmage

Most coaches will take a 62-16 final score in their favor, and Kirk Ferentz is no exception. There’s a good vibe in Iowa City, as the Hawkeyes are exceeding expectations with a 4-0 start this season. Wins over rival Iowa State and a talented Pittsburgh squad are perhaps more impressive than a thrashing of North Texas, but it’s important not to understate the positive aspects of the win. CJ Beathard had the best game of his career and is finding his rhythm heading into Big 10 play. He started 15 for 15 and the passing game was smooth all day long. Running back Jordan Canzeri already has eight touchdowns, and the offense is feeling upbeat headed into a crucial matchup with Wisconsin on the road next week. The defense still needs work, as evidenced by the Pittsburgh game, but you can’t fault Iowa for taking an opponent they were supposed to pulverize and doing so.  They took care of business against an inferior opponent, but far tougher challenges lay ahead for Iowa. Grade: A-

Beathard leads the offense.

Herky’s ready for B1G action. Are you?

Up Next: At Wisconsin

If Iowa wants to make some noise this year in the Big 10 or on the national level, this is the place to start. No, Wisconsin isn’t Alabama, but they did start off the year ranked and were favored to win the Big 10 West. A victory here would go a long way.Iowa certainly has the ability to win this game if they play their A-game. The key will be containing running back Corey Clement and putting pressure on QB Joel Stave to force him into bad decisions. Beathard’s performance against a Big 10 defense will be key in this match up. Remember, this will be his first taste of Big 10 football. It’s time to see if Iowa is for real.

Hoosier Sleeper Team in the East? Indiana, of Course

IU held off a late rally from the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest down in Winston-Salem, collecting a quality win over a Power 5 opponent. Indiana’s theme this year has been finding their groove in the third quarter, and it was no different today. They now have outscored opponents 51-0 in the third quarter this year. Indiana was hindered by a sluggish start and a late defensive collapse, but still managed to come out with a 31-24 victory. The game appeared to be in the bag with the Hoosiers leading 31-10 late in the fourth, but Wake Forest managed to make it interesting by scoring quickly, recovering an onside kick, and scoring again. Eventually Indiana’s defense put some steel in their spine and ended the comeback bid, but they had IU fans nervous for a while at the end of that game. Wake Forest isn’t exactly a Powerhouse, but they are a solid ACC team that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Indiana has put together some quality wins to start off this season, most notably a narrow victory over Western Kentucky. WKU QB Brandon Doughty led the nation in passing yards in 2014, but the defense managed to hold up and the offense came through for a 38-35 victory. University of Alabama-Birmingham, also known as UAB, cancelled their football program last year (before reinstating it for 2016), and no one has benefited more than Indiana. UAB transfer Jordan Howard has nearly replicated the production of former Hoosiers superstar Tevin Coleman, who broke the record for most rushing yards in a game last year and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons last April. Howard currently leads the nation in rushing yards and has largely carried this offense. QB Nate Sudfeld has done a nice job of game managing, but he’ll need to do more than that next week. Grade: B+

Jordan Howard, B-Town hero.

The third quarter has been Indiana’s bread and butter, as they have yet to allow a single point in the third.

Up Next: The Elephant in the Room.

Indiana’s got a real chance to do something historical for their program next weekend. Beating the defending national champion would change IU Football forever. Ohio State has looked vulnerable at times, switching between quarterbacks and seeming off kilter at times. A narrow victory over Northern Illinois and a sloppy win against Western Michigan leaves Ohio State open to a potential upset against a young and confident Indiana team, who’s feeling it right now after their 4-0 start. But let’s not kid ourselves. IU had trouble dealing with Kendall Hillton’s mobility, and he’s only a true freshman making his first career start. If Hilton was able to find easy success against IU’s front seven, imagine what JT Barrett would do to them. As for the young secondary that was torched by Southern Illinois in Week One, they better pray Cardale is off his game next Saturday. Any of that slow start, late capitulation, won’t cut it against the Buckeyes. The opportunity for a statement is tremendous. But so are the odds.

Enjoy This One, Rutgers…

The difference between a Rut(gers) and a groove is attitude, right? Mhm. Rutgers brought out the classic red and white home jerseys, which harken back to the good ‘ol days of 2006 and 2007, when Rutgers was ranked. There was reason for optimism last year in New Brunswick, as RU went 8-5, wiped the floor with North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl, and won three games in the Big 10, including one over Michigan, a long time iconic college football program. As for this season…let’s just leave it at Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. No reason to get into that. Rutgers beat Kansas by 13 this weekend, which would be a lot more impressive if this were basketball and if Kansas wasn’t on the edge of being the worst Power Five team of all time. Kansas lost to South Dakota State Week 1 (and haven’t won since, if you’re wondering), which should tell you all you need to know about them. Rutgers is .500 which is great, considering this is likely to be the last time that’s true. It’s not my intention to bash on Rutgers, but the future looks bleak with superstar receiver Leonte Carroo suspended indefinitely, 5 other players kicked off the team,  and Head Coach Kyle Flood suspended (when he should have been fired). The coaching staff is determined to stick with turnover machine Chris Laviano at QB, while fans call for cannon-armed high school stud and LSU transfer Hayden Rettig.  Oh, and Rutgers’ best recruit in years, DT Darius Hamilton (who is also the best player on a bad defense), is out for the season. Just remember, it could always be worse…they could be Kansas. Good for Laviano throwing two TD’s along with his two picks, and it’s good to see that Paul James is still healthy after suffering season ending injuries the last two season.

Grade: C

Happier Times.

Do you believe in miracles?

Up Next: Bye Week, then 300.

Rutgers stands about just as much of a chance against Michigan State as the original Spartans did at the Battle of Thermopylae. But hey, stranger things have happened.

Since in this hypothetical world, Indiana beats Ohio State, Michigan State ends up ranked number one and Rutgers knocks them off some how, some way (I’m trying to go easy on the cynicism), Rutgers ends up ranked number one and ESPN loses their minds. We can all dream.

Pictures:

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=iowa+football&oq=iowa+football&gs_l=img.3..0l10.1321.3827.0.4138.13.6.0.7.7.0.83.403.6.6.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..0.13.442.bKzuGvknwr4#tbm=isch&q=cj+beathard+and+the+iowa+hawkeyes&imgrc=ErW3fBFEVgzjgM%3A

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=iowa+footall&oq=iowa+footall&gs_l=img.3..0i10i24.2743.4517.0.4773.12.9.0.3.3.0.82.476.9.9.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..0.12.492.4oO6LjurEW0#tbm=isch&q=iowa+football+2015&imgrc=Pqiq_0mmFA7I_M%3A

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=indiana+vs+wake+forest&oq=indiana+vs+wake+forest&gs_l=img.3…1583.6205.0.6410.22.14.0.8.1.0.123.975.13j1.14.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..9.13.797.djnxSz-O01s#imgrc=Jy5vGri3QPexdM%3A

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=indiana+vs+wake+forest&oq=indiana+vs+wake+forest&gs_l=img.12…9735.9735.0.11121.1.1.0.0.0.0.65.65.1.1.0….0…1ac.2.64.img..1.0.0.9lDmwXCco1Y#imgrc=DUOmEBJ9ya5xgM%3A

https://www.google.com/search?q=harken+back+definition&biw=1600&bih=775&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMIw7_N7IKWyAIViZmICh21KAvR#tbm=isch&q=rutgers+football+players+in+game&imgrc=vlusPvg6-cgSlM%3A

I do not own any of these pictures and all credit goes to the website and photographer.

I am pumped. Take that, Niners haters. All offseason, Niner fans had to endure countless predictions of an abysmal season and a team cobbled together of NFL Europe players and duct tape. Conversely, the Vikings were hyped as the next big thing in the NFC.

Of course, it’s Week 1, which means absolutely nothing most of the time. Last year, the Niners thumped Dallas on the road and Vernon Davis was looking like the team’s offensive MVP. That didn’t turn out so well. The Vikings are undoubtedly still a very good team. And the Niners may finish 6-10, but they probably deserve an apology for being lumped in with Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, and Washington as NFL doormats.

But just awesome stuff all around from Monday. Carlos Hyde looked even better than Frank Gore. He was quick, powerful, and flashy, blending style and substance into a Carlos Hyde performance akin to his days tearing but the Big 10 as a Buckeye.

All of the frustrating delay of game penalties, burned timeouts, and defenses jumping the line of scrimage by timing the play clock-gone. God bless Geep Chryst. It was the most nerve wracking thing in the world to watch the 49ers waltz to the line, call around 40 audibles, and get the play off by the skin of their teeth last year. To top it off, it wasn’t effective last year either. Colin Kaepernick did a nice job of managing the game and using his legs to get first downs when necessary. He wasn’t Aaron Rodgers, but he wasn’t JaMarcus Russel either. They got the win-and that’s really all that matters.

And how about that defense! NaVorro Bowman played great for his first game back. JaQuaski Tartt was an unknown when the 49ers picked him in the second round, but people will be hearing his name soon enough. Defense was studly all around, but this wasn’t the Patriots, Packers, or Seahawks. If they limit Pittsburgh to 14 or less, then the Top 10 D talk can start. Great start though.

And what the heck, the black jerseys are awesome.

Sure. special teams were awful. Straight up bad. But who cares. The 49ers won. It’s been too long.

The Niners won this game because they attacked Minnesota’s biggest weaknesses, the offensive and defensive lines of the Vikings. The Niners won this game in the trenches with a great game plan and scheme. Jimmy T can coach people. Watching Harbaugh lose his head in Michigan while the Niners blow out a quality opponent in prime-time…

Happy Daze, San Francisco edition, starring Carlos Hyde, NaVorro Bowman, and Jim Tomsula.

Picture: https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=775&q=49ers+black+uniforms&oq=49ers+black+uniforms&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5i30l2.1060.6456.0.6882.22.19.0.3.3.0.171.1205.16j1.17.0….0…1ac.1.64.img..3.19.1158.uZ9QMg7_0gU#tbm=isch&q=monday+night+football+49ers+vs+vikings&imgrc=Rr1BVsgBPLXyXM%3A