Kicks, Kicks and Pick Sixes – Week 9 CFB Review

The leaves are finally falling from the trees as November is officially upon us. Falling harder are some college football teams that were believed to be contenders, but are still wearing the pretender costume. Also, November means that the committee’s rankings are officially out and the worthless preseason polls and biased voters are kicked to the curb.

Join me as I highlight my favorite moments from a thrilling and eye opening week nine.

Elite Bailout Badge

Last Thursday night, the Utah Utes received the ultimate bailout call. Much like the NBA 2K player badge, this bailout was late in the second quarter to extend the drive inside Washington State’s 10 yard line. The call was on a defensive lineman of all players, as he was simply making a tackle on the running back.

I understand the verbiage of the rule but this is why I wrote last year about the need to change it. The targeting rule is just plain outdated, and was from the get go. Never should a defensive lineman and running back who are meeting in the hole be subjected to a rule that would eject them from the ball game.

Well That’s Not Good

Last week I talked about Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader and his selfishness in the run game. Not giving the ball to the running back Sean Tucker was a big issue. Well, the karma train may have came back around to bite him.

On the very first play of the game, Shrader threw a pick six right to Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph. Joseph is notorious for being a ball hawk as one of the best safeties in the country, but that was almost too easy.

The Next Generation, Without The Star Trek

The showdown between Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. was all it was hyped up to be. Harrison Jr. may have gotten the better of the cornerback, but it wasn’t without having to earn it. Sometimes a perfect route and throw just beats good coverage and that’s what we saw on Saturday.

Harrison Jr. has a Hall Of Fame wideout in his father, and he looks well on his way to follow in those footsteps. Joey Porter Sr. didn’t make it to the Hall Of Fame but was a feared linebacker for many years. His son though may become one of the best corners in the league in the near future – he’s just that good.

Elite Takeover Badge

Staying within the Ohio State and Penn State matchup, we’ll hand out one more NBA 2K player badge because we can. Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau pretty much took the game over by himself, forcing three turnovers, two of which were interceptions. One of those interceptions was the game sealing pick six that capped off a ridiculous wave of four Buckeye touchdowns in six minutes.

Only a sophomore, Tuimoloau is not NFL Draft eligible just yet. Come next season though, he’ll likely be rated within the top 10 on the draft board. No reason he won’t add his name to the list of Ohio State defensive ends that have gone in the top five over the last decade.

Hospital Pass

Down late in the game, West Virginia needed to find their way to the end zone. Quarterback JT Daniels saw an opportunity and let it rip, throwing a deep post to the end zone. Reese Smith, who was lined up in the slot, went into the teeth of the TCU defense and paid for it.

While mid air he got pelted right in the chest, clutching immediately at his chest and stomach area. The catch was absolutely incredible though as Smith fully extended for the ball while almost parallel to the ground. After gathering his thoughts, it was like he got jolted with adrenaline and popped up, hyping up the crowd and talking smack. Man do I love the energy of college football.

The Costume Stays On

When Kentucky beat up on Florida in week two, I thought we were looking at a real contender. Well, fast forward here to week nine and contrary to Dennis Green’s famous rant, both teams are not what we thought they were. Kentucky and Florida are both now unranked and left with struggling offenses and overworked defenses.

Also, why is Will Levis ranked so high on the draft boards? I never bought into his hype in the preseason as some places had him over C.J. Stroud and even Bryce Young. How can you be so fooled to one’s abilities when evaluating for the next level?

Pokes Get Poked

I was pretty sure that the Kansas State Wildcats were going to beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, but not completely destroy them. The Cats jumped out to an early 14-0 lead courtesy of back to back scoring drives on their first two possessions. From there the defense was lights out and kept the game out of reach.

They took the ball away three times, on two interceptions and one fumble. The Pokes (nickname for the Cowboys) went 15/33 for 163 yards through the air. I already said it in my other article this week but watch out because these Wildcats are a problem.

Field Goal Fest

In what would be a no brainer in the worst game of the week, the Miami Hurricanes beat the Virginia Cavaliers by a whopping score of 14-12. The regulation period saw only field goals go through the uprights, ending at 12-12 with four field goals a piece. When it got to overtime, the game got even worse.

Multiple failed possessions in a row for each side finally came to an end in the fourth overtime. Jake Garcia punched in a two yard run to convert the two pointer and finally bring a close to the contest. All I have to say is that I hope nobody has to suffer and watch a game like that the rest of the season. Football fans complain about 0-0 soccer games but this field goal fest was just as bad.

Kick Him While He’s Down

To close it out, I’ll add my weekly taunt towards Desmond Howard. After being tantalized for his College Football Playoff picks when all of his teams lost in week two, Howard suffered yet another terrible weekend. Fortunately Baylor and Michigan were able to win, but Texas A&M and Pittsburgh lost yet again.

My playoff picks were Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Utah so I’m barely hanging on and need a few miracles. At least I wasn’t that far off the mark.