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Road warriors face brutal mind game
Posted: Wednesday October 20, 1999 10:15 PM
This is the first time in nearly 70 years Alabama has been playing Tennessee on campus. It brings to mind the difficulties of playing on the road in a rivalry game like that. For instance this weekend, Nebraska should be favored to win at Texas. Same with Tennessee over Alabama and Florida State at Clemson. But when you go into a place where they are so emotionally charged, you have to go in and make an immediate statement. If you let the home team hang around, you could be in trouble. If you're Tennessee, you want to get up 14-0 right off the bat and put them away after that. It's all about mindset. Some teams go in expecting to win, and some go in hoping to keep it close. If you let the other team's momentum and confidence keep going up, before you know it, it will be 14-7, 14-10, etc., and suddenly they expect to win. Tennessee-Alabama is going to be one of the best atmospheres in college football recent memory, what with the momentum of Mike DuBose going from almost being fired to possibly the SEC coach of the year, and Shaun Alexander looking to make a statement in the Heisman race, not to mention the Vols are defending national champs. That's why I'm picking 'Bama as this week's upset special!
There is a lot of talk about Penn State's weaknesses, and there are some. But do you notice JoePa playing his cards close to the vest early in the season and not showing his entire playbook with regard to defensive looks, so the powerhouses in the Big Ten won't have a lot of tape to prepare for him?
Well he's certainly not playing close to the vest offensively, running those reverses to Chafie Fields and what not. I talked to Jerry Sandusky this week, and I don't think it's a case of playing close to the vest defensively, either. Frankly, they're disappointed in the way the defense has played the first half of the year. They think it has to do with so much hype at the beginning of the season around certain players, that those players are trying so hard to make big plays and live up to that hype, they're forgetting about routine plays. They coaches hope they'll start playing more disciplined the rest of the way.
Last year, FSU had the No. 1 defense, and many people felt it would be better this year. But honestly, I haven't seen it. They give up points in bunches and have weaknesses that good offenses can capitalize on. As a terrific linebacker yourself, do you feel FSU has what it takes on defense to stop a Nebraska, Penn State or Viginia Tech?
Florida State was one of the first teams in the early '90s to really jump around and play that in-your-face defense, and a lot of teams have followed suit. But a lot of offenses have finally figured it out. It used to be that when you played against FSU, you felt you had to play it close to the vest, because if you made a mistake, they'd be all over it. It turns out, you need to be wide open, throw it down the field and challenge their corners one-on-one. It just takes one guy to make a big play. That's how N.C. State beat them, and if Georgia Tech had any kind of defense at all, they would have beaten them. The Seminoles still have great athletes on defense, they're just not executing and making mistakes.
Colorado was picked as high as 15th in the preseason. SI and others talked about their speed at skill positions and an improved offensive line. They are a terrible defensive team and the offense has also looked poor with the exception of the Kansas game. Is this more of the players getting used to a new system, or did the talent not live up to expectations?
I think it's a combination of both. They're probably not as talented as some people thought, but it's also a case of making a transition from a West Coast style offense. The players Rick Neuheisel recruited were more smallish, athletic types who caught the ball out of the backfield, and the reality is, they're not the type of players Barnett will be using in his new scheme. This is just a team in transition. Give them a year or two to work things out.
Trev, does the fact that the Big Ten and the Pac-10 don't play a conference championship game give them an advantage over conferences such as the SEC and the Big 12 that have to play this "extra" game in a season?
No, I'd have to disagree. I think the fact that they don't have a championship game will actually end up hurting them in the BCS rankings. If you're a team like Alabama in the SEC that's suddenly hot, and you need some extra points, the championship game will guarantee you a date against a quality opponent. I think both the Big Ten and Pac-10 have already talked to several teams about joining and letting them break into divisions, because in a matter of years, every conference will have a title game. It's not just for the BCS, but because of the financial windfall that comes from selling the game to a different city every year and to television.
With the Heisman award supposed to honor the most valuable player in college football, how can this be truly determined until the national championship game has been played? In years past, outstanding players have been seriously overlooked for their impact and prowess during the regular season and have been denied their rewards after making clear statements on a national stage -- when everything is on the line. Tommie Frazier and his consecutive national championships come to mind.
One game does not make a Heisman Trophy winner. If it was a career award, Peyton Manning would have won it in '97, Ron Dayne would win this year. It is a year's award, and with the majority of games played by late November, how could you not give it to a player who was unbelievable all year, regardless of where his team is headed for a bowl? It's not fair to punish someone just because his team didn't make it to the national championship and he didn't get to play on that extra stage. I think the Heisman is fine the way it is.
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