Football Nation: B1G Changes & B1G Challenges

We are about halfway through the season in college and nearing the midway point in the NFL. October is a wonderful month that includes all 4 major sports going on at different moments throughout the next few weeks. Unfortunately for the NFL, the season has not gone as predicted and Washington, specifically, has been shell-shocked by injuries and failed expectations.

Terps Going B1G-Time

Starting with Maryland, the Terps have started relatively well in the B1G. With two very solid quarterbacks with two styles of play, Maryland has been able to fight through a couple of games and earn a handful of wins. While sitting at 4-2 (1-1 B1G) is definitely good, the season has been a little bit of a roller coaster. Not necessarily a surprised for a team that barely made a bowl game last season in the ACC, Maryland is at least on-track to set themselves back up for another bowl game run.

On the positive side, the Terps fought through one of the sloppiest games I have seen at South Florida and managed to get the win. Heading up north to Syracuse, turnovers and strong defense help propel the team to victory. On the road at Indiana, Maryland looked great against the Hoosiers and both CJ Brown and Caleb Rowe racked up touchdowns. The great thing about each of these wins was that they were on the road, an area where the Terps have really struggled in the past.

On the other hand, CJ Brown’s play has been sniffed out and his accuracy has been called into question. Against Ohio State, he lost the starting job to Caleb at the half and did not see the field again. It is unclear if he will get the start against Iowa for homecoming, but both quarterbacks deserve some attention as the team continues to march through the first season of the B1G. That loss to Ohio State was one of two at home, with the other being against West Virginia on a rainy day in College Park. The game ended up being decided by a field goal at the final seconds, but the game was full of controversy. In the first half, CJ went down for a slide on a QB run and was close-lined by the defender. No pass interference penalty was called and he was taken out of the game. Luckily, Caleb threw a touchdown on the next play. In the second half, a no-call on a pass interference penalty led to giving up the ball after punting on 4th down. Finally, the WVU player who intercepted Rowe in the 4th quarter was suspended soon after the game for conduct issues prior to taking the field that Saturday. Spotty ref-calling and poor weather conditions led to a failed opportunity against Maryland’s biggest football rival.

There is still a lot of opportunity left with games against Iowa and Rutgers at home and Penn State and Michigan on the road.

Washington’s Struggles and Missed Opportunities

While my Terrapins are in the hunt for some post-season action, Washington is not looking anywhere as good in the NFL. The name controversy has stuck around with a harsh Daily Show critique and episode of South Park, but the attention in the pros is much more centered on the conduct of the players more than anything else.

For DC, the season has tossed in a mix of missed opportunities and costly injuries. As RGIII was looking to get back on-track, he was injured in the second game against Jacksonville (the only win of the season so far). Cousins showed up and looked to be a good solution until Robert was ready to come back, but he has struggled greatly in his time since then. He has managed to throw for 10 touchdowns to RGIII’s 1, but he has also fallen short 11 turnovers (8 INTs and 3 fumbles). With the interceptions, he has failed to look off defenders and even thrown directly at the defensive back without a wideout in play. The way to help a struggling quarterback is to have a great running game, but Jay Gruden has also failed to return to Washington’s bread and butter from last season. Alfred Morris has less than 400 yards in the first 6 games. He is splitting time almost evenly with Roy Helu, neither of which are consistently being given the opportunity to help keep the ball moving. Much of the challenge seems to be with the offensive line and their inability to provide consistent pass and run blocking.

The one victory was over a team that has failed to fine a win so far this season. The run game is big, but so is the defense. Players have regularly been going down with exhaustion or minor injuries, but DeAngelo Hall’s absence with injury is certainly hurting their success with changing the momentum of the game. Washington is regularly playing catchup and is forcing the defense to keep the offense within range. The special teams is also still failing to produce and has regularly missed on managing field position.

The one truly bright spot of the team has been DeSean Jackson. He is the deep threat the team needed and has produced in Washington’s last two games.

Top Performances Around College and the NFL

• The state of Mississippi is gleaming right now. Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Texas A&M (x2) have all fallen to these surprise teams. While the SEC quite a bit more love than other conferences, this is quite the accomplishment.
• FSU and Baylor are also continuing to hold strong as undefeated teams. While FSU may be able to complain about losing the #1 spot after maintaining an extended win streak, their conferences have thrown challenges at both of them and they have held strong.
• Notre Dame is playing with its half in-half out status in the ACC but also managing quite the slate of games and wins. The embarrassment of Michigan (31-0) and a win over Stanford make for a solid start to the season. Wonder if that will hold up against FSU, Arizona State, and USC.
• Marshall is on pace for a perfect season themselves. Although their strength of schedule is far from being able to compete for a national title, they will be able to potentially earn a shot at a high-level bowl game.
• In general, the SEC will benefit from the new playoff system when it comes to contenders for the national title. A 2-loss SEC team may be able to outrank a 1-loss team from any other conference based on the projected difficulty level of the SEC. For now, Ole Miss and MSU can take advantage of their position but MSU still has to face Alabama, Ole Miss still has to face Auburn and LSU, and they will finish the season in a potential showdown for a final shot at the SEC championship and playoff run.

 

• After starting out slow, Dallas and San Diego have rattled off 5 straight wins and look ready to take on the talent of their divisions. After adjustments on both the offense and defense, DeMarco Murray is running circles around the rest of the league, while the San Diego defense has become a top-10 stopper of the pass and the run. Both teams have taken down the Superbowl-defending Seahawks.
• Denver’s matchup in Seattle came down to a end of fourth quarter comeback and subsequent Seahawks touchdown in overtime. Other than that, teams have not really been in contention with the Broncos. Denver has been taking over as “America’s Team” and may be on route for another Superbowl run.
• With the talent of San Francisco and Seattle in the NFC West, Arizona is currently sitting atop the division. Their single loss was to Denver, but they have succeeded at beating San Diego and San Francisco. Their true test will not come until November and December, when they will be forced to prove their competitiveness against the rest of their division.
• While they started at 1-2 and continue to own the worst rushing defense in the league, Green Bay has recovered from a slow start and are finding the end zone with more consistency. Blowout wins against two divisional opponents bodes well for their chances against Detriot (also at 4-2).

Not So Top Plays in Football

Before getting into the discussion of the actual play on the field, the off-the-field issues are getting in the way of enjoying the game. College football is fine overall, but there have been infractions that have affected several keys players. Jameis Winston (FSU) was forced to sit out an entire game for poor judgment making jest of his dodged sexual assault charge. He also was caught for autograph violations. Todd Gurley (UGA) might be missing the rest of his season for breaking policy on earning money for autographs as well. DeVaris Daniels, KeiVarae Russell, Ishaq Williams, Kendall Moore, and Eilar Hardy have all been removed from the team this season for academic violations. None of these violations are super surprising, but the behavior of the former Heisman winner is highly concerning from the standpoint of role-modeling and his future in a professional league that is having its own issues with managing problems much worse than the college level.

In the pros, the conversations about the offensiveness of the Redskins name has fallen significantly to the background in lieu of other serious, pressing issues. Sexual assault, drug abuse, relationship violence, and abuse have become an all too common issue in the NFL. While Ray Rice was not the first problem, his has brought forth a parade of horrible acts and responses that has tarnished (but not destroyed) the NFL brand. Roger Goodell has performed horribly in response to these issues and is still in danger of eventually being asked or forced out of his position. The league should be ashamed of the player conduct and needs to be more upfront about accepting some of the responsibility for its management of its players. A 2-game suspension for such a blatantly violent act in a hotel elevator was laughable. The hesitation when dealing with child abuse was deplorable. The teams’ decisions to delay suspending players after the allegations arise seems to show a willingness to accept the poor conduct as part of the challenge of “dealing” with these players. Changes are definitely needed.

• UMass may have finally gotten a win, but they are also holding on to one of the worst recent records in college football, especially after blundering a potential win during a matchup with also winless Miami (Ohio).
• Michigan may have beaten Penn State, but they were embarrassed by Notre Dame and sit with a solid losing record halfway through the season. It does not help when the QB gets a clear concussion and the coach decides to leave him in the game.
• B1G may have great, recognizable schools, but the respect has failed to hold true. Non-conference play has almost eliminated the conference from feeling confident about having a representative in the playoff this season. Michigan State and Ohio State have the best chance, but two losses on either team’s record could spell doom, even if the other taps out.
• Idaho and Kent State are still searching for a win…maybe…maybe not.

 

• While I hate to hate on my team, Washington is struggling to figure the game out. Choosing to focus more on the pass over the run, Cousins has not appeared ready to take the led with the talent that surrounds him and Gruden has failed to allow Morris to get a rhythm with the run game. The defense is typically getting overtaxed and eventually is left to give in to each opponent, except for…
• The Jacksonville Jaguars…As one of two teams struggling to find a win (Oakland being the other), they have given up more than twice the number of points they have scored. Tennessee gave them a chance but they failed to capitalize. Bortles may be the future, but that future may be another season with a better defense and stronger running attack. At least they have pools to distract people from the poor attendance at their games.
• St. Louis is making the best of a bad situation. Bradford is out again, and they suffered other injuries at the QB position. They have a chance to turn it around, but their one win came against bottom-tier Tampa Bay, who lucked out on a win against the Steelers.
• The Saints are a mystery. Sitting at 2-3, they have the benefit that the Falcons and Panthers have not run away with a lead yet. Newton has been hampered by injury and Ryan has shown serious inconsistency with his receivers (with Roddy White only catching 50% of the passes thrown his way).
• Vontaze Burfict will need to watch his behavior on the field a bit closer, as he was caught twisting ankles twice in the game versus Carolina. Penalties are forthcoming.

Maryland is prepping for a homecoming game against 5-1 Iowa, while Washington looks to recover and get a second win of the season against lowly Tennessee. Definitely hoping for a better weekend.

Football Nation: Start of a B1G Year

The 2014 season is already underway and excitement is around every corner. Upsets have already presented themselves and key matchups have been the marquee of the early weeks. Giants have fallen and scandal has risen. It is going to be an exciting fall and I am more than excited to get going. I am going to be reporting on both the NFL and college football, focusing mostly on Washington and the University of Maryland, but I have plenty of love for the rest of the leagues.

Start of the Season

For the Maryland Terrapins, the start of the B1G career has begun. While other olympic sports are also engaging in their campaigns in the new conference, the football team has started its slate against an FCS school (JMU) and AAC opponent South Florida. The first game was a bit of a blowout, which is to be expected against a lower conference school. The defense was operating on all cylinders, but the offense still had some work to do. Senior QB CJ Brown was not a accurate as his previous performances have shown. He overthrew his receivers on nearly half of his passes, but he found a way to complete a few necessary and important connections. The running game also looked solid, but competition against an FBS opponent was needed to truly get a sense of the total offense.

The second game was another story. Although it turned out to be another victory, the offense was again rather shaky. When teams turn the ball over, they reduce their chances of winning. One turnover is not impossible to overcome, but each successive one makes it significantly more difficult. Maryland had 6 over the course of the game, including a combination of fumbles and interceptions. Accuracy continues to be a concern for Brown, but the running backs also need to be more prepared for ball control. As for the defense, they produced another impressive showing. The line held South Florida in check for most of the game and reduce the bulk of their offense to relatively short runs for their talented runningback. On the slate for this week is West Virginia in a rivalry game from College Park.

In the NFL, Washington has proven nothing through their first entry into the regular season, other than a name change to the Washington Football Club would match their decent soccer score of 6 points against a formerly 2-14 team from 2013. The preseason had left so much to question, with RGIII having a modest and forgetful showing for the now healthy third-year quarterback. The Texans had bombed through the majority of the 2013 season. There was hope for them that they would be able to put the mediocrity of Schaub’s unusual struggles behind them and boast the powerful defense they were know to possess. Against Washington, they did just that in Week 1. JJ Watt and Brooks Reed lived in the Washington backfield, giving RGIII no time to make decision and forcing him to dump the ball off before many of the offensive plays could develop. While he avoided mistakes (except for his costly third quarter fumble), he was unable to do anything spectacular and seemed way too cautious to use his legs to make plays. Morris and Helu continued to represent a strong Washington running game but both failed to put up any points at the end of a couple of solid runs and drives. Garcon, Jackson, and Paul all had respectable numbers (save for Paul’s extremely costly fumble after solid yards after a reception), but the loss of Reed took a more dynamic receiver out of the lineup.

The imbalanced offense was unfortunately matched by the struggling special teams that have received a poor reputation amongst the rest of the league. Extra points are supposed to be automatic, but Kai Forbath was blocked following Young’s 1-yard rushing touchdown by JJ Watt getting his hand up in the middle of the defense. The bad times continued when rookie Tress Way’s punt was blocked and returned by rookie Alfred Blue, accounting for one of Houston’s two scores.

The defense was certainly a much brighter highlight for the team. Fitzpatrick was able to score a huge 76-yard touchdown to Hopkins, but he was kept in check for most of the rest of the game. Andre Johnson and Arian Foster can always be expected to pick up significant yardage but were also held scoreless. Field position was the name of the game for most of the first three quarters, and Washington was winning the battle for the most part. If the offense can catch up to the play of the defense, the team may have a chance to compete in the NFC East. Next up, Washington takes on Jacksonville at home at FedEx Field.

Top Performances Around College and the NFL

• Johnny who?? Texas A&M picked up where they left off with their high-scoring offense against a highly ranked South Carolina team. Hill surpassed Manziel’s highest yardage college game in his first start. Did I mention this was on the road? Oh, and they won in Week 2 with a score of 73-3.
• They may have lost the game, but Navy put up a fight that caught a lot of attention. Winning 7-6 at the half, the Buckeyes finally opened up the offense and sent the Midshipmen packing.
• USC is officially back, holding their Week 1 opponent scoreless and snagging a quality win over conference rival Stanford in the closing moments of the game.
• LSU may have started their matchup with Wisconsin down by 17, but the Tigers were more than ready to mount an impressive comeback.
• Baylor continues to outscore opponents by impressively high numbers. 45-0 versus SMU and 70-6 versus Northwestern State.
• Oregon took advantage of an early-season marquee matchup with Michigan State to prove they are ready for a title run.

 

• Super Bowl contenders faired well in Week 1 and proved why they are to be feared again. The Seahawks embarrassed the Packers in a complete trashing from Seattle, while the Broncos made the Colts look completely overmatched in the first half (forcing Indy to attempt a comeback in the second half).
• Megatron may be the strongest and most talented player in the NFL, particularly with 146-yard and 2 touchdown performance.
• The Florida air was not the only thing on fire on Sunday. The Dolphins surprised the favored Patriots with a rushing attack that reenergized the career for Moreno.

Not So Top Plays in Football

• South Carolina would like to forget that it played in Week 1, as they are all but eliminated from contention for a national title. Originally ranked 9th, they traded places with Texas A&M and struggled to put away East Carolina with any authority.
• Michigan would like to forget that they played in Week 2. Their series with Notre Dame is coming to an end and they dropped their final matchup 31-0. The rest of the B1G could have breathed a sigh of relief except that Michigan State and Ohio State joined Michigan in the loss column. Losing to decent opponents, all three schools have opened up the competition in the conference for anyone to step up to take it all.
• Washington State would like to figure out how to get their running game going, as Mike Leach’s team has failed to break 22 yards per game.
• UMass is still trying to figure out why they moved from the FCS to the FBS. Sure, a chance for more national attention is great, but amassing only 1 win per season since their league transition has left them struggling to justify their readiness. 0-2 is not a great start for 2014.
• FAU is back to where they started last season at 0-2. Teams that start with Florida and include a second part that starts with a vowel do not seem to fair well in recent years.

 

• No-no for Romo. While the fantasy-popular QB can put up yardage and points, he also added 3 first half interceptions to his stats on Sunday. Potentially another long season for Cowboys fans.
• One brother was strong, the other fell far short. Eli struggled all game to connect with his receivers for significant yardage and added a pair of picks to his very poor first 2014 outing.
• Jacksonville was looking to post the upset of the week with their 17-point lead over the Eagles, and then they collapsed. Failing to score after halftime, they also gave up 34 points and made Foles from looking embarrassing to providing a solid performance with 2 scores and 322 yards.
• Manziel has been the talk of the preseason and has appeared to be the eventual leader of the Browns, but he was given no snaps in a losing effort to Pittsburgh. Hoyer gave a lackluster performance but never lost his chance to try to finish.
• The most significant hit of the week was actually delivered by Antonio Brown to the face of Spencer Lanning while trying to hurdle during a return. Brown is now the meme of the week.
• The Ravens are the team of controversy as their performance left little to be desired, but Ray Rice’s removal from the roster has left Baltimore fans feeling lost, frustrated, and angry.
• On that same point, the organization has much to answer to for their level of knowledge of Rice’s incident and Roger Goodell is seriously under fire with the continued controversy over league rules for suspensions and degree of awareness of the severity of incidents.

This upcoming weekend boasts a number of solid matchups at both levels of the game, particularly the SEC battle of Georgia vs. South Carolina. I will be watching to see if Maryland can repeat their success over West Virginia from last season in their commemorative military uniforms. Go Terps!

Fear the Turtle…Moving to a B1G-ger Conference

Maryland’s season is over (pending a potential bid to the NIT) and the Terps have nothing to show for it other than a big regular season win versus rival UVA and a look to the future. There were a number of close games, including the start of the season versus UConn. At times, the season felt like a roller coaster. Seth Allen injured before game one. Hosting the President for the Oregon State game but losing at home. Winning the Paradise Jam only to pick up back to back losses to Ohio State and GW, and then to lose to Boston University at home. Getting close games at home but suffering staggering defeats on the road at Pitt and FSU. Not being able to close out games against major opponents until the final game of the season. Taking FSU to the wire in Greensboro but allowing a jam to close the door on the Terps in the final appearance in the ACC.

Highlights Throughout the Season

On the high side, nothing was bigger than closing the season against UVA and taking the game to overtime. Even though there were times that UVA looked like they had a chance to make a run, the Terps were able to find ways to stay in it. The Paradise Jam was a great set of games as well. Even though the teams were not the top in the country or from the major conferences, the win over Providence in the finals was a quality moment to make up for the close UConn loss. After the rough 24-point loss to FSU in Tallahassee, the team was able to rally at home for a redemption 12-point victory to split the series (until matching up in the ACC tourney).

The problem was that the low side was much, much larger. The season started with a 1-point loss to UConn where the Terps had the final shot to make an early season statement. The third game of the season against Oregon State saw Maryland losing to the Beavers at home in front of the Obamas. While the loss to Ohio State was not a surprise, the 2-point loss to the Colonials was a tough one to swallow, especially when that was followed by a 6-point loss to Boston University at home. Pitt and Florida State were able to bully the Terps on the road. After a wavy middle part of the season, the Terps found ways to lose their match-ups against ranked teams by no more than 4 points per game. They played Pitt at home, Duke on the road, and Syracuse at home. The double overtime loss to Clemson did not help either.

The Terps ended the season with a record of 17-15 (9-9 ACC). This was actually a step back from last season, when the Terps started with a tough close loss against Kentucky at the start of the season, finished the regular season with a record of 20-11 (8-10 ACC), went on a mini run with wins over Wake Forest and Duke in the ACC Tournament, and ended up in the NIT semifinals (losing to Iowa). Losing Alex Len was tough but the hope would be that the incoming recruits can fill the gaps currently in the roster.

Breaking Down the Team’s Performance

Rather than ranking the individual players, I have chosen to look at this from a positional standpoint. From an overall perspective, the team played small with no truly dominated inside players. While it appeared that there should have been an outside game with the 3-point shooters, the team struggled at time, especially with its top shooters. The incoming recruits are bringing more size and inside game, which should fill the gaps in the final ACC season.

PGs: Seth Allen is the clear best player on the team at this point. Although he does not always play as a 1-man, he can score and pushed himself to clean up the play of the rest of the team, particularly in the second half of the season. His 3-point shot is a little off at times, but he is the future of the team to build around. The only other player to truly play point was Roddy Peters. He has a lot of development left to do. His passing/assist game is not clean. He can smoke it through the paint on the fast break. This is a team that needs a true point guard…one who can actually run the offense effectively. B-

SGs: The conversation in this category is all around Dez Wells. He is a talented, NBA-style player, but his play this season was inconsistent. He disappeared during the first half of games in the second half of the season. He averaged less than 5 points per first half. In the second half of games, he seemed to turn it up. A lot of his points were from driving and drawing fouls. It is not clear if he is playing tentative and scoping out his opponents or if he has something else going on. The other significant SG was Nick Faust. He played with passion but not with consistency. He may be one of the better defenders, a guy who can disrupt offenses and score on the fast break. His 3-point shot was not as on-point later in the season, but there were a few solid makes that turned the tide of a few games. C+

SFs: The bulk of the 3-point shooting seemed to come from Evan Smotrycz and Jake Layman. These guys seemed to play well at different times. Smotrycz was bothered by back spasm issues at different points but seemed to play with passion. Layman started the season hot, especially from 3, but cooled off later in the final games. Their defense was something that was suspect at times. Shooting guards and small forwards were able to have their way against Maryland because of the poor match-ups. Both players have potential to improve their game prior to next season but there is some serious work to do. C

PFs: This section of the team had the most depth but struggled the most overall. Free throws are supposed to be high percentage opportunities. Jonathan Graham had the best percentage at 47%, Charles Mitchell struggled with a poor 32.9%, and Damonte Dodd truly was abysmal at 12.5%. None of these forwards were taller than 6’9″ and none of them played larger than their actual size. Charles Mitchell did rebound relatively well at 6.3 per game, but the others fell below 3 per game. Second chance opportunities were hard to come by. This was a squad that failed to make a presence inside and failed to put up great point averages to cause the overall game for Maryland to be balanced. It is not clear who will be the lead player from this group for next year. D+

C: There was only one true center this season. Shaquille Cleare stands at a short 6’9″, particularly in the way that he played like the rest of the PFs. In the end, it is tough to say that there was a true center in the first place. Cleare finished the season with only 3 points per game and under 60% at the stripe. Like the power forward position, this is the biggest area of need to strengthen the inside game and open up opportunities on the outside. D+

Coaching: It is easy to highlight that Mark Turgeon struggled in his third season, but he also showed a lot of passion for the team. It is hard to know how a coach impacts the game when you cannot be in the huddle or follow the stats and visuals on the court in the same way, but there was a tentativeness that plagued his coaching throughout the season. He allowed the ball to stay along the perimeter on offense too long, leaving the Terps without points on many trips down the court. Defensively, the Terps did not seem too bad, but there were a number of possessions when the defense forced opponents to hold their shots until the end but still dropped them in. There have been some questions about his post-game interviews as well. He has placed blame on everyone except himself. There is time to turn this around, and the basketball team is in a better position to succeed in the B1G move than the football team, but he is going to need to do it quickly. C-

Definitely hoping for some major, positive changes for our move to a new conference.