College Football Roundup Week 1 Oklahoma Upset
Bradford Injured as BYU Defeats Sooners in Exciting First Weekend
Sep 8, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
The first weekend of College Football action only went to prove that it doesn’t matter how good a quarterback you are, you need at least a solid offensive line in front of you. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford found that out the hard way as he suffered as a shoulder injury while being sacked in the second quarter of his team’s season opener against Brigham Young. Oklahoma’s inexperienced offensive linemen struggled all night, as BYU’s linebackers were consistently able to breakthrough and disrupt what was expected to be a potent Sooners offense.
Slightly surprisingly defense was the story of the night as the teams combined for only 3 touchdowns along with 5 sacks and 6 turnovers in what was a tight 14-13 game finally won by a 16 play 78 yard drive led by BYU quarterback Max Hall and impressive running back Bryan Kariya. Ranked #3, Oklahoma had had high hopes of returning to the BCS game, but now they must be virtually flawless through the rest of the season for that goal to be realistic, and may need to cope without the services of Bradford for several weeks.
Key Question: Can Oklahoma Still Make The BCS Game?
Oklahoma suffered a serious setback in their season opener, not only in losing to go 0-1, but also in the injury to Bradford and the unanswered question marks over their offensive line. However, do not rule them out; their superb defensive unit was on full display in holding a good BYU offense to very little. 1,000 yards running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown also both had solid games and are capable of leading this offense for the duration of Bradford’s injury. The Sooners will have a uphill battle to claim a BCS berth but they are still a strong football team and should be amongst the league’s best once again this season. Don’t forget that the Florida Gators lost in September in their National Championship winning season last year.
Week 1 Roundup
Perhaps the pick of the rest of the first weekend of College Football was the re-igniting of an old rivalry that saw Miami Florida defeat Florida State 38-34 in an exciting back and forth contest. Jacory Harris who threw for 386 yards in a career night for the sophomore quarterback led Miami’s surprise win. The game ended in dramatic fashion as Florida State reached the 2-yard line in the closing seconds but Christian Ponder threw three incomplete passes failing to win the game for Florida State.
Elsewhere most of the top teams cruised through their season openers with Florida (1), Texas (2), USC (4), Mississippi (8), Penn State (9), California (12) and Notre Dame (23) all securing easy wins. Alabama (5) held a 498-155 total yards gained advantage over Virginia Tech (7) but the game was only decided in the fourth quarter, a 98-yard kick-off return and two costly turnovers kept things close until Alabama finally claimed a 34-24 victory in a good start for the Crimson Tide. Brian Rolle intercepted a two-point conversion and returned for two points the other way in the final minutes to help #6 ranked Ohio State past a pesky Navy effort. Kellen Moore threw for 197 yards as Boise State (14) held a dangerous Oregon (16) offense in check to claim the biggest win in their history 19-8. Star receiver Dez Bryant caught two touchdowns as Oklahoma State (10) made a strong statement in dismissing Georgia (13) 24-10 in their season opener.
Outside the Top 25, Cincinnati showed that they have the ability to challenge in the Big East with an impressive victory over Rutgers and Sunbelt champions Troy suffered defeat at the hands of strong MAC contenders Bowling Green, Troy faces Florida next weekend.
Week 2 Preview
Game to Watch
Clemson vs Georgia Tech (15)
A potentially very strong Georgia Tech team did win comfortably in the first weekend but will need far better performances if they are to challenge Virginia Tech in the ACC or in fact if they wish to get past a good Clemson side. Clemson is built on a fairly strong defense and if RB R.J. Spiller has a good season the offense could be dangerous as well. The contest could be one of the more evenly matched of the weekend.
Other notable match ups involve Troy facing #1 ranked Florida; LSU facing a potentially tricky encounter against Vanderbilt; Notre Dame’s hopes of rising again will be better tested by Michigan and the #3 ranked USC clash against #8 Ohio State in a crucial match up for both teams.
Upset Pick
Tulanne over BYU (9)
This may seem like a strange choice after BYU’s excellent performance against Oklahoma, and Tulanne disappointing effort against Tulsa. Brigham Young’s performance against Oklahoma was not perfect and it is likely that if Bradford had stayed fit he would have guided Oklahoma to victory, their slightly disappointing offensive line will once again come up against a strong defensive line and the Tulanne offense is more than capable of scoring the points to cause a shock. On paper BYU should have this match up easily but do not be surprised by the upset.
Sam Bradford
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