--Is there a worse logo than the one Western Kentucky sported on its helmets Saturday? In all seriousness, an eight-grader could do this. Poker savant Tad Jurgens showed more pride of being 'Born & Raised a Hilltopper' than WKU did with this logo.
--Nebraska clocked in Saturday with an impressive overall performance Saturday, complete with enough highlight plays to excite fans but enough questions marks to keep them paranoid as well. Taylor Martinez showed running ability that NU has not seen since Tommie Frazier---natural ability with the knack for making the last defender miss to either get a first down, make it to the end zone, or break a big play. He also showed a good ability at reading the defense while deciding whether to hand off or run--something NU has not seen since Scott Frost.
Having at least one home run threat, where NU won't have to be perfect for 12 plays, would be a huge plus. We'll see how Martinez performs against real competition, as we should remember how Joe Dailey was anointed the second coming after throwing four TDs against Western Illinois to begin the 2004 season.
--Speaking of home-run threats, it appears Shawn Watson is prepared to let one go to waste this season. Roy Helu got five carries Saturday. Five. What a joke. We're all for preserving your best running back for more meaningful games, but an RB needs more than five touches to knock the rust off and get in tune with his offensive lineman. His benching should keep Nebraska's racist fans happy, however, as Rex Burkhead got seven touches to Helu's five.
--PYB says Michigan looked pretty good Saturday while dominating UConn. QB Denard Robinson was impressive. The Huskies' defense never had a chance. This week we'll find out if Rich Rodriguez's system is taking hold, as the Wolverines get a chance to smack yet-again overhyped and mediocre Notre Dame.
--Niles Paul's preseason proclamation that 2010 will be his breakout season was another crock of shit. Should anyone be surprised? After losing two games with fumbles for the Cornhuskers in 2009, he put another ball on the ground Saturday. To top it off, he dropped an easy pass the next series. And, as always, he looked slow and pedestrian on punt returns. Brandon Kinnie, despite not having any wheels, looked much more reliable as a receiver.
Paul has even saddled his new QB with a stupid nickname, T-Magic, which nerd Nebraska fans have run with already. It is stupid, and so is the 15-year-old trend of taking one's first initial and adding it to the first half of one's last name. A-Rod, K-Rod, T-Mart, fucking gay. No surprise, however, that Levi's-clad NU fans are latching on to this trend.
--Potentially more alarming than Paul's butterfingers was the defensive line's performance. They looked to be getting pushed backward quite consistently during the last 40 minutes of Saturday's game. Most concerning was the defensive-tackle play. Terrence Moore was pushed three yards back with regularity, and looking at NU's roster is frightening. Jared Crick is the only experienced DT. While it's possible for one to emerge like Crick did last season, the lack of established players here could be a sore spot against physical teams. Hopefully, Chase Rome and Thad Randle are on the verge of contributing, as advertised.
--Nice debut by Kansas coach Turner Gill, as the Jayhawks fell to North Dakota State 6-3. Apparently, not cursing and overusing the 'We Love God' angle doesn't win games. Maybe karma will be nicer once you starting tipping the pizza guy.
--Hopefully, the coaches will limit Rickey Thenarse's playing time to special teams only. He almost hurt NU's best defender, Alfonzo Dennard, with a late-hit on a WKU player with Dennard as collateral damage. The guy hasn't grasped the system in four seasons, and he never will. He's dangerous to the team defense concept and his teammates.
--Young linebackers Alonzo Whaley and Lavonte David showed impressive playmaking abilities, but looked to blow some assignments. The defensive line will have to improve to support their development, or things could get ugly against better competition.
--Nice to see Navy's coach pulling a Dave Wannstedt to lose the game vs. Maryland at the goal line. Feel free to call one play in four that is not an option.
--Finally, congratulations to the zebras for ruining what had been a great Boise State vs. Virginia Tech game through 58 minutes Monday night. Picking up the illegal block flag on Boise gave the Broncos at least 40 undeserved yards, and the personal foul on Virginia Tech that moved Boise to the 10-yard line was horrendous. The Chokies aren't without blame, however, as the playcalling and clock management on their second-to-last series were horrendous. Running out of bounds, sideline passes that fell incomplete and stopped the clock....was Frank Solich running this team? The final straw came on the Hokies' last-gasp drive, as Tyrod Taylor decided to throw hail marys every play, rather than stick to the passing game that hard worked all second half. VT had 1:20 remaining and two timeout. Just awful.
--Big week in Week 2. Stay tuned.
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