COLLEGE FOOTBALL
I still stick by my article from last week about
giving Appalachian State its due. The Mountaineers
are a good team and they deserve all the credit in the
world. However, as an avid college football fan I can
only wonder what’s going on in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan’s loss in week one gave Wolverine fans
and critics alike a reason to call for the job of head
coach Lloyd Carr. Saturday’s loss to Oregon only fans
a fire that is only going to get warmer. The person
who might be sicker than Carr at this point is me …
I picked Michigan to win the Big 10 this year. While
they haven’t played a conference game yet, it’s hard
to see Michigan making moves against teams like
Ohio State when it can’t beat the lesser teams on the
schedule.
Speaking of overrated teams… maybe it’s time to
move Virginia Tech into that category. The Hokies
barely played well enough to beat East Carolina at
home two weeks ago and then got thrashed by LSU on
the road on Saturday. Quite simply, Virginia Tech’s
offense isn’t very good. The offensive line is thin and
ineffective; therefore, the running game is ineffective.
Quarterback Sean Glennon doesn’t seem to be the
answer to the team’s problems, but he certainly isn’t
the cause (see offensive line). It doesn’t matter how
good a team’s defense is; if the offense can’t move the
ball, the defense will get tired and become useless.
NFL
Props must be given to the Indianapolis Colts
for starting their 2007 campaign with a bang. New
Orleans is a good team and a legitimate Super Bowl
contender out of the NFC. Peyton Manning and the
rest of the offense looked good as usual, but the real
surprise was how good the Colts’ defense looked. If the
Indianapolis defense plays that way all year, the Colts
are looking at a deep run in the playoffs. Complete
games like the one against New Orleans makes me
think the Colts could become the fi rst team since the
’72 Dolphins to go undefeated.
Another hats off goes to the Washington Redskins.
While they weren’t overly impressive in yesterday’s
16-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins (MY Miami
Dolphins), the win was at least a step in the right
direction. Jason Campbell showed he can place the
ball well. A few drops kept the Redskins from really
putting the game away earlier.
VCU
Know this: VCU men’s soccer is back where it is
supposed to be. The Rams are off to a hot 3-0-1 start
with shutout wins over Virginia Tech and Albany, a 2-1
win over Clemson and a scoreless tie with St. John’s.
On the women’s side, things appear to be turning
around after being shutout twice at the Villanova
tournament. The Rams have since beaten Maine and
tied Oklahoma in the Nike/Tribe Invitational. Not only
is it good for moral to start playing well – VCCU plays
perennial powerhouse North Carolina this weekend
in the VCU/Ewing Sports Invitational held at Sports
Backers Stadium.
Coach Kelly McQuade’s fi eld hockey team is off to
a 3-1 start after winning only four games last season.
The Rams only blemish comes by way of a 1-0 loss
in overtime to American, which is ranked 16th in the
nation.