Word
of the day at Michigan Stadium Saturday afternoon? Relief, as Michigan escaped
with a 28-24 win over the Akron Zips.
Devin Gardner totaled 351 yards, (103
yards rushing), and 3 touchdowns in the win. That's the good news, the bad
news? 4 total turnovers including 2 in the red zone (Michigan red zone
conversion streak ended at 46, longest in the country), and an
interception returned for a touchdown when it seemed Michigan was taking the
game back into their own hands. Akron controlled the line of scrimmage on both
sides of the ball, out played, out hit. and out hustled The Wolverines all
game. Two opportunities inside the Michigan 5 yard line fell short in the final
seconds as Michigan somehow found a way to win the game. Akron walks away from
this game thinking they should have won, and unfortunately for them, they're
right. Michigan nation, before you spend the week chastising this team remember
this: A win is a win, there is still a zero in the loss column, and this
coaching staff will do everything in their power to make sure this doesn't
happen again. Michigan plays at Connecticut Saturday at 8pm.
A lot of people were thinking Alabama at Texas A&M was the premiere
game of this entire 2013 season just 3 weeks in. It may be a little early to give
any game that title, regardless, both teams lived up to the billing as The
Crimson Tide beat the Aggies in College Station 49-42. Led by Quarterback AJ
McCarron ( 20/29 - 334 yards - 4 touchdowns ), and tailback TJ Yeldon ( 25
carries - 149 yards - 1 touchdown ), The Tide rolled to 35 unanswered points
after being down 14-0 early in the first quarter. Heisman trophy winner Johnny
Manziel totaled 562 yards and 5 touchdowns, but his 2 interceptions ( 1 in the
red zone - and 1 returned for a touchdown ) turned out to be the difference in
the game. Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans led Aggie receivers with 7
receptions for 279 yards, including a 95 yard touchdown catch. The score of
this game is slightly misleading considering that Alabama was up 21 points two
different times during the game. A costly fumble by Yeldon at the Tide 1 yard
line swung the momentum, but wasn't enough as Alabama hung on for the 7 point
win. Alabama hosts Colorado State this weekend, while Texas A&M hosts SMU
at Kyle Field.
Michigan State rolled over Youngstown State 55-17. It looks like the
Spartans have found some offense under Quarterback Connor Cook ( 15-22 - 202
yards - 4 touchdowns ). Defense was great as usual ( 8 total first downs - 172
total yards - 2 turnovers ). We'll see if the offense can keep it up this
weekend in South Bend.
The Big Ten and The PAC 12 held a 4 game set this weekend with the Pac
12 taking 3 of the 4 games. The lone Big Ten victory, a 52-34 win at Cal with
Braxton Miller on the shelf with a sprained knee. Quarterback Kenny Guiton
stepped in and won Big Ten offensive player of the week honors ( 368 total
yards - 4 touchdown passes ), Jordan Hall rushed for 168 yards and 3 scores,
while Devin Smith caught 3 balls for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jared Goff led
the way for the Golden Bears ( 31/52 - 371 yards - 3 touchdowns - 1
interception ), receiver Chris Harper caught 6 of those balls for 115 yards and
1 touchdown. The OSU offense was just too much for Cal, totaling 608 yards.
It looked like Nebraska was going to cruise to an easy win with a 21-3
lead mid way through the second quarter. Think again, Husker fans left shell
shocked as UCLA ripped off 38 unanswered points ( 28 points in the 3rd quarter
) en route to a 41-21 win in Lincoln. Brett Hundley totaled 355 yards and 3
touchdowns, and the Bruin defense locked in, shutting out Nebraska for the
final 37 minutes of game time. The Nebraska defense was a huge issue again,
giving up 504 total yards. Going 3/14 on third down conversions did not help
either. Nebraska looks to get back on track against South Dakota State this
weekend.
Washington out lasted Illinois 34-24 in a neutral site game played at
Soldier Field. Keith Price ( 28-35 - 342 yards - 2 touchdowns ) and Bishop
Sankey ( 35 carries - 208 yards - 1 touchdown ) led the way for the Huskies.
It looked like the Big Ten was going to walk away from this set with a
split when Wisconsin, down 32-30, put together a drive that put them inside
their own 20 yard line with 18 seconds left. The following chain of events were
controversial to say the least. Quarterback Joel Stave went to center the ball
and took a knee, dropped the ball on the ground and attempted to get the
offense on the ball to spike it, having no timeouts left. A Sun Devil defensive
player covered the ball thinking ( or acting like ) it was a fumble, and did so
for about 6-8 seconds with the officials just standing there. By the time the
officials set the ball, the clock ran out, preventing the Badgers from spiking it
and getting their field goal team in the game. The officials were reprimanded
by the Pac 12 on Monday, unfortunately for Wisconsin, that won't replace the
sting of a game they easily could, and probably should have won.
Don't forget to check out The Sports Bar Westside each and every weekend
for great college and pro football viewing. Hang out with us while the Tigers
get closer to that division title and a repeat trip to the World Series.
Our
Sunday happy hour goes from open to close with $3.50/$4.50 23 oz. beers and
$3.25/$4.25 wine specials.
We provide the NFL ticket so whatever game you would
like to watch, we can provide. We hope to serve you soon!!
