Thoughts on College Football's Week 10 and NFL Week 9

1. Best of the Week

Best Game: Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma (Bedlam)

Oklahoma is really having quite the tour of the Big 12 as they leave for the SEC aren't they? This is an all-time rivalry and I am sad to see it go. Stillwater has one of the weirdest fields in the sport and quite the rowdy fan base. The name of the rivalry is always fitting, especially in Stillwater. This game was weird, it was back and forth, and nothing beats beating your rival. Great win, Pokes.

Best Player: CJ Stroud (QB) - Texans

The runner up for game of the week had the best player. CJ Stroud bounces back after losing to Bryce Young to throw 5 TD's against the Buccaneers. I love to see it. Stroud has been commanding in Houston and is validating the draft pick every week. This is not gimmicky, he is making big-time throws and reading the whole field. Can the Texans make the playoffs? I wouldn't bet against Stroud.

Best Uniform: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Feelin’ like ’98 🔥#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/ecOhgZeyCI

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) August 15, 2023

Feelin’ like ’98 🔥#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/ecOhgZeyCI

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) August 15, 2023

I love a good throwback, and the Bulldogs did it right with a corresponding field design. For the uniform, my favorite part is the stripes on the shoulder with the interlocking "MSU" overlaid. Starkville, most underrated environment in the SEC. 

2. Adjustment Season

On Saturday night, late in the second half of the Michigan-Purdue game, I noticed something interesting when the Wolverines were on defense. Number 0, Mike Sainristil, was lining up at outside corner opposite of Will Johnson. Why is that interesting? Sainristil made the transition from wide receiver to defensive back last year. He found a home playing the nickel corner, being a ballhawk en route to several pick sixes, and being a potent edge blitzer and willing tackler. Combine that with the fact that he is a vocal leader for the team, and it's a perfect fit and a great story of a college athlete sticking around and finding a home on the field.

Michigan has a problem, however. They want to play a lot of cover 1, knowing that if they can jam the receivers up long enough their vaunted front can get home (insert your Stallions jokes here). Each of the past two years, they've had one corner who could hold up that end of the bargain really well and one who could not. The best play against the Michigan defense was to move your best receiver around until he got matched up one on one against Michigan's lesser corner and then throw a go route. Michigan State was incredibly successful last year doing this with Keion Coleman, Bowling Green and UNLV both did it earlier in the year, and Purdue did it one time for their best pass play of the game. Last year, this ended with Will Johnson's emergence as a true freshman starter, but this year there hasn't been an answer.

Michigan heads to Penn State this weekend and you can bet the Nittany Lions want to have at least one big play, which they never got against Ohio State. There are some great teams out there that now need to make some small changes, whether to tune up the engine or to fill an injury, to finish the season strong. We have seen Alabama's adjustments to their offense to get it good enough to complement their defense. Marvin Harrison Jr. is getting stronger as the season goes on because Ohio State is figuring out how McCord can get him the football. Be on the lookout for play calling and personnel changes for all the big teams here in November.

3. You Win Up Front

The Miami Dolphins are the most fun team to watch in the NFL. They have 7 of the top 10 fastest players in the league and can put up points in a hurry. But as we have now seen three times with the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs, they have a problem against the top teams in the league. Why is that? Tua has impeccable timing, instincts, and ball placement. But he's quite short and if the timing is messed up, or he is moved off his spot by a pass rusher, he starts having problems. Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, Josh Sweat, Chris Jones, and George Karlaftis have all collapsed the pocket and made Tua get happy feet, lean back, and not get zip on the ball. Skill guys are awesome, they win football games with how they can bend the will of a defense. But if you don't have time to get them the ball, it doesn't matter. As the weather gets colder, we will continue to see the top teams assert their will on other opponents. Whether that is Saturday or Sunday, it ends up with the same results, a win.

4. Quarterback Injuries

Daniel Jones joins the list of NFL starters who are out for the season. There are going to be some ugly games this winter. Why is this happening? Is it the turf? I think one item that needs to be explored is how emboldened these guys are now based on how protected they are by the rules. Whenever they get touched they look at the refs for the flag, which is their right as a competitor trying to get yards. But then when they do the fake slides and keep running, when they get out of the pocket they lower the shoulder, and inside the pocket they keep fighting to make the big play instead of going down. I feel like now the quarterbacks get hit less but when they do, it's at weird angles and they are completely flailed open instead of protecting themselves. I know the ACL's and Achilles are usually non-contact, but could that be the straw that breaks the camel's back after the camel just took massive hit after massive hit for so long?

5. Play of the Week

Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time. He has created the best dynasty since late 19th century Yale. This elongated run happened because he realized the sport was changing and he needed to update his offense. Out with the Greg McElroy's and AJ McCarron's, in with the Tua Tagovailoa's and Bryce Young's. But I think this is his favorite team in a long time. I think he hated having Lane Kiffin's visor and Sark's fauxhawk calling up all of these pass plays. I think he loves the physicality they have now. Jalen Milroe rushed 20 times on Saturday night for 155 yards and 4 touchdowns. They run the ball and throw deep. It's a throwback, still in shotgun, and a ton of fun to watch. Here, we will look at what seems like a read option play, but is really a quarterback keeper from the get-go, a play you may remember from the old NCAA Football games as "QB Wrap".

• Just because you are in shotgun doesn't mean you can't have two tight ends. Here, Alabama inverts them with the outside tight end (dot 1) on the line of scrimmage while the inside tight end (dot 2) is set back. This makes the edge players very nervous, as the tight end can easily down block on the last man with his hand in the dirt (demonstrated by the yellow arrow). This could work for the running back (dot 4) to run an outside run with the tackle pulling perhaps. It's uncomfortable, and we always want our opponents to be uncomfortable.
• The receiver motioned down (dot 3) and is eyeing the linebacker, let's keep an eye on him.
• LSU is putting a lot of player on the line of scrimmage and up in the box. They want to break up all the of the pulling and cutback blocking and everything else Alabama is doing.

• It looks like Alabama is running a simple inside zone play with the play side tight end (dot 2) coming across for the cutback block. The linebacker (dot 1) steps up to take it on.
• But what is the outside receiver (dot 3) doing? He's coming down to block the linebacker. Why?

• The receiver came down to block the linebacker down (dot 1) and now the tight end (dot 2) is "wrapping" around the block to be a lead blocker for Milroe (dot 3). He will take on the first player to show up, which won't be the linebacker (dot 4) who is jumping in the air to see what the f@&k is happening in the backfield (not a great look). It will be the corner (dot 5).

• The corner doesn't take the outside angle and gets sealed off by the tight end (dot 1). Now, because everyone was so close to the line of scrimmage, it's a footrace from the 23 yard line to the pylon between Milroe (dot 2) and a bunch of big guys.

• The easiest of his four touchdowns. What an awesome scheme, I can't wait to see the Bama-Georgia SEC Title Game.