Week 13 Summary
Week 13 Summary
12/1/15
Joe Broback
CLAEYS LETS LIMEGROVER GO
The coaching carousel is spinning and has been spinning for a while now. Some coaches have accepted positions (Matt Campbell from Toledo to Iowa State, Justin Fuente from Memphis to Virginia Tech), while others had their interim tag removed (Bill Cubit at Illinois, Clay Helton at USC, and Tracy Claeys at Minnesota). Coaches will be relieved of their duties and others will receive new ones. Claeys was the first to make some changes, but did so at a peculiar time. Not even a day after the Gophers loss to Wisconsin (their 12th in a row), Claeys fired offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski.
Claeys had hinted at changing things on the offensive side of the ball, but the move still surprised many. The move brings up many questions about Claeys loyalty, but that can’t be an issue when trying to win football games. Every coach knows the college football world is becoming a “win-now” culture, and Claeys is trying to produce that in his tenure. Of the coaching changes so far, Claeys is the only hire I’m not sold on. Cubit took an Illini team that lost its coach a week before the season, and almost brought them to a bowl game. Helton’s team is playing in the Pac 12 championship game. Campbell led the Rockets to its second consecutive nine win season with a bowl game still remaining. Fuente’s produced one of the top offenses in the nation, a potential NFL first round quarterback, and another nine win season with a bowl game left. Claeys accomplishments so far: a win against Cubit’s Illini. The verdict is still out for Claeys, but anything less than a bowl game shouldn’t be tolerated.
FIXING THE GOPHERS
Regardless of who is calling plays next season, the offense needs to improve greatly. This year’s offense was led by freshman Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith, and receiver KJ Maye. No one other than those three had an impact, and Maye won’t be back next year. Two problems still remain: the offensive line and quarterback. Offensive line has been an issue all year, but has the potential to improve. While they were riddled with injuries this year, the O-line needs to play better next year. Many of Brooks’ and Smith’s runs were after they broke multiple tackles and creating their own holes. Claeys’ recruiting focus needs to be bringing in better lineman.
Now to the quarterback, which I could go weeks talking about, but I’ll try to keep it short. I’ll start with this: Mitch Leidner is not the future, and never will be. Yes he has three years of experience, but he is not a valuable asset. Leidner has never had the expectations that he needs to win games by himself, but he has had the expectation of opening things up on offense. He’s not going to throw the ball 40 times a game and produce 2 minute scoring drives, but he doesn’t even make the defense respect the Gophers passing game. Teams load the box because they know, at critical times, Leidner won’t hurt them. Part of the reason why the offensive line is a problem is because teams are more willing to load the box and blitz against Minnesota. Defenses will blitz more guys than the Gophers have to protect, which looks bad on the offensive line. But when your quarterback does not do much to relieve that pressure, the blame falls elsewhere. Go back and listen to the TV broadcasts and listen to what the announcers have to say about Leidner. The only compliment I heard about him multiple times is that he plays like a defensive end and isn’t afraid of contact. Not what you want to hear about your quarterback.
There are many quarterbacks that aren’t given the opportunity to throw very much but they need to make throws when they’re called upon. In the offense they are in, they are run heavy and pass only when necessary. Leidner is one of those quarterbacks. Compare him to Justin Thomas of Georgia Tech. According to passer ratings from this year, Thomas had a better passer rating than Leidner. He also threw just as many touchdowns as Leidner and less interceptions. This is Justin Thomas from Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech! The school that is notorious for their triple option and runs the ball even when you know they’re going to run. Thomas is an athlete who was recruited to play quarterback, Mitch is a quarterback recruited to play quarterback. Thomas is 5’11” and fast and Leidner is 6’4” and big. Thomas has the ability to run away from people, Leidner can’t run through anyone. One of the worst parts about this season is that Shannon Brooks threw the best ball of the season when he hit Drew Wolitarsky against Iowa. Ok that may be a stretch, but you get the point.
Bottom line is Leidner’s career has been disappointing and he shouldn’t return. Minnesota better hope Demry Croft or someone else can develop into a passer/have an ability to escape or Minnesota will be in for more of the same next year.
TRENDING UP
Heisman Hopefuls----The race for the Heisman is becoming a two man race and it will be difficult to pick between Derrick Henry and Baker Mayfield. Both are having stellar seasons, but Henry has an advantage. His team plays Florida this week for the SEC championship game and he could seal a Heisman win with another standout performance. If Henry gashes Florida’s defense, he will bring back a trophy that hasn’t been won by a Tide player since Mark Ingram in 2009.
Top 4----All of the top four teams won this week. All but one (Oklahoma) need to win again this week to ensure they get a playoff position. Win and they’re in, lose and….well….I can’t really tell you what would happen. Clemson (vs North Carolina), Alabama (vs Florida), and Iowa (vs Michigan State) all have stiff tests this week, but would solidify a spot by winning.
TRENDING DOWN
Playoff Chaos----Could it be that the chaos is under control? Most likely not, but this week gave us a little more clarity. The only problem would be if three of the top four teams lose. Losses by the aforementioned Tigers, Tide, and Hawkeyes would cause chaos in the committee, but wins would make the top four an easy choice.
Coach Openings----This is trending down because it’s not a good sign if your school is letting go of your coach. Mark Richt was the most recent coach to get the axe from his school. Richt won so many games at Georgia, but it came down to the fact that he didn’t win enough big games. It’s fine if you can beat the Tennessee’s, Kentucky’s, and South Carolina’s of the SEC, but you also need to beat the Alabama’s, LSU’s, and Florida’s if you want to keep your job.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Chris Warren III, Texas (276 yards rushing, 4 TD)----Did Ricky Williams come back for a year of eligibility? Warren was running like Williams in the Longhorns loss to Texas Tech. Warren, a freshman, has Texas fans looking forward to the future with this performance.
Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky (370 yards passing, 5 TD)-----For anyone doubting Doughty’s ability to match last year’s end of the year run (see Week 12 for those numbers), you may want to start believing. Doughty tore apart Marshall’s defense on his way to a 49-28 win to play in the Conference USA championship. For anyone still doubting, don’t be surprised if Doughty amazes you the next two games.
Marquis Young, UMass (240 yards rushing, 3 TD)----In what has been another disappointing season for the Minutemen, Young provided a bright spot. Young ran over Buffalo’s defense all day and gave UMass their third win of the season.
Deshaun Watson, Clemson (279 yards passing, 1 TD; 114 yards rushing, 3 TD)----He may not have done too little too late, but this performance was still eye popping. Watson’s team struggled to put away South Carolina, raising concerns for this week, but Watson wouldn’t let his team lose.
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State (214 yards rushing, 2 TD)----I almost don’t want to put him on the list for what he said after. You just had a great game against your rival and all you can think about is tweeting about Derrick Henry getting 43 carries. What did you think people were going to say? Don’t get me wrong, Elliott is one of the best backs in the country, but he’s becoming one of the biggest headaches.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis (222 yards passing, 7 TD)----The yardage is less than stellar, but it was only in one half and on nine completions. Seven of those went for touchdowns. Memphis had the game in hand at halftime with a 56-0 lead and didn’t look back. The backups were in and still didn’t let the Mustangs score.
GAME BALL: Watson. Clemson needed all of his production to win the game, and will need it in the future as well. The Tigers play North Carolina this week and can’t afford to slip against the Tar Heels. A loss eliminates them from the playoff, and a win seals their spot.
WEEK 13 PREDICTIONS
My pick: Baylor 55 TCU 49 ACTUAL: TCU 28 Baylor 21
Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was the injuries. Ok there is no excuse Baylor can come up with that TCU couldn’t use also. Is this outcome different without the pouring rain? Yes, Baylor wins in a landslide, but that’s part of the game. TCU’s defense was, surprisingly the spotlight in keeping the top scoring offense to 21 points and coming up with a huge stop in double overtime. Neither team’s offense played outstanding, but TCU’s did enough to win and ruin Baylor’s already slim playoff hopes.
My pick: Michigan 24 Ohio State 20 ACTUAL: Ohio State 42 Michigan 13
Wow Michigan, way to show up. The Wolverines looked fine for the first half, and then another team must have replaced them for the second half. Ohio State dominated the second half behind the legs of JT Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott (a combined 353 yards and 5 touchdowns rushing). Ohio State did what they needed to do to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Michigan State smashed those hopes later by beating Penn State. The Buckeyes should make a New Year’s bowl, but may not because they will be the third best team in their conference.
My pick: Florida 28 Florida State 24 ACTUAL: Florida State 27 Florida 2
Florida State exposed Florida and proved the Gators are not playoff contenders. Dalvin Cook ran for 183 yards and two scores in a game that the Seminoles dominated on both sides of the ball. Florida’s only score was a safety, but the offense couldn’t get much going. The Seminoles hushed any talk about the Gators still being in the playoff talk, and Cook reminded us why he’s considered one of the top backs in the country.
My pick: Stanford 38 Notre Dame 28 ACTUAL: Stanford 38 Notre Dame 36
Well, Notre Dame, if you wanted people to respect you, you should have won this game. The Cardinal used a last second field goal to win the game after it looked like the Irish went ahead for good. DeShone Kizer scored with 30 seconds left in the game, but Kevin Hogan led the Cardinal down the field to set up Conrad Ukropina’s 45 yard game winner. Stanford won’t make the playoff unless something bizarre occurs this week, but should that happen, they are in prime position to make a jump. All they need to do is beat USC, a team that gave them troubles earlier in the year.
My pick: Ole Miss 44 Mississippi State 40 ACTUAL: Ole Miss 38 Mississippi State 27
Dak Prescott was bottled up, sort of. Prescott didn’t go off like usual, but it was more due to his supporting cast’s lack of production. The Rebels got off to a fast start and hung on at the end to finish second in the SEC West. Ole Miss forced two Bulldogs turnovers, which turned out to be the difference in the game. Ole Miss has had two impressive weeks and will cause issues for the team they face in the bowl game. For the Bulldogs, they finish 8-4, which is better than many expected them to finish. Dak Prescott will focus on his last collegiate game and move on to the NFL. It’s hard not to wonder what he could have done on a more talented team.
My pick: Oklahoma 35 Oklahoma State 27 ACTUAL: Oklahoma 58 Oklahoma State 23
For anyone that doubted Oklahoma going into this game, the Sooners made a bold statement by destroying the Cowboys. It was take a number for the OU offense as it seemed players took turns gashing OSU’s defense. The Sooners defense made life miserable for J.W. Walsh, who started in place of the injured Mason Rudolph. The Cowboys’ season has quickly taken a nose dive after two losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, but they must shift their attention to the bowl game. Oklahoma will sit and wait to hear what seed they will get in the playoff, and could get the top spot should Clemson and Alabama slip up.
