One of the great things about being a part of SB Nation is that we get really great coverage of most of the college teams across the landscape. The blogs representing the schools of the Big 12 are no exception and really do a great job of coverage and insight. Hell, there are more Big 12 blogs than there are teams (11, including us). Texas, I guess has too big an ego for just one blog covering them. I kid, I kid. All of the folks I've conversed with over the last 10 months or so have been awesome, all around our blogosphere. I try to spread the wealth around in our daily Shotgun/Throwdown but it's usually just a link and sometimes a random comment. We'd like to do more to shed a spotlight for you on some of our other blogs. With that in mind, here's the first of what we hope will be a regular feature around here, spotlighting excellent work from our Big 12 brethren. We By-Godders may even pick up a few new tricks in our coverage along the way too. These are just samples. The full posts are linked. Without further adieu...
Most of us have HUGE man-crushes on Coach Holgorsen. Well it seems the Longhorn faithful have the same affliction with one of their coaches:
Manny Diaz Says Awesome Things, New Mexico Week Edition - Burnt Orange Nation
Diaz was asked about the defense responding to diversity and was pleased that his group came out and blocked the extra point after the long touchdown pass, which he followed up with some heavy sarcasm:
Well, there's not going to be any touchdowns that we allow that I'm going to be overjoyed about.
Wah, wah. More chuckles! Chuckles are good.
Stay tuned for next week, when Diaz will probably say some more awesome things. Because he is awesome and that is what awesome people do.
The folks over at the Sooner blog have broken down a play with screen captures and commentary:
Oklahoma is lined up in a four receiver set with Justin Brown at the top and Kenny Stills in the slot just inside of him. This isn't a new set for the Sooners but it is one that can get them in some trouble if UTEP blitzes. Brennan Clay is the running back who will look for an extra defender. If there's no blitz then he'll release as the safety valve.
The Miners don't blitz on the play but what Landry Jones sees will require him to buy some extra time, and to do so he must show some poise and patience. Notice where he is on the hash marks.
UTEP only rushes four, dropping seven into coverage. Clay releases on a route, because there is no blitzer, which takes up a linebacker. So now there are six defenders covering four receivers. However, look at what's going on at the top. The topside linebacker is late getting into coverage on tight end Taylor McNamara and still has eyes in the Oklahoma backfield.
Kenny Stills is cutting up to the sideline which is going to cause some confusion with the defensive backs and spring him free. At the bottom Trey Metoyer is drawing a double team.
Over at the Baylor blog, they've amassed quite a collection of noteworthy stats from their SMU game:
Interesting Stats from Baylor vs. SMU - Our Daily Bears
- On defense, Baylor gave up 507 yards on 92 (!!!) offensive plays for SMU. 92 is more than any team ran against us last season! (Sidebar: Did you know that Kansas ran the ball on us last season? 64 times!) That's good for 5.51 yards per play, an average that would rank 5th last season, including, once again, the game against SFA. Two of the teams we held to fewer ypp last season hailed from the Sunflower State (Kansas) while the other was Rice. I don't have a good joke for Rice. It's Rice. The worst game in terms of ypp last season was Oklahoma State (9.5). You probably didn't need that reminder.
- To go with their 507 yards, SMU scored 24 points on those 92 plays for .261 points per play. Excluding the shutout against SFA, that ppp was better than any 2011 defensive performance. The next-best from 2011? The game against Texas (.282). The worst? Okie State once again (.937). Yes, OSU scored almost 1 point per play against us.
And finally, nobody, I mean nobody can rub salt in a wound and troll like our friends over at the Iowa State blog (the first is worth the click for the photoshop work alone):
Northern Illinois Loses Super Bowl, Deems 2012 A Lost Season - Wide Right & Natty Lite
Saturday marked the effective end to the Northern Illinois Huskies' football season as they relinquished a late lead in losing 18-17 to the Iowa Hawkeyes. "It's such a crazy thing, to have a game with this much importance to us this early in the season", NIU coach Dave Doeren said during Monday's MAC coaches teleconference. "It's like playing the Super Bowl during the preseason".
Cheer Up, Lil' Hawkeye - Wide Right & Natty Lite
Hey there, Hawk fan. How you feeling? Not too good, huh?
Yeah, it's understandable. That opening game against Northern Illinois wasn't very encouraging. You spent the last eight months convincing yourself that the Greg Davis experiment was going to be a big upgrade for your offense, and then everyone just shits the bed during the first game against a MAC team in rebuilding mode.
But hey, at least you won the game! You know what they say; a win is a win, whether it's by 20 points or... one point. Ugh. 18-17. That may be the most Big Ten score ever recorded. And not to rub salt in the wound, but take a look at the stats from the game last Saturday. James Vandenberg went 21-33. Hey, not too shabby! Oh, it was for 129 yards? That's 3.9 yards per attempt. Looks like Greg Davis' patented horizontal offense has been fully installed. And 268 offensive yards? That is... that is just rough. But hey, that kind of implosive offense is why Davis was hired, right?
There you have it. Next week we'll check back in with some more in-depth coverage from around the league.