Hotmail
Five thoughts: Cotton Bowl
by FOXSports.com
1. Big 12 called into question
Bowl season roundup
 |
Bowl recaps and analysis:
-
EagleBank: Wake 29, Navy 19 | CFN
New Mexico: Colo. St. 40, Fresno St. 35
St. Petersburg: S. Florida 41, Memphis 14
Las Vegas: Arizona 31, BYU 21 | CFN
New Orleans: SMU 30, Troy 27 (OT) | CFN
Poinsettia: TCU 17, Boise St. 16 | CFN
Hawaii: Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21 | CFN
Motor City: FAU 24, Cen. Mich. 21 | CFN
Meineke: W. Virginia 31, UNC 30 | CFN
Champs Sports: Fla. St. 42, Wis. 13 | CFN
Emerald: Cal 24, Miami 17 | CFN
Independence: La. Tech 17, NIU 10 | CFN
Papajohns.com: Rutgers 29, N.C. St. 23
Alamo: Mizzou 30, N'west. 23 (OT) | CFN
Humanitarian: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
Texas: Rice 38, W. Michigan 14
Holiday: Oregon 42, Oklahoma St. 31 | CFN
Armed Forces: Houston 34, Air Force 28
Sun: Oregon St. 3, Pittsburgh 0 | CFN
Music City: Vandy 16, BC 14 | CFN
Insight: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
Chick-fil-A: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
Outback: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10 | CFN
Capital One: Georgia 24, MSU 12 | CFN
Gator: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
Rose: USC 38, Penn St. 24 | Analysis
Orange: Va. Tech 20, Cincinnati 7
Cotton: Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34
Liberty: Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
Sugar: Utah 31, Alabama 17
International: UConn 38, Buffalo 20
Fiesta: Texas 24, Ohio St. 21 | Analysis
GMAC: Tulsa 45, Ball St. 13
BCS title: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
Photo gallery:
Shopping:
2. Was that your best, Tech?
There's a line from the old HBO movie, Barbarians at the Gate, about the takeover bids to acquire RJR Nabisco, when the final proposals are submitted: "Is this the best you can do ... the very best?"
This was it for Texas Tech. This was the peak of what a program in a division with traditional superpowers like Texas and Oklahoma can reach. Everyone was back on defense, ten starters returned on offense, and the coaching staff got an upgrade. And this was it, all getting blown up by an Ole Miss team that had time to prepare. The Tech offense wasn't bad, but it was hardly the killer it was expected to be with all the talent and all the experience it boasted, and now the question has to be out there about whether or not Mike Leach can be the type of coach who can take a program to the elite of the elite level. When is he going to put together a better team than this one? Can great defenses figure out how to slow the machine down when they get time to prepare? Remember, Alabama, and not this year's Alabama, stopped the Red Raiders cold a few years ago in the Cotton Bowl. Virginia and Minnesota had Tech dead-to-rights the last two bowl seasons, only to have Graham Harrell get hot at just the right time to pull off extraordinary comeback wins. Texas isn't going anywhere and Oklahoma isn't going to get worse in the near future, but Harrell and Michael Crabtree will be off to the next level. Oh sure, as long as Leach sticks around, Tech will put up big offensive numbers, but can the program ever get any higher than this? After this performance, there's still a lot to prove. Otherwise, just being a very good, very scary midrange Big 12 program isn't necessarily a bad thing. -- Pete Fiutak
3. What a final act for the Cotton
Baseball is the sport where something truly remarkable can happen on any given day, but the final Cotton Bowl in the Cotton Bowl stadium offered a fairly unique football case study. Consider the powerful pendulum swings that occurred in this game, usually on back-to-back plays, and sometimes on an individual play.
Four massive emotion swings took place in this game. The Rebels benefited from three of them, and that's not counting the devastating one-two punch of a pick-six and a long kick return that greatly increased UM's confidence level in the third quarter. Tech made a number of big plays; Ole Miss made even bigger plays, and more of them ... usually on the back end of a back-to-back sequence. Ball game. -- Matthew Zemek
4. Texas Tech isn't a fraud
After the kerfuffle surrounding the three-way tie in the Big 12 South, many will claim that this loss makes Texas Tech a fraud and a phony. Please don't go there. This was far more about Ole Miss flexing its muscles than Tech failing. Michael Crabtree wasn't very healthy, and some wild, emotion-swinging plays cut against the Red Raiders, such as a pick-six that took place because Crabtree slipped on the Cotton Bowl turf. That stuff happens. The real revelation here is that Ole Miss is a big-time team up and down its roster. Credit the Rebels for bringing their A-game and offering a defensive front that outplayed Tech's decorated offensive line. Both teams have plenty of athletes, but Ole Miss was--by far--the physically superior team. What Mike Leach might want to consider after losing this non-conference game is to beef up his out-of-conference schedule in future years. Tech scheduled two FCS opponents and 1-11 SMU to go along with 7-6 Nevada. Had Tech been willing to play a big boy from a power conference in September, perhaps an SEC school wouldn't have punched them in the mouth today. -- Matthew Zemek
5. Welcome to the party, Mr. Snead
Although he started slowly and wasn't perfect, Ole Miss' blowout of Texas Tech will officially go down as QB Jevan Snead's national coming-out party with the program. It was almost poetic that the former blue-chip recruit from the University of Texas returned back to his home state for his biggest moment, going 18-of-29 for 292 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. He did a nice job of bouncing back from that lone interception, which Darcel McBath took back for six, making a statement that he'll be one of the nation's top 10 quarterbacks of 2009. Snead has a rifle for an arm, and this first full season as the starter will really pay dividends a year from now. -- Richard Cirminiello
Member Comments
I only know of 3 Nat'l Titles. Typical errogant LSU fan. Look back and see for yourself if you care about facts. When we received out Titles this nation had other polls which were more fair and unbiased and yes they picked Ole Miss 3 times.<br />You want to know some real jokes- LSU always taliking about cannon's famous run that beat Ole Miss. We kicked tiger tail in the Sugar Bowl. What's more important regular season or beating cannon in the Sugar Bowl?<br />I luv your legit 2 Nat'l Titles this decade. Let's see in 2004 USC was ranked #1 in both polls before the bowls but LSU slid in the back door to play OU. Coincidentally, the game was in New orleans. USC was ranked #1 after the bowls and LSU got the BCS title because they had to vote for LSU. The 2007 Team was supposed to be left out after losing to Arkansas but somehow LSU jumped over deserving teams and slid into the Title game with 2 losses??? A Nat'l Champ with 2 losses. What a joke!!!
cwtrader18631/7/2009 15:02:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Somebody tell homas Wells that TECH & Baylor did'nt play an overtime -- TECH won in regulation. They did beat Nebraska in overtime.
texastechsan1/7/2009 14:57:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey XioresMaximus, doesn't ole miss have enough made up National Championship? I've been to your stadium and ya'll clame about 6...
LSUBadMoFo1/7/2009 12:50:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I am a TT grad 1983 But OU is the best. Beat TCU which has a great def. and beat Cinn. FU is next. OU #1 TU #2 TT #
nwman71/7/2009 9:05:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Lets think back. Texas Tech beats Texas. Texas beats Oklahoma. Now, if Florida beats Oklahoma, I'm selling bumper sticks that say....<br /><br />"Ole Miss 31 - National Champions 30"<br /><br />Hoddy Toddy.
XioresMaximus1/6/2009 20:29:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
az2fla, i said the bcs was not a good way to crown a champ, but provides a more interesting season than the playoff matchup would be. look at college basketball, they will debate all the teams who got left out of the tournament. 64 teams. <br /><br />it doesn't matter if you do 2 teams or 100, teams will get left out of getting a shot.<br /><br />also, how many folks have been following college basketball up to this point? before conference play began?<br /><br />only die-hard basketball fans. everyone else watches in feb & march<br /><br />nutt won't recruit like orgeron did. he'll stay in oxford a couple years, teaching orgerons fine players how to win make himself look like the best coach in the world and move on to a big payday somewhere
fromdwight1/6/2009 10:13:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I think this game will definitely help
Staff_Sergeant_81/6/2009 7:40:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
great game. but how about recruiting? can nutt recruit the players to compete in the sec?
woodburn1/5/2009 16:17:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
fromdwight you couldnt be any more wrong playoffs arent a good way to crown a champion? then why do we it in every sport from 6 yearolds playing tball to grown men? it would still be meaningful, they could still have the stupid bowl games if they want. why not settle on the field instead of what morons like you think?
az2fla1/5/2009 16:05:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
be carefull about dissin the bcs. there would be downsides to playoffs also. I don't like the bcs but in a playoff large enough to oust any outside claim to the championship could ruin college football. <br /><br />if you take only conference champs and a couple more, non-conference games would then be completely meaningless, much like preseason games in the nfl. The way it is now, EVERY game matters, and every week is exciting. You really see what the team is made of instead of seeing eli and peyton sitting out when they clinch their spot. it just isn't a good way to crown a champion.
fromdwight1/5/2009 14:47:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
You guys keep talking about the crabtree slip and interception for a touchdown....but Need I remind everyone including the writer Jevan Sneed through a pick six in the first quarter as well as a fumble that Tech turned into a 14-0 lead. But OLE MISS DID NOT FOLD only rallied to outscore them 47-19 over the next two and half quarters...GIVE ME A BREAK!!! they're a bad football team and you guys are making excuses...Ole Miss lost four games by a total of 19 points and Tech lost one game by forty and needed overtime to beat BAYLOR...Baylor I said!!<br /><br />Hotty Toddy!!!
Thomas_Wells1/5/2009 13:59:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Tech has a good team, they were just off their game. speaking of being off -- get rid of the BCS - go to www.BSFlag.com/BCS and send an email BS Flag to the BCS Chimps (watch the video--too funny).
colinator50001/5/2009 13:56:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I know there are some hard feelings over this but lets look at this without bias.<br /><br />Ole Miss (I am an alum) peaked at the right time and they could beat anyone today (including OK, already got FL and do your history, Ole Miss has won 3 of the last 4 of those and almost one the one they lost last year). Too bad the whole season counts. Tech played well and is a top 15 to top 20 team, but did not well enough. It happens in college football. <br /><br />Alabama took advantage of a good coach and a down SEC Western Division and a soft clemson team to get the hype they got. This is the same team that got defeated by Lousiana Monroe (or something) last year at home. Utah is a great team and they got off to a good start that got Bama out of its game plan. They fought hard but couldn't come back from somthing like that. They were no Georgia and Utah no Hawaii. If someone decent would play Utah they could be in the champ game. But if a good team beats Utah, then they are just Utah so that won't happen if nothing to gain.<br /><br />Texas is a great team, they lost to tech, because they did not play at home. They had the best chance to win the championship because of D.C. Mushchamp. OK got in but they are a great team too. No they didn't play a defense all year BUT they did do what you are supposed to do to a team with no defense week in and week out. I think that it will be a great championship game. I would bet on FL because of stoops' bowl record and I don't think they will be able to make the play needed at the end of the game to win the game. <br /><br />Can't wait to find out.
fromdwight1/5/2009 12:02:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I know there are some hard feelings over this but lets look at this without bias.<br /><br />Ole Miss (I am an alum) peaked at the right time and they could beat anyone today (including OK, already got FL and do your history, Ole Miss has won 3 of the last 4 of those and almost one the one they lost last year). Too bad the whole season counts. Tech played well and is a top 15 to top 20 team, but did not well enough. It happens in college football. <br /><br />Alabama took advantage of a good coach and a down SEC Western Division and a soft clemson team to get the hype they got. This is the same team that got defeated by Lousiana Monroe (or something) last year at home. Utah is a great team and they got off to a good start that got Bama out of its game plan. They fought hard but couldn't come back from somthing like that. They were no Georgia and Utah no Hawaii. If someone decent would play Utah they could be in the champ game. But if a good team beats Utah, then they are just Utah so that won't happen if nothing to gain.<br /><br />Texas is a great team, they lost to tech, because they did not play at home. They had the best chance to win the championship because of D.C. Mushchamp. OK got in but they are a great team too. No they didn't play a defense all year BUT they did do what you are supposed to do to a team with no defense week in and week out. I think that it will be a great championship game. I would bet on FL because of stoops' bowl record and I don't think they will be able to make the play needed at the end of the game to win the game. Can't wait to find out.
fromdwight1/5/2009 12:01:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
bama boi.. Old miss "exposed" one big 12 team weakness.. not the whole confrence. Ut has the best defence in the B12.. with Ou in second..as a Ut fan this pains me to say but the best offence goes to OU and as for right now they have the best total package. The debate would be better if Bama played UT. Then the 3 top big 12 and the 3 top sec would play. We know what happend to tech, but Ut WOULD beat bama... and the winner of Fla and Ou would give the bragging rights to the best conf. But when Ut whipps up on osu.. i guess it should still have the same effect.
jbone20001/5/2009 7:32:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Maybe it's just SEC math, but when did a thirteen point victory get to be a "blowout"? When the combined score of both teams is 81 points, a thirteen point margin is convincing, but nobody I know would have left at half time.
robertjonezz1/5/2009 7:26:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Tell me again - just in case I missed it - How did Florida do against Ole Miss?
robertjonezz1/5/2009 7:19:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
bamaboi did you miss the sugar bowl? When exactly did bama start to play defense in the sugar bowl? I have no opinion on Ole Miss but I am a fan of Jevon Sneed since he started his college career at Texas. Ok St. should have won their game but was outplayed and out coached. TT offense did not show up but Ole Miss took it to them. This is a argument why we need a playoff system, some teams don't want to be where they are in the bowls(alabama). The hope here is Texas will come to play tonite and not feel sorry for themselves because they are not playing in Miami.
1LonghornFan1/5/2009 6:17:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
advertisement
