Look at it this way, Ohio State fans. At least you won’t be humiliated in the national title game again. If Illinois made the Buckeyes’ defense look like it belonged to a bad flag-football team, what would Oregon do? Or Louisiana State? Or Oklahoma? Or Missouri? Or Kansas? Or West Virginia?
Illinois’ 28-21 victory exposed Ohio State’s defense as overrated. That can happen when you play in the boring, slow, moribund Big Ten.
Entering Saturday, Ohio State had not faced an offense ranked higher than 30th and that was the feared juggernaut, Northwestern. Big Ten defenses are great when facing bruising, blue-collar offenses. Throw in a little speed, misdirection and a few extra receivers and they’re out of their element. And you wondered why Michigan won its first six Big Ten games.
The Buckeyes also must live with losing their first home game to an unranked opponent since Wisconsin in 2001 because of a rare coaching blunder. Jim Tressel had to call a timeout when Illinois faced a fourth-and-inches late in the game. He had too many players on the field.
During the timeout, Illinois quarterback Juice Williams talked coach Ron Zook out of punting. Williams snuck for the first down, and Illinois ran out the clock. Even Tressel’s players knew the timeout could lead to problems.
The Buckeyes, however, will be back. Including kickers, they started only two seniors.
It won’t help Callahan
Nebraska’s Joe Ganz just threw another touchdown pass, but it won’t save coach Bill Callahan, who had an ominous exit as he left the field at Memorial Stadium for presumably the last time. He left quickly but not before glancing at the giant replay screen.
“I thought about a lot of things,” Callahan said afterward. “I’ll keep that private.”
His agent won’t help his buyout. When Gary O’Hagan asked the Omaha World-Herald’s Mitch Sherman on Friday, “Why would they ask him to resign?” Sherman said it’s perhaps because they don’t approve of his performance. O’Hagan yelled, “Listen to how stupid you people are. You people need to start studying soil content or something.”
Meanwhile, rumors continue circulating that LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is ticketed for Lincoln. One of new AD Tom Osborne’s best friends is Charlie McBride, his former defensive coordinator and a huge Pelini fan.
Glenn flippin’ mad
Guess it doesn’t take a whole lot to get under Utah coach Kyle Whittingham’s skin. Turns out, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn had the audacity to tell a bunch of high school kids he guaranteed a win over Utah.
So what does Whittingham do? Up 40-0, he runs a double-pitch, flea-flicker to set up a field goal. Then later he calls for an onside kick. He continued throwing long in a 50-0 win.
“You open your mouth …,” Whittingham told reporters after the game before his mouth trailed off. “Coach Glenn made a guarantee. I guess he knew something I didn’t.”
Glenn didn’t say anything. He merely gave Whittingham a one-finger salute from across the field. It probably wasn’t the most mature thing to do in the world.
But can anyone blame him?
North Dallas 74
How does a defense with 10 returning starters give up 74 points? North Texas, which hired high school coach Todd Dodge in the offseason, gave Navy its highest-scoring game since rolling up 121 on Colby in 1919.
The Mean Green (1-8) is giving up 518.2 yards and 49.6 points a game, and with three games left is on pace to break Eastern Michigan’s 2002 NCAA mark of 47.17.
The defense blew the glory of Giovanni Vizza, not really the mayor of Palermo, Italy, but he could run for mayor of Denton, Texas, after throwing for a freshman record eight TD passes, seven in the first half.
Footnotes
Put Tim Tebow back atop the Heisman Trophy race. His stats are something out of Gil Thorp: 2,509 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes and 804 rushing yards and 19 TDs. … Is there a better survivor than Clemson coach Tommy Bowden? Seeming always in trouble in October, his November record the last six years is 17-7. … Nice Orange Bowl sendoff. Before 62,106 fans, Miami’s 48-0 loss to Virginia was its worst home loss since a 70-14 rout by Texas A&M in 1944.
