4-Down Territory: A Night of True Inspiration Spikes the Ball Heading into the Football Playoffs

I know this is called Pigskin Stew but there is no way to talk about College Sports today without acknowledging what we witnessed last night in the Women’s Volleyball Semifinals. Penn State dropped the first two sets to Nebraska and then stormed back to win the next three sets by two points each to advance to the National title match on Sunday. A sold-out crowd of over 21,000 fans were there, the environment was electric, and ESPN’s broadcast crew gave it the coverage this sport deserves. Even after the match when they cut to Sportscenter, the lead story was that match—over the NFL game.

But let’s just talk about the intensity of what we saw. These are elite competitors and athletes. The drama was intense, every point mattered and they all –both the players from Penn State and Nebraska—were inspiring. This Sunday afternoon, forget the NFL for a few hours. Turn the channel to ABC at 3:00 and watch the NCAA Finals when Penn State takes on Louisville (in Louisville). Nothing that you will see Sunday in an NFL stadium this weekend will match the drama, the drive and purity of sport that you will see in that match.

The intensity of the match between Penn State and Nebraska the last weekend of the season at sold-out Rec Hall (when the cheapest tickets on the secondary market were $95) was one thing. Last night was on a whole other level. We should consider ourselves lucky if just one of the College Football Playoff games this weekend can even approach what we witnessed last night……

Turning to football---It’s all about the playoffs and for four lucky teams they get to host the first round. Four lucky teams will emerge victorious and head off to a bowl game, four teams will head home with their season over on December 21st, great seasons ending suddenly without the memories and experiences that come with a bowl trip to places like Miami, Pasadena, Arizona or New Orleans.

They call this progress so away we go……

First Down: Friday Night Lights: #10 Indiana (11-1) at #7 Notre Dame (11-1) 8:00 ABC: Cold and Snowy night game in South Bend….right out of central casting for the first-ever game in the 12-team playoff. This represents the first game that anyone other than NBC has televised from Notre Dame Stadium since a late-November game when Penn State beat #1 Notre Dame in 1990. To make the Irish feel right at home ESPN sent Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy-- an all-Irish booth-- to call the game. You’ve heard the criticism; Indiana hasn’t beaten anyone. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois. Who cares? It doesn’t matter who you play, going 11-1 is never easy. Notre Dame’s defense will have to set the tone. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke has done his best “MISTER ROURKE” impersonation in taking IU football to the “Fantasy Island” of the College Football Playoff. He’s got dangerous downfield threats in Elijah Sarratt (18.2 yards per catch) and Omar Cooper (21.2 ypc). Indiana has spent the VAST majority of the season playing with the lead. The Notre Dame offense has been reliant on the run and part of that is the dangerous threat of QB Riley Leonard as a wildcard to that attack. Notre Dame hopes to lean on their defense and run game to get a lead and force IU to play catch-up. IU’s offense puts up 43.2 points per game, largely because they have committed just 7 turnovers all year. Notre Dame is among the Top 10 in causing turnovers and if they can get some in this game, it will be a short stay on Fantasy Island for Mr. Rourke and the Hoosiers. If not the dream season adds another chapter at one of the storied venues in the sport.

Second Down: High Noon: #11 SMU (11-2) at #6 Penn State (11-2) 12:00 TNT: Penn State has called for the a “White Out” and they could get a bonus boost of white from flurries with temperatures that will peak just below 30 degrees. The last time PSU played a December game against a Southern team in Pennsylvania was the 1959 Liberty Bowl against Alabama. A few days before the game an inch or two of snow fell. In a twist of gamesmanship, the PSU sports information department staged some photos to make it seem that a blizzard had hit Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions won 7-0 on a fake field goal that Coach Rip Engle drew up just two days before the game. In games like this, special teams can have a big impact, an impact that cost SMU the ACC title.....Ten games ago SMU switched to QB Kevin Jennings and have gone 9-1. The first quarter of the ACC title game the Mustangs looked a little jittery before taking control of the game before falling just short. There is no margin for a slow start against Penn State. SMU presents match-up issues with an up-tempo no huddle attack and that will make it harder for Penn State to call complex blitzes. RB Brashard Smith has 1200+ yards on the ground but has also been a WR at the college level. That means he joins the tight ends and WRs as people you have to account for in the pass game. All the while Jennings can take the ball and run for big yardage which takes a number of coverages out of your game plan. Watch for the Penn State defense to go after the ball as SMU has lost 12 fumbles on the year. For Penn State’s offense, Tyler Warren is the wildcard that creates match-up problems that defenses have to adjust for. SMU is built on pass rush and disruptive plays, with 40 sacks and 15 INTs on the year. They are mobile and will present a number of looks. If Penn State can block movement and blitzers the run game can succeed against a Mustang defense that is 4th in the country. Drew Allar will have to avoid the turnovers that hurt them against Oregon against a defense that makes a lot of plays in the secondary.

Third Down: Agent Orange: #12 Clemson (10-3) at #5 Texas (11-2) 4:00 TNT: Orange will be the color of the day in Austin. Defense will be the name of the game. In the two losses to Georgia and the win over Texas A&M the Longhorn offense has had trouble getting TDs in the red zone when they needed them. Will Clemson’s defense be good enough to win the situation game? The challenge in the two UT losses has been protecting the quarterback and finding the run game. Getting balance will be important especially in staying out of 3rd and long situations and opening up the play-action pass game. On offense, Clemson faces a Texas defense that has been a smothering unit all year. Even in the two losses they were dominant against Georgia. The Longhorns have gotten a bunch of sacks from blitzing linebackers and that puts pressure on running backs to be effective in pass protection. That Texas pressure has also led to 19 interceptions on the season. Watch to see which team can cause the big mistake to swing momentum.

Fourth Down: Lucky Horseshoe?: #9 Tennessee (10-2) at #8 Ohio State (10-2) 8:00 ABC: The drama in Columbus since the stunning home loss to Michigan has been a topic around the country. But the Buckeyes have had three weeks to regroup. Will that translate to a deep playoff run? This may still be the most talented team in the country and now they are playing at home and they are angry. The Ohio State defense has played well all year. Their scheme from a personnel standpoint is built to play the type of spread offense Tennessee wants to run. But the pace of that offense may force them to keep things simpler. The Tennessee offense is one of the most balanced offenses in the country with 232 rushing yards and 231 passing yards per game. Red Zone is the name of the game for Tennessee’s offense against a Buckeye defense that has made a number of goal line stops including 2 against Penn State in a game when they held the Nittany Lions without an offensive touchdown for 60 minutes. But the Tennessee defense has been among the best in the country as well. QB Will Howard has to perform and that can be the difference in the game. His ability to get all the WRs involved can open up the run game behind a line that has been shuffled around because of injuries. It will be cold in Columbus. Does that matter? A few weeks ago, the Tennessee players were huddled on the heated benches when it was 45 degrees at Georgia. It will be a lot colder in the Horseshoe and if the OSU offense can control the ball and force the Vols' no-huddle offense to spend time huddled on the heater sidelines, it will be one Lucky Horseshoe for the Buckeyes..