Tag: NCAAF

College football fans roast Oklahoma for disastrous first half vs. LSU

The Sooners had an ugly first half in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

The first two drives of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl perfectly foreshadowed the remainder of the first half (and probably the rest of the game), and it was not good for Oklahoma.

The Sooners started with the ball, quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked on the first play and the team ended up punting on 4th-and-16. And then it took LSU all of three plays to score the first of seven (7!!) first-half touchdowns.

Hurts and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a few fantastic moments, including connecting for a 51-yard play that put the Sooners on the three-yard line and set them up for their first score of the game. Hurts also ran for a two-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

But for the most part, it was an ugly first half for Oklahoma, and things got out of hand quickly, as LSU jumped out to a 21-7 lead after 15 minutes and went into the locker room with a 49-14 lead.

The Sooners largely looked outmatched, particularly with their defense attempting to halt LSU’s top-ranked offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, who threw for all seven touchdowns and 403 yards in the first half alone. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught four of those touchdown passes and had 186 yards in the first half.

And even when their offensive line gave Hurts enough time to evaluate his options before scrambling, he couldn’t make a play, completing only 5-of-18 passes for 101 yards and one interception in the first 30 minutes. They were also the victim of a blatant missed pass interference call.

As expected, college football Twitter was not kind to Oklahoma, which is headed for its fourth loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals in five seasons. Despite the Sooners’ few moments of brilliance, fans brutally roasted them for this disastrous first-half outing.

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James Franklin tackles player who gave him a Gatorade bath after Cotton Bowl win

The Penn State coach had the best reaction to his Gatorade bath.

Although it was only a two-point game late in the third quarter, Penn State beat Memphis, 53-39, in Saturday’s Cotton Bowl Classic after the Nittany Lions held off the Tigers’ solid comeback attempt. In addition to Penn State’s 35 first-half points being the most in the first 30 minutes of the Cotton Bowl history, the 92 combined points were also the most in the bowl’s history.

Naturally, Penn State players celebrated the victory by drenching James Franklin with a Gatorade bath with one second left on the clock. But the team’s six-year head coach had the best possible reaction to the predictable celebration.

After getting soaked, Franklin immediately turned around and tackled senior linebacker Cam Brown, one of the two players holding the Gatorade jug.

To be fair, Franklin has been known to tackle members of his team when he’s absolutely overjoyed.

Of course, college football Twitter absolutely loved it and had jokes, as people were particularly impressed with Franklin’s form.

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Penn State punter spends uses Cotton Bowl prep time to bounce footballs off Jerry World Jumbotron

Penn State’s kicker had some extra Christmas fun with the Jumbotron at Jerry World. Jordan Stout showed off his target shooting, Tweeting a (now-deleted) video of him punting three footballs at the mega-sized video board that hangs over the field at AT&T Stadium. Stout tweeted “Sorry @dallascowboys I didn’t mean to hit your TV.. #MerryChristmas.” The Nittany Lions (10-2) take on the Memphis Tigers (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Tex. Saturday.

Penn State’s kicker had some extra Christmas fun with the Jumbotron at Jerry World. Jordan Stout showed off his target shooting, Tweeting a (now-deleted) video of him punting three footballs at the mega-sized video board that hangs over the field at AT&T Stadium. Stout tweeted “Sorry @dallascowboys I didn’t mean to hit your TV.. #MerryChristmas.” The Nittany Lions (10-2) take on the Memphis Tigers (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Tex. Saturday.

Eastern Michigan QB glass ejected on final drive for throwing pair of punches as Pitt wins Quick Lan

Throwing a pair of punches cost Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III the final snap of his college career. The heated moment might’ve also cost the team its first bowl win since 1987.

Throwing a pair of punches cost Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III the final snap of his college career. The heated moment might’ve also cost the team its first bowl win since 1987.

WATCH: Patriots lend their plane to the Navy for bowl game travel

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

Head coach Ken Niamatalolo told USA Today earlier this month that he reached out to Pats head coach Bill Belichick last December to pick the mind of the NFL head coach on how to revamp the Midshipmen’s defense. Now the Pat’s stamp is on Navy’s season both on the field and in the sky.

Navy (10-2) faces Kansas State (8-4) on New Year’s Eve in Memphis, Tenn. Even if the matchup didn’t already favor the Naval Academy, the intimidation points that come with touching down for a bowl game with six Super Bowl trophies on the plane should give Navy an edge in the bowl game.

Patriots lend private plane to the Navy for bowl game travel (Patriotswire)

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

Patriots lend private plane to the Navy for bowl game travel

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.

LSU already beat Oklahoma with the better College Football Playoff hype video

In terms of dueling hype videos, LSU definitely wins this one.

No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma face off in the first College Football Playoff semifinal game Saturday, playing in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl for a shot at the national championship game in January. They also both released their hype videos for the game this week, and the Tigers won this matchup.

To be fair, LSU’s social media and production team has put together some fabulous videos throughout this season — remember its tribute to Joe Burrow on Senior Day? — but the Tigers’ hype video did a better job of setting the scene, building up the intensity and then hitting its stride with highlights of the team practicing for the playoff game.

Oklahoma’s wasn’t bad, but it lacked momentum and the positives from this hype video were canceled out with the narration, which is a bit out of place.

For the dueling hype videos, LSU’s video has run-through-a-wall vibes, while Oklahoma’s is more like a documentary trailer for a chronicle of the team this season.

Four days before the game, LSU is a 13.5-point favorite over the Sooners, who have three players (defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver Trejan Bridges) suspended for at least this game.

While Oklahoma has Heisman Trophy finalist Jalen Hurts, arguably the most dynamic quarterback of the season, leading the team, LSU has Heisman winner Joe Burrow, who’s 77.9 completion percentage is the best in the nation.

The Tigers and Sooners play in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, while the second playoff game, the Fiesta Bowl, between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson follows at 8 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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Justin Fields injury update: Ohio State QB says his knee is ‘at 80 to 85 percent right now’

The Buckeyes quarterback might not be at full strength for the College Football Playoff semifinal.

There’s a chance Justin Fields won’t be at full strength when No. 2 Ohio State takes on No. 3 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.

The Buckeyes quarterback sprained his MCL in Ohio State’s win over Penn State on November 23, and he then said he aggravated it in his team’s win against Michigan the following week. Fields played through the injury in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin, but he’s not where he hoped to be with the College Football Playoff semifinal game just days away.

The Heisman Trophy finalist spoke to reporters Wednesday ahead of the Fiesta Bowl and said:

“My knee’s probably not like I want it to be right now. But I think with treatment every day and just resting it every day, hopefully, it will be better by the game. …

“I definitely thought I would be closer to 100 percent. If I gave a percentage, I’d probably be at 80 or 85 right now. So yeah, but I’m just going to hope and pray I feel better by game day really.”

Fields said he has a smaller knee brace that he plans to wear — it’s the same one he said he wore in the Michigan game — but added that he also has a larger one just “in case anything happens” in the playoff game.

Although he said he’s been participating in the team’s bowl game practices, his mobility is limited. He continued:

“I try to get as much reps as possible. Really, I would say I haven’t really missed any reps in terms of just getting in there and playing. But I just can’t really move like I want to.”

The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Fields has thrown for 40 touchdowns and just one interception so far this season, and in five games, he threw four touchdowns. He has a 67.5 completion percentage (No. 16 nationally) and has thrown for 2,953 yards (No. 26) while adding 471 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Evaluating the Buckeyes, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called the two teams are “literally mirror images” of each other. The Playstation Fiesta Bowl is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Glendale, Arizona.

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Joe Burrow says his first ‘real’ scholarship offer was from Lincoln Riley and East Carolina

LSU’s star quarterback was once recruited by the head coach he and the Tigers will play in the College Football Playoff.

Before Joe Burrow was LSU’s star quarterback, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner or preparing to lead the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff, he was a four-star recruit labeled the eighth best quarterback of the 2015 class. He received a lot of offers — Boston College, Minnesota, Kentucky, Iowa State and Cincinnati among them — and started his college career with Ohio State, the best team to recruit him.

But, as Burrow explained Tuesday during one of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl press conferences, what he considers his first “real” offer came out of East Carolina after he was recruited by none other than Lincoln Riley, now Oklahoma’s head coach.

His dad, Jimmy Burrow, was the defensive coordinator at Ohio at the time, and the Bobcats were the first team to offer him a scholarship. So Burrow doesn’t really count that. And then came Riley, who was East Carolina’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2010 to 2014 before joining the Sooners.

Burrow explained, via ASAP Sports:

“[S]o my only offer at the time was my dad’s team, and I didn’t really think that was a real offer. I thought it was just my dad’s team just throwing an offer out there.

And Coach Riley called me and offered me a couple months later. So I’ve always had a bunch of respect for him. I was actually really impressed with him on the phone very early. I didn’t really want to go to East Carolina, but I thought about it because of Coach Riley.

He’s a great coach. You can see that the last couple of years.”

Of course, Burrow ended up at Ohio State before transferring to LSU in 2018. And after a mediocre first season with the Tigers, he exploded in 2019 and enters the College Football Playoff with a 77.9 completion percentage, 4,715 passing yards and 48 touchdowns compared with six interceptions.

Burrow and LSU play Riley’s Sooners in the Peach Bowl on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

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