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Monday, September 24, 2007
Stafford had “his moment” in T-Town
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned over the weekend:
1. Matt Stafford had “his moment” T-Town: The true sign of a maturing quarterback is leading this team from behind on the road. David Greene had his first moment like that in Knoxville in 2001. We’ll look back on Georgia’s overtime win at Tuscaloosa as when we knew for sure that Matthew Stafford would be an elite quarterback. The Georgia sophomore took his team down the field in the final minutes against Alabama and put them in a position to win with a field goal. When that was missed, Stafford came right back in overtime and made a big-time throw to win the game. Stafford’s not fully developed as a quarterback yet, but he is getting there quickly.
2. Houston, you have a problem: It’s one thing to lose to Alabama at the buzzer on the road. It’s another thing to lose to Kentucky at home and not be able to slow the Wildcats down. You know the political climate in Arkansas since the Mitch Mustain saga. I was in Little Rock a week ago and a bunch of people I talked to weren’t happy then. They must be quite ill to be 0-2 in the league. Houston Nutt is a good football coach in a bad situation. On a side note: Running back Darren McFadden is the best offensive player in the country but his Heisman hopes have taken a big hit.
3. Tim Tebow can’t keep this up: The Florida quarterback is a special athlete. But he had to run the ball 27 times against Ole Miss to win what turned out to be a tough football game (30-24). I understand that. But I also understand that Tebow’s body can’t get pounded by SEC defenses week after week without taking its toll. The Gators get Auburn this Saturday and then have the game of the year on Oct. 6 at LSU. Coach Urban Meyer has to find another way. He knows that.
4. Andre Woodson must be to your Heisman list: The Kentucky quarterback throws a late touchdown bomb to beat Louisville on Sept. 15. Down 29-21 in the fourth quarter, Woodson directs Kentucky to 21 unanswered points and a stunning 42-29 victory at Arkansas. On the season Woodson has completed 86 of 134 passing attempts (64.2 percent) for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has thrown NO interceptions. In fact, he has thrown 296 straight passes without an interception, a new NCAA record.
5. The Big Ten’s worst nightmare: Michigan, which knocked off Penn State on Saturday, wins the rest of its games and becomes the first team to go to the Rose Bowl after losing to Appalachian State.
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