Les Miles, LSU @ Vanderbilt
The Tigers pounded the ball on the ground and the defense dominated as LSU beat Vanderbilt 27-3 in their SEC opener. Steven Ridley rushed for a career high 159 yards and a touchdown, most of it in the second half. The LSU defense held the Commodore offense to just 135 yards and came up with 6 sacks. Jordan Jefferson went 8/20 for 98 yards and an interception.
Outlook: This is the sort of thing I expected. Unlike last week, LSU dominated late and didn’t let up, scoring 17 of their points in the 4th quarter. Jefferson was again less than impressive, but the Tiger’s run game was the difference. They dominated the ground game on both sides of the ball. Next week they play Mississippi State at home.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers @ Florida International
Mohamed Sanu and Joe Lefeged helped lead the Scarlet Knights to a 19-14 win in Miami. Sanu, a wide receiver, lined up as a “wildcat” quarterback, throwing for one TD and rushing for another in the fourth quarter to take the lead. He ended the game with 93 all purpose yards. Lefeged, a safety, had a career game, with an interception, two forced fumbles, and two blocked punts. He also was a factor in the return game, gaining 50 yards on four returns (2 punts and two kicks). Running back Joe Martinek, star of the season opener against Norfolk St, left the game late in the 4th quarter with a leg injury. He rushed 14 times for only 28 yards.
Rutgers were outgained 371-172, but were able to hold on thanks to 5 FIU turnovers and 126 yards of penalties.
Outlook: Ugly. I expected a better performance by the Scarlet Knights. In week one, they had a powerful run game, rushing 50 times for 5.4 yards per rush. This week, they only rushed 38 times, and gained a weak 2 yards per rush. The loss of their starting running back for any time could be very problematic. The defense had a strong game, holding FIU to 14 total points and only 59 yards of offense in the second half. Rutgers has the week off, then plays UNC on Sept 25.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern v. Illinois St
Dan Persa passed for 240 yards and two TDs, plus ran for a touchdown as Northwestern hammered Illinois St 37-3. The Wildcats jumped out to a 30-3 lead at half. The Redbirds struggled, committing four turnovers. Persa appeared on only one second half drive. Arby Fields rushed 22 times for 96 yards and a touchdown
Outlook: Northwestern’s offense looked better, and the defense shut down a less than stellar Illinois State squad. Dan Persa’s been a beast through two games passing for 462 yards and completing over 86% of his passes. He’s also scored 5 total touchdowns and rushed for 95 yards. Northwestern plays at Rice this week, where they’ll face former Michigan back Sam McGuffie.
Jim Harbaugh, Stanford @ UCLA
Andrew Luck passed for two touchdowns while UCLA’s quarterbacks combined for 81 yards and two picks as Stanford rolls the Bruins 35-0 to open Pac 10 play. UCLA had five drives go for longer than 30 yards, but were unable to score. The Cardinal dominated the ground game, rushing 49 times for 211 yards. UCLA’s offensive woes continue into a second game, as the Stanford defense smothered the Bruins’ young quarterbacks.
Outlook: Harbaugh keeps gaming. After using a 4-2-5 base defense last week, he returned to the base 3-4 for UCLA. His offense keeps putting up points, and his defense has done well thus far. They could win the Pac-10 at this rate. The Oct 2nd matchup with Oregon will be very telling. The next test is the high-flying Wake Forest offense, who rank 4th in rushing offense.
Chris Petersen, Boise State (Off this week, at Wyoming next weekend)
