Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, September 7, 2015
Tonight?s the night. It?s finally here: Ohio State at Virginia Tech.
Motivation won?t be an issue for the Buckeyes after losing at home to the Hokies last year, OSU?s lone defeat. Is it wrong to think that if the Buckeyes win tonight, they won?t be tested really hard until Michigan State visits Columbus on Nov. 21?
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A tough way for Penn State to begin the season, falling at Temple-a program it had beaten 31 times in a row. But, James Franklin faced the music in the aftermath and knows he has work to do. His 7-7 record says so.
"I would be disappointed as well,? Franklin said. ?When you play the way we played today, I would be disappointed.
"People can question. It's our job to silence the questions. It's our job to get out on the field and produce and play well. And that's our responsibility.
"So, there's going to be criticism; I get that. But I am as committed and determined today as I've been since the day I got the job. And it's our job to silence the critics."
Now, every game looks like an adventure for Penn State. Even next week?s visit from ? Buffalo?
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Yes, Michigan lost at Utah. But the defense looked good. And it will be better as it learns to deal with ?tempo.?
"Our offense isn't a tempo team, so we only really saw it for the last two weeks against the scout team to prepare for it," junior defensive tackle Chris Wormley said afterward. "Game speed, ones vs. ones is a little different than when scout does it. So it's a little harder to feel that game speed."
Michigan State is past Western Michigan. Now, a visit from Oregon looms. And Spartan safety Montae Nicholson wants his ?No Fly Zone? to excel as it seeks revenge for last year?s loss at Oregon.
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"We're never satisfied, either, but we're taking steps in the right direction," Nicholson said. "They can think what they want to think, we know how good we are, we're going to go into next week, get mentally prepared, and take care of business."
Redshirt freshman CB Vayante Copeland looked good. The kid could be special. In case he missed it, Oregon scored 61 points in its opener. This is gonna be fun.
A tough beginning for Nebraska, which was one second and one stop from victory in Mike Riley?s debut. Now, the Huskers are a dubious part of college football lore after losing to BYU on a Hail Mary. But, let?s stay positive: There is much to build on.
Still, 12 penalties and an anemic run game are concerns, especially the run game. Where have you gone, Ameer Abdullah?
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It wasn?t pretty, but Indiana hung on for a 48-47 win on Saturday vs. a FCS foe. And, the Hoosiers vow to improve on defense. They better, or IU can probably forget about going to a bowl.
IU allowed a whopping 659 yards! And 47 points! And still won! Yes, some key players were suspended. But, still ?
?These kids have worked hard and I think they want it so bad, sometimes they squeeze a little too tight,? Kevin Wilson said. ?They?re gonna play well.?
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It wasn?t a good start for Wisconsin, either, which was-what?s the word I?m looking for? - ?overmatched? in a 35-7 loss to Alabama in Arlington, Texas.
It didn?t help that UW was banged up, either. The rushing game never got on track behind a revamped line with three new starters. And star safety Michael Cupto was lost after three play with a head injury. Corey Clement had just 16 yards after a groin injury ended his night early. And on it went. UW needs to forget this game and move on. At least QB Joel Stave looked good. But, he can?t be asked to pass too much.
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It wasn?t all negative for the Big Ten in the opening week. How about those Northwestern Wildcats dumping No. 21 Stanford?! Awesome stuff for a program coming off two 5-7 seasons. Should expectations for NU be changed? Sure! Why not. Maybe NU can be a factor in a Big Ten West that looks to be wide open.
That defense looks killer! MLB Anthony Walker is a stud.
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Purdue invested a lot in trying to win its opener at Marshall. Alas, it lost by 10 points.
It will be interesting to see how the program rebounds. Non-league games remain vs. Indiana State, Bowling Green and Virginia Tech. It?s not crazy to think Purdue could open 1-3. Then what? There is a lot to like about Darrell Hazell?s third team in West Lafayette. But the quarterback play will determine how good this team is. And, the jury remains very much out on that.
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| About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |
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