Week 9 National Blitz: Prime Problems Bruin, OU Caught Jayhawking, and Much More
By Rock Westfall
Week 9 delivered something for everyone, starting with Colorado losing itself at UCLA, Clemson’s stunning fall, USC's "win," North Carolina’s Defensive Disaster, and Kansas making history against Oklahoma.
A Prime Exposure of a Family Pretending to be a Football Team
UCLA methodically beat Colorado in an unspectacular yet decisive fashion, 28-16. The respectable score did not indicate the Bruins' full game control. There was little doubt which team would win. UCLA outgained Colorado 487-242. Only four Bruin turnovers kept things within the 14-point spread.
As expected, UCLA dominated the line of scrimmage with 24 pressures, 17 hits, 13 knockdowns, and seven sacks. CU QB Shedeur Sanders was a pedestrian 27-43 for 217 yards and a TD as he was harassed by UCLA all night. But there was more to the game than the game itself.
In a picture is a thousand words moment, right before kickoff, the ABC telecast showed Colorado coach Deion Sanders in long embraces with loving words included for his sons Shedeur and Shilo. But we saw nothing like between coach Prime and his other players. And it set the tone for a miserable night.
Football players notice favoritism. They also notice when coaches throw players or units under the bus. Prime made it clear he needs new linemen in the post-game presser. But there are more artful ways to say it. The comments came off as a little league daddy frustrated his son was not protected. Players talk among each other. And those talks are no doubt getting uglier.
The antics indicated a coach not likely in it for the long run. Prime’s coaching career has been based on following Shedeur wherever he goes. And when Shedeur leaves Boulder, Prime will likely follow him, perhaps as his NFL coach. Deion is not long for CU. It’s not about Colorado. It’s about Prime, his boys, and the family business. Everyone else is just hired help.
In the second quarter, Shilo was ejected for a targeting penalty. Those things can happen in the milli-second nature of football. But the flexing for the cameras after the hit was the typical showboating of an act starting to wear thin.
Coach Prime inherited a truly horrible program. Perhaps the worst Power Five program in the country. He has made people care where they previously didn’t. He sold out Folsom Field for the entire season, which had never been done. He made his team college football’s version of “America’s Team.” He inherited a bad Group of Five roster in a Power Five Conference. He can still get the Buffs into a bowl game, which was considered an impossible goal. Those are profound accomplishments. Yet that does not justify the negativity, selfishness, and clowning that is taking place within his program. It is not sustainable.
Colorado (4-4, 1-4) is in free fall and on the brink of missing a bowl bid. The Buffs host dangerous Oregon State (6-2, 3-2) next week.
Dabo Dabbles as Clemson Burns
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is a religious man. And the time has come for Dabo to come to Jesus. Swinney must adapt to the current state of college football or see his career quickly die. Swinney has been adamant about his loathing of the transfer portal and NIL. And he is getting left far behind. In fact, Dabo is getting blown away in the dust.
Clemson (4-4, 2-4) is coming off a 24-17 loss at NC State (5-3, 2-2). Based on branding, the Tigers were 10-point chalks. They should have been the underdog. The game was an indictment of Clemson’s lack of speed and game-breakers. It is true that Clemson plodded to a 364-202 edge in total yards. But they were unable to finish. The Tigers averaged only 5.2 yards per pass.
By contrast, NC State made two big plays. Kevin Concepcion caught a 75-yard TD pass from MJ Morris. And Payton Wilson scored on a 15-yard pick-six.
Swinney is paying for his tone-deaf arrogance, stubbornness, and hubris. Two weeks ago, he whined that Clemson should lose more games to thin out the bandwagon fans. Mission accomplished.
Brent Vulnerables Caught Jayhawking in Loss at KU
It is forgotten that as a rookie head coach, Brent Venables led the Oklahoma Sooners to a 3-0 start and a national ranking of 6th before a stunning collapse, which ended in a final record of 6-7. After Saturday’s 38-33 loss at Kansas, fears are increasing that a similar end awaits the Sooner Schooner.
The game was no accident. Kansas outgained the Sooners 443-440. Oklahoma showed up late, falling behind 14-0. The Sooners committed three turnovers and 11 penalties. Venables failed to have his team ready for the second straight week. Last week at home, OU barely beat a bad UCF team, needing to stop a desperation 2-point conversion at the game's end.
Oklahoma had numerous opportunities to put Kansas away. KU backup QB Jason Bean threw two critical second-half interceptions. Yet Bean was clutch when it mattered most against Venables’ Oklahoma defense. Bean led KU on a seven-play, 80-yard winning drive that ended with a 9-yard TD run by Devin Neal.
The result was quite the coaching contrast. Oklahoma has been sloppy in the two games that followed its stunning Red River Shootout comeback win for the ages against Texas. In comparison, Lance Leipold continues to work on his miraculous transformation of the KU program.
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In the past, Kansas would fold in the face of adversity. On Saturday, they never relented and beat Oklahoma for the first time after 18 losses. Kansas beat their highest-ranked opponent since the 2008 Orange Bowl. It was KU's first top-ten home win since 1984.
Kansas fans tore down the goalpost and carried it to Potter Lake, where it was dumped. After years of misery, they deserved their moment of glory.
As for Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1), where championships are demanded and losing to Kansas is a five-alarm fire, they now face a season on the brink. This week brings what could be history's final Bedlam game at the resurgent Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2, 4-1). OSU wants nothing more than to ruin OU's final Big 12 season.
Troy Boys Get Flag Football Style Win over Cal
Somehow, the USC Trojans rallied from a 43-29 4th quarter deficit to beat the California Golden Bears 50-49 as 10-point road favorites. Cal failed on a two-point conversion attempt with 58 seconds to play. It was one of the few defensive stops for beleaguered defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s unit, but it preserved the win.
The University of Super Caleb continues to be a one-man team. Head coach Lincoln Riley created a Frankenstein by allowing Caleb Williams carte blanche. Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy and continues to light up the stat sheet. But it is also true that USC doesn’t begin to play any version of complementary football. Williams threw for 369 yards and two TDs against Cal. Still, Cal outgained USC 527-497 but was done in by four turnovers.
When Williams departs Heritage Hall, Riley and the Trojans will be forced to build a complete program. For now, they will wing it. The Troy Boys are not a serious team. They are riding a superstar to nowhere.
This week, USC (7-2, 5-1) hosts Washington (8-0, 5-0) in an all-hands-on-deck matchup on ABC prime time. Somehow, USC is still in the Pac-12 race. But a defense ranked 115th overall, 112th for points allowed, and 80th for takeaways can’t sustain a serious championship run.
Carolina Blue After Getting Stung By Yellow Jackets
Last year, North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik confessed to doing a terrible job. If he had not been close to UNC head coach Mack Brown, he would have been shown the door. But after a promising start to the 2023 season, Chizik’s defense is again getting exposed and routed.
The latest example was Saturday night’s 46-42 loss at lightly-regarded Georgia Tech. North Carolina stormed to a 21-7 start and held a 42-32 4th quarter advantage. But Chizik’s crew was run over by the Ramblin’ Wreck.
The Yellow Jackets stung the Tar Heels for a 635-577 total yards advantage. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King lit up Chizik for 287 yards and four TD passes. Dontae Smith rushed for 178 yards and a TD. King (90 rushing yards) and Jamal Haynes (80 rushing yards, 1 TD) also thrashed Carolina.
North Carolina’s defense ranks 104th overall, 101st against the pass, and 88th against the rush. It failed to hold off a bad Virginia team in a 31-27 home loss last week.
The Tar Heels started the 2023 campaign 6-0 and were dreaming big. Now, they will struggle to make the ACC championship game. Mack Brown may have a painful decision to make at year’s end.
As Auburn's head coach, Chizik rode Cam Newton to the 2010 national championship. History shows that was a lottery ticket fluke.
