There’s been more tune-ups among the quarterback position in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season than discount day at Midas. Here’s the Sports Radio America rundown:
Clemson
The Clemson Tigers made a quarterback change ahead of their game against Syracuse. Trevor Lawrence has been named starter over Kelly Bryant, while Bryant will be involved in game play in some capacity. Lawrence, a true freshman and 5-star recruit, has thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. He lit up Georgia Tech on Saturday, completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Lawrence gives the Tigers’ offense life.
“He really played well,” head Coach Dabo Swinney said. “It was certainly his best game. He was very poised, and I think the game has slowed down for him. He’s making good decisions, and he’s decisive with the ball.”
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech lost more than just the game on Saturday. After losing to Old Dominion, Hokies coach Justin Fuente announced quarterback Josh Jackson suffered a fractured left fibula. Jackson, a red-shirt sophomore, will undergo surgery this week. There’s no timetable for Jackson’s return. The coach acknowledged the injury could be season-ending. This a huge blow to one of the ACC’s top contenders.
The Hokies inserted Ryan Willis, a transfer from Kansas, into the game lineup. It was Willis’ second appearance as a Hokie, although he received plenty of playing time during his time at Kansas. Willis sat out the 2017 season after transferring. Before transferring, he was Kansas’ primary starter in 2015. Having experience playing in a Power 5 Conference will help. In 16 games at Kansas, Willis threw for 2,530 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Miami
Head coach Mark Richt is keeping his starting quarterback against North Carolina on Thursday a secret. But, he couldn’t hide the fact N’Kosi Perry was working with the first-team offense on Monday. The red-shirt freshman took over for senior Malik Rosier against Florida International University on Saturday. Perry gave the Hurricanes a much-needed spark on offense against the Panthers. When he entered the game on Miami’s third series, he went for 17-of-25 passing for 224 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to his credit. He also rushed nine times for 32 yards.
“I am going to leave it at we will play the guy who has the best shot at winning,” Richt said. “I’m going to observe a little bit more of practice. I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I’m not 100 percent sure. I do a lot of things based on what my gut is telling me.”
Louisville
Louisville’s offense came out struggling Saturday against the Virginia Cavaliers, which has been the story all year. The Cardinals had just 32 passing yards in the first half. Malik Cunningham, who initially looked like the second coming of Lamar Jackson, was terrible. Coach Bobby Petrino went with Puma Pass in the second half, but things didn’t get a whole lot better. Puma was solid with 10/19 for 113 yards in one half, which is not bad. But, the Louisville offense needs to be better. Malik Cunningham was the leading rusher with 26 yards and he didn’t even play in the second half.
“I don’t know how things were done around here before, but when you tell someone to go in and they don’t, aight, we’re not going to do that around here. So, I asked him to leave the sidelines.”
That was Jeremy Pruitt after the Florida game to reporters on asking Jr. linebacker Quart’e Sapp to leave the sidelines during a game that got out of hand quickly for the Vols Saturday night. By that one sentence, it’s clear from that statement Pruitt is frustrated with the culture currently among his players inside the program; “I don’t know how things were done around here before.”
It’s been the problem for years in Knoxville. Butch Jones was a very good composite-ranking recruiter. He went out and got 4-star and 5-star players, but not many of them panned out to be superstars. Why? Because he recruited players who don’t have the “it” factor, that elusive, highly-coveted trait that encompasses what it takes to win games. Some might call it being a “dog.” Jones recruited nice guys and big names because they were big names.
On defense, besides Shy Tuttle and Kyle Phillips, Pruitt’s juniors and seniors are a no-show this year. Jonathan Kongbo has all but gone into hiding while playing every defensive snap. Not to pick on Kongbo, but he’s the prime example of the type of player Butch loved. He’s built like a robot, he’s a good kid who’s never been in trouble, but he’s never made a great play.
The only noteworthy play in the Florida match-up on defense was made by freshman Alontae Taylor, who forced a fumble and changed the momentum of the game. The almost all-freshman cast of defensive backs Pruitt has starting play with an edge. They get up with their heads bobbing as they talk trash to the other team. They’re always around the ball and that’s a peek into the future of Tennessee football under Pruitt.
On the offensive side of the house, Tennessee’s running backs are another example of Butch Jones-style players. Chandler and Jordan are both very talented athletes, but they still don’t run with that edge. When freshman Jeremy Banks gets into the game, he runs violently. He ran brutally with two minutes left in a blowout game against Florida.
One thing that completely stuck out to me on Saturday, though, is the play that knocked sophomore Jarrett Guarantano out of the game. It seemed like a dirty play by Cece Jefferson of Florida because Trey Smith, who is Guarantano’s tackle and one of the so-called “dogs” of the offense, watched Jefferson do it and didn’t respond in the least. If that were Tom Brady, an offensive lineman for the Patriots might be in jail today. The quarterback has to trust his offensive line, and with a bad one already, that trust is inherently thin.
Pruitt needs time to compete in the Southeastern Conference. Sometimes, it looks like Alabama’s players couldn’t care less if their opponents live or die on the field. That’s what it takes in football. Football is a violent sport and if you don’t play with an edge, you’ll get destroyed. Pruitt knows that edge because he’s seen it firsthand. Unfortunately, there’s no tanking in college football. Otherwise, I suggest Pruitt play all freshman the rest of the year.
Jimmy Butler rocked the NBA after he requested a trade out of Minnesota. From the Timberwolves’ perspective, there’s lots of incentive to trade him, but it’s worth asking if other teams are willing to take the risk.
That’s because this is the second team where Butler, 29, has fought with teammates despite being good for a 22-5-4 average—one of nine players to do so last season.
As training camp approaches, news of Butler being at odds with young stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns have been at sustained levels all season. Although Butler has named the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and L.A. Clippers as teams he wants to play for, Sports Radio America examines other teams we believe should consider adding the controversial All-Star.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks barely made the playoffs last season. With the Eastern Conference weak, they seemed like a top four team initially, but finished at 44-38. Big man Thon Maker hasn’t quite lived up to expectations as he was picked 10th in the 2016 NBA Draft. Apart from the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks don’t have any other star players who can ignite a match during the playoffs. Butler could be the player they need to push Milwaukee closer to being a true contender in the East.
Boston Celtics
As currently constructed, the Celtics are the team to beat in the East and the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors. If the Celtics gave up their core of young talent for Butler, they’d have four All-Stars (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Holford and Butler). Jimmy could be the player who could push the Celtics side-by-side to the Warriors’ five All-Stars. I’m sure the franchise would be thrilled to have Butler starting on the court as their shooting guard.
Los Angeles Lakers
Butler says he prefers the Clippers over the Lakers, but the Lakers have the trade pieces. Although LeBron James is a Laker, the team is no match for the top teams in the West. A possible trade could include Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart or Brandon Ingram. Hart playing the same position would be the bigger interest, as he was named MVP of the 2018 Summer League, averaging 24.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are another team in the Eastern Conference that has the potential of winning the Eastern Conference Final. With two All-Stars, adding one more would put them neck-and- neck with the Boston Celtics. A possible trade of Robert Covington and a second-round draft pick for Butler would be a huge win for the Sixers. They had a strong 2018 season and with the foundations of players such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, adding another All-Star would definitely solidify them as one of two teams to beat in the East.
In his first year back in the NFL after 16 years, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has really made a splash; that type of splash you make when you’re trying to dry off and some kid jumps in the pool and gets you all wet again.
In other words, it’s not going well for the Raiders. They’ve started out 0-2, but that’s not the worst part of it for the beleaguered franchise. It’s what they’re seeing in Chicago that’s the worst part.
Gruden has made it clear he wants his men and it’s evident in the fact they gave up a generational talent in Khalil Mack for two, first-round draft picks who could end up being busts. Mack has already out-produced the entire Raiders defense in the first two games of the season and to make matters worse, both Bears games were on prime time TV for the world to laugh at the Raiders.
Here’s a look at the numbers through two games:
Raiders
Mack
Sacks
2
2
Interceptions
1
1
Forced Fumbles
1
2
Fumble Recoveries
1
0
Touchdowns
1
0
“It wasn’t my goal to trade Khalil when we got here,” Gruden said according to USA Today via The Associated Press. “One of the reasons I’m here is because of him. Unfortunately, we had a standoff with a contract, and we could not come to terms. The Bears made us an offer of two first-round draft choices and here we are today.”
In addition to calling the plays, Gruden’s job is to keep players like Mack happy He should have done anything he could do to keep Mack. He was much more important to the Raiders than any other player on the team. With the success of mid-talent-range quarterbacks around the league, they could have traded Derek Carr and came out better in the long run.
AP
Instead, Gruden showed how hard-headed he could be and confirmed his reputation as a control freak. He’s already lost the locker room and they are two games into his first year. The Raiders’ locker room was not happy about the Mack news.
Bruce Irvin and Derek Carr took to twitter with Irvin saying, “No F***in way” and Carr saying, “no way.” Former Raiders great Charles Woodson also posted a crying meme, adding it was a facsimile of himself when he woke up and heard the news.
For Gruden’s sake, he’d better hope those two, first-round draft picks become franchise players, because if they don’t, he may have possibly traded one of the best players the Raiders have had in decades in the midst of his prime.
Gruden needs to win and needs to win soon. If not, he’ll completely lose the fan base and the locker room.
University of Louisville head football coach Bobby Petrino has named Malik Cunningham starting quarterback for Saturday’s Virginia game. This, after Cunningham sparked a lethargic offense while playing in their last two games.
Going forward, I expect Louisville’s offense to look very much like it did with Lamar Jackson under center. We’ve seen it so far and I doubt it will change. During the Cards’ game on Sept. 15th against Western Kentucky University, it was night and day between Jawon Pass and Cunningham taking snaps.
Alas, Pass’ struggles continue. UofL managed just 292 yards against a WKU team that allowed 324 to Maine. They passed for 88 yards. They went 2-for-11 on third downs. The Cardinals had a negative 2 yards while WKU struck first after a 16-play, 8-yard drive that ate 7:13 off the clock.
“We haven’t been able to get our receivers involved like we need to,” Petrino said. “It looked like we had a couple of opportunities for some big plays and we weren’t able to make them. Jaylen makes that play just about every single day, so it’s just something, one of those nights where it isn’t clicking. But I’ll call his number again, and we’ll throw it to him again. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Jaylen Smith.”
Hoping to ignite their offense, Louisville put Cunningham in, but the same results followed. While Cunningham made a couple of plays with his feet, the same story was told as their offense stalled. While the first half for UofL was filled with turnovers, penalties and dropped passes, Cunningham began to find his groove during the last drive of the half. He showed flashes of Lamar Jackson on an 81-yard, 12-play drive that shaved 2:46 off the clock and ended in a field goal. At the half, WKU led 14-3.
But coming out after halftime, Louisville had a whole new swagger under Cunningham. They ran more run pass option plays, allowing Cunningham to get to the edge of the defense and make plays with his legs. UofL scored on three, straight drives, energized by a blocked field goal. Malik solidified himself as the starter. His ability to make defenders miss and extend plays led to a Cardinal victory.
Cunningham has won two games for Louisville with his running ability after taking Pass’ place. In both games, the quarterback dropping back to pass then taking off, has been Louisville’s best offense. That’s not how their coaches drew it up over the past eight months, but at the end of the day, whoever gives you the best chance to win, you go with.
On the first play of the game Saturday, Jordan Ta’amu hit D.K. Metcalf for a 75-yard touchdown, and I thought, “wow, Ole Miss might upset ‘Bama again with a start like this.”
Boy, was I wrong. Alabama went on to score 62 straight points and didn’t give up another point to one of the most explosive offenses in the Southeastern Conference. It’s almost scary to think about how good Alabama is this year, but what’s even more terrifying is there’s no end in sight until Nick Saban is gone.
So, when does he leave? Well, ESPN’s Chris Low asked him about it this summer and he responded with, “That’s what everybody keeps saying, that I’m not going to be doing this for much longer, and all the people who say it have no idea what I’m going to do.”
Saban is 66 years old, years beyond some of his biggest competitors; Kirby Smart (42) and Lincoln Riley (34). Do we truly appreciate what we are witnessing, though? I don’t think so. Let’s dive deeper into the numbers.
Saban is 130 – 20 at Alabama and 72 – 13 in conference. Six of those 20 losses came in the first year he took over Alabama in 2007. He’s won five championships in Tuscaloosa and played in six. He’s only been Associated Press Coach of the Year twice, and that might speak more to his greatness than anything. It’s like the AP is saying, he recruits so well, he SHOULD win 86% of his games in the hardest conference in college football.
USA Today
Saban also continues his recruiting and winning ways, no matter who’s on his staff. He loses a couple of coaches every year and it’s seldom because they did a bad job, but assumed the reigns as head coach somewhere else.
Bobby Williams
Michigan State
Jim McElwain
Colo St / Florida
Mark Dantonio
Cincy / Michigan State
Dan Quinn
Atlanta Falcons
Derek Dooley
La Tech / Tennessee
Adam Gase
Miami Dolphins
Jimbo Fisher
Florida St / Texas A&M
Kirby Smart
Georgia
Lane Kiffin
Oak (NFL) / UT / USC / FAU
Major Applewhite
Houston Univ
Mike Haywood
Miami OH / Texas Southern
Mario Cristobal
Oregon
Jason Garrett
Dallas Cowboys
Jeremy Pruitt
Tennessee
Will Muschamp
Florida / South Carolina
Billy Napier
Louisiana-Lafayette
So, every one of those schools and teams are essentially saying they want their coach to be modeled after Nick Saban. His team’s discipline is outrageous. It was even discovered this year he sent his players to a Michigan State sports psychologist who helps players buy into what Saban coaches.
Now, let’s take a look at recruiting. According to Rivals.com, Alabama has finished first overall every year since 2013 when they finished second. How does Saban do that? Simple. He gets you to the NFL better than any other coach. Alabama leads the nation in active NFL players with 44 players, with LSU and Florida following.
What else can Saban do? Well, the only thing he has left is to pass Bear Bryant with his seventh championship ring, and that looks like it’s going to happen this year.
One of the major complaints competing against the future of streaming entertainment, media and sports content is the power of the distribution partner. Specifically, the level of streaming lag that slows the delivery of content to consumers. Streaming lag is our generation’s faster version of the AOL dial-up.
As a recent article from BBC articulated: “When video is streamed online it is broken up into small packets, which are reassembled by the recipient’s device [(i.e., modem, router, and television, etc.)]. If each segment is very short, processing them becomes inefficient. However, if they are too long, there is more of a delay between the TV broadcast and online stream.”
With specific reference to live sports content, any delay will be unwelcome. This makes sense because first, live sports are best consumed live so as to avoid an errant social media gander or text message from a friend updating you on the score or latest play.
Second, it reduces trust with the consumer on whom they chose as a distributor, whether traditional cable or something newer like streaming via a platform-entertainment tech giant (i.e., Amazon Prime/Fire Stick, Apple TV, Roku, etc.). When the trust between provider and consumer lessens, so does the bottom line. Lastly, if provided efficiently, it moves the needle forward to progress in delivering content.
However, help is on the way. BBC says it has both the technology and a new formula to deliver smaller packets of information faster so that those watching live-streamed sports events will be able to see it in real time. It is said that by the 2022 World Cup, to be held in multiple cities in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar, the technology will be available for mass distribution.
Interestingly, some success of this delivery is dependent on an individual’s broadband (e.g., the strength of Wi-Fi or delivery method). Specifically, 4K high-dynamic-range (HDR) content may be the highest level of viewing, but a person’s home broadband connection (think Cox vs. Charter vs. AT&T) and what level of service you are paying for (e.g., how much you pay in dollars per month), generally measured in “Mbps” or megabits per second, matters. With M-Lab, who has partnered with Google, one can test their local Mbps level. Per AT&T, the average Mbps standards and the best delivery methods can be found here.
Going forward, the companies that can guarantee great content and great delivery will likely be the most successful. The AT&T-TimeWarner merger is an example of this because it will be the first time a major content provider is also the streaming distributor. AT&T will create content through HBO (owned by Time Warner), then distribute that content through AT&T cell phone towers and cable lines. Not surprisingly, Hollywood Talent Agencies are doing similar things to control and distribute content.
BBC is no different. They want to guarantee that a great product is also delivered well. However, as with any free-market economic system, there may also be individual creation and innovation that drives the next generation of content and information delivery. Competition will be key to determine who(m) or what is the next great distribution provider and platform.
My fantasy football team was hanging on by a thread Sunday night as Aaron Rodgers hobbled off the field against the Bears.
The game was over at that point. They dominated his backup DeShone Kizer. Kizer had two turnovers quickly. I laid back and relaxed until I saw Rodgers limping back to the huddle after half time.
This is when the MVP took over. Limping around the pocket, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 75-yard TD that sealed the deal for the Bears and my fantasy team. The play featured Rodgers dancing around the pocket, then finding Randall Cobb in the middle of the field wide open. He bought time, as always.
Green Bay has pretty much refused to spend money on free agents and Aaron Rodgers is the reason. Every year, the Packers are contenders no matter who is on their team and no matter how bad their defense is. Rodgers will always outscore opponents, or at least come close. In his career, he’s completed 65% of passes and thrown for nearly 40,000 yards. Rodgers is also is gunslinger who takes care of the ball. He’s thrown 316 touchdowns compared to 78 interceptions.
Photo courtesy of: USA Today
Not to take anything away from Tom Brady, but there’s a couple reasons why Rodgers is more valuable than Brady to his team. First, the Packers’ defense has always been worse than the Patriots. The Packers defense has averaged giving up 24 points-per-game in the last five years and have made the playoffs in four of those five, while Rodgers missed nine games.
Another reason he’s better than Tom Brady is the fact Matt Cassell had a great year in 2008 when Tom Brady missed an entire year. Cassell threw for 3,600 yards and 21 TDs. It’s not that Cassell is that much better than any backup Rodgers has had, either. Cassell had one additional productive year in Kansas City, but other than that, he hasn’t been affected. When Rodgers is out, the Packers completely fall apart.
Rodgers only has two MVP’s in his career but realistically, he should have two or three more. The Packers would have a top ten pick every single year if he wasn’t the quarterback. He’s never had a good running game or stellar defense. He’s also taken a beating in his 13 years in the league. He’s suffered separated shoulders, broken collarbones and multiple lower body injuries. He’s 34 years old, yet still has just as much zip on his ball as he had when he first came into the league.
Houston vs Arizona / Eric Christian Smith (AP photo)
Week Two of the American Athletic Conference brought us some of the best matchups against “Power Five” conference teams. Now if you are a listener to The College Credit Hour, then you know how I feel about the nonsensical idea of “Power Five” conferences. Simply put… the idea of a “Power Conference” is as mythical as a unicorn. People always swear that they exist, but no one has ever actually seen one.
There are only power teams; there has never been a “Power Conference”. However, since this mythical idea of a “Power 5” conference seems to be the focal point of FBS football today, then we should at least keep score. I mean, somebody needs to. Currently the ACC is 4-3 against “Power 5” conference schools. What’s more interesting is who is beating whom and why. Let’s review the AAC schedule against “Power 5” conference schools in 2018 thus far.
THE LOSSES
Tulane finds a way to lose to Wake Forest 23-17 in week one. You shouldn’t lose to a true freshman QB in game one. You shouldn’t lose to a true freshman QB in game one of your home opener. You shouldn’t lose to a Wake Forrest true freshman QB in game one of your home opener if you have a lead entering the 4th quarter. Somehow Willie Fritz watched his Green Wave defense to do just that allowing 378 yards passing, another 64 yards rushing, and two touchdowns from Demon Deacon’s true freshman QB Sam Hartman. Make no mistake, this game was more about the shortcomings of Willie Fritz’s game/clock management, than the skill set of Demon Deacon’s QB Hartman.
SMU is blown out by TCU in week two 42-12. I’m not sure what you’d expect from first year SMU head coach Sonny Dykes, but a 30 point blowout isn’t why they chose him to replace Chad Morris. With talent in many positions such as RB Xavier Jones, DB Jordan Wyatt, WR James Proche, & ATH/WR Braeden West, all of whom come into the season as award candidates, there is little room to blame a lack of talent for the underwhelming 0-2 beginning to the 2018 season. We’ll see how big of a lasso Sonny Dykes will be given by Mustang fans should this losing streak continue until the October 13th bye week.
Tulsa vs Texas / Michael Thomas (AP photo)
Tulsa gives Texas a run for their money but falls 28-21 in week two. Tulsa didn’t have any business being in this game. Good thing no one informed Tom Herman about that. Outside of redshirt senior WR Justin Hobbs, head coach Phil Montgomery has a relatively young offense lead by sophomore QB Skipper Luke. However, that didn’t stop the Hurricane from outscoring the upperclassmen Longhorns 14-7 in the 4th quarter to make this game an uncomfortable win for Herman and staff. If not for two long sustained 10+ play drives totaling over 11 minutes which were strung together in the 4th quarter by Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, I’m not sure the Texas defense could have held off Tulsa’s late charge for victory.
THE WINS
Cincinnati spoils Chip Kelly’s home opener at UCLA 26-17. This is a tale of two programs heading in different directions. Luke Fickle, in his second year at Cincinnati, is taking the Bearcats into new territory under his tenure. Chip Kelly, on the other hand, finds himself losing to a Cincinnati team that managed only 4 wins last year. That would be Chip’s first non “Power 5” loss since the first game of his first year as a college head coach (Boise State). But this game was more about how Luke Fickle is quickly changing the culture in Cincinnati. Redshirt seniors C Garrett Campbell and QB Haden Moore have this offense clicking early, as the Bearcats are cautiously optimistic after opening up the season 2-0.
Houston smashes Arizona 45-18. Coming into this game, many had a question on who the better Heisman candidate is, DT Ed Oliver or QB Khalil Tate. That question may still be unanswered, but we do have an answer to the QB question in Houston. D’Eriq King created a 21-0 first quarter deficit for Arizona which Khalil Tate could not overcome with his magic. Houston alone is now a remarkable 8-2 against “Power 5” teams while in the American Athletic Conference. The trail of destruction includes, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Oklahoma, Louisville (twice), and Arizona (now twice). An additional fun fact is that two of those 8 teams had a Heisman Trophy winner on it!
East Carolina shocks the nation whooping North Carolina 41-19. I have to be honest; I didn’t see this one coming. After the disappointing loss to an FCS program the week prior, the last thing I could imagine was that same team dismantling coach Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels. Aside from North Carolina’s underwhelming performance in the ACC year in and year out, East Carolina isn’t what I’d call a competitive football program under coach Scottie Montgomery just yet. The question arising out of this game is this: Did we just see the fruition of Scottie Montgomery’s three year term at ECU, or is this a lagging indicator of Larry Fedora’s failed tenure at North Carolina?
Georgia Tech vs USF / Memphis Spence (SRA photo)
USF handles Georgia Tech 49-38. Speed kills. But, when a true freshman like USF’s Terrence Horne literally runs around a senior laden ACC team, all you can say is wow. As I watched from the sidelines of this notable week two matchup, it was immediately evident that Charlie Strong has another squad that will challenge for the American Athletic title. The Yellow Jackets made mental errors that you’d expect from a young USF team, as they continuously begged USF to beat them with their speed in key areas of the field. And that they did, with recent transfer QB Blake Barnett turning in a combine 4 TD effort for the Bulls. However, this game was won on special teams as the sensational Terrence Horne blazed past the Yellow Jackets on back to back kickoff returns in the first half while added a touchdown reception in the second half. This will mark the 6th “Power 5” foe to fall victim to USF in the last 7 attempts.
THE VERDICT
The American Athletic Conference consistently beats “Power 5” conference teams year in and year out. This year, the American Athletic Conference is 4-3 this so far against “Power 5” teams. Programs like USF and Houston have posted a combined 14-3 against “Power 5”, teams since inception into the AAC, and we haven’t even discussed new AAC juggernauts like UCF or Memphis at this point. I was always told, “If you struggle telling the truth, at least be honest with yourself”. Hopefully, YOU don’t believe this “Power 5” garbage either. Do you?
In one of the most bizarre games in recent memory, the city of Louisville brought the rain while the Cardinals brought the pain in the second half of a 31-7 blowout against Indiana State. The Card’s home opener was delayed three times in the first quarter due to inclement weather.
The game was first delayed from 7:18 p.m. to 8:08 p.m. due to lightning strikes in the area. Then, lightning struck again at 8:12 p.m., putting the game back in delay. The players took to the field again at 9:22 p.m. After the last delay, the game resumed at 10:05 p.m. after a 33-minute stoppage. The game ended at 12:40 a.m. Sunday.
As you can imagine, the delays ruined game flow, as both teams struggled to get offense going in the first half. But, few foresaw what unfolded in the second half. Quarterback Puma Pass has been groomed over the past few years as the man to take over for Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson. After struggling against Alabama, and in the first half with Pass behind center Saturday night, Coach Bobby Petrino elected to play backup Malik Cunningham for the majority of the third and fourth quarters.
There are a couple of high profile QB battles, most notably at Alabama and Clemson. But after Saturday’s game, do the Louisville Cardinals belong on that list? Pass’s numbers were pedestrian. Just like against Alabama, he seemed to do a decent job getting the offense to move for a few plays, then they stalled out and punted. The only touchdown the Cards could muster in the first half was a punt return for a score by Rodjay Burns.
But where Pass left off, Cunningham picked right up and sparked the Cardinals’ offense. He led the Cards to four, straight-scoring drives, showing flashes of what he could be as a starter. Much of Cunningham’s game is similar to what we saw with Jackson at quarterback. Cunningham is an electrifying runner and is right on target with his arm.
“He added another dimension out there,” ISU coach Curt Mallory said. “He was very elusive and hard to tackle. I thought we had him bottled him up a couple of times. He’s a dynamic player and he did a tremendous job out there.”
“It wasn’t a very good night for us except for one thing, we got the win,” Petrino said.
This game was supposed to set the stage for the Cardinals, but it certainly left more questions than answers. For the rest of this week, people will wonder who will be their starting QB? As the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers come into Cardinal Stadium, Pass should still get the start. The weather and delays threw everything off but the bottom line for Louisville is, all their work in the offseason has been for Pass to be the starter. Even so, this game revealed UofL has a QB who can take over if need be.
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
This cookie is set by X to identify and track the website visitor. Registers if a users is signed in the X platform and collects information about ad preferences.
2 years
personalization_id
Unique value with which users can be identified by X. Collected information is used to be personalize X services, including X trends, stories, ads and suggestions.
2 years
external_referer
Our Website uses X buttons to allow our visitors to follow our promotional X feeds, and sometimes embed feeds on our Website.
