Dropping the Flag on the First Big Weekend

A madcap recap of the weekend action while wondering how on earth Nevada-Las Vegas lost to Arkansas, Rutgers and Temple opened with victories and Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning bounced back after his first two pass attempts fell incomplete.

Kudos, naturally, to UCLA and USC.

Yes, Pete Carroll, they keep playing that song, over and over and over, but that may not be a problem next week when Kansas State comes to town.

UCLA’s victory at Alabama is one for the annals.

Forget the final score: 20-17. The more amazing number was 15-0. Alabama had 15 penalties at home, and UCLA had none. How in the bow-down name of Paul W. Bryant does this happen on Southern soil in a game of such local im-PO-tance?

When we heard Alabama fans were walking around Tuscaloosa wearing “Fran Can” T-shirts in support of new Coach Dennis Franchione , we couldn’t help but note the practicality of it. A snip here, a stitch there, and “Fran Can” instantly becomes a new T-shirt: “Can Fran.”

Rose Bowl Tracking Poll

Each week throughout the season, we will handicap the race for the Rose Bowl, which hosts this season’s national title game Jan. 3.

In the game this week: Oregon vs. Texas.

Yeah, yeah, Oregon almost ended up Duck soup before escaping with a 31-28 win against Wisconsin, but that wasn’t Wisconsin Oshkosh, either. You have to like the fact Oregon came back three times in the second half to pull out the victory. In tracking poll parlance, we call that “moxie.” If the Ducks are going to be in close games all season--and they are, folks--I’ll take my prognostication chances on quarterback Joey Harrington rather than, oh, Matt Senneca.

Texas, of course, has been a local favorite since the Longhorn public relations brass plunked four long-neck beers in my Austin hotel-room ice bucket on a visit last year. Schmooze factor aside, Texas is gun-rack loaded and has two of everything, including quarterbacks who can lead the team to a national title.

Starter Chris Simms struggled a bit in Texas’ 41-7 win over New Mexico State, but how can Coach Mack Brown not stick with a guy who backed out of an oral commitment to Tennessee to come to Austin? If Simms gets hurt, or starts throwing passes like another left-hander, Cade McNown, Texas is the only program in the country that can sub in a quarterback, Major Applewhite, who holds more than 40 school passing records.

Rose Bowl Short List

* Miami: Had Butch Davis not bolted for Cleveland’s bright lights to coach a worse quarterback than he had (Tim Couch vs. Ken Dorsey), the Hurricanes would be lead float in our Rose Bowl parade. Miami’s 33-7 thrashing of Penn State at Happy Valley was clear validation of the school’s decision to promote former offensive coordinator Larry Coker. Some of us suspected what Coker clearly understood: the emotional return of Penn State’s Adam Taliaferro would be an inspirational moment but have zero impact on the game’s outcome.

“I knew we’d lose the battle of the crowd and the battle of the tunnel, but we could control the battle on the field,” Coker said.

* Florida: What’s not to like about Steve Spurrier “coaching up” ball plays for his incredible crop of in-state talent? A stellar performance from quarterback Rex Grossman, who completed 20 of 30 passes for 375 yards in a 49-14 rout of Marshall, did not prevent Spurrier from chucking his headset to the turf in the third quarter after Grossman missed a wide-open receiver.

“It’s hard to start bragging on guys until they play an excellent, perfect game,”’ Spurrier said Sunday. Imagine the wrath should Florida fall to No. 2 in the polls.

* Oklahoma: Still working out the kinks, but we like their kinks.

* Florida State: Gosh, we almost started feeling sorry for Bobby Bowden, what with all those injuries, when all along we should have stuck with the script and been feeling sorry for Duke.

* Georgia Tech: OK, we’ll buy into this myth at least until Sept. 15, when the Yellow Jackets head to Tallahasseee.

* UCLA: A magical start, like 1998, or just another September tease, circa 2000.

* Tennessee: Yes, y’all still got a hound dog in this hunt.

Not So Sure About

* Nebraska: No passing game; can’t even cover a spread.

* Virginia Tech: The season-ending knee injury to tailback Lee Suggs really hurts. The backup’s name, for what it’s worth, is Keith Burnell.

* Kansas State: Can’t wait for triumphant Southern California return of former Santa Ana Foothill High Coach Bill Snyder.

Adios to...

* Oregon State: The Beavers’ cover (SI) was blown with a loss to (Rose Bowl bound?) Fresno State. The other loser is ABC, which paid big bucks to move Oregon-Oregon State to Dec. 1., thinking it might be a marquee game between undefeated schools.

* Alabama (as if).

Dept. of Malfeasance

The Marshall football program is appealing the suspensions of 12 players for reportedly violating the NCAA’s “extra benefits” rule. Let’s hope Marshall’s appeal is not: “Hey, this is peanuts compared to the last time.” In 1969, Marshall was kicked out of the Mid-American Conference after its program was cited for 144 violations.

The Prophet John

Before UNLV traveled to play Arkansas, Rebel Coach John Robinson said on his weekly Mountain West Conference teleconference: “I see it as a close game. Special teams always have a big impact in the first game, mistakes in special teams.” Sure enough, Robinson’s Rebels dominated the game, allowing Arkansas’ offense only one first down through the first 52 minutes.

Yet, UNLV lost, 14-10, because the Rebel kicker missed two short field-goal attempts and their punter dropped a center snap in the closing minutes, allowing Arkansas to drive for the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.