EARLY TEST FOR TEXAS
Can LSU quarterback Joe Burrow match Texas' Sam Ehlinger in a showdown Saturday night?
LSU and Texas are two proud college football programs that have spent the better part of a decade or more searching for a quarterback who could lead them to the glory they expect. Last season, Texas found its QB in Sam Ehlinger. Has LSU done the same in Joe Burrow?
LSU plays at Texas on Saturday night in a rousing showdown, and Burrow, a transfer from Ohio State who played reasonably well for LSU last season, looked strong last week in the Tigers' 55-3 rout of Georgia Southern.
Texas coach Tom Herman helped recruit Burrow, who grew up in Ohio, to Ohio State when Herman was offensive coordinator there. Burrow spent two years backing up J.T. Barrett, then transferred after it became apparent Dewayne Haskins would win the Buckeye job.
“I loved his competitive spirit,” Herman said. Burrow is the son of former Ohio U. defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow, and “anytime you've got a coach's kid, obviously, Jimmy was a big influence in our intangible diagnosis of him. You get a coach's kid, you know they're going to be raised right.
Thought the was a fierce competitor, very cerebral. Just an overall really really tough competitive kid.”
Ehlinger last season beat Southern Cal, Oklahoma and Georgia. He looked good in UT's 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. “In today's college football … the list is very long as far as the teams that have had the ultimate success, have had really really good-to-great quarterback play. I'm not saying
it can't be done without it, but the path is a lot more manageable when you have a great one.”
Cut Cyclones some slack
Iowa State football's high expectations nearly went splat in the season opener, when the Cyclones survived Division I-AA Northern Iowa 29-26 in triple-overtime. It was not a good sign that the perennial second-division Cyclones, ranked 21st in the preseason, can handle the spotlight.
But cut Iowa State some slack. Its rivalry with Northern Iowa is not typical of a Power 5/Division I-AA series. The Panthers are consistent winners in the lower classification, have remarkable stability in Mark Fairley (19th year as UNI head coach) and annually play Iowa or Iowa State, usually to very good games and occasionally pulling the upset. “That's what makes our state unique,” said Cyclone coach Matt Campbell. “You know each other well, you know how each other works. You see the history of their success … you're going to get the best of an opponent like that. It was great for us; they had our attention going into the game. “Honestly, for us, there was a lot more positive than negative. Our kids played really hard, they were physical and aggressive. The thing for us, the learning experience for us, is what we know living here at Iowa State, we have to win in the margins, do the little things well. There were times we did, there were times we didn't.”
Brown lauds Kendall
West Virginia's offense struggled in a 20-13 victory over James Madison on Saturday, but Mountaineer coach Neal Brown doesn't seem to hold new quarterback Austin Kendall responsible.
Kendall, who transferred from OU in January, completed 27 of 42 passes for 260 yards, no interception and two touchdowns.
“I thought for making what I would determine is his first career start, he handled himself well,” Brown said. Kendall started last season against West Virginia when Kyler Murray was late for a meeting, but Murray returned to the controls after one series.
Brown noted three blown pass protections and six dropped passes against James Madison.
“I thought he (Kendall) did a commendable job,” Brown said. “I thought he saw the game well, stood in the pocket and had some courage. He made good decisions. We've got to do a better job on the deep ball. Some were on the receivers, some were on him. I thought blocking was extremely below average … We didn't block at any position very well.”
Chanticleers flee coast
Coastal Carolina plays at Kansas on Saturday night, and the effects of Hurricane Dorian has the Chanticleers on the run. Coastal Carolina's team is being relocated to crossstate Greenville, South Carolina, 237 miles away. The Chanticleers will stay in a hotel, practice on high school fields and fly to Kansas later in the week.
KU coach Les Miles was involved in hurricane-related scheduling changes while coaching 12 seasons at LSU and said he wishes Coastal Carolina well.
“I think it's a positive and a negative thing,” Miles said of the upheaval. “The positives are, you're with your team and there's some new and it's different and enjoyment. The negative is, takes you out of your routine and you have to take a new load, a new schedule, and that's always a pain. Again, it's difficult at best and I wish them all the best.”