MFTC - San Jose State

Written by Glen Turner | 08 September 2010

Sorry, folks, there ain’t gonna be no From The Couch this year. I’ve just got too many projects going on and no time for that kind of film study. Being the fanatic Tide fan that I am, though, I usually have a few thoughts about the game, and the regulars here are kind enough to give me this great platform to express them. I’ll also make a comment or two on the college football scene each week. So without no ado, whatever that is, here is this week’s MFTC (Modified From The Couch).

The Game

You folks who have been around for a while are gonna notice right away the difference between FTC and MFTC. Cause I really ain’t got that much to say about the game this week. What, Julio made a great catch? I’ll bet y’all heard about that already – all I’ll point out is that you’re gonna remember that play a decade from now and probably nothing else from this game.

Not much you can say about a performance against a bad team that is barely 1A, except that we met expectations. But I will add that the expectations were very high, and I will also add that the effortlessness of the blowout was something you haven’t always seen from Alabama. The Tide never demolishes out outmatched foes with the ease and ridiculous numbers that a Florida or Texas racks up – but this was pretty easy, and the numbers were at least fairly ridiculous.  It's a sign that the talent level is hitting astronomical.

I will give a shout out for C.J. Mosley. Yeah, he shoulda had a couple of picks, but you give me the linebacker that is dropping multiple interceptions a game every time, because most linebackers are never going to lay hands on the football in any way, shape, or form. And it wasn’t just pass D, either. Mosley was all over the field and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in the starting lineup by the end of the season.

On the other end of the spectrum, Robert Lester laid out some big hits and got a pick, but he gave up the goods a couple of times as well. Most of us expected him to be the weak link on the D, and it may be true at this point in the season.

McElroy vs McCarron: both looked good, but certainly there is no cause for a QB controversy at this point in time, because Greg looked better.

Sure was fun to watch Lacey living up to all I have heard about him.

Around College Football

Boise St. was not overwhelmingly impressive Monday night - see, for example, Alabama opening against the same squad last year - but who is every week? Fact is that they went into a hostile house and came out with a W against a Top 10 team. Who else has done that in 2010?

I think the “mid majors” get way too much hype – it’s even worse in basketball. But Boise is a different story because no other 2^nd-tier team has replicated their kind of accomplishments, maybe since Penn St. rose up in the ‘60s under that new coach. Coming off a BCS bowl win and returning most of their starters, the Broncos are a legit contender who has earned a spot with the big boys, and if they’re the only undefeated team at the end of the season, they should and will receive a spot in the championship game.

It’s all about what you do on the field, and Boise St. has done it. Everything else is just talk.

Did LSU get a wake-up call – or did we hear the beginning of Les Miles’ goodbye song?

The NCAA had to hit A.J. Green for what he did, because that’s the way they do things and they have to be consistent. The takeaway, though, from this and just as much from the Marcell Dareus situation, is that serious thought has to be given to the current rules. Face it, college football players are little more than slave labor, making huge bucks for The Man. If a young man finds a way to make a little spending money from selling his own jersey, then that is evil exactly why?

Oh, and this just in: Joe Paterno is a nice guy, but he’s no Bear Bryant. Just don’t go there.