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Neri's BLOG
NERI'S NOTES - Saturday 9/8
NERI'S NOTES - Saturday 9/8 Ohio State coach Jim Tressel always says the punt is the most important play
in football. This, however, was ridiculous. The 12th-ranked Buckeyes forced
befuddled Akron to punt 14 times, including after 12 consecutive three-and-out
series, and beat the Zips 20-2 on Saturday. Sam Keller threw for 258 yards and a touchdown in his first road start at Nebraska and Zackary Bowman had a critical interception in the end zone, leading the 16th-ranked Cornhuskers past Wake Forest 20-17 on Saturday. Keller completed 24-of-41 passes for Nebraska (2-0), which lacked the gaudy offensive numbers of last week but withstood its first real challenge of the season and now can focus on next week's visit from No. 1 Southern California. Nebraska traveled 1,165 miles to play its only nonconference road game of the season, but the predominance of red inside 31,500-seat Groves Stadium _ the smallest venue the Huskers have played since 1971 _ made it seem a little like Lincoln, and early on had Keller feeling right at home. Brian Hoyer completed 17 of 29 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan State held off Bowling Green, 28-17, in a nonconference game Saturday. The Spartans' Devin Thomas had four catches for 156 yards and a fourth-quarter TD. Michigan State rattled the Bowling Green offense with seven sacks. Bowling Green is 3-5 against Big Ten schools since 2003, including a win over Minnesota last week. The Falcons are the only MAC team to beat two Big Ten opponents in the same season, upsetting Purdue and Northwestern in 2003. Michigan State is 36-6-2 against current MAC members. Sam Bradford tied a school record with five touchdown passes and Reggie Smith returned a fumble for a score as No. 5 Oklahoma earned a measure of redemption Saturday with a 51-13 win against Miami in their first meeting since the Hurricanes swept three games in the 1980s. All three of Oklahoma's losses came in a three-year span when the Sooners went 33-0 against all opponents except the Hurricanes. Terry Grant ran 24 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and Alabama made Nick Saban the latest coach to oversee the Crimson Tide's dominance of Vanderbilt with a 24-10 victory Saturday. Leigh Tiffin kicked three field goals, and Alabama (2-0) won its Southeastern Conference opener with a 20th straight victory in a series it now leads 59-19-4. The Tide improved to 18-3-1 when opening SEC play against the Commodores (1-1, 0-1). With 18 returning starters, the Commodores came in with what looked like their best chance to defeat Alabama on their home field since 1969 when they last beat the Tide in Nashville. They found themselves essentially playing a road game with Tide fans who followed Saban to Nashville for his first road trip painting Vanderbilt Stadium mostly red in a rare sellout. Alabama fans spent the final minutes cheering in the pouring rain. Alabama rolled up 371 yards offense. The margin could have been wider, but Tiffin was wide left on a 49-yarder and short on a 48-yard attempt. Cedric Peerman ran for 137 yards and a touchdown to help Virginia overcome some wretched special teams play and defeat Duke 24-13 Saturday in both teams' conference opener. Tight end Tom Santi also caught two touchdowns, and backup quarterback Peter Lalich led a 15-play touchdown drive that allowed the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Duke was looking to end a 21-game losing streak dating to a 2005 victory over VMI. The Blue Devils have not beaten a major college football program since 2004. Virginia posted its 600th win in school history. Michigan got embarrassed again, just in a different way. A week after being upset by Appalachian State, th
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