Game Day, Part II

USC has a scheduled bye week before its Sept. 13 match-up against Ohio State. But the Trojans might as well have had this week off, as coach Pete Carroll’s team ran over and around Virginia, 52–7, on the road in Charlottesville.

The loaded roster was led by quarterback Mark Sanchez, who quickly calmed down any USC fans who may have been worried about the junior signal-caller’s recently dislocated left kneecap. Sanchez completed 26-of-35 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns to three different receivers and one tipped-ball interception.

“I’m back to 100 percent. I feel good and we’re ready to start preparing for Ohio State,” said Sanchez. “Knowing we have these two weeks to prepare means a lot, too.”

The Trojans also piled up 218 yards on the ground, with four different running backs finding paydirt. CJ Gable led the way with nine carries for 73 yards and one score; electric playmaker Joe McKnight added 60 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards with a TD through the air; Allen Bradford had nine carries for 41 yards and one TD; Stafon Johnson had nine carries for 28 yards and trip to the house; and freshman Marc Tyler added two carries for 18 yards and an end zone celebration.

Defensively, the USC stop-unit forced four turnovers (three fumbles and one INT), while holding Virginia to only 187 yards of total offense (155 passing, 32 rushing) and allowing just one first-quarter touchdown. Wrecking ball senior linebackers Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews, in particular, made their presence felt all afternoon long against Cavalier quarterback Peter Lalich.

It was the Trojans’ overall depth that was most impressive, an advantage pointed out during an in-game phone interview with iconic Hall of Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson. If only Jackson could call the Ohio State at USC game in two weeks; “Whoa, Nellie!”

Déjà Blue

For the second consecutive year, the Maize-and-Blue lost at The Big House in Ann Arbor to open the season.

Last year, Michigan was shocked by Division I-AA (FCS) Appalachian State, 34–32, in the first game of coach Lloyd Carr’s final season. This year, the Wolverines took another two-point loss, this time a 25–23 defeat to Utah in coach Rich Rodriguez’s first game on the sideline.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have some growing pains. I was hoping we wouldn’t have too many, but this was the first game for them and I think they’ll get better each game,” said Rodriguez, who is implementing completely new schemes — without departed seniors Chad Henne, Mike Hart and Jake Long.

While Appalachian State was one of the great upsets of the modern era, this year’s loss to Utah appeared to be anything but a fluke. The Utes jumped out to a 25–10 lead, before two fourth-quarter Michigan touchdowns and a failed two-point conversion resulted in the final margin.

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson completed 21-of-33 passes for 305 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Utes’ steady ball control offense also dominated time of possession 35:54-to-24:06. But it was solid defense late in the game that allowed the Mountain West contender to crash The Big House party and prevent a postgame performance of “Hail to the Victors.”

“This was a great way to start the season,” said Utah coach Kyle Wittingham. “I was very proud of the way the guys hung in there.”

Gator Bait

Hawaii has had a tough time with the SEC lately — losing 56–10 at Florida to open this season after taking a humiliating 41–10 defeat vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to end what had been an unbelievable BCS run last year.

From the looks of it, however, the Warriors won’t be the only team getting run off the field by the Gators in 2008. Seven players combined to score eight touchdowns, with reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow being left out of the action after a first-half touchdown run was called back to the 1-yard-line following a replay.

Tebow’s record 14-game streak with at least one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown ended, but the junior signal-caller was in total command of an offensive juggernaut, completing 9-of-14 passes for 137 yards and one scoring strike through the air, along with 37 yards on the ground.

Without injured triple-threat Percy Harvin, coach Urban Meyer’s team saw four different running backs score touchdowns. Freshman Jeffrey Demps led the way with two carries for 76 yards and a 62-yard score; Chris Rainey added six carries for 58 yards and a TD; Kestahn Moore had seven touches for 33 yards; while Brandon James and Cameron Newton each crossed the goal line.

Defense and special teams were just as impressive. James had an electrifying 74-yard punt return for his second score of the day, following a 1-yard punch-in to give the Gators a 7–0 lead early in the first quarter.

Ahmad Black had two interceptions — his first in the end zone to prevent a Hawaii touchdown and his second covering 80 yards the other way to give Florida a 56–0 lead with 40 seconds to play in the third quarter. Safety Major Wright also notched a 32-yard pick-six earlier, in the second quarter.

With all three sides of the ball clicking, Florida — Athlon Sports’ preseason No. 1 team — appears to be on track before higher-profile match-ups with in-state rival Miami (Sept. 6) and on the road at Tennessee (Sept. 20).