A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
Can you believe we’re only 3 days from Thanksgiving?
Maybe it’s the unseasonably warm weather here in Ohio, or the absence of NBA games that were supposed to have already started, or that I haven’t heard a whole lot about this year’s Black Friday mega-deals, but it sure seems like Turkey Day snuck up on me this year.
The New England Patriots received their Christmas gift from Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos a little bit early.
The Broncos defeated the New York Jets Thursday night behind a stunning 95-yard drive, culminating in a 20-yard, game-winning touchdown run for Tebow. A Patriots victory against a short-handed Chiefs team Monday night could give New England a 2-game division lead over the Jets.
Week two is now in the books. Arizona State upset Missouri, Notre Dame collapsed against Michigan, South Carolina avoided an upset by Georgia, and LSU continued their dominance.
Week three is not without its share of what should be exciting and entertaining games, and here at MSF we want to make sure you get to see all of them.
Here are some of the marquee games to look at this week, then the entire college football TV schedule for week 3. [Read more...]
Will Notre Dame’s offense still be able to produce after losing Michael Floyd for the season?
What!? Purdue lost to Northern Illinois!? Are they really that bad?
These are some very good questions, questions that need to be answered and that will be answered — at least in part — this coming Saturday.
Notre Dame at Purdue
Notre Dame took a heavy blow after learning that their #1 receiver, Michael Floyd, will miss the rest of the season due to a broken left collarbone. Floyd was near the top in the nation, averaging 160 yards per game, before getting injured. This now means Golden Tate will get double covered every game for the rest of the season.
Jimmy Clausen, who might not even start on Saturday due to turf toe, will have to look for Duval Kamara, Robby Parris, or some other receiver to step it up and make some catches.
Otherwise the Irish’s offense is in for a long day.
As for the Irish’s defense, it has been terrible the last two weeks. If they play on Saturday like they have played the last two weeks, there will be trouble for Notre Dame and head coach Charlie Weis. The offense won’t be as productive because of the loss of Floyd, and because of Clausen’s injured toe. Clausen wants to play Saturday and Weis beleives he will, but even if Clausen does play, he will have to adjust his ball delivery. Clausen has stated that the toe hurts, and that he had to make an adjustment.
All that could mean bad news for the BCS hopeful Irish. They desperately need the defense to play a good game because the offense won’t be as good as in previous weeks.
One thing for the Irish to be positive about is that their opponent lost to Northern Illinois last weekend.
Surprising as it might seem, Purdue did lose to Northern Illinois 28-21. Purdue, a semi-mediocre team, looked like a D-II team last Saturday. Purdue isn’t a great team by any means, but no one expected them to lose that game either. Their passing game was non-existent, throwing for only 188 yards. They did rush for a little over 120 yards with 2 TDs, but that will hardly cover up the fact that Purdue just isn’t that good of a team this year.
Don’t expect a Purdue upset Saturday night. Even though the Irish are without Floyd, and Heisman hopeful Clausen is injured with turf toe, Notre Dame will be able to move the ball down the field and easily beat the Boilermakers on their home turf.
