College football got off to a roar Thursday night, but the sweetest noise was not the laughter that accompanied No. 2 Ohio State’s 45-7 thumping of Marshall or Utah’s wild 27-24 upset over No. 15 Pitt. No, down in Atlanta more than a season was born when Georgia State played – and won – the first game in its history.
Get the picture; across town the pennant-seeking Atlanta Braves were playing the Mets in a crucial game as baseball enters it home stretch, but an even bigger crowd was on hand in an excited Georgia Dome to watch as Bill Curry, who not so long ago brought his warmth to Baylor School, led his Panthers to a 41-7 victory over Shorter.
A crowd of 24,895 watched the Mets snap Atlanta’s five-game streak, 4-2, but all the joy in Mudville was in the Dome last night. That is where 30,237 cheered as Georgia State successfully launched its first team, this some 116 years after the University of Georgia first played Georgia Tech.
Curry has spent the last two years “starting football” at Georgia State, but, last night, in the same style the 67-year-old showed at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky, Curry forged another winner in his home town. And never mind some lady hit the team bus on its way to the Dome – nobody was hurt.
Elsewhere, South Carolina mauled Southern Miss, 41-13. Marcus Lattimore had a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to decide the game, but embattled quarterback Stephen Garcia ran for two other scores and freshman quarterback Connor Shaw threw his first touchdown pass for the Gamecocks.
Lane Kiffin’s Southern Cal, bolstered by five touchdown passes off the hand of Matt Barkley, took a 49-36 win over Hawaii in Honolulu. What’s puzzling about that one is that the USC defense, now guided by Monte Kiffin, gave up 588 yards to the Warriors, which was better than USC's 524.
No. 13 Miami tromped Florida A&M, 45-0, which sets the stage for next weekend’s game against the Buckeyes. OSU was nearly perfect in last night’s Marshall game, quarterback Terrelle Pryor throwing three touchdowns, but next week will be the first game between OSU and Miami since the 2002 national championship game. (Ohio State won that classic, 31-24, in double overtime.)
So, here we go. Here are my Top 10 picks for Labor Day weekend:
MIAMI OF OHIO at No. 3 FLORIDA, 12 Noon – Gator great Tim Tebow is gone and Florida coach Urban Meyer has retired and been rehired since the last time you saw him so if ever a team needed to get back to business it’s the Gators. The fact is this crowd, led by QB John Brantley, is a legitimate contender for the national championship. They’ll slaughter “the other Miami” in this early game and then South Florida will offer little resistance before the national cameras will find them in Knoxville on Sept. 18. My Pick? Florida, 47-7.
NORTHWESTERN at VANDERBILT, 7:30 p.m. – Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is poised to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame so you can expect he’ll have his team ready to show why the visitors are a 5-point favorite at Vandy. Bobby Johnson’s sudden resignation just before the start of practice – to be candid – left the Commodores in something of a lurch and, with the Vandy running backs a bit hobbled, this one could be a tough way to open the season. My pick? Northwestern, 27-16.
PURDUE at NOTRE DAME, 3:30 p.m. – Notre Dame has a 101-15-5 record in season openers and. with new coach Brian Kelly now having a steady grip on the helm, I figure the Irish being favored by 11 is about right. The story line is about Robert Marve, the double-threat Purdue quarterback who didn’t play last year after transferring from Miami, but this game is for the ever so coveted Shillelagh trophy and, with these two ancient rivals just 110 miles apart, it will be fun to watch. My Pick? Notre Dame, 26-17.
KENTUCKY at LOUISVILLE, 3:30 p.m. – A lot has been made over the fact Louisville’s new coach, former Florida coordinator Charlie Strong, and Kentucky’s new coach, Joker Phillips, are close friends. But the equal fact is that just 75 miles separate the largest two schools in the Commonwealth so you have to look at this as more of a family squabble. Kentucky’s a 3-point favorite, based on who the Wildcats have returning, but the rivalry factor is keen. My pick? Kentucky, 24-14.
UCLA at KANSAS STATE, 3:30 p.m. -- In something of a delicious twist, offensive center Kia Maiava led his UCLA teammates in a Samoan war chant before Thursday's practice. That’s because he will undergo surgery on his broken left ankle Friday, with a plate and screws being placed in the bone to help it heal. If that doesn’t make you want to holler, how does “The Purple People Eaters” being picked over the Bruins by two work for you? I think UCLA is better than that. My pick? UCLA, 27-21.
UT-MARTIN at TENESSEE, 6:00 p.m. –The Dooley Era will blossom in Knoxville tomorrow and, in a curious way, those who haven’t been to Neyland Stadium in a while will see some changes in the stadium itself. There is a newness, particularly with 1,800 new seats and a sparkling plaza. I bring this up because the Vols will gobble up UT-Martin so early the game itself is almost senseless. Tennessee football will be a lot more fun against Oregon and Florida in the next two weeks so, enjoy the newness tomorrow. My Pick? Tennessee, 49-7.
SAN JOSE STATE at No. 1 ALABAMA, 7:00 p.m. – Alabama DE Marcell Dareus has now been benched for the first two games by the NCAA so the Tide will be missing both its defensive MVP and its offensive MVP (Mark Ingram) in the opener. Big deal, the best team in college football is still about a 39-point favorite and happiness will continue to reign in Tuscaloosa. You can still expect big things from QB Greg McElroy, WR Julio Jones, and Ingram’s “sub,” Trent Richardson, who was the 10th best runner in the SEC last year and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. My pick? Alabama 45-7.
No. 22 LSU vs. No. 18 NORTH CAROLINA in Atlanta, 8:00 p.m. – The Chik-fil-A Classic could be a dandy, but I’ve watched LSU squirm and wither in the heat of the SEC West, where four of the six teams are in the Top 25, and I look for a breakout game by the Tigers. UNC has off-the-field investigations galore, which are worrisome to the program but not as much to the team, so the Heels will be eager to play. But LSU has to get its swagger back, and must make a quick impact, to get that heat off of coach Les Miles and prove LSU is going to be a force this fall. My pick? LSU, 31-4.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 5
SMU at TEXAS TECH – You’ll remember that Tommy Tuberville replaced fiery Mike Leach after last season, and that Leach left a pretty good football team behind. You should also remember SMU hasn’t beaten Texas Tech since 1986. As a matter of fact, the Mustangs have lost every game by at least 10 points during that stretch. That’s why TTU is a 14-point favorite. My pick? Texas Tech, 31-10.
MONDAY, SEPT. 6
No. 5 BOISE STATE at No. 10 VA. TECH, 8:00 p.m. – When Boise State finished fourth in the final standings last year, the Broncos coach said he was tired of proving his critics to be wrong. “Let's prove everyone right," the fifth-year coach said. On Labor Day he’ll have a chance but watch Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor, who had 2,311 passing yards and 370 rushing last year. Boise is favored by 3, but I like Va. Tech Monday night on FedEx Field in Landover, Md. My pick? Va Teach, 27-24.
WHOOPS, ONE MORE
APPALACHIAN STATE at CHATTANOOGA, 3:00 p.m. – B.J. Coleman will doubtlessly come out gunning against third-ranked “Appy” but the truth is, ASU is a well-coached and well-stocked football team. Everybody loves what UTC coach Russ Huesman has done so far, but record ticket sales don’t block and tackle. Chattanooga has a chance, but the word is ASU has more horses. My Pick? ASU, 24-21
royexum@aol.com