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'College Football Monday'
Frank Coyle's Weekly Blog Column
Florida’s Chris Rainey Wins Offensive Player of the Week
Morris Claiborne of LSU Wins Defensive Player of the Week
Photo – RB Chris Rainey - Florida
With the college football season beginning to take shape, a number of teams hold a 3-0 record that demands national attention. Teams like Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan, San Diego St, South Florida, Clemson and North Carolina have all pushed themselves into the top 25 team picture.
Early season key games saw Oklahoma defeat Florida St and Clemson beat Auburn that ended the nation’s longest winning streak.
The top ranked Sooners beat a stubborn Florida St club that made several key mistakes in big situations that affected the outcome. Sooner safety Javon Harris intercepted two passes in top-ranked Oklahoma's 23-13 victory at No. 5 Florida St. His first interception return of 69 yards set up an Oklahoma field goal. His second interception, with 5:34 remaining in the game, assured the Sooners of the victory. He also had three unassisted tackles and one pass break up.
The Clemson Tigers beat the Auburn Tigers convincingly with a 38-24 thrashing that ended their national best 17 game winning streak. The Tigers relied on QB Tajh Boyd who threw for 386 yards and 4 TDs in a huge victory for Clemson. The Tigers faces Florida St this week in a key ACC matchup.
Florida continued their dominance of Tennessee with a key 33-23 victory in a SEC matchup. Senior all-purpose weapon Chris Rainey had an outstanding game where he totaled 233 yards that included an 83 yard TD reception. That overall total includes 108 yards rushing, 104 yard receiving and a blocked punt that lead to a score. Rainey is the first Gator to rush and catch for over 100 yards in the same game since Percy Harvin accomplished that in 2007.
Looking for good contests this week. Alabama meets Arkansas, LSU faces to West Virginia, Oklahoma St plays Texas A&M, Michigan faces San Diego St and Georgia Tech plays North Carolina in an ACC matchup of unbeatens.
West Virginia won a wild 37-31 contest vs Maryland where they barely held off a strong Terps' comeback. The victory gives the Mountaineers an early advantage in the Big East. They face their biggest home contest in years when they host highly regarded LSU this Saturday in a big intersectional matchup.
South Carolina held over a tough Navy club to go 3-0 in the early action. The offense once again relied on workhorse sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore rushed 37 times for a 246 yards and 3 TDs. Lattimore touched the ball 26 of 37 second half plays for SC as he went over the 100 yard rushing mark for the third straight game.
Offensive Player of the Week
Chris Rainey - Florida - Senior - Running Back
The senior tailback Chris Rainey totaled 233 all-purpose yards and 1 TD as the 16th-ranked Gators defeated Tennessee, 33-23. Rainey rushed for 108 yards (on 21 carries) and caught two passes for 104 yards, including a 83-yard TD as the Gators improved to 3-0, 1-0 in the SEC. He also blocked a punt that lead to a score.
Defensive Player of the Week
Morris Claiborne - LSU - Junior - Cornerback
LSU junior cornerback Morris Claiborne had two interceptions and broke up one pass as the #3 ranked Tigers (3-0, 1-0 in SEC) defeated #25 Mississippi St, 19-6, on the Thursday night game. Claiborne had one tackle and helped the Tigers defense hold the Bulldogs to just 193 yards of total offense.
New Weekly Top 25 Polls Posted Mid Week
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
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