College round-up week 4

Miami-Pitt

Is this the core of the same Pittsburgh team I saw last year? It's hard to believe how average they looked against the Hurricanes. Simply unable to get anything going on offense all game long, they could barely accumulate first downs, let alone look threatening downfield.

Starting QB Tino Sunseri was eventually benched, and back-up Pat Bostick at least looked comfortable in the position, generating a drive made up of lofted passes steadily down the field, before also lofting up an easy interception.

Most worryingly, Dion Lewis, touted as a potential dark-horse for the Heisman trophy after an excellent freshman year has not found his 2010 rhythm yet. Instead Pitt's running game (and only positive news from the game) came in the form of power RB Ray Graham.

Hopefully Lewis can regain his 2009 form, he is incredibly exciting to watch when he makes cuts and escapes the first tackler. I have no doubt he will make an impact in the NFL one day.

Miami's pro-style offense made them look a class above Pitt, and the Hurricanes have a fine selection of receivers in Travis Benjamin, LaRon Byrd and Leonard Hankerson. These are players that already look capable of making an impact in the NFL, and backed up by a solid defensive effort they easily won this game.

Alabama-Arkansas

A great game of football played in perfect conditions and with the most electric crowd that only the college game can produce.

It was such a tight game that mistakes were ultimately the difference, and it's impossible to look past Arkansas' QB Ryan Mallett's two late interceptions as the primary cause for defeat.
It was not the picks themselves that particularly cost the Razorbacks, more the momentum shift and deflation you could feel from the stands in their aftermath.

It had looked as if Arkansas were headed for the comfortable win, but Alabama managed to establish the running game with Mark Ingram more consistently in the second half, and this coupled with key defensive stops and the turnovers were enough to guide the Tide to victory.

There is no more galling loss than one such as this for Arkansas, and this would have doubtless been the signature win of their season had they pulled it off.

Mallett looks to have definite pro-potential. His foot work is for the most part, very solid, and he made some nice step up into the pocket moves not often seen at this level. He also made several stunningly accurate passes, and was helped with equally strong receiver performances by Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright.

Worryingly though, he made risky throws, and could even have been picked off more than the three times he was.

Alabama QB Greg McElroy also made mistakes however, throwing two picks, one of which he clearly failed to see the Arkansas defensive back at all until he cut to the ball.

The difference was that McElroy adapted his game in the second half, and the play calling changed. There was more commitment to the run game for starters, but also the passes that were called were largely safer, shorter routes to the sure hands of Julio Jones, who had the better of his match-up with cornerback Ramon Broadway.

This game also showed the importance of having a running game; Arkansas started with reasonable production in this area but fell away badly in the second half, heaping more pressure on Mallett and allowing Alabama to predict the play-calling.