Trent Murphy is an athletic linebacker/end who is the top pass rusher in college football. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week 11 of The Lowe Down. Without a doubt this is the biggest Thursday night slate in the history of college football. With four Top 10 teams going head to head — and with so much on the line for every squad involved — it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. The media and fans alike might hate on Johnny Manziel for holding in hands in the air and rubbing his fingers together like he’s rubbing cash money after a Texas A&M touchdown, but Manziel is every bit of what I’d like to call a “Money Player.” And when I say a money player, I mean a player, in any sport, that comes through for his team when it matters most (uh um, David Ortiz anyone). Greatness is defined by how a player performs when there’s a lot at stake and everyone is watching. And there’s no question about it there’s a lot at stake for all these teams. What we don’t know yet is which player, or players, will rise to the top and will their team to victory. The yearly record is 139-35. To the games we go …
Thursday, November 7
No. 10 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) at No. 6 Baylor (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) 6:30 p.m. CT
If you’ve yet to watch Baylor’s high-scoring offense, sit back, get the cold beer and popcorn ready and enjoy the show. Led by quarterback Bryce Petty, a big, strong-armed quarterback who is a sneaky runner, tailback Lache Seastrunk, who is arguably the most explosive tailback in America, wideouts Antwan Goodley and Tevin Reese and a stout offensive line, the Bears score an eye-popping 63.9 points per game. Defensively, Baylor isn’t great, but it’s opportunistic. And that’s all it needs to be when it has an offense that is as good as it is. Some people think the Sooners (I still can’t get that Texas loss out of my mind) will pull the upset, but not I. Baylor rolls.
The Lowe Down: Oklahoma 38, Baylor 58
No. 3 Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) at No. 5 Stanford (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12) 8:00 p.m. CT
The Ducks fly into “The Farm” looking to avenge a late-season 17-14 defeat at the hands of the Cardinal a season ago with a lot on the line. A loss for Oregon would be detrimental to its national title hopes, but a win would enhance Mark Helfrich’s team’s standing in all of the polls and keep it on track for the BCS national title game. If Stanford is to pull the upset, it must out-physical the Ducks up front on offense and get Oregon in third-and-long situations on defense. If the Cardinal can defend the run well on early downs, it can turn guys like outside linebacker Trent Murphy, who is an absolute animal, and end Henry Anderson loose on quarterback Marcus Mariota on obvious passing downs. If the Cardinal is unable to slow the Oregon ground game, which features tailbacks Byron Marshall, Thomas Tyner, who can absolutely fly, and De’Anthony Thomas (back from injury), then it will be a long night for David Shaw’s team. However, something tells me Stanford will defend the run well and quarterback Kevin Hogan will have a big game and the Cardinal will hand the Ducks their first loss of the year.
The Lowe Down: Oregon 27, Stanford 30
(The weekend’s games will be posted soon)
