You made it. Football happened. It was as glorious as you remembered, wasn’t it? I hope the wings were properly-marinated, as well.
— While college football was providing a level of drama which was greatly enjoyed but will likely be surpassed in a week, the NFL was working through a much more personal version of dramatics. The “final” round of roster cuts came this weekend, bringing each NFL team to the 53-man depth chart it will carry into the season.
Among former Irish players trying to make their first roster, defensive lineman Isaac Rochell made his way onto the Los Angeles Chargers, though his spot remains tenuous. The quotation marks a paragraph prior around final are because these rosters are obviously constantly in flux. In Los Angeles, defensive end Tenny Palepoi will return from suspension (violation of league policy on performance enhancing substances) one week into the season. When he is added to the roster, it could be at Rochell’s expense.
Drafted in the seventh round, Rochell is joined by undrafted linebacker James Onwualu on the Chargers’ roster. Undrafted cornerback Cole Luke found a spot with the Carolina Panthers.
Defensive-turned-offensive tackle Jarron Jones, also undrafted, did not make the cut with the New York Giants. Rather than spend time with their practice squad, as expected, in hopes he can bring his blocking skills to an NFL-level, Giants beat writer Dan Duggan reports Jones has signed with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.
— Perhaps the USC vs. Western Michigan game was well beyond dramatic with three minutes remaining and the Trojans up 17. It was then, though, that the weekend’s most memorable moment occurred.
You have undoubtedly seen this by now, but reminding of it cannot hurt. After an interception returned for a touchdown USC walk-on long snapper Jake Olson fired a perfect snap for the converted extra point. Why in the world would that be memorable? Olson is blind.
Incredible moment in sports. Big kudos to the ref for handling the situation perfectly https://t.co/yc94GLBIB9
— Scott Daly (@sdaly61) September 3, 2017
Just for making that happen, perhaps Notre Dame fans should allow USC is not entirely bad.
Lost in the moment is the praise deserved by Western Michigan and, specifically, Broncos coach Tim Lester. Trojans coach Clay Helton called Lester on Thursday wanting to find a way to get Olson his moment. Lester agreed if the situation presented itself, he would tell his kick block unit to relent on the attempt, but only if the game was already at an agreed upon level of lopsided.
In exchange, USC would not rush Western Michigan’s first point after attempt. That is especially bold, ceding a point at the game’s outset.
— That touchdown, courtesy of Trojans safety Marvel Tell, made the score 49-31. Somewhere I recently read someone predict USC would exceed a projected tally of 43 points this weekend. That same person also mused Georgia should have been favored by more than two touchdowns against Appalachian State and the Boston College vs. Northern Illinois game would not provide the fireworks necessary to reach a combined total of 51 points.
Georgia beat Appalachian State by 21, and that latter game notched only 43 points.
— Injuries are part of football, but it is still always preferable not to see star quarterbacks on national title contenders lost for the year on the opening weekend. Florida State’s Deondre Francis reportedly injured a season-ending patellar tendon injury, leaving the Seminoles to turn to freshman James Blackman.
Blackman, or classmate Bailey Hockman, will have only one game to get ready for some of the ACC’s best. Florida State hosts Louisiana-Monroe this weekend before Miami arrives Sept. 16 followed a week later by redemption-seeking North Carolina State.
Fortunately for the Seminoles, the three-game home stand should provide the freshmen some level of comfort.
— Allow me to be the buzzkill. Excuse me while I ruin the fun. I am here to end the party.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen’s fake spike-touchdown to complete a historic comeback over Texas A&M last night was unnecessary, superfluous, pointless and inconsequential. I am not referring to the touchdown itself. It delivered the Bruins a win. I am referring to the fake spike.
The clock was not ticking. The previous play, a fourth-and-six from the 20-yard line, ended with UCLA running back Soso Jamabo out of bounds, having converted the first down off a pass into the flat. When Rosen faked the spike, the A&M defenders should have ignored it.
Any Aggies falling for it is more a reflection on their game awareness and coaching than it is on Rosen’s savviness.
For that matter, was it even a catch?
— For Irish fans, Friday night in Boca Raton was a reminder of a Saturday six years ago. The Florida Atlantic debut of Lane Kiffin was elongated by three lightning delays, finally ending at 1:47 a.m. Per the Sun-Sentinel’s Matt DeFranks, there was never a conversation about halting the game prior to completion, even though Navy seemed to have the result well in hand.
On some level, that makes sense. It was a Friday night, there were no classes to get to. Kiffin and the Owls should want to play to win, that is the entire premise of the sport. It is Florida, quick rain storms are the norm.
But it was an hour past midnight with the game clock stopped. One has to wonder at what point those conversations would have begun.
— I have my one and only fantasy football draft tomorrow night. I am woefully behind on research, but I know this much: I will not be drafting any former Irish players with the possible exception of Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert.
It is a two-quarterback fantasy league, something I have long advocated for, but now that only puts me even further behind in preparations.
— As of this typing, no sign yet of a Notre Dame vs. Georgia spread. Possible season-ending injuries to star quarterbacks on national title contenders will often delay such projections, and such is the case with Bulldogs starter Jacob Eason. With that in mind, this is a unique chance to guess the line. Let’s go with Notre Dame by 4.5 points.
UPDATE: With the news freshman quarterback Jack Fromm will start for Georgia, the line has opened with the Irish as 6.5-point favorites this weekend.
— Top-25 polls will come out tomorrow, delayed this week by the elongated weekend. (Thanks Labor Day. That is also why this post is up a few hours later than usual. Why rush on a holiday?) There will not be a separate post tomorrow to inform anyone of the inevitable: Notre Dame will be in the top 25.
Take the initial AP poll, for example. The Irish were No. 28, if counting through the Others Receiving Votes. Nos. 22 and 23 West Virginia and Texas, respectively, both lost. No. 19 South Florida struggled, again, this time against Stony Brook.
No. 26 TCU beat up on Jackson State. No. 27 Utah enjoyed a casual evening against North Dakota. The Irish victory over Temple is far more impressive than either of those.
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