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From: mom@sfmag.UUCP (M.Modig)
Newsgroups: net.sport.football
Subject: Re: #1-here I come, Signed, JoePa
Message-ID: <713@sfmag.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Sep-85 13:15:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: sfmag.713
Posted: Thu Sep 26 13:15:13 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 04:12:11 EDT
References: <2120@burdvax.UUCP> <6896@ucla-cs.ARPA> <328@ihdev.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Summit, NJ
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> In article <6896@ucla-cs.ARPA> lor@ucla-cs.UUCP (Edward Lor) writes:
> >A good passing team can almost always beat a good running team. 
> >Look how Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma fared in the so-called 
> >"game for the national championship" in the past 3 years.
> >See how Auburn did against Miami and Florida last year.
> >BYU certainly has a fair chance to beat Oklahoma, Nebraska 
> >and likes.
> 
> but does BYU ever play oklahoma or nebraska?  how long would BYU last
> if they moved into the big eight (a "running" conference)??  i think
> after playing OU, nebraska, and OK-state, maybe mizzou on a good day,
> BYU would have nothing left.  they would be pummeled.  it's awfully easy
> for a team like BYU to play a whimpy schedule for a year, then come in
> for one big game and toss up  40-50 passes and win.
> 
> yes, your right, the big running teams HAVE been getting beat lately
> in big games, like nat'l championship games.  but one game doesn't
> make a season.  do you really think miami had a better team than
> nebraska two years ago??  no way....
> 

Looking at the college game, the evidence seems to be pretty strong
that a good passing team will do pretty well.  The reason, I feel,
is that the weakest part of most college teams is their pass
defense, sometimes closely followed by their pass offense. BC didn't
win with defense last year-- they won because they had a quarterback
who could throw and receivers who could catch.  Given the typical
level of play in college, I'd have to say a team with a good pass
attack will be competitive no matter who they play.  You would have
to have a relatively better running attack to be able to say the
same thing about a team that depends primarily on the run.

As far as Miami is concerned, yeah, I would have to say they were
better than Nebraska.  They had just enough running to complement
their passing, and besides, they beat Nebraska.  Running isn't
everything, and it counts just as much when you score a TD by a pass
rather than a run.  It's tough to ignore, but when Big 8 teams play
teams outside their conference that have a more balanced attack and
a solid defense, they often have trouble, even when it looks like
they should win easily on paper.

Look at Michigan.  They have gotten off to a real good start this
year, and look real tough.  They don't throw a lot, but they appear
to be throwing more often this year, and what's even more important,
more effectively.

BYU, since it does have an excellent passing game, would certainly
be competitive in the Big 8, though I don't think they have the
defense needed to be top of the heap- when you play teams like Nebraska
or Oklahoma that have strong ball control offenses, you need a good
defense and a lot of bodies for substitution, so your defense won't
get worn down over the course of the game.

To my mind, if you can throw the ball well, you can win in college
ball.  That's not nearly the same as in the pros, where the pass
defenses are much more sophisticated, and even teams with great
passing attacks, like the Chargers, often struggle.

Mark Modig
ihnp4!sfmag!mom