Adjusting to the weekend's new realities.
? You're still here? Last year, Lane Kiffin was openly comparing five-star recruit Dillon Baxter to Reggie Bush. Last month, Baxter was talking about his improved maturity and relishing his opportunity to seize the starting tailback job with senior Marc Tyler on indefinite suspension. But when game time came last weekend, Baxter wound up touching the ball exactly once in the Trojans' 19-17 win over Minnesota, on a three-yard reception. The ground game was handled entirely by redshirt freshman D.J. Morgan and undersized junior Curtis McNeal, who was ineligible last year after carrying six times in 2009.
Surprised and frustrated by his absence from the game plan, Baxter and his parents met with Kiffin on Sunday for what Kiffin dubbed a "tell-the-truth meeting," during which the subject of Baxter transferring ?�according to Kiffin, anyway ?�didn't come up. "Hopefully Dillon comes out and practices extremely hard and gains some playing time," Kiffin said. "How much you play isn't up to us, it's up to you."
? When the Frogs fell in Waco. TCU's defense, a mainstay at the top of the national rankings for the last three years, currently sits at 109th in yards allowed and 107th in scoring after a 564-yard, 50-point outburst by Baylor that left the Frogs' proud defensive rep in tatters. Working with seven new starters on defense ?�most obviously in the secondary ?�TCU yielded 50 points for the first time in seven years, 500 yards total offense for the first time in six years, 300 yards passing for the first time since facing Sam Bradford at the height of his powers in 2008, six touchdown passes for the first time in a decade under head coach Gary Patterson and any remaining claim it still had to possessing the nation's best defense after sending off five senior all-conference picks from last year's 13-0 Rose Bowl run.
? Dan who? Northwestern had every reason to panic when do-it-all quarterback Dan Persa was held out of Saturday's opener at Boston College, having dropped its last three in 2010 by an average of 25 points after Persa went down with a ruptured Achilles' tendon in the tenth game. But backup Kain Colter was a close enough facsimile to put their mind at ease, handling a majority of the snaps as both a passer (17 of 24 for 197 yards, 1 INT) and a runner (23 carries for 52 yards, 1 TD) en route to a 24-17 road win over an outfit that led the ACC in rushing and total defense last year.
If that's what the Wildcats can expect from Colter on a regular basis, Persa's extended absence may not be as fatal to their bowl hopes as expected.
? If it's not one thing, it's the other. In 2010, Ole Miss was all about the O: The Rebels averaged a hair shy of 400 yards and 31 points per game, but also gave up 400 and 35 on defense, worst in the SEC, en route to six consecutive conference losses to close the season. In Saturday's opener against BYU? The offense sputtered to the finish with a paltry 208 total yards, zero touchdowns and two turnovers, the second of which ? a fumble by backup quarterback Zack Stoudt, who replaced starter Barry Brunetti at the half ?�the Cougars pounced on for what turned out to be the winning touchdown in a 14-13 slugfest. By the time Brunetti was yanked, the top two running backs had both been sidelined by injuries.
The beleaguered Rebel defense, meanwhile, held BYU out of the end zone for the first three quarters and returned an interception for Ole Miss' only touchdown, an achievement it failed to unlock last year.
? Georgia Tech gets air. Not to make too much of a big night against Western Carolina, but the weirdest stat line of opening weekend came out of Atlanta, where option-loving Georgia Tech passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-21 obliteration of the Catamounts ? 99 yards better than Tech's previous passing high under coach Paul Johnson since 2008. The Jackets didn't turn into Hawaii all of a sudden: They only put the ball in the air 16 times, completing eleven. But those completions went for more than 33 yards a pop, including TD passes of 82, 26 and 77 yards and a 66-yard gain that set up another score. Quarterbacks Tevin Washington and Synjyn Davis combined to post a 322.3 pass efficiency rating, best in the nation by a mile.
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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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