CFB AM: Minnesota's dramatic chipmunk returns to take your soul
No. 2 TCU didn't look so hot on opening night at Minnesota, although the Horned Frogs still won, 23-17.
As Stewart Mandel writes in his Thursday night takeaways post, this shouldn't be much of a concern for TCU as Minnesota is a very respectable Big Ten team, and this will be among the toughest road games TCU plays all season. So chill out those of you who have the Frogs going to the College Football Playoff.
What should be concerning, though?
The double homicide Minnesota's "dramatic chipmunk" will inevitably commit on some poor school this season.
Look at this thing and tell me you wouldn't pick it out of a suspect lineup:
Minnesota is using Dramatic Chipmunk to distract kickers & it's working! TCU is 1-2 on FG attempts. (via @jack_kiwi) pic.twitter.com/qGSqrbOBMb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 4, 2015
The Gophers started using the chipmunk a couple years back to distract opposing kickers, and it became a sensation. So it has returned for another season and clearly wants to eat your heart and devour your soul.
It worked once against TCU kicker Jaden Oberkrom, but he still connected on 3-of-4 field goals against Minnesota, including a 53-yarder.
Not every kicker will be so lucky. Sometime this year, the dramatic chipmunk will just destroy a kid's psyche, and Jerry Kill's hard work in Minneapolis will be complete.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Welcome to Michigan, Jim Harbaugh -- here's your offense
Very few expected Jim Harbaugh to win his first game as Michigan's head coach, so the Wolverines' 24-17 loss at Utah on Thursday night wasn't the least bit surprising. It actually was much closer than I expected, and that's credit in part to Michigan's defense hanging tough against Utah's stud running back, Devontae Booker, holding him to 69 yards on 22 carries. As Bruce Feldman noted in his postgame piece, though, the biggest problem for Michigan still remains its quarterback play. Iowa transfer Jake Rudock threw three interceptions against Utah, with one going for a pick-6, and overshot a few throws he should make. He connected on a nice throw to tight end Jake Butt for a TD, but overall it was hard to watch this Michigan team and see how it's going to score enough points to really make a dent in the Big Ten this year (which nobody really expects, anyway).
Opening night reminded Michigan fans of last year's team with the bad mistakes and bad offense, writes Mark Snyder. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham finally admitted after beating Michigan that all the Harbaugh hype wore him out a bit. Bill Connelly has a few takeaways from Michigan's first game.
2. Not Scooby!
Uh-oh: Arizona beat UTSA on Thursday, 42-32, but the nation's best linebacker and last year's Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Scooby Wright, went down with a knee injury and it's unclear how long he'll be out. Rich Rodriguez said after the game he didn't think it was an ACL or MCL injury, but he wouldn't know for sure until after Scooby gets an MRI. Here's to hoping for the best, as college football will be way less fun without Scooby.
A couple other notes: North Carolina outplayed South Carolina in Charlotte but lost, 17-13, because quarterback Marquise Williams had a brutal night. I was watching the game in our FOX Sports bar (yes, that's a thing) with colleague and former UNC/NFL O-lineman Jeb Terry, and the three interceptions -- two in the end zone, the other in the red zone -- just about killed us. The good news for the Heels: RB Elijah Hood looked every bit like the beast he's expected to be, with 139 yards on 12 carries, and the defense was better in Gene Chizik's first game as the defensive coordinator. Still stings.
Colorado has a right to be heated with the referees after how last night's game against Hawaii ended.
No. 4 Baylor has suspended All-American D-lineman Shawn Oakman, as well as a defensive back, for tonight's game against SMU.
3. Cash in on daily fantasy
Lots of you will be playing daily fantasy college football for the first time this season. We had Todd DeVries, a daily fantasy guru, on The Audible this week to give you some strategy tips on how to get an advantage in your pools. Here's the clip:
Also, the debate America needs to settle: In-N-Out or Shake Shack?
LASTLY
Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone. Enjoy the football, and thanks for reading.
Teddy Mitrosilis works in social content development at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.
