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Week 1 observations on Big 12 football

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:55 AM

Week 1 is in the books, and if it's any indication, we're in for a neat season of Big 12 football.

The spotlight game was Bloomington at Danville, with the Vikings rallying from a 20-0 halftime deficit to take a 27-20 lead, then watching the Purple Raiders tie it in the final minute to force OT. The Vikings won in double OT. Bloomington played without suspended tailback Darrelynn Dunn, but it's still a good win for the Vikings, who could be one of the league's best teams this season.

I could be wrong about this, but I suspect the conference's top teams are as competitive as they've been in a long time. I don't think there's much separation between Normal Community, Bloomington, Danville and Champaign Central. Decatur MacArthur, Centennial and Normal West probably aren't far behind that group.

I was at Normal West-Central on Friday, and the Maroons looked pretty ragged in the first quarter. But they wiped out some of the silly mistakes and dominated the second half, outscoring West 16-0. A few observations:

--Central's Jordan Johnson is a player. The guy had a good junior season, but he looks poised to have a tremendous senior year. Johnson, a cornerback, was everywhere on defense. The Maroons allowed West tailback Darius Bell to rush for 165 yards, but he needed 36 carries to do so. And Bell is quality back, a guy who'll get his yards against most opponents.

West isn't bad, either. I'd guess they'll get five wins and make the playoffs, or come close.

--If there's a kicker in the league who has a stronger leg than Central's Scot Chapman, I want to see him. Chapman drilled a 33-yarder Friday -- and it would have been good from 53. If I'm a Division I coach in search of a kicker, I have to give Chapman a look.

--Central's offensive line struggled early, but it got going enough to allow Denzel Stewart to rush for 202 y ards on just 12 carries. Said Central coach Dave Jacobs: "We had to make some adjustments because they (the Wildcats) were lining up differently than what we thought. They got off the ball well, and they were bringing linebackers. Give (Darren Hess) credit, he’s a good defensive coach.

"Our offensive line did a nice job. I’ve told them, they don’t have to be crushing blocks, they just need to get on them. (The running backs) just need a little bit of room."

--If you're not paying close attention, you can miss some interesting stuff during a high school football game. When Normal West had the ball on the Central 4-yard line late in the first half, the Wildcats were flagged for illegal participation (fancy name for 12-men-on-the-field). It's a 15-yard penalty. But the referee had a brain camp and marked off 20 yards. I was on the home team's sideline and couldn't hear if the Normal West coaches began complaining about the incorrect mark-off, but one member of the officiating crew noticed the mistake. He couldn't get the referee's attention in time, however, and West ran its next play from the 24-yard line. The drive ended in a field goal.

Central, in case you're wondering, wasn't complaining.

--Food tip: the pulled pork sandwiches at Central home games are top-notch. I lived in the South for a brief period many years ago and enjoyed some of the best pulled pork I've ever had. To this day, I have cravings for the pulled pork at Furman University football games. But Central's stacks up quite well, thank you.

--One other word about officiating. If there's one play that I've seen consistently called incorrectly in covering prep football for 22 years, it's in the case of receivers who trap the ball against the ground. Officials routinely give the receiver credit for a catch, even when it appears the ball hit the ground, as was the case in one play Friday. But that's a play that I don't mind seeing the officials err on the side of caution. It is a terribly difficult judgment for a five-man crew to make -- no instant replay available here -- and when it's close, I don't have a problem with the receiver getting the benefit of the doubt.

--Back on Wednesday with a look ahead to Week 2, featuring the Central-Urbana rivalry.

Until then, enjoy the weekend.