4th Quarter Covers - Oct. 1
By: Joe Nelson
Glancing at the scoreboard won't tell you the whole story in many games. Here are the college games that went down to the wire relative to the spread for Saturday, October 1. Get the details on the final minutes in those key games in this weekly column.
Georgia Tech (-10) 45, NC State 35
Georgia Tech led just 21-14 entering the fourth quarter against NC State but there was a lot of scoring left to be done. After scoring early in the fourth the Yellow Jackets got an interception return touchdown just seconds later. On their next possession Georgia Tech took a commanding 42-14 lead with just ten minutes left in the game. NC State would put up a fight in the final minutes as they put together two touchdown drives to bring the score to 45-28 with just over 30 seconds to go, still short of a spread that fluctuated between -9.5 and -12 and closed at -10. Incredibly Georgia Tech fumbled on a first down rushing play and the recovery was returned for a touchdown, closing the margin to just ten points, right on the number for most. The Yellow Jackets would take a knee on their next possession.
Western Michigan (+3) 38, Connecticut 31
The Broncos played tough with a second straight major conference team on Saturday. They were comfortably within the spread the whole game against Illinois but wagers were in the balance this week as Western Michigan and Connecticut entered the fourth quarter tied 17-17. Connecticut struck first in the final quarter but Western Michigan got the next two scores to go up seven with efficient drives and forcing a punt on defense. Connecticut would tie the game with just over two minutes to go after a ten-play 80 yard drive. It took Western Michigan just two plays to get the lead back, connecting on a long pass play to go up seven again leaving about a minute and a half for the Huskies to answer. Connecticut went right down the field but catastrophe struck with a fumble on the Western Michigan 13 yard line with about 45 seconds left to give the Broncos a big win in this shootout that featured 941 yards.
Eastern Michigan (-8) 31, Akron 23
This ugly match-up in MAC saw Eastern Michigan grab the early lead but struggle to pull away from Akron. The Eagles are not often favored but they faced a spread that bounced around between -8 and -9.5, closing at -8. Entering the fourth quarter the margin was locked at eight points but Eastern Michigan led a successful scoring drive to lead 31-16. Neither team budged on the next possessions but Akron put together a scoring drive to get the margin back to eight with just over three minutes to go. Eastern Michigan was forced to punt again and Akron moved to near the 30 yard line before ultimately failing to convert.
Texas Tech (-6.5) 45, Kansas 34
Kansas got off to a 20-0 lead in this game as underdogs but led just 27-24 at the half as Texas Tech was able to put together quick scores. Texas Tech kept scoring in the third quarter while Kansas went punt, interception, missed field goal, and turnover on downs at the goal line in its next four possessions. Texas Tech did not score in the fourth quarter but the Jayhawks did not score in the second half until just over three minutes to go as what looked like a sure underdog cover early, turned into a loss as Texas Tech was able to get a nice road win.
Boise State (-27.5) 30, Nevada 10
Most won’t be overly impressed glancing at the score in this game for the highly rated Broncos but it was 30-0 entering the fourth quarter and Nevada had just 182 yards of offense with 167 of those yards coming on the last three possessions after Boise State was leading 30-0. Nevada did not have a drive of more than 18 yards until they connected on a field goal early in the fourth quarter, three points that switched the spread winner. Boise State got deep into Nevada territory on its next possession but passed on a longer field goal attempt and Nevada would hit a big play on its final possession, getting a touchdown with only 46 seconds left in the game to create the final score in a game where neither offense was sharp.
Washington State (+3) 31, Colorado 27
The Buffaloes led 20-17 entering the fourth quarter and pushed the lead to 27-17 with just over five minutes to go in the game as the defense really played well most of the game. It took Washington State just seven plays to find the end zone to get back within three points and Colorado was forced to punt after just four plays on its next possession with just over two minutes to go. Washington State took just five plays to score again to grab the lead and Colorado fumbled on its next possession on the edge of field goal range with about a minute on the clock.
Stanford (-23) 45, UCLA 19
Stanford was in control the entire game against UCLA but the game and yardage was a bit closer than the final margin suggests. Early in the fourth quarter UCLA cut the lead to 31-19 but Stanford answered with a touchdown drive just three minutes later to lead by 19, just short of the spread. UCLA got into Stanford territory on its next possession but gave the ball back on downs and with the starters still in the game including Andrew Luck, the Cardinal found the end zone on a pass play with less than two minutes to go to get by the spread for the first time in the game.
Arkansas (+2.5) 42, Texas A&M 38
Texas A&M dominated the first half for the second straight week in a big game but they left the door open for another dramatic comeback. The Aggies led 35-17 at the half but Arkansas chipped away with ten points in the third quarter. Arkansas tied the game at 35-35 with a fumble recovery in the end zone and a 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M got the lead back with a field goal with just over four minutes to go for its only score of the second half as the Arkansas defense stepped up. Arkansas went 80 yards in less than three minutes to go up by four with just over a minute go to lead for the first time in the game and the defense held up to end the game.
USC (-12.5) 48, Arizona 41
USC got off to the early lead in this Pac-12 shootout but Arizona chipped away, rallying to get within seven points entering the fourth quarter. Touchdowns were exchanged early in the fourth and then USC had another quick score to lead 48-34 with less than ten minutes to go. The USC defense finally held to force a punt but then Arizona got a stop on downs near midfield to get the ball back with less than two minutes to go. It took less than a minute for the Wildcats to score, getting within the spread with a minute to go but the onside kick failed and USC was able to kneel to kill the clock.
Kansas State (+3.5) 36, Baylor 35
The Wildcats have had no shortage of late game drama this season as they delivered another wild finish. Trailing 35-26 entering the fourth quarter, Kansas State scored with about six minutes to go to get within two points after Baylor missed a field goal on its previous possession. Baylor threw an interception quickly to give Kansas State the ball back and the Wildcats were able to convert for a field goal to sneak out a narrow win after the defense stopped Baylor’s last chance.
LSU (-29.5) 35, Kentucky 7
LSU Struggled on offense with a rough game from Jarrett Lee but the defense dominated, allowing for a 28-0 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Tigers got past the massive spread early in the fourth quarter but with just over four minutes to go Kentucky had its only successful drive of the game, going 70 yards for a touchdown and a backdoor cover.
Tulsa (-23) 41, North Texas 24
Tulsa dominated North Texas through three quarters, leading 41-3 entering the final quarter. North Texas got its first touchdown of the game early in the fourth and then with many Tulsa reserves in the game The Mean Green scored again with just over three minutes on the clock. Tulsa was still covering the large spread at that point but on its next possession in its own territory the Golden Hurricane oddly went for it on fourth down rather than punting. Subsequently North Texas was left favorable field position and with eight seconds on the clock the winning tickets flipped as North Texas scored its third touchdown of the fourth quarter.