College Betting Recap - Week 7

Top 25 Betting Recap - Week 7
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com

Week 7 of the 2013 NCAA football betting season is in the books, and today, we're going to be taking a look at each of the Top 25 teams in the land and see how they fared from an ATS perspective in this go around this past week.

(Results in parentheses represent SU Result-ATS Result)

1: Alabama (W-W vs. Kentucky 48-7)
Bama has now put up two straight great games, and it is starting to look like that game against LSU is the only one that could prove problematic this year.

2: Oregon (W-W vs. Washington 45-24)
The offense was slow at the start, but the Ducks got the job done to seize control of the Pac-12 North.

3: Clemson (W-L vs. Boston College 24-14)
The Tigers were pushed right off the bat, but they scored 14 in the fourth to avoid the upset against BC on the eve of the FSU game.

4: Ohio State (Bye)
In a week of carnage, the Buckeyes were off, and they have to be happy about that.

5: Stanford (L-L vs. Utah 27-21)
The Cardinal were always warned to be on upset alert, and they couldn't figure out how to beat the Utes in what probably will ruin their National Championship hopes.

6: Florida State (Bye)
The Noles probably learned a lot about Clemson watching Boston College challenge it for the full 60 minutes.

7: Georgia (L-L vs. Missouri 41-26)
In what might be the biggest shock of the weekend, the Dawgs were busted by Mizzou.

8: Louisville (W-L vs. Rutgers 24-10)
The Cards were really never figured to cover against the Scarlet Knights, but they had to be encouraged by all of the Top 25 losses around them.

9: Texas A&M (W-L vs. Ole Miss 41-38)
The Aggies had to hold on with everything that they had to stop the Rebs in Oxford.

10: LSU (W-W vs. Florida 17-6)
That LSU defense finally put forth a tremendous game, and if this unit can match the productivity of the offense, this team is a legit National Championship contender.

11: UCLA (W-W vs. Cal 37-10)
The Bruins defense deserves a lot of credit for holding the Golden Bears to just 10 points.

12: Oklahoma (L-L vs. Texas 36-20)
The Sooners were the only team that probably could have saved Mack Brown's job. They succeeded by losing by 16 as 14-point favorites.

13: Miami (Bye)
Thursday's game against North Carolina is one of the biggest in the ACC Coastal Division this year.

14: South Carolina (W-W vs. Arkansas 52-7)
In a week where SEC teams struggled big time, the Gamecocks figured out how to destroy Arkansas.

15: Baylor (W-L vs. Kansas State 35-25)
Baylor didn't figure out how to cover KSU, but at least it won the game on the road, something that a lot of teams weren't good enough to do this week.

16: Washington (L-L vs. Oregon 45-24)
U-Dub is still one of the best 25 teams in the land as we see it, but it isn't good enough to stick with Oregon or Stanford.

17: Florida (L-L vs. LSU 17-6)
The Gators lost to LSU this week, and they have games against Mizzou, Georgia, Vandy, South Carolina, and FSU still left. This could barely be a bowl team this year!

18: Michigan (L-L vs. Penn State 43-40)
It's amazing that it took four overtimes, but in the end, Michigan lost its perfect season against Penn State.

19: Northwestern (L-L vs. Wisconsin 35-6)
There's a reason that the Wildcats were double digit dogs on the road at Camp Randall.

20: Texas Tech (W-L vs. Iowa State 42-35)
The Red Raiders never trailed, but they were never covering against Iowa State either.

21: Fresno State (Bye)
No team did better with a bye this week than Fresno State, which really needs a lot of teams to lose in front of it to get into the BCS this year.

22: Oklahoma State (Bye)
The Pokes had a chance to get their feet back under them with a bye week, and the OU loss really puts the Big XII title right back into play.

23: Northern Illinois (W-L vs. Akron)
The Huskies were lucky to survive against the Zips, who have now challenged a pair of Top 25 teams this year.

24: Virginia Tech (W-W vs. Pittsburgh 19-9)
With six straight wins, the Hokies are once again in a position to win the ACC Coastal Division this year.

25: Missouri Tigers (W-W vs. Georgia 41-26)
The 'Zou is going to be wild next week when the Tigers get back home after the upset of Georgia, but losing QB James Franklin is going to hurt.

College Football Betting News and Notes - Week 7
By Andrew Lange
Sportsmemo.com

Three weeks, three total meltdowns for Air Force in the second half. The end result for the Falcons was 0-3 SU/1-2 ATS.

at Nevada - AFA had a 35-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Nevada scored back-to-back touchdowns with six minutes remaining to win 45-42.

at Navy - AFA led 10-7 at half but was outscored 21-0 after the break and not only lost straight up but failed to cover +13.5.

vs. San Diego State - Catching +3.5, AFA was all but handed a pointspread cover with a 20-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Three SDSU touchdowns later the final score read 27-20.

It was only one game, and against a porous Arizona defense, but USC looked a lot more aggressive following the departure of Lane Kiffin. Cody Kessler averaged nearly 10 yards per attempt and the Trojans ran 75 plays and racked up 546 yards. Also note that after feasting on a handful of sub-par offenses, USC's defense allowed both Arizona State and Arizona to move the ball will relative ease (1,120 yards, 7.6 ypp combined). It'll be interesting to see what stop unit shows up this weekend in South Bend. In theory, the Irish should be the type of offense the Trojans can contain.

I don't think I've ever seen a play differential like this one: South Carolina ran 89 offensive plays while Arkansas ran only 37. Despite losing 52-7, the Razorbacks actually averaged 0.7 ypp more than the Gamecocks. Arkansas' biggest problem right now is an inability to throw the football. Saturday will mark the one month anniversary of the last time UA had a game in which they completed more than 50% of its passes.

Marshall's string of UNDERS (in regulation) continued with a 24-23 (O/U 56) win at Florida Atlantic. The Thundering Herd are now 1-5 O/U overall – the lone over coming in overtime vs. Virginia Tech. I’ll compare this transformation to that of the New Orleans Saints. For years the Saints churned out high scoring affairs thanks to a potent offense and horrific defense. This year's stop unit has been much improved and for the most part the Saints have been a dead nuts UNDER team. Same deal with Marshall who quietly ranks 10th nationally in total defense (298.2 ypg allowed). Now all of a sudden in-game decisions are being made based on the defense’s ability to make stops. Who would have ever thought Florida Atlantic would outgain Marshall in a game?

This is a conservative estimate but both Michigan and Penn State should have won the game at least four times apiece prior to it being decided after four overtimes – the highlight of course being five missed field goals. For the Wolverines it marked their first loss of the season but there appears to be plenty more looming on the horizon: vs. Indiana, at Michigan State, vs. Nebraska, at Northwestern, at Iowa, vs. Ohio State. I'd be shocked if Big Blue didn't lose at least three of those games.

What a season it has been for Utah with games decided by 4, 3, 7, 7, and 6. The Utes could be 2-4 or 6-0 based on just a couple of plays. I think their true record of 4-2 is about right and there was nothing fraudulent about the win over Stanford. This team certainly doesn't "wow" you visually, nor does their statistical profile of 31st total offense, 73rd total defense, and a -3 TO margin. Note that the Utes have yet to get on a plane with five home games and a quick trip to Provo to face rival BYU. Four out of their next five are on the highway starting this weekend in Tucson.

Been a rough go of it for Georgia Tech after three straight losses. I'm going to try to give this group some benefit of the doubt – Virginia Tech and Miami are pretty good and there isn't much point to a mid-season trip to BYU. I think the next three weeks set up well with ACC/option newbies Syracuse and Pitt at home and a trip to Virginia.

Don't look now but South Florida is tied atop the AAC standings at 2-0 following wins over Cincinnati and UConn. How that occurred is somewhat smoke and mirrors considering USF was outgained 656-469. The remaining schedule for the Bulls is brutal with Louisville, Memphis, SMU, Houston, UCF, and Rutgers.

I keep reading on Twitter how bad PAC-12 refs have been this season. Not sure if there is a connection but in terms of penalty yards per game I see the following: Oregon State (78th nationally), Colorado (93rd), USC (97th), Oregon (114th), California (119th), UCLA (124th), and Washington (125th).

Week 7 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Where do we start after an outstanding slate of games that included quite a few upsets? I think we have to begin with Missouri’s 41-26 win at Georgia as a seven-point underdog.

Over the summer, I talked about how I was giving Missouri a mulligan for last year’s disappointing debut in the SEC. When a team loses three starters on the offensive line to season-ending injuries in August like the Tigers did in 2012, you know that squad is going to struggle. Not only that, but star QB James Franklin was coming off of shoulder surgery and then injured his foot in Week 2. Franklin was never healthy and RB Henry Josey missed the entire season.

With a healthy Franklin returning to his 2011 form, Gary Pinkel’s squad went into Athens with a 5-0 record to face a Georgia team that was decimated by injuries in a win at Tennessee the previous week.

With Franklin doing his thing, the Tigers raced out to a 28-10 second-quarter lead and withstood a late charge by the Bulldogs to collect the win. However, Franklin suffered a separated shoulder and will miss 3-5 weeks. Unfortunately for Missouri, that means it won’t have Franklin in two key home games against Florida and South Carolina.

Franklin threw for a touchdown pass and ran for another. Josey’s seven-yard TD run with 2:18 remaining put the game on ice. The Tigers improved to 5-0-1 against the spread.

LSU bolstered its resume with a 17-6 win over Florida as a seven-point home favorite. Jeremy Hill became the first play to run for more than 100 yards against the Gators with a 121-yard effort on 19 carries. Most important, Les Miles’s team held UF to only 240 yards of total defense.

Florida held its 13th consecutive SEC opponent to 20 points or less, but Will Muschamp’s squad couldn’t overcome yet another anemic offensive performance. With that said, the Gators still control their own destiny to win the SEC East for the first time since 2009.

LSU doesn’t get any rest with a tough road game looming at Ole Miss.

Speaking of the Rebels, they lost for the third straight time when Texas A&M got a walk-off field goal to win a 41-38 decision in Oxford. Hugh Freeze’s team took the cash as a seven-point home underdog. The ‘over’ improved to 5-1 overall for the Aggies after the 79 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 77 ½-point total.

Johnny Manziel completed 31-of-39 passes for 346 yards. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner also ran for a team-high 113 yards and two touchdowns, including a six-yard TD dash to tie the game with 3:07 remaining.

Ole Miss freshman sensation Robert Nkemdiche suffered a hamstring injury and is ‘out’ vs. LSU. Also, the Rebels’ other starting DE C.J. Johnson is ‘questionable’ this weekend.

South Carolina was one of the biggest Week 7 winners. For starters, the Gamecocks smashed Arkansas 52-7 as 5 ½-point road ‘chalk.’ Connor Shaw threw for 219 yards and three TDs without an interception, and the senior QB ran for 37 yards and one score. Bruce Ellington hauled in six receptions for 96 yards and two TDs, while Mike Davis ran for 128 yards and one TD on 19 carries.

But the main reason why South Carolina was a winner is because Georgia went down. The Gamecocks’ lone defeat came at UGA so they were essentially two games behind the Bulldogs until they fell to Missouri.

Oregon is the nation’s only team with a 6-0 record both straight up and ATS. The Ducks captured a 45-24 win at Washington to take the cash as 12-point road favorites.

Marcus Mariota threw for 366 yards and three TDs without a turnover. He also rushed for 88 yards and one TD. The sophomore signal caller has 17 TD passes without an interception. Mariota also has eight rushing TDs and averages 10.4 yards per carry.

Stanford lost for the first time when it got upset 27-21 at Utah as a 7 ½-point road favorite. The Utes had lost a pair of nail-biters at home to UCLA and Oregon St. in previous weeks, but they wouldn’t be denied against the Cardinal.

UCLA is 5-0 both SU and ATS following its 37-10 win over California, the nation’s only 0-6 team ATS, as a 26-point home ‘chalk.’ Brett Hundley connected on 31-of-41 throws for 410- yards and three TDs and zero interceptions.

Penn State handed Michigan its first loss by winning 43-40 in quadruple overtime as a two-point home underdog. Bill Belton’s two-yard TD run was the game winner.

Wisconsin took Northwestern behind the woodshed at Camp Randall, cruising to a 35-6 win as a 10 ½-point home favorite. The Badgers got 172 rushing yards from Melvin Gordon and 101 out of James White. Both RBs had a rushing TD apiece.

Joel Stave threw three TD passes and the Wisconsin ‘D’ forced a pair of Northwestern’s best players (RB Venric Mark and QB/WR Kain Colter) out of the game with injuries. Mark and Colter are ‘questionable’ Saturday vs. Minnesota.

Texas improved to 3-0 in Big 12 play by thumping Oklahoma 36-20 as a 13 ½-point underdog. Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown ran for 123 and 120 yards rushing, respectively, while Chase McCoy threw a pair of TD passes.

Baylor failed to cover the number for the first time in a 35-25 win at Kansas State as a 17-point road favorite. Bryce Petty threw for 342 yards and three TDs without a pick.

Virginia Tech has quietly won six in a row following its season-opening loss to Alabama at the Ga. Dome. The Hokies beat Pitt 19-9 as seven-point home favorites. They have covered the spread in three straight and have seen the ‘under’ go 5-1-1 overall.

Clemson fell victim to a look-ahead spot with FSU looming. The Tigers still won 24-14 over Boston College, but they never threatened to get the money as 24-point home favorites. BC led 7-3 at halftime, creating a lot of value for a Clemson second-half wager. As it turned out, Dabo Swinney’s squad barely covered for halftime plays (-13, -9 adjusted) by a mere point.

Have you noticed which school is sporting a 5-2 SU record and a 3-0 mark in Conference USA? That would be Tulane, a 36-33 winner over East Carolina as a 13 ½-point home underdog in triple overtime. The score was 19-19 at the end of regulation, so ‘under’ supporters had been looking great for the first 60 minutes. However, 31 points in the extra sessions sent the 69 points ‘over’ the 53 ½-point tally.

Most impressive, the Green Wave was playing without starting QB Nick Montana, who was out with an injury.

4th Quarter Covers - Week 7
By Joe Nelson
VegasInsider.com

Glancing at the scoreboard won't tell you the whole story in most games. Here are the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the seventh weekend of college football, a wild weekend with many high ranking teams falling. Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows, get the details in this weekly column.

San Diego State (-3½) 27, Air Force 20: Air Force looked on track for a home win Thursday night as the Falcons took a 20-6 lead late in the third quarter with a 71-yard pass play. San Diego State took control in the fourth quarter with two scores in just over three minutes early in the frame but with a blocked extra-point Air Force still held a 20-19 lead. Air Force could not get a first down as they tried to run out the clock and San Diego State put together a 13-play 77-yard drive to win, scoring with less than two minutes to go. In the final minute Air Force was down to the San Diego State 37 yard line but they came up short on 4th down and the Aztecs won their third straight game after a 0-3 start and Air Force blew a halftime lead for the third straight game.

Virginia Tech (-7) 19, Pittsburgh 9: While the closing line was just -7, Virginia Tech was favored by -9 or -9½ much of the week making the fourth quarter pretty interesting for those involved. The Hokies were dominant defensively in the game but the offense settled for field goals in many instances including failing to get in the end zone with 1st and goal late in the game. That field goal pushed the lead to 19-3 and Pittsburgh would score quickly, finding the end zone with about two minutes to go in the game. Down 19-9, Pittsburgh opted to go for two but they did not convert, leaving the margin at 10 instead of 8 in a play that would have flipped the result for many.

Massachusetts (-6½) 17, Miami, OH 10: In this battle of 0-5 teams the hosting Minutemen held a 14-10 lead entering the fourth quarter, short of the late week numbers as an opening line of -3 climbed throughout the week. An interception set up Massachusetts in Miami territory and it eventually paid off with a short field goal to move past the spread but there was still plenty of time left in the game. On the next drive Miami moved inside the Massachusetts 25 but on 4th and 7 and with still almost eight minutes to go the Redhawks went for it and failed. Miami would get the ball back at midfield with almost seven minutes to go after a short Massachusetts punt but the first play of the drive led to another interception. The score stayed put after Massachusetts missed a field goal and Miami could not seriously threaten on its last possession as the Minutemen won for the first time this season and held on for the favorite cover.

Texas A&M (-7) 41, Mississippi 38: Texas A&M led 21-10 well into the third quarter but Mississippi added a touchdown to get within four before a wild fourth quarter that featured 41 points. Mississippi eventually led by seven with just over six minutes to go but the Aggies answered to tie the game with just over three minutes to go. The Texas A&M defense held firm forcing a 3-and-out and Texas A&M was able to line up a game winning field goal as time expired to win by three but falling short of the spread.

Wyoming (-12) 38, New Mexico 31: Wyoming stormed out to a 21-0 lead against New Mexico but the Lobos climbed back into the game with a few big runs to only trail by seven entering the fourth quarter and the game was tied early in the fourth. With the help of an interception Wyoming scored two touchdowns in the span of less than two minutes on the game clock to move past the spread but with just over a minute to go the Lobos found the end zone for the backdoor cover.

LSU (-8) 17, Florida 6: Defense ruled the way in this big SEC clash as it was still LSU leading 14-3 after a scoreless third quarter. The Gators would hit an early field goal in the final frame to get within eight and pulling even with the closing spread. LSU answered with a field goal however and the next Florida drive stalled after getting down to the LSU 20, beset with penalties and then turning the ball over on downs after back-to-back sacks. The Tigers were able to do enough to run out the final four minutes, aided by a personal foul penalty.

Oregon (-12) 45, Washington 24: Washington fell behind 21-7 by halftime against Oregon but in the third quarter the Huskies climbed back into the game, trailing by just seven heading into the fourth quarter. Washington would only get two possessions in the fourth quarter as Oregon was able to put together long time-consuming drives and penalties were costly for Washington. Oregon put in two touchdowns in the fourth and could have had another as the game ended with the Ducks inside the 10.

UCLA (-26½) 37, California 10: UCLA led by just seven late in the second quarter against California but the Bruins added another touchdown right before the half. With a pair of short field goals in the third quarter UCLA was still short of the spread leading 30-10 entering the fourth quarter. The Bruins were able to sneak by the number with a touchdown pass with less than five minutes to go. Early in the fourth quarter the Bears were stuffed on four downs inside the UCLA 3-yard line and California also came up empty on a late drive inside the UCLA 15 as they likely deserved to avoid a now 0-6 ATS start to the season.

San Jose State (+3) 34, Colorado State 27: It was apparent early that this game was going to be a back-and-forth battle that would be decided late as there were eventually five ties and seven lead changes. Colorado State led by seven at the half but the Spartans moved back in front by three early in the fourth quarter. San Jose State hit a 62-yard pass play with about five minutes to go and that lead held up.

Arkansas State (-27) 48, Idaho 24: The Red Wolves dominated early and had a 31-7 lead into the third quarter before Idaho scored 17 consecutive points to trim the deficit to just seven points early in the fourth quarter. Arkansas State ended the drought with a 98-yard kickoff return and with 10 points in the final seven minutes the Red Wolves equaled the -24 spread that was available at times during the week before climbing to -27 by game time.

Penn State (+1) 43, Michigan 40: Penn State led 21-10 at the half but Michigan was up 34-24 early in the fourth quarter. Penn State eventually got the ball back with just 50 seconds to go down seven and they were able to deliver, highlighted by a spectacular 36-yard pass play down the sideline. Overtime seemed inevitable but Michigan was able to get off a long field goal try after a strong return. The 52-yard attempt was on line but fell just short. Four overtimes made this Big Ten clash an instant classic as both teams missed field goals in the first frame with Michigan's game-winning attempt blocked. Both kickers hit in the second overtime on short attempts and neither team scored in the third overtime as Penn State fumbled on its first play and Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons missed from just 33 yards. Gibbons hit for three points with Michigan going first in the fourth overtime but Penn State was able to punch in the winning touchdown, aided by a pass interference penalty on the previous third down play and converting on a 4th down play earlier in the drive.

Houston (-8) 25, Memphis 15: Memphis led 15-10 late in the third quarter in this AAC clash but the Tigers were unable to hold a late lead for a big upset for a second straight week. Houston took the lead with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter and the Cougars added a rushing touchdown early in the fourth to move past the spread 25-15. Memphis reached midfield twice in the fourth quarter but they fumbled once and could not convert on fourth down in the final minute of the game.

UAB (-5½) 27, Florida International 24: The Blazers led by seven entering the fourth quarter after a once 21-7 lead tightened up. With less than three minutes to go Florida International tied the game but UAB put together a great final drive and eventually kicked the game winning field goal for the win but falling short of covering the spread.

Oregon State (-2½) 52, Washington State 24: Washington State led 24-17 with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter before Oregon State tied the game late in the third quarter. The Cougars botched a punt to give Oregon State the ball right back and they were up seven and past the spread early in the fourth quarter. The wheels fell off for Washington State in the fourth with five turnovers and Oregon State added three more touchdowns to create a bit of a deceptive final score in a game that was close much of the way.

Tulsa (-10) 34, UTEP 20: Tulsa led by 14 late in the third quarter but UTEP stayed in the game by connecting on a 71-pass play to get back within seven. Tulsa would move past the spread again early in the fourth quarter and the Tulsa defense saved the cover by getting an interception at the three yard line with less than two minutes to go.

UNLV (-7½) 39, Hawaii 37: Winless Hawaii has delivered some late game drama and last week's game at UNLV was no exception. UNLV led 36-17 well into the fourth quarter but Hawaii scored 21 points in less than seven minutes without the assistance of a turnover to take a one-point lead. UNLV was able to put together a long drive to get a chance to win and they were successful with a 44-yard field goal with a big face mask penalty on a 3rd down play being huge.

Week 7 News & Notes – Part 1
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com

San Diego St had 22-14 FD and 463-219 yard edges but had some trouble with their FG kickers, then opted to pass up FG’s and go for it on 4th down. A couple of missed xp’s actually had them trailing late until they got a td with 1:39 left to win it. Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 117 yards for the Aztecs as Adam Muema continues to get closer to 100% and had 86 yards on 18 carries. Air Force lost its 3rd starting QB of the year to injury when Karson Roberts went down with a concussion. Nate Romine, their 4th string QB, hit 5-11-111 and rushed for 15 yards on 8 carries. AF did not have the FG problems and even got a 48 yarder in the 2Q from Will Conant, then a 52 yarder that bounced off the left goal post and through. SDSt missed a 37 yard FG on its first drive then went for it on 4&4 and gained 3 yards to the 1 on its 2nd drive. After getting a 44 yard td pass to take the lead, they missed the xp. SDSt, 2 possessions later, on 4&6 from the AF38 went for it and was intercepted. At the half, AF led 10-6 but SDSt had a 195-122 yard edge. AF got a 71 yard td pass early in the 3Q to lead 20-6. SDSt on 4&13 went for it from the AF24 and was SOD, but then went 80/6pl for a td with 11:25 left and got a 62 yard td pass with 8:39 left to make it 20-19 but the xp was blocked. SDSt took over with 7:06 left and went 77/13pl. On 3&gl from the 10, Pumphrey’s 10 yard td run and 2 point conversion made it 27-20. AF was SOD on 4&4 from the SDS39.

Louisville had a big chance in the national spotlight to make an impact not only in their chase for playing in the National Title game this year but also for Teddy Bridgewater’s Heisman hopes in their game against Rutgers. I didn’t come away from the game impressed, although UL did finish with 461-240 yard and 25-15 FD edges. Bridgewater hit 21-31-310 but they needed RU’s Gary Nova to toss 4 interceptions. Remember, last year Nova got off to a great start at the beginning of the year with a 15-3 ratio in the first 7 games, but finished with just a 7-13 ratio over the final 6. This year Nova came into the game with a 13-4 ratio and hopefully this does not signal another 2H downturn for him. This game featured teams that were both in the Big East for awhile, meeting for the first time in AAC play, and leaving after this season (UL to ACC, RU to Big Ten). UL opened strong going 65/11pl on its first possession for a FG. After an interception, they drove 35/2pl for a td to lead 10-0. They went 80/7pl and got a 1 yard td run and appeared on their way to a rout, 17-0. RU had a tipped pass off a receiver caught for a 19 yard gain on 3&8 and then faked a FG for a 26 yard pass down to the 1 to engineer a 70/11pl td drive to get back to 17-7. Bridgewater, on FD from the RU31, was intercepted in the endzone with :31 left. The Cardinals had a 238-133 yard edge. UL opened the 3Q with a 68/14pl drive but had a 24 yard FG blocked. UL’s next drive ended on a fumble at its own 36 and RU got a 36 yard FG. Leading 17-10, UL went 48/8pl but Bridgewater was sacked and fumbled. RU’s DL could have scooped it up possibly for a 79 yard FR td, but fell on the ball instead. Nova was intercepted but UL missed a 45 yard FG. Nova was intercepted 3pl later with 5:29 left and UL went 60/5pl getting a td for some breathing room with 2:27 left, 24-10. RU went 51/13pl including a 4&11 and 4&1 conversion but on 4&14 fired incomplete with :32 left. Charlie Strong said afterwords, “We miss #9” as DeVante Parker, the team’s top WR, missed the game with a shoulder injury.

It’s time for a new attitude for USC and the team came out fired up for Ed Orgeron. It’s no longer a business-type approach but more emotional and USC, at times, appeared on its way to a rout vs Arizona. Marqise Lee missed the game with injury for USC but Nelson Agholor had 161 yards on 7 receptions. On the Trojans’ 2nd possession, Cody Kessler hit a 62 yard td pass to Agholor. UA missed a 38 yard FG and 5pl later Kessler threw a pass over the middle to RB Tre Madden who bowled through 3 defenders on his way to a 63 yard td pass to lead 14-0. USC got a td with 2:08 left in the half for a commanding 28-3 lead but UA gained some momentum with a 57 yard td pass with :56 left to pull within 28-10 at the half. USC would extend the lead. They got a 4 yard td with 14:46 left in the game for a comfortable 38-17 lead and forced a punt on UA’s next possession. The Wildcats went 96/17pl getting a td with 6:48 left then a 21 yard PR set them up for a 42/8pl drive and they got a td with 4:18 left to shockingly pull within 7. USC took over at its 4 and would get 3 FD’s including a bullish 10 yard run by Silas Redd on 3&8 and took a knee.

Temple used its 3rd starting QB of the year in PJ Walker and he actually did well hitting 12-22-200 yards and Temple rolled up 376 yards vs Cincinnati’s defense and surprisingly had two 1Q td’s and 20 points at the half. TU rolled up a 271-249 yard edge at the half but in the 2H UC would have a 226-105 yard edge and shutout the Owls. UC led 7-0 when TU went 80/4pl for a td then recovered a fumble on the KO and went 24/5pl for a td for a surprising 13-7 lead (xp off crossbar). Trailing 21-13 TU went 81/5pl for a td with 5:04 left in the half to get back within 21-20. UC went 71/11pl getting a td with 1:00 left in the half to retake the lead, 28-20 and TU got to the UC28 yard line but ran out of time on their final drive. In the 2H UC opened with a 58/11pl td drive. There were 3 punts then UC went 27/9pl for a 44 yard FG, 38-20. TU went 60/9pl and fumbled at the UC14. On their next drive they punted with 3:35 left and UC went 58/7pl taking a knee at the TU25 at the end. Brendon Kay hit 31-37-270.

Virginia Tech was playing with legitimate revenge having lost 4 straight games to Pitt including a 35-17 upset loss on the road the previous year. VT dominated with 17-11 FD and 315-210 yard edges but a couple of key plays kept Pitt within a reasonable 10 points at the end. As I expected, with Pitt coming in last in the ACC in sacks allowed and VT having a great defense, the Hokies would record 7 sacks and it could have been more as the usually immobile Tom Savage actually made some solid plays to escape. VT took its opening drive 71/8pl for a td then would add a 48 yard FG on their 2nd drive. The Panthers punted on their first 5 possessions but VT punted with 1:22 left in the half and Pitt converted on 3&10 with a 48 yard pass when they beat a blitz and floated it down the sidelines. That would set up a 46 yard FG on the final play of the half, allowing them to pull within 10-3. VT opened the 3Q with a 69/11pl drive but settled for a 37 yard FG, went 45/16pl but settled for a 42 yard FG then went on another drive and missed a 33 yard FG. Pitt punted on its first 3 possessions of the 2H and was SOD at its own 35 with 6:44 left. VT settled for another 23 yard FG with 3:27 left to lead 19-3. Just like last week vs North Carolina when they led by 17 and allowed a late td drive to only win by 10, this time they allowed Pitt to go 75/7pl for a td with 2:01 left to make it 19-9. VT recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Army has been playing football for a long time (beginning in 1890) and had some great rush attacks (Glenn Davis, Doc Blanchard, Pete Dawkins) but Terry Baggett set a school record with 304 yards rushing vs Eastern Michigan. He also scored 4 td’s. The old record was held by Michael Wallace who had 269 in 1999. EMU took its opening drive 76/10pl and got a 17 yard td pass and 2 point conversion to lead 8-0. They took their 2nd drive 65/3pl for a td to lead 15-7 but Army got a 67 yard td run by Baggett on the next play and the 2 point conversion to tie. EM, trailing 22-15, took over with 6:22 left in the half and went 73/17 and got a 31 yard FG. At half Army only had a 22-18 lead and a 244-217 yard edge. Army opened the 3Q with a 71/8pl drive for a td. EMU got a 53 yard run by Bronson Hill who rushed for 143 yards but fumbled 3 plays later at the A4 yard line which was the key play of the game. On 2&10 Baggett ripped off a 96 yard td run, 36-18. EMU was SOD at the A20 on the next drive and Army went 80/9pl for a td to lead 43-18 and cruised to the 50-25 win with only 24-21 FD and 551-417 yard edges.

Last year Indiana jumped out to a big lead and led at the half vs Michigan St and MSU needed a late comeback to pull out the win. This year the Hoosiers got a 64 yard td run by Tevin Coleman on the 4th play of the game to go up 7-0. The game was tied at 14 with 4:36 left in the half when MSU went 75/14pl for a td, 21-14. MSU had allowed 176 yards at the half and unlike last year, when they held Indy to 32 yards in the 2H, this time they gave up 174 in the 2H but some did come late. The first 3 possessions of the 3Q were all td’s with MSU getting 78/9pl and 65/8pl drives to open up a 35-21 lead. The next 3 possessions were punts then MSU went 73/3pl and got a 34 yard td run by RJ Shelton to lead 42-21. Indy got to the MSU44 but on 4&17 was intercepted. MSU was intercepted right back with 3:39 left. Indy went 37/6pl for a garbage td with 2:17 left, 42-28 and MSU recovered the onside kick, got 1 FD, and took a knee. MSU had a 474-350 yard and a 24-18 FD edge.

Memphis settled for 5 FG’s. Houston led 10-6 when the Tigers got a 24 yard FG with :58 left in half to pull within 10-9. Memphis opened the 3Q with 10pl and 5pl drives for a pair of FG’s to lead 15-10. Houston got a td and 2 point to lead 18-15 with 1:59 left in the 3Q. After punting on their next drive, Houston went 62/6pl and got a 6 yard td run with 10:21 left. Memphis fumbled at the UH37 and the next 3 possessions were punts. Memphis took over at its own 3 with 4:08 left and would get 4 FD’s to midfield but was SOD on 4&10 and Houston took a knee.

Connecticut’s new head coach TJ Weist inserted frosh Tim Boyle as the starting QB. He hit his first pass but then missed the next 7 including two that would have been td’s but went off the arms of the receivers. It was Boyle’s first college action and he hit just 15-43-149. Steven Bench, the starting QB for USF, was out with injury and Bobby Eveld (started opener) hit just 8-28-106. UC would have 356-228 yard and 21-13 FD edges but ended up losing – their 5 straight loss for the first time since 1977 – despite Lyle McCombs rushing for 164 yards. UC made a 32 yard FG on its 2nd possession and missed a 49 yard FG on the next. On their 4th possession Boyle was sacked and fumbled and USF returned it 44 yards for a td, perhaps the key play of the game. It was 10-10 at the half with UC having a 213-140 yard edge. There were 5 punts to open the 2H then UC had a 47 yard FG blocked again. After a pair of punts, USF went 65/13pl and got a 44 yard FG to take the lead with 4:03 left. The Huskies punted with 3:31 left and USF with 1:55 left and UC’s last drive only got out to the USF49 where they ran out of time.

Jadeveon Clowney returned for South Carolina and things didn’t look good at the start as Arkansas drove 64/7pl for a td and a 7-0 lead. The rest of the game belonged to SC. The Gamecocks led 24-7 at the half with a 254-95 yard edge and in the 2H had 4 possessions. Those four possessions went 75/6pl, 79/15pl, 44/9pl and 80/12pl all for td’s, the last with 1:07 left. SC finished with a 32-7 FD edge and 537-248 yard edge in their rout on the road.

Texas opened up 1-2 with 2 upset losses and Mack Brown was the coach on the hottest seat in the country. It sounded like hollow words when he said they still had a shot at winning the Big 12 Title as they were undefeated in Big 12 play. Three games and 3 wins later, they’ve knocked off #12 Oklahoma, defending Big 12 champ Kansas St (that took Baylor to the wire) and Iowa St on the road. It was a dominating win over OU this year, a team that had their number. They had a 24-13 FD edge and 445-263 yard edge. There was talk that Daje Johnson was their most explosive player and he missed 3 games with injury. He returned here and had an 85 yard PR td. The Longhorns settled for a 31 yard FG on their first possession, fumbled at the OU20, then got a 31 yard IR td by Chris Whaley on a zone blitz to lead 10-3. They were SOD at the OU23 but got a 59 yard td pass and it was 23-10 at half with a 303-108 yard edge. UT extended it to 36-13 after 3Q’s. When Case McCoy was intercepted on 3&7 and returned 54 yards for a td with 10:07 left, the Sooners were back within 2 scores. OU got it back with 7:18 left but on 4&13 was SOD at the UT26 and the Horns got 3 FD’s running the clock. Blake Bell hit just 12-26-133. Texas’ 255 yards rushing vs OU was their most since 1970 in the Red River Rivalry.

Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez sat out and Tommy Armstrong was not great statistically. He hit 6-18-43 with 3 interceptions and had 5 yards rushing on 4 carries against Purdue. NU had 21-11 FD and 435-216 yard edges and Ron Kellogg III came off the bench to hit 10-13-141. NU dominated the 1Q with a 117-14 yard edge holding Purdue without a FD the entire stanza. NU got a td on the last play of the quarter to make it 14-0 and led 21-0 at the half with a 205-89 yard edge. The Huskers made it 28-0 on a 46/10pl drive on their 2nd drive of the 3Q but then were intercepted at the PU16. They got a td with 12:47 left to lead 37-0 and drove 53/8pl with Armstrong back in to get a td with :50 left to make it 44-0. PU got a 55 yard td pass :11 later to avoid the shutout.

While Texas Tech starter Baker Mayfield was injured, Davis Webb QB’d a good portion of the previous 4 games and hit 35-56-415. TT moved to 6-0 and became bowl eligible with a win over Iowa St. TT also finished with a season-high 251 yards rushing. The 1H was a bit misleading as TT managed to leave Iowa St in the game. In fact, TT had a 353-139 yard edge. They gave up a 95 yard KR td, missed a 34 yard FG and got a td with 5:30 left to make it 42-28 but ISU went 80/13pl and got a td with 1:54 left to only lose by 7. TT recovered the onside kick and got 2 FD’s to the IS25 where they ended the game. TT finished with a 666-311 yard edge and 36-18 FD edge but only won by 7 points.

As it turns out, Georgia’s injuries were too much to overcome but despite missing their top 2 RB’s and 3 of their top 4 receivers, the actually culprit of the game was 4 TO’s for UGA. They had 454-375 yard and 26-23 FD edges but lost to an undefeated Missouri team 41-26. A lot of the media said that last year UGA whipped Missouri but that was anything but the case. MU was at home and controlled the first 3Q’s until they too became a banged up team losing numerous OL and a couple of big plays later turned a close game into a 41-20 UGA win. UGA S Tray Matthews hurt his hamstring in practice and also did not play. UGA took its 2nd drive 86/12pl for a td but MU went 74/9pl, 52/6pl and 75/9pl on their next 3 possessions to lead 21-10. The Tigers got a 21 yard FR td after they sacked Aaron Murray to lead 28-10 at the half. MU QB James Franklin separated his shoulder in the 4Q (out rest of regular season), which probably ends their chances at the SEC East Title, something they had a legitimate shot at because they get South Carolina at home in a few weeks. At the half UGA had a 230-221 yard edge. UGA opened the 3Q settling for a 28 yard FG after a 1&gl. After a punt, the Bulldogs went 80/11pl for a td then 58/9pl for a td but missed on the 2 point conversion and trailed 28-26. MU got a 40 yard td pass to go back up by 8 but missed the xp. UGA was intercepted and returned to its 33 with 4:15 left and MU went 33/4pl for the 41-26 final.

Duke got back QB Anthony Boone who was injured in the opener (out 3, broken collarbone) and he made a big difference against Navy. He hit 31-38-295 although he did have just -3 yards rushing. The 1H was very competitive. Duke was SOD at the N22. Navy went on a 76/15pl drive but missed a 29 yard FG and the 1Q was scoreless. Each team went on a long drive for a td, 7-7 then Duke went 62/11pl for a td. Navy went 65/14pl, but on 2&gl from the 6 fumbled with :18 left in the half. At half Navy had a 246-224 yard edge but trailed by 7. Duke went 72/5pl, 72/9pl, then, after an int, 33/7pl all for td’s to open the 3Q. The third drive was aided by a fake FG for a FD to the 11 and that put the game away. Navy punted with 11:04 left and fumbled at its own 27 with 5:30 left. Duke had a 435-319 yard edge.

TCU finished with a 17-7 FD edge and 380-190 yard edge but never really put away Kansas and KU’s D forced 5 TO’s and just blew some opportunities to make a real game of this. KU got an early interception at the TCU25 and drove for a 37 yard FG for a 3-0 lead. Trailing 10-3, KU was intercepted at the TCU10 but 3pl later, got a 32 yard IR td by JaCorey Shepherd to tie it at 10 at the half and TCU only had a 156-150 yard edge. TCU got a 75 yard td pass to open the 3Q then, after a KU fumble, went 53/7pl for a td to go up 24-10 with 9:31 left in the 3Q. After TCU fumbled the punt, KU took over at the TCU27 and on 2&10 got a 27 yard td pass to make it 24-17. KU missed a 51 yard FG which could have trimmed it to 4 with 2:40 left in the 3Q. TCU took over with 7:01 left and went 45/10pl for a 39 yard FG to go back up by 10. KU was SOD at its own 22 on its last drive.

Auburn starting QB Nick Marshall was rested due to a knee injury so frosh Jeremy Johnson got his first start vs FCS member Western Carolina. Johnson hit 17-21-201 and rushed for 26. Jonathan Wallace who at one point was one of the frontrunners for the starting QB job, but dropped to a distant 3rd, saw action. Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 133. Auburn had 30-6 FD and 712-173 yard edges, breaking a school record of 695 which they set in ‘85 vs SW Louisiana. Keep in mind WCU came in just 1-5 on the season. In the 1H Auburn had a 427-89 yard edge and led 42-3. They went 71/8pl, 86/4pl, 71/8pl and 56/10pl on their first 4 possessions of the 2H. The last was SOD on 4&gl at the 10 when they ran for 2 yards up 62-3.

Buffalo finished with a 422-202 yard edge and got a huge shutout win 33-0 on the road against Western Mich. The 1H was actually fairly close with Buffalo leading 6-0. UB got a 1 yard td run on a 63/12pl drive on its first possession. WMU blew some opportunities. They had a FD at the UB20 but after a couple of holding calls and a delay they punted. The next 5 possessions were punts and WMU got to the UB28 but was intercepted at the 17. UB however, was intercepted right back at the WM31 with 1:54 left in the half but WMU missed a 33 yard FG 10pl later. At the half UB had a slim 192-157 yard edge. WMU was intercepted to open the 3Q and UB settled for a 51 yard FG. WMU fumbled on its 2nd drive and UB went 39/6pl for a td. UB then went 53/5pl and 60/14pl and 39/9pl (after fumble) all for td’s to blow it open 33-0, the last td coming with 6:29 left. Joe Licata hit 11-21-124 while WMU’s Zach Terrell, starting in place of an ailing Tyler Van Tubbergen, hit 16-34-162.

Ball St has had a lot of impressive wins this year but the way their first 2 drives of the game against Kent St went, you had to figure they would struggle. BS recovered a fumble at the KS41 but on 1&gl from the 6, QB Keith Wenning was intercepted in the EZ for a TB. KS went 80/9pl for a td to lead 7-0. BS’s 2nd possession went 60/6pl. On 2&gl at the 12, BS got an 11 yard pass to Williams but he fumbled into the EZ for a TB. BS did get a 39 yard td pass with 1:46 left to tie it at 7. At the half KS had a 212-201 yard edge. Each team went on a long drive for a td to open the 3Q then, after 3 punts, Kent was intercepted and BS went 39/3pl for a td but missed the crucial xp, 20-14. Kent St punted on its next possession but then went 87/7pl for a td. After an 18 yard IR to the BS1, the Golden Flashes settled for a 21 yard FG, 24-20. The Cardinals, on 4&6 at the KS10, fired incomplete but then went 57/5pl and got a 7 yard td pass with 1:29 left to take the lead. Kent would only get to the BS49 where they were SOD. Kent St had a 423-407 yard edge and the FD’s were even at 23.

I thought Wisconsin had a great situation vs Northwestern. The Wildcats were coming off one of, if not the, largest home games in school history and one they gave every ounce of effort on. Now they had to travel on the road to face a UW team with a big offensive line that was fresh off a bye. As I expected, UW dominated with a 527-241 yard edge and 24-10 FD edge. I’ll give it to NU though, as for most of the 1H they hung tough giving a gritty effort. Each team turned the ball over in their first possession. NU took over at the UW39 and got a 27 yard FG, 3-0. After 4 punts, UW got a 63 yard td pass to Jared Abbrederis but he was injured and out for the rest of the game. UW was intercepted at the NU18 with 1:13 left in the 1Q but drove 75/11pl for a td. At the half UW led 21-6 with a 308-170 yard edge and NU gained 58 of their yards after an interception where they got a 43 yard FG with :12 left in the half. UW went 75/10pl on its opening drive of the 3Q and on its 4th drive of the half went 65/9pl for a td, 35-6. The Badgers were even SOD at the NU30 on their last drive.

LSU’s unstoppable offense took on Florida’s unbreakable defense and the Gators defense did well holding LSU to 327 yards and 21 FD’s. It was Tyler Murphy’s first trip to Death Valley and he hit 15-27-115 but surprisingly Zach Mettenberger was just 9-17-152. UF took its opening drive 60/14pl for a 44 yard FG. The Tigers went 70/9pl for a td, fumbled at the UF28 on their next possession, then went 62/8pl for a td and led 14-3. At the half LSU had a 200-94 yard edge. The 2H opened with 4 punts. UF went 41/11pl but after a 1&gl at the 7, settled for a 27 yard FG, 14-6. LSU went 61/9pl for a 31 yard FG to get ahead by 2 scores with 7:58 left. UF faked a punt on 4&5 from its own 30 and converted. Later the Gators had a 4&9 FD pass but on 4&27 took a sack at the LSU47 with 3:51 left. LSU got 3 FD’s to the UF13 running the clock.

Central Mich was already playing without its starting QB who was lost in the opener to injury and its top rusher was also lost in the opener. Their top receiver who HC Dan Enos called their best player, Titus Davis, missed the game vs Ohio (injury). CMU’s Saylor Lavallii, who has filled in nicely at RB, had 184 yards vs a solid OU team and Cooper Rush, after weeks of seeing his stats deteriorate, hit 20-28-224. OU was hurt by 4 TO’s. The first 3 possessions were all long drives as CMU missed a 36 yard FG, but after getting a td, led 7-3 then added a 27 yard FG to go up 10-3. OU fumbled at the CM28, was intercepted at the CM30 and intercepted in the EZ with :57 left in the half. At the half CMU had a 209-194 yard edge. CMU went 86/11pl and missed a 33 yard FG, then went 56/7pl for a 36 yard FG to lead 13-3. OU battled back going 69/5pl for a td, then got a 69 yard td pass to lead 17-13 but CMU went 75/9pl for a td, 19-17. OU went 78/12pl for a 1 yard td run, 23-19. The Bobcats, with a 4 point lead, forced a punt with 2:47 left and appeared to have the win in grasp but they fumbled a punt at their own 39 and CMU went 39/8pl and got a td with :22 left. OU on 4&10 gained 14 yards on a lateral only getting to the CM45. Tyler Tettleton hit 24-33-319.

Miami had a interim HC after letting go Don Treadwell and their OC. UMass had a 376-290 yard edge and 23-19 FD edge. AJ Doyle got his first start for UMass and hit 6-12-95 but Austin Boucher hit 5-8-71 for Miami. In a battle of winless teams, it was somewhat sloppy – as you would expect. In the 1H Miami was intercepted at the 1, missed a 54 yard FG, and was intercepted in the EZ. UMass got off 26 and 34 yard punts and was intercepted at the 2 with :29 left in the half. It was tied at 7 with UMass having a 248-159 yard edge. Miami went 54/12pl for a 46 yard FG for the 10-7 lead and UMass answered with an 81/9pl drive for a td, 14-10. Miami was intercepted and returned 25 yards to the 26 setting up a UMass 25 yard FG, 17-10. Miami was SOD on 4&7 at the UM23, intercepted at the UM45 and UMass missed a 44 yard FG with 1:41 left, but Miami was SOD at its own 39 on 4&10.

Baylor’s offense had been unstoppable in the first 4 games but they ran into Bill Snyder who is one of the best underdog coaches in the country. Amazingly, Kansas St had a 23-15 FD edge and BU had a slim 451-445 yard edge. K-St led 25-21 after 3Q’s, narrowly missing out on pulling the huge upset. Leading 14-10 BU got a 72 yard td pass with 1:51 left in the 1H, 21-10. In the 2H K-St drove 60/13pl for a 32 yard FG, blocked a punt and drove 19 yards for a td but missed the 2 point conversion, 21-19. They then recovered a fumble and went 44/10pl for a td and that 25-21 lead with :45 left in the 3Q. BU got a 54 yard td pass on the 2nd play of the 4Q to retake the lead. K-St missed a 41 yard FG after a 43 yard drive then was intercepted at its own 39 with 3:48 left. BU finally got some breathing room with a 39/5pl drive and a Glasco Martin 21 yard td run, 35-25. Bryce Petty hit 13-22-342 which is 26.3 yards per completion. Jake Waters hit 6-15-79 and Daniel Sams rushed for 199 yards hitting 4-7-41 as the two split the QB duties.

Wyoming HC Christensen always has known how to shut down the option and New Mexico came in averaging 368 ypg rush and was held to 257. UW had a 532-436 yard edge and 26-22 FD edge. Brett Smith hit 19-33-247. NM was trailing 7-0 and took its opening drive 47/11pl, but on FD from the UW12, fumbled. NM’s next drive ended on a fumble at the UW44. UW went 56/13pl for a td, 79/5pl for another td and led 21-3 at half with a 284-178 yard edge. NM went 75/6pl for a td to open the 3Q then, after recovering a fumble, got an 8 yard td drive to pull within 21-17. After UW went 67/13pl for a 25 yard FG, NM went 75/11pl for a td to tie it with 13:19 left. UW went 75/9pl for a td then, after an interception, got a 1pl, 48 yard td run by QB Smith, 38-24 with 8:53 left. NM punted with 7:43 left, took over with 6:57 left and went 72/12pl getting a 23 yard td pass with 1:06 left to only lose by 7.

While NC State had a 22-15 FD edge, Syracuse had a 436-355 yard edge. Cuse QB Terrel Hunt hit just 10-20-74. There was talk that NCSt would be getting back its projected starting QB Brandon Mitchell but Pete Thomas played the entire game and hit 17-35-151. The game was tied at 10 mid-4Q. A key play happened in the 1H when NCSt went for it on 4&2 and was SOD at the SU8. SU had 2 interceptions and NCSt had 1 on the next 3 drives. NCSt went 36/5pl for a td with 1:15 left to tie it at 7. NCSt missed a 51 yard FG on its opening 3Q drive and SU settled for a 19 yard FG, 10-7. NCSt faked a 48 yard FG on 4&4 and it fell incomplete. After 3 punts, NCSt drove 58/8pl for a 27 yard FG to tie it. After an exchange of punts, SU went 80/3pl the key a 57 yard run by Jerome Smith followed by a Prince-Tyson Gulley 18 yard td run on the next play, 16-10. SU forced a punt with 4:41 left and went 53/3pl for a td with 2:35 left and the 14 point lead. NCSt converted on 4&21 and 4&4 on the next drive but on 4&10 fired incomplete with :07 left at the SU19.

For the 2nd straight week Cairo Santos hit the game winner for Tulane, this one came in 3OT’s. East Carolina did have a 31-15 FD edge and 543-310 yard edge for the game but TU actually led the majority of it. Tulane led 6-3 and had a 7-3 FD edge when ECU took over with 2:14 left in the half and went 62/10pl for a 30 yard FG with :15 left to tie it. TU opened the 3Q with 3 more FD’s but was intercepted in the EZ. After ECU missed a 46 yard FG, TU drove for a 42 yard FG and a 9-6 lead then a key play of the game. ECU was down at the TU3 threatening to take the lead when they were intercepted by Derrick Strozier and returned 99 yards for a td, 16-6. ECU went 70/13pl for a 22 yard FG, 16-9. TU got a 43 yard FG with 9:10 left to lead by 10. ECU would get a 26 yard FG with 5:38 left then a td with 1:48 left to tie. TU punted with 1:21 left and ECU got 2 more FD’s and missed a 42 yard FG on the final play so it went to OT. Each team got a 25 yard td pass in the 1OT. TU used 5pl and ECU 6 for td’s in the 2OT. ECU missed a 34 yard FG and TU didn’t mess around. On FD they brought out the Groza winner, Santos, who had 5 FG’s and he booted the 42 yarder through the uprights for the win. TU moves to 5-2 on the year and 3-0 in CUSA play.

Oregon had won the last 9 in the series against Washington by an avg of 49-18 per game. The question was series domination or situation play as UW was at home and fired up to take on the Ducks and had just had a good game vs Stanford last week. Also, UO’s De’Anthony Thomas was banged up and as it turns out, did not play. WR Bralon Addison was a star with 157 receiving yards. UO finished with a 30-20 FD edge and vs a UW D giving up under 300 ypg they piled up 631! It still was close in the 4Q. In fact, at the half UO got a td with 4:55 left to go up 21-7 and had a 181-159 yard edge. UW battled back and at the end of 3Q’s, after a 25 yard td run by Bishop Sankey, it was 31-24. UO went 66/5pl for a td, forced a punt, went 75/8pl for a td (7:37), forced another punt, and went 60/11pl and took a knee at the UW9 at the end. Marcus Mariota had not played a play in the 4Q this year but in his first three 4Q drives, he produced 201 yards offense.

Week 7 News & Notes – Part 2
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com

Stanford is an academic institution and this is the week of their midterm exams which is usually a tough week for them. It was the first time a top 5 team had lost all season long. SU was off a big effort the previous week vs Washington and traveling, so the situation favored Utah. It was the first time in school history that Utah would knock off a top 5 program at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They had beaten #4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in ‘08. Ty Montgomery did it again, this time with a 100 yard KR td for the Cardinal, but Utah had 22-13 FD and 415-389 yard edges. Montgomery joins Bob Bryan (1950 vs San Francisco) and Damon Dunn (1994 vs Arizona St) as the only Stanford players with 100-yard KR’s in their history. Travis Wilson hit 23-34-234 for Utah. Things started well for the Cardinal as their first drive went 75/7pl for a td. They allowed a 75/8pl td drive, but then Montgomery’s 100-yard KR td made it 14-7 mid-1Q. Utah tied it with :10 left in the quarter at the end of a 79/10pl drive, then 2 possessions later went 99/11pl capped by a 3 yard td run to make it 21-14. Utah had a 301-199 yard edge at the half. Each team turned it over to open the 3Q. Utah went 47/10pl for a 23 yard FG, then, after Kevin Hogan was sacked and fumbled, Utah drove 2 yards for a 48 yard FG and a 27-14 lead. SU had a chance to avoid the upset. They went 52/5pl for a td with 9:22 left, forced a punt with 7:53 left, and went on their apparent game winning drive. They started at their 12 and went 82/13pl, but on 4&2 from the 6 fired incomplete.

There were times while I was watching the Troy/Georgia St game it appeared GSt was on their way to an upset. As it turned out, Troy finished with 634-422 yard and 29-23 FD edges and was able to escape with the road win over a winless Panthers’ team. It was 7-7 after 1Q. Troy, leading 14-7, had a 4&2 at the 4 but was intercepted in the EZ with 5:25 left in the half. On their last drive of the half, they got to the GS38 but fired incomplete with :03 left on 4&6. Troy turned it over on its first 2 possessions of the 3Q and GSt went 43/7pl for a td to tie it at 14-14. Troy’s 3rd possession ended in a blocked punt and GSt got a 31 yard td pass following that for a shocking 21-14 lead. Troy would go 62/6pl for a td to tie, but then GSt went 48/5pl for a td and the lead at the start of the 4Q, 28-21. Troy needed to go 75/13pl for a td with 9:14 left to tie. They punted on their next possession with 6:13 left and GSt got to the T45, but on 2&12 was intercepted and returned 20 yards. Troy went 63/2pl and got a 54 yard td pass to Williams with 3:17 left to escape with the win. GSt punted with 1:57 left on 4&15 and Troy got 1 FD and took a knee.

The two teams have met every season since 1957 but Maryland will be leaving for the Big Ten. The Terps were without CJ Brown at QB and Caleb Rowe threw for 332 yards hitting 18-34. David Watford hit 27-44-263 for Virginia. It was a tough loss for UVA as they had a 505-465 yard edge and 29-19 FD edge. MD fumbled a punt at its own 13 but UVA settled for a 28 yard FG. UVA went 79/12pl and settled for an 18 yard FG and only led 6-0. MD’s Brandon Ross took a screen pass 77 yards to the 2 and Ross’ 1 yard td run put the Terps ahead 7-6. Two possessions later, MD went 76/6pl for a td. UVA went 81/6pl for a td to pull within 14-13, then got a 27 yard FG with :19 left in the half for the lead, 16-14. MD opened the 3Q with a 58 yard drive for a 36 yard FG to lead 17-16. After punting, MD went 73/9pl for a 32 yard FG, 20-16 but the Cavs went 74/11pl for a td and the lead with 13:15 left, 23-20. The Terps fumbled the second punt, this time at their own 17, but UVA settled for a 26 yard FG and only led 26-20. MD converted on 3&22 with a 47 yard pass to the 13 and got a 12 yard td pass with 5:14 left for the lead. After both punted, UVA took over with 2:34 left and went 58/10pl but missed the game-winning 42 yard FG.

Clemson has actually held its opponents to 14 points or less for 5 straight games. Last week they were a big favorite vs Boston College but needed a 4Q rally to pull out the win, despite the fact that they had 23-12 FD and 496-286 yard edges. The big news for BC was Andre Williams getting injured and his status is ? for this week. CU’s opening drive went 67/12pl and they missed a 25 yard FG. BC’s second drive went 93/10pl capped by a 38 yard td run by Myles Willis. CU went 58/9pl but had a 45 yard FG blocked with 8:53 left in the 1H. CU went 51/7pl but on 4&6 was SOD at the BC48. CU took over with 1:09 left in the half and went 48/9pl and got a 35 yard FG to trail 7-3 but had a 281-168 yard edge at the half. Sammy Watkins hauled in a 48 yard td pass on CU’s second 3Q possession to go up 10-7 but Chase Rettig hit Alex Amidon with a 69 yard td and BC led 14-10 and forced CU to punt. CU drove 48/8pl getting a td with 13:44 left in the game. The drive began with a 4&1 conversion at the BC39. The td gave them the lead, 17-14 and then 3pl later Rettig was sacked and fumbled and Vic Beasley returned it 13 yards for a td to give CU some breathing room, 24-14. The next 4 possessions were punts and BC was SOD at its own 48 with 2:38 left. CU did end the game at the BC14 taking a knee.

Taysom Hill completed his first 8 passes of the game and was 16-20-226 at the half finishing 19-27-244. Last year BYU’s D shut down the Georgia Tech option on the road. This year they did allow 400 yards but BYU had a 433-400 yard edge and 26-18 FD edge. The game opened up with a pair of punts but then the next 3 possessions were all td drives and BYU led 14-7 after 1Q. GT drove 16pl for a 37 yard FG and BYU 14pl for a 43 yard FG, 17-10. BYU went 55/8pl for a td to go up 24-10 and it was 24-13 at the half when BYU missed a 52 yard FG. At the half BYU had a 332-171 yard edge. The 2H was a defensive slugfest. GT was SOD at the BYU46 on its second possession and seven of the first eight 3Q possessions ended in punts. GT blocked a punt but would miss a 42 yard FG. BYU got a 51 yard IR td with 11:01 left, 31-13. GT fumbled at the BYU31 with 6:46 left and BYU went 68/6pl getting a td with just 3:11 left, 38-13. GT, on 3&1, got a 55 yard run and then a 5 yard td pass with just :53 left to make the final 38-20. Vad Lee hit 7-20-133 and Justin Thomas 3-3-25.

Adam Kennedy hit 22-32-375 and Arkansas St beat Idaho 48-24. Perhaps the key story of the game was that IU QB Chad Chalich, who hit 1-2-13, suffered a shoulder injury and would not play the rest of the game. Taylor Davis hit just 14-39-199. ASt got an 80 yard td pass on its first offensive play and then drove 65/7pl for a td on its 2nd possession to lead 14-0. At the half, they led 24-7 with a 353-176 yard edge. A gritty Idaho team battled back. ASt went 54/4pl for a td on its second 3Q possession to go up 31-7. UI drove 60/10pl for a 28 yard FG, got a 37 yard IR, drove 39/6pl for a td, then drove 79/9 for a td with 14:10 left to pull within 7. ASt turned the momentum with a 98 yard KR td then went 61/15pl getting a 21 yard FG with 6:19 left to go up by 17. The Red Wolves took over with 5:29 left and went 73/7pl for another td with 2:39 left for the 24 point win. Idaho’s final drive got to the AS44 where they were intercepted at the 16.

Florida Atlantic continues to impress me. Last week they took on a strong Marshall team, one I consider the favorite to win CUSA this year. FAU had 385-355 and 24-18 FD edges. MU got a 77 yard PR td by Devon Smith to make it 7-0 to start the 2Q, but FAU’s D played well vs a potent MU offense allowing less yards than Virginia Tech did. FAU was intercepted at midfield but MU was SOD at the FAU26 with 6:26 left in the 1H. FAU got a 26 yard FG with :11 left and as my buddy Gil Brandt always says, late scores at the end of the half can give a team momentum. FAU did have a 165-98 yard edge at the half. FAU went 75/4pl for a td to open the 3Q. MU answered with a 78/10pl drive to retake the lead, 14-10. After an exchange of punts, FAU went 74/10pl and got a 5 yard td pass, 16-14 then shockingly, after a MU punt, went 64/7pl and got a 1 yard td run by Jaquez Johnson and had a 2 score lead, 23-14 with 10:01 left. MU went 88/12pl. On perhaps a last gasp, they faced a 4&5 and would get a 41 yard td pass to Gator Hoskins to pull within 2, 23-21. FAU got 3 FD’s to the MU37 but punted on 4&9 with 1:57 left. MU went 67/9pl. They got a 35 yard pass to the FAU26 with over 1:00 left. Surprisingly with their potent offense, they opted to set up for the FG running it twice into the middle of the line and spiking the ball putting the onus on K Justin Haig. He delivered with a 41 yard game-winning FG and MU escaped with the 24-23 win on the road.

The story of the ULM/Texas St game was ULM’s Isaiah Newsome, who could be the Jim Thorpe Player of the Week. Newsome had IR’s of 71 and 75 yards, basically both 14 point swings. ULM was outgained 358-192 and outFD’d 19-13 but escaped with a 21-14 win thanks to a late score. The first 3 possessions were punts and TXSt was at the ULM34 when Newsome struck with a 71 yard IR td with 6:09 left in the 1Q. The next 7 possessions were punts but ULM went 63/17pl and missed a 47 yard FG on the final play of the half. ULM led 7-0 but TXSt had a 145-108 yard edge. TXSt opened the 3Q with a 46/8pl drive and was at the ULM29 when Newsome got a 75 yard IR td to go up 14-0. ULM was intercepted and returned to its 8 but TXSt settled for a 22 yard FG, 14-3. TXSt went 64/9pl for a 43 yard FG, 14-6. The teams punted 5 times but a 36 yard PR by TXSt set up the Bobcats for a 21/2pl drive and the td and 2 point conversion tied it with just 6:01 left. ULM returned the KO to the TS48 but on 3&10 was intercepted at the 13 with 4:59 left. TXSt got 1 FD and punted with 2:56 left. ULM finally did something offensively, going 75/10pl. Handing off on 2&8, Centarius Donald took it 10 yards for the td and the 21-14 win.

Alabama had dropped passes, they had fumbles at the 1, and in the 1H looked sloppy. Showing how strong the Tide is, they finished the game beating an overmatched Kentucky 48-7 with a 35-13 FD edge. While everyone talks about Oregon’s high flying offense, the Tide would roll up 668 yards while holding UK to 170. Bama fumbled at the UK13 on its 2nd possession, fumbled at the UK1 on its 3 possession, then settled for a 25 yard FG after a 12pl drive on its 4th possession. They would go 43/2pl, 88/12pl and 70/6pl for td’s on their final three 2Q possessions to lead 24-0 at the half and they had a commanding 402-62 yard edge. Bama went 79/4pl to lead 31-0 but then gave up a 75/9pl drive. UK went for it on 4&2 and got a 3 yard run to the UA30, then got a 30 yard td pass on the next play to avoid the shutout. Bama went 70/12pl, 80/4pl, and 52/12pl for td’s on their final 3 possessions for the rout. AJ McCarron hit 21-35-359 while Maxwell Smith and Jaylen Whitlow combined for 7-18-76.

Mississippi St alternated QB’s Tyler Russell (12-14-102) and Dak Prescott (7-11-75) during the game. Prescott did rush for 139 yards. Things were working well for the Bulldogs. They went 75/9pl for a td on their first possession and after Prescott threw an interception on the 2nd, he atoned for it with a 75 yard td run. Bowling Green had a -4 yard drive for a 35 yard FG after Prescott’s interception and only trailed 14-3. MSU went on a 15pl drive but punted after a tfl, false start and a sack forced a 4&25. BG got back in it going 96/6pl with a 7 yard td with 4:15 left in the half. MSU came right back down the field going 75/10pl for a td with 1:04 left to lead 21-10 with a 298-193 yard edge. BG opened the 3Q with a missed 45 yard FG. BG then went 76/7pl. There’s an axiom that says don’t chase extra points before the 4Q and BG HC Dave Clawson stuck to that. They went for 1 and trailed 21-20. MSU went on an 11pl drive and missed a 44 yard FG, then each team was SOD – BG, at the MSU40, MSU at the BG6 (4:21). BG got 3 FD’s to the 46, trailing by 1, but on 4&11 fired incomplete with 1:15 left. MSU only finished with a 422-384 yard edge and for the 2nd straight year BG played tough in SEC country after giving UF a battle last year.

Northern Illinois extended the nation’s longest home win streak to 23 games and set a MAC record while doing so. Akron lost its 30th straight on the road. NIU was a large favorite but UA gave them a game. In fact, NIU only had a 399-372 yard edge and UA a 19-18 FD edge. Leading 17-14, NIU had a 46 yard FG blocked mid-2Q and only led by 3 at the half with a 270-175 yard edge. NIU went 80/6pl for a td on its opening 3Q drive, 24-14. UA was SOD at the NI40 with 2:30 left in the 3Q and was intercepted at its own 28. That set up NIU for a 21 yard FG, 27-14 with 11:19 left. UA went 75/18pl and on 3&gl an 11 yard td pass pulled them within 7 with 5:27 left. NIU punted with 3:52 left but UA was SOD at its own 30 with 3:00 left. NIU had its second FG of the game blocked and UA took over with 1:14 left at its own 23. They got out to the 45 yard line, but on 4&5 fired incomplete. Jordan Lynch hit 16-35-220 while Kyle Pohl hit 24-56-262

San Jose St did finish with a 608-447 yard edge as David Fales hit 28-35-431 and Garrett Grayson for Colorado St hit 19-34-310. It was an offensive shootout. CSU got a 75/4pl drive capped by a 35 yard td pass with 1:02 left in the half to lead 24-17. SJSt went 75/13pl for a td to tie, but on perhaps the key play of the game, CSU got a 55 yard pass down to the SJS18. On the next play, Grayson’s pass over the middle bounced off the receivers hands and was intercepted by Jimmy Pruitt in the EZ for a TB. SJSt went 79/16pl for an 18 yard FG. CSU went 45/7pl for a 47 yard FG to tie it with 10:40 left. CSU had the ball but was intercepted by Bené Benwikere, who missed some time earlier in the year with injury, at the 28 and a PF moved it back to the 14 with 8:00 to go. SJSt got 2 FD then a 62 yard td pass with 5:36 left. CSU punted on 4&9 with 3:30 left and SJSt got 2 FD’s and was able to run out the clock.

Penn St had a sellout crowd and it appeared every seat was filled. It was a white-out and the crowd was loud and intense throughout. The Lions needed every ounce of the home crowd energy to pull the upset over Michigan as there were a couple times where it appeared they were on their way to a loss. PSU did finish with a 390-389 yard edge and a 24-21 FD edge winning in 4OT. PSU’s 1st score was a 14/3pl drive after an interception. For the second week, PSU went for it on 4&1 at about their own 33 and again was SOD, but this time forced a UM punt. After an interception early in the 2Q, they got a 20 yard td pass to lead 14-10, then went 61/10pl and got a 24 yard td pass to lead 21-10 at the half. The TO Gods went UM’s way at the start of the 3Q when Zach Zwinak fumbled and the Wolverines returned it 24 yards for a td, 21-17. Christian Hackenberg was intercepted at his own 26 and UM turned it into a 23 yard FG, 21-20. PSU went on a 56/10pl drive for a 45 yard FG, 24-20 with 4:21 left in the 3Q but UM went 73/9pl and a td with :28 left in the 3Q put them up 27-24. PSU went on a 10pl drive and missed a 47 yard FG and then Devin Gardner hit Devin Funchess with a 37 yard td pass capping a 70/5pl drive and UM appeared to have pulled away, 34-24 with 10:28 left. PSU went 49/12pl and got a 43 yard FG with 6:34 left to get back within one score. UM got 3 FD’s to the PSU28, but on 4&17, after a delay penalty and -3 yard run, punted 35 yards for a TB with just :50 left. Hackenberg hit Brandon Felder with a 29 yard pass and then Allen Robinson, who is one of the best receivers in the Big Ten, if not the country, leaped 9 feet into the air for a remarkable 36 yard grab at the goal line. Hackenberg’s 1 yard sneak tied it. UM missed a 52 yard FG on the final play of regulation. PSU missed a FG in the first OT and UM had a 40 yard FG blocked. Each team got a FG in the 2OT but PSU fumbled and Brendan Gibbons’ 33 yard game-winning FG for UM pushed wide left. Gibbons did hit a 40 yard FG in the 4OT, but PSU went for it on 4&1 and got it at the UM13 and would get a 2 yard td run 4pl later.

North Texas had a 416-205 yard edge vs Middle Tenn and 25-13 FD edge. NT led 7-0 when they blocked a 32 yard FG but they were intercepted 4pl later and MT went 57/7pl for a td to tie it at 7. NT then went 75/12pl for a td and on the next play got a 20 yard IR td to lead 21-7. They got a 55 yard PR by Brelan Chancellor down to the 13 but settled for a 21 yard FG, 24-7. At the half NT had a 197-132 yard edge. NT went 54/15pl but missed a 48 yard FG then fumbled at the MT21. They did get a 20 yard PR to the MT25 but after a 1&gl at the 2, settled for a 22 yard FG and it was 27-7. NT went 47/7pl adding a td with 2:56 left for the 27 point win.

Rice got RB Charles Ross back (injured 9/21) and he led the team in rushing with 11-59. Taylor McHargue hit 9-21 but for 183 yards. Eric Soza for UTSA hit 17-31-170. Rice moved well in the 1H with 237 yards but missed a 52 yard FG on their first possession, settled for 49 yard FG on their 2nd and only led 3-0. UTSA missed a 48 yard FG at the end of the 1Q. Rice went 58/8pl for a 28 yard FG to lead 6-0 but UTSA went 86/5pl for a td, 7-6. UTSA fumbled a punt at its own 19 and Rice would get a td for a 13-7 lead. Rice then went 71/8pl getting a td with :24 left to take control, 20-7. Rice opened the 3Q with a 66/9pl drive for a td on its opening drive of the 3Q, 27-7. UTSA was SOD on 4&8 at the R34 but then drove 78/12 for a td, 27-14. UTSA had a 4&1 and was SOD at the R34. UTSA took over with 4:35 left and went 76/13pl getting a 1 yard td run with 1:24 left to only trail 27-21. Rice recovered the onside kick and took a knee. UTSA, thanks to those late drives, had a 434-340 yard edge and 24-15 FD edge.

UAB frosh RB Jordan Howard rushed for 159 yards on 20 carries. Austin Brown hit 19-30-188 but was outpassed by FIU’s Jake Medlock who appears close to 100% healthy hitting 17-34-302 yards. FIU struck first with an 88/12pl drive for a td and UAB answered with a 90/9pl drive for a td, 7-7. UAB went 60/8pl for a td to lead 14-7 and FIU went 72/9pl, but on 3&gl from the 3, was intercepted in the EZ. UAB went 80/12pl for a td with 6:00 left in the half to lead 21-7 and appeared in control but FIU went 65/7pl getting a 27 yard FG then 75/10pl. On 4&10 FIU got a 40 yard pass to the 1 yard line with :04 left in the half and a gutsy 1 yard td run on the next play pulled them within 21-17. Thanks to 140 yards on the last 2 drives they had a 304-206 yard edge. UAB missed a 49 yard FG on its second 3Q possession, then drove 39/6pl on its 3rd for a FG, 24-17. FIU punted on its first 5 possessions of the 2H with just 2 FD’s, but UAB couldn’t put them away. FIU took over with 7:25 left and went 75/9pl getting a 13 yard td pass with 2:41 left, 24-24. UAB would convert on 3&10 with a pass interference FD, then added 3 more FD’s to the FIU14 and got a 28 yard FG with :10 left for the win.

If you were wondering what effect missing their star QB would have on Utah St, you saw it in the fact that Boise St came in and dominated with a 26-16 FD edge, although the yards were just 447-348. USt did not even have the full-fledged starter as JUCO Craig Harrison relieved Chuckie Keeton in the last game, but new HC Matt Wells talked about using frosh Darell Garretson. Harrison hit 7-17-105 and Garretson 9-14-116. Boise took its 2nd drive 61/10pl for a td and its 3rd drive 44/5pl for a 35 yard FG to lead 10-0 after 1Q. USt went 50/3pl for a td to pull within 10-7 but Boise went 91/13pl for a td with 9:09 left in the half and 89/9pl for a td with 3:04 left, 24-7. USt got a 33 yard FG with :55 left in the half then blocked a punt, but had a 29 yard FG blocked. At the half BSU had a 274-172 yard edge. BSU opened the 3Q with a 69/11pl drive for a td. After an exchange of interceptions, Boise went 63/10pl for a 39 yard FG and led 34-10. The Aggies would get a 65 yard IR td with 13:28 left but was intercepted at the BS9, and fumbled at the BS40 on their next 2 possessions. USt took over with just 5:01 left and Garretson led them 91/14pl for a garbage td with :20 left to make the final 34-23.

Arizona St may have had a big game on deck vs Washington, but was coming off a loss and they took it out on Colorado. CU replaced a struggling Connor Wood at QB after he hit 0-4 attempts with 1 interception. Wood came in having hit under 30% the previous 2 weeks. Mike MacIntyre took the RS off Sefo Liufau and he hit 18-26-169. ASU went 84/5pl, 37/5pl (after 18 yard PR), 57/8pl and 15/3pl (after int) for 3 td’s and a FG and led 25-0 with 4:38 left in the 1Q. CU actually drove 80/11pl for a td to pull within 25-6 but the 2 point failed. ASU went 75/5pl and continued the onslaught leading 47-6 at the half with a 407-76 yard edge. CU’s opening drive of the 3Q ended on an interception in the EZ from the 27 and ASU went 80/14pl for another td and a 54-6 lead. After CU got a td with 11:03 left, ASU took over a its 19 and went on a 75/17pl drive that ate up the rest of the clock taking a knee at the 2 yard line or the final score could have been even worse.

UNLV won its 4th consecutive regular season game for the first time since 1984. It was somewhat of a strange game against Hawaii with some big momentum changes. UNLV was SOD on 4&2 at the end of a 66/12pl drive and then on 4&1 at the end of a 43/7pl drive and the 1Q was scoreless. After an exchange of FG’s, UH got an 86 yard KR to the LV10, but after a false start and a sack lined up for a 38 yard FG and the snap was high. UNLV led 17-13 at the half with a 348-217 yard edge. It was 20-17 when UNLV got a 41 yard FG with 8:13 left in the 3Q. The Rebels went 65/9pl for a td and punted on their next possession but recovered a fumble at the UH8 and got a td for a 36-17 lead. UH punted on its next possession but then went 72/10pl for a td with 8:11 left, 36-23. They then got a 48 yard td pass to pull within 36-30 with 5:54 left. UH punted with 4:35 left but got the ball back at its 45 and appeared to pull out the win. On FD from the LV44 Sean Schroeder hit Chris Gant with a 44 yard td pass. Schroeder hit 24-47-325 and the td put them up 37-36 with 1:44 left. UNLV then went 51/12pl and got a 44 yard FG on the final play by Nolan Kohorst to pull out the win. UNLV had a 579-454 yard edge.

Tulsa has had a disappointing season but opened the game strong vs UTEP going 76/8pl for a td, 75/9pl capped by a 24 yard td pass, then 87/4pl capped by a 35 yard td pass. Cody Green hit an outstanding 14-17-226 while UTEP’s Jameill Showers was 12-30-166. UTEP went 58/14pl for a 34 yard FG, 21-6 but then TU fumbled a punt at its 13. Showers, however, was intercepted at the 4 on 3&10. UTEP also had a 27 yard FG blocked with :26 left in the half. At the half Tulsa had a 256-159 yard edge. UTEP got a 100 yard KR to open the 3Q to pull within 21-13. Tulsa went 54/8pl for a td and UTEP was SOD at the TU42. TU went 48/10pl for a 27 yard FG and opened it up to a 27-13 lead. UTEP then got another big play, a 71 yard td pass from Showers to Jordan Leslie on 3&6 to pull them within 7. TU went 68/11pl for a td. Two possessions later UTEP was SOD on 4&5 at the TU28. UTEP took over with 1:35 left at its own 16 and went 69/12pl getting to the TU15 but was intercepted at the 3 with :06 left.

UCLA’s Brett Hundley hit 31-41-410 vs a banged up Cal D. During the week Cal was working RB’s at LB and WR’s at DB due to injuries. UCLA was also playing with revenge for the previous year’s loss and while they won by 27, it wasn’t as easy as the final score would indicate. They did have a 24-10 lead at the half with a 325-138 yard edge. UCLA would settle for 22 and 27 yard FG’s in the 3Q to lead 30-10. Cal then went 81/21pl and had a 1&gl at the 3. On 4&gl at the 3, they were SOD with 9:08 left. UCLA then went 97/8pl getting a 22 yard td pass which made some of their backers very happy with 4:41 left, 37-10. Cal got 3 FD’s to the UCLA13 yard line but on 4&19 fired incomplete. UCLA got 1 FD and ran out the clock. UCLA had 488-320 yard and 28-21 FD edges.

Oregon St’s Sean Mannion hit 34-51-493 yards. Washington St’s Connor Halliday hit 26-49-248 but after a few interceptions they replaced him with Austin Apodaca (3-6-22, 1 int). If you look at the final score you see a 52-24 blowout. The game was tied at 24 at the end of 3Q’s when WSU had a bad snap on a punt and OSU went 27/2pl for a td. After a Halliday interception on the next play, OSU went 45/3pl for a td, 38-24. Halliday was intercepted 3pl later and OSU went 39/5pl capped by an 8 yard td pass, 45-24. Halliday again was intercepted on the next play and OSU went 70/7pl for a 30 yard td pass with 6:43 left, their 4th td in a span of 8:17 to blow it open, 52-24. WSU fumbled and was intercepted on their final 2 possessions and OSU had a 598-383 yard and 29-22 FD edges.

For the 2nd straight year Texas A&M travelled to Mississippi and was happy to escape with the win. The two combined for 41 points in the 4Q. Early on Johnny Manziel injured his leg. A&M led 14-10 at the half with just a 235-213 yard edge. A&M went 63/9pl for a td with 10:11 left in the 3Q to lead 21-10 but Ole Miss drove 75/14pl for a td. After an exchange of int’s, A&M would get a 37 yard FG to make it 24-17 but UM went 51/7pl, 41/2pl, and 78/6pl for td’s on their next 3 poss to go up 38-31 with 6:05 left. A&M went 75/8pl and got a 6 yard td run to tie, 38-38. UM28 went 3&out and punted with 2:33 left but Manziel led A&M 56/7 for a 33 yard FG on the final play to escape with the win.