College Betting Recap - Week 9

Week 9 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

After Steve Spurrier revealed that Connor Shaw was ‘doubtful’ to play at Missouri and that Dylan Thompson would get the starting nod for South Carolina, I tweeted last Monday, “Something tells me Connor Shaw will find a way to get on the field at Mizzou.”

Late in the third quarter with his team trailing 17-0 and its chances to win the SEC East in his senior season growing bleaker by the minute, Spurrier turned to Shaw and asked him to come to the rescue, to turn an impossible situation into a victory and to give the 2013 Gamecocks something to play for in November.

And Shaw, one of the most underrated football players in SEC history, did all of that, delivering South Carolina one of its greatest comeback wins in school history. In doing so, Shaw has put his squad into great position to return to Atlanta for just the second time.

South Carolina needs to beat Mississippi State and Florida at home, and then hope that Missouri goes down once in its four remaining SEC contests (vs. Tennessee, at Kentucky, at Ole Miss and vs. Texas A&M). Georgia and Florida, with two SEC losses apiece, are also in the mix but neither has the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Mizzou like South Carolina does.

Playing on one leg after injuring his knee at Tennessee the week before, in addition to suffering from flu-like symptoms that prevented him from watching the team movie Friday night and attending the walk-through Saturday morning, Shaw completed 20-of-29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

The improbable rally began when Shaw found Bruce Ellington for a six-yard scoring strike with 12:13 remaining. After another sustained drive, South Carolina settled for a 20-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game with 5:03 left.

With just 42 ticks remaining, Shaw found Nick Jones for a two-yard TD pass to pull even at 17-17. Missouri needed just four plays to go up 24-17 in the first overtime. Next, the Tigers forced the Gamecocks into a fourth-and-goal situation from the 15.

With the game and season on the line, Shaw found Ellington again for a 15-yard TD pass to knot the score at 24-24 and force a second extra session. South Carolina had the ball first in double overtime and got a 40-yard field goal from Elliot Fry.

Missouri had to settle for a 24-yard FG to force a third OT, but Andrew Baggett’s 24-yard attempt hit the left post and was no good. South Carolina won a 27-24 decision as a three-point road underdog, hooking up money-line supporters with a +130 payout. The 51 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 54-point total, although those winners had to deal with plenty of stress when the ‘over’ suddenly had life when the game went to overtime(s).

Shaw had demonstrated his toughness many times before during his career at South Carolina, but this was certainly his defining moment. He now has 14 TD passes compared to only one interception this year, in addition to three rushing TDs.

Back in September, I felt like Alabama could be had. The Crimson Tide didn’t appear nearly as dominant as it had the two previous years. But there’s no doubt that ‘Bama has vastly improved in the last month.

In the last five games, Nick Saban’s team has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 216-20. The Tide raced out to a 28-0 lead over Tennessee this past Saturday before the Vols were threatening to score just before intermission. UT quarterback Justin Worley tried to find his receiver out an out pattern, but sophomore safety Landon Collins intercepted the pass and took it back 88 yards for the score.

After leading 35-0 at halftime, Alabama cruised through the second half en route to a 45-10 win as a 28 ½-point home favorite. The 55 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 50-point total.

‘Bama has an open date before hosting LSU. LVH has installed the nation’s top-ranked team as a 12-point favorite.

Oregon found itself in a close game for the first time this year when it went to halftime tied at 14-14 with UCLA. But the Ducks scored all 28 points in the second half to capture a 42-14 win as a 23 ½-point home favorite. The 56 combined points fell ‘under’ the 75-point tally.

Marcus Mariota threw for 230 yards and one TD without an interception, improving his touchdown-to-interception ratio to 20/0. Byron Marshall rushed for a team-high 130 yards and three TDs. In his return after a four-game absence due to an ankle injury, De’Anthony Thomas produced 48 yards on 13 touches (10 rushing, three receptions) but did have a one-yard TD scamper in the first quarter.

The Ducks have an open date before venturing to Palo Alto next Thursday for a revenge game at Stanford. LVH has Oregon listed as a 10-point road ‘chalk’ vs. the Cardinal.

Florida State improved to 7-0 straight up but allowed a 42-0 halftime lead to get away in a 49-17 win over North Carolina State. The Wolfpack took the cash in backdoor fashion as a 34-point road underdog. The ‘over’ improved to 7-0 in FSU games.

Jameis Winston threw for 292 yards and three TDs. The ‘Noles will take on Miami this weekend at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Ohio State put together its best performance of the season in Saturday’s 63-14 win over Penn State as a 16½-point home ‘chalk.’ Braxton Miller threw three TD passes and ran for two more scores in the blowout victory.

The oddsmakers simply can’t make numbers high enough for Baylor. The Bears went into Lawrence and stroked Kansas by a 59-14 count as 34½-point road favorites. Bryce Petty threw for 430 yards and three TDs without an interception and also ran for a score. Petty has an 18/1 TD-INT ratio while leading his team to a 7-0 SU start and a 6-1 ATS mark.

LVH has Baylor installed as a 12-point favorite for next Thursday’s home game vs. Oklahoma.

Speaking of the Sooners, they knocked Texas Tech from the unbeaten ranks by collecting a 38-30 victory as seven-point home favorites. Blake Bell threw for 249 yards and a pair of TDs without an interception.

Miami was extremely fortunate to stay undefeated in a 24-21 come-from-behind win over Wake Forest as an enormous 26-point home favorite. Duke Johnson’s one-yard TD plunge with 53 ticks remaining provided the winning points.

The Hurricanes played from behind nearly the entire game, taking their first lead with less than six minutes left. Wake Forest senior QB Tanner Price, the school’s second all-time leading passer behind only Riley Skinner, threw for 302 yards and a pair of TDs in the losing effort. WR Michael Campanaro, who is en route to earning first-team All-ACC honors, had 10 catches for 88 yards and one TD. The Demon Deacons have covered the number in three consecutive games and the ‘under’ has cashed at a 7-1 clip for them this season.

Stanford survived a game effort from Oregon State and escaped Corvallis with a 20-12 win as a four-point road favorite. Tyler Gaffney ran for 145 yards and three TDs and the Cardinal defense stopped the Beavers on downs inside the 10 in the final minute.

Duke pulled one of the biggest Week 9 upsets when it went into Blacksburg and ended Virginia Tech’s six-game winning streak by pulling out a 13-10 triumph as a 12-point underdog. The Blue Devils’ defense intercepted Logan Thomas four times and place-kicker Ross Martin buried first-half field goals from 51 and 53 yards out.

David Cutcliffe has Duke bowl eligible for a second straight season after the school missed the postseason every year from 1994-2012. The 6-2 Blue Devils will take a four-game winning streak into back-to-back home games vs. N.C. State and Miami following this week’s open date.

Texas A&M bounced back from a crushing home loss to Auburn and smashed Vanderbilt, 56-24. The Aggies covered the spread as 17-point home favorites. Although his shoulder was clearly bothering him, Johnny Manziel threw for 305 yards and four TDs.

To round out the SEC results, Ole Miss and Auburn covered in non-conference home games, while Mississippi State let down its betting supporters in a 28-22 win over Kentucky as a 12-point favorite Thursday night in Starkville.

Troy had seen the ‘over’ cash at a 7-0 clip before Saturday’s 32-26 win at Western Kentucky as a 10 ½-point road underdog. The 58 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 63 combined points. The Trojans improved to 5-3 SU and 3-1 in Sun Belt play.

Top 25 Betting Recap - Week 9
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com

Week 9 of the 2013 NCAA football betting season is in the books, and today, we're taking a look at each of the Top 25 teams in the BCS rankings to see how they performed from an ATS perspective this past week.

(Results in parentheses represent SU Result-ATS Result)

1: Alabama (W-W vs. Tennessee 45-10)
There was no look-ahead factor this week for the Tide, who rolled out to a 35-0 halftime lead over UT.

2: Florida State (W-L vs. NC State 49-17)
The Noles were up 35-0 at the end of the first cover, got backdoored.

3: Oregon (W-W vs. UCLA 42-14)
A 21-0 fourth quarter made this one look worse than it really was, but it put the Ducks back at #2 in the BCS.

4: Ohio State (W-W vs. Penn State 63-14)
It's sad that a 63-14 win over a conference foe that is going to finish the year with around eight wins doesn't even move the dial for the Buckeyes.

5: Missouri (L-L vs. South Carolina 27-24)
You knew it was coming at some point. Mizzou was always overrated in the Top 5 in the land.

6: Stanford (W-W vs. Oregon State 20-12)
This is the second straight week the Stanford defense shut down one of the best QBs in the Pac-12.

7: Miami (W-L vs. Wake Forest 24-21)
There were some scary moments for a second straight week for Miami. FSU is up next at the Doak.

8: Baylor (W-W vs. Kansas 59-14)
"Only" 59 points scored this week for Baylor, its second worst offensive output of the season.

9: Clemson (W-L vs. Maryland 40-27)
Maryland was never really all that close to pulling the upset, and it hit the backdoor with less than a minute to play.

10: Texas Tech (L-L vs. Oklahoma 38-30)
It was only a matter of time until this unbeaten fell, but a trip to the Fiesta Bowl still isn't out of range.

11: Auburn (W-W vs. Florida Atlantic 45-10)
It's amazing that Head Coach Gus Malzahn has this team ranked in the Top 10.

12: UCLA (L-L vs. Oregon 42-14)
With losses in back to back weeks to Stanford and Oregon, UCLA has proven that it can't play with the big boys in the Pac-12 North.

13: LSU (W-L vs. Furman 48-16)
This one was only 20-16 at halftime..Then LSU got woke up and realized that it was playing against Furman.

14: Virginia Tech (L-L vs. Duke 13-10)
Nothing like giving Duke its first win on the road against a ranked opponent in a zillion years, V-Tech.

15: Oklahoma (W-W vs. Texas Tech 38-30)
OU is back in command of the Big XII, and it is back in the National Championship picture as well.

16: Texas A&M (W-W vs. Vanderbilt 56-24)
QB Johnny Manziel threw for four TDs, but he only ran for 11 yards, prompting cause for concern.

17: Fresno State (W-W vs. San Diego State 35-28)
It took QB David Carr throwing the ball 57 times, but the BCS dreams for the Bulldogs remains alive.

18: Northern Illinois (W-W vs. Eastern Michigan 59-20)
QB Jordan Lynch has over 400 rushing yards in his last two games, and he has five passing TDs in that stretch, too.

19: Oklahoma State (W-W vs. Iowa State 58-27)
It took a couple weeks, but the Cowboys are back where they belong dominating offensively in the Big XII.

20: Louisville (W-W vs. South Florida 34-3)
A dominating defensive performance showed that the Cardinals are on their way back to contending in the AAC once again.

21: South Carolina (W-W vs. Missouri 27-24)
South Carolina seemed destined to drop out of the Top 25 this week, but it stormed back and is now one Mizzou loss in conference away from controlling its own destiny in the SEC East.

22: Michigan (Bye)
Head Coach Brady Hoke has to work on his defense, which has allowed 90 points in its last two games.

23: UCF (W-W vs. Connecticut 62-17)
UCF's first ever AAC home game featured the offense scoring on every single possession in the first half.

24: Nebraska (L-L vs. Minnesota 34-23)
The loss in Minneapolis might have been the deathblow to Head Coach Bo Pelini.

25: Oregon State (L-L vs. Stanford 20-12)
QB Sean Mannion never had a chance against the Cardinal defense.

Week 9 News & Notes – Part 1
Philsteele.com

Louisiana was very impressive for the second week in a row, even though they were on the road. They had a 26-10 FD edge and 470-168 yard edge. Arkansas St’s Adam Kennedy was held to 11-20 passing for 89 yards while Louisiana’s Terrance Broadway, a week after they mostly ran the ball, hit 18-28-205. ASU was intercepted on its first drive and UL went 31/8pl for a 36 yard FG then went 77/12pl and 86/6pl for a td’s, 17-0 (10:44 2Q). UL was intercepted at the 39 on its next poss and ASU went 39/6pl for a td to get back in it, 17-7. UL got off a 9 yard punt and ASU took over at its 40 but on 4&2 with 1:04 left in the half fired incomplete and UL went 57/8pl and got a 38 yard FG, 20-7 at the half and had a 271-99 yard edge. UL went 73/14pl but missed a 28 yard FG then showing their domination went 73/12pl but settled for a 30 yard FG to lead 23-7. Each team punted 3x’s and UL took over with 8:54 left and put together an 80/17pl drive taking a knee at the ASU16 at the end. UL’s Elijah McGuire rushed for 110 yards and Alonzo Harris for 105.

Marshall/Middle Tennessee had one of the year’s more exciting games. As you would expect, the teams’ 51-49 final meant they traded scores often. MT did get a blocked punt for a td to take a 14-7 lead with 5:13 left in the 2Q. With 1:29 left in the half, MT got a 13 yard PR and drove 66/7pl for a td to tie at 21. MU got to midfield but was intercepted in the EZ on a Hail Mary. The first 3 poss of the 3Q were all td’s but then Marshall, on 4&5, went for it and was tackled for a 14 yard loss. They allowed a 37 yard FG but got an 81 yard KR and drove 17/4pl for a td, 38-35. Both went on long td drives, 45-42. A 37 yard PR set up MU for a 44/8pl drive for a td with 2:29 left and they led 49-45. MU dropped 2 int’s on the final drive. MT converted on 3&12 with a 24 yard pass then on 4&5 with an 18 yard pass. With :03 left from the 9, Kilgore hit Jefferson in the EZ for the td and they didn’t even attempt the xp. MT did finish with a 585-448 yard edge as MT’s D held Rakeem Cato to 19-35-235

Mississippi St came into the Kentucky game with the gameplan of using both QB’s but Tyler Russell sprained his ankle on the first series and did not return. Dak Prescott hit 23-34-268 yards while rushing 16 times for 33 yards and also catching a td pass of 17 yards. MSU S Nickoe Whitley was ejected in the 2Q after his 2nd PF call in a 4pl span. MSU finished with a 447-325 yard edge but failed to put Kentucky away. After a UK punt to open the teams would drive for td’s on the next 3 poss. MSU led 14-7. UK missed a 47 yard FG and MSU appeared on their way to a route with a 63/10pl drive for a td with 10:14 left in the half, 21-7. MSU punted with 2:50 left in the half and UK went 52/9pl getting a 45 yard FG with :31 left. MSU missed a 47 yard FG on the final play of the half. They had a 296-202 yard edge and led 21-10. The first 3 poss of the 3Q opened with punts but MSU’s P mishandled the snap for a safety and after the free kick UK went 52/5pl for a td and shockingly it was back to 21-19. MSU went 74/7pl and handed off on a jet sweep to Lewis who threw a pass to QB Prescott for the td up 17 yards, 28-19. After an exchange of punts, UK took over at the MSU44, converting on 4&2 and would get a 44 yard FG with 8:15 left. MSU went on a 32/13pl drive with 3 FD’s but on 4&9 opted to go for it and threw inc with 2:08 left. UK had a shot at the win getting 2 FD’s to the MSU32 but on 4&7 from the 29, fired incomplete. Maxwell Smith hit 18-34-160 and Jalen Whitlow was questionable coming in.

Boise St gave Grant Hedrick his first start at QB as Joe Southwick was injured on the opening drive of the previous game and he was on the road vs the BYU D in his first start. BS still did well putting up 499 yards although a lot of that came in the 2H. BYU’s fast paced offense ran 91 plays, while BS ran 90 and BYU finished with a 568-499 yard edge. Hedrick hit 25-42-232 while Taysom Hill 27-41-339 and ran for 69 yards. BS was SOD on 4&3 at the BYU35 on their opening drive and BYU went 48/12pl but missed a 35 yard FG. BYU went 84/8pl for a td then 56/14pl for a 28 yard FG, 10-0. BS moved again going 63/10pl but was SOD on 4&1 at the 12. BS went 76/14pl settling for a 33 yard FG with 4:50 left 2Q, 10-3. BYU went 77/4pl getting a 37 yard td pass with 3:45 left then recovered a fumble and went 47/6pl getting a 4 yard td pass with :44 left, 24-3. At the half BYU had a 376-202 yard edge. After 3Q’s it was 31-13 with BYU recovering a fumble at the 29 and getting a 34 yard FG to lead 34-13. BS was intercepted on the next poss at their 43 and fumbled at the BYU42 on the next but then went 85/8pl for a td with 10:23 left, 34-20. BYU30 went 47/8pl for a 41 yard FG to lead 37-20. BS was SOD on 4&1 at the BYU44 and their last drive got to midfield where they ran out of time.

Jake Rudock hit just 19-27-169 but Iowa seemed in control at the half leading 10-0. Northwestern had Kain Colter return to the lineup after missing the previous game and he hit 11-14 but for just 104 but he did rush for 60 yards. While UI won by 7, they did not need OT to do so. UI took the opening drive of the game right down the field, 74/14pl incl a 4&1 conv at the NW31 and got a td for a 7-0 lead. The next 3 poss were punts and UI went 42/11pl and got a 38 yard FG and were in control, 10-0. NW fumbled at the UI30 and the game went to the half with UI having a 155-121 yard edge. The 3Q opened with 2 punts then NW went 81/8pl. A 10 yard td pass made it 10-7 then NW went 69/16pl getting a 29 yard FG to tie it at 10 with 9:09 left in the game. UI25 went 51/9 but missed a 42 yard FG. NW got to the UI30 but an illegal block pushed them back to a 1&25 and they fumbled at midfield with 3:14 left and UI had a chance for the win in regulation. They got a FD to the 44 but passed up a 52 yard FG and on 4&11 were intercepted at the 15 with :07 left. In OT UI needed 4pl for an 8 yard td pass and NW on 4&8, was sacked for a 1 yard loss.

Deontay Greenberry had 168 yards on 8 rec’s as John O’Korn hit 24-30-264 and Greg Ward was also impressive off the bench running the ball 11-91 and hitting 4-5-36 giving them 2 impressive QB’s. Houston went on the road to Rutgers and simply dominated in the 49-14 win finishing with a 611-420 yard edge. UH came in leading the nation in takeaways with 21 and they were +14 in TO’s. UH took their opening drive 51/11pl and had a FD on 4&1 but a hold brought it back and they had a 41 yard FG blocked. RU on their 2nd poss went 45/5pl for a td to lead 7-0 but the rest of the game belonged to UH. The Cougars went 52/4pl and 87/6pl for td’s to make it 14-7. RU went 75/12pl for a 14 yard td run to tie at 14. UH got an 83 yard td pass then RU fumbled 2pl later and UH 2pl later got a 26 yard td pass, 28-14. UH got to the RU14 but 2 sacks and anintentional grounding and a false start had them lose 35 yards and they didn’t score before the half. At the half they did have a 358-188 yard edge. UH went 84/11, 80/7, and 65/6pl on their first three 3Q poss to lead 39-14 and RU gained 89 of their yards on the game’s final 12 plays trailing 49-14.

UL piled up a 485-133 yard edge, 26-8 FD edge but a 70 yard IR helped them win this game by 31 pts. Teddy Bridgewater hit 25-29-344 with no int’s. USF QB’s came in struggling and continued to do so vs the excellent Louisville D hitting just 8-19-95 as they failed to score an offensive td for the 3rd straight game but unlike the previous 2, they lost. In the 1H UL had an amazing 240-25 yard edge. UL took their opening drive 90/9 and got a 20 yard td pass, 7-0. USF, after UL punted from their 2 and got K/C interference started at the UL45. They put together a “long” 13/5 drive and got a 50 yard FG, 7-3. UL then went 75/12pl and had 1&gl at the 3 but settled for a 19 yard FG, got a 69 yard td pass with 7:16 left in the half and only led 17-3. UL opened the 3Q with an 82/14pl drive and again settled for a short FG, this one 19 yards with 2:55 left 3Q. USF got to the UL18 on their best drive of the game going 48/3 but fumbled at the 19. UL then went 81/14pl for a 5 yard td pass to get up by 24 and then with USF going 41/10pl they were intercepted on 3&20 and ret’d 70 yards for a td by Gaines to make it 34-3 with 7:50 left.

Nebraska looked like they were on their way to a route vs Minnesota going 69/6pl on their first poss then getting a 45 yard FG on their 2nd poss to lead 10-0. They then had trouble getting UM’s run game off the field and UM rushed for 271 yards on 54 carries. QB Phillip Nelson hit 7-15-152 and NU’s Taylor Martinez 16-30-139. UM finished with a 430-328 yard edge. Trailing 10-0 UM went 75/13pl for a td. The next 3 poss were punts and UM went 88/7pl with Nelson at QB, 14-10. NU broke off a 20 yard run by Abdullah but he fumbled and UM went 38/6pl for a 26 yard FG, 17-10. NU went 48/6 to their 27 and failed to call time out for :10 letting the clock run off and settled for a 42 yard FG with :03 left in the half to pull within 17-13. At the half UM did have a 221-169 yard edge. After each team punted to open the 3Q, UM after a facemask on the PR went 38/5pl for a td, 24-13. They then went 60/11pl for a 45 yard FG, 27-13. NU chipped away and got to 27-20 and had the ball at the 16 but settled for a 37 yard FG, 27-23. They forced a punt with 5:50 left and had a shot at the win but punted on 4&12 and the punt went just 27 yards to their own 34. UM converted on 3&2, 2&12 then on 3&gl from the 2 UM bobbled the snap and it would have set them up to force a FG. However, NU was offsides and on their next play, Nelson ran 1 yard for the td to clinch it and gave UM the upset.

Desmond Roland ran for a career high 219 yards for Oklahoma St. The Cowboys did have a 420-346 yard edge but the FD’s were even at 20 and the game was actually 28-20 mid-3Q before OSU scored on 2 straight poss and added a 58 yard FR td. Clint Chelf started and hit just 10-26-78 but OSU rushed for 342. OSU did go 88/9 for a td, got a 31 yard IR td to go up 14-0 with less than 5:00 left. Two poss later they went 43/6pl for a td, 21-0. Each team would drive for a td, 28-7 then Iowa St went 88/5pl getting a td, 28-14 with 12:23 left in the 2Q. After the teams punted 3 times, ISU went 54/11pl and got a 20 yard td pass with 2:59 left to pull within 8. At the half ISU had a 247-171 yard edge. Chelf was intercepted at the ISU9 on the first poss but they went 47/8pl for a 22 yard FG. They then got a 58 yard td run on the first play of their next drive then got a 58 yard FR td to open it up to 45-20. The teams punted 4 times then ISU fumbled at their own 21 and OSU 4pl later got a td to go up 52-20 with 10:28 left. ISU went on a 75/10pl td drive to make it 52-27 and then OSU returned the onside kick 30 yards and got a 1 yard td run to make it 58-27 with 5:53 left.

UCF was off their big win over Louisville but back at home at Bright House with a bye on deck vs lowly UConn, they showed how strong they are. UCF scored on their first 9 poss of the game and are the clear frontrunner for the automatic BCS berth in the AAC. They had a 527-233 yard edge in this game. At the half they had a 17-5 FD edge and 338-90 yard edge. Blake Bortles hit 20-24-286 and backup Justin Holman got plenty of action hitting 6-11-65. UCF led 21-3 after 1Q but UConn, after UCF fumbled a punt, drove 24/6 for a td. UCF scored on their next 4 poss and led 45-10 at the half then on their first 2 poss of the 2H for a 55-10 lead. UConn was SOD on 4&gl at the 7 and UCF got to the UConn 19 but was intercepted. UConn got a 46 yard td pass with 10:11 left but UCF would tack on a td with 2:50 left and were SOD at the Conn 18 with :27 left on 4&8.

While Wake Forest fell to 1-53 all-time vs top 10 teams and their lone win coming 67 years ago to the date, they led Miami, Fl the majority of the game and firmly deserved to win this. UM, which was off their big game vs N Carolina and had a huge game vs Florida St on deck, managed to remain unbeaten but only had a 391-360 yard edge for the game. Tanner Price hit 25-45-302 yards for WF and UM was fortunate to score late in the 1H and late at the end to pull out the win. WF took its opening drive 69/16pl for a td then went 45/10pl but missed a 47 yard FG into the wind. UM drove 53/10pl for a FG to get within 7-3 but WF went 75/7pl for a td for the 14-3 lead. With 2:38 left in the half, WF punted. UM went 62/4pl getting a 35 yard td pass on FD to pull within 14-10. At the half WF had a commanding 226-126 yard edge which was actually 226-64 prior to that last drive. UM opened the 3Q with a 70/10pl drive but missed a 40 yard FG. UM got a 25 yard PR and went 43/9 but on 4&1 were SOD at the 9. The next 5 poss were punts. UM went 51/8pl for a td with 5:36 to take the lead but WF answered. They went 75/7pl and on 4&5 got a 44 yard td to Gibson on a wheel route for a 21-17 lead. UM27 went 72/10pl and got a td with :52 left to escape and WF was intercepted on their 2nd play at the 40 and ret’d 14 yards.

Virginia had an amazing 32-18 FD edge and forced 5 Georgia Tech TO’s but somehow lost the game due to a couple of big plays. GT finished with a 507-444 yard edge thanks to those plays. It was the first time in UVA history that 2 players caught at least 10 passes in the same game and Darius Jennings caught 13-119 and Tim Smith 10-151. UVA held the ball for 34:34 but blew some golden opportunities in the RZ. David Watford hit 43-61-376 yards while GT’s 2 QB’s, Vad Lee and Justin Thomas combined to hit 5-9-113 with 2 int’s. GT got a 35 yard run on the 2nd play and a 36 yard td run by Sims on the next to lead 7-0. UVA missed a 37 yard FG, after they recovered a fumble at the GT37. However, on 4&6 they lined up for a FG. GT jumped offsides so on 4&1 they went for it and fired incomplete. Two poss later UVA drove 87/13 but settled for a 28 yard FG, 7-3. GT got a 59 yard KR and went 41/7 for a td, 14-3. UVA answered with a 73/10pl drive and got a td with 4:24 left in the 2Q, 14-10. GT fumbled at the UVA39 but the Cavs punted. With :45 left 1H UVA went 50/7. On 3&gl from the 1 they passed up a FG on the last play of the half and were stuffed, ending up with zero pts. GT took their 2nd drive of the 3Q 62/5 for a td, 21-10. UVA went on a time consuming 88/12pl drive and got a td 2pl into the 4Q, 21-17. GT on 3&9 got a 13 yard pass and on the next play a 65 yard td run to Godhigh to get back up 28-17. After an exchange of punts, UVA went for it on 4&3 at its own 38 and converted and went 69/12. On 4&9 a 17 yard pass got them to the 12 and a 12 yard td pass pulled them within 3 with 3:23 left. GT25 got a 38 yard pass to the 37 and then on 3&2 got a 29 yard td run with 1:55 left to win by 10 which was an important number to some. UVA on 2&10 was intercepted and ret’d 12 yards to the 30 and GT took a knee.

Johnny Manziel was questionable vs Vanderbilt but he helped deliver an Inside the Pressbox Best Bet High Scoring Game of the Week winner as A&M beat VU 56-24 with a total of 80 pts! Manziel hit 25-35-305 and Matt Joeckel 3-6-28. Manziel did not practice until Friday and was still a little sore on Saturday. VU was without starting QB Austin Carta-Samuels and Patton Robinette filled in making his first road start and hit 15-28-216. Josh Grady hit 2-4-18 and he and Robinette comb’d for 2 int’s. The situation greatly favored A&M as they were a top 10 team, off a home loss vs an unranked team that had knocked off a ranked team at home the previous week in an emotional setting and had to travel. A&M appeared on its way to a blowout scoring td’s on the first 4 poss going 75/13, 66/6, 80/7, and 39/5pl (after 17 yard punt) to lead 28-0. VU actually battled back putting together a 69/10pl drive for a 23 yard FG then recovered an onside kick and went 44/4 for a td. Each team was SOD and then after a Manziel int, VU went 27/4pl for a td to get to 28-17 at the half. Texas A&M fumbled at the VU 27 with :02 left. A&M had a 344-203 yard edge. A&M got a 26 yard IR td on the first play of the 3Q and VU was SOD at their own 37 but A&M got a FD pass to the 1 and fumbled into the EZ for a TB costing them some points. They fumbled at their own 40 but on the next drive went 50/10pl for a 14 yard td pass, 42-17. VU was intercepted and A&M went 28/5pl for a td. After 2 punts, VU went 80/13pl getting a td with 9:32 left, 49-24 but with Hill at QB, A&M went 75/10pl getting a td with 5:08 left.

Old Dominion had 27-20 FD and 465-315 yard edges vs a decent Norfolk St team and actually due to some missed opportunities needed a FG on the final play of the game to pull out the 3 pt win. Taylor Heinicke hit 26-44-325 with a 3-1 ratio and Norfolk St used 3 different QB’s and RB Finch had 18-97. NSU opened with a 68/13pl drive and settled for a 24 yard FG, 3-0. ODU went 64/8pl for a td but their next drive went for it on 4&5 at the NSU41 and were SOD. ODU went 50/7pl but settled for a 30 yard FG then went 55/8pl for a td to take control, 17-3. NSU brought Stokes in at QB and went 54/6pl for a 24 yard td pass, 17-10. ODU missed a 51 yard FG with :24 let in the half and only led by 7 with a 233-165 yard edge. NSU got a 62 yard PR to open the 3Q and went 21/2pl for a td to tie. ODU went 50/10pl but had a 27 yard FG blk’d. NSU went 80/19pl converting on 3&11, 4&4, 3&10, 3&21 and 4&1 with a td run, 24-17. ODU was intercepted at the NSU14 then drove 72/10pl to get a 2 yard td pass with 7:02 left to tie it. Surprisingly NSU went 45/10pl and with 3:01 left, had a 41 yard FG blk’d. ODU went 71/12pl and got a 24 yard FG on 4&gl with no time left and it was Jarod Brown’s first career game winner.

Akron and Ball St was closer than the final score. UA actually finished with a 437-343 yard edge although BS had a 27-22 FD edge. Keith Wenning hit 25-35-240 while Kyle Pohl for UA hit 17-34-211. UA’s Jawon Chisholm rushed 166 yards and BS’s Jahwan Edwards rushed 25-120. BS looked good early going 75/8, and 62/7pl on their first 2 poss for a 14-3 lead but the next 5 poss were punts. BS fumbled at their own 31 but UA missed a 32 yard FG. Chisholm ripped off a 65 yard td run with 5:42 left in the half to pull within 14-10. BS went 57/5, and 75/9 for a pair of td’s to go back up 28-10. At the half BS had a 300-206 yard edge. UA was SOD on 4&1 at the BS24 on their opening 3Q drive then went 58/4pl with a 15 yard td run by Pohl, 28-17. BS punted but then went 55/10pl for a 20 yard td pass, 35-17. After an exchange of punts the teams exchanged long td drives. UA then went 44/8 but fumbled at the 31, down 42-24 with 4:14 left. UA drove again, 39/6 but was intercepted at the BS 4 with :13 left and BS took a knee.

Good for Nick Sloan who last week missed an xp in the 2OT and Navy lost to Toledo. This week, Sloan hit a 30 yard game winning FG with :01 left and Navy escaped Pitt. Pitt only had a 338-325 yard edge and Navy a 20-18 FD edge. Keenan Reynolds hit 8-18 passing for 105 and was Navy’s leading rusher with 93 yards on 21 carries. Tom Savage hit 20-27 for 203, with Devin Street having a pedestrian 96 yards on 9 rec’s vs a Navy D not used to practicing vs the pass. Pitt’s had some great receivers and Street now has 186 career rec’s passing Latef Grim (1998-’00). Pitt did control the 1H with a 22:07 to 7:53 TOP edge running 44 plays to 22. They took their opening drive 68/16pl but settled for a 25 yard FG. Two poss later Pitt fumbled at the Navy 42 and Navy got a 58 yard td pass on the next play to lead 7-3 and Navy did not have a FD before the play. Pitt went 57/4pl for a 44 yard FG, then 74/9pl for a 12 yard td pass on 3&gl from the 12, 13-7. Navy went 50/11 but was intercepted at the 1 from the 23 with :34 left. Pitt had a 252-135 yard edge at the half. The 3Q opened with 4 punts. Navy went 91/16pl and got a 9 yard td run, 14-13 and the lead. Pitt went 75/11pl and got a td and 2 pt conv, 21-14. Navy went 71/10pl and got a 2 yard td run by Reynolds to tie with 2:52 left. Pitt took over at their 25 but on 4&6 punted 20 yards. Navy took over at the Pitt 49 and went 36/12pl and got a 30 yard FG with no time left on 3&8 for the win.

Tyler Tettleton threw for 306 yards and as expected the battle between 5-2 Ohio and 0-7 Miami, Oh was a mismatch with OU having a 535-240 yard edge. Beau Blankenship rushed 172 yards on 20 carries while MU’s leading rusher QB Austin Boucher had 22 yards on 13 carries while hitting just 12-25-120. MU did put up a battle at times. OU went 82/6pl and 70/5pl for td’s on their first 2 poss and it appeared a laugher at 14-0, but MU drove 47/11pl for a 45 yard FG, forced 2 punts and after a 25 yard punt went 40/7pl for a 22 yard td pass on 3&10, 14-10. MU was intercepted at their own 38 and OU went 31/3pl for a td to lead 21-10 and took over with 1:45 left and went 73/10pl for a 24 yard FG to go up 24-10. At the half OU had a 301-137 yard edge. OU took its 2nd 3Q poss 52/6pl for a 33 yard FG. After 3 punts OU went 79/8pl for a td, 34-10. OU brought in backup QB Vick with 12:09 left in the game and he fumbled the 2nd snap. MU on 4&gl got a 3 yard td run to cap the 16 yard drive to make it 34-16. Vick engineered a 56/12pl drive for a td, 41-16 with 3:36 left. MU took over at their 34 and went 46/10pl but was sacked at the OU20 with :11 left on 4&9.

Toledo and Bowling Green was interesting. BG’s opening drive went 52/13. From the 23, they passed up a 41 yard FG and went for it on 4&10 and fired incomplete. UT went 77/7pl for a td then went 89/18 and got a 5 yard td pass on a drive which was kept alive on a 4&5 PI at the BG9 and on 3&gl from the 13, a late hit that gave them a FD that made it 14-0. UT went 60/8pl, 21-0. BG went 81/12pl and got a 1 yard td run, 21-7 at half. UT had a 212-156 yard edge. UT was sacked and fumbled to open the 3Q and BG recovered at the 29. They converted on 4&15 once again passing up the FG with a 17 yard pass but after 2 more FD’s on 4&gl from the 1 a false start had them kick a 23 yard FG from the 6, 21-10. BG went 77/9 and got a 7 yard td run with 14:28 left. BG went 84/10pl and got a 7 yard td run with 5:54 left to apparently pull out the win, 25-21. UT30 got 3 FD’s. On 3&26, they gained 17 yards and then Owens’ 11 yard td pass on 4th down gave them the 28-25 lead with 1:22 left. BG25 got 1 FD but on 4&13 fired incomplete. UT had a 372-343 yard edge and 21-19 FD edge. Terrance Owens hit just 15-23-130 and Matt Johnson 17-26-208. David Fluellen was questionable coming and had just 3 carries for 61 yards and Kareem Hunt had 114 yards on a 21 carries for UT.

Western Michigan came in 0-8 and Massachusetts was 1-6. As you would expect, both teams took a lot of chances. WM finished with a 393-332 yard edge and won 31-30. UMass got a 90 yard KR to open and WM went 57/18pl going for it on 4&1, 4&1 and 4&2 and converting all 3 but on 4&8 got a 36 yard FG. UMass missed a 41 yard FG but went 64/7pl for a td to lead 14-3. The next 3 drives were all td’s, 21-17 (2:13 2Q). At the half UM had a 238-172 yard edge. WM opened the 3Q with a 57/6pl drive for a 14 yard td, 24-21 and UM went 56/14pl incl a 4&2, 4 yard run to the 22 and they would get a 37 yard FG to tie. WM on 4&1 was SOD at the UM37. UM ran a fake punt and lost 4 yards at their own 40 but WM 9pl later missed a 22 yard FG after having a 1&gl at the 9. A 22 yard PR set up UM at the WM38 and on 4&4 they went for it and were SOD at the 30. After an exchange of punts, WM took over at the 47 and on 3&11, got a 54 yard td pass for the lead, 31-24. UM took over with 4:55 left and went 68/13pl for a td but opted to go for 2 pts an the win and it failed.

Garrett Gilbert had a great game for SMU hitting 37-53-538 yards. Gilbert’s 635 yards ttl offense for SMU were the 7th most by any player in NCAA history. SMU had 34-20 FD and 728-593 yard edges but only won by 10 points and needed a big comeback to do so. SMU WR Keenan Holman had 209 yards receiving on 10 catches and Der’rikk Thompson had 158 on 9 rec. Temple QB PJ Walker hit 26-37-293 and their receiver, Robbie Anderson had 239 yards on just 9 catches. Walker had a stretch of 16 straight completions. SMU jumped out to a 7-0 lead but TU went 72/6, got a 83/1pl td pass to Anderson then went 76/6pl and 58/9pl for td’s and a commanding 28-7 lead with 9:07 left. SMU got a 19 yard td pass with :46 left 1H to pull within 28-14 and SMU actually had a 338-327 yard edge as they’d fumbled at the TU29, fumbled at the 42 and fumbled at their own 38 in the 1H. SMU battled back and tied it at 35 with td’s on their first 3 3Q poss going 78/8, 87/7 and 89/5pl to make it 35-35. TU tried a fake punt on 4&2 and SMU rec’d at their 28 and 4pl later they had a td for the lead, 42-35. TU went 75/5pl and got a 4 yard td pass to tie again, 42-42. SMU got an 87 yard KR to the 8 but in a key series, settled for a 21 yard FG. They forced a punt and went 67/6 for a td. TU went for it on 4&5 at the SMU47 and were SOD. SMU got a 43 yard pass to the 10 and then on 3&gl a 5 yard td run by Gilbert put them up by 17 pts with just 2:36 left and SMU backers were happy. TU25 got a 29 yard pass to the SMU46, a 37 yard QB run by Walker to the 9 and after a PI put them at the 2 with a FD the td made it 59-49. The onside kick went OOB.

Virginia Tech had a 387-198 yard edge and 19-13 FD edge but Duke still beat a ranked team for the first time since 1994 when they knocked off #13 Virginia and beat one on the road for the first time since 1971 when they knocked off Stanford. VT held the ball 39:27 to the Blue Devils 20:33 but Logan Thomas had 4 int’s although so did Duke’s Anthony Boone who hit just 7-25-107. VT went for it on their 2nd poss on 4&11 at the Duke31 and was SOD. VT was intercepted at their 46 but Duke was intercepted at the VT10. There were 4 punts. Duke nailed a 51 yard FG with 12:27 left in the 2Q and FG kicking turned out to be the key. VT went 68/16pl and had a 2&gl at the 1 but after a pen on 3&gl at the 7 were intercepted in the EZ. After an int, VT drove 55/7pl but missed a 45 yard FG with :42 left in the half while Duke nailed a 53 yard FG 7pl later for a 6-0 lead. VT had a 179-153 yard edge. VT was SOD on 4&1 at the Duke37 and Duke went 63/6pl for a 13-0 lead. VT20 was intercepted at their own 41 but then went 99/6 and Thomas’ 5 yard td run made it 13-7. They went 31/9 but settled for a 42 yard FG, 13-10. After an int, VT took over at the Duke43 poised to take the lead but after 1 FD on 4&2 they opted for the 40 yard tying FG and Journell missed his 2nd FG of the game. VT was intercepted on their next poss with 4:22 left and Duke on 4&1 went for it and got a 3 yard run to the VT41 then got an 11 yard run by their QB to the 30 and took a knee.

Bobby Bowden planted the spear at midfield prior to the game and nearly 400 former players were on hand. Florida St was even more impressive than the 49-17 final score and 566-316 yard edge. FSU was playing with legitimate revenge after NC State had knocked them off the previous year. NCSt had Brandon Mitchell back in the lineup and he hit 17-33-128 yards in his first action since Wk 1. FSU went 65/4, 39/11, 62/7 after a fumble, 14/2 and 89/5pl for td’s on their first 5 poss to lead 35-0 and the game was still in the 1Q with 2:02 left! FSU punted on their next 2 poss then went 54/6 for a td to lead 42-0 at the half with a 371-85 yard edge. FSU fumbled at the 6 yard line and NCSt went 75/11pl for a 36 yard FG. NCSt got a 72 yard td run by Thornton with :59 left in the 3Q to pull within 42-10 then 62/11pl for a td with 3:50 left to pull within 42-17. That drive included a 4&6 conversion. FSU went 79/9pl for a td with 2:19 left. Jameis Winston hit 16-26-292.

Alabama’s win over Tennessee was their biggest MOV in this series since 1906. The Tide had 479-322 yard and 26-14 FD edges. AJ McCarron hit 19-27-275. Justin Worley 8-15-20 but was injured early 3Q and Joshua Dobbs hit 5-12-75 in his place. Bama did give up their 2nd offensive td in the last 6 games. Bama went 51/2, 66/7, 65/12, and 81/9pl for td’s on their first 4 poss then fumbled at the UT2 on their next. UT was at the Bama24 threatening to make it a 21 pt game when Bama got an 89 IR td with :12 left in the half, a 14 pt swing, 35-0. At the half Bama had a 292-150 yard edge. UT opened the 3Q with a 48/5pl drive for a 37 yard FG. Bama took its 2nd poss 99/9pl for a td but UT went 55/9 incl a 4&3 conversion and the td made it 42-10. Bama went 68/12 and settled for a 20 yard FG to lead 45-10 and brought in backup QB Sims and they punted and ran the clock on the final 2 poss.

Eastern Michigan started Brogan Roback at QB and he hit 7-17-109 yards then Tyler Benz came in and hit 6-15-64. Bronson Hill who was avg 94 ypg was held to 65 yards on 10 carries. NI’s 8-0 start is the best since it reached major college status back in 1965 when they started 9-0 and their best start is 10-0 (1963) but that was as Div II members. Jordan Lynch hit 16-20-223. They went 82/13, 80/3, and 50/4pl for td’s and led 21-0. It was 38-3 at the half with a 384-183 yard edge. Surprisingly the 4Q opened with 4 straight scoring drives with EM getting a 32 yard FG and a 9 yard td pass and it was 52-13. After an EM punt, each team went on a long td drive, 59-20. NI on 4&4 took a knee at the EM8 with :58 left.

Clemson finished with a 551-364 yard edge. The situation favored Maryland in the fact that CU was off their big game vs Florida St and traveling but the injury situation clearly favored Clemson with MD missing their top 2 rec’s who are both OFY, their QB, and numerous players on the rest of the offense and the D. The Terps played a great game and despite the fact they got a td in the final seconds to lose by 13, the game was much closer than that throughout. MD got a 71 yard td pass on its 2nd poss to lead 7-3. CU got a 29 yard FG and MD had a 3&gl from the 7 early 2Q but was intercepted in the EZ. CU would drive for a 25 yard FG to lead 9-7 then with just :09 left in the half got a 5 yard td pass to make it 16-7. CU had a 283-175 yard edge. CU fumbled at their own 23 but MD settled for a 21 yard FG early 3Q. CU fumbled on their next play and MD once again settled for a 41 yard FG, 16-13. CU got a 24 yard FG with 6:24 left in the 3Q, 19-13. After 4 punts, MD fumbled at their own 22 and CU went 22/4pl for a td with 13:04 left and some breathing room, 26-13. MD was SOD at the CU42 and CU went 58/6pl for a td with 7:57 left, 33-13. Each team drove for a td including CU getting a 45 yard td run with 5:03 left to go up 40-20. MD was sacked at and fumbled at their own 48 but CU was SOD on 4&2 at the MD39 with 2:34 left and the Terps went 61/8pl and got a 14 yard td pass with :06 left.

Andre Williams, who leads the ACC in rushing, had 172 yards on 26 carries for Boston College but N Carolina had 392-261 yard and 21-12 FD edges for the game. Chase Rettig hit just 10-20-57 and was sacked 4 times. Until the final 5:00 of the game, BC took a grand total of 5 snaps in NC territory. NC’s much maligned D played with a passion. At the half they led 20-7. The 3Q actually opened with 6 punts then NC went 67/3 and 46/6pl for a pair of td’s to ice it, 34-7. BC took over with 4:52 left and would get a 38 yard FG with 2:08 left to pull within 34-10.

Last week I called for Texas Tech to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten and #17 Oklahoma beat #10 Texas Tech by 8. Davis Webb started for Tech and hit 33-53-383. Blake Bell did hit 14-22-249 and OU finished with a 526-460 yard edge. OU had a 3-1 TO edge with TT turning the ball over 3 times in the 4Q. OU was easily TT’s toughest foe of the season to date. OU had a 52 yard FG blk’d on their first poss then each team turned it over on their 2nd. TT went 51/9pl for a td to lead 7-0 after 1Q. OU went 97/16pl for a td with 5:55 left in the 2Q to tie then after a fumble, got a 76 yard td run by Saunders to go up 14-7. TT was SOD on 4&4 at the OU29 with 1:16 left. At the half OU had a 246-206 yard edge. OU14 went 86/11pl for a td, 21-7 but TT got a 75/4pl drive and a 23 yard pass to Ward made it 21-14. After a 33 yard PR, Tech drove 25/6pl for a 34 yard FG to pull within 21-17 then rec’d a surprise onside kick and went 46/3pl for a td and took the lead 24-21. OU went 75/5pl for a td then got an int and drove 58/7pl for a td to go up 35-24 with 11:04 left. TT went 76/11pl getting a td with 7:10 left but the 2 pt conv failed, 35-30. OU28 went 53/12 for a 37 yard FG with 1:11 left and TT on 4&23 was sacked at their own 12.

Branden Oliver rushed for 185 yards and Buffalo had a 491-363 yard edge. Joe Licata hit 20-31-285. For Kent St, Colin Reardon did return and hit 20-32-260. Dri Archer still not 100% had 5 carries for 35 yards and 3 rec’s for 35 yards. Trayion Durham who also missed practice during the week, had 57 yards rushing on 12 carries. KSt took a 7-6 lead with a 70/9pl drive that got a 5 yard td run with 14:23 left in the 2Q. Buffalo answered right back with a 66/4pl for a td, 13-7. The teams punted 4 times and KSt was the BU14 and they were intercepted and ret’d 45 yards out to the KSt46 with :36 left in the half. On 3&10 Oliver’s 17 yard td run capped the 4 play drive and BUF led 20-7 at the half with a 237-174 yard edge. BUF took their 2nd 3Q poss 65/3pl capped off by Oliver’s 38 yard td run. Then after a 22 yard IR got them to the KSt12, Oliver’s 4 yard td run made it 34-7. KSt went 52/4pl and 80/9pl for a pair of td’s to get back in it 34-21 while BUF missed a 33 yard FG on their poss in between. However, BUF got a 38 yard KR to the KSt39 and on 2&1 a 30 yard td pass, 41-21. BUF even got down to the KSt24 but was SOD on 4&4 with 5:00 left and ended the game at the KSt38 taking a knee. The Bulls got their sixth win and became bowl eligible and were my #4 Most Improved Team this year in my magazine.

Week 9 News & Notes – Part 2
Philsteele.com

Kansas St continued to alternate QB’s and with a great deal of efficiency. Jake Waters hit 10-13-198 yards and Daniel Sams 8-8-93. Waters rushed for 53 yards and surprisingly Sams for just 16 but the 2 combined to hit 18-21 passes. They greatly outdid West Virginia’s alternating QB’s of Clint Trickett and Paul Millard. Trickett hit 15-28-227 and Millard 4-14-37 as the 2 combined for less than 50% completions. This was actually closer for most of the game than the final score. KSt took their 3rd drive 47/5pl for a td to lead 7-0 but 2 poss later WV went 47/7pl and got a 6 yard td run to make it 7-6 (xp blocked). WV drove 79/7pl but after 1&gl at the 6, settled for a 21 yard FG and led 9-7 with 5:24 left in the half. WV’s next drive went 40/8 but they went for it on 4&7 at the KSt5 passing up a FG, even tough Holgorsen had some regret the previous week for passing up a FG opportunity. They ran for 4 yards to the 5 yard line. At the half WV had a 221-142 yard edge but only led 9-7. WV fumbled at their own 18 but KSt fumbled into the EZ for a TB. WV went 47/5pl and with 10:33 left in the 3Q, WV led 12-7. KSt went 78/14pl with Sams at QB and got a 9 yard td pass. WV punted. With Waters at QB, KSt went 78/7pl and got a 30 yard td pass, 21-12. WV fumbled at the KSt46 and KSt went 54/5pl for a 24 yard td pass with 7:25 left, 28-12. Miller came in at QB for WV24 and they went 40/11pl but on 4&10 were SOD at the KSt36 with 2:35 left. KSt went 64/8pl tacking on a 4 yard td run with just :15 left in the game to make it look like a blowout and they only had 448-367 yard and 19-18 FD edges.

USC came in a banged up team vs Utah and down to just 48 scholarship players were available for the game. They left with just 46 scholarship players but still put on a dominating performance. Their D held Utah to 201 yards giving up a 42 yard FG on the first drive and not allowing another score. Despite not having their top 4 TE’s, despite not having Marqise Lee, despite having a banged up offensive line, despite missing numerous starters on defense the Trojans pretty much controlled the game. The one healthy TE, walk-on Chris Wilson who was a pitcher at Wake Forest caught a pass at TE in the game for USC. Dating back to the Notre Dame game, USC actually had a streak of 17 failed 3rd down attempts but finally broke through. Trailing 3-0, on their 3rd series, USC went 43/6pl and had a 30 yard td pass to Agholor, 7-3 They recovered a fumble at the Utah 19 and got a 35 yard FG. Utah went 64/13pl but was SOD on 4&1 at the USC11 with 7:43 left in the half. USC got a 38 yard FG with :23 left in the half to lead 13-3 and then tried an onside/squib kick but Utah recovered at the 20. Utah brought in Adam Schulz at QB because he has a big arm but he was intercepted and returned 54 yard to the 9 with :04 left in the half. USC was able to add a 28 yard FG for a 16-3 lead with a 135-122 yard edge. USC went 50/9pl for a 40 yard FG, 19-3. USC K Andre Heidari who if he made his FG’s vs Washington St and Notre Dame, USC would have just 1 loss this year, hit his first 4 FG’s before finally missing a 37 yarder with 4:54 left 3Q. Utah got a 40 yard PR to the USC33 but would miss a 32 yard FG with 11:25 left. The next 5 poss were punts. Utah did get to the USC21 on 4&1 they were SOD with :20 left and that 49 yard drive put them over 200 yards for the game. Cody Kessler hit 21-32-230 and Tre Madden was the team’s top rusher with 60 yards on 12 carries while Silas Redd surprisingly had no yards on 10 carries.

Woe is Michigan St’s offense. That’s all they heard all week long after putting up just 14 points vs Purdue. The Spartans were half a team. MSU would get it rolling this week. Connor Cook actually set a MSU record for pass eff in a game hitting 15-16-208 yards. MSU would roll up 477-128 yard and 29-8 FD edges. They were struggling a bit early as on their 2nd poss they fumbled into the EZ for a TB costing them points but recovered a fumble and went 23/4pl for a td to lead 7-3. On a key play of the game, Illinois went for it on 4&gl at the 1 with 8:17 left in the half and were stopped. MSU went 99/15pl and faced a 3&25 with :09 left in the half and Cook hit Foster with a 29 yard td pass to make it 14-3. At the half MSU only had a 165-110 yard edge. As I tell you every wee, my good buddy Gil Brandt always talks about late scores in the half taking momentum and that is precisely what MSU did. In the 2H they went 75/10, 56/9, 75/2, and 77/8pl for td’s on their first 4 poss to blow it open, 42-3 and ended the game taking a knee at the IL19 yard line. That will give them a little confidence heading into this week’s big battle vs Michigan.

UTEP’s Aaron Jones actually rushed for 186 yards on 29 carries vs Rice. Charles Ross rushed for 152 with 21 carries for Rice. UTEP’s Jameill Showers hit just 1-3 passes for 4 yards before getting hurt and Blaire Sullivan QB’d most of the game hitting 6-9-112. Taylor McHargue hit only 8-19 but for an efficient 259 yards. UTEP had a 49 yard FG blocked with 4:22 left in the 1Q and Rice would drive 57/11pl for a 28 yard FG to lead 3-0. Rice went 76/4pl and got a 60 yard td pass, 10-0 on their next drive. UTEP battled back with a 50 yard td pass from Sullivan to Hamilton with 6:43 left in the half, 10-7. Rice went 45/4 and on 3&12 got a 17 yard td pass to lead 17-7. UTEP went 83/7pl but on 2&gl from the 3, fumbled at the 1 and Rice went 99/11pl and got a 1 yard td run to make it 24-7. At the half Rice had a 323-204 yard edge. The first 4 poss of the 3Q were punts then UTEP missed a 48 yard FG and Rice got a 72 yard td pass on 2&25, 31-7. UTEP was intercepted and Rice went 47/7pl for a 23 yard td pass, 38-7. UTEP fumbled and Rice went 29/2 for a td with 11:44 left, 45-7. UTEP was SOD on 4&1 at the Rice 20 and ended the game at the 34 yard line running out of time.

WKU had a 532-397 yard edge vs Troy. Brandon Doughty hit 29-45-387 but Corey Robinson hit 20-32-306. This was a game of quarters. WKU had actually given Nelson Fishback his first start at QB and he drove the team for a 29 yard FG to open but Petrino went to Doughty the rest of the game Antonio Andrews rushed for 144 yards on 28 carries and added 128 yards receiving on 7 rec. WKU went 55/11 for a 29 yard FG. After a WKU 24 yard punt, Troy went 19 yards for a 41 yard FG to tie. Then Doughty was sacked and fumbled and Troy went 51/10pl for a td including a 4&14, 24 yard pass to the 17 then a 4&1, 3 yard run. Their td made it 10-3 with 1:02 left in the 1Q. WKU dominated the 2Q. They went 75/11 and on 4&1 an Andrews td run tied it at 10. WKU went 59/10pl and 47/11pl for a td and a 33 yard FG and led 20-10. They had a 251-96 yard edge at the half. Troy was intercepted to open the 3Q on a deep pass at the WKU5. WKU got 2 FD and fumbled then Troy on 3&9 got a 40 yard td pass to pull back within 20-17. WKU went 68/12pl but settled for a 24 yard FG, 23-17. Troy went 69/6 and got a 9 yard td run to take the lead, 24-23. WKU came right back with a 61/7pl drive for the 27 yard FG and the lead, 26-24. Troy went 73/11pl and a 3 yard td run put them up 32-26 with 13:48 left. WKU missed a 37 yard FG with 10:26 left. Troy went 65/11pl, a key was a 3&24, 37 yard pass to Franklin down to the 25 but when they missed a 32 yard FG, it kept WKU within a td of winning and WKU promptly went 50/9pl. On 4&1 at the Troy 22 they simply handed off to the workhorse, Andrews, but he was stuffed for no gain and Troy took over at their own 22 and took a knee with the upset in hand.’

Tulsa had a QB ? all week. Would they go with Cody Green, who had been their starter all year but was less than 100% or their frosh, Dane Evans. Evans got the start and played the entire game vs Tulane. TLN has a ball hawking secondary with 4 all-conf caliber DB’s and a solid pass rush. Evans hit just 13-30-139 yards. Devin Powell, who was dynamic 2 weeks ago in TLN’s upset win over ECU, was just average this week missing some open receivers and hitting 17-29-164. TLN is another one of my Most Improved Teams that I put on the list that is already bowl eligible at 6-2 knocking off preseason favorite Tulsa. TLS did have their opportunities but as you can tell by the final score of 14-7 it was a defensive game. Late 1Q TLN was intercepted in the EZ from the TLS23. TLN was intercepted at the TLS31 and returned 64 yards to the 5. That set up TLS for a 5/4 drive for their only td of the game and the td came on 4&gl at the 1. TLS had a drive kept alive by roughing the P but would miss a 29 yard FG with 5:23 left in the half and Powell put together an 80/13pl drive for a 19 yard td pass with :42 left in the half to tie it. TLN took their first 3Q poss 70/9pl and got a 30 yard td pass to go up 14-7. There were 5 punts on the next 6 poss and TLS had gotten to the TLN26 but was intercepted at the GL and returned to the 1 late 3Q. TLS fumbled at the TLN38 with 6:56 left. TLN got to the TLS40 but was intercepted with 3:45 left and TLS had a chance to tie. They started at their own 4 and on 4&5 got a 9 yard pass. They would add 2 more FD’s but on 4&25 fired incomplete from their own 27 and TLN took a knee. TLS finished with a 344-301 yard edge.

I was doing my Friday radio show on SIRIUS/XM Channel 91 with Bill King and a caller asked if Air Force could stick with Notre Dame. I said yes, they would stay with ND – for the 1H and pointed out that in most AF games this year they either led or were close at the 1H but then ended up getting blown out in the 2H. Nate Romine started for AF and became the 4th different QB to start due to injuries and suspensions. As expected in the 1H they gave ND a game. In fact they led 7-0 after the 1st series going 71/10pl. Many times when you play an option team it takes you a series or 2 to get to up speed defending it. The Irish went 75/5 and 91/6pl for td’s to lead 14-7 but AF went 46/13pl for a 47 yard FG, 14-10. The Irish went 51/3pl for a 22 yard td pass with 8:49 left 1H then got a 51 yard FG with 3:57 left, 24-10. AF fumbled at the ND17 with 1:00 left and trailed 24-10 with only a 269-207 yard deficit. AF fumbled at the ND38 and the Irish went 62/6pl for a td and on their next drive, 63/7pl for a td and after 3Q’s it was 38-10. AF was SOD at midfield and the Irish went 51/2pl for a td with 13:31 left, 45-10. AF punted with 11:25 left and was SOD at the ND36 with 5:19 left and ND finished with a 466-339 yard edge. Romine was 6-10 passing for 37 yards and led the team in rushing with 76. Carson Roberts took over at QB late. Tommy Rees hit 17-22-285 with 5 td’s and Andrew Hendrix was 1-4 but for 47 yards and also rushed 4 times for 9 yards.

A surprising stat in the UTSA/UAB game was that UTSA only had a 523-503 yard edge and UAB had a 28-26 FD edge. UTSA was in control throughout. They took their opening drive 77/9pl for a 22 yard td run then after an int, drove 33/5pl for a td, 14-0. Their 3rd poss went 78/12pl for a 30 yard FG. Then UAB fumbled the KO and UTSA returned it 16 yards for a td, 24-0. UAB went 48/11 for a 50 yard FG to pull to 24-3 but UTSA went 75/7 for a td, 31-3. Each team drove for a td and it was 38-10 at the half with UTSA having a 331-189 yard edge. UAB was intercepted on the 5th play of the 3Q and UTSA went 60/4pl for a td. UAB went 74/12pl getting a td to get back to 45-17 then drove 52/11 but on 4&8 were SOD at the 25 yard line with 14:55 left. Six plays later UTSA got a 51 yard td pass, 52-17. UAB got back in the game statistically driving 79/4pl and 75/9pl for a pair of td’s while UTSA had just 24 yards on their final 2 drives.

Kolton Browning returned for ULM and he was thought to be lost for a longer period of time. He hit 21-30-224 yards and ULM rolled to a 38-10 win over Georgia St. ULM had 533-244 yard and 23-14 FD edges and led the game 14-0 when they suffered a 14 pt swing. ULM was at the GSt32 and got down to the 13 yard line and fumbled and GSt returned it 87 yards for a td. Instead of going up 21-0 it became 14-7 and GS went 79/9 for a 25 yard FG with 7:01 left to make it 14-10. ULM got a 19 yard td pass with 5:21 left and then forced a punt with 3:54 left and went 73/11pl for a td with 1:00 left to make it 28-10. GSt did get to the ULM8 but fumbled on the last play of the half. ULM went 77/8pl for a 37 yard FG and on their 3rd 2H poss then went 72/8pl for a td to go up 38-10. ULM was SOD at the GSt32 with 8:10 left and GSt was SOD at the ULM20 with 4:37 left but ULM dominated just as the final score indicates.

You know every year if you check out my Most Improved List, 70% of the teams go from a losing record to a bowl. On the average, just 29.4% of teams that had finished with a losing record their last year managed to finish above .500 the next season. I cannot hit them all on the MIP List and one I did not hit this year is Southern Miss. SM just clinched a losing season moving to 0-7 and they did so in miserable fashion. North Texas went into Hattiesburg and had 529-249 yard and 30-10 FD edges on homecoming and the beleaguered SM team had their 2nd straight losing season for the first time since 1933-’34. It was their 19th consecutive loss which is the longest current streak in the NCAA. NT was intercepted on the first poss and SM missed a 35 yard FG. NT then went 80/6pl, 73/13pl for td’s, punted on their next poss and SM went 84/3pl for a td. SM went to Nick Mullins at QB replacing Cal transfer Allen Bridgeford. Mullins hit just 12-31-210 yards but his 59 yard td pass made it 13-7. NT then went 61/5pl, 52/9, 67/5 and after an int, 13/3 for td to lead 41-7 at half with a 383-144 yard edge. NT fumbled to open the 3Q at their own 2 and SM got a td, 41-14. They went through 4 straight poss with each turning the ball over twice then NT went 40/8 and 39/8 both after TO’s to lead 55-14 early 4Q in their 55-14 route.

LSU came in favored close to 7 td’s vs Furman but the 1H was not good with a couple of key TO’s keeping Furman in the game. Odell Beckham, Jr had 204 rec yards on 6 catches. Furman got a 74 yard IR td to actually take a 7-0 lead. LSU got a 55 yard td run by Hill to tie but Furman went 46/13pl and got a 46 yard FG to lead again, 10-7. LSU went 69/4pl for a td to go up 13-10 (xpng). LSU went 62/5 for a 39 yard td pass to Beckman, 20-10. Furman went 51/13 for a 31 yard FG, 20-13. LSU missed a 31 yard FG with 4:07 left in the half and then Furman fumbled the punt at their own 28. Furman had a 1&gl at the 1 with a chance to tie but settled for a 23 yard FG and only trailed 20-16. At the half LSU had a 279-149 yard edge. There wasn’t any panic in the locker room and LSU just came out and dominated the 2H like you knew they would. They went 84/8pl for a td, were intercepted on their 2nd 3Q poss but then went 90/11, 69/4, and 83/6pl all for td’s, the last a 63 yard td pass with 9:10 left. LSU finished with commanding 672-198 yard and 26-13 FD edges vs a Furman team that came in 3-4 in FCS play.

Texas St had a 452-409 yard edge vs South Alabama and got the upset win at home. They took their opening drive 82/8pl for a td then went 68/11pl for a 16 yard td pass to open the 2Q, 14-0. USA took over with 7:22 left in the half and went 61/13 for a 20 yard FG to pull within 14-3. At the half TXSt only had a 177-140 yard edge. After an int and a 35 yard IR and PF, USA started at the TXSt3 and got a td on the next play. Each team went on a long scoring drive with TXSt getting a 35 yard FG and USA a 13 yard td pass to tie it at 17. After an exchange of punts, TXSt got a 37 yard FG to go up 20-17 then 2pl later a 29 yard IR td put them up 27-17. USA went 75/8pl including a 4&7 conv and got a 42 yard td pass to pull within 27-24. TXSt went 47/6 and got a 43 yard FG to lead by 6 with 2:28 left but USA went 75/4pl and got a 43 yard td pass with 1:29 left to take the lead. Much like USA’s game vs Troy, TXSt took over and on 4&24 got a 51 yard pass to the USA23 and 2 plays later a 41 yard FG with :04 left for the win. USA’s last pay got out to their 43.

San Jose St survived a shootout vs Wyoming. They had a 642-599 yard edge. David Fales, who continues to round into LY’s form, hit 27-37-482, Brett Smith hit 22-34-267 and surprisingly had -3 yards rushing on 7 carries for WY. SJSt put themselves in a hole early as WY went 41/13pl for a 43 yard FG then got a 93 yard td pass to Herron to go up 10-0. On their next drive they went 80/6 for a td, 16-0. SJSt fumbled at the WY42 but on their next drive got a 76 yard td pass to Jones, 16-7. Two poss later WY went 41/5pl for a 14 yard td pass, 23-7. SJSt took over with 4:53 left in the half and went 83/11pl for an 8 yard td pass which came 2pl after a 4&7, 26 yard pass to the 11, 23-14. At the half WY had a 322-267 yard edge. WY got a 67 yard run by Wick to open the 3Q and an 8 yard td pass on the next play, 30-14 but SJSt began their comeback. They got a 60 yard td pass 3pl later, 30-21 then rec’d a fmbl and went 30/3pl for a td, 30-28. SJSt went 65/9pl but this time after a 1&gl at the 7, missed a 21 yard FG. SJSt went 66/6pl and got a td with 2:38 left in the 3Q to take the lead, 36-30. WY was intercepted but SJSt punted. WY went 69/10pl and got a 15 yard td run with 11:47 left, 37-36. Each team went on a long drive for a td, 44-44. SJS35 went 65/12pl and went for it on 4&1 and got a 33 yard pass to Freeman to the 13 and their 1 yard td run by Fales with :08 left gave them the 7 pt win.

It’s not often that Oregon’s starters are playing in the 4Q and they’ve been very productive. A few weeks back I pointed out how UO dominated the 4Q vs Washington and turned a close game into a blowout and it was deju vu all over again this past week vs UCLA. If you turned the set off in the 3Q you wouldn’t believe the final score or the stats. UO won 42-14 with three 4Q td’s and finished with 555-283 yard and 30-15 FD edges. There was a lot of talk about De’Anthony Thomas returning to the lineup but he had a pedestrian 31 yards on 10 carries with Byron Marshall rushing for 133 yards on 19 carries. Marcus Mariota hit 21-28-230. Brett Hundley who has 3 frosh OL and didn’t have his leading rusher Jordon James for the 3rd straight week (ankle), hit 13-19 but for just 64 yards passing. Surprisingly UCLA ran the ball for 219 yards with that OL and backup RB’s and Hundley had 72 yards rushing on 15 carries. Much like the Washington game, UO had the benefit of playing UCLA the week after they played a physical Stanford team. UCLA has not defeated UO since 2007 and not won in Autzen since 2004. UCLA rec’d a fumble on the 2nd play and drove 38/7pl for a 7-0 lead. UO went 82/8pl to tie. After each team punted, UCLA went 41/8pl but on 4&2 went for it and were SOD at the UO32. UO quickly went 68/7pl for a td but on their next drive it was the Ducks on 4&2 from the LA17 that fired incomplete in the EZ. LA went 70/7pl and were at the UO13 when Hundley was intercepted in the EZ. UO went 3&out and LA blocked a punt setting up a 28/6pl td drive. Their two 1H scoring drives combined for 66 yards. UO went 55/7pl and missed a 37 yard FG. At the half UO had a 298-188 yard edge. The 3Q surprisingly opened up with 4 punts and a fumble with UO fumbling at the LA5 with 6:21 left 3Q. UO’s next drive went 49/5pl and they took the lead 21-14 with 2:57 left in the 3Q. LA was then intercepted and returned 33 yards and UO went 38/7pl for a td with 12:41 left. UO went 65/9pl for a td with 8:47 left and then UO won by more than they were favored by, going 66/8 getting a 2 yard td run with 2:25 left making Duck backers very happy. LA got down to the UO19 at the end but ran out of time.

Arizona QB BJ Denker ran for 192 yards on 15 carries. He had 54 and 46 yard td runs. Ka’Deem Carey came in avg 160 ypg but only had 119 on 23 carries. It was a close game until Colorado got desperate at the end and faked a punt from its own 17 and were stopped. UA did finish with a 670-349 yard edge. A 75 yard td pass to CU WR Richardson tied the game at 7 mid1Q and a 53 yard FG by CU on the 2nd play of the 2Q tied it at 10. CU missed a 52 yard FG then after an int, got a 48 yard FG for a 13-10 lead with 5:12 left in the half. UA went 75/9 for a td with 2:28 left, forced a punt with 1:17 left and went 74/2pl with Denker hitting a 44 yard td pass with :50 left to give them a 24-13 edge. The 149 yards they gained on those 2 drives helped them have a 361-189 yard edge at the half. The first three 3Q poss were all for scores and UA led 34-20. CU had a 4&gl at the 4 but fired incomplete. CU’s next drive they were pinned at their 12 and faked a punt from the 17. UA got an 18/2pl drive for a td then after an int, 6pl later, drove 64/6 for a 28 yard FG to close the scoring at 44-20. Sefo Liufau who has taken over as the starting QB hit 17-32-212.

I felt Iowa was a better team than Penn St this year and thought Ohio St would finally get that impressive win they’ve been looking for this season. The Buckeyes did not disappoint in a rare night home game as they moved the nation’s longest win streak to 20 with the school mark (22) coming during the 1969 season which followed their 1968 Title. While this game was on one of my 12 tv’s and in the main area that I view, I didn’t pay much attention to it as from start to finish it was a blowout. OSU scored on 6 of 7 poss in the first 2Q’s rolling up a 42-7 lead with a 409-168 yard edge. PSU’s only 1H score came when they were already down 28-0. The Buckeyes actually punted on their first 3Q poss but then went 33/2 (after fmbl) and 72/7pl. It was 56-7 with 4:01 left in the 3Q. PSU was SOD at the OSU21 and Kenny Guiton led OSU 79/13pl for another td. Hackenberg was replaced by Tyler Ferguson who hit a 65 yard td pass with 7:33 left and the team’s basically ran the clock after that with 2 FD’s. Hackenberg was 12-23-112 while Braxton Miller was 18-24-252. Carlos Hyde ran for 147 yards on 16 carries.

Kenneth Dixon ran for 183 yards and Louisiana Tech had 333-197 yard and 23-12 FD edges snagging a CUSA road win. LT opened with a 56/11pl drive that included a 4&1 conversion but settled for a 26 yard FG. FIU fumbled on their own 16 and LT had B2B fumbles which they recovered for losses and on 4&18 got a 35 yard FG, 6-0. Later LT added a 33 yard FG after a 57/12pl drive with 3:46 left in the half to make it 9-0. At the half LT had a 157-69 yard edge. LT was intercepted to open the 3Q and FIU got a 38/1pl td pass to Smith to make it 9-7. After an exchange of punts, LT went 32/12 settling for a 30 yard FG, they had a 1&gl at the 3 and all the FG’s kept FIU in the game, 12-7. LT was intercepted at the FIU25 (1:17 3Q) and intercepted at the FIU 19 (13:46 4Q) on their next 2 drives but finally broke through with a 51/5pl drive. On 3&8 they got a 39 yard td pass to Dixon, 20-7. After an int, they went 37/8pl for a 35 yard FG for the 23-7 final. FIU was SOD at the LT 46 on 4&6. Jake Medlock who has returned from injury hit just 11-26-126 for FIU.

Nevada had a stranglehold on the Fremont Cannon holding it for 9 years but UNLV finally beat their upstate rival 27-22. The Cannon is the most expensive trophy in college football and UN did have a slim 487-484 yard edge while UNLV a 29-18 FD edge. Cody Fajardo hit 24-40-357 and Caleb Herring hit 29-42-335. UN went 57/6pl for a 40 yard FG and was intercepted at the UNLV30 but after recovering a fumble, went 63/14pl settling for a 22 yard FG and a 6-0 lead. UNLV on 3&8 got a 16 yard td pass capping off a 75/9pl drive for the lead, 7-6 (9:56 2Q). UN got a 61 yard td pass to Turner for a 13-7 lead (6:57 3Q). UNLV answered with a 75/5pl drive and a 44 yard td pass to Davis, 14-13 (5:23). UN was SOD at the UNLV34 on 4&14 then drove 39/7pl and got a 43 yard FG with :24 left in the half to retake the lead. UNLV got 2 FD but missed a 49 yard FG on the 1H’s final play and UN had a 325-278 yard edge at the half. With all of that offense, it was surprising the first 4 poss of the 3Q were punts. UNLV went 71/16pl but missed a 35 yard FG. After an exchange of punts, UN fumbled at their own 27 and UNLV 3pl later had a td for a 21-16 lead with 11:46 left. UNLV went 80/10 and got a td with 5:47 left for a 2 score lead, 27-16. UN28 went 72/8 for a 9 yard td pass, 27-22 with 3:20 left and forced a punt with 2:15 left. UN fired incomplete on 4&4 at the UNLV40 with 1:25 left.

Bryce Petty, as usual, played less than 3Q’s vs Kansas but still hit 20-32-430 and yes, once again avg over 20 ypc (21.5). Surprising to me was that Baylor punted on their first 2 poss with a grand total of 1 FD. After that they took control. They went 76/4, 84/4, 82/7 and 70/5pl for td’s to lead 28-0 then got SOD at the KU49 but drove 84/16pl for a 30 yard FG with 4:34 to go and 80/4pl for a 25 yard td pass with 2:00 left. BU, despite that slow start on the first 2 drives, piled up a 505-91 yard edge at the half and led 38-0. They drove 80/3pl on their opening 3Q poss 45-0, but fumbled at the KU36 and KU went 64/6pl with a 32 yard td run, 45-7 with 4:51 left in the 3Q. KU fumbled and BU went 19/4pl for a td. BU with backup QB Russell in for the 4Q saw him hit just 1-6-7. KU got a 30 yard td pass with 11:14 left. After KU missed a 37 yard FG with 7:12 left, BU got a 68 yard td run for the 59-14 final. Jake Heaps hit 7-19-85 despite Montell Cozart splitting time with him and hitting 4-14-69.

The situation really favored Idaho in the fact that Mississippi was off their huge upset of LSU in an SEC sandwich playing the lowly Vandals. UI was down to their 3rd string QB Taylor Davis (Chalich and McCain both inj) but Davis did have 4 career starts under his belt and hit 12-30-166. Bo Wallace hit 15-22-186. UI was competitive in the 1H. Miss went 60/4pl for a td and UI was SOD at their own 40 yard line on 4&5. Walton got a 40 yard td run on the next play, 14-0. After 3 punts, Miss went 40/10pl for a 50 yard FG, 17-0. UI put together a 75/9pl drive for a 2 yard td run, 17-7. UI got down to the 8 yard line and had a 1&gl but not only settled for a 27 yard FG, they missed it and that would be a key to them not staying close. Miss took over with 7:37 left in the half, went 80/13pl and got a 1 yard td run to lead 24-7 at the half with a 208-120 yard edge. Each team punted to open the 3Q then Wallace hit a 65 yard td pass, 31-7. UI fumbled and Miss returned it 12 yards for a td, 38-7. UI drove again and got a 62 yard td pass to Epps, 38-14 (5:55 3Q). Mathers broke off a 64 yard td run 3pl later, 45-14 and after UI was SOD on 4&1 at the Ole Miss 25 with 2:05 left in the 3Q, Miss went 75/9 for a td, 52-14. Brunetti led UM 70/7pl for a td with 7:36 left, the td came on a 3&10, 35 yard td pass, 59-14. UM did end the game taking a knee at the UI32 and had 572-253 yard and 28-12 FD edges.

I really liked the pregame speech given by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday where he talks about football and life being a game of inches and that the inches are everywhere and really make the difference in the game. Missouri is inches away from being a national title contender but due to the lack of a few inches, have fallen all the way down to #10 and are 1 loss away from not appearing in the SEC Title game. South Carolina started Dylan Thompson and while he had decent stats hitting 15-27-222, they trailed 17-0 into the 4Q. Connor Shaw who was banged up, came off the bench and hit 20-29-201 yards guiding scoring drives of 69, 69 and 63 yards to keep alive SC’s chances of getting to that SEC Title game. They suffered a big injury when Mike Davis went down late (status unknown). Maty Mauk who looked so good vs the Florida defense, was a little erratic hitting 10-25-249. SC did not get a FD on their first 2 drives but on their 3rd went 54/11. They converted on 4&3 at the MO27 but would miss a 40 yard FG. MO went 77/9pl and got an 11 yard td run by Murphy, 7-0. SC went 47/7pl but fumbled at the MO31. SC went 71/7 and had a 1&gl at the 2 but fumbled again and that was huge because on 3&8, MO got a 96 yard td pass for basically a 14 pt swing and a 14-0 lead. SC’s next drive ended on an int at the 10 yard line of MO and then they went for it on 4&1 at their own 34 and were SOD. Surprisingly MO was sacked and fired 2 incomplete passes and punted 27 yards to the 9 with :35 left. At the half MO had a 257-212 yard edge and led 14-0. SC went 55/8pl but on 4&6 from the MO33 were SOD. MO went 58/7pl but settled for a 27 yard FG, 17-0. Shaw came into the game and they got 1 FD and punted. MO punted with 1:47 left in the 3Q and Shaw led a 65/13pl drive. They converted on 4&4 at the MO36 and 3&19 down to the 6 and got a td on the next play, 17-7. It wasn’t a good game for MO K Baggett. MO went 37/6pl but he missed a 46 yard FG. That all’d SC to go 69/16pl and get a 29 yard FG instead of having to go for it on 4&2 with 5:03 left. MO punted with 3:08 left and SC went 63/8pl getting a 1 yard td with :42 left to force OT. It still looked good for MO in OT as they got a td in 5pl and SC, after 1 FD faced a 4&gl from the 15 but Shaw hit Ellington with a td to move it to the 2nd OT. Fry got a 40 yard FG then Baggett was an inch away from a made FG but it clanged off the upright and was no good.

Auburn came in #8 in the nation in rushing and despite being in a letdown spot off their big upset of Texas A&M, powered the ball for 422 yards on the ground and surprisingly did not produce a 100 yard rusher. FAU’s 2 QB’s combined to hit 11-26 passing and AU had a 628-247 yard edge. Big plays helped AU get the big lead. AU22 went 78/6pl for an 8 yard td run. FAU fumbled and AU got a 43 yard td run on the next play, 14-0. After a 63 yard PR, AU went 28/4 for a td, 21-0. After a 34 yard punt they went 48/4pl for a td, 28-0. After 3 punts AU took over with 7:42 left 1H and went 54/8pl for a 43 yard FG then got a 1pl, 67 yard td pass with 3:10 left in the half, 38-0. FAU did go 67/3pl getting a 29 yard td run with 2:13 left, 38-7 and AU missed a 40 yard FG on the 1H final play but at the half AU already had 440 yards to just 168 for FAU. FAU went 61/7pl for a 31 yard FG to get back within 28 but AU went 46/6pl after a PF on the KO and got a td, 45-10. AU was intercepted a the FIU2 at the end of a 13 play drive, SOD at the 4 on 4&1 after a 59 yard drive but FAU did not threaten to score.

Hawaii’s MO this year has been to let the other team jump out to a big lead and then make a big comeback at the end. They followed through on that strategy again vs Colorado St. CSU RB Kapri Bibbs rushed for 137 yards on 33 carries. Garrett Grayson hit 15-26-177. Sean Schroeder hit 28-49-349 but they did play Taylor Graham as well (3-7-37). CSU got a 70 yard run by Alexander setting up a Bibbs’ 5 yard td run for a 7-0 lead then got a 73 yard FR td to go up 14-0. CSU had leads of 21-7, 28-14 and then 35-17 at the half and were intercepted at the UH29 with 1:09 left up by 18. CSU had a 313-211 yard edge. UH missed a 42 yard FG on their 2nd 3Q poss and there were 5 punts on the first six 2H poss. UH was intercepted at the CSU18 on a deep pass, went 59/8 but were SOD at the CSU34 with 12:19 left. UH went 89/7pl and got a td and 2 pt conv with 6:45 left to pull within 10 then went 53/9 and got a 20 yard FG with 2:54 left to pull within 7. They forced a punt with 1:24 left and converted on 4&7 with a FD to the 50 but on 4&5, alternating Graham and Schroeder at QB, Graham fired incomplete on the final play.

Fresno St sure reminds me of Hawaii from their 2007 season. That year I picked UH to go to the Sugar Bowl as the BCS buster and was scoffed at by many. UH did have 3 or 4 narrow escapes during the season and ended up staying unbeaten and getting there. This year I picked FSU as my top non-AQ team and FSU has already had a couple of close games like their 52-51 OT win vs Rutgers and then vs a very good Boise St team, got past them 41-40. Vs Hawaii last month they jumped out to a 42-3 lead and only won 42-37 and UH had the ball. Against SDSt it was another narrow escape. Surprisingly the 1H was just 7-7 with SDSt having a 233-111 yard edge. SDSt took the lead on their 2nd 3Q poss going 80/11pl for a td, 14-7. FSU went 85/11, 91/8 and got a 78 yard FR td and with 9:51 left in the game, took a 28-14 lead and appeared safe. SDSt quickly answered. They went 61/4pl with a 60 yard pass on 3&10 a key for a td then rec’d an onside and went 49/6pl for a td to make it 28-28 with 6:15 left. FSU punted with 4:32 left and the Aztecs converted on 4&1 to the FSU24 and lined up for the game winning FG but their 37 yarder was blocked. FSU needed 5 plays for a td and SDSt on 4&5 fired incomplete. Derek Carr hit 35-57-298 while SDSt QB Quinn Kaehler hit 21-39-337. SDSt did finish with a 507-341 yard edge.

Normally my Saturdays begin at 5:00 am. I have a hectic morning trying to keep up to date on all of the latest information for the games about to begin and then I watch 12 tv’s from noon to 1:00 am trying to capture every single play while going through play by plays of as many games as I can. My Saturday this past week was extended by a 3:06 rain delay. I was very interested in the Texas/TCU game for obvious reasons. UT held TCU to 5 yards on their first 7 plays and Casey Pachall came off the bench for the Frogs. He would hit just 13-34-139 yards. UT recovered a fumble at the 3 and got a td to open, 7-0. Then went 62/8pl for a 43 yard FG, 10-0. TCU got a 38 yard td pass with 1:24 left in the 1Q to make it 10-7. UT went 79/6pl and on 3&10 a 65 yard td pass put them up 17-7. After 2 punts the game was delayed 3:06 for lightning. When it came back, UT forced a punt with :50 left in the half and on 2&8 took a chance and got a 44 yard pass to Davis and would add a 37 yard FG to lead 20-7 at the half. They had a 228-164 yard edge. UT went 89/8pl for a td to open the 3Q but then McCoy, who had been throwing some passes down the field and up for grabs, got picked off on one at the TCU13. On their next drive McCoy was picked off again, this time at the 8. After an exchange of punts, UT went 13/6pl for a 36 yard FG for a 30-7 lead with 11:55 left. After the teams combined for 3 punts, UT took over at the 50 with 4:57 left and got down to the 19 yard line but on 4&5 lost 7 yards with :25 left. UT had a 415-246 yard edge and 18-12 FD edge and I was up until 1:30 am.

Oregon St finished with 23-13 FD and 288-273 yard edges. Kevin Hogan for Stanford hit just 8-18-88. Sean Mannion put it up 57 times completing 41 but was very un-Bryce Petty-like as he avg just 6.6 ypc with 271 yards on 41 comp. Brandon Cooks had 9 catches but for just 80 yards. SU was far from dominant but did rush for 185 yards with Tyler Gaffney having 145. SU was without WR Devon Cajuste and K Jordan Williamson. SU fumbled at the OSU22 and gave up a 41 yard PR setting up OSU for a 6 yard drive for a 50 yard FG and OSU led 3-0. OSU surprisingly with a K that made a 50 yarder, went for it on 4&3 at the SU19 and the pass was incomplete. OSU went for it on 4&1 at the SU34 with just :46 left and were stopped. That was crucial as SU went 66/7pl for a 4 yard td run by Gaffney, that gave them the lead with just :07 left in the half for a 7-3 lead and the momentum. At the half SU did have a 162-98 yard edge. OSU fumbled the opening KO of the 3Q and Gaffney got a 9 yard td run on a 12 yard drive, 13-3. OSU went 45/13pl but was SOD at the SU35. OSU went 90/12pl for an 8 yard td pass, 13-9 but SU put together another offensive drive going 73/8pl for a 32 yard td run by Gaffney, 20-9. After 3 punts, Gaffney fumbled at their own 20 and OSU got a 39 yard FG with 3:00 left, 20-12. SU26 punted with 1:43 left and OSU got a 28 yard PR to the SU43. They got 3 FD’s to the 7 needing a td and 2 pt conv for the tie. Their final 4 passes were all incomplete including a very close one on the final play on 4th down.

New Mexico St finally got their first win but it came vs an FCS foe in Abilene Christian who came in 5-3 on the season. It also did not come easily. NMSt did take their opening drive 80/13pl for a td and ACU went 80/11 for a 20 yard FG. NMSt was intercepted at midfield and ACU was intercepted. NMSt went 65/9pl for a td and a 14-3 lead. ACU went 75/9 for a td (xp blocked) then after an int, 37/5pl for a 20 yard td pass (2 point no good), 15-14 with 3:36 left in the half. NMSt went 69/9pl for a 6 yard td pass, 21-15. ACU35 went 65/3pl for an 8 yard td pass, 22-21 with :09 left in the half. ACU had a 285-224 yard edge. The 2H opened with 5 punts. ACU fumbled and NMSt would get a 32 yard FG on a 24/6pl drive, 24-22. NMS13 went 87/12pl for a 5 yard td run, 31-22. ACU37 on 4&1 was SOD at their own 46 and NMSt went 45/8pl but settled for an 18 yard FG, 34-22 (2:32). ACU27 went 73/15 and on 4&gl got a 5 yard td pass with :19 left in the game to make it 34-29 then the fun happened. ACU rec’d the onside kick at the 31, they got a 14 yard pass called back on a hold but then got a 30 yard pass to midfield after bouncing off a couple of players, it was then lateralled and with an ACU player running down the sidelines for a miracle td, NMSt’s LB Trashaun Nixon made the game saving tackle inside the 10.

Cal came in with a banged up team but that has been their MO all season, as their offense put up some yards. Jared Goff hit 32-54-336 yards. Cal did have 483 yards. Washington was still winning by more than the experts thought and had a 642-483 yard edge. Cal has not beaten an FBS foe since Oct 2012. UW scored on 3 of their first 4 poss to lead 17-0 and it was 24-7 at the half with a 373-214 yard edge. They extended it to 41-10 with 10:27 left and Cal was SOD at the UW24. UW punted and Cal got a 73 yard td run that made a lot of their backers happy trimming the deficit to 41-17 with 5:04 left. UW punted with 2:40 left and Cal34 on 4&8 was SOD at the UW43. UW took a knee. UW came into the game off 3 straight losses.

4th Quarter Covers - Week 9
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 college football. 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.

Mississippi State (-12) 28, Kentucky 22: The Bulldogs led by nine entering the fourth quarter, just shy of the home favorite spread Thursday night. Kentucky punted on its first possession and it pinned Mississippi State back at the 2-yard line, the play that likely made the biggest difference in the closing result as the Bulldogs eventually had to punt the ball back leaving Kentucky in promising field position. While Kentucky had just 55 yards combined in its final three drives of the game, the field position allowed them to add a field goal, while a 13-play drive for Mississippi State finished with no points to secure the underdog cover.

Georgia Tech (-10) 35, Virginia 25: Entering the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets led 21-10, just narrowly past the road favorite spread. Virginia scored 15 seconds into the fourth quarter to give hope to the underdog Cavaliers for the upset, but that was muted as two minutes later, Georgia Tech had a 65-yard rushing touchdown. With the lead still at 11, both offenses faltered with an exchange of punts, but Virginia completed it next drive for a touchdown with just over three minutes to go. Down five, the Cavaliers went for two with success, a play that would prove critical to the spread result. It did not take Georgia Tech long to answer to seal the win, but the extra-point left the margin right on 10, leaving a push for most.

Clemson (-16½) 40, Maryland 27: Looking to get back on track after last week's disaster against Florida State, Clemson missed opportunities to pull away early with three short field goals in the first half. The Tigers did score with just nine seconds left in the half to take a 16-7 lead, but Maryland cut the lead to just three points midway through the third quarter. With another short field goal, Clemson led by six entering a fourth quarter that featured a great deal of scoring. Twice Clemson went past the spread in the fourth, leading 33-13 and later 40-20, but with nine seconds left on the clock, Maryland found the end zone to steal the cover for the underdog late.

Navy (+4½) 24, Pittsburgh 21: The Panthers led 13-7 at the half, and that was still the score entering the fourth quarter after both teams had a pair of empty possessions in an uneventful third quarter. Navy took a one-point lead after completing a drive early in the fourth quarter, but Pittsburgh answered and with a successful 2-point conversion, the Panthers led by seven with eight minutes to go. The pounding ground attack continued to have success for Navy however and the game was tied with less than four minutes to go after another long touchdown drive. Pittsburgh was sacked on first down on its next possession and eventually had to punt with still two-plus minutes left in the game and a poor 20-yard put set up the Midshipmen in great field position. With a suspect kicking game, Navy still had to convert a few big third down plays, but they moved well within range and had the ability to run the clock all the way down, eventually hitting a short field goal to win as time expired.

SMU (-14) 59, Temple 49: Temple led 28-7 just before halftime and 35-21 early in the third quarter, but the Mustangs scored three straight touchdowns to take a 42-35 lead a minute into the final frame. Temple answered on the next possession to tie the game and put the underdog in good position, especially with SMU having to settle for a 21-yard field goal to complete the next drive. A few minutes later, SMU had taken the lead past the spread with back-to-back touchdowns, leading 59-42 with just over two minutes to go after taking advantage of a Temple fumble. The Owls would score late to change the spread outcome back however, getting a touchdown with just over a minute left in game that featured over 1,300 yards of offense.

Arizona (-12½) 44, Colorado 20: With a third quarter touchdown, Colorado was within seven in this game, but the Wildcats would pull away with 17 additional points. Colorado had two late drives with significant yardage, but did not come up with any points and after struggling in the first half the Arizona offense took over, helped by a few short field set-ups.

Oregon (-23½) 42, UCLA 14: Well into the third quarter, it appeared that this game could provide a chance at a major upset with a tie score at 14-14 until less than three minutes to go in the third quarter. Oregon scored to lead by just seven entering the fourth, making the favorite cover seem unlikely. UCLA seemed poised to answer as they moved into Oregon territory on the next possession, but Brett Hundley was intercepted on the first play of the fourth quarter. Oregon added another touchdown a few minutes later to go up by 14 and then up 21 just a few minutes later with another quick scoring drive after a UCLA punt. Oregon got the ball back with about seven minutes to go up by 21, needing another score to cover and with eight consecutive Thomas Tyner rushes, the Ducks delivered the spread saving score to go up by 28. UCLA still had plenty of time and the Bruins moved all the way to the Oregon 24-yard line despite not running passing plays, but the clock run out on the Bruins.

Washington (-28) 41, California 17: Despite the winless ATS season for California, the Bears have looked like a team with backdoor cover potential in many weeks. They made good on that promise this week, down 31 entering the fourth and eventually getting a late touchdown on the ground, not through the air, with a 73-yard rush with five minutes to go, getting within the big spread.

Kansas State (-13) 35, West Virginia 12: The Wildcats and Mountaineers were in a low-scoring grind early in this game with West Virginia leading 9-7 at halftime and just 12-7 late in to the third quarter. The floodgates opened up from there however as Kansas State scored four touchdowns in the final 18 minutes of the game, all on substantial yardage drives and with the help of just one turnover to roar past the spread for a result that was not looking likely with Kansas State having a punt or turnover on all but one of its first nine possessions.

Florida State (-35) 49, NC State 17: In a revenge opportunity from last season, Florida State took complete control early with a 35-0 lead after the first quarter. That lead was stretched to 42-0 by halftime as the Seminoles made a strong statement about belonging near the top of the polls. With a spread that jumped nearly a touchdown from opening to close, a late NC State rally proved problematic for those on the favorite as the Wolfpack scored 10 points in the third quarter and then added another touchdown in the fourth against an uninterested Florida State squad coasting to another win. That score put the margin below all spreads at just 25 points, but Florida State would put together a late touchdown drive with reserves in the game to put the final margin at 32, ahead of the early week numbers with that late score coming with just two minutes left in the game to save the day for many on the popular Seminoles.

Oklahoma (-6½) 38, Texas Tech 30: The spread in this key Big XII battle dropped from an opening number of -8 and this was a good battle as Oklahoma's 21-7 lead early in the third quarter evaporated quickly with the Red Raiders taking a 24-21 lead late in the third quarter. Oklahoma answered with two consecutive touchdowns, but Texas Tech was within five after its own scoring drive, though they failed going for two with about seven minutes to go, preventing the margin falling to just three points. With the slim lead, Oklahoma put together a 53-yard drive that burned most of the clock over 12 plays, but they had to settle for a field goal to keep Texas Tech's chances at forcing overtime alive. With just over a minute to work with, the undefeated season came to an end however with a sack and three incomplete passes to end the late threat.

Iowa (-3½) 17, Northwestern 10: Iowa led 10-0 at halftime, but Northwestern finally seemed to get its offense back on track with successful drives on consecutive possessions, getting a touchdown on an 81-yard drive and then settling for a field goal after a 16-play drive to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Iowa went 51 yards on its next possession, but missed on a field goal that would have put the Hawkeyes in position to win and the Wildcats in position to cover. Northwestern had some momentum and took the ball down to the Iowa 30 on the next possession, but a key 15-yard penalty pushed the Wildcats back and they fumbled on the next play. Iowa took over near midfield and moved to the edge of field goal range before getting intercepted in the final seconds. Iowa went first in overtime and scored a touchdown in just four plays while Northwestern could not answer, allowing Iowa to leave a step closer to bowl eligibility and with a very fortunate cover while one of the preseason Big Ten favorites now sits at 0-4 in conference play.

San Jose State (-10½) 51, Wyoming 44: This line climbed throughout the week and that timing proved critical with the seven-point final margin. Wyoming led 30-14 early in the third quarter, but the Spartans scored three touchdowns in the remainder of the third, getting a two-point conversion on the third score to lead by six entering the fourth. Wyoming eventually answered to take a one-point lead, but San Jose State added eight more with another quick strike. Wyoming tied the game with five minutes to go, but too much time was left for San Jose State and using the time well the Spartans scored with eight seconds to go.

Stanford (-4) 20, Oregon State 12: Stanford led by just four entering the fourth quarter with the margin sitting even with the closing spread. Tyler Gaffney broke a long run for the Cardinal early in the fourth quarter to put Stanford up 20-9 however. Stanford forced back-to-back punts for Oregon State, but getting the ball back with just over four minutes to go, they gave the Beavers another shot with a fumble. Oregon State could not gain yardage and had to settle for a field goal to get within eight. Stanford was not able to run out the clock however and the Beavers got the ball back in Stanford territory after a nice Brandin Cooks punt return. Sean Mannion was sacked on first down, but on second down, a pass interference penalty gave Oregon State new life. The Beavers were able to move deep into Stanford territory with a couple of quick passes, setting up 1st and goal from the seven. Four straight incomplete passes ended the threat and the late scare for those on the Cardinal.

Mississippi (-41½) 59, Idaho 14: Ole Miss led by just 24 late in the third quarter, but the Rebels remained aggressive on offense even with reserves in the game. Mississippi scored three more times in the game with two fourth quarter touchdowns to eventually climb past the massive spread. Idaho had come up empty on a 50-yard drive late in the third quarter and netted just five yards on two fourth quarter possessions.

South Carolina (+3) 27, Missouri 24: Missouri led 17-0 entering the fourth quarter with no points for the Gamecocks, despite four separate drives of at least 47 yards. South Carolina finally completed a drive early in the fourth quarter to get within 10, but it appeared Missouri would answer with a field goal, however the kick was missed. It did not take long for South Carolina to get back into scoring range, but despite getting to the 2-yard line, they settled for a field goal with about five minutes to go in the game, cutting the margin to just seven points. Missouri tried to run out as much clock as they could, but after a big stop on third and short, the Tigers had to punt back, giving South Carolina the ball with three minutes to go. It only took eight plays for the Gamecocks to tie the game. Missouri went first in overtime and scored on four plays and South Carolina was forced to go for it on 4th and 15 on their possession, completing the touchdown pass to extend the game. South Carolina settled for a 40-yard field goal after going nowhere in the second overtime, but that would be enough as Missouri could not find the end zone and inexplicably missed on a 24-yard field goal try to end the game.

Oklahoma State (-12½) 58, Iowa State 27: The yardage in this Big XII clash was far closer than the final score and it was just a 28-20 lead for the Cowboys at halftime before big plays padded the lead in the third quarter. In the span of about two minutes, Oklahoma State had a 58-yard touchdown run and a 54-yard fumble return touchdown to put the game away, leading by 25 entering the third and extending that lead in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma State only had one drive longer than 58 yards the entire game as they scored on several short drives, taking advantage of Cyclone mistakes as Iowa State played with a back-up quarterback in the second half.

Louisville (-21) 34, South Florida 3: The Cardinals bounced back from their first loss with an impressive statistical game, out-gaining South Florida 485-133, but entering the fourth quarter Louisville led by just 17. The Cardinals completed a drive to go up 24 early in the fourth and then added a 70-yard interception return touchdown to seal the cover in a game where the heavy favorite had just nine possessions.

Toledo (+3½) 28, Bowling Green 25: The Rockets stormed out to a 21-0 lead, but Bowling Green took control from there, eventually taking a 25-21 lead with six minutes to go in the game, just past the slight home favorite spread. Despite an over 30 minute scoring drought, Toledo made the most of its final possession with a 10-play, 70-yard drive resulting in the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute to go in the game. The touchdown came on a 4th and nine play for Toledo, handing Bowling Green its first conference loss. The Falcons did get the ball with over a minute to go, but a sack on 2nd down hurt those prospects and Toledo held on.

Fresno State (-6) 35, San Diego State 28: As just a slight favorite on the road, the undefeated Bulldogs appeared to be in good shape after returning a fumble 78-yards for a touchdown for a second score in a two minute span early in the fourth quarter, leading by 14. San Diego State dominated the yardage in this game, scoring in just four plays to get back within seven and then got the surprise on-side kick with nine minutes to go. It took just six plays to tie the game as the Fresno State defense had another tough fourth quarter. The Aztecs forced a 3-and-out and appeared poised for the upset moving quickly into Fresno State territory, eventually converting on a fourth-down play and then managing the clock down to a final field goal attempt. The 37-yard try as time expired was blocked however. In overtime, Fresno State overcame a personal foul penalty and scored seven and then got the stop it needed on San Diego State's possession to escape with a win.