College Football Recap – Week 4

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

It is usually Boise State who sits back and capitalizes on other teams' mistakes not the other way around. Friday's game against Fresno was one of the more sloppy games I've ever seen out of the Broncos yet they somehow covered the number (+3.5) and had a chance to win the game outright. Down 17-10 early in the second quarter, Boise scored a touchdown but failed on a mysterious two-point conversion (note that the final score was 41-40). Miss one two-point conversion and you're likely to go for two again at some point. Midway through the fourth quarter the Broncos cut the lead to 34-32 and had yet another failed two-point conversion. On their next drive they finally cracked the code and put eight on the board but it put them up only six. Fresno would score a touchdown with three minutes left to give them the 41-40 lead for good. All told, Boise was 1-for-3 on two-point conversions, 1-for-4 on fourth down conversions, and committed two turnovers. Happy to kick PATs, Fresno had no turnovers, was 2-for-2 on fourth downs, and moved to 3-0 on the season.

It is hard for serious bettors to be active in laying huge points because there are typically more factors involved than just the play on the field – most notably the motivation of the favorite and their coach. But if laying the chalkiest of chalks is your game, then Week 4 was a monster. Ohio State won 76-0 over Florida A&M, Washington beat Idaho State 56-0, Baylor annihilated UL-Monroe 70-7, Miami destroyed Savannah State 77-7, Texas A&M dominated SMU 43-13, UCLA pissed on New Mexico State 59-13, Mississippi State (only -14) crushed Troy 62-7, Iowa torched (I've officially run out of adjectives) Western Michigan 59-3, Washington State beat Idaho 42-0, and Louisville beat Florida International 72-0. I don't have the energy to dissect every one of those games but I bet in a handful of situations (see: Monroe, Western Michigan, Troy) perhaps the little guys had an eye on their upcoming conference season and keeping everyone fresh and healthy. Get down early, pack it in, get paid, and live to see another day.

After playing three pedestrian offenses and producing three unders USC finally faced a competent quarterback and offense in Chuckie Keeton and Utah State. The Trojans however held the Aggies to 285 total yards and 13 first downs in a grind-it-out 17-14 win. The total against USU was 49.5. This week's opponent, Arizona State, went over the total in its first three games. On the road you probably downgrade USC's defense some but I give Kiffin credit, he knows defense and conservative play calling is the only way this team stays competitive in PAC-12 play.

Kudos to Memphis head coach Justin Fuente for last week's big 31-7 win over Arkansas State. The RedWolves came in off a 41-point performance but were held to a measly seven points by the Tigers' defense. The week before that, Memphis covered easily as 8-point dogs against Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders hung 41 (in OT) at Florida Atlantic this past week but were held to 17 at home vs. Memphis. And Memphis held Duke to 14 through nearly three and a half quarters in Week 1; the Blue Devils put up 55 against Pitt on Saturday. If you look at the national rankings for total defense, it is littered with high profile schools. Memphis ranks 37th in total yards per game allowed and faced three well respected offenses. Yes, there haven't been an SEC teams on the slate, but you can make a lot of money supporting lower-tier programs committed to defending the opposition.

Last week was an awesome spot for San Diego State – embarrassed Week's 1 and 2, off a bye, at home, playing a BCS foe in a sandwich spot. And for three and a half quarters, the Aztecs didn't disappoint. With five minutes to go, SDSU had a 30-21 lead but Oregon State's passing attack was just too much and the Beavers put up 20 in the fourth to escape with a 34-30 win. There was a lot of opinion on that game – the initial reaction that SDSU stinks drove the line from OSU -8 to as high as -11. Then on game day a huge buyback had some shops OSU -6.5 at close. The Aztecs got the cash and despite the 0-3 start still have conference play to look forward to. They have three winnable games upcoming with trips to New Mexico State and Air Force and a home tilt against Nevada.

Speaking of Oregon State, we posted a blog last week about the Beavers not wanting to give up on the run game. Granted they fell behind early to SDSU, but because of injuries to the offensive line, OSU rushed 20 times for only 10 yards! What is amazing is that you would assume that with a poor offensive line and one dimensional attack the Beavers would give up a ton of sacks. Not the case. In four games they've allowed only four sacks and it's not like Sean Mannion is Johnny Manziel. But the question is, how long will it last? OSU ranks third nationally with 420.8 ypg passing and 123rd rushing with 55.0 ypg. Even with a lot of shaky defenses in the PAC-12, the Beavers won't survive unless changes are made.

I had a big 20* play on Texas on Saturday and the logic behind it wasn't so much the Longhorns being in desperation mode but K-State and its host of new players yet to be tested on the road. The Wildcats have owned the series against UT in part because they were always the smarter, better prepared team, that consistently won the turnover battle. The tide however finally turned as KSU coughed it up three times and was nearly doubled up on the ground (227-115). But it was no easy pointspread cover. David Ash didn't return for the second half due to a concussion and with Case McCoy under center, the Longhorns went ultra-conservative. KSU wouldn't go away and had two chances to cut the lead to three late in the fourth. Both times however, Texas forced and recovered fumbles and held on for the 10 point win. As far as Texas' defense goes, I saw some improvement, most notably in the effort department. Obviously not a good thing when an opposing wide receiver (Tyler Lockett) hauls in 12 catches for 237 yards but I think it was a step in the right direction. Not expecting Texas to be much more than an average Big XII defense on a good day, but in this instance, it was good enough to save Mack Brown from having his house egged.

If you follow the betting markets you are probably aware of the handful of "entities" that account for some of those screen-goes-black line moves throughout the week. There were some conflicting opinions on the Missouri-Indiana game with the Tigers opening -3, bet up to -6.5, the Hoosiers favored mid-week by -2, and the Tigers closing -3. This is nothing out of the ordinary but a prime example of why you shouldn't panic when "your number" isn't available or gets "taken out" early. There are bettors out there who make a living by doing nothing but betting back steam and if you monitor the betting markets and have multiple outs, you can usually get the number you are looking for – sometimes better. I'm always looking to pick off bad lines early in the week but with the college football markets so volatile, I'm more willing to wait-and-see these days. Texas was a prime example: CRIS opened -7 and within an hour it was down to -6.5. That got the wheels in motion and more bettors came in on K-State – Ash's status played a role. But when it got to -5 on Wednesday I felt I wasn't going to get a better line. So I ended up betting it at -5, released it -5.5 to my clients, and in the end cashed a ticket on a game that could have very easily landed 6 or 7.

Nevada-Hawaii wasn't on my radar due to the fact that the WolfPack's quarterback situation was a mess. But that doesn't mean I was looking to support the Warriors on the road even if Nevada's game plan was to direct snap it to a running back the entire game. Nevada opened -14 and closed -6 – a monster line move. But ask yourself, how many game have you won playing against bad quarterback situations (hello Cleveland Browns!)? I know I don't have a winning record when doing it which is why I pretty much will not bet against any well-documented QB quandary. Everyone was so focused on Nevada that they forgot that Hawaii was on the road and awful. So awful that no-name third-stringer Tyler Stewart finished 14-of-20 for 202 yards, 3 TDs, and no picks. Nevada rolled 31-9 and that is the last time you'll see an 8-point line move towards Hawaii for at least a decade.

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

Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the fourth weekend of 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.

Clemson (-14) 26, N.C. State 14: Highly ranked Clemson had a battle Thursday night in a game that was rather even statistically. Late in the third quarter a touchdown allowed the Tigers to pull away, going up 20-7 and past the spread for the first time and the favorite cover seemed likely after Clemson scored early in the fourth to go up 26-7. They went for two after that touchdown and failed, a key play for those that had -14 on the game as NC State would add a late touchdown with less than four minutes to go to put the final margin at 12. After a failed onside kick Clemson had the ball back in great field position and eventually moved into field goal range but the Tigers opted to go for it on fourth down rather than kicking a spread-saving field goal.

Fresno State (-4) 41, Boise State 40: Fresno State pulled away in the third quarter of this huge Mountain West clash with a 34-19 lead with just a minute left in the quarter. Boise State quickly scored after a great kick return to get within eight entering the fourth and then went on to take a 40-34 lead in the fourth quarter with back-to-back touchdown drives, the second score coming after a Fresno State fumble. The Bulldogs answered to take the lead with just over two minutes to go after a 13-play drive and while Boise State got to mid-field on the next drive, they came up short, though still earning the underdog cover.

Florida (-15½) 31, Tennessee 17: The Gators lost quarterback Jeff Driskel but still managed to pull away from the Volunteers, leading 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter and then up 31-10 early in the fourth. Tennessee added a touchdown pass to trim the margin back to 14 and the underdog held on as Florida missed a field goal and opted for a short punt in two possessions in Tennessee territory in the final 10 minutes.

Pittsburgh (-4½) 58, Duke 55: Pittsburgh seemed to be in command with a 51-28 lead late in the third quarter but Duke hit a 75-yard pass play late in the third and then was within 10 early in the fourth quarter. Duke had the ball back but a 37-yard interception return touchdown seemingly wrapped things up for Pittsburgh, up 17 with just over eight minutes to go. Duke was able to score another touchdown to get back within 10 and then they were able to get the ball back in good field position after a fumbled snap on a punt attempt for Pittsburgh. It took Duke just three plays to score again, getting within three points with about four minutes to go in the game. Duke failed on the onside kick and Pittsburgh was able to get a first down to run out the clock but the Blue Devils earned an unlikely underdog cover in a wild ACC game.

Penn State (-23½) 34, Kent State 0: Penn State dominated statistically in this matchup but they led just 21-0 entering the fourth quarter. A field goal early in the fourth put the Lions past the spread and Penn State went on to add 10 more points late to pad the scoreboard. 216 yards for Penn State came on the final four possessions with the result in hand as the yardage production was a bit misleading but the Penn State defense was impressive, forcing 10 punts and not allowing a drive longer than 42 yards.

Georgia Tech (-7) 28, North Carolina 20: North Carolina led 20-7 at one point early in the game but Georgia Tech slowly took over the game, eventually leading 21-20 entering the fourth quarter and moving by the home favorite spread with an early fourth quarter score 28-20. The Tar Heels threatened to answer but a drive deep into Yellow Jacket territory ended in an interception.

Notre Dame (-4) 17, Michigan State 13: This game was tied 10-10 through three quarters with a complete dearth of offense but Notre Dame was able to punch in a touchdown very early in the final frame, getting past the spread that opened at -7 and came down throughout the week, eventually closing as low as -4. Most on the underdog Spartans still wound up winning however as Michigan State hit a 42-yard field goal with less than 11 minutes to go in the game. There were seven combined possessions after that field goal be neither team even remotely threatened to add points.

Stanford (-7) 42, Arizona State 28: Stanford was in complete control in this huge Pac-12 contest, leading 39-7 entering the fourth quarter. With some starters out of the game and clearly letting off the gas Arizona State scored three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth to cut the margin to just 11 points and certainly making Cardinal backers a bit nervous. Stanford was able to burn most of the rest of the clock while adding a late field goal and with little time on the clock Arizona State’s final threat ended with an interception.

Louisiana-Lafayette (-7½) 35, Akron 30: This game had some big swings and Akron took back the lead early in the fourth quarter to lead 24-21. With two touchdowns in less than two minutes of game clock the Ragin’ Cajuns appeared on the way to a win and a cover leading by 11 but Akron scored on a 28-yard play with less than 30 seconds to go to flip the ATS result.

Middle Tennessee State (-3) 42, Florida Atlantic 35: This pair of new Conference USA entrants traded scores the entire game with the game tied 21-21 entering the fourth quarter and with matching touchdowns in the final two minutes overtime was forced at 35-35. The Owls scored to force overtime with just three seconds left on 4th down but in overtime the Owls were not able to answer a quick Blue Raiders touchdown, failing on fourth down from the 13-yard line, giving the road favorite a fortunate overtime cover.

Toledo (-14) 38, Central Michigan 17: The Rockets only led by seven entering the fourth quarter as a two touchdown road favorite. Toledo matched the spread early in the fourth and with five minute to go the Rockets put in another score to get past the spread. Turnovers helped the Rockets greatly in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.

LSU (-17½) 35, Auburn 21: LSU dominated the first half, leading 21-0 in the big SEC clash with Auburn but the defense came out lacking intensity in the second half and Auburn made it a game. Entering the fourth quarter the lead was short of the spread at 28-14 but LSU went back up by 21 early in the final frame. With about six minutes to go Auburn took the cover back with an 88-yard touchdown drive and despite LSU starting in Auburn territory on the next drive a fumble cost LSU the opportunity for more points.

Week 4 Rewind
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

LSU improved to 4-0 but failed to cover the spread in a 35-21 win over Auburn as a 17-point home favorite. The 56 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 54-point total to improve to 4-0 in LSU games.

Les Miles’s team will put its unbeaten record on the line Saturday at Georgia. The Bayou Bengals are 5-6 ATS in 11 games as a road underdog on Miles’s watch.

Zach Mettenberger will be making his return to Athens, where his college career began. Mettenberger, who transferred from UGA to LSU after an arrest as a freshman, is playing the best football of his career. He threw for 229 yards in the win over Auburn. Mettenberger has a 10/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through four games.

Florida will be without starting junior quarterback Jeff Driskel for the rest of the season. Driskel suffered a broken fibula during the first quarter of a 31-17 win over Tennessee. The Gators failed to cover as 16 ½-point home favorites.

Former back-up QB Jacoby Brissett transferred to North Carolina St., so the job fell to junior Tyler Murphy, who had just one previous career pass on a two-point conversion at Miami two weeks ago.

But Murphy responded with poise. He completed 8-of-14 throws for 134 yards with one TD and zero interceptions. Most promising, Murphy demonstrated his scrambling skills with 84 rushing yards, including a seven-yard TD scamper.

Trailing 31-10 with 10:20 remaining, Justin Worley threw an 18-yard TD pass to Pig Howard to give UT supporters a backdoor cover. The 48 combined points snuck ‘over’ the 47½-point total. UF will go to Lexington in Week 5 in search of a 27th straight win over Kentucky.

Georgia was a victim to a look-ahead spot in its 45-21 non-covering win over North Texas as a 33-point home favorite. The Mean Green actually had the game knotted at 21-21 after blocking a UGA punt for a TD early in the third quarter.

James Franklin helped Missouri improve to 3-0 in a 45-28 win at Indiana as a three-point favorite. Franklin threw for 343 yards and two TDs while also rushing for 61 yards and one score. The Tigers, who are 2-0-1 ATS, host Arkansas St. before back-to-back road assignments at Vandy and at Georgia.

Franklin appears to be back in the form he displayed in 2011 rather than last year’s injury-riddled campaign. He has 873 passing yards and 182 yards rushing.

Arkansas allowed a 24-7 lead to get away in a 28-24 loss at Rutgers. The Razorbacks played without starting QB Brandon Allen, who is ‘questionable’ Saturday vs. Texas A&M. The Hogs, who fell to 3-1 straight up and failed to cover for the third straight week, will be seeking revenge for a 58-10 loss to the Aggies in College Station last year.

Alabama and Vandy never threatened to cover the spread in double-digit wins over Colorado St. and UMass, respectively. The Crimson Tide will take on undefeated Ole Miss on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Notre Dame handed Michigan State its first loss of the season in a 17-13 win as a four-point home favorite. If you took the Spartans early in the week when they were seven-point underdogs, then you cashed a ticket like me. The number dropped down to four late Friday afternoon.

Brian Kelly’s squad will take on Oklahoma this weekend. The Sooners are short favorites in this revenge game after losing 30-13 to the Irish last season in Norman.

Maryland improved to 4-0 both SU and ATS with its 37-0 win over West Virginia as a four-point favorite in Baltimore. The Terrapins have an open date to prepare for a trip to Tallahassee to take on Florida St.

Wisconsin bounced back from its gut-wrenching setback at Arizona St. to pound Purdue by a 41-10 count as a 22-point home favorite. The 51 combined points went ‘over’ the 49-point total. Melvin Gordon leads the nation in rushing after gaining 147 yards and running for three TDs against the Boilermakers. The Badgers are seven-point ‘dogs Saturday at Ohio St.

Georgia Tech (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) remained unbeaten by rallying from a double-digit deficit to beat North Carolina 28-20 as a 6.5-point home favorite. The Yellow Jackets host Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

Va. Tech needed overtime to sneak past Marshall 29-21 in Blacksburg. The Hokies won their third consecutive game but dropped to 0-3-1 ATS with the non-cover as 8.5-point home favorites.

Stanford dominated Arizona State in a 42-28 win that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Cardinal raced out to a 39-7 advantage en route to an easy spread cover as a 6½-point home favorite.

Utah State is now 17-2 ATS in its last 19 games as a road underdog following its 17-14 loss at USC as a 6 ½-point ‘dog. The Trojans travel to Tempe this weekend for a crucial conference game against Arizona St.

Utah picked up a huge win in a 20-13 triumph at BYU as a seven-point underdog. The Utes got the victory despite converting just one out of 14 third-down plays.

Top 25 Betting Recap - Week 4
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com

Week 4 of the 2013 NCAA football betting season is in the books, and today, we're going to be taking a look at each of the Top 25 teams in the land and see how they fared against the closing number over the course of this past week.

(Results in parentheses represent SU Result-ATS Result)

1: Alabama (W-L vs. Colorado State 31-6)
The failed cover was a pure situational spot between games against A&M and Ole Miss for the Crimson Tide.

2: Oregon (Bye)
This week's game against Cal might have 200 offensive plays; and 200 offensive points!

3: Clemson (W-L vs. NC State 26-14)
Bettors still wish that Dabo Swinney had taken the field goal at the end of the game.

4: Ohio State (W-W vs. Florida A&M 76-0)
It was the most lopsided score of the season in college football, and it came with a backup quarterback starting the game.

5: Stanford (W-W vs. Arizona State 42-28)
Stanford logged its first cover of the season and looked way better than ASU did, especially in a 29-0 first half.

6: LSU (W-L vs. Auburn 35-21)
LSU overcame the rain and Auburn in this one in the Bayou, but failed to cover the number.

7: Louisville (W-W vs. Florida International 72-0)
The Golden Panthers wanted a running clock in the third quarter of this one.

8: Florida State (W-W vs. Bethune Cookman 54-6)
FSU has outscored its foes by over 40 points per game.

9: Georgia (W-L vs. North Texas 45-21)
This was a tied game halfway through the third quarter, but in fairness, North Texas scored on two returns.

10: Texas A&M (W-W vs. SMU 42-13)
Nothing like coming up 25 points short of the total when you score 42 points in a game.

11: Oklahoma State (Bye)
The Cowboys might be the quietest good team in the nation.

12: South Carolina (Bye)
Bone spurs in his foot have to be a concern for Jadeveon Clowney.

13: UCLA (W-W vs. New Mexico State 59-13)
Jordan James now has three 100+ yard rushing games for the Bruins.

14: Oklahoma (Bye)
And now the interesting decision - Blake Bell or Trevor Knight in South Bend?

15: Michigan (W-L vs. Connecticut 24-21)
Nearly losing to Akron was an accident. Nearly losing to Connecticut is becoming a bad trend.

16: Miami (W-W vs. Savannah State 77-7)
The Canes came up one score short of breaking the all-time ACC scoring record.

17: Washington (W-W vs. Idaho State 56-0)
Idaho State managed just 164 yards of offense. Six men rushed for at least 40 yards for U-Dub.

18: Northwestern (W-L vs. Maine 35-21)
Maine is good, but it shouldn't have been good enough to at least make Northwestern sweat.

19: Florida (W-L vs. Tennessee 31-17)
Jeff Driskel is out for the season, but the offense looked better under the direction of Tyler Murphy anyway.

20: Baylor (W-W vs. Louisiana Monroe 70-7)
Last year, Baylor gave up 42 to ULM. This year, not so much...

21: Ole Miss (Bye)
A bye week going into the Bama game… Interesting setup in Tuscaloosa this week.

22: Notre Dame (W-P vs. Michigan State 17-13)
There were only 474 yards of combined offense in this game.

23: Arizona State (L-L vs. Stanford 42-28)
ASU was down 29-0 before it finally showed a pulse, and it was down 39-7 going into the fourth quarter.

24: Wisconsin (W-W vs. Purdue 41-10)
The Badgers are amongst the rare 4-0 ATS teams in the land.

25: Texas Tech (W-L vs. Texas State 33-7)
T-Tech used two walk-on freshmen to throw for a combined 434 yards against Texas State.

Week 4 News & Notes – Part 1
By Phil Steele

Kevonte Martin-Manley was a star early for Iowa as he returned punts 83 and 63 yards for td’s within 1:00 of each other to blow open a 10-0 game and make it 24-0 with 10:46 left in the 2Q. Western Mich was intercepted in the EZ on its next drive. BJ Lowery, who made a spectacular 1-handed interception last week vs Iowa St, intercepted Tyler Van Tubbergen in a crowd and raced 35 yards for a td with :56 left to blow it open 38-3. UI did only have a 159-120 yard edge at the half despite the 35 point lead. UI opened the 3Q with a 13 yard IR td by Zach Terrell, their 4th defensive/special team td of the game, then drove 64/9pl for a td to lead 52-3 with 6:36 left in the 3Q. UI’s final drive had a 1st & goal at the 3 on a 63/19pl drive that lasted 9:26 but the Hawkeyes took a knee 3 times and finished with 446-209 yard and 22-9 FD edges.

Louisville’s 72 points were the most since 2007 when they had 73 vs Murray St. This game was as lopsided as the final and FIU would be a prime time contender for the #1 pick in next year’s draft if this were the NFL. FIU managed 2 FD’s and 33 yards for the game and all 33 yards came in the 1H. UL punted with 6:14 left in the half and FIU fumbled the punt at its 15 and the Cardinals would go 15/3pl for a td then 73/6pl for a td with 1:11 left in the half to blow it open 38-0. UL got a 93 yard KR td, went 45/4pl, 65/5pl, 49/7pl and 46/7pl on their five 2H poss, the last 2 led by Will Gardner who hit 5-5-42. Teddy Bridgewater didn’t have a great statistical day and continues to drop back in the Heisman race hitting just 17-22-212 but did have four td passes. He was hurt by a short field as 4 of UL’s eight 1H possessions started at midfield or in FIU territory.

You have to feel that Ohio St’s Braxton Miller has officially been eliminated from the Heisman race as he missed the entire game vs Florida A&M and Kenny Guiton had another strong performance. Guiton hit 24-34-215 but rushed just 1 time for 5 yards. He guided Ohio St to its most lopsided win since 1935 (85-7 over Drake), 76-0. It was their biggest shutout win since 1934 (Western Reserve, 76-0). OSU had an amazing 34-2 edge in FD’s and 603-83 yard edge. OSU led 55-0 at the half with a 326-54 yard edge and went 65/9pl and 90/7pl on their opening 2 drives of the 2H to lead 69-0. They got the ball back with 11:30 left and went 98/14pl adding a 10 yard td run with just 1:15 left.

Vanderbilt struggled with Massachusetts leading just 10-7 after 3Q’s gaining 167 of their 406 yards in the 4Q. UMass started AJ Doyle who hit 20-28-133. VU led 10-7 but UM missed a 45 yard FG on the final play of the half. At the half VU only had a 181-163 yard edge. UM took its second 3Q drive 56/16pl to the 32 but on 4th & 17 punted. VU went 80/11pl getting an 11 yard td with 13:34 left then went 89/14pl for a td with 4:41 left to clinch the win. Austyn Carta-Samuels hit 18-27-219.

Minnesota was forced to make a switch at QB with Philip Nelson injured and Mitch Leidner did just against San Jose St. While he hit just 5-12-71, he rushed for 151 yards and the Gophers, who are a very physical team, overpowered the MW squad with a 353-47 rush yard edge. David Fales did hit 22-35-439 for SJSt. The Spartans leading receiver, Noel Grigsby, did not make the trip. UM missed a 51 yard FG on its first series but SJSt went for it on 4th & 1 and lost 2 yards back to the UM17 on their 2nd possession. UM then went 83/10pl for a td and led 20-10 when SJSt took over with 3:07 left in the half and drove 85/6pl capped by a 32 yard td pass with 1:08 left. At half SJSt had a 329-239 yard edge but trailed 20-17. UM began to wear the Spartans down in the 2H. An interception set them up for a 12 yard td drive on their 2nd possession. They then went 75/9pl, 46/11pl, 58/9pl for td’s on the next 3 possessions to lead 43-17 before SJSt got a 75 yard drive for a td with 5:37 left.

Wake Forest won for the 7th straight time in the series vs Army although they had just a 360-357 yard edge and the FD’s were even at 18. Josh Harris rushed 19-96 and a couple of td’s although Tanner Price only hit 6-17-132. WF got its running game going for the first real time this season with 228 yards on 45 carries and held Army’s option to a respectable 271 rush yards. WF was pinned at its 2 and tackled for a safety with 3:05 left in the 1Q. WF missed a 25 yard FG. WF went on a 12pl drive but settled for a 35 yard FG, 3-2. WF was intercepted in the endzone on 3rd & 8 from the 23. WF got a 66 yard td pass to Michael Campanaro to lead 10-2 and Army got a 38 yard FG with :38 left in the half to make it 10-5. WF had a 201-184 yard edge. Army got a 32 yard FG at the start of the 3Q following a 22 yard punt by WF to pull within 10-8 and then got a 32 yard FG at the end of an 11 yard drive for an 11-10 lead. WF went 75/5pl and 62/9pl for td’s on their next 2 possessions to lead 25-11. The Demon Deacons were SOD at the A36 with 7:53 left and their final drive gained 78 yards in 19 plays giving them the yardage edge for the game, although it ended at the 2 as they ran out of time.

The Georgia Tech/North Carolina game was played in a steady rain throughout the game. UNC was the superior team early but GT came back late. UNC suspended TE Jack Tabb for 2 games prior but GT was banged up during the game with LB Quayshawn Nealy, S Chris Milton and S Jamal Golden all injured in the first 3Q’s. GT finished with a 428-319 yard edge and Bryn Renner was held to 14-28-218 in those conditions. UNC took its opening drive 58/6pl for a td and the Yellow Jackets’ 2nd possession went 48/12pl but they fumbled. UNC went 54/6pl for a commanding 13-0 lead. After an exchange of td’s, it was 20-7 and GT took over with 5:23 left and got a 21 yard td pass with :30 left in the half to get back to 20-14. Gil Brandt always tells me about scores late in the half and their impact on games. GT, in what was monsoon-like conditions, took its second 3Q possession 53/9pl for a td then went 92/12pl on a drive that included a 4th & 1 defensive offsides call, for a FD and the td made it 28-20. UNC went 54/8pl getting to the GT30 where they were intercepted. GT took over with 6:27 left leading by 8 and went 56/13pl including a 3rd & 10 conversion with :59 left and was able to run out the clock.

Duke and Pitt were in a wild one. Tom Savage hit 23-33-424 throwing to the outstanding WR combo of Tyler Boyd (8-154) and Devin Street (6-166). James Conner was recruited as a DE but moved to FB and is now the feature RB and had a powerful day with 173 yards rushing on 26 carries and many of those yards came after contact. Duke’s Brandon Connette hit 21-32-323 and also rushed for 101. Connette did throw back-to-back interceptions in the 1Q and Pitt jumped out to 27-7 and 30-14 leads but Duke climbed back to 30-28 with 3:08 left in the half on an 82 yard PR by Jamison Crowder. Pitt drove 68/8pl and got a td with :34 left in the half to lead 37-28 and actually had 468 yards in the 1H to Duke’s 248. Pitt led 51-28 but Duke kept battling back. At 51-41, Duke had the ball but was intercepted and returned 37 yards for a td and Pitt led 58-41. Duke went 67/8pl for a td with 5:30 left. After Pitt recovered the onside kick the Panthers punted the ball on 4th & 21 and it went through the P’s hands and Duke went 30/4pl for a td with 3:43 left. Pitt recovered the onside kick again at the D42, got a FD to the 24 and took a knee 3 times.

While Syracuse won 52-17 vs Tulane, the game was closer than the final score. They only had a 405-330 yard edge but the 1H had to be demoralizing for Tulane. Nick Montana hit 22-38-213 while Terrell Hunt, in his first start, hit 16-21-175. TU K Cairo Santos tragically lost his father and flew out of the country for the funeral. He was able to return to the team and on TU’s first drive they went 50/11pl and settled for a 21 yard FG, 7-3. SU blocked a punt and recovered at the 6 setting up a td then TU fumbled a punt at its own 15 setting up another SU td, this one a 16 yard run on 3rd & 11, 28-10. SU blocked another punt and recovered at the TU17 setting up a td, 35-10 and TU went on a 61/10pl drive but Santos’ 32 yard FG was blocked. SU, despite leading 42-17 at half, only had a 261-251 yard edge. Prior to their final drive of the half when they took over with 1:44 left leading by 18 and drove 85/9pl for a td, SU was being outgained 251-176.

Marshall put up 361 yards on a powerful Virginia Tech defense. MU appeared to have the game won in the 4Q but VT would rally to force OT and won it there. VT did have 382 yards offense in the rain as Logan Thomas hit 18-34-181, nearly matching Rakeem Cato (19-41-228). VT’s first td came on a blocked punt 2:00 in. VT would allow td drives of 51/8pl, 75/6pl and 72/7pl on 3 consecutive possessions and trailed 21-14 and missed a 36 yard FG with 1:09 left in the half. At half MU had a 205-175 yard edge. VT was SOD at the MU11 on its second 3Q drive and MU went 55/10pl but missed a 41 yard FG. MU went 58/15pl but on 3rd & 7 from the 30 was intercepted at the 22. VT took over with 9:25 left and went on an 83/14pl drive and on 4th & 2, got a 2 yard td pass to tie it with 3:09 left. MU got down to the VT34 but was intercepted in the endzone with 1:07 left. Each team missed a FG in the first OT (VT 50, MU 39). MU fumbled at its 20 but VT missed a 32 yard FG in the second OT. VT got a td and 2 point conversion to open the third OT and MU got to the 15 but on 4th & 9 fired incomplete.

Florida Atlantic had a 503-446 yard edge vs Middle Tennessee but suffered a tough defeat. FAU’s Jaquez Johnson hit 31-50-321 while MT’s Logan Kilgore is still not 100% and hit just 13-23-150. FAU, trailing 14-7, went 61/13pl and had a 1st & goal at the 9 but on 2nd & 9, fumbled on a sack and trailed 14-7 at the half. FAU went 80/13pl and on 4th & goal from the 7 they got a 7 yard td to tie it at 28 with 3:50 left. They forced an MT punt, took over at their 27 and got to the MT44 yard line, but on 2nd & 4 Johnson was intercepted. On the very next play, Reggie Whatley, who rushed for 154 yards, had a 64 yard td run. FAU went 54/9pl and on 4th & 10 Johnson had a 21 yard td pass with :04 left. In OT, MT got a td and FAU, after a sack on 3rd & 5, fired incomplete on 4th & 9.

Toledo was going to rest QB Terrance Owens and they let Logan Woodside get his first start vs Central Mich. Woodside hit 3-6-27. David Fluellen did rush for 197 for the Rockets. This game was actually closer than the 38-17 final as UT had a slim 418-270 yard edge and the FD’s were even at 23. CMU was intercepted setting up a 29 yard td drive by UT. CMU went 75/9pl for a td to make it 7-7 but then UT got a 22 yard FR td late in the 1Q to lead 14-7. UT went 96/9pl for a td with 4:37 left in the half and CMU went 89/10pl for a 1 yard td run with :35 left. CMU had a 243-201 yard edge but trailed by 7. UT opened the 3Q with a 57/11pl drive for a 35 yard FG. CMU fumbled at the UT21. UT fumbled it back at the 47 and CMU got a 40 yard FG, 24-17 after 3Q’s. UT went 47/6pl for a td and CMU on 2nd & 11 was sacked and fumbled with 9:51 left. UT went 74/9pl and got a td with 5:02 left for the 21 point win.

Georgia was in a flat spot with a big game vs LSU on deck and this game against North Texas was also played in rain. UGA finished with a 641-245 yard edge with the 641 being the fourth most yards in school history. Aaron Murray did hit 22-30-408. NT used 2 big plays to actually have the game tied in the 3Q. UGA punted on its first possession and on its 2nd had a 2nd & goal at the 3 but was intercepted in the endzone. UGA went 69/6pl then got a 98 yard td pass to lead 14-0. Up 21-7, they gave up a 99 yard KR td by Brelan Chancellor. At half UGA did have a 326-134 yard edge. NT got another special teams play, this time blocking a punt for a td on the fourth play of the 2H to tie it at 21. UGA punted on its next possession but then went 53/8pl and 95/12pl for td’s to lead 35-21. UGA took over with 10:05 left and went on a 78/12pl drive getting a td with 3:45 left for a 17 point lead. NT was SOD at its own 41 and UGA went 41/2pl for another td and a 45-21 win.

Watching the Kansas/Louisiana Tech game, the thing that surprised me is that KU had 396 yards offense as that unit appeared ineffective most of the game. Jake Heaps hit 28-46-279. Early, KU went for it on 4th & 3 at the LT32 and was stuffed. On their 2nd drive, they went for it on 4th & 1 at their own 40 and were stuffed. KU was intercepted at the LT28 and LT went 57/10pl for a td to lead 7-0. KU had a 4th & 2 but opted to go for a FG, this one 37 yards and missed it and they trailed 7-3 at the half but had a 197-193 yard edge. Trailing 10-3 they got off 78 and 65 yard punts but LT, after an interception, took over at the KU29 in the 4Q. On the first play Ryan Higgins ripped off a 27 yard run to the 2 but he was reaching for the endzone and the ball squirted out and went into the endzone for a touchback which was huge. KU went 80/8pl and got a 22 yard td pass with 9:54 left to tie it. LT got down there again, this time to the 18 yard line and Kenneth Dixon got a 13 yard run but fumbled at the 5 with 1:33 left and KU went 60/8pl and got a 52 yard FG on the last play to scratch out a win despite LT having a 29-20 FD edge.

Ball St’s Jahwan Edwards, who had missed the previous two games with injury, returned to the lineup and while he had just 15-81 he had 3 td’s vs Eastern Mich. The 1H was closer than the 34-13 score as Ball St only had a 258-218 yard edge. EMU fumbled at its own 17 setting up a Ball St td, then got off a short punt which set up a 45 yard BS td drive. EMU fumbled at the BS26, was SOD at the BS21. BS took over with 2:21 left in the half, up 14, and went 50/6pl for a td to lead 34-13. EMU was intercepted at the BS9 on its second 3Q possession and went on a 79/16pl drive but was intercepted in the endzone with 4:45 left, BS had a 543-416 yard edge but the FD’s were even at 25 and BS won by 31 as Keith Wenning hit 17-26-317.

Ohio had a 494-298 yard edge in their 38-0 win over Austin Peay. They got a 63 yard pass to Jeremiah Cochran but he fumbled into the endzone for a touchback in the 3Q. AP did miss a 32 yard FG and then a 26 yard FG and had a 39 yard FG blocked in the 2H and ended the game at the OU10 yard line firing incomplete twice.

Washington has won its first 3 games for the first time since 2001. The Huskies were a huge favorite over an outmanned Idaho State and finished with a 680-164 yard edge. IDSt has now lost 19 straight to FBS teams. While IDSt had 164 yards, the majority of it came in the 2H vs the backups as UW had a 397-20 yard edge at the half and led 42-0. UW led 56-0 on the first play of the 4Q and IDSt gained 71 of their yards in the 4Q missing a 38 yard FG with 10:26 left. Keith Price hit 16-21-213 and Bishop Sankey was held to 77 yards on 4 carries.

Georgia St’s Ronnie Bell hit 16-41-250. Minnesota transfer Max Shortell, who is now playing for Jacksonville St, hit 12-27-235. JSt was surprisingly a 10 point favorite in this one but played like they deserved to be. At the half they had a 252-214 yard edge and thanks to an interception with :37 left, they went 41/5pl getting a td with :10 left in the half to lead 20-9. GSt was SOD at the JS11 but then got a 3 yard IR td to get back to 23-16. JSt then fumbled the KO at its own 13 and GSt got a td 2pl later to tie it at 23. JSt got a 34 yard FG with 2:58 left and GSt went 62/16pl getting a 26 yard FG on the last play. GSt missed a 42 yard FG and JSt got a 2 yard td run for the 6 point win.

Taylor Martinez was out for Nebraska but Tommy Armstrong hit 12-15-169 and Ron Kellogg III 8-9-136 combining for 305 vs a decent South Dakota St team that came in 3-0. While the points show a 59-20 win, NU’s D did not have a good performance. They did have 645-465 yard and 34-25 FD edges for the game. HC Pelini came into the game under fire after the week’s events including a 2 year old tape that was released. SDSt went 75/4pl and 71/5pl for td’s on their first 2 possessions. They would get 3 FD’s and had a 1st & goal at the 4 when they settled for a 48 yard FG on 4th & 31 after a pair of sacks. SDSt punted with 10:32 left in the 2Q, then was intercepted at the 47, and SOD at the NU16. At half the Huskers had a 401-289 yard edge. SDSt missed a 32 yard FG and gave up a 33 yard IR td to trail 52-17.

Matt Johnson hit 19-22-244, threw for 2 td’s and ran for another in Bowling Green’s rout of Murray St. BG finished with a 660-312 yard edge. It was just 6-0 when MSt fumbled at the BG1 threatening to take the lead. BG went 99/11pl for a td then went 69/5pl and 97/16pl for td’s, the latter with :07 left in the half to lead 27-0 with a 376-117 yard edge. BG took over with 5:32 left up 41-7 and went 80/6pl for a td with 2:31 left.

Maine’s QB Marcus Wasilewski hit 25-40-237 while Northwestern QB’s Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian combined to hit 10-17-122. Maine actually had a 379-373 yard edge despite losing 35-21. In the 1H Maine had a 32 yard FG blocked and missed a 38 yard FG, was SOD at the NU30 but still only trailed 7-0. With just :41 left in the half, Maine had the ball near midfield but was intercepted and returned 49 yards for a td and despite a 179-169 yard edge they trailed 14-0. At 28-14, NU took over with 11:06 left, went 70/8pl for a td, and made it a 21 point game. Maine fumbled at its own 40 but drove 65/8pl for a td with 2:22 left. NU recovered the onside kick.

UAB had a 454-344 yard edge but benefitted from a couple big plays early. Northwestern St had a snap go over the head of the P for a 32 yard loss and UAB recovered at the NWS8 and got a td 4pl later. UAB then got a 63 yard IR td to lead 14-0. Leading 24-14, UAB took over with 3:08 left and went 69/4pl capped by an 8 yard td run by Reaves, 31-14. They opened it up to 45-21 on a 50 yard Reaves td run with 8:00 left in the 3Q. Leading 45-28, UAB took over with 8:34 left and went 58/8pl for a td with 4:54 left and NWSt went 43/11pl missing a 51 yard FG with :23 left.

Virginia had a 580-79 yard edge vs VMI. In the 1H the Cavs were SOD at the 50, had a FD at the 9 of VMI, were intercepted at the 1, intercepted at their own 48 and the 1Q was scoreless. UVA went 70/3pl, missed a 37 yard FG, went 62/12pl and 59/2pl for 3 td’s to lead 21-0 with a 277-47 yard edge. UVA opened the 3Q with 61/2pl, 67/11pl, 52/8pl and 57/6pl drives on their first 4 possessions to go up 49-0 with 13:52 left.

Utah St came in averaging 49.3 points per game and 29 FD’s per game but USC held them to 13 FD’s and 285 total yards. An amazing stat to me is that – including punts and FG’s – USC ran a total of 76 plays. Of those 76 plays 49 were run inside of Utah St’s territory. The Trojans could only manage 17 points. Just before half they threatened to blow it open leading 14-7 when Cody Kessler was sacked and fumbled at midfield on FD. They had a 1st & goal at the 8 but settled for a 25 yard FG and missed a 46 yard FG. At the end of the game, USC had a FD at the US23 and took a knee. Kessler hit 13-27-164 and Chuckie Keeton was pretty contained hitting 21-39-179 with -15 yards rushing.

Melvin Gordon rushed for 147 yards on 16 carries for Wisconsin which actually dropped his ypc on the season from 12.9. James White had 145 on 16 carries and Corey Clement 13-83 as the Badgers had a 546-1808 yard edge in yet another dominating win over Purdue. This seems to happen every year when these two meet. PU was off its big effort vs Notre Dame and the Badgers were off a loss. UW led 24-10 at the half giving up a 55/9pl drive for a td then, after an interception, a 3 yard drive for a 24 yard FG. They did have a 299-95 yard edge. UW scored on 3 of its first 4 possessions of the 2H to blow it open, 41-10 with a 5 yard td coming on the first play of the 4Q. That would be the final score of the game.

Houston had a 494-463 yard edge. Rice actually jumped out to a 13-7 lead. UH went 70/9pl and settled for a 24 yard FG to make it 13-10 with 5:36 left in the half and then drove 62/4pl for a td with :05 left for a 17-13 lead. In the 2H UH went 64/4pl and got a 28 yard td pass, 24-13, and after a 30 yard PR, went 39/4pl for a 32 yard td pass in the 4Q to lead 31-13. The game almost had a remarkable turnaround at the end. UH, leading 31-20, lined up for a 41 yard FG with 2:18 left. The FG was blocked and returned 62 yards for a td and Rice pulled within 5. Rice then recovered the onside kick and would get to the UH36 but fired incomplete on 4th & 4 with 1:11 left.

Maryland dominated West Virginia last week. In fact, at the half, they had 192-65 yard edge allowing just 2 FD’s. MD led 30-0 at the half but did have a 24 yard drive for a td after a fumbled PR and a 28 yard IR td to jump out to a 14-0 lead. They also settled for 36, 30 and 50 yard FG’s in the 2Q. MD added a td with 4:18 left for the 37-0 final and WV was held to 6 FD’s and 175 yards as MD is a perfect 4-0 and all 4 wins have been impressive. CJ Brown hit 16-25-217.

Baylor is the first FBS team since LSU in 1930 to open a season with 60+ points in 3 consecutive games. They are beginning to look like the Oregon of the Big 12. Bryce Petty, once again, completed just 18 passes and once again it was for nearly 20 yards a throw as he threw for 351 yards. ULM took some chances early and it cost them. On their opening drive they were SOD at the BU18 on 4th & 5. ULM was intercepted and returned 41 yards for a td, SOD on 4th & goal at the 5 and yielded a 63 yard IR td to trail 28-0. It was 49-7 at the half with BU having a 430-280 yard edge. BU had a 781-295 yard edge.

The big news out of the Florida game was that QB Jeff Driskel was injured and lost for the year. UF had a 382-220 yard edge vs Tennessee but only won by 14. Justin Worley was benched and Butch Jones gave rFr Nathan Peterman his first start. Peterman hit 4-11-5. Worley came off the bench in the 2H and UT’s offense was much improved. He hit 10-23-149. On the play Driskel was injured, he was intercepted and returned 62 yards for a td and UT led 7-0 and it was 7-3 early 3Q. UF got a 52 yard td run then took over with 3:40 left in the half and went 40/7pl for a td and a 17-7 lead. At half UF had a 199-31 yard edge. In the 2H they had 183 yards and UT 189. It was 17-10 when UF went 79/11pl and 84/11pl for td’s to lead 31-10 but UT went 79/7pl for a td, then was SOD at the UF24 with 2:29 left. Tyler Murphy hit 8-14-134 and ran for 10-84.

Michigan St came in with the nation’s #1 D and held Notre Dame to 220 yards as they had a 254-220 yard edge. Tommy Rees, who had 3 straight 300 yard games, was held to 14-34-142. Connor Cook hit 16-23-135 in the start. The Spartans blocked a punt on the first drive but missed a 30 yard FG. ND got a 41 yard FG to lead 3-0 after 1Q but missed a 37 yard FG. MSt went 79/14pl and got a td with 7:43 left in the 2Q to lead 7-3. The Irish took over with 3:00 left in the half and went for it on 4th & 1 at the 50 and converted and went 50/9pl for a td with :17 left in the half to lead 10-7. At the half ND had a 169-90 yard edge. MSt went 75/15pl but settled for a 25 yard FG. ND got a key interception on a trick pass from RJ Shelton and that turned the momentum as the Irish went 37/5pl for a td to lead. MSt went 51/10pl for a 42 yard FG to pull within 17-13. The next 5 possessions were punts and MSt brought Andrew Maxwell in off the bench at QB (own 33) and on 4th & 20, he ran for 8 yards out to his own 31 and the Irish got a FD and took a knee.

Memphis surprisingly had 329 yards rushing vs Arkansas St with Marquis Warford rushing for 173. The D also held an explosive ASt team to 255 yards. ASt QB Adam Kennedy hit 20-37-166 and Paxton Lynch for Memphis hit 17-26-176. Memphis was flat out dominant. In the 1H they had a 315-134 yard edge and led 24-7 and even went for it on 4th & goal at the AS1 with 1:25 left in the half and were sacked. They extended it to 31-7 after 3Q’s and ASt’s only two 2H threats ended on SOD’s at the M31 with 7:46 left in the 3Q and M45 with 4:01 left in the game.

Texas A&M didn’t show much of a letdown after their big game vs Alabama although statistically they only had 581-434 yard and 27-25 FD edges against SMU. Johnny Manziel hit 14-21-244 and led the team in rushing with 102 yards. Matt Joeckel and Kenny Hill combined to hit 5-14 passes for 72 yards playing from the 3Q on. Garrett Gilbert hit 37-62-310 for SMU. The Aggies went 52/5pl and 80/7pl on their first 2 drives to take a 14-0 lead then recovered a surprise onside kick but were intercepted at the SMU5. SMU got a 42 yard FG to make it 14-3 after 1Q but after A&M’s first punt, the Aggies went 74/11pl and 49/4pl for td’s to lead 26-3, then returned a fumble 12 yards for a td with 6:52 left, 32-3. It was 32-6 at the half with A&M having a 377-193 yard edge. Manziel led a 78/8pl td drive on the first drive of the 3Q to make it 39-6 and then sat out the rest of the game. The Mustangs were stuffed on a fake punt at their own 47, went 65/12pl and were SOD at the A&M5. Trailing 42-13 they were intercepted at the A&M13 with 8:21, and fumbled at the A&M41 with 4:28 left. A&M went 50/7pl taking a knee at the SMU9 at the end.

Texas Tech had a 552-240 yard edge over Texas St and for the second straight game starter Baker Mayfield was pulled. This time after 4 series with his last play being a 4th & 1 QB sneak that was stuffed at the TXS16 and TT only led 3-0. Mayfield hit 14-20-124 in his brief action. Frosh Davis Webb came off the bench and hit 19-43-310. TXSt had a 1st & goal at the 1 but on 4th & goal from the 3 fired incomplete with 6:49 left in the half. TT got a 9 yard FR td 1pl after the SOD and a 21 yard FG with :20 left in the lackluster 1H leading only 13-0. They did have a 281-85 yard edge. TXSt opened the 3Q with a 75/5pl drive and got a 49 yard td run to pull within 13-7 but TT recovered the surprise onside kick, went 44/5pl for a td then 75/9pl for a 27 yard FG to go up 23-7. TXSt was SOD at its own 24 going for it on 4th & 4 and that opened the flood gates. TT went 24/6pl, then 63/9pl for td’s, the final with 9:32 left for the 33-7 final.

I came away very impressed with Mississippi St in their game vs Auburn and last week they were a desperate team in need of wins and Dan Mullen usually puts the hammer down vs non-conference foes. Despite playing a solid Troy last week, those factors added up to a 62-7 rout. Dak Prescott continues to impress giving the Bulldogs a run/pass option at QB. Prescott ran 5-53 and hit 13-21-233. Tyler Russell had been cleared for contact for the game but Mullen opted to stick with the hot hand in Prescott. MSt’s underrated D, which earlier this year held Oklahoma St to 21 points, held Troy to just 11 FD’s and 186 yards while MSt rolled up 551. It was the most points the Bulldogs had scored in a game since 1994. MSt led 10-7 after 1Q. They dominated the 2Q scoring 5 td’s and they went 75/4pl for a td then Troy had a punt mishap on 4th & 4 and MSt took over at the 22 and got a Prescott 22 yard td on the next play, 22-7. They went 76/4pl, 64/7pl, and 61/3pl all for td’s the last with 1:00 left in the half to lead 45-7 with a 349-187 yard edge. MSt went 75/10pl, 53/11pl, 52/8pl and 56/8pl on their first four drives of the 2H, settling for 30 & 24 yard FG’s and 2 td’s to blow it open.

Week 4 News & Notes – Part 2
By Phil Steele

I would say that the Stanford/Arizona St game goes down as a misleading statistical game. Some may point out that ASt had 417-391 yard and 20-19 FD edge and it appeared close as they only lost by 14. All you have to do is watch the 1H of the game. SU absolutely dominated with a 256-103 yard edge and led 29-0 at the half. SU extended it after 3Q’s leading 39-7 in complete domination. ASt would go 73/5pl, 57/6pl, and 67/11pl getting 197 of their yards on 3 drives to pull back within 39-28 with 6:18 left. SU got a 24 yard FG with :31 left on a 40/10pl drive and ASt gained 31 yards on the final 2pl being intercepted for a touchback in the endzone on the last play from the SU43. Thanks to that big 2H Taylor Kelly finished 30-55-367 yards after having just 96 yards passing in the 1H

Miami, Fl lost starting QB Stephen Morris in the 1Q vs Savannah St to a sprained ankle after he hit 3-4-82. While Miami had an impressive 637-183 yard edge and 70 point win, let’s keep in mind that Sav St is a weak FCS member that this year has lost to Georgia Southern 77-9 and Troy 66-3. Last year they lost to Oklahoma St 84-0 and Florida St 55-0. Trailing 63-0 Sav St got a 75 yard td run with 1:56 left in the 3Q but UM would get an 88 yard KR td and then after an interception drove 21/2pl for a td for the 77-7 final. UM was even SOD on 4th & goal at the SS9 with 2:59 left.

Jeremy Hill appears to be back in good graces for LSU as he rushed a career high 184 yards and 3 td’s vs Auburn. LSU finished with a 457-437 yard edge but AU had a 21-16 FD edge. AU HC Malzahn was frustrated at the half but happy that the weather cleared up as he said they could finally utilize their pass game in the 2H. In the 1H LSU had a 21-0 lead and a 222-119 yard edge. AU’s best shots ended on a fumble on 4th & 1 at the LSU43 and they also fumbled at their own 10 setting up an LSU td. They were again SOD on 4th & 5 at the LSU42 in the 2Q. LSU still led 35-14 in the 4Q when AU drove 88/10 for a td. AU was intercepted at the LSU30 with 3:15 left and at the end of the game had a FD at the LSU4 but on 4th & goal from the 17 after a sack gained 5 yards with :35 left. Zach Mettenberger hit 14-22-229 and Nick Marshall 17-33-224. LSU did have a big game vs Georgia on deck.

In each of the last 2 years, after their big game vs LSU, Alabama had been in a flat spot and played poorly. Now off their big game vs Texas A&M, Bama was in a flat spot again, and once again did not dominate as many expected. Bama had a slim 338-279 yard edge and 16-13 FD edge vs a Colorado St team coached by their former OC Jim McElwain. Bama opted to sit WR’s Amari Cooper and Kevin Norwood, G Anthony Steen, CB Deion Belue and S Jarrick Williams. They also had a big game vs #21 Mississippi on deck. AJ McCarron did hit 20-26-258 while the Rams’ QB Garrett Grayson hit 24-38-228 vs that tough Bama D. Bama blocked a punt for a td early 2Q to take a 14-0 lead and had a 194-100 yard edge at the half leading 17-0. Colorado St settled for a 45 yard FG after a 9pl drive then went on a 12pl drive and settled for a 31 yard FG and pulled within 17-6. The Rams fumbled at their own 30 and Bama got a 30 yard td pass on the next play. With 1:13 left, backup QB Blake Sims hit a 14 yard td pass to extend the margin to 31-6.

Bobby Petrino gave true frosh QB Todd Porter his first start and played all 4 QB’s in the game vs Morgan St. Porter hit 5-10-64 with 1 int while WKU rolled up a 588-317 yard edge, the star was Antonio Andrews who rushed for 213 yards and his 5 td’s broke the school record for most rushing td’s in a single game. Petrino also said that backup QB Nelson Fishback has the best understanding of the offense next to Brandon Doughty so it may be a rotating group at QB. WKU got a 65 yard Andrews td run on the first play then after a 38 yard PR drove 35/5pl for a td then 59/2pl for a td and a 21-0 lead with 8:19 left in the 1Q. Porter was intercepted at the 12 and Morgan St drove 77/5pl for a td to pull within 21-7. Fishback had an 11 yard td run to cap the 79/7pl drive on the next series, 28-7 and after an interception, WKU went 36/4pl for a td then got a key play blocking a FG and returning it 70 yards for a td with 2:36 left in the half. WKU only had a 330-207 yard edge at the half but led 42-7. With Fishback in the game at the end they drove 63/11pl getting a td with 1:29 left for the 58-17 final.

Bethune-Cookman runs an option offense and has given some FBS foes some struggles including Miami, Fl who they’ve played much tougher than the final scores would indicate the last 2 years. Florida St finished with a 492-242 yard edge. FSU’s receivers entered the game without a single drop but had 3 or 4 during the game and Jameis Winston, who had more td’s than incompletions, had 9 incompletions for the game hitting just 10-19-148 leaving the game after the first series of the 3Q with the team up 40-0. Backup QB Jacob Coker led them 53/4pl and 63/6pl for td’s on his first 2 series for a 54-6 lead after 3Q’s and FSU had just 1 FD on their final 3 drives with the backups in.

In the battle for the Victory Bell it’s amazing that Miami, OH had a grand total of 4 FD’s and 87 yards offense while Cincinnati had 24 FD’s and 369 yards yet the Bearcats only won by 14. Perhaps Miami’s best play was an 84 yard punt which changed field position and kept UC in their own territory. Despite UC having a 170-86 yard edge at the half, they were intercepted at the MU17 late in the 1H and the game was scoreless. UC fumbled on their first 3Q possessions, missed a 38 yard FG and had a 36 yard FG blocked on their first three 2H possessions before finally taking the lead on a 79/16pl drive for a td with 4:55 left. After an interception, UC went 21/5pl for another td with 2:05 left. The RedHawks went for it on 4th & 17 at their own 9 and were SOD but UC only got down to the 6 taking a knee. MU had a grand total of 1 yard in the 2H.

Old Dominion escaped The Citadel with a 1 point win. Citadel had a 566-542 yard edge and there were a couple of interesting points here. Citadel led 28-14 with 6:38 left in the half. ODU got a td with 4:20 left after a 75/8pl drive and then Citadel fumbled on its next play and ODU got a 13 yard td run on the very next play to make it 28-28. Citadel went 65/11pl and got a 27 yard FG to lead 31-28 in the half and had a 315-226 yard edge. ODU got a 3 yard td run with 4:37 left in the 3Q to take a 41-38 lead then onside kicked and recovered and went 52/5pl for a td. They onside kicked and recovered again, this time getting a 52 yard FG for a 51-38 lead. Citadel converted twice on 4th down on the next drive which went 75/16pl for a td to pull within 6 and ODU fumbled at its own 30 and Citadel got a td for the lead, 52-51 with 4:21 left. ODU got a 70 yard td pass with 3:42 left to take the lead, 59-52. Citadel recovered another surprise onside kick, this time at the ODU38. This time they got a 23 yard td pass and when they went for 2, Ben Dupree looked like he was headed for the endzone and the win but a great tackle at the half yard line stopped them short and ODU held on for victory.

Akron was off its big game vs Michigan and a couple of times Louisiana appeared on its way to a rout. UL got a td with 9:51 left in the 2Q to lead 14-0 but UA got a 77 yard td pass and drove 69/6pl for a td to tie 14-14. With :36 left to go in the half, UL was at the UA15 yard line when they opted to go for it on 4th down, passing up the FG and they came up short getting no points out of the drive. UL had a 223-189 yard edge at the half. The lead changed hands four times in the 2H but UL took the lead 28-24 with 8:07 left then surprised UA with an onside kick and recovered. They went 54/5pl for a td with 6:19 left for an 11 point lead. UA missed a 46 yard FG on 4th & 9 with 3:49 left but UL threw an interception. UA was at the UL32, but missed a 48 yard FG on 4th & 5 with 2:33 left. UL punted with just 1:32 left and UA25 went 75/7pl and got a 28 yard td pass with :29 left saw them only lose by 5 (2ptng). UL recovered the onside kick. Terrance Broadway hit 25-37-305 and rushed for 68 while Kyle Pohl hit 27-43-321.

Last year Rutgers’ Gary Nova threw for 397 yards and 5 td’s vs Arkansas. This year he hit 22-43-346, but most of his yards came in the 4Q with RU way down. Fortunately for the Knights, they managed to pull off the huge comeback win as he had over 250 yards passing in the 4Q. UA QB Brandon Allen missed the game with an injury and AJ Derby hit 14-26-137. UA’s outstanding RB tandem of Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who had each topped 100 in the first 3 games, was limited to 63 and 25 respectively. UA was fortunate to have a 10-0 lead late 1H as RU fumbled at the A19 and had a 32 yard FG blocked. UA did settle for a 41 yard FG but got a 26 yard IR td. RU took over with 5:05 left at its own 32 and on 4th & 4 got a 16 yard pass to the A19. Their td with :39 left pulled them within 10-7 and RU had 15-4 FD and 208-103 yard edges at the half. UA opened the 3Q with a 75/10pl drive for a td then, after recovering a fumble, got a 21 yard td pass and was fully in command up 24-7 mid-3Q. The Scarlet Knights punted on their next 2 possessions but the game started to turn when RU got a 58 yard PR td with 2:14 left in the 3Q and the crowd sensed the comeback. RU still punted on its next possession but then went 98/6pl and got a 33 yard td pass with 9:55 left. A 47 yard PR set up RU at the A33 and 6pl later they got the td for the improbable lead, 28-24 with 5:18 left. UA got 2 FD’s and opted to punt on 4th & 24 with 2:48 left. RU got 1 FD and was able to run the clock.

Both of Penn St’s games vs MAC foes this year have followed the same MO. Christian Hackenberg hit just 13-35-176 but PSU’s D did hold a previously hot Kent St QB Colin Reardon to 12-28-100 yards. Rain fell for much of the afternoon on a sloppy day. Earlier in the season when PSU played EMU, they were far from dominant in the first 2.5Q’s of play but then put it away in the final 1.5Q’s. Here, Penn St did have 27-9 FD edge and 463-190 yard edges and in the 1H had an 87/9pl and 82/10pl drives for td’s and led 14-10 at the half with a 216-81 yard edge. PSU was SOD at the K38, intercepted at its own 46 then punted on its first 3 possessions of the 3Q. Once again, in the final 1.5Q’s they took over. The Nittany Lions went 51/9pl for a td with 4:53 left in the 3Q, 72/10pl for a 25 yard FG, 83/12pl capped by a 1 yard td run, then after a kick/catch interference penalty on their next drive drove 10 yards and Sam Ficken nailed a 54 yard FG with 2:45 left for the 34-0 final.

San Diego St gave Quinn Kaehler his first start and he did well hitting 16-25-251 yards. This situation greatly favored SDSt as they were off a bye while Oregon St had just played a Pac-12 game on the road vs Utah where they needed OT to win and now were traveling again. Sean Mannion hit 38-55-365 yards and OSU did have a 377-325 yard edge but this one appeared hopeless for Oregon St late in the game. At the half SDSt led 24-14 with a 248-177 yard edge. Leading 27-21, SDSt recovered a fumble at the OSU32. They would get a 30 yard FG to go up 2 scores with 5:18 left in the game, 30-21. OSU went 81/10pl getting a td with 2:40 left and kicked off deep to SDSt. The Aztecs, on 2nd & 19, were intercepted and returned 16 yards for a td and just like that the Beavers, who had led for a total of :19 (14-7), had the lead. SDSt was intercepted at the 50 on its final drive.

Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch had 424 yards offense hitting 21-30-235 and 189 yards rushing. He finally got some help in the run game as Cameron Stingily rushed for 21-134. Lynch, however, was outdone by Eastern Illinois QB Jimmy Garoppolo who hit 34-49-450 yards although he did have -22 yards rushing as he only beat Lynch by 4 total yards offense. NIU won its 22nd straight home game, the longest streak in the nation. Things didn’t look good early. EIU went for it on 4th & 3 on its first drive and went 75/9 for a td then, after NIU fumbled the KO, got a 43 yard td pass for a 13-0 lead. Leading 20-6, the Panthers went for it on 4th & 8 at the NI36 and were intercepted and NIU went 96/8pl for a td to get back in it, 20-13. EIU had a bad snap on the punt setting up NIU for a 40/2pl drive, 20-20. NIU took over with 4:12 left in the half and went 80/14pl and on 4th & goal from the 1, opted for the 18 yard FG and a 23-20 lead. They only had a 277-273 yard edge. It was a wild 2H with the teams scoring almost every possession and EIU went 75/7pl for a 10 yard td pass with 9:53 left, 39-36. NIU went 62/4pl for a td with 8:25 left to retake the lead 43-39. EIU opted to punt on 4th & 12 with 5:04 left and NIU converted on 3rd & 1, 3rd & 7 and 3rd & 11 for FD’s to the EI16 where they took a knee. NIU had a slim 602-577 yard edge.

BYU’s Taysom Hill, the star of the Texas win, hit 9-23 before half and finished 18-48-260 with 99 yards rushing vs Utah. BYU did finish with 443-402 yard and 24-16 FD edges. RB Jamaal Williams was injured before the half after 52 yards rushing and did not return after a helmet-to-helmet collision. Utah got a 65 yard run by Bubba Poole at the end of the 1Q to set up a 36 yard FG to lead 3-0 then went 64/9pl for a 32 yard FG to lead 6-0 mid-2Q. BYU missed a 34 yard FG with 5:39 left in the half. Utah took over with 2:39 left in the half and got a 74 yard pass to Dres Anderson down to the 1 and a td on the next play made it 13-0. Thanks to those 2 big plays, Utah had a 312-212 yard edge at the half. BYU went 68/9pl and 61/13pl on their first two 3Q possessions but settled for 32 and 31 yard FG’s and still trailed 13-6. Utah went 79/12pl for a 2 yard td pass with 12:44 left, 20-6. BYU got a 58 yard PR down to the UU13 but on 4th & 4 fired incomplete. BYU took over with 7:09 left and went 44/6pl getting a 1 yard td run to pull within 7 with 5:13 left. The Cougars got it back at their 38, got 2 FD’s but on 4th & 13 Hill was intercepted at the UU17 with 1:37 left. BYU forced a punt with :32 left and took over at its 48 but on 4th & 10 fired incomplete.

It surprised me a little to see UTSA favored at UTEP but they finished with 19-14 FD and 385-218 yard edges. UTEP got a 100 yard KR td and took its first drive 52/16pl but settled for a 28 yard FG and led 10-7 after 1Q. UTSA went 80/8pl and 64/10pl for a td and a FG to lead 18-10. Then on their next possession they took over with 2:09 left and got a 53 yard pass and on the second play a 17 yard td pass, 25-10. At half UTSA had a 298-71 yard edge. UTEP went on a 66/13pl drive but settled for a 24 yard FG at the end of the 3Q, 25-13. UTEP punted, then was SOD at the UTSA23 with 8:30 left. UTSA went 77/10pl getting a 17 yard td run with 2:45 left for the 32-13 rout.

Mack Brown said during the week that Texas still had a shot a the Big 12 Title game but of course, entered under extreme pressure. David Ash hit 14-25-166 vs Kansas St but was re-injured and missed the 2H. UT appeared to have this one in control throughout but at times it was close. UT had a 452-390 yard edge. UT took its 2nd drive 75/18pl and settled for a 27 yard FG which was the problem they had last week vs Mississippi – settling for too many FG’s in the 1H. They then got a 63 yard td pass to Kendal Sanders on the next drive to make it 10-0. After 1 punt, UT went 76/11pl for a 21 yard td run to make it 17-0. KSt would go 82/4pl capped by a 15 yard td run with 1:01 left to get back in it at 17-7 and UT had a 264-175 yard edge. UT opened the 3Q with a 56/7pl drive for a td, and a 37/11pl drive but missed a 45 yard FG, 24-7 (4:16 3Q). KSt went 72/14pl for a td and UT went 66/11pl for a td, 31-14 (9:11). KSt went 74/6pl on its next drive for a 1 yard td run, 31-21. KSt got a 52 yard pass to Tyler Lockett down to the 11 but on 1st & goal from the 7, fumbled. KSt forced a punt and got a 40 yard PR to the UT11 with 1:26 left but on 3rd & 23 was sacked and fumbled. Case McCoy hit 5-9-59 in the 2H and UT finished with a 452-390 yard edge.

UNLV had a 424-338 yard edge vs Western Illinois. Caleb Herring hit 14-20-140. UNLV punted on its first possession but after a short punt, went 46/5pl for a td to lead 7-0. WIU went on a 55/10pl drive but was SOD at the 20 and UNLV went 54/10pl for a 43 yard FG, 10-0. WIU went 57/12pl but on 4th & 1 was SOD at the UNLV18. UNLV led 17-0 at the half but with only a 200-158 yard edge. UNLV opened the 3Q with a 75/8pl drive for a td then after an interception, went 27/2pl for a td, 31-0. The Leathernecks went 61/5pl getting a 3rd & 9 td with 2:07 left in the 3Q, 31-7. UNLV punted but on its next drive went 58/5pl for a 4th & 1, 16 yard td run to ice it, 38-7. The Rebels last drive went 57/9pl and they got a FD at the 6 where the game ended.

Michigan had a close escape vs Akron the previous week and almost every player on the team vowed that they would come out with a vengeance vs Connecticut. Paul Pasqualoni almost got the win to get him off the hotseat. UM was intercepted at the UC23 on its first drive, but the Wolverines’ 2nd drive went 69/11pl capped by a 3rd & 12 17 yard td run, 7-0. The next 6 possessions were punts then UC went 56/8pl and on 3rd & gl got an 11 yard td pass to tie it at 7. UM fumbled the punt on its own 9 and UC got a 7 yard td pass with 1:47 left to lead 14-7 and UC did have a 128-120 yard edge. On 3rd & 1 Devin Gardner tried a sneak and fumbled and UC returned it 34 yards for a td and UC led 21-7. UM got to 21-14 with 5:37 left in the 3Q and UC missed a 46 yard FG with 1:14 left. UM went 49/10pl but on 4th & 2 gained 1 yard to the UC22. However, UC was intercepted 3pl later and returned to the 12 and Fitzgerald Toussaint’s 12 yard td run tied it at 21. UM got a 24 yard PR and, starting at the UC40 with 8:11 left, got 2 FD’s and a 21 yard FG for the lead with 4:36 left. On 4th & 30 UC gained 26 yards on their last gasp to the UM41. Gardner hit 11-23-97 with 2 interceptions and Chandler Whitmer 16-32-159.

Washington St’s hot start to the season continued as they dominated Idaho. On the Cougars 2nd possession they got a 3rd & 6, 43 yard td pass to lead 7-0. They punted and were intercepted on their next 2 possessions but then went 64/10pl for a td, 14-0 (8:11). UI fumbled at its own 20 and WSt got a 20 yard td pass on the next play, 21-0 (5:01 2Q). WSt then took over with 3:36 left in the half, went 60/8pl for a td with :19 left, 28-0 and had a 222-789 yard edge. WSt went 73/7pl but was intercepted in the endzone. UI, however, returned it out to the 1 and on 4th & 2 went for it from its own 20 and was stopped. WSt went the short field for the td, 35-0. UI went on a 10pl drive and missed a 45 yard FG and WSt went 72/10pl for a td, 42-0 (8:07). UI took over and would go on an 82/16pl drive to try to break the shutout. They converted on 4th & 4 with a PI and had a 1st & goal at the 2. Leach brought his starters back in to hold on to the shutout and they did, stuffing them on 4th & 1. Petrino was not happy about that after which made for an awkward handshake.

Last year Wyoming’s Dave Christensen got into a shouting match with Troy Calhoun at the end of the game and it earned him a one game suspension and a $50,000 fine. You know this game vs Air Force was important to Christensen this year and Brett Smith made sure he left happy. Smith hit an outstanding 35-41-373 and also rushed for 138 yards. It was Wyoming’s highest scoring output ever vs Air Force and they’ve been playing since 1957. AF has now lost 7 of their last 9, the worst stretch under Calhoun and UW had 34-24 FD and 622-473 yard edges. Things opened up solid for the Falcons as they went 75/6pl on their first drive for a td, 59/9pl for a 33 yard FG on their 2nd and led 10-7. On their 3rd possession they were stuffed on 4th & 1 at the UW34. Two plays later UW got a 61 yard td pass for the lead and then went 89/9pl, and 36/7pl (after a fumble) to go up 28-10. It was 42-17 at half as UW got a 10 yard td pass with :06 left. UW had a 454-258 yard edge. The Cowboys’ first punt came with 3:30 left 3Q. AF was SOD at the UW8 with 14:57 left trailing 49-17. Each team drove for a td with UW getting one with 8:13 left and the 56-23 final.

UCLA’s home crowd waved blue towels and wore t-shirts with “36” on it to honor Nick Pasquale who was tragically killed 2 weeks ago. The Bruins also honored Pasquale by running their first play with only 10 men. UCLA has scored 50 points in consecutive home games for the first time since 1973. UCLA finished with a 692-333 yard edge and Brett Hundley hit 23-35-280. It wasn’t a blowout all the way as UCLA only led 7-0 after 1Q. They went 80/8pl for a td to start the 2Q then after an interception, went 23/4pl for a td to make it 21-0. They got a 20 yard PR with 1:40 left in the half setting up a 42/4pl td drive to make it 31-0 and New Mexico St had a 49 yard FG blocked. At the half UCLA, despite leading 31-0, only had a 299-167 yard edge. UCLA was intercepted in the endzone from the NMSt15 to open the 3Q but then went 87/14pl, 55/3pl for td’s to lead 45-0. They then traded td’s on the next 4 possessions with UCLA getting one with 4:38 left to close the scoring, 59-13. UCLA’s last drive did start with 3:09 left at its own 46 and they got to the 1 where they took a knee.

Gary Pinkel got his 93rd win at Missouri tying Dan Devine for the 2nd most wins in school history, trailing only Don Faurot who has 101. James Franklin hit 32-47-343 vs Indiana. Nate Sudfeld hit 21-39-229 but it was Tre Roberson who saw the majority of the action in the 4Q. Indiana had been averaging 50 points per game but was held to 28. Missouri had a 623-475 yard edge. MU’s first drive ended on an int at the IU4. Their 2nd went 69/9pl for a td, the 3rd ended on an interception at the 1, the 4th was a 50/6pl for a td while MU’s D forced punts on IU’s first 4 drives. MU fumbled at the IU41 and the Hoosiers went 59/9pl for a td to make it 14-7. It was 21-14 and IU had the ball threatening to tie when Sudfeld was intercepted and returned 49 yards for a td with 1:57 left in the half to make it 28-14. At half MU had a 363-224 yard edge. After a surprising 3 punts to open the 4Q, MU went 61/9pl for a 31 yard FG. There were 3 more punts and MU went 77/8pl for a td to make it 38-14. Sudfeld returned but IU was intercepted and returned 19 yards but MU missed a 39 yard FG. Roberson hit a 68 yard td pass with 11:24 left. MU punted but then drove 76/8pl for a td with 2:14 left to make it 45-20. After all of the turnovers inside the redzone, my Inside the Pressbox High Scoring Game of the Week caught a break when IU went 75/9pl and Roberson scored a 3 yard td run with :10 left.

Here’s a surprising stat for you: Did you know that Hawaii actually had a 20-10 FD edge vs Nevada and 376-340 yard edge despite losing 31-9? UH lost starting QB Taylor Graham to injury in the 1H and would use 4 different QB’s with Graham hitting 9-15-77, Sean Schroeder 8-14-74 and 2 int, Jeremy Higgins 5-11-51 and Ikaika Woolsey 2-5-41. UH went on a 53/13pl drive but settled for a 28 yard FG. On the Warriors next drive they were SOD at the UN28 and UN went 75/6pl and 72/6pl for td’s and the lead. It was 17-9 at half with UN having a 244-232 yard edge. Schroeder was intercepted and UN drove 12 yards for a td to start the 3Q. UH missed a 47 yard FG, was intercepted at the UN34 and then UN got a 2 yard FR td with 10:25 left to extend it to 31-9. UH had a 1st & goal at the 9 but was sacked and fumbled, was intercepted at the UN6 and intercepted at the UN35 on their final 3 drives.

Clemson did not look like the #3 ranked team in the country vs NC State in the Thursday game. They finished with a slim 415-378 yard edge and the game really changed on a ref call. NCSt led 7-6 late in the 2Q when CU went for it on 4th & 1 and converted at the NCS11 and got an 11 yard td pass on the next play with 2:23 left in the half to lead 13-7. CU, which came in averaging 45 points, was held to 26. NC had knocked off #3 FSU at home the previous year. The key play I spoke of happened mid-3Q. NCSt had a FD at its own 17. They ran a WR reverse to Bryan Underwood who raced 83 yards for a td. The ref ruled he stepped OOB at the CU47 but he clearly stayed in bounds the entire time but since the whistle had blown, it was not reviewable. Three plays later on 3rd & 10, Thomas was sacked and fumbled and CU went 48/5pl getting a 30 yard td pass to go up 20-7, basically a 14 point swing as they would have trailed 14-13 with the td. CU did open it up to 26-7 and NCSt had shades of last year’s FSU game where they converted on 4th down six times in the 2H. NCSt went on an 84/23pl drive where they converted on 4th & 10, 4th & 6, 4th & 10 and 4th & 6 and on 3rd & goal got a 4 yard td run with 3:50 left to only lose by 12. CU recovered the onside kick and on 4th & 7 from the NCSt22 passed up a FG which would have put them more than 14 points ahead and Roderick McDowell was tackled for a 4 yard loss with :36 left. NCSt was intercepted at the CU17 on the final play.

Boise St had dominated this series ever since they upset then-#8 Fresno St back in 2001. Boise had won 11 of 12 meetings with their only loss coming in ‘05. Derek Carr hit 39-60-460 yards and Joe Southwick hit 31-45-315. The 1H was competitive and FSU led 24-16 getting a 4 yard td pass with 2:28 left in the half. The Broncos went 64/13pl and got a 32 yard FG to pull within 24-19. FSU got the ball to open the 2H and opened with a 79/12pl drive for a td. Boise was SOD on 4th & 1 at the FSU21, fumbling after getting a FD and FSU went 68/10pl and took a 34-19 lead. The Broncos then got a 58 yard KR setting up a 35 yard td run. Boise went 89/13pl and got a td with 8:28 left but failed the 2 point conversion and trailed 34-32. FSU did not recover the squib KO and Boise fell on it at the FS32 and Southwick’s 1 yard td run 4pl later put the Broncos ahead 40-34 with 7:04 left. FSU went 87/13pl and got a 1 yard td run with 2:14 left and Boise, on 4th & 6 at the FSU49, had a dropped pass and FSU took a knee. Boise had 32-27 FD and 561-522 yard edges. Now, if the two meet in the MW Title game, FSU will be a home.