News and Notes Week 10 Part 1
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com
With 4:51 left in the 1H Florida St not only led 28-0, they had a 214-16 yd edge and Boston College had 0 FD. BC got a TD early 3Q then gave up a 47 yd FG and Florida St was then SOD at the BC5 but after an int, FSU drove 36/6pl for a TD with 10:16 left, 38-7. Luke Kuechly had 20 tkls and BC clinched their first losing season since 1998 and was eliminated from bowl contention.
There have been some fine QB’s at USC but Matt Barkley set a school record with 6 TD passes with 3 other USC QB’s at one time having 5. Colorado did have a couple of blown opportunities as they had 31 and 37 yd FG’s blk’d and settled for a 30 yd FG after a 1st & gl at the 8. It was 35-17 with 11:19 left when USC drove 66/9pl incl a 4&3 conversion to the CU31 and they got a 19 yd TD pass with 7:06 left for Barkley’s 6th TD. USC’s final drive did go 71/8pl and the game ended at the CU16.
Scott McCummings who has been used mainly as a running QB for Connecticut took over in the 4Q and his option-style change of pace running guided to the 7 pt win over Syracuse. CT amazingly turned the ball over 5 times in the 1H getting inside the SU32 on the first 5 drives but it was just 7-7 at the half due to the TO’s. The Orange were forced to stay in a hotel an hour away from the stadium due to a power outage in East Hartford.
Marcus Coker ran for 132 yds vs Michigan and Iowa led as much as 24-9 but had to survive at the end. UM got a TD with 7:53 left to pull within 24-16 and Iowa punted 2x, the latter with 2:15 left. UM got to a 1st & gl at the 3, but a pass caught in the back of the EZ was ruled OOB then on 4&3 the pass was broken up on the final play of the game.
One week after a solid game vs Wisconsin, Braxton Miller hit just 5-11-55. He had a scintillating 81 yd QB draw for a TD on 2&12 which put Ohio St up 10-7. With the game tied at 20, they faced a 3rd & gl at the 20 and Miller’s 20 yd TD run on a QB draw gave them the lead, 27-20. Indiana was int’d with 4:07 left and OSU drove 58/4pl for a TD with 2:41 left to finally get some breathing room, 34-20. IU actually took the game’s opening drive 42/11pl for a 35 yd FG then after a fumble drove 41/6pl for a 10-0 lead.
Texas frosh Joe Bergeron ran for 195 yds and 3 TD’s. UT ran for 439 yds vs Texas Tech. UT’s top rusher, Malcolm Brown, was sidelined with a toe injury and top WR Jaxon Shipley had a knee injury. UT led 31-6 at the half and 52-13 when TT went 74/12pl for a garbage TD with 1:01 left.
Florida led Vanderbilt 17-0 at the half and could have been up by more as they had a 277-119 yd edge. A key play happened on their first series when on 3&1 they got a 39 yd pass which appeared to be for a TD but fmbl’d for a TB. They also missed a FG. Jordan Rodgers came to life in the 2H and hit 19-28-297 on the day. VU got a TD with 10:54 left to pull within 20-14 but UF took over with 5:59 left and went 94/8pl for a TD with 2:13 left and missed the 2 pt conv, 26-14. VU went 80/5pl and got a TD with 1:16 left but UF rec’d the onside kick.
Virginia became bowl eligible for the first time since 2007 and dominated Maryland with a 527-353 yd edge. MD suffered their 5th straight loss. It was the Terps’ FHG and 16 seniors were honored. UVA ret’d the opening KO 48 yds and on the first play got a 47 yd TD run but only led 14-13 at the half. UVA drove 94/13pl for a TD then after an int went 66/7pl for a TD and after a punt went 69/7pl for a FG and a commanding 31-13 lead at the start of the 4Q and rolled.
NC State came in ranked in the bottom half of the ACC in defensive stats but held Giovani Bernard to 47 yards on 18 carries and knocked North Carolina QB Bryn Renner out of the game at the end of the 3Q. It was NCSt’s first shutout in over 5 decades vs their rival and the 1st time NCSt had won 5 straight over UNC since 1988-92. The win came after HC’s O’Brien and Withers traded verbal jabs about graduation rates and the NCAA investigation of UNC during the week. NCSt had a 290-165 yd edge. At the half NCSt finished with a 230-32 yd edge and UNC was int’d at the NCSt goal line to open the 3Q and in their only other shots in the 2H they were SOD at the NCSt23 and int’d at the UNC42.
Georgia was without 3 susp’d RB’s and Aaron Murray only played the 1H but UGA jumped out to a 49-3 HT lead and rolled to a 63-16 win over New Mexico St. Later, after South Carolina lost to Arkansas, UGA found out it controls its own destiny to get to the SEC Title Game.
Louisville was overlooked in the Big 12 expansion for West Virginia and dealt WV’s Big East Title hopes a setback. WV had a 533-351 yd edge. The key play happened at 24-21 when WV lined up for a 23 yd FG. UL blk’d it and ret’d it 82 yds for a TD for a 31-21 lead. UL extended it to 38-28 with 1:50 left but WV got a TD with :42 left but UL rec’d the onside kick. Teddy Bridgewater hit 21-27-246 yds and WV went scoreless in the 3Q for the first time all season.
The two teams who might be playing in the Big Ten Title game (Michigan St and Ohio St) both struggled vs overmatched foes and the weakest 2 teams in the B10. MSU was off their crushing loss to Nebraska but actually regained the top spot in the division as both Michigan and Nebraska lost. They actually trailed 14-7 and got a TD with :04 left in the half to lead 21-17. Minnesota went back ahead 24-21 and MSU tied it with 14:49 left and then got a 35 yd Bell TD run with 10:58 left for the lead. UM’s last 2 drives ended on an SOD on 4&10 at the MSU48 with 4:12 left and they got to the MSU45 and were int’d at the 23 with :09 left. UM had a 415-402 yd edge.
TCU won their Mt West record 21st straight league game and tied the league record with consecutive road wins with 11. TCU finished with a 617-353 yd edge and had to overcome 5 TO’s and trailed 20-17 late 3Q when they drove 80/10pl for a TD and the lead. TCU got a 74 yd James run to the 8 to set up another TD with 13:20 left, 31-20. TCU fumbled’ at the Wyoming7 and surprisingly on 4&14 with 2:01 left in the game, down by 11 pts, WY opted to punt and it went 40 yds and TCU ran the clock out.
At the half SMU had a 31-0 lead and 296-61 yd edge and was dominant. The Mustangs fumbled the opening snap of the 3Q and Tulane ret’d it for a TD. After another 18 yd punt drove 20 yds for a 43 yd FG and after an 18 yd punt went 47/7pl for a TD to get back to 31-17. Trailing 38-24 they were SOD at the SMU26 and SMU got a TD with 1:39 left for the 21 pt margin.
Navy earned their biggest halftime lead since 2006 with a 385-109 yd edge vs Troy and led the game 35-0. QB Kriss Proctor was doubtful coming in but did start and played most of the game.
Montee Ball rushed for a career high 232 yds with 3 TD’s for Wisconsin. Purdue’s Raheem Mostert had 5 KR’s for 206 yds keeping PU in the game early but UW had 605-285 yd and 30-14 FD edges. The Badgers had 425 yds at the half and led 38-17.
In the 1H vs Air Force, Army had a 286-81 yd HT edge but only led 14-0. They were SOD on 4&1 and fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB and could have easily been up 28-0. AF rallied to tie it at 14 then the key play happened when Army faked a punt on 4&6 and they snapped it to the upman who pitched it back to Allen who never got a handle on the pitch and AF rec’d at the Army14 and got a TD 4pl later to lead 21-14 and never trailed again. Army fumbled at their own 19 setting up an AF FG and was int’d with 3:53 left. Army finished with a 366-301 yd edge.
Zach Maynard was almost benched during the week but hit 10-17-118 and Cal dominated Washington St as at the half they had a 243-55 yd edge and led 23-0 and extended it to 30-0 when WSU rec’d a fumble and drove 17 yds for a TD with 13:38 left.
The wind was a big factor for Oklahoma as they were playing with legitimate revenge vs Texas A&M and off their first home loss in 39 games. OU appeared in control at 13-3 when A&M got a 79 yd pass on 3&9 with 1:39 left in the half which gave them the yardage edge at the half, 208-180 and pulled them within 13-10. OU had the wind at their backs in the 3Q and took advantage driving 31 yds (after 34 yd punt), 28 yds (after int), 69 yds and 34 yds (after int) for TD’s and a dominating 41-10 lead. A&M got a couple of late TD’s, one with 9:49 left then drove 95/9pl for a garbage TD with 2:37 left to make the final score respectable. The key news for OU is that the FBS’s #1 all-time rec’r, Ryan Broyles, tore his ACL and is out for the year and remember last week, OU lost its top rusher RB Whaley.
Tennessee had just taken on 4 top 10 D’s but last week took on my #118 rated D in Middle Tenn and rolled up 411 yards in their 24-0 win. Each team was SOD inside the other’s 20 twice in the game incl Tenn with 1:26 left on 4&5 at the MT 19.
Houston moved to 9-0 for the first time ever after having been 8-0 in 1979 and 1990. Case Keenum became the career leading passer in college football passing up Timmy Chang’s 17,072. It happened with 6:00 left in the 3Q on a 16 yd pass to Justin Johnson. UH only led 21-10 at the half and was up 42-13 when they got a 52 yd IR TD with 8:06 left and bkp QB Turner guided a drive with 5:00 left and UH ended at the UAB35 running out the clock.
Tough loss for USF vs Rutgers. In the 1H they had a 158-87 yd edge and led 10-0. USF fmbl’d the punt at their 12 setting up an RU FG. USF went on a 16 play drive but missed a 47 yd FG. USF appeared to ice it with a TD with 7:38 left which put them up 17-3 but RU got a 98 yd KR TD with 7:25 left. Two poss later RU converted on 4&9 with an 11 yd pass to the USF45 and would get a TD with 1:01 left to tie it. USF’s final drive got to the 10 yd line where they lined up for the game winning 27 yd FG but missed it. In OT USF was int’d and RU got a 37 yd FG.
Missouri was SOD twice deep in Baylor terr and led 14-13 at the half but trailed 42-25 after an 80 yd run by Ganaway. MO drove 80/11pl for a TD with 3:55 left and 87/7pl for a TD with 1:59 left but BU rec’d the onside kick and finished with a 697-578 yd edge which was much wider prior to those final 2 drives.
Arkansas had a frustrating 1H vs South Carolina. They had a dominating 253-43 yd edge but settled for FG’s of 44, 45 and 29 yds and missed 2 of them. Also, QB Wilson was trying to throw the ball away and threw it right to DT Taylor who ret’d it 48 yds for a TD. Also at the end of the half, Ark on 3&10 had a wide open TD pass dropped and settled for the FG and missed it. SC got as close as 24-21 and 30-28 (10:30 4Q) but the Hogs pulled out to 44-28 lead. In the 2H was SOD on 4&gl at the 2 and on 4&1 at the SC29 and finished with a 435-207 yd edge.
Basically in Utah games, whoever has the TO advantage usually wins and wins big. Arizona had a 457-332 yd edge but Utah had a 3-0 TO edge and won by 13. At half Utah led 20-7 despite UA having a 212-191 yd edge. On top of the 3-0 TO edge, Utah also blk’d 2 punts so it was like having 5 TO’s. The most crucial TO happened at 27-14 when UA had a 1st & gl at the 2, were int’d in the EZ and ret’d 57 yds.
Texas Tech upset Oklahoma and the next week suffered a huge upset to Iowa St. Iowa St off their upset win, almost lost to Kansas. KU led 7-3 but had a 49 yd FG blk’d and then missed a 46 yd FG and then fmbl’d at the ISU14 all in the 1H. It was an almost identical situation to the previous year where KU had the yardage edge and should have had a significant 1H lead. This time they had a 178-169 yd edge and actually trailed 10-7. KU went for it on 4&1 at the 6 and got a FD to the 4 but then surprisingly opted for a 19 yd FG on 4&gl at the 1 to tie it at 10. KU punted with 11:46 and 9:12 left and ISU went on a 63/12pl drive for a 42 yd FG with 4:30 left. KU opted to punt on 4&11 with 2:37 left and ISU got 2 FD’s and escaped.
Nebraska was off their big win over Michigan St and was a huge favorite. At the half Northwestern led 7-3 but Nebraska had a 181-160 yd edge as they fmbl’d at the N’wstrn6. NW had leads of 14-3 and 21-10 and Neb got within 21-18 with 8:55 left but NW went 66/13pl for a 1yd TD run with 1:34 left to put it away. Neb got a TD with :18 left for the final score which helped them finish with a 468-411 yd edge.
Miami scored on all four 1H poss and had a 300-106 yd edge but Duke, trailing 35-14 was SOD at the UM14, int’d at their own 27 and UM drove 27/2pl for a TD and then Duke fumbled at their own 21 and UM drove 21/4pl for a 6 yd TD run with 5:23 left to put the game at its final.
Stanford has played by the same MO for most of the year. It was close in the 3Q vs Oregon St. In fact, there were a couple of key plays. Late in the 1H SU had a 4 yd pass which was fumbled and ret’d for a TD but a personal foul call on a hit to the WR wiped it out. Later, OSU on 3&11 got a 31 yd screen pass deep int’d in SU terr but a holding call wiped it out. At the time they trailed just 17-13. SU got a 27 yd TD pass with 2:40 left in the quarter then after rec’ing a fmbl went 24/3pl for a TD then with a 95/13pl drive for an 8 yd TD run with 6:07 left. OSU got to the SU22 with 4:42 left. SU did finish with a 507-285 yd edge despite playing in a huge situational disadvantage coming off a triple OT win vs USC with Oregon on deck.
Idaho scored a TD with 9:57 left to pull within 22-17 of San Jose then got a TD and 2pt with 3:59 left, 25-22. Idaho got the ball back and on 3&5 ripped off a 70 yd run to the 10. SJ used their last time-out but thanks to the long run, ID was able to tuck in a TD with 1:49 left and then SJS went 76/3pl getting a 47 yd TD pass with 1:08 left and had ID got just gotten a FD they likely would have run out the clock.
News and Notes Week 10 Part 2
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com
Tough loss for Alabama to LSU. Bama’s first possession got to the LSU27 but they missed a 44 yd FG. Bama’s 2nd poss got to the LSU23 but they lost 10 yds then missed a 50 yd FG. Bama got to the LSU24 but they lost 7 yds and brought in their short kicker to attempt a 49 yd’r but it was blk’d. Bama got to the LSU17 but settled for a 34 yd FG to lead 3-0. At this point Bama had a 181-55 yd edge but only led 3-0 and LSU, thanks to an offsides on 3&1 and a defensive holding on an incomplete pass on 3&4, would get a 19 yd FG on the final play of the half to tie it. LSU was int’d and ret’d to their 4 but a penalty brought it back to the 35 and Bama settled for a 46 yd FG, 6-3. LSU got a 33 yd IR to the UA15 setting up a 2 yd “drive” for a 30 yd FG to tie (14:13 4Q). Richardson ripped off a 24 yd run to the LSU28 and Bama had a great call. Maze, out of the shotgun, threw deep and the TE caught the ball, came down on his back with it at the 1 yd line but the LSU DB wrestled the ball away from him and amazingly it was ruled an int and LSU got off a 73 yd punt with 9:00 left but neither crossed the 50 and the game went to OT. In OT Bama took a sk and missed their FOURTH FG of the game, a 52 yd’r and LSU got a 25 yd FG for the win.
Ball St got a 94 yd TD pass on 3&5 to open the scoring and at the half Eastern Michigan had a 17-9 FD edge but only led 21-20 as BSU also got a 78 yd KR setting up a FG and EM had a 53 yd FG blk’d. EM was SOD at the BSU43 to open the 3Q and int’d at the BSU41 at the start of the 4Q. They went on a 66/13pl drive and had a 1st & gl at the 1 but settled for a 20 yd FG with 1:18 left to only lead by 1. That left a chance for BSU and they converted on 4&7 with a 13 yd pass to the EM27 and would get a 44 yd FG with :09 left to pull out the win.
Rice only won by 4 over UTEP but did have a 671-392 yd edge behind Nick Fanuzzi’s career-high 405 pass yds. The tms traded TD’s to open. Up 20-10 with 11:53 left 1H, Rice went 75/14pl and settled for a 23 yd FG and at the end of the half, with a 3&1 at the UTEP44, just ran the ball. Rice was SOD at the UTEP45 and led 41-31 with UTEP gaining 63 of their yards on the final drive.
ULM jumped out to a 14-0 lead vs Louisiana and also led 35-24 with 3:08 left in the game. After a pers foul on the KR UL went 48/6pl for a 16 yd TD pass with 2:05 left (2ptng) then rec’d the onside kick and drove 39/3pl for a TD with 1:06 left to pull out the win.
WKU had a 22-8 FD edge vs FIU and a 324-180 yd edge. Ironically the game came down to the weakest area of the team so far this year. Casey Tinius had missed 8 straight FG’s and WKU’s K’s were a combined 3-13 on FG’s coming in. FIU led 9-7 and WKU punted with 12:38 left, was int’d at the FIU31 (8:46) and punted on 4&11 with just 3:31 left. FIU punted it back with 1:42 left and WKU would get a 34 yd FG on the final play to pull out the win.
Utah got the clinching TD, 34-14 with 2:50 left and Arizona got a TD with :23 left but Utah rec’d the onside kick.
Wake Forest led 17-10 at the half and had a 197-145 yd edge. Notre Dame scored TD’s on their first 2 poss of the 3Q going 62/6pl and 65/6pl for TD’s to lead 24-7 and had the ball at the WF43 but tried a flea flicker which was int’d at the 7 and WF ret’d it 54 yds and a pers foul moved them ahead to the ND24. Twice WF was at or inside the ND10 in the final 1.5 Q’s, down by 7 and did not score. They fumbled at the 11 and after ND punted, WF punted with 14:15 left but drove 44/11pl and had a 1st & gl at the 10. A sack forced a 42 yd FG and they missed it with 5:24 left and ND got 3 FD’s and ran the clock.
Kansas St had their opportunities vs Oklahoma St. In fact, 2 OSU TD came on 4 and 5 yd “drives” after TO’s. K-St actually led 24-14 in the 2Q but trailed 27-24 at the half. KSU took a 38-37 lead with 5:16 left. The next 3 poss were all TD’s and OSU took the lead with 2:16 left, 52-45. KSU went 66/15pl and had a 1st & gl at the OSU5 but their final 3 passes were all incomplete and OSU escaped.
Maxwell Smith got the start for Kentucky and hit 19-26-283 and UK kept alive its bowl hopes. In the 1H. Ole Miss settled for 31 and 37 yd FG’s on their first 2 poss and their 2nd FG came after a 3 yd TD pass was wiped out for offensive pass interference. UM was int’d at the UK34 with 1:24 left in the half and ret’d 22 yds and UK got a 48 yd FG to lead 10-6 at the half. UM got a TD to lead 13-10 but UK got a 38 yd TD pass with 12:22 left for the lead. UK took over with 5:26 left and got a 55 yd pass on 2&6 setting up a TD then UM went for it on 4&21 at their own 12 and fired incomplete and UK tacked on another TD 2pl later for a misleading 30-13 final in a game that was much closer. UK had a 398-392 yd edge.
East Carolina got a 72 yd TD pass on the 2nd play of the game but defense and special teams gave SMU an insurmountable 38-14 halftime lead. They had a 97 yd IR TD (when EC was threatening to make it 14-0), a 60 yd PR TD, a blk’d punt ret’d 15 yds for a TD and a 79 yd IR TD with 3:27 left for a 38-14 lead. They led 48-21 and EC went 59/10pl for a garbage TD with :53 left and finished with a 420-299 yd edge.
Tough loss for Hawaii vs Utah St. USU was int’d at their own 42 but UH was SOD on 4&4 at the 36. USU went 64/6pl for a TD, 7-0 (9:12). UH went 60/12pl and was SOD on 4&gl at the 3 but after a 27 yd punt and 20 yd PR, they drove 18/2pl for a TD, 7-7 (14:56). UH went 62/8pl for a 1 yd TD run by Moniz, 14-7 (10:38). USU went 3 & out but faked a punt for a FD and punted 4pl later. UH went 54/6pl for a TD, 21-7 (4:22). USU got a 38 yd run to the UH47 and on 3&9 QB Keeton ran for 14 yds for a FD but not only fmbl’d at then end, but would miss the rest of the game (2:06). UH went 68/9pl and got an 18 yd TD pass with :12 left 1H. UH led 28-7 with a 268-153 yd edge. UH opened the 3Q with a 50/11pl drive but missed a 38 yd FG. USU got a 25 yd pass and on 2&4 a 48 yd TD run by Turbin. UH went 59/8pl and had a 1st & gl at the 8 but settled for a 24 yd FG, 31-14 (5:28). USU got 1 FD and on 4&5 they faked a punt again and it was a tipped pass but caught for a 23 yd gain then on 3&16 they got a 37 yd TD pass to get back to 31-21 (2:16). UH went 3 & out but roughing the P gave them a FD. UH was SOD, this time on 4&3 at the USU29. On the next play, backup QB Kennedy hit Morrison with a 71 yd TD pass to make it 31-28 (12:39). 3 punts. USU (4:56) got 4 FD’s then Turbin, on 2&gl from the 1, got a TD with :14 left in the gm. UH ran the lateral play getting to their own 33.
Louisiana Tech picked up its 3rd straight road win and LT’s Colby Cameron passed for 358 yds vs Fresno St. After each team went 3 & out to open, LT went 63/4pl. They converted on 3&10 with a 45 yd TD pass, 7-0 (10:01). 3 punts. LT went 58/5pl. They started the drive with a 3&13, 26 yd pass and 2pl later a 22 yd TD pass, 14-0 (4:40). LT went 60/8pl but settled for a 26 yd FG, 17-0 (14:19). LT got 2 FD’s and a 53 yd TD run by Creer, 24-7 (7:38). LT got a 75 yd TD pass to White, 31-7 (5:23). Fresno fmbl’d the KO at their own 30 but LT missed a 48 yd FG. FSU got 2 FD’s but on 4&7 was sk’d for a 5 yd loss with :41 left in the half. LT, from the FSU48, got 1 FD and turned it into a 40 yd FG and a 34-7 lead (:09). LT had a 383-140 yd edge at the half. FSU went 3 & out to open the 3Q and LT went 80/7pl for a TD with a 55 yd pass to the 14 the key, 41-7 (10:26). FSU went 64/9pl for a TD, 41-14 (7:03). FSU got 2 FD’s and was int’d on a deep pass from their own 42 at the LT20. LT went 3 & out and FSU got 1 FD and was int’d at the LT43. After an LT punt, FSU went 98/16pl and got a 24 yd TD pass with 6:14 left. LT went 46/9pl and on 4&4 gained 3 yds (2:40) and FSU got 3 FD’s to the LT37 gaining 41 yds on their final 8 plays.
Oregon was clearly looking ahead to a huge showdown vs Stanford next week. In the 1H Washington held the ball for 23:54 to Oregon’s 6:06 and had an 11-6 FD edge but the Ducks had a 134-131 yd edge. UO led 17-3 but gave up a TD with :30 left in the half and only led 17-10. UW was int’d on the 5th play and UO went 38/3pl for a TD. UO fmbl’d on their first play of the 2nd drive at their own 32 and UW got 1 FD and nailed a 42 yd FG, 7-3. UO got a 69 yd KR by Thomas and settled for a 40 yd FG, 10-3 on a -2 yd drive. 2 punts. UW went 37/9pl but on 3&12 was int’d at the UO17 and ret’d 49 yds to the UW34. UW went 34/4pl for a TD, 17-3. 2 punts. UW, after a 37 yd punt, started at the UO49 (6:20) and went 49/12pl for a 1 yd TD pass with :30 left. UO got 27 and 13 yd passes but missed a 45 yd FG after UW used 3 time-outs to ice the kicker. UO opened the 3Q with a 90/12pl TD drive, 24-10 (12:23). UW went 75/9pl for a 10 yd TD pass, 24-17 (8:33). UO went 70/6pl for a 9 yd TD run by Thomas, 31-17 (6:05). UW got 1 FD and went for it on 4&4 and was SOD on a -3 yd pass back at their own 48. UO got 2 FD’s and nailed a 35 yd FG, 34-17 (1:49). UW fmbl’d and it was ret’d 9 yds to their own 23 but UO on 4&17, missed a 46 yd FG. 2 punts. UW went 53/7pl with a 3&10, 53 yd pass down to the 27 but on 4&10 fired incomplete. UO27 got 2 FD’s and punted with :51 left.
Boise St had a big game vs TCU on deck and clearly came out flat. UNLV, with nothing to lose, had a 198-161 yd edge at the half. Each team went 3 & out and BSU went 50/8pl for a 2 yd TD pass, 7-0 (9:26). UNLV matched it, going 78/8pl capped by a 13 yd TD run, 7-7 (5:43). 3 punts. BSU only got off a 22 yd punt to their 48 but UNLV punted on 4&5 and BSU blk’d it and got the ball at the UNLV40. After 1 FD, BSU got a 30 yd TD pass on 3&12, 14-7 (9:37). UNLV went 73/10pl and converted on 4&1 with a 2 yd QB run to the BSU33 and on the next play got a 33 yd TD pass, 14-14 (4:49). BSU went 80/11pl and got a 5 yd TD pass with :25 left to lead 21-14. The 3Q opened with 3 punts and BSU on 3&8 got a 51 yd TD pass, 28-14 (8:37). BS36 got 1 FD and lined up for a punt but faked it with a 20 yd run to the UNLV31. They continued on a 64/14pl drive for a TD, 34-14 (14:48). BSU got a 51/2pl drive with a 36 yd TD run by Harper, 41-14 (12:04) who finished with 109 yds filling in for an inj’d Martin. 3 punts. BSU went 51/9pl for a 15 yd TD run with 1:46 left, 48-14 but UNLV got a 55 yd run by Randle plus a FM pen to move it to the 14 and backup QB Reilly (Herring inj’d early 4Q) found Payne for a 13 yd TD pass with :30 left, 48-21. Kellen Moore moved past Colt McCoy as the NCAA’s winningest QB.
NCAA 4th Quarter Covers - Nov. 4-6
By: Joe Nelson
There was some great football drama last weekend with the kicking game playing a vital role for several teams. Many games also went down to the wire relative to the spread. Here are some of the wild fourth quarter finishes with the pointspread in mind from last week’s action in college football.
Kent State (-2.5) 24, Central Michigan 21
Central Michigan and Kent State were locked up at 14-14 entering the fourth quarter after a scoreless third quarter but Kent State seemingly took control, adding a field goal after an interception to follow up an early fourth quarter touchdown to lead by ten. Central Michigan answered quickly on a big pass play to get within three and it appeared overtime would settle this match-up as Central Michigan lined up for a 28-yard field goal to tie the game. The kick sailed left and Kent State snuck out a narrow win and cover.
USC (-20.5) 48, Colorado 17
USC took charge of this game in the second quarter, getting four consecutive touchdowns before a field goal finally stopped the bleeding for Colorado. The margin was just 18 points into the fourth quarter as the Buffaloes moved the ball somewhat effectively but USC would score last, getting past the spread with just over seven minutes on the clock. Colorado got to midfield on its last possession but never seriously threatened for the backdoor cover.
Kentucky (+2.5) 30, Mississippi 13
Ole Miss led 13-10 entering the fourth quarter, sitting just past the spread seeking its first SEC win. The Wildcats grabbed the lead with an 80-yard drive early in the final frame. The Kentucky defense forced back-to-back 3-and-outs and then put together an 85-yard drive. With limited time remaining the Rebels were forced to go for it on fourth down, setting up a very short field for Kentucky and the Wildcats added another touchdown to pad the final score in a game that was much closer than final margin.
Rutgers (+2) 20, South Florida 17
South Florida jumped out to a 10-0 lead and led 17-3 halfway through the fourth quarter, seemingly in control in search of its first Big East win. After South Florida’s fourth quarter touchdown Rutgers returned the kickoff 98-yards for a touchdown and a huge momentum swing. After trading punts Rutgers got the stop it needed, forcing another South Florida punt from midfield with just a few minutes to go. The Rutgers offense that had not sustained a drive of even 30 yards in the game, found a way to go 12-plays and 80 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. South Florida had to punt its next possession but quickly got the ball back on an interception and moved in position to win the game but the 27-yard field goal was missed. In overtime the Bulls had the ball first but were intercepted and Rutgers conservatively set-up the winning field goal to win 20-17 despite being soundly out-gained.
Connecticut (-1.5) 28, Syracuse 21
Syracuse led 21-14 entering the fourth quarter but the Huskies completed a drive to tie the game early in the fourth. Syracuse looked poised to get the lead back but they threw an interception deep in the red zone. Connecticut went down the field and took the lead and then stopped Syracuse near midfield to preserve the win.
Stanford (-21) 38, Oregon State 13
This was just a four-point game deep into the third quarter before Stanford scored two touchdowns in just over two minutes late in the third, capitalizing on a fumble. Stanford was still short of the spread entering the fourth quarter however. Oregon State had two productive fourth quarter drives but came away empty and with just six minutes to go Stanford added another touchdown to get past the spread, adding another win to an incredible ATS season that has included a lot of late drama relative to the spread.
Houston (-28) 56, UAB 13
The Cougars posted big numbers as usual but were short of the spread most of the way, actually leading by just eight points midway through the third quarter. Entering the fourth Houston has pushed the lead to 22 points and it was just a matter of time as Houston had three fourth quarter touchdowns including an interception return score.
Utah State (+3.5) 35, Hawaii 31
Hawaii led 28-7 at the half but Utah State put together a great finish, trimming the margin to ten points entering the fourth quarter and then hitting a 71-yard pass play early in the fourth to get within three points and within the spread. Hawaii had to punt for the second consecutive time and with just seconds on the clock Utah State drove for the winning score.
Arkansas State (-17) 39, Florida Atlantic 17
Florida Atlantic actually led 21-18 in the third quarter as heavy underdogs but Arkansas State scored three unanswered touchdowns the rest of the way, with the spread sealing score coming with seven minutes to go in the game. Florida Atlantic appeared poised to spoil the spread with a late drive going 74 yards but an interception allowed the Red Wolves to hang on.