News and Notes Week 6 Part 1
By Phil Steele
Boise St showed remarkable dominance vs Fresno St and actually scored 111 straight points vs Fresno St until a PR TD by the Bulldogs on Friday night. In 2010 they beat FSU 51-0 at home and had scored the final 10 points in 2009. Boise led 37-0 when FSU gained 73 yards in the final :20 of the 1H. Boise pulled QB Moore leading 43-0 in the 3Q and was up 50-0 After 3Q. BSU cruised to a 57-7 win with a 464-270 yd edge.
Purdue got their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since 2008. MarQueis Gray did return to the lineup for Minnesota and threw for 104 yards and rushed for 20. It was Minnesota’s 2nd straight blowout loss and turnovers fueled it. After a 26 yard punt, PU went 39/7pl for a TD then went 36/11pl for a 53 yd FG. Then, after a fumble went 11/7pl for a TD then got a 37 yd IR TD and led 24-0 after 1Q. PU led 31-3 at the half with a 180-85 yd edge. They extended it to 45-10 before Minny got a TD with 7:55 left.
Tyler Russell replaced an ineffective Chris Relf as MSU trailed 3-0 at the half with UAB having a 181-118 yd edge. After punting to open the 3Q, MSU went 89/7pl for a TD then after a UAB fmbl went 71/4pl (after UAB fmbl) for a TD and after a UAB int, went 72/11pl for a TD with 5:03 left to go up 21-3. UAB’s final drive was SOD at their own 47 with 3:18 left. Russell hit 11-13-166 while Relf hit 6-10-46. UAB QB Perry missed at least 5 open rec’s and in the 1H there were 10 punts and 3 FG att’s with 2 missed for the 2 teams combined. Miss St had just a 416-340 yd edge.
Georgia Tech failed to put Maryland away and the Terps turned to backup QB CJ Brown. Brown hit just 4-17-36 yards but had the game changing play of the day. A few inches may have determined this game as well as GT had 4 different plays which could have gone for TD’s but the connection was missed by inches and/or a drop with wide open rec’s. In the 1H UGA had a commanding 232-89 yd edge but only led 14-3 as they had a TD pass dropped and punted, missed a 34 yd FG and then were int’d in the EZ for a TB from the 18 yd line. GT led 21-3 and was SOD at the MD23 with 12:14 left when the key play happened. Brown faked a pitch and raced 77 yards down the sideline for a TD to get MD back to 21-10 and got 1 more late TD to only lose 21-16.
Zac Dysert hit 24-37-342 yards for Miami, Oh. The RedHawks came in 0-4 but got coach Treadwell his first win despite trailing Army 28-14 in the 2H. MU fumbled at the Army9 but then went 61/6pl for a TD to get within 7 after 3Q’s. Army fumbled and MU went 35/6pl for a TD to tie at 28 and after an Army punt, UM went 98/9pl and got a 20 yd TD pass with 7:05 left for its first lead of the game. Army went 45/13pl but on 4&12 was sk’d for an 8 yd loss with :24 left.
South Carolina’s only weakness at the start of the year has been QB Garcia who had a 4-9 ratio. Conner Shaw did start his second game and after a not so good outing vs East Carolina in his first start, Shaw guided SC to 639 yards and a 32-6 FD edge vs Kentucky. He hit 26-39 and most importantly had 0 int’s. Kentucky had lost their first 2 SEC games by 33 ppg and SC Marcus Lattimore only ran the ball twice in the 1Q but finished with 102 yards (22 att). When they pulled Shaw, 3rd stringer Andrew Clifford and 4th stringer Dylan Thompson both appeared but no Garcia. UK ran just 6 plays in SC territory all on their opening drive and Shaw’s 4 TD passes matched Garcia’s effort for the entire start of the season. UK actually led 3-0 after SC fumbled the opening KO and it was just 7-3 after 1Q but SC had a 290-57 yd edge at the half and led 20-3 in the 54-3 romp.
Rice only had a 350-307 yd edge vs Memphis. Rice was int’d on 2 of their first 4 poss and only led 7-3 after 1Q then were SOD at the UM21 and punted on their next 2. After a 21 yd PR, they went 46/11pl for a 15 yd TD pass with :38 left in the half to lead 14-3 and had a 245-107 yd edge at the half. Rice got a 47 yd IR TD early 3Q and then drove 74/7pl for a TD to lead 28-3. Memphis rec’d a fumble at the Rice20 and got a 30 yd FG and 2 poss later fumbled at the Rice24 with 4:52 left and on their final poss, got to the Rice31 but were int’d at the 11 with :29 left.
Wake Forest led almost start to finish vs Florida St. FSU started Clint Trickett but when Trickett was int’d and ret’d to the 38 setting up a 38/4pl drive for a TD and a WF 16-7 lead with 1:48 left in the half, EJ Manuel came off the bench. Manuel led an 88/6pl drive for a TD to make it 16-14. WF built the lead to 32-17 early 4Q and FSU down 35-24 got a TD with :54 left to pull within 5 (2ptng) but WF rec’d the onside kick. Josh Harris rushed for 136 yards…Western Michigan had a 31-20 FD and 578-381 yd edges. They led Bowling Green 45-14 when BG went 81/11pl getting a garbage TD with 2:30 left.
Much like the 42-0 score would indicate, Temple had a 510-236 yard edge and led 28-0 at the half. Temple missed a 36 yd FG and was SOD at the BSU34 on their first two 3Q poss but then went 57/8pl and 78/3pl for a pair of TD’s and the 42-0 final. RB Bernard Pierce had 121 yards rushing.
Eastern Michigan came into the Toledo game averaging 233 ypg rushing but was held to 89 by Toledo. Both Toledo QB’s Austin Dantin and Terrance Owens had 2 TD’s and 0 int’s each. Toledo led 21-0 but after EM got a TD with 1:22 left in the half, UT blk’d an xp and ret’d it for 2 to lead 23-9. They extended it to 47-9. EM after rec’ing a fumble went 37 yards for a TD with 10:11 left and UT went 70/11 for a TD with 4:40 left.
QB Jon Hays made his first start for Utah and had 3 crucial int’s vs Arizona St. The Sun Devils led 10-7 at the half. Utah faked a punt and would go 79/9pl for a TD to lead 14-10. ASU got a 35 yd FG with 5:00 left 3Q, 14-13. Utah then turned it over 3 times and ASU went 44/5pl, 32/3pl and 61/10pl for TD’s to blow it open, 35-14. Utah was sacked on 4&16 at midfield and punted on their final 2 poss.
West Virginia/Connecticut was a tale of 2H’s. In the 1H Conn had an 11-10 FD edge but missed a 42 yd FG and settled for a 22 yd FG on the last play of the half and actually trailed 10-9. The key play of the game happened mid3Q. Conn, threatening to take the lead, had a FD at the WV13 when QB McEntee was hit and fmbl’d. The ball popped into the air and was ret’d 83 yards to the UC12. WV got a TD 2pl later to go up 17-9. Conn would then got 3 & out on their next 2 poss, get tackled for a safety and got 2 FD’s on their next 4 poss, all punts while WV rolled to a 43-9 lead. UC did get a 48 yd IR TD with 7:54 left to close the scoring and WV won 43-16 with a 541-275 yd edge.
Oklahoma got a 55 yard IR TD, 19 yd FR TD and 56 yd FR TD in their 55-17 win over Texas. The FD’s were even at 22 but the Sooners did have a 453-259 yd edge. Landry Jones hit 31-50-367 yards.Texas has come in the Red River Rivalry game ranked #11 three times and allowed 65 in 2003, 63 in 2000 and 55 in 2011.
Kansas St led 10-3 at the half and opened it to 24-3 with 11:23 left in the game. Missouri would go on 12 and 8pl drives for 2 TD’s to pull within 24-17 with 5:02 left and had some momentum. They opted to kick off deep but KSU went 66/11pl picking up 3 crucial FD’s and ended the game at the Missouri 11 yard line pulling the upset.
All season long Penn St has been better statistically than they were on the scoreboard. Versus Iowa, PSU had a 395-253 yd edge. In fact, Iowa came in leading the Big Ten in passing but PSU held them to 169 yards. PSU settled for a 20 yd FG after an 88/18pl drive then another 20 yard FG after an 81/12pl drive and only led 6-3 at the half. PSU had a 3&5 from the 6 but was int’d in the EZ but got a TD with 8:08 left to lead 13-3 and Iowa’s final 3 poss ended on 2 int’s and a 4th&39 sack.
Oregon St jumped out to a 27-6 halftime lead vs Arizona and held on for their first win of the season. The Beavers did get a blocked punt for a TD in the 1H helping them to that lead but had a 224-141 yd edge. They extended it to 30-6 mid3Q but Arizona chipped away. The Beavers went on a 48/9pl drive and missed a 42 yd FG and Arizona got within 30-27. OSU went for it on 4&gl at the 2 and got a TD with 5:22 left to lead 37-27 and Arizona went 78/7pl but on 4&gl from the 2 were SOD was 3:02 left and the Beavers won by 10.
Rutgers and Pitt each had 271 yards but RU won by 24. Pitt’s opening drive went 74/14pl but they settled for a 29 yd FG. At the half PItt had a 110-92 yd edge as they had a 4-1 TO deficit in the game including two 1H Sunseri int’s. Sunseri was replaced to being the 3Q but backup QB Anderson was int’d on his 2nd poss and ret’d 9 yards to the 18 setting up an RU TD for a 13-3 lead. RU added a 60 yd TD pass and then after a 73 yd KR, a 3 yd TD run and led 27-10 and later off of Sunseri got a 45 yd IR TD with 5:26 left to make it 34-10.
If you compare LSU and Alabama’s games vs Florida, they are fairly even statistically and the scores are almost identical. Alabama’s win is still far more impressive. Alabama last week had to play in The Swamp vs Florida’s #1 QB for the 1H and #2 for the 2H. LSU was in Death Valley and was facing a 3rd string QB in Jacoby Brissett who became the first UF frosh QB in Florida history to take his first snap as a starter. Brissett, who was in a hostile environment, hit 8-14-94. It was just 27-11 after 3Q’s and LSU would punch in a 2 yd TD run with 1:27 left capping a 76/11pl drive for the 41-11 final. LSU had a 453-213 yd edge.
Houston’s defense looked porous on Thursday night vs UTEP but vs East Carolina they had 9 sacks and had 4 int’s. Case Keenum became the #2 all-time career leading passer passing Graham Harrell at TT and he hit 30-37 for 304 yards with his last pass being a 27 yard TD with 14:34 left in the game to make it 49-3. EC did have 20 FD’s but was int’d at the UH21, EC43, UH33 and UH33. They also went on a 15 play drive to the UH19 but punted after sacks, were SOD after a 10pl drive at midfield and had a drive to the UH34 also end on a punt. UH went 80/10pl and got a TD with 1:19 left for the 56-3 final.
You had to expect a high scoring game with Southern Miss and Navy and the two teams combined for 1,153 yards. Navy actually had 144-0 yard edge at the start but trailed 7-0 as they went on a 68/13pl drive settling for a 29 yd FG which was blk’d and ret’d 79 yards for a TD then went 76/13pl but was SOD on 4&gl at the 1. SM’s offense was almost unstoppable and had TD drives of 99, 75, 77 and 58 yards in the 1H and led 35-7 with a 327-213 yard edge. The teams basically traded TD’s in the 2H on almost every poss with SM leading by 28 or 21 points and Navy, trailing 63-35, was SOD at the SM2 with 1:59 left.
Some key plays kept Miami, Fl in the game vs Virginia Tech and VT blew a big lead and actually needed a TD with :56 left for the win. VT took their first 2 drives right down the field for TD’s to lead 14-0 and their 3rd drive was headed for the same but they fumbled at the Miami27. UM on 3&18 threw a pass down the sideline which looked incomplete. Somehow the replays gave them a 41 yard pass for a FD overthrowing the call and they got a TD a few plays later. VT still led 21-7 at the half. In the 2H, UM got their 2nd big play, a 3&4 pass where DB Whitley went for the ball and missed and Benjamin took it 77 yards for a TD. VT still led 24-14 and 31-21. UM on 3&12 early 4Q was sk’d and was forced to punt but QB Harris was standing over the DE and Collins threw the ball back at him and got a 15 yd penalty keeping the drive alive and UM got a TD. UM faced a 2nd & 30 and handed off to Miller who took it 30 yards for a TD and stunningly they led 35-31 with 2:51 left but VT went 77/8pl and Logan Thomas had a 19 yd TD run with :56 left for the win. Thomas hit 23-25-310 yards and 3 TD’s passing and 2 rushing.
Central Michigan QB Ryan Radcliff had a great 1H hitting 15-17 for 196 yards. CM settled for a 22 yd FG after an 82 yd drive and trailed 21-17 at the half despite a 253-223 yd edge. Radcliff was 1-10 with 3 int’s in the 3Q and NCSt took control 35-17. It was 38-17 when CM got a 77 yd TD run by Cotton with 8:18 left then recovered the onside kick. They got 3 FD’s to the NCSt11 but was int’d in the EZ with 5:38 left and NCSt got 3 FD’s and ran out the clock.
Notre Dame scored their most points since Lou Holtz’s final home game when they beat Rutgers 62-0. It was the most combined points ever for a game at ND Stadium. ND scored on all six 1H poss and led 42-16 at the half as the Falcons were not match physically for the Irish. ND even inserted mobile Andrew Hendrix who hit all 4 of his passes and rushed 6 times for 111 yards. The 2 teams combined for 1,125 yards. Air Force26 had a FD called back on a clip and went 3 &out after dropping a FD pass on 3&7. The Irish led 59-19 when AF went 74 and 67 yards for a pair of garbage TD’s on their final 2 drives, the latter with :33 left.
ULM botched some redzone opportunities and some big plays led to the Arkansas St win. ULM fmbl’d at the ASU22, settled for two 25 yd FG’s after having a 1st & gl each time. Leading 13-7, the War Hawks were int’d with 1:43 left in the half and ASU turned it into a 30 yd FG to pull within 13-10. ULM opened the 3Q being int’d at the ASU13. Two big plays then changed the game. ASU blocked a punt and ret’d it for a TD to go up 17-13 with 4:01 left in the 3Q. ULM went on a 12pl drive but was not only int’d at the 5 but ret’d 51 yards. On the next play, ASU got a 44 yd TD pass to lead 24-13. ULM had the ball, down 24-19 at the ASU27 but was SOD with :18 left.
Tennessee was held to -9 yards rushing vs Florida but Georgia did even better holding them to -20 yards rushing. In the 1H, each team had some long drives result in FG’s and it was 6-6. UGA took control at the start of the 3Q scoring TD’s on their first 2 poss to lead 20-6. UGA had an amazing poss where they went 12pl and had a FD at the UT23. After 3 holds and a 15 yd PF, they punted on 4&50! UT took over with 6:11 left and QB Bray was injured. Backup QB Simms converted on 4&2 and then on 4&16 for FD’s and got a TD with 2:45 left to pull within 8. UGA rec’d the onside kick.
Nebraska had the biggest comeback in Cornhusker history with Ohio St not scoring after Braxton Miller left the game with injury. Taylor Martinez was coming off a horrible game vs Wisconsin where his 3 int’s turned the game around but hit 16-22-191 yards. Still, OSU led 27-6 in the 2H with NU only taking the lead after a Bauserman int with 6:29 left and getting a 17 yd TD run by Burkhead with 5:10 left. NU finished with a 25-16 FD edge. After Miller went out of the game NU had a 15-3 FD edge and managed the comeback with Bauserman hitting 1-10-13.
FIU punted with 7:46 left in the game vs Akron. At this point, FIU had a 77-38 play edge and 490-175 yard edge but FIU missed a 23 yd FG, settled for 37 and 21 yd FG’s and was int’d in the EZ and fumbled at midfield in the 1H and they only led 27-17. UA gained 102 yards on 17 plays on their final 2 drives which ended on a fumble at the FIU18 and an incomplete pass from the FIU27. Thirty-one of the yards came on a 4&16 conversion on the final drive.
It was a tale of 2H’s in the Northwestern/Michigan game. In the 1H NU had a 297-257 yd edge and led 24-14, even dropping a TD pass at the end of the 1H and settling for a 20 yd FG. Denard Robinson had 3 crucial 1H int’s being picked off at the 4 yard line 3 times. In the 2H UM battled back to take its first lead with 2:58 left in the 3Q and then NU turned it over on consecutive drives. NU, trailing 35-24, went for it on 4&5 at the UM37 and QB Persa had his helmet ripped off by a DL but no pen was called and the play was blown dead because his helmet was off. Fitzgerald got hit with a 15 yard PF for protesting the call and UM went 39/9pl for a TD with 2:19 left to clinch it, 42-24.
Tulane’s offense got going with 471 yards vs Syracuse. In fact, at the half TU had a 312-229 yd edge but trailed 31-24. SU had a 5 yd TD drive after a 95 yd KR and a 32 yd drive for a TD after a fumble. WR Xavier Rush had 60 and 58 yd TD’s for Tulane. TU missed a 45 yd FG with 9:00 left but the 58 yd TD pass to rush tied it at 34 with 2:53 left. SU fired incomplete on 3&4 but roughing the QB gave them a FD and they would continue to get 3 more FD’s and got a 21 yd FG on the last play for the win despite TU having a 471-356 yd edge.
UCF absolutely dominated Marshall and it’s shocking that they only won by 10. In the 1H UCF had 13-1 FD and 246-47 yd edges. They had a pair of long TD drives but also had a 63/6pl drive end on a fumble at the MU11 and had a 10pl drive end on a 22 yard FG where they mishandled the snap. Marshall’s only TD came when UCF fumbled and MU ret’d it 12 yards for a TD with 3:07 left in the 3Q. UCF had 2 chances at a TD at the end but on 3&2 from the MU11 were int’d at the 4 with 5:04 left and UCF’s final drive went 48/7pl with the last play of the game getting to the MU4. UCF finished with 21-6 FD and 387-130 yard edges.
Clemson was cruising along vs Boston College with a 26-7 lead when Tajh Boyd inj’d his hip on the first drive of the 3Q and he did not return. Cole Stoudt hit 6-10-37 yards in his place. CU still managed a 47 yard FG with :39 left in the 3Q to lead 29-14 and then drove 58/6pl and on 4&1 got a 36 yd TD run by Ellington with 11:24 left, 36-14. BC was SOD at the CU31 and SOD at their own 33 on their final 2 drives. CU had actually not scored a TD vs Boston College since 2008. Another injury of note was RB Montel Harris for BC did not play after having rushed for 100 yards the week before in his only game of the season so far. CU finished with a 500-258 yd edge.
Louisville OC Mike Sanford did not travel with the team so QB coach Watson called the plays. NC got their 8th straight win over a non-conf opponent and Giovanni Bernard became the first Tar Heel to rush for at least 100 yards in 4 straight games since Ethan Horton in 1984. UL actually controlled the 1H with a 188-59 yd edge but the Cardinals missed a 40 yd FG after a 75/15pl drive, were SOD at the NC43, int’d at the NC19 and missed a 36 yd FG. In the 2H, UL punted on their first 5 poss. NC took the points off the board on a 23 yd FG when UL jumped offsides and got a TD and later went 66/5pl for a TD to lead 14-0 with 12:19 left. NC was SOD on 4&1 at the UL39 with 2:35 left and UL went 61/10pl and got an 18 yd TD pass with :41 left. NC rec’d the onside kick.
Illinois is off their best start since 1951 and had 3 scoring plays of 66+ yards to erase an early 10-0 deficit. Indy ret’d the opening KO 98 yards for a TD and Illinois trailed 10-0 when they got a 77 yard TD pass on 3&11 with 4:22 left in the 1Q then got a 66 yd FR TD and later a 67 yd TD pass to Jenkins to lead 27-13 at the half with a 280-119 yd edge. It was 34-13 when Indy got a TD with 5:29 left capping an 85/11pl drive but IL took over at its 11 and went 89/11pl and got a 1 yd TD run with 1:20 left. Indy got to the IL15 but their final pass was incomplete.
Texas A&M did what they usually do which is jump out to a big lead, this time it was 31-20 at the half and A&M had a 301-225 yd edge. This time A&M got a break in the 3Q. They led 31-23 when they blk’d a 50 yd FG and ret’d it 63 yards for a TD to make it 38-23. A&M got a TD with 11:59 left and were up comfortably 45-30. TT got a 31 yd FG that bounced off the upright and went through to make it 45-33 with 9:34 left but TT on 4&2 fired incomplete with 4:00 left at their own 33. A hold on A&M forced a 4&17 and they punted with just 2:55 left and TT would go 91/11pl getting a 20 yd TD pass with :31 left.
Week 6 News and Notes Part 2
By Phil Steele
TCU took its opening drive 36/7pl for a 47 yd FG. San Diego St went 72/16pl but a 31 yd FG had a bad snap and on 4&8 they gained 5 yards. TCU went 91/9pl and on 3&6 got a 39 yd TD pass, 10-0. SDSt went 74/6pl but fumbled into the EZ for a TB. TCU went 58/7pl and was int’d at the 15 and ret’d 23 yds and a personal foul brought it to the TCU47. SDSt was int’d 3 plays later at the 24 and ret’d 26 yards. TCU went 50/5pl for a 31 yd TD pass, 17-0. TCU went 61/11pl but on FD from the SDSt17 was int’d in the EZ. The Frogs had a 281-144 yd edge at the half. TCU got 2 FD’s and punted to open the 3Q and the Aztecs on 3&8 were int’d and returned 22 yds to the 10. TCU settled for a 21 yd FG, 20-7. TCU fumbled the punt at their own 15 and on 3&11 SDSt got a 16 yd TD pass, 20-0. SDSt went 77/10pl and got a 4 yd TD pass, 20-14 (13:39). TCU punted and SDS got a 3&12, 20 yd pass to the TCU49 but was int’d and ret’d 19 yards (10:08 4Q). TCU went 49/9pl and got a 4 yd TD run, 27-14. SDSt was SOD at their own 44 on 4&1, SOD at their own 33 on 4&10 and TCU then got a 24 yd run to the 5 but fumbled. SDS was SOD at their own 14 on 4&1.
Hunter Lee ran for a career high 134 yards and Louisiana Tech spoiled Idaho’s Homecoming. The first 5 poss were punts. LT went 16pl but settled for a 23 yd FG, 3-0. ID27 got 2 FD’s and punted 52 yards pinning LT at the 1. On 2&10 LT was tkl’d for a safety, 3-2 (12:27 2Q). 2 punts. ID got 2 FD’s and was int’d and ret’d 53 yds for a TD, 10-2. ID went 54/7pl for a 43 yd FG, 10-5 (2:57 2Q). At the half, ID had a 185-160 yd edge. The 3Q opened with 3 punts. ID got 1 FD and was int’d at the LT47. LT went 53/7pl for a TD, 17-5. 3 punts. LT after a 21 yd PR went 40/6pl for a TD, 24-5 (:05 3Q). ID got 2 FD’s and punted 48 yds for a TB. ID was int’d at their own 35 but LT was SOD on 4&3 at the ID28. ID got 1 FD & fumbled at the LT45. 3 punts. ID got an 81 yd PR TD with 3:35 left. LT rec’d the onside kick and got a FD on 3&4 and another on 4&9 ending the game at the ID10.
FAU was hurt by 2 IR TD’s in a :10 span. The first 4 poss were punts and FAU fumbled the last punt at their own 4 and NT on 4&gl got a 1 yd TD run. The next 6 poss were punts. FAU went 61/13pl but on 4&1 was SOD at the NT37. North Texas got 2 FD’s and missed a 43 yd FG. At the half FAU had a 108-107 yd edge and NT led 7-0. NT opened the 3Q with a 33/9pl drive for a 52 yd FG. FAU was int’d and ret’d 15 yards. NT went 34/5pl for a TD. FAU got a 65 yd KR to the NT30 and had a 1st & gl at the 9 but on 2nd down was int’d and ret’d 85 yards for a TD. FAU was int’d again on the next play and ret’d 15 yards for a TD, 31-0. FAU went 54/8pl for a 30 yd FG (4:19 3Q) 31-3. 3 punts. FAU went 56/6pl for a 28 yd TD run by Morris, 31-10. NT fumbled at their own 22 and FAU got a TD 3pl later, 31-17. NT2 went 50/11pl but on 4&9 was SOD at the FAU24. FAU went 41/11pl but on 4&16, was sk’d at the NT35.
BYU gave Riley Nelson the start and he hit 14-24-219 yards. BYU led 23-6 at the half. BYU took their opening drive 63/10pl but fumbled at the 3. San Jose St snapped the ball before the QB was ready and it went for a safety. After the free kick, BYU went 56/5pl and got a 21 yd TD pass, 9-0. SJSt went 73/13pl for a 24 yd FG, 9-3. BYU went 75/9pl for a 1 yd TD pass, 16-3. SJSt got 2 FD’s and was int’d at the BYU29 and ret’d 31 yds. BYU went 40/1pl with a pass to Jacobson, 23-3. BYU went 43/8pl to the SJSt31 but was int’d at the 12 and ret’d 9 yds. SJSt went 56/9pl and got a 40 yd FG, 23-6. At the half BYU had a 282-145 yd edge. BYU opened the 3Q with a 39/9pl drive but was int’d at the 1. SJSt went 96/12pl for a TD, 23-13. BYU went 28/11 pl for a 42 yd FG, 26-13. SJSt went 52/11pl for a 43 yd FG, 26-16. BYU went 45/9pl for a 45 yd FG, 29-16. SJSt got 2 FD’s to the BYU40, but was int’d at the BYU25 on 2&18 and BYU got 3 FD’s running out the clock to the SJSt26.
Northern Illinois won 40-10 but only had 344 ttl yards offense. They did limit Kent St to 64 ttl yards. NI got a 25 yd IR TD in the opening minutes, 7-0. 2 punts. After NI punted from its EZ, Kent St started at the NI36 and on 4&1 roughing the K on a FG att gave them a FD. They got a FD but settled for a 24 yd FG. Kent St fumbled at their own 7 with 13:59 left in the 2Q and NI got a 7/3pl TD drive. NI’s next drive went 53/5pl for a 26 yd TD run by Harnish, 21-3 (9:55). NI, after a 26 yd PR, started at the KSt19 and got a 31 yd FG, 24-3 (6:10). NI took over with 4:39 left in the half and went 65/12pl for a 32 yd FG to lead 27-3 at HT. Kent St went 3 & out but the punt was partially blk’d & fumbl’d at the KS18 & Kent got it back but fumbled a their own 30 3pl later. NI got a 44 yd FG on a 3 yd drive, 30-3. NI went 40/5pl for a 34 yd FG, 33-3. NI went 88/12pl and got an 8 yd TD run, 40-3. NI fumbled at their own 32 but Kent had a 45 yd FG blocked 6pl later. NI got 1 FD and fumbled and Kent ret’d it 36 yards for a TD with 2:40 left, 40-10. NI rec’d the onside kick and got 1 FD ending the game at the KSt14.
Nevada has been known for its offense in recent years but its D was absolutely dominant vs UNLV. UNLV QB Caleb Herring hit 1-14 for 8 yds but that one completion came with 4:17 left in the game. At the half Nevada had a 378-48 yd edge. Nevada got 2 FD’s and was int’d & ret’d to their 40, then on their 2nd drive with Farjardo at QB, they fumbled at their own 17 but LV was int’d in the EZ on 3&6. NV went 68/14pl for a 29 yd FG, 3-0. NV went 48/10pl and punted and then Farjardo was int’d 2pl later at the LV45. NV brought in Lantrip at QB and his first play was a 90 yard TD pass to Matthews with 7:12 left in the 2Q. Lantrip then led a 65/8pl drive with a 34 yd TD pass with 1:35 left. LV punted with :57 left and Lantrip led NV 55/8pl for a 41 yd FG. 24 of UNLV 1H yards came after that 41 yd FG on the final 2pl. NV fumbled at the LV18 & it was ret’d 23 yds and LV went 43/9pl but missed a 42 yd FG. NV went 70/14pl settling for a 22 yd FG, 23-0. NV went 71/7pl for a 32 yd TD pass, 30-0. NV was int’d and ret’d 32 yds to their 25 but LV was SOD on 4&1 (8:00). NV went 83/9pl for a TD, 37-0 (4:33). LV was SOD from the NV 44 and then fumbled a punt at their own 17 and NV gained 4 yds to the 13 as the game ended. NV had a 699-110 yd edge.
Washington St opened with a 76/16pl drive and settled for a 21 yd FG. 3 punts. WSU went 53/12pl and settled for a 26 yd FG, 6-0. UCLA went 84/13pl and got a 1 yd TD run for the lead, 7-6. WSU went 54/14pl and made a 29 yd FG but roughing the K had them take the points off the board and give them a 1st & gl at the 6. They settled for a 21 yd FG, 9-7. UCLA got 3 FD’s to the WSU15 and was int’d in the EZ for a TB with :26 left in the half. WSU had a 200-144 yd edge at the half. UCLA opened the 3Q with a 61/6pl drive for a TD, 14-9. WSU got a 36 yd KR to the UCLA41. On 4&3 they got an 8 yd pass and after another FD on 3&4, got an 8 yd TD pass to go up 16-14 (8:42). 3 punts. WSU went 72/10pl and got a 21 yd TD pass on 3&4 with 12:25 left to go up by 8, 22-14. UCLA went 63/4pl and got a 9 yd TD pass but the 2 pt failed with 10:52 left, 22-20. WSU went 58/11pl and got a 47 yd FG to go up by 5 with 5:49 left. UCLA got a 2nd&7, 58 yd pass to the 10. On 3&gl a 7 yd TD pass and 2 pt conv made it 28-25 with 3:26 left. WSU got 2 FD’s and on 3&5 was int’d and ret’d 2 yards (2:01). UCLA on 3&8 got an 11 yd pass to the WSU38 and took a knee running out the clock.
Each team went 3 & out to open and Auburn only got off an 11 yd punt. Arkansas started at the AUB37 and got 1 FD but missed a 34 yd FG. AUB went 80/5pl. On 3&12 they got a 13 yd pass and on the next play a 55 yd TD run by Dyer, 7-0. ARK went 71/8pl and got a 6 yd TD run by Green, 7-7. AUB got 1 FD & punted. ARK got a 40 yd pass to Wright to the AUB45 and on 3&12 was sk’d & fumbled at the ARK47. Frazier came in for AUB and they went 47/9pl and Frazier’s 7 yd TD run made it 14-7. ARK went 80/13pl and Wilson ran 1 yd for a TD, 14-14. Trotter & Frazier saw snaps on the next drive but Aub went -4 yds & punted. ARK went 65/9pl and got a 5 yd TD pass, 21-14 (4:23 2Q). At the half ARK had a 294-211 yd edge. AUB opened the 3Q with Frazier taking most of the snaps at QB and he ran for 2 yds on 4&1 at the ARK30 for Aub’s 3rd FD but they punted on 4&26. Adams got a 92 yd TD run on a reverse, 28-14. 2 punts. Frazier was int’d at the AKR18 and ret’d 19 yds. 3 punts. Trotter was int’d at the AUB45 and ret’d 19 yds to the Aub26. ARK got a 36 yd FG. 2 punts. AUB on 2&10 was int’d and ret’d 29 yds to the 16. On 3&12 ARK got an 18 yd TD pass with 5:50 left, 38-14.
Oklahoma St reached 70 points for the 2nd time since 1916 (last time 1973 vs Southern Illinois). OSU scored on all eight 1H poss. Kansas actually opened with an 80/10pl drive for a TD. OSU went 60/8pl for a TD, 7-7. KU fumbled and OSU went 33/3pl for a TD. After a 31 yd KU punt OSU went 60/4pl for a TD. OSU went 85/5pl for a TD, 28-7 (2:17 1Q). Up 49-7, bkp Chelf came in at QB and OSU went 21/3pl for a TD. Up 56-7 OSU did have a 383-181 yd edge at the half. KU blk’d a punt to open the 3Q and went 31/3pl for a TD. 2 punts. OSU went 73/5pl for a TD, 63-14. KU went 54/15pl and missed a 36 yd FG and OSU went 80/10pl for a TD, 70-14. KU went 80/4pl with a 68 yd TD pass then after an OSU punt, KU went 80/11pl for a 31 yd TD to make it 70-28. OSU punted with :28 left and KU gained 29 yds on the final 3 plays.
Wyoming got off to a great start vs Utah St. They took their opening drive 77/7pl for a TD and surprisingly went for 2 and failed. Utah St fumble the ensuing KO when the KR let it touch him then roll into the EZ while he walked to the sideline and WY fell on it for a TD but missed the xp and only led 12-0. USU got a 50 yd KR and went 34/6pl for a TD. USU went 80/6pl with a 53 yd TD pass for the lead, 14-12. WY got 2 FD’s and punted. USU went 99/7pl for a TD, 21-12. WY answered with a 60/5pl drive for a TD, 21-19 (12:54 2Q). USU went 58/6pl for a TD, 28-19. WY went 3 & out and USU started rolling with 57/13pl & 26/5pl (after a 22 yd PR), TD’s for a 42-19 HT lead. USU got a PR to the WY 33 and 3pl later had a TD, 49-19 to open the 3Q. USU went 82/11pl for a TD. 4 punts. WY went 77/12pl but on 4&2 was SOD at the 6. WY fumbled at their 16 and it was ret’d to the 9 with 4:17 left and USU added a TD 3pl later. WY was SOD on 4&3 at the USU21 with :04 left. USU had a 548-373 yd edge.
Stanford extended the nation’s longest win streak to 13 games. Colorado came in a very banged up team especially in the secondary then had 5 players suspended and WR Paul Richardson sat out with injury. Andrew Luck threw for 370 yards. Stanford had 28-11 FD and 553-264 yd edges. SU fumbled the opening KO and CU rec’d at the 36. They got 2 FD’s but had a 29 yd FG blk’d and SU ret’d it 75 yds for a TD. CU went 3&out. SU went 78/9pl for a TD. CU got 1 FD and punted. SU went 53/8pl and missed a 47 yd FG. CU on 2&20 got a 76 yd screen pass to Stewart down to the 5 and a TD 2pl later to pull within 13-7. SU got 1 FD on a 26 yd pass but on 3&6 was int’d at the 19 on a pass off Owusu’s hands. CU went 3&out. SU went 53/7pl for a TD incl a 3&26, 27 yd pass to the 1. The TD on the next play made it 20-7. CU got 1 FD & punted. SU went 78/5pl and got a 1 yd TD pass, 27-7. CU went 46/8pl and missed a 46 yd FG. At the half SU only had a 298-185 yd edge. CU wore down with their lack of players in the 2H. CU went 3 &out and a 31 yd PR set up SU for a 37/6pl drive for a TD incl a 4&2 conv. CU went 3&out and SU went 84/14pl and got a 1 yd TD run, 41-7. CU got 2 FD’s to the SU26 but was int’d at the 3 and ret’d 27 yds. SU went 70/9pl for a TD, 48-7. CU got 1 FD & punted. Both tms brought in bkup Qb’s but each ended with 2 punts.
Baylor got 1 FD and punted and Iowa St went 82/7pl for a 10 yd TD pass, 7-0. BU went 67/11pl but fumbled at the 11. ISU went 3&out and BU fumbled at the ISU34. ISU converted on 4&1 at its own 45 but punted 4pl later. BU then went 87/10pl for a TD. ISU answered with a 75/9pl drive for a TD and led 14-7 (10:19). BU went 70/9pl and on 2&10 Griffin fumbled and ISU rec’d but it was overturned by replay and on 3&10 Griffin had a 15 yd TD pass, 14-14 (7:31). ISU went 3 &out and BU went 58/7pl for a TD. ISU went 3 & out and BU got 2 FD’s and missed a 48 yd FG. At the half BU had a 369-195 yd edge. 3Q opened with 3 punts. BU went 50/7pl for a 3 yd TD run, 28-14. The key play happened a few plays later. ISU got 2 FD’s including a 56 yd pass to the BU14. On 2nd&7 Jantz fumbled and it was scooped up and ret’d 86 yards for a TD by Elliott. Instead of closing to within a TD BU blew it open to a 35-14 lead. ISU on 2&6 got a 76 yd TD run, 35-20. 2 punts. BU went 77/12pl for a TD, 42-20. 2 punts. ISU went 51/4pl for a 28 yd TD to pull within 16, 42-26 but BU went 74/7 for a TD, 49-26 (4:19). ISU was int’d and ret’d 9 yds to their 35 and BU got 2 FD’s to the 2 and took a knee.
Alabama was coming off 2 big wins over Arkansas and Florida and Saban admitted at the half that the team was flat and needed to play better in the 2H. He also tried some different things as you would expect vs a weaker foe and AJ McCarron hit 23-30-237 yards and 4 TD passes. Each team punted to open and Bama went 77/10pl for a TD. Vandy did have 2 decent drives in the 1H incl a 47/8pl drive that resulted in a missed 47 yd FG (3:11 1Q). 3 punts. VU with bkp QB Rodgers in (Aaron’s brother) went 59/8pl for a 38 yd FG and missed it with 4:18 left in the half. Bama went 79/12pl and got a TD with :21 left in the half, 14-0. VU went 3 & out to open the 3Q and Bama saddled up Richardson and went 94/12pl for a TD, 21-0. VU went 3 & out and Bama went 81/9pl for a TD on a 39 yd TD pass, 27-0 (xpng). VU got 1 FD and was int’d and ret’d 37 yds to their 20. Bama on 3&7 got a 17 yd TD pass to Hanks, 34-0 (12:16). VU on 3&1 was int’d at their own 37. Sims came in at QB for Bama and they got 1 FD and were SOD on 4&12. VU punted with 4:32 left and Bama (VU49) got 2 FD’s but on 4&11 ran the ball for -4 yards with :09 left. Alabama had a 24-8 FD edge and a 419-190 yd edge.
NCAA 4th Quarter Covers - Oct. 8
By: Joe Nelson
Glancing at the scoreboard won't tell you the whole story in many games. Here are the college games that went down to the wire relative to the spread for Saturday, October 8. Get the details on the final minutes in those key games in this weekly column.
Oregon (-24) 43, California 15
The Ducks actually trailed 15-14 at the half but steamrolled the Cal defense in the second half with three third quarter touchdowns. Oregon was still short of the spread entering the fourth quarter with a 36-15 lead but added another score early in the final frame. On five separate drives in the second half the Bears reached Oregon territory, including getting stopped after being 1st and goal at the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter in what would have been a spread changing score as the yardage totals in this game were much closer than the score suggests.
Alabama (-30) 34, Vanderbilt 0
The Crimson Tide was dominant on defense but had a bit of a trouble pulling away from Vanderbilt last week. Alabama was very efficient on offense but lacked big plays as Vanderbilt played respectably despite the shutout loss. Alabama led just 14-0 at the half and was short of the spread at 27-0 entering the fourth quarter. Alabama added another touchdown with the starters in the game in the fourth quarter to get past the spread. Vanderbilt missed two field goals in the first half but did not come close to a scoring opportunity in the second half.
Clemson (-21.5) 36, Boston College 14
Clemson settled for five field goals against Boston College and appeared likely to fall short of the inflated spread most of the game. Clemson led 29-14 entering the fourth quarter but managed to find the end zone again with a long run. Boston College moved inside the Clemson 30 on its next possession but failed to come away with points and the Tigers held on for a narrow cover.
Penn State (-4) 13, Iowa 3
This Big Ten grind was without a touchdown through three quarters as Penn State led 6-3 entering the fourth. Iowa was near mid-field when a fumble gave Penn State the ball back and the Lions took eleven plays to go 49 yards but eventually found the end zone to get past the spread and then got interceptions on the next two possessions for Iowa to hang on.
Miami, OH (+2.5) 35, Army 28
Army appeared to be in control of this game with a 28-14 late in the third quarter but Miami completed a scoring drive to cut the margin to seven points entering the fourth. After a fumble from Army, Miami punched in another score early in the fourth to tie the game and then force Army to punt. Pinned at their own two-yard line Miami went 98 yards in nine plays to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter halfway through the fourth and then held on defense as Army was deep in Miami territory looking to tie the game late.
Georgia Tech (-16) 21 Maryland 16
The Yellow Jackets failed to cash in on few scoring opportunities early in the game and it nearly cost them as Maryland staged a late rally. Georgia Tech was just past the spread with a 21-3 lead entering the fourth quarter but early in the fourth Georgia Tech oddly went for it on fourth down rather than kicking a field goal. That effort failed and Maryland broke a 77-yard run to get some momentum. After a poor punt Maryland got the ball in good field position and scored again to cut the lead to five after a missed two-point conversion. Maryland was able to get the ball back with a chance to win but came up short, though earning the cash for underdog backers fading one of the most popularly bet favorites on the board.
Virginia Tech (-7.5) 38, Miami, FL 35
Virginia Tech took a ten point lead into the fourth quarter in what seemingly was a defensive battle before offense took over in the fourth quarter. In the span of ten seconds early in the fourth quarter the teams exchanged touchdowns but with the margin still at ten Miami scored with just over eight minutes to go to cut the lead to just three points. Virginia Tech went three and out on its next possession and Miami eventually took the lead with less than three minutes to go following a 30-yard run. Virginia Tech put together the winning scoring drive with less than a minute to go and then held on as Miami was just on the edge of field goal range before failing to convert.
Michigan (-7.5) 42, Northwestern 24
Northwestern dominated the first half, taking a 24-14 lead into halftime as underdogs at home against Michigan. Michigan took over as the running game seemed to wear on the Northwestern defense with two long scoring drives in the third quarter in between a Northwestern punt to lead 28-24 entering the fourth quarter. The Wildcats then had an interception on what was looking like a successful drive, setting Michigan up for another score to lead by nine and get past the spread for the first time in the game. Northwestern then fumbled on its next possession in Michigan territory and eventually Michigan added another touchdown to lead by 18. The game ended with Northwestern on the Michigan one yard line, the third drive in Michigan territory in the fourth quarter but no points resulted.
Baylor (-16) 49, Iowa State 26
Iowa State scored late in the third quarter to cut the margin to just 15 points, though the Cyclones missed the extra-point. That ended a run of 28 consecutive points for Baylor as Iowa State did have an early lead. Baylor scored early in the fourth as the offense could not be stopped and the teams would exchange scores on the next two possessions. Iowa State was immediately picked off in its final drive with a backdoor cover in play.
Texas A&M (-9) 45, Texas Tech 40
A lot of points were expected in this Big XII rivalry that may be ending soon and both teams delivered as Texas A&M led 31-20 at the half but that lead was cut to 38-30 entering the fourth quarter. The line moved substantially throughout the week so opportunistic players that had that middle were feeling good about that margin. Texas A&M scored first in the fourth quarter to pull ahead 45-30 but Texas Tech quickly answered with a field goal. Both offenses failed to on the next possessions but Texas Tech got the ball back and went 91-yards to score with less than a minute to go to spoil the spread. Tech had massive yardage edges in the game so likely was the deserving side winner despite the late fashion in which the cover was earned.