News and Notes Week 7 Part 1
By Phil Steele
Phil Steele.com
USC took advantage of 5 Cal TO’s. In the 1H USC had a 187-132 yd edge and blew one opportunity off a TO by fumbling a snap on a fake FG. They settled for a 39 yd FG and also benefited from stopping a Cal fake punt at the Cal37 which 5pl later resulted in a USC TD. The Trojans led 20-0 at the half en route to the 30-9 win.
Air Force was missing all 3 starting DL and got worn down by San Diego St in the 2H. Ronnie Hillman rushed for 172 yards for the Aztecs including 22 and 57 yd TD runs on B2B plays to blow open a close game. AF had a 215-160 yd edge at the half.
San Jose St beat Hawaii at home on a Friday night in front of a charged home crowd. The game featured a 2011 season high of 12 TO’s with each team having 6. In the 1H SJS took advantage of some UH TO’s and could have led by more than 20-7 as they missed a FG, settled for a FG and had an IR TD called back by a pers foul that was 40 yards behind the play. In the 2H SJS turned it over on their first 5 poss but one of the key plays of the game happened after UH had just taken the lead, 21-20. SJS turned it over after an 8 pl drive at their own 40 and UH got a 32 yd TD run. The xp was blk’d and ret’d for 2 and instead of leading 28-20, it was 27-22. Each team missed a FG and SJS got a TD with :36 left to go up 28-27 and missed the 2 pt conv. UH only got as far as its own 39.
Miami, Fl gained 263 of its 311 yards in the 1H and avoided their first 0-3 start in conf play in program history. They led 27-10 at the half with a 274-177 yd edge but North Carolina finished with a 429-311 yd edge. Giovanni Bernard became the school’s first NC player to rush for at least 100 yards in 5 consec game since Ethan Horton in 1984 and NC did get within 30-24. UM’s Lamar Miller was held to 29 yards on 16 carries. Once NC got a TD with :46 left to pull within 30-24 they actually rec’d the onside kick and got to the UM 30 but on 3&17 tried the lateral on the last play which came up short.
Ryan Tannehill threw for 415 yards and a career-high 6 TD’s for Texas A&M. Robert Griffin threw for a school-record 430 yards and 3 TD’s but Texas A&M had a 266-50 yd edge on the ground. Baylor has not beaten Texas A&M in Kyle Field since 1984 and A&M had a 681-480 yard edge. While A&M opened a 31-14 lead, Baylor closed it to 34-28. A&M got a 68 yd TD pass and BU was SOD on 4&gl at the A&M4 with 13:12 left. A&M went 96/7pl for a TD to go up 48-28 then after an int went 66/7pl for a TD to turn it into a blowout, 55-28.
The Cincinnati Bearcats played their 3rd game in Bengals home, Paul Brown Stadium, and got their first victory. They also drew 40,971 fans, which almost matched the Bengals crowd for their last home game. A big play happened when UC trailed 9-7 and had the ball at the Louisville 46 and was int’d and ret’d 63 yds for a TD with :06 left in the half and instead of getting into FG range for the lead, they trailed 16-7 at the half. UC finished with only 330-271 yd edge and didn’t take the lead until they got a 50 yd TD run by Pead with 12:19 left to go up 22-16. UL was SOD on 4&3 at their own 44 and UC added a 21 yd FG with 1:21 left.
Wisconsin shelled Indiana 59-7 but it actually wasn’t as bad as LY when they won 83-20. Trailing 14-0, Indy was SOD at the UW36 and UW drove 64 yds for a TD and after an int, drove 80 yds for a TD. They led 38-7 at the half but the yards were only 379-217 as IU was SOD at the UW36, int’d at the 20 and int’d setting up a UW39 yd TD in the final minute. In the 2H UW got a 60 yd PR for a TD and rec’d a fmbl by the IU QB for a TD with 9:17 left to close the scoring.
Missouri probably dominated Iowa St even more than the 52-17 margin although they did lose DT Terrell Resonno who inj’d his right knee in the 1H and DNR. Missouri opened the game with 10 straight runs, the first on an 50/8pl TD drive. They led 28-3 and had the ball at the ISU27 yd line when they were int’d and ret’d 78 yds for a TD. At the half MO had a 368-117 yd edge but only led 31-10. They expanded it to 52-10 in the 4Q and ISU went 74/6pl for a garbage TD and added 58 additional yards after that. Missouri had 13 yds on their final 4 poss with a backup QB.
Utah’s D dominated Pitt as they had a 251-120 yd edge. The Utes were without their QB Jordan Wynn (out for yr) and top WR Devon Christopher. Pitt appeared in control early thanks to special teams. The Panthers did got on a 10pl drive to open and punted and Utah went on a 12pl drive and settled for a 23 yd FG but Pitt got a 98 yd KR TD then blk’d a punt for a TD. The KR TD was their first since 2006 and the blk’d punt TD was their first since 1991. They led 14-3 but Utah, with 2:07 left in the half, with QB Hays under heavy pressure, threw a pass which tipped off the LB’s hand, over a DB and into WR Matthews hands which he took 33 yards for a TD to pull them within 14-13. Utah took a lead with a FG on the opening drive of the 3Q and never trailed again in a game played in 20-36 mph winds. Pitt trailed 19-14 when they were SOD at the Utah35 on 4&3 with backup QB Anderson in. On the next drive on 3&10 Anderson was int’d and ret’d 23 yds for a TD with 1:10 left for a somewhat misleading 26-14 final.
Howard Schnellenberger called FAU’s first HG in their brand-new $70mill stadium their most important game in school history. David Kooi, making his first career QB start hit just 10-21-79 and WKU dominated with 17-6 FD and 289-121 yd edges. It was just 6-0 at the half even though WK had a 131-43 yd edge. WK’s final score was off a blk’d punt as they went 19/5pl for a TD with 2:40 left for the 20-0 final.
Teams with extra time to prepare for Georgia Tech’s option usually do well and Virginia upended #12 GT which had been off to its best start since 1966. UVA had 407-296 yd and 21-17 FD edges. UVA went 73/4pl and 45/12pl for TD’s on their first 2 poss to lead 14-0. GT got a 32 yd IR TD to pull back to 14-14 with 8:24 left in the half but UVA went 72/10pl and 21/8pl (after int) for a TD and a 36 yd FG and led 24-14 at the half with a 272-154 yd edge. GT opened the 3Q with an 85/19pl drive for a TD, 24-21 but punted on their next 3 poss and UVA took over at their 23 with 5:58 left in the game and would get 5 FD’s on the 69/13pl drive taking a knee at the GT6.
USF had a 339-253 yd edge vs Connecticut and tied a school record with 7 sacks. It was Skip Holtz’s return to CT where he was HC from 1994-’98. USF QB BJ Daniels, however, fumbled a shotgun snap at the UC16 and UC rec’d it. USF missed a 46 yd FG and Daniels was int’d at the UC19 with 4:39 left in the half and CT led 6-3. With the score 10-9 USF fmbl’d and UC ret’d it 10 yds for a TD to take the lead 16-10. USF missed a 44 yd FG after a 52/10pl drive and was int’d at the UC38 with 9:46 left. USF was SOD on 4&7 at the UC24 with 2:23 left and CT got 1 FD & ran out the clock.
Marshall benched QB starter Rakeem Cato and AJ Graham hit just 11-22-99 yds but rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries and was the team’s leading rusher. Rice finished with a 361-328 yd edge. Marshall went 69/1pl and 87/11pl for TD’s, 14-0 and Rice went on 43 and 50 yd drives for 2 FG’s, 14-6 at the half. Rice battled back to take a 20-17 lead. MAR rec’d a fmbl at the Rice25 but was int’d at the 8 with 11:42 left and after 4 punts, Rice fmbl’d at their own 23 with 3:31 left. MAR converted on 4&10 and went 23/5pl to get a 4 yd TD run by Martinez with 1:49 left to take the lead. Rice was SOD at their own 33 on 4&13.
Dan Herron ret’d to the lineup for Ohio St and rushed for 114 yards. Braxton Miller hit just 1-4 passes for 17 yards as the Buckeyes kept it on the ground but his only completion was a 17 yd TD pass to Jake Stoneburner to put the Buckeyes up 17-7. OSU did not throw its first pass until 7:22 mark in the 2Q. Illinois had a 285-228 yd edge and OSU went 45/10pl for a 43 yd FG to open and the next 9 poss resulted in punts. At the half OSU had a 105-95 yd edge. UI was int’d and ret’d 37 yds to the 12 and Herron got a 12 yd TD run on the next play, 10-0 early 3Q. OSU rec’d a fmbl’d at the UI22 and on 3&5 got a 17 yd TD pass to Stoneburner 17-0. UI went 80/15pl for a 3 yd TD pass. UI’s last drives ended on an int at the OSU20 (from midfield) and a 41/8pl drive that was SOD at the OSU16 with 1:11 left.
Colorado was last in the P12 in TD passes allowed while Washington was #1 in the P12 in TD passes. Keith Price had 4 TD passes in the 1H as UW rolled up a 379-104 yd edge and led 44-10. UW scored on all 6 poss in the 1H. Price was pulled with 1:05 left in the 3Q and on Nick Montana’s first ever snap as a UW QB, he fumbled setting up a CU36/6pl TD drive which pulled them within 45-24. UW got a TD with 2:32 left for the 52-24 final. CU is a banged up team without top WR Paul Richardson, top rusher Stewart and numerous DB’s.
Michigan St is now 4-0 since the Mike Hart’s infamous “little brother” comment. The Spartans held Michigan’s potent offense to 250 yards and had 333 yards on offense. It was MSU’s first 4 game win streak in the series since 1962. MSU had 6 sacks for 54 yards while the Wolverines had zero sacks. MSU rushed for 213 yards on 39 carries while UM rushed for 82 yards on 36 carries. It was tied at 7 and MSU had a 162-138 yd edge and the Spartans had leads of 14-7 and 21-7. UM got a 34 yd TD pass with 9:49 left then rec’d a fmbl but on 4&1 Robinson was tackled for a 10 yd loss. On the next drive Robinson was int’d and ret’d 39 yds for a TD to put the Spartans up 28-14 with 4:31 left to clinch it. UM was SOD at their own 46 with 3:18 left and the Spartans ended the game at the UM 21.
Matt Simms made his first start of the season for Tennessee and hit 6-20-128 and 2 int. It was the 2nd straight bkp QB LSU has now faced. The key play of the game happened at the end of a scoreless 1Q. UT was at the LSU42 when Simms threw into the EZ and was int’d and ret’d 89 yds to the 5. That set up an LSU TD and a 7-0 lead. LSU then got a 10 yd PR setting up a 36/7pl drive for a TD to lead 14-0. It was 17-7 at the half. LSU had 3 poss in the 2H. They went 66/12pl, 99/16pl for TD’s to put them up 31-7. After Tenn was SOD on 4&7 at the LSU35, the Tigers went 65/10pl and on 4&3 got a 14 yd TD pass with 1:35 left. UT which had run for negative yards vs both Florida and Georgia rushed for 111 yds on LSU.
The Penn St/Purdue game was played in a heavy wind as were many games in the Midwest. At the end of the half, PSU on 3&10 threw a TD pass where the rec caught the ball in both hands and had both feet down but it was punched away and ruled incomplete. PSU settled for a FG, 10-6. PSU led 20-12 and was at the PU23 when a pass into the EZ was tipped into the air bouncing off both the DB and WR and their feet and it was ret’d 50 yds and PU got a TD to pull within 20-18. PSU got a 98 yd KR and their KR Powell just flipped the ball towards the ref but was called for a 15 yd pen which took the ball from the 3 back to the 18 and PSU settled for a 29 yd FG. PSU finished the game at the PUR5 taking a knee.
Northern Illinois/Western Michigan was a close game at the half. In fact, WM led 15-10 when they missed a 47 yd FG with just :38 left in the half which would have put them up 18-10. NI got a couple of big passes and nailed a 36 yd FG and only trailed 15-13 at the half. NI’s run game took over in the 2H and they finished with 494 yds rushing and a 697-324 yd edge. NI scored on their first 6 drives of the 2H to blow it open 51-15 and got back into the MAC West race.
In the 1H Tulane had a 229-184 yd edge but UTEP led 31-7 and rolled a 44-7 win. TU was int’d setting up a UTEP 25 yd TD drive. UTEP went 92/9pl for a TD to tie it at 7. Down 21-7, TU had a punt blk’d and rec’d for a TD then TU went 78/14pl and was int’d in the EZ. TU was int’d at the UTEP26 and ret’d 27 yds setting up another FG and trailed 31-7 at the half and UTEP got a 66 yd TD pass on the 2nd play of the 3Q to put it away.
Shovels of dirt were being thrown on Florida St after their 3rd straight loss but they dominated Duke with a 481-289 yd edge as EJ Manuel returned to the starting lineup but hit just 9-14-239. The game was tied 3-3 when FSU went 60/2pl for a TD then after a 26 yd PR went 64/4pl and 95/7pl for TD’s to blow it open, 24-3. At half they had a 286-106 yd edge. Duke recovered a pair of onside kicks in the 2H and got within 34-16 but a 3rd onside kick was recovered by FSU and the Seminoles went 39 yards for a TD in just 4 plays.
UCF actually had a 184-144 yd edge vs SMU in the 1H but allowed a 47 yd PR setting up a 19 yd TD drive and also allowed a 92 yd PR TD by Richard Crawford so they trailed 17-3 at the half and never got within 14 points the rest of the game.
As expected, the Miami, Oh/Kent St game was a low scoring defensive struggle. KSt finished with a 244-166 yd edge. KSt was int’d in the EZ on the final play of the half, missed a 43 yd FG and only led 3-0. MU’s TD “drive” was 30 yds and came after kick catch interf and a pers foul for 30 yds in pen’s on a punt set them up at the KSt30. Later they got a safety for their other points. KSt’s final drive got to the MU33 where were SOD.
Texas had a 24-21 FD edge vs Oklahoma St but the Cowboys had a 420-370 yd edge. UT controlled the ball for 39:18 but had trouble punching it in. UT was SOD on 4&3 at the OSU32, settled for a 34 yd FG after a 10pl drive and trailed 21-10 at the half. Each team got a 100 yd KR for a TD to open the 3Q, 28-17. UT pulled within 28-24 but then gave up a 74 yd TD run with 4:14 left in the 3Q to fall down 14 pts. UT on 4&3 had an open receiver but was caught inches short of the EZ on 4th & gl. UT was sk’d & fmbl’d at the OSU43 and int’d at the OSU47 on their final 2 poss.
Brandon Ogletree had a big game forcing TO’s on 3 str poss with an int and 2 FF but BYU only turned those poss into 3 pts. Thanks to a 51 yd IR TD BYU and Oregon St were tied at 14 at the half despite BYU having a 222-141 yd edge. BYU was up 21-14 when OSU turned it over those 3 times and 24-14 after. OSU got a TD to pull within 24-21 but BYU got a TD with 10:39 left and then OSU missed a 48 yd FG and BYU went 69/6pl for a TD with 3:37 left to make it 38-21. OSU went 63/16pl getting a TD with :23 left for the 38-28 final.
Eastern Michigan got a big outright upset. They blocked a punt and ret’d it for a TD in the 3Q to go up 28-13 and that lead stood until Central Michigan got a TD with 3:36 left to pull within 28-20. CM then went 70/10pl and got a TD and 2 pt conversion with 1:09 left to tie it and apparently avoid the upset but EM got a 14 yd pass and a 20 yd run by QB Gillette followed by a 30 yd TD run by Gillette with :37 left to retake the lead. CM got down to the EM28 but was int’d at the 4.
Memphis led East Carolina 10-7 at the half thanks to recovering a fumble in the EZ for a TD as EC had a 218-99 yd edge. EC got a 24 yd IR to the 9 setting up a TD to take its first lead 14-10 with 10:57 left in the 3Q. EC then went 89/7, 70/6pl and 65/7pl for TD’s to take command 35-10. Memphis got a TD with 5:12 left but EC ran off the final 5:12 getting 3 FD’s to the MEM31.
Temple set a school record rushing for 400 yards vs Buffalo and dominated with a 458-155 yd edge getting their 2nd straight shutout. RB Pierce set the single season rushing record with his fifth straight 100 yard game rushing for 152 yards and also became the career leading rusher and even backup Matt Brown had 120 yards.
Kansas St had another outright upset, this time over Texas Tech. KSU got a 24 yd IR TD early and then added a 100 yd KR for a TD 14-13. They missed the xp but Coach Snyder, unlike some other coaches in college ball (Lane Kiffin) doesn’t go for 2 unless needed and KSU would score 3 TD’s in the 2Q and 3Q and not once did Snyder go for the odd 2 points which helped the Cats stay ahead by 7 at the end of the game. At half TT actually led 28-20 with a 389-94 yd edge and had 2 FG’s blk’d. KSU got a TD on the last play of the 3Q to take a 34-31 lead and would not relinquish it and KSU in the 4Q was SOD at the TT27 and missed a 31 yd FG. TT got a 19 yd FG with 2:32 left then rec’d the onside kick but on 4&4 fired incomplete from the KSU47 and the Wildcats remain unbeaten.
As you can see by the 49-7 final, Nevada dominated New Mexico with a 598-257 yd edge and in fact NV went on long drives on almost every poss. They fumbled at the NM22, were SOD at the NM27, and were int’d at their own 47 but scored TD’s on their other 4 1H drives and had a 318-136 yd edge. NV scored TD’s on their first 3 poss of the 3Q and then went on a 12pl drive and had a 21 yd FG blk’d with 1:10 left. NM only scored after trailing 49-0 with the backups in.
Trent Richardson may have had a Heisman moment vs Mississippi with a 76 yd TD run where he had 4 players cornering him on the sidelines at the end of a run, stopped and started up again and got the TD. Richardson rushed for 183 yards. Alabamaactually gave up a 59 yd pass on the 3rd play of the game and Miss got a TD 2pl later for a stunning 7-0 lead. The Rebels had 72 yards on that drive and 69 yds the rest of the game as Bama finished with a 615-141 yd edge in their dominating 52-7 win.
Week 7 News and Notes Part 2
By Phil Steele
Phil Steele.com
Stanford turned the ball over 3 times all year but had 2 TO’s in the 1H vs Washington St. As usual, SU struggled a bit in the 1H, in fact the FD’s were even at 8 and SU only led 10-7. SU would score TD’s on 3 of their first 4 2H poss to go up 31-7. WSU was SOD on 4&8 at the SU9 with 10:31 left. SU went 91/12pl getting a TD with 4:26 left to make it 38-7. WSU gave Jeff Tuel the start as he ret’d from his collarbone inj but they brought in Marshall Lobbestael and he guided the Cougars 80/12pl for a TD with :14 left to make it 38-14 but Montgomery ret’d the ensuing KO 96 yds for a TD on what turned out to the be the final play of the game and SU won by 30.
Things did not look good for Virginia Tech early as Wake Forest had a 10-0 lead and a 122-2 yd edge after 1Q but VT would dominate the 2Q with 3 TD’s, the 3rd coming after WF was int’d at their own 27 with :30 left in the half and VT went for it on the last play of the half and got a TD run by Thomas. VT had a 207-41 yd edge in the 2Q and opened the 3Q with an 80/6pl drive for a TD and rolled to a 38-17 win with a 473-320 yd edge.
Troy led 10-3 in the 3Q but ULM dominated statistically with a 523-126 yd edge. ULM was SOD at the Troy20 and 21 and Troy was int’d at the ULM18 and after a fmbl’d punt, was SOD at the ULM1. Troy still led 3-0 after a 20 yd FG when ULM took over with 1:01 left in the half and went 58/7pl for a 34 yd FG, 3-3. ULM fmbl’d another punt and Troy got an 11 yd TD run to go up 10-3 with 11:18 left in the 3Q. ULM then dominated after that and finished the game with a commanding 523-126 yd edge and 20-9 FD edge and rolled to a 38-10 win.
A 14 pt swing was huge in the Northwestern/Iowa game as NU had 495-378 yd and 29-17 FD edges but lost by 10. Trailing 3-0 they had a 1st & gl at the 8 when Persa was int’d and ret’d 98 yds for a TD and instead of taking the lead, they trailed 10-0. At the half NU had a TOP edge of 20:58-9:02 and a 13-6 FD edge but trailed 17-7. They rallied to tie it at 17 but Iowa got their first 3rd down conversion of the game on their next drive and scored TD’s on their next 2 poss while NU missed a 47 yd FG and NU then fmbl’d at their own 20 setting up an Iowa 40 yd FG to blow it open 34-17. IU rec’d a pair of onside kicks, converting one into a 24 yd TD drive and ended the game at the NU9 up by 10.
Auburn and Florida both came in with major ? at QB and none of the ?’s were answered. Seven different players took snaps at QB. UF #2 QB Driskell was ? coming in and obviously not 100% but he was brought into the game in the 2H after Jacoby Brissett started and hit 5-10-45. AU starting QB Barrett Trotter has now lost confidence and hit 2-8-33 with Clint Moseley and Kiehl Frazier also seeing action. UF fmbl’d 2 punts setting up a 32/3pl TD drive and 22/6pl drive for a FG which was the majority of AU’s offense. UF had a couple of long drives end in settling for short FG’s then at the end were SOD at the AU16 after an 11 pl drive but AU finished with a 278-194 yd edge.
Ohio had a 3-0 TO deficit. Just before half, trailing 10-7 OU was int’d and ret’d 34 yds to their 8 and Ball St got a FG on the last play of the half to go up 13-7. OU trailed 23-20 and was int’d at the 18 with 13:27 left. They fmbl’d at the BSU36 with 5:27 left. They went 71/12pl and settled for a game tying 41 yd FG to put the game in OT but missed it with :36 left.
Toledo had 456-343 yd and 21-19 FD edges. Matt Schilz came in leading the MAC with 16 TD passes but was held to 1. TOL missed a 41 yd FG and on the last play of the 1H with the score tied, Bowling Green faced a 4&25 and just threw the ball up for grabs in the EZ into a crowd of 9 players and BG’s WR Jordan grabbed it out of the air for the TD and an improbable 7-0 lead. TOL led 21-14 when BG was SOD on 4&1 at the TOL7. TOL appeared to out the game away as they got a 59 yd pass then a 29 yd Williams run on 3&1 put them up 28-14 with 1:34 left. Booboo Gates ret’d the ensuring KO 88 yds for a TD with 1:20 left to get BG back in it. TOL rec’d the onside kick and took a knee.
A couple of blk’d FG’s cost Navy an outright win and Rutgers from extending their lead in the last 5:00. RU had 423-305 yd and 22-15 FD edges. RU missed a 52 yd FG, fmbl’d at the Navy2 at the end of a 75/10pl drive but Navy was SOD at the 5 at the end of a 68/12pl drive. 2pl later Navy had a 16 yd IR TD to tie it at 7. RU was SOD at the N32 and had a 221-187 yd edge but Navy led 14-7 at the half thanks to a 54 yd TD run by Proctor. Navy extended it to 17-7 but RU went 52/6pl for a TD and then 66/7pl with a 3&9, 20 yd TD pass to go up 21-17. Navy got a 41 yd FG to make it 21-20 then had a 34 yd FG blk’d with 4:50 left. RU got to the Navy24 but had a 41 yd FG blk’d with :24 left.
Mississippi St had a slight 296-289 yd edge but 3 long drives in the 3Q only produced 3 points and they needed a safety on the final play of the game to make it look closer. It was the Gamecocks first game without QB Stephen Garcia and first road start for Connor Shaw who hit 20-28-155 yards. Tyler Russell started for Miss St and hit 11-29-165. At the half SC was int’d in the EZ with 4:06 left and int’d at the 1 from the MSU41 with :12 left. In the 3Q, MSU went 52/9pl and missed a 40 yd FG. They went 44/7p land missed a 53 yd FG then went 70/11pl and settled for a 22 yd FG with 3 long drives only producing 3 pts, they only led 10-7 and SC went 79/12pl for a 4 yd TD pass with 3:50 left. MSU got to the SC32 but was int’d at the 12 and on 4&13 SC ran out the clock taking a safety on the final play and to win by 2. The win was costly for SC as they lost LY’s SEC Frosh of the Year, Marcus Lattimore, for the season (knee).
The New Mexico St/Idaho game was a deceptively high scoring game as most of the scores were set up by special teams and short fields. NMS got a 20/1pl TD pass after rec’ing a fumble to go up 14-0. Then after NMS fumbled the punt at their 6, ID got a TD 3pl later, 14-7. NMSt got a 100 yd KR TD to go up 21-7 and it was 21-10 at the half with 10 punts in the 1H. For the game the two teams combined for 17 punts. ID got a 64 yd PR TD in the 3Q and NMSt drove 29/5pl after an int for a TD. ID got a 95 yd KR TD to get back to 28-24. NMSt went on a 69/8pl drive and settled for a 20 yd FG with 13:11 left. ID fumbled at the NMS31 with 12:37 left but took over with 8:23 left and went on an apparent game tying TD drive. From the 8 they went 91/18pl but on 4&gl from the 1 fired incomplete with :21 left.
North Texas vs Louisiana. UL got 2 FD’s and fumbled at their own 31. NT got 1 FD and nailed a 24 yd FG, 3-0. UL got a 65 yd pass to the 9 and a TD 2pl later, 7-3. 2 punts. NT went 68/7pl and got a 2 yd TD run by Dunbar, 10-7. UL16 on 4&1 was SOD at its own 25. NT(UL25) had a 47 yd FG blk’d. UL went 66/5pl and got a 25 yd TD pass to take the lead, 13-10 (8:57 2Q). 2 punts. NT31 went 34/9pl but fumbled at the UL35 with 2:01 left. At half UL did have a 200-124 yd edge. The 3Q opened with 2 punts. NT went 31/10pl but on 4&9 missed a 42-yd FG at the UL26. 3 punts. UL got 1 FD then a 44 yd TD pass to Surgent, 20-10. 2 punts. NT was int’d and ret’d 11 yds to their 31. UL on 3&3 got a 24 yd TD pass to go up 27-10 with 8:55 left. NT went 3 & out and UL went 50/10pl getting a 31 yd FG with :44 left for the 30-10 win.
Utah St was 0-6 in Bulldog Stadium since 1980 but was still a slight favorite last Saturday. USt opened strong with an 87/7pl TD drive. Fresno St went 68/12pl but on 2&gl fumbled at the 6. USt got a 36 yd pass to Leeuwen then on 2&12 a 59 yd TD run by Turbin made it 14-0. FSU went 84/5pl for a TD. USt went 64/7pl and missed a 35 yd FG and FSU went 80/11pl for a TD to tie it, 14-14. USt got a 52 yd KR and went 48/2pl with a Smith, 46 yd TD run, 21-14 (11:24 2Q). FSU got 2 FD’s and fumbled at the USt44. 3 punts. FSU got a 40 yd PR to midfield but on 4&1 was SOD. At the half USt had a 305-272 yd edge. The 3Q opened with 2 punts. FSU went 58/9pl for a 39 yd FG, 21-17. USt went 62/18pl for a 31 yd FG and it was blk’d on the first play of the 4Q. FSU went 80/8pl and got a 23 yd TD pass on 3&14 with 11:54 left to lead, 24-21. USt on 3&10 fumbled at its own 23. FSU converted on 4&2 and then on 3&7 got a 9 yd TD run by Rouse, 31-21. 2 punts. USt went 44/11pl but their 53 yd FG hit the crossbar with 1:05 left.
UAB got 1 FD and punted. Tulsa went 64/8pl for an 18 yd TD pass. UAB went 3 & out. TU got 2 FD’s but on 4&1 were SOD at the 19. UAB went 3 & out. TU got 2 FD’s incl a personal foul to move down to the 22 on a 53/7pl drive but settled for a 30 yd FG, 10-0. UAB went 83/3pl with a 66 yd TD pass on 2&15, 10-7. TU got 1 FD and was int’d at the UAB45. UAB went 55/3pl with a 45 yd TD pass by Nelson. Pass interference on 3&5 had given them the FD the play before and UAB led 14-10 (14:02 2Q). TU fumbled at their own 40 and UAB got a 20 yd FG on 4&gl at the 2, 17-10. TU went 72/9pl for a 15 yd TD pass with 2:46 left in the half to tie it. They took over with :49 left and got a 68 yd pass to the 12 and a 12 yd TD pass two plays later for the lead, 24-17 (:22). UAB got 2 FD’s on a 33 yd drive and got a 49 yd FG on the final play of the half, 24-20. TU fumbled at the UAB41 to open the 3Q then went 57/12pl for a 44 yd FG. TU went 55/11pl for a 22 yd FG, 30-20. 3 punts. TU got 1 FD then a 47 yd TD run by Douglas made it 37-20. 2 punts. UAB got 2 FD’s to the 41 but was int’d and ret’d 41 yds to their 17. TU got 1 FD but on 1st & gl from the 4 fumbled. UAB went 82/16pl and was int’d in the EZ for a TB with 2:46 left on 3&10. TU got 1 FD and took a knee.
Wyoming allowed 63 points vs Utah St the week earlier and Dave Christensen challenged his D in practice and then again at halftime. The Cowboys came out and allowed just 3 FD’s in the 2H vs UNLV. WY opened with an 80/5pl drive for a TD then after an int went 43/6pl for a TD and 2 poss later went 64/8pl and led 20-0 after 1Q. WY fumbled the punt at their own 29 setting up a UNLV TD and UNLV went 65/6pl for a TD to pull within 20-14 at the half and WY only had a 187-183 yd edge. The Cowboys had a 168-75 yd edge in the 2H getting a 24 yd FG at the end of a 12pl drive on their opening poss and then getting a 76 yd PR TD to lead 30-14 after 3Q’s and rolled to a 41-14 win.
Oklahoma only had a 335-246 yd edge at the half but in the 2H would hold Kansas to 6 total yards offense and went from a close game where they led just 27-17 to outscoring them by 20. Each team went 3 & out and OU, after a 33 yd PR, went 35/4pl for a TD, 7-0. OU went 68/11pl for a 36 yd FG, 10-0. KU got 1 FD then C Jeremy Hatch was inj’d and out for the game. On the next play on 4&1 KU got a 56 yd TD run on an option, 10-7. 2 punts. OU fumbled at their own 25 and KU got a 36 yd FG, 10-10. OU went 70/9pl for a TD and an 8 yd TD run made it 17-10. Broyles got a 15 yd PR and OU got a 57/1pl TD pass to Broyles. Broyles had 13 catches for a school record 217 yards and became the NCAA’s all-time career leading receiver. KU went 77/9pl for a TD and only trailed 24-17 (3:43 2Q). OU went 65/13pl for a 19 yd FG. The 3Q opened with 3 punts. OU went 44/6pl but Broyles fumbled into the EZ for a TB at the end of a 19 yd rec. OU went 51/12pl for a 27 yd FG to lead 30-17 (4:05 3Q). KU punted 20 yds and OU went 33/6 for a 20 yd FG, 33-17. KU went 3 &out and OU went 85/6pl for a 43 yd TD pass, 40-17. KU was SOD at their own 34 but OU was int’d at the 28. Broyles got a 36 yd PR 4pl later and OU went 36/5pl getting a TD with 3:53 left to extend the margin to 30.
Boise St dominated Colorado St with 32-11 FD and 742-231 yd edges. BS took its first poss 69/7pl for a TD then went 79/2pl with a 65 yd TD run by Martin. BS went 38/8pl but was SOD on 4&3 at the CSU17. After partially blocking a punt, BS went 52/1pl with a TD pass to Shoemaker, 21-0. BS went 61/6pl for a TD, 28-0 and at this point, CSU had 0 FD’s. CSU got their first FD and fumbled and BSU went 33/4pl for a TD. CSU went 73/2pl with a 27 yd TD pass making it 35-6. BS went 65/8pl but fumbled at the CSU13 and CSU went 87/5pl for a TD to make it 35-13 (4:01). 2 punts. BS26 went 64/9pl and missed a 25 yd FG. At half BSU had a 476-147 yd edge. Hendrick came in at QB and BS faked a punt on 4&6 on it first poss and went 80/9pl for a TD. BSU went 66/2pl for a TD. After an int, BS went 17/4pl for a TD, 56-13. BS got a 64 yd PR to the 10 and brought Southwick in at QB and BS went 10/2pl for a TD, 63-13. CSU got 3 FD’s and punted and BS was SOD at the CSU29 (7:41). CSU was SOD at the BS26 with 4:13 left and BG got 2 FD’s. It was just the 2nd time in school history that BS had over 700 yards offense.
Arizona St was playing without LaMichael James and then lost QB Thomas at the start of the 3Q. Oregon fumbled on their opening drive and ASU went 36/4pl for a TD, 7-0. 2 punts. After a 23 yd PR, UO went 47/3pl for a TD, 7-7 (7:33 1Q). ASU went 77/7pl for a 25 yd TD pass, 14-7. The Ducks faked a punt on 4&11 and were SOD at the 50 but ASU got 1 FD and punted (13:42 2Q). UO got a 45 yd pass and a 28 yd TD pass on the next play, 14-14. UO was int’d at their 41 and ret’d to the 20 but ASU settled for a 37 yd FG to retake the lead 17-14 (7:52 2Q). ASU15 went 48/9pl to the Duck 37 but Osweiler was int’d in the EZ as the WR fell down and it was ret’d 50 yds with just :51 left in the half. The momentum changing play of the game. UO went 50/3pl with a 12 yd TD pass with :27 left and instead of trailing by 10, they led 21-17 and had a 245-219 yd edge at the half. The 3Q opened with Thomas getting injured and ASU went 67/4pl for a TD, 24-21. UO with backup QB Bennett went 68/6pl for a TD then ASU went 3 & out and UO went 88/5pl for a TD, 35-24. 3 punts. UO went 38/8pl for a 37 yd FG, 38-24. ASU went 57/8pl and had an 11 yd run called back on a hold and settled for a 30 yd FG, 38-27. UO went 58/9pl for a 24 yd FG, 41-27 (9:27). 2 punts. ASU5 took over with 4:19 left and went 87/12pl and had a 1st & gl at the 8 but was int’d in the EZ for a TB with :42 left.
Clemson needed a big comeback to get past Maryland on the road but did finish with a 576-468 yd edge. CU opened with a 94/14 play drive for an 18 yd FG. CU fumbled the punt at their own 9 and MD got a TD 2pl later. 2 punts. CU was int’d and ret’d 46 yds for a TD meaning MD had 9 offensive yards on their 2 scoring “drives” but led 14-3. CU got a 70 yd KR by Watkins and went 30/4pl for a TD, 14-10. MD answered with a 70/7pl TD drive, 21-10 then went 60/7pl for a TD, 28-10 with 8:38 left in the half. CU27 went 73/10pl for a TD, 28-17. At the half CU had a 283-183 yd edge. MD opened the 3Q with a 78/8pl drive for a TD, 35-17. CU went 3 & out but MD went for the throat and a pass was int’d and ret’d 29 yds to their 15 and CU got back in it. On 3&8 they hit Watkins with a 13 yd TD pass, 35-24. MD11 went 80/10pl with a 27 yd FG, 38-24. CU38 got a 55 yd run by Ellington who finished with 212 yards but settled for a 23 yd FG on 4&6, 38-27. CU went 70/3pl for a TD, 38-35 and CU went 80/12pl for a TD and the lead, 42-38 but MD34 went 66/13pl for a 32 yd TD pass on 3&10. The drive incl a 4&1 conversion and MD retook the lead with 7:35 left, 45-42. Watkins got an 89 yd KR TD, 49-45. Watkins claimed the CU record with 345 all-purp yards. MD was SOD on 4&9 at the CU41 and after 1 FD Ellington broke off a 44 yd TD run with 3:55 left to make it 56-45. MD got 1 FD but on 4&36 fired incomplete from their own 24. CU gained 9 yds to the 15 where the game ended.
4th Quarter Covers
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 Week 7. Get the details on the final minutes in those key games.
San Jose State (+6.5) 28 Hawaii 27
San Jose State had a 20-7 lead at halftime but Hawaii led 21-20 entering the fourth quarter in an ugly primetime matchup that featured 12 turnovers. Hawaii got past the spread early in the fourth quarter with a 32-yard run but the extra-point was blocked and returned for 2-point for San Jose State, a play that would prove critical. After another San Jose State turnover the Warriors were in position to pad the lead but the field goal attempt was blocked. San Jose State connected for a big play to get into scoring range but inexplicably there was another fumble. Hawaii did its best to run out the clock but ultimately had to punt with just over a minute to go, pinning San Jose State back deep in its own zone but the Spartans put together a great scoring drive to lead by one, missing the 2-point conversion. Hawaii’s final drive came up short and San Jose State scored the upset.
Rutgers (-3) 21 Navy 20
Navy took a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter as a slight underdog but Rutgers answered with a scoring drive early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter, getting just past the late week spreads. Navy answered with a nice drive but had to settle for field goal, getting within the spread but still a point short on the scoreboard. On its next possession Rutgers was intercepted deep in its own territory to set up Navy to take the lead, but the field goal was blocked. Rutgers then went down the field, looking to milk the clock. Navy was able to get a third down stop and left about 30 seconds on the clock as Rutgers lined up a spread changing field goal. Incredibly that pick was blocked as well, sealing the one-point margin and the underdog cover.
Toledo (-9.5) 28 Bowling Green 21
Toledo had a massive yardage edge but both teams often failed to cash in with points in game that was heavily impacted by strong winds. Bowling Green scored on a 4th and 25 Hail Mary at the end of the first half to tie the game but Toledo would score first in the second half. Bowling Green tied the game early in the fourth quarter and then forced a 3-and-out, seemingly taking momentum in the game. A quick interception set the Rockets up for its next score to lead by seven. After stopping Bowling Green on downs late in the fourth, the Rockets appeared in position to earn an unlikely cover as they broke a few big plays to go up 28-14 with just over a minute to go. Bowling Green would spoil the party for Toledo backers as the kickoff return was returned for a touchdown.
South Carolina (-3.5) 14 Mississippi State 12
A 7-7 tie went into the fourth quarter after a scoreless third quarter in this SEC clash. Mississippi State put a field goal up to take the lead with less than ten minutes to go. South Carolina answered with a great drive to go nearly 80 yards and take six minutes off the clock, taking the lead at 14-10 with less than four minutes to go, sitting just past the spread. Mississippi State drove into South Carolina territory but an interception ended the threat however the scoring was not yet finished. The Gamecocks were not quite able to just take a knee to burn all the time off the clock and Steve Spurrier and QB Connor Shaw did not make many friends among Gamecocks bettors as Shaw ran out of the end zone after time expired for a spread changing safety rather than risking a punt deep in its own territory.
Oregon (-14.5) 41 Arizona State 27
Arizona State led 24-21 early in the third quarter but Oregon could not be held down any further. The Ducks had back-to-back touchdown drives in less than two minutes to enter the fourth quarter up by eleven and a field goal early in the fourth to complete a drive pushed the lead to 14, right on or near the spread. Arizona State answered with a field goal shortly thereafter but then the Ducks did the same thing with a chip shot with just over nine minutes to go. The scoring would stop there even though Arizona State threatened on its final drive.
LSU (-17) 38 Tennessee 7
The Tigers were right on the number entering the fourth quarter at 24-7 but it was only a matter of time as LSU would complete two more scoring drives in the fourth quarter while Tennessee never really threatened to score again.
Stanford (-20) 44 Washington State 14
Sharp action was on the underdog in this game and it looked smart early as Stanford led just 10-7 at the half and only 24-7 after a late third quarter scored. The Cardinal continue to be a team that scores deep into the game however as Stanford scored twice more, pushing the lead to 38-7 with just over four minutes to go. Washington State managed to find the end zone with just seconds on the clock to make the score look more respectable but fittingly Stanford returned the ensuing kickoff 96-yards for a touchdown.
Iowa (-6) 41 Northwestern 31
This was a tie game entering the fourth quarter at 17-17 but a lot of points would be scored late in the game. Iowa put together two strong touchdown drives surrounding Northwestern settling for a field goal to take charge of the game, leading 31-20 and past the spread. Northwestern fumbled on its next possession to set up an Iowa field goal and while the Wildcats cut the lead back to ten points on its next possession the onside kick failed and Iowa was able to rush for a touchdown a few plays later, forcing Northwestern to use its timeouts in the process. Northwestern would score again but the onside kick again failed to leave the margin at ten points.
Fresno State (+3) 31 Utah State 21
Utah State had the early lead in this WAC contest that will be meaningful in the standings. The Aggies led 21-17 entering the fourth quarter, just past the narrow road favorite spread. Utah State would miss a short field goal early in the fourth quarter to which Fresno State answered with a long scoring drive to take the lead. The Aggies fumbled on its next possession to set up Fresno State on a short field which they took advantage of. Utah State would miss another field goal late in the game, the third missed kick of the game. After three touchdowns in its first four possessions, Utah State would not score again as Fresno State rallied.
Louisiana (-9) 30 North Texas 10
The Ragin’ Cajuns led just 13-10 at the half and entering the fourth quarter after a quiet third. Shortly into the fourth quarter Louisiana hit a long pass play to go up 20-10 and past the spread for the first time and took advantage of North Texas miscues to pad the lead late.
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