News and Notes Part 1
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com
Team have success in their first game with an interim HC which was the case on Thurs night. Arizona scored 6 TD’s on six 1H poss and had a 416-177 yd edge. New HC Kish installed the old Arizona (Double Eagle) Flex D as they led 42-7 at the half and increased it to 48-7 in the 4Q before UCLA scored the game’s final 5 pts. UA finished with a 32-15 FD edge. Four UA and 6 UCLA players’ were susp by the P12 for all or part of the next weeks games after a fight before half.
Purdue was in control almost the entire game vs Illinois. They went 91/13pl for a TD with 3:25 left in the 1Q then went 88/9pl for another TD and after rec’ing a fmbl went 14/4pl for a TD and led 21-0 at the half with a 229-129 yd edge. The 3Q opened with 8 punts before IL got a TD with 8:12 left and added another TD on a 12pl drive with just :54 left but PU rec’d the onside kick.
Kentucky had a depleted backfield including top rusher Clemons who was ruled out for the season. Williams ran for a career high 148 yds vs FCS member Jacksonville St. JSU RB Washaun Ealy is a UGA transfer who led the Bulldogs in rushing last year and had 120 yards on 16 carries. UK led 21-0 and 31-7 en route to their 31-14 lead.
Oklahoma St only had a 27-26 FD edge but in the 2H MO had 2 int’s and lost a fumble at the OSU4 when threatening to make a game of it. Missouri was also SOD at their own 46 in the 2H. Trailing 38-24 MO got to the OSU35 but was tipped and int’d and their next drive they were int’d again and were ret’d to the MO43 with 3:38 left and OSU tacked on a 12 yd TD run 7 plays later for the 21 pt final margin.
USF blew some opportunities vs Cincinnati. At the end of the half, they had a 1&gl at the 2 and were stuffed for no gain with :20 left but they let the clock run down to :02 and took a 20 yd FG. USF still stormed to a 27-17 lead after 3Q’s but UC battled back to lead 30-27. USF got a TD with 1:27 left for a 34-30 lead but UC, led by Zach Collaros, would go 70/7pl and got a 2 yd TD run by Collaros on FD with :12 left. USF got a 20 yd run by Daniels but then when surrounded he did the latteral play and UC recovered.
Buffalo deserved better than the loss to Northern Illinois. The Bulls had a 33-15 FD edge and 572-328 yd edge. BUF settled for a 31 yd FG and missed a 38 yd FG in the 1H. In the 2H they were int’d at the 20, fmbl’d the punt at their 33 setting up a short NI TD drive, were int’d at the NI17 but at the end got the game tying TD with :14 left to make it 31-31 or so it seemed. The xp was wide left and instead of OT, they had a loss.
Tajh Boyd tied a school record with 5 TD passes and Kourtnei Brown had an IR and FR TD’s on the D, the first DL to score a pair of TD’s in a game in 57 years. UNC had a 6-1 TO deficit. The game was tied at 10 when Clemson drove for a TD then 2 poss later Brown got his IR TD to make it 24-10. CU would expand it to 59-24 but UNC got the game’s final 2 TD’s with 7:38 and 2:19 left in the game.
Western Michigan led Eastern Michigan 10-7 but gave up a TD with 7:46 left. WM went 66/7pl. On 4&gl from the 1 with 4:56 left they were SOD and EM got 2 FD’s and on 3&11 their QB ran 14 yds for a FD to clinch it.
Wake Forest jumped out to a 17-3 lead vs Duke but in the 2H Duke would run 38 plays to 6 and held Wake to 1 ttl yard and stormed back a play after Duke settled for a 19 yd FG to lead by 6, 23-17, WF got a 66 yd TD pass from Price with 6:52 left. Duke got to the WF40 but their 4&7 pass was incomplete and on their final drive started at their 28 but were int’d at the 42 on the only play.
TCU had a 515-85 yd edge but New Mexico actually fumbled on their first 2 poss setting up the Frogs for 22 and 24 yd TD drives, staking them to a 14-0 lead, not like the Frogs needed any help. It was 41-0 at the half and 55-0 after TCU blk’d a punt for a TD and the Frogs, after a 24 yd punt with 2:55 left, even added a 33/6pl drive for a TD for the 69-0 win.
NC State DB David Amerson got his school record tying 8th int and is #1 in the NCAA in that category. All the talk for NCSt is about the departed Russell Wilson but Mike Glennon hit 20-36-231 yds and on the season is completing 144-229 for 1717 yds with a 19-6 ratio. NCSt had a 345-249 yd edge in a game that was dominated by punts (comb for 17). At 14-7 NCSt got a 79 yd TD pass but on the next pay UVA got a 60 yd TD pass to pull within 21-14 but the game was decided when Amerson got a 12 yd IR TD with 6:08 left for the 28-14 upset.
Ohio had a 30-18 FD edge vs Akron and 556-249 yd edge. OU was int’d at the UA12, settled for 24 and 27 yd FG’s and only led 13-3 at the half. They went on a 91/14pl drive and settled for a 23 yd FG then a fmbl was ret’d to the OU5 and on 4&4 UA got a 4 yd TD pass to pull within 23-10. OU extended it to 37-13 and AU, in the final 5:00, went 74/9pl and on 4&gl got a 6 yd TD pass with 2:11 left to make the final somewhat respectable at 37-20.
Virginia Tech had a 482-272 yd edge vs Boston College. VT settled for a couple of FG’s in the 1H and actually trailed 7-6 but opened the 2H with 60, 89 and 56 yd TD drives to lead 27-7. BC got a 4&6, 7 yd TD pass with 9:08 left and VT went 74/11pl but settled for a 24 yd FG with 3:43 left on 4&2. BC fumbled on the next play and VT got a FD at the 9 and ran 1 more play before taking a knee.
Oregon was without QB Thomas and RB LaMichael James but still rolled to a 29-0 lead after 1Q and dominated with a 527-231 yd edge with Colorado’s only score coming when UO’s PR went backwards and was tackled for a safety. Not getting as much publicity but equally important was that CU was missing a dozen starters including RB Stewart and WR Richardson who accounted for 60% of their yards from scrimmage on the season. They then lost SS Perkins and KR Godson to inj’s in the 1Q.
LSU was without star CB Mathieu and top rusher Ware but still dominated Auburn. They did only lead 7-3 when AU punted with 6:57 left in the half and LSU would get 42 and 46 yd TD passes, the first by Jefferson and the 2nd by Lee both to Rueben Randall for TD’s to pull away 21-3. LSU extended it 45-3 with AU going on an 86/10pl drive for a garbage TD with 2:22 left.
Miami has now beaten Georgia Tech 3 straight times by a combined score of 92-34. GT came in avg 517 yards offense but was held to 211 although their D held UM to just 262 total yards. With the score 7-0, GT fumbled a punt into the EZ and UM fell on it for a TD. GT went on a 92/20pl drive and got a TD with 1:02 left in the half when UM got an important drive. Knowing GT was going to get the ball out to start the 3Q, UM ret’d the KO to the 46 and would go 46/3pl getting a TD with :25 left in the half to go up 21-7 and retake the momentum.
In the 1H Nevada went on a 78/11pl drive but settled for a 22 yd FG and then went on a 73/9pl drive also settling for a 22 yd FG. With 6:47 left in the game, NV got a TD to go up 37-24. Fresno St went 59/3pl to get a TD with 6:00 left but NV went 80/7pl and got a TD with 2:12 left, this time 45-31 with a 2 pt conv. FSU had a 3rd & 10 and fired incomplete into the EZ but pass interference gave them a FD at the 2 and they got at he TD 2pl later. NV rec’d the onside kick and FSU used both their final time-outs RB Ball took a 3&1 run, broke a tkl, broke a couple of tackles for its 15 yd run down field but was brought down at the 18 and they took a knee. Cody Fajardo threw for 313 yds for the Wolf Pack as NV piled up 581 yds and 29 FD’s.
Boise St’s Chris Petersen took the opposite approach of TCU’s Gary Patterson by not prepping for Air Force’s option during the offseason. BSU only had a 423-408 yd edge and only led by 1 score with 1:00 to play. They were taking on AF’s banged up D and in the 1H did fumble at the AF10 yd line, up 7-0. A key play happened with AF trailing 13-7 when they faked a punt from their own 31 and fmbl’d and BSU scooped it up and ret’d it for a TD for some margin and it was 20-10 at the half. It was 27-20 with 9:47 left when BSU went 69/10pl for a TD with 5:07 left. AF got a TD with 3:31 left to get back within 1 score but BSU rec’d he onside kick and got a 25 yd FG with :42 left to clinch it. Kellen Moore tied Colt McCoy for most career victories by a starting QB (45).
Case Keenum became the FBS’s career leader in total offense but Houston’s win over Marshall was not as easy as the final score. Marshall had 2 long TD drives and the game was tied at 14 before UH scored on 3 straight drives for TD’s to go up 35-14. MU went 77/14pl but on 4&gl at the 1, lost 2 yds on the final play of the half. MU opened the 3Q with a 79 yd drive for a TD to trail 35-21. UH, leading 42-21, got a 20 yd IR TD and then MU went 67/12pl but was int’d again and ret’d 69 yds. UH went 20/4pl for a TD to close it 56-21 and each team brought in backup QB’s after that.
Tulane fired Coach Bob Toledo and Memphis pulled the upset. UM did have a 200-178 yd edge at the half and led 14-10. TU drove for a TD to open the 3Q, 17-14 and was driving again to go up 2 scores when they were int’d and ret’d 79 yds for a TD and UM led 20-17. UM blk’d a punt setting up a TD to go up 26-17 but missed a 46 yd FG and fmbl’d at the UM24 and despite a 459-289 yd TU edge, UM won 33-17.
For the 2nd straight week it was the tale of two halves for Alabama. At half, thanks to a 52 yd FG that just snuck over the crossbar and inside the upright, Tennessee tied it at 6 and Bama only had a 157-114 yd edge. Bama had a 282-41 yd edge in the 2H with UT getting zero FD’s in the 2H. Bama’s first 10 plays of the 3Q either went for a FD or a TD. They not only led, 37-6 but their 2nd last poss was SOD on 4&gl at the 1 when they could have gone up by 38 and UT was SOD at its own 8 with Alabama taking a knee at the end.
Joe Paterno tied Eddie Robinson’s record with his 408th career win on Saturday night. Silas Redd rushed for 164 yards and when Paterno tied Bear Bryant with 323 wins, he also did so vs Northwestern. The QB controversy is over at Penn St as Matt McGloin started and played the entire game hitting 17-26-192 and PSU put up 34 pts. Dan Persa hobbled off the field in the 4Q after injuring his ankle. It was a wild 1H with PSU having a 293-281 yd edge. NU got a 25 yd FG to lead 24-20 with :47 left in the half when PSU on 3&1 got a 42 yd run by Redd to the 12 setting up a TD with :07 left in the half and PSU took the lead, 27-24. PSU got a 63 yd IR to the NU19 early 3Q and Redd’s 19 yd TD run on the next pay gave them a 10 pt lead, 34-24. After the wild offense in the 1H, the next 8 poss were all punts with NU being SOD at their own 12 with 1:54 left on 4&16 and PSU taking a knee.
Florida St won their 2nd consecutive game by the identical 41-16 margin. It took a couple of late scores in the final minute to get here. FSU generally controlled the 1H leading 17-0 missing a 33 yd FG and settling for a short FG when Maryland in the final 2:35 went 75/14pl for a 23 yd FG to pull within 17-3 and close the yardage gap to 256-146. FSU only led 24-10 after 3Q’s but got a 24 yd FG with 10:16 left then a 41 yd TD run by Freeman with 5:57 left to go up 34-10. After a MD punt, FSU went 51/9pl getting a TD with :47 left, 41-10. MD then went 63/3pl getting a TD with :05 left. MD QB Brown rushed for 0 yds on 10 carries after having 286 yds in the previous 2 games and now bkp QB O’Brien led the team to a TD on an 80/6pl drive late 3Q.
ULM/North Texas was much closer than the final score as with a little over 5:00 left in the game, ULM only trailed 24-21 and had the ball but they were sk’d and fmbl’d and ret’d 16 yds for a TD. Five plays later ULM was int’d and 2pl later NT got a 60 yd TD run by Dunbar who became the 25th player in NCAA history to have 3,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving as NT won by 17.
Probably one key for Washington vs Stanford’s offense was keeping pace but they blew some opportunities, got behind and then suffered a costly TO before the half which blew the game open. Polk had 46 and 61 yd TD runs and they trailed just 17-14 but UW had a FD at the 10 called back on a hold, settled for a 46 yd FG and it bounced off the upright. Trailing 31-14, they were int’d and ret’d 61 yds for a TD with :56 left in the half to blow it open, 38-14. At the half SU only had a 356-321 yd edge. In the 4Q UW fmbl’d the KO setting up a SU FG and then was int’d and SU got a TD with 1:25 left to close the scoring, 65-21. SU did have a dominating 446 yds rushing and 615 ttl yds offense to UW’s 430.
Notre Dame punted on their first 4 drives vs USC while the Trojans got 2 TD’s, a FG and were SOD at the ND36 but the Irish still managed to pull back within 17-10 when they had a 3rd & gl at the 2 yd line about to tie it. Shades of USF occurred when bkp QB Crist (st’r vs USF) fumbled the snap and USC ret’d it 80 yds for a TD and the Trojans went up 24-10. Down 24-17, ND threw a backward pass and it bounced off the RB’s hands and USC rec’d at the 18 and on 3&6 got a 14 yd TD pass to ice it, 31-17. USC did finish the game at the ND2 and had a 443-267 yd edge.
Jordan Rodgers got his first start for Vanderbilt and while he hit just 10-27 he threw for 186 yards and rushed for 96. Zac Stacy rushed for 198 yards and 3 TD’s. Army lost starting QB Trent Steelman to a leg inj late in the 1H and suffered their 4th str road blowout loss. VU led the game 37-6 before allowing a TD then a 70 yd IR TD which made it 37-21 with 11:52 left. Army used their first time-out with 6:49 left, down 2 scores on 3rd & 5 but VU got a 55 yd TD run by Stacy on the next play to ice it, 44-21 with 6:38 left.
News and Notes Part 2
By Phil Steele
Philsteele.com
California had the situational edge over Utah at home, off a Thurs night loss while the Utes had just travelled to the East Coast and were now on the West Coast. At the half Cal had a commanding 20-0 lead and 223-27 yd edge and it was 34-0 in the 4Q. Utah got a FG and then took over with 3:46 left and got a 64/6pl drive for a garbage TD with 1:06 left which made the stats respectable as Cal had a 389-114 yd edge prior to that drive.
Southern Miss had the situational edge vs SMU as they were off of a bye, at home, in front of a sellout vs an SMU team off a big game with another big game on deck. In the 1H SM only had a 210-174 yd edge but did have a 15-7 FD edge. They scored a TD and a FG in their first 2 poss to lead 10-0 and they were int’d at the SMU15 and fmbl’d at the SMU18 on 2 other drives. It was just 13-3 and SMU had a 3&gl at the 5 when they were int’d in the EZ. Six plays later SM got a 55 yd TD run with 7:30 left and then 2pl later a 41 yd IR TD with 6:54 left to blow it open, 27-3. SM finished with a 28-14 FD edge.
Navy QB Proctor was inj’d early but Miller hit 5-12-126 yds and rushed for 36 on 13 carries. East Carolina’s Dominique Davis broke the single game record with 26 straight compl (23, set in 1998 by Tee Martin of Tenn vs S Carolina and later tied by Aaron Rodgers of Cal vs USC). The first 3 drives of the game were 10, 9 and 15 plays but resulted in 2 missed FG’s and SOD and it was a scoreless 1Q. EC finished with a 32-23 FD edge and EC led 17-7 at the half and 31-21 in the 4Q but Navy got a TD on a 37 yd pass from Miller with 7:51 left to actually lead, 35-31. EC got a 77/15pl drive for a TD with 2:14 left. Navy lined up for the game tying 42 yd FG but instead of OT the FG hit the upright.
Mississippi set a school record with 10 straight SEC losses and they’ve actually been in the SEC since 1933. Houston Nutt nearly pulled off another one of his famous upsets as Ole Miss jumped out to 17-0 lead and they led 17-7 at the half with a 250-128 yd edge. Leading 24-17 Ark fumbled into the EZ at the 1 and after a 54/9pl drive settled for a 23 yd FG. UM got a TD with 1:23 left and rec’d the onside kick at the 43 but their pass was int’d at the 40 and almost ret’d for a TD but Ark was knocked OOB at the 14.
Nebraska was back in Minneapolis for the first time since 1989 and more than 2/3 of the stadium was filled with red-clad NU fans. The game was even a bigger blowout than the final score as at the half NU led 34-0 with a 330-88 yd edge and it was 41-7 when Minnesota took over at their 11 with 9:40 left and went on an 89/16pl drive for a garbage TD with 1:41 left.
Kansas St is off to their best start since 1999 when they won their first 9 games. KSU jumped out to a 21-0 lead but it was trimmed to 31-14 at the half. KSU ret’d the opening 3Q KO 97 yds for a TD then rec’d a pair of fumbles and went 8 and 48 yds for TD’s to blow it open 52-14. They led 59-14 when Kansas went on a 72/13pl drive in the final 3:10 getting a garbage 2 yd TD pass on 4&gl with :01 left.
Indiana/Iowa was tied at 14 after each team scored a TD on their first 2 drives. Iowa scored TD’s on all 3 of their 2Q drives to lead 35-14 at the half. Trailing 38-17, Indy was SOD on 4&gl at the 5 and Iowa got a TD with 3:10 left to lead 45-17. Indy went 78/9pl and got a 1 yd TD run with :50 left. Marvin McNutt became Iowa’s career leader in TD rec’s with his 3 in the game putting him at 24 in his career as he’d been tied with Tim Dwight and Danan Hughes.
The key for UTEP in their win over Colorado St is the FD’s were even at 18. CSU had a 42 yd FG blocked early and later went on a 41/11pl drive but settled for a 22 yd FG. CSU was at the UTEP23 trailing 14-10 when they were int’d at the goal line and returned 74 yards to the CSU26. UTEP got a 36 yd FG to lead 17-10 at the half. In the 1H Frazier got a 48 yd TD run and in the 3Q on 2&4 from their own 17, got an 83 yd TD run to make it 24-10. It was 31-17 when UTEP punted 55 yds and it was ret’d 17 to the UTEP44. CSU got 2 FD’s and were at the UTEP9 but on 4&6 fired incomplete with 2:41 left and UTEP got 3 FD’s and were able to run out the clock.
Middle Tennessee QB Logan Kilgore hit his first 19 passes as MTS jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Florida Atlantic. FAU did not score any points in their home opener, but finally scored in the 2Q to pull within 21-7. FAU did miss an open receiver on what would have been a TD on their opening drive but MT went 63/8pl, 80/10pl and 68/6pl for TD’s to lead 21-0 after 1Q. FAU went on a 10pl drive and had a FD at the MT28 but on 4&25 punted for a TB. FAU went 79/5pl and got a 5 yd TD pass with 9:57 to go in the 2Q. FAU fumbled at the MT48 but MT was SOD on 4&1 at the FAU32. FAU fumbled at the MT44 and MT drove 48/8pl and on 3&gl from the 8 was int’d at the 7 with :23 left in the half. FAU fumbled at the MT35 early 3Q. 2 punts. MT was at midfield and was int’d at the FAU41 and ret’d 33 yards to the MT26 but FAU returned the favor on the next pay when they were int’d in the EZ and returned 79 yards. MT got a 32 yd FG. 2 punts. FAU fumbled at their own 13 and MT got a TD 2 plays later, 31-7. MT fumbled at their own 27 (14:23 4Q) and FAU went 27/5pl for a TD (12:59). MT went on an 12pl drive but on 4&3 lost 17 yards to the 20. MT then went 54/10pl and on 2&1 got a 1 yd TD run, 38-14. FAU fumbled at the MT37 on their last drive.
Central Michigan finished with 569-455 yard edge but blew a 20-3 3Q lead. CM went 61/12pl settling for a 45 yard FG. CM went 93/8pl and on 3&10 got a 19 yd TD pass, 10-0. Ball St went 51/9pl. They faked a punt for a FD to the 24 but after a FD to the 19 were int’d at the 9. CM went 91/7pl and got a 60 yd TD pass on 3&8 and looked firmly in control, 17-0 (10:25 2Q). 6 punts. BS18 got a 46 yd pass with :38 left in the half on the first play and would get 2 more FD’s to get a 25 yd FG to take momentum into the locker room. CM went 46/8pl for a 38 yd FG, 20-3. BS went 88/12pl for a TD, 20-10 (6:42 3Q). CM fumbled and BS went 38/4pl for a TD to get within 20-17 (5:14). BS went 77/5pl for a TD with 1:18 left in the 3Q and the lead, 24-20. CM went 85/8pl and on 3&9 got a 10 yd TD pass, 27-24 (11:45). BS went 60/6pl for a TD, 31-27 (9:41). CM went 56/7pl and they had a FD at the BS27 but fumbled on the play. BS got 3 FD’s and punted with :56 left. CM got 3 FD’s to the BS35 but was int’d on a Hail Mary.
Sean Mannion threw for a career high 376 yards for Oregon St hitting 26-34 as Washington St’s front 7 put little pressure on him. OSU finished with a 29-19 FD edge and 551-315 yard edge. WSU went 46/11pl but fumbled on 4&2 at the OSU24. OSU got a 37 yd pass on the first play and a 31 yd TD pass 3 plays later, 7-0. OSU went 34/6pl and had a FD at the 16 but on 1st & 25 from the 41 was int’d in the EZ for a TB. WSU, would start Tuel at QB, went 60/8pl for a TD, 7-7. OSU went 89/9pl for a 12 yd TD pass, 14-7. WSU got a 48 yd pass and a face mask to the 10 and on 2&1 a Tuel 1 yd TD run tied it at 14. OSU went 78/9pl and got a 3 yd TD run, 21-14. WSU got 1 FD and was sk’d and fumbled at their own 31. OSU got 1 FD and settled for a 26 yd FG, 24-14 with :30 left in the half. OSU had a 300-193 yd edge at the half. OSU opened the 3Q with a 75/8pl drive for a 25 yd TD pass then went 91/15pl settling for a 25 yd FG, 34-14. WSU was led by Loebestael in the 2H and he guided them 61/9pl for a TD with 11:00 left, 34-21. OSU went 72/7pl for an 18 yd TD pass. WSU on 4&2 at their own 25 fired incomplete and OSU got 1 FD and tacked on a 25 yd FG with 3:31 left, 44-21. WSU got a 55 yd KR to the OSU36 but was int’d in the EZ with 3:14 left. OSU punted for the first time 4pl later with :55 left.
The first 3 poss were punts. Hawaii went 67/8pl and on 3&17 got a 24 yd TD pass, 7-0. New Mexico St got 1 FD and UH blocked a punt and rec’d for a TD, 14-0 (1:55 1Q). NMS went 79/4pl with a 47 yd WR pass from Lee to Franklin, 14-7. UH went 43/9pl and missed a 41 yd FG. NM went 45/8pl but was SOD at the UH31. 2 punts. UH went 57/6pl for a 25 yd TD pass. NMS went 64/6pl for a 41 yd TD pass, 21-14 (1:29 2Q). UH went 61/4pl for a TD, 27-14 (xpng). NMS QB Matt Christian hurt his arm and missed a few series. The 3Q opened with 4 punts. UH went 56/7pl and got an 18 yd TD run. NMS had Christian back and went 67/2pl with a 46 yd TD run by Turner, 33-20. 2 punts. UH went 52/5pl for a TD with 11:32 left, 39-20. NMS went 58/6pl for a TD, 39-26 (9:10). UH went 69/5pl for a TD with 6:50 left, 45-26. UH brought in backup QB Graves in with 6:27 left and fumbled with 3:21 left and NMS went 53/8pl and got a 9 yd TD pass on 4&4 with 1:48 left.
Rice QB McHargue threw 2 int’s and fumbled in Rice’s first 3 poss and Tulsa went 26, 34, and 6 yds on their first 3 poss to lead 17-0. Rice went 32/8pl for a 32 yd FG (17-3). TU went 77/11pl but fumbled into the EZ for a TB from the 1. 3 punts. TU took over with 1:12 left in the half and got 1 FD then a 64 yd TD pass made it 24-3 but Rice went 66/6pl and on 2&10 got a 40 yd TD pass to Wilson, 24-10 at the half. TU only had a 226-161 yd edge. TU went 62/13pl for a 35 yd FG to open the 3Q but missed. 2 punts. Rice got 1 FD and nailed a 36 yd FG, 24-13. TU went 43/6pl but on 4&8 from the Rice33 in no man’s land fired incomplete. TU went 80/9pl for a 3 yd TD run, 31-13 (11:41). 2 punts. Rice went 76/10pl and got a 2 yd TD run, 31-20 with 5:47 left but TU went 76/7pl and got a 41 yd TD pass with 2:36 left to go up by 18. Rice got to midfield but fumbled with 1:33 left.
Every week on National ESPN radio on Saturday at 9:15 they ask me for an upset pick and those upset picks have been perfect so far this year, all winning outright. This past week my upset pick was Michigan State. Wisconsin took their opening drive 80/11pl for a TD, 7-0. MSU got a 5 yd gain but fumbled. UW went 30/3pl for another TD, 14-0. MSU got 2 FD’s and punted. UW23 got 2 FD’s to midfield but then Wilson was int’d at the 25. MSU got a 32 yd run by Bell punted pinning UW at the 5. On 2&13, Wilson was called for intentional grounding in the EZ for a safety. MSU after the free kick went 72/4pl and a double reverse to WR Martin went 34 yds for a TD, 14-9. UW got 3 FD’s but had a 30 yd FG blocked (5:55 2Q). MSU went 80/8pl and got a 35 yd TD pass on 4&2, 16-14 (1:20). UW went 3 &out and MSU blocked a punt and recovered for a TD with :37 left for a 23-14 halftime lead and 213-201 yd edge. MSU got 1 FD and punted to open the 3Q and UW went 58/8pl for a 33 yd FG, 23-17. 2 punts. MSU went 80/13pl and on 3&11 got a 15 yd TD pass and 2pt conversion, 31-17. 2 punts. UW got a 33 yd PR and went 43/3pl for a TD with 8:10 left to pull within 31-24. MSU went 3 & out. UW was int’d at the MSU39 with 6:54 left but the Spartans went 3 &out again punting with 4:28 left. UW went 87/8pl and got a TD with 1:26 left to tie. MSU got 1 FD but then lost 10 yds. UW Coach Bielema smartly called time-out with :42 left as they had good success on PR’s and came close to blocking some punts and then after MSU gained 12 yards they used their 2nd time-out forcing a 3&8. MSU got a key 11 yd pass with :23 left and then on 3&1 a Hail Mary pass to the EZ was hit in the EZ, caught by Nichol at the 1 and he bowled his way into the EZ. It was originally ruled down but was clearly a TD and the Spartans pulled off the upset, 37-31.
Oklahoma was a massive favorite but there was a 1 hour and 35 minute rain delay and the sitting around in the locker room seemed to affect Oklahoma more than it did Texas Tech. TT opened with a 41 yd KR and went 54/4pl for a 44 yd TD pass, 7-0. OU got a 55 yd run by Finch and on 2&11, a 15 yd TD pass to Stills, 7-7. 5 punts. OU4 went 74/15pl but settled for and missed a 39 yd FG, the first of 2 key FG misses. TT went 78/10pl and on 4&1 they snuck it in for the TD, 14-7. OU fumbled and TT went 69/8pl for a TD and a shocking 21-7 lead (8:56). 3 punts. TT, after a 29 yd OU punt, started at the OU47 and got 2 FD’s and nailed a 40 yd FG, 24-7 (1:26). At half TT had a 329-205 yd edge. OU punted to open the 3Q and TT went 72/4pl for a commanding 31-7 lead. OU then went 70/4pl with a 58 yd TD pass to Stills. Tuberville took 2 chances for TT which appeared to keep OU in the game. They went 69/7pl but on 4&1 were SOD at the OU8. OU got 1 FD and was int’d on a tipped pass. TT (OU44) punted and Broyles returned it 25 yards. OU went 50/8pl but settled for a 22 yd FG, 31-17 (2:38 3Q). TT faked a punt and came up inches short and OU quickly went 44/7pl for a TD on the first play of the 4Q to pull within 7, 31-24. TT surprisingly answered again going 54/10pl getting a 37 yd FG, 34-24 (12:06). OU went 3 & out again. TT went 74/6pl and the OU crowd was stunned on a 14 yd TD pass which made it 41-24 (7:38). The Sooners still had a chance. They converted on 4&3 then got a 55 yd TD pass on the next play, 41-31. OU forced a punt with 4:22 left. OU started at the TT45 and got 2 FD’s but on 3&10 threw too high in the EZ and would settle for a 28 yard FG to pull them within 1 score but the FG bounced off the upright with 2:52 left. TT20 punted with 1:45 left and OU40 went 60/4pl and got a 22 yd TD pass, 41-38. They brought in 2 kickers for the onside kick but Crawford hauled it in, TT took a knee and got the upset.