NCAAF News and Notes

More News and Notes
By Phil Steele

Boise St’s game vs Louisiana Tech was closer than the final score. While BSU won 49-20 and LT scored on a 25 yd TD run with :44 left, LT had a 25-21 FD edge and were only ougained 468-394. LT had a 12 yd punt set up a 43 yd drive for a TD and then after recovering an onside kick was called for offsides and their coach was called for a pers foul for arguing. Kicking off them their 13, the KO was returned setting up a BSU 17 yd “drive” for a TD. LT was SOD on 4&7 from the BSU36, SOD on 4&3 from the BSU9, fmbl’d at their own 34 setting up a BSU TD, was SOD on 4&gl from the BSU3 and then was SOD on 4&gl from the BSU1 leaving numerous TD’s off the board. Also 2 of BSU’s TD’s came on fmbl’s. QB Moore on 3&gl from the 1, fmbl’d but BSU fell on it in the EZ for a TD. Later RB Avery fmbl’d and scooped it back up 6 yds behind the line of scrimmage but ran up the sidelines for a 26 yd BSU TD.

Fumbles inside the opponents’ 5 yd line at the end of the game finished 2 of the week night games this past week. Florida St led NCSt 21-7 at the half and had a 208-116 yd edge. In the 1H FSU even had a 47 yd TD pass called back on a penalty and punted on that drive. NCSt got a TD to pull within 21-14 to open the 3Q. Ponder fired incomplete and on 2&6 and it was ruled a fmbl. It was obvious it should have been overturned but was not so NCSt went 23/3pl for a TD, 21-21. Ponder, on 3&3 had a clear shot at the FD. All he had to do was cut straight down the field but he opted to go sideways and was tkl’d a yd short and FSU settled for a 31 yd FG with 9:07 left, 24-21. NCSt on 4&4 got a 35 yd pass to the 1. FSU stoned them 3 straight plays and NCSt lined up for a FG but after a time-out, opted to go for it and got a TD pass. FSU answered with a 68/10pl drive. They had a 2nd & gl at the 3 and it was obvious they would score but Ponder, who had a wide open TE in the EZ faked to the RB but the RB grabbed for the ball, the 2 fmbl’d and NCSt rec’d at the 4 and pulled out the win.

West Virginia had a lot of blown opportunities vs Connecticut. They dominated the 1Q. In fact they had 3 drives deep in UC terr. The first ended on a 35 yd punt for a TB, the 2nd on a 53 yd TD run and the 3rd had a TD called back on a chop block and they settled for a 36 yd FG. Connecticut went 3 & out on their first 5 poss. The key to this game was also the fact that WV lost 4 fumbles, fumbling 7 times and basically had 5 TO’s as they were SOD in the 3Q. UC took over at their own 15 with 3:23 left in the half and put together a 63/10pl drive for a 39 yd FG with :02 left to pull within 10-3. WV had a 231-53 yd edge prior to the drive. At the start of the 3Q, WV had a 3&7 at the UC32. Smith had an easy FD but opted to slide a yard short, even with the defender 4 yds away. Had he taken one more step he would have gotten the FD. On the next play, Clark fmbl’d the snap and while WV rec’d, it was basically a TO. UC took advantage going 71/14pl including a 4&3 conversion and got a TD to tie. WV went 55/12pl and got a 42 yd FG to lead 13-10 after 3Q’s but UC had the wind at their back in the 4Q. WV fmbl’d at the UC44 and UC got a 26 yd FG 5pl later to tie it. WV was at the UC34 but Smith couldn’t get away from the rush, forcing a 4&9 and as opposed to trying a 50 yd FG into the wind, they punted and it went to OT. Just like the Thurs night game WV had a 1st & gl at the 2 but fmbl’d as Clark hit his own OL. UC got a 27 yd FG for the win.

Last week WKU got their first win snapping a 27 game losing streak. WKU’s first 2 drives were 13 plays each but they missed a 41 yd FG and settled for a 37 yd FG and only led 3-0. NT led 10-3 at the half. NT got a 24 yd FG with 8:13 left to lead 19-6 and WKU fmbl’d at the NT19. NT got a 53 yd TD run 4pl later and WKU fmbl’d the KO at their 28 and on 4&4 NT got a 10 yd TD run with :48 left to extend it to 33-6. QB for the game was Riley Dodge as he stuck around despite his father being fired 10 days prior.

Coming into the game, Bill Cubit of Western Michigan had gone for it on 4th down 25 times. He did that once again vs N Illinois. WM had a 14-13 lead at the half. Trailing 20-14 on 4&1 they were SOD at the NI11. On their next drive they went 72/11pl but on 4&8 were SOD at the 8 yd line with 8:39 left. WM went 52/4pl for a TD with 5:56 left for the lead. NI went 79/7pl for a TD with 3:32 left but WM had plenty of time. They went 64/14pl and had a FD at the 16 of NI but on 2&10 were int’d at the 12.

Turnovers and a couple of key stops were the key to Air Force’s loss. AF had 5 TO’s in the game. They fmbl’d at the Utah32 at the end of a 32 yd pass and then at the end of a 36 yd rec, fmbl’d at the 9. AF settled for a 23 yd FG and led 10-7. After Utah got a TD with 6:14 left 1H, AF fmbl’d at the Utah42. At the half, AF trailed by 4 but had a 252-141 yd edge. Utah got a TD early 3Q then after an int, took over at the AF18. They faked a FG setting up a TD for a 28-10 lead. AF was int’d at their own 43 but then got a 59 yd TD run by Jefferson and a 49 yd TD pass with 10:15 left to pull within 28-23. Utah got off a 26 yd punt and AF started at the Utah 48 but on 4&3 they were SOD at the Utah43 and on their next drive on 4&3 were SOD at their own 35.

Most teams take Washington St lightly but Arizona St was coming off a blowout loss to Cal, a game they were humbled 50-17 in. They decided to take WSU seriously. ASU’s opening poss faced a 4&1 at their own 33 and in an attitude setting play, went for it and converted. They continued on a 76/15pl drive for a TD. ASU went 68/4pl for a TD and after 1 punt, went 83/11pl for a TD to lead 21-0. WSU had some opportunities in the game. They had a 1st & gl at the ASU5 and were int’d in the EZ. On 4&1 at the WSU39 they were SOD, both in the 2Q. WSU fmbl’d at the ASU38 and had a FD at the ASU14 but an illegal blk, a tfl and a sk forced a 4&40 and they punted. They rec’d a fmbl at the ASU12 but on 4&18 faked a FG and fired incomplete. Their final drive got to the ASU18 but their last 2 passes were incomplete.

Buffalo stuck with their frosh QB Zordich who hit 16-33-210. Miami went 48/5pl for a TD then were int’d and ret’d 26 yds to midfield. BU was SOD on 4&1 at the MU24. BU fmbl’d at the MU46 with 2:25 left in the half. MU converted on 3&9 twice then got a 29 yd TD pass with :22 left. BU had a 68 yd KR TD ruled OOB after a replay and missed a 47 yd FG. BU got a school record 52 yd FG (4:03 3Q) 14-3. After a 6 yd MU punt, BU went 33/5pl for a TD, 14-9. BU punted 25 yd and MU went 42/3pl for a TD, 21-9. BU was SOD on 4&10 from the MU15 (5:57) then on 4&2 fired incomplete at the MU37 with 2:02 left.

Hawaii, after they won their game vs Idaho accepted a bid to the hometown Hawaii Bowl and started to look forward to Boise St. The game vs ID featured a lot of long drives that resulted in zero pts or a FG. ID opened with a 73/11pl drive for a 35 yd FG. UH led 17-3 when they got a 57 yd IR TD, 24-3. ID went on a 47/8pl drive but missed a 26 yd FG and UH went 49/8pl and missed a 48 yd FG and it was 31-3 at the half. UH opened the 3Q with a 70/7pl drive but was int’d at the 6. ID was SOD at the UH39. In the 4Q UH led 45-3 when they were SOD at the ID15. ID went on an 8pl drive but was SOD at the UH48 with 4:58 left.

A look at the scoreboard shows Nevada and Utah St having a fairly close game with NV only winning by 14. In reality NV scored TD’s on 5 of their first 6 drives and had a 359-104 yd edge at the half and led 35-0. They even missed a 46 yd FG. The first five 2H poss all resulted in TD’s and it was 49-21. NV punted and USt went 70/8pl for a TD, 49-28. NV was SOD at the USt13 with 7:04 left and USt went 87/15pl for a TD, 49-35. NV rec’d the onside kick and went 44/6pl for a TD, 56-35 but USt got a 92 yd KR TD with :55 left.

It was a much anticipated duo between Andrew Luck and Jake Locker but it was completely one-sided. Luck threw for 192 yds and rushed for 92 and Stanford punted just once scoring on 5 of their first 6 poss on a rainy afternoon. Washington was hoping for a record breaking day but they had a very poor game that was nearly record setting on the negative side. UW suffered its first home shutout since 1976 when they lost 7-0 to Cal. Their 107 yds offense was their lowest since gaining 102 yds in 1973 vs Oregon. The game was played in a miserable, cold, driving rain which surprisingly did not effect the Cal boys from Stanford. SU scored TD’s on their first 4 poss to lead 28-0 and had a 318-45 yd edge at the half.

TCU had a big game vs Utah on deck but showed no look ahead. They led 28-6 at the half with a 269-113 yd edge and it could have been worse as they had a 1st & gl at the 1 but fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB. In the 2H they fmbl’d at the UNLV22 and scored TD’s on 3 of their first 4 poss. The 4th was led by backup QB Paschall and went 64/14pl. TCU got a 35 yd run by Dean to the 11 but took a knee 3x.

William & Mary was my pick for #1 in FCS ball and have a great shot at getting there. They extended N Carolina almost the entire game. In fact, W&M, in the 1H missed a chipshot 23 yd FG on their first drive. They did get 10 pts in the final :19 of the half with a TD, NC fmbl’d the KO and WM added a 28 yd FG 3pl later to lead 17-7. NC went for it on 4&6 with a 13 yd run to the WM33 and on 4&1 was the key play of a 90/18pl drive that got them within 3. They then got a 3&1, 67 yd TD run by White with 5:21 left. WM was SOD on 4&17 at the NC45 and their last drive got to the WM45 but their Hail Mary was int’d.

It’s very interesting that Vanderbilt replaced their OC this past week and things appeared to pay big time dividends. VU’s first drive they got a 50 yd run by Norman then after a pers foul, ran a reverse for a 21 yd TD. On their 2nd drive VU went 55/10pl for a TD to lead 14-6 with 2:53 left in the 1Q and VU had 140 yds offense. Ryan Mallett set a school record for Arkansas (breaking his own) with 409 yds passing and amazingly VU would have a grand total of just 13 yards after those first 2 drives and the Hogs would roll 49-18 with 25-8 FD and 555-153 yd edges.

Oklahoma set a record for most passing yards in a game with 488 in their domination of Colorado. Landry Jones only had the 2nd best total for a QB with 453 as backup Allen threw for 35. The Sooners actually had 2 long drives both end in short FG’s and early 2Q only led 6-0 but would finish with a 31-20 FD and 635-263 yd edges. The Sooners put it away after scoring with 10:00 left in the 3Q and did not score in the final 20:00 of the game in their 43-10 win.

New Mexico lost starting QB Holbrook on the 3rd series. The Lobos actually jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Colorado St but the Rams went 80/6pl, 66/4pl and 63/4pl for TD’s on their first 3 poss to lead 21-7. They led 31-14 at the half with a 397-174 yd edge. Probably the key play of the 1H was a 4&2, 38 yd TD run by Mason for CSU. CSU got a 56/14pl drive for a TD which also came on 4th down and led 38-14 after 3Q’s. CSU missed a 37 yd FG and was SOD at the NM14 while NM was SOD at the CSU42 in the 4Q.

Ryan Tannehill got his first start at QB for Texas A&M and set a school record with 449 yds passing. The game was closer than the 45-27 final. TT led 7-0 and had a 3&gl at the A&M3 but fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB. TT’s next drive they were SOD at the A&M30. A 25 yd punt set up an A&M TD and they trailed 17-7. A&M got a 2 yd TD pass with :08 left in the half to lead 24-14. TT went on an 80/4pl drive to open the 3Q but for the 2nd time in the game, fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB, this time on FD. Later TT got to the A&M 22 and on 4&8 was sk’d. TT’s final drive got to the A&M33.

Kentucky did have a 24-14 FD edge vs Mississippi and held the ball for 35:45 but they only had a 347-325 yd edge and trailed for most of the game. MSU took their opening 2 drives for a 33 yd FG and a 54 yd TD run to lead 10-0. MSU extended its lead to 17-7 but UK did get a 43 yd FG in the final play of the half to pull within 17-10. At the half MSU had a 214-162 yd edge. UK took its 2nd 3Q poss 81/12pl for a TD to tie it at 17. After each team punted, MSU went 63/7pl for a TD with 10:28 left, 24-17. The next 4 poss were punts. UK took over at their 10 with 5:08 left and went 70/17pl. They had a 4&10 from the MSU20 but were int’d at the 1 and ret’d 10 yds with :32 left.

The scene was set for Auburn to go down. The #1 team had gone down 3 straight weeks and Auburn had to travel on the road on Halloween weekend to face Mississippi and Houston Nutt, a coach that had knocked off 3 Top 5 teams the last 4 years. Also AU was coming off a huge game vs LSU and playing yet another tough one. In the previous 2 weeks, UW and Mizzou both got a KR TD at the start of the game to put Ohio St and Oklahoma in holes which were key to establishing momentum. Here, it took 2 plays for Mississippi to get an 83 yd TD run by Scott to take a stunning 7-0 lead. Auburn battled back and led 17-14 when they fmbl’d at their own 18 but Masoli with a chance to take the lead on 2&10 was int’d at the 2. AU went 98/12pl for a TD to lead 24-14. UM answered with a 32 yd FG but AU got a 95 yd KR TD then UM went for it on 4&1 at their own 41 with 1:17 left and were SOD. AU got a 35 yd FG with :06 left, 34-17 at half. AU only had a 341-273 edge at half. AU opened the 3Q with a 41/7pl drive for a 48 yd FG, 67/4pl drive for a TD, 44-17 and got a TD with 4:36 left to lead 51-24. UM got a 5 yd TD run with 1:53 left for the final score.

While there’s still plenty of action left, Oregon, Auburn and Alabama all have huge tests remaining. IF Oregon and one of the two SEC teams wins out, for that matter LSU - Those would be the two playing in the National Championship game. It’s interesting that TCU has vaulted past Boise St in the BCS rankings moving up to #3 and as far as remaining schedules go, TCU has a huge game this week vs Top 10 Utah and an impressive win there would clearly keep them up in the rankings and possibly have them a contender for the BCS championship spot should either Oregon or all 3 SEC teams slip up once. Keep in mind that they all play one another so just one can go unbeaten down the stretch. At this point teams like Ohio St and Oklahoma are clearly longshots to get to the National Title game but keep in mind a few years back LSU lost their 2nd game of the season to Arkansas the week before the SEC Championship and when the smoke cleared a team with 2 losses was playing in the National Title game so these one-loss teams are still alive should all the breaks fall into place.

It was the prefect situation for USC against Oregon last week. The previous year UO had dismantled USC in Autzen Stadium 47-20. USC was playing therefore with legitimate revenge. The Trojans were off a bye and this is basically the bowl game on the season as with no bowl at the end of the year and 5 lackluster foes on the schedule ahead, this wold be the game that made or broke the USC season. UO had risen to #1 in the polls. The previous 2 weeks ESPN Gameday was on hand for the #1’s games and both Wisconsin upended Ohio st and Missouri upended Missouri the previous 2 weeks. USC had a sellout crowd for Homecoming and this had all the markings of an upset. USC had a couple of opportunities. USC took a 17-15 lead and UO punted on 4&15. USC had a FD at the UO44 but Barkley looked to the sideline to change the play and the C snapped the ball and UO rec’d at the USC45. On the next play UO’s quick strike offense got a 45 yd TD pass to lead 22-17. UO led 29-17 at the half and USC battled back to lead 32-29 with 11:19 left in the 3Q. UO went 69/12pl and got a 30 yd TD pass on 3&13 to retake the lead. USC had a couple of chances to score late. On 4&9 they gained 5 yds to the Duck 36. On their next drive USC went on a 7pl drive but was int’d in the EZ from the 19. On their final drive, USC had 4&10 and gained 4 yds to the UO8. The Ducks had a 599-377 yd edge and looked like the #1 team in the country overcoming a very tough test.

CFB Notes Week 10
by Larry Ness

Each CFB 'weekend' in November will open on Tuesday, although we rarely get a significant contest until Thursday. That's the case this weekend as the lone pre-Saturday game of any consequence will be No. 20 Va Tech (22nd in the BCS) hosting Ga Tech on Thursday night. The Hokies have made a remarkable resurgence, after losing their showdown game with Boise State way back on Labor Day night and following that heartbreaking loss with a 20-16 home loss to James Madison, an FCS school. Va Tech trailed 27-21 in the mid-third quarter of its next game as well (home to East Carolina), but scored four TDs in a little less the nine minutes to win, 49-27 (and cover). That contest sparked a six-game winning streak both SU and ATS for Va Tech.

Boise State will be rooting for Va Tech to "run the table" and go on to capture the ACC title, a feat which will allow the Hokies to climb the BCS standings and in the process, give the Broncos' some help with their computer rantings in the BCS formula. Boise State (No. 2 in the AP but No. 4 in the BCS) is one of just five unbeaten teams remaining, joined by consensus No. 1 Oregon (both in the polls and latest BCS standings) and Auburn (No. 2 in the BCS but No. 3 in the AP) plus two MWC schools which will be meeting in that conference's biggest-ever game on Saturday (in Salt Lake City).

There has been a different team atop each of the first three BCS standings this season, as Oklahoma garnered its 20th all-time No. 1 ranking in the year's initial BCS standings back on October 17 but lost that coveted spot when the Sooners lost the very next Saturday at Missouri, 36-27. Auburn climbed to the No. 1 spot in the October 24th standings, claiming the top spot for the first time in school history. The Tigers had previously been best-remembered for going 13-0 and winning the 2004 SEC title but being left out of that year's BCS title game, a meeting between No. 1 UESC and No. 2 Oklahoma (also both unbeaten that regular season).

Auburn would win at Ole Miss 51-31 last Saturday but the victory was not enough for the Tigers to kept their No. 1 ranking in the BCS, as Oregon (No. 1 in all the human polls but No. 2 in the BCS standings for the first two rankings) took over the top spot on October 31. The Ducks routed USC 53-32 last Saturday night and after moving from a No. 8 ranking in the computers the previous week, the team's current No. 2-ranking in the computers gave the Ducks their first-ever No. 1 ranking in the BCS standings. Auburn became just the fourth school to drop from the No. 1 spot in the BCS standings, despite winning. Oregon can feel Auburn's 'pain,' as the Ducks were No. 2 in both human polls back in 2001 but finished No. 3 in the BCS standings, losing out to Nebraska (which had lost its final regular season game 62-36 at Colorado, not even qualifying for the Big 12 championship game) for a spot in the national championship game vs then-No. 1 Miami-Fla.

The BCS takes a lot of criticism but as I always say, it's not as if CFB had a better system in place in the past. Until there is a playoff, the BCS is no worse (I'd argue it's actually better), than what came before it. If Oregon and Auburn win out, there may be some 'crying' from Boise St, as well as from the winner of Saturday's TCU/Utah showdown, but there wouldn't be much to argue about. Unbeaten Oregon and Auburn teams would deserve their spots in the BCS championship game, come January 10. Boise State will almost assuredly be unbeaten on December 5, the day the final BCS standings will be released. The Broncos would also own the nation's longest active winning streak (would have reached 26) and Kellen Moore would be 38-1 as a starter.

The other "BCS Buster" would be the winner of Saturday's TCU/Utah contest. It shouldn't go unmentioned that TCU ranks 3rd in the current BCS standings, Boise State 4 and Utah, 5. It marks the first time that three non-automatic qualifying schools were each ranked among the top-five and while TCU does not own a BCS bowl win, Boise State (2006 and 2009) and Utah (2004 and 2008) each own two. Saturady will TCU's best chance to 'crash the party,' as the Horned Frogs' game with the Utes in Salt Lake City, marks the first-ever MWC game in which both teams own top-10 rankings in the AP (TCU ranks 4th and Utah, 6th).

TCU is favored by 4 1/2-points (as of 2:00 ET on Thursday) but Utah owns a 21-game home winning streak, the third-longest active streak. The winner stays 'alive' in the BCS bowl 'picture' and with some help, the BCS championship game picture as well. TCU/Utah is not the only game this Saturday with important implications, as No. 6 Alabama is at No. 10 LSU, No. 13 Stanford hosts No. 15 Arizona, No. 17 Oklahoma St host No. 21 Baylor and No. 18 Arkansas is at No. 19 South Carolina (all rankings are that of the BCS). Will an 'outsider' make this year's BCS title game?

There have been 12 BCS championship games (first was in 1998) but only 12 schools have participated. In case you think I'm wrong, here's the list (in order of most appearances). Oklahoma (4), Florida St (3), Ohio State (3), Florida (2), LSU (2), Miami-Fl (2), Texas (2), USC (2), Alabama (1), Nebraska (1), Tennessee (1) and Va Tech (1). That history tends to suggest not. However, take a close look at the current BCS standings. While five former BCS championship game participants rank among the top-11 in the standings (No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 10 LSU and No. 11 Ohio State), none are among the top-five.

History tells us that finding oneself outside of the top-five 10 weeks into the season doesn't bode well for a school's chances at reaching the "ultimate" game. Only three schools have climbed from outside the top-five 10 weeks into the season and made it into the national championship game. That list includes No. 8 Florida in 2008, No. 7 Florida in 2006 and No. 9 LSU in 2003. Note that all three would go on to win the championship but that should come as no surprise for followers of the SEC. After all, four SEC schools (Alabama, Florida, LSU and Tennessee) have combined for a perfect 6-0 record in BCS title games, including capturing the last four (Fla in '06, LSU in '07, Fla in '08 and Ala in '09). There are five CFB weekends remaining and much can happen.

Heisman update I've had some major DSL problems the last week and I skipped my Heisman watch this past Monday. It will return next Monday (November 8, as scheduled). While Oregon leapfrogged Auburn in last week's BCS standings, no one seems on the verge of leapfrogging Cam Newton, who is the overwhelming Heisman front-runner at this point. We know things change quickly but Newton will be tough to beat. Oregon's LaMichael James and Boise State's Kellen Moore have the best chance with Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor now a long shot. Michigan's Denard Robinson was CFB's MVP in September and while he continues to post spectacular numbers, his team has lost three straight games, as the Michigan defense has allowed 37.7 PPG and 451.3 YPG in those losses (can Robinson sue?).