News and Notes
By Phil Steele
The Georgia Tech/Virginia Tech game had a lot of interesting storylines. First, VT had an extra week to prepare for the option and it didn’t really show as they allowed TD’s on GT’s first 2 drives. A crucial play happened late 1H. VT had been picked off in the EZ and then fmbl’d a punt at midfield and GT was about to take a 21-7 lead when Nesbitt on 3&gl from the 6 was int’d at the 1. On the play Nesbitt tried to make the tackle and suffered an arm inj which put him out the rest of the game and it was 14-7 at the half. GT’s Washington came into the game with 12 rush att on the season and 3 passes. He would hit 2-7-80 and rushed 11x for 45 yds. Nesbitt, who had 86 yds rushing on 6 att and before the inj, became the ACC’s all-time leading rusher at QB. GT was SOD on 4&2 at the VT45 and VT went 55/8pl for a TD to tie it then drove 63/11pl for a TD and the lead, 21-14. Washington led GT 80/9pl getting a TD with 2:34 left but VT ret’d the ensuing KO for a TD. GT got to the VT17 but was int’d in the EZ on 2&11.
In what may have been a preview for the CUSA Title game, UCF jumped out to a 20-10 lead vs Houston and their first 2 drives they were SOD at the UH15 on 4&3 and fmbl’d at the UH2. The D did get the latter one back as they got a 15 yd IR TD 4pl later. It was 23-10 at the half with UCF having a 338-224 yd edge. UH actually opened the 3Q with 73/5pl and 80/9pl drives for TD’s and took the lead 24-23 but UCF would go 76/12pl and 62/5pl for TD’s while UH settled for a 34 yd FG which made it 37-27 (10:43 4Q). UCF got an int at the UH36 and added a 27 yd FG but UH got a TD with 5:46 left, 40-33 (missed xp). UCF went on a 9pl drive but missed a 39 yd FG with 1:53 left which would have clinched it. UH converted on 4&10 out to its 46 but after dropping a FD pass on 4&10, they were SOD.
In the last two weeks on the Thurs and Fri games, amazingly three teams have fumbled the ball inside the opp’s 3 yd line with a chance to win the game. It happened to Florida St, W Virginia and last week W Michigan. In the WMU/CMU game, WM led 22-13 when CM got a TD with 12:45 left. WM got back up by 2 scores with an 18 yd TD run but it was called back on a hold. They would settle for a 46 yd FG due to pen and missed it. CM got a TD with 6:04 left but WM answered right back. Trailing 26-22, they had a 2nd & gl at the 3 but amazingly fmbl’d and CM rec’d at the 5.
Miami, Fl rolled up 504 yds despite not having their starting QB or RB thanks to their very talented reserves. Lamar Miller rushed for 125 yds and Stephen Morris hit 18-30-286. UM was int’d & ret’d 60 yds for a TD, settled for 33 and 31 yd FG’s but Maryland also settled for 27 and 23 yd FG’s. A key play happened in the 3Q when UM got a 55 yd FR TD which was wiped out by a face mask pen away from the play and MD got a 23 yd FG with 9:19 left to lead 20-18. UM got a 35 yd TD pass with :37 left and 2 pt conv but MD got to the UM30 and their pass to the EZ was just OOB and dropped on the final play.
Joe Paterno was going for his 400th win and things did not look good as Northwestern got a TD with :56 left 1H to take a 21-0 lead stunning the home crowd. Scores late in halves always produce momentum and PSU got one driving 90/9pl for a TD with :03 left to get back in it. PSU scored TD’s on their first 4 poss of the 3Q to roll to a 35-21 lead and NU dropped a TD pass in the EZ on 4&gl from the 9 with 8:11 left and Paterno was able to celebrate. PSU did have a 528-369 yd edge.
Navy set a Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium record for pts scored by a team (EC or a foe) by piling up 76. The game was actually competitive as it was tied at 21 when Navy got a TD with :14 left 1H. EC fmbl’d the ball 3x in 6pl to open the 3Q as the game was played in rain. Navy got a 38 yd FG and TD drives of 29 & 21 yds. Leading 48-28, Navy rec’d a fmbl and drove 49 yds for a TD and then EC was SOD at its 50 and Navy drove 7 plays for a TD. Navy rec’d an onside kick to drive 36 yds for a TD and EC was SOD at its own 48 and Navy drove 48 yds for a TD with 3:14 left for the final score. Navy’s 76 pts were the highest in program history surpassing the 74 they put up vs N Texas in 2007.
Nebraska was playing without QB Taylor Martinez as well as his backup Zac Lee. Cody Green was only allowed to pass 4x in the 1H. Iowa St led 10-7 at the half thanks to a Grant Mahoney 57 yd FG with the wind was at his back. NU got a 25 yd FG early 3Q then got a 29 yd IR TD to take the lead. After another int they went 56/11pl for a TD to apparently take control, 24-10 but ISU went 75/12pl for a TD and NU fmbl’d the KO and ISU got a TD to tie. In OT each team scored a TD. ISU faked an xp and had an open receiver in the EZ. If the holder led him, it would have been a 2 pt conversion but it was slightly behind him and the safety was able to int it and NU survived.
Denard Robinson DNP after the 3Q of Michigan’s shoot out vs Illinois. It was the highest scoring game in the history of UM football but they needed 3OT’s to get to 67-65. It was 31-31 at half, also the highest total in UM history. UM finished with a 676-561 yd edge. After each team scored a TD in all 3OT, UM converted on their 2 pt conv and UI was sk’d for an 11 yd loss.
New Mexico St had a 346-296 yd edge vs Utah St and 22-17 FD edge. USt benefited from 84 and 68 yd KR’s by Williams which set up 10 and 12 yd TD drives. USt did lead 24-20 when NMSt was SOD on 4&3 at their 27. USt knelt 3x losing 6 yds and on the final pay of the game, ran out of the back of the EZ eating up the final :08 for a safety and a 27-22 final.
An interesting factor in last week’s Arkansas/South Carolina game is that the game had zero baring on SC’s chances at a BCS bowl or SEC Championship. Win or lose, what SC did the next week vs Florida would determine their post-season destinations. SC was competitive early but left some key pts off the board in the 1H. Mid-2Q trailing 10-7 they had a FD at the Arkansas 6 but had a 29 yd FG that bounced off the upright. At the end of the half with :13 left SC got a 3 yd TD pass to make it 24-14 but a questionable offensive pass interfer call took the pts off the board and they settled for a 29 yd FG. With RB Lattimore banged up and the big game on deck, Spurrier decided to sit him most of the 2H. Trailing 41-10 SC brought in backup QB Shaw as Garcia was pulled and he led SC down to the Ark11 but took a late hit OOB and 3rd string QB Strickland would lose 1 yd and they settled for a 31 yd FG. The stadium was half empty by the end of the game but once again it meant much more to Ark than it did to SC.
There were plenty of interesting things to come out of the Kansas St/Texas game. UT finished with 23-13 FD and 412-270 yd edges. Collin Klein was a surprise QB starter for KSU and ran for 127 yds while hitting 2-4-9 yds. UT starting QB Garrett Gilbert threw 5 int’s and UT was also stopped on a fake punt and fake FG in the game. KSU would have scoring “drives” of -1, 9 and 14 yds. UT was also int’d in the EZ from the 11. KSU’s final scoring drive summed up the day for UT as on 3&4 a pers foul gave KSU a FD. KSU punted 4pl later and roughing the P gave them a FD and they got a TD 2pl later. UT blk’d the xp but KSU picked it up and ran it in for 2 to lead 39-0 before UT scored a TD with 12:55 left then went on a 70/16pl drive for a TD with :31 left.
Air Force won its first Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy in 8 years. It was the 17th time they’ve won the Award and Navy had won the last 7. AF won for the 7th straight time in Michie Stadium. Army came in as the only team in the country which had not thrown an int but trailing 14-13, Steelman threw one in the final minute of the half which was ret’d 32 yds to the Army23 and AF got a 2 yd TD run with :13 left in the half for a 21-13 lead. Later, with the game at 28-16, AF got a 53 yd FR TD. AF only outrushed Army 277-244 and Army actually had a 19-18 FD edge.
Minnesota played a decent game vs Michigan St as they were only outFD’d 16-14 and outgained 320-267. UM missed a 32 yd FG and was SOD on 4&1 at the MSU41 early 2Q. MSU twice in the 1H went for it on 4th & gl. The first got them a 1 yd TD run with 6:03 left in the half, the 2nd with no time left resulted in a Baker 2 yd TD run and the daring calls made it 21-0 at half instead of just 13-0. UM got to the MSU12 and was int’d in the EZ and at the end of the game, UM was SOD on 4&1 at the MSU25.
For the 2nd straight year Indiana almost upset Iowa. The story of the game was each team driving the length of the field and consistently settling for FG’s. Iowa had a 66/10pl drive for a 23 yd FG, Indy went 59/8pl for a 37 yd FG, Iowa had drives of 11 and 12 plays result in a short 27 yd FG and a missed 22 yd FG. Indiana went on 8 & 12 pl drives for 38 and 28 yd FG’s and was also int’d at the Iowa18 in a 6-6 1H. Indy broke through with a TD late 3Q, 13-9 but punted at the Iowa42 on 4&3 with 3:46 left up 13-12 and Iowa got a 52 yd TD pass with 2:50 left. Indy got to the Iowa18. On 4&10 they had an open rec in the EZ but he dropped the TD pass and Indy just missed the upset.
Clemson fmbl’d 5x losing 2, threw an int, had a TD called back on holding and missed 2 short FG’s. NCSt had a 30 yd FG blk’d and was int’d in the EZ. CU got a TD with 6:18 left for the 14-13 lead and NC was SOD on 4&10 at its own 26 with 1:50 left.
Florida started out slow as it was 44? at their 11:21 am CT start vs Vanderbilt but the Gators would heat up and had 480-109 yd and 24-7 FD edges. There were actually 3 blk’d punts, 2 ret’d for TD’s and another set up a 3 yd TD “drive”. UF blk’d 2 of the punts and earned 14 pts while VU earned 7 off of it. It is also possible that UF Jordan Reed won the starting QB job as he hit 11-19-120 and QB’d almost the entire 2H. UF led 41-0 at half and cruised.
Louisville was without starting QB Froman and RB Powell but Justin Burke hit 13-25-143 yds and Jeremy Wright and Victor Anderson combined to rush 29x for 143 yds. Surprisingly UL was able to knock off Syracuse on the road. SU had a 194-106 yd edge at half and led 17-14. UL went on 60/10pl and 90/12pl drives for TD’s to open the 3Q to take a 28-20 lead. Their last drive started with 5:01 left and went 9pl running out the clock.
Purdue gave QB Sean Robinson his first start and he hit 19-38-141 yds and rushed 12x for 31 yds but his 3 int’s were the key to UW getting the win. PU actually led 10-6 at the half with a 173-126 yd edge. PU’s O-line was controlling UW’s D-line on a late drive. The key to UW’s 3 TD win was three 2H int’s. PU’s 3rd pass of the 2H was int’d and ret’d 14 yds to the 18. Five plays later UW had a TD. UW led just 20-13 when with 9:27 left they got an IR 26 yds to the 14. Two plays later PU was int’d and ret 36 yds for a TD and UW stunningly led by 21. PU was SOD on the UW25 with 5:50 left and UW got 3 FD’s running out the clock.
BYU’s domination of UNLV was even more than the final score of 55-7. The game was 55-0 when BYU went for it on 4&8 and simply ran the ball into the middle of the line for no gain with 3:16 left. UNLV at this point had just 74 yards offense and gained 70 yds on their final 11 plays and on the last play of the game, got a 24 yd TD pass to avoid the shutout.
It may have been the true start of the Turner Gill era and the end of the Dan Hawkins era. What looked like a glorious game for Hawkins and Colorado had them ahead 45-17 in the 4Q over Kansas. The 4Q was a nightmare. It was the greatest comeback in KU history and also the first time in KU history they scored 35 pts in a single quarter. KU snapped an 11 game conf losing streak. Trailing 45-17 KU converted on 4&1 for a FD and got a 13 yd TD on the next play. They then rec’d an onside kick and drove 59 yds for a TD. CU fmbl’d and KU ret’d it 28 yds for a TD with 7:12 left. The Jayhawks got an int and drove 47/5pl for a TD to stunningly tie it. CU punted with 2:49 left and KU went 63/5pl with a 28 yd TD run for the lead. CU had a chance to tie and in fact had a 1st & gl at the 7 but their final 2 passes fell incomplete.
Tulsa was coming off their upset of Notre Dame and still dominated Rice despite giving up a 50 yd TD pass on Rice’s 2nd offensive play of the game and a 55 yd TD pass on the 5th play of the 3Q. At half TU led 41-7 and had a 440-193 yd edge. Rice trailed 57-13 when they scored TD’s on B2B drives to pull within 57-27 with 10:56 left. TU brought in backup QB Shavodrick Beaver and they went 80/16pl eating up 9:52 scoring a 1 yd TD with 1:04 left for the 64-27 final.
It was an exciting home crowd with ESPN GameDay on hand as TCU came into Utah as some fans camped out 30 hrs in advance but the game was dominated by TCU. At the half TCU had 23-5 and 328-72 yd edges. TCU led 40-0 when Utah was given a TD late. Asiata’s knee was down at the 3 but he was given the TD and it was not reviewed and that was just TCU’s 3rd conf TD allowed all year. TCU finished with a 558-199 yd edge.
Boise St made a strong statement for their BCS contention by wiping out red-hot Hawaii. BSU had a 30-11 FD edge and a school record 737 yds while holding a potent UH offense to just 196. It was just 21-0 at the half and BSU scored TD’s on their first two 3Q poss. BSU pulled QB Moore with 13:16 left in the 4Q.
Oregon was playing their first game as #1 in the BCS and was taking on a Washington team without QB Jake Locker. Surprisingly the Huskies stayed with UO throughout much of the game. UW was within 18-13 with 13:11 left in the 3Q and 25-16 with 6:14 left in the 3Q. The Ducks went 76/9pl and 54/5pl for TD’s then after a 69 yd PR went 16/5pl for a TD to lead 46-16. UO then went 90/11pl getting a 30 yd TD run with 4:34 left to lead 53-16. UW did ret the KO to the UO41 but punted on 4&19.
More News and Notes
By Phil Steele
The Boston College/Wake Forest game this past weekend featured the first game this year with two teams starting true frosh QBs with BC’s Chase Rettig and WF’s Tanner Price.
Another interesting ACC QB duel this past week was Clemson’s Kyle Parker going up against NC State’s Russell Wilson who in the near future will be teammates as they were both drafted by the Colorado Rockies and will start playing Single A ball next year.
The box score shows San Diego St with a 24-19 win over Colorado St and with the FD’s even (19) with SDSt only having a 323-297 yd edge, actually SDSt played better than the final score and the stats. The Aztecs had a 5-1 turnover deficit. They still led 7-6 at the half and leading 10-6 they had a 1st & gl at the 3. On 3&gl from the 2 they fmbl’d and CSU returned it for a TD, a basic 14 pt turnaround. CSU led 13-10. SDSt went 56/5pl and 80/12pl for TD’s to make it 24-13. SDSt fumbled again at the CSU32 with 5:48 left and the Rams got a TD with 2:43 left to pull within 6. The Rams’ final drive did not get past their own 17 yd line.
Duke scored on their first 2 poss vs Virginia to lead 14-0 and led 24-14 but Virginia got a TD with :24 left in the half to make it 24-21. Duke recovered an onside kick to open the 3Q but punted. UVA got a TD to lead 28-24 but Duke got a TD, a 47 yd FG and after an int, another TD to lead 40-28 early 4Q. The next 3 drives were TD’s with UVA getting 2, pulling within 47-42 then Duke fmbl’d at their own 28 and UVA got a TD with 2:06 left to actually lead 48-47. Duke got to their own 21 but faced a 4th & 20. Renfree hit Barner with a 42 yd pass to the UVA47 and 2pl later Scott got a 35 yd TD run with :40 left for Duke’s lead. UVA got to the Duke39 but their final 2 passes were incomplete.
It was a tough loss for Tulane vs Southern Miss. Tulane had a 28-17 FD edge and 402-358 yd edge. TU led 20-13 and SM punted with :32 left in the half. TU fumbled the punt at their own 4 and SM got a 2 yd TD pass to stunningly tie it. SM had battled for the lead, 37-30. TU had the ball at their 14 when they were sk’d and fumbled into the EZ for a safety with 2:23 left. TU forced a punt and got the ball back at their 16 with :52 left. They got a 16 yd QB run to the 32 and then a 9 yd pass to the 41 but unfortunately fumbled and Walters returned it 41 yards for a TD making “some” SM backers very happy.
It was a wild one between USC and Arizona St with a lot of game changing plays. ASU did not have their starting punter and USC blocked a punt and recovered at the 9 mid-2Q but it didn’t matter as they were int’d in the EZ on the next play. In the 1H USC went on a 48/7pl and 34/12pl drive but missed 27 & 35 yd FG’s. The Trojans did drive 59/9pl in the final 1:13 of the half and got a TD with :03 left to lead 14-7. SC got a 74 yd IR TD to go up 22-7 (2pt conv). After each team drove for a TD to make it 29-14, ASU got a 100 yd KR TD to make it 29-21. USC was driving but Barkley was int’d and returned 66 yards for a TD. ASU went for 2 and it failed and USC clung to a 29-27 lead. ASU went 79/9pl for a TD and the lead. Erickson probably debated going for 2 but went for 1 to put them up 34-29 but the xp was blk’d and ret’d for 2 by USC. Instead of trailing by 5, the Trojans only trailed by 2 leaving them within a FG, 33-31. USC went 68/9pl. Faced with a 4&8, down by 5, they would have gone for it but down by 2 they kicked a 29 yd FG for the lead with 3:08 left. ASU still had a chance. They went 49/8pl but missed a 42 yd FG with 1:34 left.
Just like the Sooners other road loss this year, it was a story of missed opportunities in the redzone. In the game vs A&M, OU did allow a KR for a TD to open up the 3Q and on the first play of the game, had a snap go over Landry Jones’ head giving A&M a safety. OU had 5 chances to score and it resulted in zero points. THREE times they had a 4&gl at the 1 and three times A&M held. OU also missed a chipshot 36 yd FG and faked a 49 yd FG and had a wide open receiver but the ball went off his hands and instead of a TD, A&M got the ball off the incomplete pass. Those 5 opportunities proved to be very costly. Texas A&M Ryan Tannehill hit 19-32-225 yards and the Aggies look like a different team with him at the helm.
Tennessee kept alive its shot at a bowl and needs to win out to get to one. They turned the offense over to frosh QB Tyler Bray an in his first start he threw for 308 yards in the 1H as UT built a 40-7 lead, Bray came out in the 3Q and finished with 335 yards. UT led 50-7 and Memphis gained 126 of its 308 yards on the final 2 drives including taking over with 7:22 left and going 80/10pl for a garbage 38 yd TD pass with 1:26 left when they trailed 50-7 to make the final 50-14.
Wyoming had plenty of opportunities to put away a winless New Mexico but didn’t get it done. The Cowboys led 21-7 after a 94 yd run for a TD by Alexander with just 4:42 left in the 2Q. NM did drive 76/11pl for a TD but WY drove right back. They had a 2nd & 10 at the NM16 when they were int’d at the 2 with :12 left in the half blowing their first opportunity. WY’s 2nd blown opportunity came at the end of an 80/5pl drive to open the 3Q. On 1st & gl from the 2, Herron fumbled into the EZ for a TB. NM drove 46/8pl for a 51 yd FG. WY drove again but this time a FD at the NM16 got a 6 yd run and fumbled at the end of it at the 9. WY had a 3&gl at the 2 but not only lost 3 yards, they had a 15 yd pers foul and settled for a 37 yd FG to only lead 24-17 with 4 drives inside the 15 yd line resulting in 3 points. After NM drove to tie the game at 24, WY fmbl’d at its own 11 giving NM a TD 3pl later, 31-24. WY tied it with 5:40 left but NM did drive 47/11pl to get a 38 yd FG on the final play but really took advantage of a 4-0 TO advantage.
UTEP needed a win for bowl eligibility. They had 2 road games on deck and it was their home finale and SMU was playing their 2nd straight road game. UTEP went 3 & out to open but faked a punt and got a FD and then took charge immediately with 74/11pl and 85/8pl drives for TD’s. UTEP did miss a 42 yd FG on its 3rd drive while SMU punted on its first 3. SMU took its 4th drive 99/8pl for a TD but UTEP took advantage with an 87/13pl drive and on 3&gl from the 13, got a 13 yd TD pass with :17 left in the half to make it 21-7. SMU got to 21-14 and was at the UTEP35 but after a clip and a pers foul they faced a 4&34 and only got off an 11 yd punt. UTEP went 52/9pl for a TD to clinch it. SMU’s last 2 drives ended on a 4&7 incomplete pass at the UTEP7 and a 4&3 incomplete pass at the UTEP40.
There were a couple of key plays and a key injury in the Mississippi/Louisiana game. UL turned the ball over on 3 consecutive possessions in the 1Q which spotted UM the lead as they had scoring drives of 25, 26 and 39 yards all after turnovers to go up 24-7. QB Masoli suffered a concussion and was out the rest of the game. Backup QB Stanley hit 6-14-108 yards. UL got a break when trailing 27-7 they scored a TD with 4:42 left in the half. UM appeared on its way to increase the lead going 68/10pl but they fumbled and UL returned it 93 yards for a TD with :31 left in the half to stunningly get back within 1 score, 27-21. UM got a 30 yd FG on the half’s final play. After 4 punts to open the 3Q, UM went 52/5pl for a 27 yd FG then after a 37 yd PR, went 57/7pl settling for a 20 yd FG, 36-21 (10:49). UM’s final drive they converted on 4&6 and 3&9 and went 49/11pl and got a TD with :58 left.
Kai Forbath is one of the best kickers in the country but surprisingly he missed a 49 yd FG in the 2Q. A key play of the game happened in the 3Q when UCLA had a 3&gl from the 12 and only gained 4 yards but a face mask gave them a FD. Two plays later UCLA got a TD to lead. UCLA would then drive to a FD at the Oregon St 25 but on 3&10 were sk’d for a 12 yd loss. They passed up a Forbath 54 yard FG punting 35 yards to the 2. In the 2Q, OSU did the same type of drive as on 3&3 from the 18 they suffered a 13 yd loss on a sack. They passed up a 48 yd FG instead punting 29 yards to the 2. OSU had kick/catch interference after they punted so UCLA started at the OSU31. Once again Forbath missed a 46 yd FG this time with just 1:16 left. UCLA forced a punt and got it back at their 17 with :48 left and got 2 FD’s but on 3&9 with :04 left, they gained 10 yards on what appeared to be the final play of regulation. Neuheisel had them review the play and they put :01 back on the clock and this time Forbath delivered with a 51 yard game winning FG.
Under Bobby Bowden, Florida St was known for special teams plays and also missing FG’s wide right. It’s interesting to see that despite Bowden’s departure, some things never change. N Carolina did finish with a 473-374 yard edge. NC, leading 31-28, settled for a 31 yd FG to only lead 34-28. FSU missed a 42 yd FG but then a big special teams play happened for FSU. NC was punting but the snap went over the punters head. Their P kicked the ball out of the EZ, which has become chic as it would result in a safety except he kicked it at the 1 yard line. FSU opted to enforce the penalty at the 1 where they took over and got a TD on the next play to stunningly take the lead. NC went 72/12pl but from the 5 yd line, opted for a 22 yd FG and a 2pt lead. FSU’s big ST plays happened again when Reed returned the KO 50 yards to the NC45 and they got 2 FD’s setting up a chipshot 40 yard FG but FSU missed it wide right.
How about all of those LSU fans that wanted Les Miles fired early in the season? LSU only has one loss this year and they keep climbing in the polls but probably will be shut out of a national title game as the only way they can get to the SEC championship is if Auburn loses twice. Miles took some chances, as usual, and this time was rewarded for them. At the half LSU trailed 7-3 and Bama had a 156-95 yd edge. Miles faked a punt on the opening drive of the 3Q and converted but it resulted in a missed 45 yd FG. A 75-yard TD pass from Jefferson to Randle put LSU ahead. Trailing 14-13 on 4&1 from the AL 30 they ran a trick play with QB Jefferson first pitching it to Ridley and then to TE Deangelo Peterson who took off to the left, with QB Jefferson blocking ahead and it was a 23-yard run to the 3-yard line. Three plays later they got a TD for the lead, 21-14. LSU DT Nevis has had a dominating year and he sacked McElroy and swatted the ball away and LSU recovered at the Bama28. That set up a 39 yd FG to put them 2 scores ahead. Bama went 74/9pl for a TD to pull within 3 but LSU on 3&13 trying to run the clock, opted to pass and got a 47 yd gain to the Tide 33 which was a key in their win.
Taylor Potts was benched and Sheffield was given the starting job at QB vs Missouri for Texas Tech. That lasted for almost an entire half. MO had 2 big plays in the 1H. A 69 yard TD run by Murphy, a 71 yard TD run by Lawrence and they led 17-3 after getting a 27 yard FG with 5:10 left in the half. Potts came off the bench and would engineer 3 scoring drives in his first 3 poss. TT went 82/16pl getting a TD with :15 left 1H then opened the 3Q with 70/6pl and 92/12pl drives for TD’s to lead 24-17. They did have a 3&gl at the 4 at the end of a 10pl drive but Potts was int’d in the EZ and 2 poss later TT had a 54 yd FG blk’d. MO’s best chance they were SOD with 3:07 left at the TT34 and TT converted on 3&6 and 3&3 and ran out the clock.
Last week Nevada jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead vs Utah St and let up in the 2H. That put some value on them this week and they ended up with a 38-14 FD edge and 844-339 yard edge vs Idaho. NV even missed 31 & 29 yd FG’s, the 2nd at the end of a 68/10pl drive but led 28-3 at the half with a 421-96 yd edge. ID did fumble at the NV37 and then returned the KO 86 yards to the NV9 but fumbled at the end and each time NV went for TD’s going 63/6pl and 91/12pl keying a 63-17 route. NV’s last TD came on a 57 yd run with 3:16 left and NV ended the game taking a knee at the ID 16.