UCLA QB Prince out with broken jaw
LOS ANGELES (AP) -UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince will be out three to four weeks after breaking his jaw late in the Bruins' victory at Tennessee.
Prince is a freshman who led the Bruins (2-0) to season-opening victories over San Diego State and the Volunteers. He was 11 for 23 for 101 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions in UCLA's 19-15 win over Tennessee.
Prince was hurt when Dennis Rogan sacked him for a safety with 1:41 to play. The tackle left him with a bloody mouth, but Prince returned to kneel on the ball for the final two snaps to secure the win.
Coach Rick Neuheisel didn't immediately say who would replace Prince. Kevin Craft, the Bruins' starter last season, lost his job to Prince in training camp.
Lewis to start at QB for Duke
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -Thaddeus Lewis will be Duke's starting quarterback when the Blue Devils face No. 22 Kansas this weekend.
Coach David Cutcliffe insisted Sunday that ``we're not trying to start a quarterback controversy.'' He spoke the day after redshirt freshman Sean Renfree replaced Lewis and led the Blue Devils past Army.
Cutcliffe says Lewis fought both the flu and an ankle injury during the preseason, but ``Thad's our quarterback.'' Cutcliff adds that he isn't afraid to play Renfree, depending on how he feels games are going, but that Renfree isn't ready to start yet.
Renfree was 7 of 8 for 106 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Lewis, who was 5 of 16 for 60 yards with a score, in the 35-19 win
Wisconsin not quite over flu
September 14, 2009
Wisconsin's not quite over the flu.
Badgers coach Bret Bielema said Monday at his weekly news conference that after more than 40 guys were sick over the course of last week, two new players showed flulike symptoms on Sunday.
The flu, I think, is through us. But on the same account, we had two new guys pop up,'' he said. ``We're just kind of going off what the medical staff and trainers have told us (how) to handle it when it comes up.''
That includes sending the players home to get as much rest as they can.
Wisconsin is 2-0 and preparing to play Football Championship Subdivision opponent Wofford this Saturday after hanging on to beat Fresno State 34-31 in double overtime despite the illness that had several players needing IV fluids before the game even started.
Bielema said the training staff told him that the flu could linger all season.
You're never going to be totally through this. Guys that haven't had it, even guys that have had it could get another strain at some point and you've just got to give them plenty of rest at that time,'' he said. Hopefully, the worst is behind us.''
Players weren't available on Monday, but many guys admitted they were sick leading up to Fresno State. Defensive back Aaron Henry threw up several times Saturday and was one of the players who needed IV fluids. He tried to play, but was too ill and was pulled for good early in the game.
I was feeling real bad,'' Henry said. A lot of people were saying if you don't have it, then eventually you're going to get it. The next guy that was healthy was anticipating getting it. Some guys were diagnosing themselves as having the flu or H1N1.''
Henry said he did not have swine flu, describing his illness only as a ``stomach bug,'' but teammates remained worried.
Being in such close quarters, everybody was thinking everybody's going to get it,'' running back John Clay said.Taking medicine, staying hydrated, keeping clean, it really stopped it from spreading (more).''
The struggles could continue on the field this week for the Badgers against Wofford (1-1).
Wisconsin has struggled the past two seasons with FCS opponents, needing a missed extra point to escape with a 36-35 overtime win over Cal Poly last season and scoring late in a 45-31 win over The Citadel in 2007.
One thing that will continue to be the same is the criticism Wisconsin receives for a schedule that is perceived as soft, but Bielema said he doesn't see playing games against FCS opponents as ``no-win'' situations just because they're expected to run up the score.
I could see and I fully understand where that comes from, but kind of one of the things that we always talk about is we prepare to play teams, not divisions,'' Bielema said. ``Scheduling is a very, very complicated and detailed thing that consumes a lot of time. As I've said in here before, it's one of the more frustrating things to go through.''
Wisconsin currently has a BCS team on its nonconference schedule for eight consecutive seasons starting next year, but the school likely will continue scheduling FCS teams to fill out a seventh home game.
We've already got a BCS team between Arizona State, Washington State, Arizona and Virginia Tech,'' Bielema said. ``If you have a BCS team on your schedule, in particular if you can get one at home every year guaranteed, then they'll look at that third game or that second, third or fourth (game on the) nonconference schedule a little differently.
RB Hunter doubtful for No. 16 Cowboys
September 14, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -Starting tailback Kendall Hunter is doubtful for No. 16 Oklahoma State's game this Saturday against Rice with an injured right leg.
Hunter left Oklahoma State's 45-35 loss to Houston in the second quarter. He had rushed for 104 yards on 32 carries in two games this season after leading the Big 12 with 1,555 yards rushing a year ago.
Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said Monday that the Cowboys (1-1) are fortunate to have depth with Keith Toston and Beau Johnson backing up Hunter.
Johnson ran nine times for 82 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown run, and Toston had 10 carries for 66 yards and touchdown.
Defensive captain lost to torn muscle
September 14, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt has lost two starters for the rest of the season to injuries with the worst being senior free safety Ryan Hamilton who tore a pectoral muscle.
Coach Bobby Johnson confirmed the injuries Monday. Hamilton is a co-captain who started his 34th straight game in last weekend's 23-9 loss at No. 9 LSU. Johnson said Hamilton played about a quarter and a half against LSU after tearing the muscle away from the bone.
Hamilton will have surgery Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Commodores (1-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) also lost starting right tackle James Williams to a dislocated left ankle. He will have surgery later this week. Vanderbilt hosts Mississippi State (1-1, 0-1) on Saturday night.
News and Notes - Week 3
By Phil Steele
Week 3
News and Notes
It was a tough loss for Clemson vs Georgia Tech. The announcers on ESPN talked about an unstoppable GT offense as they jumped out to a 21-0 lead after 1Q. That unstoppable offense had a total of 1 FD in earning those 21 pts. They got an 82 yd TD run, an 85 yd PR when CU's K faked a FG and punted instead. Later with GT facing a 4th & 13, it looked like they would try a FG but their K threw for a TD and they led 21-0. After GT took a 24-0 lead, CU dominated. They had a 319-91 yd edge from the 10:29 point of the 2Q to the 11:33 of the 3Q and led 27-24. After GT got a 34 yd FG, CU had a 38 yd pass to the 16 wiped out by a very questionable hold and punted and GT got the game winning FG with :51 left...
Penn St led Syracuse 28-0 when they brought in backup QB Newsome in with 5:43 left and had the ball at their own 32. Newsome, on 2nd down fmbl and SU recovered it back at the 16 and got a TD pass on the next play to make it 28-7. PSU ended the game at the SU 11...
Northwestern had a commanding 21-0 lead early 2Q vs E Michigan after a 70 yd IR TD. NW fumbled at their own 12 late 2Q to set up EM for a 33 yd FG. Each team went on a long drive to open the 3Q with EM getting a TD but NW settling for a 20 yd FG. NW fumbled a punt at their 36 setting up EM TD and then up 24-17 was int at the 6 with 7:04 left. EM then drove 79/9pl for the tying TD. NU got to the EM25 but after a hold and pass interference they faced a 1&35 but on 3&17 banged home a 49 yd FG for the win...
Florida actually punted twice and fumbled twice on their first 5 series vs Troy but after the Trojans lined up for a 37 yd FG and dropped the snap the rest of the game was all Gators as they scored TD's on 6 of their next 7 poss with the other ending at the end of the half at the Troy. Tebow left this one with 6:44 left in the 3Q...
Pitt's offense was good as they finished with 381 yards, but not 54 points good. Pitt got a 1pl, 23 yd TD pass after Buffalo fumbled a KO and had a 14 yd TD drive after rec a fmbl. In the 2H they got a 50 yd FR TD then an 85 yd TD run. Their final TD came after a 15 yd IR on a 2 yd drive. Surprisingly, UB amassed 510 yards in the game...
Indiana had a 249-96 yd edge in the 1H but W Michigan battled back and trailing 23-17 drove 72/11pl and got a 1st & gl at the 5 but fmbl'd and Indy ret'd it to the 24 with 1:20 left. After Indy took an intentional safety (:23), WM got to the 29 on a hook-n-ladder play that had an illegal forward pass...
BC almost got their 2nd straight shutout. BC led 34-0 when Kent St took over with 8:06 left. At that point KSU had just 114 yds offense but they went 65/13pl and got a 4 yd TD pass with 2:03 left...
There were major questions about Nebraska's inexperience at QB heading into the year but Zac Lee has answered them. Against Arkansas St last week he hit 27-35-340 yd and 4 TD's...
Two weeks ago VT had just 155 yards total offense vs Alabama but they surpassed that in the 1Q vs Marshall. At the half VT had a 345-139 yd edge and they had two 100 yard rushers for the first time since 2005 with true frosh David Wilson rushing for 165 and rFr Ryan Williams rushing for 164...
Louisiana Tech opened with a 74/10pl TD drive and 4pl later got an 85 yd PR TD by Phillip Livas and led 14-0. LT would have just 96 for the rest of the game combined and Navy led 18-14 at the half with a 189-116 yd edge and got ahead of the spread with 10:31 left with a TD and added another with 5:50 left and ended the game at the LT 22 yd line with a 393-167 yd edge...
Georgia/South Carolina were both off low scoring games and playing in a low scoring series. In fact, the winner of their series had not topped 20 pts in 7 of the last 8 years. Amazingly the two teams combined for 78 points. UGA did lead big, 38-23 but SC rallied to pull within 1 after a 35 yd IR early 4Q but the xp was blk'd so UGA led by 1. UGA got a 42 yd FG then SC got to the UGA7 but their pass into the EZ was batted into the air and incomplete...
The stunning part of the Texas/Wyoming game was that WY blk'd a punt for a TD with 1:32 left in the half and led 10-6. UT went 70/6pl for a TD with :24 left in the half and had a 237-99 yd edge as they led 13-10 and scored TD's on 3 of their four 2H poss. WY gained 57 yds on the final drive of the game while trailing 41-10...
SMU led UAB 28-7 at the half and nearly blew the lead. UAB got an 80 yd WR reverse for a TD and a 30 yd FR TD after an int but they had an xp blk'd and at the end of the game, trailing by 2, had their 2 pt stuffed with :13 left...
An interesting fact is that it took over 6Q's for WKU to finally force a punt. After not having forced one vs Tenn or in the 1H vs USF with 8:11 left in the 3Q, USF got an incomplete pass on 3rd & 4 and punted. WKU actually trailed 21-13 after 3Q's but then gave up TD's on USF's first two 4Q drives in their 22 pt loss...
Kansas dominated UTEP last week as they had 26-7 FD and 576-208 yd edges but did only lead 3-0 after 1Q before rallying to an easy 34-7 win. On the last play of the game, Kan did get a 55 yd run by backup QB Pick down to the 10...
The Pac 10 was 3-16 when travelling to SEC schools since 1980 but UCLA managed to pull the upset in Knoxville. The game was tied at 10 at half and UCLA got 3 short drives for 3 FG's to lead 19-10. UT went on 17 and 13pl drives but settled for a 28 yd FG and was SOD at the 2 and their final drive was SOD on 4th & 7 at their own 41...
Hawaii won a road game over a team from a BCS conf for the first time in 7 tries. While the FD were even (22) UH had a 626-403 yd edge and led 35-0 in the 2Q vs Washington St. WSU did have 5 TO's in the 1H...
USC got their 10th straight win over a Big Ten team and Ohio St dropped its 6th in a row vs a Top 5 team but the Bucks played an excellent game. USC needed a TD with 1:05 left to pull out the win and their final drive included conversions of 3rd & 9, 4th & 1 and 4th & 1. At the end of the 1Q OSU had a 138-6 yd edge, was tied at 7 and the rest of the game USC had a 307-127 yd edge...
Tough loss last week if you had Stanford +3. SU dominated the 1H and should have been up by more as they had a 274-146 yd edge. Wake Forest rallied and was setting up for the game winning FG which would have given them the Push. They went for it on 3rd & gl at the 1 with :02 left and QB Skinner was ruled in the EZ for a TD although replay looked like he was short. The FG would not have been a gimme as WF K Popham was struggling to get his xp over the crossbar...
Wisconsin had 40 players sick with the flu during the week and almost were upset by Fresno St. Kevin Goessling who had 3 crucial missed FG's last year vs UW, hit a game tying 40 yarder with :20 left to force OT but an int on the first play in the 2OT set up UW for the win. FSU appeared on their way to the upset but leading 21-17 when Goessling missed a 45 yd FG and UW got a 72 yd TD run by Clay. FSU's previous 2 drives ended with an int at the 36 and an int at the 24 and FSU did have 24-19 FD and 468-413 yd edges...
CMU had a 195-159 yd edge at the half vs Michigan St and finished with 418-316 yd and 27-17 FD edges. The Chips got the apparent tying TD with :32 left but went for 2 and was ruled OOB. They then rec the onside kick and missed the game winning 47 yd FG but offsides gave them another shot and a 42 yd'r squeezed inside the upright for their 2nd straight upset of a Big Ten team...
UNLV appeared on their way to the outright upset leading Oregon St 21-20 but the Beavers got a 33 yd FG with :07 left to escape with the win...
San Jose St was tied with Utah 7-7 in the 4Q but then a short pass went 51 yd for a TD to Brooks. The Utes, leading 21-14 added a 25 yd FG with :13 left to keep alive the nation's longest winning streak...
Purdue outplayed Oregon for most of the game and finished with 451-356 yd and 24-17 FD edges but a failed 2 pt conv to end the game and had them fall 2 points short. PU RB Ralph Bolden, who had 234 yds in the opener, rushed for 123 on 29 carries. Without RB Blount, UO's leading rusher was QB Masoli (84) while LaMichael James had 56 yards on 9 carries...
Kansas St led Louisiana 15-14 and UL had just 2 FD the entire 2H but QB Masson completed 4 passes for 30 yds on the final drive and UL got a 48 yd FG with :32 left to pull out the upset...
After looking so impressive in the opener, Missouri's 27 points were the fewest in a victory since 2005 after trailing Bowling Green 20-6 midway thru the 3Q. Surprisingly vs a BG D that lost all 4 DL starters from LY, Missouri had their first scoreless 1Q at home since 2004 but managed to win.
FCS MATCHUPS
Russell Wilson bounced back from a tough effort vs S Carolina throwing 4 TD passes and hitting 15 of 21 for 228 yds vs overmatched Murray St. NCSt had 133 yd vs SC but put up 484...
Maryland led James Madison 21-6 in the 2Q but JMU scored 22 straight points to lead 28-21in the 4Q. MD tied it with 9:51 left and then in OT, JMU missed a 41 yd FG and MD nailed a 26 yarder for the win. JMU had a 268-123 rushing edge despite MD having a 19-12 FD edge...
Arizona won their 4th straight game for the first time since 2000 but only led N Arizona 14-10 in the 2Q. For the 2nd straight week, UA had a dominating stat edge but it didn't show on the scoreboard as the Wildcats outgained NA 559-216 but only won by 17. NA, trailing 34-10, got a garbage TD late 4Q...
ULM outrushed Texas Southern 345-6 in their 58-0 win...
N Illinois actually had a 3 game losing streak vs W Illinois dating back to 1996 but rolled to a 41-7 win. NI only had a 20-16 FD edge but did have a 395-223 yd edge...
Ball St lost the majority of their O-line, their star QB and their coach and continued to struggle. MiQuale Lewis, their lone returning star, had just 21 yards on 14 carries vs New Hampshire and BS had just 9 FD's in the 23-16 upset loss...
San Diego St led Southern Utah 35-9 in the 4Q before giving up a couple of late scores...
New Mexico St led Priarie View 21-3 in the 4Q but gave up a TD with 6:03 left and another with 3:01 left and only won by 3, 21-18...
One of my favorite theories is the Injury System which says teams give a fired up effort one week after losing a star player. Such was the case for Oklahoma. One week after losing QB Bradford and TE Gresham the D held Idaho St to 6 FD and 57 total yds. OU rolled up 29 FD and 566 yds and new QB Landry Jones hit 18 of 32 for 286 in their 64-0 win.
STADIUM DEBUTS
Minnesota got a win in their new home stadium but Air Force did have 24-14 FD and 386-326 yd edges. The Flyboys were SOD on 4th & 1 at the UM9 early 3Q but still led 10-3 after 3Q's. UM would drive for a TD then Nate Tripplett who had 17 tackles, got a 52 yd FR TD and the Gophers went on to a 20-13 win...
Akron won their first game in their new stadium 41-0 over overmatched Morgan St. It was AU's first shutout since 1992 and the Zips had 23-3 FD and 436-127 yd edges.
The Big 12 Report
By Tony George
My first Big 12 report of the season, and I look forward to posting weekly recaps and updates from my specialty conference. My first feature play of the season was last week, a Winner on Nebraska -22 who wiped the board with Arkansas State in Lincoln. Numerous teams struggled last week in the Big 12 conference. Missouri was down 20-6 late in the third quarter at home to lowly Bowling Green from the MAC before a wild fourth quarter where Mizzou finally ended up winning it in com from behind fashion. A hangover from an impressive blowout of cross state rival Illinois no doubt. The Tigers will tame patsy Furman this week in Columbia in a non lined game. Missouri has Nebraska in early October, they better get it together quickly. Mizzou I feel, although they hit a small bump in the road last week, is better than advertised.
Oklahoma State also had a hangover and it cost them, as high octane offense minded Houston came calling to Stillwater, and beat the Cowboys straight up as a sizeable dog. The Cowboys must have celebrated a win over Georgia well into the week, and were not aware that their biggest weakness is their defense, who gave up huge yards in 2008 and let Houston cut through them like a hot knife on butter. In the Big 12 South, your lifespan is short with no defense, trust me.
How about the Colorado Buffalos? I though K State would rival anyone for bottom feeder in the Big 12, but losing badly to Colorado State and then allowing Toledo to hang 54 on them on national TV put plenty of nails in head coach Dan Hawkins coffin. The guy on the hot seat, just became the first coach looking for a job in the Big 12 next season. Colorado has no defense and are laying over a TD to Wyoming. Are you kidding me? Things in Boulder are dicey to say the least! I will touch on other teams from the Big 12 next week, but it should be noted that predicted division leaders Texas and Kansas are rolling along.
Here are my takes on a few games this week of interest and my opinion on them:
Nebraska @ Virginia Tech -4.5
Nebraska has blown out and dominated 2 weak sisters, and have not allowed an offensive TD all year as Bo Pellini?s stamp on the defense is apparent and the blackshirts are fired up. QB Lee for Nebraska is a young Turner Gill prototype and has the tools both through the air and running it to give defense?s fits, and NU will need that versus a solid VT defense. Doubt Nebraska resembles Marshalls offense for VT to shut down and or roll up points on like last week. This was a 35-30 game last year in Lincoln, and Nebraska has a better defense this year with Suh leading the way, this DL will give VT some issues in a hard fought game. I would grab the points here. Virginia Tech 20 NU 17
Tulsa @ Oklahoma -16.5
Much like BYU, a spread type attack and some really good players for Hurricanes might give OU a game here. While losing QB Bradford a HUGE hit for OU, they hope to have him back by the Texas game, at least they better! The Sooners defense was exposed a little against BYU, and I see Tulsa, who averages 40 ppg while allowing only 11 a formidable in state foe for big brother OU. Tulsa QB Kinne had 4 TD passes last week, and has enough weapons to trade punches with OU and keep it under the Number. Oklahoma 38 Tulsa 24
U Conn @ Baylor -10.5
Tough call here. Baylor off a big road win at Wake Forest and U Conn off a devastating loss to North Carolina giving up 12 unanswered points at home in that game to lose. Baylor had a week off to prepare for this one, and QB Griffen for Baylor the real deal for the Bears, one of the more exciting players in the Big 12, and very dangerous. The U Conn offense is the issue, and the no huddle deal is not working out well, and I think that Baylor can pull away late as there is no way U Conn can trade scores with Baylor all day. Baylor 31 U Conn 17
NCAAF Week 3 Preview
Thursday's game
LY, Georgia Tech ran ball 56 times for a ridiculous 472 yards (8.4/carry) in a 41-23 thrashing of the 'canes, their fourth straight series win (other wins by 4-7-3 points). Tech is 12-4-1 as road underdog since '04- they hung on to beat Clemson 30-27 last week, after grabbing early 21-0 lead thanks to TDs on punt return/fake FG. Tech had 301 rushing yards last week but completed just 4 of 15 passes. Miami had 10 days to prepare here- they've covered 12 of 40 (30%) as a home favorite since 2002.
Friday's game
Boise State won seven of last eight vs Fresno, but split last two visits to this site, winning 34-21 in '07 (-3), losing 27-7 in '05 (+9), when Fresno was ranked 20th in country. Broncos are 19-13 as road fave since 2002, 6-3 the last two years- they won first two games by combined score of 67-8. Bulldogs did everything but win at Wisconsin last week, gaining 468 yards but throwing three picks in OT loss. Fresno is just 3-13 vs the spread at home since 2006, 1-5 as a home underdog.
Saturday's games
Top games
Navy almost took Ohio State to OT, they're now 22-9 vs spread as dog on road since 2001; Middies crushed La Tech 32-14 last week after 14-0 early deficit, so they're pretty good. Pitt is 4-8 as home fave since 2006; they gave up 433 passing yards in 54-27 win at Buffalo last week- they ran ball for 209 yards and had four takeaways (+4).
Syracuse held Penn State to 79 rushing yards in 28-7 loss last week; this is their third straight Big 11 foe. Orange were outgained 484-225 in 30-10 loss at Northwestern LY (+11)- they're 3-8 last 11 games as a home dog. Wildcats are 7-4 as road favorite since '01- they barely hung on to 21-3 halftime lead last week, holding off Eastern Michigan 27-24.
Underdog won last four Boston College-Clemson games SU; Tigers ran ball 62 times for just 133 yards in last two meetings- they're 18-23-1 as home favorite this decade, 7-13 vs spread in game following a loss. BC has QB making first road start after they whacked two cupcakes to start season- they're 11-2 vs spread as a road underdog since 2002.
Vanderbilt, Mississippi State both lost SEC road games last week, which makes this game more important (loser falls to 0-2 in SEC); State is 4-1 in last five series games (favorites 4-1 vs spread)- teams split last couple games played here. Vandy is 5-12-1 as home favorite since '01, 22-16-1 vs spread in game after a loss. State is 12-20-1 as a road dog since 2002.
Oregon scored two defensive TDs last week, hung on to beat Purdue in 38-36 shootout; Boilers outgained Ducks 451-356, but Oregon did run ball for 193 yards. Utes have longest win streak in nation, but have new QB who played JC ball LY- they're 12-4 as road dog since 2001. Oregon is 15-7 as home favorite since '05. Utes had 251 rushing yards, 248 thru air in 24-14 win at San Jose State last week (-13).
Virginia Tech (+7) won 35-30 at Nebraska LY, running ball for 206 yards and averaging over 11 yards/pass attempt. Hokies are 7-10-1 as favorite at home after crushing Marshall last week. Huskers are 5-11 as road dog this decade; this is first road start for QB Lee, who is 47-66/589 passing against pair of Sun Belt teams. Huskers ran punt back for TD vs Tech inlast year's game. Hokies had kick return for TD in this year's opener.
Visitor won seven of last eight Michigan State-Notre Dame games; State won last six visits here- they lost 29-27 to Central Michigan last week in game they led 27-20 with 0:40 left. Irish are 11-18 as home fave since '03 but routed Nevada 35-0 in '09 opener. Spartans are 5-3 as road dog since '06; their QB is making first road start. Notre Dame had ball and lead in last 3:00 in Ann Arbor last week, but couldn't finish against frosh QB.
West Virginia had 271 rushing yards in 34-17 win vs Auburn LY (-3.5), averaging 7.7 yds/rush (TY was 445-260), scoring 31 unanswered points. WVa is dog for first time since their 44-34 loss at Louisville in '06 (+1). Auburn scored 86 points in winning its first two games, running ball for 300+ yards both times. Tigers also had 454 passing yards, so they have had tremendous balance, but this is big step up in competition.
Tennessee as 29-point dog? Vols lost 59-20/30-6 to Florida last couple years, and they lost 19-15 at home to UCLA last week, passing for just 93 yards with three picks. Kiffin opened his yap about Florida when he got hired, now he's in Swamp where Gators beat Troy 56-6 last week-- they're 11-2 vs spread as a home favorite since '07. Long day for Vols.
Baylor (+13) lost 31-28 at UConn LY, giving up 225 rushing yards to Huskies, who are 5-14 as road dog since '04. Bears are 8-3 as home fave since 2001- they had 197 rushing yards in 24-21 win at Wake, surviving 90 penalty yards. UConn has road win at Ohio already, but they gave up nine points in last 1:30 of brutal 12-10 home loss to UNC last week.
Kentucky beat Louisville 27-2/40-34 last two years; this is just second time in last nine series meetings UK is favored (1-2 as series fave). UK held Louisville to 154 rushing yards last two meetings, after they ran it for 1,073 yards in four meetings before that. Cards are 2-3 as a road dog last four years- first road start for their QB. Wildcats have SEC opener with Florida (22 straight losses to Gators) up next.
Florida State was down 9-7 with 1:00 to play as a 34-point favorite to a I-AA team last week, snuck out with an ugly 19-9 win, now face BYU squad that won at Tulane by 50 and beat Oklahoma in Dallas. Seminoles are 2-4 as a dog last two years- hard to endorse them after debacle last week. Cougars outgained Oklahoma by 92 yards but Bradford got KO'd.
Georgia's schedule is too hard- they lost 24-10 at Oklahoma State, then outlasted Gamecocks 41-37 last week (outgained 427-308, 13 penalties), so they've been tested plenty, while Arkansas' only game was 48-10 win over I-AA Missouri State. Hogs are just 11-14 vs spread in last 25 home games. Dawgs covered 12 of last 17 SEC games, won 30 of 35 on road.
Texas Tech ruined Texas' season LY with dramatic 39-33 win, but now Tech comes to Austin with QB making first road start- Raiders lost last five visits here by average of 28 points. Tech held Texas to 80-92 yards in last two series wins; Horns had 205+ in last eight wins. Texas is 16-9 vs spread in last 25 games as HF. Tech is 2-5 as a road dog since 2005.
Oregon State came east and got waxed 34-3 by Cincinnati two years ago on a Thursday night (-3.5); Beavers had seven turnovers that night. OSU is 9-4 as home favorite last three years- they had 184 rushing yards, 198 passing in 23-21 win in Vegas last week (-6). Bearcats are 9-4 vs spread on road under Kelly after winning 47-15 at Rutgers Labor Day weekend.
Other games
-- Ball State lost to I-AA UNH last week, after losing as 17-pt favorite in opener. Army covered three of last four games as home favorite.
-- Purdue scored 88 points in first two games; they're 6-3 as home fave since 2007. Northern Illinois is 4-1 as a road dog under coach Kill.
-- Michigan had dramatic win last week, has Big 11 opener next week, so letdown alert vs EMU squad that lost 27-24 at Northwestern last week; they're 17-15 as road dog since '07, and have a senior QB.
-- Penn State won its last three games vs Temple by combined score of 123-3- they have revenge game with Iowa on deck. Five members of the Temple coaching staff played at Penn State- so much for mercy.
-- North Carolina scored nine points in last 1:30 last week, getting out of Nutmeg State with 12-10 win. ECU is 13-4 as road dog after getting shut out in second half of 35-20 loss at revenge-minded West Virginia.
-- Miami OH lost first two games under new coach 42-0/48-0, getting outgained by 287 yards/game- they've lost seven games in row, dating back to LY. Western Michigan is 6-8 as home favorite since 2004.
-- Colorado is 8-12 as home favorite since 2003, 15-22 vs spread in their last 37 non-league games. Wyoming is 3-10 as a road dog since 2006.
-- Iowa covered four of last 13 as home favorite; they're 9-18 vs spread in game after their last 27 wins. Arizona covered three of their last four tries as a road underdog.
-- Akron is 5-7 as home favorite since 2005. Indiana is putrid 13-29 as road dog this decade- they're 2-0 after beating WMU 23-19 last week, in game where Hoosiers survived 13 penalties for 106 yards.
-- Kansas is 16-6 as home favorite since '04; they covered 21 of their last 28 home games overall. Duke was outgained 385-236 at West Point last week but scored four second half TDs to beat the Cadets 35-19.
-- Virginia is 6-12 as road dog since '03; they were outrushed 203-57 in a 30-14 home loss to TCU last week. Southern Miss won C-USA opener last week, 26-19- they're 8-11 vs spread as home favorite since '05.
-- Washington coach Sarkisian was USC OC before coming to Seattle; his Huskies lost opener 31-23 here to LSU (+16). Trojans are off comeback win at Ohio State- they crushed Washington 56-0 LY (-45).
-- UCLA will have freshman QB making first start with Prince out (jaw) Bruins are 14-7 as home favorite since '04. Kansas State got upset down at UL-Lafayette last week 17-15; they covered five of six as road dog.
-- Toledo lost 52-31 at Purdue in opener, then crushed Colorado 54-38 last Friday. Ohio State lost late to USC, is taking ton of grief this week- they're 28-15 vs spread in last 43 games as a favorite.
-- Washington State gave up 626 yards in 38-20 loss to Hawai'i last week in Seattle (+2.5); Coogs are 2-5 as home dog under Wulff. SMU travels a long way, trying to go 3-0 for first time since 1984.
-- San Diego State (-11) beat Idaho 45-17 LY, going 26-40/445 thru air. Aztecs are 0-3 vs spread as a road favorite since 2004. Vandals are 4-7 in last 11 games as a home underdog.
-- Colorado State snuck past I-AA Weber State 24-23 last week, after an upset of rival Colorado in opener; Rams are 7-4 as road dog since 2001. Nevada had last week off after getting trounced 35-0 at Notre Dame.
-- Marshall is 8-2-1 as home dog this decade; they gave up 44 yards in a 52-10 loss at Va Tech LW. Bowling Green led in second half at Missouri last week, lost 27-20- they covered last four tries as road favorite.
-- Cal came east LY and got upset by Maryland; Bears are 1-6 vs spread as road favorite, have Pac-10 opener vs Oregon next week. Minnesota is 2-0 after beating Air Force; they're 3-8 as a home underdog since '02.
-- Buffalo won opener at UTEP of C-USA; they're 15-5 as dog on road under Gill. Central Florida lost league opener at Southern Miss last week getting outgained 409-194, 156-15 on the ground.
-- Poor Rice- they got whipped 55-10 in Lubbock, giving up 508 yards in air; now they get angry Oklahoma State club off loss to Houston as a 16-point favorite. Cowboys are 10-4-1 vs spread coming off a loss.
-- Oklahoma won last four games vs Tulsa by average score of 47-9, as Hurricane lost two visits here, 31-15/58-0. Freshman QB Jones got first start vs I-AA Idaho State last week, completing 18-32/286 yards.
-- Texas A&M is 11-8 as home favorite since '04, just 9-18 vs spread in last 27 non-league games. Utah State covered 10 of last 15 as road dog.
-- Iowa State got crushed 35-3 in rivalry game last week, throwing five picks; Cyclones are 0-4 as road favorite since 2002. Kent State is 4-6 as home dog last four years- they lost 34-7 last week at BC (+21).
-- Home side won four of last five Air Force-New Mexico games; Lobos lost first two games this year 41-6/44-10, converting 5-29 on 3rd down. Air Force covered three of last four tries as a road favorite.
-- New Mexico State beat local rival UTEP 29-24/34-33 last two years, but Aggies struggled to beat Prairie View 21-18- they completed 8 of 20 passes, not good. UTEP is 3-7 as a road favorite under Price.
-- Hawai'i spent week on mainland after waxing Washington State 38-20 in Seattle; they're 10-7 vs spread in last 17 road games. UNLV is 4-14 as a home favorite since 2002.
-- Stanford won/covered six of last seven games vs San Jose State, with five of six wins by 21+ points. Cardinal are 9-3 as home fave since '02. Spartans are 11-22 as a road underdog since 2003.
-- Florida International covered in 40-14 loss at Alabama last week, with a KR for TD; they're 5-8 as road dog under Cristobal. Rutgers is 11-8 as a home favorite the last 4+ seasons.
-- North Texas won as 17-point dog in opener, then lost in OT to Ohio last week; they're improved, but Alabama beat Sun Belt's FIU 40-14 in home opener last week. Crimson Tide has SEC opener next week.
-- Middle Tennessee (+13) gained 402 yards in 24-14 win vs Maryland LY; MTSU beat Memphis 31-14 LW (TY 436-219). Terps needed OT to beat I-AA JMU last week, after getting crushed at Cal in opener.
-- South Carolina is off pair of tense games (7-3 win; 37-41 loss); they're 7-3 as home fave, but have ESPN game vs Ole Miss Thursday. FAU has senior QB, but they lost opener 49-3 at Nebraska (+21.5).
-- UAB's wild comeback fell just short vs SMU last week; they scored 77 points in first two games. Blazers won last two meetings vs in-state rival Troy, 27-7/21-3. Trojans are 10-7 as a home favorite since 2004.
-- UL-Lafayette upset Kansas State at home last week, now visit Baton Rouge, where LSU covered just three of last 13 as home favorite. Tigers won SEC opener last week, are at division rival Miss State next week.
-- Arizona State is 7-4 as home favorite under Erickson; they need sharp effort here with trip to Georgia on deck. UL-Monroe is 13-7 as a road dog since 2006.