Inside The Boxscores – Week 4
Clemson 24 – Georgia Tech 19
Clemson survived three interceptions and a fumble and held off a Georgia Tech rally. The Tigers rushed for 206 yards, a big chunk coming from a 78-yard TD run. Tony Hollings rushed for 167 yards and 2 TD’s for the Jackets.
California 46 – Michigan St. 22
Cal jumped out to a 25-0 lead and never looked back. The Spartans had five turnovers and could get nothing going on the ground, gaining only 64 yards on 27 carries.
Auburn 31 – Vanderbilt 6
The Tigers only out yarded Vandy 355-284 and had only 4 more first downs. Auburn scored on fumble returns for TD’s in the first and fourth quarters. Carnell Williams rushed for 169 yards and 2 TD’s for the Tigers.
Northwestern 26 – Duke 21
Duke led going into the fourth quarter but the Wildcats scored the final TD to get the win. Duke piled up 438 yards of offense but had 4 turnovers while Northwestern had 409 total yards but had 15 penalties for 146 yards. The scoring for each team could have been higher if not for the miscues on each side.
NC State 32 – Wake Forest 13
The game was very even statistically with each team having 18 first downs and NC State winning the total yardage battle 321-301. The Wolfpack forced two turnovers, one scoring on a fumble return in the 3rd quarter and the other stopping a Deacon drive at the NC State 20. The Demon Deacons were held to 149 yards rushing - more than 100 below their average.
Notre Dame 25 – Michigan 23
Michigan missed a two-point conversion that could have tied the game and then had a pass intercepted to end the game. The Wolverines had more yards 323-264 and more first downs 17-14. A holding call by Michigan in the endzone resulted in a safety and could have made a difference in the game on PAT’s.
Boise St. 35 – Wyoming 13
Boise St. won with a great balanced attack and QB Rhode played good, mistake free ball in place of Dinwiddie going 20-29 for 204 yards. The Broncos scored the last 2 TD’s in the 4th quarter to open up their 8-point lead.
Ohio St. 25 – Washington St. 7
Ohio St. overcame a 7-6 halftime deficit to totally control the second half. The Buckeyes ran all over the Cougars, gaining 301 yards on the ground on 53 carries for a 5.7 ypc average. QB Krenzel only had to throw the ball 9 times, good for 66 yards and freshman RB Clarett ran for 239 on 31 carries and 2 TD’s.
Texas Tech 42 – Mississippi 28
Mississippi out yarded Tech 481-297 and had 11 more first downs, but still lost by 14. The Raiders returned an Eli Manning interception for a TD and benefited from a botched punt snap and started their next drive from the Rebel 11 yard line to help build their 21-point halftime lead. In the second half, they returned a punt 72 yards for a TD.
USC 40 – Colorado 3
USC held Colorado to an amazing 29 total yards and only 3 first downs. Carson Palmer played well going 22-30 for 245 yards and 1 TD for USC.
Georgia 13 – South Carolina 7
The Gamecocks hurt themselves with four turnovers. One was an interception in the endzone and another possibly cost them the game when a pitch was fumbled with 20 seconds left at the Georgia 2 yard line. South Carolina had more yards 375-291 and more first downs 16-13.
Nevada 31 – BYU 28
Nevada piled up 529 yards on BYU including 10 more first downs. The Wolfpack had a 31-14 lead at halftime and held on for the win. Zack Threadgill led the way going 28-37 for 410 yards and 4 TD’s and 1 INT.
Iowa St. 36 – Iowa 31
Seneca Wallace passed for 362 yards leading the Cyclones in a come from behind victory. Iowa St. scored 29 unanswered points before the Hawkeyes scored the final TD with 1:23 left. The one glaring weakness for the Cyclones was giving up 222 yards on the ground.
TCU 17 – SMU 6
The once tough SMU defense gave up 359 yards of offense to the Horned Frogs, including 265 yards passing. The Mustangs only got 225 yards of offense and QB Tate Wells was miserable going 9-21 for 101 yards and 1 INT.
UCLA 38 – Oklahoma St. 24
Total yards were very close and the Cowboys had 5 more first downs but committed five turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown. The Bruins kept the Cowboy running game in check, allowing only 94 yards on 34 carries.
East Carolina 24 – Tulane 20
The Pirates could never get a passing game going, but they only attempted 18 throws the whole game. Art Brown rushed for 185 for East Carolina and Mewelde Moore ran for 114 yards for Tulane.
Oregon St. 47 – UNLV 17
The Beavers nearly doubled the output of the Rebels 461-236. QB Derek Anderson had a spectacular day going 20-26 for 356 yards and 5 TD’s. UNLV QB Jason Thomas only passed for 76 yards but did lead the Rebels in rushing with 74 yards.
Miami Fla 44 – Temple 21
Temple benefited from two late first half Miami miscues to pull within 7 at the break but the Canes were able to pull away in the second half. Miami out yarded the Owls 475-207 and had 17 more first downs.
Rutgers 44 – Army 0
Rutgers got into the win column thanks to four Army turnovers. Army continues to turn the ball over which has hurt them this year and all of last year. Rutgers produced almost 400 yards of offense behind the good play of QB Ted Trump, who was 16-23 for 230 yards and 3 TD’s and 1 INT. Army committed no penalties.
West Virginia 35 – Cincinnati 32
No late game heroics this time from Gino Guidugli, as the Bearcats were able to put 15 points on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but could not muster any more. West Virginia piled on 523 yards of total offense led by RB Avon Cobourne, who ran for 193 yards and 2 TD’s.
Kentucky 27 – Indiana 17
The Hoosiers out yarded the Wildcats 394-327 and were driving for the winning score but were intercepted at the Kentucky 16 yard line with 2:46 left in the game, which was returned for a touchdown. Both teams combined for 209 yards of penalties.
Louisiana Tech 53 – Tulsa 9
Louisiana Tech had 513 yards of offense and got 24 first quarter points and cruised the remainder of the way. Joe Smith rushed for 177 yards and 2 TD’s but one negative for the Bulldogs was that they committed 12 penalties for 130 yards.
Southern Miss 33 – Memphis 14
Southern Miss dominated statistically, out gaining Memphis 524-283. They had 21 more first downs and held the ball more than 13 minutes longer. Derrick Nix continues to make a great comeback, gaining 196 yards on the ground with 2 TD’s.
Pittsburgh 26 – UAB 20
Pitt gained 424 yards of offense and held UAB to 232 yards but needed a late fourth quarter TD to get the win. UAB scored their first TD on a blocked punt to take a 7-0 lead. Rod Rutherford was 13-25 for 235 yards with 2 TD’s and 1 INT.
Oklahoma 68 – UTEP 0
The Sooners completely dominated on both sides of the ball. The defense had 2 INT’s returned for TD’s and QB Nate Hybl had a good game going 13-22 for 278 yards and 2 TD’s.
Florida St. 37 – Maryland 10
Florida St. forced 6 turnovers and took a 30-0 lead into halftime. The Seminoles finished with 435 yards of offense and held Maryland to 57 yards rushing, who are eagerly awaiting the return of Bruce Perry.
Penn St. 40 – Nebraska 7
The Lions rolled in this game, gaining 476 yards of offense. Penn St dominated the third quarter in putting the game away. They had a very balanced attack, rushing for 217 yards and passing for 259 yards.
Texas 52 – North Carolina 21
The Longhorn offense was too much for North Carolina as Texas gained 569 yards of total offense. Chris Simms was only 14-30 but did throw for 298 yards and 4 TD’s. North Carolina closed the gap to 31-21 early in the fourth quarter but Texas tacked on three more TD’s to break it wide open.
New Mexico 23 – Baylor 0
The normally tough Lobo defense held Baylor to 107 total yards and 10 first downs. The Bears only gained 1.9 yards per catch and 1.6 yards per carry and were only 2-15 on third down.
Arizona St. 39 – San Diego St. 28
San Diego St. had a 387-113 total yardage advantage and 12 more first downs at halftime but only led the game by 8. The Aztecs finished with 574 yards of offense and held the first down advantage 25-13. Adam Hall threw for 516 yards and 3 TD’s and 1 INT for San Diego St. in the losing effort. Arizona St. took their first lead in the third quarter on a blocked punt in the endzone for a TD.
Colorado St. 36 – Louisville 33
Colorado St. gained 469 yards in total offense and had a 36-14 lead in the fourth quarter but barely pulled out the win as Louisville scored 19 points in a 2-minute stretch. When Louisville scored their second TD in the quarter, they missed the 2-point conversion, which would have cut the lead to eight. Thus, their last TD only put them within a field goal.
Stanford 63 – San Jose St. 26
Stanford broke open a tight 28-26 game by scoring the final 35 points. The Spartans only had 9 first downs and were out yarded by the Cardinal 563-211, including only 34 yards rushing. The Spartans hung close because of five Cardinal turnovers and a 97-yard kick return for a TD.
Arizona 23 – Utah 17
Arizona dominated the stats with a 459-204 yard advantage and a 23-12 first down advantage. Utah could only get 34 yards on the ground, missing their main rusher Marty Johnson. Arizona QB Jason Johnson was 24-35 for 416 yards with 2 TD’s and 1 INT.
Illinois 59 – Arkansas St. 7
The Illini gained 589 yards of offense and almost doubled the first downs 27-14. Jon Beutjer made the most of his first start going 17-21 for 269 yards and 4 TD’s.
Wisconsin 24 – Northern Illinois 21
Northern Illinois dominated the stats, out gaining the Badgers 420-198 and having more first downs 24-16. The Huskies did commit 4 turnovers and had costly penalties down the stretch that gave Wisconsin good field position to set up their winning TD drive. The Badger offensive line looked very shaky, giving up 10 sacks and blocked poorly for Anthony Davis, who only gained 48 yards.
Purdue 28 – Western Michigan 24
A back and forth game for most of it, the Boilermakers scored with five minutes remaining to get the win. Western Michigan had more yards 397-358 but gave up a TD in the endzone in the third quarter allowing Purdue to tie the game.
Minnesota 31 – Toledo 21
Toledo had more total yards 416-361 but the rushing of Minnesota got it done. The Gophers only threw the ball 15 times as QB Asad Abdul-Khaliq passed for 111 yards and also ran for 106 yards. William Bratton rushed for 117 yards for the Rockets.
Oregon 58 – Idaho 21
Amazingly, Idaho out gained Oregon 428-392 and had 8 more first downs. They also held the ball for 17 minutes longer than the Ducks. The Vandals committed 3 turnovers, which stalled drives and could have made the game much closer than the score indicated.
Florida 34 – Ohio 6
The Gators came out very lethargic, apparently still snake bit from their defeat to Miami last week. Plus the Gators have Tennessee next week. Florida only took a 14-6 lead into the half. The weather was a concern but the Bobcats were able to hold the ball for over 15 minutes longer. The game plan was to pound the ball with the option as Ohio only threw the ball 4 times.
Central Michigan 24 – Akron 17
Central Michigan had more yards 469-374 and more first downs 27-18, but didn’t get their first lead until the fourth quarter. They actually scored the last 21 points of the game after spotting the Zips a 17-3 lead. They committed three turnovers but played mistake free down the stretch to pull out the victory.
Bowling Green 51 – Missouri 28
The Falcons led throughout and gained 558 yards of offense. They used two wide receiver passes for scores and were able to expose the Tiger pass defense for 379 yards. Tiger QB Brad Smith threw for 323 yards but was unable to get anything on the ground compared to his first 2 games, mostly because they had to try and play catch up.
Arkansas 42 – South Florida 3
The Razorbacks held the Bulls to 150 yards of offense while putting up 547 yards of their own. They didn’t let Marquel Blackwell get anything going, as he was only 12-33 for 80 yards. Arkansas ran for 307 yards with four different players rushing for more than 50 yards each.
Alabama 33 – North Texas 7
Alabama held the North Texas offense to 50 yards rushing, 91 yards passing and only 11 first downs. There was obviously no letdown after their emotional loss to Oklahoma the previous week. The Tide rushed for 336 yards on 58 carries, a 5.8 per carry average.
Connecticut 24 – Buffalo 3
The Huskies held the Bulls to 168 yards of offense and 11 first downs. QB Dan Orlovsky was 18-29 for 242 yards and 1 TD and also ran for a TD.
Houston 36 – La-Lafayette 17
A fairly even game statistically as Houston only had 19 more yards of total offense. They held the Cajuns to 78 yards rushing while gaining 199 yards on the ground themselves.
LSU 33 – Miami Ohio 7
Matt Mauck had his most productive game of the year for LSU going 15-26 for 215 yards and 3 TD’s. The Tigers also ran for 207 yards, led by LaBrandon Toefield, who ran for 111 yards. The Redhawks were held to only 29 yards rushing.