Inside The Boxscores – Week 8
Virginia Tech 28 – Boston College 23
BC shot themselves in the foot in the first half. Two personal foul penalties and a fumble in the Hokies endzone turned into a 21-point swing. Special teams kept them in this game as they had a 279-76 return yard advantage. However, the four turnovers compared to Virginia Tech’s none cost them the game.
Minnesota 45 – Northwestern 42
There were 1,051 yards of offense in this game and only one turnover. Minnesota built a 24-point lead, but the Wildcats scored 21 fourth quarter points and if it wasn’t for a missed 2-point conversion after their first touchdown, this game could have been tied if the Wildcats converted the other PAT into 2 points as well.
Miami Florida 28 – Florida St. 27
Miami scored the final two touchdowns in overcoming a 13-point deficit with under 9 minutes remaining. The Seminoles missed a 42-yard field goal as time ran out. All three of the Hurricanes turnovers occurred in FSU territory.
Rice 17 – Navy 10
Rice was held to only 219 yards rushing on 63 carries (3.5 ypc), well below their average. Owl QB Kyle Herm suffered a concussion in the 2nd quarter, part of the problem the offense was held in check.
Wake Forest 36 – Duke 10
Duke had 8 more first downs and 114 more total yards but three turnovers led to 14 Deacon points. Wake scored their first two touchdowns on a blocked field goal return and an interception return. Besides the first two drives, Duke settled for a 23-yard field goal, got another field goal blocked and punted from Wake Forest territory before they scored their first touchdown.
West Virginia 40 – Rutgers 0
West Virginia held Rutgers to 7 first downs and 96 total yards. The Scarlet Knights also committed five turnovers that ultimately led to 17 Mountaineer points. West Virginia rushed for 236 yards while holding Rutgers to 29 yards on the ground.
Temple 17 – Syracuse 16
Temple ran up 491 yards of offense but 14 penalties hurt them. Syracuse had a 10-point leading going into the 4th quarter but Temple scored two touchdowns on big pass plays to take the lead. The Orangemen scored the game tying TD with 30 seconds left but missed the extra point.
Virginia 22 – Clemson 17
Clemson actually out gained Virginia 412-288 but a 4th quarter turnover led the to game winning touchdown. Clemson scored with 1:31 left to cut the lead to 5. The Tigers had to punt in Cavalier territory three times and also turned the ball over on downs once at the Virginia 42.
Michigan 27 – Penn St. 24
Michigan held the ball for over 18 more minutes and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Neither team rushed very well – Michigan with 96 yards and Penn St. with 86 yards. A back and forth game that had no turnovers.
Illinois 38 – Purdue 31
Purdue out yarded Illinois 566-417, had 15 more first downs and held the ball over 15 minutes longer. Illinois ran the opening kickoff back, paving the way for a 24-0 lead. Purdue then ran off the next 31 points before the Illini tied the game with 3 seconds remaining and won in overtime.
Indiana 32 – Wisconsin 29
The Badgers squandered a 19-point lead as Indiana scored the games final 22 points to pull out the win. The Hoosiers scored on drives of 70, 74 and 76 yards after they were held to 145 yards in the first 41 minutes of the game.
Iowa 44 – Michigan St. 16
Iowa only had 25 more total yards and the Spartans had 6 more first downs but had 5 turnovers, which led to 20 Iowa points. The Hawkeyes also ran back a kickoff for a TD. All of the Spartan turnovers occurred in their own territory.
Ohio St. 50 – San Jose St. 7
The Buckeyes out gained the Spartans 567-265. San Jose St. didn’t punt the ball until midway through the 3rd quarter. Their first eight possessions were loss on downs, missed field goal, loss on downs, touchdown, fumble, fumble, fumble, fumble. The four fumbles led to 21 points.
South Carolina 16 – Kentucky 12
Kentucky committed three first quarter turnovers but the Gamecocks were unable to capitalize on any of them. South Carolina scored two 4th quarter touchdowns on long drives to pull out the win.
TCU 46 – Army 26
TCU was able to run all over Army, gaining 265 yards on the ground. Army cut the lead to 32-27 late in the 3rd quarter but TCU scored the last two touchdowns to pull away. The Horned Frogs had plenty more opportunities, but had two touchdowns called back because of penalties and botched a punt at their own five-yard line. They also fumbles the ball seven times, mostly due to the bad weather, but were able to recover five of them.
Iowa St. 31 – Texas Tech 17
Texas Tech out gained the Cyclones 454-376 but committed 4 turnovers. The first turnover killed a drive while the next two led to 14 Iowa St. points.
Texas A&M 41 – Baylor 0
The Bears committed five turnovers, leading to 13 Aggies points. Texas A&M held Baylor to 79 yards in the second half and causing three interceptions, four punts and a missed field goal.
Colorado 53 – Kansas 29
Colorado finished with 547 yards of offense with 428 coming on the ground. Chris Brown rushed for 309 yards on 25 carries (12.4 ypc) and two touchdowns. With the score 29-15 in favor of Colorado, Kansas was driving but got picked off at the 5 yard line, which was returned for a touchdown and broke the game wide open.
Notre Dame 14 – Pittsburgh 6
Pitt out gained Notre Dame by an incredible 402-185 and had 11 more first downs. The Panthers were held to two short field goals. Pittsburgh drove into Notre Dame territory six times in the first half but came away with just the two field goals and had to punt the other four times. They gained 293 of their yards in the first half. Their lone drive into Irish territory in the second half ended with an interception with 1:05 remaining.
UAB 51 – Houston 34
Houston out gained UAB 473-396 but committed four turnovers, which led to 14 Blazer points. The Cougars actually led this game 28-6 but UAB scored 38 unanswered points, starting off with a touchdown with 16 seconds left before halftime. Houston then started off with a punt in the 3rd quarter followed by two turnovers in their own territory, which put UAB ahead for the first time.
Air Force 52 – BYU 9
BYU committed five turnovers and turned the ball over on down another three times, which is part of the reason they only punted two times. Air Force finished with 386 yards rushing on 79 carries (4.9 ypc).
Colorado St. 44 – Wyoming 36
The game was tied 30-30 heading into the 4th quarter but Wyoming then self-destructed. Down 37-30, Wyoming missed a 31-yard field goal and the Rams took advantage by driving the field their next possession to take a 14-point lead. The Cowboys then turned the ball over on their next possession to end any comeback chance.
Oregon 31 – UCLA 30
UCLA out gained Oregon 477-383 and had six more first downs. Oregon scored on a 74-yard touchdown pass early in the 4th quarter and held UCLA scoreless to pull out the win. The Bruins moved into Duck territory twice in the quarter but had to punt at the Oregon 35 and then missed a 46-yard field goal.
Georgia 18 – Tennessee 13
Tennessee finished with more yards 344-294, but 160 of those came in the 4th quarter. Georgia was able to run out the clock to end the game after the Vols cut the lead to five points. Tennessee held the Bulldogs to 62 yards rushing on 32 carries (1.9 ypc).
Tulane 35 – Cincinnati 17
Cincinnati out gained Tulane 418-251 but five turnovers did them in. The Green Wave scored 21 points off the turnovers and scored 26 points in the second quarter to put the game out of reach.
Washington 32 – Arizona 28
Arizona finished with 40 more yards and 3 more first downs but Washington scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass with 2:03 remaining to get the win. The Huskies held Arizona to 24 yards rushing on 29 carries (.8 ypc). Washington let a lot of opportunities go by as they only punted once but fumbled at the Arizona 8-yard line and had a 28-yard field goal blocked.
Oklahoma 35 – Texas 24
The Sooners almost doubled up Texas in yards 397-209 but turnovers kept the Longhorns close. After Texas took a 14-3 lead on an interception returned for a touchdown, Oklahoma went on a 28-3 run to take an 18-point lead. Texas was held to 53 yards rushing on 35 carries (1.5 ypc).
Arkansas 38 – Auburn 17
Auburn had a 17-14 lead but Arkansas scored the last 24 points of the game. Of Arkansas’ 495 yards of offense, 429 yards were on the ground. They averaged 9.5 ypc partly due to touchdown runs of 80, 44 and 70 yards.
North Carolina St. 34 - North Carolina 17
North Carolina had a 17-7 lead midway through the 3rd quarter but the Wolfpack scored the final 27 points to get the easy win. NC State actually rushed for more than they passed – 248-182 as they averaged 5.8 ypc.
USC 30 – California 28
Cal jumped out to a 21-3 lead but USC scored the next 27 points to pull away. The Trojans held Cal to 72 yards in a span of 40:03 between the 2nd and 4th quarters until Cal scored their last touchdown on their final drive.
Kansas St. 44 – Oklahoma St. 9
The Wildcats out gained the Cowboys 499-184 and held them to 14 first downs. Oklahoma St. committed 5 turnovers, which led to 21 Kansas St. points. The Wildcats committed 4 turnovers themselves; two of which were deep in Cowboy territory so the score could have been even worse.
Washington St. 36 – Stanford 11
The Cardinal finished with 2 more first downs but 102 less total yards. Washington St. committed three turnovers, two in Cardinal territory. The Cougars only finished with 70 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.3 ypc).
Nebraska 24 – Missouri 13
Nebraska held the Tigers to 220 yards of offense and 11 first downs. The Huskers ran the ball 62 times for 325 yards (5.2 ypc). Missouri had a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter but Nebraska held the Tigers in check the remainder of the game, allowing only 58 yards the rest of the way.
Boise St. 52 – Tulsa 24
Boise St. racked up 558 yards of offense including 353 yards rushing. They averaged 6.9 ypc. Tyler Gooch actually had a decent game in the losing effort going 25-51 for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns.
New Mexico 25 – UNLV 16
UNLV held the Lobos to only 9 first downs but committed four turnovers that cost them. New Mexico returned an interception for a touchdown and also scored a TD on a 73-yard run. The Lobos threw 8 passes the whole game, completing 2 of them for 19 yards.
LSU 36 – Florida 7
The Tigers held the Gators to 233 yards of total offense and intercepted Rex Grossman 4 times, returning one for a touchdown. LSU rushed for 267 yards on 46 carries (5.8 ypc).
San Diego St. 36 – Utah 17
Utah committed four turnovers, leading to 17 San Diego St. points. Utah was held to 30 yards rushing on 28 carries (1.1 ypc). The score was tied late in the 2nd quarter and then the Aztecs ran off the next 26 points.
Arizona St. 13 – Oregon St. 9
A very un-Pac 10 like game, with only 474 yards of offense between both teams. Seven turnovers kept the scoring down. Arizona St. held the Beavers to 9 yards rushing on 31 carries (.3 ypc).
Fresno St. 30 – SMU 7
SMU held the ball for nearly five minutes longer and only had 70 less total yards. Fresno jumped out to a 24-0 lead and the Mustangs got their first score with 2:24 left in the 4th quarter. They were driving to end the game but were picked off on the final play and the Bulldogs returned the interception for a 100-yard touchdown.
Bowling Green 45 - Central Michigan 35
Central Michigan out gained the Falcons 441-404 but Bowling Green was able to score on a blocked punt to take their first lead and not give it back. Central Michigan was only 7-19 on third down but converted all four of their fourth down opportunities.
Central Florida 31 - Western Michigan 27
Western Michigan led by 14 points at two different times in the game but let Central Florida come back. Neither team could get the rushing game going. Central Florida was 20-62 and Western Michigan was 24-36.
Mississippi 52 - Arkansas St. 17
The Rebels gained 508 yards of offense, but still committed four turnovers. Arkansas St., down 38-10, recovered a fumble at the Rebel 32 but couldn’t capitalize. Mississippi then intercepted the ball back and drove for the TD and cover. The Indians then threw an interception two plays later that Mississippi converted into another touchdown, blowing any chance of a backdoor cover.
Ohio 55 - Eastern Michigan 27
The Bobcats ran up 550 yards of total offense and held the ball nearly 15 minutes longer than Eastern Michigan. Ohio had four different players with 50+ yards rushing, including Chad Brinker who had 127 yards and four touchdowns.
Northern Illinois 48 - Miami Ohio 41
Miami had 14 more first downs and 58 more yards. The Redhawks had a 27-7 late 3rd quarter lead but Northern Illinois scored touchdowns on their last five possessions to pull out the win. Michael Turner ran for 222 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Huskies.
Mississippi St. 11 – Troy St. 8
The Bulldogs held Troy St. to 176 yards of total offense and 12 first downs. The Trojans committed six turnovers while Mississippi St. had four themselves. Troy St. made it passed midfield six times, only getting one touchdown, while the Bulldogs were in Troy St. territory ten times, only getting a TD and a field goal.
Marshall 66 – Buffalo 21
Marshall racked up 733 yards of offense and took a 59-0 lead before the Bulls get on the board. Buffalo committed four turnovers, which included a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Leftwich was 38-35 for 447 yards and 4 touchdowns.
La-Monroe 34 - Idaho 14
La-Monroe had 600 yards of offense but committed four turnovers keeping their point total down. Their five touchdown drives were 60, 63, 82, 80 and 85 yards. Idaho had 502 yards themselves, but was only 9-22 on third and fourth down combined.
South Florida 16 – Southern Miss 13
South Florida held the Golden Eagles to 144 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.2 ypc). Dustin Almond threw for 258 yards for Southern miss but was sacked 5 times. South Florida gained 464 yards of offense but committed 10 penalties for 90 yards that put them back.
Toledo 37 - Ball St. 17
The Rockets used a potent rushing attack as they ran for 260 yards on 39 carries (6.7 ypc). Toledo didn’t punt the ball once, but they committed 12 penalties, which was their only negative.
Middle Tennessee St. 21 – Vanderbilt 20
The Blue Raiders got their first win of the season on a touchdown with 52 seconds remaining. Vanderbilt hurt themselves with 14 penalties for 141 yards.
New Mexico St. 31 - La-Lafayette 28
The Aggies kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to get the win. New Mexico St. was lucky as they committed four turnovers but the Cajuns could only turn those into seven points. Two of the turnovers were in La-Lafayette territory and they also missed a 34-yard field goal earlier in the game.