NEWS AND NOTES - WEEK 11 2009

NEWS AND NOTES - Buffalo probably cost itself the win vs Bowling Green. In the 1H UB had 311-118 yd and 17-7 FD edges. A blocked punt set up a BG 1 yd TD drive but UB still led 21-13 when they got the ball at their own 20 with all 3 timeouts and 1:39 left in the 1H. Turner Gill opted to go very conservative. The Bulls took their time, ran the clock and even after getting a 14 yd run to the 48, continued to run clock. They got a 33 yd run by true frosh Jeffvon Gill, who rushed for 172 yds, to the BG19 but due to the poor clock management, they ran out of time and did not score. That would cost them in the end. BG fmbl’d a punt at their own 4 setting up a UB TD but BG blk’d another punt and rec’d it at the UB17 setting up a TD to pull within 29-23. BG went for it on 4th & 3 at the UB4 and was stopped but took over with 2:59 left and thanks to UB not scoring at the end of the 1H, when the Falcons drove 75/11pl for a TD with :32 left, the points were enough to have them win by one, 30-29...

Boise St’s BCS chances took a hit on Friday night when they had a close game vs Louisiana Tech. Just like their earlier game vs Tulsa on the road, Boise had their chances for a blowout and in fact in the 1H LT had 9 poss and failed to gain a FD on 8 of those, having 1 drive for a TD. Boise settled for 29, 34 and 44 yard FG’s and even missed one of them and “only” led 27-7 at the half. LT got back in it when QB Moore from the 26, threw a pass across the field that was int’d and ret’d 75 yds for a TD. After rec’ing an onside kick, LT pulled within 2, 30-28. BSU settled for a 25 yd FG, and missed another 31 yd’r but led 45-28 with 4:52 left. LT got a 71 yd KR to the BSU20 setting up a TD with 2:49 left and after BSU rec’d the onside kick they took a knee at the LT24. For the game BSU had 25-15 FD and 487-250 yd edges...

Jordan Shipley set a Texas record with 273 yards receiving breaking Tony Jones’ 1987 record of 242. UT only led 14-3 at the half but had a 260-79 yd edge. UCF was without their top RB Harvey and also gave Calabrese the start at QB (no st S/Wk2). UT punted to open the 3Q but scored TD’s on their next 3 poss and UCF ended the game being SOD at the UT6 with :40 left. UT had a 537-151 yd edge...

Daniel Thomas rushed for 185 yds for Kansas St and KSU is now at 4-2 in Big 12 play while Kansas dropped to 1-4. KSU got a 31 yd TD pass with :19 left in the 1H to lead 10-7 and opened the 3Q with an 84/9pl drive for a TD to take control. KU got a FG with 5:19 left but KSU got 3 FD’s running out the clock to the KU24...

Michigan St had a 358-36 yd edge in the 1H and led 35-0 over W Michigan. Two roughing the passer pen’s overturned incomplete 3rd down passes for MSU and allowed them to get their 2nd & 3rd TD’s of the game. WM actually pulled to within 35-14 at the start of the 4Q but MSU went on 2 long TD drives and finished the game taking a knee at the WM2 yd line...

For the last 3 games Michigan has now been outscored 75-12 in the 2H. They led Purdue 24-10 at the half and appeared in control. It was 30-17 mid-3Q when UM missed an xp. PU got a TD to pull within 30-24 with 5:13 left 3Q then daringly rec’d an onside kick and got a 54 yd TD pass on the next play to take a stunning 31-30 lead. UM got a TD with 2:18 left but missed the 2 pt conversion and lost by 2 and after a great 4-0 start to the season, they are now in danger of their 2nd straight losing season. It was PU’s first win in Ann Arbor since 1966...

BYU got their 2nd straight shutout over Wyoming and it was WY’s most lopsided loss since 1985. BYU did welcome back WR McKay Jacobson who missed 4 games and he had a 79 yd TD reception. BYU led 45-0 with 7:17 left 3Q when they brought the backups in...

Pitt settled for a bunch of FG’s in their game vs Syracuse but did use a 52 yd IR TD in the 1H to lead 13-3 and only had a 229-175 yd edge. Pitt dominated the 2H and led by as much as 37-3 with 5:47 left. Pitt was SOD at the SU41 with 2:55 left and the Orange went 59/11pl for a garbage TD with 1:03 left and rec’d the onside kick and got to the Pitt 36 but was sk’d on 3rd & 18...

Louisville played a solid game vs W Virginia despite starting their 3rd string walk-on QB Will Stein who hit 14-26-100. They were also without RB Victor Anderson and Darius Ashley rushed 33 times for 164 yards. Noel Devine was not 100% and was limited to 56 yards on 13 carries for WV. It was just 7-6 at the half and WV got an early 3Q TD to lead 14-6. UL had 15 and 22 yd punts in the 3Q, the first setting up a 42 yd FG, 17-6. UL had a 1st & gl at the 9 but settled for a 29 yd FG, 17-9 (10:22). UL’s last drive got to the WV48 but they were SOD and lost despite 17-14 FD and 301-273 yd edges...

Tenn Tech did lose to Kansas St 49-7 earlier in the year but Georgia got its first shutout since their 34-0 win over UAB (coached by current TT HC Watson Brown) in 2006. UGA scored TD’s on their first 4 poss and led 31-0 at the half with their other drive ending on an int in the EZ with 1:31 left by backup QB Gray. UGA opened the 3Q with a 67/7pl drive for a TD but the only threat after that was when UGA was SOD on 4th & 2 at the TT22 with :17 left....

Ohio St is back in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten Title. They led Penn St 10-7 at the half thanks to a 42 yd PR to the PSU9 which set up their TD. OSU got a 62 yd TD pass with 1:47 left 3Q to lead 17-7 then a 45 yd PR set up a 47/10pl drive for a TD to basically ice it with 9:37 left, 24-7...

Arizona completely dominated Washington St. In the 1H as they had 5 poss, 3 TD’s and 2 FG’s and had a 267-80 yd edge. They led 48-0 before WSU got a 64 yd TD pass with 6:23 left to avoid the shutout. Arizona went on a 10pl drive and took a knee at the WSU9 on their last drive...

Some members in the student section of the Colorado game wore powder blue instead of their usual gold to protest the team’s slide. It was the color the team wore from 1981-’84 when they were 10-33-1 overall but the fans stormed the field after the game was over when CU rallied from a 31-21 4Q deficit to beat A&M 35-34. CU appeared to have possibly scored too early on a 22 yd TD pass with 2:04 left for a 1 pt lead but A&M from its own 35 was int’d at the 49 with 1:31 left...

It’s surprising that N Arizona and Mississippi were tied at 14 in the 2Q and NA’s TD’s were not cheap as they went 80/11 and 81/6pl. In fact, NA in the 2H got to the UM30 but punted on 4th & 19 then had 35 and 33 yd FG’s blk’d and for the game UM only had 19-15 FD and 425-354 yd edges...

One key story for the UAB/Florida Atlantic game was that QB Rusty Smith was out for FAU, but his absence was not the main cause of their loss. UAB’s offense scored TD’s on their first 8 drives of the game with 5 in the 1H and 3 in the 3Q to lead 56-21. FAU even got a 4th & 8, 22 yd TD pass on the final play of the half to pull within 35-21 but it was not enough...

NCSt had 31-14 FD and 482-270 yd edges but at the end of the game was only up by 7 when they went for it on 4th & 12 from the MD31 and were stopped with a full minute to go. Maryland got 2 QB runs by Robinson down to the 34 of NCSt but on 4th & 18 fired incomplete...

GT failed on 4th down four times vs Wake Forest so you can understand Paul Johnson’s reservation about going for it on 4th down in OT trailing WF by 3. QB Nesbitt convinced him to go for it. They first lined up on 4th & 1 trying to draw WF offsides but had to call timeout. They then converted the FD and Nesbitt’s 3 yd TD run gave GT the win and all they need to do is beat Duke and they will be in the ACC Title game.

KEY PLAYS - One thing to take away from the E Carolina/Virginia Tech game was EC’s receivers were short-arming a lot of passes including a key play at the end. While VT fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB when QB Taylor was going for a TD mid-2Q, EC also had 2 blown opportunities. They had a TD called back and on the next play, while the receiver was fighting for yardage, he had the ball ripped from his grasp and VT recovered the fmbl. Later EC fmbl’d at the VT20 with 9:21 left 3Q. EC had the cover in hand trailing by 10 when on 3rd & 14 WR Harris short-armed another pass. It went off his hands and was int’d by VT at the EC13. VT lost 2 yds and got the ATS push with a 31 yd FG with 1:13 left...

A key play in the S Carolina/Arkansas game happened with :22 left in the half with UA down 10-7, WR Williams took a short pass and raced 69 yds setting up a FG to tie it at the half, 10-10. SC got an 80 yd TD pass on the opening play of the 3Q to lead 16-10 but was int’d in the EZ on the next poss and then a shotgun snap sailed over QB Garcia’s head and was rec’d in the EZ for a safety on their next poss. Ark went 73/11pl, 80/7pl to take control and QB Mallett hit 23 of 27 for 329 yds in the Hogs 33-16 win...

Illinois got a TD on the last play of the half and led comfortably 28-7. QB Juice Williams hit his first 5 passes for 53 yards but was inj’d on UI’s 3rd series and did not return. Jacob Charest hit 10-19-185. UI got a TD with 5:10 left to lead 35-25 but UM blk’d a punt for a TD with 3:05 left. UI rec’d the onside kick, got 1 FD and took a knee at the Minny 18 for the upset....

Wisconsin dominated the 1H vs Indiana with 14-5 FD and 308-150 yd edges. In fact, IU besides rec’ing a fmbl’d punt at the UW10 setting up a TD, did nothing on their other four 1H poss. On their 6th, they got 2 big plays for a TD and only trailed 24-14 at the half despite the UW dominance. UW had a 19:47-10:13 TOP edge. UW led 31-21 with 8:18 left but IU would drive 80/12pl for a TD with 4:01 left, 31-28. UW ended the game at the IU32 running out the clock...

UTEP led Tulane 31-24 and then 38-31. TU was stopped on 4th & 8 at the UTEP47 with 4:09 left and UTEP got a crucial 3rd & 1 FD run with 2:25 left to apparently ice it. TU used their final 2 timeouts and UTEP punted with 1:13 left pinning TU at the 14. TU went 86/9pl. On 3rd & 17 they got a 26 yd pass to the 11 and after spiking it, got an 11 yd TD pass with :01 left to force OT. In OT TU got a TD and UTEP had a 1st & gl at the 3 but was sk’d on 4th & 5...

Under Rich Rodriguez Michigan has allowed twelve 30+ pt games in 2 years while Bo Schembechler in his 21 years had just five 30+ pt games allowed...

While N Carolina beat Duke by 13 and finished with 21-11 FD and 311-225 yd edge, the game was a lot closer than the final. At the half NC only had 138-82 yd edge and the game was tied at 6. The key play of the game came with Duke at the NC32 in a tie game. Lewis was int’d and ret’d 54 yds to the Duke 20 setting up an NC FG. Duke then went for it on 4th & 4 at the NC35 and was SOD. NC went 65/12pl for a TD with 6:57 left to go up by 10. NC then got a 34 yd PR to the Duke 28 with 5:38 left and their 34 yd FG gave them the cover with 4:00 left. Duke got to the 50 but was int’d at the NC32...

At the half Army had a 138-39 yd edge but the game was tied at 7 thanks to an 88 yd PR TD by Air Force. AF did control the 2H after a fiery halftime speech. They got a 73 yd TD pass late 3Q to make it 21-7 then converted on 3rd & 12 and got a TD early 4Q, 28-7. They went over the total with an 8 yd TD run after converting on 4th & 1 and 4th & 9 on their final drive, the TD coming with 2:47 left.

BIG PLAYS - SMU fmbl’d at their own 33 and Rice got a TD in the 1Q and actually led 20-7. Leading 20-14 Rice lined up for a 37 yd FG on the final play of the half but SMU blocked it and ret’d it 74 yards for a TD to lead 21-20. SMU led 31-20 but Rice got a TD with 1:47 left converting on 4th down twice on the drive. SMU rec’d the onside kick.

BLOWN OPPORTUNITIES - Tough game for Notre Dame. They had a 32-20 FD edge but had a 3-0 TO deficit and also suffered from missed FG’s and SOD’s. ND fmbl’d at the Navy48, missed a 42 yd FG, was SOD on 4th & gl at the 3 and missed a 30 yd FG in the 1H and trailed 14-0. In the 2H ND drove 80/10pl for a TD but then fmbl’d at the Navy 1 yd line, and was int’d at the Navy 12 with 10:02 left. ND got a TD with 4:46 left and got the ball back at their own 12 but Clausen was sk’d for a safety with 1:00 left. ND rec’d the onside free kick and got a 31 yd TD pass 3 plays later, 23-21 (:24) but Navy rec’d the onside kick.

MISLEADING FINALS - It was a tale of 2H’s as Auburn, with their starters in, led 42-3 at the half with a 414-59 yd edge. They even got an int at the Furman 29 with :19 left in the half and instead of trying to score, took a knee. With the backups in the 2H, Auburn fmbl’d on their first 2 poss and Furman got short 6 and 37 yd drives for TD’s to make it 42-17. AU got a 50 yd TD run with 5:03 left to make it 63-24 but Furman went 71/9pl and got a 17 yd TD pass with :21 left.

INJURIES OF NOTE - Virginia was without starting QB Sewell. Backup Marc Verica hit 11-79-75. It was only 24-17 at half as UVA managed to blk 2 punts but Miami finished with a 515-149 yd edge including 282-57 in the 2H in their 52-17 rout.