Daily Blog - Monday, September 28th
NEWS AND NOTES - Mississippi came in with their highest ranking at #4 since Archie Manning was their QB. South Carolina came into the game 1-31 against Top 5 foes. SC managed to pull the upset in the Thurs night game. At the half, SC did have a 186-51 yard edge with the key play being when Ole Miss faked a FG from the SC24 and were stopped with 5:09 left in the 2Q. SC went 73 yards for a FG to lead 6-3 at half. Trailing 16-10, Ole Miss punted on 4th & 1 from their own 42 and their final drive got to the SC32 but their 4th down pass fell incomplete with 1:20 left. Jevan Snead had the worst game of his career hitting just 7 of 21 for 107 yards...
There was nothing fluky about Indiana almost upsetting Michigan on Saturday. IU led a good portion of the game and even settled for 20, 24 and 33 yard FG’s in the 1H. They had a 280-247 yd edge and led 23-21. After an 85 yd TD run by Willis which was the 3rd longest in IU history put them ahead 33-29, they forced a UM punt with 7:36 left. UM drove 52/8pl for a TD with 2:29 left and IU WR Belcher appeared to simultaneously catch the ball at the same time as Wolves CB Warren who was awarded the int...
Georgia Tech dominated N Carolina as much as the score would indicate. GT had commanding 24-8 FD and 406-154 yd edges and held the ball for 42:06. GT missed a 37 yd FG in the 2Q and settled for a 34 yd FG in the 2Q. In the 3Q they missed a chipshot 27 yd FG after a 14 yd drive but dominated...
As much as Virginia Tech was dominated statistically in the opener by Alabama, they controlled the game vs Miami, Fla. VT thrived in the heavy rain and with the home crowd. Miami fmbl’d on their first series at their own 11 and VT had a TD 3pl later. VT went 89/7pl for a TD for a 14-0 lead and led 21-0 at the half with a 242-54 yd edge. UM got a TD to open the 3Q but was SOD on their next drive and never threatened after that in VT’s 31-7 win...
LSU/Mississippi St came down to the final minute. MSU had 21-12 FD and 374-263 yd edges. LSU had a 93 yd PR TD with 14:36 left to lead 30-21 and MSU settled for a 22 yd FG with 10:13 left but then after a 1st & gl at the 1, their 4th & 1 QB sneak came up inches short with 1:08 left...
UTEP/Texas were actually tied at 7 early but UT had a 32-7 FD edge and not only had an amazing 639-53 yd edge, had over 300 yards both rushing and passing in a game they “only” won 64-7...
Cal came in off of 3 impressive performances and was ranked #6 in the country. The Ducks had 3 poor outings and weren’t given much of a shot. If you would have showed us the box score prior to the game with one team having 26-15 FD, 236-77 yd rushing and 288-130 passing edges - we would have said Cal had a very easy win but shockingly it was Oregon with those stats and they dominated the game from start to finish...
McNeese St was ranked #9 in the FCS and is a good team so Tulane’s 42-32 win is impressive. The key to the game was RB Andre Anderson who rushed for 202 yards (7.2) with 4 rushing TD’s...
Boston College led Wake Forest 24-10 and punted with just 5:07 left. WF went 63 yards for a TD with 3:44 left but BC got 1 FD and punted 58 yds for a TB with 1:46 left. WF drove 80 yds and got a TD with :11 left to force OT. After BC settled for a 23 yd FG, WF had a 1st & gl at the 4 poised for the win but the RB ran the wrong way and Skinner was sk’d and fmbl’d and BC held on for the win...
Army did hold the ball for 34:34 to Iowa St’s 25:23 and had a 19-18 FD edges but blew numerous opportunities in the redzone. Army was at the 15 but settled for a 32 yd FG and ISU got a TD after a 44 yd PR set them up for an 18 yd drive. Army was at the 10 but missed a 27 yd FG and then was int’d in the EZ on FD with 1:54 left 3Q threatening to pull within 7. ISU put it away with a 32 yd TD pass with 5:56 left...
One week after upsetting Purdue, Northern Illinois was upset by Idaho and there was nothing fluky about the game as Idaho had 200 yards rushing and passing finishing with a 477-312 yd edge. UI led 34-17 in the 4Q...
NC State piled up 20-11 FD and 530-300 yd edges in their 38-31 win over Pitt. They did trail the game 31-17 but scored the final 3 TD’s and Pitt’s final drive had a 3rd & 8 dropped TD pass and on 4th & 8 QB Stull threw the ball away with 1:15 left...
Texas A&M dominated UAB and even got backup QB Ryan Tannehill some PT as he threw 1 pass in the 4Q. Tannehill had 3 rec for 101 yds prior. A&M had 236 yds rushing and a 544-313 yd edge...
Georgia had a 334-214 yd edge vs Ariz St and led 14-3 after 1Q but it was still 14-3 at the half and the game turned on a pair of UGA TO’s. UGA fumbled at their own 37 setting up an ASU TD then ASU got a 46 yd weaving IR TD to pull within 17-14. The Sun Devils barely topped 200 yds for the game...
Troy and Arkansas St battled to the wire with Troy getting a TD with 7:07 left. The Trojans had 29-13 FD and 507-305 yd edges...
C Michigan’s Dan LeFevour had a huge game vs Akron as he threw for 4 TD’s and ran for 2 more. LeFevour accounted for 197 yards passing and 140 rushing and 6 TD’s despite being pulled early 4Q...
Nebraska wore throwback uniforms dating back to 1962 when its NCAA record sellout streak began. They scored on their first 5 poss and as you would expect by the final, dominated in their 55-0 win...
While Duke “only” played NC Central, it’s always interesting to note when Duke dominates a team and the Blue Devils had 31-9 FD and 480-188 yd edges...
Washington was in a flat spot coming off their big win over USC and Stanford manhandled them. Toby Gerhart rushed for 200 yards and SU had a 424-289 yd edge with one of UW’s scores coming on what looked to be an incomplete pass but it was ruled a backward pass so it was able to be returned 51 yards for a TD. Darius Marshall is proving to be one of the nation’s most underrated RB’s. Remember, he missed Marshall’s opening game. Last week Marshall rushed for 203 yards on 25 carries as The Herd pulled their 2nd consecutive upset. They took a 10-7 lead in the 2Q and never trailed after that. At the end of the game, MU settled for an 18 yd FG on 4th & gl from the 1 for an 11 point win on the road.
BCS BUSTERS - It is now a 3-team race to be the BCS buster this year......
Houston knocked off a top-notch BCS team for the 2nd straight game. They upset #5 Oklahoma St but were actually favored over Texas Tech. TT led 28-23 when they were SOD on 4th & gl at the 1 with 11:10 left. Thanks to the gamble, UH was able to get a TD with :49 left to pull out the 1 point win...
Boise’s win over Oregon looks a lot stronger right now and they absolutely dominated Bowling Green on the road. BSU rolled to a 49-14 win with 267 yds rushing, 262 passing and held BG to just 282 total yards with BG getting 2 TD’s after trailing 43-0! BS RB DJ Harper was lost for the year during the week but Doug Martin rushed for 116 yds teaming with Jeremy Avery (92). Martin was a DB and had 7 tackles heading in but was moved to RB this week. BG QB Tyler Sheehan who was completing 68% of his passes on the year, was held to 16-29 for 137 yards.
The 3rd team is TCU who beat Clemson in Death Valley (see KEY PLAYS below).
TURNOVERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE - In the UNLV/Wyoming game the Rebels had 4 TO’s while the Cowboys had none. A snap went over UNLV QB Clayton’s head on the 3rd play of the game setting up a WY FG. LV settled for 28 and 26 yd FG’s in the 2Q and the game was tied at 13 at half. LV had a 1st & gl at the WY5 but was int’d at the 1. The Rebels still had leads of 20-13 and 27-20 when WY got a TD with 8:16 left to tie it. LV was int’d at their own 37 setting up WY’s go-ahead 28 yd FG with 4:21 left. LV lined up for a tying 50 yd FG but fmbl’d the snap with 1:15 left...North Texas had a 5-0 TO deficit vs Middle Tennessee so despite having a 470-456 yd edge, NT had a 36 yd FG blk’d, a 60 yd PR called back on a penalty, was SOD at the MT43, fmbl’d at the MT5, int’d in the EZ and int’d at the MT15...
Kent St not only had a 5-0 TO edge, they also blk’d a punt and had a KR TD. The stats were lopsided as Miami, Oh had a 553-250 yard edge but Kent St did lead big and at the half the yards were even at 249-235. MU got 209 yards on 3 consecutive drives after trailing 26-10. Dysert got his first start for MU and hit 31-53-337. Georgio Morgan was doubtful for most of the week for Kent St and started but frosh Spencer Keith came off the bench and on his first play, got a 56 yd TD pass for a 26-10 lead...
The Penn St/Iowa game changed in the 4Q. PSU led almost the entire way but leading 10-5 UI blk’d a punt for a TD and a stunning 11-10 lead. PSU was then int’d and ret’d 38 yds to their 24 setting up a short UI TD. PSU was driving for the tying score but fmbl’d at the UI19 then was int at their own 39 yd line and UI got the game clinching FG with :08 left. Four straight TO’s cost the Lions and they were one of 4 Top 10 teams to lose last week.
POINTS LEFT OFF THE BOARD - Southern Miss blew some golden opportunities or they may have beaten Kansas outright. In the 1H SM fumbled at the KU14 with the game tied at 14. Trailing by 7, they went for it on 4th & 1 with :14 left in the half at the KU16 but came up inches short, scoring zero points on two redzone opportunities. Trailing 35-28, QB Davis was int’d ending his streak of 159 throws without an int. SM, trailing by 7, punted on their next 2 poss and their 4th & 17 pass was incomplete from their own 26 with 1:17 left.
KEY PLAYS - There were a couple of key plays in the Nevada/Missouri game. NV forced a 3 & out on the opening drive then on the punt return RB Taua fumbled at midfield and was injured and lost for the rest of the game. NV burned 3 time-outs on their opening drive and that cost them at the end of the half when they got the ball in Missouri territory and were not able to score. Trailing 21-13, NV appeared poised to tie it but at the end of a FD run to the MO3, fumbled and MO drove 97/11pl to take a 15 pt lead and put it away. That drive included 3rd & 8 and 3rd & 7 conversions...
Fresno St left some points off the board vs Cincinnati. In fact they had 25-15 FD and 443-357 yd edges and held the ball for an amazing 43:42 to UC’s 16:18. In the 1H, Fresno settled for a 36 yd FG so they trailed 21-17 at the half. FSU got to the UC36 but 2 pen’s forced a punt. On the key play for the game, FSU, down by 4, had a 4th & 1 at the UC5 but was int and UC drove for a TD. FSU got a 49 yd FG with 8:09 left and their final drive got to the UC37 where they were SOD...
There was a key play early in the TCU/Clemson game when on 3rd & 13 CU DE Bowers tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage. Normally that means incomplete but in TCU’s case, it meant the ball sailed over 2 CU DB’s and TB Wesley hauled it in for a 58 yd gain to the 10 setting up a TD. Later, CU’s reliable K Jackson (9 straight FG’s) missed an easy 34 yd FG with 9:58 left so when they got to the TCU13 with 3:10 left they needed a TD as opposed to a FG and their 4th & 13 pass fell incomplete with 1:55 left.
INJURIES OF NOTE - USF lost QB Matt Grothe, who had been their team leader for the last four years. Last week I talked in depth about BJ Daniels (9/22 Blog) and he did not disappoint. BJ Daniels (PS#75) stepped in and threw for 215 yards and rushed for another 126 in his first game as a starter...
The key injury of the day happened to Tim Tebow as he took a brutal hit and spent Saturday night in Kentucky for observation in the hospital. Luckily for UF, they have a bye this week. The Gators dominated UK with a 495-179 yd edge and backup QB Brantley hit 4-6-30...Tom Savage DNP for Rutgers and while the Knights rolled up 34 points vs Maryland, Domenic Natale hit just 4-12-42. Their star was Joe Martinek who had 147 yds rushing and RU had a 207-28 yd rushing edge...
Robert Griffin hurt his knee (OFY) on the first series vs Northwestern St and while he was clearly not 100% he still hit 17-23-259 yds but only ran it 4 times for 15 yards playing with his knee and lower right leg heavily taped...
Jimmy Clausen was not 100% in the 2H vs Michigan St last weekend suffering a toe injury. He actually sat out almost a full quarter vs Purdue. He came in, hobbled around and led a game winning drive as his 4th down, 2 yd TD pass with :25 left delivered the win over Purdue. ND played without its leading rusher in Armando Allen and top WR in Michael Floyd (out ssn) and with Clausen banged up QB. Dayne Crist hit 5-10-45 yd and the Irish stuck mostly on the ground when he was in the lineup.
GARBAGE YARDS - Wisconsin led Michigan St 38-17 when they punted with 2:47 left in the game. MSU went 66/4pl for a TD with just 2:07 left. After UW rec’d the onside kick, UW punted with :27 left and MSU got a 91 yd garbage TD rec with :14 left.
MISLEADING FINALS - WKU played with Navy early. In fact, they led 14-10 late 1H and only trailed 17-14 at the half. After WKU missed a 29 yd FG, Navy went on 80 and after int a 30 yd TD drives, 38-14 with 9:15 left. WKU went on a 64/9pl drive and got a TD and 2 pt conv with 6:09 left...
EC missed a 33 yd FG with 2:23 left. Up by 12 UCF drove 80/6pl getting a 10 yd TD pass with 1:06 left. UCF actually rec’d the onside kick with a chance to win but was int’d with :56 left. Also earlier in the game, UCF had a 26 yd FG blk’d, was int’d at the EC 4 in the 1H and missed a 45 yd FG and was int’d at the EC39 in the 2H. EC had a 403-336 yd edge which was 403-261 yds with 2:23 left...
Louisville took their opening drive 72/7pl but had a 25 yd FG blk’d. They trailed 20-0 at the half and Utah for the game had a 416-261 yd edge. UL got a 3rd & 9 TD pass, 23-14 with 8:51 left. Utah would go 80/7pl and on 3rd & 13 they threw a WR screen pass to Brooks which went 33 yards for a TD.
STRANGE GAMES - Buffalo/Temple was a strange game in that TU was in control for most of the game but did get some key plays. In fact, in the 1H UB finished with a 207-116 yd edge but they trailed 20-6. The key plays for the Owls were a 92 yd KR TD by Nixon then with UB at the TU19 trailing 13-6 and :20 left 1H, DL Joseph int’d a pass and ret’d it 96 yards for a TD and a 20-6 lead. TU did settle for 36 and 22 yd FG’s. UB was int’d in the EZ late 3Q but they trailed 30-6. TU missed 50 and 44 yd FG’s but got an 18 yd TD drive with 9:23 left after a TO. BU is the patented Turnovers=Turnaround team as last year they were +19 and this year in the last 3 games they are now -10 TO’s...
San Diego St deserved much better vs Air Force but ended up needing a 40 yd Hail Mary pass with no time left on the clock. The Aztecs had 16-12 FD and 423-293 yd edges. During the game they had an amazing 6 TO’s, 2 of which were returned for TD’s. AF got a 47 yd FR TD and 47 yd IR TD. An int set up a 9 yd drive for a 49 yd FG and the Aztecs trailed 13-2 when they missed a 54 yd FG then had the ball with 3:00 left in the1H but were int and AF got a 20 yd FG just before half thanks to a friendly clock operator who left :01 on the board after a play. With 3:26 left SDSt got a TD and opted to go for 1, although 1 pt would have made it a two score game but they bobbled the snap on the xp and missed it.
BYU jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Colorado St and appeared to be cruising but the Rams pulled within 28-17 early 4Q. BYU went on an 18 play drive getting a TD with 7:04 left to get ahead of the spread but CSU drove 83/9pl and got a garbage TD pass with 5:02 left. BYU rec’d the onside kick at the CSU28 and on 3rd &7 got a 24 yd TD pass with 4:05 left. CSU drove for a 1st & gl at the 8 but on 4th & gl their pass was incomplete and BYU held on.