During the offseason I had just one weekend blog but each week during the season I will take a look at the Top 25 performances from the just completed week with a little analysis as well as a quick review of the past weekend. On Monday I will give you my News & Notes where I delve deeper into every game that was played this past weekend, breaking down individual drives and giving you misleading finals and other interesting tidbits.

As far as my game grades go after the 2008 season was completed I devised a power ratings system, which lets me analyze at what level each team played during an individual game. This “game grade” takes into account the yards rushing, yards passing, points scored, rushing yards allowed, passing yards allowed and points allowed and factors them in against the opponent played and even factors in the site the game was played at.

With all these factors taken into consideration you will see teams that lost the game having a better individual game grade than teams that beat them simply because the team they played was superior and much less was expected of them.

Top 25 Game Grades (Team Performances) Week 2

News and Notes Week 2 Part 1

Arizona had a young O-line making its first road trip and was also without top WR Juron Criner. Oklahoma St dominated going 88/9pl, 80/12pl and 70/10pl on their first 3 poss for a 21-0 lead while UA had 2 FD’s on their first 3 poss. OSU led 21-0 at the half and was never threatened. QB Brandon Weeden hit 22 of his first 23 passes and finished 42-53-397.

FIU got their first ever win against a BCS foe and did it with 3 big plays. For the game Louisville had a 24-9 FD edge but UL’s first drive was 10pl but not only ended on an int, Winston Fraser ret’d it 71 yds for a TD. FIU got a short pass to TY Hilton who took it 74 yds for a TD then Hilton split the DB’s and got behind them for an 83 yd TD pass and FIU stunningly led 21-3. UL did blow a couple of opportunities in the game. Trailing 24-10 they were SOD on 4&1 at the FIU12, SOD on 4&13 at the FIU36 and then scored a TD with 1:49 left to pull within 24-17 but FIU rec’d the onside kick. Hilton set a school record with 201 yds receiving.

It was an interesting Friday nighter for Missouri and Arizona St. Each team settled for some FG’s after long drives and MO led 16-10 at the half thanks to a blk’d xp. ASU scored TD’s on 89/10pl and 60/7pl drives and led 30-16 with 14:23 left in the game. The Devils then forced a punt on 4&18 but fmbl’d the punt then pass interference on 3&15 gave MO a FD and MO got a 25 yd TD pass on the next play. On MO’s next drive they converted on 3&14 and later on 4&gl from the 3 to tie it with 2:50 left. MO did miss a 48 yd FG with :12 left and ASU won it on a TD in OT.

Oregon St came in as a banged up team vs Wisconsin and was only outgained 397-284 but didn’t do themselves any favors. They had a -4 yd punt in the 1Q setting up the Badgers first TD, a 3&13, 17 yd pass 3pl later. An OSU PF pen on the punt gave UW the ball at their own 49 and Wilson hit a 10 yd TD pass on 3&5.The Badgers added a TD with :27 left in the half to lead 21-0. Once again OSU benched QB Katz early and Mannion took almost all of the snaps. OSU fmbl’d at the UW13 and was SOD at the UW17 on 2 of their last 3 drives.

It’s not very often that a team has 1 FD for an entire game. In fact the last time Michigan St held an opponent to just 1 FD was back in 1944 vs Maryland. MSU scored a TD or got a FG or missed a FG on their first 8 drives then got a 39 yd FR TD to lead FAU 44-0 with 8:22 left and finally punted for the first time with 3:36 left in the game. They had a 434-48 yd edge.

Army did have a 446-292 yd edge vs SDSt but were -3 in TO’s. Army fmbl’d at the SDSt42, fmbl’d at their own 26 and trailed 14-0 but it was 14-14 at the half with Army having a 245-130 yd edge. Army was SOD at the SDSt48 and on their final drive, down by 3, were on the fringe of FG range on 3&19 from the 34 when they took a 6 yd sack and had to go for it on 4&25 and fired incomplete.

Toledo scored their first points ever vs Ohio St having lost their previous 2 vs the Buckeyes by a combined score of 87-0 in ‘98 and ‘09 as they nearly upset OSU. In fact, OSU needed a 69 yd PR with :46 left in the half to lead 21-15. In the 2H TOL had a bad snap on a 51 yd FG and on their final drive they took over with 3:08 left and got to the Buckeye15 but on 4&5 fired incomplete and came up 5 pts short. TOL had a 338-301 yd edge.

Illinois had their biggest win since 1944 as they scored on 7 consec drives and rolled to a 56-3 win. They had 27-6 FD and 519-96 yd edges. SDSt did not get their first FD until the 2Q and had just 54 yds offense at the half. Illinois FB Becker left the game in the 1H and may be out for the season. It was 42-3 when bkp QB O’Toole came in with 8:58 left in the 3Q guiding the team to a 30/4pl TD drive.

Tough loss for C Michigan vs Kentucky and the key play came on a 4th down gamble. In the 1H CM went on an 81/16pl drive and settled for a 19 yd FG. Later they went 67/12pl settling for a 31 yd FG. They had a 227-93 yd edge but only led 13-6 at the half. On their 3rd 3Q poss, they went for it on 4&inches at their own 34 and were SOD. On the next play, UK got a 34 yd TD pass UK was then pinned at its own 13 when they got an 87 yd TD run to take their first lead, 20-13 and finally drove 85/13pl for a TD with 5:35 left to clinch it. CM finished with a 383-344 yd edge but lost by double digits.

Alabama’s D gave up 54/16pl on the opening drive of the game for a 43 yd FG and pretty much controlled the 1H with a 171-92 yd edge settling for a 22 yd FG after one 10pl drive and led 17-3. Bama got a TD by Richardson with 6:14 left as he rushed for 111 yds and 2 TD’s. Penn St then went 71/14pl incl 3&10 and 3&20 conversions and got a garbage TD with 1:53 left for a big part of their 251 yds.

N Carolina had a 5-0 TO deficit vs Rutgers and were actually outFD’d 19-17 but that is not indicative of the game. NC had a 286-91 yd edge in the 1H but due to the TO’s, only led 17-12. They led 24-15 with 1:12 left in the 3Q when RU went on a 62/13pl drive including a 4&12 conversion getting a TD with 10:40 left. RU’s last drive went 33/9pl but on 4&7 they were SOD at their own 42 and NC ended the game at the RU7.

Nobody gave Auburn a chance vs Miss St after their poor performance vs Utah St but they managed to extend the NCAA’s longest win streak to 17 and were highly motivated by being an underdog at home. AU led 14-0 but after MSU tied it at 14, AU gave up a 27 yd IR TD. AU still rallied and led 34-24 at the half and then got a TD with 14:03 left in the game for a commanding 41-27 lead and even forced a MSU punt with 9:43 left. MSU went 83/12pl getting a TD with 4:51 left then forced a punt with 2:52 left. MSU drove 67/11pl. On 2nd & gl from the 2 with no time-outs, they swept QB Relf and he was tkl’d at the half yd line.

Iowa had a 10-0 lead early vs Iowa St but it was 10-10 at the half. ISU led 17-16 but UI drove 80/11pl and got a TD with 5:50 left and the 2 pt conv put them up 24-17. ISU’s last drive in regulation featured a 3&16, 20 yd pass, a 3&20, 40 yd pass, a 4&1 conv and then on 3&gl got a 4 yd TD run. UI scored in the first of 3OT’s with a TD and ISU faced a 4&gl at the 4 and got a TD to keep the game going. In the 3rd OT UI got a FG and ISU a TD for the win. ISU had not scored a meaningful TD vs UI since 2006.

E Carolina QB Davis had 260 yds and 4 TD’s vs South Carolina but finished with just 127 yards passing, an int and was sk’d 5 times. Virginia Tech did have 20-11 FD and 332-112 yd edges but blew a couple of opportunities and actually needed a TD with 7:30 left to take their first lead of the game in their 17-10 win. VT got a 38 yd drive for a TD after a 30 yd punt, on 1st & gl from the 6 were int’d in the EZ and after having a FD at the EC14 settled for a 39 yd FG at the end of the half. VT’s winning drive was 89/13pl for the TD with 7:30 left and EC’s last 2 poss ended on a punt with 5:33 left from their own 26 and on 4&18 they fired incomplete from their own 43 and VT took a knee.

Idaho QB Reader threw for 299 yards and 4 TD’s and UI’s D had 2 IR TD’s. UI finished with 424-197 yd and 23-11 FD edges. They missed a FG and settled for a FG and only led 3-0 when N Dakota got a 79 yd PR TD to stunningly lead 7-3 (9:37 2Q). ND then got a 54/1pl TD pass 14-3 (7:33 2Q). UI went 80/15pl for a TD with 1:01 left in the half then went 71/6, 58/9, 91/11, their first 3 3Q poss to lead 31-14. They blew it open late when a 19 yd IR to the ND18 set up a 1pl 1 yd TD run by Bass then 2pl later with bkp QB Goska in for ND, the Vandals got a 37 yd IR TD with 4:41 left for the 44-14 final.

Tulsa/Tulane was a 3-3 game with 4:08 left in the half. TLN was at the TLS35 but on 3&15 they were int’d and TLS went 73/6pl for a TD and a 10-3 lead. TLN’s first two 3Q drives ended in a missed 44 yd FG and a fmbl at the TLS23 and TLS had TD drives of 82, 77 and 67 yds to go ahead 31-3. TLN fmbl’d at the TLS39, was SOD at the TLS42 and punted on their final 3 drives.

The key play of the Arkansas St/Memphis game happened early 2Q when Memphis, down 10-0, was SOD on 4&1 at the ASU29. ASU got a 71 yd TD pass on the next play to make it 16-0 and would go 82/13pl and 90/11pl for TD’s on their next 2 poss to blow it open at the half. ASU scored 2 TDs and a FG on their first three 3Q poss, the 2nd 2 were led by bkp QB Smith and they had a 611-169 yd edge.

Ohio U had a dominant 22-9 FD and 392-124 yd edges vs Gardner-Webb. OU got scoring drives of 40 and 28 yards and also got an IR TD but also blew some scoring drives. They had a 1st & gl at the 5 but fmbl’d, missed a 53 yd FG, fmbl’d at the GW47, were int’d at the GW35, SOD at the GW15 and settled for a 24 yd FG with 4:51 left.

Dan Persa sat out a 2nd straight game and Kolter hit 10-14-104 yd and rushed for 109 for Northwestern. Kolter inj’d his shoulder and only returned for a few plays later with 3rd string QB Trevor Siemian guiding 2 drives incl a 1 yd TD pass with 11:01 left and then Watkins was in for the final NW 2 drives. NW on 4&8 at the EI22 just ran the ball in the line for 3 yds with 1:27 left and EI got a 76 yd run and a 3 yd garbage TD with :07 left to make the stats closer than they really were at NW 437-341.

Nothing misleading about the Wash St/UNLV final. WSU scored on their first 5 drives of the game as Marshall Lobbestael hit 24-32-361 and they then scored on their first 3 drives of the 2H with the 3rd drive being led by bkp Halliday. WSU made it 59-0 with 5:29 left and LV’s only score came on a 95 yd KR TD. WSU’s final drive was SOD at the LV20 and they also had a 35 yd FG blk’d.

Southern Miss appeared in control vs Marshall as they were up 17-3 and had the ball with 2:00 left 1H. They only got off a 27 yd punt and MU went 41/7pl for a TD, 17-10. In the game SM turned it over SIX times and had a punt blk’d. SM fmbl’d at their own 35 early 3Q setting up a MU TD. MU took the lead with a TD with 1:19 left 3Q. SM was pinned at its 1 and RB Hardy was tkl’d for a safety and MU led 26-17. SM fmbl’d at the MU27, settled for a 28 yd FG then rec’d the onside kick but as you would expect, with 1:00 left on 3&10 ended the game on their 6th TO, an int at the 43.

New Mexico St/Minnesota looked to be a high scoring game as at the half, NMSt had a 21-14 lead and a 271-199 yd edge. They even blew a couple of scoring opportunities in the 1H as UM had a 1st & gl at the 4 but was int’d in the EZ and NMSt missed a 45 yd FG. UM missed a 38 yd FG in the 3Q but down 28-21, the Gophers had a 1st & gl at the 7 and got the game-tying TD with 7:54 left to make it 28-28 but replays respotted the ball at the footline and on 4&gl at the footline UM was stopped. NMSt got 4 FD’s’ and punted and UM got to the NMSt25. Coach Kill had a seizure on the sideline and the game was halted for a half hr and when they ret’d UM’s 4th&10 pass fell incomplete and NMSt held on for the upset.

Texas/BYU was played in 98? heat and BYU wilted in the 2H with UT having a 201-67 yd edge. UT QB Gilbert was benched and QB’s Ash and McCoy alternated on every poss the rest of the game. Gilbert had a couple of costly int’s and BYU jumped to a 13-0 lead. UT settled for a 23 yd FG late 1Q. In the 2H UT was SOD on 4&1 at the BYU13 and then up 17-16, had the ball at the BYU30. RB Brown broke off a run and had a shot but was tkl’d at the 14 of BYU and the Longhorns took a knee 2x.

Not many teams survive a defensive TO for a TD. It’s extremely rare when a team wins a game having 2 def TD’s go against them. Georgia pretty much controlled the S Carolina game from start to finish. In fact 3 of their first 4 drives got to the RZ but they settled for 3 FG’s and actually missed a chipshot 33 yd FG and led 6-3. SC ran a fake punt on 4&7 at their own 32 and DT Ingram got a FD and the 276 lb’r raced 68 yds for a TD. In the 3Q UGA appeared in control again leading 20-14 and had the ball at the SC39. RB Crowell, who hurt his ribs in the 1H was not 100% and fmbl’d when SC ret’d it 57 yds to the 5 basically a TO for a TD as SC got a 5 yd “drive” for a TD. SC then got a 25 yd IR TD to lead 28-20. UGA tied it and then retook the lead 35-31 but again was sk’d & fmbl’d and SC ret’d it for a TD. At the end, SC rec’d an onside kick and got a FD and took a knee. Basically 4 def and ST TD’s vs UGA and they only lost by 3.

Connecticut/Vanderbilt was a pure defensive struggle. The two teams combined for 12 sks for -72 yds, there was 2 def TD’s and a blk’d punt for a TD. CT fmbl’d at their 42 setting up a 42/1pl TD pass for VU and VU went 80/6pl for a TD to lead 14-3 after 1Q with the 2Q producing 5 FD’s combined and 7 punts and 2 TO’s. After an int CT drove 6 yd for a 28 yd FG then blk’d a punt for a TD, 14-13 and got a 64 yd FR TD in the 4Q to lead 21-14. VU got a 50 yd IR TD with 6:45 left to tie then after a 48 yd run by Stacy got a 31 yd FG with 2:56 left for the lead. UConn on 4&16 fired incomplete from their own 25 with 2:09 left.

Florida was impressive for a 2nd straight week. They settled for FG’s on their first 2 drives. UAB had 2 of their first 3 drives getting 2 FD’s and had another FD wiped out by a hold on the first drive and punted. On their 3rd drive UAB got a 38 yd TD pass after 2 FD’s but it was wiped out by illegal shift and on 4&2 they were SOD. UAB had a snap go over the P’s head for a safety with 2:32 left and after the extremely poor free kick UF drove 52/5pl for a TD with 1:09 left to score 9 pts in the final 2:32 and open it up 25-0. UF had a 308-95 yd edge at the half. In the 2H UAB had a FD at the UF30 and fmbl’d then ran a fake punt from its own 36 and was SOD setting up a UF 36/3pl TD drive. The Gators finished with 512-212 yd and 28-11 FD edges and led 39-0 after 3Q before putting the offense away in the 4Q. UF had the advantage of a game under their belts as both teams who didn’t play the opening weekend were blown out..

Darron Thomas matched a school record with 6 TD passes as Oregon rebounded from their LSU loss with a 69-20 win. The loss snapped Nevada’s 7 gm win streak as they came out of last season 13-1 and ranked #11. Tyler Lantrip took over at QB for Kaepernick (NFL) and hit 21-35-219 yds and rushed 10x for 51 yds. UO led 55-13 after 3Q and the Ducks scored 2 TD’s in the last 2:24, one after UN was SOD at their own 27 and the 2nd on a 68 yd IR TD with :20 left.

Mike Glennon, the man who replaced Russell Wilson at NCSt hit 24-41-315 yds but a lot of it came in the 2H with NCSt down 34-13. At the half WF had a 278-127 yd edge. With Tanner Price at QB, WF led Syracuse by 15 when he was inj’d in Wk1. He ret’d to the lineup and hit 22-35-297 yds completing his first 8 passes. NCSt did pull within 34-27 on a 4&10, 63 yd TD pass with 5:34 left. NCSt’s final drive got to the WF38 and on 4&10 they dropped what would have been a sure a FD pass.

Keith Price is replacing Jake Locker at Washington and he hit his first 8 passes hitting 18-25-315 yds. UW survived the dreaded 14 pt swing in the 2Q threatening to take a 28-7 lead on 3&8 from the 10 Price was int’d and ret’d 99 yds for a TD. In the 1H UW had a 370-192 yd edge and led 28-14. Hawaii did fmbl at the UW5 and were SOD at the UW9 in the 1H. UH took over at the UW27 following a -5 yd punt and they trailed 38-26. They got a TD with 1:39 left but UW blk’d the xp and ret’d it for 2 and instead of only trailing 38-33 it was an 8 pt game at 40-32. UW rec’d the onside kick.

USC had a 416-319 yd edge vs Utah but a 3-1 TO deficit. The Trojans were SOD at the Utah32, int’d at the Utah15, had a FD at the Utah12 and fmbl’d and Utah which had been outgained 239-68 drove 84/12pl for a TD with :34 left in the half to get back in it at 10-7. USC led 17-7 when a fmbl set up Utah for a 51/1pl reverse to the 1 and a TD on the next play to make it 17-14. USC had a 47 yd FG wiped out by a false start pen and punted and the next 8 poss were punts. Utah took over at their own 33 and on the controversial final drive they had an int dropped by a LB and on 4&10 were spotted short but they reversed the spot via replay it and gave them the FD at the 38. A pass interfere pen gave Utah a FD to the 23 with :11 left and the Utes lined up for the game tying 41 yd FG. It was blk and ret’d for a TD. The officials originally wiped it off the board as the USC players came on the field while the ret was in progress and the final was announced 17-14. The P12 stepped in and said the P12 rule is that unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by substitutes are enforced as dead ball fouls. Therefore the TD was allowed making it 23-14.

AF came in expecting an upset and while they actually had a 416-410 yd edge, AF gained 128 of their yards in the 4Q when trailing 35-9. TCU had the game locked up 35-9 and AF surprisingly went for a 22 yd FG on 4&4 with 8:18 left. Still their next 3 poss were punts and AF took over at their 22 with the score 35-12. AF would get 2 FD’s and then a 33 yd pass to the 4 with :28 left and with :04 left in the game, a 1 yd TD run to make it 35-19. Once again, AF had 128 of their yds in the 4Q.

Colorado St has won the last 16 meetings in this series and are 17-0-1 vs N Colorado. This time they had 28-9 FD and 501-216 yd edges but NC got a garbage TD with 6:43 left to only lose by 19. CSU got a safety with 10:23 left for a 33-7 lead and had the game in hand. After the free kick they got 2 FD’s to the NC28 and were running out the clock when they fired incomplete on 4th down. On the next play, NC got a 66 yd TD run with 6:27 left. CSU went 47/10pl and they ran out the clock.