By Phil Steele

The Duke/NC State game was not as big of a blowout as the score would indicate. In fact, you’ll be surprised that NCSt led 20-17 with 6:37 left in the game. Duke would score an amazing 3 td’s in :26 to make it appear as a blowout at 38-20. NCSt had 20-12 FD and 412-321 yard edges for the game. Duke is now guaranteed its first winning season since 1994 (8-4 that year). Duke did control the 1H going 90/5pl for a td, but was intercepted at the NCSt33 on its 2nd poss. NCSt fumbled at the Duke24 with 12:34 left in the 2Q. NCSt went for it on 4&1 at its own 26 and was stuffed and Duke gained 8 yards and got a 36 yard FG to lead 10-0. NCSt missed a 41 yard FG with 3:06 left in the half and Duke was intercepted at the NCSt33 with 1:33 left. Duke had a 161-155 yard edge at the half and led 10-0. NCSt brought in Pete Thomas at QB for a drive and went 83/10pl for a 29 yard FG then NCSt got a 73 yard PR td and with 7:17 left 3Q, it was 10-10. After an interception, NCSt started at the Duke15 and got a 1&gl at the 5 but settled for a 24 yard FG and NCSt led 13-10. Duke got a 100 yard KR td, 17-13. Duke fumbled at the NCSt43 and then there were 6 consecutive punts. NCSt took over with 7:02 left in the game and on 3&10 got an 80 yard td pass to Quintin Payton, with Brandon Mitchell back in at QB, to make it 20-17 with 6:37 left. Duke went 79/8pl and got a 5 yard td run to take the lead. Then Mitchell was intercepted by DeVon Edwards and returned 25 yards for a td on the next play. On the very next play, with Thomas at QB, he was intercepted by again by Edwards who returned 45 yards for a td, 35-20. NCSt was intercepted by Jeremy Cash 4pl later with 1:51 left.

Tevin Coleman rushed for 15 times for 215 yards and Indiana won a shootout with Illinois. Nathan Scheelhaase hit 38-57-450 for IL but the star was Coleman with a couple of huge td runs. WR Cody Latimer had 11 catches for 189 yards for the Hoosiers. As you would expect with 1,262 total yards and 59 FD’s, the teams traded scores often. After IL punted on its first possession, there were 4 consecutive td’s including a Coleman 64 yard td run, 14-14. There was an exchange of punts. Indiana fumbled at their own 47 but IL was SOD at the IN40. IN went 60/6pl for a td with 4:02 left, 21-14. IL went 67/10pl but missed a 41 yard FG with 1:20 left. At the half, IN had a 289-288 yard edge. After an IN punt, IL went 77/5pl capped by a 54 yard td pass with 11:33 left 3Q, 21-21. IN was intercepted and IL went 44/5pl for a td and the lead, 28-21. IN then went 75/9 and 62/3pl for td’s to go up 35-28 but IL answered with a 79/12pl drive for a td, 35-35. Coleman got a 75 yard td run, 42-35 and IL on 4&10 at its own 37 was SOD. IN went 87/2pl for a td. IL went 47/10pl and was SOD at the IN33 and IN went 61/7pl but settled for a 22 yard FG, 52-35. IL went 65/10pl getting to the IN9 at the end.

Oklahoma St’s top receiver, Josh Stewart was injured 3:00 into the game vs Kansas and did not return. Despite the final of 42-6, OSU did only have a 359-316 yard edge. Kansas went mostly with the freshmen, Montell Cozart who hit just 6-17-58 yards and rushed 18 times for 55 yards. Jake Heaps was 4-8-56. OSU threw the ball more than they did last game and hit 20-39-274 yards. Things didn’t start well for KU on the road as they allowed a 100 yard KR for a td to Justin Gilbert and quickly trailed 7-0. On their 2nd possession KU was intercepted on a deep pass and returned 38 yards to its 34. OSU went 34/7pl for a td. 4 punts. KU went 61/7pl and missed a 32 yard FG with 10:41 left in the half. OSU went 80/4 for a td with 9:25 left, punted with 4:44 left but got it back with 2:06 left and went 80/11pl and got a 4 yard td pass to go up 28-0 at the half. At the half OSU only had a 233-183 yard edge. KU took its 2nd 3Q possession 58/6pl for a 40 yard FG and OSU punted on its first 3 possessions of the 2H. KU was SOD at the OSU41 on 4&19 with :26 left 3Q. OSU went 59/6pl for a td and KU got a 69 yard KR to the OSU25 but settled for a 29 yard FG, 35-6. OSU then went 63/3pl for a 15 yard td run by Smith, 42-6 with 8:45 left.

It was likely Johnny Manziel’s final home game at Kyle Field and he hit 30-39-446 yards but had 3 interceptions. He set a Texas A&M record for career total yards at over 9,000 and a single season record 31 td passes. Tyler Russell got the start at QB for Mississippi St but Dak Prescott entered on the 3rd series. Unfortunately Prescott lost his mother to cancer on Sunday but had a solid game hitting 14-26-149 and led MSU in rushing with 154 yards on 16 carries playing inspired ball. However, he suffered an elbow injury in the 4Q and is “officially questionable” for this week’s game. MSU was SOD at the A&M38 on their 2nd possession and A&M went 62/6pl for a td. Josh Robinson got a 51 yard td run for MSU, 7-7 (5:28 1Q). A&M went 65/11pl but Manziel was intercepted at the 1 and returned 8 yards. A&M blocked a punt for safety then after the free kick, went 62/4pl to lead 16-7 after 1Q. 4 punts. After a PF on A&M on a PR, MSU went 35/5pl for a 3 yard td pass to pull within 16-14 with :54 left in the half but A&M went 75/4pl for an 11 yard td pass with :16 left, 23-14. At the half A&M had a 294-191 yard edge. Manziel was intercepted on his first 3Q possession at midfield but MSU missed a 40 yard FG. A&M then went 76/6pl for a td. Manziel was intercepted at the MSU4 with 4:13 left 3Q and the Bulldogs went 96/9pl for a td, 30-20. The next 3 possessions were all td’s as A&M broke out to a 44-27 lead with 13:54 left. MSU was intercepted at their own 42 and returned 15 yards and the Aggies tacked on a 27/5pl drive for a td, 51-27 (10:52).MSU went 75/10pl and 58/8pl for a pair of td’s, 51-41 with 2:19 left but A&M recovered the onside kick. MSU had a 556-537 yard edge and 30-29 FD edge.

Nebraska had a 273-175 yard edge, dominated early but needed a late drive for a td to pull out the win against Michigan. Tommy Armstrong hit 11-19-139 yards and I was very impressed with Ameer Abdullah’s running as he had 27 carries for 105 yards and a key 5 yard td reception at the end. I was also impressed with NU’s rush D as while Michigan lost 43 yards in sacks, they only had 22 yards actual rushing finishing with -21 yards on 36 carries. NU took its 2nd possession 44/8pl for a 21 yard FG then its 3rd possession 56/8pl capped by an Abdullah 8 yard td run and led 10-0 (2:50 1Q). UM put together a 66/13pl drive for a 27 yard FG, 10-3. After NU punted from its own EZ, UM started at the NU42 but on 4&5 Devin Gardner was sacked and at the half NU had a 136-60 yard edge and led 10-3. UM went 75/10pl to open the 3Q and got a 5 yard td pass, 10-10. 4 punts. Armstrong fumbled at the NU33 but UM missed a 52 yard FG after losing 2 yards. NU fumbled the punt at its own 26. UM gained 3 yards and got a 40 yard FG for the lead with 8:08 left. The Huskers then went on a 75/14pl drive including a 4&2 to the 5 and on 3&gl from the 5 Armstrong was running the option to Abdullah but opted to keep it. Bottled up by the defenders, he pitched forward to Abdullah making it a pass and Abdullah took it into the EZ for the key td.

Nelson Agholor became the 1st USC player since Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett in 1965 to have 2 PR td in the same game. USC was in control throughout but only finished with a 499-483 yard edge. The Trojans also blocked a punt and returned it for a td, tying an NCAA record for punts returned for td’s in a game. Cal has now lost 14 straight games against FBS teams being outscored by 25+ ppg in that span. USC got a 75 yard PR by Agholor with 13:05 left 1Q, 7-0. They then went 79/13pl for a td and 70/5pl capped by a 43 yard td run by Javorius Allen, 21-0 with 1:37 left in the 1Q. Cal battled back to 28-14 with 7:22 left in the 2Q but USC blocked a punt for a td then got a 93 yard PR td by Agholor to go up 41-14. USC missed a 46 yard FG with :02 left. USC had a 244-191 yard edge and a 27 point lead. Allen ripped off a 79 yard td run on USC’s second 3Q drive, 48-14. After a 38 yard punt, went 38/3 for a td, 55-14. The Bears gained 183 yard of their 483 yards on their final 3 possessions of the game. Cody Kessler hit 14-17-170 and Max Wittek even saw time hitting 3-4-73. Jared Goff hit 35-49-260.

Chris Borland was questionable for Wisconsin coming in but had 13 tackles, 2 sacks and was named the Big Ten’s co-DPOW. UW HC Gary Andersen had the advantage of preparing for BYU each of the last 2 years and the Badgers led 17-3 at the half and 27-10 before allowing a late td. UW finished with a 425-370 yard edge (174 of the 370 came in the 4Q). UW went 76/11pl for a 4 yard td run. Each team punted; each turned it over. BYU then went 67/12pl for a 31 yard FG to make it 7-3 after 1Q. UW punted, was intercepted at the BYU40, then drove 63/10 for a 38 yard FG, 10-3. UW went 65/11pl and got a 5 yard td pass with :14 left in the 1H to lead 17-3 and had a 250-142 yard edge. Kenzel Doe got a 26 yard PR to open the 3Q to the BYU23 but the Badgers settled for a 26 yard FG, 20-3. BYU went 62/6pl for a td with 9:04 left in the 3Q, 20-10. BYU got off a 73 yard punt pinning UW at the 8. The Badgers went 92/10pl for a td, 27-10. The next 4 possessions were punts. BYU would then take over with 6:05 left in the game and went 57/9pl for a 5 yard td pass with 3:12 left. UW punted. BYU went 61/12pl getting down to the UW25 so they only finished with a 55 yard deficit. Joel Stave hit 23-32-196 and the Badgers rushed for 229 yards on 45 carries. Taysom Hill hit 19-41-207 and had 53 yards rushing.

FIU came in 1-7 vs Middle Tennessee and turned the ball over 4x. They were also outgained 556-233 and outFD’d 28-10. Naturally, the scoreboard indicates that in MT’s 48-0 win. MT went 81/8 and 78/9pl for a pair of td’s to lead 14-0 on their first 2 possessions. FIU did get a 40 yard pass but fumbled into the EZ for a TB. FIU missed a 40 yard FG on its next possession with 1:58 left in the 1Q. MT went 72/10pl settling for a 22 yard FG, 17-0. FIU fumbled and MT went 73/9pl for a td, 24-0. FIU was SOD at the MT34 with :23 left in the half. MT had a 316-181 yard edge. MT got a 51 yard IR td on the 2nd play of the 3Q, 31-0 then went 72/5pl for a td and after a fumble, added a 32 yard FG on a -4 yard drive, 41-0. MT went 68/8pl for a td with 3:08 left in the 3Q to lead 48-0. Jake Medlock came in at QB in the 4Q for FIU getting 3 FD’s on 2 series including a missed 49 yard FG and MT brought Austin Grammer in at QB and was SOD at the FIU34 and ended at the FIU10 taking a knee.

Syracuse had a 382-292 yard edge vs a banged up Maryland team. MD fumbled the ball 5x’s, losing 2 and also had a pair of interceptions. MD has been trying to lock up a bowl bid since mid-Oct when they reached 5 wins but now lost its 3rd straight. The Terps turned the ball over on their final 3 possessions of the 1H and their first possession of the 3Q. Syracuse actually, after shutting out Wake Forest, had shutout Maryland in the 1H to extend their streak to 6 straight Q’s before MD got a FG in the 3Q. CJ Brown hit 21-40-211 for MD and Terrel Hunt hit 15-24-140 while rushing for 67 yards for SU. SU took its opening drive 80/16pl and on 4&gl got a 1 yard td run. On their 2nd possession, the Terps went 55/11pl but missed a 42 yard FG. SU fumbled at the MD36 but the Terps got down to the 28 yard line. On 3&10, Brown was intercepted in the EZ. Each team was intercepted with MD being picked at the SU28 with 2:07 left in the half. MD fumbled at its own 38 with :58 left and SU added a 34 yard FG with no time left to make it 10-0. At the half SU had a 267-141 yard edge. MD fumbled at the SU42 to open the 3Q and the Orange went 28/6pl for a 30 yard FG. After an exchange of punts, MD went 48/8pl and with 1:10 left in the 3Q, ended SU’s shutout streak with a 23 yard FG, 13-3. Two possessions later SU went 57/5pl for the clinching td, 20-3. MD was SOD at the SU39, SU43, and its own 46 on its final 3 drives.

Kapri Bibbs was the story of the Nevada/Colorado St game as he rushed for 312 yards and 4 td’s which were actually both school records (Walter Camp OPOW). He now leads the NCAA with 19 rushing td’s. Cody Fajardo hit 31-46-247 while rushing for 87 yards for UN. Garrett Grayson hit 20-27-239 passing for CSU. CSU went 54/15pl and had a 1&gl at the 10 but settled for a 23 yard FG, 3-0. CSU was intercepted on its next drive at the UN18. 4 punts. UN went 79/14pl and got a 1 yard td run to lead 7-3 (4:11 2Q). CSU went 45/7pl for a 46 yard FG, 7-6 and UN missed a 54 yard FG on the 1H’s final play. CSU trailed 7-6 at the half but had a 176-135 yard edge. CSU went 75/6pl for a td to open the 3Q but Fajardo got a 68 yard td run on 3&2 to go back up 14-13. CSU went 72/13pl but after 1&gl at the 4, settled for a 20 yard FG. UN went 44/10pl for a 43 yard FG, 17-16. Bibbs then got a 59 yard td run 3 plays later, 24-17. UN ran a fake punt for a FD from its own 27 yard line and converted and went 53/12pl but missed a 37 yard FG. CSU went 80/6pl and got an 1 yard td run,31-17 and UN was SOD on 4&9 at the CSU15. Bibbs then ripped off an 85 yard td run, 38-17 with 3:27 left. UN was SOD at its own 49 (:47).

Travis Wilson hit just 6-21-121 yards and rushed for 44 yards on 17 carries. Utah’s D was solid though as Arizona St only had a 293-247 yard edge. At the end of the game, a key interception by DT Will Sutton, who didn’t rush the QB hard as he was trying to catch his breath. By laying back, he was able to seal the win. Utah had Dennis Erickson on the sidelines (ASU HC ‘07-’11). ASU went 71/10pl for a 10 yard td run. On their 2nd possession, the Utes went 63/15pl converting on 4&1 and 3&gl with an 8 yard td pass, 7-6 but they went for 2 and failed. ASU fumbled at the UU38 and Utah 2 possessions later got a 51 yard FG to lead 9-7. At the half Utah had a 109-94 yard edge. Utah opened the 3Q with a 49/8pl drive for a 43 yard FG, 12-7. They got a 70 yard punt on their next possession then went 67/3pl for a 12 yard td pass and a commanding 19-7 lead with 5:19 left in the 3Q. After an exchange of punts, ASU went 70/6pl and got a 2 yard td run by Taylor Kelly with 13:12 left to make it 19-14. The teams would punt on their next 5 possessions. ASU took over at its 19 with 4:31 left and got a 14 yard td pass after a 6pl drive with 2:37 left but the 2 point failed. Utah’s Wilson was intercepted at his own 43 with 2:26 but ASU, on 4&3, punted 25 yards to the 11 with 1:20 left. Utah got a FD to the 29 but on 2&10 Sutton jumped up at the LOS and intercepted the pass and returned it 8 yards to the 23.

Hawaii had 28-24 FD and 464-442 yard edges vs Navy but lost 42-28 in a high scoring shootout. Option offenses usually hit their peak in the 2H of the season and Keenan Reynolds had 28 carries for 226 yards as Navy got its 5th win of the season needing just 1 more to get to a bowl for the 11th time in 12 years. UH did get the return of RB Joey Iosefa (35-191). Sean Schroeder hit 29-33-246 but UH still dropped its 12th consecutive road game, the longest streak in school history. While the final score shows 70 points, there were some key plays that kept points off the board. UH did fumble a punt at its own 26 and Navy got a 26 yard td pass to go up 7-0. UH went 63/12pl and missed a 36 yard FG. Navy went 43/13pl but was SOD on 4&3 at the UH37. UH went 54/10pl and missed a 27 yard FG. UH’s next drive went 65/6pl for a td to tie. Each team then went on a long td drive and it was 14-14 at the half with UH having a 275-143 yard edge. Navy opened the 3Q with a 70/11pl drive for a 12 yard td run by Quinton Singleton, 21-14. The drive was kept alive when roughing the QB wiped out an interception. Navy went 51/7pl for a td then 51/7pl but was SOD on 4&gl at the 1. UH went 99/18pl for a td to get back to 28-21 with 9:31 left but 2pl later Reynolds’ 67 yard td run made it 35-21. UH went 72/13pl for a td to get back to 35-28 with 4:36 left. They kicked off deep and Navy went 75/7pl and got a 21 yard td run by Reynolds with 1:36 left and UH fumbled the KR at its own 27.

Old Dominion got its first win in school history vs an FBS foe but needed a comeback to do it. They had a 621-505 yard edge. Taylor Davis hit 15-28-308 for Idaho and Taylor Heinicke hit 40-56-533 yards for ODU. UI appeared on its way to an upset with a 73 yard td pass on the first play of the game. After a 47 yard PR, the Vandals drove 31/4pl for a td, 14-0. The teams exchanged scores all the way to the half with ODU taking a 31-24 lead with 2:39 left but UI getting a 66 yard td pass to tie with 1:51 left. ODU missed a 29 yard FG with :24 left in the half and ODU had a 373-334 yard edge. ODU opened the 3Q with 75/9 and 80/10pl drives for td’s 45-31. After each team scored a td, each team punted. UI was SOD at the ODU46 then SOD at its own 44 on 4&15 with 5:08 left. ODU was intercepted at the 10 yard line but then on the return Williams fumbled it back at the 11. That interception happened on 4&3 from the UI44 and actually was like a 33 yard completion as ODU got a FD at the UI11 after recovering the DB’s fumble. On 3&5 they got a 6 yard td run with :28 left for the 21 point win. UI was intercepted at the ODU17 on the last play.

UT Martin came in a 6-3 squad and Paxton Lynch hit 15-22-189 yards for Memphis. Dylan Favre (Brett’s nephew) hit 2-3-17 and Jarod Neal 6-16-105 for UTM. UM only had a 342-286 yard edge. Abou Toure became the first player this year to rush for 100 yards vs the UM D finishing with 113 on 17 carries. UTM took its opening drive 51/11pl for a 41 yard FG to lead 3-0. UM punted twice then was intercepted and UTM drove 33/7pl but after a 1&gl at the 2, missed a 29 yard FG. UTM went 62/6pl settling for a 21 yard FG after another 1&gl at the 2 and only led 6-0 (1:34). That would come back to bite them as UM went 65/7pl for a 6 yard td run with :23 left and a 7-6 lead. Lynch was sacked and fumbled at their 33 on their second 3Q possession but UTM missed a 42 yard FG. After 4 combined punts, UM went 88/8pl and got a 12 yard td pass, 14-6 (9:40). UTM got a 37 yard pass to the UM34 but was intercepted at the 18 and UM went 82/9pl for the clinching td with 2:51 left.

Shane Carden only threw for 5 td’s, but he ran for 2 more setting a school record for most td’s in a game. The previous record was held by Scott Harley who had 6 vs Ohio in 1996. East Carolina finished with a 505-363 yard edge but the final score was a little misleading as EC got a 100 yard IR td with :11 left. If Tulsa had gotten the td, it would have made it 51-31, a 20 point difference but the 14 point swing resulted in a 34 point lead which was EC’s biggest lead of the game. On its first drive, EC went 52/11pl but was SOD at the TU23. On 4&8 TU went 77/11pl for a td and the lead. EC went 75/7 and 82/2pl for td’s 14-7. TU went on a 71/13pl drive but settled for a 19 yard FG after a 1&gl at the 3, 14-10. 3 punts. TU got 2 FD’s to the 40 but with just 1:10 left in the half, was intercepted and returned 29 yards and EC would get an 18 yard td pass with 1:02 left to jump out to a 21-10 lead. At the half EC had just a 259-250 yard edge. TU was SOD at the EC38 to open the 3Q. 2 punts. EC went 53/9pl and got a 5 yard td pass, 28-10. TU got an 83 yard KR and a 15 yard td pass, 28-17. EC went 78/8pl for a 25 yard td pass, 35-17. TU fumbled at their own 7 and EC got a td with 12:53 left to pull ahead 42-17 on a 7 yard drive. TU returned a fumble 37 yards for a td with 11:08 left. EC then went 73/16pl but settled for a 19 yard FG after a 1&gl at the 1 with 4:56 left, 45-24 for a 21 point lead. EC would get a 5 yard td pass with 4:20 left then TU took over at their 28 and went 68/16pl but on 4&gl from the 4 on the last play of the game, was intercepted and returned 100 yards for a td.

It was one of the quietest battles for a BCS bowl berth that you’ve seen. Not many people talked about Houston and UCF last week although the winner would have a firm grip on the AAC which gets an automatic bowl berth this year. At the end of the game, UH had 4 shots at the EZ from the UCF7 yard line but had 2 passes bounce off the WR’s hands on what would have been tough catches and UCF got the win at home in front of a pretty loud crowd at Bright House Stadium. Storm Johnson is UCF’s top back but it was William Stanback who had 2 td runs for the Knights. Blake Bortels hit 17-24-210. John O’Korn hit 24-46-231. UCF’s opening drive ended on a fumble at the UH4 and their 2nd drive, an interception at the UH5. UCF’s 4th drive went 57/8pl for a 45 yard FG and their 6th, 57/10pl for a 40 yard FG. UCF’s D forced punts on UH’s first 4 drives. The Cougars went 50/11pl but on 4&10 were sacked at the UCF35 with :13 left in the half. UCF led 6-0 with a 224-105 yard edge. UH opened the 3Q with a 50/11pl drive but they were intercepted at the UCF23. UCF fumbled it back at the 37 and UH went 37/4 and got a 24 yard td run by O’Korn for the lead, 7-6. UCF went 75/10 and Stanback’s 14 yard td run gave them the lead, 13-7. UCF’s next drive went 98/7pl and Stanback’s 38 yard td run made it 19-7 (2ptng). UH was intercepted at its own 47 but UCF had a 50 yard FG blocked with 6:06 left. UH went 53/6 and got a 12 yard td pass with 4:04 left, forced a punt with 3:02 left and took over at their own 38. They would get 3 FD’s and had a 1&gl at the 10 but on 4&gl from the 7 their pass was incomplete in the EZ and UCF escaped.

Southern Miss has turned its QB duties over to Fr Nick Mullens and he hit 25-51-298 yards in his 3rd career start but did have 3 interceptions vs Louisiana Tech. Scotty Young hit 22-37 but for just 158 yards as LT relied on RB Kenneth Dixon who rushed for 207. SM was pinned at its 1 and was tackled for a safety with 11:48 left 1Q. LT went 66/11pl for a td. SM got to the 50 but was intercepted at the 1 and it was 9-0 after 1Q. SM went 36/8pl and had a 1&gl at the 7 but settled for a 22 yard FG, 9-3. Each team turned it over and then SM went 53/11pl but missed a 31 yard FG. Each team punted then LT went 57/12pl and got a 3 yard td pass with :27 left in the half to lead 16-3. SM did get a 50 yard FG on the final play of the half and LT only had a 191-168 yard edge at the half. LT opened the 3Q with a 60/13pl drive for a FG. SM was SOD at the LT35, then on 3&10 was intercepted at the LT29. LT went 45/6pl for a 43 yard FG, 88/11pl for an 8 yard td run to go up 29-6. SM was intercepted again at the LT42 and LT went 53/5pl for a td, 36-6 with 6:55 left. SM blocked a punt with 2:20 left and got an 8 yard td pass with :56 left for the final.

ULM had been playing great since Kolton Browning returned to the lineup but Browning threw for 191. Adam Kennedy had one of his better games of the year hitting 16-23-235 while also rushing for 102. Arkansas St fumbled at the ULM46 on their first drive and 2 poss later was SOD on 4&2 at the ULM38. ASU took its next drive 91/9pl for a td. ULM got a 59 yard td pass 2pl later to tie it but ASU went 50/2pl for a 1 yard td run, 14-7. 4 punts. ULM took over with 2:04 left in the half and went 90/10pl. After 4&2, 26 yard Browning run to the 10 they got a 10 yard td pass with :08 left in the half to tie. At the half ASU had a 312-213 yard edge. ULM was intercepted on its second 3Q possession and ASU went 36/5pl for a td. ULM went 67/10pl and had a 39 yard FG blocked. ASU went 56/5pl for an 8 yard td run, 28-14. ASU blocked a punt with 10:13 left and got a Kennedy 13 yard td run 2pl later. ULM was intercepted on the next play and A&M went 31/10pl for a td with 4:45 left and did finish with a 494-328 yard edge.

Virginia Tech took advantage of some Miami special teams turnovers as UM’s ST’s looked dynamic until the end of the play but VT finished with a commanding 26-12 FD and 549-352 yard edges in a game played in steady rain. VT hit 8-14 on 3rd downs while UM was 3-12. Logan Thomas had the best game of his career hitting 25-31-366. Without Duke Johnson, UM rushed for 28 yards on 24 carries. A big play happened when Thomas’ helmet was knocked off and VT took a time-out so that he could play the next play. On the next play he hit Willie Byrn with a 48 yard pass but at the end of the reception, he fumbled and the ball went into the EZ and was fallen on by Demitri Knowles for a td. UM had actually got an 81 yard td pass on their first possession to go up 7-0. UM fumbled at the end of a 23 yard PR and VT went 54/5pl for a td then Hurns got a 45 yard KR but fumbled at the end and VT went 57/5pl for a td, 14-7. UM had a low snap on a punt and the punter went to a knee to field it at the 17. VT went 17/2pl for a td, 21-7. UM went 77/9pl and got a 2 yard td run, 21-14 but VT went 75/9pl and got a 32 yard pass to Joshua Stanford as he weaved through the UM D for the td breaking 3 tackles, 28-14. At the half VT had a 258-150 yard edge. UM took its second 3Q possession 59/10pl for a 49 yard FG then came the 80/7pl drive by VT highlighted by the time-out for Thomas’ helmet. UM answered 2 plays later on 2&17 with an 84 yard td pass to Hurns, 35-24 but VT went 75/10pl and got a 1 yard td run, 42-24. VT went 77/16pl and on 4&1, was SOD at the UM3 with 1:57 left. UM gained 73 yards on their final possession down 18 points getting them over 300 for the game.

Washington topped 600 yards for the 4th time this year despite not attempting a pass in the 2H. In the 1H UW had a 464-157 yard edge scoring on their first 3 possessions. Colorado QB Sefo Liufau hit 12-22-160. Liufau did hit Richardson with a 53 yard td pass, 10-7 with 3:56 left in the 1Q. In the 3Q UW had 21 points on only 5 plays. Up 17-7 UW’s 4th possession was SOD at the CU10 but they would go 71/8 and 66/6pl for td’s, the latter with :02 left in the half to lead 31-7. They got an 84 yard IR on the 6th play of the 3Q then after an interception, went 40/7 for a td and then a 53 yard FR td with 3:45 left 3Q, 52-7. After CU missed a 38 yard FG, UW went 78/5pl for a td, CU was SOD at the UW41 and UW on 4&3 just took a knee at the CU13 with 1:08 left.

Darell Garretson in his first start hit 16-28-288 for Utah St. Caleb Herring was 17-39-252 for UNLV but Utah St actually trailed the majority of the game. UNLV still needs 1 win to become bowl eligible. Roughing the P gave Utah St a FD on its first possession but they fumbled 2pl later and UNLV went 58/9pl for a td. Two punts. USt went 52/13pl for a 5 yard td pass, 7-7. UNLV got a 75 yard KR to the US20 and a 29 yard FG, 10-7. USt went 67/5pl for a 13 yard td run, 14-10. UNLV faked a 25 yard FG and lost 11 yards but then drove 66/6pl and got a 4 yard td run by Tim Cornett to lead 17-14 with 3:10 left in the half. USt opted to go for it on 4&1 at the 2 but lost a yard and fumbled on what turned out to be the last play of the half. USt had a 227-191 yard edge. UNLV opened the 3Q with a 70/9pl drive. On 3&gl from the 5 they were intercepted in the EZ. USt took its 3rd 3Q possession 88/7pl for a td with 3:09 left 3Q, 21-17. UNLV went 79/15pl and got a 4 yard td pass, 24-21. UNLV got a 26 yard run and missed a 50 yard FG. USt went 82/11 and got a 12 yard td run to retake the lead with just 3:56 to go, 28-24. UNLV went 66/16pl but on 4&10 from the USt16, their pass was incomplete and USt held on.

Pitt had a 23-16 FD edge but Notre Dame finished with a 451-355 yard edge. ND extended 2 Pitt td drives with major penalties, fumbled deep in Pitt territory, then did not fall on a 4Q fumble by Tom Savage thinking it was an incomplete pass. Savage hit 22-35-243 and Tommy Rees hit 18-38-318 but had 2 crucial interceptions, both to Ray Vinopal in the 4Q. ND had won 10 straight games decided by 7 points or less which was their 2nd longest streak in school history but that ended. ND missed a 55 yard FG on its 2nd possession but went 83/9pl for a td on its 3rd, 7-0 (3:41 1Q). Pitt punted, then went 71/10pl for a 3 yard td pass, 7-7 (10:20 2Q). ND fumbled at the Pitt6 at the end of a 34 yard pass but then went 39/4pl for a td, 14-7 at the half. ND had a 238-165 yard edge. Pitt took its 2nd 3Q possession 69/13pl. On 4&5, PI gave them a FD to the 16 to keep the drive alive, 14-14. Rees hit TJ Jones with an 80 yard td pass on the next play, 21-14 but Savage hit Devin Street with a 63 yard td pass 3pl later, 21-21. ND had a 1&gl at the 3 but Rees was intercepted in the EZ. After Pitt punted, ND, at its 24, was intercepted again and returned 45 yards to the 5 by Vinopal. Pitt got a td on a 5/2pl drive, 28-21. ND punted with 7:04 left and on 4&10 from the Pitt38 with 2:36 left fired incomplete.

Last week I mentioned that my computer called for Alabama to have a 21 point win and that is exactly what they did. They probably weren’t quite as dominant as the final would indicate but did have 372-284 yard and 25-16 FD edges. AJ McCarron hit 14-20-179 and Zach Mettenberger looked good at times hitting 16-23-241. TJ Yeldon rushed for 133 yards. LSU took its opening drive 85/9pl and FB JC Copeland appeared headed for the td but had the ball knocked down from behind. After a Bama punt, the snap hit off of Mettenberger’s stomach in the shotgun and Bama recovered at the LSU27 but would settle for a 41 yard FG, 3-0. LSU went 57/8pl for a td and a 7-3 lead. Bama answered with a 52 yard td pass 10-7. Bama then went 80/10pl for a td with 5:17 left in the half, 17-7. This time LSU answered going 75/10pl getting a 6 yard td pass with :43 left and at the half they trailed 17-14 but LSU had a 232-193 yard edge. LSU opened the 3Q with a 50/6pl drive for a 41 yard FG, 17-17. Bama rolled the dice on its next drive. After 1 FD they faced a 4&2 from their own 41 and Saban called for a time-out first then a fake punt and got a 6 yard run. They would dominant from there as Bama went 79/14pl and got a 4 yard td run, then went 71/10pl and got a 1 yard td run to go up 31-17 with 10:31 left. Odell Beckham returned the KO 82 yards to the UA18 but on 4&3 Mettenberger went for it and his pass was incomplete. Bama then went 79/8pl and got a 3 yard td pass with 4:10 left to go up by 21. LSU on 4&27 was sacked at its own 24 with 1:55 left.

FG kicking problems continued to haunt San Diego St as they missed 2 FG’s and an xp and Rocky Long just gave up attempting FG’s again. David Fales hit 27-48-301 for San Jose St and Quinn Kaehler 18-31-235 for the Aztecs. SDSt had a 35 yard FG blocked on their opening drive and was intercepted on their 2nd and SJSt went 24/5pl for a 43 yard FG. Quinn Kaehler fumbled the snap and SJSt recovered at midfield and went 51/4 for a td, 10-0. SDSt went 77/11pl and got a 2 yard td run but the xp was blocked, 10-6. Two possessions later SJSt went 56/10 for a 27 yard FG, 13-6. SJSt took over with 6:08 left in the half and went 75/8pl and got a 40 yard td pass with 3:25 left, 20-6. SDSt answered with an 82/9pl drive getting a 14 yard td pass with :41 left, 20-12 (xp blocked again). At the half SJSt had a 207-200 yard edge. SDS40 went 39/6. Long was going to go for it on 4&gl from the 16 but after a delay penalty, opted for the FG on 4&21 and it was missed. SJSt went 50/8 and got a 46 yard FG, 23-12. 3 punts. SJSt went 33/8 and they had a 38 yard FG blocked and returned 56 yards. SDSt got back in it as that happened with 14:05 left in the game. Donnel Pumphrey got a 34 yard td run on the next play, 23-20 as they converted for 2. SJSt went 83/9pl for a 12 yard td, 30-20 (9:51). SDSt went 74/7 and got a 1 yard td pass, 30-27 (7:32). After a 25 yard SJSt punt, SDSt went 38/6pl and got a 12 yard td run 1pl after going for it on 4&7 with a FD to the 12. SJSt was intercepted at their own 36 with 2:35 left and SDSt converted on 4&1 from the 16 passing up a 33 yard FG and converted.

Texas had another Big 12 road game where they barely escaped. They had a 435-399 yard edge but needed OT to get past West Virginia. The UT D was very aggressive with 7 sacks for 43 yards and they forced 6 fumbles, recovering 3 and also had 2 interceptions but after 3 gift TO’s inside the redzone, they settled for 3 FG’s keeping this a game. After recovering a fumble at the WV26, they settled for a 37 yard FG to pull within 9-3. After recovering a fumble at the WV27 they got a 5pl drive for a td, 10-9. WV got a FG on the last play of the half to lead 19-13 capping a 76/15pl drive. That drive gave them a 142-126 yard edge. UT would return an int 14 yards to the 7, settled for a 29 yard FG. Each team went on a td drive, 26-23 and then UT went 69/8pl and got a td with :16 left in the 3Q for a 30-26 lead. WV went 52/6pl for a td, 33-30 but UT went 66/12pl for a td with 8:57 left. WV on 3&7 threw a short pass then went 72 yards for a td to Mario Alford, 40-37. UT got a 24 yard FG with :20 left to force OT. They scored a td in OT then LB Steve Edmond had a leaping pbu on 3rd down then stuck his arm up on another pass on the next play for the interception on 4th down.

Fresno St failed to score in the 1Q for the first time all season. Maybe that’s the way they should begin every game as they had their most impressive game of the season finishing with 32-14 FD and 600-296 yard edges. They trailed 10-0 early 2Q but led 14-10 at the half with a 246-214 yard edge. FSU went 96/13pl for a td to open the 3Q, 21-10 and then Wyoming faked a punt on 4&1 from its own 45 and lost a yard. FSU went 44/9 for a td. UW was SOD at the FSU15 and FSU went 85/8pl for a td with 14:05 left and then 57/7 for a td with 9:45 left, 42-10. UW fumbled the KO and FSU with backup QB Brian Burrell in, went 19/4 for another td, 48-10. FSU finished at the UW15 taking a knee. Derek Carr hit 33-46-360 while Brett Smith hit 18-32-141.

It was an amazing performance for UCLA LB Myles Jack. Jack got his first 6 rush attempts on the season and made the most of them with 120 yards including a back breaking 66 yard td. Jack also made 8 tackles and recovered fumble in the EZ while playing on both sides of the ball. UCLA was still without RB Jordon James. That recovered fumble in the EZ happened when Ka’Deem Carey dove in the EZ early 3Q trailing 24-10, was flipped and fumbled the ball before breaking the plane. Arizona was also SOD on 4&1 at the UCLA 16 in the 1H. The game was 14-10 when UCLA took over with 6:32 left in the half and drove 90/16pl and on 3&gl from the 4 got a 4 yard td pass with :16 left 1H to lead 21-10. UCLA did have a 272-163 yard edge. UA got within 24-19 with 11:46 left when on 3&1 Jack ripped off his 66 yard td run, 31-19 (10:46). UA went 75/9 for a 14 yard td pass with 8:02 left. They forced UCLA to punt with 6:06 left and with 2:33 left but UA punted themselves with 4:55 left and fired incomplete on 4&7 from their own 22 with 1:47 left. UCLA had a 476-425 yard edge as Brett Hundley hit 18-25-227 and BJ Denker 20-33-186.

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Phil Steele is a college football analyst who has been publishing his annual College Football Preview since 1995. His magazine is regarded as one of the best in the business.
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