CFW Week 9 Results – Florida State fires head coach Mike Norvell
‘Double, double toil and trouble’
The ghosts, ghouls and goblins were out on Saturday – the witches too. Afterall, it was Halloween. Several teams were tricked. Several were treated.
The No. 1 team in the country almost got tricked. But Miami survived with a treat. The Hurricanes beat North Carolina, 38-35. The game reminded me a lot of the Florida State-Miami game a couple weeks ago. Until the fourth quarter, the teams traded scores. Miami would score and then North Carolina would respond.
The game was tied twice at 7-7 and 14-14, both times in the second quarter. North Carolina took its first lead at 21-17 early in the third quarter. Then the teams traded leads. There were four lead changes in the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, Miami went up for good. The Canes led 31-28. Five minutes later, they added to that lead, 38-28. The Tar Heels closed the gap to 38-35 with 1:35 remaining in the game. Miami’s defense is looking suspicious.
Combined, Iowa State and Oklahoma State scored 100 points. The game was tied twice at 7-7 and 14-14. There were three lead changes in the game – two of them in the fourth quarter. Thirty-four points were scored in the fourth quarter. Iowa State beat Oklahoma State 51-49.
With less than a minute to go in the game, Iowa State led Oklahoma State 48-42. The Cowboys scored a touchdown with 0:53 on the clock to take a 49-48 lead over the Cyclones. But the ghouls and goblins were out to spook Oklahoma State. As time expired, Iowa State kicked a 34-yard field goal to beat the Cowboys, 51-49.
Even spookier was the game in Boise, Idaho. At halftime, Boise State led Texas State, 28-3. After the break, Texas State proceeded to score 36 unanswered points – six unanswered touchdowns. The Bobcats took a 39-28 lead over the Broncos. The game saw four lead changes, all in the fourth quarter. Trailing Texas State 45-40, Boise State scored a touchdown with 2:40 remaining in the game. The Broncos hung on to beat Texas State, 46-45.
In Tallahassee, everything was going Clemson’s way until six minutes into the fourth quarter. At that point, Clemson had a 29-10 lead over Florida State. Then the haunting began. The Seminoles scored back-to-back touchdowns. With 5:30 to go in the game, FSU trailed Clemson 29-24. It was a new ballgame. But the treats were over for Florida State. Clemson scored a touchdown at the 3:17 mark and beat Florida State, 36-24.
As the fourth quarter began in the LA Coliseum, the No. 2 team in the country found itself on the rocks. USC led Ohio State 27-9. But the Buckeyes rose from the grave. Ohio State scored nine unanswered points – a field goal and a touchdown. With 2:12 remaining, the Trojans led the Buckeyes, 27-18. At the 1:46 mark, USC added a field goal. The Trojans were up on Ohio State, 30-18. On the ensuing drive, Ohio State drove quickly into the USC red zone, ready to score. But the Trojans stopped the Buckeyes and held on to win. Down goes the No. 2 team.
Talk about being spooked, how about Nebraska? Late in the first quarter, Nebraska scored a touchdown and went up on Washington, 7-0. Although Washington got a field goal in the second quarter, Nebraska held onto to its lead for almost the remainder of the game. Almost! With 1:40 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Washington scored a touchdown and went up 10-7 over Nebraska. Fifteen seconds later, the Huskies intercepted an Anthony Colandrea pass and returned it for a touchdown. Just like that, Washington was up 17-7. The Huskers kicked a field goal with 0:31 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Nebraska almost recovered its onside kick. Almost! Washington beat Nebraska, 17-10.
Then there was the ending to top all endings. Only on Halloween. As the fourth quarter began in Bloomington, Indiana, Minnesota and Indiana were tied 10-10. At the 11:49 mark, Minnesota kicked a 51-yard field goal and went up 13-10. About eight and half minutes later, Indiana kicked a 34-yard field goal. The score was tied, 13-13. Almost three minutes later, with 0:19 remaining, Minnesota kicked a 60-yard field goal. The Gophers led the Hoosiers, 16-13. Then, as bad as Indiana’s offense is, the Hoosiers moved the ball to the Minnesota 43 yard line in less than 19 seconds. At which point, Indiana kicked a, you guessed it, 60-yard field goal as time expired – 16-16. In overtime, Indiana scored and Minnesota didn’t. The Hoosiers beat the Gophers, 23-16.
College football Week 9 had a Tuesday night start with two C-USA games. In the first game, Delaware beat Western Kentucky, 35-21. Blue Hens quarterback Nick Minicucci passed for 414 yards and 4 touchdowns. Delaware receiver Sean Wilson had 9 catches for 183 yards. The two teams combined for 972 total yards.
The second game Tuesday saw Missouri State down Sam Houston, 24-3. Missouri State quarterback Henry Belin passed for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. Receiver Jmariyae Robinson had 7 receptions for 102 yards.
Week 9 continued on Wednesday night with two more C-USA games. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Kennesaw State blasted host Middle Tennessee, 44-28. Kennesaw quarterback Rickie Collins was 16-19-1, passing for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. Next up, Jacksonville State beat New Mexico State, 24-0. Jax State quarterback Caden Creel passed for 109 yards and one touchdown. Better yet, Creel rushed for 211 yards and one touchdown.
Thursday night was not lacking for action, as two games went down to the wire. In a game where the two teams combined for 1,167 total yards, North Texas outlasted Florida Atlantic, 48-41. FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp passed for 452 yards and five touchdowns. FAU receiver Easton Messer had 16 receptions for 189 yards. Not to be outdone, North Texas quarterback Tayven Jackson passed for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns. North Texas running back Jahiem White rushed for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. NT receiver Justin Stevenson had 9 catches for 119 yards and one touchdown.
The other contest on Thursday went down to an overtime. Troy upset James Madison, 24-21 (OT). It was JMU’s second upset and overtime loss in its last two games. Now you know why Florida got rid of Billy Napier. Napier’s poor play calling and clock management at the end of regulation cost JMU the game. JMU running back Seth Cromwell rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Three games were played under Friday Nights’ Lights in Week 9. Tulane rallied in the second half to beat Charlotte, 38-31 OT. Charlotte quarterback Conner Harrell passed for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. Baylor racked up 503 total yards, beating UCF, 41-9. Baylor quarterback D.J. Lagway passed for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In Friday’s finale, Sacramento State downed Kent State, 31-10. Kent State had five turnovers.
In other action Saturday, what has gotten into South Carolina? Who or what lit the fire under the Gamecocks? South Carolina is amazing – dangerous too. The Gamecocks won their third-straight game Saturday, 42-25 over Oklahoma.
In the ACC, Syracuse knocked off SMU, 30-27, and Wake Forest blasted Virginia, 51-7. In the Big 12, BYU beat Arizona State, 27-20.
UCLA remained undefeated, beating Nevada, 27-0. Notre Dame warmed up for Miami by beating Navy, 35-13. And while you were asleep Saturday night, Fresno State downed Oregon State, 38-22.
Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark announced he is stepping down, effective January 31, 2027. Yormark became the Big 12 Commissioner in July 2022. He will be taking a job outside of college sports.
In Chapel Hill, it was announced that 74-year-old Bill Belichick and 25-year-old Jordan Hudson are no longer an item. Apparently, the couple, who had been together for four years, silently parted ways about a year ago.
Florida State fired head football coach Mike Norvell yesterday. Norvell went 41-39 in seven seasons with the Seminoles. FSU is 3-5 this season. Norvell’s high point came in 2023 when FSU went 13-0 and won the ACC. With quarterback Jordan Travis injured, Florida State was left out of the four-team CFP. Scouting Director Rick Stockstill will be Florida State’s interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Top 12 teams in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll are 1. Miami (8-0), 2. Georgia (7-1), 3. Utah (8-0), 4. Notre Dame (7-1), 5. UCLA (8-0), 6. Indiana (8-1), 7. BYU (7-1), 8. Kentucky (7-1), 9. Alabama (6-2), 10. Texas (6-2), 11. Ohio State (6-2), 12. Ole Miss (6-2).
The season’s first College Football Playoff rankings will be announced Tuesday evening, November 3, on ESPN. The CFP rankings will be announced weekly until Sunday, December 6, when the final rankings and CFP participants will be announced.
On the opening day of college basketball yesterday, Notre Dame beat Villanova, 74-72. The game was played in Rome, Italy.
English actor Patrick Stewart, whose career spanned more than 60 years on stage, screen and television, died on October 28. Stewart became famous and gained international stardom for his leading role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994). The role was reprised in a series of films and in “Star Trek: Picard” (2000-2003). He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2010. In film, Stewart gained further stardom portraying Professor Chrles Xavier in the “X-Men” film series (2000-2017), reprising the role in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (2022, 2026). A native of Mirfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Sir Patrick Stewart was 86.
Former NFL and college football coach June Jones died on October 29. Jones was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons (1994-1996). In college, he was the head coach of Hawaii (1999-2007) and SMU (2008-2014). His 2007 Hawaii team finished the season at 12-0 and played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Jones was famous for his wide open, pass heavy, run-and-shoot offense. A native of Portland, Oregon, June Sheldon Jones was 73.
German actress Elke Sommer died on October 28. Sommer appeared in numerous films throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including “The Prize” (1963), “A Shot in the Dark (1964),” “The Art of Love” (1965), “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number” (1966), “The Oscar” (1966), “The Wrecking Crew” (1968), “And Then There Were None” (1974), “Carry On Behind” (1975), among others. Her co-stars included Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, James Garner, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Dick Van Dyke, and others. Sommer made 99 film and television appearances. She appeared in the September 1964 and December 1967 issues of Playboy magazine. A native of Berlin, Germany, Elke Schletz was 85.
Touchdown Tom
November 2, 2026
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Gators beat themselves – Georgia 27, Florida 8 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Florida 24). Florida can’t win for losing – 4 turnovers and 8 penalties. This problem has plagued Florida all season. Penalties killed the Gators against Missouri. Turnovers and penalties killed Florida against South Carolina. Jon Sumrall needs to get his act together. Florida’s defense came to play. Florida’s offense was a no show. The offense looked like crap. The Gators only had 54 yards rushing. Georgia led at halftime, 24-0. The Dawgs went into cruise control in the second half. Attendance in Atlanta: 72,541
RUNNER-UP: Scaredy cats – Utah 49, Cincinnati 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Cincinnati 18). Utah has become the team to beat in the Big 12. The Utes led Cincinnati 42-6 at halftime. Utah receiver Hunter Andrews had 5 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Utes racked up 534 total yards. Attendance in Cincinnati: 36,487
REST OF THE BEST: Lincoln Riley breathes a sigh of relief – USC 30, Ohio State 18 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 31, USC 27). USC had a good first half, leading the Buckeyes 20-9 at the break. All Ohio State could do in the first half was kick field goals. The two teams played even in the second half. Ohio State running back Bo Jackson had 121 rushing yards. If you look at the stats, you would have thought Ohio State won. The Buckeyes dominated, including time of possession 39:28 to 20:32. Attendance in Los Angeles: 70,810
Wildcats got raided – Texas Tech 34, Arizona 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 24, Texas Tech 23). This was quite a ballgame for 3 quarters. Texas Tech led in the first quarter. Arizona led in the second and third quarters. As the fourth quarter began, Tech led 24-23. Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos quarterbacked Texas Tech. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 417 yards and one touchdown. Arizona receiver Isaiah Mizell had 7 catches for 182 yards and one touchdown. The Tech defense held Arizona to 12 yards rushing. Attendance in Lubbock: 59,131
Living on a prayer – Indiana 23 Minnesota 16 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 20, Minnesota 9). Indiana escapes. Until the overtime, the two teams scored one touchdown and kicked three field goals each. The last field goal by each team was a 60 yarder. Indiana receiver Charlies Becker had 8 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover was injured in the first half. Backup quarterback Grant Wilson took over in the second half. The Hoosiers completely dominated the stats. Minnesota only had 215 total yards and 95 rushing yards. Attendance in Bloomington: 54,400
Aubie is a paper Tiger – Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 20). Auburn hung with the Magnolias for a half. The score at the break was Ole Miss 14, Auburn 9. Auburn even pulled within two points – 17-15 – in the third quarter. Then the Tigers fell apart. Ole Miss scored 28 unanswered points. Ole Miss had 487 total yards, while holding Auburn to 63 rushing yards. Attendance in Oxford: 67,041
Not looking good for Luke Fickell – Iowa 30, Wisconsin 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 17, Wisconsin 12). Iowa had 10 points in each of the first three quarters. The Hawkeyes went into cruise control in the fourth quarter. Iowa quarterback Hank Brown passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Wisconsin was limited to 52 yards rushing. Iowa’s offense never looked so good. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,250
Quackers – Oregon 34, Northwestern 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 27, Oregon 24). Northwestern was looking good in the first half. The Wildcats led 10-3 after the first quarter and 20-13 at halftime. Then the Ducks outscored the Wildcats 21-6 in the second half. Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola passed for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns. Oregon receiver Dakorien Moore had 7 receptions for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. Attendance in Eugene: 55,673
Playing basketball? – Boise State 46, Texas State 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Texas State 21). Texas State scored 3 points in the first half and 42 points in the second half. Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson passed for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. The two teams combined for 910 total yards – 694 of those yards from passing. Boise State controlled time of possession 37:01 to 22:59. Attendance in Boise: 34,429
Cocky is frightening – South Carolina 42, Oklahoma 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 21, South Carolina 20). South Carolina has become a nightmare for opposing teams. The Gamecocks have obviously found themselves. Early in the fourth quarter, South Carolina led OU, 42-16. The Gamecocks racked up 521 total yards. South Carolina had three turnovers and it didn’t seem to bother them. Attendance in Norman: 83,189
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
The Dukes of Durham – Duke 47, Boston College 2 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Boston College 26). Duke running back Nate Sheppard ran for 97 yards and five touchdowns. Duke led 41-2 after three quarters. The Dookies held Boston College to 78 yards rushing. Duke improved to 6-2 on the season. Attendance in Durham: 15,653
Happy in the Valley – Penn State 31, Purdue 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 30, Purdue 27). The score was 14-14 late in the second quarter. Penn State got a touchdown just before the half. The Nittany Lions ruled in the second half. Penn State running back Cam Wallace rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown. Penn State had 457 total yards to 175 for Purdue. The Nitts had 22 first downs to 9 for Purdue. The Boilers only had 33 rushing yards. Attendance in University Park: 102,041
Snake bit – Washington 17, Nebraska 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Washington 24). This is the third-straight game that Nebraska has lost in the fourth quarter. I have a contact in Lincoln who went to a Halloween party as “Fourth Quarter Misery.” His wife went as “Three Quarters of Happiness.” That about sums it up for the Huskers. Nebraska was outscored 14-3 in the fourth quarter. The Huskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw three interceptions. Washington receiver Chris Lawson had 12 catches for 155 yards and one touchdown. The Huskers defense held Washington to 32 yards rushing. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,097
Week 11 Results: 8 winners, 5 fumbles (61.5 percent)
For the Season: 86 winners, 43 fumbles (66.7 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
North Texas 48, Florida Atlantic 41 – Attendance in Denton: 22,092
Baylor 41, UCF 9 – Attendance in Orlando: 45,906
South Florida 30, UAB 10 – Attendance in Tampa: 22,829
Dayton 44, Stetson 34 – Attendance in Deland: 1,568
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63, Bethune-Cookman 21 – Attendance in Pine Bluff: 5,231
Southern 42, Florida A&M 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 10,224
Liberty 49, FIU 10 – Attendance in Lynchburg: 16,702
Clemson 36, Florida State 24 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 60,472
Miami 38, North Carolina 35 – Attendance in Chapel Hill: 44,257
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp – 37-56-1 for 452 yards (5TDs); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 33-45-0-417 (1TD); Delaware’s Nick Minicucci – 32-38-0-414 (4TDs); North Texas’ Tayven Jackson – 33-46-0-404 (4TDs); Memphis’ Marcus Stokes – 29-35-0-371 (4TDs); SMU’s Kevin Jennings – 29-36-0-351 (2TDs); North Carolina’s Billy Edwards – 28-34-0-341 (4TDs); Oregon’s Dylan Raiola – 22-31-0-336 (3TDs), and Texas State’s Brad Jackson – 23-38-0-327 (4TDs).
Also, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker – 27-42-1 for 323 yards (5TDs); Baylor’s D.J. Lagway – 16-25-0-319 (4TDs); Georgia Southern’s Max Johnson – 36-47-0-318; Iowa State’s Jaylen Raynor – 18-28-1-309 (3TDs); Miami’s Darian Mensah – 22-29-0-274 (3TDs); Stanford’s Davis Warren – 23-37-1-270 (3TDs); Michigan’s Tommy Carr – 22-27-0-266 (1TD); Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss – 22-34-1-263 (2TDs), and Utah’s Devon Dampier – 22-29-1-260 (2TDs).
Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz – 20-28-0 for 250 yards (2TDs); Charlotte’s Conner Harrell – 23-36-0-239; Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez – 13-21-0-229 (1TD); Kansas State’s Blake Barnett – 18-28-0-224 (3TDs); Iowa’s Hank Brown – 20-24-0-222 (2TD); USC’s Jayden Maiava 15-22-0-222 (1TD); Texas’ Arch Manning – 16-20-0-200 (3TDs); Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr – 19-29-0-210 (2TDs); Kennesaw State’s Rickie Collins – 16-19-1-206 (3TDs); Auburn’s Byrum Brown – 25-38-0-195 (1TD), and Missouri State’s Henry Belin – 12-18-0-184 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Iowa State’s Aiden Flora – 221 yards (2TDs); Jacksonville State’s Caden Creel – 211 yards (1TD); Air Force’s Kemper Hughes – 200 yards; Oklahoma State’s Caleb Hawkins – 194 yards (2TDs); North Texas’ Jahiem White – 193 yards (2TDs); Pitt’s Damon Ferguson – 185 yards (2TDs); Texas Tech’s J’Koby Williams – 175 yards (1TD), and Southern Miss’s Steven Robinson – 151 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“This is entertainment, so I thought we’d bring some entertainment to the game. Minnesota played great and we just made some plays. But this team just finds a way to win,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, after the Hoosiers overtime win over Minnesota.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
