College Football Week 2 – Spartans invade Eugene; Trojans invade Palo Alto
…. And then it happened

Texas A&M 52, South Carolina 28

It took me by surprise – Alabama 33, West Virginia 23

I knew that you felt it too – Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31

By the look in your eyes – LSU 28, Wisconsin 24

Something tells me Texas A&M won’t miss Johnny Manziel at all.  Alabama and Florida State are not invincible.  And….if you have a 24-7 lead on LSU, don’t sit back on your laurels. 

Sweeter than wine – Jordan Westerkamp’s behind-the-back catch

Softer than the summer night – Kenny Hill’s passing

Everything I want I have – College football from sunrise to sunset, and beyond

Nothing else can be so right – Kliff Kingsbury’s contract extended (Swamp Mama’s happy)

How ’bout Nebraska’s Jordan Westerkamp when he put his hands behind his back and caught that 16-yard pass along the sideline?  The catch on third-and-six kept a drive alive for the Huskers.  How ’bout the performance of Texas A&M sophomore Kenny Hill, passing for 511 yards, leading the Aggies to an upset win on the road over South Carolina?

Yeah, it was a long, full day – and night – of college football on opening weekend.  It began a little past sunrise with Penn State-UCF from Dublin, Ireland, continued with Clemson-Georgia at sundown and ended with LSU rallying from a 17-point deficit to beat Wisconsin in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  

And nothing else can be so right for Swamp Mama.  On Friday, Texas Tech announced that Kliff Kingsbury’s contract had been extended through the 2020 season.  Swamp Mama is still celebrating.  She’s in seventh heaven.  Me….I’m not worried.  Kingsbury may be bald by then.

This magic moment – North Dakota State and Bethune-Cookman

While the game is on the line – Penn State-UCF

Will last forever – Tulane-Tulsa and Villanova-Syracuse

Forever ’til the end of time – Idaho-Florida

What a moment it was for North Dakota State and Bethune-Cookman.  Out of 47 inter-level (FCS vs. FBS) games played over the weekend, North Dakota State and Bethune-Cookman were the only two FCS level teams to win.  The Bison beat the Big 12’s Iowa State, 34-14 and the Wildcats beat C-USA’s Florida International, 14-12.

In Dublin, Ireland, Penn State’s Sam Ficken kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to give the Nittany Lions a 26-24 win over UCF.  Prior to the game, two skydivers, one representing UCF and the other representing Penn State, provided an omen for the game’s outcome.  The Penn State skydiver landed on the 50-yard line as planned.  The UCF skydiver not only missed the 50-yard line, he missed the field and the stadium entirely, landing on railroad tracks somewhere outside the stadium.  

It seems like the Tulane-Tulsa and Villanova-Syracuse games lasted forever.  They were the only two games out of 84 involving FBS teams that did not end in regulation.  Tulane-Tulsa was the first overtime game of the season (Thursday evening).  Trailing 28-20, Tulsa scored with 2:53 remaining in regulation and then converted the two-point conversion attempt to tie Tulane, 28-28.  Then it took not one but two overtime periods for Tulsa to finally subdue Tulane, 38-31.

The next evening, Syracuse and Villanova finished four quarters in a 17-17 tie, when Villanova missed a 25-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation that most likely would have won the game for the Wildcats.  After the first overtime, the game was tied at 20-20.

In the second overtime, Syracuse scored a touchdown and went up 27-20.  Villanova then scored a touchdown.  But rather than kick the extra point to tie the score and put the game into a third overtime, Villanova opted to attempt a two-point conversion.  The attempt failed and the Orange won, 27-26.
     
And speaking of “forever ’til the end of time,” we’re still waiting for the Idaho-Florida game.  The contest between the Vandals and the Gators that was supposed to start at 7 p.m. Saturday evening was finally canceled about three and a half hours later around 10:37 p.m. due to persistent rain and lightning.  The Swamp was too swampy, even for Gators.     

It looks like the game may never be played.  Frankly, I don’t understand why they didn’t play it the next day on Sunday – or even on Monday.  It was Labor Day weekend.  Jeremy Foley’s slipping in his old age.  The two teams do have a common open date on October 25.  But if I was Idaho, I wouldn’t fly back for the game a second time.  That would put a hole in the $975,000 they were paid for the game. 

Opening weekend was full of magic moments and more.  Five teams – Alabama, Colorado State, Auburn, Georgia and Nebraska – executed strong ground attacks with the rushing of not one but two running backs.  At Alabama, the tandem team of T.J. Yeldon (126) and Derrick Henry (113) combined for 239 yards.  Dee Hart (139) and Treyous Jarrells (121) hooked up for 260 yards, leading Colorado State to a big win.

Auburn’s duo of Cameron Artis-Payne (177) and Corey Grant (87) totaled 264 yards rushing.  Georgia’s Todd Gurley (198) and Nick Chubb (70) tallied 268 yards.  Gurley added a 100-yard kickoff return to boot.  And finally, how ’bout the Nebraska tandem of Ameer Abdullah (232) and Terrell Newby (107)?  The two Huskers combined for an awesome 339 yards rushing.            
  
Baylor opened its new stadium with a 45-0 rout of SMU.  The stadium comes complete with a statue of RG3 outside.  Navy debuted its new helmets.  The design makes the Navy players look like a bunch of motorcycle cops.  And now we know why James Franklin left Vanderbilt for Penn State – Temple 37, Vanderbilt 7.    

Purdue students were rather apathetic about the Boilers’ opener against Western Michigan.  In an attempt to get students to come to the game, Purdue officials announced that the students would be allowed in free for the contest.

And what was with the American Athletic Conference officials over the weekend.  I think they set a record for throwing flags. It began during the Tulane-Tulsa game.  Eighteen flags were thrown for 186 yards of penalties on the two teams.  It continued Friday night in the BYU-Connecticut game.  Twenty-three penalties were called – 15 for 150 yards on BYU alone.

The disease spread across the Atlantic to Dublin on Saturday morning.  Seventeen flags were thrown in the Penn State-UCF game.  The Nittany Lions were hit with 90 yards of penalties.  Later Saturday in the UTSA-Houston game, another 23 flags were tossed – 14 for 115 yards on UTSA.  Saturday night, nine penalties were called on Austin-Peay in their game against Memphis.  Somebody needs to get a handle on those AAC officials.  

After Week 1, Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill and Georgia’s Todd Gurley have to be the top two contenders for the Heisman.  But stay tuned.

A few more thoughts from the weekend:  I was impressed with Colorado State.  The Rams looked good, beating Colorado 31-17.  I wasn’t impressed with Boise State.  The Broncos looked bad in their 35-13 loss to Ole Miss.  Rutgers was a surprise – 41-38 win over Washington State.  Hats off to former Miami (Florida) coach Larry Coker.  Coker’s Roadrunners from UTSA put it to Houston, 27-7, in spite of the officials.   

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg looked good.  Ohio State and UCLA were not impressive.  West Virginia may be better than we thought.  California stunned Northwestern, 31-24.  Sonny Dykes is showing progress with the Bears.  What was with Texas Tech only beating Central Arkansas, 42-35?  Swamp Mama, you may need to have a talk with your boy toy.  What was up with Washington too?  The Huskies barely beat Hawaii, 17-16.  Is Tennessee for real?  

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator were up on The Plains Saturday, attending the Arkansas-Auburn game. Their seats were so high up in Jordan-Hare Stadium they said they were in the nose bleed section.  They lunched at Niffer’s Place the day before the game.    

Russ and Sandy Grunewald and Betty “The Duchess of Indialantic” Pappas came over to watch the West Virginia-Alabama game with Swamp Mama and me.  It seems I was always in the kitchen when the Mountaineers had a good play.  Whenever the Eers did something bad, they told me to get back in the kitchen.  

Watching the games Saturday, I got to thinking that, unlike college basketball, college football doesn’t have a big-mouth, broadcast cheerleader like Dick Vitale.  But then I got to thinking that must be why I like watching college football so much.    

Yeah, Saturday was a long day – from breakfast at Croke Park to midnight snacks at NRG Stadium.
What moments!

Touchdown Tom
September 2, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Nothing girly about Gurley – Georgia 45, Clemson 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Clemson 24).  This was a decent ballgame for three quarters.  Tied 21-21 at the half, Georgia led by only 3 at the end of three – 24-21.  But by the fourth quarter, the Clemson defense was worn down – worn down by Todd Gurley and his supporting cast of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.  Gurley rushed for 198 yards and added a 100-yard kickoff return to boot.  Chubb and Michel combined for 103 yards rushing.  In the fourth quarter, the Dawgs outscored the Tigers 21-0.  Attendance: 92,746  

RUNNER-UP:  Slipped through the holes in the Cheese – LSU 28, Wisconsin 24 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Wisconsin 20).  Halfway through the third quarter, Wisconsin was sitting on a 24-7 lead.  But it was all LSU after that.  The Tigers outscored the Badgers 21-0 in the final 22:41 of the game.  LSU won, but Leonard Fournette was a disappointment – only 18 yards on 8 carries.  Wisconsin lost, but Melvin Gordon didn’t disappoint – 140 yards on 16 carries.  The Badgers only managed 50 yards passing.  Attendance: 71,599      

REST OF THE BEST:  Kenny Football – Texas A&M 52, South Carolina 28 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Texas A&M 19). Is Texas A&M that good or is South Carolina that bad?  Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that Aggie quarterback Kenny Hill is that good.  Texas A&M’s defense is better too.  I knew the Gamecocks would play sloppy, I just didn’t know they would be that sloppy.  South Carolina’s defense was pathetic.  Neither team could run worth a crap.  Attendance: 82,847
   
Couldn’t shake ’em – Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Oklahoma State 15).  This game looked like it was going to be a rout.  Florida State led 17-0 with 8:41 to go in the second quarter.  But Okie State wouldn’t go away.  The Cowboys fought back, trailing 17-10 at the half.  FSU led 27-17 at the end of the third quarter, but the Pokes pulled within three – 27-24 – early in the fourth.  The Noles opened up a 13-point lead – 37-24 – with 3:58 remaining in the game.  Okie State pulled within six – 37-31 – with 1:55 on the clock.  The Pokes got one more chance, but there wasn’t enough time.  Jameis Winston passed for 370 yards.  Attendance: 61,521    

Interception Classic – Ole Miss 35, Boise State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Boise State 15).  This score was 7-6 Ole Miss at the end of the third quarter.  Then the Rebel Bears exploded.  Actually, Bo Wallace stopped throwing interceptions.  Granted, at three, Wallace threw one less interception than Boise State’s Grant Hedrick. But it was a game of interceptions.  Attendance: 32,823   

Bobby, we hardly knew ya – Louisville 31, Miami (Florida) 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 27, Miami 24).  Duke Johnson ain’t no Todd Gurley, Ameer Abdullah or T.J. Yeldon.  Miami’s uniforms, especially the green helmets, made the Canes look more like the Fighting Irish.  The only officials worse than those from the AAC are those from the ACC.  My, oh my, what a poorly called game this was.  Louisville sophomore quarterback Will Gardner looked good in his debut.  Running back Dominique Brown had quite a game too – 143 yards.  Attendance: 55,428 

The Middies ran out of torpedoes – Ohio State 34, Navy 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Navy 19).  Navy won the first half.  The Middies led at the break, 7-6.  But it was all Buckeyes in the second half.  Ohio State outscored Navy in the final two quarters – 28-10.  As expected, Ohio State won the passing game – 226 yards to Navy’s 20.  And the Middies won the rushing game 370 yards to the Bucks’ 194.  Attendance: 57,579

Not quite heaven, but almost heaven – Alabama 33, West Virginia 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, West Virginia 14). I don’t know who was shocked more – Alabama fans or West Virginia fans.  This game wasn’t supposed to be close.  It would have been closer – or WVU might have won – if the Mountaineers had taken advantage of their opportunities.  But they didn’t capitalize on their opportunities.  Some of that was caused by dropping passes that should have been caught. Bama’s T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry combined for 239 yards rushing.  That was a big difference.  WVU didn’t have the running backs that could grind out the yardage.  Attendance: 70,502  

This little Piggy went “wee, wee, wee” all the way home – Auburn 45, Arkansas 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 30, Arkansas 18).  Like the Clemson-Georgia game, this one was a decent game at the half – tied 21-21.  Then it was all Auburn in the second half.  The Tigers were well-balanced – 293 yards passing and 302 rushing.  The ground game was spearheaded by the combination of Cameron Artis-Payne (177 yards) and Corey Grant (87 yards).  Attendance: 87,451  

These Trojans didn’t have any sprained ankles – USC 52, Fresno State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 34, Fresno State 19).  The Trojans took a commanding start in this game – 21-0 at the end of the first quarter – and never looked back.  USC piled up 701 yards on offense.  Cody Kessler had 394 yards passing.  Best sign of the day, “I sprained my ankles making this sign.”  Attendance: 76,037 

It ain’t over ’til the placekicker kicks – Penn State 26, UCF 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 24, UCF 20).  UCF may have been a flash in the pan last year.  Then again, maybe not.  The Knights found a quarterback in the game.  Pete DiNovo started, but was replaced by Justin Holman.  The Lions had 511 total yards compared to only 246 for the Knights.  But neither team could run the ball – 57 yards for State and 24 yards for UCF.  The Lions Christian Hackenberg passed for 454 yards.   Attendance: 53,304

The Bruins almost couldn’t bear it – UCLA 28, Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 30, Virginia 20).  UCLA built up a 21-3 lead late in the second quarter.  Halfway through the third quarter, the Bruins only led 21-17.  Both teams were about as evenly matched in the stats – first downs, passing yards, rushing yards, turnovers – as you can get.  I think the Bruins were happy to get out of Charlottesville alive.  Attendance: 44,749

“I was dancin’ with my darlin’ – Tennessee 38, Utah State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 33, Utah State 22).  Yeah, the Vols waltzed all over the Aggies.  Mostly, it was Justin Worley passing all over the Aggies.  The Vols didn’t have much of a running game.  The jury is still out, but this could be the year Tennessee bounces back.  Attendance: 102,455 

The Roadrunners weren’t road kill for the Cougars – UTSA 27, Houston 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 32, UTSA 30).  Six turnovers killed Houston.  The Cougars only touchdown came with only 1:04 remaining in the game.  Neither team could pass or run.  Houston finished with -26 yards rushing.    Attendance: 40,755 

Let’s hear it for “The Fridge’s” offense – Rutgers 41, Washington State 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington State 36, Rutgers 28).  Obviously Mike Leech is not making improvement at Washington State.  Typical Leech team – pass for 532 yards and only rush for 6.  The Cougars’ defense was bad too, also, typical Leech.  Rutgers may be better than we thought.  Offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen may be the potion the Scarlet Knights needed.  Attendance: 30,937  

…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

No treat for the Dogs – BYU 35, Connecticut 10 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 34, Connecticut 25).  It’s going to be a long season for UConn.  BYU’s Taysom Hill passed for 308 yards and rushed for another 97.  The refs threw the flag 23 times – 15 (150 yards) of the penalties on BYU. Attendance: 35,150  


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

The Idaho-Florida game was cancelled. 

Pelini’s paybacks – Nebraska 55, Florida Atlantic 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 56, Florida Atlantic 0).  Are you kidding me? – 784 yards on offense.  Rushing provided for 498 of those yards and Ameer Abdullah (232 yards) and Terrell Newby (107 yards) provided for 339 of those rushing yards.  I’m not sure how FAU ever scored a touchdown.  Bo Pelini must have been taking a drag on his joint during that play.  Attendance: 91,441  

The Devils turned up the heat – Duke 52, Elon 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Elon 9).  The Dookies were about as even-keeled as you can get – 292 yards passing and 275 rushing.  Anthony Boone threw four touchdown passes for the Devils.  Attendance: 31,213  

The Boilers tame some Horses – Purdue 43, Western Michigan 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 27, Western Michigan 22).  The good news for the Boilers: their offense scored a lot of points.  The bad news for the Boilers: their defense gave up a lot of points.  The difference for Purdue was the second quarter when the Boilers outscored the Broncos 16-7.  The two teams scored an equal number of points in each of the other three quarters.  Attendance: 37,031    

Strong debut – Texas 38, North Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 37, North Texas 12). The Charlie Strong era is underway in Austin.  Texas defense held North Texas to 96 total yards – only 15 yards passing.  Attendance: 93,201    


Week One Pick Results:  17 correct, 3 wrong (85 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

South Florida 36, Western Carolina 31 – Attendance: 31,642 ….  Bethune-Cookman 14, Florida International 12 – Attendance: 14,053

Jackson State 22, Florida A&M 17 ….  SE Louisiana 44, Jacksonville U. 3 – Attendance: 3,822 ….  Stetson 35, Warner 16 – Attendance: 1,213  

Superlatives


Weekend’s Best Passers:

Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 46-56-0 for 569 yards; Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 40-56-1-532; Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill – 44-60-0-511; Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg – 32-47-2-454; Texas Tech’s Davis Webb – 39-52-2-452; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 31-53-2-438, and Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 25-44-0-425.

Also, Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 31-47-2 for 413 yards; USC’s Cody Kessler – 27-39-0-402; Kentucky’s Patrick Towles – 20-29-0-377; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 25-40-2-370; West Virginia’s Clint Trickett – 29-45-0-365; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 26-45-0-328, and Toledo’s Phillip Ely – 24-34-0-337.

Also, Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 25-36-0 for 314 yards; BYU’s Taysom Hill – 28-36-0-309; Akron’s Kyle Pohl – 22-35-0-304; Nevada’s Cody Fajardo – 30-41-1-303; Buffalo’s Joe Licata – 25-36-1-298; Notre Dame’s Everett Golson – 14-22-0-295, and NC State’s Jacoby Brissett – 28-40-1-291. 


Weekend’s Best Rushers:

South Florida’s Marlon Mack – 275 yards; Indiana’s Tevin Coleman – 247 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 237 yards; Air Force’s Jacobi Owens – 233 yards; Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah – 232 yards, and Tulane’s Sherman Badie – 215 yards.

Also, Georgia’s Todd Gurley – 198 yards; New Mexico’s Cole Gautsche – 184 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 179 yards; Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 177 yards; Michigan’s Derrick Green – 170 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 163 yards, and Pitt’s James Conner – 153 yards.

Also, Marshall’s Devin Johnson – 151 yards; Texas State’s Robert Lowe – 150 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 149 yards; Arizona State’s D.J. Foster – 147 yards; Purdue’s Raheem Mostert – 146 yards; Louisville’s Dominique Brown – 143 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 140 yards, and Colorado State’s Dee Hart – 139 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“His daughter (Kristen) was my first kiss back in the day.  I don’t know if I should have said that.  She’s actually engaged now. For clarification, we were like six years old.  Just so everyone knows that,” West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett, on Nick Saban’s daughter.

“Johnny who?,” Paul Finebaum after the Texas A&M-South Carolina game.

“We aren’t a one-trick pony” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, after his Aggies beat South Carolina.

“It was obvious that South Carolina got tired,” Alabama coach Nick Saban on the Texas A&M-South Carolina game.

“Sark treated me like a slave in his office.  Can’t play for a racist,” USC running back Anthony Brown who quit the team because he believes coach Steve Sarkisian is a racist.

“Quite honestly, I’m shocked,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian, on Anthony Brown’s comment.


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Michigan State (1-0) at Oregon (1-0) – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 6:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Both were impressive in their openers.  But neither team played much of anybody.  The defenses will be tested – big time.  If the game was in East Lansing, I’d pick the Spartans, but it’s in the Duck Pond – Oregon 27, Michigan State 24.

RUNNER-UP:  2. USC (1-0) at Stanford (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Both were impressive in their openers.  USC had the tougher competition.  The Cardinal defense has to key on Cody Kessler.  The Trojans sprain their ankles, jumping out of Trees – Stanford 28, USC 27.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Virginia Tech (1-0) at Ohio State (1-0) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) We know Ohio State is good, but the Buckeyes weren’t that sharp against Navy.  We’re not sure how good the Hokies are.  Bucks give the Hokies a Beam job – Ohio State 29, Virginia Tech 22.

4. Michigan (1-0) at Notre Dame (1-0) – (Big Ten vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – A key game for Brady Hoke.  He is on the hot seat.  A Wolverine win would cool his seat considerably.  Irish stew the Wolverines – Notre Dame 26, Michigan 24.

5. BYU (1-0) at Texas (1-0) – (Ind. vs. Big 12) (TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Longhorn
quarterback David Ash is out with a concussion.  The game will come down to Texas’ defense.  Charlie’s no tuna – Texas 27, BYU 19.

6. San Diego State (1-0) at North Carolina (1-0) – (MWC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNews, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Tar Heels were not impressive against Liberty.  Turnovers helped and hurt them in that game.  The San Diego State will be tougher.  Aztecs get sacrificed – North Carolina 30, San Diego State 23. 

7. Missouri (1-0) at Toledo (1-0) – (SEC vs. MAC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Gary Pinkel returns to Toledo to coach against his old team.  It won’t be easy.  The Rockets are always tough at home.  But Mizzou has a blast – Missouri 30, Toledo 25.

8. Ball State (1-0) at Iowa (1-0) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Iowa struggled against Northern Iowa.  The Hawkeyes will struggle against the Cardinals too – Iowa 27, Ball State 26.

9. Pitt (1-0) at Boston College (1-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 7 p.m. ET, Friday) – Pitt was all run and no pass in its opener.  James Conner rushed for 153 yards.  Rachid Ibrahim and Chris James combined added another 168 yards rushing.  But all that was against Delaware.  BC is no Delaware.  The Eagles have Tyler Murphy – a running quarterback.  The Cats roast a Bird – Pitt 30, Boston College 22.

10. Eastern Washington (2-0) at Washington (1-0) – (Big Sky vs. Pac-12) (TV: PAC12N, 3 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Last year Eastern Washington knocked off Oregon State.  They may knock off Washington this year.  The Huskies looked bad against Hawaii.  Close to an upset, but not quite – Washington 32, Eastern Washington 30.

11. Arizona (1-0) at UTSA (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. C-USA) (TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET, Thursday) – The Wildcats looked good in their opener – passing and running.  Anu Solomon passed for 425 yards.  Terris Jones-Grigsby and Nick Wilson combined for 228 yards rushing.  Home field will get UTSA fired up.  After a feisty start from the Roadrunners, the Wildcats lick their paws – Arizona 33, UTSA 20.

12. East Carolina (1-0) at South Carolina (0-1) – (AAC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Mike Davis is out and the Gamecocks’ defense is questionable.  It will all come down to Dylan Thompson.  And ECU’s Shane Carden is a better quarterback.  Cocky escapes the chopping block – South Carolina 30, East Carolina 23.

13. Ole Miss (1-0) at Vanderbilt (0-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Judging from the scores of their opening games, this shouldn’t even be close.  Ole Miss pounded Boise State, while Vandy was pounded by Temple.  But the Commodores did suffer from seven turnovers against Temple – 4 fumbles and 3 interceptions.  So if the Dores can hold onto the ball, this might be a decent game.  In addition to holding onto the ball, Vandy also has to stop Bo Wallace’s aerial attack. The Rebel Bears slam the Dores – Ole Miss 34, Vanderbilt 17.

14. Kansas State (1-0) at Iowa State (0-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FS1, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – This one may be over before it starts.  In their openers, K-State looked good, while I-State looked bad.  Home field will be some help for the Cyclones.  But not enough – Kansas State 37, Iowa State 18.

15. Northern Illinois (1-0) at Northwestern (0-1) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Northwestern was flat against California.  The Wildcats may have been overrated.  NIU has another good team.  Good enough to beat the Wildcats – Northern Illinois 29, Northwestern 28.


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

16. Colorado State (1-0) at Boise State (0-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) (TV: ESPN2, 10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Rams are good enough to slip into Boise and beat the Broncos.  They have some strong runners and an experienced quarterback in Garrett Grayson.  But it’s always tough beating the Broncos on the blue carpet.  Rams turn the Broncos into geldings – Colorado State 26, Boise State 25.   


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Towson (0-1) at West Virginia (0-1) – (Colonial vs. Big 12) (TV: Local, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Mountaineers looked good, for the most part, against Alabama.  They need to get the running game going against Towson.  Trickett tricks the Tigers – West Virginia 49, Towson 9.

Eastern Michigan (1-0) at Florida (0-0) – (MAC vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Remember that ol’ saying, “If the creek don’t rise ….?”  Well, Florida can say, “If the Swamp don’t flood, again, we’ll play some football.” EMU has a game under its belt, but the Eagles are no threat.  They may be the worst FBS team in college football.  Screaming Eagles – Florida 48, Eastern Michigan 13.

McNeese State (0-0) at Nebraska (1-0) – (Southland vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPNU, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Even though McNeese is an FCS team, this may be a tougher game for the Huskers than last week.  Still no sweat for Nebraska.  The Big Red machine should roll.  Bo has time for several drags on his joint.  Hell, he has time for more than one joint – Nebraska 48, McNeese State 10.

Duke (1-0) at Troy (0-1) – (ACC vs. Sun Belt) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Dookies take their horse to the land of the Trojans.  Taking Troy should be easy – surprise or no surprise.  Devils fork the Trojans – Duke 40, Troy 15.

Central Michigan (1-0) at Purdue (1-0) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPNews, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – The Boilers may be pushing their luck this week.  They already have one win.  Two wins may be asking for a bit much.  But the Chippewas shouldn’t be any harder or any easier than Western Michigan.  You play one of those positional Michigan’s you’ve played them all – Purdue 37, Central Michigan 22.

Georgia (1-0) is off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

The Citadel (0-1) at Florida State (1-0) – (Southern vs. ACC) (TV: Local, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday)….  Florida A&M (0-1) at Miami – (MEAC vs. ACC) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Maryland (1-0) at South Florida (1-0) – (Big Ten vs. AAC) (TV: CBSSN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday)….  Florida Atlantic (0-1) at Alabama (1-0) – (C-USA vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 12 noon ET, Saturday).

Wagner (1-0) at Florida International (0-1) – (Northeast vs. C-USA) (TV: None, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday)….  Florida Tech (0-0) at Stetson (1-0) – (Gulf South vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).

UCF (0-1), Bethune-Cookman (1-0) and Jacksonville U. (0-1) are off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football …. Virginia Tech extended coach Frank Beamer’s contract for two years through the 2019 season….  Tennessee and Georgia Tech will open the 2017 season against each other in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta….  Popeyes Chicken will be the sponsor of the new Bahamas Bowl, which will be known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were three passings of note last week – Steven Nagel, Jack Kraft and Carol Vadnais.

Steven Nagel, a former astronaut who flew on four space shuttle flights, died last week in Columbia, Missouri.  He was 67.  Nagel was a mission specialist during a Discovery flight in June 1985 and the pilot aboard the Challenger in October 1985.  He was commander on his last two missions: an Atlantis flight in April 1991 and a 10-day trip on the Columbia in April 1993.  The 1991 crew included Linda Godwin, an astronaut who later married Nagel.  Steven Ray Nagel was born on October 27, 1946, in Canton, Illinois.  He graduated from the University of Illinois.

Jack Kraft, who brought Villanova University to national basketball prominence in his 12 seasons as the Wildcats head coach and took them to the 1971 NCAA tournament championship game, died last week in Cape May, New Jersey.  He was 93.  Kraft coached Villanova from 1961 to 1973.  He only had one losing season – his last.  Kraft’s Wildcats went to six NCAA tournaments and five NIT tournaments.  They lost the 1971 NCAA championship game to UCLA – 68-62.  The NCAA later vacated Villanova’s victories in the tournament when it was learned that the Wildcats star player – Howard Porter – had signed a contract the Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA during the season.  John Jack Kraft was born on February 10, 1921, in Philadelphia.  He played college basketball for St. Joseph’s in the early 1940s. 

Carol Vadnais, a six-time NHL All-Star who played for Stanley Cup championship teams with the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins and who became a mainstay of the New York Rangers’ defense in the 1970s and early 1980s, died Sunday in Laval, Quebec.  He was 68. Vadnais retired after the 1982-83 season, having played 17 seasons in the NHL.  Carol Vadnais was born on September 25, 1945, in Montreal.