College Football Week 14 – Turkey Week: 3 Days of Football
A day of peace, a time to reflect

I love Saturdays during college football season. Granted some are better than others. Some are worse than others. I’m frequently on the edge of my seat. My moods can swing from extremely high one minute to extremely low the next. The games can be tense, they can be nerve racking, they can be thrilling and they can be frustrating – all in the same day.

This past Saturday, however, was one of those rare Saturdays during the season when I was totally relaxed and calm. I was as cool as a cucumber. West Virginia played Thursday night. By Saturday, all my Mountaineer frustrations had faded into oblivion. Granted, it took a while for them to fade.

Florida played Eastern Kentucky Saturday. I had no worries about the Gators. Yes, I know, that’s what I thought last year when they played Georgia Southern on the pre-Thanksgiving Saturday. But Eastern Kentucky? I didn’t even watch the Gators.

Yeah, Saturday was called “Cupcake Saturday.” I didn’t watch any of the cupcake games – Charleston Southern at Georgia, South Alabama at South Carolina, Georgia State at Clemson, Samford at Auburn, Western Carolina at Alabama, etc. Sounds like Florida State’s schedule, doesn’t it? The visiting teams, not the home teams.

I watched teams I don’t often get to see. I watched the games from a different perspective. It was very relaxing. It was a day of peace, a time to reflect.

Two of the games that drew my interest in the afternoon were Minnesota-Nebraska and Wisconsin-Iowa. Both were similar in some respects but they ended differently. In the Minnesota-Nebraska game, the Huskers dominated early and led 21-7 at the half. In the Wisconsin-Iowa game, the Badgers dominated early and led 16-3 at the half.

In both games, the losing teams rallied in the second half. But that’s where the similarities ended. In Lincoln, Minnesota rallied and went on to beat Nebraska, 28-24. The Gophers contained Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah in the second half.

In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes rallied to close the gap against Wisconsin. But Iowa never could surpass the Badgers, falling to Wisconsin, 26-24. The Hawkeyes were not able to contain Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon in the second half.

Both games followed similar paths and both ended with similar scores. This week, the four teams trade partners. Minnesota plays Wisconsin in Madison for the Big Ten West Division title and the right to play Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Nebraska and Iowa play for respect and pride. The game is in Iowa City.

After the Nebraska loss, I got to thinking about my Husker friends, of which there are several. I was wondering how they felt about Bo Pelini. Earlier in the week I had exchanged emails with one of them. He had this to say about Pelini:

“So I will admit that I do get a little (more than a little) frustrated with Bo. But do you go hire a new coach with less success? We did that with Frankie (he also had a number of 9 win seasons) and you remember what NU got after that. We just need to get Bo to take a few anger control classes. I do think Bo’s anger has a net effect on the team during games sometimes. I remember the days when Dr. Tom was on the hot seat when he could not beat OK for a few years in a row.”

The Dr. Tom, of course, is former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, who never lost more than three games in any of his 25 seasons coaching the Huskers. It did take Osborne 22 seasons before he won his first national championship (he won three). But he did win his first of several conference championships (Big Eight and Big 12) in his third season.

Following Nebraska’s loss to Minnesota Saturday another one of my Husker friends posted this comment on Facebook:

“We have enough talent. It’s coaching.”

Two other games Saturday had a number of similarities. Both games were big rivalries and the players were playing football for the pure fun of it – Yale-Harvard and Lafayette-Lehigh. The talent wasn’t as good as the Power 5 conference teams, but the players’ desire and aggressiveness was just as good. And their attitude was probably better.

Harvard and Yale met for the 131st time in their long series. The game was played at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Stadium is one of only four stadiums in the country that is designated a National Historic Landmark. Before a standing room only crowd of 31,062, Harvard beat Yale, 31-24.

In the other game, played in Yankee Stadium, Lafayette and Lehigh met for the 150th time. A sellout crowd of 48,256 saw Lafayette beat Lehigh, 27-7.

None of the Harvard, Yale, Lafayette and Lehigh players are on athletic scholarships. Their scholarships are based on academics and need. Some of the players are walk-ons. The emotion and the exuberant and happy looks on the faces of the Harvard and Lafayette players after their wins made you feel good about watching football in its simplest and purest form. By the way, there were a handful of Power 5 conference games Saturday that drew less than 31,000.

In two other Big Ten games Saturday that paralleled the Minnesota-Nebraska and Wisconsin-Iowa games respectively, Illinois knocked off Penn State, 16-14, on a 36-yard field goal with 0:08 on the clock. And in Ann Arbor, Maryland beat Michigan, 23-16. That should just about do it for the Brady Bunch. Ohio State will put the final nail in Hoke’s coffin this week.

In his first two years, Hoke did well with Rich Rodriguez’s recruits. He failed with his own recruits – or lack thereof.

Records were made to be broken – but that fast? Last week, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon set the NCAA single-game rushing record, chalking up 408 yards against Nebraska. Saturday, Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine broke Gordon’s record, rushing for 427 yards against Kansas. The Sooners beat the Jayhawks, 44-7. Elsewhere in the Big 12, playoff contender Baylor pounded Oklahoma State, 49-28.

In a strange game in the ACC, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest played to a 0-0 tie after four quarters. The Demon Deacons beat the Hokies 6-3 in two overtimes. It was Wake’s first conference win of the season. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech needs a win over Virginia this week to become bowl eligible.

In other ACC action, Duke lost to North Carolina on Thursday night, 45-20. The Dookies’ loss gives the ACC Coastal Division title to Georgia Tech. Duke is the Ole Miss of the ACC. The Blue Devils started the season hot at 8-1, but have lost their last two games to fall to 8-3.

And speaking of Ole Miss, the Rebel Bears lost again on Saturday. Arkansas spanked the Hotty Toddies, 30-0. After starting 7-0, Ole Miss has dropped three of its last four games. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks improved to 6-5, winning three of their last four games. The Hogs last loss was only by 7 points to Miss State in Starkville. In another good SEC game, Missouri kept its SEC East Division title hopes alive, beating Tennessee in Knoxville, 29-21.

In the race for the Pac-12 South Division title, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA all won. The Wildcats stunned Utah in Salt Lake City, 42-10. The Sun Devils outscored Washington State, 52-31. And UCLA beat cross-town rival USC, 38-20. In “The Big Game,” Stanford beat California, 38-17.

Speaking of the downfalls of Duke and Ole Miss, add Notre Dame to that list. The Irish fell again this time to Louisville, 31-28. After starting the season 6-0, Notre Dame has lost four of its last five games. Saturday, the Irish play USC in Los Angeles. After that, Brian Kelly may leave for Florida. That’s what some say.

Among the better Group of Five conference teams, Marshall remained undefeated, but just barely. The Herd edged UAB, 23-18. Colorado State (10-1) beat New Mexico, 58-20. Boise State (9-2) downed Wyoming, 63-14, and Utah State (9-3) flattened San Jose State, 41-7. Will one or more of those four teams crack the Playoff rankings?

None of the “cupcakes” won Saturday, but Florida State did squeak by Boston College on a last second field goal, 20-17.

Speculation remains hot on who will be the new Florida coach. No new names have popped up. I’m still big on Doc Holliday, Rich Rodriguez and Gary Patterson. And I’m still betting that Will Muschamp will be Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator next year.

Speaking of Florida, Muschamp and Spurrier, Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi commented on Will Muschamp’s downfall, saying that after Steve Spurrier’s “Fun and Gun” offense, Muschamp’s “Grunt and Punt” offense didn’t make it.

Michigan and Ohio State play this week and the Wolverines most likely will lose. The Buckeyes have already won another contest against Michigan. The Wolverines have led the nation in football attendance for 39 of the past 40 years. But Michigan will surrender that crown to Ohio State this year.

After seven home games, Michigan averaged 104,909 per game this season. Michigan stadium seats 109,901. Ohio State on the other hand is averaging 105,910 a game this year after six home games. Ohio Stadium seats 104,944. The Michigan-Ohio State game this week is in Columbus. No doubt, there will be a greater than capacity crowd at the game.

I have to give a “shout-out” to Dan Kleinbeck and the Big Red Meat Wagon tailgate guys in Lincoln, Nebraska. I swear I’m going to make it to one of their tailgates one of these years. Did you hear that Dave Brolhorst and Rory Zink?

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator are off to Georgia for Thanksgiving. Swamp Mama and I are heading down to Punta Gorda. It will be our first Thanksgiving away from home in many a year. Usually, we are hosting a large gathering of family and friends on Turkey Day. Our record is 19 guests for dinner. That was about six or seven years ago.

Yes, it was a peaceful weekend. Now I’m ready to reflect on some turkey and the trimmings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Touchdown Tom
November 24, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Go Hundley, go Hundley, go, go, go – UCLA 38, USC 20 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, USC 33). The Trojans were in this game until early in the second quarter. That’s when the score was 14-14. After that, the Bruins scored 24 unanswered points to turn the game into a rout. USC scored a “who cares” touchdown with three minutes left in the game. The Trojans only had 62 yards rushing, while UCLA’s Brett Hundley passed for 326 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 82,431

RUNNER UP: The wildcats went into Salt Lake City with a fishing Rod – Arizona 42, Utah 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 22, Arizona 17). The fourth quarter belonged to Arizona. That’s when the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points to increase their lead from 11 to 32 points. Four turnovers didn’t help the Utes any. Arizona’s Nick Wilson had 218 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 45,824

BEST OF THE REST: Flash Gordon – Wisconsin 26, Iowa 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 28, Iowa 23). It looked like Wisconsin was going to run away with the game, as the Badgers held a 19-3 lead in the third quarter. But then Iowa put on quite a rally, closing the 16-point gap to 2 points – 19-17 – by early in the fourth quarter. The Badgers Melvin Gordon rushed for 200 yards. The Hawkeyes Jake Rudock passed for 311 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 68,610

Bo Fiddley – Minnesota 28, Nebraska 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Minnesota 27). Nebraska led 21-7 at the half, and 24-14 late in the third quarter. But the Huskers never could shake the Gophers. Minnesota scored 14 unanswered points in the final 17 minutes of the game. Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner passed for 135 yards and rushed for 110 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 91,186

Holes in the Noles? – Florida State 20, Boston College 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 37, Boston College 18). The Seminoles remain undefeated, but they also remain unimpressive in most of their wins. FSU’s Roberto Aguayo kicked a 26-yard field goal with 0:03 left in the game to give the Noles the win. BC tied the score at 17-17 midway through the third quarter, where the score remained until Aquayo’s field goal in the fading seconds. Attendance in Tallahassee: 82,300

This won’t impress the Playoff Committee – Marshall 23, UAB 18 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 32, UAB 19). Averaging more than 47 points a game, Marshall was held to its lowest output of the season. It was only the second game this year where the Herd was held below 40 points. UAB trailed 17-6 at the half. But the Blazers rallied to take an 18-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Marshall retook the lead midway through the fourth and held on to win. The Herd’s Devon Johnson rushed for 171 yards. UAB’s Jordan Howard rushed for 168 yards. Attendance in Birmingham: 28,355

The Birds flock the Irish – Louisville 31, Notre Dame 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Louisville 17). Louisville led 17-6 at the half. Then the Irish scored two touchdowns early in the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead. The Cardinals scored back-to-back touchdowns to retake the lead at 31-20 early in the fourth quarter. The Irish responded quickly to pull within three points at 31-28. Neither team managed a score in the final 11 minutes of the game. The Irish missed a field goal attempt that would have tied the score. The Cardinals held Notre Dame to 99 yards rushing. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795

Silent Knight – Michigan State 45, Rutgers 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Rutgers 18). The Spartans built up a 35-0 halftime lead and then went into cruise control. Michigan State outdistanced the Knights 520 yards to 234 and 26 first downs to 15. Rutgers only had 95 yards rushing. Attendance in East Lansing: 70,902

Shootin’ blanks – Kansas State 26, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, West Virginia 24). The WVU defense held K-State to 1 yard rushing. But they allowed the Wildcats 400 yards passing. The Mountaineers won the stats, but they also won the turnovers – four. K-State receiver Tyler Lockett had 10 receptions for 196 yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 47,683

Saddle sores – Baylor 49, Oklahoma State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 37, Oklahoma State 19). The Bears racked up 579 total yards – 262 passing and 317 rushing. Two Bears rushed for more than 100 yards each – Shock Linwood (113) and Devin Chafin (106). Attendance in Waco: 47,179

The Ark isn’t lost anymore – Arkansas 30, Ole Miss 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 20, Arkansas 14). Ole Miss has gone from a good team to a mediocre team, dropping its third straight against an FBS team. The Rebels only had 63 yards rushing. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace threw two interceptions. Arkansas is the best 6-5 team in the country. Attendance in Fayetteville: 64,510

Sorry Georgia – Missouri 29, Tennessee 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Missouri 22). Tied 13-13 at the half, Mizzou scored 16 unanswered points by midway through the fourth quarter to grab a 29-13 lead. The Vols weren’t able to score again until 1:52 left in the game. The Tigers held the Vols to just 53 yards rushing. Attendance in Knoxville: 95,821

Bucking Broncos – Western Michigan 32, Central Michigan 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 29, Central Michigan 26). Trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, WMU outscored CMU 32-6 over the final three quarters. The Broncos held the Chippewas to 70 yards rushing. The game was marred by seven turnovers – three by WMU and four by CMU. Attendance in Mount Pleasant: 17,265

Lift off – Toledo 27, Bowling Green 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Bowling Green 28, Toledo 25). Toledo had three turnovers and only 63 yards passing, but the Golden Rockets still managed to hold off Bowling Green. Toledo did have Kareem Hunt who rushed for 265 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, the score was tied 20-20. The Rockets scored with 10:45 left and held on to win. Attendance in Toledo: 17,486

Fly Boys grounded – San Diego State 30, Air Force 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 32, San Diego State 27). Air Force led 14-13 at the half. But it was all Aztecs in the second half. State had 502 total yards, mostly on Quinn Kaehler’s 326 yards passing. Surprisingly, Air Force had more yards passing (189) than rushing (140) – an unusual event for the Falcons. The Aztecs’ Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 131 yards. Attendance in San Diego: 28,626


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Huskies get a bite of Kush tush – Northern Illinois 21, Ohio 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 31, Ohio 24). Tied 14-14 midway through the fourth quarter, NIU scored with 6 minutes remaining and held on to win. Huskies quarterback Drew Hare passed for 178 yards and rushed for 67. Ohio quarterback Derrius Vick passed for 141 yards and rushed for 80. Attendance in Athens: 15,118


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

No Georgia Southern – Florida 52, Eastern Kentucky 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 40, Eastern Kentucky 15). Florida took out its frustrations on the Colonels, limiting EKU to 63 yards passing and 79 yards rushing. Gator quarterbacks Treon Harris and Jeff Driskel shared duties throughout the game. Attendance in Gainesville: 83,399

Spiked Heels – North Carolina 45, Duke 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, North Carolina 30). It wasn’t a night for the Dookies. By midway through the third quarter, the Tar Heels led 38-7. The Dookie defense was a no-show, giving up 592 yards to North Carolina. Attendance in Durham: 33,941

Dawg day afternoon – Georgia 55, Charleston Southern 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 42, Charleston Southern 19). The Dawgs won the first half 38-3 and the second half 17-6. The Buccaneers were limited to only 21 yards passing. Georgia racked up 580 totals yards. Nick Chubb rushed for 113 of those yards. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Cats sizzle, Boilers fizzle – Northwestern 38, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 29, Purdue 27). In the first half, Northwestern scored 24 unanswered points. Then Purdue scored a touchdown with 0:37 left in the half. In the second half, the Wildcats scored 14 unanswered points. Then the Boilers scored a touchdown with 0:54 left in the game. The Boilers, held to 61 yards rushing, suffered from five turnovers. Northwestern’s Justin Jackson rushed for 147 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 30,117

Week 13 Pick Results: 12 correct, 8 wrong (60 percent)
On the Season: 174 correct, 67 wrong (72.2 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA

UCF 53, SMU 7 – Attendance in Orlando: 30,920 …. Memphis 31, South Florida 20 – Attendance in Memphis: 34,635 …. Middle Tennessee 35, Florida Atlantic 34 – Attendance in Murfreesboro: 12,243.

North Texas 17, Florida International 14 – Attendance in Denton: 14,824 …. Bethune-Cookman 18, Florida A&M 17 (OT) – Attendance in Orlando: 41,126 …. Drake 27, Stetson 15 – Attendance in Deland: 2,900


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Eastern Michigan’s Reginald Bell – 36-49-0 for 409 yards; Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 22-34-1-400; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 23-29-0-389; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 31-57-1-366; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 31-44-0-358, and Louisiana-Monroe’s Pete Thomas – 35-50-1-350.

Also, Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 26-35-0 for 346 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 23-35-1-328; UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 22-31-1-326; San Diego State’s Quinn Kaehler – 17-30-1-326; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 25-32-0-322, and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 30-46-1-314.

Also, Fresno State’s Brian Burrell – 25-46-1 for 313 yards; Iowa’s Jake Rudock – 2031-0-311; Iowa State’s Sam Richardson – 24-38-0-304; Florida Atlantic’s Jaquez Johnson – 21-33-2-304; Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett – 25-35-2-302; Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke – 29-38-2-302, and Tulane’s Tanner Lee – 25-43-1-301.


Impressive Rushers:

Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 427 yards; Toledo’s Kareem Hunt – 265 yards; Texas State’s Robert Lowe – 236 yards; Colorado State’s Dee Hart – 230 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 229 yards; Indiana’s Tevin Coleman – 228 yards; Hawaii’s Joey Iosefa – 219 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 218 yards, and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 200 yards.

Also, Middle Tennessee’s Reggie Whatley – 190 yards; Memphis’ Brandon Hayes – 189 yards; Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington – 186 yards; Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 171 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 168 yards; Nevada’s Cody Fajardo – 165 yards; Army’s Larry Dixon – 158 yards; Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox – 151 yards, and Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 147 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Nebraska deserves better than Bo Pelini,” Paul Finebaum.

“Sadly, from the day he was hired four years ago until the day he was fired on Sunday, Will Muschamp never could excite the Gator Nation with his boring, snoring, bashing, bludgeoning style of football,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“I came in with Champ. I’m leaving with him. Simple as that,” Florida junior defensive end Dante Fowler, announcing he’ll leave early for the NFL draft.

“If he wants to coach again next year, I’m sure a lot of people will be after him,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, on Will Muschamp.

“We don’t need a frickin’ fire to get it f-cking turned up,” UCLA coach Jim Mora to the Bruins students when the annual ‘Beat SC’ bonfire was called off.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (8-3) at Alabama (10-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Auburn has not played well in its last two SEC games. In fact, the Tigers have lost three of their last five SEC games. Make it four of their last six – Alabama 31, Auburn 24.

RUNNER UP: 2. Arizona State (9-2) at Arizona (9-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Fox) – There is a lot riding on this game. A possible chance to play Oregon for the Pac-12 championship. The Wildcats get that chance – Arizona 34, Arizona State 33.

BEST OF THE REST: 3. Georgia Tech (9-2) at Georgia (9-2) – (ACC vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN) – The Yellow Jackets are a hot team. They have a four-game winning streak going. Uga ruins the streak – Georgia 26, Georgia Tech 25.

4. Mississippi State (10-1) at Ole Miss (8-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – And to think both of these teams will be fighting over an egg. Ole Miss hasn’t been fighting over anything recently. Cold Toddies – Mississippi State 19, Ole Miss 18.

5. Colorado State (10-1) at Air Force (8-3) – (MWC vs. MWC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Friday, CBSSN) – Do you know that some think the Colorado State coach – Jim McElwain – will be the next coach at Florida? He has a great offensive mind. The Rams also are hoping to get the Golden Ticket berth. They will be one step closer after Saturday – Colorado State 35, Air Force 25.

6. Utah State (9-3) at Boise State (9-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – After a slow start, by Bronco standards, Boise State has a six-game winning streak going. But Utah State has a five-game winning streak going. Make it seven for the Broncos – Boise State 29, Utah State 26.

7. Florida (6-4) at Florida State (11-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – Now if the Gators can only figure out what they did to beat Georgia, they need to do it again. The Gators should get the early lead over the Noles. That’s the way FSU plays. But Jameis does know how to spell “rally” – Florida State 27, Florida 24.

8. Minnesota (8-3) at Wisconsin (9-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, BTN) – This one is for the Big Ten West title. Melvin Gordon wins the title – Wisconsin 28, Minnesota 27.

9. Western Kentucky (6-5) at Marshall (11-0) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (12 noon ET, Friday, FS1) – Marshall should have no trouble ending its season at 12-0. But where will the Playoff Committee end the Herd? Their odds are looking better – Marshall 34, Western Kentucky 22.

10. Northern Illinois (9-2) at Western Michigan (8-3) – (MAC vs. MAC) (11 a.m. ET, Friday, ESPNU) – A hot one for the MAC West title. Speaking of hot, that defines both teams. WMU has won six straight and NIU has won five straight. Make it seven for the Broncos – Western Michigan 30, Northern Illinois 29.

11. TCU (9-1) at Texas (6-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, FS1) – The Frogs are a playoff contender. The Horns are vastly improved. The contender wins – TCU 19, Texas 17.

12. Nebraska (8-3) at Iowa (7-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Friday, ABC) – Lose to Iowa and Bo Pelini may not survive. Bo’s hurting – Iowa 27, Nebraska 26.

13. Arkansas (6-5) at Missouri (9-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (2:30 p.m. ET, Friday, CBS) – Mizzou is an amazing team. The Tigers just keep winning. And how did they ever lose to Indiana? See you in Atlanta, Mizzou – Missouri 22, Arkansas 18.

14. Stanford (6-5) at UCLA (9-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Friday, ABC) – The Bruins are fighting for the Pac-12 South title. The Trees are improved and playing better. But their roots aren’t deep enough – UCLA 24, Stanford 18.

15. Michigan State (9-2) at Penn State (6-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – The Spartans could be the best 9-2 team in the country. After Saturday, they could be the best 10-2 team – Michigan State 30, Penn State 21.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. LSU (7-4) at Texas A&M (7-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN) – When was the last time LSU lost five games in a season? The Tigers have lost their last two. Make it three – Texas A&M 29, LSU 27.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (6-5) at Iowa State (2-8) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1) – Well, the Mounties may be starting a new quarterback this week – Skyler Howard. He showed some spark and some spunk against K-State. More spark and spunk – West Virginia 33, Iowa State 23.

Wake Forest (3-8) at Duke (8-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – This used to look like a sure win for the Dookies. But after two losses and Wake’s win over Virginia Tech, nothing is for certain. The Dookies rebound – Duke 21, Wake Forest 17.

Purdue (3-8) at Indiana (3-8) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN) – Talk about the cellar, Purdue only has one win in Big Ten games this season and Indiana has none. How ’bout both ending up with only one win – Indiana 32, Purdue 27.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Pitt (5-6) at Miami (6-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2) .... UCF (7-3) at South Florida (4-7) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Friday, ESPN2) .... Old Dominion (5-6) at Florida Atlantic (3-8) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (12 noon ET, Saturday, Local).

Florida International (4-8), Florida A&M (3-9), Bethune-Cookman (9-3) and Stetson (5-7) have completed their schedules.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football. . . Thaddeus Moss, the son of former NFL receiver Randy Moss, has scholarship offers from Boston College, Duke and NC State. Six-foot-4, 240 pound Thaddeus is a tight end for Victory Christian High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a junior at Victory Christian.

Louisiana-Lafayette assistant Tim Rebowe has been hired as the new head coach at Nichols State…. Florida named its defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to be the interim head coach for the Gators bowl game…. Missouri State fired football coach Terry Allen. Allen coached the Bears for nine seasons, compiling a 37-64 record.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Jimmy Ruffin and Mike Nichols,

Jimmy Ruffin, a soul singer best known for his 1966 Top 10 hit “What Becomes of the Broken Heated,” died last week in Las Vegas. He was 78. His brother David Ruffin was the lead singer of the Temptations. Ruffin followed up “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” with “I’ve Passed This Way Before” (1966), “Gonna Give Her All the Love I’ve Got” (1967) and “Hold On to My Love” (1980). “Hold On to My Love” was written and produced by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. Ruffin moved to England in 1981 and settled there for many years. Jimmy Lee Ruffin was born in Collinsville, Mississippi, on May 7, 1936.

Mike Nichols, one of America’s most celebrated film and stage directors, died last week in New York City. He was 83. Nichols was married to ABC news broadcaster Diane Sawyer. Early in his career he was part of the comedy team Nichols and May (Elaine May). He directed a number of movies, including “The Graduate,” “Carnal Knowledge,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf,” “Catch 22,” “Silkwood” and “Charlie Wilson’s War,” among others. He is one of only 12 people to have won an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy. He directed a number of Broadway productions, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Odd Couple” and “Spamalot,” among others. Nichols was born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin, Germany, on November 6, 1931. His family fled to America in 1938.

College Football Week 13 – Will Muschamp fired
A terrible game; a great weekend

“Gary Patterson, Doc Holliday, Rich Rodriguez?”

“South Carolina?”

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I were in Gainesville over the weekend for our second and final Gator football game of the season. Instead of driving up to Gainesville together as we usually do, we arrived separately this time and from different directions.

Swamp Mama and I left Brevard County on Tuesday morning, driving up to Florida’s panhandle for a few days visit with Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe. Bootsie and Rockledge Gator left Brevard County Thursday morning, meandering their way through the back roads of Florida, south of Gainesville.

Friday, the four of us rendezvoused for a late lunch in Trenton, Florida. Trenton is about 35 miles west of Gainesville. Swamp Mama and I arrived from the north; Bootsie and Rockledge Gator from the south. Following lunch, we convoyed over to Gainesville – more specifically, to the Laurel Oak Inn in Gainesville.

The Laurel Oak Inn was our headquarters – yet again – for another Gator football weekend. We were just hoping it would be a better weekend than the previous one. That was in October when the Gators lost to Missouri, 42-13. Oh, the agony of that miserable game.

Actually, I should say a better game than the previous one. The weekends in Gainesville are never bad, regardless of how the game turns out. That’s because whoever wins or loses the game, no one ever loses at the Laurel Oak Inn. It’s guaranteed to be a winner – a weekend of enjoyment, fun and relaxation.

Prior to the weekend, Peggy and Monta Burt, innkeepers at the Laurel Oak, notified the 14 guests that they were going to host a buffet dinner for us on Saturday evening. There would be wine and food and we could all gather around and talk about the outcome of the game and college football in general, while enjoying good food and drink.

The 14 of us, from various locations in Florida, have been frequent guests at the Laurel Oak Inn for football games and other occasions over the recent years. Some of us have even gotten to know each other from our times at the Inn. This was Peggy’s and Monta’s way of saying thank you.

It was a perfect weekend for football – sunny, blue skies. The temperature got down in the low 40s Friday night. A high in the upper 60s was the forecast for Saturday afternoon. The South Carolina-Florida game was a 12 noon start. You couldn’t ask for better weather conditions. But you could ask for a better outcome to the game. It had its highs and lows, but in the end, it was pretty low.

South Carolina jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. We thought, here we go again. Then the Gator defense dug in and the Gamecock offense ran out of steam. By halftime, the Gators had tied the score, 10-10. In the third quarter, Florida went up 17-10.

In the fourth quarter, it was beginning to look like a 17-10 win for the Gators – maybe 20-10. But a blocked field goal and a blocked punt changed everything. South Carolina scored a touchdown with 0:12 on the clock. Overtime!

In the first overtime, Florida kicked a field goal, but the Gamecocks countered with a touchdown. Game over – 23-20 (OT) win for South Carolina. I tried to get a “Fire Muschamp” chant going as we walked out of the stadium. Swamp Mama wasn’t happy with me.

Later, at the Laurel Oak Inn, the guests gradually gathered back together over some wine, beer and cheese. Along with Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and myself, there were Tom and Carol Stewart, Bob and Fern Musselwhite, Jeff and Christy Brigman, Dan and Brenda Brown, Steve Kaplan and Todd Bingham.

We watched the Mississippi State-Alabama game. As we watched, we talked. You can imagine what the main topic of our conversation was “Who’s going to be the be the next coach of the Gators?” There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Will Muschamp was a gonner.

Tom Stewart was keen on Lane Kiffin. Or was he just trying to get a reaction out of the group? Hugh Freeze, Dan Mullen, Art Briles. It went on. Mike Gundy, Charlie Strong and Kliff Kingsbury came up.

Jim Mora, Kevin Sumlin, Butch Jones. There was no end to it. Tommy Tuberville, Dabo Swinney. Christy Brigman mentioned Bobby Petrino. Or was she just trying to get a rise out of us?

The conversations continued through Peggy’s and Monta’s wonderful dinner and Steve’s and Todd’s tasty desserts – and long afterward. We watched the Auburn-Georgia, Florida State-Miami and LSU-Arkansas games. And we talked some more, “Who’s the right guy to be the next coach of Florida?” And, “Where will Muschamp be next year?”

Following a good night of sleep, we gathered for breakfast Sunday morning. I think we came to a consensus. Well, there were three possibilities we seemed to agree on. “Who’s going to be the next coach of the Gators?”

“Gary Patterson, Doc Holliday, Rich Rodriguez?”

“And where will Muschamp be next year?”

“South Carolina.” He’ll be Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator.

Driving home Sunday, Swamp Mama and I heard that Muschamp had been relieved of his job, effective at the end of the season. We called Rockledge Gator and Bootsie to tell them.

It’s official. Stay tuned!

Last week I couldn’t believe how the Florida State and Alabama fans were crying after the Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday evening. Florida State was leap frogged by Oregon, falling from two to three. Alabama was only No. 5 behind No. 4 TCU.

I thought those teams were exactly where they should be based on who they had played so far. There should be no tears shed this week. Alabama beat No. 1 Mississippi State and Florida State beat a respectable Miami (Florida). Meanwhile, Oregon was idle and TCU looked bad, getting by Kansas, 34-30. I’m thinking Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and TCU in that order this week. Or maybe Miss State will be No. 4. Stay tuned!

Hey, is Bo Pelini going to survive at Nebraska? It seems like every time the Huskers play a crucial game in the Big Ten they get clobbered. Saturday, Wisconsin ran over the Huskers, 59-24. Talk about a mauling.

Georgia Tech improved its chances of playing Florida State in the ACC championship game. The Yellow Jackets beat Clemson, 28-6, improving their ACC record to 6-2. Duke, sitting at 4-2 after a 17-16 loss to Virginia Tech, still has two ACC games to play. Win-out and the Dookies win the Coastal Division, having beaten Georgia Tech 31-25 earlier in the season.

Georgia is still on a rampage after losing to Florida two weeks ago. Last week, the Dawgs blasted Kentucky 63-31. Saturday, the Dawgs clobbered Auburn 34-7. Georgia is 6-2 in SEC play, but needs Missouri (5-1) to lose one of its two remaining conference games. Georgia has finished its conference slate. Missouri still has to play Tennessee and Arkansas. Saturday, Missouri beat Texas A&M 34-27.

Arkansas won its first SEC game of the season (and in two years), beating LSU 17-0.

Texas continues to improve, beating Oklahoma State 28-7. The Longhorns are 6-5. Out West, Arizona State was upset by Oregon State 35-27. Meanwhile, Utah beat Stanford in overtime 20-17.

In a big upset, Northwestern surprised Notre Dame 43-40 (OT).

Marshall remained undefeated at 10-0, beating Rice 41-14. But it remains to be seen if the Herd can crack the Playoff Top 25. Perhaps this week. If not Marshall from the Group of Five, it could be Colorado State (9-1). The Rams were idle Saturday.

It’s looking like an Ohio State-Wisconsin matchup in the Big Ten championship game. In the Pac-12 championship game, it will be Oregon against anyone of four teams from a wide open South Division – USC, UCLA, Arizona State and Arizona.

Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott can forget the Heisman. Prescott threw three interceptions in the Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama. With Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin rushing for 408 yards against Nebraska, he may jump ahead of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in the Heisman race. Oregon was idle Saturday. Alabama’s Amari Cooper is still a strong contender for the Heisman. TCU’s Trevone Boykin probably slipped a little bit after the Frogs close call with Kansas.

There are three historic rivalry games this week. In “The Rivalry,” Lafayette (4-6) and Lehigh (3-7) meet for the 150th time in the most-played and longest uninterrupted annual rivalry series. Lafayette and Lehigh first met in 1884. Lafayette leads the series 77-67-5. This year’s game, played in Yankee Stadium, will be televised at 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday on CBS Sports Network

In “The Game,” Harvard (9-0) and Yale (8-1) get together for the 131st time. The two Ivy League schools first met in 1875. Yale leads the series 65-57-8. ESPN College GameDay will be broadcast from the Harvard campus Saturday morning. The game will be televised at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

And finally, out West, California and Stanford get together in “The Big Game.” The Golden Bears and the Cardinal are meeting for the 116th time. The two Pac-12 schools first met in 1892. Stanford leads in the series 59-46-11. Who can forget the 1982 game when Cal beat Stanford 25-20 on a kickoff return when the Cal player ran through the Stanford trombone player as time expired? Saturday’s game at Berkeley will be televised at 4 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Do Doc Holliday, Rich Rodriguez and Gary Patterson look good in Orange and Blue?

Does Will Muschamp look good in Garnet and Black?

Swamp Mama says Kliff Kingsbury looks good in anything.

Thanks again, Peggy and Monta! Saturday night was special.

Touchdown Tom
November 17, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Tusk, Tusk – Alabama 25, Mississippi State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 26, Mississippi State 20). Miss State dominated Alabama in the stats, but the Bulldogs dominated in turnovers too – three for Miss State and none for the Tide. That made the difference in the game. Bama jumped out to a 19-0 lead with 5:32 left in the second quarter and the Bulldogs couldn’t catch up. One final touchdown for the Tide in the fourth quarter was the killer for Miss State. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821

RUNNER UP: Somebody got shucked – Wisconsin 59, Nebraska 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Wisconsin 22). Early in the second quarter, Nebraska led 17-3. That was it for the Huskers. Wisconsin went on the rampage, scoring 56 unanswered points. Nebraska’s only other score came with 2:54 left in the game. Badger running back Melvin Gordon had more yards rushing than Nebraska had total. Gordon rushed for 408 yards. The Huskers had 180 total yards – 62 passing, 118 rushing. Wisconsin racked up 627 total yards. The game was marred by turnovers – 5 by Nebraska and 4 by Wisconsin. Gordon averaged 16.3 yards per carry. Attendance in Madison: 80,539

REST OF THE BEST: Goldie gone – Ohio State 31, Minnesota 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Minnesota 23). A tight game in the first half – 17-14 in favor of Ohio State – the Buckeyes opened up a 17-point lead in the second half. Then they held on to beat the Gophers. The Buckeyes J.T. Barrett passed for 200 yards and rushed for 189 yards. Attendance in Minneapolis: 45,778

Nine lives – Florida State 30, Miami (Florida) 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 30, Miami 23). The first half belonged to the Canes – 23-10. The second half belonged to the Noles – 20-3. The teams were pretty evenly matched in the stats, right down to the turnovers – three each. Both quarterbacks passed for more than 300 yards. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 76,530

Fried – Marshall 41, Rice 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 34, Rice 20). Marshall outgained Rice 581 to 180 in total yards. The Owls were held to 99 yards passing and 81 rushing. The Herd’s Rakeem Cato passed for 297 yards and Devon Johnson rushed for 199 yards. Attendance in Huntington: 30,680

The Tigers aren’t Bee keepers – Georgia Tech 28, Clemson 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 25, Clemson 23). Clemson played three quarterbacks in an attempt to find some offense. Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson went out with a knee injury in the first quarter. The Tigers’ Cole Stoudt was 3-for-11 passing, including 3 interceptions. Clemson only had 65 yards passing. Attendance in Atlanta: 49,378

Mad Dawg – Georgia 34, Auburn 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, Georgia 32). Four minutes into the game, Auburn scored the opening touchdown. But that was it for the Tigers. They were never heard from again. Georgia, meanwhile, went on to score 34 unanswered points. The Dawgs’ running back duo of Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley rushed for 144 and 138 yards respectively. Three turnovers hampered Auburn. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Hangin’ in there – Missouri 34, Texas A&M 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 27, Missouri 22). Early in the third quarter, Texas A&M led 20-13. But Missouri scored 21 unanswered points and held on to beat the Aggies. Mizzou racked up 587 yards on offense – 252 passing, 335 rushing. The Tigers Russell Hansbrough rushed for 199 yards. Attendance in College Station: 104,756

Twerps – Michigan State 37, Maryland 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 34, Maryland 20). Michigan State’s defense held the Terps to only 6 yards rushing and just 11 first downs. Maryland had four turnovers to none for the Spartans. Attendance in College Park: 51,802

Zoom – Air Force 45, Nevada 38 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 29, Nevada 27). The game was tight throughout. Neither team led by more than 7 points. The score was tied 5 times. Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo passed for 275 yards and rushed for 100. Air Force quarterback Kale Pearson passed for 129 yards and rushed for 109. Attendance in Colorado Springs: 11,519

Rockets don’t rock – Northern Illinois 27, Toledo 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 31, Toledo 29). An evenly matched game in the stats all the way down to the time of possession (46 seconds difference) and in turnovers (none by either team). Toledo never led in the game, but the Golden Rockets tied the score at 10-10 midway through the second quarter. Attendance in DeKalb: 8,462

Wildcats by a whisker – Arizona 27, Washington 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 33, Washington 26). The lead changed hands four times in the game. Arizona kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to win. Washington actually dominated Arizona in passing and rushing yards. The Huskies Dwayne Washington rushed for 148 yards. Attendance in Tucson: 47,757

Too cool for the Devils – Virginia Tech 17, Duke 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 21, Virginia Tech 17). The Dookies led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then their offense went into reverse for the rest of the game. Tech outscored Duke 17-6 in the final three quarters. Neither team demonstrated much offense. The Hokies were 2-for-15 on third down conversions. Attendance in Durham: 30,107

Leave it to Beaver – Oregon State 35, Arizona State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 37, Oregon State 25). Arizona State led 24-14 at the half, but the Sun Devils were outscored 21-3 in the second half. Oregon State tallied 498 total yards with a surprising 247 of those yards rushing. The Beavers Terron Ward and Storm Woods rushed for 148 and 125 yards respectively. Oregon State won in spite of being 1-for-12 in third down efficiency. Attendance in Corvallis: 40,525

Wild Horses – Boise State 38, San Diego State 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, San Diego State 23). The Aztecs led 20-10 at the half, but were outscored 28-9 in the second half. San Diego State Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 147 yards. Boise State’s Jay Ajayi rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in Boise: 27,478


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

So much for a Pirate’s life – Cincinnati 54, East Carolina 46 (Touchdown Tom said: East Carolina 27, Cincinnati 26). Cincinnati led throughout most of the game. East Carolina grabbed a 20-17 midway through the second quarter and held it for about two minutes before Cincinnati retook the lead. Then the Pirates went ahead 46-45 with 1:02 left in the game, but only held that lead for about 45 seconds. The teams combined for 1,158 total yards. They were about as evenly matched as you can get in the stats – passing, rushing, first downs and time of possession. Attendance in Cincinnati: 19,113


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

That Ole Ball Coach – South Carolina 23, Florida 20 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, South Carolina 26). South Carolina led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Gators rallied and led 17-10 early in the third quarter. The Gamecocks tied the score with 0:12 left in the game on a strange play – a fumble recovery in the end zone. Late in the fourth quarter, Florida had a chance to go up 20-10, but the Gators field goal attempt was blocked. Florida only had 60 yards passing in the game. Attendance in Gainesville: 85,088

Prime Beef – Texas 28, Oklahoma State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 29, Oklahoma State 21). Texas outgained Oklahoma State in total yards 430 to 192, limiting the Cowboys to only 34 yards rushing. The Longhorns Tyrone Swoopes passed for 305 yards. The Cowboys were a miserable 2-for-13 in third down efficiency. Attendance in Stillwater: 52,495


Week 12 Pick Results: 11 correct, 7 wrong (61.1 percent)
On the Season: 162 correct, 59 wrong (73.3 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF 31, Tulsa 7 – Attendance in Orlando: 35,323 …. South Florida 14, SMU 13 – Attendance in Dallas: 19,463 …. Florida International 38, Middle Tennessee 28 – Attendance in Miami: 12,917 …. Florida A&M 41, Delaware State 7 – Attendance in Dover: 2,237.

Hampton 40, Bethune-Cookman 35 – Attendance in Hampton: 6,000 …. Jacksonville U. 45, Campbell 19 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 2,437 …. Morehead State 41, Stetson 18 – Attendance in Morehead: 4,658 …. Valdosta State 31, Florida Tech 29 – Attendance in Melbourne: 4,126


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Louisiana-Monroe’s Pete Thomas – 38-54-0 for 472 yards; Massachusetts’ Blake Frohnapfel – 28-44-2-424; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 35-61-0-418; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 27-50-0-393; USC’s Cody Kessler – 31-42-1-371; Miami of Ohio’s Andrew Hendrix – 24-41-0-369; Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 17-19-0-357; Kansas’ Mike Cummings – 19-37-1-332, and TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 26-37-1-330.

Also, BYU’s Christian Stewart – 18-32-0 for 325 yards; Bowling Green’s James Knapke – 22-37-1-315; Texas’ Tyrone Swoopes – 24-33-0-305; San Jose State’s Joe Gray – 25-45-1-305; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 25-42-1-304; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 25-43-0-300; Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 23-37-1-297; Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs – 19-27-0-297, and UCF’s Justin Holman – 16-27-0-291.


Impressive Rushers:

Melvin Gordon – 408 yards; Western Kentucky’s Leon Allen 345 yards; Indiana’s Tevin Coleman – 307 yards; Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 277 yards; Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox – 229 yards; Pitt’s James Conner – 220 yards, and Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 213 yards.

Also, Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 210 yards; Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 199 yards; Missouri’s – Russell Hansbrough – 199 yards; Troy’s Jordan Chunn – 193 yards; Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett – 189 yards; Buffalo’s Anthone Taylor – 178 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 177 yards, and Bowling Green’s Andre Givens – 157 yards.

Also, Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 149 yards; Oregon State’s Terron Ward – 148 yards; Washington’s Dwayne Washington – 148 yards; Central Michigan’s Devon Spalding – 147 yards; San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 147 yards, and Minnesota’s David Cobb –145 yards.


Quotes of the Week:

“You wanna know how bad Auburn’s defense is? Auburn’s defense is so bad they are calling their secondary the tertiary,” Reed Lochamy, of the ‘Paul Finebaum Show.’

“Muschamp is inevitably doomed by clunky, conservative play,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, on Florida coach Will Muschamp.

“I must be getting a little old when I start feeling sorry for the other coach,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier after the Florida game.

“Muschamp was done in by his own stubborn conservatism because, once again, he didn’t trust his offense to make a play,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. USC (7-3) at UCLA (8-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – The winner stays in contention for the Pac-12 South Division title. The loser is most likely out. Brett Hundley and Cody Kessler could both put on a show in this game. The Bruins give the Trojans a horse – UCLA 34, USC 33.

RUNNER UP: 2. Arizona (8-2) at Utah (7-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – The last time Rich Rod had his mind on another school (Michigan) instead of the game, he lost – WVU lost to Pitt. Is Rich Rod preparing for Utah while thinking about Florida? Yes – Utah 22, Arizona 17.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Wisconsin (8-2) at Iowa (7-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – The Badgers have their sights set on Ohio State. They have to get by Iowa first. They do – Wisconsin 28, Iowa 23.

4. Minnesota (7-3) at Nebraska (8-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – The Huskers took it on the chin last week. The Gophers lost too. One has to bounce back. The Huskers do – Nebraska 28, Minnesota 27.

5. Boston College (6-4) at Florida State (10-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – It doesn’t look like anybody is going to stop the Noles now. The Eagles sure won’t – Florida State 37, Boston College 18.

6. Marshall (10-0) at UAB (5-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) – Marshall keeps plugging along. The competition is weak. The Blazers are victim No. 11 – Marshall 32, UAB 19.

7. Louisville (7-3) at Notre Dame (7-3) – (ACC vs. Ind.) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, NBC) – The Irish have been burned two weeks in a row. I don’t think they will get burned the third week in a row. Petrino’s no Danny Boy – Notre Dame 30, Louisville 17.

8. Rutgers (6-4) at Michigan State (8-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN) – The Spartans continue to rebound after the loss to Ohio State. The Knights continue to wander aimlessly. The Spartans bring out the Green in the Scarlet – Michigan State 30, Rutgers 18.

9. Kansas State (7-2) at West Virginia (6-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7 p.m. ET, Thursday, FS1) – The Mountaineers have dropped two in a row. Make it three – Kansas State 27, West Virginia 24.

10. Oklahoma State (5-5) at Baylor (8-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – The Bears still have a shot at the Playoffs. The Cowpokes won’t stop them. Cowboys get booted – Baylor 37, Oklahoma State 19.

11. Ole Miss (8-2) at Arkansas (5-5) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Saturday) – The Hogs are in heaven. They got their first SEC win. Ole Miss brings them back down to earth. Makin’ bacon – Ole Miss 20, Arkansas 14.

12. Missouri (8-2) at Tennessee (5-5) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Mizzou is living on the edge. The Tigers can’t afford another loss. The Vols have nothing to lose. They don’t – Tennessee 27, Missouri 22.

13. Western Michigan (7-3) at Central Michigan (7-4) – (MAC vs. MAC) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) – We don’t often talk about the MAC. But the conference has three good games this week. This is one of them. The two little Michigans go at each other. The Western one gets the better of the Central one – Western Michigan 29, Central Michigan 26.

14. Bowling Green (7-3) at Toledo (6-4) – (MAC vs. MAC) (8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, ESPN2) – BG has won the MAC East Division. Toledo still has a shot at winning the MAC West. The Falcons ruin it for the Rockets – Bowling Green 28, Toledo 25.

15. Air Force (8-2) at San Diego State (5-5) – (MWC vs. MWC) (9:30 p.m. ET, Friday, CBSSN) – Air Force is much improved over last season. San Diego State is much worse. Well, maybe somewhat worse. The Fly Boys get it done on the ground – Air Force 32, San Diego State 27.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. Northern Illinois (8-2) at Ohio (5-5) – (MAC vs. MAC) (8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPNU) – The Huskies are in the running for the MAC West. The Bobcats are running for a bowl. One more win and they are eligible. They don’t get it – Northern Illinois 31, Ohio 24.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Eastern Kentucky (9-2) at Florida (5-4) – (Ohio Valley vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN) – Remember Georgia Southern last year? That’s what Eastern Kentucky could be to the Gators this year. A win makes Florida bowl eligible. Muschamp’s last game in The Swamp is a win – Florida 40, Eastern Kentucky 15.

North Carolina (5-5) at Duke (8-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN) – The Dookies can’t afford to lose. If they do, no trip to the ACC title game this year. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are looking to become bowl eligible. The Dookies keep them looking – Duke 31, North Carolina 30.

Charleston Southern (8-3) at Georgia (8-2) – (Big South vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN) – The Dawgs were looking for a breather between Auburn and Georgia Tech. They got one. Uga takes a big breath – Georgia 42, Charleston Southern 19.

Northwestern (4-6) at Purdue (3-7) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Wildcats might have a “big head” after knocking off Notre Dame last week. The Boilers could be catching them at the right time. But no time is right for the Boilers – Northwestern 29, Purdue 27.

Texas (6-5) is off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

SMU (0-9) at UCF (6-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News) …. South Florida (4-6) at Memphis (7-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN News) …. Florida Atlantic (3-7) at Middle Tennessee (5-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local).

Florida International (4-7) at North Texas (3-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) …. Florida A&M (3-8) vs. Bethune-Cookman (8-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN Classic) …. Drake (6-4) at Stetson (5-6) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Jacksonville U. (9-2) and Florida Tech (6-5) have completed their seasons.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Florida State and Ole Miss will open the 2016 season in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl…. Missouri and BYU have scheduled a home-and-home series to be played in 2015 and 2020.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but as the regular season was coming to a climax and Thanksgiving turkeys and pumpkin pies were almost in the oven, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1944 was “I’ll Walk Alone” by Dinah Shore

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “That Lucky Old Sun” by Frankie Laine

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “I Need You Now” by Eddie Fisher

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “Mr. Blue” by The Fleetwoods

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “Baby Love” by The Supremes

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5th Dimension

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” by John Lennon

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “Still” by The Commodores

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “When I See You Smile” by Bad English

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Carol Ann Susi and Alvin Dark,

Carol Ann Susi, who played the always off-screen mother of Howard Wolowitz on TV’s “The Big Bang Theory,” died last week in Las Angeles. She was 62. Susi was born in New York City on February 2, 1952. She played an office intern in “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” in 1974. Later, she appeared on “Seinfeld,” “Cheers,” “Six Feet Under” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” She also appeared in several Los Angeles stage productions.

Alvin Dark, who was an All-Star shortstop and captain of the New York Giants’ pennant winning teams in the 1950s and later managed the team to a pennant in San Francisco, died last week at his home in Easley, South Carolina. He was 92. Dark played in three World Series with the Boston Braves (1948) and the Giants (1951 and 1954). He was the National League’s rookie of the year in 1948. He managed the Giants to the 1962 pennant in their fifth year in San Francisco. Twelve years later he managed the Oakland A’s to a World Series championship. Alvin Ralph Dark was born in Comanche, Oklahoma, on January 7, 1922. He grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and went to LSU where he played baseball, basketball and football. He was in the Marines in World War II. Dark also managed the Kansas City Athletics and the Cleveland Indians.

College Football Week 12 – Elimination game in Tuscaloosa
Another round of musical chairs

When the music stopped Saturday, four more teams couldn’t find a chair when they went to sit down. Translation: After all the games were played Saturday, four teams were eliminated from playoff possibilities – Auburn, Michigan State, Kansas State and Notre Dame.

All four teams suffered their second loss of the season. And with two losses the odds of making the playoffs are zero. Zero, unless there are an excessive and unusual number of surprises in the final four weeks of the season. Stay tuned.

Who knows, there could be. Just ask Auburn. The Tigers, the No. 3 team in the Playoff poll, got a surprise they weren’t expecting. Auburn lost to unranked Texas A&M, 41-38. Going into the game, the Tigers were 23-point favorites over the Aggies. Auburn was the highest ranked of the playoff contenders to be eliminated on Saturday.

Michigan State, slight favorites to beat Ohio State, fell to the Buckeyes, 49-37. The Spartans were No. 8 in the Playoff rankings. They won’t be when the new poll is released Tuesday night. The Ohio State-Michigan State game was more like a Pac-12 contest – 1,104 yards on offense and no defense.

Ohio State should make a significant jump in the Playoff poll. But if the Buckeyes win-out, will they make the playoffs? Not likely. Not unless there are an excessive and unusual number of surprises to come. Stay tuned.

Kansas State and Notre Dame both lost to teams who were ranked one spot above them in the Playoff poll. The (No. 7) Wildcats were decimated by (No. 6) TCU, 41-20. The Horned Frogs should be No. 4 or No. 5 in this week’s poll.

Regardless of where TCU is ranked Tuesday night, two things became evident after the Frogs’ big win over K-State – come December 7, TCU will be one of the four playoff teams and its quarterback – Trevone Boykin – will be a Heisman finalist.

Notre Dame, No. 10 in the Playoff poll was humiliated by (No. 9) Arizona State, 55-31. Irish quarterback Everett Golson had been considered a Heisman candidate. Not any longer. Golson threw four interceptions in the game.

I always thought Notre Dame was ranked too high in the playoff poll. The Irish have no quality wins on the season. Until Saturday, Notre Dame had played only one good team – Florida State. Granted, that was a quality loss, but Arizona State proved that the Irish were just pretenders and not contenders.

Three other highly ranked Playoff poll teams – Oregon, Alabama and Baylor – made it through their elimination games Saturday. One team – Alabama – barely survived elimination. The other two breezed past their challengers.

The (No. 5) Crimson Tide escaped from Baton Rouge, beating LSU 20-13 in overtime. With just 0:50 left in the game, LSU appeared to have won when the Tigers’ Colby Delahoussaye kicked a 39-yard field goal to give LSU a 13-10 lead. A fumble by Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon set up the field goal.

But in the next 47 seconds, Alabama’s Blake Sims took over and drove the Tide down the field to the LSU 10-yard line where Adam Griffith kicked a 27 yard field goal with 0:03 remaining on the clock. Score tied 13-13. The Crimson Tide went on to win in the first overtime period on a six-yard pass from Sims to DeAndrew White.

The difference in the Alabama-LSU game was the quarterback. Alabama had one and LSU didn’t.

In a close game for three quarters, (No. 4) Oregon ran away from (No. 17) Utah in the fourth quarter to beat the Utes, 51-27. Just a few seconds into the second quarter, and with Utah up 7-0, Utes’ receiver Kaelin Clay appeared to score on a 68-yard touchdown pass. But just a foot or two before Clay crossed the goal line, he dropped the ball to begin celebrating his touchdown. Oregon’s Joe Walker picked up the ball and returned it 100 yards for an Oregon touchdown. Had Clay held onto the ball, Utah would have gone up 14-0. Instead, Oregon tied the score at 7-7.

Meanwhile, (No. 12) Baylor remained a contender for the playoffs. The Bears demolished (No. 15) Oklahoma, 48-14. And wouldn’t you know it? Just like last week when Georgia fans began calling for Mark Richt’s head, this week Oklahoma fans are already calling for Bob Stoops’ head.

After Baylor’s putdown of Oklahoma in Norman, Stoops may want to come to Florida. But I’m not sure Florida would want Stoops now. Bob may want to think about eliminating nepotism in his program and dump brother Mike – his defensive coordinator. Oklahoma has given up 32 points-a-game in its last six games.

And speaking of Stoops, brother Mark isn’t doing much better at Kentucky. Saturday the Wildcats were plundered by Georgia, 63-31. After beginning the season 5-1, Kentucky has lost its last four games.

Waiting for the West Virginia-Texas game to start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, I couldn’t find any good games to watch. The 12 noon games were all blowouts – Georgia 63, Kentucky 31; Minnesota 51, Iowa 14; Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16; Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14, and Georgia Tech 56, NC State 23. I finally settled on Duke-Syracuse. It was a good game until Duke blew it open in the fourth quarter, beating the Orange 27-10.

And speaking of West Virginia, well, I would have just as soon as not watched that game either. Texas upset the favored Mountaineers, 33-16.

You know, part of me wants to say, “Fire Holgorsen.” I’m sick and tired of this crap – four years and no improvement. The inconsistencies and the lack of discipline – enough is enough. This team hasn’t played a good game for four quarters – even three quarters – all season. Usually, they play a good first half and a bad second half. Sometimes they play a bad first half and a good second half. But they never play two good halves – not in the same game.

And I still believe that Clint Trickett is an overrated quarterback. Yes, he’s a good quarterback. But, instead of playing like a fifth-year senior, he plays like a freshman or a sophomore. He makes those kinds of mistakes. Part of me wants to say, “Bench Trickett.” Start preparing for next season now. But how can you prepare if you have nothing to prepare with. Holgorsen hasn’t recruited a quarterback in four years. Geno Smith was there when he arrived and Trickett transferred in from Florida State.

Three years ago, in his second season at Louisville, Charlie Strong beat Dana Holgorsen with a mediocre – at best – Louisville team. Saturday, in his first season at Texas, Charlie Strong beat Dana Holgorsen with a mediocre – at best – Texas team. A good coach will beat a bad coach nine times out of ten.

Saturday night was better. Florida beat Vanderbilt, 34-10. Yeah, I know, it was only Vanderbilt. Everybody beats Vanderbilt. But with two-straight wins and the way Florida was headed a few weeks ago, a win is a win – over anybody.

It’s comforting to see the Gator offense jelling and showing consistency with Treon Harris at quarterback. One can only hope that it gets better. Stay tuned.

And one can only wonder what Will Muschamp’s status is now? Has he saved his job for another season? Or is it too soon to say? South Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and Florida State remain on the schedule.

One more win and the Gators are bowl bound. Obviously, Eastern Kentucky is a win so the Gators are bowl bound. I made that statement to someone recently and they said, “I have two words for you: Georgia Southern.” Yeah, but Eastern Kentucky ain’t no Georgia Southern.

My guess is Jeremy Foley will do just as he says. He will evaluate Will Muschamp and make his decision at the end of the season. Will it be an easy one? Stay tuned.

There will be another round of musical chairs this week – one true elimination game and three games where a playoff contender is facing a serious challenger. The elimination game is a biggie – Mississippi State (9-0) at Alabama (8-1). In the challenger games, three playoff contender teams are all on the road, facing potentially stiff competition – Florida State (9-0) at Miami (Florida) (6-3), Ohio State (8-1) at Minnesota (7-2) and Nebraska (8-1) at Wisconsin (7-2). Stay tuned!

Oregon (8-1) and Baylor (9-1) have the week off. And TCU (8-1) and Arizona State (8-1) should have little to no trouble with Kansas (3-6) and Oregon State (4-5) respectively. Of course that’s what I said about Auburn against Texas A&M.

In three other good games this week, which certainly have implications of their own, Clemson (7-2) is at Georgia Tech (8-2), Auburn (7-2) visits Georgia (7-2) and Missouri (7-2) travels to Texas A&M (7-3).

In the remaining mystery, yet to be solved, which Group of 5 team will get the Golden Ticket berth – a spot against a high-ranked Power 5 team in one of the New Year’s 6 bowls. The berth goes to the Group of 5 team that is highest ranked in the Playoff poll on December 7.

That team was East Carolina until the Pirates were upset by Temple. Last week, there were no Group of 5 teams ranked in the Playoff poll. The most logical one now is Marshall, sitting at 9-0. So far the Herd has not cracked the poll. That could change Tuesday night. Also waiting to pounce is Colorado State at 9-1. The Rams are ranked in this week’s AP and Coaches polls. Also sitting in the wings are Boise State (7-2), East Carolina (6-2), Georgia Southern (8-2) and Cincinnati (5-3). Stay tuned!

Little-by-little, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. The Heisman Trophy picture is becoming clearer too. I figure it’s down to Dak Prescott (Mississippi State), Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), Trevone Boykin (TCU) and Amari Cooper (Alabama). Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) remains a long shot.

I had fun watching the “Paul Finebaum Show” last week. Georgia fans were calling in every day saying that Mark Richt has to go. Richt’s status at Georgia brings up a good point. How long do you give a coach to win the national championship? It took Vince Dooley 17 seasons at Georgia before he won a national championship. And he only won one. Bobby Bowden was at Florida State 18 season before he won a national title. And it took Tom Osborne 22 seasons at Nebraska before he won a championship. This is Richt’s 14th season at Georgia.

By the way, I’ve enjoyed my conversations with Mark Moses this season on the “Mark Moses Show” on Sports Radio 95.9 – The Fan. Mark’s show runs weekdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m. ET.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be back in Gainesville this weekend for the South Carolina-Florida game. Of course we’re staying at our favorite hangout – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com). Yes, Swamp Mama, I have the tickets.

When the music stops this Saturday, who won’t get a seat?

Hug a veteran this week!

Touchdown Tom
November 10, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Kermit’s happy – TCU 41, Kansas State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, TCU 30). TCU so dominated this game, limiting K-State to only 35 yards rushing. The Wildcats scored a touchdown with 1:36 remaining to make the game look closer than it was. The Frogs’ Aaron Green rushed for 171 yards and Trevone Boykin rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Fort Worth: 48,012

RUNNER UP: Urban hits the Mark – Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 26, Ohio State 25). Ohio State was an amazing 10-for-14 in third down efficiency. The Spartans weren’t much worse – 8-for-15. The Buckeyes’ J.T. Barrett passed for 300 yards and rushed for another 86 yards. Attendance in East Lansing: 76,409

REST OF THE BEST: Sun Devils mount Everett – Arizona State 55, Notre Dame 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 30, Notre Dame 28). Five turnovers and the lack of a running game – only 41 yards – killed the Irish. Everett Golson threw four interceptions. Attendance in Tempe: 65,870

Nick makes Les sick – Alabama 20, LSU 13 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, LSU 27). The Tigers suffered from the lack of a passing game – only 76 yards. Interestingly, LSU dominated the time of possession – 38:16 to 21:44. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321

Dropsies – Oregon 51, Utah 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Utah 18). Four minutes into the fourth quarter, this was a tight game. Oregon only led by three points – 30-27. Then the Ducks scored 21 unanswered points in the final 11 minutes of the game. The Ducks’ Marcus Mariota passed for 239 yards and rushed for another 114 yards. Oregon’s defense put the brakes on Utah running back Devontae Booker, limiting the Ute to 65 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,528

Something went Boom – Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Baylor 27). Would you believe Oklahoma led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter? After that, the Sooners never saw the end zone again, while Baylor put up 41 unanswered points over the remaining three quarters. The Bears had 31 first downs to only 13 for OU. Attendance in Norman: 85,048

Kyle looks Trill – Texas A&M 41, Auburn 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 39, Texas A&M 20). The second quarter was Auburn’s demise. Tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, the Aggies outscored the Tigers 21-3 in the second quarter. Still, Auburn fought back. The Tigers closed the gap to three points – 41-38 – with 6:42 left in the game. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Don’t go near the Bears – UCLA 44, Washington 30 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 24, Washington 22). The Bruins led 31-10 at the half. UCLA’s Brett Hundley passed for 302 yards, completing 81 percent of his passes. Attendance in Seattle: 65,547

You betcha – Minnesota 51, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Minnesota 24). Iowa scored the game’s first touchdown halfway through the first quarter. The Hawkeyes scored the game’s last touchdown with 0:14 remaining in the game. In between, Minnesota scored 51 points. Iowa had three turnovers and only 84 yards rushing. Attendance in Minneapolis: 49,680

Cav legs taste like crab legs – Florida State 34, Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Virginia 15). As with many of their games, the Noles fell behind early, trailing Virginia 13-7 at the end of the first quarter. Then FSU scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 28-13 lead at the half. The Cavs made it tight one more time, scoring the first touchdown in the third quarter to pull with eight points – 28-20. The Noles answered with two field goals. FSU’s defense held Virginia to 37 yards rushing. Attendance in Tallahassee: 82,325

Sluggers – Louisville 38, Boston College 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 26, Louisville 23). BC jumped out to a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter. Then Louisville scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead in the third quarter. The Eagles scored again and the Cardinals’ lead was just 24-19 at the start of the fourth quarter. Louisville responded with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 33,565

The Pack had a wreck – Georgia Tech 56, NC State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 29, NC State 22). State led 13-7 late in the first quarter. Then Tech scored 28 unanswered points to hold a 35-13 lead late in the second quarter. In the second half, Tech built up its lead to 56-13. The Yellow Jackets had 479 yards rushing in the game. Attendance in Raleigh: 54,653

Were the Dawgs mad or something? – Georgia 63, Kentucky 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Kentucky 25). Georgia was 8-for-8 in third down efficiency. The Dawgs racked up 559 total yards. Attendance in Lexington: 60,152

How do you like us now? – Marshall 63, Southern Miss 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 36, Southern Miss 19). Marshall outscored the Eagles 35-0 in the second half. The Herd piled up 521 total yards. Attendance in Hattiesburg: 22,949

Caught in a stampede – Texas 33, West Virginia 16 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Texas 23). The Mountaineers outgained the Longhorns 448 yards to 351. But the Eers were only 3-for-17 in third down efficiency. Attendance in Austin: 95,714


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Let’s hear it for Skip – Louisiana Tech 40, UAB 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana Tech 29, UAB 26). La Tech is all but assured of winning the C-USA West and a chance to meet Marshall for the conference championship. The game was marred with six turnovers – three by each team. Attendance in Birmingham: 9,457


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Grand ole Gators – Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Vanderbilt 12). Gators defense held Vanderbilt to 83 yards rushing and the Gators offense took advantage of four Vanderbilt turnovers. Florida’s Treon Harris passed for 215 yards and rushed for 49 yards. Attendance in Nashville: 35,191

Seedless in the Dome – Duke 27, Syracuse 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 29, Syracuse 23). Tied 10-10 at the end of the third quarter, the Dookies owned the fourth quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points. Neither team displayed much offense. Combined, they had less than 500 total yards. Attendance in Syracuse: 39,331

Boilers got boiled – Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 30, Purdue 17). Wisconsin limited Purdue to 26 yards rushing and only 11 first downs. The Badgers’ Melvin Gordon rushed for 205 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 35,068


Week 11 Pick Results: 12 correct, 7 wrong (63.2 percent)
On the Season: 151 correct, 52 wrong (74.4 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

North Texas 31, Florida Atlantic 10 – Attendance in Denton: 20,957 …. Old Dominion 38, Florida International 35 – Attendance in Norfolk: 20,118 …. South Carolina State 34, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 7,675.

Bethune-Cookman 13, Norfolk State 7 – Attendance in Norfolk: 4,220 …. Jacksonville U. 56, Davidson 0 – Attendance in Davidson: 2,214 …. Stetson 22, Marist 14 – Attendance in Deland: 4,265 …. West Georgia 49, Florida Tech 35 – Attendance in Carrollton: 4,610


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Washington State’s Luke Falk – 44-61-0 for 471 yards; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 31-41-0-419; Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 32-42-0-387; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 21-32-0-367; Michigan State’s Connor Cook – 25-45-0-358; San Jose State’s Joe Gray – 26-44-2-350, and Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 23-34-0-324.

Also, Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke – 20-35-0 for 315 yards; UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 29-36-0-302; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 30-51-2-302; Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett – 16-26-0-300; Utah’s Travis Wilson – 18-28-2-297; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 23-37-2-293, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 20-37-1-292.


Impressive Rushers:

Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 221 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 205 yards; New Mexico’s Teriyon Gipson – 205 yards; SMU’s Matt Davis – 181 yards; TCU’s Aaron Green – 171 yards; Ole Miss’ Jordan Wilkins – 171 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 170 yards, and Tulsa’s Zack Langer – 167 yards.

Also, Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days – 157 yards; Ohio’s O.J. Ouellette – 155 yards; Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 154 yards; New Mexico’s Jhurell Pressley – 154 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 153 yards; Northern Illinois’ Cameron Stingily – 148 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 148 yards, and Fresno State’s Marteze Waller – 145 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“The plan is to definitely be back here and so forth. Just say that’s the plan” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

“You probably have some questions I’m going to have a tough time answering. If it’s got anything to do with coaches coming back next year, me coming back next year, I am just going to refrain from all of that. Let’s get through this season here and see where we are all at is probably the smartest thing for all of us to do right now,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

“I was telling our coaching staff, I think Taylor Swift’s got a song called ‘Shake It Off.’ That’s what we’re trying to do, shake it off and get ready for the Florida Gators next week,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Mississippi State (9-0) at Alabama (8-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – This looks like the game-of-the-year in the SEC West. If Bama wins, all the Tide has to do is beat Auburn (November 29) to win the West. However, Miss State can lose but still win the West if Bama loses to Auburn and Miss State beats Ole Miss (November 29). If Bama loses, the Tide is eliminated from the playoffs. But if Miss State loses, the Bulldogs will still be in the playoffs if they beat Ole Miss and win the SEC title game, and with Bama losing to Auburn. A lot’s at stake. It should be a barn burner. The Tide does the burning – Alabama 26, Mississippi State 20.

RUNNER UP: 2. Nebraska (8-1) at Wisconsin (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Now technically, Nebraska is not out of the playoff picture yet. Win-out, including the Big Ten title game, and there are possibilities for the Huskers. But lose to Wisconsin and it’s all kaput. The Huskers kaput the Badgers – Nebraska 28, Wisconsin 22.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Ohio State (8-1) at Minnesota (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC) – The Buckeyes looked good against Michigan State – surprisingly good. The Gophers are hoping the Buckeyes have a letdown after the big win. But then Minnesota had a big win too over Iowa. The Gophers have the letdown – Ohio State 28, Minnesota 23.

4. Florida State (9-0) at Miami (Florida) (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Most figure this is FSU’s sole remaining hurdle to the playoffs. That is if you consider Miami to be a hurdle. How ’bout a low hurdle? Definitely not a high hurdle – Florida State 30, Miami 23.

5. Rice (6-3) at Marshall (9-0) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, FSN) – Rice is one of the better teams in C-USA – but not much better. Meanwhile, Marshall is doing all it can to impress the Playoff Selection Committee. It’s not a good time to be an Owl in Huntington – Marshall 34, Rice 20.

6. Clemson (7-2) at Georgia Tech (8-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Win-out, and both of these teams have a chance for a New Year’s 6 bowl. But only one can win-out. Killer Bees – Georgia Tech 25, Clemson 23.

7. Auburn (7-2) at Georgia (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) – A couple weeks ago, these two teams were still fighting for a playoff berth. Now they just will be fighting each other. The Dawgs rebound big time after their loss to Florida. How will the Tigers rebound following their loss to Texas A&M? Aubie takes the Dawgy for a walk – Auburn 34, Georgia 32.

8. Missouri (7-2) at Texas A&M (7-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Mizzou is still the front runner for the SEC East title. The Aggies are playing the spoiler role. Just ask Auburn. The Aggies have some more spoilin’ to do – Texas A&M 27, Missouri 22.

9. Michigan State (7-2) at Maryland (6-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, BTN) – How will the Spartans react following their loss to Ohio State? It doesn’t matter; it’s the Terps – Michigan State 34, Maryland 20.

10. Nevada (6-3) at Air Force (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) – The Falcons are back to playing good ball again. They’ve already won this year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Now they are playing for a good bowl game. But Nevada is no pushover. The Falcons do a flyover – Air Force 29, Nevada 27.

11. Toledo (6-3) at Northern Illinois (7-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) (8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPN2) – Two teams battling for the MAC West. They usually put on a good battle. The Huskies battle better – Northern Illinois 31, Toledo 29.

12. Washington (6-4) at Arizona (7-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – The Huskies have been putting up some pretty good fights. But they haven’t come out on top against the better teams. They’re on the bottom again – Arizona 33, Washington 26.

13. Virginia Tech (4-5) at Duke (8-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Dookies knocked off the Hokies in Blacksburg last year. Can they make it two-straight. Yes – Duke 21, Virginia Tech 17.

14. Arizona State (8-1) at Oregon State (4-5) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – After beating Notre Dame, the Sun Devils better hope this isn’t a trap game. You never know what can happen in Corvallis. The Devils do the trapping – Arizona State 37, Oregon State 25.

15. San Diego State (5-4) at Boise State (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Broncos are a long shot for the Golden Ticket berth. That means they have to keep winning. They do – Boise State 31, San Diego State 23.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. East Carolina (6-2) at Cincinnati (5-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (7 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN2) – After the slip up against Temple, you gotta figure the Pirates have their guard up. But the Bearcats are improving. Both are possibilities for the Golden Ticket berth. The Pirates hang the Bearcats – East Carolina 27, Cincinnati 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

South Carolina (4-5) at Florida (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN) – This may be the last trip to The Swamp for the “Head Ball Coach.” Well, the last trip as a coach, that is. The Gamecocks haven’t been playing well. Their defense is rotten. The Gators weren’t playing well either. Their offense was rotten. But the Gators may have turned it around. The Gamecocks haven’t – Florida 30, South Carolina 26.

Texas (4-3) at Oklahoma State (5-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox) – It has been a tough year for both teams. The Longhorns make it tougher for the Cowpokes – Texas 29, Oklahoma State 21.

West Virginia (6-4) and Purdue (3-7) are off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Tulsa (2-7) at UCF (5-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (8 p.m. ET, Friday, ESPN2) …. South Florida (3-6) at SMU (0-8) – (AAC vs. AAC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBSSN) …. Middle Tennessee (5-4) at Florida International (3-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local).

Florida A&M at Delaware State – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Bethune-Cookman at Hampton – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPNU).

Campbell at Jacksonville U. – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Stetson at Morehead State – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Valdosta State at Florida Tech – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Florida Atlantic (3-7) is off.

In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . West Virginia and Missouri have scheduled a home-and-home series to be played in 2016 (Morgantown) and 2019 (Columbia).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were five passings of note last week – Tom Magliozzi, Acker Bilk, Ben Aycrigg, Brad Halsey and Ernie Vandeweghe.

Tom Magliozzo, who with his younger brother, Ray, hosted “Car Talk,” for years the most popular entertainment show on NPR, died last week at his home outside of Boston. He was 77. “Car Talk,” with the brothers known as Click and Clack, was broadcast for more than 30 years. At its peak, “Cat Talk” reached more than four million listeners a week. The brothers stopped producing new shows in 2012. “Car Talk” began broadcasting in the Boston area in 1977. The show went national in 1987. Thomas Louis Magliozzi was born on June 28, 1937, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a Chemical Engineering degree at MIT in 1958. Ray graduated from MIT in 1972.

Acker Bilk, a British jazz clarinetist whose “Stranger on the Shore” reached the top of the pop charts in Britain and the United States, died last week in Bath, England. He was 85. “Stranger on the Shore” was a wistful ballad that reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1962, making Bilk one of the first British performers to achieve that distinction. Bernard Stanley Bilk was born Pensford, Somerset, England, on January 28, 1929. He adopted the stage name Acker from local slang for “friend.”

Ben Aycrigg, the dean of Orlando television anchors, died last week. He was 88. Aycrigg became a TV legend in east-central Florida during his 35 years with Channel 6. He retired in 1996 from WCPX, as the CBS affiliate was then known. Today, it is WKMG. During his long run there, he worked as reporter, news director and anchor. Ben Aycrigg was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His family moved to Winter Park, Florida, when he was 15. He graduated from Winter Park High School in 1944 and Rollins College in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a theater-arts minor. He worked in radio until 1959 when he made the jump to TV as a news reporter.

Brad Halsey, a former major league baseball pitcher, died last week after a fall in Texas. He was 33. In a recreational climbing accident, Halsey fell from a 100-foot cliff. A left-hander, he was 14-19 in 88 games with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics from 2004 through 2006.

Ernie Vandeweghe, a star New York Knicks player of the early 1950s, died Saturday. He was 86. Vandeweghe’s son Kiki also played for the Knicks and was a star at UCLA. In college, Vandeweghe was an All-American at Colgate University. While playing for the Knicks, he was a medical student at Columbia and later resident in pediatrics. He retired from professional basketball after six seasons with the Knicks. Vandeweghe’s wife was Miss America in 1952, representing Utah. Ernest Maurice Vandeweghe Jr. was born in Montreal, Quebec, on December 12, 1928, but grew up in Oceanside, New York, on Long Island.

College Football Week 11 – K-State at TCU; Buckeyes at Spartans
Knock, knock – you’re out

That’s what Auburn said to Ole Miss.

Fourteen teams – two undefeated and 12 with one-loss – are still standing after the first round of knockout games over the weekend. Knockout Round 1 is over.

The first of the weekly playoff rankings from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee was released last Tuesday evening. Each weekend through December 6, the so-called knockout games will whittle the list of contending teams down to four. The Top 4 teams in the final playoff rankings will go on to compete in the four-team playoff for the national championship.

After the competition over the weekend, there was no change in the number of undefeated teams – two. But the list of one-loss teams in the playoff rankings was reduced from 17 to 12. Five of the one-loss teams – Ole Miss, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and East Carolina – were knocked out.

In the biggest knockout game of the weekend, No. 3 Auburn (7-1) beat No. 4 Ole Miss (7-2), 35-31, all but knocking the Rebel Bears out of any possibility for the playoffs. It was Ole Miss’ second-straight loss, after beginning the season 7-0.

Unheralded Florida stunned No. 11 Georgia (6-2) in perhaps what was the weekend’s biggest shocker. The Gators knocked out the Dawgs to the tune of 38-20. And in another shocker, No. 23 East Carolina (6-2), a contender for the Golden Ticket berth, fell to Temple, 20-10. The Pirates can all but forget that berth now.

East Carolina was the highest-ranked Group of 5 team in the playoff rankings. That ranking had the Pirates headed for a spot in one of the Top Tier bowls on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Marshall, at 8-0, most likely will replace East Carolina as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team. But don’t count out Colorado State (8-1) or Boise State (6-2). Stay tuned!

No. 12 Arizona (6-2) had its hopes doused by No. 22 UCLA (7-2). The Bruins shut down the Wildcats high-powered offense, beating Arizona, 17-7. In another knockout game out West, No. 17 Utah (6-2) lost to No. 14 Arizona State (7-1), 19-16 in overtime.

In addition to Auburn and Arizona State, other big survivors over the weekend were Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn, TCU and Duke. No. 1 Miss State (8-0) hung on to beat Arkansas, 17-10. No. 2 Florida State (8-0) rallied to beat No. 25 Louisville (6-3), 42-31.

Thanks to a 37-yard field goal as time expired, No. 7 TCU (7-1) knocked out No. 20 West Virginia (6-3), 31-30. Thanks to a missed field goal, No. 24 Duke (7-1) escaped to beat Pitt 51-48 in two overtimes.

Other winners among the contenders were Oregon, Kansas State, Notre Dame, Baylor, Nebraska and Ohio State – all survived. No. 5 Oregon (7-1) had no problem with Stanford, beating the Cardinal, 45-16. No. 9 Kansas State (7-1) spanked Oklahoma State, 48-14. No. 10 Notre Dame (7-1) struggled at times before downing Navy, 49-39.

No. 13 Baylor (7-1) slaughtered Kansas, 60-14. No. 15 Nebraska (8-1) lost running back Ameer Abdullah to injury, but easily handled Purdue 35-14, and No. 16 Ohio State (7-1) had no trouble with Illinois, beating the Banned Indians, 55-14.

Another winner, No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2), blasted Iowa State, 59-14. No. 6 Alabama (7-1) and No. 8 Michigan State (7-1) did not play. No. 19 LSU (7-2) and No. 21 Clemson (6-2) also had the week off.

With the losses by Ole Miss, Georgia and Arizona, and with Alabama and Michigan State being idle, look for Oregon, TCU, Kansas State, Notre Dame, Baylor, Arizona State, Nebraska and Ohio State to make big moves in the playoff rankings when they are released Tuesday night. Oklahoma, UCLA and Duke should show improvement too.

There are five huge knockout games this week – Kansas State at TCU, Ohio State at Michigan State, Notre Dame at Arizona State, Alabama at LSU and Baylor at Oklahoma. The loser in those five games can kiss their chances goodbye.

In addition, two high-ranked teams in the playoff poll – Oregon and UCLA are facing some stiff challenges. The Ducks visit Salt Lake City to take on an always dangerous Utah. Meanwhile, the Bruins travel up the coast to Seattle for an encounter at Washington.

Barring major upsets, Mississippi State (UT-Martin), Florida State (Virginia), Auburn (Texas A&M), Clemson (Wake Forest), and Duke (Syracuse) should have little to no trouble. Nebraska has the week off.

Marshall, as mentioned earlier, may replace East Carolina in the playoff rankings this week as the Golden Ticket berth team. Marshall should have no trouble improving to 9-0 on Saturday. The Herd plays Southern Miss on the road.

Well, after all the shenanigans over the weekend, seven new candidates popped up on various “hot seat” lists out Sunday. Some of them are interesting too. How about Mark Richt for starters? Yeah, after the loss to Florida, some Dawg fans are calling for Richt’s head. Richt does have problems putting it all together.

Three other coaches joining some hot seat lists are Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer, North Carolina’s Larry Fedora and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald. The Hokies lost to Boston College, 33-31, falling to 4-5 on the season (1-4 in the ACC). The Tar Heels lost to Miami (Florida), 47-20, giving them a 4-5 mark overall. North Carolina fans, in general, are in a funk right now with all the problems going on in Chapel Hill.

Meanwhile, in Evanston, a better season was expected for Fitzgerald’s Wildcats (3-5). Northwestern lost to Iowa, 48-7.

And last, but not least, three more names surfacing on hot seat lists after Saturday were Mike Leach, Mike Gundy and – drum roll – Steve Spurrier. Leach is making no progress in Pullman. Washington State, 2-7 (1-5 in the Pac-12) lost to USC, 44-17. In Stillwater, Gundy’s Cowboys lost their third-straight game by a big score. Oklahoma State fell to Kansas State, 48-14.

Finally, Gamecock fans are not happy. Picked to win the SEC East Division, South Carolina is 4-5 (2-5 in the SEC). Saturday, the Gamecocks lost at home to Tennessee, 45-42 in overtime.

Stay tuned!

Another coach apologized Sunday for his team’s actions – or lack thereof. Prior to the start of the Maryland-Penn State game in State College, the Maryland captains refused to shake hands with the Penn State captains after the coin toss ceremony.

“That’s not who we are. I apologize for that,” Maryland coach Randy Edsall.

“I’ve never seen that before,” Penn State coach James Franklin.

Last week, Michigan coach Brady Hoke apologized to Michigan State. Prior to the Wolverines game against the Spartans in East Lansing, a Michigan player drove a stake into the field at Spartan Stadium.

Speaking of the Wolverines, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon resigned last week. Brandon has been under fire from Michigan students, faculty and fans. His resignation was readily accepted, without hesitation, from Michigan president Mark Schlissel.

Michigan should have known better than to bring in someone from a tacky pizza company to run their athletic department. Promoting an athletic program at a major university requires more class than selling pepperoni and extra cheese on pizzas. Marketing, public relations and finances, not to mention Michigan’s football team, were all going downhill during Brandon’s tenure in Ann Arbor. Michigan coach Brady Hoke most likely will be fired next.

Somebody in the media was impressed by the Gators win over Georgia. Florida got one point in the AP poll. And Steve Spurrier doesn’t vote in the AP poll.

And then there was the sign at College GameDay in Morgantown: “North Carolina: Where getting a college degree is easier than Marshall’s schedule.”

Are you ready for the knockout games this week? Knockout Round 2 is coming. Knock, knock – you’re out! Who’s it going to be?

If you haven’t voted already, make sure you get out and vote on Tuesday!

Touchdown Tom
November 3, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Down and out – Auburn 35, Ole Miss 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 24, Auburn 17). The lead changed hands four times in the game. It almost changed hands five times. It did for a while. But on review, it was determined that Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell fumbled the ball inches before he crossed the goal line. That “almost touchdown” would have given the Rebel Bears the lead with only 1:30 left in the game. It was an unusual game for Auburn – unusual in that the Tigers had more yards passing – 254 – than they did running – 253. Well, one more yard. The lack of a running game continued to be a problem for Ole Miss. Bo Wallace passed for 341 yards. He was also the Rebel Bears leading rusher with 61 yards. Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 143 yards. Attendance in Oxford: 62,090

RUNNER UP: Wakeup call – Florida State 42, Louisville 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Louisville 23). With less than a minute to go in the first half, Louisville had a 21-0 lead over Florida State. But it was all Noles after that. FSU outscored the Cardinals 42-10, with the first 7 of those 42 points coming with 33 seconds left before the half. Louisville had the ability to score against FSU, but the Cardinals had no defense to contain the Noles. FSU had 574 yards on offense. Louisville, in turn, was 1-for-11 on third down conversions. Attendance in Louisville: 55,414

REST OF THE BEST: Devils get their kicks – Arizona State 19, Utah 16 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 27, Utah 26). Late in the fourth quarter, Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez kicked a 30-yard field goal to tie the score. In the first overtime period, Gonzalez kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Sun Devils the victory. ASU dominated the game, outgaining Utah 444 yards to 241. The Utes only had 57 yards passing. Devontae Booker’s 146 yards rushing and two turnovers by the Sun Devils kept Utah in the game. Attendance in Tempe: 53,754

It came down to a Frog’s leg – TCU 31, West Virginia 30 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 37, West Virginia 34). Five turnovers and the lack of an offense in the fourth quarter doomed the Mountaineers. WVU led 27-14 late in the third quarter. West Virginia’s defense played an excellent game until TCU’s final drive in the closing seconds. All five of WVU’s turnovers were in their own territory. Clint Trickett is a good quarterback, but he is a careless quarterback. He’s a good-careless quarterback. Or is he a careless-good quarterback? TCU’s Jaden Oberkrom kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired. Attendance in Morgantown: 61,190

Where’s the offense? – UCLA 17, Arizona 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 34, UCLA 32). It’s not often a Rich Rod team only scores 7 points. UCLA outgained the Arizona 460 yards to 255. The Wildcats only had 80 yards rushing. Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon only completed 37 percent of his passes. Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley passed for 189 yards and rushed for another 131 yards. What was expected to be an offensive extravaganza ended up a defensive battle. Attendance in Pasadena: 80,246

A pond of a day – Oregon 45, Stanford 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 20, Stanford 12). Oregon made up for its recent losses to Stanford. The Ducks’ Marcus Mariota passed for 258 yards and ran for another 85. Stanford’s defense, which has been the only good thing about the Trees all season, fell apart against Oregon. The Ducks had 525 total yards – 258 passing and 267 rushing. Attendance in Eugene: 58,794

Purple pride – Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, Oklahoma State 13). Kansas State remains the only undefeated team in Big 12 Conference play. Early in the fourth quarter, K-State had a 45-7 lead over the Cowboys. Attendance in Manhattan: 53,746

The Bulldogs by a Pork rind – Mississippi State 17, Arkansas 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 30, Arkansas 18). Arkansas came to play and the Hogs almost beat Miss State. State’s Dak Prescott passed for 331 yards and rushed for 61. But he also threw three interceptions. In the waning seconds of the game, Arkansas, near the Bulldogs’ goal line, was poised to score until quarterback Brandon Allen threw his only interception of the game. Attendance in Starkville: 63,207

Mizzou’s on top in the SEC East – Missouri 20, Kentucky 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 26, Kentucky 25). A lot of defense; not much offense. Mizzou’s Maty Mauk passed for 164 yards and rushed for another 75. Kentucky only had 102 yards rushing. Attendance in Columbia: 62,004

Walked the gang plank – Temple 20, East Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: East Carolina 30, Temple 19). Five turnovers – all fumbles – doomed the Pirates. Temple grabbed a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back. ECU dominated the Owls with 428 total yards to 135 for Temple. The Owls only had 70 yards passing and 65 rushing. Attendance in Philadelphia: 22,130

On Badgers – Wisconsin 37, Rutgers 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 38, Rutgers 26). Wisconsin put on a running show with 298 yards rushing – 131 for Corey Clement and 128 for Melvin Gordon. Clement averaged 9.4 yards per carry. The Badgers held Rutgers to 63 yards passing and 76 rushing. Attendance in Piscataway: 52,797

Buzz – Georgia Tech 35, Virginia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 29, Virginia 25). Tech’s Synjyn Days rushed for 147 yards, while the Yellow Jackets’ defense held Virginia to 22 yards rushing. Attendance in Atlanta: 46,657

I’m shocked – Florida 38, Georgia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 26, Florida 17). I’m flabbergasted. I figured the Gators would play inspired football and that Will Muschamp would pull out all stops – Florida’s first touchdown was on a fake field goal attempt. But I didn’t figure that would be enough to conquer the Dawgs. The game was worse than the score indicates. Georgia scored its last touchdown with 0:03 remaining in the game. Florida only had 27 yards passing, but Georgia couldn’t stop the run. The Gators had 418 yards rushing. Florida’s Kelvin Taylor rushed for 197 yards and Matt Jones added another 192 on the ground. Attendance in Jacksonville: 83,004

Turtles by a hare – Maryland 20, Penn State 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 30, Maryland 20). Entering the fourth quarter, Penn State led 16-7. But Maryland outscored the Nitts 13-3 in the final period. Neither team played inspired football. Maryland only had 33 yards rushing and Penn State only had 42. Both had less than 200 yards passing. Maryland’s winning field goal came with 0:51 left in the game. Attendance in State College: 103,969

The slide continues in Blacksburg – Boston College 33, Virginia Tech 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 22, Virginia Tech 19). Tech’s Max Brewer passed for 345 yards, but the Hokies only had 69 yards rushing. Most of the action was in the fourth quarter. The teams scored 24 points in the final 7 minutes of the game. Attendance in Blacksburg: 55,729


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

The Birds – Iowa 48, Northwestern 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Northwestern 20). Iowa dominated the game with 483 total yards to only 180 for Northwestern. The Hawkeyes remain a contender for the Big Ten West crown. Attendance in Iowa City: 66,887


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Damaged Corn – Nebraska 35, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Purdue 23). Nebraska played most of the game without running back Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah sprained and bruised his knee on the Huskers’ second possession and sat out the rest of the game. Purdue outgained the Huskers 340 yards to 297. But the game was never really in doubt. Attendance in Lincoln: 91,107

Devils pull out another one – Duke 51, Pitt 48 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Pitt 21). No defense in this game. The teams combined for 1,036 total yards. Pitt had 37 first downs to 25 for Duke. Pitt’s James Conner rushed for 263 yards; while Duke’s Anthony Boone passed for 266 yards. The Panthers were 9-for-13 in third-down efficiency. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 39,293

No Kliff-hanger – Texas 34, Texas Tech 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Texas Tech 20). Late in the second quarter, Texas Tech led 13-10. But the Red Raiders never scored again. Texas went on to score 24 unanswered points. Tech is 1-6 in its last seven games. Attendance in Lubbock: 60,961


Week 10 Pick Results: 14 correct, 5 wrong (73.7 percent)
On the Season: 139 correct, 45 wrong (75.5 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Miami 47, North Carolina 20 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 51,702 …. Connecticut 37, UCF 29 – Attendance in East Hartford: 28,751 …. Houston 27, South Florida 3 – Attendance in Tampa: 29,782.

UAB 31, Florida Atlantic 28 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 17,724 …. Rice 31, Florida International 17 – Attendance in Miami: 12,097 …. Norfolk State 12, Florida A&M 10 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 18,663.

Bethune-Cookman 34, North Carolina Central 20 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 3,661 …. Marist 17, Jacksonville U. 16 – Attendance in Poughkeepsie: 914 …. Stetson 28, Campbell 24 – Attendance in Buies Creek: 2,878 …. Florida Tech 34, Shorter 30 – Attendance in Rome: 2,250


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 36-52-2 for 404 yards; USC’s Cody Kessler – 21-32-0-400; Washington State’s Lucas Falk – 38-57-1-370; Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace – 27-39-0-361; Hawaii’s Ikaika Woolsey – 26-46-2-356; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 28-54-0-349, and South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson – 20-32-1-347.

Also, Virginia Tech’s Max Brewer – 31-48-0 for 345 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Cody Sokol – 30-42-1-335; State’s Dak Prescott – 18-27-2-331; Louisville’s Will Gardner – 20-38-1-330; Wyoming’s Colby Kirkegaard – 19-28-0-320; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 30-45-1-320, and Georgia’s Hutson Mason – 26-42-0-319.

Also, BYU’s Christian Stewart – 28-45-0 for 316 yards; Notre Dame’s Everett Golson – 18-25-1-315; Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 36-52-1-314; San Jose State’s Joe Gray – 26-51-2-308; Syracuse’s A.J. Long – 22-42-2-307; Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs – 23-40-1-301; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 22-28-0-290, and Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke – 22-37-1-290;


Impressive Rushers:

Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 281 yards; Pitt’s James Conner – 263 yards; Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox – 250 yards; Florida’s Kelvin Taylor – 197 yards; Memphis’ Brandon Hayes – 197 yards; Florida’s Matt Jones – 192 yards; California’s Daniel Lasco – 188 yards, and Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 182 yards.

Also, New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 181 yards; Miami of Florida’s Duke Johnson – 177 yards; Washington’s Shaq Thompson – 174 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 167 yards; Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs – 166 yards; Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb – 166 yards, and Central Michigan’s Devon Spalding – 154 yards.

Also, East Carolina’s Chris Hairston – 153 yards; Utah State’s Lajuan Hunt – 150 yards; Notre Dame’s Tarean Folston – 149 yards; San Jose State’s Tyler Ervin – 149 yards; Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days – 147 yards; Oklahoma’s Trevor Knight – 146 yards, and Utah’s Devontae Booker – 146 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Well, you’ve got to get home and explain to your 9-year-old why they’re chanting to fire your dad. That’s not very fun,” Florida coach Will Muschamp.

“When you drive to the hoop in the Big 12, you’ll draw a foul. When you drove to the hoop in the Big East, you would draw blood,” West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins.

“Muschamp is going to get fired; it just hasn’t been announced yet. I suspect the official announcement will come Sunday after the Gators get destroyed by the Dawgs,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“In my opinion, Muschamp made two fatal errors: He hired the wrong coordinators and he chose the wrong quarterback,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“In short, Muschamp either hindered the development of the offense over four years or he chose the wrong people to coordinate it and quarterback it. I guess it doesn’t really matter. Either way, it’s his fault,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“We’ve had about three or four like this, this year. So, I guess I should be getting used to it by now. But I have a tough time getting used to these kind of things. So I don’t need to take any questions. You guys watched it, and I need to just get out of here,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, after the Gamecocks loss to Tennessee.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Kansas State (7-1) at TCU (7-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – K-State is undefeated in Big 12 play. Their one loss was to Auburn. TCU’s lone loss was to Baylor in the Big 12. Both teams have explosive offenses. The Wildcats have the better defense. The winner has a good chance of making the four-team playoff. I like the Wildcats’ chances – Kansas State 33, TCU 30.

RUNNER UP: 2. Ohio State (7-1) at Michigan State (7-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – The Spartans have a quality win (Nebraska) and a good loss (Oregon). Ohio State, on the other hand, has no quality wins and a bad loss (Virginia Tech). The winner has a good chance of making the playoffs. The loser can forget it. Spartans are tougher – Michigan State 26, Ohio State 25.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Notre Dame (7-1)) at Arizona State (7-1) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – The Irish are not respected in the playoff rankings because they have no quality wins. They do have a good loss (Florida State). Beating the Sun devils will give the Irish a quality win and more respect in the rankings. But ASU has visions of sugar plums too – Arizona State 30, Notre Dame 28.

4. Alabama (7-1) at LSU (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – This is a different LSU team than the one that began the season. The Tigers are better. But this is a different Alabama team since the one that lost to Ole Miss. The Tide is better too – Alabama 28, LSU 27.

5. Oregon (8-1) at Utah (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Utah was looking good until Arizona State came along. And how did the Utes ever lose to Washington State? Oregon has been on a mission since the loss to Arizona. The Ducks are serious playoff contenders too. The Lake isn’t too salty for the Ducks – Oregon 27, Utah 18.

6. Baylor (7-1) at Oklahoma (6-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1) – Baylor has a shot at the playoffs. And OU isn’t entirely out of it yet. The Bears are the only team that has beaten TCU. The Sooners are looking for another good win. Baylor’s just the team – Oklahoma 35, Baylor 27.

7. Texas A&M (6-3) at Auburn (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – Remember back at the beginning of the season when we all thought Texas A&M was going to be good? And Kenny Hill became Kenny Trill? Well, the Trill is gone – literally. And the Aggies aren’t good. After a couple tough games, Aubie has an easy time of it – Auburn 39, Texas A&M 20.

8. UCLA (7-2) at Washington (6-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – Slim as they are, the Bruins are still hanging onto hopes. They may be pipe dreams. But the Bruins can still win the Pac-12. It has been a tough inaugural season for Chris Petersen at Washington. It gets tougher – UCLA 24, Washington 22.

9. Iowa (6-2) at Minnesota (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – Both teams are still in the running for the Big Ten West title. After Saturday, the Gophers will be in the running for the hole – Iowa 27, Minnesota 24.

10. Virginia (4-5) at Florida State (8-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (6:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Most teams would give a fortune to have FSU’s schedule – Knitting Society State College one week; Baptist Preachers State U. the next week. And we all know Virginia is for lovers – not football. The Noles are lovin’ it – Florida State 33, Virginia 15.

11. Louisville (6-3) at Boston College (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (7:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – What a surprise BC has been this season – surprisingly good. And Louisville ain’t bad either. This should be a good one. More good for the Eagles – Boston College 26, Louisville 23.

12. Georgia Tech (7-2) at NC State (5-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ACCN) – Typically, just when Tech is about to convince you it really is a pretty good team, the Jackets up and lose. That could happen Saturday. But it won’t – Georgia Tech 29, NC State 22.

13. Georgia (6-2) at Kentucky (5-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – So, how will the Dawgs respond, following the loss to Florida? Will they be in a funk? The Wildcats hope so. But they shouldn’t get their hopes up. The Dawgs rebound – Georgia 30, Kentucky 25.

14. Marshall (8-0) at Southern Miss (3-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) – Southern Miss isn’t even a trap game. This won’t do anything for Marshall’s credibility in the playoff poll. The Herd can’t lose – Marshall 36, Southern Miss 19.

15. West Virginia (6-3) at Texas (4-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – How will the Eers respond to the heartbreaking loss to TCU? They can’t afford to get in a funk. Texas is a winnable game. The Horns are out of tune – West Virginia 27, Texas 23.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. Louisiana Tech (6-3) at UAB (5-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (12 noon ET, Saturday, Local) – UAB could be looking ahead to Marshall; while La Tech is looking to win the C-USA West. The Bulldogs get to play Marshall too – Louisiana Tech 29, UAB 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Florida (4-3) at Vanderbilt (3-6) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Vandy is all excited. The Dores think they are catching Florida at the right time – still celebrating the Georgia victory. Guess what Vandy? – The Gators can multi-task – Florida 24, Vanderbilt 12.

Duke (7-1) at Syracuse (3-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) – The Dookies are looking forward to knocking off FSU in the ACC title game. But they have to win the Coastal Division first. The Cuse are another notch in the Dookies’ pitch fork – Duke 29, Syracuse 23.

Wisconsin (6-2) at Purdue (3-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Badgers still have a shot at winning the Big Ten west. And the Boilers won’t stop them – Wisconsin 30, Purdue 17.

Nebraska (8-1) is off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic (3-6) at North Texas (2-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) …. Florida International (3-6) at Old Dominion (3-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local).

South Carolina State (6-3) at Florida A&M (2-7) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (3 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Bethune-Cookman (7-2) at Norfolk State (4-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPNU).

Jacksonville U. (7-2) at Davidson (1-8) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Marist (3-6) at Stetson (4-5) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (3 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Florida Tech (6-3) at West Georgia (7-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday)

Miami (6-3), UCF (5-3) and South Florida (3-6) are off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Florida A&M fired football coach Earl Holmes. Holmes overall record at FAMU was 6-16…. Former Iowa State football coach and Florida State and Vanderbilt athletic director Clay Stapleton died in Missouri City, Missouri. He was 93. Stapleton was the coach of the Cyclones from 1958 to 1967. He was raised in Fleming, Kentucky, and played football at Tennessee. Stapleton began his coaching career at Wofford College.

John Kadlec, a University of Missouri sports icon whose Tiger career spanned more than a half-century as player, coach, administrator and broadcaster, died. He was 86. Kadlec, known as “Mr. Mizzou,” played football under coach Don Faurot in the 1940s and served as an assistant coach under Dan Devine and Al Onofrio. He was the radio game analyst for 16 seasons and was a longtime director of the Tiger Scholarship Fund.

Georgia Tech and South Florida have scheduled a home-and-home football series for 2021 and 2022…. The Big Ten begins playing a nine-game conference schedule in 2016. The Big Ten joins the Big 12 and Pac-12 who also play a nine-game conference schedule.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in early November as the college football season began its final stretch, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1944 was “I’ll Walk Alone” by Dinah Shore

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “That Lucky Old Sun” by Frankie Laine

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “This Ole House” by Rosemary Clooney

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “Baby Love” by The Supremes

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “Pop Muzik” by M

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “Listen to Your Heart” by Roxette

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Oscar Taveras and Thomas Menino.

Oscar Taveras, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, died last week in the Dominican Republic. He was 22. Taveras was killed in a car wreck. He made his major league debut on May 31 of this season and played 80 games for the Cardinals. Taveras batted .239 with three homeruns. Oscar Taveras was born in July 1992.

Thomas Menino, Boston’s longest-serving mayor, died last week in Boston. He was 71. Menino was Boston’s first Italian-American mayor and its first mayor not of Irish descent since 1930. Thomas Michael Menino was born on December 27, 1942, in the Hyde Park area of Boston. He was first elected to city council in 1983. He became mayor in 1993 and held the office to 2013.