College Football Week 20 – Bucks vs. Ducks
Bowl Mania Week II: Never a dull moment

From Bad Day at Big 12 to Michigan gets its man to what’s up (or down) with the SEC West and more – Bowl Mania Week II was full of revelations, big news and excitement. There was never a dull moment.

Bowl Mania Week II began on December 29. Remember the movie “Bad Day at Black Rock?” Well, the first day of Bowl Mania Week II was “Bad Day at Big 12.”

Three Big 12 teams – West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas – played on December 29. All three lost – two got their clocks cleaned. The day began in Memphis with West Virginia losing to Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl. The Mountaineers lost to the Aggies, 45-37.

WVU’s eight-point loss to A&M turned out to be the best performance by the Big 12 on December 29. It all went downhill from there. Next up, Oklahoma was humiliated by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Sooners lost to the Tigers in the Orlando bowl, 40-6. The score was 40-0 at the end of the third quarter.

Not to be outdone, Texas added to the Big 12’s doldrums in the nightcap. In the Texas Bowl in Houston, the Longhorns lost to Arkansas, 31-7. Texas not only lost to the Razorbacks, but the Longhorns only managed 59 total yards in the game – only 2 yards rushing. Yes, December 29 was a bad day – a very bad day – for the Big 12.

Little did we know it at the time, but Arkansas’ win would be the last by a team from the SEC West. Stay tuned.

Interestingly, it was a Texas A&M assistant coach who stole the show on December 29. Michael Richardson, a graduate-assistant coach and former player for the Aggies, was caught, not once but twice, hitting two West Virginia players, each on separate instances, during the WVU-A&M game.

Richardson struck the West Virginia players on the sideline as momentum carried them off the field at the end of a play. Both incidents occurred in the first half. It was apparent to viewers watching the game on TV. But for some reason the officials – who else but ACC – failed to flag Richardson.

At halftime, when the incidents were reported to Kevin Sumlin, the Texas A&M coach sent Richardson packing – back to College Station. The graduate assistant did not return to the field for the second half. A video of Richardson striking the West Virginia players went viral on the internet. Sumlin later issued an apology to WVU and the Mountaineer players involved. That may have been the nicest thing to happen to the Big 12 on December 29.

The next day, after weeks of speculation, Michigan finally got its man. The Wolverines introduced 51-year-old Jim Harbaugh as the school’s new coach. Harbaugh had been Michigan’s No. 1 target ever since Brady Hoke was fired on December 2.

Harbaugh, however, did not sign a contract with Michigan for $8-10 million a year as had been speculated. Instead, his contract is $5 million annually, plus bonuses and incentives. Not bad.

Harbaugh is a former quarterback for the Wolverines. As a fifth-year senior in 1986, he led Michigan to the 1987 Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines lost to Arizona State, 22-15. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing third. After playing in the NFL for 14 seasons, Harbaugh has been a head coach at the University of San Diego, Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers.

The first bowl game on December 30 was between two teams who had disappointing seasons – LSU and Notre Dame. One turned their disappointment around while the other remained disappointing.

LSU came into the Music City Bowl a big favorite over the Irish. But the Tigers left Nashville a 31-28 loser to Notre Dame. It’s no wonder Michigan didn’t want Les Miles. LSU’s problem during the season carried over to the bowl game – the Tigers didn’t have a quarterback. Also, little did we know it at the time, but LSU’s loss was the first of a five-game losing streak for teams from the SEC West.

In Charlotte, Georgia beat Louisville in the Belk Bowl, 37-14. The Dawgs’ Nick Chubb ran for an amazing 266 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Next, on a windy night in Santa Clara, Stanford ran over Maryland in the Old MacDonald…..I mean…..Foster Farms Bowl, 45-21. The Terps only managed 17 yards rushing. Maryland coach Randy Edsall will enter the 2015 season on the hot seat – a very hot seat.

That evening, Swamp Mama and I went to see “The Imitation Game,” followed by dinner out. It was our second movie in seven days. The other one was “The Theory of Everything.” Both were excellent choices.

New Year’s Eve began with a stunner – the first of three. In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, TCU plastered Ole Miss, 42-3. The score was 42-0 at the end of the third quarter. The Rebel Black Bear, Landshark, Hotty Toddies only had 9 yards rushing and weren’t much better passing.

A friend of mine said he thought Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace looked like he was drunk, or on drugs. I had to agree. The streaks running down from his eye black made Wallace look like something out of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Not sure what that was all about. TCU was about the only bright spot for the Big 12 in the bowl games; while Ole Miss made it loss No. 2 for the SEC West.

You don’t ever want to have to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos upped their Fiesta Bowl record to 3-0 with a 38-30 upset of Arizona. Boise State finished its season on a 9-game winning streak. The nightcap on New Year’s Eve was another stunner. Georgia Tech surprised Mississippi State – and everyone else – in the Orange Bowl, 49-34.

Tech’s Synjyn Days rushed for 171 yards. Quarterback Justin Thomas added another 121 yards rushing. Wonder who Dan Mullen blamed for this loss? The Bulldogs became the third-straight SEC West victim.

Reports have Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller making inquiries to Florida State and a half dozen other schools about transferring. It’s difficult to see Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones all three on the Ohio State roster next season – too much talent at the same position on one team.

You know all three want to play. As a graduate transfer, Miller would be eligible to play right away at another school. In addition to Florida State, Miller has put out feelers to Duke, Florida, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas and Michigan – yes Michigan.

Texas coach Charlie Strong fired two of his assistants – the tight ends and receivers coaches. Can’t say I’m surprised after the 31-7 shellacking from Arkansas.

New Year’s Day was a great day for the Big Ten and another bad day for the SEC West. Up first, Auburn fell to Wisconsin in Tampa’s Outback Bowl, 34-31 in overtime. The Badgers’ Melvin Gordon rushed for an incredible 251 yards.

Interestingly, Auburn lost to two teams this season – Texas A&M and Wisconsin – who each suffered a 59-0 loss. A&M who beat Auburn 41-38 on November 8 had earlier lost to Alabama 59-0 on October 18. Wisconsin lost to Ohio State, 59-0, in the Big Ten championship game on December 6.

Next, Michigan State shocked Baylor, 42-41, in the Cotton Bowl. Shocked, because Baylor led the Spartans 41-21 early in the fourth quarter. The game was reminiscent of Baylor’s 61-58 win over TCU during the season. In that game, TCU led Baylor 58-37 early in the fourth quarter. Baylor scored 24 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes of the game. In the Cotton Bowl, Michigan State scored 21 unanswered points in the final 12 minutes of the game.

At the end of the season, Baylor coach Art Briles mouthed-off like crazy when his Bears weren’t selected as one of the four playoff teams. He went bananas. He went berserk. Meanwhile, fellow Big 12 coach Gary Patterson kept his mouth shut. I think Briles should have kept his mouth shut.

In Orlando’s Citrus Bowl, Missouri beat Minnesota, 33-17. It was the Big Ten’s only blight on the day. The Missouri win improved the SEC East to 3-0 in bowl games.

In the first of the two playoff games, it was curtains for Jameis Winston and his Seminoles, as Oregon flattened Florida State, 59-20, in the Rose Bowl. Oregon finished the game scoring 34 unanswered points. Hindsight is 20/20, but hindsight says TCU should have been in the playoffs instead of FSU.

Then in the nightcap on New Year’s Day, Ohio State stunned the nation’s No. 1 team, beating Alabama, 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl – the other playoff game. The Buckeyes’ running back Ezekiel Elliott ran over Alabama to the tune of 230 yards. Bucks’ quarterback Cardale Jones out-performed Bama quarterback Blake Sims. It was a sad night for Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. The Crimson Tide defense was a no show. Under Nick Saban, Alabama is 0-3 in Sugar Bowls.

On January 2, Houston rallied to beat Pitt in a wild game with a wild finish. The Cougars won the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, 35-34. Late in the fourth quarter, Houston trailed Pitt, 34-13. The Cougars proceeded to score 22 points in the final 3:41 of the game. The last two scores for Houston were aided by two successful onside kicks. Both Houston and Pitt were coached by interim coaches.

Tennessee kept the SEC East perfect in bowl games with the Vols 45-28 win over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. Watch out for Tennessee in 2015.

The final two games on January 2 matched the Pac-12 against the Big 12 in both games. The Pac-12 won the first game when UCLA downed Kansas State, 40-35, in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. The Big 12 won the second game when Oklahoma State beat Washington, 30-22, in the Cactus Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

In the Birmingham Bowl on January 3, Florida got by East Carolina, 28-20. The Gators were coached by a lame duck – defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Durkin is not being retained by new Florida coach Jim McElwain, who attended the game.

Reports have ex-Florida offensive coordinator (under Will Muschamp) Kurt Roper interviewing for the OC position at Georgia. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has fired his co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell. Pardon me, but shouldn’t Stoops be firing his brother – defensive coordinator Mike Stoops?

Earlier reports had Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel potentially transferring to Duke. But the latest word has Driskel transferring to Louisiana Tech. As a graduate transfer, Driskel can play for Louisiana Tech next season. Stay tuned.

At last, after 16 days of bowl games, Toledo beat Arkansas State, 63-44, in the Go Daddy Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The teams combined for 35 points in the first quarter and 34 points in the fourth quarter. The Rockets’ Kareem Hunt rushed for 271 yards.

Two SEC coaches got their start at Arkansas State. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze coached the Red Wolves for one year in 2011 before leaving for Oxford. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn coached Arkansas State for one year in 2012 before leaving to coach the Tigers.

So after all 38 bowl games, Conference USA (4-1) and the Pac-12 (6-2) were looking good. On the downside, the ACC (4-7) and the Big 12 (2-5) were looking bad. The other conferences were at or near 500.

The biggest embarrassment in the bowls was the West Division of the SEC. The SEC West was billed during the season as the best group of seven teams in the country. No other conference or division in a conference could touch the SEC West. All seven teams played in bowl games. With the help of ESPN, Paul Finebaum, etc, most everyone fell for the hype.

Well, after the dust had settled, the SEC West was a wussy 2-5. Meanwhile, the SEC East – the stepchild of the SEC – finished 5-0 in its bowl games.

And after 28 games, I finished 20-18 in my picks.

The Oregon-Florida State and Ohio State-Alabama playoff games were the two highest rated cable TV shows ever since the dawn of cable television. Oregon-FSU drew 28.2 million viewers, while Ohio State-Bama drew 28.3 million viewers.

North Dakota State (14-1) will play Illinois State (13-1) this Saturday for the FCS national championship. The game will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

And finally, there is the city of Oregon, Ohio, which plans to officially change its name for 24 hours on January 12. Prior to January 12 the mayor of Oregon, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo will issue a proclamation with the name change. Suggestions for the brief name change include Ohio City, Buckeye Town and Brutusville. Stay tuned.

Along with the city’s name change, the high school in Oregon, Ohio, whose colors are green and gold also officially will change it colors for 24 hours on January 12. You guessed it – red and gray.

Touchdown Tom
January 5, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Bowl Game Review

Dirty (in the Liberty Bowl) – Texas A&M 45, West Virginia 37 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 35, Texas A&M 34). West Virginia took a 17-7 lead late in the first quarter, but it was pretty much all Texas A&M after that. The Aggies outscored WVU 38-20 during the remainder of the game. The teams combined for 1,001 yards of offense. The Mounties had 346 yards passing, while A&M had 235 yards rushing. The Aggies’ Tra Carson rushed for 133 yards. Texas A&M was charged with five personal fouls in the game. The Aggies escaped being called for three more personal fouls – a targeting hit on WVU quarterback Skyler Howard and two separate attacks on WVU players by an A&M assistant coach on the sideline. Attendance in Memphis: 51,282

Stooped (in the Russell Athletic Bowl) – Clemson 40, Oklahoma 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 28, Clemson 16). This game was over before it began. Clemson jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead. The Tigers led 40-0 in the third quarter. OU finally scored midway through the fourth quarter. Clemson won the game with only 68 yards rushing. But Tigers’ quarterback Cole Stoudt passed for 319 yards. The Sooners’ Samaje Perine rushed for 134 yards. OU had five turnovers to none for Clemson. Attendance in Orlando: 40,071

59 (in the Texas Bowl) – Arkansas 31, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 17, Arkansas 16). That’s how many total yards Texas had – 59. And only 2 of those yards rushing. Meanwhile, Arkansas racked up 351 total yards, roughly half passing and half running. The Razorbacks had 20 first downs to only 7 for Texas. Arkansas dominated time of possession, 41:10 minutes to 18:50. Attendance in Houston: 71,115

No wonder Michigan didn’t want Les Miles (in the Music City Bowl) – Notre Dame 31, LSU 28 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 23, Notre Dame 20). The game was tied four times before Notre Dame’s Kyle Brindza kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Irish the win. The teams were pretty even in the stats. Michigan State played two quarterbacks – Malik Zaire and Everett Golson. LSU’s Leonard Fournette had 143 yards rushing. Attendance in Nashville: 60,149

Uga is a joker, he’s a Dawg (in the Belk Bowl) – Georgia 37, Louisville 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Louisville 23). Tied 7-7 at the start of the second quarter, Georgia went on to score 20 unanswered points to take a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Leading 27-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dawgs added two more touchdowns in the final period, while shutting out the Cardinals. The Georgia defense held Louisville to 62 yards rushing, while the Dawg offense racked up 292 yards on the ground. Georgia’s Nick Chubb rushed for an amazing 266 yards. Louisville’s Kyle Bolin passed for 300 yards. Attendance in Charlotte: 45,671

Tree farm (in the Foster Farms Bowl) – Stanford 45, Maryland 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, Maryland 14). The game was tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter before Stanford reeled off 35 unanswered points. The Cardinal led 42-7 early in the fourth quarter. Stanford had 414 total yards to 222 for Maryland. The Terps only had 17 yards rushing. Attendance in Santa Clara: 34,780

Freeze frozen (in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl) – TCU 42, Ole Miss 3 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 23, Ole Miss 16). TCU led 28-0 at the half and added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Ole Miss’ only points – a field goal – came midway through the fourth quarter. The Frogs held Ole Miss to only 9 yards rushing. TCU outgained Ole Miss 423 yards to 129. The Frogs had 24 first downs to10 for the Rebel Bears. The game was marred with 8 turnovers – 4 by each team. Attendance in Atlanta: 65,706

The Rod wasn’t rich – (in the Fiesta Bowl) – Boise State 38, Arizona 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 37, Boise State 29). Boise State jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Arizona got its first touchdown late in the first quarter. The Broncos led at the half 31-17. Arizona scored with 6:11 to go in the game to close the gap to 8 points – 38-30. But that was as close as the Wildcats could get. The teams were pretty even in the stats, all the way down to turnovers – 2 each. Both quarterbacks Grant Hedrick (Boise State) and Anu Solomon (Arizona) passed for more than 300 yards each. The Broncos’ Jay Ajayi rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in Glendale: 66,896

Honey, honey! (in the Orange Bowl) – Georgia Tech 49, Mississippi State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 29, Georgia Tech 27). Georgia Tech scored early in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead and the Yellow Jackets never trailed for the rest of the game. But Miss State kept is close at times. Tech led by 1 at the half – 21-20. Then the Jackets outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the third quarter. It was curtains for the Bulldogs. The teams combined for 1,182 yards of offense. Miss State had 453 yards passing (Dak Prescott). Tech had 452 yards rushing – 171 yards by Synjyn Days and 121 yards by quarterback Justin Thomas. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 58,211

On Bucky (in the Outback Bowl) – Wisconsin 34, Auburn 31 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, Wisconsin 26). There were no less than six lead changes in this game. That’s how close it was. Wisconsin took the first lead at 7-0 just 4 minutes into the game. And it was Wisconsin who tied the game, 31-31, with 0:07 on the clock to put it into overtime. The Badgers won the game on the ground with 400 yards rushing – 251 of those by Melvin Gordon. Gordon averaged 7.4 yards per carry. The Badgers won in spite of having 3 turnovers to none for Auburn. Attendance in Tampa: 44,023

Was Mike Leach coaching Baylor? (in the Cotton Bowl) – Michigan State 42, Baylor 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, Michigan State 19). This was a close game in the first half. Baylor led at the break, 24-14. Then the Bears outscored the Spartans 17-7 in the third quarter and built up a 41-21 lead. More than 2 minutes into the fourth quarter, Baylor still led 41-21. But shortly after that, Michigan State scored the first 7 of its 21 unanswered points. The Spartans scored their final 7 points with only 0:17 left in the game. The teams combined for 1,135 total yards. Baylor had 603 yards passing, but -20 rushing. MSU had a balanced attack. The Spartans Jeremy Langford rushed for 162 yards. Attendance in Arlington: 71,464

No Gold in that Gopher (in the Citrus Bowl) – Missouri 33, Minnesota 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 26, Minnesota 23). This was a close game for three quarters. Mizzou led 19-17 at the start of the fourth quarter. Then the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points to put it away. Mizzou only had 97 yards passing, but the Tigers had 337 rushing. Mizzou’s Marcus Murphy had 157 yards rushing. Attendance in Orlando: 48,624

No means no (in the Rose Bowl) – Oregon 59, Florida State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, Florida State 27). Anybody’s ball game until midway through the third quarter. Oregon led at that point 25-20. Then the Ducks went on a roll, scoring 34 unanswered points. The teams combined for 1,167 total yards. But Oregon was balanced – 338 yards passing, 301 rushing. FSU wasn’t. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota passed for 338 yards and rushed for 62. The Ducks’ Thomas Tyner rushed for 124 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 91,322

Kirby dumb (in the Sugar Bowl) – Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, Ohio State 28). Or is it Kirby stupid? It’s definitely not Kirby Smart. About 7 minutes into the second quarter, Alabama scored to take a 21-6 lead. The Tide didn’t score again until the final minute of the third quarter. In between, Ohio State scored 28 points. The game remained close until the Buckeyes scored a touchdown with 3:24 on the clock to take a 14-point lead. Ohio State dominated the stats, outrushing and out-passing Alabama. Both teams had three turnovers. The Buckeyes’ Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 230 yards. Attendance in New Orleans: 74,682

Pitt ate shit (in the Armed Forces Bowl) – Houston 35, Pitt 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 30, Houston 27). With 4 minutes to go in the game, Pitt led 34-13. Houston then scored 22 points (3 touchdowns) in the final 3:41 of the game. Houston capitalized on two onside kicks. Both teams were playing under interim coaches. Attendance in Fort Worth: 37,888

The Vols are back (in the TaxSlayer Bowl) – Tennessee 45, Iowa 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Iowa 20). Three minutes into the second quarter, Tennessee had a 28-0 lead. Then the Vols went into cruise control for the rest of the game. Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd rushed for 122 yards. Iowa’s Jordan Canzeri rushed for 120 yards. Attendance in Jacksonville: 56,310

Too little too late (in the Alamo Bowl) – UCLA 40, Kansas State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, UCLA 29). UCLA controlled the first half of the game. The Bruins led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-6 at halftime. But Kansas State outscored UCLA 29-9 in the second half. K-State was the passing team with 338 yards, while UCLA was the running team with 331 yards rushing. The Wildcats only had 31 yards rushing. Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley passed for 136 yards and rushed for 96 yards. UCLA’s Paul Perkins rushed for 194 yards. K-State receiver Tyler Lockett had 13 receptions for 164 yards. Attendance in San Antonio: 60,517

Back in the saddle again (in the Cactus Bowl) – Oklahoma State 30, Washington 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 31, Washington 30). The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Okie State led 24-0 at halftime, 27-7 late in the third quarter and 30-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Cowboys’ quarterback Mason Rudolph passed for 299 yards and running back Desmond Roland rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Tempe: 35,409

Taking care of business (in the Birmingham Bowl) – Florida 28, East Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 33, East Carolina 30). Florida took a 21-7 first half lead and basically went into cruise control in the second half. ECU’s Shane Carden passed for 427 yards. Attendance in Birmingham: 30,083

Basketball? (in the Go Daddy Bowl) – Toledo 63, Arkansas State 44 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 35, Arkansas State 33). Toledo led 35-17 at halftime and built the lead to 42-17 early in the third quarter. The teams combined for 1,009 yards of offense. But Arkansas State only had 65 yards rushing. Toledo’s Kareem Hunt rushed for 271 yards. Ark State’s Fredi Knighten passed for 403 yards. Attendance in Mobile: 36,811

Last Week’s Bowl Game Picks: 9 correct, 11 wrong (45 percent)
Running Total Bowl Game Picks: 20 Correct, 18 Wrong (52.6 percent)


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 36-51-1 for 550 yards; Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott – 33-51-1-453; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 34-66-2-427; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 23-31-0-403; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 29-45-1-348; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 26-36-1-338, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 31-48-1-338.

Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 28-49-2 for 335 yards; Clemson’s Cole Stoudt – 26-36-0-319; Michigan State’s Connor Cook – 24-42-2-314; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 24-34-1-309; Louisville’s Kyle Bolin – 20-40-2-300; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 17-26-1-299, and Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen – 22-35-1-294.

Impressive Runners:

Toledo’s Kareem Hunt – 271 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 266 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 251 yards; Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 230 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 194 yards, and Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days – 171 yards.

Also, Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford – 162 yards; Missouri’s Marcus Murphy – 157 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 143 yards; Boise State’s Jay Ajayi – 134 yards; Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 134 yards, and Texas A&M’s Tra Carson – 133 yards.

Also, Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 126 yards; Oregon’s Thomas Tyner – 124 yards; Oklahoma State’s Desmond Roland – 123 yards; Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd – 122 yards; Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas – 121 yards, and Iowa’s Jordan Canzeri – 120 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“It pisses us off,” Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, on not being one of the four playoff teams.

“I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed. His behavior reflected poorly on our program. I removed him from the sideline at halftime of yesterday’s game after being informed of the incidents, after further review, have permanently dismissed him from our football program,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

“Throughout my life I have dreamed of coaching at the University of Michigan. Now I have the honor to live it,” new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

“I don’t think I have to say anything,” TCU coach Gary Patterson, after the Frogs beat Ole Miss, 42-3, in the Peach Bowl.

“America hates Florida State. There’s a decent argument that Florida State is the most hated team in the history of college football. Hell, FSU might be the most hated team in the history of American sports,” Outkick the Coverage editor and college football journalist Clay Travis.

“Nick Saban is writing checks that his team can’t cash,” Albert from Columbus, Ohio, on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show.’

“TCU over either Ohio State or Oregon by 10 for the mythical national championship,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“The SEC West just turned into the SEC Jest,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football…. New York Giants quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf is the new offensive at Nebraska. Langsdorf was Mike Riley’s offensive coordinator at Oregon State before joining the Giants’ staff this year…. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is the new DC at Texas A&M…. Alabama deputy athletic director Shane Lyons will be announced today as the new athletic director at West Virginia, replacing Oliver Luck who is leaving to become vice president of the NCAA. Lyons has been at Alabama since 2011. Prior to that he was the associate commissioner of the ACC.

Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik is the new defensive coordinator at North Carolina…. Wisconsin offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is the new OC at Vanderbilt…. Jim Harbaugh has named USC offensive line coach Tim Drevno as his offensive coordinator at Michigan…. Former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon is the new linebackers coach for Florida.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were seven passings of note last week – Luise Rainer, Edward Herrmann, Mario Cuomo, Donna Douglas, Little Jimmy Dickens, Edward Brooke and Stuart Scott

Luise Rainer, who left Nazi Germany for Hollywood and soared to fame in the 1930s as the first star to win back-to-back Oscars, then quit films at the peak of her career for occasional stage work and roles as a wife, mother and mountain climber, died last week in London. She was 104. Rainer won her first Best Actress Oscar for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936). The next year, she won the Best Actress Oscar for “The Good Earth” (1937). Luise Rainer was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 12, 1910.

Edward Herrmann, an actor who became familiar across a spectrum of popular entertainment, from movies and television to plays, audio books and advertisements, died last week in New York City. He was 71. He played Nelson Rockefeller in the 1995 Oliver Stone film “Nixon.” His best known role was Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1970s made for television movies “Eleanor and Franklin” and “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.” He played Roosevelt again in the 1982 movie “Annie.” Lately, he played the grandfather in the television series “Gilmore Girls.” He appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows. Edward Kirk Herrmann was born in Washington, DC, on July 21, 1943. He grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and graduated from Bucknell University. He made his Broadway debut in 1972 in “Moonchildren,” and won a Tony in 1976. Some of his movies included “The Paper Chase” (1973), “The Great Gatsby” (1974), “Reds” (1981) and “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985).

Mario Cuomo, the three-term governor of New York died last week at his home in New York City. He was 82. Cuomo was governor of New York from 1983 through 1994. He delivered the keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. Cuomo’s son Andrew is the current governor of New York. Mario Mathew Cuomo was born on June 15, 1932, in New York City. He graduated from St. John’s University where he played baseball.

Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett, the shapely, blue-eyed daughter, on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” died last week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was 82. “The Beverly Hillbillies” ran for nine seasons on CBS. The show premiered on September 26, 1962, and ran until 1971. Doris Smith was born in Pride, Louisiana, in September 1932. She was crowned Miss New Orleans and Miss Baton Rouge in beauty contests. Douglas appeared in two movies – “Lover Come Back” (1961) with Rock Hudson, and “Frankie and Johnny” (1966) with Elvis Presley. She appeared on several television shows over the years.

Little Jimmy Dickens, the diminutive country singer best known for his novelty recordings, died last week. He was 94. A fan favorite at the Grand Ole Opry – and still active there into his 90s – Dickens stood 4-foot-11. His nickname was Tater. Hank Williams is attributed with giving him that name. Dickens had seven singles in the country Top 10 and 13 in the Top 40. One of his hits was “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the country charts in 1965 and crossed over to the pop Top 20. James Cecil Dickens was born on December 19, 1920, in Bolt, West Virginia. He began singing on the radio in the late 1930s. Roy Acuff recognized his talents in 1947 and got him introduced to the Grand Ole Opry, which Dickens joined in 1948. Dickens was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.

Edward Brooke, who in 1966 became the first African-American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote, died Saturday at his home in Coral Gables, Florida. He was 95. Brooke, a Republican, was re-elected in 1972. He remains the only black senator ever to have been returned to office. Brooke was twice elected attorney general in Massachusetts, the first African-American to be elected attorney general in any state. Edward William Brooke III was born on October 26, 1919, in Washington, DC. He graduated from Howard University. Brooke served in the Army during World War II.

Stuart Scott, a prominent ESPN sportscaster who was known for infusing his reports with a blend of pop culture references, slang and exuberant phrases that made him a popular figure, died yesterday in Hartford, Connecticut. He was 49. “Booyah” was his signature expression. Scott joined ESPN in 1993, working on ESPN2, but soon moved to “SportsCenter.” Stuart Scott was born on July 19, 1965, in Chicago. His family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when he was seven. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he majored in speech communication.