College Football Week 5 – Believe it: Alabama is an underdog this week
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Lord almighty: Utah 62, Oregon 20
Who would have thunk it? Oregon was home – in the pond. The Ducks were favored by 13 points. This was Oregon’s worst loss at home since Washington beat the Ducks 54-0 in 1977. In just four games, Oregon’s defense has given up 163 points. It’s not even October yet and already Oregon has lost two games. Scratch the Ducks from the playoff. Lord almighty.
I feel my temperature rising: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52
The way this game went back-and-forth, how could your temperature not rise. TCU coach Gary Patterson said he went from one baby aspirin to two and then to extra-strength Tylenol. The lead changed hands 10 times. TCU won in the final 23 seconds when a tipped pass, on a fourth-down play, fell into the hands of Aaron Green. Feel my temperature rise.
Higher, higher: UNLV 80, Idaho State 8
UNLV scored its most points in a game since 1976. The Rebels scored a school-record 11 touchdowns and it was the largest margin of victory ever for UNLV. But who could condemn the Rebels. Usually UNLV is on the losing end of scores like this. And it was the Rebels first win this season. Higher and higher.
It’s burning through my soul: Michigan 31, BYU 0
With three-straight impressive wins, after the season-opening 7-point loss to Utah, you have to believe that Jim Harbaugh is burning through to the soul of Wolverines fans. And you have to believe that BYU is on a free fall. After opening the season with impressive wins over Nebraska and Boise State, the Cougars have dropped two straight – UCLA and Michigan. Harbaugh is burning through and BYU is burning through.
Football, football, football: Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9
It’s not even October yet and already Auburn has two losses. Yes, Auburn, the team some said would win the SEC and make the four-team playoff. Instead of football, football, football, maybe Auburn fans should be looking ahead to basketball, basketball, basketball. Can’t be bad with Bruce Pearl. Meanwhile, for Miss State, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire. Next up for the Bulldogs – Texas A&M, in College Station. For Miss State, it’s football, football, football.
You gonna set me on fire: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27
That must be how Charlie Strong feels. He’s on track to be fired. It’s not even October yet and Texas has lost three games. With the last two losses, Charlie must feel he is jinxed. Last week, Texas lost by one point. The Longhorns scored in the final minute of the game, but missed the extra point kick that would have tied the score. Saturday, with the score tied in the closing seconds of the game, the Texas punter dropped the snap from center inside the Texas 10 – first-and-10 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys kicked a field goal with 6 seconds left on the clock and won by three. And speaking of fire, the Longhorns are jumping into it this week – TCU, in Fort Worth. You gonna set me on fire?
My brain is flaming: UCLA 56, Arizona 30
Josh Rosen’s brain has to be flaming as the Bruins freshman quarterback passed for 284 yards and UCLA improved to 4-0 on the season. Arizona suffered its first loss. This was supposed to have been a close game – some picked Arizona to win. Rosen’s brain can keep flaming. The Bruins are off this week.
I don’t know which way to go: Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21 (OT)
Yeah, we weren’t sure which way the Texas A&M-Arkansas game would go. At the end of regulation, the score was tied. The game went into overtime. Finally, the Aggies decided to win. It was the Razorbacks third loss – third-straight loss. And this was supposed to be Bret Bielema’s breakout season in Fayetteville. Bielema broke out in something alright. Meanwhile, is Texas A&M a sleeper? Time will tell which way the Aggies will go.
Your games lift me higher: Florida 28, Tennessee 27
I don’t know if I would want to lift Jim McElwain or not. He looks pretty heavy to me. But he had to be seven feet off the ground when Tennessee missed the field goal attempt. Yes, the Gators made it 11-straight over the Vols. Like Bret Bielema, this was supposed to be Butch Jones’ breakout season in Knoxville. And already, Tennessee has two losses. In the loss to Oklahoma, two weeks ago, the Vols built up a 17-3 lead over Oklahoma in the first half. Tennessee still maintained the 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Sooners scored twice in the final period to tie the score. OU won the game in the second overtime. Against Florida, Tennessee led the Gators 20-7 late in the third quarter and 27-14 late in the fourth quarter. But like OU, Florida scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns. Some Vols fans are calling for a new coach. At 2-2, Jones is lower and lower, while at 4-0, McElwain is higher and higher. But Ole Miss is heading to Gainesville.
Like the sweet song of a choir: Nebraska 36, Southern Miss 28
Well, the music in Memorial Stadium must have sounded like the sweet song of a choir in the first half. At the break, the Huskers led, 22-0. Then it must have sounded like a sour song from a bunch of drunken sailors in the second half. Southern Miss outscored Nebraska 28-14 in the final two periods. Against the run, the Nebraska defense is sweet. But against the pass, there is nothing sweet about the Nebraska defense. Mike Riley is going to have to come up with a new song.
You light my morning sky: USC 42, Arizona State 14
Yeah, by the time this game got over in Tempe, my morning sky was coming to light in Florida. But the Trojans lit up the Sun Devils alright. USC was only picked to win by 5 points. Instead, the Trojans won by 28. This, after they lost by 10 to Stanford last week. Yeah, Cody Kessler’s 375 yards passing, lit up the morning sky.
With burning love: Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20
Both Duke and Georgia Tech lost last week. So, one of them was going to have to suffer some burning love Saturday. Tech suffered the burn and Duke suffered the love.
Ooh, ooh, ooh: East Carolina 35, Virginia Tech 28
Yes, ooh, ooh, ooh again. The Hokies lost to East Carolina last year. Nobody loses back-to-back games against East Carolina. Well, Virginia Tech just did. Something tells me that Frank Beamer’s removal from Blacksburg could happen sooner rather than later. Ooh, ooh, ooh.
I must be a hundred and nine: LSU 34, Syracuse 24
No, Leonard Fournette was 244. Yes, this week Fournette rushed for more than 200 yards again, giving the LSU running back 472 yards in two games. After blasting Auburn last week, 45-21, the Tigers, except for Fournette, cooled their paws a little bit against Syracuse. Maybe Fournette will just have 109 yards next week, against Eastern Michigan. Are you kidding me? Against EMU, he’ll have at least twice 109.
Burning, burning, burning: Kentucky 21, Missouri 13
That loss to Florida last week was still burning, burning, burning in Kentucky. It was burning so bad that the Wildcats went out and beat Missouri. It was the Tigers first loss. But after Mizzou only beat Connecticut by three points, 9-6, last week, you could almost see it coming. Mark Stoops isn’t burning, burning, burning in effigy this week.
And nothing can cool me: Baylor 70, Rice 17
No, nothing can cool Baylor. The Bears have scored 192 points in three games. Art Briles is ruthless. The only time Briles can be cooled is in bowl games. This week, Baylor plays Texas Tech. As bad as Kliff Kingsbury’s defense is, Baylor might score 71 points. Oh, talk about cool, as in cold, Swamp Mama just gave me a dirty look.
I just might turn into smoke: Boise State 56, Virginia 14
After losing that bad at home to Boise State, I think there is an excellent chance that Virginia coach Mike London will turn into smoke. The Cavaliers are 1-3. The one victory is over FCS William & Mary by only 6 points. Yes, look for London to dissipate, turning into smoke.
But I feel fine: West Virginia 45, Maryland 6
Yeah, anytime the Mountaineers beat Maryland that bad, I feel fine. I feel super fine. But my fineness may be short-lived. Next up for West Virginia is Oklahoma – and in Norman. Bob Stoops may be the one feeling fine next week. But let’s hope not.
Somebody had burning love for all the visiting teams in the Pac-12 over the weekend. In every game – Stanford at Oregon State, California at Washington, UCLA at Oregon, Utah at Oregon and USC at Arizona State – the visiting team won.
And speaking of burning, I couldn’t help but notice Butch Jones’ face during the Tennessee-Florida game. It was so red. I called him Beet Face Jones. I thought maybe he fell asleep in a tanning booth before the game.
Tennessee fans were expecting a big season this year and already the Vols have lost two games. Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, a number of Vols fans were tweeting, calling for Beet Face’s head. I don’t know what Tennessee will do but it sure seems like that school goes through football coaches like a family of 10 goes through toilet paper. They don’t last long in Knoxville.
A couple of the tweets were quite funny. One said, “Bring back Lane Kiffin.” Another one read, “Chip Kelly….If South Carolina doesn’t get him, maybe we can.”
Yeah, Florida beat Tennessee for the 11-straight year. And of all people, Jeb Bush said last week that Tennessee would beat Florida. Poor Jeb, he never got anything right. My friend Larry Brewer commented, “Jeb was wrong, again.”
It’s early, but so far the season sure is a big disappointment for Arkansas (1-3), Auburn (2-2), South Carolina (2-2), Tennessee (2-2) and UCF (0-4).
Among the better Group of Five teams, five remain undefeated – Memphis (4-0), Houston (3-0), Navy (3-0), Temple (3-0) and Toledo (3-0).
And I’m also wondering is Michigan better than we thought the Wolverines were going to be. I know you can’t compare scores, but Michigan lost to Utah by 7 points. The Utes went on to beat Oregon 62-20. Michigan beat BYU 31-0, while UCLA struggled to beat BYU 24-23. Just wondering.
Tuesday, I enjoyed talking college football again with Mark Moses on the Mark Moses Show on Sports Radio 1560 – The Fan. Mark’s show runs from 3-6 pm weekdays on 1560 AM.
Thursday night, Swamp Mama and I went to the Melbourne Central Catholic junior varsity football game. The MCC JVs beat the Cocoa Beach JVs 38-8. We went to see David Stein play. David is the son of friends Neal and Stephanie Stein.
David, a ninth grader, is a linebacker. He is also the team’s place kicker – field goals and extra points. Thursday night David kicked a 25-yard field goal and was good on all five of his extra point kicks. On defense, David made several tackles and recovered a fumble.
At the game, I met a fellow Mountaineer who was a pitcher on the West Virginia baseball team – Sean Carley. Sean graduated from WVU in 2014. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and has pitched the past two summers in the Yankees farm system in the minor leagues. This past summer, Sean pitched for the Charleston River Dogs and the Staten Island Yankees. I enjoyed meeting and talking to Sean.
During the Tennessee-Florida game when things weren’t going too well for the Gators, Bootsie texted Swamp Mama, saying that unrepeatable words were flowing from the mouth of Rockledge Gator.
Later that evening, during the Mississippi State-Auburn game, Rockledge Gator texted, saying that unrepeatable words were flowing from the mouth of Bootsie.
And speaking of Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and me, the four of us will be in Gainesville next weekend for the Ole Miss-Florida game. Looking forward to our stay at the Laurel Oak Inn, and seeing innkeepers Peggy and Monta Burt. Rockledge Gator just has to watch his mouth if the Gators aren’t performing well.
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love.
Touchdown Tom
September 28, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S. “Burning Love” was written by Dennis Linde and originally recorded in 1972 by country-soul singer Arthur Alexander. But it was Elvis Presley who brought the song to fame with his recording later that same year. “Burning Love” was Elvis’ biggest hit single since “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, and his last Top 10 hit on the American charts. “Burning Love” by Elvis spent 15 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100, peaking at No. 2 in the autumn of 1972.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Rod-less in Tucson – UCLA 56, Arizona 30 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Arizona 33). The two teams combined for 965 total yards – 497 for the Bruins; 468 for the Wildcats. But UCLA got points out of its offensive yardage; Arizona didn’t. The Wildcats suffered three turnovers to none for the Bruins. UCLA was 11-for-15 on third-down efficiency. Attendance in Tucson: 56,004
RUNNER UP: Dizzy – TCU 55, Texas Tech 52 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 35, TCU 33). The two teams combined for 1,357 total yards – 750 for TCU. The Horned Frogs Trevone Boykin passed for 485 yards, and the Red Raiders DeAndre Washington rushed for 168 yards. TCU went ahead for good on a tipped-pass completion for a touchdown with 23 second left on the clock. Attendance in Lubbock: 61,283
REST OF THE BEST: Leo the Tiger – LSU 34, Syracuse 24 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 30, Syracuse 17). A tight game in the first half – LSU led 7-3 at the break. Then the game really opened up in the second half with the Tigers outscoring the Orange 27-21. Leonard Fournette had 244 of LSU’s 268 rushing yards. Attendance in Syracuse: 43,101
Quack-less in Eugene – Utah 62, Oregon 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 30 Utah 20). Utah racked up 530 total yards on Oregon – 257 passing; 273 rushing. The game was reasonably close at the half. The Utes led 27-13. Then Utah outscored the Ducks 28-0 in the third quarter. It was curtains for Oregon after that. Attendance in Eugene:
Davey lost his buckskins – Florida 28, Tennessee 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 23, Tennessee 20). Florida won the passing game – 283 yards. Tennessee won the rushing game – 254 yards. The Gators took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Vols tied the score – 7-7 – late in the first quarter. Then UT went ahead 14-7 midway through the second quarter. The Vols held the lead until 1:26 left in the game when Florida went up 28-27. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,527
Here come the Bears – California 30, Washington 24 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Washington 19). Early in the third quarter, California led Washington 27-7. Then the Bears hung on for the victory. Washington suffered five turnovers to two for Cal. Jared Goff had 342 yards passing. Attendance in Seattle: 61,066
Thoroughbreds – Kentucky 21, Missouri 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 22, Kentucky 19). Neither team could run like a darn – only 231 rushing yards combined. Late in the third quarter, Mizzou was leading 10-7. Then Kentucky scored 14 unanswered points. Attendance in Lexington: 58,008
Country Roads – West Virginia 45, Maryland 6 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Maryland 20). WVU led 38-0 at the half and then went into cruise control in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Mounties made it 45-0 before Maryland got its lone score. WVU had a school-record 37 first downs. The Mounties’ Skyler Howard passed for 294 yards and Wendell Smallwood rushed for 147 yards. WVU had 601 total yards. Brad Paisley serenaded the crowd with “Country Roads” during the pre-game ceremonies. Attendance in Morgantown: 61,174
Blanked – Michigan 31, BYU 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 22, BYU 20). Michigan scored all 31 of its points in the first half – 24 of them in the second quarter. The Wolverines’ defense totally shut down BYU. The Cougars only had 50 yards rushing, 55 yards passing and eight first downs. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 108,940
Iced – USC 42, Arizona State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Arizona State 30). This game was over at the half. USC led 35-0 at the break. Then the Trojans went into cruise control in the second half. Arizona State fell to 2-2. Attendance in Tempe: 61,904
Gus missed the bus – Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Auburn 24). Miss State only had 56 yards rushing, but the Bulldogs had 270 passing. Auburn never led in the game. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451
Buzz-less in Durham – Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 25). Duke jumped out to a 19-3 first quarter lead and then played Tech pretty even after that. The Devils only led by 6 – 26-20 – when they scored their final touchdown with 1:49 left in the game. Attendance in Durham: 20,101
.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Bare-cats – Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, Cincinnati 26). Memphis is 4-0 but the Tigers won’t finish the season undefeated. They have no defense. Neither does Cincinnati. These two teams are all about offense – mostly passing offense. They combined for 1,322 total yards – 1,032 of which were from passing. The lead in this game changed hands an amazing 11 times. Attendance in Memphis: 45,172
Golden – Minnesota 27, Ohio 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, Ohio 19). Ohio led throughout the fourth quarter until the final 30 seconds in the game. That’s when Minnesota scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to go up 27-24. Attendance in Minneapolis: 53,917
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Almost Nicked – Nebraska 36, Southern Miss 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 19). The two teams combined for 1,068 yards – 815 of the yards passing. Southern Miss was held to only 11 yards rushing. But the Eagles’ Nick Mullens passed for 447 yards. The Huskers’ Tommy Armstrong passed for 368 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,899
Soaring – Bowling Green 35, Purdue 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Bowling Green 40, Purdue 27). Purdue never led in the game, but the Boilers never trailed by more than 7. BG scored the winning touchdown with 9 seconds remaining on a 12-yard run. The Falcons Matt Johnson passed for 402 yards. Purdue only had 77 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,162
Who? – Georgia 48, Southern 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 56, Southern 3). Georgia held Southern to 184 total yards – 79 passing and 105 rushing. The Dawgs had 532 total yards. For the second-straight week, Greyson Lambert completed all but one of his passes. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Week 4 Picks: 13 correct, 4 wrong (76.5%)
On the Season: 52 correct, 17 wrong (75.4%)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida Atlantic 17, Charlotte 7 – Attendance in Charlotte: 17,444
Louisiana Tech 27, Florida International 17 – Attendance in Ruston: 20,010
South Carolina 31, UCF 14 – Attendance in Columbia: 78,411
Drake 41, Stetson 3 – Attendance in Des Moines: 3,326
Tennessee State 30, Florida A&M 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 18,020
Bethune-Cookman 42, Savannah State 12 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,915
North Alabama 55, Florida Tech 48 – Attendance in Florence: 8,676
Jacksonville U. 20, Marist 16 – Attendance in Poughkeepsie: 2,160
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Cincinnati’s Hayden Moore – 31-53-2 for 557 yards; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 34-54-0-509; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 33-41-0-457; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 26-41-0-447; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 24-36-0-412; Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 43-59-1-402; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 25-45-0-392; USC’s Cody Kessler – 19-33-1-375, and Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong – 23-35-1-368.
Also, Wyoming’s Cameron Coffman – 30-42-2 for 366 yards; Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen – 21-28-0-358; California’s Jared Goff – 24-40-1-342; Purdue’s David Blough – 29-39-1-340; Buffalo’s Joe Licata – 28-46-2-338; Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 29-42-0-330; Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 24-35-0-321; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 24-42-2-320, and North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 17-20-0-312;
Impressive Rushers:
San Jose State’s Tyler Ervin – 300 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 244 yards; Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 206 yards; UNLV’s Xzaviar Campbell – 196 yards; Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington – 188 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 184 yards, and Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 184 yards.
Also, Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 179 yards; Nevada’s James Butler – 177 yards; UTSA’s Jarveon Williams – 170 yards; East Carolina’s James Summers – 169 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 169 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 168 yards, and Charlotte’s Kalif Phillips – 165 yards.
Also, TCU’s Aaron Green – 162 yards; Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 158 yards; Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 151 yards; Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise – 149 yards; West Virginia’s Wendell Smallwood – 147 yards; New Mexico’s Lamar Jordan – 147 yards; Army’s Aaron Kemper – 147 yards; Wisconsin’s Taiwan Deal – 147 yards, and Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 142 yards;
Quotes of the Week
“Will Muschamp is worse than cancer. He’s destroyed three programs – Texas, Florida and now Auburn,” a caller on the Paul Finebaum show.
“If that was an ass kicking, I’d love to see what last year was,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, responding to Kliff Kingsbury’s remark about this year’s Texas Tech-Arkansas game.
“He’s a prideful guy and he says what’s on his mind, but it just hasn’t worked out for him,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury on Arkansas coach Bret Bielema.
“I’m happy he got to vent and hopefully he feels a lot better. As a coach that’s been in it for 10 years, I know better than to worry about somebody that’s been around for a couple there, around 500,” Bret Bielema responding to Kliff Kingsbury.
“There’s not one negative thing you can say about the guy. He’s humble. He’s hard working, and loves football. There’s not one single skeleton in his closet. He’s all the stuff that you want. He’s never stolen crab legs,” California coach Sonny Dykes, on his quarterback Jared Goff.
“WDE no longer stands for War Damn Eagle. It stands for Worst Defense Ever,” Mississippi State fan Steven “Stingray” Ray.
“The Gators are, well, uhhh,” Presidential candidate Jeb Bush, picking Tennessee to beat Florida.
“Tennessee fans have been wandering in the wilderness for 10 years,” Paul Finebaum, prior to the Tennessee-Florida game.
“I’ve gone from one baby aspirin to two. I may go extra-strength Tylenol. Jiminy Christmas,” TCU coach Gary Patterson, after the Texas Tech game.
Signs of the Day
(Picture of Lou Holtz, captioned) “I Pick Arithona”
I’m Still Drunk
Tebow Is The Only Ten-I-See
(Picture of Steve Sarkisian, captioned) “Who Spiked The Punch”
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Notre Dame (4-0) at Clemson (3-0) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – The Irish are 2-0 against ACC teams (Virginia and Georgia Tech) and hope to be 3-0 after this one. But Clemson could be a tougher hurdle for the Irish to get over. The game is at Clemson and the Tigers appear to be a legit team. But the latter of the two remains a big question. The Tigers competition has been weak. ND has definitely had tougher tests than Clemson. The Irish prevail in the Piedmont – Notre Dame 28, Clemson 24.
RUNNER UP: 2. Ole Miss (4-0) at Florida (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams have been tested. Ole Miss by Alabama and Florida by Tennessee. Granted, Bama was the bigger test. If the Gator defense can shut down Chad Kelly, then Florida has a chance – more than a chance. After the Tennessee experience, Will Grier should have lots of confidence. He’ll need it. Brain Freeze in the Swamp – Florida 27, Ole Miss 24.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. West Virginia (3-0) at Oklahoma (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – Both teams appear to be legit. OU has a good win over Tennessee in Knoxville. WVU has a strong win over Maryland. WVU’s defense will have to stop both running (Samaje Perine) and passing (Baker Mayfield). That’s a pretty big order. Where is Brad Paisley when you need him – Oklahoma 21, West Virginia 16.
4. Kansas State (3-0) at Oklahoma State (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – A battle of two undefeated teams in the Big 12. Okie State got by its test in Austin last week. K-State barely escaped Louisiana Tech two weeks ago. The Wildcats won’t escape the Cowboys this week. Even the K-State band can’t help. Roped in Stillwater – Oklahoma State 35, Kansas State 23.
5. Alabama (3-1) at Georgia (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Two losses in the SEC this early in the season could spell disaster for Bama. That will make them play tougher. Georgia looked good against South Carolina, but I’m not sure the Gamecocks were much of a test. Bama’s quarterback issues could play into Georgia’s hand. But Saban comes out a winner in this one. Uga won’t come out of the dog house – Alabama 28, Georgia 26.
6. Mississippi State (3-1) at Texas A&M (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Miss State took care of business in Auburn. But two weeks on the road could be the Bulldogs downfall. A&M is tougher than Auburn. State can play defense, but the Bulldogs don’t have a lot of offense. The Aggies do. Reveille calls – Texas A&M 25, Mississippi State 20.
7. Minnesota (3-1) at Northwestern (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Northwestern has been an amazing team so far. Although, the Wildcats were amazingly bad against Ball State last week. Minnesota just doesn’t have the horses to contain the Wildcats. The Gopher isn’t Golden – Northwestern 25, Minnesota 17.
8. Iowa (4-0) at Wisconsin (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Iowa is undefeated, but the Hawkeyes have won too many close games against so-so teams. Wisconsin isn’t so-so. But the Badgers aren’t infallible either. The Hawkeyes put up a fight, but Bucky prevails. The Badgers get a Birdie (football, not golf) – Wisconsin 28, Iowa 23.
9. Baylor (3-0) vs. Texas Tech (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2/ABC – Talk about a one-two punch. Tech had TCU last week and now Baylor this week. Tech’s defense is too weak to stop Baylor’s offense. The Red Raiders will score some points, but not enough. Briles turns his Bears loose – Baylor 44, Texas Tech 35.
10. Arizona (3-1) at Stanford (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Arizona got clobbered by UCLA. And now the Wildcats are taking on Stanford. They must be masochists. Stanford is a lot better team than the one that lost to Northwestern. Not sure Arizona is a better team than the one that lost to UCLA. The Wildcats can’t climb the Trees – Stanford 34, Arizona 24.
11. Boston College (3-1) at Duke (3-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN – After looking anemic against Northwestern, the Dookies bounced back and looked tough against Georgia Tech. Tough enough that they should beat BC. The Eagles have a good defense and a weak offense. The Dookies use some finesse to pull this one out. The Eagles are no bulls in Durham – Duke 15, Boston College 10.
12. Miami (Florida) (3-0) at Cincinnati (2-2) – (ACC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – After a couple tough losses, Cincy will be out to get Miami. The Canes better be on their guard. The Bearcats lost Gunner Kiel, but Hayden Moore (557 yards passing) filled in nicely, thank you. Brad Kaaya fills in nicely too. The Hurricanes overcome the shear – Miami 36, Cincinnati 28.
.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. North Carolina (3-1) at Georgia Tech (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – The Tar Heels are on a roll – 3-0 since the opening loss to South Carolina. Tech is in a funk, losing two straight. In fact the Bees may not be as good as we thought they were. The two wins were over nobodies. But North Carolina could be a nobody. Tech should be fired up at home. The Smurfs will be pulling stingers out of their Heels – Georgia Tech 27, North Carolina 20.
14. Pitt (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN Extra/FSN – Pitt is an unknown and the Hokies are unsettled. After the Hokies loss to East Carolina, you figure anyone could win this game. Either way, it could be a long season for both of them. The Turkeys are wild – Virginia Tech 27, Pitt 21.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Nebraska (2-2) at Illinois (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – After a 2-2 season in non-conference play, the Huskers step into conference play this week. It’s a good first step as the Banned Indians are one of the weaker teams in the West Division – probably one of the two weakest. Still the Banned Indians could provide a passing threat to the Huskers. They sure won’t provide a defensive threat. Herbie crashes the pow-wow – Nebraska 33, Illinois 21.
Purdue (1-3) at Michigan State (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Purdue stumbled through non-conference play, winning only one game – against a FCS team. The Spartans are no FCS team. When the Spartans get through with Purdue, the Boilers will be wondering what they are doing in the Big Ten. The Spartans take no hostages – Michigan State 40, Purdue 17.
Texas (1-3) at TCU (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Texas has dropped two straight and three in all. Granted, the last two losses were oh so close. TCU got a test from Texas Tech last week and held up pretty well. But the Frogs defense is questionable. But with Aaron Green and Trevone Boykin there are absolutely no questions about the TCU offense. It will leave the Longhorns in a stupor. Texas falls to 1-4 – TCU 33, Texas 23.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
UCF (0-4) at Tulane (1-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNNews….
Florida International (2-2) at Massachusetts (0-3) – (C-USA vs. MAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida State (3-0) at Wake Forest (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….
Memphis (4-0) at South Florida (1-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….
Dayton (3-0) at Stetson (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Morehead State (2-2) at Jacksonville U. (3-0) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (3-1) at North Carolina Central (1-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (1-3) at Delta State (4-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida A&M (0-4) at Savannah State (0-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Atlantic (1-3) is off.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . Alabama is an underdog this week for the first time in 73 games. Alabama hasn’t been an underdog since the 2009 SEC Championship game against Florida. The Tide won that game…. Oregon and BYU have scheduled a game to be played in Eugene in 2022.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but near the end of September as the college football season was about to move into its second month, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “Till The End Of Time” by Perry Como
…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “Goodnight, Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers
…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Ain’t That A Shame” by Pat Boone
…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” by Connie Francis
…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire
…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Fame” by David Bowie
…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen
…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits
…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection” by Nelson
Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Yogi Berra.
Yogi Berra, one of baseball’s greatest catchers and characters, who as a player was a member of 10 New York Yankees championship teams and as a manager led both the Yankees and New York Mets to the World Series, died last week. He was 90. Berra’s Yankees teams won the American League pennant 14 of 17 years. No other player has been a champion so often. Lawrence Peter Berra was born on May 12, 1925, in St. Louis. His neighborhood also fostered the baseball career of his boyhood friend Joe Garagiola. Berra’s baseball career began in 1943 with the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League. After one season, he entered the U.S. Navy, during World War II. Following his discharge in 1946, Berra joined the Newark Bears, a Yankees farm team.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
College Football Week 4 – Will TCU survive its trip to Lubbock?
Football in the morning,
Football in the evening,
Football at supper time
Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)
How about football at 1:30 in the morning? That’s when I was watching the BYU-UCLA game – a game I switched to after watching the Ole Miss-Alabama game – a game I switched to after watching the Florida Kentucky game – a game I switched to after watching some of the Texas Tech-Arkansas game – a game I switched to after watching the Auburn-LSU and Nebraska-Miami games – games I switched to after watching the Air Force-Michigan State, Illinois-North Carolina and Connecticut-Missouri games.
Whew! It’s addicting, isn’t it?
And, all of that after watching Clemson-Louisville on Thursday night, and Florida State-Boston College on Friday night.
Not only was it addicting, but also it was revealing – quite revealing. Saturday was one of those wild and crazy days in college football – the first one of the season. It was full of upsets, near upsets and surprising – wild and crazy – scores.
Saturday was quite revealing. What we didn’t know about some teams, we know now. What we weren’t sure about other teams, the picture is clearer now. Before Saturday, there were a lot of questions marks. The question marks are fewer now.
Before the season began, Auburn was thought by many to be a playoff contender, a SEC champ. After Saturday’s 45-21 beat down from LSU, those thoughts have been all but dispelled. Will Muschamp must be running around the Auburn campus singing, “How do you like me now?”
During the offseason, Gus Malzahn brought Muschamp in to fix the Auburn defense – a defense that was full of holes last season. In just three games this season, the Auburn defense has given up 1,328 yards (443 yards-a-game) and 96 points (32 points-a-game).
Alabama, the other favorite to win the SEC and make the playoffs, was upset at home by Ole Miss – 43-37. Three games into the season – Alabama’s offense is still trying to find an established quarterback and Alabama’s defensive secondary is giving up 341 passing yards to Ole Miss.
South Carolina was a question mark at the beginning of the season. Not anymore. Saturday, Georgia pounded the Gamecocks, 52-20. Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert was 24-for-25 passing – 330 yards. South Carolina not only doesn’t have an offense, the Gamecocks also don’t have a defense. I can’t believe the 70-year-old Head Ball Coach feels like 55 now. South Carolina is no longer a question mark.
Coming into the season, Arkansas fans could hardly sit still. They were hyped. They were expecting big things from the Razorbacks – Bret Bielema’s third season. Saturday, Arkansas lost at home to Texas Tech, 35-24. It was the Razorback’s second-straight loss at home. The previous week, Arkansas lost to Toledo, 16-12. So much for the hype and expectations.
Kentucky was supposed to be improved this season (Mark Stoops’ third year), while Florida was supposed to be, at best, trying to find itself (Jim McElwain’s first year). Going into Saturday’s game, Florida had a 28-game winning streak over Kentucky. After Saturday’s game, Florida has a 29-game winning streak over Kentucky – the Gators won 14-9.
Speaking of Florida, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate, told an audience last week that the only reason for Florida State is to take the kids who can’t get into Florida. Do you suppose Rubio’s honesty and candidness, unusual for a politician, just cost him votes from Seminole fans? What say you, Tim Muth?
Last year, SEC East champion Missouri lost to Indiana, one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Saturday, Missouri almost lost to Connecticut, one of the worst teams in the AAC. At home, Mizzou escaped UConn, 9-6.
Is Ohio State vulnerable? Before the season, most analysts said that Ohio State was a sure bet to win the Big Ten and make the four-team playoffs. The only threats on the Buckeyes’ schedule were Virginia Tech on the road and Michigan State at home.
After Ohio State solidly beat Virginia Tech on opening weekend, the analysts said the Buckeyes would skate through the rest of their schedule until the Michigan State game on November 21. Saturday, Ohio State escaped Northern Illinois, 20-13. And after three games, the Buckeyes still don’t have an established quarterback. Stay tuned.
Before the season, Northwestern was picked to finish 5th or 6th in the seven-team Big Ten West Division. The Wildcats haven’t begun their Big Ten schedule yet, but three games into the season, Northwestern is 3-0. The 3-0 record includes wins over Stanford and Duke – the only blemish on Stanford’s and Duke’s record. Saturday, the Wildcats beat Duke, 19-10. Northwestern doesn’t have a dominating offense, but the Wildcats have an impressive defense.
Nebraska was a question mark at preseason, under first-year coach Mike Riley. After Saturday, the Huskers are 1-2. Nebraska lost to Miami (Florida), 36-33 (OT). Nebraska may no longer be a question mark, but you can’t say the Huskers don’t have spunk. Early in the fourth quarter against Miami, Nebraska trailed the Hurricanes, 33-10. But the Huskers rallied, scoring three touchdowns, including two successful 2-point conversions, to tie the score at 33-33 and force the overtime.
Prior to the game, a plane flew over Sun Life Stadium with a banner that read, “FIRE AL GOLDEN.” These planes have become all too common at Miami games.
Rutgers is suffering from a number of internal problems. Last week, the school suspended football coach Kyle Flood for three games and fined him $50,000 for contacting a faculty member over a player’s grade. Coaches are prohibited from initiating contact with faculty members regarding a player’s grades or academic standing.
Flood’s suspension comes with Rutgers football already reeling from a series of player arrests and suspensions over the last 30 days. Six players have been dismissed from the team. Saturday, Rutgers lost to Penn State, 28-3. The week before, the Scarlet Knights were upset at home by Washington State, 37-34.
In the ACC, Louisville was thought to be a contender for the conference’s Atlantic Division title. After three games, the Cardinals are 0-3. Thursday night, Louisville lost to Clemson, 20-17. The Cardinals have lost all three games by 7 points or less.
Many think Florida State looks vulnerable after the Seminoles 14-0 win over Boston College Friday night. Early in the fourth quarter, Florida State was only winning 7-0. The defense scored the Seminoles second touchdown on a return of a fumble recovery.
Two ranked teams out of the Big 12 had trouble putting away lesser opponents Saturday. Oklahoma struggled with Tulsa, before beating the Golden Hurricane, 52-38. Late in the third quarter, the Sooners only led Tulsa, 38-31. Then TCU was hard put to dispose of SMU. The Horned Frogs beat the Mustangs, 56-37. But midway through the fourth quarter, TCU only led SMU, 42-37.
Texas Tech is a surprise at 3-0. Swamp Mama’s hyped.
Last week, Texas fired athletic director Steve Patterson. Patterson had only been the AD at Texas for 22 months. Since his arrival in Austin, Patterson developed a reputation of being arrogant, obnoxious and rude. Patterson’s dismissal may spell trouble for Longhorn football coach Charlie Strong, already under fire himself. Strong was hired by Patterson. Texas is off to a 1-2 start this season, including a bad loss to Notre Dame and Saturday’s 45-44 loss to California at home.
At preseason, several thought USC would win the Pac-12 Conference and most likely be in the four-team playoffs. Saturday, Stanford, a loser to Northwestern, beat USC, 41-31. UCLA kept its perfect record intact. Saturday, the Bruins rallied and then held on to edge BYU, 24-23.
Before the season began, California was considered to be a sleeper in the Pac-12. The Golden Bears are 3-0.
After beating Georgia Tech, 30-22, on Saturday, Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start. The Irish have to be taken seriously.
Among the Group of Five conferences, six teams remain undefeated. Four of them – Memphis (3-0), Temple (3-0), Navy (2-0) and Houston (2-0) are from the AAC. The other two are from the MAC – Ohio (3-0) and Toledo (2-0). Toledo’s two wins are over Power Five teams – Arkansas and Iowa State.
There were six overtime games Saturday – the most so far this season. And in the “how many points can we score” category: Middle Tennessee 73, Charlotte 14; Arkansas State 70, Missouri State 7; Arizona 70, Northern Arizona 13, and Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14.
The Driskel brothers are still performing well in losing causes. Saturday, Jeff Driskel was 30-51-0 for 314 yards passing, but Louisiana Tech lost a heartbreaker to Kansas State. K-State beat La Tech, 39-33 in three overtimes. Younger brother Jason Driskel passed for 385 yards, but Florida Atlantic lost to Buffalo, 33-15.
Last Tuesday, I was on the Mark Moses Show on Sports Talk 1560 – The Fan. It’s always good talking college football with Mark. The Mark Moses Show runs 3-6 pm, Monday-Friday on 1560 AM.
Just as Saturday was a big day for the SEC (Ole Miss-Alabama, Auburn-LSU, South Carolina-Georgia and Florida-Kentucky) this weekend is a big one for the Pac-12 (UCLA-Arizona, Utah-Oregon, USC-Arizona State and California-Washington).
Swamp Mama and I had dinner with Bootsie and Rockledge Gator Friday evening. We got an update on their recent trip to North Carolina and discussed the weekend’s football schedule.
Friends John and Karlene Tuttle attended the Florida-Kentucky football game in Lexington. But Karlene, a UK grad, reported that they were more impressed with their tastings on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour prior to the game. Karlene said she couldn’t drink enough bourbon.
Yeah, it was an addicting weekend – football, not bourbon.
Football in the morning, football in the evening, football at supper time.
Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)
Touchdown Tom
September 21, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: The Suds were duds – Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20). Bama dominated the stats, including most turnovers – 5 for the Tide and 0 for Ole Miss. That was a big difference in the game – 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles lost for Bama. Another big difference was Ole Miss getting some of that Auburn luck with deflected receptions. The Black Bears’ Chad Kelly passed for 341 yards, while the Tide’s Jake Coker only completed 46% of his tosses. Bama trailed 43-24 halfway through the fourth quarter. But the Tide’s rally came up short. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
RUNNER UP: Paybacks – LSU 45, Auburn 21 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Auburn 23). Last year Auburn beat LSU 41-7. The Cajun Tigers got their paybacks this year. LSU just stomped on Auburn, outgaining the Aubie Tigers 485 total yards to 260. Late in the third quarter, LSU led 38-7. LSU’s Leonard Fournette was unstoppable, rushing for 228 yards. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321
REST OF THE BEST: Bees waxed – Notre Dame 30, Georgia Tech 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24). Notre Dame’s defense shut down Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas. But the Jackets’ defense couldn’t stop C.J. Prosise. ND’s Prosise rushed for 198 yards. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795
The magic ran out – UCLA 24, BYU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, BYU 26). BYU never trailed in the game until 3:21 left on the fourth quarter. The Bruins scored to go up by one point – 24-23. Tanner Mangum then had a little more than three minutes to perform his game-ending magic again. But the third time wasn’t a charm for Mangum. The Bruins’ Josh Rosen didn’t have a particularly good game, but UCLA’s Paul Perkins did. Perkins rushed for 219 yards. The Cougars’ Adam Hine rushed for 149 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 67,612
Smoke signals – Florida State 14, Boston College 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Boston College 16). Neither team had any offense – 412 total yards combined. BC was the worse of the two – 195 total yards, only 56 yards passing. Both teams played well on defense. FSU played the better defense. After scoring 76 points (against Howard) last week, the Eagles had 0 points (zero, goose egg, nothing, nada) against the Noles. Troy Flutie, a nephew of Doug Flutie, was a backup quarterback for BC in the game. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 39,111
Dookies exposed – Northwestern 19, Duke 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Northwestern 22). Neither team showed much offense. Both played pretty good defense. One of Northwestern’s touchdowns was a 98-yard kickoff return. Attendance in Durham: 24,127
Pitt ate you know what – Iowa 27, Pitt 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 30, Pitt 24). Iowa held Pitt to 55 yards rushing and beat the Panthers on a 57-yard field goal as time expired. The Hawkeyes’ C.J. Beathard passed for 258 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 63,636
Defense! – Florida 14, Kentucky 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 29, Florida 27). Neither team had an offense – only 526 yards combined. The Gators’ defense won the game for Florida, while the Wildcats’ defense kept Kentucky in the game. Florida was 2-for-11 (18%) in third down efficiency and Kentucky wasn’t much better. The Gators increased their winning streak against Kentucky to 29 games. Attendance in Lexington: 63,040
Butt whippin’ – Georgia 52, South Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, South Carolina 18). That’s what Georgia gave South Carolina – a real butt whippin’. The Dawgs had 576 total yards to the Cocks 258. South Carolina only had 84 yards passing. Georgia’s Greyson Lambert was near-perfect passing, completing 24 of 25 throws for 330 yards. The Cocks didn’t have a quarterback. The Dawgs’ Nick Chubb added 159 yards rushing. Chubb has had 11-straight 100-yard games. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Treed – Stanford 41, USC 31 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 27, Stanford 18). The game was close throughout. USC mostly led in the early part of the game, while Stanford mostly led in the latter half of the game. Both quarterbacks – Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler – had good games. There were no turnovers in the game. Attendance in Los Angeles: 78,306
The Porks got chopped – Texas Tech 35, Arkansas 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 32, Arkansas 30). Arkansas won the running game – 228 yards. Texas Tech won the passing game – 315 yards. The passing game won. The Hogs never led in the game, but the Red Raiders never led by more than 7 points until the fourth quarter when Tech went up by 11. Arkansas’ Alex Collins rushed for170 yards. Attendance in Fayetteville: 73,334
Hurricane Kaaya – Miami (Florida) 36, Nebraska 33 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, Nebraska 28). Early in the fourth quarter, Miami led 33-10. Then Nebraska scored 23 unanswered points in the final 8:36 to put the game into overtime. Canes’ quarterback Brad Kaaya passed for 379 yards. Huskers’ quarterback Tommy Armstrong passed for 309 yards, but Armstrong also threw 3 interceptions. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 53,580
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Sweet Carolina – North Carolina 48, Illinois 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 21, North Carolina 20). And I picked Illinois? I was going for an upset – a big upset. The game was pretty evenly matched in the stats, but not in the score. The Tar Heels took advantage of their opportunities and the Banned Indians didn’t. UNC had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 41,000
Tigers beat the tweet out of the Cardinals – Clemson 20, Louisville 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 36, Louisville 24). The game was close throughout. Neither team led by more than 7 points, except for 16 seconds early in the fourth quarter when Clemson led by 10. Louisville still suffers from the lack of a running game – only 19 yards against Clemson. The Cardinals were 2-for-14 in third down efficiency. Clemson’s Wayne Gallman rushed for 139 yards, as the Tigers improved to 3-0. Louisville fell to 0-3 and could be 1-5 heading into their game against Boston College on October 24. Attendance in Louisville: 55,396
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Young Turks – Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 42, Purdue 27). The game was tied 17-17 late in the second quarter. Then the Hokies scored 27 unanswered points. Attendance in West Lafayette: 45,759
Close, but no cigar for Bevo – California 45, Texas 44 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Texas 20). Early in the fourth quarter, Texas trailed California 45-24. Then Texas scored 3 touchdowns in the final 13:24 of the game. But on the last touchdown, the Longhorns missed the extra point. It was blocked. The two teams combined for 1,198 total yards. Texas found a quarterback – Jerrod Heard. Heard passed for 364 yards and ran for 163 yards. Attendance in Austin: 91,568
Week 3 Picks: 10 correct, 6 wrong (62.5%)
On the Season: 39 correct, 13 wrong (75%)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Maryland 35, South Florida 17 – Attendance in College Park: 36,827
Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 15,397
Furman 16, UCF 15 – Attendance in Orlando: 36,484
FIU 39, North Carolina Central 14 – Attendance in Miami: 16,567
South Carolina State 36, Florida A&M 0 – Attendance in Orangeburg: 14,987
Bethune-Cookman 7, Lane 3 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,026
Florida Tech 37, Warner 0 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,527
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 32-38-0 for 487 yards; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 35-46-2-484; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 21-30-1-454; Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 28-44-0-443; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 37-51-1-430; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 34-51-0-427; Massachusetts’ Blake Frohnapfel – 29-55-1-393, and Temple’s P.J. Walker – 28-48-2-391.
Also, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 29-40-0 for 386 yards; Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 25-42-1-379; Rice’s Driphus Jackson – 29-39-0-373; Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 23-27-0-369; Washington’s Jake Browning – 22-31-1-368; Vanderbilt’s Jonny McCrary – 28-33-0-368; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 20-31-1-364, and Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 25-30-0-355.
Also, Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld – 20-27-0 for 355 yards; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 18-33-0-341; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 25-34-2-334; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 19-27-0-333; Georgia’s Greyson Lambert – 24-25-0-330; SMU’s Matt Davis – 17-31-0-330, and Ohio’s Derrius Vick – 17-26-1-327.
Also, East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 36-49-1 for 325 yards; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 25-35-2-318; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 22-37-0-317; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 30-51-0-314; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 37-45-1-303, and North Texas’ Andrew McNulty – 19-35-1-303.
Impressive Rushers:
Southern Miss’ Jalen Richard – 230 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 228 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 219 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 203 yards; Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise – 198 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 195 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 186 yards, and Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 170 yards.
Also, TCU’s Aaron Green – 164 yards; California’s Khalfani Muhammad – 164 yards; Ball State’s Darian Green – 164 yards; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 163 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 161 yards; Tulsa’s Zack Langer – 161 yards, and Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 160 yards.
Also, Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 159 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 159 yards; Utah’s Devontae Booker – 156 yards; Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 152 yards; Oregon State’s Storm Barrs-Woods – 151 yards; Arizona’s Jerrard Randall – 149 yards; BYU’s Adam Hine – 149 yards, and Hawaii’s Paul Harris – 147 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I think there has to be a school where people who can’t get into Florida can go to college. And that’s why we have Florida State,” Florida U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated by his low standing in the polls, which I believe could be a reflection of where he got his education,” Florida State University president John Thrasher, responding to Marco Rubio.
“Most people can’t stand Bob Stoops, outside the state of Oklahoma,” Paul Finebaum.
“Bret Bielema is the Donald Trump of college football,” CBS commentator Gary Danielson.
“Alabama fans are the family members at Thanksgiving that embarrass you,” Fox Sports’ Clay Travis.
“He got his ass kicked,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, on Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, after the Red Raiders beat the Razorbacks.
Signs of the Day
Saban Shops At Baby Gap
Ohio State Also Schedules Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and Birthday Parties
Jeremy Johnson Just Threw Another Interception
Hugh Freeze Is A Belieber
Tebow Is Cut More Often Than My Lawn
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. UCLA (3-0) at Arizona (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This is the big showdown in the Pac-12 South. It could be the Pac-12 equivalent of the Ole Miss-Alabama showdown in the SEC. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen needs to bounce back this week and perform better than he did against BYU, if the Bruins expect to win. He can’t rely on running back Paul Perkins to save the day, but Perkins needs to be on top of his game too. Arizona has its share of weapons, led by quarterback Anu Solomon. The Wildcats are undefeated, but they haven’t really played anybody. They have now – UCLA 34, Arizona 33.
RUNNER UP: 2. TCU (3-0) at Texas Tech (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Texas Tech wasn’t supposed to be that good this year. Tell that to Bret Bielema. The Red Raiders went into Fayetteville and slaughtered the Hogs Saturday. Looks like Kliff Kingsbury may have a competitive team again. No complaints from Swamp Mama about that. Kliff has another sharp-shootin’ quarterback in sophomore Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has put up some impressive numbers so far. But TCU has its own sharp-shooter – Trevone Boykin. And the Frogs have a dangerous runner in Aaron Green. However, TCU has shown some vulnerabilities on defense. Texas Tech may be a tougher game than what TCU was expecting. And it is in Lubbock. Anybody up for Frog Legs? – Texas Tech 35, TCU 33.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. LSU (2-0) at Syracuse (3-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – LSU could be this season’s sleeper. The Tigers looked awesome against Auburn. We knew Leonard Fournette was going to be good. We just weren’t sure about the rest of the team. We are now. Syracuse is off to a 3-0 start, but the Orange haven’t really played anyone. Not sure what the Cuse have – or haven’t. The Carrier Dome can play tricks on some visiting teams. But the Tigers should have no problems. Mikey gets his citrus fix – LSU 30, Syracuse 17.
4. Utah (3-0) at Oregon (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Another big matchup in the Pac-12. Utah has a good win over Michigan. Oregon has a close loss to Michigan State. The game is in Eugene and the Ducks have more weapons than the Utes, especially on offense. But Utah has a decent defense. No feathers for the Utes – Oregon 30, Utah 20.
5. Tennessee (2-1) at Florida (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Last week, Florida beat Kentucky for the 29th-straight year. This week the Gators will be looking to beat Tennessee for the 11th-straight year. The Vols last beat Florida in 2004. Tennessee came close last year. That’s when Treon Harris came on to save the day for the Gators. Depending on how Will Grier plays, Treon may have to save the day again. Actually, it may be the Gator defense that has to save the game for Florida. Tennessee is better. The Vols are much improved. But Davey Crockett can’t handle swamps – Florida 23, Tennessee 20.
6. California (3-0) at Washington (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Cal is off to a great start – its best in years. Jared Goff is a good quarterback, and now the Bears have a good running back in Khalfani Mohammad. But Washington can be dangerous in Seattle. You just know that Chris Petersen’s Huskies are going to pop somebody soon. Not this week – California 30, Washington 19.
7. Missouri (3-0) at Kentucky (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Missouri looked awful beating Connecticut last week. Well, the Tiger defense looked good. But Mizzou’s offense looked bad. Funny, that’s how Kentucky looked against Florida. The Wildcats’ offense was bad, but their defense was good. Something is going to have to give between these two. The Wildcats give and the Tigers take – Missouri 22, Kentucky 19.
8. Maryland (2-1) at West Virginia (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – WVU is off to a good start, but the Mounties are untested. That will change this week. Maryland will definitely test the WVU defense. But the Mounties shouldn’t have trouble scoring on the Terps. In three games, Maryland has given up its share of points. It’s almost hell for the Terps – West Virginia 30, Maryland 20.
9. BYU (2-1) at Michigan (2-1) – (Ind. vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – I don’t know if Tanner Mangum has anymore last second tricks up his sleeve or not. If he does, he may need one in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines should give the Cougars a good game. Then again, BYU should give Michigan a good game. Harbaugh smiles – Michigan 22, BYU 20.
10. USC (2-1) at Arizona State (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Yet another humdinger in the Pac-12. And yet with the other Los Angeles school playing the other team from Arizona. This is definitely LA’s week in Arizona. Are the Dodgers also playing at the Diamondbacks? After the loss to Stanford, the Trojans will be mad. They aren’t going to drop two straight. The Trojans don’t accept the horse – USC 33, Arizona State 30.
11. Mississippi State (2-1) at Auburn (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – These two teams each have one loss in SEC play. And both lost to LSU. One had a close loss; the other was clobbered. Neither can afford to have another conference loss this early in the season. Sounds like we have a fight on our hands. When the fight is over, Aubie will be saying, “Who Dak?” – Mississippi State 26, Auburn 24.
12. Georgia Tech (2-1) at Duke (2-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Both of these teams were sailing along fine until last week. Both met their demise. One will bounce back this week. The other one won’t. Bees bounce better than Devils – Georgia Tech 27, Duke 25.
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Cincinnati (2-1) at Memphis (3-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Memphis could be the darlings of the Group of Five. Stay undefeated and the Tigers could be headed to a New Year’s Day bowl as the highest-rank team among the Group of Five. But the pressure to remain undefeated is tough. Quarterback Paxton Lynch is looking good for the Tigers. But Cincinnati would love to be a spoiler. The Tigers rub the Bearcats ribs – Memphis 34, Cincinnati 26.
14. Ohio (3-0) at Minnesota (2-1) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Ohio is off to a good start. The Bobcats knocked off Marshall. Now they would like to knock off the Gophers. Minnesota would be a good trophy for the Bobcats. But trophies don’t come easy. Goldie holes up for a Bobcat – Minnesota 23, Ohio 19.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Southern Miss (2-1) at Nebraska (1-2) – (C-USA vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News – It’s not often Nebraska starts out 1-2, but the Huskers should even things up this week. Granted, Southern Miss won’t be a pushover. Quarterback Nick Mullens could give the Huskers some problems – but only some. Tommy Armstrong should have a hay day – or is it a corn day. Regardless, the Huskers will head into Big Ten play at 2-2. Herbie flies like an Eagle – Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 19.
Bowling Green (1-2) at Purdue (1-2) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Bowling Green may be one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. The Falcons put 30 points on the board against Tennessee, beat Maryland by 21 points and barely lost to a good Memphis team by 3 points. Meanwhile, Purdue is definitely not one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. In fact, the Boilers may be one of the worst 1-2 teams in the country. BG quarterback Matt Johnson is passing like crazy. The picture doesn’t look good for the Boilers. Falcons crest – Bowling Green 40, Purdue 27.
Southern (2-1) at Georgia (3-0) – (SWAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Oh come on! Could Uga have found an easier team to play? I mean, why would anyone show up to see this game. Oh well, some people like to watch scrimmages. Uga won’t work up a sweat this week. He won’t need the air-conditioned doghouse. But Southern gets a good paycheck. Or should I say playcheck. Uga has no pants – Georgia 56, Southern 3.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
FAU (0-3) at Charlotte (2-1) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CSCA/ASN….
FIU (2-1) at Louisiana Tech (1-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, FCSA….
UCF (0-3) at South Carolina (1-2) – (AAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU –
Stetson (1-1) at Drake (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Tennessee State (2-1) at Florida A&M (0-3) – (Ohio Valley vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Savannah State (0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (2-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Tech (1-2) at North Alabama (2-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Jacksonville U. (2-0) at Marist (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….
Florida State (3-0), Miami (3-0) and South Florida (1-2) are off.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football … Bill Clark, the football coach of UAB when the school shut down the program in January has been re-hired as UAB’s football coach. Clark signed a five-year contract. In June, UAB reversed its January decision, announcing it would resume the program. Clark’s contract will pay him around $650,000 a year. UAB will begin playing again in 2017 in Conference USA.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Gary Richrath and Jackie Collins.
Gary Richrath, the lead guitarist and songwriter for the rock band REO Speedwagon, died last week. He was 65. Richrath joined REO Speedwagon in 1971 just before the band recorded its first album. He remained with the band until 1989. Richrath wrote and co-wrote several REO Speedwagon’s songs, including “Take It on the Run,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1981, and “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” a staple at REO Speedwagon’s concerts. The band had 13 Top 40 hits between 1980 and 1988, including “Keep on Loving You” (1980) and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1985). Gary Richrath was born in 1949.
Jackie Collins, the best-selling British-born author known for her novels about the extravagant and glamorous life in Hollywood, died Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 77. She wrote more than 30 novels. Her first novel was published in 1968. Collins is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. Many of her novels became the basis for movies and television mini-series. Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins was born on October 4, 1937, in London.
Football in the morning,
Football in the evening,
Football at supper time
Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)
How about football at 1:30 in the morning? That’s when I was watching the BYU-UCLA game – a game I switched to after watching the Ole Miss-Alabama game – a game I switched to after watching the Florida Kentucky game – a game I switched to after watching some of the Texas Tech-Arkansas game – a game I switched to after watching the Auburn-LSU and Nebraska-Miami games – games I switched to after watching the Air Force-Michigan State, Illinois-North Carolina and Connecticut-Missouri games.
Whew! It’s addicting, isn’t it?
And, all of that after watching Clemson-Louisville on Thursday night, and Florida State-Boston College on Friday night.
Not only was it addicting, but also it was revealing – quite revealing. Saturday was one of those wild and crazy days in college football – the first one of the season. It was full of upsets, near upsets and surprising – wild and crazy – scores.
Saturday was quite revealing. What we didn’t know about some teams, we know now. What we weren’t sure about other teams, the picture is clearer now. Before Saturday, there were a lot of questions marks. The question marks are fewer now.
Before the season began, Auburn was thought by many to be a playoff contender, a SEC champ. After Saturday’s 45-21 beat down from LSU, those thoughts have been all but dispelled. Will Muschamp must be running around the Auburn campus singing, “How do you like me now?”
During the offseason, Gus Malzahn brought Muschamp in to fix the Auburn defense – a defense that was full of holes last season. In just three games this season, the Auburn defense has given up 1,328 yards (443 yards-a-game) and 96 points (32 points-a-game).
Alabama, the other favorite to win the SEC and make the playoffs, was upset at home by Ole Miss – 43-37. Three games into the season – Alabama’s offense is still trying to find an established quarterback and Alabama’s defensive secondary is giving up 341 passing yards to Ole Miss.
South Carolina was a question mark at the beginning of the season. Not anymore. Saturday, Georgia pounded the Gamecocks, 52-20. Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert was 24-for-25 passing – 330 yards. South Carolina not only doesn’t have an offense, the Gamecocks also don’t have a defense. I can’t believe the 70-year-old Head Ball Coach feels like 55 now. South Carolina is no longer a question mark.
Coming into the season, Arkansas fans could hardly sit still. They were hyped. They were expecting big things from the Razorbacks – Bret Bielema’s third season. Saturday, Arkansas lost at home to Texas Tech, 35-24. It was the Razorback’s second-straight loss at home. The previous week, Arkansas lost to Toledo, 16-12. So much for the hype and expectations.
Kentucky was supposed to be improved this season (Mark Stoops’ third year), while Florida was supposed to be, at best, trying to find itself (Jim McElwain’s first year). Going into Saturday’s game, Florida had a 28-game winning streak over Kentucky. After Saturday’s game, Florida has a 29-game winning streak over Kentucky – the Gators won 14-9.
Speaking of Florida, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate, told an audience last week that the only reason for Florida State is to take the kids who can’t get into Florida. Do you suppose Rubio’s honesty and candidness, unusual for a politician, just cost him votes from Seminole fans? What say you, Tim Muth?
Last year, SEC East champion Missouri lost to Indiana, one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Saturday, Missouri almost lost to Connecticut, one of the worst teams in the AAC. At home, Mizzou escaped UConn, 9-6.
Is Ohio State vulnerable? Before the season, most analysts said that Ohio State was a sure bet to win the Big Ten and make the four-team playoffs. The only threats on the Buckeyes’ schedule were Virginia Tech on the road and Michigan State at home.
After Ohio State solidly beat Virginia Tech on opening weekend, the analysts said the Buckeyes would skate through the rest of their schedule until the Michigan State game on November 21. Saturday, Ohio State escaped Northern Illinois, 20-13. And after three games, the Buckeyes still don’t have an established quarterback. Stay tuned.
Before the season, Northwestern was picked to finish 5th or 6th in the seven-team Big Ten West Division. The Wildcats haven’t begun their Big Ten schedule yet, but three games into the season, Northwestern is 3-0. The 3-0 record includes wins over Stanford and Duke – the only blemish on Stanford’s and Duke’s record. Saturday, the Wildcats beat Duke, 19-10. Northwestern doesn’t have a dominating offense, but the Wildcats have an impressive defense.
Nebraska was a question mark at preseason, under first-year coach Mike Riley. After Saturday, the Huskers are 1-2. Nebraska lost to Miami (Florida), 36-33 (OT). Nebraska may no longer be a question mark, but you can’t say the Huskers don’t have spunk. Early in the fourth quarter against Miami, Nebraska trailed the Hurricanes, 33-10. But the Huskers rallied, scoring three touchdowns, including two successful 2-point conversions, to tie the score at 33-33 and force the overtime.
Prior to the game, a plane flew over Sun Life Stadium with a banner that read, “FIRE AL GOLDEN.” These planes have become all too common at Miami games.
Rutgers is suffering from a number of internal problems. Last week, the school suspended football coach Kyle Flood for three games and fined him $50,000 for contacting a faculty member over a player’s grade. Coaches are prohibited from initiating contact with faculty members regarding a player’s grades or academic standing.
Flood’s suspension comes with Rutgers football already reeling from a series of player arrests and suspensions over the last 30 days. Six players have been dismissed from the team. Saturday, Rutgers lost to Penn State, 28-3. The week before, the Scarlet Knights were upset at home by Washington State, 37-34.
In the ACC, Louisville was thought to be a contender for the conference’s Atlantic Division title. After three games, the Cardinals are 0-3. Thursday night, Louisville lost to Clemson, 20-17. The Cardinals have lost all three games by 7 points or less.
Many think Florida State looks vulnerable after the Seminoles 14-0 win over Boston College Friday night. Early in the fourth quarter, Florida State was only winning 7-0. The defense scored the Seminoles second touchdown on a return of a fumble recovery.
Two ranked teams out of the Big 12 had trouble putting away lesser opponents Saturday. Oklahoma struggled with Tulsa, before beating the Golden Hurricane, 52-38. Late in the third quarter, the Sooners only led Tulsa, 38-31. Then TCU was hard put to dispose of SMU. The Horned Frogs beat the Mustangs, 56-37. But midway through the fourth quarter, TCU only led SMU, 42-37.
Texas Tech is a surprise at 3-0. Swamp Mama’s hyped.
Last week, Texas fired athletic director Steve Patterson. Patterson had only been the AD at Texas for 22 months. Since his arrival in Austin, Patterson developed a reputation of being arrogant, obnoxious and rude. Patterson’s dismissal may spell trouble for Longhorn football coach Charlie Strong, already under fire himself. Strong was hired by Patterson. Texas is off to a 1-2 start this season, including a bad loss to Notre Dame and Saturday’s 45-44 loss to California at home.
At preseason, several thought USC would win the Pac-12 Conference and most likely be in the four-team playoffs. Saturday, Stanford, a loser to Northwestern, beat USC, 41-31. UCLA kept its perfect record intact. Saturday, the Bruins rallied and then held on to edge BYU, 24-23.
Before the season began, California was considered to be a sleeper in the Pac-12. The Golden Bears are 3-0.
After beating Georgia Tech, 30-22, on Saturday, Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start. The Irish have to be taken seriously.
Among the Group of Five conferences, six teams remain undefeated. Four of them – Memphis (3-0), Temple (3-0), Navy (2-0) and Houston (2-0) are from the AAC. The other two are from the MAC – Ohio (3-0) and Toledo (2-0). Toledo’s two wins are over Power Five teams – Arkansas and Iowa State.
There were six overtime games Saturday – the most so far this season. And in the “how many points can we score” category: Middle Tennessee 73, Charlotte 14; Arkansas State 70, Missouri State 7; Arizona 70, Northern Arizona 13, and Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14.
The Driskel brothers are still performing well in losing causes. Saturday, Jeff Driskel was 30-51-0 for 314 yards passing, but Louisiana Tech lost a heartbreaker to Kansas State. K-State beat La Tech, 39-33 in three overtimes. Younger brother Jason Driskel passed for 385 yards, but Florida Atlantic lost to Buffalo, 33-15.
Last Tuesday, I was on the Mark Moses Show on Sports Talk 1560 – The Fan. It’s always good talking college football with Mark. The Mark Moses Show runs 3-6 pm, Monday-Friday on 1560 AM.
Just as Saturday was a big day for the SEC (Ole Miss-Alabama, Auburn-LSU, South Carolina-Georgia and Florida-Kentucky) this weekend is a big one for the Pac-12 (UCLA-Arizona, Utah-Oregon, USC-Arizona State and California-Washington).
Swamp Mama and I had dinner with Bootsie and Rockledge Gator Friday evening. We got an update on their recent trip to North Carolina and discussed the weekend’s football schedule.
Friends John and Karlene Tuttle attended the Florida-Kentucky football game in Lexington. But Karlene, a UK grad, reported that they were more impressed with their tastings on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour prior to the game. Karlene said she couldn’t drink enough bourbon.
Yeah, it was an addicting weekend – football, not bourbon.
Football in the morning, football in the evening, football at supper time.
Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)
Touchdown Tom
September 21, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: The Suds were duds – Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20). Bama dominated the stats, including most turnovers – 5 for the Tide and 0 for Ole Miss. That was a big difference in the game – 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles lost for Bama. Another big difference was Ole Miss getting some of that Auburn luck with deflected receptions. The Black Bears’ Chad Kelly passed for 341 yards, while the Tide’s Jake Coker only completed 46% of his tosses. Bama trailed 43-24 halfway through the fourth quarter. But the Tide’s rally came up short. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
RUNNER UP: Paybacks – LSU 45, Auburn 21 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Auburn 23). Last year Auburn beat LSU 41-7. The Cajun Tigers got their paybacks this year. LSU just stomped on Auburn, outgaining the Aubie Tigers 485 total yards to 260. Late in the third quarter, LSU led 38-7. LSU’s Leonard Fournette was unstoppable, rushing for 228 yards. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321
REST OF THE BEST: Bees waxed – Notre Dame 30, Georgia Tech 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24). Notre Dame’s defense shut down Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas. But the Jackets’ defense couldn’t stop C.J. Prosise. ND’s Prosise rushed for 198 yards. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795
The magic ran out – UCLA 24, BYU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, BYU 26). BYU never trailed in the game until 3:21 left on the fourth quarter. The Bruins scored to go up by one point – 24-23. Tanner Mangum then had a little more than three minutes to perform his game-ending magic again. But the third time wasn’t a charm for Mangum. The Bruins’ Josh Rosen didn’t have a particularly good game, but UCLA’s Paul Perkins did. Perkins rushed for 219 yards. The Cougars’ Adam Hine rushed for 149 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 67,612
Smoke signals – Florida State 14, Boston College 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Boston College 16). Neither team had any offense – 412 total yards combined. BC was the worse of the two – 195 total yards, only 56 yards passing. Both teams played well on defense. FSU played the better defense. After scoring 76 points (against Howard) last week, the Eagles had 0 points (zero, goose egg, nothing, nada) against the Noles. Troy Flutie, a nephew of Doug Flutie, was a backup quarterback for BC in the game. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 39,111
Dookies exposed – Northwestern 19, Duke 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Northwestern 22). Neither team showed much offense. Both played pretty good defense. One of Northwestern’s touchdowns was a 98-yard kickoff return. Attendance in Durham: 24,127
Pitt ate you know what – Iowa 27, Pitt 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 30, Pitt 24). Iowa held Pitt to 55 yards rushing and beat the Panthers on a 57-yard field goal as time expired. The Hawkeyes’ C.J. Beathard passed for 258 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 63,636
Defense! – Florida 14, Kentucky 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 29, Florida 27). Neither team had an offense – only 526 yards combined. The Gators’ defense won the game for Florida, while the Wildcats’ defense kept Kentucky in the game. Florida was 2-for-11 (18%) in third down efficiency and Kentucky wasn’t much better. The Gators increased their winning streak against Kentucky to 29 games. Attendance in Lexington: 63,040
Butt whippin’ – Georgia 52, South Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, South Carolina 18). That’s what Georgia gave South Carolina – a real butt whippin’. The Dawgs had 576 total yards to the Cocks 258. South Carolina only had 84 yards passing. Georgia’s Greyson Lambert was near-perfect passing, completing 24 of 25 throws for 330 yards. The Cocks didn’t have a quarterback. The Dawgs’ Nick Chubb added 159 yards rushing. Chubb has had 11-straight 100-yard games. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Treed – Stanford 41, USC 31 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 27, Stanford 18). The game was close throughout. USC mostly led in the early part of the game, while Stanford mostly led in the latter half of the game. Both quarterbacks – Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler – had good games. There were no turnovers in the game. Attendance in Los Angeles: 78,306
The Porks got chopped – Texas Tech 35, Arkansas 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 32, Arkansas 30). Arkansas won the running game – 228 yards. Texas Tech won the passing game – 315 yards. The passing game won. The Hogs never led in the game, but the Red Raiders never led by more than 7 points until the fourth quarter when Tech went up by 11. Arkansas’ Alex Collins rushed for170 yards. Attendance in Fayetteville: 73,334
Hurricane Kaaya – Miami (Florida) 36, Nebraska 33 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, Nebraska 28). Early in the fourth quarter, Miami led 33-10. Then Nebraska scored 23 unanswered points in the final 8:36 to put the game into overtime. Canes’ quarterback Brad Kaaya passed for 379 yards. Huskers’ quarterback Tommy Armstrong passed for 309 yards, but Armstrong also threw 3 interceptions. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 53,580
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Sweet Carolina – North Carolina 48, Illinois 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 21, North Carolina 20). And I picked Illinois? I was going for an upset – a big upset. The game was pretty evenly matched in the stats, but not in the score. The Tar Heels took advantage of their opportunities and the Banned Indians didn’t. UNC had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 41,000
Tigers beat the tweet out of the Cardinals – Clemson 20, Louisville 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 36, Louisville 24). The game was close throughout. Neither team led by more than 7 points, except for 16 seconds early in the fourth quarter when Clemson led by 10. Louisville still suffers from the lack of a running game – only 19 yards against Clemson. The Cardinals were 2-for-14 in third down efficiency. Clemson’s Wayne Gallman rushed for 139 yards, as the Tigers improved to 3-0. Louisville fell to 0-3 and could be 1-5 heading into their game against Boston College on October 24. Attendance in Louisville: 55,396
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Young Turks – Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 42, Purdue 27). The game was tied 17-17 late in the second quarter. Then the Hokies scored 27 unanswered points. Attendance in West Lafayette: 45,759
Close, but no cigar for Bevo – California 45, Texas 44 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Texas 20). Early in the fourth quarter, Texas trailed California 45-24. Then Texas scored 3 touchdowns in the final 13:24 of the game. But on the last touchdown, the Longhorns missed the extra point. It was blocked. The two teams combined for 1,198 total yards. Texas found a quarterback – Jerrod Heard. Heard passed for 364 yards and ran for 163 yards. Attendance in Austin: 91,568
Week 3 Picks: 10 correct, 6 wrong (62.5%)
On the Season: 39 correct, 13 wrong (75%)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Maryland 35, South Florida 17 – Attendance in College Park: 36,827
Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 15,397
Furman 16, UCF 15 – Attendance in Orlando: 36,484
FIU 39, North Carolina Central 14 – Attendance in Miami: 16,567
South Carolina State 36, Florida A&M 0 – Attendance in Orangeburg: 14,987
Bethune-Cookman 7, Lane 3 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,026
Florida Tech 37, Warner 0 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,527
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 32-38-0 for 487 yards; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 35-46-2-484; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 21-30-1-454; Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 28-44-0-443; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 37-51-1-430; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 34-51-0-427; Massachusetts’ Blake Frohnapfel – 29-55-1-393, and Temple’s P.J. Walker – 28-48-2-391.
Also, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 29-40-0 for 386 yards; Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 25-42-1-379; Rice’s Driphus Jackson – 29-39-0-373; Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 23-27-0-369; Washington’s Jake Browning – 22-31-1-368; Vanderbilt’s Jonny McCrary – 28-33-0-368; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 20-31-1-364, and Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 25-30-0-355.
Also, Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld – 20-27-0 for 355 yards; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 18-33-0-341; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 25-34-2-334; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 19-27-0-333; Georgia’s Greyson Lambert – 24-25-0-330; SMU’s Matt Davis – 17-31-0-330, and Ohio’s Derrius Vick – 17-26-1-327.
Also, East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 36-49-1 for 325 yards; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 25-35-2-318; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 22-37-0-317; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 30-51-0-314; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 37-45-1-303, and North Texas’ Andrew McNulty – 19-35-1-303.
Impressive Rushers:
Southern Miss’ Jalen Richard – 230 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 228 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 219 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 203 yards; Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise – 198 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 195 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 186 yards, and Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 170 yards.
Also, TCU’s Aaron Green – 164 yards; California’s Khalfani Muhammad – 164 yards; Ball State’s Darian Green – 164 yards; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 163 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 161 yards; Tulsa’s Zack Langer – 161 yards, and Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 160 yards.
Also, Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 159 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 159 yards; Utah’s Devontae Booker – 156 yards; Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 152 yards; Oregon State’s Storm Barrs-Woods – 151 yards; Arizona’s Jerrard Randall – 149 yards; BYU’s Adam Hine – 149 yards, and Hawaii’s Paul Harris – 147 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I think there has to be a school where people who can’t get into Florida can go to college. And that’s why we have Florida State,” Florida U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated by his low standing in the polls, which I believe could be a reflection of where he got his education,” Florida State University president John Thrasher, responding to Marco Rubio.
“Most people can’t stand Bob Stoops, outside the state of Oklahoma,” Paul Finebaum.
“Bret Bielema is the Donald Trump of college football,” CBS commentator Gary Danielson.
“Alabama fans are the family members at Thanksgiving that embarrass you,” Fox Sports’ Clay Travis.
“He got his ass kicked,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, on Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, after the Red Raiders beat the Razorbacks.
Signs of the Day
Saban Shops At Baby Gap
Ohio State Also Schedules Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and Birthday Parties
Jeremy Johnson Just Threw Another Interception
Hugh Freeze Is A Belieber
Tebow Is Cut More Often Than My Lawn
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. UCLA (3-0) at Arizona (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This is the big showdown in the Pac-12 South. It could be the Pac-12 equivalent of the Ole Miss-Alabama showdown in the SEC. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen needs to bounce back this week and perform better than he did against BYU, if the Bruins expect to win. He can’t rely on running back Paul Perkins to save the day, but Perkins needs to be on top of his game too. Arizona has its share of weapons, led by quarterback Anu Solomon. The Wildcats are undefeated, but they haven’t really played anybody. They have now – UCLA 34, Arizona 33.
RUNNER UP: 2. TCU (3-0) at Texas Tech (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Texas Tech wasn’t supposed to be that good this year. Tell that to Bret Bielema. The Red Raiders went into Fayetteville and slaughtered the Hogs Saturday. Looks like Kliff Kingsbury may have a competitive team again. No complaints from Swamp Mama about that. Kliff has another sharp-shootin’ quarterback in sophomore Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has put up some impressive numbers so far. But TCU has its own sharp-shooter – Trevone Boykin. And the Frogs have a dangerous runner in Aaron Green. However, TCU has shown some vulnerabilities on defense. Texas Tech may be a tougher game than what TCU was expecting. And it is in Lubbock. Anybody up for Frog Legs? – Texas Tech 35, TCU 33.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. LSU (2-0) at Syracuse (3-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – LSU could be this season’s sleeper. The Tigers looked awesome against Auburn. We knew Leonard Fournette was going to be good. We just weren’t sure about the rest of the team. We are now. Syracuse is off to a 3-0 start, but the Orange haven’t really played anyone. Not sure what the Cuse have – or haven’t. The Carrier Dome can play tricks on some visiting teams. But the Tigers should have no problems. Mikey gets his citrus fix – LSU 30, Syracuse 17.
4. Utah (3-0) at Oregon (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Another big matchup in the Pac-12. Utah has a good win over Michigan. Oregon has a close loss to Michigan State. The game is in Eugene and the Ducks have more weapons than the Utes, especially on offense. But Utah has a decent defense. No feathers for the Utes – Oregon 30, Utah 20.
5. Tennessee (2-1) at Florida (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Last week, Florida beat Kentucky for the 29th-straight year. This week the Gators will be looking to beat Tennessee for the 11th-straight year. The Vols last beat Florida in 2004. Tennessee came close last year. That’s when Treon Harris came on to save the day for the Gators. Depending on how Will Grier plays, Treon may have to save the day again. Actually, it may be the Gator defense that has to save the game for Florida. Tennessee is better. The Vols are much improved. But Davey Crockett can’t handle swamps – Florida 23, Tennessee 20.
6. California (3-0) at Washington (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Cal is off to a great start – its best in years. Jared Goff is a good quarterback, and now the Bears have a good running back in Khalfani Mohammad. But Washington can be dangerous in Seattle. You just know that Chris Petersen’s Huskies are going to pop somebody soon. Not this week – California 30, Washington 19.
7. Missouri (3-0) at Kentucky (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Missouri looked awful beating Connecticut last week. Well, the Tiger defense looked good. But Mizzou’s offense looked bad. Funny, that’s how Kentucky looked against Florida. The Wildcats’ offense was bad, but their defense was good. Something is going to have to give between these two. The Wildcats give and the Tigers take – Missouri 22, Kentucky 19.
8. Maryland (2-1) at West Virginia (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – WVU is off to a good start, but the Mounties are untested. That will change this week. Maryland will definitely test the WVU defense. But the Mounties shouldn’t have trouble scoring on the Terps. In three games, Maryland has given up its share of points. It’s almost hell for the Terps – West Virginia 30, Maryland 20.
9. BYU (2-1) at Michigan (2-1) – (Ind. vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – I don’t know if Tanner Mangum has anymore last second tricks up his sleeve or not. If he does, he may need one in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines should give the Cougars a good game. Then again, BYU should give Michigan a good game. Harbaugh smiles – Michigan 22, BYU 20.
10. USC (2-1) at Arizona State (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Yet another humdinger in the Pac-12. And yet with the other Los Angeles school playing the other team from Arizona. This is definitely LA’s week in Arizona. Are the Dodgers also playing at the Diamondbacks? After the loss to Stanford, the Trojans will be mad. They aren’t going to drop two straight. The Trojans don’t accept the horse – USC 33, Arizona State 30.
11. Mississippi State (2-1) at Auburn (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – These two teams each have one loss in SEC play. And both lost to LSU. One had a close loss; the other was clobbered. Neither can afford to have another conference loss this early in the season. Sounds like we have a fight on our hands. When the fight is over, Aubie will be saying, “Who Dak?” – Mississippi State 26, Auburn 24.
12. Georgia Tech (2-1) at Duke (2-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Both of these teams were sailing along fine until last week. Both met their demise. One will bounce back this week. The other one won’t. Bees bounce better than Devils – Georgia Tech 27, Duke 25.
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Cincinnati (2-1) at Memphis (3-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Memphis could be the darlings of the Group of Five. Stay undefeated and the Tigers could be headed to a New Year’s Day bowl as the highest-rank team among the Group of Five. But the pressure to remain undefeated is tough. Quarterback Paxton Lynch is looking good for the Tigers. But Cincinnati would love to be a spoiler. The Tigers rub the Bearcats ribs – Memphis 34, Cincinnati 26.
14. Ohio (3-0) at Minnesota (2-1) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Ohio is off to a good start. The Bobcats knocked off Marshall. Now they would like to knock off the Gophers. Minnesota would be a good trophy for the Bobcats. But trophies don’t come easy. Goldie holes up for a Bobcat – Minnesota 23, Ohio 19.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Southern Miss (2-1) at Nebraska (1-2) – (C-USA vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News – It’s not often Nebraska starts out 1-2, but the Huskers should even things up this week. Granted, Southern Miss won’t be a pushover. Quarterback Nick Mullens could give the Huskers some problems – but only some. Tommy Armstrong should have a hay day – or is it a corn day. Regardless, the Huskers will head into Big Ten play at 2-2. Herbie flies like an Eagle – Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 19.
Bowling Green (1-2) at Purdue (1-2) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Bowling Green may be one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. The Falcons put 30 points on the board against Tennessee, beat Maryland by 21 points and barely lost to a good Memphis team by 3 points. Meanwhile, Purdue is definitely not one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. In fact, the Boilers may be one of the worst 1-2 teams in the country. BG quarterback Matt Johnson is passing like crazy. The picture doesn’t look good for the Boilers. Falcons crest – Bowling Green 40, Purdue 27.
Southern (2-1) at Georgia (3-0) – (SWAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Oh come on! Could Uga have found an easier team to play? I mean, why would anyone show up to see this game. Oh well, some people like to watch scrimmages. Uga won’t work up a sweat this week. He won’t need the air-conditioned doghouse. But Southern gets a good paycheck. Or should I say playcheck. Uga has no pants – Georgia 56, Southern 3.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
FAU (0-3) at Charlotte (2-1) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CSCA/ASN….
FIU (2-1) at Louisiana Tech (1-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, FCSA….
UCF (0-3) at South Carolina (1-2) – (AAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU –
Stetson (1-1) at Drake (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Tennessee State (2-1) at Florida A&M (0-3) – (Ohio Valley vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Savannah State (0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (2-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Tech (1-2) at North Alabama (2-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Jacksonville U. (2-0) at Marist (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….
Florida State (3-0), Miami (3-0) and South Florida (1-2) are off.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football … Bill Clark, the football coach of UAB when the school shut down the program in January has been re-hired as UAB’s football coach. Clark signed a five-year contract. In June, UAB reversed its January decision, announcing it would resume the program. Clark’s contract will pay him around $650,000 a year. UAB will begin playing again in 2017 in Conference USA.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Gary Richrath and Jackie Collins.
Gary Richrath, the lead guitarist and songwriter for the rock band REO Speedwagon, died last week. He was 65. Richrath joined REO Speedwagon in 1971 just before the band recorded its first album. He remained with the band until 1989. Richrath wrote and co-wrote several REO Speedwagon’s songs, including “Take It on the Run,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1981, and “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” a staple at REO Speedwagon’s concerts. The band had 13 Top 40 hits between 1980 and 1988, including “Keep on Loving You” (1980) and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1985). Gary Richrath was born in 1949.
Jackie Collins, the best-selling British-born author known for her novels about the extravagant and glamorous life in Hollywood, died Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 77. She wrote more than 30 novels. Her first novel was published in 1968. Collins is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. Many of her novels became the basis for movies and television mini-series. Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins was born on October 4, 1937, in London.
Monday, September 14, 2015
College Football Week 3 – Gators are in for a surprise in Lexington
Anything you want, you got it
Baby!
Last week, a backup quarterback for BYU – Tanner Mangum – threw a Hail Mary pass as time expired to give the Cougars a 33-28 win over Nebraska. Saturday, a backup quarterback for Notre Dame – DeShone Kizer – threw a 39-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining to give the Irish a 34-27 win over Virginia.
Saturday, Mangum was back at it again. With 45 seconds left on the clock, the BYU freshman threw 35-yard touchdown pass to give the Cougars a come-from-behind win over Boise State.
That’s what I love about college football – anything you want, you got it. Anything at all, you got it. Anything you want for excitement, college football has it.
If you want offense, you got it. Thursday night, Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech combined for 1,170 total yards in a game the Hilltoppers won 41-38. Watching the game, it was good to see former Florida Gator Jeff Driskel in action, quarterbacking Louisiana Tech.
Driskel graduated from Florida after last season with a year of eligibility remaining. He transferred to Louisiana Tech during the offseason. In the loss Thursday night, Driskel passed for 357 yards.
Ironically, the following night, Jeff’s younger brother Jason Driskel was on television, quarterbacking Florida Atlantic against Miami (Florida). When FAU’s starting quarterback Jaquez Johnson left the game in the first quarter with an injury, Jason, a redshirt freshman, took over the quarterback duties for the Owls. FAU lost to Miami, 44-20.
If you want overtime games, you got it. There were three of them Saturday. Perhaps the most exciting was Oklahoma’s 31-24 (2OT) win over Tennessee. The Sooners trailed the Vols throughout most of the game. OU rallied in the fourth quarter, forcing the overtime when quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a five-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in regulation – Oklahoma 17, Tennessee 17.
However, just as exciting was Jacksonville State’s near upset of Auburn that ended in overtime. Trailing Jacksonville State, 20-13, Auburn tied the score with 39 seconds left in the game when Jeremy Johnson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers went on to win 23-20 (OT). It seems we have come to expect games like this early in the season in Auburn.
The third overtime occurred In Fort Collins, Colorado. Trailing Minnesota, 20-17, Colorado State’s Wyatt Bryan kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to tie the score at 20-20. However, Minnesota went on to win in the overtime, 23-20. Former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is in his first season coaching Colorado State.
If you want upsets, you got it. There were five big upsets Saturday. The biggest shocker occurred in Little Rock, Arkansas. Toledo surprised Arkansas 16-12. In College Park, Maryland, Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson passed for 491 yards, as the Falcons upset Maryland, big time – 48-27.
Kentucky played inspired ball, especially in the first half, and the Wildcats hung on to upset South Carolina, 26-22. But another Kentucky team was the victim of an upset. Houston shocked Louisville, 34-31. And finally, Marshall suffered an unexpected loss. Ohio surprised the Herd, 21-10.
If you like exciting games, you got it. There were several. In Piscataway, New Jersey, Washington State scored with 13 seconds remaining in the game to beat Rutgers, 37-34. The Cougars scored when Luke Falk threw an 8-yard touchdown pass. In the game, Falk passed for 478 yards. The win was a big turnaround for Washington State, after the Cougars lost at home last week to FCS Portland State.
In a nail biter in Starkville, Mississippi, LSU held off Mississippi State in the closing minutes to beat the Bulldogs, 21-19. And finally, Michigan State beat Oregon in a good game, 31-28.
If you like sentimental games, you got it. Former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh had his debut game in the Big House, coaching the Wolverines. Michigan beat Oregon State, 35-7, giving Harbaugh his first win with the Wolverines.
If you like running backs, you got it. Florida State sophomore running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 266 yards in 30 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Seminoles 34-14 victory over South Florida.
And if you like routs, you got that too. In the “how many points can we score” category: Boston College 76, Howard 0; Ole Miss 73, Fresno State 21; Texas Tech 69, UTEP 20, and Georgia Tech 65, Tulane 10. In just two games this season, Ole Miss has scored 149 points, Georgia Tech has scored 134 points and Texas Tech has scored 128 points.
And don’t forget, if you like great halftime shows, you got it – the Kansas State Wildcat Band. Speaking of the K-State band, following the group’s opening weekend R-rated (or was it X-rated) halftime show, the band was fined $5,000 by the Big 12 Conference. The band’s director has been suspended from attending the Kansas State-Kansas game later this season. And finally, until further notice, all future halftime shows by the band have to be approved in advance by an administrative committee at Kansas State.
But unlike the Stanford band, the K-State band won’t be The Best Banned Band in the Land. Later in the week, after the band’s punishment was announced, Captain Kirk himself – William Shatner – weighed in on the situation. Shatner said the band’s formation sure looked like the Starship Enterprise to him.
When the AP Top 25 poll was released last week, there were a record 10 teams from the SEC in the poll. It was the first time a conference has had that many teams in a Top 25 poll – AP or Coaches.
When the AP poll was released yesterday, there were only seven SEC teams in the poll. Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi State fell out. Speaking of Arkansas and Tennessee, their fans have to be devastated following the losses to Toledo and Oklahoma respectively. Both Arkansas and Tennessee have been down for several years. There was unbelievable hype, hoopla and expectations for the Razorbacks and Vols, entering this season.
It was good to see Tim Tebow back in college football on the SEC Network’s Saturday morning “SEC Nation” show.
Betty (The Duchess of Indialantic) Pappas and her son-in-law and daughter, Russ and Sandy Grunewald joined Swamp Mama and me Saturday evening for a viewing party. We switched around between the East Carolina-Florida, Oklahoma-Tennessee, Kentucky-South Carolina and Oregon-Michigan State games. I think I gave Betty too much wine.
Bootsie and Rockledge Gator were dining, dancing and partying at Bootsie’s high school reunion in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, over the weekend. That was after they toured a number of wineries in western North Carolina on their way to Winston-Salem last week. I’m not sure who was doing the driving. I don’t want to ask.
That’s what I love about college football – anything you want, you got it.
Anything at all, you got it.
Baby!
Touchdown Tom
September 14, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S. “You Got It” was written by Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and recorded by Roy Orbison. The song spent 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 9 in the spring of 1989.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Sparty smacks the Quacks – Michigan State 31, Oregon 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Oregon 27). The Spartans had the ground game and the Ducks had the passing game. Vernon Adams passed for 309 yards, but threw two picks. MSU’s top two rushers combined for 179 yards; Oregon’s top two combined for 112 yards. Attendance in East Lansing: 76,526
RUNNER UP: Tigers stripe Starkville – LSU 21, Mississippi State 19 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 24, Mississippi State 20). LSU rushed for 266 yards, holding Miss State to 43 yards rushing. The Bulldogs passed for 335 yards, holding the Tigers to 71 yards passing. LSU dominated the first quarter, 14-0. Miss State dominated the fourth quarter, 13-0. In between, the two teams were pretty evenly matched. Attendance in Starkville: 62,531
REST OF THE BEST: Vols run out of gas – Oklahoma 31, Tennessee 24 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Tennessee 23). Eric Striker was right, Tennessee had no gas. Except for the first 18 minutes of the game, Tennessee had no offense. Oklahoma held the Vols scoreless in the final 42 minutes of the game. Conversely, Oklahoma had no offense until the fourth quarter. Except for a field goal in the second quarter, Tennessee held the Sooners scoreless until the final eight minutes of the game. Attendance in Knoxville: 102,455
Living on the edge again – BYU 35, Boise State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 24, Boise State 21). Trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, BYU scored 21 points in the final 10 minutes. The Cougars scored the go ahead touchdown with 45 seconds on the clock. Neither team had a running game. But together, BYU and Boise State combined for 606 yards passing. Attendance in Provo: 63,470
Ute the one – Utah 24, Utah State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Utah State 16). Utah State scored all 14 of its points in the second quarter. The Aggies were scoreless in the other three quarters. Utah spread its scoring out – scoring in each of the four quarters. The Utes lost starting quarterback Travis Wilson to a shoulder injury in the second quarter. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 46,011
Chicken soup – Kentucky 26, South Carolina 22 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 28, Kentucky 21). Kentucky built up a 24-7 halftime lead and then held on for the victory. It was the Wildcats second-straight win over the Gamecocks. Attendance in Columbia: 82,178
Mad! – Florida 31, East Carolina 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, East Carolina 17). Florida coach Jim McElwain was one angry camper after the game. He didn’t like how his team – offense and defense – played. And he took out his anger on his players. Last week, Treon Harris and Will Grier combined for 379 yards passing. Against ECU, they combined for only 205 yards passing. The Pirates had 346 yards passing. But fortunately for the Gators, East Carolina had no yards rushing. In fact, the Pirates had minus yards rushing, -13. After trailing ECU twice in the first half, Florida finally took the lead for good when the Gators went up 17-14 halfway through the third quarter. Attendance in Gainesville: 88,034
Campaign game – Iowa 31, Iowa State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Iowa State 23). This game was tied 17-17 late in the fourth quarter. Then Iowa scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game. The Cyclones only managed 63 yards rushing. Several republican presidential candidates made the rounds among the tailgaters prior to the game. Attendance in Ames: 61,500
Talk about luck of the Irish – Notre Dame 34, Virginia 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 28, Virginia 18). Talk about a strange game – Notre dame outscored Virginia 12-0 in the first quarter. Then the Cavs outscored the Irish 14-0 in the second quarter, only to have ND outscore UVA 14-0 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Virginia outscored Notre Dame 13-0 – that is until 12 seconds left in the final quarter, when the Irish scored on a 39-yard pass play. Amazingly, ND was 0-for-10 on third down efficiency. Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire left the game in the third quarter with a broken right ankle. Attendance in Charlottesville: 58,200
Uga strums a victory – Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Vanderbilt 9). Georgia’s passing game is suspect (141 yards), but as usual, the Dawgs running game couldn’t be better (282 yards). Nick Chubb rushed for 189 yards. Vandy is hurting on offense and defense. Attendance in Nashville: 37,185
Return of the native – Michigan 35, Oregon State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Oregon State 17). Oregon State scored first and then it was all Michigan after that. The Wolverines had 405 total yards, while holding the Beavers to 59 yards rushing and 79 yards passing. Watching Jim Harbaugh, a favorite son of Michigan, coach the Wolverines for the first time in the Big House was reminiscent of Steve Spurrier, a favorite son of Florida, when he coached the Gators for the first time in The Swamp. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 109,651
Cougars cut the Cards – Houston 34, Louisville 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 33, Houston 22). Louisville had no running game. Houston could run and pass. Neither team led by more than seven points at anytime during the game. Bobby Petrino is 0-2 with Clemson on the horizon. Attendance in Louisville: 50,019
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Knights get sapped – Stanford 31, UCF 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, UCF 16). Stanford racked up 491 total yards, while holding UCF to only 181 total yards – just 30 of those rushing. The Knights only score came with 1:22 left in the game. The offense Stanford couldn’t find against Northwestern, the Cardinal found against UCF. Kevin Hogan passed for 341 yards. Meanwhile the offense UCF couldn’t find against FIU is still lost. Attendance in Palo Alto: 50,420
Luke 4:78 – Washington State 37, Rutgers 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Rutgers 30, Washington State 16). Trailing 20-6 late in the third quarter, Rutgers came back to take a 27-23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Washington State retook the lead, gave it up and then scored the winning touchdown with 0:13 remaining in the game. The Cougars Luke Falk had 478 yards passing. Attendance in Piscataway: 46,536
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Doused – West Virginia 41, Liberty 17 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 49, Liberty 3). WVU quarterback Skyler Howard completed 81% of his passes and backup quarterback William Crest was 6-for-6, passing. The Mountaineers have scored 40-plus points in each of their first two games. Attendance in Morgantown: 52,899
Hail Newby – Nebraska 48, South Alabama 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, South Alabama 14). The Huskers had 561 total yards, while holding South Alabama to 19 yards rushing. Nebraska led 31-0 midway through the third quarter. Terrell Newby had 198 yards rushing for the Huskers. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,822
Sirk du Soleil – Duke 55, North Carolina Central 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 45, North Carolina Central 10). The Dookies held NCC to 186 total yards (just 54 rushing), while racking up 655 total yards for themselves. NCC only had 9 first downs. The Devils Thomas Sirk had 315 yards passing. Attendance in Durham: 33,941
Boilers chop ‘em down – Purdue 38, Indiana State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 35, Indiana State 26). The Boilers finally found a team they can beat. Maybe Purdue should join the Missouri Valley Conference. The Boilers had a balanced attack – 251 yards rushing and 289 yards passing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 41,158
Week 2 Picks: 15 correct, 3 wrong (83.3%)
On the Season: 29 correct, 7 wrong (80.6%)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State 34, South Florida 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 72,811….
Indiana 36, Florida International 22 – Attendance in Bloomington: 41,509….
Miami 44, Florida Atlantic 20 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 30,321….
Jacksonville U. 17, Newberry 14 – Attendance in Newberry: 3,239….
Samford 58, Florida A&M 21 – Attendance in Birmingham: 4,714….
Mercer 57, Stetson 14 – Attendance in Macon: 11,267….
Bethune-Cookman 56, Grambling State 53 – Attendance in Grambling: 12,019….
SE Louisiana 28, Florida Tech 17 – Attendance in Hammond: 7,759….
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best Passers:
Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 36-55-1 for 491 yards; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 47-66-0-478; New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 31-55-1-445; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 28-38-0-441; USC’s Cody Kessler – 26-31-0-410; Arkansas’ Brandon Allen – 32-53-1-409; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 22-34-1-405, and Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 32-43-1-372.
Also, Louisiana-Monroe’s Garrett Smith – 26-33-0 for 370 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 18-33-0-361; Northern Illinois’ Drew Hare – 29-38-0-358; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 28-48-1-357; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 22-25-0-354; Miss State’s Dak Prescott – 33-52-0-350; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 20-25-0-346, and Stanford’s Kevin Hogan – 17-29-0-339.
Also, East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 34-55-1 for 333 yards; Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback – 17-24-0-330; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 25-36-1-328; Washington’s Jake Browning – 17-24-0-326; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 16-30-0-321; California’s Jared Goff – 17-24-1-320; Illinois’ Wes Lunt – 33-46-1-316; Duke’s Thomas Sirk – 15-22-0-315; BYU’s Tanner Mangum – 17-28-2-309, and Oregon’s Vernon Adams – 22-39-2-309.
Weekend’s Best Rushers:
Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 266 yards; Old Dominion’s Ray Lawry – 201 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 200 yards; Nebraska’s Terrell Newby – 198 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 189 yards; Temple’s Jahad Thomas – 182 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 176 yards, and Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 170 yards.
Also, Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 168 yards; Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire – 162 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 159 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 159 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 151 yards; Miami of Florida’s Joseph Yearby – 146 yards, and Washington’s Myles Gaskins – 146 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I hope SEC players don’t let it go to their heads. Because this is how you get beat. I look forward to it. Gas ‘em up. Bring ‘em back down to earth. I don’t know why people blow gas up their ass all the time,” Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker, on 10 SEC teams ranked in the AP’s Top 25 poll.
“I think down at Florida it got very toxic for him (Driskel). He became the scapegoat,” Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz, on his quarterback Jeff Driskel, a transfer from Florida.
“No debate, Florida State has the worst fans in America. But Texas has the most arrogant.” Paul Finebaum.
“Does Texas still have pride? Do they look in the mirror and still see Longhorns? This has been going on for six or seven years,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, trashing Texas football.
“Texas is in a bad place right now,” ESPN’s David Pollack.
“What’s up with my Longhorns? They got to pick it up or he gone,” former Texas player Jermichael Finley.
Signs of the Day
If You Can Read This You Didn’t Go To Georgia
Welcome Back Tebow
Remember When Brady Hoke Had A Job?
David Pollack Wears Cargo Shorts
7,280 Uniform Combos, 0 National Titles
Harbaugh Wears Off-Brand Khakis
Mark Helfrich Drinks O’Douls
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Ole Miss (2-0) at Alabama (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 9:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Ole Miss was the only team to beat Alabama during the regular season last year. What do they say about elephants? They have good memories. Yes, I’m sure Bama remembers it well. There will be no mercy for Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa Saturday. The Pachyderms hold a revenge party – Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20.
RUNNER UP: 2. Auburn (2-0) at LSU (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – As good as LSU looked against Miss State and as bad as Auburn has looked against Louisville and Jacksonville State, you gotta figure the Cajun Tigers are going to win. In Auburn’s first two games, Will Muschamp’s defense has given up almost 900 yards. The Mad Hatter has to have his eye on that. Aubie loses a bet to Fournette – LSU 27, Auburn 23.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Georgia Tech (2-0) at Notre Dame (2-0) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Georgia Tech has scored 134 points in its first two games. Granted the competition hasn’t been the caliber of Notre Dame. But still. The Irish lost their star quarterback in the game against Virginia last week. But backup DeShone Kizer didn’t miss a beat. Kizer was 8-for-12 passing with two touchdowns, including the game winning TD. Expect a donnybrook. The Bees find honey in South Bend – Georgia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24.
4. BYU (2-0) at UCLA (2-0) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – BYU has won its first two games in the expiring and closing seconds. Is there another miracle in the works? Not likely. The Bruins are a solid team. But look for lots of fireworks. Mangum is blessed, but Rosen is chosen – UCLA 34, BYU 26.
5. Florida State (2-0) at Boston College (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – After a couple appetizers, the Noles step up to an entrée level team this week. BC has given FSU problems in Chestnut Hill in the past. The Eagles can be a feisty bunch. But they aren’t feisty enough to tame the duo of Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook. The tomahawk doesn’t miss a chop – Florida State 27, Boston College 16.
6. Northwestern (2-0) at Duke (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Ah, a showdown of the elites in Durham. We know Duke is good. They have been under David Cutcliffe. We’re not sure about Northwestern. Not sure if the Wildcats win over Stanford was a fluke or not. But one thing is for sure. The Dookies are no flookies – Duke 25, Northwestern 22.
7. Pitt (2-0) at Iowa (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Both the Panthers and the Hawkeyes are off to a good start. But Iowa appears to be the better. Pitt’s defense didn’t look good against Youngstown State. And without James Conner, the Panthers can’t be that good. No corn dogs for the Panthers – Iowa 30, Pitt 24.
8. Florida (2-0) at Kentucky (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Kentucky has not won against Florida since 1986. That was 29 years ago. And the two have played every year. Well all good things have to come to an end sometime. For the Gators over Kentucky that end will come Saturday. It darn near came last year. I know….can you believe it. I’m picking Kentucky over Florida. If the Wildcats can beat South Carolina in Columbia, they darn sure can beat Florida in Lexington. Jim McElwain still has too many things to get fixed yet. Swamp Mama will never hear the end of it from KY Kip. Hell freezes over – Kentucky 29, Florida 27.
9. South Carolina (1-1) at Georgia (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – South Carolina’s offense is too erratic to sustain any consistency against Georgia. And the Gamecocks defense won’t stand up to the Dawgs running game. South Carolina may keep it close for a while. But eventually, Georgia will wear them down. Uga does some plucking – Georgia 28, South Carolina 18.
10. Stanford (1-1) at USC (2-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Stanford looked good against UCF. But something tells me the Trees are down a notch, or two, this year. The game definitely will give us a good indication of what the Trojans have. Quarterback Cody Kessler has been looking good. But Stanford’s Kevin Hogan looked good last week. Tommy fells a Tree – USC 27, Stanford 18.
11. Texas Tech (2-0) at Arkansas (1-1) – (Big 12 vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Last year, Arkansas went into Lubbock and flattened the Red Raiders. All indications were that the Hogs were going to wallow the Red Raiders again this year. But then along came Toledo. But were the Hogs looking ahead to Tech against Toledo? The Red Raiders can score. That’s for sure. But Tech has no defense. Sounds like a high-scoring affair. Red Raiders smoke some Ribs – Texas Tech 32, Arkansas 30.
12. Nebraska (1-1) at Miami (Florida) (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – The Huskers have already lost a close one this season. In Miami, it will be close – heat that is. But the score may be close too. The Canes haven’t had a tough opponent yet – nothing near BYU. But Al Golden is feeling pressure and he’ll do anything to win. The Canes grind some Corn – Miami 30, Nebraska 28.
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Illinois (2-0) at North Carolina (1-1) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – The Banned Indians are another one of those teams that have looked good. But we don’t know what they have. The competition has been weak. The Tar Heels didn’t look good against South Carolina. Illinois appears to have a good offense. But the defense is unknown – a question mark. The Banned Indians also are playing under an interim coach. If the Tar Heels lose, they will be playing under a short-term coach. The Banned Indians band together – Illinois 21, North Carolina 20.
14. Clemson (2-0) at Louisville (0-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – If Clemson wants to make a run at the ACC title, the Tigers can’t afford to stump their toe in Louisville. It could happen. After two close losses, the Cardinals will be mad – mad like a wounded animal. But this is football, not volleyball – Clemson 36, Louisville 24.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Virginia Tech (1-1) at Purdue (1-1) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Against the Hokies, the Boilers could be jumping out of their league again. And against the Boilers, the Hokies will be looking for revenge in the Big Ten, after the loss to Ohio State. Both will score, but the Hokies will score more – Virginia Tech 42, Purdue 27.
California (2-0) at Texas (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Against Rice last week, the Longhorns offense came to life. But the Horns defense still looked weak. California will take advantage of a weak defense. The Golden Bears can score. Cal has one of the best quarterbacks in the country – Jared Goff. Charlie Strong could sure use the win. But he won’t get it – California 30, Texas 20.
West Virginia (2-0) is off.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
USF (1-1) at Maryland (1-1) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNews….
Buffalo (1-1) at FAU (0-2) – (MAC vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ASN….
Furman (0-2) at UCF (0-2) – (Southern vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
North Carolina Central (1-1) at Florida International (1-1) – (MEAC vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida A&M (0-2) at South Carolina State (1-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPNU….
Lane (1-1) at Bethune-Cookman (1-1) – (SIAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Warner (2-1) at Florida Tech (0-2) – (Sun vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Jacksonville U. (2-0) and Stetson (1-1) are off
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football … Former Iowa and New York Giants football player Tyler Sash died last week in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was 27…. The Backyard Brawl resumes: West Virginia and Pitt have announced the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. The two schools will meet in a four-game series from 2022 to 2025.
Tom Scott, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played on New York Giants teams that reached the NFL title games of 1961, 1962 and 1963, died last week at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was 84. Scott played 12 years in the NFL, beginning with the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas Coster Scott grew up in Baltimore. He was an All-American at Virginia in both football and lacrosse. He also lettered in baseball and basketball…. In a shakeup at Texas last week, Charlie Strong stripped the play-calling duties from his quarterbacks coach Shawn Wilson and turned over the play-calling to receivers coach Jay Norvell.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was finally underway, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe” by Johnny Mercer
…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “Goodnight, Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers
…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller
…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “The Twist” by Chubby Checker
…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Help” by The Beatles
…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell
…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Upside Down” by Diana Ross
…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “St. Elmo’s Fire” by John Parr
…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “Blaze Of Glory” by Jon Bon Jovi
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Joaquin Andujar and Moses Malone.
Joaquin Andujar, a right-hander who made four National League All-Star teams and pitched in two World Series games for the St. Louis Cardinals, died last week in the Dominican Republic. He was 62. Andujar began and ended his career with the Houston Astros. In between, he pitched for the Cardinals. Andujar’s MLB career ran from 1976 to 1988. Joaquin Andujar was born on December 21, 1952, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.
Moses Malone, the NBA player known as the Chairman of the Boards, died Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 60. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship. Malone joined the Utah Stars of the ABA out of high school in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1974. He originally committed to play for the University of Maryland, but changed his mind. Malone played for 19 seasons in the NBA for the Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers. He appeared in 11 All-Star games. Moses Eugene Malone was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia.
Anything you want, you got it
Baby!
Last week, a backup quarterback for BYU – Tanner Mangum – threw a Hail Mary pass as time expired to give the Cougars a 33-28 win over Nebraska. Saturday, a backup quarterback for Notre Dame – DeShone Kizer – threw a 39-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining to give the Irish a 34-27 win over Virginia.
Saturday, Mangum was back at it again. With 45 seconds left on the clock, the BYU freshman threw 35-yard touchdown pass to give the Cougars a come-from-behind win over Boise State.
That’s what I love about college football – anything you want, you got it. Anything at all, you got it. Anything you want for excitement, college football has it.
If you want offense, you got it. Thursday night, Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech combined for 1,170 total yards in a game the Hilltoppers won 41-38. Watching the game, it was good to see former Florida Gator Jeff Driskel in action, quarterbacking Louisiana Tech.
Driskel graduated from Florida after last season with a year of eligibility remaining. He transferred to Louisiana Tech during the offseason. In the loss Thursday night, Driskel passed for 357 yards.
Ironically, the following night, Jeff’s younger brother Jason Driskel was on television, quarterbacking Florida Atlantic against Miami (Florida). When FAU’s starting quarterback Jaquez Johnson left the game in the first quarter with an injury, Jason, a redshirt freshman, took over the quarterback duties for the Owls. FAU lost to Miami, 44-20.
If you want overtime games, you got it. There were three of them Saturday. Perhaps the most exciting was Oklahoma’s 31-24 (2OT) win over Tennessee. The Sooners trailed the Vols throughout most of the game. OU rallied in the fourth quarter, forcing the overtime when quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a five-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in regulation – Oklahoma 17, Tennessee 17.
However, just as exciting was Jacksonville State’s near upset of Auburn that ended in overtime. Trailing Jacksonville State, 20-13, Auburn tied the score with 39 seconds left in the game when Jeremy Johnson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers went on to win 23-20 (OT). It seems we have come to expect games like this early in the season in Auburn.
The third overtime occurred In Fort Collins, Colorado. Trailing Minnesota, 20-17, Colorado State’s Wyatt Bryan kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to tie the score at 20-20. However, Minnesota went on to win in the overtime, 23-20. Former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is in his first season coaching Colorado State.
If you want upsets, you got it. There were five big upsets Saturday. The biggest shocker occurred in Little Rock, Arkansas. Toledo surprised Arkansas 16-12. In College Park, Maryland, Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson passed for 491 yards, as the Falcons upset Maryland, big time – 48-27.
Kentucky played inspired ball, especially in the first half, and the Wildcats hung on to upset South Carolina, 26-22. But another Kentucky team was the victim of an upset. Houston shocked Louisville, 34-31. And finally, Marshall suffered an unexpected loss. Ohio surprised the Herd, 21-10.
If you like exciting games, you got it. There were several. In Piscataway, New Jersey, Washington State scored with 13 seconds remaining in the game to beat Rutgers, 37-34. The Cougars scored when Luke Falk threw an 8-yard touchdown pass. In the game, Falk passed for 478 yards. The win was a big turnaround for Washington State, after the Cougars lost at home last week to FCS Portland State.
In a nail biter in Starkville, Mississippi, LSU held off Mississippi State in the closing minutes to beat the Bulldogs, 21-19. And finally, Michigan State beat Oregon in a good game, 31-28.
If you like sentimental games, you got it. Former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh had his debut game in the Big House, coaching the Wolverines. Michigan beat Oregon State, 35-7, giving Harbaugh his first win with the Wolverines.
If you like running backs, you got it. Florida State sophomore running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 266 yards in 30 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Seminoles 34-14 victory over South Florida.
And if you like routs, you got that too. In the “how many points can we score” category: Boston College 76, Howard 0; Ole Miss 73, Fresno State 21; Texas Tech 69, UTEP 20, and Georgia Tech 65, Tulane 10. In just two games this season, Ole Miss has scored 149 points, Georgia Tech has scored 134 points and Texas Tech has scored 128 points.
And don’t forget, if you like great halftime shows, you got it – the Kansas State Wildcat Band. Speaking of the K-State band, following the group’s opening weekend R-rated (or was it X-rated) halftime show, the band was fined $5,000 by the Big 12 Conference. The band’s director has been suspended from attending the Kansas State-Kansas game later this season. And finally, until further notice, all future halftime shows by the band have to be approved in advance by an administrative committee at Kansas State.
But unlike the Stanford band, the K-State band won’t be The Best Banned Band in the Land. Later in the week, after the band’s punishment was announced, Captain Kirk himself – William Shatner – weighed in on the situation. Shatner said the band’s formation sure looked like the Starship Enterprise to him.
When the AP Top 25 poll was released last week, there were a record 10 teams from the SEC in the poll. It was the first time a conference has had that many teams in a Top 25 poll – AP or Coaches.
When the AP poll was released yesterday, there were only seven SEC teams in the poll. Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi State fell out. Speaking of Arkansas and Tennessee, their fans have to be devastated following the losses to Toledo and Oklahoma respectively. Both Arkansas and Tennessee have been down for several years. There was unbelievable hype, hoopla and expectations for the Razorbacks and Vols, entering this season.
It was good to see Tim Tebow back in college football on the SEC Network’s Saturday morning “SEC Nation” show.
Betty (The Duchess of Indialantic) Pappas and her son-in-law and daughter, Russ and Sandy Grunewald joined Swamp Mama and me Saturday evening for a viewing party. We switched around between the East Carolina-Florida, Oklahoma-Tennessee, Kentucky-South Carolina and Oregon-Michigan State games. I think I gave Betty too much wine.
Bootsie and Rockledge Gator were dining, dancing and partying at Bootsie’s high school reunion in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, over the weekend. That was after they toured a number of wineries in western North Carolina on their way to Winston-Salem last week. I’m not sure who was doing the driving. I don’t want to ask.
That’s what I love about college football – anything you want, you got it.
Anything at all, you got it.
Baby!
Touchdown Tom
September 14, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S. “You Got It” was written by Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and recorded by Roy Orbison. The song spent 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 9 in the spring of 1989.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Sparty smacks the Quacks – Michigan State 31, Oregon 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Oregon 27). The Spartans had the ground game and the Ducks had the passing game. Vernon Adams passed for 309 yards, but threw two picks. MSU’s top two rushers combined for 179 yards; Oregon’s top two combined for 112 yards. Attendance in East Lansing: 76,526
RUNNER UP: Tigers stripe Starkville – LSU 21, Mississippi State 19 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 24, Mississippi State 20). LSU rushed for 266 yards, holding Miss State to 43 yards rushing. The Bulldogs passed for 335 yards, holding the Tigers to 71 yards passing. LSU dominated the first quarter, 14-0. Miss State dominated the fourth quarter, 13-0. In between, the two teams were pretty evenly matched. Attendance in Starkville: 62,531
REST OF THE BEST: Vols run out of gas – Oklahoma 31, Tennessee 24 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Tennessee 23). Eric Striker was right, Tennessee had no gas. Except for the first 18 minutes of the game, Tennessee had no offense. Oklahoma held the Vols scoreless in the final 42 minutes of the game. Conversely, Oklahoma had no offense until the fourth quarter. Except for a field goal in the second quarter, Tennessee held the Sooners scoreless until the final eight minutes of the game. Attendance in Knoxville: 102,455
Living on the edge again – BYU 35, Boise State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 24, Boise State 21). Trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, BYU scored 21 points in the final 10 minutes. The Cougars scored the go ahead touchdown with 45 seconds on the clock. Neither team had a running game. But together, BYU and Boise State combined for 606 yards passing. Attendance in Provo: 63,470
Ute the one – Utah 24, Utah State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Utah State 16). Utah State scored all 14 of its points in the second quarter. The Aggies were scoreless in the other three quarters. Utah spread its scoring out – scoring in each of the four quarters. The Utes lost starting quarterback Travis Wilson to a shoulder injury in the second quarter. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 46,011
Chicken soup – Kentucky 26, South Carolina 22 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 28, Kentucky 21). Kentucky built up a 24-7 halftime lead and then held on for the victory. It was the Wildcats second-straight win over the Gamecocks. Attendance in Columbia: 82,178
Mad! – Florida 31, East Carolina 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, East Carolina 17). Florida coach Jim McElwain was one angry camper after the game. He didn’t like how his team – offense and defense – played. And he took out his anger on his players. Last week, Treon Harris and Will Grier combined for 379 yards passing. Against ECU, they combined for only 205 yards passing. The Pirates had 346 yards passing. But fortunately for the Gators, East Carolina had no yards rushing. In fact, the Pirates had minus yards rushing, -13. After trailing ECU twice in the first half, Florida finally took the lead for good when the Gators went up 17-14 halfway through the third quarter. Attendance in Gainesville: 88,034
Campaign game – Iowa 31, Iowa State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Iowa State 23). This game was tied 17-17 late in the fourth quarter. Then Iowa scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game. The Cyclones only managed 63 yards rushing. Several republican presidential candidates made the rounds among the tailgaters prior to the game. Attendance in Ames: 61,500
Talk about luck of the Irish – Notre Dame 34, Virginia 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 28, Virginia 18). Talk about a strange game – Notre dame outscored Virginia 12-0 in the first quarter. Then the Cavs outscored the Irish 14-0 in the second quarter, only to have ND outscore UVA 14-0 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Virginia outscored Notre Dame 13-0 – that is until 12 seconds left in the final quarter, when the Irish scored on a 39-yard pass play. Amazingly, ND was 0-for-10 on third down efficiency. Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire left the game in the third quarter with a broken right ankle. Attendance in Charlottesville: 58,200
Uga strums a victory – Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Vanderbilt 9). Georgia’s passing game is suspect (141 yards), but as usual, the Dawgs running game couldn’t be better (282 yards). Nick Chubb rushed for 189 yards. Vandy is hurting on offense and defense. Attendance in Nashville: 37,185
Return of the native – Michigan 35, Oregon State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Oregon State 17). Oregon State scored first and then it was all Michigan after that. The Wolverines had 405 total yards, while holding the Beavers to 59 yards rushing and 79 yards passing. Watching Jim Harbaugh, a favorite son of Michigan, coach the Wolverines for the first time in the Big House was reminiscent of Steve Spurrier, a favorite son of Florida, when he coached the Gators for the first time in The Swamp. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 109,651
Cougars cut the Cards – Houston 34, Louisville 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 33, Houston 22). Louisville had no running game. Houston could run and pass. Neither team led by more than seven points at anytime during the game. Bobby Petrino is 0-2 with Clemson on the horizon. Attendance in Louisville: 50,019
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Knights get sapped – Stanford 31, UCF 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, UCF 16). Stanford racked up 491 total yards, while holding UCF to only 181 total yards – just 30 of those rushing. The Knights only score came with 1:22 left in the game. The offense Stanford couldn’t find against Northwestern, the Cardinal found against UCF. Kevin Hogan passed for 341 yards. Meanwhile the offense UCF couldn’t find against FIU is still lost. Attendance in Palo Alto: 50,420
Luke 4:78 – Washington State 37, Rutgers 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Rutgers 30, Washington State 16). Trailing 20-6 late in the third quarter, Rutgers came back to take a 27-23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Washington State retook the lead, gave it up and then scored the winning touchdown with 0:13 remaining in the game. The Cougars Luke Falk had 478 yards passing. Attendance in Piscataway: 46,536
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Doused – West Virginia 41, Liberty 17 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 49, Liberty 3). WVU quarterback Skyler Howard completed 81% of his passes and backup quarterback William Crest was 6-for-6, passing. The Mountaineers have scored 40-plus points in each of their first two games. Attendance in Morgantown: 52,899
Hail Newby – Nebraska 48, South Alabama 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, South Alabama 14). The Huskers had 561 total yards, while holding South Alabama to 19 yards rushing. Nebraska led 31-0 midway through the third quarter. Terrell Newby had 198 yards rushing for the Huskers. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,822
Sirk du Soleil – Duke 55, North Carolina Central 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 45, North Carolina Central 10). The Dookies held NCC to 186 total yards (just 54 rushing), while racking up 655 total yards for themselves. NCC only had 9 first downs. The Devils Thomas Sirk had 315 yards passing. Attendance in Durham: 33,941
Boilers chop ‘em down – Purdue 38, Indiana State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 35, Indiana State 26). The Boilers finally found a team they can beat. Maybe Purdue should join the Missouri Valley Conference. The Boilers had a balanced attack – 251 yards rushing and 289 yards passing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 41,158
Week 2 Picks: 15 correct, 3 wrong (83.3%)
On the Season: 29 correct, 7 wrong (80.6%)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State 34, South Florida 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 72,811….
Indiana 36, Florida International 22 – Attendance in Bloomington: 41,509….
Miami 44, Florida Atlantic 20 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 30,321….
Jacksonville U. 17, Newberry 14 – Attendance in Newberry: 3,239….
Samford 58, Florida A&M 21 – Attendance in Birmingham: 4,714….
Mercer 57, Stetson 14 – Attendance in Macon: 11,267….
Bethune-Cookman 56, Grambling State 53 – Attendance in Grambling: 12,019….
SE Louisiana 28, Florida Tech 17 – Attendance in Hammond: 7,759….
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best Passers:
Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 36-55-1 for 491 yards; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 47-66-0-478; New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 31-55-1-445; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 28-38-0-441; USC’s Cody Kessler – 26-31-0-410; Arkansas’ Brandon Allen – 32-53-1-409; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 22-34-1-405, and Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 32-43-1-372.
Also, Louisiana-Monroe’s Garrett Smith – 26-33-0 for 370 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 18-33-0-361; Northern Illinois’ Drew Hare – 29-38-0-358; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 28-48-1-357; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 22-25-0-354; Miss State’s Dak Prescott – 33-52-0-350; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 20-25-0-346, and Stanford’s Kevin Hogan – 17-29-0-339.
Also, East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 34-55-1 for 333 yards; Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback – 17-24-0-330; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 25-36-1-328; Washington’s Jake Browning – 17-24-0-326; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 16-30-0-321; California’s Jared Goff – 17-24-1-320; Illinois’ Wes Lunt – 33-46-1-316; Duke’s Thomas Sirk – 15-22-0-315; BYU’s Tanner Mangum – 17-28-2-309, and Oregon’s Vernon Adams – 22-39-2-309.
Weekend’s Best Rushers:
Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 266 yards; Old Dominion’s Ray Lawry – 201 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 200 yards; Nebraska’s Terrell Newby – 198 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 189 yards; Temple’s Jahad Thomas – 182 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 176 yards, and Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 170 yards.
Also, Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 168 yards; Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire – 162 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 159 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 159 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 151 yards; Miami of Florida’s Joseph Yearby – 146 yards, and Washington’s Myles Gaskins – 146 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I hope SEC players don’t let it go to their heads. Because this is how you get beat. I look forward to it. Gas ‘em up. Bring ‘em back down to earth. I don’t know why people blow gas up their ass all the time,” Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker, on 10 SEC teams ranked in the AP’s Top 25 poll.
“I think down at Florida it got very toxic for him (Driskel). He became the scapegoat,” Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz, on his quarterback Jeff Driskel, a transfer from Florida.
“No debate, Florida State has the worst fans in America. But Texas has the most arrogant.” Paul Finebaum.
“Does Texas still have pride? Do they look in the mirror and still see Longhorns? This has been going on for six or seven years,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, trashing Texas football.
“Texas is in a bad place right now,” ESPN’s David Pollack.
“What’s up with my Longhorns? They got to pick it up or he gone,” former Texas player Jermichael Finley.
Signs of the Day
If You Can Read This You Didn’t Go To Georgia
Welcome Back Tebow
Remember When Brady Hoke Had A Job?
David Pollack Wears Cargo Shorts
7,280 Uniform Combos, 0 National Titles
Harbaugh Wears Off-Brand Khakis
Mark Helfrich Drinks O’Douls
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Ole Miss (2-0) at Alabama (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 9:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Ole Miss was the only team to beat Alabama during the regular season last year. What do they say about elephants? They have good memories. Yes, I’m sure Bama remembers it well. There will be no mercy for Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa Saturday. The Pachyderms hold a revenge party – Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20.
RUNNER UP: 2. Auburn (2-0) at LSU (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – As good as LSU looked against Miss State and as bad as Auburn has looked against Louisville and Jacksonville State, you gotta figure the Cajun Tigers are going to win. In Auburn’s first two games, Will Muschamp’s defense has given up almost 900 yards. The Mad Hatter has to have his eye on that. Aubie loses a bet to Fournette – LSU 27, Auburn 23.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Georgia Tech (2-0) at Notre Dame (2-0) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Georgia Tech has scored 134 points in its first two games. Granted the competition hasn’t been the caliber of Notre Dame. But still. The Irish lost their star quarterback in the game against Virginia last week. But backup DeShone Kizer didn’t miss a beat. Kizer was 8-for-12 passing with two touchdowns, including the game winning TD. Expect a donnybrook. The Bees find honey in South Bend – Georgia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24.
4. BYU (2-0) at UCLA (2-0) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – BYU has won its first two games in the expiring and closing seconds. Is there another miracle in the works? Not likely. The Bruins are a solid team. But look for lots of fireworks. Mangum is blessed, but Rosen is chosen – UCLA 34, BYU 26.
5. Florida State (2-0) at Boston College (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – After a couple appetizers, the Noles step up to an entrée level team this week. BC has given FSU problems in Chestnut Hill in the past. The Eagles can be a feisty bunch. But they aren’t feisty enough to tame the duo of Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook. The tomahawk doesn’t miss a chop – Florida State 27, Boston College 16.
6. Northwestern (2-0) at Duke (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Ah, a showdown of the elites in Durham. We know Duke is good. They have been under David Cutcliffe. We’re not sure about Northwestern. Not sure if the Wildcats win over Stanford was a fluke or not. But one thing is for sure. The Dookies are no flookies – Duke 25, Northwestern 22.
7. Pitt (2-0) at Iowa (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Both the Panthers and the Hawkeyes are off to a good start. But Iowa appears to be the better. Pitt’s defense didn’t look good against Youngstown State. And without James Conner, the Panthers can’t be that good. No corn dogs for the Panthers – Iowa 30, Pitt 24.
8. Florida (2-0) at Kentucky (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Kentucky has not won against Florida since 1986. That was 29 years ago. And the two have played every year. Well all good things have to come to an end sometime. For the Gators over Kentucky that end will come Saturday. It darn near came last year. I know….can you believe it. I’m picking Kentucky over Florida. If the Wildcats can beat South Carolina in Columbia, they darn sure can beat Florida in Lexington. Jim McElwain still has too many things to get fixed yet. Swamp Mama will never hear the end of it from KY Kip. Hell freezes over – Kentucky 29, Florida 27.
9. South Carolina (1-1) at Georgia (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – South Carolina’s offense is too erratic to sustain any consistency against Georgia. And the Gamecocks defense won’t stand up to the Dawgs running game. South Carolina may keep it close for a while. But eventually, Georgia will wear them down. Uga does some plucking – Georgia 28, South Carolina 18.
10. Stanford (1-1) at USC (2-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Stanford looked good against UCF. But something tells me the Trees are down a notch, or two, this year. The game definitely will give us a good indication of what the Trojans have. Quarterback Cody Kessler has been looking good. But Stanford’s Kevin Hogan looked good last week. Tommy fells a Tree – USC 27, Stanford 18.
11. Texas Tech (2-0) at Arkansas (1-1) – (Big 12 vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Last year, Arkansas went into Lubbock and flattened the Red Raiders. All indications were that the Hogs were going to wallow the Red Raiders again this year. But then along came Toledo. But were the Hogs looking ahead to Tech against Toledo? The Red Raiders can score. That’s for sure. But Tech has no defense. Sounds like a high-scoring affair. Red Raiders smoke some Ribs – Texas Tech 32, Arkansas 30.
12. Nebraska (1-1) at Miami (Florida) (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – The Huskers have already lost a close one this season. In Miami, it will be close – heat that is. But the score may be close too. The Canes haven’t had a tough opponent yet – nothing near BYU. But Al Golden is feeling pressure and he’ll do anything to win. The Canes grind some Corn – Miami 30, Nebraska 28.
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Illinois (2-0) at North Carolina (1-1) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – The Banned Indians are another one of those teams that have looked good. But we don’t know what they have. The competition has been weak. The Tar Heels didn’t look good against South Carolina. Illinois appears to have a good offense. But the defense is unknown – a question mark. The Banned Indians also are playing under an interim coach. If the Tar Heels lose, they will be playing under a short-term coach. The Banned Indians band together – Illinois 21, North Carolina 20.
14. Clemson (2-0) at Louisville (0-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – If Clemson wants to make a run at the ACC title, the Tigers can’t afford to stump their toe in Louisville. It could happen. After two close losses, the Cardinals will be mad – mad like a wounded animal. But this is football, not volleyball – Clemson 36, Louisville 24.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Virginia Tech (1-1) at Purdue (1-1) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Against the Hokies, the Boilers could be jumping out of their league again. And against the Boilers, the Hokies will be looking for revenge in the Big Ten, after the loss to Ohio State. Both will score, but the Hokies will score more – Virginia Tech 42, Purdue 27.
California (2-0) at Texas (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Against Rice last week, the Longhorns offense came to life. But the Horns defense still looked weak. California will take advantage of a weak defense. The Golden Bears can score. Cal has one of the best quarterbacks in the country – Jared Goff. Charlie Strong could sure use the win. But he won’t get it – California 30, Texas 20.
West Virginia (2-0) is off.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
USF (1-1) at Maryland (1-1) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNews….
Buffalo (1-1) at FAU (0-2) – (MAC vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ASN….
Furman (0-2) at UCF (0-2) – (Southern vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
North Carolina Central (1-1) at Florida International (1-1) – (MEAC vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida A&M (0-2) at South Carolina State (1-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPNU….
Lane (1-1) at Bethune-Cookman (1-1) – (SIAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Warner (2-1) at Florida Tech (0-2) – (Sun vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Jacksonville U. (2-0) and Stetson (1-1) are off
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football … Former Iowa and New York Giants football player Tyler Sash died last week in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was 27…. The Backyard Brawl resumes: West Virginia and Pitt have announced the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. The two schools will meet in a four-game series from 2022 to 2025.
Tom Scott, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played on New York Giants teams that reached the NFL title games of 1961, 1962 and 1963, died last week at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was 84. Scott played 12 years in the NFL, beginning with the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas Coster Scott grew up in Baltimore. He was an All-American at Virginia in both football and lacrosse. He also lettered in baseball and basketball…. In a shakeup at Texas last week, Charlie Strong stripped the play-calling duties from his quarterbacks coach Shawn Wilson and turned over the play-calling to receivers coach Jay Norvell.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was finally underway, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe” by Johnny Mercer
…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “Goodnight, Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers
…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller
…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “The Twist” by Chubby Checker
…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Help” by The Beatles
…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell
…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Upside Down” by Diana Ross
…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “St. Elmo’s Fire” by John Parr
…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “Blaze Of Glory” by Jon Bon Jovi
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Joaquin Andujar and Moses Malone.
Joaquin Andujar, a right-hander who made four National League All-Star teams and pitched in two World Series games for the St. Louis Cardinals, died last week in the Dominican Republic. He was 62. Andujar began and ended his career with the Houston Astros. In between, he pitched for the Cardinals. Andujar’s MLB career ran from 1976 to 1988. Joaquin Andujar was born on December 21, 1952, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.
Moses Malone, the NBA player known as the Chairman of the Boards, died Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 60. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship. Malone joined the Utah Stars of the ABA out of high school in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1974. He originally committed to play for the University of Maryland, but changed his mind. Malone played for 19 seasons in the NBA for the Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers. He appeared in 11 All-Star games. Moses Eugene Malone was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia.
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