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.