College Football Week 2 – Steve Sarkisian joins Alabama staff
Life is a rock, but college football rolled me

Long before the first kickoff on Thursday night, the weekend was being promoted as the best opening weekend in college football history. And the weekend didn’t let us down.
It lived up to its billing. The weekend rolled. It rock and rolled.

“Life is a rock, but the football games rolled me
Gotta turn them up louder, so Brent Musberger told me
Life is a rock, but college football rolled me
At the end of a rainbow lies a Heisman Trophy”

Ten games topped the marquee and nine of the 10 lived up to their hype. Only Alabama was the party pooper. The Tide made sure its game didn’t live up to its billing. But the other nine games at the top of the marquee were exciting, some going down to the closing minutes – even seconds. Two ended in overtime – one a double overtime. Three were settled by six or less points. Four finished with a 9 to 13 point separation. But up until late in the fourth quarter in all four, the outcome was in doubt.

Along with the marquee contests, there were plenty of other exciting games over the weekend. And along with all the exciting games, there was a sprinkling of sidebars and extracurricular activities (some good, some not so good) that make college football the unique and interesting game that it is.

In 2014, Pitt running back James Conner rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last year, Conner was injured in the first game and sat out the season. Then in December, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. During the off-season, Conner continued to work out with the Panthers while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Saturday, Conner, a fully-recovered cancer survivor, led Pitt out of the tunnel prior to the team’s game against Villanova. During the game, he rushed for 53 yards and scored two touchdowns on a 3-yard run and a 9-yard reception. Pitt beat Villanova, 28-7.

In Annapolis, Maryland, Navy quarterback Tago Smith suffered a game-ending injury two plays into the second quarter in Navy’s game with Fordham. Second string quarterback Will Worth took his place. But there was a problem. Third string quarterback Zach Abey wasn’t available for the game. What if something happened to Worth?

Not a problem. Navy sent an assistant coach into the stands, looking for fourth-string quarterback Malcolm Perry. Perry, a plebe, was dressed in his crisp whites, sitting in the stands and watching the game with the other midshipmen.

Before halftime, Perry was standing on the sideline, dressed in a blue jersey, gold pants and pads. During the fourth quarter, Perry was in the game, driving the Middies on a 90-yard touchdown drive. Navy beat Fordham, 52-16.

Then the most poignant and classiest moment of the weekend occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska. In the Huskers’ game against Fresno State, Nebraska honored it former punter Sam Foltz with a missing-man formation. Foltz died in a car accident during the summer.

When Nebraska had to punt in the first quarter, the team lined up in punt formation with only 10 men. There was no punter in the backfield. Seeing the formation, the Nebraska fans erupted into cheers. The Huskers received a delay of game penalty for having too few men on the field. Out of respect, Fresno State declined the penalty. A touch of class.

During the missing-man formation on the field, Nebraska posted a Tweet on the school’s official Twitter account: “We had to take a delay of game, weren’t able to get all 11 guys out to punt in time. Missing one of them”

Later in the game, a rainbow appeared in the sky over Memorial Stadium.

Foltz died July 25 in a single car accident in Wisconsin. Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler was also killed in accident. LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye was also in the car but survived.

You see in college football, in addition to the exciting games, it’s people like James Conner at Pitt, crazy predicaments like the backup quarterback situation at Navy and special moments like the missing-man formation at Nebraska that also make the game so great.

The weekend’s action began early Thursday evening with the Charlotte-Louisville game. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson scored a touchdown within the early minutes of the first quarter. The Cardinals went on to win the game, 70-14. Heck, Louisville led at halftime, 56-0. I thought they would stop the game and invoke the mercy rule.

The Cardinals had 663 total yards of offense. Jackson passed for 286 yards and rushed for 119. Keep your eye on Jackson this season.

The Charlotte quarterback – Kevin Olsen – has been kicked out of two other schools over the years – Miami (Florida) and Towson – for disciplinary reasons. Now he’s playing for Charlotte. That should tell you something about Charlotte.

After 30 minutes or so of the Charlotte-Louisville game, I switched over to Appalachian State-Tennessee. The way Vols fans were acting, you would have thought Appy State was the biggest non-conference opponent Tennessee had ever played.

Maybe they were. The Little Mountaineers were beating Tennessee 13-3 at the half. They led the Vols 13-6 at the end of the third quarter. But by the end of regulation, Tennessee tied the score – 13-13 – and went on to win in overtime, 20-13.

I also watched a lot of the South Carolina-Vanderbilt game. But I don’t know why. It was like watching two mules fight over a turnip. Neither team had any desire to score. There were 15 punts in the game – South Carolina (7) and Vanderbilt (8). The Gamecocks finally won the game, 13-10, on a 55-yard field goal with 35 seconds on the clock.

I didn’t see it, but Western Kentucky put on quite a show Thursday night in more ways than one. First, it was apparent that the Hilltoppers didn’t practice running onto the field during fall camp.

As Western Kentucky ran through the tunnel and onto the field prior to its game against Rice, one of the players tripped and fell. As you can imagine, several other players stumbled over him, creating a stack of players piled-up on the ground. It looked like a Keystone Cops cartoon.

But fortunately for the Hilltoppers, they executed their game plan better than their entrance onto the field. WKU beat Rice, 46-14. Hilltoppers quarterback Mike White passed for 517 yards.

First up Friday night, Colorado poured it on Colorado State, 44-7. Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau really looked good. Are the Buffs better than we thought? Or is Colorado State that bad? Unfortunately for the Rams, they are coached by a former Georgia player. You’re familiar with Ray Goof and Will Mustake? Colorado State has Mike Boo Boo. Poor Rams.

Later Friday, Stanford beat Kansas State 26-13. With less than three minutes left in the game, Stanford led K-State 19-13. Then Christian McCaffrey broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown run. McCaffrey had 210 all-purpose yards in the game.

Also Friday night, Toledo staked its claim as a Group of 5 team to watch. The Golden Rockets beat Arkansas State, 31-10. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside passed for 371 yards.

Over sausages and Guinness Saturday morning, Georgia Tech won the Irish Sweepstakes, beating Boston College, 17-14. This a game that had many similarities to the South Carolina-Vanderbilt tilt. Neither team had any desire to score.

Then came one of the biggest stunners of the weekend. Houston surprised Oklahoma, 33-23. Hey Big 12, how do you like me now? Houston shut down Oklahoma’s running game. How many offers will Tom Herman have at the end of this season?

At the same time Oklahoma was losing, West Virginia was holding up its end of the Big 12. The Mountaineers beat Missouri, 26-11. Around the same time, Western Michigan, from the mighty MAC, upset Northwestern, 22-21.

In the day’s second stunner, Wisconsin spoiled LSU’s season. The Badgers edged the Tigers, 16-14. But in College Station, Texas, the Aggies held up their end of the SEC. Texas A&M beat UCLA, 31-24 in overtime.

Saturday evening, Swamp Mama and I joined up with Sandy and Russ Grunewald to watch the North Carolina-Georgia game. We couldn’t wait to see who Russ and Sandy were cheering for. Their son went to North Carolina and their two daughters went to Georgia.

Well darn if they didn’t pull a cop-out. In the first half, Russ cheered for Georgia and Sandy cheered for North Carolina. They switched at halftime. Russ was all Heels in the second half and Sandy was woofing like a Dawg. Meanwhile, Betty ‘The Duchess of Indialantic’ Pappas could care less. She was into the U.S. Open – big time. It had something to do with this little Italian guy who was giving Andy Murray a hard time.

Back to the game, Georgia, trailing North Carolina, 24-23, at the end of the third quarter, outscored the Heels 10-0 in the fourth quarter to win the game, 33-24. Nick Chubb had an outstanding game for the Dawgs – 222 yards rushing.

Come on baby make it hurt so good. That’s what Alabama fans were singing, “Hurts So Good,” after the Tide ripped USC, 52-6. You see Alabama found a quarterback – freshman Jalen Hurts. So is it curtains for Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett? Well maybe not. But meanwhile, it Hurts so good.

The other team from Alabama – that would be Auburn – didn’t fare so well Saturday night. It was a close game, but Auburn lost to Clemson, 19-13. In the nightcap Saturday, BYU kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4 seconds on the clock to beat Arizona, 18-16.

Following a morning and afternoon of rest, the action resumed Sunday night in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns surprised Notre Dame. It took two overtimes to do it, but Texas subdued the Irish, 50-47 (2OT). Notre Dame was surprisingly bad and Texas was surprisingly good. The Horns have a sweet quarterback in freshman Shane Buechele.

The long Labor Day weekend of football came to an end Monday night in Orlando. Florida State started out slow, very slow, but came back from a 28-6 deficit to beat Ole Miss, 45-34. FSU freshman quarterback Deondre Francois had a sensational debut. Ole Miss senior quarterback Chad Kelly threw three interceptions. I never have been a Kelly fan.

There were two incidents Saturday that are a black eye to college football. First, in the LSU-Wisconsin game, LSU offensive lineman Josh Boutte hit Wisconsin safety D’Cota Dixon with a cheap shot to the head. This after Dixon had intercepted a Brandon Harris pass. Boutte was ejected from the game. ESPN’s Trevor Matich called it “the most cowardly cheap shot I’ve ever seen in college football.”

Boutte’s only punishment is suspension from LSU’s next game – Jacksonville State. Big deal. Boutte probably didn’t even want to play in that game. Is this the best Les Miles can do? Boutte was going to have to sit out the first half of the game anyway. Miles initially defended Boutte’s cheap shot. I think Miles is becoming a cheap shot.

The other incident involved USC defensive end Jabari Ruffin. Ruffin was ejected from the Trojans game against Alabama after he stomped on the groin of Tide defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Ruffin’s only punishment is suspension from the first half of USC’s next game – Utah State. This a requirement by the NCAA after being ejected from a game. Big deal. Is this the best Clay Helton can do? At least Helton, unlike Miles, didn’t defend Ruffin’s action.

Speaking of USC and Alabama, former Trojan coach Steve Sarkisian has been added to the coaching staff at Alabama. Alabama coach Nick Saban hired Sarkisian to be an analyst for the team. Sark will analyze game films and provide input to the coaches. Gee, Alabama is becoming the rehabilitation center for fired USC coaches – Lane Kiffin and now Sarkisian.

And speaking of Lane Kiffin, wanna bet that he is a head coach at another school next year? Either that or an offensive coordinator in the NFL? But you gotta figure this is his last year in Tuscaloosa. Maybe Steve Sarkisian will be Alabama’s OC next year.

Last week I wrote that Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss had an opportunity to make C-USA look good. Well one almost came through and the other did. Louisiana Tech lost to Arkansas, 21-20. Tech led Arkansas 20-14 until 6:37 left in the fourth quarter.

However, Southern Miss came through. The Golden Eagles knocked off Kentucky, 44-35. Southern Miss trailed Kentucky 34-17 at the half, but outscored the Wildcats 27-0 in the second half.

Hats off to Army. The Black Knights upset Temple, 28-13. Are the Cadets back? And hats off to UCF. After going 0-12 last year, the Knights are back on the winning side of things. UCF beat South Carolina State, 38-0.

Then in games involving FCS (Division IAA) teams against FBS (Division IA) teams, I put four of the FBS teams – NC State, Virginia, Iowa State and Washington State – on upset alert. Sure enough, three of the FBS teams lost: Richmond beat Virginia, 37-20; Northern Iowa beat Iowa State, 25-20, and Eastern Washington downed Washington State, 45-42. Only NC State won. The Wolfpack beat William & Mary, 48-14.

So what happened to the SEC? The high and mighty conference finished 7-7 over the weekend. And it could have been worse. Tennessee needed an overtime to subdue Appalachian State, as did Texas A&M in beating UCLA. Arkansas barely got by Louisiana Tech, 21-20. Florida looked awful, beating Massachusetts, 24-7.

What was with Mississippi State losing to South Alabama, 21-20? It was South Alabama’s first win ever over an SEC team. And Kentucky’s embarrassing loss to Southern Miss? Missouri was easily dismissed by West Virginia. LSU lost to Wisconsin. The SEC took a blood bath. Is Alabama the only good team in the SEC this year?

To the SEC’s credit, six conference teams – Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M – were involved in the 10 biggest and toughest games of the weekend, and a seventh, Missouri, played a respectable West Virginia. The Big Ten finished at 12-2, but only one Big Ten team – Wisconsin – played a tough opponent. For the most part the other Big Ten teams played cupcakes. The ACC finished 11-3, the Big 12 was 7-3 and the Pac-12 was 7-5.

So, after just one week, I figure the following coaches need to be updating their resumes: LSU’s Les Miles; Kentucky’s Mark Stoops; Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason; USC’s Clay Helton; Boston College’s Steve Addazio and San Jose State’s Ron Caragher.

What did I learn this week? Well, I learned that Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson broke up with Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight a few days before the Aggies game with UCLA. Katy Perry should be happy.

Then I learned that Mathew McConaughey’s father played for Kentucky. Mathew, of course, is a Texas Longhorn.

It was good to hear from Bob Spiker, Collins and Sherry Reed, Jeff Grim, Sally Adkins and Ken Burger last week. Saturday evening, I heard from an ole Navy buddy of mine – Randy Rollman. Randy wrote, “Hey Touchdown Tom: How does a top-notch SEC team like LSU lose to a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team?

Randy went on to add, “Keep your eye on Michigan.”

But Randy is just a little prejudice. Former Michigan quarterback and current Jacksonville Jaguars second-string quarterback Chad Henne is the nephew of Randy’s wife, Sonja.

My response to Randy, “I’m thinkin’ that top-notch SEC team isn’t so top-notch. I’m thinkin’ overrated.

I went on to add, “Michigan better keep its eye on Ohio State.”

“Life is a rock, but the football games rolled me
Gotta turn them up louder, so Brent Musberger told me
Life is a rock, but college football rolled me
At the end of a rainbow lies a Heisman Trophy”

And by the way, after all my talk about Presbyterian last week, the Blue Hose had a sad opener to the 2016 season – Central Michigan 49, Presbyterian 3.

Enjoy your short week!

Touchdown Tom
September 6, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Six field goals and a funeral – Florida State 45, Ole Miss 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Ole Miss 20). Florida State’s freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo kicked the six field goals. The funeral was for Ole Miss. With less than a minute left in the first half, Ole Miss led FSU, 28-6. But it was all Noles after that. FSU proceeded to outscore Ole Miss 39-6. The Black Bears up and died. FSU freshman quarterback Deondre Francois passed for 420 yards and ran for another 59. The Noles defense shut down the Ole Miss running game. Attendance in Orlando: 63,042

RUNNER-UP: Kiffin’s revenge – Alabama 52, USC 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, USC 23). USC fired Lane Kiffin halfway through the 2013 season. It took Kiffy three years, but he got his revenge Saturday in AT&T Stadium. The Tide handed the Trojans their worst loss since 1966 and their worst loss ever in an opener. Bama limited USC to only 194 total yards – 64 passing and 130 rushing. The Tide now leads USC 6-2 in their 8-game series. Attendance in Arlington: 81,359

REST OF THE BEST: Kick-Six – Houston 33, Oklahoma 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 28, Houston 20). It was shades of the 2013 Iron Bowl game when Auburn returned a failed Alabama field goal attempt for a touchdown against the Tide. How often do you see that happen? Well, Houston did it to Oklahoma. Trailing the Cougars, 19-17, midway through the third quarter, the Sooners attempted a 53-yard field goal. The attempt was short and Houston’s Brandon Wilson caught the kick in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown. Neither team had a ground game. OU only rushed for 70 yards and Houston only had 89 yards rushing. Both teams passed for more than 320 yards each. Attendance in Houston: 71,016

Oh Gussie – Clemson 19, Auburn 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, Auburn 24). Auburn scored first and last, but in between, Clemson scored 19 points to Auburn’s 3. Late in the fourth quarter, Clemson led 19-6. Auburn had no ground game, only 87 yards, and its passing game wasn’t much better – 175 yards. Gus Malzahn is looking more and more like the Pauper of Chizik Street. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Leonardo, Leonardo, Where Fournette Thou? – Wisconsin 16, LSU 14 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Wisconsin 22). Early in the third quarter, Wisconsin led 13-0. Then, within a span of 67 seconds late in the third, LSU scored two touchdowns to take a 14-13 lead. That lead held until 3:47 left in the game when Wisconsin kicked a 47-yard field goal. LSU had no passing game – 131 yards and two interceptions. Attendance in Green Bay: 77,823

Bevo says, “Eat mor Irish” – Texas 50, Notre Dame 47 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 27, Texas 19). Charlie Strong has to be happy. He has a quarterback – freshman Shane Buechele, a dependable, experienced backup – Tyrone Swoopes, and a running back – D’Onta Foreman. Notre Dame had nada. DeShone Kizer was a disappointment, Malik Zaire was a no show and there wasn’t much of a running game. Even worse, the Irish have no defense. During the overtime periods, it was clear that Notre Dame’s defense was sucking wind. In the second overtime, Notre Dame’s play calling was questionable. Attendance in Austin: 102,315

Chubby checkered the Heels – Georgia 33, North Carolina 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 26, North Carolina 20). And, a good start for Smart. North Carolina ran out of gas at the end of the third quarter. The Dawgs outscored the Heels 10-0 in the final period. Georgia’s Nick Chubb rushed for 222 yards. Looks like the Dawgs will be alternating quarterbacks (Greyson Lambert and Jacob Eason) for awhile. Attendance in Atlanta: 75,405

Katy Perry’s happy – Texas A&M 31, UCLA 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 35, UCLA 24). Texas A&M led UCLA 24-9 late in the fourth quarter. The Bruins scored two touchdowns in 110 seconds to tie the game. The Aggies pulled it out in the first overtime period. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen threw three interceptions. Attendance in College Station: 100,443

High among the Trees – Stanford 26, Kansas State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 34, Kansas State 17). Christian McCaffrey rushed for 126 yards on 22 attempts, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He scored two touchdowns. McCaffrey also caught seven passes for 40 yards. Attendance in Palo Alto: 46,147

MAC attack – Western Michigan 22, Northwestern 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 30, Western Michigan 27). Remember, I said, “Don’t laugh. Western Michigan is good.” The Broncos were good enough to beat Northwestern. There were five lead changes in the game. WMU scored a touchdown with 5:38 left in the game and held on to win. Attendance in Evanston: 30,635

Hello Big 12 – BYU 18, Arizona 16 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 36, Arizona 33). Trailing BYU in the fourth, 15-10, Arizona scored a touchdown with 1:26 on the clock to take a 16-15 lead over the Cougars. But BYU only used 82 seconds to move the ball to the Arizona 16, where the Cougars kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4 seconds on the clock. BYU’s Jamal Williams rushed for 162 yards. Attendance in Glendale: 50,528

Red Bull in the Red Zone – West Virginia 26, Missouri 11 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Missouri 20). West Virginia led 26-3 until Mizzou finally scored a touchdown with 1:49 left in the game. Four times the Mountaineers got the ball in the red zone, only to come away with a field goal. Dana Holgorsen seems to have a knack for poor play calling whenever he gets into the red zone. Attendance in Morgantown: 60,125


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

The Green Jackets – Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 24, Boston College 20). Trailing 14-10, the Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown with 35 seconds on the clock to pull out the win. Neither team showed much of an offense. It could be a long season for both. Attendance in Dublin: 40,562

No Mustake – South Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Vanderbilt 20, South Carolina 16). Elliott Fry’s 55-yard field goal with 35 seconds left won the game for the Gamecocks. Vandy is another typical Derek Mason team – only 242 yards of offense – only 73 passing. Vandy really needs to dump Derek Mason. He’s not doing anything for that program. Attendance in Nashville: 30,304


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Where’s the offense? – Florida 24, Massachusetts 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 48, Massachusetts 6). Florida was playing in The Swamp Saturday night and the Gators looked pretty swampy. If they continue to play like this they are going to get swamped this season. At the end of the third quarter, Florida only led UMass, 10-7. Florida’s defense played good. The Minutemen only had 187 total yards. But the Gators offense was woeful. There were no turnovers in the game. Attendance in Gainesville: 88,121

Red skies at night, Huskers delight – Nebraska 43, Fresno State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 48, Fresno State 9). The Bulldogs hung around with the Huskers for a little more than half of the game, trailing Nebraska 14-10 early in the third quarter. That’s when Nebraska went off and left Fresno State standing in its 10 points. The Huskers shut down the Bulldogs ground game, holding Fresno State to 31 yards rushing. But Nebraska spent the game looking for a passing game it never found. The Huskers were impressive on the ground – 292 yards rushing. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,013

Cake for the Devils – Duke 49, North Carolina Central 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 41, North Carolina Central 12). The Dookies were impressive on offense and defense. The offense racked up 535 yards – 308 rushing, 227 passing. The defense held NCC to 112 yards total – 38 rushing and 74 passing. Amazing, considering the Dookies had five turnovers in the game. Attendance in Durham: 35,049

A step in the right direction – Purdue 45, Eastern Kentucky 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 37, Eastern Kentucky 19). The Boilers had a big first quarter and a big fourth quarter. But they kinda went to sleep in the second and third quarters. Fortunately for the Boilers, EKU was asleep too. Purdue looked good on offense – running and passing. But the Boilers were a little shoddy on defense. Attendance in West Lafayette: 32,074

Week 1 Results: 13 correct picks, 5 fumbles (72.2 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Indiana 34, Florida International 13 – Attendance in Miami: 16,089

Miami 70, Florida A&M 3 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 60,703
Florida Atlantic 38, Southern Illinois 30 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 14,887
Florida Tech 42, Newberry 28 – Attendance in Newberry: 3,387

UCF 38, South Carolina State 0 – Attendance in Orlando: 36,260
South Florida 56, Towson 20 – Attendance in Tampa: 35,976
Sacred Heart 18, Stetson 14 – Attendance in Deland: 2,900

The Alcorn State at Bethune-Cookman game was suspended due to bad weather.


Superlatives

Weekend’s Best Passers:

Western Kentucky’s Mike White – 25-31-0 for 517 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 30-43-0-483; TCU’s Kenny Hill – 33-49-2-439; Florida State's Deondre Francois -- 33-52-0-419; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 40-55-2-418 and Washington State’s Luke Falk – 41-51-1-418.

Akron’s Thomas Woodson – 23-32-1 for 407 yards; East Carolina’s Philip Nelson – 28-32-0-398; Ohio’s Greg Windham – 27-45-0-380;Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 23-31-0-371; Syracuse’s Eric Dungey – 34-40-0-355; Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett – 21-31-1-349 and Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 22-33-0-347.

Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 30-36-1 for 329 yards; Northern Illinois’ Drew Hare – 24-39-0-329; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 24-33-0-323; Kentucky’s Drew Baker – 15-24-1-323; Houston’s Greg Ward – 23-40-0-321 and Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 23-33-0-318.


Weekend’s Best Rushers:

UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 249 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 222 yards; Utah State’s Devante Mays – 208 yards; New Mexico’s Teriyon Gipson – 181 yards and Navy’s Chris High – 176 yards.

Southern Miss’ Ito Smith – 173 yards; Tulsa’s D’Angelo Brewer – 164 yards; BYU’s Jamal Williams – 162 yards; Troy’s Jordan Chunn – 161 yards and Ball State’s James Gilbert – 160 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I acknowledge his right to do that. I don’t respect the motivation or the action,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, on his former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“Pound for pound, he was one of the greatest and most gifted and talented players to have played the college game. Everybody in America had so much respect for him,” former Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, on Dee Dowis, a former Air Force quarterback who was killed in an automobile wreck last week.

“I think people who know ball and know me know that I’m a good coach,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp.

“College football season is the biggest holiday in the world,” the SEC Network’s Marcus Spears.

“The Vols chunked up a big ugly brick in their most anticipated debut in more than a decade, and even though they survived, they get the early award as college football’s biggest fraud,” ESPN Staff Writer Chris Low.

“I played a pretty abysmal first half. I missed some incredibly key opportunities to take advantage of. I can’t try and compete to be the best quarterback in the country and throw three picks. It doesn’t work like that,” UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, after the Texas A&M game.

“LSU’s Josh Boutte’s hit to the head of D’Cota Dixon after game winning interception was the most cowardly cheap-shot I’ve ever seen in college football,” ESPN analyst Trevor Matich.


Quote from the Past

“Until I was 13, I thought my name was ‘Shut Up’,” Joe Namath.


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Virginia Tech (1-0) vs. Tennessee (1-0) – (ACC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This will be the first football game at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Wonder if the game officials will be throwing checkered flags. The idea is to have the largest crowd to ever attend a football game. Although, I heard one Vols fan tell Paul Finebaum that he attends all Tennessee games, but he won’t be attending this one. He said the seats are too far away from the field. There is a Kenny Chesney concert in the Speedway the night before the game. Vols fans aren’t happy about that. They have this thing about Chesney. Maybe he doesn’t wear enough orange in his concerts. Speaking of unhappy, neither team looked all that good in its opener. But the Vols look better this week – Tennessee 23, Virginia Tech 17.

RUNNER-UP: 2. Arkansas (1-0) at TCU (1-0) – (SEC vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Last week, Arkansas scored fairly late in the fourth quarter to come from behind and beat Louisiana Tech, 21-20. You just know the Hogs fans weren’t happy. If the situation doesn’t improve, they’ll want to run Bret Bielema out of town. But they’ll want Bielema’s wife to stay. I think she is more popular than he is. If you look at the two of them you will understand why. TCU seems to have an offense, but I’m not sure the Frogs have a defense. South Dakota State put 41 points on the board against them. Bret never could gig Frogs – TCU 33, Arkansas 30.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. BYU (1-0) at Utah (1-0) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Both teams won last week, but BYU had the tougher opponent. The Cougars are dangerous. They want to get in the Big 12 Conference and are out to make an impression. Kinda like Houston did last week. The Cougars fail to impress – Utah 21, BYU 16.

4. Penn State (1-0) at Pitt (1-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – These two teams used to play each other every year. They don’t play each other much anymore. Both got off to a slow start last week before coming on strong in the second half. Pitt gets off to the slow start this week – Penn State 26, Pitt 24.

5. Texas Tech (1-0) at Arizona State (1-0) – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12) – 10 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Together, these two teams combined for 113 points last week. They will put a lot on the board in this one. Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes is always good for 400-plus yards passing. Both coaches need the win. Their seats aren’t hot, but they are warm – fuzzy warm. Kliff Kingsbury gets the fuzz out of his seat – Texas Tech 40, Arizona State 37.

6. California (1-0) at San Diego State (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Like Houston, San Diego State is out to prove something too. The Aztecs would love to beat a Pac-12 team. Not that Cal is the strongest of Pac-12 teams, but still. Cal has the quarterback – Davis Webb. San Diego State has the running back – Donnel Pumphrey. The running back wins – San Diego State 28, California 27.

7. Akron (1-0) at Wisconsin (1-0) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Remember when Terry Bowden’s Akron team almost knocked off Michigan a few years ago. That was 2013. Michigan had to put up a goal-line stand to keep Akron from scoring in the closing seconds. The Zips lost, 28-24. Terry’s Akron teams have a way of doing that. And Wisconsin will still be hung over from the big win over LSU. Western Michigan knocked off Northwestern last week. Can Akron beat the Badgers this week? Almost, but not quite – Wisconsin 30, Akron 24.

8. Washington State (0-1) at Boise State (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. MWC) – 10:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Washington State was supposed to be the sleeper team this season. Then the Cougars lost their opener to Eastern Washington. But they still scored 42 points. This game will be a shootout. Boise state has a better defense than Eastern Washington. Mike Leach starts the season 0-2 – Boise State 41, Washington State 36.

9. Kentucky (0-1) at Florida (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Well, you know the story. Kentucky hasn’t beaten Florida since 1986. Florida has won 29 straight. In fact Florida is 44-5 in the last 49 games with Kentucky. As bad as Florida looked against UMass last week, I think Kentucky looked worse against Southern Miss. Make it 30 straight – Florida 34, Kentucky 15.

10. North Carolina (0-1) at Illinois (1-0) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Last year, North Carolina clobbered Illinois, 48-14. But this year, the Heels are coached by Lovie Smith. The Banned Indians are better. Lovie built some love in the team. Illinois is out for revenge. But the Heels still win – North Carolina 30, Illinois 25.

11. South Carolina (1-0) at Mississippi State (0-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Something tells me this game could be much like last week’s South Carolina-Vanderbilt game. These teams simply don’t have much offense. The difference in this week’s game, the Gamecocks don’t win – Mississippi State 20, South Carolina 12.

12. Arkansas State (0-1) at Auburn (0-1) – (Sun Belt vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Auburn played Clemson pretty tough last week; while Arkansas State looked terrible against Toledo. But Auburn has a way of not playing well against teams like Arkansas State. And the Tigers may have left it all on the field against Clemson; while Arkansas State is out to improve its image. Yeah, yadi, yadi, yada – Auburn 34, Arkansas State 18.


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Middle Tennessee (1-0) at Vanderbilt (0-1) – (C-USA vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – If Vandy doesn’t win this game, then Derek Mason really is in trouble – not that he isn’t in trouble already. And the Dores may not pull this one out. Middle Tennessee has talent. And you just know the Blue Raiders want to beat an SEC team. What is a Blue Raider, anyway? If Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill is on, Vandy could be in trouble. The Dores do have a good defense. Vandy squeaks by – Vanderbilt 20, Middle Tennessee 19.

14. NC State (1-0) at East Carolina (1-0) – (ACC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – East Carolina is not supposed to be any good this year. Yeah, tell that to NC State. The Pirates have a new coach – Duke’s former offensive coordinator. So this is a different ECU team. The Wolfpack is stepping up this week from William & Mary last week. The Pirates want to win, but not this year – NC State 38, East Carolina 24.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Youngstown State (1-0) at West Virginia (1-0) – (Missouri Valley vs. Big 12) – 2 pm ET, Saturday – When West Virginia has the ball, I sure hope the Mountaineers score before they get inside the 20. Inside the 20 and Dana Holgorsen doesn’t know how to score. He only knows how to kick field goals. Youngstown State is coached by everybody’s old buddy – Bo Pelini. He hasn’t been kicked out of that school yet. You just know ole Bo is going to have a few tricks up his sleeve. And a few words out of his mouth. The Penguins could be a pest. They are a good FCS team. But the Mountaineers mange to kick plenty of field goals – West Virginia 33, Youngstown State 13.

Wyoming (1-0) at Nebraska (1-0) – (MWC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – A new opponent, but the same conference – MWC. Wyoming won’t be any tougher than Fresno State, but they probably won’t be any easier. The Huskers should put on a good show for their fans – Nebraska 46, Wyoming 11.

Wake Forest (1-0) at Duke (1-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – The Dookies may not win many games this season, but this is one of those games they are supposed to win. Against Tulane last week, Wake Forest played good defense, but bad offense. Duke is tougher than Tulane. And the Dookies found a new quarterback – Daniel Parker. The Devils have a hot time – Duke 25, Wake Forest 18.

Nicholls State (0-0) at Georgia (1-0) – (Southland vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Oh come on Georgia. Where do you find these schools? Are they on the map? What a relief for the Dawgs after that workout against North Carolina. I guess Uga deserves a rest. But Nicholls State? The Dawgs get a treat – Georgia 56, Nicholls State 12.

UTEP (1-0) at Texas (1-0) – (C-USA vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, LHN – After the opener against Notre Dame, Texas gets to relax this week – a breather. Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele gets to hone his skills. And he has some skills. The Horns will pull back on the throttle against UTEP. Watch your step UTEP – Texas 33, UTEP 17.

Cincinnati (1-0) at Purdue (1-0) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Last week, I think I said Purdue should enjoy the win because it would be the only one the Boilers would get this season. Something like that. Well, the Boilers impressed me last week. I know, it was only Eastern Kentucky. But I thought the Boilers showed something they didn’t show last year. And Cincinnati didn’t look any good against UT Martin. And nobody looks bad against UT Martin. I just hope the Boilers didn’t fool me. Crank up the steam – Purdue 30, Cincinnati 26.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Maryland (1-0) at Florida International (0-1) – (Big Ten vs. C-USA) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, CBSSN….

UCF (1-0) at Michigan (1-0) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC….
Charleston Southern (1-1) at Florida State (1-0) – (Big South vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN/ACCN….
Florida Atlantic (1-0) at Miami (1-0) – (C-USA vs. ACC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

Northern Illinois (0-1) at South Florida (1-0) – (MAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….
Jacksonville U. (0-0) at Liberty (0-1) – (Pioneer vs. Big South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (0-0) at North Texas (0-1) – (MEAC vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Warner (1-0) at Stetson (0-1) – (Sun vs. Pioneer) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Mississippi College (1-0) at Florida Tech (1-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida A&M (0-1) at Coastal Carolina (1-0) – (MEAC vs. Ind.) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were five passings of note last week – Bill Lenkaitis, Gene Wilder, Dee Dowis, Fred Hellerman and Hugh O’Brian.

Bill Lenkaitis, a former longtime offensive lineman for the New England Patriots who became the team dentist, died last week. He was 70. The San Diego Chargers drafted Lenkaitis out of Penn State in the 1968 American Football League draft. After three seasons in San Diego, he played 11 seasons for New England. William Edward Lenkaitis was born in Strongsville, Ohio, on June 30, 1946. He was captain of the 1967 Penn State football team. He earned his dental degree from the University of Tennessee during the off-season and became the Patriot’s team dentist while still an active player.

Gene Wilder, star of “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Young Frankenstein,” died last week at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. He was 83. Wilder was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a novelist and the director of four movies. He made his movie debut in 1967 in “Bonnie and Clyde.” A year later, he was in the movie “The Producers.” In the early 1970s, Wilder was in “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask,” “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein.” Gene Wilder was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1933. He studied drama at the University of Iowa. He starred with Richard Pryor in the movies “Silver Streak” (1976), “Stir Crazy” (1982), “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (1989) and “Another You” (1991). His third wife was Gilda Radner of “Saturday Night Live” fame. They married in 1984. Radner died in 1989.

Dee Dowis, a former star football player at Air Force who set an NCAA career rushing record for quarterbacks and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1989, was killed last week in an automobile accident in suburban Atlanta. He was 48. Dowis lived in South Carolina. He was a lightly recruited player from Franklin County High School in Royston, Georgia, the hometown of baseball legend Ty Cobb. A 5-foot-10, 153-pound quarterback, Dowis enrolled at the Air Force Academy after most Southern colleges passed on him because of his smaller size. As a sophomore at Air Force in 1987, Dowis took control of the Falcons wishbone offense and never looked back. He rushed for 1,315 yards, an NCAA single-season record that stood for 12 years. He ran for 972 yards as a junior. As a senior in 1989, Dowis became the fifth player in NCAA history to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He ran for 1,286 yards, with 18 touchdowns, and passed for 1,285, with seven scores.

Fred Hellerman, a singer, guitarist and songwriter and the last surviving member of the Weavers, the quartet that in the 1950s helped usher in the folk music revival, died last week at his home in Weston, Connecticut. He was 89. With songs like “If I Had a Hammer,” “Goodnight Irene” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” the Weavers brought folk music to a mass audience, paving the way for 1960s singers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary. The other members of the Weavers were Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Ronnie Gilbert. The Weavers disbanded in 1964. Hellerman played guitar on the debut albums of Joan Baez and Judy Collins, and produced Arlo Guthrie’s first two albums. Fred Hellerman was born on May 13, 1927, in New York City. He joined the Coast Guard after graduating from high school. Following the Coast Guard, Hellerman studied English at Brooklyn College.

Hugh O’Brian, who rose to fame on television as the quick-drawing Wyatt Earp in the 1950s – but who later devoted extensive time to a foundation he created that rains young people to be leaders – died last week at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 91. He was cast in his first feature film “Never Fear” in 1949. He appeared with Gene Autry in “Beyond the Purple Hills” (1950), Audie Murphy in “The Cimarron Kid” (1952) and with Rock Hudson in “Seminole” (1953). He landed the title role on “Wyatt Earp,” which ran on ABC from 1955 to 1961. O’Brian remained active through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, mostly on television. He appeared on series like “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Fantasy Island” and Murder She Wrote.” He appeared in other movies, including “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (1954), “Come Fly With Me” (1963), “The Shootist” (1976) and “Twins” (1988). He also appeared in a few Broadway plays, including “Destry Rides Again” in 1960. Hugh O’Brian was born Hugh Charles Krampe on April 19, 1925, in Rochester, New York. When he became an actor, he chose the name O’Brian, which came from his mother’s side of the family.