College Football Week 10 – Playoff rankings released Tuesday
Football and a wedding make for
interesting times in Houston

I make no bones about the fact that I think it is a sacrilege to have a wedding on a Saturday in the fall. Saturdays in the fall are reserved for football – college football.

But sometimes I have to punt.

Swamp Mama and I flew out of Melbourne at 6 a.m. Thursday. We were headed to Houston. More specifically, we were going to Houston for a wedding – a Saturday wedding. I punted.

It was a beautiful day for flying – the entire way. There was not a cloud in the sky. We connected through Atlanta into Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. Over a 20-year stretch, I had been to Houston a handful of times, always on business. My first visit was in 1975, my last in 1995. Yeah, it had been 21 years since I was last in Houston.

Upon arriving Thursday, we picked up the rental car and headed north on I-45. We were on our way to The Heights – The Houston Heights. The Heights is an old area in North Houston that has gone through quite a transformation since the 1990s.

Once a grand area, The Heights declined after World War II. It became decrepit and tired – a low income area of the city. The Heights was not a part of town you wanted to visit. Then in the 1990s, The Heights experienced gentrification – a process that is still going on today. Young highly paid professionals, along with retirees, flocked to the area, purchasing and renovating old historic homes. Others demolished the older homes, building new upscale housing.

Today, The Heights is a funky area. Upscale boutiques and restaurants have opened. New apartment complexes are sprinkled throughout the area.

We were headed to The Heights to satisfy one of Swamp Mama’s favorite pastimes. Every time we visit a new town or city, Swamp Mama has to check out a quilt shop. It’s kinda like me checking out the college football stadiums.

She gets on the Internet and locates a quilt shop she wants to visit. Prior to our trip to Houston, she had picked out “Tea Time Quilting” which is located in The Houston Heights. The shop didn’t disappoint.

Of course, whenever we arrive at a quilt shop, my first question is: “Do you have a husband chair?” After all, I have my priorities too. Once, at a quilt shop in Deland, Florida, I asked and the lady said, “We not only have a husband chair, we have a husband couch. You can stretch out and take a nap.”

I was in heaven. If you only knew how much time Swamp Mama spends in some of these shops, you would understand. I got a good, long nap in at that shop in Deland.

So, first things first – Swamp Mama took care of her quilt-shop habit in Houston. With that out of the way, we were free to explore and check out other things. Upon leaving “Tea Time Quilting,” we had lunch at the Revival Market, a unique and popular eating place in The Heights.

I have two cousins who live in Houston. The cousins are twins – Florence Rutherford and Frances Jones. Thursday evening we visited with them and their husbands and then went to dinner at the River Oaks Country Club. We had so much fun catching up on things. We could have talked all night long.

Friday morning, Swamp Mama and I drove around the campus of Rice University, before checking out some of the shops at the River Oaks Shopping Center. Mid-day, we met Terry Conner for lunch. Terry and I used to work together at Harris. At Terry’s suggestion, we lunched at the Karbach Brewing Company – a gastro pub in Houston. It was good seeing and talking to Terry again. The Karbach Brewing Company was good too.

After lunch, Swamp Mama and I went back to The Heights to check out some of the shops there. Back at the hotel, we mingled with friends from Florida, who had arrived on Friday for the wedding. That evening, we all went to the rehearsal dinner. It was held at El Tiempo Cantina – an upscale Mexican restaurant that did not disappoint. Their margaritas, which were flowing freely all evening, did not disappoint either.

Saturday morning before the wedding, Swamp Mama and I took one last drive around Houston, exploring more areas of the city. Then we returned to the hotel to watch the West Virginia-Oklahoma State game on television.

About this time last year, maybe a week or two earlier, Swamp Mama and I went to a wedding in Las Vegas. I punted then too. The wedding was on the same Saturday that West Virginia played Oklahoma State. I followed the game on my cell phone at the reception. WVU lost to Oklahoma State in overtime, 33-26.

This year, of all things, West Virginia was playing Oklahoma State on the same Saturday as the wedding in Houston. WVU lost to Oklahoma State, 37-20. That’s it for me. I am not attending any more weddings on a Saturday when West Virginia is playing Oklahoma State.

The WVU-Okie State game was an early start and was over prior to the wedding. However, just starting at the same time as the wedding was the Florida-Georgia game. Several of us from Florida sat in the pews of the church during the wedding service with our cell phones on, keeping tabs on the first half of the Florida-Georgia game.

Immediately following the wedding service, we all went to the reception and dinner which was held at Ouisie’s Table on San Felipe Street in the River Oaks section of Houston. The timing was perfect. As we drove from the church to the reception, it was halftime at the Florida-Georgia game.

Upon arriving at the reception, the second half began. With the cell phone in one hand and a beverage of choice in the other hand, we kept tabs on the second half of the Florida-Georgia game. Some of the wedding guests thought we were crazy. We cheered loudly as Florida added 10 points to its 14-10 halftime lead.

My first dirty martini at the reception was to drown my sorrows over the West Virginia loss to Oklahoma State. My second dirty martini was to celebrate Florida’s 24-10 win over Georgia. I stopped counting the martinis after that.

Sunday, Swamp Mama and I flew back to Florida. We had a great three days in Houston. We really did. Punting is good sometimes.

Saturday was an interesting day in college football. Seven of the nine undefeated teams were playing and all seven were on the road. It was not a great day for four of the seven teams. They lost for the first time.

As mentioned above, West Virginia traveled to Stillwater, where the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season. Oklahoma State beat WVU, 37-20. In Laramie, Wyoming, Boise State was upset by the Cowboys, 30-28. A safety in the final two minutes of the game clinched the win for Wyoming. It was a good day for Cowboys.

Baylor was on the road in Austin, Texas. The Bears lost a thriller to the Longhorns, 35-34. Texas kicked a 39-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the game to hand Baylor its first loss. In Madison, Wisconsin, Nebraska suffered its first loss, losing to the Badgers in overtime, 23-17.

The other three undefeated teams playing Saturday, and on the road, were more fortunate. Michigan beat intrastate rival Michigan State, 32-23. In two thrillers, Washington edged Utah, 31-24, and Clemson got by Florida State, 37-34.

Two undefeated teams, Alabama and Western Michigan had the weekend off.

With the four losses, there are now five undefeated teams. Four Power 5 teams – Alabama (8-0), Michigan (8-0), Clemson (8-0) and Washington (8-0), and one Group of 5 team – Western Michigan (8-0).

Of the five teams, Alabama has the toughest assignment this week. The Crimson Tide are on the road at LSU. Michigan hosts Maryland, Clemson entertains Syracuse, Washington is at California and Western Michigan travels to Ball State.

Still clinging to hope are 10 teams with just one loss. Seven Power 5 teams – Louisville (7-1), Ohio State (7-1), Texas A&M (7-1), Florida (6-1), Nebraska (7-1), Baylor (6-1) and West Virginia (6-1), and three Group of 5 teams – San Diego State (7-1), Boise State (7-1) and Troy (6-1).

Ohio State and Nebraska meet this week. Texas A&M is at Mississippi State, while Florida plays at Arkansas. Louisville visits Boston College, Baylor hosts TCU and West Virginia entertains Kansas. San Diego State, Boise State and Troy are all home, hosting Hawaii, San Jose State and Massachusetts respectively.

The first Playoff Poll of the season will be released Tuesday evening. It most likely will have Alabama (1), Michigan (2), Clemson (3) and Washington (4). Look for Louisville, Ohio State and Texas A&M to be breathing down their throats.

Two ACC coaches were fined by their conference on Sunday – both for commenting on officiating. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was fined $20,000 for his comments criticizing the officials in the Clemson game. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was fined $5,000 for similar statements, attacking the officials in the Virginia Tech game.

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator will be at the Vanderbilt-Auburn game Saturday.

Enjoy your week!

Touchdown Tom
October 31, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Can’t get much closer – Washington 31, Utah 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Utah 28). Utah took its first and only lead in the game – 17-14 – with 8:17 on the clock in the third quarter. With 9:07 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Utah tied the score at 24-24. The Huskies scored the winning touchdown with 3:25 left in the game. The teams were almost dead even in the stats. Washington had 9 more total yards than Utah. The Utes Joe Williams rushed for 172 yards. The Huskies Myles Gaskin had 151 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,801

RUNNER UP: Chopless in Tallahassee – Clemson 37, Florida State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Clemson 26). Clemson jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Tigers only led by three – 17-14 – at the half. At the end of the third quarter, FSU led 28-20. Clemson outscored the Noles 17-6 in the fourth quarter. FSU quarterback Deondre Francois completed less than 50% of his passes and was -47 yards rushing. The Tigers Deshaun Watson passed for 378 yards. The Noles Dalvin Cook rushed for 169 yards. Attendance in Tallahassee: 78,025

REST OF THE BEST: Badger tough – Wisconsin 23, Nebraska 17 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 18, Wisconsin 16). A defensive battle, neither team had more than 16 first downs, and neither team had more than 337 total yards. Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong only completed 38% of his passes. He also threw two interceptions. Attendance in Madison: 80,833

Lassoed – Oklahoma State 37, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 25). Will success spoil Dana Holgorsen? I’m not sure Holgorsen can handle success. WVU had 27 first downs to 17 for Okie State. The Mounties had 421 total yards to 358 for the Cowboys. But WVU also had three turnovers to none for Okie State. Attendance in Stillwater: 59,584

Swamped – South Florida 52, Navy 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, South Florida 24). A wild game with a lot of offense. Navy, in particular, had no defense. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls led the Middies, 52-27. Navy scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game. South Florida had three players rush for more than 100 yards – Quinton Flowers (126), Marlon Mack (125) and D’Ernest Johnson (105). Flowers also passed for 219 yards. Navy quarterback Will Worth passed for 299 yards and rushed for 129. The teams combined for 1,245 total yards. Scratch Navy as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Tampa: 31,824

No Thanksgiving in Steel Town – Virginia Tech 39, Pitt 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 22). A wild game – early in the fourth quarter the score was tied 29-29. In the final 10 minutes, Virginia Tech outscored Pitt 10-7. Pitt suffered two turnovers to none for the Hokies. Tech’s Jerod Evans passed for 406 yards. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 40,254

Hope for Strong? – Texas 35, Baylor 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 30, Texas 23). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Texas trailed Baylor 34-26. The Horns scored a touchdown with 7:03 to go in the game, but failed on the 2-point conversion attempt. Texas hung in and clinched the win with a 39-yard field goal by Trent Domingue with 0:45 on the clock. The Horns managed to win in spite of Baylor’s 624 total yards and 31 first downs. Texas’ D’Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards. The Bears Terence Williams rushed for 180 yards. Baylor quarterback Seth Russell added another 132 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 97,822

Uga has no O – Florida 24, Georgia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Georgia 18). Let’s hear it for the Gators defense. Florida held Georgia to 164 total yards – only 21 yards rushing. The Dawgs never scored in the second half. Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason only completed 45% of his passes. Since 1990, Florida is 21-6 against Georgia. Attendance in Jacksonville: 84,681

Shot down in Laramie – Wyoming 30, Boise State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Wyoming 22). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Boise State led 28-20. Wyoming scored 10 points in the final 6:42 of the game. The clincher was a safety with 1:25 on the clock when the Cowboys sacked Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien in the end zone. The teams were even in the stats. Attendance in Laramie: 24,023

No red glare – Ohio 31, Toledo 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 31, Ohio 20). Toledo had the better stats, but Ohio won the game. The Bobcats had a running game, while the Rockets had the passing game. Ohio’s Dorian Brown rushed for 212 yards and Toledo’s Logan Woodside passed for 438 yards. Scratch Toledo as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Toledo: 16,154

Missing Fuente – Tulsa 59, Memphis 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, Tulsa 33). Tulsa outscored Memphis is every quarter – 14-7, 21-17, 10-6 and 14-0. The Hurricanes racked up 596 total yards – 362 of it rushing. Near the end of the third quarter, Tulsa led Memphis 35-30. Then the Hurricanes scored 24 unanswered points. Memphis suffered four turnovers. Tulsa’s James Flanders rushed for 249 yards. Attendance in Memphis: 36,894

A game of miscues – Houston 31, UCF 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 32, UCF 20). UCF led 21-3 at the half. But the Knights were outscored 28-3 in the second half. Both teams suffered four turnovers. UCF only had 195 total yards – just 40 rushing. Attendance in Houston: 35,846


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Second half quitters – Auburn 40, Ole Miss 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 27). Ole Miss led 22-20 at the break and 29-27 at the end of three. But the Rebs were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Chad Kelly passed for 465 yards. But Ole Miss had no ground game. Auburn rushed for 307 yards and passed for 247. The Tigers Kamryn Pettway rushed for 236 yards. Ole Miss has now lost three-consecutive games, while Auburn has won five straight. Attendance in Oxford: 65,927

Hibernating – USC 45, California 24 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 37, California 30). The Trojans got off to a 21-0 lead and the Bears played catch up for the rest of the game. Cal has a pretty good offense, but simply no defense. USC racked up 629 total yards against the Bears. Cal’s Davis Webb passed for 333 yards. The Trojans had two backs rush for more than 100 yards – Ronald Jones (223 yards) and Aca’Cedric Ware (130 yards). Attendance in Los Angeles: 61,725


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Rally falls short – Georgia Tech 38, Duke 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 19). Down 28-7 at the break, the Dookies came alive in the third quarter, outscoring Tech 21-3. The teams exchanged a touchdown each in the fourth quarter. With 8:55 to go in the game, the Dookies led for the first time in the game – 35-31. The Jackets scored the clincher with 5:38 on the clock and held on to win. Tech and Duke combined for 1,164 total yards. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones passed for 305 yards. Tech quarterback Justin Thomas rushed for 195 yards. Attendance in Atlanta: 43,886

Second-half beasts – Penn State 62, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Purdue 17). Tied 17-17 at the break, Penn State outscored Purdue 45-7 in the second half. The Boilers only had 46 yards rushing and suffered four turnovers. State’s Saquon Barkley rushed for 207 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,157

Week 9 Results: 6 correct picks, 10 fumbles (37.5 percent)
For The Season: 101 correct picks, 56 fumbles (64.3 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

North Carolina A&T 42, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Greensboro: 22,150
Jacksonville U. 35, Davidson 17 – Attendance in Davidson: 3,209
Dayton 21, Stetson 10 – Attendance in Dayton: 2,045

Notre Dame 30, Miami 27 – Attendance in South Bend: 80,795
Western Kentucky 52, Florida Atlantic 3 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 9,338
Bethune-Cookman 41, Delaware State 10 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 7,822

Middle Tennessee 42, Florida International 35 – Attendance in Miami: 14,413
Florida Tech 38, Valdosta State 20 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,247


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 36-59-1 for 465 yards; Oregon’s Justin Herbert – 31-42-0-489; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 32-46-1-438; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 20-35-2-417; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 33-46-0-415, and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans – 24-40-0-406.

Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – 27-43-2 for 378 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 24-41-1-361; Massachusetts’ Andrew Ford – 25-39-1-355; California’s Davis Webb – 34-53-1-333; Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback – 23-39-1-328, and Oregon State’s Marcus McMaryion – 23-39-0-327.


Impressive Rushers:

Buffalo’s Jordan Johnson – 282 yards; Tulsa’s James Flanders – 249 yards; Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 236 yards; Texas’ D’Onta Foreman – 226 yards, and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 223 yards.

USC’s Ronald Jones – 223 yards; Ohio’s Dorian Brown – 212 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 207 yards; Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas – 195 yards; Kentucky’s Benjamin Snell – 192 yards, and Kentucky’s Stanley Williams – 182 yards.

Baylor’s Terence Williams – 180 yards; South Florida’s Quinton Flowers – 176 yards; Utah’s Joe Williams – 172 yards; Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 169 yards, and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 169 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I always thought of him as a brother. His voice was as musical as a silver bell,” Bob Dylan, on Bobby Vee.

“The man is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic,” CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor, on Washington State coach Mike Leach.

“It was ridiculous. It was not a chop, it was not a chop. I will tell you what. You hold coaches accountable, you hold players accountable, hold the damn officials accountable. It is garbage, and then to call another penalty on the sideline is even more garbage. It’s cowardly, gutless and wrong,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on an illegal block below the waist called on the Seminoles on a play when Dalvin Cook had a long run.

“They can take it, fine it, do whatever they want to do with that. That’s a fact. Look at the film. It’s ridiculous that they do that. That was a huge call in the game. Now, still had chances to win the game after that, but that was ridiculous and the guy wasn’t even in the position to make the call,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on the illegal block call.


Quote from the Past

“I never graduated from Iowa. I was only there for two terms – Truman’s and Eisenhower’s,” Iowa player Alex Karras.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Nebraska (7-1) at Ohio State (7-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, Nebraska goes from Madison, Wisconsin, to Columbus, Ohio. That is a tough two weeks for anybody. The loser here can forget any hopes of making the playoffs. Urban likes his Corn – Ohio State 28, Nebraska 18.

RUNNER UP: 2. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Every time you think Alabama might get beat, the Tide just cruises. I’m not sure anybody in the SEC can touch the Tide. But if anybody can, you got to figure it would be LSU – especially, LSU in Baton Rouge. And that’s just where the Tigers have the Tide. Nick likes his Cajun food – Alabama 32, LSU 23.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Florida (6-1) at Arkansas (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This could be a problem game for the Gators – especially after just beating arch rival Georgia. And you know Arkansas is hungry for a victory. The Gators must rely on their defense again. Albert escapes – Florida 17, Arkansas 16.

4. Washington (8-0) at California (4-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After Utah last week, this should be much easier for the Huskies. Granted, California is always a threat to score. But the Bears have no defense. And Washington does have a good offense. The Huskies knock the calories out of Cal – Washington 42, California 24.

5. Oklahoma State (6-2) at Kansas State (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Okie State will be high coming off the win over West Virginia. The Cowboys could be ripe for K-State to pick them off. This is a tough one for Okie State. Cowboys boot ’em – Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 23.

6. Georgia Tech (5-3) at North Carolina (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – It’s about time for Tar Heel quarterback Mitch Trubisky to have another big game. He could light up the scoreboard in Chapel Hill. Tech is a one-dimensional team. Heels do some kickin’ – North Carolina 30, Georgia Tech 23.

7. Iowa (5-3) at Penn State (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – What got into the Nitts last week? That was quite a second-half performance against Purdue. Iowa is better than the Boilermakers, but not a lot better. The Hawkeyes can play some good defense, but they have no offense. The Nitts keep improving – Penn State 29, Iowa 19.

8. TCU (4-4) at Baylor (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Baylor got a surprise last week. That means the Bears will be mad this week. That doesn’t look good for TCU. The Frogs have taken some hits lately. They are getting another one – Baylor 32, TCU 21.

9. Wisconsin (6-2) at Northwestern (4-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – You would think this should be fairly easy for the Badgers. But you just never know which Northwestern team will show up. The Wildcats can be dangerous. Then again, they can be pussy cats – Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 22.

10. Air Force (5-3) at Army (5-3) – (MWC vs. Ind.) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Air Force has been dominating this series lately. But Army has shown some spunk this year. And the Fly Boys have had their bad moments. Air raid on the Hudson – Air Force 29, Army 26.

11. Georgia (4-4) at Kentucky (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Don’t look now, but Kentucky is hot. Hot enough to beat Georgia. The Wildcats are on a roll. The Dawgs are not – Kentucky 25, Georgia 22.

12. Florida State (5-3) at NC State (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – It is not often Florida State has three losses. The Noles have had a tough season. NC State has had it tougher. Let’s hope the officials don’t make Jimbo mad this week. The Noles will be on the war path – Florida State 33, NC State 20.


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Pitt (5-3) at Miami (Florida) (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Miami has dropped four in a row. Make it five in a row – Pitt 31, Miami 30.

14. UCLA (3-5) at Colorado (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – What a reversal. UCLA was supposed to be good and Colorado – not so good. Jim Mora is even on the hot seat. Who would have thunk it? Ralphie makes Mora’s seat hotter – Colorado 26, UCLA 17.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS

Kansas (1-7) at West Virginia (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This should be a breather for the Mounties. They need one after the Okie State debacle. Kansas can’t dribble a football – West Virginia 45, Kansas 17.

Virginia Tech (6-2) at Duke (3-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Duke did knock off Notre Dame. Virginia Tech was surprised by Syracuse. So there is hope for the Dookies. But not much – Virginia Tech 32, Duke 19.

Purdue (3-5) at Minnesota (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – It’s the Gophers turn this week to dump on Purdue. The Boilers are hurting. They need some help. But Les Miles isn’t there yet – Minnesota 33, Purdue 24.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Drake (4-4) at Jacksonville U. (4-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at Morgan State (2-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….

Marist (4-4) at Stetson (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (6-2) at West Georgia (6-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida Atlantic (1-7) at Rice (1-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida International (3-6) at Western Kentucky (6-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 5:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Tulane (3-5) at UCF (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

South Florida (7-2) and Florida A&M (3-6) are off.


Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Bobby Vee and Tom Hayden.

Bobby Vee, who became a teenage idol in the early 1960s with hits like “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” died last week in Rogers, Minnesota. He was 73. His show-business baptism came when he was 15 and filled in for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper after they died in a plane crash in 1959. Vee went on to place 38 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1959 to 1970. “Take Good Care of My Baby,” written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, reached No. 1 in 1961. He continued recording until 2014. Some of Vee’s other hits were “Run to Him,” “Come Back When You Grow Up,” “Rubber Ball” and “Walkin’ with My Angel.” In addition to singing, Vee was an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. His breakthrough hit was “Devil or Angel.” It made the Top 10 in 1960 when Vee was only 17. Robert Thomas Velline was born on April 30, 1943, in Fargo, North Dakota. A few months after Vee and his band The Shadows filled in for Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper, they recruited a fledgling pianist who went by the name Elston Gunn. Gunn later left The Shadows, moved to New York and changed his name yet again (he had been born Robert Zimmerman) to Bob Dylan. It was Dylan who suggested that Vee shorten his surname from Velline to Vee.

Tom Hayden, who came out of the 1960s counterculture as a radical leader of America’s civil rights and anti-war movements, but rocked the boat more gently later in life as an author and California state legislator, died last week in Santa Monica, California. He was 76. Hayden was founder of Students for a Democratic Society, a defendant in the Chicago Seven trial after riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and a peace activist who married Jane Fonda. As a civil rights worker, he was beaten in Mississippi and jailed in Georgia. He won a seat in the California Legislature in Sacramento in 1982 where he was an assemblyman then later a state senator until 2000. Thomas Emmet Hayden was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on December 11, 1939. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1961 where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Hayden wrote more than 20 books. His personal papers, more than 120 boxes covering his life, were given to the University of Michigan in 2014.