Football Week 6 – Charlie Strong demotes his defensive coordinator
A Return to the Heartland

My first introduction to Nebraska was North Platte and Scottsbluff. That was the summer of 1974. I flew into those towns on a Convair 580 – Frontier Airlines (the original and authentic Frontier Airlines). It was a business trip to the newspapers – The North Platte Telegraph and The Scottsbluff Star Herald.

Three years and a few months passed before I returned to Nebraska. This time it was to Lincoln. It was November 1977. I flew into Lincoln on a Boeing 737 – Frontier Airlines (still the original and authentic Frontier Airlines). This too was a business trip to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

But unlike the one-time trip to North Platte and Scottsbluff, the November 1977 trip to Lincoln was the first of many I would make to Nebraska’s capital city. I returned several times during the next 22 years. Not only to Lincoln, but also to Omaha – business trips to the Omaha World-Herald.

During those 22 years, I became very accustomed to Nebraska. It was a cozy place for me. I felt comfortable there. Before long, some of my business contacts became more than business contacts. They became friends – good friends.

Last Tuesday, I returned to Nebraska for the first time in 17 years. I had not been in the state since 1999. Swamp Mama and I flew into Omaha. We were met at the airport by Nebraskans Dave and Sue Brolhorst – friends since my early days in Lincoln in the late 1970s.

From Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, Dave drove us to Lincoln, where I spent the rest of the week renewing my relationship with Nebraska. The four of us – Dave, Sue, Swamp Mama and I – took in as much of Nebraska as we possibly could.

While the girls visited quilt shops and a quilt museum, Dave and I fished and visited a tractor museum (thanks to a tip from Brian Smith). Together, the four of us went to a craft brewery, ate runzas, ate salad with Dorothy Lynch dressing, played Canasta and Tic and ate Valentino’s pizza.

We toured the state capitol, drank Moscow Mules, bought coffee beans from The Mill, visited Lincoln’s sunken gardens, ate at Florio’s and had a Dave and Sue cooked dinner with Rory and Randi Zink – two more friends from my early days in Lincoln.

And, oh yes, we went to Scheels All Sports so I could buy a Nebraska ball cap. Now, why did I want to buy a Nebraska ball cap? Well, the highlight of our trip was going to the Illinois-Nebraska football game on Saturday. Although I was wearing my West Virginia ball cap around Lincoln all week, I really didn’t want to go cheer for the Huskers, wearing my Mountaineer ball cap.

Before the football game on Saturday, we walked around the historic Haymarket district of Lincoln, taking in all the sights, sounds and revelry. Then it was time for our own tailgating – our own revelry.

Twelve years ago, a group of guys – Nebraska Huskers fans – purchased an old ambulance, converted it into a tailgating wagon and called it the “Big Red Meat Wagon.” One of the guys – Dan Kleinbeck – worked with Rory Zink. Rory shared my weekly football newsletter with Dan and before long Dan was posting “College Football Week” on the Big Red Meat Wagon Website. Now he allows me to post it on the Big Red Meat Wagon Facebook page.

Along with going to a Husker football game in Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium, tailgating with the Big Red Meat Wagon group has been on my bucket list for some time. Saturday, I checked-off both of them from my bucket list.

Unfortunately, Dan was not there on Saturday, but Mike and Rick were. Together, Mike and Rick made sure we had a good time tailgating at the Big Red Meat Wagon. And we did. I even laid on the gurney and got a vodka IV. The BRMW tailgating site has three television screens for watching football games. One of the screens is in the site’s Portable Potty so you don’t miss any of the action when you have to relieve yourself.

From the BRMW, Dave, Sue, Swamp Mama and I walked on over to Memorial Stadium and took our seats for the Illinois-Nebraska football game – West Stands, Gate 8, Section 28, Row 18. We were on the 35-yardline. Not bad.

The game was a slow start for the Huskers. Although Nebraska scored first and went up 7-0, Illinois hung around. The Banned Indians hung around so much that they were up 13-10 at the half. And Illinois made it 16-10 midway through the third quarter. But Nebraska caught fire in the fourth quarter. The Huskers scored three touchdowns in the final period and won, 31-16.

The atmosphere was great in Memorial Stadium. It was Homecoming Weekend at Nebraska. Some 90,374 fans were cheering and yelling as loud as they could. I was cheering and yelling “Go Big Red” with them, wearing my new Nebraska ball cap. Of course the 90,374 fans had no idea I was wearing my gold and blue West Virginia boxers. Hmm, maybe that’s why the Huskers got off to a slow start.

Swamp Mama and I flew back to Florida yesterday. Hopefully, it won’t be another 17 years before I return to Nebraska.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some other Nebraska natives and Huskers fans who I had the privilege of working with (and becoming friends with) during my professional career. One is Hastings, Nebraska native Gary Schwartzkopf. Gary and his wife Debbie, also from Hastings, live in Centennial, Colorado. Nine years ago, 2007, Gary and Debbie, along with Dave and Sue Brolhorst, Rockledge Gator and Bootsie and Swamp Mama and I shared a condo in Estes Park, Colorado, for a few days while attending the West Virginia-Colorado football game in Boulder.

Also, Nebraska native (Mr. Nebraska) Don Haddix. Don and his wife live in Riverside, California. And Omaha native Brian Smith. Brian and his wife live in Kennard, Nebraska. More recently, I’ve acquired a new Nebraska friend – Orlando area resident Scott Greenwood.


As George Strait sang, "Sing a song about the Heartland, sing a song about my life."


Yes, Nebraska won Saturday, but 10 Top-25 teams lost. Four of the 10 – Louisville, Stanford, Wisconsin and Georgia – lost to other ranked teams. Clemson beat Louisville 42-36; Stanford lost to Washington, 44-6; Wisconsin lost to Michigan, 14-7, and Georgia lost to Tennessee, 34-31.

Washington is the real deal. Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen has put the Huskies back on the map. Can you imagine Stanford only having 29 yards rushing? Well, you don’t have to imagine it. Friday night, Washington held Stanford to 29 yards on the ground.

The other six Top-25 teams that lost were Florida State, Michigan State, Utah, San Diego State, TCU and Texas. North Carolina beat Florida State, 37-35; Indiana downed Michigan State, 24-21 (OT); California beat Utah, 28-23; South Alabama downed San Diego State, 42-24; Oklahoma beat TCU, 52-46, and Oklahoma State downed Texas, 49-31.

In a wild game Friday night, BYU outlasted Toledo, 55-53. BYU kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. Toledo had just gone up 53-52 only 71 seconds earlier. The teams combined for 1,278 total yards.

There are now only 16 undefeated teams. Eleven teams lost for the first time Friday and Saturday.

Texas coach Charlie Strong has demoted his defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, after the Longhorns lost to Oklahoma State, 49-31. Earlier this season, Texas gave up 47 points in a win over Notre Dame and 50 points in a loss to California. Strong will take on the defensive coordinator position, calling the plays.

They say the hot candidates for the next coach at LSU are Houston’s Tom Herman, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, North Carolina’s Larry Fedora, South Florida’s Willie Taggart, Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, former Baylor coach Art Briles, the 49ers Chip Kelly, TCU’s Gary Patterson and LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron.

And where will Les Miles end up? Early indication is either Houston or Penn State. If Tom Herman leaves Houston for LSU, then it is only logical for Houston to hire Les Miles. Penn State would dump James Franklin in a heartbeat to get Les Miles. Although Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour disputes that.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be in Gainesville this weekend, attending the LSU-Florida game in The Swamp. Looking forward to a great weekend at the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com).

Yeah, I wear my West Virginia boxers to the Florida games, too.

Enjoy your week!

Touchdown Tom
October 3, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Survived – Clemson 42, Louisville 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 30, Clemson 26). A game of spurts. Clemson scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and led the Cardinals 28-10 at the break. Then Louisville scored 26 unanswered points in the second half and led 36-28 halfway through the fourth quarter. Clemson then scored 14 unanswered points in the final 7 minutes of the game. Clemson suffered 5 turnovers in the game, including 3 interceptions thrown by Deshaun Watson. Both teams had more than 500 total yards each. Attendance in Clemson: 83,362

RUNNER UP: Held on – Michigan 14, Wisconsin 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 24, Wisconsin 22). A close score, but Michigan dominated the game. The Wolverines outrushed and out-passed the Badgers. Michigan had 349 total yards to only 159 for Wisconsin. Michigan had 22 first downs to 7 for Wisconsin. The Badgers suffered from 3 turnovers – all interceptions. The Wolverines scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:56 left in the fourth quarter, then held on to win. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 111,846

REST OF THE BEST: Chopped down – Washington 44, Stanford 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 26, Washington 24). Yes, the Huskies chopped down the Trees and did they ever. Washington held Stanford to only 29 yards rushing. Christian McCaffrey was held to 49 yards. Stanford had its seven-game winning streak halted. The Trees played without four starters. Attendance in Seattle: 72,027

Unbelievable – Tennessee 34, Georgia 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Georgia 22). Early in the second quarter, Georgia had a 17-0 lead. Tennessee battled back and with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter, the Vols took a 28-24 lead. Then the unbelievable happened – two unbelievables. First, the Dawgs scored on Jacob Eason’s 47-yard Hail Mary pass with 10 seconds left in the game. Georgia went up 31-28. Second, as time expired, Tennessee connected on Joshua Dobbs’ 43-yard Hail Mary pass to win the game. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

No Bingo prizes for Sammy – North Carolina 37, Florida State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, North Carolina 24). As time expired, North Carolina’s Nick Weiler kicked a 54-yard field goal to give the Tar Heels the win. North Carolina led throughout most of the game – as much as 21-0 midway through the second quarter. FSU eventually tied the game at 28-28 with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels retook the lead at 34-28 with 2:31 on the clock, only to have the Noles go back up at 35-34 with only 23 seconds left in the game. Then Weiler did his thing. The teams combined for 1,133 total yards. The Heels Mitch Trubisky passed for 405 yards. The Noles Dalvin Cook rushed for 140 yards. Attendance in Tallahassee: 77,584

Defenseless – Oklahoma 52, TCU 46 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, TCU 27). A wild one, Oklahoma led 49-24 at the start of the fourth quarter. Then TCU scored 22 unanswered points in the final period. OU added a field goal with 1:55 on the clock to help seal the win. The Sooners defense held the Frogs to 65 yards rushing. TCU’s Kenny Hill passed for 449 yards. Attendance in Fort Worth: 47,851

Coming back – Ole Miss 48, Memphis 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 34, Memphis 26). Trailing 27-7, Memphis scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to close the gap to 6 at 27-21. But it was all Ole Miss after that. The Landsharks scored 14 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Ole Miss had 624 total yards – 263 yards rushing and 361 passing. The Tigers suffered 4 turnovers. Attendance in Oxford: 65,889

Richt still wins in Bobby Dodd Stadium – Miami (Florida) 35, Georgia Tech 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 24, Georgia Tech 17). Miami built up a 28-7 lead in the second quarter and held on to win. Miami was the passing team with 241 yards and Tech was the rushing team with 267 yards. The Yellow Jackets dominated the stats, but the Jackets also dominated the turnovers – 3-0. Attendance in Atlanta: 53,047

The Bears have Webb feet – California 28, Utah 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 32, California 30). Cal jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, only to see Utah take a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter. Then the Bears scored 14 unanswered points and held on to win. Amazingly, Utah controlled the clock – 42 minutes to 18 minutes for Cal. The Utes also had 30 first downs to 17 for the Bears. Cal’s Davis Webb passed for 306 yards. Attendance in Berkeley: 46,618

Save the best for last – West Virginia 17, Kansas State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Kansas State 17). WVU nearly shot itself in the foot, but outscored K-State 14-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. The Mounties winning touchdown came with 6:11 left in the game. The difference was the passing game. WVU had 298 yards passing to 166 for K-State. Attendance in Morgantown: 61,701

A Cowboy round-up – Oklahoma State 49, Texas 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 35, Texas 33). A game of swings – halfway into the second quarter, Texas led 25-23. Then Okie State scored 20 unanswered points. Amazingly, the teams combined for 62 points in the first half, only to score 18 points between them in the second half. Okie State and Texas combined for 1,123 total yards. Texas had 329 yards rushing and the Cowboys had 392 passing. And don’t you just know that Charlie Strong is feeling the heat. Attendance in Stillwater: 53,468

Sunk – Air Force 28, Navy 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 25, Navy 19). A defensive struggle in the first half, Air Force led 3-0 at the break. Then the teams combined for 39 points in the second half. The difference was the Falcons rushing game. Air Force had 173 yards rushing to only 57 for Navy. Three turnovers hurt the Middies. Attendance in Colorado Springs: 43,063


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Horse power – Western Michigan 49, Central Michigan 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 35, Central Michigan 30). WMU shut down Cooper Rush’s passing and went on to overpower CMU. The Chippewas took an early 3-0 lead. Then the Broncos scored 35 unanswered points. WMU also scored the final 14 points. Attendance in Mount Pleasant: 30,411

Tuberville’s in trouble – South Florida 45, Cincinnati 20 (Touchdown Tom said: South Florida 27, Cincinnati 26). Serious trouble. Late in the second quarter, Cincinnati led South Florida, 20-17. By the time the game was over, USF scored 28 unanswered points. The Bearcats had 4 turnovers, including 3 interceptions. The Bulls had none. USF’s Quinton Flowers threw for 196 yards and ran for 74. Attendance in Cincinnati: 35,108


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

A lot of defense and no offense – Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Vanderbilt 13). Neither team played offense. The Gators only had 236 total yards – 92 rushing and 144 passing. Vanderbilt wasn’t much better – the Dores had 265 total yards. Florida never trailed in the game. Vandy suffered 3 turnovers. Attendance in Nashville: 30,565

Wear ’em down – Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 36, Illinois 19). Nebraska was sluggish for three quarters, trailing the Banned Indians 16-10 at the end of three. Then Nebraska came to life in the fourth quarter, outscoring Illinois, 21-0. The Huskers outrushed and out-passed Illinois, with 423 total yards to only 270 for Illinois. Nebraska also controlled the clock, maintaining the ball for 38 minutes to the Banned Indians 22 minutes. The Huskers had 23 first downs to 12 for Illinois. Nebraska’s Terrell Newby had a 63-yard touchdown run. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,374

5 picks, are you kidding me? – Virginia 34, Duke 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Virginia 22). Duke led early, but Virginia took the lead for the first time late in the second quarter and never relinquished it. Duke dominated the stats – first downs and total yards. But the Dookies also dominated the turnovers – 6-1. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones threw 5 interceptions. Attendance in Durham: 25,201

Fear the Turtle – Maryland 50, Purdue 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Maryland 30, Purdue 27). Midway through the third quarter, Maryland led 36-0. Purdue finally scored early in the fourth quarter. The Terps added another 14 points after that. The Maryland defense held the Boilers to only 10 yards rushing. The Terps Ty Johnson rushed for 204 yards. Attendance in College Park: 41,206


Week 5 Results: 13 correct picks, 5 fumbles (72.2 percent)
For the Season: 61 correct picks, 29 fumbles (67.8 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF 47, East Carolina 29 – Attendance in Greenville: 46,042
Duquesne 54, Jacksonville U. – Attendance in Jacksonville: 1,661

Stetson 31, Davidson 27 – Attendance in Davidson: 4,281
North Carolina Central 31, Bethune-Cookman 14 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 4,216

West Florida 42, Florida Tech 39 – Attendance in Pensacola: 6,588
Florida A&M 19, Savannah State 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 16,789
Florida International 33, Florida Atlantic 31 – Attendance in Miami: 16,164


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 25-36-1 for 591 yards; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 30-38-2-505; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 31-40-0-475; Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer – 23-35-1-471, and TCU’s Kenny Hill – 26-44-1-449.

North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 31-38-0 for 405 yards; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 19-28-0-392; Houston’s Greg Ward – 32-38-0-389; Troy’s Brandon Silvers – 31-42-2-373; Florida State’s Deondre Francois – 20-32-0-372; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 36-48-0-371, and Colorado State’s Collin Hill – 23-41-1-370.

Syracuse’s Eric Dungey – 31-51-0 for 363 yards; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 30-44-1-361; New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 31-49-2-354; USC’s Sam Darnold – 23-33-0-352; UCLA’s Josh Rosen – 20-37-0-350, and Virginia’s Kurt Benkert – 23-41-1-336.


Impressive Rushers:

BYU’s Jamal Williams – 286 yards; Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 237 yards; Maryland’s Ty Johnson – 204 yards; Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 171 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 166 yards, and LSU’s Derrius Guice – 163 yards.

Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 162 yards; Northern Illinois’ Anthony Maddie – 160 yards; Appalachian State’s Jalin Moore – 159 yards, and Temple’s Ryquell Armstead – 159 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I don’t golf. I play no tennis. I enjoy shooting a gun. I don’t necessarily like to point it at animals. I play cards, not very well. But what I have done for probably 12 to 14 hours a day for the past number of years is coach football. So I would have a difficult time not being involved in the game and not being a coach,” former LSU coach Les Miles, on his next job.

“He’s not on the hot seat, and he’s not going to be on the hot seat in December,” Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour, on Nittany Lions football coach James Franklin.


Quote from the Past

“If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education,” Minnesota coach Murray Warmath.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Tennessee (5-0) at Texas A&M (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – What a game this should be. Both teams are undefeated. Obviously, one won’t be after Saturday. The Vols need more than a Hail Mary this week – Texas A&M 34, Tennessee 27.

RUNNER UP: 2. Alabama (5-0) at Arkansas (4-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – You just know Bret Bielema wants this game real bad. Trouble is: Nick Saban wants it too – Alabama 34, Arkansas 26.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Florida State (3-2) at Miami (Florida) (4-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Can you imagine Florida State at 3-3. My, oh my, those Noles will be dipping into their firewater. They won’t know how to act. Sammy gives up football for bingo – Miami 30, Florida State 27.

4. Houston (5-0) at Navy (3-1) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Navy lost its first game last week to Air Force. That one was on the road. This week the Middies are home. Navy won’t win, but the Middies will give Houston a tough time. The Middies can’t patch the leaks – Houston 35, Navy 20.

5. LSU (4-1) at Florida (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Looking bad against Vandy last week, Florida was just trying to fool LSU. But the Gators better find an offense. Albert tells Mike to take a hike – Florida 20, LSU 17.

6. Virginia Tech (3-1) at North Carolina (4-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Tech could be catching the Heels at a good time – hung over from the win over Florida State. Then again, I’m not sure there is a good time to catch North Carolina. The Heels catch Trubisky’s passes – North Carolina 34, Virginia Tech 29.

7. Washington (5-0) at Oregon (2-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Oregon is hurting. Mark Helfrich could be on the hot seat. If he isn’t, he will be after this week – Washington 32, Oregon 23.

8. Maryland (4-0) at Penn State (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Is Maryland for real? I mean what is with this 4-0 madness? The Terps are real enough for the Nitts – Maryland 26, Penn State 24.

9. UCLA (3-2) at Arizona State (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – ASU lost for the first time last week. The Sun Devils will lose for the second time this week. Rosen joshes the Devils – UCLA 34, Arizona State 24.

10. Georgia Tech (3-2) at Pitt (3-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – After a good start, these two teams have fallen onto hard times. But the Panthers bounce back – Pitt 31, Georgia Tech 25.

Iowa (3-2) at Minnesota (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – I’m thinking Iowa was overrated coming into the season. The Gophers are never overrated. They are underrated – Minnesota 27, Iowa 24.

11. Arizona (2-3) at Utah (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – It’s not looking good for Rich Rod. It’ll look worse after this week – Utah 30, Arizona 20.

12. Colorado (4-1) at USC (2-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Colorado is a hot commodity. What a pleasant surprise the Buffs are. The Trojans get Buffed up – Colorado 31, USC 30.


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Texas Tech (3-1) at Kansas State (2-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Tech has the passing offense and K-State has the defense. Defense wins – Kansas State 30, Texas Tech 29.

14. Notre Dame (2-3) at NC State (3-1) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Can you believe Notre Dame is 2-3? The Irish will be 3-3 after this week – Notre Dame 33, NC State 28.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Army (3-1) at Duke (2-3) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Last week the Dookies threw 5 interceptions. That’s self destruction. This week the Dookies play like they did against Notre Dame – Duke 25, Army 22.

Georgia (3-2) at South Carolina (2-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – No problem, Uga. You don’t have to worry about Will Mustake calling for a Hail Mary. Hell, Mustake doesn’t know what a Hail Mary is. The Dawgs almost choke on a chicken bone, but not quite – Georgia 26, South Carolina 16.

Purdue (2-2) at Illinois (1-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – I saw Illinois play last week. They have some big guys. Too big for the Boilers – Illinois 31, Purdue 23.

Nebraska (5-0) and West Virginia (4-0) are off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Tulane (3-2) at UCF (3-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPNU….
East Carolina (2-3) at South Florida (4-1) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News….
Stetson (2-2) at Brown (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Ivy League) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday….

Bethune-Cookman (0-4) at South Carolina State (1-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Charlotte (1-4) at Florida Atlantic (1-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida A&M (1-4) at North Carolina Central (3-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….

Campbell (3-2) at Jacksonville U. (3-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
North Alabama (3-1) at Florida Tech (4-1) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida International (1-4) at UTEP (1-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 8 pm ET, Saturday….

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Shimon Peres and Jean Shepard.

Shimon Peres, one of the last surviving pillars of Israel’s founding generation, who built up his country’s military might, then worked hard to establish peace with Israel’s Arab neighbors, died last week in Tel Aviv. He was 93. Peres was twice the Prime Minister of Israel. He was also the country’s minister of defense, foreign affairs, finance and transportation. Peres first became prime minister in 1984. He became prime minister again in 1996 when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Shimon Persky was born on August 16, 1923, in the small village of Vishniewa, Poland.

Jean Shepard, a mainstay of the Grand Ole Opry whose honky-tonk songs of the 1950s and 1960s paved the way for singers like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette, died last week in Gallatin, Tennessee. She was 82. Some of her hits included “A Dear John Letter,” “A Satisfied Mind,” “Beautiful Lies,” “I Thought of You,” “If Teardrops Were Silver,” “The Root of All Evil (Is a Man),” “Many Happy Hangovers to You,” “Twice the Lovin’ in Half the Time,” “The Other Woman” “Slippin’ Away” and “Second Fiddle (To an Ole Guitar).” In 1955, Shepard became the third woman to join the Grand Ole Opry, after Minnie Pearl and Kitty Wells. Ollie Imogene Shepard was born on November 21, 1933, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.