College Football Week 4 – Clemson is your new No. 2
Call it what you want,
it wasn’t a Hail Mary

It looked like a designed pass play to me. If it wasn’t a designed pass play, then it was a downfield pass that occurred on the last play of the game. But it wasn’t a Hail Mary.

After scrambling around, Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks spotted an open receiver downfield. Running for the end zone, Tyrie Cleveland had gone beyond the Tennessee defender and was in the clear to receive Franks’ 63-yard pass. Call it a Hail, but it wasn’t a Mary.

On a Hail Mary play, the quarterback simply throws the ball as high and as long as he can towards the end zone, hoping that a teammate will catch it when the ball comes down. In short, he throws it up for grabs. Franks didn’t throw it up for grabs. He threw it to Cleveland.

As if the Tennessee-Florida ending wasn’t enough, Saturday was filled with emotional ups and downs. I don’t know where to begin – Hail Clemson, LS Who – NIU and Vandy too – an upset in Memphis and overtime in the Coliseum – and how about Purdue – to mention a few. What a day!

On what was supposed to be a fairly quite third weekend of college football, it was anything but. The post-Hurricane Irma weekend began with Memphis upsetting No. 25 UCLA and ended with the other L.A. team – USC – almost getting upset by Texas. In between, it was one shock, one surprise, one ‘are you kidding me,’ after another.

In Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, UCLA took early control in its game against Memphis. Early in the second quarter, the Bruins led the Tigers, 17-7. Then Memphis took control. Early in the third quarter, the Tigers led the Bruins, 34-24. Midway through the third, they led, 41-31.

Then UCLA came back. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bruins led Memphis, 45-41. But the Tigers roared. Memphis scored, took a three-point lead and held on to upset UCLA, 48-45. The Bruins came east to Memphis and went home with their first defeat.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, Mike Riley may have sealed his fate. The Huskers hosted Northern Illinois. It was supposed to be a routine game for Nebraska. But at the end of the first quarter, NIU led the Huskers, 14-0. Both touchdowns were the result of interceptions returned for scores.

However, Nebraska appeared to get itself together. NIU was wearing down and the Huskers were taking charge. Early in the fourth quarter, Nebraska had a 17-14 lead over Northern Illinois. But just 2 minutes and 22 seconds after the Huskers had gone ahead for the first time, NIU scored to retake the lead. The Huskies held on and upset Nebraska, 21-17.

Then of course there was the “Oh my!” as time expired in Gainesville. The noise may have registered on the Richter scale. Bootsie and Rockledge Gator were watching the game with Swamp Mama and me. We erupted. Immediately afterward, our phone rang. Our next door neighbor, Deb Gum – a nurse, wanted to know if Swamp Mama needed CPR. She brought over a split of champagne.

The next big surprise occurred in Columbia, Missouri. Purdue shocked Mizzou, 35-3. When the season began, the Boilers lost a heartbreaker to Louisville. Purdue was ahead late in that game and only lost by a touchdown to the Cardinals. Last week, the Boilers put down Ohio.

Saturday, Purdue totally shut down Missouri’s offense. This ain’t your grandmother’s Purdue. In Jeff Brohm, I think the Boilers finally have a coach. But they have their work cut out for them this week. Big bad Michigan comes to town.

And talk about shutting down someone’s offense, how about Mississippi State? The Bulldogs silenced LSU, 37-7. And the Tigers didn’t have a single turnover. It was all Miss State’s defense. LSU was scoreless in the second half. It had to be a long trip home for the Tigers.

Meanwhile, the unexpected continued. Up the road a ways from Starkville, No. 18 Kansas State played Vanderbilt in Nashville. Like Purdue and Mississippi State, the Commodores played some defense. But unlike Purdue and Mississippi State, Vandy had no offense. Still, the Commodores hung on and upset Kansas State, 14-7. This ain’t your grandmother’s Vanderbilt either.

Clemson traveled to Louisville to take on the Cardinals – a big encounter between two ACC teams. The Tigers were slightly favored, but all odds were off. This game was supposed to be a battle – a tight matchup. It was only tight for a while. When the third quarter ended, Clemson led Louisville, 33-7. When the game was over, the Tigers won, 47-21. The Cardinals were a no show. Lamar Jackson can kiss a Heisman Trophy repeat goodbye.

The night came to a close with a thriller in the Los Angeles Coliseum. I mean a thriller. Texas and USC were supposed to have a shoot out. But the game came down to a defensive battle. The Trojans led 14-7 at the break. At the end of three, it was USC 14, Texas 10. The quarterbacks were passing, but neither team could run the ball.

With 0:45 to go in the game, the Longhorns went up, 17-14. But as time expired, the Trojans kicked a 31-yard field goal. Overtime! How about two overtimes? In the second overtime, USC ended up winning, 27-24. Tom Herman is 1-2. But Texas played well. It was a tough game to lose.

Along the way Saturday, there were plenty of other amazing games, full of surprises. Oklahoma State scored 59 points for the second time this season, as the Cowboys lassoed Pitt, 59-21. In three games, Mason Rudolph has passed for 1,135 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 72% of his passes. Okie State is averaging 54 points a game.

In the ACC, Duke and Wake Forest keep rolling along. The Blue Devils beat Baylor, 34-20, while the Demon Deacons downed Utah State, 46-10. BYU continues to get worse as Wisconsin continues to get better. In Provo, the Cougars lost to the Badgers, 40-6.

There was a doozy in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech edged Western Kentucky, 23-22. La Tech scored 10 points in the final 6 minutes of the game to rally and win. The game winner was a 21-yard field goal with 0:02 on the clock.

And speaking of doozies, how about Toledo and Tulsa? In an inter-conference affair, Toledo outshot Tulsa, 54-51. The teams combined for 1,227 total yards. With the score tied, 51-51, Toledo kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to win.

And yet another doozy – Texas Tech out-dueled Arizona State, 52-45. With the score tied 45-45, the Red Raiders scored the winning touchdown with 1:55 left in the game.

Kentucky beat South Carolina for the 4th-straight year. In an upset, the Wildcats downed the Gamecocks, 23-13. So much for the year of the Cock. There were two mild upsets on the Pacific Coast Saturday night. California knocked off Ole Miss, 27-16, while San Diego State stunned Stanford, 20-17. This could be the year of the Aztecs.

Texas Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek passed for 543 yards in the Red Raiders win over Arizona State. Notre Dame running back Josh Adams rushed for 229 yards in ND’s 49-20 win over Boston College.

Don’t look now but Wake Forest, Duke, Texas Tech, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt all are undefeated. But Texas Tech, Cal, Iowa, Kentucky, Miss State and Vanderbilt have tough assignments this week against Houston, USC, Penn State, Florida, Georgia and Alabama respectively.

The cream of the crop among the Group of Five teams appears to be San Diego State, South Florida, Memphis, Houston, Navy and Toledo. All are undefeated. However Houston plays Texas Tech this week and Toledo travels to Miami (Florida).

Three weeks into the season and I think we can safely say that the following coaches are in trouble: Boston College’s Steve Addazio, Nebraska’s Mike Riley, Charlotte’s Brad Lambert, UTEP’s Sean Kugler, Massachusetts’ Mark Whipple, Oregon State’s Gary Andersen, Arizona State’s Todd Graham and Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin. Stay tuned!

There will be at least nine teams suffering their first loss this week. The schedule has nine games matching undefeated teams. Eight of those games make my “12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games of the Week.” It could be another crazy Saturday.

It was good to hear from Ken Burger, Bob Willey, Terry Conner, Tim Muth, and Dave Brolhorst last week.

Yeah, it wasn’t a Hail Mary. Even my friend Kris Hansen commented to me on Facebook, “Please don’t call it a Hail Mary.” I’m sure Vols fans are calling it a Bloody Mary. I’ll drink to that.

Have a good week!

Touchdown Tom
September 18, 2017
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Bye, bye Heisman Trophy – Clemson 47, Louisville 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, Louisville 23). Yeah, Lamar Jackson can forget the Heisman and just concentrate on winning now. Not that Jackson had that bad of a game, but you can’t lose by 26 points this early in the season and win the Heisman. The teams were equal in passing, but Clemson by far out ran the Cardinals. Jackson only completed 50% of his passes. The Tigers piled up 613 total yards. Attendance in Louisville: 55,588

RUNNER UP: Bully, Bully – Mississippi State 37, LSU 7 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 23, Mississippi State 19). Aeris Williams and Nick Fitzgerald were the heroes for Miss State. Williams rushed for 146 yards, while Fitzgerald added 88 yards rushing to his 180 passing. LSU’s Derrius Guice was a no show and Danny Etling completed only 44% of his passes. Attendance in Starkville: 60,596

REST OF THE BEST: Four years in a row – Kentucky 23, South Carolina 13 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 30, Kentucky 21). That’s how long Kentucky has been beating South Carolina. That’s embarrassing. Muschamp is back to being a Mustake. South Carolina has no running game. But neither team looked that good on offense. Attendance in Columbia: 82,493

Vandy isn’t candy – Vanderbilt 14, Kansas State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, Vanderbilt 20). Not anymore. The Dores are 3-0. Vandy had no offense. The Dores just played good defense. With the score tied 7-7, Vandy scored the winning touchdown with 8:23 to go in the game. Attendance in Nashville: 40,350

Hail Gators – Florida 26, Tennessee 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 33, Tennessee 30). Florida won, but the Gators are still awful on offense. And in the second half, the Florida offense was the worst enemy for the Gators defense. The offense was only on the field for less than 10 minutes in the second half. That will wear down your defense. Fortunately, Tennessee’s offense was worse than the Gators. Still the 63-yard winning touchdown pass had to be a boost to Feleipe Franks’ confidence. Tennessee quarterback Qiunten Dormady threw three interceptions. The Gators are 12-1 in the last 13 games against Tennessee. Attendance in Gainesville: 87,736

Jumpers – TCU 56, SMU 36 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 30, SMU 20). SMU led TCU, 16-7, at the end of the first quarter. Then the Frogs proceeded to outscore the Mustangs, 49-20. TCU amassed 619 yards of offense. Frogs quarterback Kenny Hill passed for 365 yards. Attendance in Fort Worth: 44,489

Ole Lady – California 27, Ole Miss 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, California 24). Ole Miss only had 57 yards rushing and Shea Patterson threw three interceptions. Attendance in Berkeley: 37,125

Rub a dub dub – Memphis 48, UCLA 45 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Memphis 24). UCLA has no defense. That will be the downfall of the Bruins. Memphis has no defense either, but the Tigers scored more points than UCLA. Josh Rosen passed for 464 yards. But Riley Ferguson wasn’t bad either, passing for 398 yards. It was looking good for Jim Mora, but not now. Attendance in Memphis: 46,291

USC 27, Texas 24 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Texas 23). Wow! What a game. It was a shame either team had to lose. Texas is getting better, while USC is vulnerable. Neither team had a ground game, but both could pass, especially USC. Sam Darnold threw for 397 yards. Attendance in Los Angeles: 84,714

Love wasn’t all you need – San Diego State 20, Stanford 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, San Diego State 27). The Trees couldn’t stop Rashaad Penny. He rushed for 175 yards. Then again, the Aztecs could stop Brice Love. He rushed for 184 yards. Three turnovers plagued Stanford. Trailing 17-13 in the fourth, San Diego State scored its winning touchdown with 0:54 on the clock. Attendance in San Diego: 43,040

Non-stop – Oklahoma State 59, Pitt 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 32, Pitt 21). Okie State’s offense is a machine. The Cowboys led 49-7 late in the second quarter. They amassed 715 yards on offense – 572 passing. Four Cowboys receivers had more than 100 yards receiving. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 38,952

Georgia Tech at UCF – Canceled


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Badgered – Wisconsin 40, BYU 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 26, BYU 17). BYU’s program is slipping. The Cougars only had 192 yards of offense. Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook was 18-for-19 passing. Attendance in Provo: 61,143


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

The Grier Show – West Virginia 59, Delaware State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 59, Delaware State 9). The WVU offense looked good. But then, how could it not look good against Delaware State. I’m not sure what you learn from games like this against teams like the Hornets. The Mountie defense still leaves you wondering at times. It was another first half only game for the starters. Second halves have been boring the past two weeks in Morgantown. Attendance in Morgantown: 51,482

Succotash – Northern Illinois 21, Nebraska 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Northern Illinois 19). Message to Nebraska: Good quarterbacks don’t come out of Tulane. Tulane finishes at the bottom of its conference every year. The worst quarterbacks out of high school go to Tulane. NIU had no offense, but with Tanner Lee, Nebraska had no offense either. Whatever happened to the running game at Nebraska? The Huskers controlled the ball for almost 37 minutes and had 384 total yards to 236 for NIU. The life of Riley is getting interesting. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,664

3-0 baby! – Duke 34, Baylor 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 29, Baylor 17). The Dookies struggled early on, but finally took control in the fourth quarter. Duke outscored Baylor 10-0 in the final period. Duke’s Shaun Wilson rushed for 176 yards. Attendance in Durham: 26,714

Dawgs over Dogs – Georgia 42, Samford 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 36, Samford 16). Uga had a breather this week. The Dawgs had a big third quarter, outscoring Samford, 21-0. Nick Chubb rushed for 131 yards. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Steam power – Purdue 35, Missouri 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 32, Purdue 30). Watch out for the Boilers. They are going to pull some upsets in the Big Ten. Either that or Mizzou is really, really bad. Purdue had another balanced attack on offense, while the Boilers defense held Mizzou to 70 yards rushing. The Boilers are for real. Attendance in Columbia: 53,262

Week 3 Results: 9 correct picks, 8 fumbles (52.9 percent)
For the Season: 33 correct picks, 16 fumbles (67.4 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

South Florida 47, Illinois 23 – Attendance in Tampa: 35,404
Jacksonville U. 56, Walsh 31 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 1,508
Tennessee State 24, Florida A&M 14 – Attendance in Tampa: 17,102

Dartmouth 38, Stetson 7 – Attendance in Deland: 2,435
Florida Atlantic 45, Bethune-Cookman 0 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 16,743
Florida Tech 31, Shorter 6 – Attendance in Melbourne: 1,450

Florida International at Indiana – Canceled
Miami at Florida State – Postponed


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek – 37-50-0-543; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 23-32-1 for 497 yards; UCLA’s Josh Rosen – 34-56-2-463; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 22-33-1-458; Virginia’s Kurt Benkert – 30-40-1-455; Memphis’ Riley Ferguson – 23-38-1-398, and USC’s Sam Darnold – 28-49-2-397.

Also, Washington State’s Luke Falk – 37-49-0 for 396 yards; Massachusetts’ Andrew Ford – 23-37-0-377; Virginia Tech’s Josh Jackson – 24-31-0-372; Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson – 23-30-0-370; TCU’s Kenny Hill – 24-30-0-365, and Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham – 32-37-1-364.

Also, Colorado’s Steven Montez – 29-41-1 for 357 yards; Kansas’ Peyton Bender – 30-47-1-343; Utah’s Tyler Huntley – 30-43-1-341; Arkansas State’s Justice Hansen – 24-31-0-336; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 17-27-0-331, and New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 32-45-0-331.

Impressive Rushers:

Notre Dame’s Josh Adams – 229 yards; Southern Miss’ Ito Smith – 219 yards; Stanford’s Bryce Love – 184 yards; Duke’s Shaun Wilson – 176 yards; San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny – 175 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Gregory Howell – 175 yards, and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins – 172 yards.

Also, Charlotte’s Benny LeMay – 158 yards; Oregon’s Royce Freeman – 157 yards; Tulsa’s D’Angelo Brewer – 152 yards; Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay – 151 yards; Mississippi State’s Aeris Williams – 146 yards, and Arizona’s Brandon Dawkins – 143 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Not to throw a wrench into anyone’s chomp, but the only thing that Florida’s victory over Tennessee proved is that Tennessee is awful and its coach, Butch Jones, might want to start collecting moving boxes,” Tampa Bay Times sports columnist Tom Jones.

“I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed,” Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst, after the Huskers loss to Northern Illinois.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. TCU (3-0) at Oklahoma State (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – It’s hard to imagine TCU stopping the Okie State machine. But if anybody knows defense, it’s TCU coach Gary Patterson. Both teams can score, but the Cowboys can score better – and easier. The Frogs are going to have to come up with a few finesse plays if they want to hang with Okie State. Toadies aren’t good roadies – Oklahoma State 35, TCU 25.

RUNNER UP: 2. Washington (3-0) at Colorado (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – After watching UCLA and Stanford fall apart and seeing how vulnerable USC is, I think Washington is the threat of the Pac-12. Still, Colorado can play havoc with you in Boulder. Petersen outwits MacIntyre – Washington 30, Colorado 26.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Mississippi State (3-0) at Georgia (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After beating LSU, Miss State established itself as a threat in the SEC. Question is: Are they a threat enough to beat Georgia on the road in Athens. Never underestimate Dan McMullen. Still, the Dawgs have the power to defend themselves against an attack from Stark Vegas. Uga’s a meaner Bulldog – Georgia 25, Mississippi State 20.

4. Alabama (3-0) at Vanderbilt (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This has to be the first time this game has ever made the “Top 12 Games of the Week” list. It may be the last time. But I’m giving the Dores a chance to show up in this contest. They defensed K-State about as well as you can. Vandy coach Derek Mason is a defensive genius. But the problem is: Vandy has no offense. I don’t know what the Dores will do about that. But I know what Nicky will do – he’ll win – Alabama 28, Vanderbilt 12.

5. Penn State (3-0) at Iowa (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Penn State is on a roll. Iowa is too, but not as much as the Nittany Lions. James Franklin wants to prove that last year was no freak. The Lions are out to claim the Big Ten title again. The Hawkeyes lack the manpower to stay on par with the Nitts. Still, it should be an interesting game. Lions feast on fowl – Penn State 31, Iowa 23.

6. USC (3-0) at California (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Cal pulled a surprise last week, knocking off Ole Miss. But the Bears have run out of surprises for the season. The Trojans got their scare last week. They don’t want any more of that madness. Texas made it too close for comfort. Cal doesn’t – USC 30, California 19.

7. Toledo (3-0) at Miami (Florida) (1-0) – (MAC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN/ACCN – Miami was supposed to have played three games by now. Thanks to Irma, the Canes have only played one. That could make them a little squeaky around the joints. Toledo has an offense – no doubt about that. But the Rockets have no defense. That’s where the Canes get them. Irma’s revenge – Miami 30, Toledo 25.

8. Texas Tech (2-0) at Houston (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Typical, Kliff Kingsbury has Tech passing more than 500 yards a game. It’s worked well so far. Houston may be Tech’s toughest opponent to date. But the Cougars can’t stay up with the Red Raiders. The Kliff is King – Texas Tech 29, Houston 27.

9. Michigan (3-0) at Purdue (2-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Purdue is a much improved team this season. The Boilers are playing well. Problem is: The Wolverines are playing well too. Too well for the Boilers – Michigan 30, Purdue 27.

10. Utah (3-0) at Arizona (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – We’re not sure how good Utah is, but we’re about to find out. Arizona could cause serious problems for the Utes. The Wildcats can score, but I’m not sure they can keep opponents from scoring on them. Close, but no cactus – Utah 26, Arizona 19.

11. Florida (1-1) at Kentucky (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – This is going to be a very interesting game. First of all, Kentucky hasn’t beat Florida since 1986 – 31 years. I was just a kid. I wish. Rockledge Gator just got his AARP card that year. There have been some close games. There have been some poundings. Regardless, the Gators always survived. Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook, Urban Meyer, even Will Mustake never lost to Kentucky. Gators don’t lose to the Wildcats – Florida 27, Kentucky 21.

12. Notre Dame (2-1) at Michigan State (2-0) – (Ind. vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – This used to be one of the top games of the season. Not so much anymore. Still, it’s a good rivalry. Both teams had disastrous seasons last year. They are out to make amends. The Spartans mend – Michigan State 24, Notre Dame 22.


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Oregon (3-0) at Arizona State (1-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10 PM ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – This is a good test for the Ducks. It looks like Oregon could be back this season after last year’s disaster. It’s a road game for the Ducks and the Sun Devils can score. They just can’t stop anyone form scoring on them. Ducks find an oasis in the desert – Oregon 33, Arizona State 23.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (2-1) at Kansas (1-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Well, after this week’s game, we still won’t know what West Virginia has – or hasn’t. Kansas is about as bad as East Carolina and Delaware State, if not worse. Dorothy hides from the Mountaineers – West Virginia 40, Kansas 20.

Rutgers (1-2) at Nebraska (1-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – I’ve got faith in the Huskers this week. I mean, against Rutgers, who wouldn’t have faith. The Scarlet Knights lost to Eastern Michigan. That’s worse than losing to Northern Illinois. The Corn grows high – Nebraska 28, Rutgers 16.

Duke (3-0) at North Carolina (1-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – What’s this? The Dookies are undefeated. I hope they don’t get a big head. If they do, the Tar Heels are just the team to stop the run. Oh well, the Heels may stop the run but they don’t stop the pass – Duke 31, North Carolina 24.

Texas (1-2) is off this week.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Temple (2-1) at South Florida (3-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN….
NC State (2-1) at Florida State (0-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 –
Bethune-Cookman (1-2) at Howard (1-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….

UCF (1-0) at Maryland (2-0) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, FS1….
Campbell (1-2) at Stetson (0-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Jacksonville U. (1-1) at Marist (2-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida A&M (1-2) at Savannah State (0-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida Atlantic (1-2) at Buffalo (1-2) – (C-USA vs. MAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida International (1-1) at Rice (1-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Tech (2-1) at Mississippi College (0-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 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 – Harry Dean Stanton and Pete Domenici.

Harry Dean Stanton, a character actor who broke out of obscurity in his late 50s in two starring movie roles, died last week in Los Angeles. He was 91. Stanton spent two decades typecast as cowboys and villains before he began to attract more notice on the strength of his performances in the movies “Straight Time” (1978), “Alien,” “Wise Blood” and “The Rose” (1979), and “Escape from New York” (1981). The quintessential supporting actor became a leading man in the 1984 movie “Paris, Texas.” His other movies included “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “The Missouri Breaks” (1976), “Pretty in Pink” (1986), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988), “Wild at Heart” (1990), “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998), “The Straight Story” (1999), “The Green Mile” (1999) and “The Big Bounce (2004). He was also cast in the HBO series “Big Love” (2006-2009). Harry Dean Stanton was born in West Irvine, Kentucky, on July 14, 1926. He served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he briefly attended the University of Kentucky, but dropped out to pursue an acting career. His film debut was in “Tomahawk Trail” (1957), a western starring Chuck Connors. Stanton appeared in several TV shows, including “Rawhide,” “Bonanza,” “The Big Valley” and “Gunsmoke.”

Pete Domenici, the former six-term Republican senator from New Mexico, died last week in Albuquerque. He was 85. In 1972, Domenici became the first Republican elected to the Senate from New Mexico in 38 years. He became nationally known in 1981 when he became chairman of the powerful Budget Committee. Domenici’s bipartisanship made him one of the most respected members of the Senate. When he left office, in January 2009, after 36 years on Capitol Hill, Domenici had become the longest-serving senator in New Mexico history. Pietro Vichi Domenici was born in Albuquerque on May 7, 1932. He graduated from the University of New Mexico where he was a star pitcher on the baseball team. He later got a law degree from the University of Denver.