College Football Week 3 – Hurricane Florence may be the big winner
Hell must have frozen over
Did anybody check?
For years now, I’ve heard people say, “That will be the
day when Kentucky beats Florida. That will happen when hell freezes over.”
Guess what? Kentucky beat Florida. For the first time in
32 years, the Wildcats beat the Gators. Beat ’em in The Swamp too.
I thought I was seeing things. I mean this can’t be real.
But it was. And it was a putdown too. Kentucky beat Florida, 27-16.
So how much longer will Dan Mullen last in Gainesville? Will he make it as long as Will Mustake or Jim McElwain? Florida hasn’t had an offense in eight years.
Following years of an offensive drought, Mullen was the man who was supposed to
come in and fix things. Get the offense rolling again. Bring some excitement
back to The Swamp.
I know. It was only one game. But I sure figured Mullen
would have gotten the quarterback fiasco straightened out. From all appearances
Saturday night, it doesn’t look like he has. Feleipe Franks couldn’t hit the broad side of a red barn. It was
like the Michigan game last year.
I can’t imagine Kyle
Trask would have been any worse. Maybe better. Why didn’t we see Trask in
the second half? It was obvious Franks wasn’t getting the job done. Or why not Emory Jones to mix things up a little
bit. That could have thrown a wrench in the Kentucky defense.
We knew the Florida defense was going to have problems
(and did they ever). They are young – inexperienced. But the Gators have a lot
of experience returning on offense. Experience that, for some reason, can’t get
itself in gear.
Oh well, they say that all good things must come to an
end. Florida will just have to start another 32-year run next year in
Lexington. Go Gators!
Yeah, Week Two was a frustrating week for a lot of teams
and their fans. Scott Frost’s
delayed debut in Lincoln ended on a sour note for Nebraska. Colorado scored a
come-from-behind touchdown with 1:06 remaining in the game to beat the Huskers,
33-28. And I know Nebraska doesn’t like to lose to Colorado.
I can only imagine what Florida State fans were thinking
as the Noles were losing to Samford, yes Samford, 26-21, with less than 5
minutes to go in the game. As it turns out, FSU scored 15 points in the final
4:03 of the game to beat Samford, 36-26. Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges was the best and the
worst thing to happen to Samford during the game. Hodges passed for 475 yards.
But he also threw four interceptions.
After losing to Virginia Tech last week, FSU coach Willie Taggart said that faked injuries
by Virginia Tech players contributed to Florida State’s loss. He said the
so-called injuries slowed down FSU’s tempo. I’ll be interested to hear what
Taggart’s excuse will be for Florida State’s near loss to Samford.
Jim Harbaugh
and his Michigan Wolverines turned their week around from misery to happiness.
After losing to Notre Dame last week, Michigan was on a high Saturday, beating
Western Michigan 49-3. Michigan running back Karan Higdon rushed for 156 yards.
While Michigan was losing to Notre Dame last week, former
Wolverines receiver Braylon Edwards
got onto Twitter and posted nasty tweets about his alma mater’s team and
players, calling them “trash.” Later Edwards apologized, saying he was
inebriated when he posted the tweets. Edwards should have been tweeting good
things about the Wolverines, Saturday.
How do you explain Colorado State? The Rams opened their
season with a 43-34 loss to Hawaii, followed by a 45-13 loss last week to
Colorado. Saturday, Colorado State beat Arkansas, 34-27. Rams quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels passed for 389
yards. First-year Arkansas coach Chad
Morris may have a tough time explaining the loss to Razorback fans. He may
want to get some advice from Willie
Taggart.
UCF extended its winning streak – the nation’s longest –
to 15 games with a 38-0 win over South Carolina State. But Northwestern’s
nine-game winning streak came to an end. Duke beat the Wildcats, 21-7. Ohio
State now has the second-longest winning streak at 7, followed by Penn State
with 6 wins. The Buckeyes beat Rutgers, 52-3, and the Nittany Lions downed
Pitt, 51-6.
And good news for Kansas and Oregon State. The Jayhawks
ended their 12-game losing streak, beating Central Michigan, 31-7, while the
Beavers ended their 11-game losing streak, downing Southern Utah, 48-25. UTEP,
however, holder of the nation’s longest losing streak, continued to lose. The
Miners fell to UNLV, 52-24. UTEP has now lost 14-straight games. With Kansas
and Oregon State winning, second place now falls to Connecticut. The Huskies,
have lost seven-straight games. Saturday, Boise State beat UConn, 62-7.
Is Mississippi State a sleeper in the SEC? The Bulldogs
looked sharp Saturday beating Kansas State, on the road in Manhattan, 31-10.
And what got into Eastern Michigan? Or perhaps I should say, what happened to
Purdue? The Boilers lost to Eastern Michigan, 20-19.
The AAC had two good wins Saturday. Houston beat Arizona,
45-18. Not looking good for Kevin Sumlin.
Meanwhile, South Florida downed Georgia Tech, 49-38. And speaking of the AAC,
East Carolina, losers to FCS North Carolina A&T last week, beat North
Carolina, 41-19. The Tar Heels must really be hurting. In an intra-conference
game in the AAC, Navy edged Memphis, 22-21.
Iowa won the Hawkeye State championship, beating Iowa
State, 13-3. Hawaii is still undefeated at 3-0. Saturday the Rainbow Warriors
beat Rice, 43-29. Lane Kiffin’s
Florida Atlantic Owls bounced back, beating Air Force, 33-27.
In the big game on the West Coast, Stanford topped USC,
17-3. And California improved to 2-0, beating BYU, 21-18.
Miami (Florida), Texas Tech and Ole Miss were members of
the “70s Club” this week. Miami beat Savannah State, 77-0. Texas Tech downed
Lamar by the same score. Ole Miss beat Southern Illinois, 76-41.
Among the Power Five Conferences, the Big 12, Pac-12 and
SEC finished the weekend at 8-2. The ACC was 10-4, while the Big Ten was 8-4.
And so Week Two of the 2018 college football season is
history. You can put it in the books.
Week Three is going to be interesting. I’m afraid the
games in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware may
fall victim to Hurricane Florence. Unless Florence changes her course, I
suspect games in those states will be moved, postponed or cancelled. Stay
tuned.
Near the end of the Kentucky-Florida game Saturday night
our next-door neighbors Deb and Dieter Gum texted Swamp Mama. With Florida losing, they knew the agony Swamp Mama was
experiencing. And they know how Swamp Mama can be when her team is losing. The
text said, “Lucy heard what you just
said, and she said it wasn’t very ladylike.” Lucy is Deb and Dieter’s dog. The
text message was followed by a picture of Lucy with a shocking look on her
face.
I ran into Rockledge
Gator last week at Academy Sports. He was buying camouflage clothing, so he
could go dear hunting with Laura
Rutledge. I’m sorry, I meant to say deer hunting.
Yeah, September 8, 2018 will go down as a snowy day in
hell.
Touchdown Tom
September 10, 2018
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Bentley
is no Bentley – Georgia 41, South
Carolina 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 22, South Carolina 20). Maybe an
Edsel. South Carolina almost totally relied on the passing of Jake Bentley, as the Gamecocks had no
ground game – only 54 yards rushing. Bentley passed for 269 yards but threw two
picks. It was a typical Will Mustake
offense – there was none. Meanwhile, Mustake, who used to be a Muschamp on
defense, appears to have lost his touch, defending the ball. The Dawgs mixed it
up on offense, rushing for 271 yards and passing for 202 yards. Attendance in
Columbia: 83,140
RUNNER UP: Love is the drug – Stanford 17, USC 3 (Touchdown
Tom said: Stanford 28, USC 27). Not really much offense by either team, but Bryce Love did rush for 136 yards,
averaging 6.2 yards per carry – not bad. Stanford’s defense swarmed all over
the Trojans. USC did mange 20 first downs, but they were all between the 20s. USC
was plagued by three turnovers – two interceptions and one fumble. Love now has
165 yards rushing in two games. Attendance in Palo Alto: 42,856
REST OF THE BEST:
Rally comes up short – Clemson 28, Texas A&M 26 (Touchdown
Tom said: Clemson 26, Texas A&M 15). You can’t run on Clemson, but Texas
A&M proved you sure can pass on the Tigers. Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond passed for 430 yards, while
A&M only had 71 yards rushing. Down 28-13 at the end of three quarters, the
Aggies rallied in the fourth, with two touchdowns. But they failed on a
two-point conversion attempt on the second touchdown. A&M outplayed
Clemson, with 501 total yards to 421 for the Tigers, and 25 first downs to 14
for Clemson. The Aggies even controlled the clock for almost 34 minutes. Attendance in College Station: 104,794
Bulled-over – Mississippi
State 31, Kansas State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 30, Kansas
State 23). Miss State just simply dominated in this game. The Bulldogs had 538
total yards to 213 for K-State. Miss State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald passed for 154 yards and rushed for 159 yards. The
Wildcats were downright woeful passing, completing 9-of-21 throws. The Bulldogs
Kylin Hill rushed for 211 yards. Attendance
in Manhattan: 49,784
Just another Akron
– Penn State 51, Pitt 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 29, Pitt 25). Remember
last year when Penn State coach James
Franklyn said that the Nittany Lions look upon Pitt as just another Akron
on their schedule. I think Pitt was worse than Akron this year. A reasonably
close game at halftime – Penn State led 14-6. Then the Nitts scored 37 points
in the second half to none for the Panthers. Neither team looked good passing.
Pitt only had 55 yards through the air. State’s Trace McSorley only completed 46 percent of his passes – 14-for-30.
Attendance in Pittsburgh: 68,400
It ain’t over ’til
it’s over – Arizona State 16, Michigan State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona
State 30, Michigan State 29). Trailing throughout the entire game, Arizona
State took its first and final lead as time expired on a 28-yard field goal.
When the fourth quarter began, Michigan State led 13-3. Neither team could run
the ball worth a darn – 57 yards for the Sun Devils and 65 yards for the
Spartans. But both were brilliant passing – 380 yards for ASU and 314 yards for
Michigan State. Herm Edwards is 2-0.
Attendance in Tempe: 53,599
The Dookies are
strolling – Duke 21, Northwestern 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 32,
Duke 31). For the second week in a row, Northwestern failed to score a point in
the second half. In fact, this week, the Wildcats failed to score after the
first quarter. Neither team scored in the second half. The Dookies led 21-7 at
the break and that’s the way it ended. The Wildcats had more total yards, more
first downs and controlled the clock. But they couldn’t punch it in. Attendance
in Evanston: 40,654
Say it ain’t so,
Albert – Kentucky 27, Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Kentucky
21). But it is. I even pinched myself. Running back Benny Snell almost single-handedly won this game for the Wildcats.
Snell rushed for 175 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The Gators defense
couldn’t stop him. Florida was woeful on both defense and offense. Gators
quarterback Feleipe Franks only
completed 44 percent of his passes. Florida was no better running the ball. Attendance
in Gainesville: 80,651
Wild one in Cigar
City – South Florida 49, Georgia Tech 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech
27, South Florida 24). Would you believe the lead in this game changed nine
times? Well, it did. What a game! One of the most exciting of the day. The
teams had 1,028 total yards between them – 602 for Georgia Tech. Transfer
quarterback Blake Barnett was the
hero for USF. Barnett passed for 202 yards and rushed for another 91 yards. Paul Johnson is on the hot seat. Attendance
in Tampa: 34,182
The Frost
evaporated – Colorado 33, Nebraska 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28,
Colorado 26). Trailing, Nebraska tied the score, 14-14, early in the second
quarter and took the lead, 21-14, late in the second quarter. The Huskers
continued to lead until 1:06 left in the game when Colorado went up 33-28.
Nebraska had 565 total yards to 395 for the Buffaloes. Colorado only had 44
yards rushing. But the Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez almost single handedly won the game for Colorado.
Montez passed for 351 yards, including three touchdowns. The Huskers were
plagued by three turnovers – two fumbles and one interception. Attendance in
Lincoln: 89,853
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Snoozer – Iowa 13,
Iowa State 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Iowa State 23). Seven minutes
into the game, Iowa State kicked a field goal and went up 3-0. The Cyclones
never scored again after that. Iowa didn’t score much more than that. The
Hawkeyes only had 271 total yards – just 188 total yards for Iowa State. Yeah,
it was one of those games. Not much action. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,250
Chip is 0-for-2 – Oklahoma
49, UCLA 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, UCLA 14). Fourteen of UCLA’s
21 points came in the final quarter. The other 7 points came in the first six
minutes of the game. Otherwise, Oklahoma dominated the game. OU’s Kyler Murray passed for 306 yards. Attendance
in Norman: 86,402
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
On the ground and
in the air – West Virginia 52, Youngstown State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: West
Virginia 48, Youngstown State 10). The Mountaineers racked up 625 total yards,
holding the Penguins to 293 total. Will
Grier passed for 332 yards and four touchdowns. WVU’s Leddie Brown rushed for 115 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Attendance
in Morgantown: 58,446
Bevo angst – Texas
28, Tulsa 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 37, Tulsa 17). Texas led throughout
the game, but the Horns could never shake the Hurricanes. Late in the second
quarter, Texas went up 21-0. But Tulsa came roaring back in the second half,
outscoring the Horns, 21-7. Attendance in Austin: 90,563
So much for the
hype – Eastern Michigan 20, Purdue 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 33,
Eastern Michigan 19). The lead changed hands in this game five times. EMU
kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to retake the lead and win. The
Eagles only had 69 yards rushing, but 347 yards passing. Conversely, Purdue had
most of its yards rushing – 341. The Boilers had two running backs with more
than 100 yards rushing – D.J. Knox –
152 yards and Markell Jones – 109
yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 47,661
Week 2 Results: 10 correct picks, 5 fumbles (66.7 percent)
For the Season:
19 correct picks, 11 fumbles (63.3 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida Tech 17,
Newberry 10 – Attendance in Melbourne: 2,500
Florida Atlantic
33, Air Force 27 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 24,101
Bethune-Cookman
79, Virginia-Lynchburg 16 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 4,662
Miami 77, Savannah
State 0 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 60,307
UCF 38, South
Carolina State 0 – Attendance in Orlando: 43,269
Stetson 63,
Waldorf 34 – Attendance in Deland: 1,850
Mercer 45,
Jacksonville U. 3 – Attendance in Macon: 10,200
Troy 59, Florida
A&M 7 – Attendance in Troy: 25,767
Florida State 36,
Samford 26 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 72,239
FIU 28, Old
Dominion 20 – Attendance in Norfolk: 19,243
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best
Passers:
Ole Miss’s Jordan
Ta’amu – 23-33-0 for 448 yards (5TDs); Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond –
23-40-0-430 (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Taylor Cornelius – 25-40-2-328
(1TD); North Texas’ Mason Fine – 25-40-1-418 (4TDs); Washington State’s Gardner
Minshew – 34-51-2-414 (3TDs); Missouri’s Drew Lock – 33-45-0-398
(4TDs); Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 23-32-0-396 (5TDs), and Colorado
State’s K.J. Carter-Samuels – 32-47-1-389 (2TDs).
Also, Arizona
State’s Manny Wilkins – 30-48-1-380 (1TD); Louisiana Tech’s J’mar
Smith – 24-37-0-380 (2TDs); Southern Miss’s Jack Abraham –
31-46-2-378 (2TDs); NC State’s Ryan Finley – 31-38-1-370 (2TDs); Boise
State’s Brett Rypien – 21-28-0-362 (3TDs); Colorado’s Steven Montez
– 33-50-0-351 (3TDs); Western Kentucky’s Drew Eckels – 23-41-0-347
(3TDs), and West Virginia’s Will Grier – 21-26-1-332 (4TDs).
Weekend’s Best
Rushers:
Wisconsin’s Jonathan
Taylor – 253 yards (3TDs); Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson – 238 yards; Memphis’ Darrell Henderson – 212 yards (3TDs), and Mississippi State’s Kylin Hill – 211 yards (2TDs).
Also, Indiana’s Stevie
Scott – 204 yards (1TD); Kentucky’s Benny
Snell – 175 yards; Navy’s Malcolm
Perry – 166 yards (2TDs); San Diego State’s Juwan Washington – 156 yards (3TDs), and Michigan’s Karan Higdon – 156 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Scott Frost is built for success and
I’m going to tell you he will win multiple national titles at Nebraska. He will
be competing for a Big Ten title within three years, and he could be the next
generation’s Nick Saban,” Fox sports
commentator Tim Brando.
“One game never
defines anything,” Florida coach Dan
Mullen, after the loss to Kentucky.
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and
then some
GAME OF THE WEEK:
1. Ohio State (2-0) vs. TCU (2-0)
– (Big Ten vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET,
Saturday, ABC – The Buckeyes first
test of the season. Not that TCU is that big of a test, but the Frogs are much
tougher than Oregon State and Rutgers. Come to think of it, the game is TCU’s
first test of the season too. Ohio State is a lot tougher than Southern and
SMU. The game is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, – a neutral site.
Well, kind of. Arlington is right next door to Fort Worth. Frogs can’t shell
the Nuts – Ohio State 28, TCU 23.
RUNNER UP: 2. LSU (2-0) at Auburn (2-0) – (SEC vs.
SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Both
teams looked good against tough opponents on opening weekend. Both had cupcakes
last week. LSU appears to be better than we thought. Regardless, this should be
a classic SEC West battle. Aubie takes Mike for a ride, a bus ride – Auburn 24, LSU 23.
REST OF THE BEST:
3. Boise State (2-0) at Oklahoma
State (2-0) – (MWC vs. Big 12) – 3:30
pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – This could end up being the most exciting game of
the week. Both teams can score. Both have strong offenses, but weak to so-so
defenses. Pokes break the Broncos – Oklahoma
State 39, Boise State 35.
4. West Virginia
(2-0) at NC State (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – This should be a good battle of the
quarterbacks – WVU’s Will Grier and
NC State’s Ryan Finley. Lots of
passing yardage in this game. Team with the best running game will win. Let’s
hope the game is played. Right now it looks like Hurricane Florence will run
some interference. Mountaineers crack the Pack – West Virginia 30, NC State 20.
5. Alabama (2-0)
at Ole Miss (2-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7
pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – We know Ole Miss has no defense. The Sharks have
given up 68 points in two games. Bama should score at will. They do – Alabama 42, Ole Miss 14.
6. Vanderbilt
(2-0) at Notre Dame (2-0) – (SEC vs. Ind.) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Notre Dame has had two close games
winning both by a touchdown. Vandy would love nothing better than to go into
South Bend and knock off the Irish. Notre Dame’s defense is better than its
offense. And the Irish defense is too tough for the Vandy offense – Notre Dame 27, Vanderbilt 18.
7. Boston College
(2-0) at Wake Forest (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Both teams are undefeated, but neither
has had tough competition. The Deacons will be challenged to stop the running
of A.J. Dillon. This could be
Dillon’s breakout game. This is another game that could be impacted by
Hurricane Florence. Eagles purge the Demons from the Deacons – Boston College 26, Wake Forest 20.
8. Washington
(1-1) at Utah (2-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – A Pac-12 opener for both teams. Both
teams could end up winning their respective divisions in the Pac-12. But only
one can win this game. Huskies bite the Utes – Washington 26, Utah 22.
9. Florida State
(1-1) at Syracuse (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 Noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Florida State has not looked good this
season. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey
could give the Noles fits. The Noles get Domed – Syracuse 33, Florida State 30.
10. USC (1-1) at
Texas (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – 8
pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Neither team has looked all that strong this season.
The Trojans had no offense against Stanford. The Longhorns have had no defense.
USC takes advantage of the Texas defense. Trojans pull out a close one – USC 30, Texas 27.
…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
11. Miami
(Florida) (1-1) at Toledo (1-0) – (ACC vs. MAC) – 12 Noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Miami has something to prove after
the embarrassing loss to LSU. Beating Savannah State didn’t prove anything.
Toledo at Toledo is never easy for anybody. The Rockets are tough at home. The
Canes blow through the tough – Miami 34,
Toledo 31.
12. Oklahoma (2-0) at Iowa State (0-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 Noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Last year, Iowa State upset the
Sooners. And that was in Norman. This one is in Ames. The Cyclones won’t be
stormin’ Norman; OU tames Ames – Oklahoma 29, Iowa
State 17.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Colorado State
(1-2) at Florida (1-1) – (MWC vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – For Florida to win, the Gators will have
to outscore the Rams. Quarterback K.J.
Carta-Samuels will put a lot of points on the board for the Rams. And we
know Florida’s defense is suspect. But the Rams’ defense is suspect too – Florida 34, Colorado State 19.
Troy (1-1) at
Nebraska (0-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Big Ten) – 12 Noon ET, Saturday, BTN – The Huskers should get their first win
this week. It’s been a long-time coming. Troy is capable of giving the Huskers
fits. But the Trojans aren’t capable of winning – Nebraska 36, Troy 17.
Duke (2-0) at
Baylor (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3:30
pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Interesting game for the Dookies. Baylor is a young
team. Dookies have the better defense. Baylor is more explosive on offense. The
better defense wins – Duke 25, Baylor 22.
Middle Tennessee
(1-1) at Georgia (2-0) – (C-USA vs. SEC) – 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – The Dawgs get a rest after the big
win over South Carolina. Middle Tennessee has a good quarterback in Brent Stockstill. But he’ll be no match
for the Dawgs defense. Another big win for Uga – Georgia 35, Middle Tennessee 13.
Missouri (2-0) at
Purdue (0-2) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) – 7:30
pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Unless Purdue surprises, Mizzou should have its way
in this encounter. The Tigers have a good offense and decent defense. The
Boilers are above average. Barely above – Missouri
32, Purdue 17.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
UCF (2-0) at North
Carolina (0-2) – (AAC vs. ACC) – 12
Noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
Walsh (0-2) at
Jacksonville U. (1-1) – (Great
Midwest vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson (2-0) at
Presbyterian (0-1) – (Pioneer vs. Big South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
South Florida
(2-0) at Illinois (2-0) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN….
Jackson State
(0-1) at Florida A&M (1-1) – (SWAC vs. MEAC) – 5 pm ET, Saturday….
Bethune-Cookman
(1-1) at Florida Atlantic (1-1) – (MEAC vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Delta State (0-2)
at Florida Tech (2-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Massachusetts
(1-2) at FIU (1-1) – (Ind. vs. C-USA) – 7:30
pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in
mid-September as the college football season was finally underway, the number
one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1943 was “Sunday, Monday Or
Always” by Bing Crosby and The Ken Darby
Singers
…70 years ago this week in 1948 was “Twelfth Street Rag”
by Pee Wee Hunt and His Orchestra
…65 years ago this week in 1953 was “Vaya Con Dios (May
God Be With You)” by Les Paul and Mary
Ford
…60 years ago this week in 1958 was “Nel Blu Dipinto Di
Blu (Volare)” by Domenico Modugno
…55 years ago this week in 1963 was “My Boyfriend’s Back”
by The Angels
…50 years ago this week in 1968 was “People Got To Be Free”
by The Rascals
…45 years ago this week in 1973 was “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye and “Delta Dawn” by Helen Reddy
…40 years ago this week in 1978 was “Boogie Oogie Oogie”
by A Taste Of Honey
…35 years ago this week in 1983 was “Maniac” by Michael Sembello
…30 years ago this week in 1988 was “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
by Guns N’ Roses
…25 years ago this week in 1993 was “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey
Not exactly college football related, but there were three
passings of note last week – Carole Shelley,
Gloria Jean and Burt Reynolds.
Carole Shelley,
who played one of the bubbly sisters in the stage, screen and film versions of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” and won a
Tony Award in 1979 for her role in “The Elephant Man,” died last week at her
home in New York City. She was 79. Shelley, who also originated the role of
Madame Morrible in the long-running Broadway musical “Wicked,” first appeared
on Broadway in 1965 in the original production of “The Odd Couple.” Carole Augusta Shelley was born in
London, England, on August 16, 1939. She also appeared on television in such
shows as “Frasier,” “The Cosby Show.”
Gloria Jean, a
former child singing sensation remembered for her popular 1940s films and her
leading part in W. C. Fields’s antic
comedy “Never Give a Sucker an Even Break,” died last week near her home in
Mountain View, Hawaii. She was 92. Jean started singing for audiences when she
was quite young, first appearing on local radio in her native Scranton,
Pennsylvania. She signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1938 at age 13.
She was a cross between Shirley Temple
and Deanna Durbin. Jean appeared in
movie musicals “If I Had My Way” (1940), with Bing Crosby, “Get Hep to Love” (1942) and “When Johnny Comers
Marching Home,” both with Donald
O’Connor. She was featured with Mel
Torme in “Pardon My Rhythm” (1944) and with Groucho Marx and Carmen
Miranda in “Copacabana” (1947). Her last movie appearance was in the 1961 Jerry Lewis comedy “The Ladies Man.” Gloria Jean Schoonover was born on
April 14, 1926, in Buffalo, New York. Soon after, her family moved to Scranton.
Burt Reynolds,
the appealing Hollywood heartthrob whose performances were often more memorable
than the films that contained them, died last week in Jupiter, Florida. He was
82. From 1978 to 1982, Reynolds ruled the box office. From car-crash comedies
like “Smokey and the Bandit” to romances like “Starting Over” to the hot television
series “Evening Shade,” he delighted audiences for four decades. Though he
never won an Oscar, Reynolds was nominated for best supporting actor for his
performance in the 1997 movie “Boogie Nights.” Burton Leon Reynolds, originally called Buddy, was born in Lansing, Michigan, on February 11, 1936. He grew
up in Riviera Beach, Florida. He played football for Florida State University,
but his sports career ended in 1955 when Reynolds was in a car crash. He
pursued an acting career and signed with Universal Studios in 1958. Reynolds
was cast in a new NBC series, “Riverboat,” starring Darren McGaven. He developed
friendships with Rip Torn, Joanne Woodward and Spencer Tracy. In 1963, Reynolds
married British actress Judy Carne.
They divorced in 1965. In the mid-1960s, he had television roles in shows like
“The Twilight Zone,” “Route 66” and “Perry Mason.” In the early 1970s, Reynolds
went on the talk-show circuit and was a popular guest on Johnny Carson and Merv
Griffin. He also became a frequent guest on Dinah Shore’s popular afternoon show. They remained a couple for
several years, even though she was 20 years older than he was. Reynolds
appearance in the movie “Deliverance” (1972) was his first substantial role in
a major movie. Around the time the movie was released, he posed nude as a
centerfold in an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Reynolds made more than 20
movies from 1973 to 1982, two of which were “The Longest Yard” (1974) and
“Semi-Tough” (1977). He took on one of his defining roles in the film “Smokey
and the Bandit” (1977). The movie ignited a long-running romance with co-star Sally Field. In 1982, he was in the
movie “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” with Dolly Parton. Reynolds began dating Lonnie Anderson in 1984 and they married in 1988. The marriage
ended in divorce in 1993. After a pause in his career, Reynolds rebounded in
1990 on television with the CBS comedy “Evening Shade.” He won an Emmy for his
performance in 1991. The show ran for four seasons.
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