College Football Week 5 – 21 Teams Still Undefeated

Take me home country roads 

Swamp Mama and I got out of Dodge at 6:45 Tuesday morning last week. We were on the road, headed for West Virginia. Just south of Jacksonville, we stopped for a bathroom break and to pick up some coffees.

The two of us were heading North on I-95. All through Georgia, from the Florida border to I-16 West of Savannah, I noticed something interesting appearing on the overhead digital message boards that span the highway – you know, the ones that provide amber alert messages, etc.

Everyone of these signs on I-95 in Georgia contained the following message: “Avoid the Carolinas. All major roads are closed. Take I-16 West to I-75 North.”

Now, I knew the only major road closed was a section of I-95 in North Carolina from the South Carolina border to Fayetteville. I don’t know how many people were fooled by these signs, but an awful lot of cars were exiting I-95 onto I-16 West .

By taking I-16 West to I-75 North these motorist were going to be spending a lot more time in Georgia. Which means they were going to be spending more money in Georgia. I wonder if South Carolina and North Carolina officials knew what Georgia was up to?

Swamp Mama and I continued on I-95 through South Carolina all the way to I-26. Then we took I-26 up to Columbia where we got on I-77 North through Charlotte. There were no road closures, nor were there any signs of high water – anywhere. Message to motorists: Don’t ever believe the state of Georgia.

Tuesday night, Swamp Mama and I overnighted at the Fairfield Inn in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Wednesday morning, we continued on up I-77 across the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Along the way, we stopped at Tamarack near Beckley, West Virginia, for lunch and to check out the crafts and art work. If you have never visited Tamarack, put it on your bucket list.

From Tamarack, we continued on I-77 to I-64 and onto Hurricane, West Virginia. Hurricane was our destination for the next two nights.

Some months back, I had reconnected via email and telephone with a cousin – Bill Thompson – who I had not seen for many a year. It had been a long, long time. Bill lives in Hurricane and had invited us for a visit. Bill’s father, William, and my mother were brother and sister.

I not only got to reacquaint myself with Bill, but also got to spend some time with my only surviving uncle, James Thompson, and his wife, Eloise. James is the youngest 97-year-old around. Eloise is 95.

Bill treated Swamp Mama and I like royalty. He not only showed us around the old family stomping grounds in the Hurricane area, but also he cooked and prepared the best food for us – fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, lentil soup, pork ribs, etc.

Friday morning, we bid farewell to my cousin. Swamp Mama and I hit the road for Valley Head, West Virginia, for the second part of our visit. I took I-64 East to I-79 North. At Weston, West Virginia, I exited I-79 and proceeded East on Highway 33.

Our first stop was Buckhannon, West Virginia, home of West Virginia Wesleyan College. We drove through downtown Buckhannon and around the campus of the college. Again, I was reliving my youth. For three summers during high school, I spent two or three weeks at West Virginia Wesleyan, attending Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) camps, conferences, etc.

After my trip down memory lane, Swamp Mama and I proceeded East on Highway 33 to Elkins, West Virginia. We left 33 and proceeded South on Highway 219. But first we stopped for lunch in Elkins. We stumbled upon a place called Beanders. It was a good choice.

Back on the road, we proceeded South on 219. We veered off 219 at Huttonsville, West Virginia, onto Highway 250. We drove over Cheat Mountain to Bartow, where we picked up Highway 92 South, heading to Green Bank.

At Green Bank, West Virginia, we stopped at the Green Bank Observatory for a tour on the grounds of the Green Bank Telescope – the world’s largest, fully steerable radio telescope. There are several other telescopes on the grounds at Green Bank, but none as large as the GBT. It’s huge!

South of Green Bank, Swamp Mama and I took Highway 66 West, back across the mountain, through Cass, to Highway 219, where we proceeded North to Valley Head.

Off 219 near Valley Head, we arrived at our destination – the home of Fred and Sally Adkins. Sally and I were acquaintances in our youth and had not seen each other in 50 or so years. We reconnected on Facebook several years ago.

Like myself, Fred and Sally are from Huntington, West Virginia, and are graduates of West Virginia University. Fred played football for WVU. A few months back, Sally invited Swamp Mama and I to come for a visit and a WVU football game.

What a wonderful weekend it was. Fred and Sally prepared a great dinner Friday evening. We had so much fun talking and getting to know one another. And we watched – what else – some college football on television.

Saturday, we drove up to Morgantown for the Kansas State-West Virginia football game. It was my first visit back to Morgantown since 1995. I could not believe all the changes. After driving around town and the campus, we parked near the stadium.

The four of us went down on the grounds of Mountaineer Field and toured some of the football facilities. Then we walked over to the WVU Alumni Center where we had our pregame meal.

And speaking of the game, it could not have been better. The weather was perfect and WVU beat K-State, 35-6. That evening, following the game, we drove back to Valley Head.

Sunday, Fred and Sally showed us around the area where they live, including a visit to Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort. Sunday evening, we had a great trout dinner at the Elk Springs Resort on the banks of the Elk River – a great trout fishing location.

Monday, Swamp Mama and I bid farewell to Fred and Sally. We began our trek back to Florida.

Week Four of college football began Thursday night with Temple’s 31-17 win over Tulsa. After opening the season at 0-2, Temple has now won two straight to improve its record to 2-2.

The best of the three games on Friday night took place in the L.A. Coliseum. USC rebounded from last week’s loss to Texas to beat Washington State in a thriller, 39-36. In the other two games on Friday night, two undefeated teams continued their winning ways. UCF (3-0) downed Florida Atlantic, 56-36, and Penn State (4-0) clobbered Illinois, 63-24.

After Saturday’s action, 19 other teams, in addition to UCF and Penn State, continued their winning ways to remain undefeated. Ohio State (4-0) downed Tulane, 49-6. The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions are the only two undefeated teams in the Big Ten.

Four teams are still spotless in the ACC – Clemson, Duke, NC State and Syracuse. Saturday, Clemson (4-0) toppled Georgia Tech, 49-21, while Duke (4-0) pummeled North Carolina Central, 55-13. NC State (3-0) bested Marshall, 37-20, and Syracuse (4-0) downed Connecticut, 51-21.     

Like the ACC, the SEC has four teams with unblemished records – Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and LSU. Alabama (4-0) took care of Texas A&M, 45-23, and Georgia (4-0) tamed Missouri, 43-29. Kentucky (4-0) surprised Mississippi State, 28-7, while LSU (4-0) beat Louisiana Tech, 38-21.

Three teams remain undefeated in the Pac-12 – California, Colorado and Stanford. Cal (3-0) and Colorado (3-0) had the weekend off. Meanwhile, Stanford (4-0), with a little luck, survived Oregon, 38-31 (OT).

In the Big 12, two teams are unbeaten – Oklahoma and West Virginia. Oklahoma (4-0) got by Army, 28-21 (OT), and West Virginia (3-0) toppled Kansas State, 35-6.

Power Five Independent Notre Dame still has a perfect record. Saturday, Notre Dame (4-0) downed Wake Forest, 56-27.

Five Group of Five teams are undefeated and three of them are on the AAC – Cincinnati, South Florida and UCF. Cincinnati (4-0) outlasted Ohio, 34-30 and South Florida (4-0) edged East Carolina, 20-13. UCF, as mentioned above, beat Florida Atlantic.

North Texas is the only undefeated team in C-USA. Saturday, North Texas (4-0) bested Liberty, 47-7. Likewise, Buffalo is the solitary unbeaten team in the MAC. Buffalo (4-0) plastered Rutgers, 42-13.

There are no undefeated teams remaining in the MWC or the Sun Belt conferences.       

I believe two coaches, both from the Big Ten, sealed their fate over the weekend and will be fired at or before the end of the season – Lovie Smith (Illinois) and Chris Ash (Rutgers). Illinois lost to Penn State, while Rutgers lost to Buffalo. Meanwhile, Scott Frost didn’t seal his fate, but Nebraska at 0-3 is off to its worst start since 1945. The Huskers lost to Michigan, 56-10.

Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente didn’t seal his fate either, but can you believe the outcome of the Virginia Tech-Old Dominion game. I know, it’s simply unbelievable. Winless Old Dominion, losers to Liberty, FIU and Charlotte beat the Hokies, 49-35. The Monarchs were 29-point underdogs.

Two teams joined the “70s Club” over the weekend. Houston beat Texas Southern, 70-14, and Appalachian State downed Gardner-Webb, 72-7.

I can’t wait to tell Rockledge Gator about my trip to Morgantown. Of course, you know he’ll want to know if I saw you know who.

Touchdown Tom

September 24, 2018     

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Rally – Stanford 38, Oregon 31 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, Oregon 27). At halftime, Stanford trailed Oregon, 24-7. In the second half, Stanford outscored Oregon, 24-7. Stanford scored 10 points in the final 3:10 of the game, kicking a 32-yard field goal as time expired. The Trees went on to win in overtime. Oregon’s Justin Herbert passed for 346 yards, while Stanford’s K.J. Costello passed for 327 yards. Oregon dominated the stats. The Ducks had 547 total yards. Stanford only had 71 yards rushing. Attendance in Eugene: 58,453

RUNNER UP:   Dawgs escape the Zou – Georgia 43, Missouri 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Missouri 26). Missouri closed the gap to 11 points twice in the second half. Georgia led 33-22 at the end of the third quarter, and 40-29, with 10:47 left in the game. But the Tigers couldn’t come any closer. The stats in the game were reasonably close. Attendance in Columbia: 58,284

REST OF THE BEST:  Wildcats are for real – Kentucky 28, Mississippi State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Kentucky 25). The score was tied 7-7 at the half, but it was all Kentucky in the second half. The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs, 21-0 in the final two quarters. Neither team had a lot of offense – 300 yards for Kentucky and 201 for Miss State. The Wildcats only had 71 yards passing and the Bulldogs only had 56 yards rushing. Kentucky running back Benny Snell rushed for 165 yards. Attendance in Lexington: 60,037

Welcome to the SEC, Jimbo – Alabama 45, Texas A&M 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, Texas A&M 20). Early in the third quarter, Alabama led 38-13. It was all over but the shouting. The Tide had 524 total yards, with Tua Tagovailoa passing for 387 yards. A&M quarterback Kellen Mond completed less than 50% of his passes, but he did rush for 98 yards. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821

It’s not over ’til it’s over – Wisconsin 28, Iowa 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 23, Wisconsin 20). Iowa led 17-14 at the end of the third quarter. The Hawkeyes still led 17-14 with less than a minute to go in the game. Wisconsin scored 14 points – two touchdowns – in the final 57 seconds of the game. Iowa was plagued by three turnovers – two fumbles and one interception. Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 113 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,250

Air raid – West Virginia 35, Kansas State 6 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, Kansas State 17). Midway through the third quarter, WVU led 35-3. Then the Mounties went to sleep. WVU had 466 total yards, while holding K-State to 91 yards rushing. The Mounties won big in spite of having four turnovers – three interceptions and one fumble. Mountaineer quarterback Will Grier passed for 356 yards and all five of the touchdowns. Attendance in Morgantown: 59,245

Frog legs for Bevo – Texas 31, TCU 16 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, Texas 21). TCU led 13-10 at halftime, but Texas outscored the Frogs 21-3 in the second half. The teams were even in the stats, but four turnovers killed the Frogs. Attendance in Austin: 95,124

Not a Lane night – UCF 56, Florida Atlantic 36 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 32, Florida Atlantic 29). The game was tied at halftime 17-17. But the Knights blew away from the Owls in the second half, outscoring them 35-19. UCF had 545 total yards. The Knights McKenzie Milton passed for 306 yards. FAU’s Devin Singletary rushed for 131 yards. Attendance in Orlando: 44,257

Sparty rules – Michigan State 35, Indiana 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 28, Michigan State 24). Indiana trailed 28-21 with 3:28 left in the game, but the Hoosiers rally ended there. The Spartan defense held Indiana to only 29 yards rushing. Michigan State won in spite of four turnovers. Attendance in Bloomington: 45,445

What a game! – USC 39, Washington State 36 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Washington State 30). The lead changed hands no less than six times. The Cougars maintained ball possession for almost 36 minutes. But they couldn’t maintain the lead. The Trojans scored with 8:03 left in the game and held on to win. At the end of the game, Washington State attempted a 38-yard field goal that was blocked by USC. Attendance in Los Angeles: 52,421

.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

No Rocky Topping in Knoxville – Florida 47, Tennessee 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, Tennessee 27). Tennessee was an accident waiting to happen – six turnovers. The Vols controlled the clock – 34:25 – but not the score. Tennessee was 10-for-25 passing. Attendance in Knoxville: 100,027

No soup for the Gophers – Maryland 42, Minnesota 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 27, Maryland 26). This game was all Maryland, especially in the second half when the Terps outscored the Gophers, 21-3. Minnesota didn’t help itself any with three turnovers. The Terps held the Gophers to 94 yards rushing. Two Maryland running backs rushed for more than 100 yards – Ty Johnson (123 yards) and Anthony McFarland (112 yards). Attendance in College Park: 36,211

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Fodder – Michigan 56, Nebraska 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 32, Nebraska 18). Michigan led 46-0 before Nebraska scored its first points late in the third quarter. The Huskers only had 132 total yards – 39 yards rushing and 93 yards passing. Meanwhile, Michigan had 491 total yards. Wolverines running back Karan Higdon rushed for 136 yards. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 110,037

Still undefeated – Duke 55, North Carolina Central 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 41, North Carolina Central 10). As expected, Duke rolled, but the Dookies only led NCC 20-13 early in the second quarter. The Dookies had 628 total yards to only 136 for NCC. Duke running back Brittain Brown rushed for 118 yards. Attendance in Durham: 25,132

About time – Purdue 30, Boston College 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 30, Purdue 27). The score was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. After that, it was all Purdue. The Boilers defense shut down the running of BC’s A.J. Dillon. Dillon was held to 59 yards rushing. Purdue controlled the clock for almost 37 minutes. Attendance in West Lafayette: 47,119

Week 4 Results:  9 correct picks, 6 fumbles (60 percent)

For the Season:   41 correct picks, 20 fumbles (67.2 percent)

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Stetson 19, Marist 14 – Attendance in Deland: 1,567

West Georgia 30, Florida Tech 21 – Attendance in Carrollton: 2,524

Florida State 37, Northern Illinois 19 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 65,633

Miami 31, FIU 17 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 59,814

Florida A&M 31, Savannah State 13 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 16,644

Howard 41, Bethune-Cookman 35 – Attendance in Indianapolis: 19,712

South Florida 20, East Carolina 13 – Attendance in Tampa: 34,562

Superlatives

Impressive Passers: 

Old Dominion’s Blake LaRussa – 30-49-0 for 495 yards (4TDs); Ole Miss’s Jordan Ta’amu – 28-38-1-442 (2TDs); Southern Miss’s Jack Abraham – 25-34-1-428 (4TDs); Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman – 35-46-2-397 (2TDs); Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa – 22-30-0-387 (4TDs), and NC State’s Ryan Finley – 23-40-0-377 (1TD).

Also, South Alabama’s Evan Orth – 24-32-0 for 360 yards (3TDs); West Virginia’s Will Grier – 25-35-2-356 (5TDs); Utah State’s Jordan Love – 26-38-0-356 (2TDs); Florida State’s Deondre Francois – 23-31-1-352 (2TDs), and Oregon’s Justin Herbert – 26-33-1-346 (1TD).

Impressive Rushers: 

Arizona’s J.J. Taylor – 284 yards; Penn State’s Miles Sanders – 200 yards (3TDs); Memphis’ Darrell Henderson – 188 yards (2TDs); UNLV’s Armani Rogers – 181 yards (1TD), and North Texas’ Loren Easly – 177 yards (2TDs).

Also, Nevada’s Toa Taua – 170 yards (3TDs); Kentucky’s Benny Snell – 165 yards (4TDs); Miami of Ohio’s Alonzo Smith – 164 yards, and Virginia Tech’s Steven Peoples – 156 yards (2TDs).

Quotes of the Week

“When you win, people say good things. And when you don’t, people don’t say good things,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly.

“Brian Kelly can take his comments and keep it moving. If he has something personal with me, he can come see me,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, on the Notre Dame coach accusing Vanderbilt of playing dirty football.

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for

This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Ohio State (4-0) at Penn State (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Can Penn State beat Ohio State? If anybody can, perhaps the Nittany Lions can pull off the upset. Not that it would be that big of an upset. Penn State needs to play a perfect game to win – no mistakes. But the Buckeyes need to be just as sharp. A close call, but no banana for the Nitts – Ohio State 28, Penn State 26.

RUNNER UP:  2. Stanford (4-0) at Notre Dame (4-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Has Stanford’s luck run out? The Trees barely got by Oregon and needed some luck to do it. They’ll need some Love to beat the Irish. But their luck runs out – Notre Dame 28, Stanford 25.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Syracuse (4-0) at Clemson (4-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Last year, Syracuse upset Clemson, 27-24. It was the only blemish on Clemson’s record until the playoff. That means the Tigers are going to play this game with revenge on their minds. Revenge rules – Clemson 30, Syracuse 23.

4. West Virginia (3-0) at Texas Tech (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Texas Tech seems to have reinvented itself since the season opening loss to Ole Miss. Last week, the Red Raiders knocked off Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Six years ago, an undefeated WVU team stumbled in Lubbock. No stumbling in 2018 – West Virginia 40, Texas Tech 31.

5. Ole Miss (3-1) at LSU (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 9:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After getting creamed by Alabama, this is a chance for Ole Miss to redeem itself. But there won’t be any redeeming this week – LSU 37, Ole Miss 18.

6. South Carolina (2-1) at Kentucky (4-0) – (Sec vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – It’s hard to believe that Kentucky is 4-0, with wins over Florida and Mississippi State. But it’s not hard to believe the Wildcats will lose to the Gamecocks – South Carolina 26, Kentucky 21.

7. Virginia Tech (2-1) at Duke (4-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – How mad are the Hokies going to be after losing to Old Dominion. This could be an opportunity for the Dookies. Then again it could be the wrong time to be playing the Hokies. The Dookies take advantage of an opportunity – Duke 29, Virginia Tech 27.

8. Oregon (3-1) at California (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Oregon should have defeated Stanford. The Ducks blew it at the end of the game. They won’t blow it this week – Oregon 30, California 20.

9. Florida (3-1) at Mississippi State (3-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Florida coach Dan Mullen returns to his old stomping grounds. It won’t be a pleasant return – Mississippi State 29, Florida 23.

10. BYU (3-1) at Washington (3-1) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) – 8:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – The Huskies better watch out. BYU knocked off Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. And at Wisconsin. The Huskies don’t take the Cougars lightly – Washington 28, BYU 22.

.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

11. Utah (2-1) at Washington State (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – Washington State lost a close one to USC last week. This week, the Cougars win a close one – Washington State 28, Utah 26.

12. Texas (3-1) at Kansas State (2-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – After losing their opener to Maryland, the Longhorns have been on the rebound. The rebound continues – Texas 27, Kansas State 20.

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Purdue (1-3) at Nebraska (0-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Does the losing streak end? Or does Purdue’s one-game winning streak get extended? I say the losing streak ends – Nebraska 28, Purdue 27.

Tennessee (2-2) at Georgia (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This looks like the year to take advantage of Tennessee. Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt is having a tough time. Dawgs coach Kirby Smart has a good time – Georgia 35, Tennessee 17.

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Drake (1-1) at Jacksonville U. (1-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

Florida State (2-2) at Louisville (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2….

Pitt (2-2) at UCF (3-0) – (ACC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU….

Florida A&M (2-2) at North Carolina Central (1-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

Stetson (3-0) at San Diego (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 5 pm ET, Saturday….

Bethune-Cookman (1-3) at Savannah State (0-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

Florida Atlantic (2-2) at Middle Tennessee (1-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-3) at FIU (2-2) – (Southwestern vs. C-USA) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday….

North Carolina (1-2) at Miami (3-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN….

South Florida is off

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but near the end of September as the college football season was about to move into its second month, 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, and “You, You, You” by The Ames Brothers

…60 years ago this week in 1958 was “It’s All In The Game” by Tommy Edwards

…55 years ago this week in 1963 was “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton

…50 years ago this week in 1968 was “Harper Valley PTA” by Jeannie C. Riley

…45 years ago this week in 1973 was “We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk

…40 years ago this week in 1978 was “Boogie Oogie Oogie” by Taste of Honey

…35 years ago this week in 1983 was “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel

…30 years ago this week in 1988 was “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin

…25 years ago this week in 1993 was “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey

Not exactly college football related, but there were no passings of note last week.