College Football Week 14 – UNC fires Fedora; Texas Tech fires Kingsbury
Family, friends, food and
football – that’s Thanksgiving
Yes, it’s the best time of the year – being together with family, friends, food and football. Even if your team loses, you can take out your frustrations by eating some more food. I know, because I did.
This time of the year I am most thankful for the four Fs – family, friends, food and football.
Family: Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe arrived Wednesday to spend the next four days with Swamp Mama and me.
Friends: Deb and Dieter Gum, Stephanie Stein and her son David and Jane Sharpe and her son Jack all joined our family for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.
Food: From the turkey and dressing and all the delicious sides to my cold pizza and chili dogs, what more can I say. It was great.
Football: How about 59-56, 62-39, 41-14, 52-21, 38-13, 56-35 and most of all, 74-72. Recognize those sets of numbers? More on them later.
Last week was a full week of family, friends, food and football.
The full week of football began as early as Tuesday night in the Mid-American Conference where Miami (Ohio) beat Ball State, 42-21, and Western Michigan downed Northern Illinois 28-21. Miami of Ohio’s Alonzo Smith rushed for 207 yards, while Western Michigan’s Kaleb Eleby passed for 285 yards.
Wednesday, Massachusetts announced the firing of football coach Mark Whipple. No, he wasn’t caught squeezing the Charmin. Whipple, 61, had just 16 victories (4-8 this season) in six seasons (2013-2018) at UMass – his second stint at the school. He previously coached the Minutemen from 1998 to 2003, when UMass was competing at the FCS level. He went 49-26 during that stint, including a national championship.
And, as mentioned above, the family arrived Wednesday afternoon. Traffic was so bad coming south on I-75, they exited the Interstate at Ocala and took State Road 40 east to I-95. They came the rest of the way on I-95. They said I-95 was busy but moving – nothing like I-75. Bama Gator said I-75 was a “parking lot.”
Thursday, our friends gathered with our family for Thanksgiving dinner. I made Irish Mules for everyone. Well, everyone that is, except Gator Gabe and Gator Babe. We not only celebrated Thanksgiving, but also David Stein’s 18th birthday.
Also present during the Thanksgiving meal was Lucy Gum – Deb and Dieter’s Weimaraner. In addition to providing entertainment and enjoyment to all, Lucy was an excellent vacuum cleaner. She kept the floors spotless – I mean, foodless.
Late Thursday afternoon, Air Force knocked off Colorado State, 27-19. The Falcons Cole Fagan rushed for 260 yards. That evening, Mississippi State won the Egg Bowl. The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss, 35-3. Miss State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who suffered a severe ankle injury in last year’s game, passed for 111 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 117 yards and two more touchdowns.
The sparse games on Tuesday and Thursday were just the appetizers to get you warmed up for the entrees. While everyone was eating Thanksgiving leftovers on Friday and Saturday, college football was serving up its entrees.
First up Friday – Nebraska at Iowa. Nebraska came into its meeting with Iowa on a two-game winning streak. The Huskers were definitely showing improvement. However, Iowa took command of the game early. As the fourth quarter began, the Hawkeyes led the Huskers, 28-13. But Nebraska rallied. With less than four minutes remaining in the game, the Huskers tied the score at 28-28.
Iowa had not scored since the 9:13 mark in the third quarter. With 3:22 on the clock, what would the Hawkeyes do? Iowa made the best of the situation. As time expired, the Hawkeyes Miguel Recinos kicked a 41-yard field goal. Iowa beat Nebraska, 31-28.
In Tampa, UCF put its 23-game winning streak on the line against South Florida. The Bulls came into the game on a four-game losing streak. The Knights extended their winning streak to 24 games and extended South Florida’s losing streak to five games, beating the Bulls, 38-10. Along the way, UCF lost quarterback McKenzie Milton to a knee injury. Unfortunately, Milton’s playing days for the Knights are over. He will miss the AAC championship game and UCF’s subsequent bowl game.
59-56. That was the score of the Oklahoma-West Virginia game. The winner would play Texas for the Big 12 championship one week later. The Longhorns beat Kansas, 24-17, earlier in the day Friday, to qualify for the Big 12 title game.
59-56. Oklahoma had eight touchdowns and a field goal. West Virginia had eight touchdowns and no field goals. The Sooners beat the Mountaineers, 59-56. WVU had its opportunities. As bad as the Mountie defense looked, it was the WVU offense that suffered two fumbles that were scooped up by Oklahoma and returned for scores. And it was the WVU offense that made a critical, stupid error that resulted in a Mountaineer touchdown being called back.
Earlier Friday, Memphis earned the right to play UCF in the AAC championship game. The Tigers captured the West Division title, beating Houston, 52-31. In the Pac-12, Washington State lost its opportunity to be a contender for the playoff and lost its opportunity to play for the Pac-12 championship. The Cougars lost to cross-state rival Washington, 28-15. The Huskies stymied Gardner Minshew and the WSU offense. It wasn’t the day of the mustache in Pullman.
On to the Saturday entrees.
62-39. Will Jim Harbaugh ever learn to beat Ohio State? Or will he be fired before he ever beats the Buckeyes? Yes, Urban Meyer is alive and well in Columbus. Ohio State beat Michigan, 62-39. As one Wolverine football player put it, “They devastated us.”
41-14. Florida had lost to Florida State for five-straight years. That streak came to an end Saturday in Tallahassee. The Gators got their revenge, beating the Noles, 41-14. The loss eliminated FSU from being bowl eligible. The win most likely boosted the Gators into a New Year’s Six bowl.
52-21. I really don’t understand why any Auburn fans even bothered to show up for the game. Maybe they are masochists. Alabama remained undefeated, beating Auburn 52-21.
38-13. The winner of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game would be bowl eligible. The loser wouldn’t. Guess what? Vanderbilt is bowl eligible. Tennessee isn’t. The Commodores not only beat the Vols, 38-13, but they beat the Vols for the third-straight year. Jeremy Pruitt has an anchor around his neck.
56-35. Well, you have to admit, South Carolina put up a fight against Clemson. Thirty-five points is the most any team scored on the Clemson defense all season. But in the end, it wasn’t really close. Clemson beat South Carolina, 56-35. Are we looking at an Alabama-Clemson national championship game?
74-72. They saved the best for last. Or maybe I should say, they saved the longest for last. I started watching this game at 7:30 pm ET and I was still watching it at midnight ET. It took seven overtimes, but after about four and a half hours, Texas A&M beat LSU, 74-72 (7OT). What a game! I really didn’t think it was going to end.
Yes, the Tigers-Aggies game was the ultimate culmination to a Thanksgiving weekend. Well, I guess it wasn’t so ultimate to LSU fans.
LSU-Texas A&M was one of only three overtime games during Thanksgiving week. But it only took the other two games one overtime to settle the outcome. And both occurred in the ACC. Friday night, Virginia Tech beat Virginia for the 15th-straight year, 34-31 (OT). Saturday, NC State downed North Carolina, 34-28 (OT).
Also in the ACC, somebody lit a fire under Cade Carney and Wake Forest. Carney rushed for 223 yards as the Deacons pulverized Duke, 59-7. The Dookies must have final exams this week.
What’s happened to Wisconsin? In the Big Ten, Minnesota stunned the Badgers in Madison, 37-15. Purdue became bowl eligible and Indiana didn’t. The Boilers beat the Hoosiers, 28-21.
In the Heartland, Iowa State rallied to edge Kansas State, 42-38.
As usual, the Pac-12 had its share of wild games. Down 40-20 at the end of three quarters, Arizona State rallied, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth, to beat Arizona, 41-40. Herm beat Kevin. Stanford outlasted UCLA. The Trees beat the Bruins, 49-42.
In the annual end-of-the-season confrontation, the SEC was 3-1 against the ACC. Florida beat Florida State, Georgia beat Georgia Tech, 45-21 and Kentucky downed Louisville, 56-10. Clemson was the lone ACC winner, beating South Carolina.
In a crucial game in the MWC, Boise State beat Utah State, 33-24. The win gave Boise State the Mountain Division title of the MWC. Likewise, in the Sun Belt, Appalachian State downed Troy, 21-10. The win gave App State the East Division title in the Sun Belt.
Buffalo and Ohio finished on a strong note in the MAC. Buffalo beat Bowling Green, 44-14, while Ohio downed Akron, 49-28.
In their annual non-conference battle, Notre Dame defeated USC, 24-17.
So, seven teams remain alive as contenders for the playoff – Alabama (12-0), Clemson (12-0), Notre Dame (12-0), Oklahoma (11-1), Ohio State (11-1), Georgia (11-1) and UCF (11-0). This week, Alabama and Georgia meet for the SEC championship. Clemson plays Pitt for the ACC title. Oklahoma tangles with Texas for the Big 12 championship. Ohio State meets Northwestern for the Big Ten title. UCF plays Memphis for the AAC championship. Notre Dame has completed its regular season. Stay tuned!
Two coaches were fired Sunday and one coach who was on the bubble got an extension to his contract.
North Carolina fired coach Larry Fedora. Fedora was 45-43 in seven seasons with the Tar Heels. This season, UNC was 2-9 – 1-7 in ACC play. Fedora’s current contract runs through the 2022 season. His buyout is just over $12 million. It’s subject to reduction should Fedora take another coaching job.
Following the Fedora announcement, former North Carolina and Texas coach Mack Brown said he would like to have the North Carolina job. Stay tuned.
Texas Tech fired Kliff Kingsbury. Swamp Mama has gone into mourning. I don’t know what she will do. Kingsbury was 35-40 in six seasons with the Red Raiders. His current contract runs through the 2020 season. Kingsbury’s buyout is $4.2 million. Texas Tech was 5-7 this season and 3-6 in Big 12 play. This was Kingsbury’s third-straight losing season.
Surprisingly, Illinois extended Lovie Smith’s contract for two more years, through the 2023 season. Speculation had Smith being fired. He is 9-27 in three years at Illinois. The Banned Indians were 4-8 this season – 2-7 in Big Ten play.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, USC announced that coach Clay Helton will remain as the Trojans coach for the 2019 season. USC was 5-7 this season – 4-5 in Pac-12 play.
Bowl projection: UCF vs. Florida in the Peach Bowl.
So, all-in-all, Thanksgiving week had its ups-and-downs. The family, friends and food was definitely up. The football was mostly up, except for 59-56.
I have to tell you, I am so sleep deprived during football season. One of these days soon, I’m going to crash for 24 hours.
I hope you had a good Turkey Day!
Touchdown Tom
November 26, 2018
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Hardly Harbaugh – Ohio State 62, Michigan 39 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 26, Ohio State 21). With a halftime score of 24-19, in favor of Ohio State, you thought this game could go either way. But the Buckeyes outscored the Wolverines 17-0 in the third quarter and you realized it wasn’t going Michigan’s way. Ohio State went on to outscore Michigan, 21-20 in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes had 573 total yards. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins passed for 318 yards and five touchdowns. Attendance in Columbus: 106,588
RUNNER UP: Must be the carpet – Boise State 33, Utah State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah State 26, Boise State 22). A spot in the MWC championship game was up for grabs in this encounter. Boise State grabbed the spot. But it was a battle. The Bulldogs just led the Aggies 20-17 with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter and 26-24 with 3:12 left in the game. While Utah State’s Jordan Love passed for 363 yards, the Aggies only had 62 yards rushing. Boise State’s Alexander Mattison rushed for 200 yards. The Bulldogs controlled time of possession for more than 38 minutes. Attendance in Boise: 35,960
BEST OF THE REST: Boom – Oklahoma 59, West Virginia 56 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 47, Oklahoma 45). Oklahoma had a balanced attack – 308 yards rushing and 364 yards passing. WVU had an unbalanced attack – 165 yards rushing and 539 yards passing. That, two Will Grier fumbles and some stupid mistakes was the difference in the game. Yes, the teams combined for 1,382 total yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 60,713
Huskies get the apples – Washington 28, Washington State 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington State 32, Washington 30). Washington played one hell of a defensive game. The Huskies held WSU to 15 points, held WSU to 237 total yards, held WSU to 85 yards rushing and held Gardiner Minshew to only 152 yards passing. Twice they intercepted Minshew. Washington had 487 total yards and Myles Gaskin rushed for 170 of those yards. Attendance in Pullman: 32,952
Aubie was seeing red – Alabama 52, Auburn 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Auburn 17). Auburn showed some fight early but lost its air before long. The Tide outscored the Tigers in the second half 35-7. Bama only rushed for 123 yards but passed for 377 yards. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
A lot of offense – Clemson 56, South Carolina 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 33, South Carolina 16). Clemson only led 28-21 at the half, but 42-21 at the end of three. The teams combined for 1,344 total yards, but 744 of those yards belonged to Clemson. South Carolina only had 90 yards rushing, but 510 yards passing. Time of possession favored Clemson – more than 34 minutes. Clemson running back Travis Etienne rushed for 150 yards. Attendance in Clemson: 81,436
Bulls were a bunch of bull – UCF 38, South Florida 10 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 32, South Florida 19). South Florida briefly made the game close when the Bulls pulled within 7 points (17-10) with 1:15 left in the third quarter. But just one minute later, UCF scored to go up 24-10 and it was all Knights from that point on. UCF had 566 total yards to 334 for USF. UCF running back Greg McRae rushed for 182 yards, averaging 11.4 yards per carry. Attendance in Tampa: 57,626
On to the conference title game – Appalachian State 21, Troy 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Troy 27, Appalachian State 24). This game was mostly a defensive battle, especially in the second half. Only 7 of the game’s 31 points were scored in the second half. Troy only had 62 yards rushing. App State running back Darrynton Evans rushed for 108 yards. Attendance in Boone: 20,410
Uga has teeth – Georgia 45, Georgia Tech 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Georgia Tech 21). Georgia led 38-7 at the break and went into cruise control for the second half. The Dawgs had 448 total yards to just 219 for Tech. Georgia running back D’Andre Swift rushed for 105 yards, but Georgia spread the running game around several runners. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Dungey returns – Syracuse 42, Boston College 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 30, Syracuse 27). BC tried to play catch up but the Eagles couldn’t. Syracuse racked up 564 total yards. With his passing Ed Dungey was responsible for 362 of those yards. Syracuse running back Dontae Strickland rushed for 129 yards. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 34,959
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Forever and ever – Texas A&M 74, LSU 72 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 25, LSU 23). This game tied the record for the most overtimes in an FBS game – 7. It set the record for the most points scored in an FBS game. Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams was the difference in the game. Williams rushed for 198 yards. The score at the end of regulation was 31-31. The Aggies scored the tying touchdown as time expired. Attendance in College Station: 101,501
Perfect finish – Notre Dame 24, USC 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 33, USC 21). Up until 2:20 to go in the first half, USC led 10-0. But the Irish got their act together and scored 24 unanswered points. The teams were reasonably even in the stats. ND quarterback Ian Book passed for 352 yards. Trojans quarterback J.T. Daniels passed for 349 yards. Attendance in Los Angeles: 59,821
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
New streak – Florida 41, Florida State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Florida State 23). After five years of frustration, Florida had revenge on its mind. It was a close game at the half. The Gators led 13-7. But Florida opened it up in the second half, outscoring FSU, 28-7. Florida had 536 total yards to 293 for FSU. Gators running back Lamical Perine rushed for 129 yards. Attendance in Tallahassee: 71,953
Hawkeyes get some Corn – Iowa 31, Nebraska 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Nebraska 24). The teams were pretty even in the stats. But Iowa possessed the ball for more than 34 minutes. The difference maker was Iowa running back Mekhi Sargent. Sargent rushed for 173 yards. The Hawkeyes shut down Nebraska’s running game. Attendance in Iowa City: 65,299
Blow out – Wake Forest 59, Duke 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Wake Forest 26). The Deacons came out steaming and went off and left the Dookies at the starting blocks. Wake Forest had 517 total yards to 251 for the Dookies. The Deacons also dictated time of possession for more than 37 minutes. Wake Forest running back Cade Carney rushed for 223 yards. Attendance in Durham: 20,782
Taking care of business – Texas 24, Kansas 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, Kansas 23). Texas basically came out and took care of business – didn’t so any more than it had to. The Longhorns led 21-0 at the end of three quarters. Combined the teams had less than 600 total yards. Attendance in Lawrence: 15,219
Bowl game for the Boilers – Purdue 28, Indiana 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 33, Indiana 28). Purdue scored a touchdown in every quarter and Indiana didn’t. It was a passing game for both teams. Neither had a running game. Hoosier quarterback Peyton Ramsey passed for 345 yards. Boilers quarterback David Blough passed for 310 yards. Attendance in Bloomington: 48,247
Week 13 Results: 10 correct picks, 7 fumbles (58.8 percent)
For the Season: 138 correct picks, 60 fumbles (69.9 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA
Miami 24, Pitt 3 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 59,606
Marshall 28, FIU 25 – Attendance in Miami: 14,862
Charlotte 27, Florida Atlantic 24 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 11,638
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
West Virginia’s Will Grier – 32-49-0 for 539 yards (4TDs); South Carolina’s Jake Brantley – 32-50-1-510 (5TDs); UCLA’s Wilton Speight – 29-47-1-466; Hawaii’s Cole McDonald – 29-46-0-452 (3TDs); Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence – 27-36-0-393 (1TD), and Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur – 31-35-0-367 (3TDs).
Also, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray – 20-27-1 for 364 yards (3TDs); Utah State’s Jordan Love – 29-47-1-363 (3TDs); Syracuse’s Ed Dungey – 21-34-1-362 (3TDs); Akron’s Kato Nelson – 24-41-1-356 (4TDs); Notre Dame’s Ian Book – 22-39-1-352 (2TDs); USC’s J.T. Daniels – 37-51-0-349 (1TD), and Stanford’s K.J. Costello – 23-37-1-344 (5TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Air Force’s Cole Fagan – 260 yards (1TD); Rice’s Juma Otoviano – 224 yards (2TDs); Wake Forest’s Cade Carney – 223 yards (2TDs); Miami of Ohio’s Alonzo Smith – 207 yards (3TDs); South Alabama’s Tra Minter – 203 yards; Boise State’s Alexander Mattison – 200 yards (3TDs), and Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams – 198 yards (2TDs).
Also, Oregon’s Travis Dye – 197 yards (2TDs); Wyoming’s Xazavian Valladay – 192 yards (2TDs); Kansas State’s Alex Barnes – 184 yards (1TD); Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks – 182 yards (1TD); UCF’s Greg McRae – 182 yards (3TDs); Memphis’ Darrell Henderson – 178 yards (2TDs), and Iowa’s Mekhi Sargent – 173 yards (1TD).
Also. Charlotte’s Benny LeMay – 173 yards (1TD); Washington’s Myles Gaskin – 170 yards (3TDs); Ohio’s A.J. Ouellette – 169 yards (2TDs); Miami of Florida’s Travis Homer – 168 yards (1TD); Northwestern’s Isaiah Bowser – 166 yards; Kent State’s Joel Shaw – 159 yards (1TD); San Diego State’s Juwan Washington – 158 yards (2TDs), and North Texas’ DeAndre Torrey – 155 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“I want Louisville to do what’s best for them. But right now, I’m the coach at Purdue. This is where I want to be and I like it here,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, on the Louisville rumors.
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then one
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Alabama (12-0) vs. Georgia (11-1) – (SEC Championship – Atlanta) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Georgia is capable of beating Alabama. If anybody knows Nick Saban’s mind, it’s Kirby Smart. The Dawgs gave Bama a good fight last year, before finally losing in the national championship game. Georgia should have more incentive to win this year. The Dawgs should be able to score on Bama. But can Georgia’s defense stop Alabama. Bama could lose and still make the playoff. I doubt that is true for Georgia. Tua Tagovailoa has a Heisman performance – Alabama 28, Georgia 22.
RUNNER UP: 2. Oklahoma (11-1) vs. Texas (9-3) – (Big 12 Championship – Arlington, Texas) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – These two met during the season and Texas won a thriller, 48-45. It was Oklahoma’s only loss. Since then I think Oklahoma has gotten better – well, maybe not OU’s defense. But the offense is better. I’m not sure Texas has improved much, if any. Win and the Sooners should be in the playoff. But it will be close. OU quarterback Kyler Murray is in the same league as Tua Tagovailoa. The Sooners may have worn themselves out in the win over West Virginia; while Texas was in relax mode in its win over Kansas. Bevo is too relaxed, as the Sooners take the rematch – Oklahoma 35, Texas 33.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Northwestern (8-4) vs. Ohio State (11-1) – (Big Ten Championship – Indianapolis) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Can Northwestern pull off the big upset? I doubt it, but it’s possible. It’s hard to figure a team losing to Akron, beating Ohio State. But stranger things have happened. The Buckeyes are used to these games. The Wildcats aren’t. Northwestern could be star struck. If Urban Meyer is going to retire at the end of the season, you better believe he wants to go out a winner. The Wildcats are overwhelmed – Ohio State 34, Northwestern 22.
4. Clemson (12-0) vs. Pitt (7-5) – (ACC Championship – Charlotte) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This has to be the most certain of all the title games. There is no way Pitt can beat Clemson – no way. Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence will run and pass the Panthers silly. Clemson can punch its ticket to the playoff before this game even starts. This will be like a home game for the Tigers. Can you say “EASY?” Dabo Swinney can – Clemson 34, Pitt 15.
5. Washington (9-3) vs. Utah (9-3) – (Pac-12 Championship – Santa Clara, California) – 8 pm ET, Friday, FOX – Both teams have three losses, but Utah’s three losses are to Pac-12 teams. Washington only lost two games in Pac-12 play. Both teams are on a three-game winning streak. Both teams have talent, but Utah has injuries. The Huskies are more solid. Both teams have astute coaches. The huskies have teeth – Washington 30, Utah 26.
6. Fresno State (10-2) vs. Boise State (10-2) – (MWC Championship – Boise, Idaho) – 7:45 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – During the season, Boise State beat Fresno State, 24-17, on the Blue Carpet in Boise. The Broncos had to rally in the fourth quarter to win that game. Boise State is riding a seven-game winning streak. The Broncos last lost on October 6. Fresno State was on a seven-game winning streak when the Bulldogs lost to Boise State a few weeks ago. In a rematch, they lose to the Broncos again – Boise State 29, Fresno State 23.
7. Memphis (8-4) vs. UCF (11-0) – (AAC Championship – Orlando) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Yet another rematch. In the first encounter on October 13, UCF had to rally in the second half to beat Memphis by one point – 31-30. That game was in Memphis. This one is in Orlando. These two also played for the AAC championship last year. The Knights won. Even without McKenzie Milton, the Knights can win. Twenty-five in a row – UCF 30, Memphis 24.
8. Buffalo (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (7-5) – (MAC Championship – Detroit) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – Buffalo has the better overall record, but both teams lost two games in conference play. Problem is NIU’s two MAC losses were its last two games. The Huskies definitely aren’t peaking right now. Buffalo is playing well. The Bulls are strong on offense and defense. They are too strong for NIU – Buffalo 32, Northern Illinois 21.
9. UAB (9-3) vs. Middle Tennessee (8-4) – (C-USA Championship – Murfreesboro, Tennessee) – 1:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Talk about a rematch, these two just played last week. And in Murfreesboro. Middle Tennessee beat UAB, 27-3. But you know what they say. It’s hard to beat a team the second time. UAB may have rolled over and played possum in that game. The Blazers didn’t need the win. Middle Tennessee did. The Blue Raiders are overconfident. The Blazers aren’t – UAB 23, Middle Tennessee 19.
10. Louisiana (7-5) vs. Appalachian State (9-2) – (Sun Belt Championship – Boone, North Carolina) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – This is the first time the Sun Belt has had a championship game. And App State will be the first conference championship team. This encounter is like Clemson-Pitt. Louisiana doesn’t have a chance, especially not on App State’s home field. This is another rematch. App State won the first encounter, 27-17. The Rajin’ Cajuns are a better team than they were then. But the Little Mountaineers can celebrate early – Appalachian State 31, Louisiana 19.
….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
11. Stanford (7-4) at California (7-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – This game was postponed from its original scheduled date of November 17. The game was postponed due to poor air quality caused by the wildfires in northern California. Cal has become a dangerous team. The Bears are vastly improved. They beat Washington and barely lost to Washington State. The Bears can play good defense. Stanford is the more experienced and solid team. But anything can happen in a rivalry. And the Trees make it happen – Stanford 28, California 24.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
West Virginia (8-3), Florida (9-3), Nebraska (4-8), Duke (7-5) and Purdue (6-6) have completed their seasons.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State (5-7), Miami (7-5), Florida Atlantic (5-7), FIU (8-4) and South Florida (7-5) have completed their schedules.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Willie Naulls.
Willie Naulls, a four-time All Star forward with the New York Knicks and a member of three consecutive NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, died last week at his home in Laguna Niguel, California. He was 84. A fine outside shooter and a rugged rebounder at 6 feet 6 inches and 225 pounds, Naulls was an All-American at UCLA in 1955, his senior season, playing for coach John Wooden. He was a second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Hawks but was distraught over the city’s racial climate. The Hawks traded Naulls to the Knicks in December 1956 after he played 19 games for them. He became the Knicks’ captain in the early 1960s, the first black athlete to hold such a post for any team in a major American sport. In 1963, Naulls joined the Celtics after a brief stint with the San Francisco Warriors. He played for the Celtics’ teams that won the NBA championships in 1964, 1965 and 1966. William Dean Naulls was born on October 7, 1934, in Dallas, Texas. His family moved to Los Angeles during World War II. He averaged more than 15 points and 11 rebounds a game in three seasons at UCLA. He retired after three seasons with the Boston Celtics.
No comments:
Post a Comment