College Football Week 12 – Louisville fires Bobby Petrino
Muschamp is still a Mustake
Or maybe I should
have said: Mustake is still a mistake.
Whatever, but
Mustake mistook Florida for a passing team on Saturday. As a result, the Gators
put up 367 rushing yards, as they ran the ball down the Gamecocks throats.
When Will Mustake was at Florida, he used to
know something about defense. It was the offense Mustake didn’t know anything
about. He became known as a quarterback destroyer. He destroyed more
quarterbacks than Lee Corso has
mascot heads.
Yes, Will Muschamp was back in The Swamp
Saturday. But he ended up losing, just like he did when he was the coach at
Florida. It took the Gators about three and a half years to realize Muschamp
was a Mustake. I don’t know how long it will take South Carolina.
Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I were in Gainesville
for the South Carolina-Florida game. We set up headquarters in Ocala for the
weekend. The four of us got out of Dodge on Friday morning and drove up to
Ocala. Our first stop was the Horse and Hounds Pub where we had lunch. The
Horse and Hounds is located by some of the horse farms on U.S. 27, a few miles
northwest of Ocala.
After lunch, the
good husbands that we are, Rockledge Gator and I took the gals to one of their
favorite quilt shops located in Trenton, Florida – the Suwanee Valley Quilt
Shoppe. In addition to fabric, this quilt shop also has an old fashion soda
fountain and ice cream parlor. While the girls shopped for fabric, Rockledge
Gator and I partook in a few scoops of ice cream. Now you know why we are the
good husbands that we are.
From Trenton, we
returned to Ocala, passing through Newberry, Archer (home of Bo Didley) and
Williston. Back in Ocala, we checked into our hotel for the weekend.
Saturday morning,
we made the quick and pleasant drive to Gainesville, up U.S. 441, to see the
Gators play South Carolina. And to see our old bud Will Mustake.
But Mustake
started out like a Champ – a Muschamp. Halfway through the first quarter, South
Carolina was up on the Gators, 14-0. This can’t be right. It was really bad
late in the third quarter when the Gamecocks were winning by 17 points – 31-14.
Just before the
third quarter ended, Florida scored a touchdown and trailed by 10 points –
31-21. Still, it looked desperate for the Gators. However, in the fourth
quarter, Muschamp became Mustake. The Gamecocks offense floundered, as South
Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley
played like another one of Mustake’s destroyed quarterbacks.
South Carolina’s
defense floundered too. The Gamecocks couldn’t stop Florida’s running game.
They were confused. They were worn down. The Gators scored two touchdowns in
the final quarter and South Carolina scored zilch. After trailing by 17 points
late in the third quarter, Florida rallied and beat the Gamecocks 35-31.
Florida running backs Jordan Scarlett
and Lamical Perine each rushed for
more than 100 yards – 159 for Scarlett and 107 for Perine.
Actually, Florida
easily could have beaten South Carolina, 42-31. But, with the ball on the South
Carolina goal line with 1:50 to play, the Gators chose to take a knee for three
plays. In four games this season, Mustake’s defense has given up 35 or more
points. In all games, the Gamecocks are giving up 29 points a game.
Muschamp hasn’t
changed. He’s still a Mustake.
Again this week,
the football action began early. Tuesday night, Buffalo improved to 9-1,
beating Kent State 48-14. Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson rushed for 185 yards. Two nights later, in Raleigh,
Wake Forest shocked NC State, 27-23. The Wolfpack’s Ryan Finley passed for 374 yards, but NC State only rushed for 47
yards.
Friday night,
Syracuse destroyed Louisville, 54-23. Moe
Neal rushed for 159 yards for the Orange. Syracuse is now 8-2, while
Louisville is 2-8. Out West, Boise State put together a balanced attack, as the
Broncos beat Fresno State, 24-17.
Speaking of out
West, California (6-4) knocked off USC, 15-14. The Trojans are no better than
5-5 (4-4 in conference play). Clay
Helton has to be sweating. Also in the Pac-12, Washington State(9-1) keeps marching along. The Cougars beat
Colorado, 31-7. Utah (7-3) got by Oregon, 32-25, and Herm Edwards beat Chip Kelly,
as Arizona State (6-4) downed UCLA, 31-28.
In the Big Ten,
Nebraska (3-7) exploded for a 54-35 victory over Illinois. Minnesota (5-5) also
exploded. The Gophers shelled Purdue, 41-10. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor rushed for 185 yards, but the Badgers lost to Penn
State, 22-10. And Northwestern (6-4) claimed its first West Division title, as
the Wildcats downed Iowa, 14-10.
The Big 12 had
its usual share of donnybrooks. First, Oklahoma (9-2) outlasted Oklahoma State,
48-47. Then Texas (7-3) got by Texas Tech, 41-34. Iowa State (6-3) continued to
win. The Cyclones beat Baylor, 28-14, and West Virginia (8-1) won again. The
Mountaineers pounded TCU, 47-10.
Pitt (6-4) and
Georgia Tech (6-4) are stepping up in the Coastal Division of the ACC. Pitt
slammed Virginia Tech, 52-22, while Georgia Tech edged Miami (Florida), 27-21.
More pressure on Mark Richt. Duke
(7-3) took care of North Carolina (1-8), beating the Tar Heels, 42-35.
In the SEC,
Kentucky (7-3) fell again – this time to Tennessee (4-6). The Vols beat the
Wildcats, 24-7. Texas A&M (6-4) quieted Ole Miss, 38-24, and Georgia (9-1)
bested Auburn, 27-10.
In a couple other
games of interest, Cincinnati improved to 9-1. The Bearcats beat South Florida,
35-23. Also in the AAC, Temple (6-4) downed Houston 59-49, and UCF remained
undefeated, beating Navy, 35-24.
No one joined the
“70s Club” but Utah State (9-1) and SMU (5-5) came close. Utah State pummeled
San Jose State, 62-24, and SMU out slugged Connecticut, 62-50.
There were no
overtime games in Week 11.
Four teams remain
unbeaten – Alabama (10-0), Clemson (10-0), Notre Dame (10-0) and UCF (9-0).
Alabama and Clemson will skate this week, but Notre Dame and UCF could have a
fight on their hands. The Irish play Syracuse (8-2) and UCF plays Cincinnati
(9-1). Those two games could be interesting.
Ten teams just
have one loss – Oklahoma (9-1), Michigan (9-1), Ohio State (9-1), Georgia
(9-1), Washington State (9-1), West Virginia (8-1), Cincinnati (9-1), UAB
(9-1), Utah State (9-1) and Buffalo (9-1).
This week is
“Cupcake Week” in the SEC. Alabama plays The Citadel, Auburn entertains
Liberty, Florida hosts Idaho, Georgia plays Massachusetts, Kentucky entertains
Middle Tennessee, LSU hosts Rice, South Carolina plays Chattanooga and Texas
A&M entertains UAB. They ought to be ashamed. Although UAB could give the
Aggies some trouble.
Last week, I
reported the news about Aurora, the
Air Force Academy falcon mascot who was injured by West Point cadets in a prank
gone wrong. It was thought the injuries may require Aurora to be euthanized.
Well, I have good news. The outlook for Aurora is optimistic for a recovery.
The 22-year-old bird is improving and expected to recover.
Reportedly,
candidates high on the list for the opening at Kansas are former LSU coach Les Miles, NC State coach Dave Doeren, Troy coach Neal Brown, Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield, Toledo coach Jason Candle, Alabama offensive
coordinator Mike Locksley, Army
coach Jeff Monken, Tulane coach Willie Fritz and Eastern Michigan coach
Chris Creighton. Kansas athletic
director Jeff Long and Miles have
already met and talked. There appears to be mutual interest between the two.
Apparently
Louisville’s 54-23 loss to Syracuse was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Sunday, Louisville fired coach Bobby
Petrino. The Cardinals are 2-8 this season – 0-7 in ACC play. Petrino is
the fourth coach to be fired this season. Reports say that Louisville will go
after Purdue coach Jeff Brohm. Brohm
is a former Louisville player. Stay tuned!
Yeah, I had
coffee ice cream and Rockledge Gator
had butter pecan. Will Mustake must
have had rocky road.
Touchdown Tom
November 12, 2018
Weekend
Recap
GAME OF THE
WEEK: Beanless
– Clemson 27, Boston College 7 (Touchdown
Tom said: Clemson 30, Boston College 22). Boston College briefly led 7-3 for
about one minute in the first quarter. Other than that, it was all Clemson. The
Eagles never scored again. Clemson’s defense totally shutdown BC, holding them
to 113 total yards – just 9 yards rushing. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for 295 yards. Attendance
in Chestnut Hill: 44,500
RUNNER UP: B-O-R-I-N-G – Alabama 24, Mississippi State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34,
Mississippi State 12). This game was downright boring. That’s about all you can
say. Miss State was useless against Alabama. The Tide defense held State to 169
total yards – just 44 yards rushing. Bama had 23 first downs to a mere 6 for
Miss State. Tide quarterback Tua
Tagovailoa threw his second interception of the season – not that it
bothered Bama any. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,824
REST OF THE
BEST: Stubborn
as a mule – Ohio State 26, Michigan State 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State
21, Michigan State 20). This game stayed tight for three quarters. Ohio State
led 9-6 at the end of three. But the Buckeyes poured it on in the fourth
quarter, outscoring Michigan State 17-0. Ohio State held the Spartans to 54
yards rushing. Attendance in East Lansing: 74,633
Tigers got on the wrong bus – Georgia 27,
Auburn 10 (Touchdown Tom
said: Georgia 28, Auburn 20). This game was pretty much settled in the first
half. Georgia led 20-10. There wasn’t much action in the second half – all
defense. Georgia’s D’Andre Swift
rushed for 186 yards. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Bulls stop running – Cincinnati 35, South
Florida 23 (Touchdown Tom
said: Cincinnati 28, South Florida 24). South Florida led 16-14 at halftime.
But Cincinnati outscored the Bulls 21-7 in the third quarter. The teams were
scoreless in the fourth. Cincy held the Bulls to 81 yards rushing. The Bearcats
Michael Warren rushed for 151 yards.
Attendance in Cincinnati: 29,310
Broncos kick the Dogs – Boise State 24,
Fresno State 17 (Touchdown
Tom said: Fresno State 27, Boise State 25). Fresno State led 10-3 at the half
and 17-10 at the end of three. But Boise State outscored the Bulldogs 14-0 in
the fourth quarter. Fresno State only had a passing game. The Broncos had both
a ground and air attack. Boise State controlled time of possession for more
than 34 minutes. Attendance in Boise: 33,118
Wow! – Oklahoma 48, Oklahoma State 47 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 39, Oklahoma
State 19). The lead changed hands four times and the score was tied on three
occasions. The teams combined for 1,342 total yards. Okie State quarterback Taylor Cornelius passed for 501 yards.
Oklahoma running back Kennedy Brooks
rushed for 165 yards. Attendance in Norman: 87,635
Watch out for those Cougs – Washington State
31, Colorado 7 (Touchdown
Tom said: Washington State 26, Colorado 21). Colorado scored 7 points in the
first quarter and that was it for the Buffs. Washington State then proceeded to
score 31 unanswered points. The Cougars had 26 first downs to 12 for Colorado.
The Buffs only had 75 yards rushing. Attendance in Boulder: 45,587
Happy in the Valley – Penn State 22,
Wisconsin 10 (Touchdown Tom
said: Wisconsin 22, Penn State 21). Penn State let Jonathan Taylor run all he wanted to (185 yards), but the Nitts
shutdown Wisconsin’s passing game. The Badgers had 60 yards passing. Penn
State’s Miles Sanders rushed for 159
yards. Attendance in University Park: 105,396
Utes Shyne – Utah 32, Oregon 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 32, Oregon 30). Oregon
led 25-22 halfway through the fourth quarter. Utah scored 10 points in the
final 6:48 of the game. Utah running back Armand
Shyne rushed for 175 yards. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 46,275
….AND TWO TO
KEEP AN EYE ON:
No Achilles heel – Troy 35, Georgia Southern
21 (Touchdown Tom said: Troy
27, Georgia Southern 20). Troy only led 17-14 at the half. Then the Trojans
outscored the Eagles 11-0 in the third quarter. Troy had 454 total yards to 291
for Georgia Southern, and 24 first downs to 13 for the Eagles. Attendance in
Statesboro: 16,289
Rally – Florida 35, South Carolina 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, South
Carolina 22). Florida had 528 total yards – 367 yards rushing. South Carolina
played the better first half. Florida was better in the second half. Attendance
in Gainesville: 82,096
YE OLDE
STOMPING GROUNDS:
Eventually – West Virginia 40, TCU 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, TCU
17). It took WVU a while to wake up. Trailing TCU 3-0 in the second quarter,
the Mountaineers outscored the Frogs 47-7. WVU had 535 total yards, holding TCU
to 222 total yards. The Frogs were -7 yards rushing. Will Grier passed for 343 yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 60,007
The Corn was popping – Nebraska 54, Illinois
35 (Touchdown Tom said:
Nebraska 28, Illinois 21). Illinois had 509 total yards, but the Banned Indians
had 5 turnovers. Nebraska was better with 606 total yards, and only two
turnovers. Illinois quarterback A.J.
Bush rushed for 205 yards. Nebraska running back Devine Ozigbo rushed for 162 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 88,316
Big one for the Dookies – Duke 42, North
Carolina 35 (Touchdown Tom
said: Duke 29, North Carolina 20). The score was tied on four occasions. The
teams combined for 1,165 total yards. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones was a one-man show for the Dookies. Jones passed for
361 yards and rushed for 186 yards. Attendance in Durham: 35,493
Bevo has some Horns – Texas 41, Texas Tech 34
(Touchdown Tom said: Texas
Tech 35, Texas 33). Texas Tech rallied in the fourth quarter, but fell short.
The Red Raiders outscored the Horns 24-14 in the final quarter. But Texas
outscored Tech 27-3 in the second and third quarters. The teams combined for
1,064 total yards. Attendance in Lubbock: 60,454
Boilers stepped in a hole – Minnesota 41,
Purdue 10 (Touchdown Tom
said: Purdue 27, Minnesota 23). Minnesota had a big second quarter and a big
third quarter, outscoring Purdue 10-0 and 21-0 respectively. Other than that,
the teams were even. The Gophers held the Boilers to 88 yards rushing. Attendance
in Minneapolis: 31,068
Week 11 Results:
13 correct picks, 4 fumbles (76.5 percent)
For the Season: 115 correct picks, 51 (69.3 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
UCF 35, Navy 24 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,738
Georgia Tech 27, Miami 21 – Attendance in Atlanta: 48,217
Notre Dame 42, Florida State 13 – Attendance in South Bend: 76,622
Florida Atlantic 34, Western Kentucky 15 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 14,400
FIU 45, UTSA 7 – Attendance in San Antonio: 16,874
Bethune-Cookman 28, North Carolina Central 25
(2OT) – Attendance in
Daytona Beach: 3,145
South Carolina State 44, Florida A&M 21 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 12,608
Butler 28, Stetson 23 – Attendance in Indianapolis: 2,345
Valparaiso 48, Jacksonville U. 30
– Attendance in Valparaiso: 1,150
Florida Tech 55, Shorter 7 – Attendance in Rome: 1,575
West Alabama 45, West Florida 7 – Attendance in Livingston: 4,303
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Oklahoma State’s Taylor Cornelius – 34-53-0 for 501 yards
(3TDs); Utah State’s Jordan Love –
32-42-0-491 (5TDs); Texas Tech’s Jett
Duffey – 37-47-1-444 (4TDs); Nevada’s Ty
Gangi – 28-35-0-404 (4TDs); NC State’s Ryan
Finley – 35-52-1-374 (1TD), and Ole Miss’s Jordan Ta’amu 22-35-0-373 (1TD).
Also, ULM’s Caleb Evans – 27-32-0 for 367 yards (2TDs);
Duke’s Daniel Jones – 31-54-1-361
(3TDs); Middle Tennessee’s Brent
Stockstill – 31-40-0-352 (4TDs); Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray – 21-29-0-349 (1TD); West Virginia’s Will Grier – 25-39-1-343 (3TDs), and Stanford’s
K.J. Costello – 23-33-1-342 (4TDs)/
Impressive Rushers:
Pitt’s Qadree Ollison – 235 yards (3TDs); Texas
A&M’s Trayveon Williams – 228
yards (1TD); Temple’s Ryquell Armstead
– 210 yards (6TDs); Maryland’s Anthony
McFarland – 210 yards; Notre Dame’s Dexter
Williams – 202 yards (2TDs)Illinois’ A.J.
Bush – 187 yards (3TDs); Pitt’s Darin
Hall – 186 yards (1TD); Duke’s Daniel
Jones – 186 yards (1TD), and Georgia’s D’Andre
Swift – 186 yards (1TD).
Also, Louisiana’s
Raymond Calais – 186 yards (3TDs); Buffalo’s
Jaret Patterson – 185 yards (2TDs); Wisconsin’s
Jonathan Taylor – 185 yards (1TD); Connecticut’s
Kevin Mensah – 184 yards (1TD); Arizona
State’s Eno Benjamin – 182 yards
(1TD); Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn
– 182 yards (1TD); Florida Atlantic’s Kerrith
Whyte – 179 yards (2TDs), and Utah’s Armand
Shyne – 174 yards.
Also, Ohio’s A.J. Ouellette – 168 yards; Memphis’ Darrell Henderson – 166 yards (2TDs); Oklahoma’s
Kennedy Brooks – 165 yards (3TDs); Northwestern’s
Isaiah Bowser – 165 yards (1TD); Nebraska’s
Devine Ozigbo – 162 yards (3TDs); Syracuse’s
Moe Neal – 159 yards (2TDs); Florida’s
Jordan Scarlett – 159 yards; Penn
State’s Miles Sanders – 159 yards
(1TD), and Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim
– 155 yards.
Quotes of
the Week
“I prefer to hire
an experienced head coach. I want to hire him sooner rather than later,” Kansas
athletic director Jeff Long, on
replacing David Beaty.
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
The 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games this Week…and then some
GAME OF THE
WEEK: 1. Notre Dame (10-0) vs. Syracuse (8-2) – (Ind.
vs. ACC) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday,
NBC – Syracuse may be the one team that can keep Notre Dame from having a
perfect season. The Orange are capable. The game is being played in Yankee
Stadium. Irish survive – Notre Dame 30, Syracuse 26.
RUNNER UP: 2. Cincinnati (9-1) at UCF (9-0) – (AAC
vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – UCF
hasn’t played but one team with a winning record this season. Cincinnati will
be the second team. The Bearcats could ruin UCF’s perfect season. It’s a
Knight night – UCF 32, Cincinnati 28.
REST OF THE
BEST: 3. Duke (7-3) at Clemson (10-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – The Dookies have a good record. But they
aren’t good enough to beat Clemson. The Tigers defense is too tough. Not to
mention their offense. Tigers dunk the
Dookies – Clemson 34, Duke 15.
4. Iowa
State (6-3) at Texas (7-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, LHN – Iowa State is a hot team. The Cyclones
began the season 1-3 and have won 5 straight. But the Longhorns are no slouch. Bevo
takes Cy for a spin – Texas 33, Iowa State 27.
5. Arizona (5-5) at Washington State (9-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Arizona is getting hot, but
Washington State is hotter. The Cougars are on a roll. They can’t be stopped – Washington State 30, Arizona 24.
6. West Virginia (8-1) at Oklahoma State
(5-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12)
– 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This is
going to be a wild one in Stillwater. I just have that feeling. Both teams know
how to score. Mounties score more – West
Virginia 40, Oklahoma State 34.
7. San Diego State (7-3) at Fresno State
(8-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Both
teams took a tumble last week. The Bulldogs bounce back – Fresno State 27, San Diego State 18.
8. UAB (9-1) vs. Texas A&M (6-4) – (C-USA vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This should be an easy game for the
Aggies, but UAB has been playing good football. It will still be an easy game
for the Aggies – Texas A&M 35, UAB
19.
9. Virginia (7-3) at Georgia Tech (6-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Both teams are playing well in the
ACC. Both have a shot of winning the Coastal Division. The Jackets play better
in this one – Georgia Tech 23, Virginia
20.
10. Stanford (6-4) at California (6-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – Always a fun game. Both teams are
good – not great – but good. The Bears can’t climb this Tree – Stanford 28, California 26.
….AND TWO TO
KEEP AN EYE ON:
11. Arizona State (6-4) at Oregon (6-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – Herm
Edwards is looking for his 7th win. He doesn’t get it – Oregon 33, Arizona State 30.
12. Buffalo (9-1) at Ohio (6-4) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 7 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN2 – Buffalo is the best team in the MAC.
Ohio will attempt to disprove that. A tough night for the Bobcats – Buffalo 25, Ohio 21.
YE OLDE
STOMPING GROUNDS:
Idaho (4-6) at Florida (7-3) – (Big Sky vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – The Gators can relax this week.
Prepare for next week. The Vandals get vandalized – Florida 47, Idaho 9.
Michigan State (6-4) at Nebraska (3-7) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET. Saturday, FOX – Nebraska has
found something. And the Huskers are going to keep it. They are going to keep
winning – Nebraska 28, Michigan State 24.
Massachusetts (4-7) at Georgia (9-1) – (Ind. vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – A cake walk for the Dawgs. And they love
the icing – Georgia 49, Massachusetts 13.
Wisconsin (6-4) at Purdue (5-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Which one of
these teams will show up. You never know. But it won’t be the Boilers – Wisconsin 28, Purdue 23.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
South Florida (7-3) at Temple (6-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN....
Boston College (7-3) at Florida State (4-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2....
Miami (5-5) at Virginia Tech (4-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN....
FIU (7-3) at Charlotte (4-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Atlantic (5-5) at North Texas (7-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, CBSSN….
Bethune-Cookman (6-5) vs. Florida A&M
(6-4) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN Classic and ESPN3….
Valparaiso (2-8) at Stetson (7-2) – (Pioneer vs, Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Dayton (5-5) at Jacksonville U. (2-7)
– (Pioneer vs, Pioneer) – 1 pm ET,
Saturday….
Florida Tech (8-3) and West
Florida (6-5) have completed their seasons.
Touchdown
Tom
P.S.
Not exactly
college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Wally Triplett and Ron Johnson.
Wally Triplett, one of the first African-Americans to be
drafted and play for an NFL team and the first African-American to start for
Penn State, died last week. He was 92. Triplett was drafted in the 1949 draft
by the Detroit Lions, as a running back and returner. The 5-foot-11, 173-pound
Triplett played two years for the Lions and two years for the Chicago
Cardinals. At Penn State, he was one of two black players to play for the
Nittany Lions in the 1948 Cotton Bowl against SMU. Wally Triplett was born in La Mott, Pennsylvania, on April 18,
1926. He played football, basketball and baseball in high school.
Ron Johnson, the All-Pro running back who became the first player in the New York
Giants history to gain at least 1,000 rushing yards in a season, achieving the
milestone twice in the 1970s, died Saturday at an assisted living home in
Madison, New Jersey. He was 71. Johnson was an All-American halfback at
Michigan. He was the first black player to be named a captain of the football
team at Michigan. Johnson was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1969. The
Browns traded him to the Giants in 1970. Johnson has six seasons with the
Giants. Ronald Adolphus Johnson was
born on October 17, 1947, in Detroit. He ran for 4,308 yards and 40 touchdowns
as a pro.
No comments:
Post a Comment