Monday, September 30, 2019


Football Week 6 – Rutgers coach, Chris Ash, is fired


Clemson is vulnerable,

Nebraska’s not ready for prime time,

USC’s Clay Helton is done

and Wake Forest is undefeated



Week Five may have been a routine week, all went as expected, but Week Five was, if nothing else, a revealing week.

For starters, Clemson revealed its vulnerability. Just when everyone had Clemson pegged for an undefeated season and a spot in the four-team playoff, North Carolina popped up and darn near upset the Tigers.

The Tar Heels all but shutdown the vaunted Clemson offense that was averaging 42.3 points a game coming into the contest. As the teams entered the fourth quarter, the score was tied 14-14. Clemson went ahead 21-14 with 9:54 to go in the game. Then, with 1:17 on the clock, North Carolina scored a touchdown. The Tar Heels trailed the Tigers by one point – 21-20.

Rather than kicking the extra point, North Carolina coach Mack Brown chose to go for two. In my view point, that was the right decision. On the conversion attempt, the Tar Heels ran an option play to the right. But the Clemson defense stuffed North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell. Personally, I thought the Tar Heels should have run a quarterback bootleg, giving Howell the option to run or pass. Clemson won, 21-20.

North Carolina’s ability to contain Clemson leaves the possibility open that another team on Clemson’s remaining schedule could do the same. Quite frankly, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne have been disappointing this season. Lawrence is 34th in passing yards, averaging 226.2 yards a game. Etienne is no better than 20th in rushing yards, averaging 92.4 yards a game.

To Clemson’s advantage, its remaining schedule is weak. The schedule is so weak that analysts figure if the Tigers were to suffer a loss, a one-loss Clemson team would not make the playoff. But then, no one thought that North Carolina would almost beat the Tigers. Clemson’s remaining games are against Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Wofford, NC State, Wake Forest and South Carolina. Of those teams, only Wake Forest is ranked.

Speaking of Wake Forest, what’s with the Demon Deacons? They are undefeated – 5-0. Saturday, Wake Forest won its fifth game, beating Boston College, on the road, 27-24. This week, the Deacs are ranked 22nd  in the AP Poll and 20th in the Coaches Poll. Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman is 3rd in the country in passing yards, with 1,521 yards. He is averaging 304.2 yards a game.

As a general rule, Wake Forest is not accustomed to this notoriety. This week, the Deacs are off. They return to action on October 12 at home against Louisville. But the interesting game could be November 16 when Wake Forest meets Clemson at Clemson.

What was dubbed the Game of the Week took place in Lincoln, Nebraska. ESPN’s College GameDay was there. It was ABC’s prime-time game on Saturday night. The Huskers were hosting Ohio State. A jam-packed crowd of 89,759 filled Memorial Stadium. Everybody showed up except the Nebraska football team. They were a no-show – big time.

No one expected Nebraska to beat Ohio State. But a whole heck of a lot of people sure thought Nebraska would make it a game – at least until the fourth quarter. It was not to be. At halftime, Ohio State led, 38-0. With four minutes to go in the third quarter, the Buckeyes led, 48-0. Ohio State went on to win, 48-7.

Expectations were high this season for Nebraska under second-year coach and native son, Scott Frost. In Frost’s second season at UCF, he took the Knights from 6-7 to 13-0. In his first season at Nebraska, the Huskers were 4-8. This year, Nebraska is off to a 3-2 start. Let’s just say, there is reason to believe that improvement will come. But at this point, Nebraska is not ready for prime time.

In the Pac-12, USC was 3-1, with a non-conference loss to BYU. Washington was 3-1, with a conference loss to California. The two met Saturday night in Seattle. USC came into the game with a big win over Utah. Washington entered the game with a big win over BYU.

Washington beat USC, 28-14. Except for about four minutes in the second quarter (Washington led 14-7) the game was never really that close. The Huskies led 28-7 in the third quarter. Trojans quarterback Mike Fink, who had such an outstanding game against Utah the week before, threw three interceptions against Washington.

The question is: Was this loss for USC the final nail in Clay Helton’s coffin? Helton entered the season on one of the hottest seats in the country. Just five games in and the Trojans already have two losses. One of the losses was to BYU – a team that lost 30-12 to Utah, 45-19 to Washington and most recently, 28-21 to Toledo on Saturday.

USC is currently looking for a new athletic director. When the new AD is hired, chances are he or she will be looking for a new football coach. Fight on!

The routine, yet revealing, week got started Thursday night when Memphis improved to 4-0, with a 35-23 win over Navy. You gotta believe Memphis coach Mike Norvell will be coaching at a Power Five school next season.

Friday night there were two blowouts and a first loss. Penn State plastered Maryland, 59-0, and Duke plucked Virginia Tech, 45-10. In Berkeley, the Golden Bears suffered their first loss. Arizona State downed California, 24-17.

Saturday, four teams who lost for the first time last week, all bounced back in good standing. Notre Dame bested Virginia, 35-20, Utah shutdown Washington State, 38-13, Michigan blew away Rutgers, 52-0, and UCF rocked Connecticut, 56-21. Now can Notre Dame, Utah, Michigan and/or UCF win the remainder of their games and finish with one loss?

Speaking of Michigan’s win over Rutgers, it turned out to be curtains for Rutgers coach Chris Ash. Yesterday, Rutgers officials decided they have had enough of Ash. He was terminated, effective immediately. Tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. Ash was 8-32 in three-plus seasons at Rutgers. Only three of his eight wins were against a Power Five team.

The Texas A&M-Arkansas game almost wasn’t routine. The Aggies were supposed to make mince pork out of the Razorbacks, especially after Arkansas lost to San Jose State last week. But the Hogs came to play. Late in the second quarter, they led Texas A&M, 17-14. As the fourth quarter began, Arkansas led the Aggies, 24-21. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Hogs only trailed A&M by one point, 28-27.

At this point, Aggie fans had to be thinking, “And we’re paying Jimbo Fisher $7.5 million a year for 10 years.” Texas A&M held Arkansas and went on to win 31-27.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Auburn pounded Mississippi State 56-23, South Carolina handled Kentucky, 24-7 and Alabama blew past Ole Miss, 59-31. Tua Tagovailoa was 26-for-36, passing for 418 yards and six touchdowns. Tagovailoa has thrown 23 touchdown passes this season and rushed for two more.

In the ACC, Florida State may have found the quarterback it has been looking for in Wisconsin transfer Alex Hornibrook. FSU beat NC State, 31-13. Hornibrook was 29-for-40, passing for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Friends Neal and Stephanie Stein attended the game. Their son, David, is a freshman at FSU.

In the Heartland, Baylor remained undefeated. The Bears slipped by Iowa State, 23-21, on a 38-yard field goal with 0:21 on the clock. Oklahoma State took care of Kansas State, 26-13, and Oklahoma blasted Texas Tech, 55-16. Jalen Hurts was 17-for-24, passing for 415 yards and three touchdowns. Hurt also ran for 70 yards.

Out West, Arizona beat UCLA, 20-17. Chip Kelly falls to 1-5.

SMU remains undefeated. The Ponies beat South Florida, 48-21, improving to 5-0.

After Week Five, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma are my four superpowers. After its close call with North Carolina, Clemson drops to my potential superpower list, joining Auburn, LSU and Wisconsin.

Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard leads the country in rushing yards with 938. Hubbard is averaging 187.6 yards a game. Just behind Hubbard are Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbin (654 yards) and Boston College’s A.J. Dillon (627 yards).

Washington State’s Anthony Gordon leads the country in passing yards with 2,146. Gordon is averaging 429.2 yards a game. Two quarterbacks who had exceptional games over the  weekend were Penn State’s Sean Clifford and Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan. Clifford was 26-for-31, passing for 398 yards and three touchdowns in Penn State’s win over Maryland. Morgan was 21-for-22, passing for 396 yards and four touchdowns in Minnesota’s 38-31 win over Purdue.

With their wins on Saturday, Notre Dame and Oklahoma joined the 900 club – FBS teams with 900 or more wins. Teams in the club are Michigan (956 wins), Ohio State (916), Texas (911), Alabama (910) and Nebraska (900). Yale, an FCS team, has 909 wins.

In a routine week, there was nothing routine about the move of two Houston players. Starting quarterback D’Eriq King and starting receiver Keith Corbin both decided to redshirt for the rest of the season. Under NCAA rules, a player can take a redshirt year if they only play in four or less games. At this stage, both King and Corbin are saying they plan to return to the Houston team next season. With a 1-3 start, apparently they have decided this season is going to be a bust. Why keep playing?

In Morgantown this weekend, it’s Horns Down for Homecoming. Friends Fred and Sally Adkins will be there for the Texas-West Virginia game.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be in Gainesville this weekend for the Game of the Week – undefeated Auburn against undefeated Florida. ESPN College GameDay will be there too.

Touchdown Tom
September 30, 2019
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com




Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Bounce back – Notre Dame 35, Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Virginia 24). Virginia owned the first half. The Cavaliers led the Irish, 17-14 at the break. Notre Dame dominated the second half. The Irish outscored the Cavs, 21-3. Virginia couldn’t find a running game. The Cavs only had four yards rushing. Virginia’s only bright spot was quarterback Bryce Perkins. He passed for 334 yards. Notre Dame had a balanced attack – 178 yards rushing and 165 yards passing. Five turnovers killed any chances the Cavaliers had. Attendance in South Bend: 77,622

RUNNER UP:  Nixed – Auburn 56, Mississippi State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 30, Mississippi State 20). Bo Nix put on a passing show for Auburn, throwing for 335 yards and  completing 76% of his passes. The Tigers had 580 yards of total offense. Auburn led Miss State at halftime, 42-9. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

REST OF THE BEST:  The Sun Devil Also Rises – Arizona State 24, California 17 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Arizona State 27). This game was tied 7-7 at the half and 14-14 after the third quarter. Arizona State took the advantage in the fourth quarter. Cal lost its quarterback, Chase Garbers (shoulder injury), late in the first half. The Bears were never the same after that. Attendance in Berkeley: 47,532

A mashing of the Corn – Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 38, Nebraska 24). Ohio State thoroughly dominated Nebraska. The Buckeyes led 48-0 late in the third quarter. Then Ohio State cooled its engines in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes controlled the ball for 37 minutes, racking up 580 yards of offense. Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins rushed for 177 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez only passed for 47 yards. Three of his 17 tosses were intercepted by the Buckeyes. Ohio State only punted once in the game. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,759

Still perfect – Wake Forest 27, Boston College 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 30, Boston College 26). This was basically a close game throughout. Twice, Wake Forest led by 10 points – 10-0 for four minutes in the first half and 27-17 for three minutes in the fourth quarter. The Deacs controlled time of possession – 36 minutes. The Eagles A.J. Dillon rushed for 159 yards. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 39,352

Chuba, Chuba – Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 31, Kansas State 27). Okie State running back Chuba Hubbard rushed for 296 yards. The Cowboys racked up 526 total yards of offense. Kansas State only managed eight first downs. Attendance in Stillwater: 55,509

Helton in trouble – Washington 28, USC 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, USC 23). Washington jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and then played USC on even terms for the rest of the game. The teams were closely matched in the stats. Three interceptions hurt the Trojans. Washington’s Salvon Ahmed rushed for 153 yards., averaging nine yards per carry. Attendance in Seattle: 66,975

Downfall continues – Utah 38, Washington State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 34, Washington State 32). All of Washington State’s 13 points came in the first half. Utah shutdown the Cougars’ offense in the second half. The Utes outscored Washington State 17-0 after the break. Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley passed for 334 yards. The Utes had 526 total yards. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 46,115

Late shake – Michigan State 40, Indiana 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Indiana 18). After trailing since midway through the first quarter, Indiana came back and took a 24-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. The score was tied, 31-31, late in the fourth quarter. Attendance in East Lansing: 71,048

Techless in Norman – Oklahoma 55, Texas Tech 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Texas Tech 15). Oklahoma had 646 total yards and 415 of those yards were from the passing of Jalen Hurts. Hurts also rushed for 70 yards. Attendance in Norman: 84,416



….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Smashed – Penn State 59, Maryland 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Maryland 18). The Nitts totally cleaned up on the Terps. Penn State had 30 first downs to 10 for Maryland and 622 total yards to 128 for Maryland. The Terps couldn’t do anything right. They only had 60 yards rushing and 68 yards passing. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford passed for 398 yards. Attendance in College Park: 53,228



YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Warm up – Florida 38, Towson 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 40, Towson 15). Florida’s Kyle Trask didn’t pass for a lot of yards, but he completed 90% of his passes – 18-for-20. Warming up for Auburn, the Gators just went through the motions, beating Towson. Florida’s defense held Towson to 89 yards rushing.  Attendance in Gainesville: 79,126

Bud Foster can’t retire soon enough – Duke 45, Virginia Tech 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Duke 25). Buddy Boy used to know how to coach defense. Not anymore. Justin Fuente used to know how to coach offense. Not anymore. The Dookies went into Blacksburg and stunned the Hokies. Duke was up 21-3 at the half and continued the carnage in the second half, outscoring Tech 24-7. The Dookies had 24 first downs to 14 for the Hokies, and 422 total yards to 259 for Tech. Attendance in Blacksburg: 59,537

Boilers down – Minnesota 38, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 33, Purdue 27). Minnesota had a 28-10 lead at the break and then held off the Purdue rally in the second half. Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan passed for 396 yards, completing 95.5% of his tosses – 21-for-22. Conversely, Minnesota only had 92 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 50,629

Week 5 Results:  12 winners, 2 fumbles (85.7 percent)
For the Season:   56 winners, 17 fumbles (76.7 percent)




ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Stetson 55, North Carolina Wesleyan 21 – Attendance in Deland: 1,300
Jacksonville U. 42, Ave Maria 28 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 1,643
Bethune-Cookman 37, Howard 29 – Attendance in Washington, DC: 5,700 

SMU 48, South Florida 21 – Attendance in Tampa: 28,850
Florida Atlantic 45, Charlotte 27 – Attendance in Charlotte: 12,334
Florida A&M 30, Norfolk State 28 – Attendance in Norfolk: 8,249
UCF 56, Connecticut 21 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,164 

Florida Tech 44, West Georgia 10 – Attendance in Melbourne: 2,450
West Florida 27, Mississippi College 21 – Attendance in Pensacola: 4,909
Florida State 31, NC State 13 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 60,351



Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Arkansas State’s Layne Hatcher – 25-35-2 for 440 yards (4TDs); Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa – 26-36-0-418 (6TDs); Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts – 17-24-1-415 (3TDs); Penn State’s Sean Clifford – 26-31-1-398 (3TDs); Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan – 21-22-0-396 (4TDs); Troy’s Kaleb Barker – 34-57-1-367 (4TDs), and North Texas’ Mason Fine – 35-55-0-353 (2TDs).

Also,  Arizona’s Grant Gunnell – 29-44-0 for 352 yards (1TD); Southern Miss’s Jack Abraham – 19-28-0-351 (3TDs); Iowa State’s Brock Purdy – 27-45-1-342 (2TDs); Oregon State’s Jake Luton – 27-39-0-337 (1TD); Auburn’s Bo Nix – 16-21-0-335 (2TDs); Utah’s Tyler Huntley – 21-30-0-334 (2TDs); Virginia’s Bryce Perkins – 30-43-2-334 (2TDs), and Central Michigan’s David Moore – 33-48-2-330 (1TD).

Impressive Rushers:

Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard – 296 yards (1TD); Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson – 183 yards (1TD); Utah State’s Gerold Bright – 179 yards; Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins – 177 yards; Boston College’s A.J. Dillon – 159 yards; SMU’s Xavier Jones – 155 yards (2TDs); Washington’s Salvon Ahmed – 153 yards, and South Alabama’s Tra Minter – 150 yards.



Quotes of the Week

“They’re all must win games. Every single game. You know what next week’s gonna be? Well, that’s where we’re open. And we need to kick open’s ass too,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, when asked if Kentucky is a must-win game.



Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Auburn (5-0) at Florida (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) –3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – These two teams used to play every year. But that hasn’t happened in a long time, thanks to the SEC’s screwed up scheduling process and the SEC’s failure to play nine conference games a year. I think we know Auburn is good. Quite frankly, we’re not real sure about Florida. But we should be sure after this game. Gator defense needs to make Bo Nix look like the freshman he is. Kyle Trask just needs to play with cool. Hope I’m wrong – Auburn 27, Florida 24. 

RUNNER UP:  2. Iowa (4-0) at Michigan (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – This is going to be some game. After the embarrassing loss to Wisconsin, Michigan doesn’t want to lose again, especially not at home. If they do, Jim Harbaugh is definitely up a creek without a paddle. The Hawkeyes stain Harbaugh’s cap – Iowa 27, Michigan 24. 

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Michigan State (4-1) at Ohio State (5-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Ohio State has an open date next week. So the Buckeyes won’t be looking ahead to anybody. The Spartans are good, but not that good. Justin Fields is a quiet winner. He gets the job done. Nothing spartan about Fields – Ohio State 31, Michigan State 17. 

4. California (4-1) at Oregon (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – If Cal quarterback Chase Garbers plays, the Bears have a chance. Without Garbers, Cal has no chance. Garbers injured his shoulder last week against Arizona State. Oregon is coming off a week of rest. The Ducks are super charged – Oregon 30, California 21. 

5. Texas (3-1) at West Virginia (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – It’s Homecoming in Morgantown and the theme is Horns Down for Homecoming. The Horns will be out for revenge after the loss to WVU last year. They still have Sam Ehlinger. West Virginia no longer has Will Grier. Both teams are coming in from a week off. Both should be rested. Both should be patched up. But instead of Gold and Blue, the skies will be Burnt Orange – Texas 30, West Virginia 17. 

6. UCF (4-1) at Cincinnati (3-1) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – This will be a tough test for the Knights. Cincinnati is tough and the Bearcats are home. The stadium should be rockin’. The Knights lose another one – Cincinnati 36, UCF 32. 

7. Arizona (3-1) at Colorado (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 4:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC-12N – Both teams are playing better than expected, especially Colorado. The Buffs are good on offense; so-so on defense. The Wildcats are so-so period. Ralphie roams – Colorado 26, Arizona 24. 

8. Baylor (4-0) at Kansas State (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Baylor has a good quarterback in Charlie Brewer. K-State has a good coach in Chris Klieman. The good coach comes out on top – Kansas State 23, Baylor 20. 

9. Tulane (3-1) at Army (3-1) – (AAC vs. Ind.) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Tulane is off to a good start. The Green Wave have a good quarterback in Justin McMillian. He’s cool under pressure. Army has a good quarterback too – Kelvin Hopkins. Both can execute. The Green Wave are hungrier – Tulane 24, Army 22. 

10. Air Force (3-1) at Navy (2-1) – (MWC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Both teams are off to a good start. Air Force is off to a better start with the win over Colorado. Air Force has played the tougher schedule too – Colorado and Boise State. The Falcons get their prey – Air Force 29, Navy 25. 



….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

11. TCU (3-1) at Iowa State (2-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Iowa State took it on the chin at Baylor last week. The Cyclones got to be hurtin’. TCU is beatable. SMU showed us that. The Cyclones will show us too – Iowa State 28, TCU 23.



YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Northwestern (1-3) at Nebraska (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – A week ago, I thought this was a give me for Nebraska. I’m not so sure now. The Huskers have been playing sloppy. Northwestern gave Wisconsin a run for its money. They’ll give Nebraska a run for its corn – but, like the Wisconsin game, they won’t win – Nebraska 28, Northwestern 25.

Pitt (3-2) at Duke (3-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Unless Pitt plays like it did against UCF, the Panthers have no hope. The Dookies are getting better. The Panthers aren’t. Pitt eats it again – Duke 29, Pitt 19.

Georgia (4-0) at Tennessee (1-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – The Dawgs took a week off after their big win over Notre Dame. Playing Tennessee will be like taking another week off. This one could get ugly. But Kirby shows mercy – Georgia 35, Tennessee 12.

Purdue (1-3) at Penn State (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Going from Minnesota to Penn State is like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. That’s what it will be like for the Boilers. Purdue turns blue – Penn State 34, Purdue 17.



ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Jacksonville U. (2-2) at Dayton (2-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….
Butler (1-3) at Stetson (3-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN+…. 

North Carolina Central (2-3) at Florida A&M (3-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Virginia Tech (2-2) at Miami (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….
Morgan State (0-4) at Bethune-Cookman (3-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday…. 

Delta State (3-1) at West Florida (3-1) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Fort Valley State (2-2) at Florida Tech (3-1) – (SIC vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
South Florida (1-3) at Connecticut (1-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….
Massachusetts (1-4) at FIU (1-3) – (Ind. vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday…. 

Florida Atlantic (3-2) and Florida State (3-2) are off.



Touchdown Tom



P.S. 

Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Robert Hunter and Jacques Chirac.

Robert Hunter, the man behind the poetic words for many of the Grateful Dead’s finest songs, died last week at his home in San Rafael, California. He was 78. Although proficient on a number of instruments, Hunter never appeared on stage with the Grateful Dead during the group’s 30-year run. When he attended the group’s concerts, he either stood on the side of the stage or sat in the audience. Among Hunter’s most memorable Grate Dead songs were “Truckin’,” “Ripple,” “It Must Have Been the Rose,” “Terrapin Station,” “The Days Between,” “Brown-Eyed Women,” “Jack Straw,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Box of Rain,” “Uncle John’s Band” and Black Muddy River.” “Truckin’” was arguably Hunter and the group’s best-known song. Hunter was born Robert Burns on June 23, 1941. His last name became Hunter at the age of 11 when his mother remarried. He attended the University of Connecticut for one year. 

Jacques Chirac, France’s blunt-speaking and often flamboyant president who became best known in America for his vocal opposition to the invasion of Iraq, died last week. He was 86. Chirac served two terms as president from May 1995 to May 2007. He was the mayor of Paris for 18 years. Chirac was a large man by French standards, standing 6-foot-2. He boasted of his affection for the United States. In the 1950s, Chirac hitchhiked across America, working as a soda jerk at a Howard Johnson’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a forklift driver in St. Louis and as a journalist with the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He was the first foreign leader to travel to the United States after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He visited Ground Zero and dispatched French troops to the U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan. Yet he became one of the most outspoken opponents of George W. Bush’s plans for military action against Iraq. He said the war would inflame anti-Western passions in the Middle East. Jacques Rene Chirac was born on November 29, 1932.


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