College Football
Week 5 – Aubie-Uga to tangle in Athens
Roll out the
barrel, the gang’s all here
Yes, roll out the barrel because we learned last week that the rest of the gang will be joining the party. The Pac-12, the Mountain West and the Mid-American Conferences changed their original plans to skip fall football, announcing they would be playing this fall after all.
The Pac-12, the MWC and the MAC followed the Big Ten, which changed its mind in a vote the previous week. So, just when it appeared that only the ACC, Big 12, SEC, AAC, C-USA and Sun Belt would be playing football this fall, we now have all 10 FBS conferences competing.
“Sing a song of good cheer
The Pac-12 announced it would play a seven-game conference only schedule, beginning November 6. The MWC will play an eight-game conference only schedule, commencing October 24, and the MAC will engage in a six-game conference only schedule, starting November 4. The Big Ten announced the previous week that it would play an eight-game conference only schedule to begin on October 24.
All four conferences will join the other six FBS conferences in holding their respective conference championship games on December 19. The SEC began its 10-game conference only schedule this past weekend. The other five conferences – the AAC, ACC, Big 12, C-USA and Sun Belt have been playing for two or three weeks now.
The Big Ten teams will be figured into the competition for the College Football Playoff. But by not starting until November 7 and only playing seven games, it is doubtful that the Pac-12 will be in contention for a spot in the playoff.
That leaves four of the Power Five conferences – the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC – competing for a spot, or spots, in the playoff. Among the Group of Five conferences – the AAC, C-USA, MAC, MWC and Sun Belt – the highest ranked team in the final College Football Playoff poll will receive a spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowls.
So the only FBS teams not playing this fall are Connecticut, New Mexico State and Old Dominion. UConn and New Mexico State are Independents. Old Dominion is a member of Conference USA.
Everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon. And what a bandwagon it was this weekend.
“Roll out the barrel
Yes, the SEC began play over the weekend and what a barrel of fun it was for Mississippi State. Under new coach Mike Leach, the Bulldogs, 17-point underdogs to LSU, went into Baton Rouge and put a 44-34 beating on the Tigers. It was a typical Mike Leach game, as Miss State had 623 yards passing, but only nine yards rushing.
The contest was close throughout. Miss State led 17-14 at the halftime break and 27-24 at the end of three quarters. The score was tied 34-34 with 7:27 to go in the game. That’s when Miss State went up 37-34, on a 43-yard field goal. The Bulldogs solidified their victory four minutes later with K.J. Costello’s fifth touchdown pass of the game. Costello, a former Stanford quarterback, is a graduate transfer at Miss State.
Roll out the barrel for Kansas State too. The Wildcats had a barrel of fun Saturday, upsetting Oklahoma, 38-35. Oklahoma, 27-point favorites, held two big leads during the game. Halfway through the third quarter, the Sooners led 28-7. Late in the third quarter, OU led 35-14. Then Kansas State went to work. The Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points in the final 16 and a half minutes of the game. This the Kansas State team that lost its opener to Arkansas State. With the score tied 35-35, the Wildcats won the game on a 50-yard field goal. It was Kansas State’s first road win against a Top-10 team in school history.
It was Kansas State’s second-straight upset of Oklahoma. In last year’s game, Kansas State trailed OU 17-7 early in the second quarter. Then the Wildcats outscored the Sooners 41-6 in a 30-minute span to take a 48-23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma rallied, but Kansas State held on to win 48-41.
In what was perhaps the wildest game of the day, Texas and Texas Tech put a total of 119 points on the board, in the day’s only overtime game. Texas, 17-points favorites, outlasted Texas Tech, 63-56 (OT). The Longhorns led throughout most of the game until the end of the third quarter, when the Red Raiders took their first lead at 42-38.
By late in the fourth quarter, Texas Tech increased it lead to 56-41. The game looked safely in hand for the Red Raiders. But Texas scored two touchdowns in the final 2:39 of the game. The second of those touchdowns came with 40 seconds on the clock. The Longhorns added a two-point conversion to tie the score at 56-56. That touchdown was set up by a successful onside kick.
In the overtime, Texas scored on a 12-yard pass from Sam Ehlinger to Joshua Moore. It was Ehlinger’s fifth touchdown pass of the game.
Week 4 football began Thursday night in Mobile, Alabama, where UAB blazed South Alabama, 42-10. The Blazers had 509 total yards, as quarterback Bryson Lucero passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns. UAB improved to 2-1.
Friday night gave us a thriller, as UTSA held off Middle Tennessee, 37-35. In the losing effort, Middle Tennessee’s Asher O’Hara passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns. The Blue Raiders had 563 total yards and still lost the game. UTSA improved to 3-0.
Saturday, undefeated Louisiana (3-0) continued to live on the edge. Trailing Georgia Southern 18-17, the Ragin’ Cajuns kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Eagles, 20-18. Last week, Louisiana rallied to beat Georgia State, 34-31 in overtime.
After suffering two-straight losses, Syracuse found a way to win on Saturday. Georgia Tech suffered five turnovers, as Syracuse beat the Yellow Jackets, 37-20. Pitt, winners over Syracuse the previous week, improved to 3-0. The Panthers edged Louisville, 23-20.
UCF’s Dillon Gabriel had another 400-yard-plus passing game. After passing for 417 yards last week, Gabriel passed for 408 yards Saturday. UCF plastered East Carolina, 51-28.
Speaking of passing for 400-plus yards, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask passed for 416 yards, as the Gators outscored Ole Miss, 51-35. Eight of Trask’s passes were caught by receiver Kyle Pitts. Pitts had 170 yards receiving, including four touchdown receptions.
The Kentucky-Auburn affair was supposed to be a close game and it was for a while. Auburn led 8-7 at halftime and 15-13 at the end of three. But the Tigers went on to outscore Kentucky 14-0 in the fourth quarter to win 29-13.
Like the Kansas State-Oklahoma and Texas-Texas Tech games in the Big 12, the Iowa State-TCU game was a close affair too. When it was over, Iowa State beat TCU, 37-34. This the Iowa State team that lost its opener to Louisiana.
The Oklahoma-West Virginia game wasn’t so close. The Cowboys downed the Mountaineers, 27-13. Although the score was just 20-13 up until 1:17 left in the game.
Alabama and Georgia won big as expected. Alabama defeated Missouri, 38-18, and Georgia scored late to thump Arkansas, 37-10. Alabama led Missouri 35-3 late in the third quarter. Georgia outscored Arkansas 32-3 in the second half.
Florida State’s woes continued Saturday. The Seminoles lost to Miami (Florida), 52-10. Infected with COVID-19, Florida State coach Mike Norvell watched the game at home on TV. Meanwhile, up in Blacksburg, Virginia, the NC State football team might just as well have been home watching their game on TV. Virginia Tech gobbled the Wolfpack, 45-24.
Will Muschamp’s woes continued too. Tennessee slipped by South Carolina, 31-27.
Two teams scored 66 points each in winning their games. Tulane spanked Southern Miss, 66-24, while Louisiana Tech humbled Houston Baptist, 66-38.
And finally, in Saturday’s nightcap, BYU downed Troy, 48-7. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson passed for 392 yards.
LSU’s loss to Mississippi State ended college football’s longest winning streak at 16-games. It was the Tigers first loss since the 2018 season, when LSU lost that 74-72 (7OT) game to Texas A&M. Notre Dame now has the longest winning streak in the country at eight games.
Five games were postponed/canceled over the weekend: Notre Dame at Wake Forest, Tulsa at Arkansas State, South Florida at Florida Atlantic, North Texas at Houston and Georgia State at Charlotte. There have been many games postponed/canceled so far this season, but for the most part they have involved Group of Five teams. The only three Power Five teams who have been careless and irresponsible are Baylor, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Week 4’s winners: Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask and Florida receiver Kyle Pitts. Week 4’s losers: South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley
NC State is the latest school to announce furloughs and salary reductions to make up for its shortfall expected to be between $25 and $35 million. All coaches and staff members making $200,000 or more will have their salaries reduced by 20%. Coaches and staff members making between $100,000 and $199,000 will have their salaries cut by 15%. Everyone making less than $100,000 will be furloughed for 19 days. The salary cuts will be in effect through June 30, 2021. The furloughs and salary cuts begin immediately.
Among the mail last week, Scott Greenwood of Orlando reminded me that Luke McCaffrey, brother of Christian and Dylan, is the backup quarterback at Nebraska. I had written about Dylan, a Michigan quarterback, entering the transfer portal. I mentioned his brother Christian, but forgot to make note of Luke.
Navy brother Randy Rollman of Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania, wrote and commented that he was ashamed to say that he gave up on Navy after watching the first quarter against Tulane. After watching the BYU game and the first quarter of the Tulane game, he said he chalked off Navy as a bad team. But Randy said he learned his lesson, “Never give up on Navy.” The Middies, you’ll recall, went from a 24-0 halftime deficit to a 27-24 win over Tulane.
Fern Musselwhite of Gainesville, Florida, wrote, “No RBG?” Fern was referring to the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and my failure to mention her. I told Fern that I am cutting back on the obits this season, mostly mentioning some of the athletes. But there have been exceptions. I should have noted RBG. She was certainly deserving of a comment and tribute. Fern also liked the “Tweets of the Week” about Nebraska.
And, I apologize to all my Dookie friends out there. I left the Duke game off the “Ye Olde Stomping Grounds” last week. With all the schedule changes this season due to COVID, it’s tough keeping up on everything. Virginia beat Duke, 38-20. I would have picked, Virginia 27, Duke 19.
We lost one of the Four Seasons last week. No….we didn’t lose summer, fall, winter or spring. Tommy DeVito, a founding member of the Four Seasons singing group, died on September 21. He was 92.
All-American and All-Pro halfback and return specialist Gale Sayers died last week (September 23). He was 77. In college, Sayers played for Kansas, and in the NFL, he played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears (1965 to 1971). In the NFL, Sayers rushed for 4,956 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He had 3,172 return yards. Gale Eugene Sayers was born on May 30, 1943, in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Omaha Central High School. Out of high school, Sayers was recruited by several midwestern universities and originally planned to play for Iowa. But he changed his mind and chose Kansas instead. After he retired from Pro football, he worked in the athletic department at Kansas for four years. Then from 1976 to 1981, Sayers was the athletic director for Southern Illinois, and later the interim athletic director for Tennessee State from 1985 to 1986. His friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer in 1970, inspired Sayers to write his autobiography – “I Am Third” – which became the basis for the 1971 made-for-TV movie “Brian’s Song.”
So, Kansas State may have knocked Oklahoma out of the College Football Playoff, LSU is definitely rebuilding, Florida may not have a defense, Mike Norvell’s stay at FSU may be shorter than Willie Taggart’s and Mike Leach continues to entertain wherever he goes. It’s a barrel of fun.
“Roll out the barrel
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Aubie won the Cat fight – Auburn 29, Kentucky 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 24, Kentucky 21). Kentucky had more passing yards, more rushing yards and more first downs. But Auburn had more points. Kentucky also had more turnovers – three to none for Auburn. Tigers quarterback Bo Nix threw for three touchdowns.
RUNNER-UP: Air ball – Mississippi State 44, LSU 34 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Mississippi State 20). The teams combined for 1,057 total yards. Neither team had a running game. Miss State only had nine yards rushing and LSU just had 80. Miss State had four turnovers and still won the game. Both quarterbacks – K.J. Costello (Miss State) and Myles Brennan (LSU) – threw two interceptions.
REST OF THE BEST: Routine – Alabama 38, Missouri 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Missouri 13). Alabama quarterback Mac Jones passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Najee Harris rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Alabama was up 28-3 at halftime.
It was the Pitts – Florida 51, Ole Miss 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 28, Ole Miss 19). Florida receiver Kyle Pitts had eight receptions for 170 yards and four touchdowns. For a while, the teams exchanged touchdowns. The score was 14-14 earl yin the second quarter. Then Florida scored 21 unanswered points to take a 35-14 lead early in the third quarter. The teams combined for 1,255 total yards. Florida definitely has an offense. We’re not sure if the Gators have a defense. Florida placekicker Evan McPherson kicked a 55-yard field goal.
Poked – Oklahoma State 27, West Virginia 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, West Virginia 21). West Virginia only had 68 yards rushing. Oklahoma State had 203. Two Okie State backs had more than 100 yards rushing – L.D. Brown (103 yards) and Chuba Hubbard (101 yards). For the most part, West Virginia played good defense. The problem was the West Virginia offense. There was none, especially when the Mountaineers got inside the 30. The Cowboys improved to 2-0.
Hoedown – Texas 63, Texas Tech 56 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, Texas Tech 11). Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns. But he also threw three interceptions. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger also threw for five touchdowns. Texas scored first and last.
No brass – Cincinnati 24, Army 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 26, Army 22). Midway through the fourth quarter, Army just trailed 17-10. The Black Knights scored seven points in the first quarter and three points in the fourth quarter – nothing in between. Cincinnati scored in every quarter. The Bearcats just had 69 yards rushing. Army suffered its first loss. Cincinnati improved to 2-0.
Birds given a bath – Pitt 23, Louisville 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 25, Louisville 23). Active first half – Pitt led 20-17. Then only six points were scored in the second half – three by each team. Pitt dominated the stats – first downs, rushing, passing and time of possession. But the Panthers barely dominated the score. Louisville quarterback Micale Cunningham threw three interceptions. Pitt improved to 3-0.
Again – Tennessee 31, South Carolina 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 23, South Carolina 20). This was a quiet game in the first half that got exciting in the second half. Thirty-seven of the game’s 58 points were scored in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Tennessee led, 21-7. Late in the third quarter, the score was tied 21-21, and 24-24 early in the fourth quarter. South Carolina only had 89 yards rushing.
Little Bad – Virginia Tech 45, NC State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 29, NC State 21). Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert rushed for 104 yards. The Hokies had 495 total yards – 314 of those yards from passing. Virginia Tech led 31-10 at halftime. Then the teams went tit-for-tat in the second half.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Uga drooled – Georgia 37, Arkansas 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Arkansas 14). Former walk-on Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett replaced starter D’Wan Mathis in the in the second quarter. He passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks had one touchdown pass for Arkansas. But Franks threw two interceptions. Arkansas had five turnovers.
Week 4 Results: 10 winners, 1 fumble (91 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
UCF 51, East Carolina 28
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello – 36-60-2 for 623 yards (5TDs); Florida’s Kyle Trask – 30-42-0-416 (6TDs); UCF’s Dillon Gabriel – 32-47-0-408 (4TDs); Ole Miss’s Matt Corral – 22-31-1-395 (3TDs), and BYU’s Zach Wilson – 23-29-0-392 (2TDs).
Also, Middle Tennessee’s Asher O’Hara – 31-47-2 for 372 yards (3TDs); LSU’s Myles Brennan – 27-46-2-345 (3TDs); Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson – 18-25-0-334 (1TD); UAB’s Bryson Lucero – 18-28-0-319 (2TDs), and Louisiana Tech’s Luke Anthony – 17-30-1-314 (5TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Appalachian State’s Daetrich Harrington – 211 yards (4TDs); Tulane’s Cameron Carroll – 163 yards (3TDs); Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 154 yards (3TDs), and FIU’s D’Vonte Price – 148 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“We’re the best team in Florida,” UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, on his Knights.
“Auburn will lose at least three games,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“We know how to respond to a loss around here,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley.
Tweets of the Week
“We have had reason to question Lincoln Riley’s late-game, play-calling since 2017. I see no reason to change your opinion now.”
“New year, same deal. Oklahoma’s defense is bad. Awesome offense, bad defense. The last four playoffs haven’t shown us anything at all.
“This is Oklahoma’s sixth loss as a 20-point favorite since the 2009 season. No other team has lost more than three in that span.”
“Honeymoon is over for Alex Grinch (Oklahoma defensive coordinator).”
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (1-0) at Georgia (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams looked better on defense than they did on offense last week. Auburn had the tougher opponent and finally got its offense going in the fourth quarter. Georgia, with the weaker opponent, finally got its offense going in the second half. Georgia has owned this game for the past 15 years, winning 12 of 15. Georgia has won the last three in a row. The Dawgs make it four in a row – Georgia 22, Auburn 17.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Texas A&M (1-0) at Alabama (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Texas A&M did not look good against Vanderbilt last week, only winning, 17-12. But you have to figure that Jimbo Fisher was holding back for Alabama. And the Aggies players had to be thinking about Alabama. A&M will definitely be a tougher opponent for Alabama than Missouri, especially on defense. But the Tide are playing at home – Alabama 28, Texas A&M 15.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Virginia (1-0) at Clemson (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Virginia beat Duke, while Clemson had the week off. The Cavaliers will be Clemson’s toughest opponent to date. But they won’t be tough enough – Clemson 30, Virginia 16.
4. North Carolina (1-0) at Boston College (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Something has to give here as both teams are undefeated. Boston College struggled to beat Texas State, 24-21, last week. Carolina had the week off. The Tar Heels are chomping at the bit – North Carolina 30, Boston College 20.
5. Memphis (1-0) at SMU (3-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Good game in the AAC. Both teams are undefeated. Both have top notch quarterbacks – Shane Buechele (SMU) and Brady White (Memphis). It should be a shootout. The Mustangs shoot and the Tigers are out – SMU 34, Memphis 30.
6. Baylor (1-0) at West Virginia (1-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Mistakes hurt West Virginia last week. Hopefully, WVU gets those mistakes out of its system. Baylor will be favored. And the Bears are tough. But the Mountaineers pull a surprise – West Virginia 27, Baylor 24.
7. Oklahoma (1-1) at Iowa State (1-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm, Saturday, ABC – This is going to be a good game. Oklahoma definitely can’t afford to lose another one. Iowa State won’t make it easy for OU. But the Sooners do bounce back – Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 33.
8. TCU (0-1) at Texas (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon, Saturday, FOX – Texas got a scare last week. And on paper, TCU is a tougher team than Texas Tech. But TCU can’t handle Sam Ehlinger. The Horns breathe easier this week – Texas 33, TCU 23.
9. South Carolina (0-1) at Florida (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Florida’s defense looked shaky against Ole Miss – very shaky. Fortunately for the Gators, South Carolina doesn’t have the offense that Ole Miss has. The Gator defense should look better this week. Meanwhile, South Carolina does have a better defense than Ole Miss. So the Gators offense will be tested more this week. The Gators pass their tests – Florida 34, South Carolina 20.
10. Ole Miss (0-1) at Kentucky (0-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – I’m looking forward to this game. It should be a good one. The Ole Miss offense looked good against Florida. They should do well against Kentucky. But the Wildcats are a tough team. They will cause problems for Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin gets the better of Mark Stoops – Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 29.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Virginia Tech (1-0) at Duke (0-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Last year, Duke surprised Virginia Tech big time – 45-10. There won’t be any surprises this year. The Dookies have none left. The Hokies looked good against NC State. They’ll look even better against the Dookies – Virginia Tech 35, Duke 19.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
South Florida (1-1) at Cincinnati (2-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Jacksonville State (0-0) at Florida State (0-2) – (Ohio Valley at ACC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Tulsa (0-1) at UCF (2-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2….
Touchdown Tom
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