College Football
Week 5 – Is Coastal Carolina the best team in South Carolina?
My, how the mighty
are falling
Six ranked teams lost over the weekend – four to unranked teams. Two of those six suffered their first loss. In all, eight teams lost for the first time. The two mightiest and highest-ranked teams to fall were Texas A&M and Clemson.
Texas A&M and Arkansas met at Jerry’s World in Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium. Coming into the game, both teams were undefeated. The Aggies were ranked 7th, the Razorbacks were ranked 16th. By the time the game was over, Texas A&M was no longer undefeated. Arkansas knocked off the Aggies, 20-10. The Hogs held Texas A&M to just 272 total yards.
Clemson already had suffered one loss this season. Opening weekend, the Tigers lost to highly-ranked Georgia. Still, coming into Saturday’s game against NC State, Clemson was ranked 9th. And the Tigers were clearly favored to beat the Wolfpack. But NC State knocked off Clemson, 27-21 in double overtime.
At the end of regulation, NC State and Clemson were tied, 14-14. Both scored a touchdown in the first overtime. In the second overtime, NC State scored and Clemson didn’t. The Wolfpack held the Tigers to a mere 215 total yards. Perhaps worse, Clemson only possessed the ball for 18 minutes in regulation.
Of the seven College Football Playoffs, Clemson has made six in a row, winning the national championship after the 2016 and 2018 seasons. Guess what? The Tigers won’t make it seven in a row. Clemson won’t be in the playoff this season. Georgia contributed to that and NC State confirmed it. The dynasty is over – for a while at least.
The other four-ranked teams who lost Saturday were 14th-ranked Iowa State, 18th-ranked Wisconsin, 21st-ranked North Carolina and 25th-ranked Kansas State. Iowa State suffered its second loss of the season, falling to unranked and undefeated Baylor, 31-29.
Wisconsin also suffered its second loss – this time to 12th-ranked and undefeated Notre Dame. Entering the fourth quarter, Notre Dame and Wisconsin were deadlocked 10-10. Less than a minute into the final quarter, the Badgers kicked a 27-yard field goal and went up 13-10.
That was it for Wisconsin. In the final 14 minutes of the game, Notre Dame exploded for four touchdowns and one field goal – 31 points. The Irish beat the Badgers, 41-13. Wisconsin had a measly three yards rushing.
Like Iowa State and Wisconsin, North Carolina suffered its second loss too. The Tar Heels were shocked by unranked Georgia Tech, 45-22. North Carolina only had 63 yards rushing and suffered three turnovers – all fumbles.
Kansas State lost to unranked, but undefeated, Oklahoma State, 31-20. Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders passed for 344 yards. The loss was the first for the Wildcats.
The other undefeated teams who lost for the first time over the weekend were Memphis, TCU, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Liberty and Utah State. Memphis lost to UTSA, 31-28; TCU fell to SMU, 42-34; Texas Tech was downed by Texas, 70-35; Rutgers was edged by Michigan, 20-13; Liberty lost to Syracuse, 24-21, and Utah State fell to Boise State, 27-3.
Two undefeated and ranked teams – Oklahoma and Michigan State – almost lost Saturday. Fourth-ranked Oklahoma had to kick a field goal as time expired to beat West Virginia, 16-13. Twentieth-ranked Michigan State was taken to overtime before the Spartans got by Nebraska, 23-20 (OT).
Then there was Minnesota. The Gophers weren’t undefeated or ranked, but they were 31-point favorites over Bowling Green. Guess what? Bowling Green beat Minnesota, 14-10. Somebody wasn’t rowing the boat.
College football Week 4 got started Thursday night in Boone, North Carolina. Appalachian State kicked a field goal with 5:45 to go in the game and beat Marshall, 31-30. The Little Mountaineers racked up 566 total yards. App State running back Nate Noel rushed for 187 yards.
Four games were played Friday night. If you like offense, the first of the four was your kind of game. Charlotte outlasted Middle Tennessee State, 42-39. The two teams combined for 1,061 total yards.
Next up, in a battle between two ACC teams, Wake Forest topped Virginia, 37-17. The Demon Deacons improved to 3-0. In a losing effort, Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong passed for 407 yards.
If you like exciting games, the third game was for you. Syracuse kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to beat Liberty, 24-21. Late in the third quarter, Liberty trailed Syracuse 21-7. Early in the fourth quarter, the game was tied, 21-21.
In the nightcap Friday, Fresno State came from behind twice to down UNLV, 38-30. With less than six minutes to go in the game, the Bulldogs trailed the Rebels, 30-29. Fresno State scored a touchdown and a field goal in the final 4:53 to win. The Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener passed for 378 yards and five touchdowns. Fresno State improved to 4-1.
In other games Saturday, LSU got out to good leads – 21-3 and 28-10 – over Mississippi State and then held on to beat the Bulldogs, 28-25. LSU quarterback Max Johnson passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns, while Miss State quarterback Will Rogers passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns.
Florida State’s woes continued. The Seminoles lost to Louisville, 31-23. FSU did make a bit of a rally in the second half. The Cardinals led the Noles, 31-13, at halftime. Florida State is now 0-4.
Florida bounced back from its heartbreaking loss to Alabama last week. The Gators punished Tennessee, 38-14. This was a close game at halftime. Florida led, 17-14. But the Gators outscored the Vols 21-0 in the second half.
And while we are in the SEC, the SEC refs were misbehaving again this week. That’s according to Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott. Last week the SEC refs were reprimanded for their lack of integrity in the Mississippi State-Memphis and Auburn-Penn State games. This week, it was the Georgia State-Auburn game.
Georgia State led Auburn throughout most of the game. With less than a minute to go, Georgia State was beating Auburn, 24-19. But the Tigers got two touchdowns – 15 points – in the final 45 seconds of the game to beat Georgia State, 34-24.
And in the four Pac-12 late shows Saturday night – into Sunday morning for some of us – Washington got by California, 31-24 (OT); Oregon added to Arizona’s miseries, 41-19; Arizona State dominated Colorado, 35-13, and in the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Oregon State stunned USC, 45-27.
Washington and California were tied 24-24 at the end of regulation. In the first overtime, Washington scored and Cal didn’t. Oregon only possessed the ball for 22 minutes in its game with Arizona, but that was long enough to overcome the Wildcats. Oregon improved to 4-0, while Arizona fell to 0-4.
Arizona State held Colorado to only 67 yards passing. The Sun Devils are 3-1. Oregon State racked up 535 total yards, subduing USC. The Beavers are a surprising 3-1.
Expansion of the College Football Playoff is going to have wait awhile. Last Wednesday in Dallas the CFP management committee met and decided that playoff expansion talks/votes would be put on the shelf for the time being. They will not continue as planned. When the management committee and the CFP Board of Directors meet this week in Chicago, there will not be a vote on expansion. Their meeting will be merely informational. This means that if CFP expansion is eventually approved, the expansion would not take place until the 2023 season at the earliest. The 2022 season will continue with the four-team playoff.
Last week, it was thumbs down to Notre Dame for its pettiness and arrogance. This week, it’s thumbs down to Tennessee. Football at Tennessee has become so low and so bad the Vols dropped Army from next year’s schedule, replacing the Cadets with Akron. This is nothing more than Tennessee athletic director Danny White trying to buy a win for coach Josh Heupel. This is nothing more than Danny White trying to make it look like he hired a good coach, by getting a win for Heupel. It’s an honor to play Army or any of the service academies. It’s an honor to have them in your stadium. Danny White is pathetic. Josh Heupel is pathetic. Tennessee football is pathetic. Thumbs down to the Vols.
Yes, football has become so low and so bad at Tennessee the Vols have lowered the price of its football tickets. They also have lowered the contribution you have to make to buy season tickets or premium seats. When students buy a ticket now, they get two tickets – two for the price of one. It’s called “bring your buddy.” Buy a ticket, get two and bring your buddy. You also get a free hot dog when you go to a Tennessee game.
With Notre Dame’s win over Wisconsin, Irish coach Brian Kelly became Notre Dame’s winningest coach in the program’s history, surpassing Knute Rockne. The victory was Kelly’s 106th in his career at Notre Dame. Legendary coach Knute Rockne had 105 wins.
With a 1-3 start this season, Georgia Southern fired head coach Chad Lunsford yesterday. In his fifth season with the Eagles, Lunsford had a 28-21 record. Saturday, Georgia Southern lost to Louisiana, 28-20. Lunsford joins Connecticut’s Randy Edsall and USC’s Clay Helton as the third coach to be fired this season.
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Hog heaven – Arkansas 20, Texas A&M 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 26, Arkansas 18). Arkansas had 448 total yards to 272 yards for Texas A&M. Both teams were suffering quarterback problems. Arkansas played three quarterbacks and got 246 yards passing. Two of the Razorbacks quarterbacks completed 8-of-18 passes combined. Texas A&M running back Isaiah Spiller rushed for 95 yards. Attendance in Arlington: 87,992
RUNNER-UP: Stalled in Ann Arbor – Michigan 20, Rutgers 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Rutgers 18). Michigan jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead. But the Wolverines were outscored 10-0 in the second half. Rutgers won the statistics battle. But the Scarlet Knights couldn’t win the game. Rutgers running back Isaih Pacheco rushed for 107 yards. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 106,943
REST OF THE BEST: Ride ’em Cowboys – Oklahoma State 31, Kansas State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 25, Kansas State 23). For the second week in a row, Oklahoma State won without scoring a point in the second half. Last week the Cowboys beat Boise State without scoring in the final two quarters. Saturday Okie State downed K-State without scoring in the second half. Okie State led K-State, 31-13, at halftime. In spite of its lack of scoring in the second half, the Cowboys dominated the Wildcats in the statistics. Okie State running back Jaylen Warren rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Stillwater: 51,444
Gigged – SMU 42, TCU 34 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, SMU 28). The teams combined for 1,041 total yards, but SMU had 595 of those yards. SMU had two running backs with more than 100 yards rushing. Ulysses Bentley had 153 yards and Tre Siggers had 110 yards. SMU managed to win in spite of throwing three interceptions. Attendance in Fort Worth: 46,672
Beep-beep – UTSA 31, Memphis 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, UTSA 30). Memphis led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 28-14, entering the fourth quarter. But UTSA scored two touchdowns and a field goal – 17 points – in the final quarter. UTSA running back Sincere McCormick rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan passed for 329 yards. Attendance in Memphis: 29,264
Soccer match – Oklahoma 16, West Virginia 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, West Virginia 23). West Virginia led 10-7 at halftime and 13-10 entering the fourth quarter. Oklahoma got two field goals in the final quarter, the second coming as time expired. Five field goals were kicked in the game. Neither team scored a touchdown in the second half. WVU’s defense played one hell of a game. They played their hearts out. WVU’s offense, on the other hand, played a terrible game. WVU coach Neal Brown is in his third season and this is the third season the Mountaineers have had no offense. WVU has only scored one touchdown in its last six quarters of play – going back to the Virginia Tech game. Attendance in Norman: 84,353
Basketball game? – Texas 70, Texas Tech 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 35, Texas Tech 27). Texas is still taking its Arkansas frustrations out on its opponents. Last week it was Rice. Saturday it was Texas Tech. The teams combined for 1,159 total yards. Texas had 639 of those yards. Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson rushed for 137 yards. Attendance in Austin: 98,349
Can’t Bear it – Baylor 31, Iowa State 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 27, Baylor 24). How did Iowa State lose? The Cyclones had more first downs, more total yards, more rushing yards and more passing yards. They even dominated time of possession for almost 36 minutes. Trailing Baylor 31-23, Iowa State scored a touchdown with 0:24 to go in the game. The Cyclones went for two and the pass was incomplete. Iowa State running back Breece Hall rushed for 190 yards. Attendance in Waco: 42,539
Eagle eyes – Boston College 41, Missouri 34 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, Boston College 26). Exciting game. It was tied three times at 7-7, 14-14 and 17-17. Then BC went up 27-17. But Mizzou came back and went up 31-27. BC retook the lead at 34-31. Mizzou kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired to tie the game 34-34 at the end of regulation. In the overtime, BC scored and Mizzou didn’t. BC running back Pat Garwo rushed for 175 yards. Mizzou quarterback Connor Bazelak passed for 303 yards. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 44,500
The Cavs were seeing Demons – Wake Forest 37, Virginia 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia 37, Wake Forest 33). Wake Forest never trailed in the game. The teams combined for 979 total yards. Virginia only had 99 yards rushing. Wake Forest improved to 3-0. Attendance in Charlottesville: 38,699
In the six games I told you to keep a very close eye on: Appalachian State kicked a late field goal to beat Marshall, 31-30…. Notre Dame trashed Wisconsin, 41-13…. LSU held off Mississippi State, 28-25…. Boise State flattened Utah State, 27-3…. NC State stunned Clemson in double overtime, 27-21.…. UCLA hung on to beat Stanford, 35-24.
YE OLDE STOMPIMG
GROUNDS:
Ninth-straight – Florida 38, Tennessee 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 38, Tennessee 17). Florida had 505 total yards – pretty well balanced between running and passing. Florida quarterback Emory Jones had a hand in 353 of those yards. Jones was 21-of-27 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 144 yards. Vols lost for the ninth-straight time in Gainesville. Attendance in Gainesville: 88,478
State was a lousy date – Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Nebraska 20). This definitely isn’t the Nebraska team that lost its season-opener to Illinois. The Huskers are better, especially on defense. Nebraska held the Spartans to 254 total yards – just 71 rushing yards. Nebraska possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes. Huskers quarterback Adrian Martinez passed for 248 yards and rushed for another 59. Michigan State improved to 4-0. Attendance in East Lansing: 70,322
Almost a basketball game – Duke 52, Kansas 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 35, Kansas 23). Kansas led at the halftime break, 24-21. But the Dookies outscored the Jayhawks 31-9 in the second half. The teams combined for 1,137 total yards. The Dookies had 607 of those yards. Duke running back Mataeo Durant rushed for 124 yards. Attendance in Durham: 19,128
Uga was smiling, Vandy was crying – Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 12). Poor Vanderbilt. We’re not real sure why they are in the SEC. You ready for this? Vandy had 77 total yards – 53 rushing and 24 passing. Georgia had 535 total yards. Georgia quarterbacks Stetson Bennett and J.T. Daniels each got a lot of playing time. Combined, they were 20-of-25 for 280 yards passing. Attendance in Nashville: 32,178
A little boring – Purdue 13, Illinois 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 27, Illinois 21). Finally, after five field goals – two by Purdue and three by Illinois – Purdue got a touchdown in the fourth quarter. As you can figure, there wasn’t much offense in this game. Purdue had 42 yards rushing. Illinois had 100 yards passing. Illinois running back Josh McCray rushed for 156 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 52,840
Week 4 Results: 9 winners, 6 fumbles (60 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Miami 69, Central Connecticut 0 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 44,019
Louisville 31, Florida State 23 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 50,964
Fort Lauderdale at West Florida – Canceled
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong – 33-59-1 for 407 yards (2TDs); Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – 24-28-0-403 (5TDs); Penn State’s Sean Clifford – 19-26-1-401 (4TDs); FIU’s Max Bortenschlager – 20-38-1-395 (2TDs); Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 31-41-1-384 (3TDs); and Middle Tennessee State’s Chase Cunningham – 28-40-0-379 (5TDs).
Also, Fresno State’s Jake Haener – 30-42-1 for 378 yards (5TDs); Indiana’s Michael Penix – 35-53-0-373; Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 47-62-1-371 (3TDs); Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe – 31-44-0-365 (3TDs); Tulsa’s Davis Brin – 17-25-1-355 (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders – 22-34-0-344 (2TDs), and Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds – 25-36-0-339 (4TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Army’s Christian Anderson – 236 yards (2TDs); Northwestern’s Evan Hull – 216 yards (2TDs); UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet – 209 yards (1TD); Appalachian State’s Nate Noel – 187 yards; Georgia Southern’s Gerald Green – 186 yards (3TDs); UTSA’s Sincere McCormick – 184 yards (3TDs); Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 180 yards (2TDs); Boston College’s Pat Garwo – 176 yards (2TDs), and Syracuse’s Sean Tucker – 168 yards (1TD).
Also. Air Force’s Haaziq Daniels – 164 yards (2TDs); Rice’s Jordan Myers – 160 yards (4TDs); Florida State’s Jashaun Corbin – 159 yards (1TD); Illinois’ Joshua McCray – 156 yards; Tulsa’s Shamari Brooks – 155 yards (1TD); SMU’s Ulysses Bentley – 153 yards (1TD); Central Michigan’s Lew Nichols – 152 yards; Georgia State’s Tucker Gregg – 150 yards (1TD); Florida’s Emory Jones – 144 yards; Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez – 144 yards; Minnesota’s Treyson Potts – 141 yards, and Texas’ Bijan Robinson – 137 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I swear, I feel like I’m watching the Willie Taggart movie, Part 2. When you start off like this, there’s nowhere to go. You’re a laughingstock. You’re a joke. This doesn’t only affect you on the field; this affects you in recruiting. Norvell’s lost all credibility,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum on Florida State coach Mike Norvell.
“App State fans screaming expletives at Marshall players as they exit the field after the loss, giving them the middle finger, talking about their mothers, telling them to kill themselves. Absolutely disgusting behavior,” Emily Van Buskirk, on the behavior of some Appalachian State fans after the game against Marshall.
“Hate seeing this. In this era, it’s paramount that ADs and their stadium staff and security make people like this pay for their actions. 95% of the fans are incredible and 5% of every fan base can ruin an experience. Hold them accountable,” Kirk Herbstreit, on the Appalachian State fans who were abusive to the Marshall players as they left the field.
“I think we have Big Ten officials this week. Thank God,” Penn State coach James Franklin, before the Villanova game.
“They had a little bit of help on that review where the ball was incomplete. It should have been put back on the 30-yard line. But, you know, when you play in the SEC, you gotta take the hits. And they gave us a real gut punch on that call. So we appreciate that. It’s a disappointing feeling,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott, on the questionable call in the Auburn game.
“North Carolina is the Milli Vanilli of college football – frauds,” USA Today writer Dan Wolken.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Ole Miss (3-0) at Alabama (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Florida gave Alabama a scare. Can Ole Miss go one step further and beat Alabama? Big difference. Florida had Alabama in The Swamp. Ole Miss has to play Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It won’t be easy. Still, Ole Miss could pull it off. It would be a first. Nick Saban has never suffered a loss to one of his former staff members. Bama derails the Lane Train – Alabama 38, Ole Miss 34.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Arkansas (4-0) at Georgia (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – When is Arkansas going to run out of steam? The Hogs have knocked off Texas and Texas A&M. That should make them the kings of Texas. They’ll soon find out they aren’t the kings of Georgia. Uga pulls some Pork – Georgia 20, Arkansas 12.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Cincinnati (3-0) at Notre Dame (4-0) – (AAC vs. Ind.) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Like Ole Miss having the week off to prepare for Alabama, Cincinnati had the week off to prepare for Notre Dame. Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell appears to have the real deal with the Bearcats. But they haven’t really been tested, have they? For that matter, Notre Dame may not have been really tested either. The Bearcats win this test – Cincinnati 26, Notre Dame 23.
4. Iowa (4-0) at Maryland (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – The Big Ten West against the Big Ten East in this encounter. Which one is better? Iowa is playing at a level where everybody thought the Hawkeyes would be. Maryland is somewhat of a surprise. Iowa probably has the better defense. Maryland may have the better offense. Defense wins – Iowa 27, Maryland 24.
5. Baylor (4-0) at Oklahoma State (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Neither team was a second-half team last week. Baylor almost blew their lead over Iowa State and Okie State couldn’t score in the second half. That’s becoming a problem with the Cowboys. Home field wins this one. Cowboys skin a Bear – Oklahoma State 25, Baylor 24.
6. Florida (3-1) at Kentucky (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Florida always seems to have close calls in Lexington – barely coming out alive. The Wildcats always play the Gators tough on that Blue Grass. Actually, there is more Blue Grass in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, than in all of Kentucky. But I digress. Albert almost becomes a pair of boots. But not quite – Florida 23, Kentucky 21.
7. Oklahoma (4-0) at Kansas State (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Is Oklahoma’s luck about to run out? The Sooners have had some close ones – too close. Oklahoma fans have been booing quarterback Spencer Rattler. Kansas State fans may boo him too, but for different reasons. Rattler needs a breakout game. This could be it. Then again, it may not. But the Sooners pull it out – Oklahoma 29, Kansas State 23.
8. Louisville (3-1) at Wake Forest (4-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Wake Forest is an amazing team. They looked awfully good against Virginia last week. But the Deacons could slip up any week. Louisville is streaky. Streaky good and streaky bad. The Cardinals do things in streak. Nothing streaky about the Deacons. They are consistent. Consistency wins – Wake Forest 30, Louisville 27.
9. Auburn (3-1) at LSU (3-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 9 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams almost got burned last week. LSU had to hang on to beat Mississippi State. Auburn had to hang on to the referees to beat Georgia State. LSU quarterback Max Johnson is looking good. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix had a tough time of it last week. Auburn gets its act together. Aubie is the better looking Tiger – Auburn 27, LSU 23.
10. Arizona State (3-1) at UCLA (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – The battle for the lead in the Pac-12 South. Arizona State has been playing better. The Sun Devils are more consistent. UCLA can be up and down. They’re down this week – Arizona State 37, UCLA 34.
Here are another eight games you should keep a very close eye on:
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Texas Tech (3-1) at West Virginia (2-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – WVU coach Neal Brown badly needs to do some shaking up with his offense. He needs to figure out how to light a fire under their butts. That may involve changing quarterbacks. One thing is for sure, Brown is not getting the job done with Jarret Doege at quarterback. This is his opportunity, cause Texas Tech obviously has a porous defense. The Raiders offense can be potent, but hopefully WVU’s defense will take care of them. Getting WVU’s offense to score a touchdown in the second half is like seeing pigs fly. Miracles do happen – West Virginia 30, Texas Tech 25.
Northwestern (2-2) at Nebraska (2-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – I’m more and more impressed with Nebraska each week. This team appears to be coming together and getting better. Northwestern is no Oklahoma or Michigan State. Herbie should have a hay day – Nebraska 28, Northwestern 19.
Duke (3-1) at North Carolina (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – The Dookies are actually 3-1. That’s the good news. The bad news? North Carolina is better than the competition Duke has had. But the Tar Heels have been in a funk of their own. But Funky beats Dookie – North Carolina 40, Duke 29.
Texas (3-1) at TCU (2-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Texas seems to have found itself after the loss to Arkansas. Granted the recent competition may not be as strong as TCU. My advice to Texas is if you win don’t try to plant your flag on TCU’s logo. SMU tried and it didn’t work. But the Mustangs did beat the Frogs. Bevo will too – Texas 33, TCU 27.
Minnesota (2-2) at Purdue (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Purdue seems to be going up, slow as it is, and Minnesota seems to be going down, as fast as it is. The Boilers just need to figure out how to get a running game going. And avoid the Gopher holes along the way. They do – Purdue 17, Minnesota 14.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Virginia (2-2) at Miami (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN….
Davidson (2-1) at Stetson (2-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
UCF (2-1) at Navy (0-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….
South Florida (1-3) at SMU (4-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
West Florida (3-0)
at Delta State (2-2)
– (Gulf Coast vs. Gulf Coast) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but near the end of September, as the college football season was about to move into its second month, the number one song in the country…
…80 years ago this week in 1941 was “Blue Champagne” by Jimmy Dorsey
…75 years ago this week in 1946 was “To Each His Own” by The Ink Spots, and “Five Minutes More” by Frank Sinatra
…70 years ago this week in 1951 was “Because Of You” by Tony Bennett
…65 years ago this week in 1956 was “Hound Dog”/”Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley
…60 years ago this week in 1961 was “Take Good Care Of My Baby” by Bobby Vee
…55 years ago this week in 1966 was “Cherish” by The Association
…50 years ago this week in 1971 was “Go Away Little Girl” by Donny Osmond
…45 years ago this week in 1976 was “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry
…40 years ago this week in 1981 was “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie
…35 years ago this week in 1986 was “Stuck With You” by Huey Lewis and The News
…30 years ago this week in 1991 was “I Adore Mi Amor” by Color Me Badd
