College Football
Week 10 – TCU fires Gary Patterson
As Dawgs-Gators
move out, Navy Security Group moves in
Every year when Georgia-Florida play in Jacksonville, the greater Jacksonville area is flooded with Georgia and Florida fans. Everywhere from Sea Island and St. Simons Island, Georgia, and Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, Florida, on the North to Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine, Florida, on the South and all places in between.
Some fans, attending the game, spend the night in those and other nearby locations on the Friday night before the game and the Saturday night after the game. Other fans, not attending the game, just want to be in the area on Friday night and Saturday to feel the atmosphere of the contest. They fill the sports bars at those locations to watch the game on TV.
Saturday, Georgia beat Florida, 34-7, at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Sunday, Georgia and Florida fans packed up and left the greater Jacksonville area – some happy, some not. And as the Dawgs and Gators departed, 13 of us entered St. Augustine – 13 of us who served together in the Naval Security Group Activity in Edzell, Scotland, in the early 1970s.
About two months after I graduated from West Virginia University in 1969, I entered the United States Navy. Following nine weeks of boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, I was sent to the Navy Communications Training Center at Corry Field in Pensacola, Florida, to attend Cryptologic School. The Navy was going to make me a Cryptologic Technician – a CT. Some called us “spooks.” Today, the Navy Communications Training Center is called the Information Warfare Training Center – still located at Corry Field but Corry Field has become Corry Station.
Seven months later, I graduated from CT school. The Navy sent me to Bremerhaven, Germany, specifically, the Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA) Bremerhaven, where I began my CT work. We worked alternating shifts – two days, two mids and two eves. We called it a “sked” – working a “sked” or pulling a “sked.” Then we were off for 80 hours. After 80 hours off, it was back to two days, two mids and two eves. It took a while to get used to working that schedule, but eventually you did.
Our work area was called a “posit,” which was staffed 24-7-365. At the end of a shift, we were relieved by the next shift coming on. You didn’t leave your “posit” until you were relieved. When you began your shift, you relieved the person working your “posit.”
When we came off the second eve, it was time to party. Or it was time to travel. You could cover a lot of territory in 80 hours.
The 26 months I spent in Bremerhaven, included two autumns. Approaching the first autumn, I was concerned about how I was going to follow U.S. college football in Germany. But it was not a problem, thanks to the Armed Forces (Radio) Network. Every Saturday evening, AFN broadcast the game of the week. Some Saturdays it was a double feature – two games. During the broadcast, they would provide the scores of the other games.
Mondays, I would buy a Stars & Stripes newspaper at the gedunk. The newspaper’s sports section contained stories on all the big games, as well as the results of all the games. If I were on leave and traveling, I would buy an International Herald Tribune on Monday morning to get the results of the games.
As my time in Bremerhaven was winding down, I originally received orders to transfer to the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland. However, about a month later, I received a change in orders. My new orders directed me to transfer to Edzell, Scotland – NSGA Edzell.
When the day arrived, I took the ferry from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Harwich, England, where I caught the train to Liverpool Street Station in London. From there I took the London Underground (subway) to King’s Cross Station. At King’s Cross Station, I caught a train to Edinburgh, Scotland.
I arrived at Waverly Station in Edinburgh late at night. I needed to get to get to Montrose, Scotland. Looking at the departures board, I noticed that the next train to Montrose wasn’t leaving until early the next morning.
I spoke with a British Rail conductor and he pointed to a train in the station and said it was the train that would be pulling out in the morning for Aberdeen, stopping at Montrose on the way. I think he felt sorry for me. He allowed me to get on the train and said I could sleep on it overnight. What a good man he was.
The next morning, I awoke when I felt the train jerk as it was departing from Waverly Station. The train stopped at Dundee and then the next stop was Montrose. At the station in Montrose, there was a sign pointing to a phone, telling arriving U.S. Navy personnel to call such and such a number. I was picked up and driven to RAF Edzell.
At Bremerhaven, we worked in secure quarters on a U.S. Army base that was used by the German army in World War II. At Edzell, it was just us “spooks.” We worked in secure quarters on an old RAF air base that was used by the British air force during World War II.
Although Bremerhaven was fun, great and I loved it, Bremerhaven was the grunge music – punk rock and heavy metal, where Edzell was the soft rock, folk rock music – sweet harmonies and melodies. Bremerhaven was Nirvana and Edzell was Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Edzell was pastoral and serene. The old RAF base was located on the banks of the North Esk River. In the fall, salmon would swim up the North Esk to spawn. On the other side of the river was the charming village of Edzell – right out of an Agatha Christie Miss Marple story. There was a foot bridge across the North Esk between the base and Edzell.
So I settled in at Edzell – back to the two days, two mids and two eves work schedule, followed by 80 hours off.
Whenever we left the base club at night, it was a tradition to look up at the sky and say: “It’s a braw bricht moonlit nicht the nicht.” If those words rolled easily off your lips, you hadn’t had too much to drink.
The Grampian Mountains were to the west-northwest of the base. As you walked outside on many a winter morning, it was cold, but no snow in Edzell. However, looking up to the mountains, they were beautifully snowcapped.
There was one big problem. At Edzell, there was no Armed Forces (Radio) Network. At Edzell, there was no Stars & Stripes newspaper. Well, occasionally there was, but it didn’t arrive until two days after its publication date. And, even then, only a few copies came and it might be sold out. At Edzell there was no International Herald Tribune. And in 1972, there was no Internet. So you know where I’m going with this. At Edzell, there was no college football for me in the fall of 1972. Zero, nada, zilch. I’m still not sure what happened in college football in 1972. It’s a blank.
Somehow I survived. I don’t know how, but I did. It must have been the pleasant aspects of the surrounding countryside of Edzell. It was bucolic.
I did see a couple of Brechin City football matches – soccer, not football. Brechin (pronounced bree-kin) was about six miles south of Edzell. It was the nearest town of any size. Nine miles east of Brechin was Montrose. It was a bigger town than Brechin. Montrose sat on the coast of the North Sea. So going from Bremerhaven to Edzell, I went from one side of the North Sea to the other. Although Edzell was much further north than Bremerhaven. Edzell barely got light during the winter and barely got dark during the summer.
I spent my last year in the Navy at Edzell. During that year, I worked with some of the greatest guys. We worked hard and we partied hard. I bid farewell to Scotland in August 1973 and returned to the USA. It was my first time back in the States since June 1970.
A few years ago, one of the Edzell guys used the Internet and Google to locate us – look us up. We reconnected in 2015 at a reunion in Las Vegas. Since then we have been gathering every year – 2016 Las Vegas, 2017 Branson, Missouri, 2018 Cleveland, Ohio, 2019 Alaskan Cruise.
Then I got designated to host the reunion. I chose St. Augustine for the location. We were supposed to meet this time last year. But COVID forced us to postpone. Yesterday, as the Gators and the Dawgs were leaving St. Augustine, we arrived – 13 guys and 10 wives.
Last night, we had our opening group dinner at The Columbia Restaurant. This morning, the Old Town Trolley will pick us up in front of our hotel to take us on our personal group tour of St. Augustine. This afternoon, we have a group tour of the St. Augustine Distillery, followed by a group toast at the bar in the Distillery’s gift shop.
Tomorrow morning, the guys are going out on a fishing charter in three boats. We’ll be in St. Augustine until Thursday morning when we will bid farewell. Rumor is we’ll gather next year at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
Speaking of Iowa, Saturday was a tough day for the pig farmers. First, Wisconsin knocked off Iowa, 27-7. Then, West Virginia upset Iowa State, 38-31. Against the Badgers, the Hawkeyes only managed 156 total yards. Against the Cyclones, Mountaineers quarterback Jarret Doege was 30-of-46, passing for 370 yards and three touchdowns.
Back to the Jacksonville area, and as expected, Georgia’s defense was too much for Florida. The Dawgs’ defense capitalized on three Florida turnovers, as Georgia routed the Gators, 34-7.
In the battle of the undefeated in the Big Ten, Michigan led Michigan State throughout most of the game. The Wolverines held a 30-14 lead over the Spartans late into the third quarter. But Michigan State rallied to tie the game at 30-30 early in the fourth quarter. Three minutes later, Michigan went back up, 33-30. Then with 5:08 to go in the game, the Spartans scored a touchdown. Michigan State held onto its lead, beating Michigan, 37-33.
The other big game in the Big Ten saw Ohio State down Penn State, 33-24. The Buckeyes held the Nittany Lions to only 33 yards rushing. The Michigan State and Ohio State wins set up the potential for the Big Ten East Division championship when the Spartans and the Buckeyes meet on November 20. Stay tuned!
College football Week 9 began on Thursday night with two games – Troy-Coastal Carolina and South Florida-East Carolina. Both games began at the same time and both ended within a minute of one another. Both games were played in the rain – off and on showers, heavy at times.
Troy gave Coastal Carolina a scare, but in the end the Chanticleers prevailed, 35-28. Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall passed for 294 yards and the Chanticleers tallied 510 total yards. Troy running back Kimani Vidal rushed for 154 yards. Coastal Carolina improved to 7-1.
In the other game, East Carolina rallied on the second half to down South Florida, 29-14. South Florida led at halftime, 14-6. But ECU outscored the Bulls 23-0 in the second half.
Friday night had two games as well. With 302 yards rushing and 0 yards passing, Navy beat Tulsa, 20-17. The Middies possessed the for 37:18.
In the second contest, with 417 yards passing and only 22 yards rushing – just the opposite of Navy – Nevada trounced UNLV, 51-20. The Wolf Packs Carson Strong was 37-og-49, passing for 417 yards and four touchdowns. UNLV only had 10 yards rushing.
Other games Saturday, saw Oklahoma stomp Texas Tech, 52-21. The Sooners are 9-0. Also in the Big 12, Baylor downed Texas, 31-24. It’s been a good year for the Bears and a bad year for Texas.
Pitt was still celebrating last week’s win over Clemson. The Panthers lost, at home, to Miami (Florida), 38-34.
Washington State should have fired Nick Rolovich sooner. On the road at Arizona State, the Cougars shocked the Sun Devils, 34-21. Actually, Arizona State self-destructed. The Sun Devils had five turnovers.
Nebraska keeps shooting itself in the foot. The Huskers lost to Purdue, 28-23. Scott Frost’s days may be numbered.
Mississippi State handed Kentucky its second-straight loss. The Bulldogs beat the Wildcats, 31-17. Kentucky suffered four turnovers. In the big AAC encounter, Houston gave SMU its first loss. The Cougars scored a touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return with 17 seconds left in the game to beat the Mustangs, 44-37.
In three games involving ACC teams, North Carolina fell to Notre Dame, 44-34, NC State got back on the winning track, beating Louisville, 28-13, and in Week 9’s basketball game, BYU outlasted Virginia, 66-49.
Out west, the big matchup in the MWC saw Fresno State beat San Diego State, 30-20. It was San Diego State’s first loss.
And, in the traditional Pac-12 late, late shows, Utah trounced UCLA, 44-24, and Washington got by Stanford, 20-13. Utah’s Tavion Thomas rushed for 160 yards. Down 13-12, Washington scored a touchdown with 0:21 left in the game to beat Stanford.
The undefeated teams were reduced by three. SMU, Michigan and San Diego State suffered their first loss. Six teams remain undefeated: Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Michigan State, UTSA and Georgia.
Arizona (0-8) and UNLV (0-8) remain winless.
The first CFP rankings poll of the season will be released Tuesday evening on ESPN. My Top 4 are: 1. Georgia, 2. Michigan State, 3. Oklahoma and 4. Cincinnati.
TCU fired coach Gary Patterson yesterday. In 21+ seasons with the Horned Frogs, Patterson was 181-79. Patterson became the seventh coach to be fired this season. Assistant head coach Jerry Kill will take over immediately as interim coach of TCU for the remainder of the season.
Previously, last week, Texas Tech fired coach Matt Wells, even though he had a 5-3 record. Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Wells was 13-17 in two and a half years with the Red Riders. Prior to Texas Tech, he was 44-34 in six years at Utah State.
Last week, Old Dominion and Marshall made it official. The Monarchs and the Herd are leaving Conference USA to join the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion and Marshall join Southern Miss who announced earlier that it is leaving C-USA for the Sun Belt.
Conference USA is now left with five schools – FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky. NCAA rules require that you have at least six members to be recognized as a conference. To remain alive as a conference, C-USA is going after Independents New Mexico State and Liberty.
As a parting note, both NSGA Bremerhaven and NSGA Edzell have long since been decommissioned. The number of NSGA sites and locations around the world have been reduced over the years due to the advancement in technology. Bremerhaven was shut down during the fall of 1972, just a month or two after I left for Scotland. It had been in operation as a Naval Security Group Activity since 1951 – 21 years. NSGA Edzell was born later, but it had a longer life. Edzell began operation in February 1960. Sadly, it was decommissioned in 1996, with final closure in 1997.
Ironically, in 1994 or 1995, I met a couple from Scotland who lived near Edzell. They were visiting some friends of ours. I met them at a party given by the friends. We talked at length and I told them all about my time in Scotland and at RAF Edzell. In 1997, I received a newspaper clipping in the mail from them. It was a clipping from a Scottish newspaper, reporting on the closure of NSGA Ezell at the old RAF base.
But as they say, RAF Edzell: gone but not forgotten. She’ll never be forgotten. It’s a braw bricht moonlit nicht the nicht. Translation: It’s a lovely, bright moonlit night tonight.
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Harbaugh can’t win the big games – Michigan State 37, Michigan 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 24, Michigan State 21). Running back Kenneth Walker won this game for Michigan State. Also, Michigan State’s defense, but not until the second half. The Spartans defense held the Wolverines to 10 points in the second half – only three points in the fourth quarter. Walker had a slow start too, coming to life in the second quarter. Walker rushed for 197 yards and scored five touchdowns. Attendance in East Lansing: 76,549
RUNNER-UP: The Buckeyes aren’t dropping – Ohio State 33, Penn State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Penn State 14). Penn State held the early lead in the first quarter, 7-0 and 7-3. But in the second quarter, Ohio State went up 10-7 and never trailed again, although Penn State tied the game 17-17 early in the third quarter. The game remained close – Ohio State led 27-24 in the fourth quarter – but the Buckeyes put the icing on the cake when they went up 33-24 on a field goal with 2:41 to go in the game. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford passed for 361 yards and Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 152 yards. Attendance in Columbus: 102,951
REST OF THE BEST: So close – Houston 44, SMU 37 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 34, Houston 31). Houston led 20-7 early in the second quarter. Before the quarter was over, SMU came back and tied the game at 20-20. Early in the third quarter, SMU took a 27-23 lead. In the fourth quarter, Houston went up 37-34 and then then the game was tied, 37-37. On the ensuing kickoff, Houston scored on a 100-yard return. Houston quarterback Clayton Tune was 27-of-37, passing for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in Houston: 25,676
No longer undefeated – Fresno State 30, San Diego State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: San Diego State 26, Fresno State 23). The game wasn’t as close as it looked. Fresno State had leads of 20-0 and 30-13. The Bulldogs never trailed. Fresno State running back Jordan Mims rushed for 186 yards. Attendance in San Diego: 11,034
You can’t blame Todd Grantham for this one – Georgia 34, Florida 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Florida 20). Georgia broke the game open in the last 8:38 of the second quarter when the Dawgs scored 24 points – three touchdowns and a field goal – thanks to Florida turnovers. Both teams had three turnovers, but Florida couldn’t capitalize off of the Dawg turnovers. Not when they needed too. Both teams had about the same number of first downs, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards. But they didn’t have the same number of points. Georgia dominated that stat. Attendance in Jacksonville: 76,141
Another loss to an Alabama team for Lane – Auburn 31, Ole Miss 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 24). Auburn jumped out to a 14-3 lead and never looked back, although the game did remain close throughout. Auburn running back Tank Bigsby rushed for 140 yards. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451
Sooners roll – Oklahoma 52, Texas Tech 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Texas Tech 25). Oklahoma racked up 541 total yards, but only 72 yards rushing. Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams was 23-of-30, passing for 402 yards and six touchdowns. Attendance in Norman: 82,732
Hoops? – BYU 66, Virginia 49 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 32, Virginia 30). At the end of the first quarter, BYU led 21-7. At halftime, Virginia led 42-38. The difference was the fourth quarter. BYU outscored Virginia 21-0. BYU quarterback Jaren Hall passed for 349 yards. Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong passed for 337 yards. The teams combined for 1,322 total yards. BYU had 734 of those yards. BYU running back Tyler Allgeier rushed for 266 yards. Attendance in Provo: 57,685
Don’t disturb the Badgers – Wisconsin 27, Iowa 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 17, Wisconsin 13). No offense by either team in this game. Wisconsin took advantage of three Iowa turnovers. The Hawkeyes only had 24 yards rushing. Iowa lost its second-straight game. Attendance in Madison: 74,209
Heels get spiked – Notre Dame 44, North Carolina 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 34). Early on there were two ties in the game. North Carolina took a 20-17 lead early in the third quarter. Less than a minute later, Notre Dame went back up 24-20, and the Irish never trailed for the rest of the game. The teams combined for 1,089 total yards. North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell passed for 341 yards. Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams rushed for 199 yards. Attendance in South Bend: 70,018
In the six games I recommended you keep a very close eye on: Coastal Carolina survived Troy, 35-28…. Baylor stepped on Texas, 31-24…. Washington State surprised Arizona State. 34-21…. Mississippi State flattened Kentucky, 31-17…. NC State spanked Louisville, 28-13…. And Utah pounced on UCLA, 44-24.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Misty taste – West Virginia 38, Iowa State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 27, West Virginia 24). West Virginia and Iowa State played even-steven for two and a half quarters. The game was tied four times – 7-7, 14-14, 17-17 and 24-24. Then the Cyclones went up 31-24 midway through the third quarter. WVU came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points. WVU had 28 first downs to 16 for Iowa State. The Mountaineers also controlled time of possession for 34:18. Iowa State running back Breece Hall rushed for 167 yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 45,613
Is Scott Frost trying to lose his job? – Purdue 28, Nebraska 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 31, Purdue 19). The game went back and forth until late in the third quarter. Nebraska led and Purdue tied (7-7). Nebraska led and Purdue tied (14-14). Nebraska led and surprise – Purdue led (21-17). And Purdue never trailed for the rest of the game. Purdue held onto the ball for 38:38. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez threw four interceptions. Attendance in Lincoln: 85,902
Still undefeated – Wake Forest 45, Duke 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 33, Duke 19). Just as Wake Forest had no mercy for Army, the Deacons had no mercy for Duke. It was even worse for Duke. They couldn’t score. Wake had 677 total yards – 266 rushing, and 411 passing. Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman was 24-of-37, passing for 402 yards and three touchdowns. Wake led 45-0 before Duke scored. The Deacons improved to 8-0. Attendance in Winston-Salem: 31,613
Week 9 Results: 6 winners, 7 fumbles (46.2 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
East Carolina 29, South Florida 14 – Attendance in Greenville: 32,015
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – 35-50-1 for 446 yards (3TDs); Miami of Florida’s Tyler Van Dyke – 32-42-1-428 (3TDs); Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 26-40-0-419 (2TDs); Nevada’s Carson Strong – 37-49-1-417 (4TDs); Houston’s Clayton Tune – 27-37-0-412 (4TDs); Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman – 24-37-0-402 (3TDs); Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams – 23-30-0-402 (6TDs), and Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe – 33-46-2-393 (4TDs).
Also, Michigan’s Cade McNamara – 28-44-1 for 383 yards (2TDs); West Virginia’s Jarret Doege – 30-46-2-370 (3TDs); Utah State’s Logan Bonner – 21-30-0-361 (4TDs); Penn State’s Sean Clifford – 35-52-1-361 (1TD); BYU’s Jaren Hall – 22-37-0-349 (3TDs); Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 36-39-0-344 yards (1TD); North Carolina’s Sam Howell – 24-31-1-341 (1TD), and Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong – 22-34-2-337 (4TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
BYU’s Tyler Allgeier – 266 yards (5TDs); Missouri’s Tyler Badie – 254 yards (2TDs); USC’s Keaontay Ingram – 204 yards (1TD); Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams – 199 yards (1TD); Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker – 197 yards (5TDs); Fresno State’s Jordan Mims – 186 yards (2TDs); Wyoming’s Xazavian Valladay – 172 yards; Bowling Green’s Terion Stewart – 170 yards (2TDs), and Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 167 yards (1TD).
Also, Buffalo’s Dylan McDuffie – 166 yards (2TDs); Utah’s Tavion Thomas – 160 yards (4TDs); Troy’s Kimani Vidal – 154 yards (1TD); Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson – 152 yards (1TD); Vanderbilt’s Mike Wright – 152 yards; Massachusetts’ Ellis Merriweather – 149 yards; Auburn’s Tank Bigsby – 140 yards (1TD), and Indiana’s Stephen Carr – 136 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“We don’t tackle very well,” former Florida football coach Steve Spurrier, on the Gators.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (6-2) at Texas A&M (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Texas A&M enters the game coming off a bye week. The Aggies will be rested. A&M is home too. That spells doom for Auburn. Although the Tigers looked good against Ole Miss last week. But Ole Miss was beat up. The Aggies aren’t. The Aggies will do the beating up – Texas A&M 30, Auburn 23.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Liberty (7-2) at Ole Miss (6-2) – (Ind. vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – The return of the native. Former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze returns to his old stomping grounds. There has been a lot of that this season – Lane Kiffin back to Tennessee and Bronco Mendenhall back to BYU. Hugh Freezes – Ole Miss 44, Liberty 30.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Michigan State (8-0) at Purdue (5-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Purdue is a dangerous team. The Boilers could knock off Michigan State. The Spartans are coming off their big win over Michigan. They may still be celebrating. They can’t take Purdue for granted. But the Boilers have to stop Kenneth Walker. That’s not an easy task. Sparty turns the Boilers into bubbles – Michigan State 30, Purdue 17.
4. Wake Forest (8-0) at North Carolina (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Wake Forest will get tested this week. The Deacons need to outscore the Tar Heels to win. Hartman outduels Howell – Wake Forest 33, North Carolina 30.
5. Oregon (7-1) at Washington (4-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – The Ducks are still a contender for the playoffs. But they can’t afford to lose another game. Washington can be tricky. And the two teams are rivals. Ducks treat the Huskies like an animal quacker – Oregon 27, Washington 16.
6. LSU (4-4) at Alabama (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – On paper this game is no contest and it, most likely, will end of that way – no contest. But, and it’s a pretty strong but, this may be Ed Orgeron’s last chance to beat Nick Saban. We know it will be his last chance coaching LSU against Saban. Not only will Orgeron be fired up, but also his players will be fired up. They will be fired up big time. That emotion could cause Alabama some problems. Either LSU will hang tough against Alabama and it could be a close game. Or the Tigers will over extend themselves early and fall apart against the Tide. Saban and Alabama can get fired up too – Alabama 38, LSU 27.
7. SMU (7-1) at Memphis (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – The home field and an off week could play to Memphis’ advantage. Plus SMU will be in a funk, following the tough loss to Houston. The Mustangs need to bounce back or a good season will go sour. Memphis is cagey. SMU 38, Memphis 34.
8. Army (4-3) at Air Force (6-2) – (Ind. vs. MWC) – 11:30 am ET, Saturday, CBS – If Air Force wins, the Falcons take the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. They already have a win over Navy this season. Bombs away – Air Force 29, Army 16.
9. Boise State (4-4) at Fresno State (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Fresno State got by San Diego State last week. They better have saved something for Boise State. The Broncos are playing like a wounded animal – dangerous. Fresno State 25, Boise State 22.
10. UTSA (8-0) at UTEP (6-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 10:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – With a week off to rest, UTSA should have no trouble in this contest. But it is one of those intra-Texas rivalries. The Roadrunners want to keep their perfect record alive. They are having a great season. UTEP is not having a bad season either. But the Miners can’t go Beep-Beep – UTSA 32, UTEP 23.
I suggest you keep a very close eye on these four games this week:
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Oklahoma State (7-1) at West Virginia (4-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams are coming off wins. Okie State just crushed Kansas. But doesn’t everybody. WVU fought hard and got by Iowa State. The Mountaineers haven’t defeated Okie State in a while – a long while. It’s time to turn that around. These Cowboys don’t drink sarsaparilla – Oklahoma State 26, West Virginia 21.
Florida (4-4) at South Carolina (4-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Coming off a bye, South Carolina had an extra week to prepare for Florida. The Gators will be hurting after the loss to Georgia. This game could go either way. First-year Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer hasn’t had a signature win this season. A win over Florida would be one. But it won’t happen – Florida 24, South Carolina 20.
Ohio State (7-1) at Nebraska (3-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – I’m trying to find a bright spot for the Huskers against the Buckeyes and I can’t find one. It could be a long day in Lincoln. Ohio State has been firing on all cylinders. Brutus loves Corn on the cobb – Ohio State 35, Nebraska 14.
Pitt (6-2) at Duke (3-5) – ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ACCN – Pitt needs to get back on track this week. Duke provides the perfect opportunity. The Panthers may not show any mercy. It’s the Pitts for the Dookies – Pitt 31, Duke 19.
Missouri (4-4) at Georgia (8-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Poor Missouri. The Tigers don’t know what they are in for. It won’t be pretty. That’s for sure. Georgia’s defense can relax in this one. Mizzou has no muscle. Uga gets ferocious – Georgia 36, Missouri 6.
Texas (4-4) at Iowa State (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – It’s been a tough season for Texas. Bevo’s not a happy camper. The Horns can’t hold onto a lead. Iowa State needs the win to salvage a good season. Cy buzzes Bevo – Iowa State 37, Texas 27.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Alcorn State (5-3) at Bethune-Cookman (0-8) – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Dayton (4-4) at Stetson (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
NC State (6-2) at Florida State (3-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….
Florida A&M (6-2) at Southern (4-4) – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Old Dominion (2-6) at FIU (1-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Touchdown Tom
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