College Football
Week 3 – Nebraska coach Scott Frost fired
Do you know the
Sun Belt?
And throw in Georgia Southern too. You should know that conference and those schools. But if you don’t, just ask Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Nebraska about them. They’ll tell you. Maybe not happily, but they’ll tell you.
And how about that Alabama-Texas game? Yes, what a weekend!
But first things first. Back to the Sun Belt and Marshall, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 14 football playing members. Members ranging from James Madison and Ole Dominion in Virginia all the way out to Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, where George Strait went to school. The Sun Belt is a Group of Five conference. It’s common for Power Five schools to schedule Sun Belt teams as so called cupcake games.
Many of the 14 teams have proven to be just that – cupcakes. But there is nothing cupcake about some Sun Belt teams. They can’t be taken lightly. Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Nebraska found out over the weekend.
In South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame hosted Marshall. The Irish were 20.5-point favorites over the Herd. The previous week, Notre Dame played a close game against Ohio State, before losing, 21-10. The Irish led Ohio State, 10-7, until late in the third quarter. The loss didn’t drop Notre Dame very far in the AP Poll – just 5th to 8th.
So the 8th-ranked Irish took on Marshall. It was supposed to be a breather for Notre Dame. Well, the Herd didn’t give Notre Dame much of a chance to breathe. Early in the second quarter, Marshall took a 6-0 lead over the Irish. The Herd led 9-7 at halftime. Late in the third quarter, Marshall increased its lead to 12-9.
Early in the 4th quarter, Notre Dame took its first lead in the game – 15-9. But the Irish couldn’t shake the Herd. Marshall wouldn’t go away and kept hanging on. Nine and a half minutes later Marshall retook the lead over Notre Dame – 19-15. And just 41 seconds after that, Marshall added to its lead – 26-15, with 4:35 to go in the game. The Irish were doomed.
Notre Dame did manage to score with 14 seconds left in the game, but all that did was make the final score look respectable. Marshall upset Notre Dame, 26-21. Chalk one up for the Sun Belt Conference.
In College Station, Texas, the Sun Belt’s Appalachian State met 6th-ranked Texas A&M. The Aggies were 17-point favorites. But App State wasn’t letting any of that bother them. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Mountaineers scored first and went up 7-0 over the Aggies. But A&M came back to even the score at 7-7. And that’s where it stood at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, App State scored again and went up 14-7. That lead didn’t last long. The Aggies returned the kickoff for a touchdown and just like that the score was 14-14. Midway through the fourth quarter, App State’s Michael Hughes kicked a 29-yard field goal. The Mountaineers went up by three points. Texas A&M never countered. App State won the game, 17-14.
App State’s win was no fluke. The Mountaineers had 315 total yards to only 186 for the Aggies. App State outrushed and outpassed A&M, holding the Aggies to only 9 first downs. The Mountaineers maintained time of possession for 41:29. Chalk up two for the Sun Belt.
Ready for more? The Sun Belt Conference wasn’t finished. In the nightcap, Nebraska hosted Georgia Southern. In spite of Nebraska’s recent problems, the Huskers were 23.5-point favorites over the Golden Eagles.
Unlike the other two games, this one was a high-scoring affair. Georgia Southern and Nebraska were tied 28-28 at the half. In the third quarter, the teams exchanged touchdowns – 35-35 after three. The fourth quarter was a doozy. First Georgia Southern kicked a 19-yard field goal and went up 38-35, with 14:42 on the clock. Following an 11 minute and 37 second stalemate, Nebraska scored. The Huskers were up 42-38, with 3:05 to go.
It was looking good for Nebraska. That is until 0:36 left on the clock when Georgia Southern scored on an 8-yard run by quarterback Kyle Vantrease. And what do you know – Georgia Southern 45-Nebraska 42. The Huskers did manage one more chance – a 52-yard field goal attempt that came up short. Chalk up three for the Sun Belt.
Vantrease, by the way, passed for 406 yards. The Golden Eagles racked up 642 total yards on the Huskers.
And that’s the story of three Sun Belt Conference teams, all heavy underdogs, who pulled off the biggest upsets Saturday. The Sun Belt is making itself heard this season. Old Dominion knocked off Virginia Tech last week. App State took North Carolina to the wire last week, before losing to the Tar Heels, 63-61. Saturday, North Carolina struggled to beat Georgia State, 35-28.
Something tells me that Power Five teams are going to think twice about scheduling Sun Belt teams in the future. James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana are three more dangerous Sun Belt teams. Troy has given Power Five teams headaches in the past. The Sun Belt is the giant killer conference.
Then there was the Alabama-Texas game in Austin. No. 1 Alabama going up against unranked Texas. The Crimson Tide were 18.5-point favorites. That meant nothing to the Longhorns. The teams fought hard and evenly in the first half – tied 10-10 at the break. After three, Texas was up 13-10. Early in the fourth, the Horns added another field goal – Texas 16, Alabama 10.
Midway through the fourth, Alabama scored a touchdown. The Tide were up 17-16. The score remained 17-16 for seven minutes. But with just 1:29 on the clock, Texas kicker Bert Auburn kicked a 49-yard field goal. That put the Horns up, 19-17. Had Texas held on and won, the headlines could have read, “Auburn beats Alabama.”
But Texas couldn’t hold on. The Horns almost did and blew a chance to keep Alabama from scoring. With Alabama quarterback Bryce Young looking to pass, he was backed up and in trouble. It looked like a Texas defender was going to sack him. That would have killed Bama’s chances. As the defender approached, Young made a slight shift to the side and the defender fell off. Young went on to run for a first down. It kept the Bama drive alive. With just 0:10 left in the game, the Tide’s Will Reichard kicked a 33-yard field goal. Alabama beat Texas, 20-19.
That evasive move and run by Bryce Young could go down as a Heisman winning moment for the Tide quarterback. Not that he needs another one.
Texas played most of the game with backup quarterback Hudson Card. First-team quarterback Quinn Ewers injured his shoulder in the game and will be out four to six weeks.
Week 2 of college football began Friday night in the Bounce House in Orlando. Unfortunately, for UCF fans, they didn’t have much to bounce about. Louisville did the bouncing, as the Cardinals bounced back from their loss to Syracuse last week. Louisville beat UCF, 20-14. Gus Malzahn doesn’t have an offensive line. Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee went from a hero last week to a disappointment this week. Neither quarterback had a good night passing, but Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham rushed for 121 yards.
In the only other game on Friday, Boise State shutdown New Mexico, 31-14. The Lobos only had 123 yards on offense – just 25 yards rushing.
In other action Saturday, Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman returned from a medical leave. Hartman was 18-27-0, passing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, as the Demon Deacons handed Vanderbilt its first loss, 45-25.
Air Force continues to be the best of the service academies. The Falcons improved to 2-0, beating in-state foe Colorado, 41-10. Army and Navy both dropped to 0-2. Army lost in overtime to UTSA, 41-38 (OT), and Navy was hammered by Memphis, 37-13.
And speaking of overtimes, Houston must be getting tired of them. Last week the Cougars beat UTSA, 37-35 (3OT). Saturday, Houston lost to Texas Tech, 33-30 (2OT). And in one last overtime, Tennessee knocked off Pitt, 34-27 (OT).
Last week, Iowa scored 7 points and won. Saturday, the Hawkeyes scored 7 points and lost. Iowa State got by Iowa, 10-7. Last week, the Hawkeyes had 166 total yards – 57 passing and 109 rushing. Against the Cyclones on Saturday, Iowa had 150 total yards – 92 passing and 58 rushing.
Washington State came into Madison and stunned Wisconsin, 17-14. Virginia Tech bounced back from its loss to Old Dominion. The Hokies beat Boston College, 27-10. Utah and Oregon took out last week’s frustrations on Saturday’s opponents. Utah, losers to Florida in Week 1, bounced back in a big way to down Southern Utah 73-3. Oregon, big losers to Georgia last week, throttled Eastern Washington, 70-14.
In the late shows Saturday night, Oregon State improved to 2-0, beating Fresno State, 35-32. Mississippi State, also improved to 2-0, crushing Arizona, 39-17.
After Week 2, the first firing of the season has been announced. And it didn’t come as a surprise. Yesterday, Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts terminated Scott Frost from his duties as football coach of the Huskers. Frost ends his coaching career at Nebraska with a 16-31 record. Frost will receive a $15 million buyout. Had Alberts waited until October 1 to fire Frost, the buyout would have been $7.5 million. But Alberts felt it was more important to remove Frost now as opposed to later. It is certainly to Frost’s benefit to be fired now. Nebraska’s associate head coach and receivers coach Mickey Joseph will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Two other coaches up a creek without a paddle are West Virginia’s Neal Brown (0-2) and Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo (0-2). Niumatalolo may be in the deepest trouble, as I don’t think West Virginia can afford to pay for Brown’s buy out. And speaking of coaches, it’s looking like Notre Dame made a mistake hiring Marcus Freeman. Johnson’s hiring was a knee jerk reaction, after Brian Kelly left for LSU. Notre Dame never conducted any kind of a search. The Irish are now 0-3 under Johnson.
Before the Alabama-Texas game Swamp Mama shared a text with me. It was a text she got from Bootsie. Bootsie texted, “Nick Saban’s hair looks like he dyed it orange for the game.”
I said, “Yeah, burnt orange.”
The Ivy League teams begin their season this week. The Ivy League has been playing football longer than most everyone else in the country. On November 6, 1869, Princeton vs. Rutgers was the first collegiate football game played. Rutgers won 6-4.
I’ve listed the opponent for each Ivy League team this weekend and the year the Ivy League school first played football. Princeton (1869) at Stetson, Columbia (1870) at Marist, Yale (1872) at Holy Cross, Merrimack at Harvard (1873), Colgate at Penn (1876), Bryant at Brown (1878), Valparaiso at Dartmouth (1881) and Cornell (1887) at VMI.
Up until the late 1940s/early 1950s, the Ivy League competed with the heavyweight teams around the country. Ivy League schools, Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale in particular, frequently appeared in the AP and UPI Polls through the 1950s, 1960s, up until 1970. The last appearance by an Ivy League school in the AP and UPI Top 25 was Dartmouth in 1970. The Big Green were 14th in the final AP Poll and 13th in the final UPI Poll that year. Three Ivy League players have won the Heisman Trophy, the latest being Princeton’s Dick Kazmaier in 1951.
Former Kentucky and Baylor football coach Guy Morris died last week. Morris coached Kentucky in 2001 and 2002, then coached Baylor for the next five years – 2003-2007. Morris played college football for TCU. He played 15 years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. Morris was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, which his doctors said was most likely caused by his football career. A native of Colorado City, Texas, Guy Morris was 71.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week reminded me of the time she attended a college football game, during a visit to this country. Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, attended the North Carolina-Maryland football game in College Park, Maryland, on October 19, 1957. Maryland won the game, 21-7. The combined bands of UNC and Maryland played both the National Anthem and God Save the Queen. The bands also formed to spell out USA-BRIT on the field. The Queen and Prince Philip were in the United State for the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. At the game, the governor of Maryland and the president of the University of Maryland and his wife sat with the Queen. A sellout crowd of 43,000 attended the contest. That evening, after the game, President Eisenhower and his wife hosted the Queen and Prince Philip for dinner at the White House.
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Deep in the heart – Alabama 20, Texas 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Texas 17). Texas came to play. No doubt about that. I think Alabama was a little surprised. Not that Nick Saban would ever admit it. Alabama outrushed Texas. Texas outpassed Alabama. The teams were equal in total yards. Neither team had a turnover. Bryce Young was 27-39-0, passing for 213 yards and one touchdown. Alabama is 2-0. Attendance in Austin: 105,213
RUNNER-UP: Soon to be conference opponents – BYU 26, Baylor 20 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 30, BYU 20). Baylor scored to tie the score at 20-20 with 10:01 to go in the fourth quarter. Neither team scored again until BYU did in the overtime. BYU won the game with only 83 yards rushing. Neither team had a turnover. BYU remains undefeated – 2-0. Attendance in Provo: 63,470
REST OF THE BEST: Revenge – Tennessee 34, Pitt 27 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 33, Pitt 24). Both teams had 416 total yards. Pitt was the better rushing team. Tennessee was the better passing team. Both teams had two turnovers. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was 27-42-0, passing for 325 yards and two touchdowns. Pitt running back Israel Ibanikanda rushed for 154 yards. Tennessee is now 2-0. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 59,785
The Swamp was drained – Kentucky 26, Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Kentucky 21). Talk about a complete reversal in play: Florida went from looking so good last week against Utah to looking so bad Saturday against Kentucky. Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson was amazingly good last week. He was amazingly bad against Kentucky. Richardson threw two interceptions. He only completed 40% of his passes, going 14-for-35. Gators coach Billy Napier looked completely prepared for the Utah game. He looked totally unprepared for Kentucky. With 4:16 to go in the second quarter, Florida scored 2 points on a safety. The Gators led at that point 16-7. But Florida never scored again for the rest of the game. Kentucky scored 19 unanswered points. The Wildcats improved to 2-0. Attendance in Gainesville: 89,993
Pork never looked so good – Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 34, South Carolina 23). Arkansas scored first and never trailed in the game. The Razorbacks limited South Carolina to a mere 40 yards rushing. Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson completed 87% of his passes. Running back Raheim Sanders rushed for 156 yards. The Gamecocks Spencer Rattler passed for 376 yards. Arkansas improved to 2-0. Attendance in Fayetteville: 72,437
Something about 7 – Iowa State 10, Iowa 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 20, Iowa 17). Iowa scored first (first quarter). Iowa State scored last (fourth quarter). In between, Iowa State had a field goal (second quarter). Iowa State had 313 total yards to 150 total yards for Iowa. The Cyclones improved to 2-0. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,255
Giddy up – Oklahoma State 34, Arizona State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 31, Arizona State 23). Oklahoma State had 30 first downs to 14 for Arizona State. Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders passed for 268 yards. Briefly in the early part of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys only led by three points – 20-17. OSU moves to 2-0. Attendance in Stillwater: 54,949
No Mo – Kansas State 40 Missouri 12 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, Missouri 16). Kansas State’s defense held Missouri to 94 yards rushing and 128 yards passing. K-State’s Deuce Vaughn rushed for 145 yards. Missouri threw four interceptions in the game. K-State is 2-0. Attendance in Manhattan: 51,806
Riley on the Farm – USC 41, Stanford 28 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 30, Stanford 18). At the end of three quarters, USC led 41-14. Stanford scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Trojans racked up 505 yards on offense. USC quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 341 yards. The Trojans improve to 2-0. Attendance in Palo Alto: 43,813
Beavers persistent – Oregon State 35, Fresno State 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 27, Fresno State 21). This game was a nail biter throughout. Oregon State took a 7-0 lead with 5:39 to go in the first quarter. The Beavers never trailed until Fresno State went up 16-14 with 10:21 to go in the third quarter. Midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs increased their lead to 23-14. Oregon State closed the gap to 2 points, late in the third quarter – 23-21. Early in the fourth quarter, Fresno State added a field goal and led 26-21. Three touchdowns were scored in the final 1:50 of the game. First, Oregon State scored and led 29-26. Forty-five seconds later, Fresno State scored and led 32-29. As time expired, Oregon State scored on a two-yard touchdown run and won the game, 35-32. Neither team had a turnover. Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 360 yards. Oregon State is 2-0. Attendance in Fresno: 41,031
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Brown out – Kansas 55, West Virginia 42 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, Kansas 23). Last week I said that West Virginia coach Neal Brown should have been fired the day after the Pitt game. I still believe, more than ever, that Brown should be fired. But I don’t think WVU can afford to fire him. WVU jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and led 28-21 at halftime. Trailing 42-34, WVU scored a touchdown with 0:35 left on the clock and held on to put the game into overtime. The Mountaineers had 501 yards of offense and still lost the game. WVU quarterback J.T. Daniels was 28-40-1, passing for 355 yards. He threw his only interception in the overtime, which was returned for a pick-six by Kansas. West Virginia is 0-2 for the first time since 1979. Kansas is 2-0. Attendance in Morgantown: 52,188
Uh oh – Georgia Southern 45, Nebraska 42 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 40, Georgia Southern 20). A lot of offense. The teams combined for 1,217 total yards, and 67 first downs. Nebraska running back Anthony Grant rushed for 138 yards. Less than 18 hours after the game, Nebraska coach Scott Frost was fired. Georgia Southern is 2-0.Attendance in Lincoln: 86,862
Big Ten doesn’t scare us – Duke 31, Northwestern 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 26, Duke 25). Duke won its second game, improving to 2-0. The game began as a rout for Duke. The Devils led 21-0 early in the second quarter. Northwestern closed the gap to 21-16 late in the third quarter, and 28-23 midway through the fourth quarter. The Dookies added a field goal late in the fourth quarter. Northwestern had 511 yards of offense and lost the game. Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski passed for 435 yards. Attendance in Evanston: 24,622
Ho hum – Georgia 33, Samford 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 52, Samford 10). Georgia built up a 30-0 halftime lead and called off the horses in the second half. Samford only had 3 first downs in the game, and only 128 total yards – 19 rushing and 119 passing. The Dawgs maintained time of possession for 40:03. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for 300 yards. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Week 2 Results: 10 winners, 4 fumbles (71.4 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Louisville 20, UCF 14 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,412
Stetson 45,
Louisiana Christian 14 – Attendance in Deland: 782
West Florida 49,
Southwest Baptist 10
– Attendance in Bolivar: 2,040
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best Passers:
Northwestern’s Ryan Hilinski – 36-60-1 for 435 yards (2TDs); Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 24-34-0-415 (2TDs); Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 27-31-1-391 (4TDs); TCU’s Max Duggan – 23-29-0-390 (5TDs); Fresno State’s Jake Haener – 30-46-360 (1TD), and UTSA’s Frank Harris – 32-45-0-359 (3TDs).
Also, West Virginia’s J.T. Daniels – 28-40-1 for 359 yards (3TDs); South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler – 24-39-1-357 (2TD)s; South Alabama’s Carter Bradley – 26-42-1-354 (3TDs); Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – 16-24-0-351 (4TDs), and USC’s Caleb Williams – 20-27-0-341 (4TDs).
Weekend’s Best Rushers:
Louisiana Tech’s Marquis Crosby – 196 yards (2TDs); Texas State’s Calvin Hill – 195 yards (1TD); Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton – 179 yards (2TDs), and UAB’s Dewayne McBride – 177 yards (1TD).
Also, Air Force’s Brad Roberts – 174 yards (3TDs); Marshall’s Khalan Laborn – 163 yards (1TD); East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell – 160 yards (2TDs); Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders – 156 yards, and Indiana’s Shaun Shivers – 155 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“The Florida State fans were acting like they won the Super Bowl after the LSU game,” Full Ride’s Chris Chowder.
“That one hurt. We win as a team and we lose as a team. They got after us,” Nebraska coach Scott Frost, after the loss to Georgia Southern.
“Earlier today, I met with Coach Frost and informed him we were making a change in the leadership of our football program, effective immediately. After the disappointing start to our season, I decided the best path forward for our program was to make a change in our head coaching position,” Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Texas Tech (2-0) at NC State (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Interesting game for Game of the Week, but these two teams are the hottest teams playing each other this week. Both can score; both have holes on defense. The Red Raiders have a strong passing game, averaging 412 yards a game. Red Raiders pull an air raid – Texas Tech 30, NC State 28.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Penn State (2-0) at Auburn (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – After losing last year in Happy Valley, this is Auburn’s year to win. And they could. Purdue tested Penn State in Week 1. Auburn hasn’t been tested. The Lions ace the exam – Penn State 30, Auburn 23.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Michigan State (2-0) at Washington (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Last week, Washington State knocked off Wisconsin in Madison. So you would think that the other Washington – Udub – could beat Michigan State in Seattle. Neither team has been tested. The Huskies are better than you think they are. No party for Sparty – Washington 26, Michigan State 24.
4. SMU (2-0) at Maryland (2-0) – (AAC vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – This should be an interesting contest. Both teams can score. Neither has a strong defense. It should be a good quarterback battle between SMU’s Tanner Mordecai and Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa. Overall, the Terps are stronger. Snap – Maryland 33, SMU 28.
5. Georgia (2-0) at South Carolina (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – South Carolina gave Arkansas a pretty good battle. The Gamecocks will have more emotion in this contest. They will also be at home. But they can’t keep Uga in the Dawghouse. The Dawgs are looking Smart – Georgia 35, South Carolina 20.
6. Miami (Florida) (2-0) at Texas A&M (1-1) – (ACC vs. SEC) – 9 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – You just know the Aggies are mad. But can they translate that anger into victory? Technically, Miami is a better team than App State. Jimbo has to be sweating. The Aggies come out of their funk – Texas A&M 21, Miami 20.
7. BYU (2-0) at Oregon (1-1) – (Ind. vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – BYU looked awfully good, beating Baylor last week, especially the Cougars defense. But the Cougars will be sky high after the win over Baylor. Oregon takes advantage. The Cougars can’t get the Ducks in a row – Oregon 27, BYU 22.
8. Florida State (2-0) at Louisville (1-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – After beating LSU, the Noles got a week of rest. Meanwhile, Louisville bounced back from its loss to Syracuse. But the Cardinals don’t have any bounce left in them. Scalps – Florida State 27, Louisville 20.
9. Mississippi State (2-0) at LSU (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Tough game to call. LSU almost always wins it. But Mike Leach just may have something at Miss State this year. The Tigers get Bullied – Mississippi State 30, LSU 27.
10. Liberty (2-0) at Wake Forest (2-0) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Interesting game. This has been the year of Group of Five teams upsetting Power Five teams. Liberty will be out to make it another upset. But the Deacons won’t have any of that nonsense. The Deacs put out the Flame – Wake Forest 33, Liberty 23.
Nine other games to keep your eyes on during Week 3 are: Western Kentucky (2-0) at Indiana (2-0) – (C-USA vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN….South Alabama (2-0) at UCLA (2-0) – (Sun Belt vs. Pac-12) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N….Tulane (2-0) at Kansas State (2-0) – (AAC vs. Big 12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+, and….Ole Miss (2-0) at Georgia Tech (1-1) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC.
Also, Missouri State (2-0) at Arkansas (2-0) – (MVC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….Toledo (2-0) at Ohio State (2-0) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, FOX….Air Force (2-0) at Wyoming (2-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….Montana State (2-0) at Oregon State (2-0) – (Big Sky vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N, and ….North Dakota State (2-0) at Arizona (1-1) – (MVC vs. Pac-12) – 11 pm ET, Saturday, FS1.
YE OLDE STOMOPING
GROUNDS:
Towson (2-0) at West Virginia (0-2) – (Colonial vs. Big 12) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+ – I have to say this week the Mountaineers have no worries. Should Neal Brown lose this game, he will be fired, regardless of the buyout. All three of the quarterbacks should see action in this contest. A rare win for the Eers – West Virginia 56, Towson 7.
South Florida (1-1) at Florida (1-1) – (AAC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – The Gators need to get their act together. They had no act last week and it definitely wasn’t together. This is a good prep game for Tennessee next week. Albert is all Gator and no Bull – Florida 40, South Florida 20.
Oklahoma (2-0) at Nebraska (1-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – Last year this was a close contest. It was one of those many single-score losses for Scott Frost. The Huskers almost pulled it out. The coaching change in Lincoln will either fire up the Huskers or put them in a funk. There’s no firewood in Lincoln – Oklahoma 35, Nebraska 18.
North Carolina A&T (0-2) at Duke (2-0) – (Big South vs. ACC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+ – The Dookies have another one of those practice games. This is almost a game, but not quite a game. Mike Elko can experiment before the conference games set in. Bull Durham – Duke 41, North Carolina A&T 12.
UTSA (1-1) at Texas (1-1) – (C-USA vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, LHN – Interesting game. Can UTSA hang with the Horns? A few turnovers could make a difference. The Roadrunners can score but they have no defense. As we saw last week, Texas can play both. Bevo makes Beep Beep go Toot Toot – Texas 40, UTSA 25.
Purdue (1-1) at Syracuse (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – I was so tempted to pick Purdue. You just never know. But the game is in the Dome, even if it is Wireless. The Boilers can’t connect – Syracuse 26, Purdue 23.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Princeton (0-0) at Stetson (2-0) – (Ivy League at Pioneer) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was underway, the number one song in the country…
…80 years ago, this week in 1942, was “(I’ve Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
…75 years ago, this week in 1947, was “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” by Tex Williams, and “Peg O’ My Heart” by The Three Suns
…70 years ago, this week in 1952, was “You Belong To Me” by Jo Stafford
…65 years ago, this week in 1957, was “Diana” by Paul Anka, and “Tammy” by Debbie Reynolds
…60 years ago, this week in 1962, was “Sheila” by Tommy Roe, and “Sherry” by The Four Seasons
…55 years ago, this week in 1967, was “Ode To Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry
…50 years ago, this week in 1972, was “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan, and “Black And White” by Three Dog Night
…45 years ago, this week in 1977, was “Best Of My Love” by The Emotions, and “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb
…40 years ago, this week in 1982, was “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” by Chicago
…35 years ago, this week in 1987, was “La Bamba” by Los Lobos
…30 years ago, this week in 1992, was “End Of The Road” by Boyz II Men
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