College Football
Week 17 – Nix to return, Duggan to leave
Bowl mania
underway, and
The Holidays are here. And with the Holidays come the bowl games – some good, some not so good, some just plain bad. Bowl games are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you are going to get.
They say it’s better in the Bahamas. It was certainly better for UAB. The 41-game bowl season kicked off Friday with the Bahamas Bowl in Nassau. UAB scored early and scored late to beat Miami (Ohio), 24-20. The Blazers scored 10 points in the first quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, time ran out for the Red Hawks. The game ended with Miami on the UAB three.
UTSA scored the first 12 points in the Cure Bowl. But Troy scored the last 18 points. Trailing 12-0, the Trojans rallied to beat the Roadrunners, 18-12, in Orlando. In a losing effort, UTSA’s Kevorian Barnes rushed for 132 yards – averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
On Saturday, there was a bowl game in Boston’s Fenway Park, and nobody came. Not even the cheerleaders. The football teams did show up – well, Louisville’s did. The Cardinals beat Cincinnati, 24-7, in the Fenway Bowl. Both teams were playing under interim coaches. Fenway Park was so void of fans official attendance for the game was never released.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and that’s fine as far as Florida is concerned. Believe me, the Gators don’t want anybody to know what they did in Vegas. Actually, they didn’t do anything. Oregon State downed Florida in the Las Vega Bowl, 30-3. The Gators got their 3 points on a 40-yard field goal with 0:37 left in the game. Immediately after the game, Florida fans took to social media to trash Gator coach Billy Napier.
Early in the game, Sally Adkins texted, “How does Florida rate getting Herbie and McAfee?”
(Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee were calling the game.)
I responded, “Florida shouldn’t rate getting anything.”
As the Florida-Oregon State game was coming to an end, Rockledge Gator texted, “Well, Laura looks good anyway.”
I responded, “She was the best part of the game.”
Laura Rutledge was the sideline reporter at the Las Vegas Bowl.
After the game, Florida coach Billy Napier said, “We were not as ready to play as we needed to be.”
Now if that is not an understatement, I don’t know what is.
Florida finished the season with a flop. The Gators were 0-3 in their last three games and 2-5 in their last seven games. Teams are supposed to show improvement throughout the season. Florida simply got worse. In their first seasons at Florida, Ray Graves (1960) was 9-2, Doug Dickey (1970) was 7-4, Galen Hall (1984-85) was (8-0) 9-1-1, Steve Spurrier (1990) was 9-2, Ron Zook (2002) was 8-5, Urban Meyer (2005) was 9-3, Will Muschamp (2011) was 7-6, Jim McElwain (2015) was 10-4, Dan Mullen (2018) was 10-3 and Billy Napier (2022) was 6-7. The last Florida coach to have a losing record in his first season was Charlie Pell in 1979 (0-10-1). Napier has his work cut out for him in the offseason. He will enter the 2023 season on the hot seat.
While one Pac-12 team (Oregon State) played well, the other Pac-12 team (Washington State) played poorly. In fact, Washington State hardly played at all. Fresno State plastered the Cougars, 29-6, in the L.A. Bowl. Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener was 24-36-0, passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
Southern Miss wasn’t in the mood for lending in the Lending Tree Bowl. The Eagles kept it all for themselves, beating Rice, 38-24. Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. had an incredible game. Gore rushed for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 15.7 yards a carry. If that wasn’t enough, Gore was also 2-for -3, passing for a third touchdown. He took the snap, crackle and pop out of the Krispies.
The two most exciting games on Saturday were the last two games of the day.
First, SMU was stopped on a 2-point conversion attempt at the end of the New Mexico Bowl. BYU downed the Mustangs, 24-23. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime. BYU won the third quarter, 14-0. SMU won the fourth quarter, 13-0. The Mustangs scored their second fourth-quarter touchdown with 0:08 on the clock. SMU trailed BYU, 24-23. The Mustangs went for two. Tanner Mordecai was stopped on a quarterback run.
Second, in a game where the lead changed hands five times, Boise State held off North Texas in the final 8 minutes of the game to beat the Mean Green, 35-32, in the Frisco Bowl. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for 178 yards and one touchdown. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the Broncos quarterback Taylen Green rushed for 119 yards.
After the first week of bowl games – eight of them – the best conferences are the MWC (2-0) and the Sun Belt (2-0). The worst conferences are the AAC (0-2) and C-USA (1-3). Interesting, there were no strong passing performances in any of the first eight games. However, there were a number of good rushing performances.
This week, there are eight more bowls, from Monday through Saturday. The best of the bunch look like Baylor-Air Force on Thursday and Wake Forrest-Missouri on Saturday. Enjoy!
The Pirate….Sadly, college football lost Mississippi State coach Mike Leach last week. Leach’s passing was a shock to the college football nation. College football not only lost a coach, but also lost a personality that was rare among coaches. Mike Leach definitely made the game interesting.
Born in Susanville, California (I’ve been to the newspaper there and barhopped around that town), Leach grew up in Cody, Wyoming. He played football in high school, but never played the sport again after high school. Leach went to BYU, where he did play rugby. While at BYU, Leach closely followed the school’s football program and occasionally sat in on film sessions with the coaches and team. Those were the BYU days of Lavell Edwards (coach), Norm Chow (offensive coordinator) and quarterbacks Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon and Steve Young.
After graduating from BYU, Leach went to law school at Pepperdine University where he got his law degree. He then got a Masters in Sports Science at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama.
His first coaching job was at Cal Poly, as the offensive line coach. Then onto Iowa Wesleyan, as an offensive coordinator (1989-1991), where he first hooked up with Hal Mumme and had Dana Holgorsen as a player. Iowa Wesleyan was where Mumme and Leach conceived the “air raid” offense. From there, Leach followed Mumme to Valdosta State (1992-1996) and onto Kentucky (1997-1998). He was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Valdosta State, and the OC and quarterbacks coach at Kentucky. He coached Tim Couch at Kentucky. Leach left Kentucky and spent a year at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops (1999), as the OC and QB coach.
He became the head coach at Texas Tech and coached in Lubbock from (2000-2009). Leach was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2008. His tenure at Texas Tech ended in controversy. At the end of the 2009 season, he was first suspended and later fired for alleged inappropriate treatment of a player and refusal to apologize to the player.
Leach spent the next two years (2010-2011) in broadcasting and reporting of college football – first with CBS Sports and then with SiriusXM’s College Sports Nation.
In 2012 he became the head coach at Washington State for eight seasons (2012 to 2019). He was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year twice – in 2015 and 2018. Leach left Washington State for Mississippi State after the 2019 season.
He had just completed his third season in Starkville. Leach’s record as a head coach was 158-107. He was the AFCA national Coach of the Year in 2018. Funny, weird, unique, controversial, genius, humorous, revolutionary – all of that and more describes Mike Leach. He was one of a kind. College football will miss him.
Mike Leach’s legacy includes an amazing and impressive coaching tree – individuals who coached under and/or played for Leach and went on to become coaches. They include: Kliff Kingsbury, Dana Holgorsen, Neal Brown, Sonny Cumbie, Lincoln Riley, Seth Littrell, Sonny Dykes, Art Briles, Philip Montgomery, Dino Babers, Graham Harrell, Jake Spavital, Josh Heupel and Eric Morris, among others.
A memorial service for Mike Leach will be held in Starkville tomorrow. I can only imagine the college football royalty who will be there. It should be an impressive list of coaches. And speaking of impressive, look for Mississippi State fans to make a big showing at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on January 2. The Bulldogs game against Illinois could end up being a memorial tribute to Leach.
Last Wednesday, Mississippi State announced that defensive coordinator Zach Arnett would become the Bulldogs new coach, replacing the deceased Leach. Arnett has been Leach’s only DC at Mississippi State for the past three seasons.
We learned when Navy fired coach Ken Niumatalolo last week, they didn’t waste any time. Niumatalolo was fired in the locker room immediately after the Army-Navy game. Man, those admirals must have really been mad. That’s quicker than Lane Kiffin’s firing on the airport tarmac after USC’s loss at Arizona State.
Three schools hired their new coaches last week.
Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will be the next coach at Purdue. The Boilermakers hired Walters on Tuesday. Illinois’ defense was 1st in the nation in points allowed – 12 per game; 2nd in the national in total yards allowed – 266 per game; 6th in the nation in passing yards allowed – 165 per game and 9th in the nation in rushing yards allowed – 101 per game.
Meanwhile, North Texas found its new coach. He is Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris. Morris is a native of Texas and played football at Texas Tech. And Kent State has chosen Kenni Burns to be its new coach. Burns is the associate head coach at Minnesota under P.J. Fleck. Burns has been with Fleck for seven years since the Western Michigan days. Prior to Western Michigan, Burns was an assistant coach at North Dakota State, Wyoming and Southern Illinois. An Illinois native, Burns played college football at Indiana.
Motorcycle Bobby….He’s back! Actually, he never quite went away. He’s been the head coach of Missouri State the past three seasons. Now Bobby Petrino will be Barry Odom’s offensive coordinator at UNLV. Odom and UNLV made the announcement last week.
Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall has entered the transfer portal. Word is that Florida coach Billy Napier will be aggressively pursuing McCall. Napier may also be working on NC State quarterback Devin Leary, who is in the portal.
Yesterday, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, a Heisman finalist, announced he will not return to TCU next year. Duggan, instead, will enter the NFL draft following the playoff games. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who was in the Heisman race at one point during the season, announced he will return for the 2023 season.
Back on campus again….Former Purdue and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is temporarily, but officially, on the football staff at Purdue, helping to coach and prepare the Boilermakers for their January 2, Citrus Bowl matchup against LSU.
In his farewell game, before leaving for Colorado, Deion Sanders’ Jackson State lost to North Carolina Central, 41-34 (OT), in the Celebration Bowl. The Celebration Bowl annually matches the winners of the SWAC and the MEAC.
And in the other football, that we call soccer, hats off to Argentina – winners of the World Cup.
“Take a look at the five and ten
Hope Santa is good to you!
Happy Holidays………Merry Christmas………Happy Hanukkah………Season’s Greetings
Touchdown Tom
Review of the First Week of Bowl Games
What a Blaze! (in the Bahamas Bowl) – UAB 24, Miami (Ohio) 20 (Touchdown Tom said: UAB 24, Miami 18). UAB jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead. Then the Blazers got sloppy and suffered three turnovers. Miami capitalized on UAB’s mistakes and came back to take the lead. Before it was over, the lead changed hands four times. The Blazers settled down in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points. Attendance in Nassau: 12,172
Helen ruled (in the Cure Bowl) – Troy 18, UTSA 12 (Touchdown Tom said: UTSA 28, Troy 24). After a good start, UTSA got turnover-itis. Plagued with five turnovers, the Roadrunners couldn’t make it to the end zone. Troy actually won the game with only 160 total yards – just 47 yards rushing. UTSA only had 12 first downs. Troy finished its season at 12-2. Attendance in Orlando: 11,911
Nobody showed up, not even Cincinnati (in the Fenway Bowl) – Louisville 24, Cincinnati 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 28, Louisville 27). Louisville led 21-7 at halftime. Then both teams went into hibernation in the second half. The score would have been worse had Louisville not suffered four turnovers. Cincinnati had no offense – 138 total yards (55 rushing and 83 passing). The Cardinals had 419 total yards. Louisville running back Maurice Turner had 16 0 yards rushing. Attendance in Boston: N/A
Benny the Beaver had Gator Tail for dinner (in the Las Vegas Bowl) – Oregon State 30, Florida 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 32, Florida 23). Florida went more than three and a half quarters without scoring a point. And the Gators didn’t have any turnovers. Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson was 12-19-0, passing for 165 yards and one touchdown. Gulbranson also rushed for a touchdown. Oregon State finished its season at 10-3. Attendance in Las Vegas: 29,750
The Cougars didn’t purr (in the L.A. Bowl) – Fresno State 29, Washington State 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington State 30, Fresno State 27). Fresno State scored the first 16 points and the last 13 points. In between, Washington State got 6. The Cougars only had 45 yards rushing – averaging 1.6 yards a carry. As a team, Fresno State averaged 6.9 yards per rush. Bulldogs running back Jordan Mims rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Fresno State racked up 501 total yards. Fresno State finished its season at 10-4. Attendance in Inglewood: 32,405
The Eagles feasted on Risotto (in the Lending Tree Bowl) – Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Southern Miss 26, Rice 18). Rice rallied but couldn’t hold onto the lead. Trailing Southern Miss 17-3 at halftime, the Owls rallied to take a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter. Southern Miss then scored 21 unanswered points. That was all she wrote. The two teams combined for 976 total yards. The Eagles had 551 of those yards. There were 5 turnovers in the game – three by Southern Miss. Attendance in Mobile: 20,512
The Mustangs weren’t enchanted (in the New Mexico Bowl) – BYU 24, SMU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 46, SMU 38). BYU won the game on the ground. The Cougars only had 47 yards passing. BYU quarterback Sol-Jay Miava-Peters, wasn’t much for passing, but he rushed for 96 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Attendance in Albuquerque: 22,209
The Green weren’t Mean enough (in the Frisco Bowl) – Boise State 35, North Texas 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, North Texas 20). North Texas led at the halftime break, 10-6. Boise State led after three quarters, 28-24. The teams combined for 893 total yards. Boise State finished its season at 10-4. Attendance in Frisco: 12,211
Last Week’s Bowl Game Picks: 5 winners, 3 fumbles (63 percent)
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
None
Impressive Rushers:
Southern Miss’s Frank Gore Jr. – 329 yards (2TDs); Fresno State’s Jordan Mims – 209 yards (2TDs); Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – 178 yards (1TD), and Louisville’s Maurice Turner – 160 yards.
Weekend Recap
FCS (Division I-AA) Semifinals
North Dakota State 35, Incarnate Word 32
Celebration Bowl
North Carolina Central 41, Jackson State 34 (OT)
Division II
Championship
Ferris State 41, Colorado Mines 14
Division III Championship
North Central 28, Mount Union 21
Quotes of the Week
“I’d go for it again in a heartbeat” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, on the two-point conversion attempt at the end of the BYU game.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for This Week’s Eight Bowl games
Marshall (8-4) vs. Connecticut (6-6) – (Sun Belt vs. Ind.) – Myrtle Beach Bowl (Brooks Stadium – Conway, South Carolina) – 2:30 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – Eight games into the season, Marshall was just 4-4. Then the Herd won its last four games to finish 8-4. On offense, Marshall is good at rushing, terrible at passing. On defense, the Herd is good at everything. They are 7th in the country in points allowed – holding opponents to 16 points a game. Marshall has a good running back in Khalan Laborn. Laborn rushed for 1,423 yards. Marshall’s best wins were over Notre Dame and James Madison. Connecticut was a bit of a surprise under first-year coach Jim Mora. No one thought the Huskies would be going to a bowl game. They finished 6-6 in spite of being terrible on offense and not much better on defense. On offense, UConn only averaged 20 points a game. The defense gave up 26 points a game. UConn’s best wins were over Fresno State, Boston College and Liberty. The Huskies began the season at 1-4 and finished going 5-2. Marshall 24, Connecticut 16.
Eastern Michigan (8-4) vs. San Jose State (7-4) – (MAC vs. MWC) – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Albertsons Stadium – Boise, Idaho) – 3:30 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPN – Eastern Michigan quietly went about compiling an 8-4 record. The Eagles were just so-so on both offense and defense – not good and not bad. They averaged 29 points a game and gave up 29 points a game. EMU has a decent running back in Samson Evans. Evans rushed for 1,084 yards. EMU’s best win was over Arizona State, 30-21. Like Eastern Michigan, San Jose State quietly went about compiling a 7-4 record. The Spartans are a good passing team, but otherwise bad on offense. San Jose State’s strength is on defense. The Spartans held opponents to 20 points a game. San Jose State has a good quarterback in Chevan Cordeiro. Cordeiro passed for 2,876 yards. The Spartans best win was over Wyoming, 33-16. Eastern Michigan 24, San Jose State 23.
Liberty (8-4) vs. Toledo (8-5) – (Ind. vs. MAC) – Boca Raton Bowl (FAU Stadium – Boca Raton, Florida) – 7: 30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Liberty got off to a great start in 2022. After nine games, the Flames were 8-1. Then they lost their last three games of the season – all to weak teams. Liberty is mediocre on offense and defense. They averaged 28 points a game and gave up 25 points a game. At the end of the season, Liberty’s coach Hugh Freeze left for Auburn. The Flames best wins were over UAB, BYU and Arkansas. Toledo won the MAC championship. But there was nothing spectacular about the Rockets. The offense and defense is nothing to write home about. Toledo does have a decent quarterback in DeQuan Finn. Finn passed for 2,132 yards. Toledo’s best wins were over Eastern Michigan and Ohio. Liberty 27, Toledo 21.
Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. South Alabama (10-2) – (C-USA vs. Sun Belt) – New Orleans Bowl (Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana) – 9 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN – Western Kentucky is one of the most offensive minded teams in the country – at least from a passing perspective. Quarterback Austin Reed is the No. 2 passer in the country, while the Hilltoppers are the No. 2 passing team in the country. Reed passed for 4,250 yards. WKU averaged 339 passing yards a game. The Hilltoppers averaged 36 points a game on offense. I say from a passing perspective because WKU is one of the worst rushing teams in the country. The Hilltoppers are generally weak on defense. South Alabama was a big surprise in 2022. The Jaguars were supposed to be good, but no one expected 10-2 good. South Alabama is good on both offense and defense – better on defense. On defense, the Jaguars only allow 88 rushing yards a game, while holding opponents to 19 points a game. On offense South Alabama averages 32 points a game. The Jaguars have a good quarterback in Carter Bradley. Bradley passed for 2,983 yards. They have a decent running back in La’Damian Webb. Webb rushed for 1,010 yards. South Alabama comes into the game on a five-game winning streak. South Alabama 32, Western Kentucky 27.
Baylor (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3) – (Big 12 vs. MAC) – Armed Forces Bowl (Amon G. Carter Stadium – Fort Worth, Texas) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Baylor is better than average on offense, weaker than average on defense. The Bears do average 34 points a game on offense. They have a good quarterback in Blake Shapen. Shapen passed for 2,602 yards. Baylor finished 6-6, but the Bears were supposed to be much better this season. Many picked them to win the Big 12. Baylor enters the game on a three-game losing streak. Air Force had a great season under 16-year coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Air Force’s strength on offense is its running game. The Falcons were 1st in the nation in rushing – 335 yards a game. Their leading rusher is Brad Roberts. Roberts rushed for 1,612 yards. On offense, the Falcons average 28 points a game. Air Force has an outstanding defense – 1st in total yards allowed (255 yards a game) and 1st in passing yards allowed (155 yards a game). The Falcons are 3rd in points allowed (13 a game) and 8th in rushing yards allowed (100 yards a game). You can’t get much better than that. Air Force’s three losses were by a combined 15 points. Baylor 24, Air Force 21.
Louisiana (6-6) vs. Houston (7-5) – (Sun Belt vs. AAC) – Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium – Shreveport, Louisiana) – 3 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – This is a game between two disappointing teams in 2022. Louisiana was supposed to win the Sun Belt West Division and didn’t. Houston was supposed to contend for the AAC crown and didn’t. They can settle their frustrations against each other. One reason Louisiana didn’t win the Sun Belt West was because their offense was bad, and their defense was only a little better. The Ragin’ Cajuns best wins were over Eastern Michigan (49-21) and Marshall (23-13). Both of those wins were early in the season. Houston has a good passing offense. The Cougars were 7th in the nation in passing yards – 321 a game. Houston quarterback Clayton Tune was one of the best passers in the country. Tune passed for 3,845 yards. On the other side of the ball, Houston’s defense was terrible. One of the worst in the country. Where Houston’s offense averaged 37 points a game, the Cougars’ defense gave up 34 points a game. Houston’s best wins were over UTSA, 37-35 (3OT) and over East Carolina, 42-3. Houston 40, Louisiana 24.
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Missouri (6-6) – (ACC vs. SEC) – Gasparilla Bowl (Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida) – 6:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – Wake Forest was a disappointment in 2022. The Deacons were supposed to be a contender in the ACC Atlantic Division. Instead, they had a losing record in conference games. Wake is strong in all phases of the offense except the running game. The Deacs have no running game. They were definitely a strong passing team – 10th in the country (315 yards a game). Quarterback Sam Hartman makes Wake a strong passing team. He passed for 3,421 yards. The Deacons started out strong, with a 6-1 record. Then they lost four of their last five games. Wake’s best wins were over Florida State and Syracuse. Missouri was basically lousy on offense and decent on defense. The Tigers had two good wins over South Carolina (23-10) and Arkansas (29-27). Missouri quarterback Brady Cook got better as the season went along. Wake Forest 30, Missouri 26.
Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. San Diego State (7-5) – (C-USA vs. MWC) – Hawaii Bowl (Ching Athletics Complex – Honolulu, Hawaii) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Middle Tennessee’s offense averages 29 points a game. The Blue Raiders defense gives up 28 points a game. Can’t get much more even than that. The strength of the offense is the passing of Chase Cunningham. Cunningham passed for 2,920 yards. The strength of the defense is defending the run. MTSU only allowed 122 yards a game – 27th in the nation. The Blue Raiders best win during the season was a 45-31 victory over Miami (Florida). San Diego State lives and dies on its defense. The Aztecs offense is one of the worst in the nation. The defense is generally pretty darn good. They only give up 20 points a game, while the offense only averages 21 points a game. The Aztecs best wins were over Toledo and San Jose State. San Diego State 23, Middle Tennessee 20.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but during the pre-Christmas days of December, as college football fans were drinking eggnog and eating fruitcake, with visions of what ifs, bowl games and Santa Claus dancing in their heads, the number one song in the country…
…80 years ago, this week in 1942, was “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
…75 years ago, this week in 1947, was “Ballerina” by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
…70 years ago, this week in 1952, was “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” by Joni James
…65 years ago, this week in 1957, was “April Love” by Pat Boone
…60 years ago, this week in 1962, was “Telstar” by The Tornados
…55 years ago, this week in 1967, was “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees
…50 years ago, this week in 1972, was “Me And Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul
…45 years ago, this week in 1977, was “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees
…40 years ago, this week in 1982, was “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates
…35 years ago, this week in 1987, was “Faith” by George Michael
…30 years ago, this week in 1992, was “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
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