CFW Week 4 Results – Clemson, FSU, UNC out of the ACC?
Prime time became past time in Eugene
And relegation may not be so far-fetched after all. More later.
The dictionary defines prime as the most active, thriving or satisfying stage or period. Although Colorado may still be active, I think we can safely say, after Saturday’s game, the Buffaloes are no longer thriving or satisfying. Their luster has faded. Colorado is no longer shining, glittering or sparkling. Oregon made sure of that.
Oregon squashed Colorado, 42-6. The Ducks led 35-0 at halftime and 42-0 midway through the 3rd quarter. Colorado’s lone score came with 2:51 left in the game.
It was fun while it lasted. Everyone got caught up in the Colorado and Coach Prime hype. But reality has set in. Except for the passing of quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Colorado isn’t a very good team. The offensive line is weak. The Buffaloes have no running game – 131st in the country out of 133 teams. Colorado’s defense is bad, giving up 33.2 points a game. The Buffs are 129th in the country in total yards allowed per game.
On the horizon for Colorado are USC, UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State and Utah, among others. Before the season began, most analysts seemed to project a 5-7 season for the Buffaloes. It’s looking like they are going to be right.
Colorado-Oregon didn’t measure up to being a monumental game, but Florida State-Clemson, UCLA-Utah, Oregon State-Washington State sure did. And Ohio State-Notre Dame really did. All four of those games were decided by 7 points or less. Florida State-Clemson went into overtime. Ohio State-Notre Dame was decided with 0:01 on the clock.
Florida State beat Clemson, 31-24 (OT). Utah beat UCLA, 14-7. Washington State downed Oregon State, 38-35. Ohio State squeaked by Notre Dame, 17-14.
Along with Colorado-Oregon, the Iowa-Penn State game was a dud. The Nittany Lions beat the Hawkeyes, 31-0. Ole Miss-Alabama was fun and exciting for three quarters. But it lacked excitement in the 4th quarter, as Alabama beat Ole Miss, 24-10.
College football Week 4 began Thursday night in Conway, South Carolina. Georgia State improved to 4-0, beating Coastal Carolina, 30-17. Georgia State running back Marcus Carroll rushed for 150 yards and one touchdown.
Friday night was a busy night in college football with four games – one on the East Coast, one in the Midwest and two on the West Coast. Virginia is for dumbers. With the score tied 21-21, and 0:03 on the clock, NC State attempted a 48-yard field goal to win the game. The kick was no good. But Virginia committed a personal foul. Who commits a personal foul defending a field goal attempt? Virginia does. So the ball was advanced 15 yards and NC State attempted a 33-yard field goal. Chip shot! The kick was good and the Wolfpack beat the Cavaliers, 24-21.
In the Midwest game, Luke Fickell got his first Big Ten win, coaching Wisconsin. The Badgers downed Purdue, 38-17. The Boilers had three turnovers.
The two West Coast games Friday night saw Boise State outlast San Diego State, 34-31, and Air Force blast past San Jose State, 45-20. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Wonder if he is related to the family who owns Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, California? In June 2000, Swamp Mama and I had a great dinner there with Dave and Sue Brolhorst. But I digress. In the other game, two Air Force running backs rushed for more than 100, as the Falcons racked up 400 total yards in rushing. Air force is 4-0.
Coming into the game against Michigan on Saturday, Rutgers was undefeated. With Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline for the first time this season, the Wolverines beat the Scarlet Knights, 31-7.
Syracuse is still undefeated and so are Marshall and James Madison. Syracuse downed Army, 29-16, Marshall beat Virginia Tech, 24-17, and James Madison took care of Utah State, 45-38.
Louisville, Kansas, Liberty, Fresno State, Missouri and Kentucky are also undefeated.
Wake Forest isn’t the team it has been the past few years. Georgia Tech beat the Demon Deacons, 30-16. The Deacons miss Sam Hartman.
There were a couple of strange games, both involving Big Ten teams. It took four overtimes for Indiana to subdue Akron, 29-27 (4OT). At the end of regulation, the score was 17-17. Both teams scored a touchdown in the 1st overtime, 24-24. Both kicked a field goal in the 2nd overtime, 27-27. There was no scoring in the 3rd overtime. In the 4th overtime, Indiana converted and Akron didn’t – 29-27.
In the other strange game, heavily favored Minnesota led Northwestern, 31-10, early in the fourth quarter. In the final 12 minutes of the game, Northwestern scored three touchdowns. The third of the three touchdowns came with 0:02 on the clock. So, at the end of regulation, the score was 31-31. In the 1st overtime, Minnesota kicked a field goal and Northwestern scored a touchdown. Final score: Northwestern 37, Minnesota 34 (OT).
In the late, late shows Saturday night, Washington smacked California, 59-32. Michael Penix passed for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The teams combined for 1,031 total yards. In the other late, late show, USC downed Arizona State, 42-28. Caleb Williams passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns.
There were 11 interesting and intriguing games I said to keep an eye on. First (Georgia State-Coastal Carolina): Georgia State is for real, beating Coastal Carolina, 30-17….. Second (Boise State-San Diego State): San Diego State had two turnovers, losing to Boise State, 34-31….. Third (Rutgers-Michigan): Michigan spotted Rutgers 7 points, then the Wolverines scored 31 unanswered points. Michigan downed Rutgers, 31-7….. Fourth (SMU-TCU): TCU’s Chandler Harris passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns, as the Frogs beat SMU, 34-17.
Fifth (Western Kentucky-Troy): Troy’s Gunnar Watson passed for 349 yards and one touchdown, as Troy edged Western Kentucky, 27-24…. Sixth (Maryland-Michigan State): Maryland improved to 4-0, beating Michigan State, 31-9….. Seventh (UTSA-Tennessee): Tennessee racked up 512 total yards, as the Vols polished off UTSA, 45-14.
Eighth (Liberty-FIU): Liberty had three turnovers but still beat FIU, 38-6…. Ninth (Arkansas-LSU): LSU kicked a 20-yard field goal with 0:05 on the clock to beat Arkansas, 34-31….. Tenth (Appalachian State-Wyoming): Trailing Appalachian State 19-7, Wyoming scored two touchdowns in the final 12 minutes of the 4th quarter to beat App State, 22-19….. Eleventh (Mississippi State-South Carolina): Tied 27-27, South Carolina outscored Mississippi State 10-3 in the 4th quarter to beat the Bulldogs, 37-30.
Two interesting stories broke last week, both of considerable significance. First, reports leaked from various ACC sources, saying that Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina only have two years left in the ACC – this season and next season. According to reports, the three schools have found a way to remove themselves from the ACC without suffering much, if any, financial harm. This departure from the ACC would take place on June 30, 2025. Furthermore, the reports said that two of the three schools would move to Big Ten Conference with the other going to the SEC. Conversely, some of the reports had two of the three schools going to the SEC with the other going to the Big Ten. One report even had one or two of the schools going to the Big 12. Stay tuned! But you will have to stay tuned for a while.
A few weeks ago, I wrote, suggesting that college football should move to relegation, with conferences based on performance. I also suggested this format a few years ago. Well, guess what? Relegation may not be so far-fetched after all. That’s exactly what Oregon State and Washington State are discussing with the Mountain West Conference.
Under the scheme that surfaced last week, the Pac-12 would continue to exist, although as the Pac-8. The MWC would drop from 12 schools down to 8 members. The Pac-8 would keep its Power Five status. The MWC would remain a Group of Five conference. Oregon State and Washington State would join with the 12 MWC schools – 14 schools. They would bring in two new schools to the fold, e.g. UTSA, Rice, North Texas, Tulsa, etc. That would give them a total of 16 schools. From those 16 schools, they would create an 8-team Pac-12 conference and an 8-team MWC. At the end of each season, the two or three schools finishing at the bottom of the Pac-8 in football would be relegated down to the MWC for the following season. Conversely, the two or three schools that finish at the top of the MWC would move up to the Pac-8 for the following season. Stay tuned!
“There’s a ship lies rigged and ready in the harbor. Tomorrow for old England she sails….” Singer, songwriter and musician Roger Whittaker died on September 13. Whitaker’s biggest hit was “The Last Farewell.” It peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The song spent 15 weeks on the chart in the spring and summer of 1975. His other hits were “Durham Town (The Leavin’),” “I Don’t Believe In If Anymore” and “New World In The Morning.” Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Roger Henry Brough Whittaker was 87. “….For you are beautiful. I have loved you dearly. More dearly than the spoken word can tell.”
Touchdown Tom
September 25, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Where was Touchdown Jesus? – Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 23). Obviously, he wasn’t in South Bend. With the score Ohio State 3, Notre Dame 0 at halftime, this was a real knock-down, drag-out defensive battle. It opened up a little bit in the second half. Of the 31 points scored in the game, 28 were scored in the second half. Ohio State held a 10-0 lead late in the thirds quarter. Then Notre Dame scored 14 unanswered points. The second of the two touchdowns came with 8:22 to go in the game. The Irish led 14-10. With 0:01 on the clock, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown on a 1-yard smash up the middle. The game was evenly matched in first downs and total yards. Notre Dame was the better rushing team. Ohio State was the better passing team. There were no turnovers. Notre Dame dominated ball control 34:59 to 25:01. Attendance in South Bend: 77,622
RUNNER-UP: The Ducks were prime – Oregon 42, Colorado 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 34, Colorado 26). This one was over before it started. Oregon had 30 first downs to 13 for Colorado. The Ducks had 522 total yards to 199 for the Buffaloes. Colorado had 40 yards rushing. Oregon had the only turnover in the game. Bo Nix threw his first interception of the season. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had his lowest passing output of the season – 159 yards passing. Attendance in Eugene: 59,889
REST OF THE BEST: Hawkeyes’ offense was a no show – Penn State 31, Iowa 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 24, Iowa 17). Granted, Penn State has one of the best all-around defenses in the country, but Iowa’s offense is a joke. The Hawkeyes had 4 first downs and 76 total yards – 20 rushing and 56 passing. Penn State had 31 first downs and 397 total yards. The Nitts dominated ball control 45:27 to 14:33. Iowa had four turnovers – all fumbles. Attendance in University Park: 110,830
Was this the Pac-12? – Utah 14, UCLA 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, UCLA 24). This wasn’t like a Pac-12 game at all. It was more like a typical SEC or Big Ten defensive battle. Both of Utah’s touchdowns came in the first half – one in the first quarter and one in the second. UCLA scored its lone touchdown with 3:39 to go in the game. The Bruins had -9 yards rushing. Combined, the teams had 474 total yards. Utah plays good defense and is lousy on offense. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 52,919
This was more like the Pac-12 – Washington State 38, Oregon State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 33, Washington State 30). Where Utah and UCLA combined for 21 points, Oregon State and Washington State combined for 73 points. The Cougars dominated the early part of the game, leading 35-14 as the 4th quarter began. The Beavers scored 21 points in the final quarter. The teams combined for 968 total yards. Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward was sensational. He was 28-34-0, passing for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in Pullman: 33,111
Jayhawks snare the Cougars – Kansas 38, BYU 27 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 34, Kansas 27). Looks like Kansas is for real. The Jayhawks led 14-7 at the end of the 1st quarter. BYU led 17-14 at halftime. Kansas led 28-20 as the 4th quarter began. The teams were pretty even in first downs and total yards. BYU had 9 yards rushing, but 357 yards passing. The Cougars suffered three turnovers – one fumble and two interceptions. The Jayhawks’ Devin Neal rushed for 91 yards. Attendance in Lawrence: 47,233
It's been a while – Florida State 31, Clemson 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Clemson 23). Florida State had not beat Clemson since 2014. Clemson led 17-14 at the half. The score was tied 24-24 as the fourth quarter began. There was no scoring in the fourth quarter. Clemson dominated the stats, but not the score. Both quarterbacks had good games. Jordan Travis passed for 289 yards, and Cade Klubnik passed for 283 yards. Neither threw an interception. Attendance in Clemson: 81,500
The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated – Alabama 24, Ole Miss 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Alabama 28). Nick Saban is alive and well in Tuscaloosa. So is the Crimson Tide football team. Ole Miss led at halftime, 7-6. Bama led 17-10 as the 4th quarter began. The stats were pretty even, except for the running game. Alabama had 148 yards rushing, Ole Miss had 56. Bama running back Jase McClellan had a good game – 105 yards rushing. The two quarterbacks threw one interception each. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077
Welcome to the Big 12, UCF – Kansas State 44, UCF 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, UCF 26). This was a wild game until the 4th quarter when Kansas State pulled away. At the end of one, UCF led 10-7. Kansas State led at the break, 21-17. UCF led 24-21 early in the 3rd quarter. Then K-State scored 23 unanswered points. The teams combined for 945 total yards. The Wildcats were the better rushing team. K-State running back D.J. Giddens rushed for 207 yards. Attendance in Manhattan: 51,912
War Eagle was a Dodo bird – Texas A&M 27, Auburn 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 24, Auburn 13). This was a real defensive struggle in the first half. No touchdowns were scored. Texas A&M led 6-3 at the break. The Aggies opened it up in the 3rd quarter and led 20-3 as the 4th quarter began. Auburn scored to close the gap to 20-10. The Aggies put it away, scoring a touchdown with 3:39 to go in the game. Auburn only had 200 total yards – only 56 yards passing. Attendance in College Station: 102,530
YE OLDE STOMPIMG GROUNDS:
A sloppy win – West Virginia 20, Texas Tech 13 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Texas Tech 25). Tech’s only lead in the game was 3-0 during the first quarter. Before the quarter was over, WVU went up 7-3 and never trailed again. The Mounties were up 13-3 at halftime. Tech closed the gap to 13-10 early in the 4th quarter. WVU only had 99 yards passing. The Mounties threw two interceptions. WVU dominated ball control 34:50 to 25:10. Tech running back Tahj Brooks rushed for 149 yards. The game was played in the rain. Attendance in Morgantown: 50,071
Couldn’t get across the goal line – Florida 22, Charlotte 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 49, Charlotte 10). Strange game for the Gators. Florida only scored one touchdown in the game, and it came midway through the first quarter. From then on, the Gators kicked five field goals. Florida defense held Charlotte to 210 total yards – 77 yards rushing. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz was 20-23-0, passing for 259 yards and one touchdown. After beating Tennessee and with Kentucky coming up, the Gators were laying low. Attendance in Gainesville: 89,053
Herbie will take it – Nebraska 28, Louisiana Tech 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 42, Louisiana Tech 9). The score was 7-7 at halftime. Nebraska only led 14-7 at the end of three. Huskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg rushed for 157 yards and one touchdown. Louisiana Tech only had 46 yards rushing. Attendance in Lincoln: 87,115
Taking care of business – Duke 41, Connecticut 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 35, Connecticut 10). It was pretty routine for the Dookies. Entering the 4th quarter, Duke led 41-0. UConn only had 203 total yards. Duke quarterback Riley Leonard was 23-34-0, passing for 248 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in East Hartford: 29,033
Give that Dawg a biscuit – Georgia 49, UAB 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 52, UAB 14). Georgia had 582 total yards. Quarterback Carson Beck was 22-32-0, passing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. The Dawgs had three turnovers in the game – two fumbles and one interception. The teams combined for 918 total yards. Georgia led 28-14 at halftime. The Dawgs scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to take a 49-14 lead. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
The mighty Quinn – Texas 38, Baylor 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, Baylor 14). Texas led 28-6 at halftime. Baylor was scoreless in the second half. The Longhorns had 503 total yards. Quinn Ewers had a great game. The Longhorn quarterback was 18-23-0, passing for 293 yards and one touchdown. Baylor only had 60 yards rushing. Texas running back Jonathon Brooks rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Waco: 49,165
Bucky Badgered the Boilers – Wisconsin 38, Purdue 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 28, Purdue 23). As the fourth quarter began, Wisconsin led 27-17. Then the Badgers scored two unanswered touchdowns in the final quarter. Purdue never led in the game. The teams were very even on the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards. But Purdue had three turnovers. Wisconsin improved to 3-1. Attendance in West Lafayette: 55,529
Week 4 Results: 14 winners, 3 fumbles (82.4 percent)
For the Season: 47 winners, 14 fumbles (77 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Butler 28, Stetson 18 – Attendance in Deland: 1,128
Miami 41, Temple 7 – Attendance in Philadelphia: 17,234
Illinois 23, Florida Atlantic 17 – Attendance in Champaign: 53,512
South Florida 42, Rice 29 – Attendance in Tampa: 29,141
Liberty 38, FIU 6 – Attendance in Miami: 17,437
Florida A&M 23, Alabama State 10 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 18,858
Jackson State 22, Bethune-Cookman 16 – Attendance in Jackson: N/A
West Florida 49, West Georgia 21 – Attendance in Pensacola: 5,046
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 30-48-1-487 (1TD); South Florida’s Byrum Brown – 22-29-0-435 (2TDs); Rice’s J.T. Daniels – 27-40-0-432 (3TDs); Washington State’s Cameron Ward – 28-34-0-404 (4TDs); Northwestern’s Ben Bryant – 33-49-0-396 (4TDs); Louisville’s Jack Plummer – 18-21-0-388 (5TDs), and Troy’s Gunnar Watson – 22-35-0-349 (1TD).
Also, Iowa State’s Rocco Becht – 27-38-0-348 (3TDs); Georgia Southern’s Davis Brin – 34-46-0-344 (4TDs); Georgia’s Carson Beck – 22-32-0-337 (3TDs); Missouri’s Brady Cook – 18-25-0-321 (2TDs); Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel – 26-38-0-322 (1TD); LSU’s Jayden Daniels – 20-29-1-320 (4TDs), and Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi – 29-42-1-306 (2TDs).
Also, Illinois’ Luke Altmyer – 25-36-0-303 (1TD); North Carolina’s Drake Maye – 22-30-0-296 (1TD); Houston’s Donovan Smith – 31-40-0-294 (1TD); Texas’ Quinn Ewers – 18-23-0-293 (1TD); Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 21-37-0-289 (2TDs); South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler – 18-20-0-288 (3TDs); Clemson’s Cade Klubnik – 25-38-0-283 (1TD), and Oregon’s Bo Nix – 28-33-1-276 (3TDs).
Also, Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato – 30-41-0-274 (3TDs); Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed – 23-39-0-268 (2TDs); TCU’s Chandler Morris – 23-32-0-261 (3TDs); Florida’s Graham Mertz – 20-23-0-259 (1TD); South Alabama’s Carter Bradley – 17-27-0-254 (2TDs); Duke’s Riley Leonard – 23-34-0-248 (1TD), and Ohio’s Kevin Rourke – 14-16-0-196 (5TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Texas State’s Ismail Mahdi – 216 yards (2TDs); Toledo’s Penny Boone – 211 yards (2TDs); Kansas State’s D.J. Giddens – 207 yards (4TDs); Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – 205 yards (2TDs); Minnesota’s Darius Taylor – 198 yards, and Western Michigan’s Jalen Buckley – 190 yards (2TDs).
Also, Marshall’s Rasheen Ali – 174 yards (2TDs); Nebraska’s Heinrich Haarberg – 157 yards (1TD); Troy’s Kimani Vidal – 156 yards (2TDs); Wyoming’s Harrison Waylee – 156 yards (1TD); USC’s MarShawn Lloyd – 154 yards: Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll – 150 yards (1TD), and Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks – 149 yards.
Also, Air Force’s Emmanuel Michel – 148 yards (3TDs); Akron’s D.J. Irons – 142 yards (2TDs); Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson – 139 yards (2TDs); Wake Forest’s Justice Ellison – 137 yards; Nebraska’s Anthony Grant – 135 yards (1TD), and Louisville’s Jamar Jordan – 134 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“The Cinderella story is over, men. They’re fighting for clicks. We’re fighting for wins,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning to his team after the win over Colorado.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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 1943, was “Sunday, Monday Or Always” by Bing Crosby and The Ken Darby Singers
…75 years ago, this week in 1948, was “Twelfth Street Rag” by Pee Wee Hunt and His Orchestra
…70 years ago, this week in 1953, was “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)” by Les Paul and Mary Ford, and “You, You, You” by The Ames Brothers
…65 years ago, this week in 1958, was “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)” by Domenico Modugno, and “It’s All In The Game” by Tommy Edwards
…60 years ago, this week in 1963, was “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton
…55 years ago, this week in 1968, was “Harper Valley PTA” by Jeannie C. Riley, and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles
…50 years ago, this week in 1973, was “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye, and “We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk
…45 years ago, this week in 1978, was “Boogie Oogie Oogie” by A Taste Of Honey, and “Kiss You All Over” by Exile
…40 years ago, this week in 1983, was “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel, and “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
…35 years ago, this week in 1988, was “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin
…30 years ago, this week in 1993, was “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey
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