CFW Week 7 Results – Is the Honeymoon over in Boulder?
Last week, it was Oklahoma-Texas,
Saturday, it was Oregon-Washington
Plus, not one but two Hail Mary’s
And the wild rallies! All I can say is, “Wow!”
Friday night, I went to bed at halftime. After all, it was midnight and Colorado was up 29-0. When I saw the final score Saturday morning, I almost choked on my cold pizza. It was that kind of weekend. Along with the excitement of Oregon-Washington, there were two Hail Mary’s and two miraculous rallies.
Last week, it was Oklahoma-Texas. Saturday, it was Oregon-Washington. Each was the “Game of the Week.” The teams in both games were undefeated. Each game lived up to its hype. In fact, each game went beyond its hype. They exceeded their hype. Last week, Oklahoma scored late to come from behind and beat Texas, 34-30. Saturday, Washington scored late to come from behind and beat Oregon, 36-33.
More than that, Oregon-Washington kept us on edge for another 1:38, after the Huskies went up 36-33. Oregon had a chance to retake the lead. But when the Ducks came up short on third down, they had a chance to put the game into overtime. However, Oregon’s 43-yard field goal attempt was long enough but it was wide right. The Huskies held onto their three-point lead to win the game.
It doesn’t get any better than those two games on back-to-back Saturdays. The level of excitement could not have been any higher. And the interesting thing is we could relive them again on December 2. A rematch of Oklahoma-Texas in the Big 12 Championship game, and a rematch of Oregon-Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game. Stay tuned!
Speaking of conference championship games, last week I mentioned that Florida State, North Carolina and Louisville could all go undefeated in ACC play since they do not meet each other during the season. And I wondered how they would pick two of three undefeated teams for the ACC Championship game. Well, you can forget that happening. Pitt upset Louisville, 38-21. Obviously, the Cardinals were still celebrating their win over Notre Dame. It looks like Florida State and North Carolina could be headed for the ACC title game. FSU downed Syracuse, 41-3, and North Carolina took care of Miami (Florida), 41-31.
It was far from the game of the week and neither team was undefeated, but the Florida-South Carolina game was right up there with the excitement of the Oregon-Washington game. The lead changed hands four times, the game was tied three times and Florida scored the winning touchdown with 0:47 on the clock. Florida beat South Carolina, 41-39.
College football Week 7 resumed Thursday night in Houston, Texas, and Greenville, North Carolina. In Houston, the Cougars connected on a 49-yard Hail-Mary pass as time expired to beat West Virginia, 41-39. West Virginia had scored just 12 seconds earlier to take a 39-35 lead over Houston. In Greenville, SMU scored 14 points (two touchdowns) in the first quarter and 17 points (two touchdowns and a field goal) in the fourth quarter to beat East Carolina, 31-10.
Friday night was a busy evening with three games on tap. It began with Tulane stopping Memphis, 31-21. Trailing Memphis 14-10 at halftime, Tulane outscored the Tigers 21-7 in the second half. Next up, we had a thriller on our hands in Logan, Utah. Trailing Utah State, 32-31, Fresno State scored a touchdown with 2:19 on the clock and hung on to beat to beat the Aggies, 37-32. The two teams combined for 1,030 total yards. Fresno State improved to 6-1.
In the late, late show Friday night, if you thought Fresno State-Utah State was a thriller, Stanford at Colorado was a triple thriller. It was also a stunner. I should say STUNNER. Colorado led Stanford, 29-0, at halftime. The Buffaloes were on their way to a rout of the Cardinal. But Stanford came out in the second half and scored 26 unanswered points. The Colorado lead was cut to three – 29-26.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Buffaloes seemed to get their act back together. Colorado scored and went up 36-26. But Stanford wasn’t done. The Trees scored a touchdown with 5:06 on the clock and trailed, 36-33. Then, as time expired, Stanford kicked a 46-yard field goal to tie the score at 36-36.
On to overtime. In the first overtime, both teams scored a touchdown – 43-43. In the second overtime, Stanford intercepted a Shedeur Sanders pass. Then the Trees kicked a 31-yard field goal. Yes, Stanford rallied from a 29-0 halftime deficit to beat Colorado, 46-43 (2OT). The Deion Sanders honeymoon may be over.
In the contest, Stanford and Colorado combined for 1,055 total yards. More amazingly, Stanford receiver Eric Ayomanor had 13 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns.
West Virginia-Houston was the first of two Hail Mary’s and Stanford-Colorado was the first of two miraculous rallies. Saturday night in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Rams of Colorado State not only rallied from a 30-10 fourth quarter deficit, but also, scored the third and final touchdown of the rally on a 33-yard Hail-Mary pass as time expired. Colorado State beat Boise State, 31-30. The Rams conducted their three-touchdown rally in the final 4:01 of the 4th quarter. Miraculous!
According to ESPN, only 9.7% of Hail-Mary pass attempts are successful. We had two in one weekend.
There were other interesting games on Saturday. Alabama got a scare from Arkansas. The Tide beat the Razorbacks, 24-21. Tennessee trailed Texas A&M for two and a half quarters before the Vols took their first lead in the game. Tennessee held on and beat the Aggies, 20-13. Missouri trailed Kentucky, 14-0, but then the Tigers outscored the Wildcats, 38-7, to beat Kentucky, 38-21.
Trailing Kansas 32-24 late in the third quarter, Oklahoma State scored 15 unanswered points (3 field goals and a touchdown) to rally and beat the Jayhawks, 39-32.
Illinois kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to knock off Maryland, 27-24. Iowa scored one touchdown, two field goals and a safety to beat Wisconsin, 15-6.
Tied 27-27, Air Force scored a touchdown with 2:17 to go in the game and held on to beat Wyoming, 34-27. USC fell to Notre Dame, 48-20.
Caleb Williams is out of Heisman race. The USC quarterback is no longer in the running. I think Williams was a better quarterback last year than he is this year. And will a Lincoln Riley team ever learn how to play defense? Riley had that problem at Oklahoma and it has followed him to USC.
There were six interesting and intriguing games I said to keep an eye on: First (Georgia Southern at James Madison): Up 20-6 at halftime, James Madison had a big 3rd quarter – 21-0 over Georgia Southern. James Madison went on to beat Georgia Southern, 41-13. Georgia Southern had three turnovers. JMU had none….. Second (California at Utah): A close game in the first half, Utah led at the break, 14-7. Then the Utes opened it up in the second half to beat California, 34-14….. Third (BYU at TCU): TCU crushed BYU, 41-11. The Horned Frogs had 584 total yards and 30 first downs.
Fourth (Auburn at LSU): LSU outscored Auburn 20-7 in the first half, and 28-11 in the second half. LSU beat Auburn, 48-18. Jayden Daniels passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns. LSU had 563 total yards….. Fifth (Marshall at Georgia State): Entering the 4th quarter, Georgia State only led Marshall by three – 27-24. Then the Panthers scored 14 unanswered points. Georgia State beat Marshall, 41-24. The teams combined for 931 total yards….. Sixth (Arizona at Washington State): Arizona went into Pullman and crushed Washington State, 44-6. The Wildcats racked up 516 total yards. Washington State had three turnovers. Arizona had none.
The Colorado football season, with Deion Sanders running the program, has had a little bit of everything. But just when you think you have seen or heard it all, Coach Prime and Colorado come up with something new. At the start of the second quarter of the Stanford-Colorado game Friday night, the contest was briefly stopped for an interesting announcement. The referee in charge of the game reprimanded the Colorado public address announcer for playing music and sound effects when Stanford was in formation to snap the ball on offense. The ref said each time the behavior continued he would hit Colorado with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Throughout the first quarter, music and sound effects were broadcast over the public address system each time Stanford was ready to snap the ball on offense. The music and sound effects ceased after the referee’s announcement. Never to be heard again.
“This old heart of mine been broke a thousand times. Each time you break away, I feel you’re goin’ to stay….” Singer-songwriter and one of the founding members of the Isley Brothers, Rudolph Isley died on October 11. The Isley Brothers began recording in 1959. Their first big hit was “It’s Your Thing,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song remained on the chart for 14 weeks in the spring and summer of 1969. Other hits included “This Old Heart of Mine,” “Love The One You’re With,” “That Lady” and “Fight The Power.” All told, the Isley Brothers placed 39 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100. A native of Cincinnati, Rudolph Bernard Isley was 84. “….Lonely nights that come, memories that flow, bringing you back again, hurting me more and more.”
“What do you want me to do just sit here and wait? Faithful little Sarah….” American actress Piper Laurie died on October 14. Laurie was in several movies, including “The Hustler” (1961), “Carrie” (1976) and “Children of a Lesser God” (1986). Her role in “The Hustler” garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Laurie co-starred in the movie with Paul Newman. “The Hustler” is one of my favorite movies. Laurie’s roles in “Carrie” and “Children of a Lesser God” earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. She also was in the original TV production of “Days of Wine and Roses,” and in the television series “Twin Peaks,” among other TV productions. Laurie also appeared on Broadway. A native of Detroit, Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs) was 91.
“Come and knock on our door. We’ve been waiting for you….” American actress and entertainer Suzanne Somers died on October 15. Somers was famous for her role of Chrissy Snow on the television comedy series “Three’s Company.” She was also the ‘Blonde in the White Thunderbird” in the movie “American Graffiti” (1973). “Three’s Company “ appeared on television in the late 1970s. I saw Somers in her show at the Las Vegas Hilton in June 1983. A native of San Bruno, California, Suzanne Marie Somers (born Suzanne Marie Maloney) was 76. “….Where the kisses are hers and hers and his. Three’s company too.”
“Once A Cowboy.” Always a Cowboy. Fullback Walt Garrison died on October 11. Garrison played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and pro football for the Dallas Cowboys. He played all nine of his NFL seasons – 1966-1974 – for Dallas. He was recruited out of high school to play linebacker. At Oklahoma State, he was switched to fullback, a position he had never played before. A native of Denton, Texas, Walter Benton Garrison was 79.
When I get a text message that says, “Laura is pretty cute in thigh high boots,” it can only be from one person – Rockledge Gator. The message arrived Saturday morning. Rockledge Gator was watching “SEC Nation” on the SEC Network. And, of course, he was talking about Laura Rutledge. I switched over from “College GameDay” to “SEC Nation” to check out the boots.
Touchdown Tom
October 16, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Note: CFW Week 8 Forecast will be posted Thursday morning, October 16.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Too mushy for the Ducks – Washington 36, Oregon 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Washington 26). This game had a little bit of everything. The lead changed hands no less than six times. Washington’s biggest lead was 29-18 throughout much of the 3rd quarter. But Oregon rallied with two back-to-back touchdowns to retake the lead at 33-29. It was that kind of game. Never a dull moment. Oregon beat Washington in the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards. Oregon even dominated ball possession 34:21 to 25:39. But Washington scored more points – three more points. Attendance in Seattle: 71,321
RUNNER-UP: Taking care of business – Notre Dame 48, USC 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, USC 27). It was simple. Notre Dame played defense and USC didn’t. Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams threw three interceptions. All told, USC had five turnovers. The Irish weren’t particularly flashy on offense. They just took advantage of USC mistakes. ND’s Audric Estime rushed for 95 yards. USC is no longer unbeaten. The Irish bounced back from their embarrassing loss to Louisville last week. Attendance in South Bend: 77,622
REST OF THE BEST: The Falcons reached the sky – Air Force 34, Wyoming 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 21, Wyoming 20). After trailing Wyoming for more than two and a half quarters, Air Force took its first lead in the game late in the 3rd quarter at 24-21. The Falcons increased their lead to 27-21 early in the 4th quarter. But with 6:14 on the clock, Wyoming tied the score at 27-27. The Falcons winning touchdown came on a 58-yard run by John Lee Eldridge. Air Force had 414 total yards – 356 yards rushing. The Falcons had two turnovers. Wyoming had none. Air Force remains unbeaten. Attendance in Colorado Springs: 28,311
No blue grass for the Wildcats – Missouri 38, Kentucky 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, Kentucky 29). Who will Mark Stoops blame this week. I suppose he’ll say that Missouri bought some pretty good players. Interesting first quarter – Kentucky won, 14-0. Then Missouri won the second quarter – 17-0. Missouri won the second half, 21-7. The Wildcats had a sad passing game – only 120 yards. Ray Davis did rush for 128 yards. Kentucky suffered its second-straight loss. Missouri is 6-1. Attendance in Lexington: 61,654
Beavers gnaw the Bruins – Oregon State 36, UCLA 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 23, UCLA 20). Oregon State took a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the game. The Beavers built up leads of 29-10 and 36-17 in the 3rd quarter. UCLA came into the game with a vaunted defense, but Oregon State found a way to crack it. Oregon State was the better passing team. UCLA was the better rushing team. Beavers quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei passed for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Corvallis: 37,600
No wind in Chapel Hill – North Carolina 41, Miami (Florida) 31 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Miami 24). Miami led 14-7 in the 2nd quarter and 17-14 at halftime. Then the Heels came out and scored 24 unanswered points after the break. UNC led 38-17. Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw two interceptions. North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye passed for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton rushed for 197 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Tez Walker had six receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns. The teams combined for 990 total yards. Miami had four turnovers. UNC had none. North Carolina is 6-0. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500
Ho-hum – Iowa 15, Wisconsin 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 20, Iowa 17). As expected, there wasn’t much offense by either team. But there was a lot of defense. Iowa only had 37 yards passing. However, Iowa running back Leshon Williams rushed for 174 yards and the game’s only touchdown. The Hawkeyes win, but they win ugly. Wisconsin had two turnovers. Iowa had none. The Hawkeyes are 6-1. Attendance in Madison: 76,205
The Vols play reveille for the Aggies – Tennessee 20, Texas A&M 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 30, Texas A&M 22). Tennessee went ahead for the first time with a 39-yard punt return in the 3rd quarter. The Vols never looked back. But late in the 3rd quarter and much of the 4th quarter, Tennessee’s lead was just one point – 14-13. Vols running back Jaylen Wright rushed for 136 yards. Tennessee only had 100 yards passing. Texas A&M only had 54 yards rushing. Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher was eviscerated on social media following the game. Attendance in Knoxville: 101,915
The Green Wave was jazzy – Tulane 31, Memphis 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulane 34, Memphis 32). Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt was 19-30-0, passing for 259 yards and one touchdown. Pratt rushed for another touchdown. Tulane’s Makhi Hughes rushed for 130 yards and one touchdown. The Green Wave defense held Memphis to 45 yards rushing. Tulane improved to 5-1. Attendance in Memphis: 35,609
That Dookie defense – Duke 24, NC State 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, NC State 18). With starting quarterback Riley Leonard sitting out with injury, Duke won the game with second-string quarterback Henry Belin. It wasn’t a problem since Duke has been winning its games on defense. Belin was only 4-for-12 passing and threw an interception. He did have two touchdown passes. But running back Jordan Waters rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown. The Wolfpack controlled ball possession 36:56 to 23:04. Attendance in Durham: 31,833
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
How about Bloody Mary – Houston 41, West Virginia 39 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Houston 25). West Virginia’s four-game winning streak came to an end as the Mountaineers allowed Houston to score a touchdown on a Hail-Mary pass as time expired. Trailing 35-24, WVU scored two touchdowns in the final 3:42 of the 4th quarter to take a 39-35 lead. The second of the two touchdowns came with 0:12 on the clock. On that second touchdown, WVU quarterback Garrett Greene was charged with a celebration penalty. As a result, WVU had to kick off from the 20-yard line instead of the 35-yard line. That helped to position Houston into a better scoring opportunity, and the Cougars took advantage of it. WVU had 546 total yards and controlled ball possession 36:59 to 23:01. The celebration penalty on Greene marred what otherwise had been a great night for the Mountaineer quarterback. Greene passed for 391 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for two more touchdowns. WVU coach Neal Brown needs to be terminated from his position. Attendance in Houston: 32,152
Huggy – Florida 41, South Carolina 39 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Florida 24). Florida’s Graham Mertz passed for 423 yards and three touchdowns, and receiver Ricky Pearsall had 10 receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown. That one touchdown was the most important because it game the Gators a 41-37 lead with 0:47 to go in the game. After the game, Florida coach Billy Napier hugged both Mertz and Pearsall. The teams combined for 959 total yards. The Gators only had 71 yards rushing. South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler passed for 313 yards and four touchdowns. It was a classic game. Attendance in Columbia: 79,247
Just a typical day at the office – Georgia 37, Vanderbilt 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 52, Vanderbilt 10). Carson Beck passed for 261 yards and one touchdown and Daijun Edwards rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Brock Bowers left the game early with an ankle injury. Georgia had 26 first downs to nine for Vandy. The Dawgs had 552 total yards to 219 for Vandy. The Commodores only had 18 yards rushing. Attendance in Nashville: 28,500
The Boilers had no steam – Ohio State 41, Purdue 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 31, Purdue 17). Purdue’s lone touchdown didn’t come until the 4th quarter. The Buckeyes scored in every quarter. Kyle McCord passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Ohio State had two turnovers. Purdue had none. The Buckeyes are 6-0. Attendance in West Lafayette: 57,319
Week 7 Results: 10 winners, 4 fumbles (71.4 percent)
For the Season: 74 winners, 26 fumbles (74 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUBND FLORIDA:
UTEP 27, FIU 14 – Attendance in Miami: 14,872
Florida State 41, Syracuse 3 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 79,560
Texas Southern 34, Bethune-Cookman 31 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 9.458
Florida Atlantic 56, South Florida 14 – Attendance in Tampa: 36,670
West Alabama 10, West Florida 6 – Attendance in Livingston: 7,020
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Hawaii’s Bryden Schager – 29-47-1 for 427 yards (3TDs); Florida’s Graham Mertz – 30-48-0-423 (3TDs); Colorado ‘s Shedeur Sanders – 33-47-1-400 (5TDs); Stanford’s Ashton Daniels – 27-45-0-396 (4TDs); Florida Atlantic’s Daniel Richardson – 31-38-1-382 (3TDs); Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall – 19-28-0-373 (2TDs), and Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi – 32-54-1-359 (3TDs).
Also, Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 34-43-0 for 342 yards; Oregon’s Bo Nix – 33-44-0-337 (2TDs); Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman – 28-41-0-336 (2TDs); LSU’s Jayden Daniels – 20-27-1-325 (3TDs); Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones – 20-29-0-321 (2TDs); North Texas’ Chandler Rogers – 25-39-0-307 (4TDs), and Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar – 18-31-0-305 yards (2TDs).
Also, Washington’s Michael Penix – 22-37-1 for 302 yards (4TDs); Marshall’s Cam Fancher – 27-34-0-301 (1TD); Fresno State’s Logan Fife – 22-39-0-291 (1TD); New Mexico State’s Diego Pavia – 20-36-0-286 (2TDs); Sam Houston’s Keegan Shoemaker – 32-48-0-285 (2TDs); Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 23-37-0-284 (1TD), and Ohio State’s Kyle McCord – 16-28-0-276 (3TDs).
Also, Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 27-39-0 for 266 yards (2TDs); UTEP’s Cade McConnell – 11-17-0-262 (2TDs); Tulane’s Michael Pratt – 19-30-0-259 (1TD); James Madison’s Jordan McCloud – 20-31-0-259 (3TDs); UNLV’s Jayden Maiava – 20-25-0-259 (2TDs), and Houston’s Donovan Smith – 21-27-0-253 (4TDs).
Also, Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato – 23-29-0 for 248 yards (2TDs); Georgia State’s Darren Grainger – 21-31-0-234 (1TD); Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy – 14-17-0-222 (3TDs); Wyoming’s Andrew Peasley – 15-25-0-212 (3TDs); UTSA’s Frank Harris – 19-30-0-171 (2TDs), and Penn State’s Drew Allar – 16-23-0-162 yards (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – 212 yards (3TDs); North Carolina’s Omarion Hamilton – 197 yards (1TD); Iowa’s Leshon Williams – 174 yards (1TD); Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordan – 168 yards (1TD), and Liberty’s Quinton Cooley – 163 yards (2TDs).
Also, Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll – 159 yards (1TD); Utah’s Sione Vaki – 158 yards (2TDs); Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai – 148 yards (1TD); Toledo’s Penny Boone – 148 yards, and Georgia’s Daijun Edwards – 146 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Will the public address announcer please stop playing music and sound effects while Stanford is in formation ready to snap the ball. Any more playing of the music or sound effects will result in an unsportsmanlike penalty against Colorado,” head referee at the start of the second quarter of the Stanford-Colorado game.
“I think this game is 100% on me,” Oregon coach Dan Lamming, after the loss to Washington. Three times during the game, Lanning made the decision to go for it on fourth down. All three attempts failed. Hind sight, the Ducks should have punted on one of the attempts and kicked a field goal on the other two.
Touchdown Tom
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