CFW Week 9 Results – Oklahoma, North Carolina go down
Bowers? We don’t need no Bowers
No, Georgia, you didn’t. But Oklahoma, North Carolina, Maryland, Oregon State and Washington State could have used Brock. They were all victims of an upset.
All week, leading up to the Georgia-Florida game, college football analysts, commentators and bloggers were wondering how the Dawgs would do against the Gators without tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers, an All-American tight end and Heisman Trophy candidate, suffered an ankle injury two weeks prior to the Florida game. The injury required an operation, sidelining Bowers for several weeks. He was on the sideline Saturday during the Georgia-Florida game.
Leading up to the game, the commentators wondered who would step up for Georgia without Bowers. Bowers was always the “go-to” guy if Georgia needed a big play. Bowers was always the player to get the Dawgs out of trouble when they needed help. That’s all we heard all week.
With Florida improving, the analysts believed without Bowers, Georgia could be in trouble. Well, as it turned out, Georgia didn’t need Bowers. Sure, it would have been nice if Bowers was playing. But the Dawgs were just fine without him – Georgia 43, Florida 20.
So, the analysts wondered who would step up for Georgia? How about quarterback Carson Beck? Beck passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns, completing 68% of his passes. How about running back Daijun Edwards? Edwards rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards a carry. How about receiver Ladd McConkey? McConkey had six receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown. How about defenders Javon Ballard, Tykee Smith, Kamari Lassiter and Smael Mondon? Combined, they had 23 tackles – 15 solo tackles. They all stepped up.
No, Georgia didn’t need Borck Bowers. But, as mentioned above, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Maryland, Oregon State and Washington State sure could have used a Bowers. They needed somebody.
Let’s hear it for the Jayhawks. Kansas handed 6th-ranked and undefeated Oklahoma its firs toss of the season. The Jayhawks snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Sooners. Kansas upset Oklahoma, 38-33.
Let’s hear it for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech knocked off 17th-ranked North Carolina. The Tar Heels were 12-point favorites. Trailing North Carolina 42-32 with less than 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Yellow Jackets scored two touchdowns. Georgia Tech upset North Carolina, 46-42.
Let’s hear it for the Wildcats. A 14-point underdog, Northwestern held its own against Maryland. Wildcats quarterback Brendan Sullivan passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, completing 70% of his passes. Northwestern upset Maryland, 33-27.
Let’s hear it for Arizona and Arizona State. It was double you pleasure, double your fun in the State of Arizona, Saturday night. Both the Wildcats and the Sun Devils were underdogs, going into their games against Oregon State and Washington State respectively. Both ignored the odds. Arizona upset 11th-ranked Oregon State, 27-24. Arizona State upset Washington State, 38-27.
Yes, there were upsets in the Big 12, ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12, Saturday. Of the Power Five conferences, only the SEC came through unscathed from upsets. However, Kentucky came close to pulling it off. The underdog Wildcats almost upset favored Tennessee. The Vols escaped Lexington with a 33-27 victory.
College football Week 9 resumed on Thursday night with two games. Both games were ugly – ugly for Syracuse and Georgia State. Virginia Tech pounded Syracuse, 38-10. Virginia Tech had 528 total yards. Syracuse had 0 yards rushing. Syracuse only had 9 first downs. That’s pretty ugly for the Orange. The Hokies are a vastly improved team since the first of the season. Syracuse is a vastly deteriorated team since the start of the season.
In the other game Thursday night, Georgia Southern pummeled Georgia State, 44-27. The teams combined for 899 total yards.
Friday night in North Carolina, Florida Atlantic beat Charlotte, 38-16. FAU quarterback Daniel Richardson passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
In other games Saturday, Florida State remained undefeated. The Noles topped Wake Forest, 41-16. Clemson continues to have problems. The Tigers lost to NC State, 24-17. The other South Carolina team lost too. Texas A&M downed the Gamecocks, 30-17. Both Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer were the subjects of abuse on social media after the games.
Virginia almost got another upset win this week. It took an overtime for Miami (Florida) to subdue the Cavaliers, 29-26 (OT). There was almost a third upset in the Pac-12. Scoring a touchdown with 0:58 remaining, California went for the win instead of the tie. However, Cal failed on its two-point conversion attempt. The Golden Bears lost to USC, 50-49.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Oregon trounced Utah, 35-6, Washington beat Stanford, 42-33, and UCLA downed Colorado, 28-16.
In Orlando, West Virginia knocked off UCF, 41-28. Ohio State and Notre Dame were winners. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin, 24-10, while the Irish plundered Pitt, 58-7. Penn State got a scare from Indiana. But the Nittany Lions pulled it out, beating the Hoosiers, 33-24.
SMU exploded for 69 points. The Mustangs beat Tulsa, 69-10. Air Force remained undefeated. The Falcons blasted Colorado State, 30-13.
There were five games I said to keep an eye on. They were First (Georgia State at Georgia Southern): Georgia Southern led Georgia State, 27-7, at halftime and went on to beat the Panthers, 44-27. Southern was the passing team – 334 yards. State was the rushing team – 290 yards….. and Second (Clemson at NC State): NC State handed Clemson its fourth loss of the season. The Wolfpack beat the Tigers, 24-17.
Also, Third (Miami (Ohio) at Ohio): Miami established superiority in the Mac East, beating Ohio, 30-16. The Bobcats led 9-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then it was all Miami after that. The RedHawks scored 30 unanswered points to take a 30-9 lead early in the fourth quarter….. Fourth (Louisiana at South Alabama): Louisiana downed South Alabama, 33-20. The Rajin’ Cajuns led 17-0 at halftime, and 33-14 early in the fourth quarter….. and Fifth (Troy at Texas State): Troy improved to 6-2, beating Texas State, 31-13. At the end of the third quarter, Troy led by just one point, 14-13. But the Trojans scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
The stealing of signs by the University of Michigan is getting more and more interesting. According to the Washington Post, a detailed and in-depth investigation into the sign stealing was conducted by a third-party investigation firm, not the NCAA, during the past several months. The results of the investigation were turned over to the NCAA in October. And apparently, the results show proof that Michigan was stealing signs. So, the question is who contracted the firm to conduct the investigation. You know it had to cost a lot of money. So, it had to be someone with a lot of money. Ohio State? Or an Ohio State booster or boosters?
Adding fuel to the fire, TCU coach Sonny Dykes said last week that he was tipped off before the TCU-Michigan game in the CFP semifinals last season that Michigan was stealing their signs. As a result, Dykes said they used dummy signs during the Michigan game. Apparently, the dummy signs worked – TCU beat Michigan 51-47.
The first CFP Poll rankings of the season will be released at 7 pm ET, tomorrow (October 31), on ESPN TV. The CFP rankings will be released every Tuesday evening for the remainder of the season, with the final rankings coming out on Sunday, December 3. These are the rankings that will be used to determine the four-team playoff and the spots in the New Year’s Six bowls. The highest-ranked Group of Five team will be one of the spots.
This is the time of the year we experience, what I call, “The Sports Solstice.” Or should I say, “The Sports Equinox.” Whatever. It’s a brief period annually around this time of the year when we have the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college football and college basketball all in action at the same time. So much to watch.
Actor and comedian Matthew Perry died on October 28. Perry became an international celebrity in the 1990s for playing Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom “Friends.” The show ran for 11 seasons from 1994 to 2004. A native of Williamstown, Massachusetts, Matthew Langford Perry was 54.
Touchdown Tom
October 30, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Just Ducky in Salt Lake City – Oregon 35, Utah 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Utah 18). The Ducks were fired up and the Utes were no match for them. The Oregon defense held Utah to less than 100 yards rushing. Bo Nix passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns, completing 77% of his passes. It was the seventh-straight game Nix has completed better than 70% of his passes. Oregon improved to 7-1. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 53,586
RUNNER-UP: Uga got the cocktails – Georgia 43, Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Florida 24). Florida scored the game’s first touchdown. The Gators scored the game’s last touchdown. In between, Georgia outscored Florida 43-6. Message to Florida coach Billy Napier: When you have a fourth-and-inches in your own territory and you go for it, don’t try a trick play. Except for the fumble, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz actually had a pretty good game. Mertz passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, completing 74% of his passes. The game was amazingly clean for a Florida-Georgia game. Only two penalties on each team. Georgia had 486 total yards. Attendance in Jacksonville: 76,251
REST OF THE BEST: Birds seed the Dookies – Louisville 23, Duke 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 27, Duke 21). The Dookies are in a funk. They only had nine first downs, 202 total yards and 51 yards rushing. The Dookies also had 10 penalties for 82 yards. Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Louisville controlled ball possession: 36:51 to 23:09. Attendance in Louisville: 52,319
Badgers couldn’t crack the Buckeyes – Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Wisconsin 16). Midway through the third quarter, the score was tied 10-10. Then the Buckeyes scored 14 unanswered points. Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord threw two interceptions. Playing in his first game in more than a month, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 162 yards and one touchdown. Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison had six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State dominated the stats and controlled possession: 35:50 to 24:10. Wisconsin had less than 100 yards rushing. Ohio State beat Wisconsin for the tenth consecutive time. Attendance in Madison: 76,453
Rock Chalk – Kansas 38, Oklahoma 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, Kansas 27). UCF gave Oklahoma a scare last week. Kansas gave the Sooners more than a scare this week. OU led 21-17 at halftime and 27-26 at the end of the third quarter. The Sooners led 33-32 in the closing minutes of the game. Kansas scored its winning touchdown with 0:55 remaining in the game. Neither quarterback had a good game. Both teams had three turnovers each. OU had 11 penalties for 101 yards. Attendance in Lawrence: 47,233
Tooth decay – Arizona 27, Oregon State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 30, Arizona 27). Early in the fourth quarter, Oregon State led, 17-13. Then Arizona scored 14 unanswered points. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, completing 78% of his passes. It was Arizona’s second-straight win over a Top 25 team. Last week, the Wildcats beat Washington State. Attendance in Tucson: 45,023
A good day for Cows – Texas 35, BYU 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, BYU 18). The best BYU could do was two field goals. Texas had five touchdowns. Texas running back Jonathon Brooks rushed for 98 yards and one touchdown. BYU had less than 100 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 101,670
Smokey in Lexington – Tennessee 33, Kentucky 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Kentucky 19). Tennessee had its biggest leads in the second quarter – 13-3 and 20-10. The Vols led 23-17 at the break. As the fourth quarter began, Kentucky only trailed by two points – 26-24. Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton completed 86% of his passes – 18-for-21. He threw for 228 yards. Milton completed 12-consecutive passes during one stretch. Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary passed for 372 yards and two touchdowns. Kentucky only had 72 yards rushing. The teams combined for 925 total yards. Attendance in Lexington: 61,665
Bulldogs made the Rebels yell – Fresno State 31, UNLV 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Fresno State 29, UNLV 25). UNLV led 17-7 at the break. Then Fresno State scored 24 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Bulldogs led 31-17 as the fourth quarter began. UNLV scored its final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Both quarterbacks threw two interceptions each. But Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keane threw four touchdown passes. UNLV dominated the stats, but UNLV had four turnovers. Fresno State only had 56 yards rushing. Attendance in Fresno: 41,031
The Herd was corralled – UCLA 28, Colorado 16 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Colorado 22). UCLA led 7-6 at the break and 14-9 at the end of three. UCLA had four turnovers – two fumbles and two interceptions. Colorado only had 25 yards rushing. That has been the Buffaloes problem all season. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked seven times. It was the third game this season he has been sacked seven times. Deion Sanders’ son Shilo Sanders was ejected in the first half for targeting. Attendance in Pasadena: 71,343
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Mountain do – West Virginia 41, UCF 28 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 26, West Virginia 23). With less than two minutes to go in the game, West Virginia led 41-21. The teams combined for 913 total yards. UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee committed four turnovers. WVU had 286 yards rushing. Mountaineer quarterback Garrett Greene ran for three touchdowns. The Mountaineers are 5-3. Attendance in Orlando: 44,136
Herbie made the Boilers look corny – Nebraska 31, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 22, Purdue 17). At the end of three quarters, Nebraska led 21-0. There were seven turnovers in the game – four by Nebraska. The teams only combined for 472 total yards. Purdue only had 195 total yards. Neither quarterback played well. Huskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg had two fumbles. Nebraska got its first three-game win streak since 2016. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,709
Week 9 Results: 9 winners, 3 fumbles (75 percent)
For the Season: 93 winners, 31 fumbles (73.4 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Jacksonville State 41, FIU 16 – Attendance in Miami: 14,074
Florida Atlantic 38, Charlotte 16 – Attendance in Charlotte: 10,857
Florida State 41, Wake Forest 16 – Attendance in Winston-Salem: 31,288
Drake 33, Stetson 7 – Attendance in Des Moines: 1,625
Grambling 28, Bethune-Cookman 14 – Attendance in Grambling: 4,500
Miami 29, Virginia 26 (OT) – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 58,503
Florida A&M 45, Prairie View A&M 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 22,338
Valdosta State 31, West Florida 28 – Attendance in Pensacola: 4,278
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
North Texas’ Chandler Rogers – 32-49-0 for 411 yards (5TDs); UTSA’s Frank Harris – 20-32-1-395 (4TDs); Troy’s Gunnar Watson – 26-40-0-392 (3TDs); Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar – 23-33-1-391 (4TDs); Kentucky’s Devin Leary – 28-39-0-373 (2TDs); SMU’s Preston Stone – 15-20-0-371 (3TDs); Washington’s Michael Penix – 21-38-1-369 (4TDs). and Stanford’s Ashton Daniels – 31-50-0-367 (1TD).
Also, Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed – 30-44-1 for 365 yards (4TDs); Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 22-35-0-359 (3TDs); Georgia Southern’s Davis Brin – 22-35-1-334 (3TDs); Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 22-28-0-330 (1TD); Georgia’s Carson Beck – 19-28-0-315 (2TDs); Ohio’s Kevin Rourke – 25-39-0-315 (1TD); Washington State’s Cameron Ward – 35-50-0-315 (1TD), and North Carolina’s Drake Maye – 17-25-0-310 (2TDs).
Also, Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi – 28-45-0 for 297 yards (1TD); Coastal Carolina’s Jarrett Guest – 14-20-1-289 (3TDs); Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman – 18-25-0-288; Georgia Tech’s Haynes King – 23-30-1-287 (4TDs); Old Dominion’s Grant Wilson – 26-36-0-277 (2TDs); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 25-32-1-275 (3TDs); Arizona State’s Trenton Bourguet – 19-26-0-274, and Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 30-47-1-274 (3TDs).
Also, Indiana’s Brendan Sorsby – 13-19-1 for 269 yards (3TDs); Northwestern’s Brendan Sullivan – 16-23-0-265 (2TDs); San Jose State’s Chevan Cordeiro – 16-26-0-251 (2TDs)’ Texas A&M’s Max Johnson – 20-30-0-249 (1TD); Oregon’s Bo Nix – 24-31-0-248 (2TDs); Louisiana Tech’s Hank Bachmeier – 20-26-0-238 (1TD); Auburn’s Payton Thorne – 20-26-0-230 (3TDs), and Florida’s Graham Mertz – 25-34-0-230 (2TDs).
Also, Tennessee’s Joe Milton – 17-20-0 for 227 yards (1TD); Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – 27-43-0-217 (1TD); Florida Atlantic’s Daniel Richardson – 18-25-1-216 (3TDs); Penn State’s Drew Allar – 20-31-1-210 (3TDs); Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones – 15-24-0-194 (1TD); Liberty’s Kaidon Salter – 10-15-0-169 (3TDs); Western Michigan’s Hayden Wolff – 15-26-0-169 (1TD); Kansas State’s Will Howard – 15-17-0-164 (2TDs); Boise State’s Maddux Madsen – 12-15-0-147 (1TD), and Louisiana’s Zeon Chriss – 13-17-0-145 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon – 271 yards (2TDS); Southern Miss’s Frank Gore – 247 yards (2TDs); Massachusetts’ Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams – 234 yards (3TDs); Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll – 208 yards (2TDs); Minnesota’s Jordan Nubin – 204 yards (2TDs); Georgia Tech’s Dontae Smith – 178 yards (1TD), and Louisville’s Jawhar Jordan – 163 yards (2TDs).
Also, Miami of Ohio’s Rashad Amos – 163 yards (1TD); North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton – 163 yards (2TDs); Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson – 162 yards (1TD); Tulane’s Makhi Hughes – 155 yards; California’s Jaydn Ott – 153 yards (3TDs); San Jose State’s Kairee Robinson – 146 (2TDs), and Oklahoma’s Tawee Walker – 146 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“There are three things Black folks don’t do. We don’t deep-sea dive. We don’t bungee-jump. And we ain’t noodling. We don’t do that,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders. (Note: Noodling is the act of catching catfish with your hand by reaching into catfish holes.)
“NC State is waiting for basketball season to start,” former NFL receiver Steve Smith, on College GameDay, predicting Clemson would beat NC State.
“He can kiss my ass,” NC State football coach Dave Doeren, responding to Steve Smith.
“It’s a great feeling, nothing like I’ve ever felt before. This is a very emotional moment for me,” Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, after the Florida game.
“The proof is in the pudding. We got an elite quarterback,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning, on his quarterback Bo Nix, after the Utah game.
“I got caught in a whole bunch of students. I hope nobody gives me a breathalyzer test just off the fumes out there,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold, after the Oklahoma game.
“I had to remind our kids that this was Halloween, not Christmas. We need to stop giving away gifts. And let’s just make sure that it is Halloween. So, put on your scary masks and go play,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly, on his halftime talk to his players, during the Colorado game.
“The saddest story in college football this year is Dabo Swinney and Clemson. And there’s not a single person outside of that area code who is feeling sorry,” Paul Finebaum, on Dabo Swinney.
“Is Dabo Swinney done? Every time he talks, he sticks his foot deeper down his mouth,” Paul Finebaum, on Dabo Swinney.
Sign of the Week
You Can’t Spell Obnoxious Without Bo Nix
Touchdown Tom
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