CFW Week 11 Results – Texas A&M fires Jimbo Fisher
As good as it is possible to be
The dictionary defines perfect as having all the required or desirable elements, qualities or characteristics. As good as it is possible to be. Being free from all flaws or defects.
After 11 weeks of football, seven teams, five Power five and two Group of Five, have the opportunity to achieve a perfect season. All seven teams are within two games of perfection. They are just two games away from being as good as it is possible to be.
The five Power Five teams are Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Washington. The two Group of Five teams are James Madison and Liberty.
Florida State’s remaining two games are against North Alabama (3-7) and Florida (5-5). The North Alabama game is home. The Florida game is away. The Seminoles will be heavily favored against North Alabama. They will be favored against Florida. But the Florida game is on the road in The Swamp. It is a big rivalry.
Georgia’s remaining two games are against Tennessee (7-3) and Georgia Tech (5-5). Both games are on the road. The Dawgs will be heavily favored in the two games, more so in the Georgia Tech game. Both games are rivalries, with the Tennessee game being the bigger challenge of the two.
Michigan’s remaining two games are against Maryland (6-4) and Ohio State (10-0). The Maryland game is on the road. The Ohio State game is home. The Wolverines will be heavily favored against Maryland. They could be favored against Ohio State. They could be an underdog to the Buckeyes. It could be a “u-pick ’em” game. The Ohio State game is a big rivalry.
Ohio State’s remaining two games are against Minnesota (5-5) and Michigan (10-0). The Minnesota game is home. The Michigan game is away. The Buckeyes will be heavily favored against Minnesota. They could be favored against Michigan. They could be an underdog to the Wolverines. It could be a “u-pick ’em” game. The Michigan game is a big rivalry.
Since Michigan and Ohio State play each other, it’s obvious that only one of the two can finish the season with a perfect record.
Washington’s remaining two games are against Oregon State (8-2) and Washington State (4-6). The Oregon State game is on the road. The Washington State game is home. The Huskies will be slightly favored against Oregon State. They will be heavily favored against Washington State. The Washington State game is a big rivalry.
James Madison’s two remaining games are against Appalachian State (6-4) and Coastal Carolina (7-3). The Appalachian State game is home. The Coastal Carolina game is away. The Dukes will be favored in both games, but maybe only slightly favored against Coastal Carolina.
Liberty’s remaining two games are against Massachusetts (3-7) and UTEP (3-7). The Massachusetts game is home. The UTEP game is away. The Flames will be heavily favored in both games.
Six of the above seven teams have a chance of finishing the regular season with a perfect record. But the odds are against all six of them finishing as good as it is possible to be.
And of course, only one of six teams will achieve the ultimate perfection – winning its conference championship game and winning the two games in the College Football Playoff, becoming the national champion. Stay tuned!
There were some wild games with some wild finishes Saturday. Some teams ran into some bumps. One of them being Kansas. Texas Tech kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to upset Kansas, 16-13.
Playing at home in New Orleans, Tulane, the best team in the AAC, barely edged Tulsa, the worst team in the AAC. The Green Wave beat Tulsa, 24-22. Tulsa scored a touchdown with 3:03 remaining in the game but failed on its two-point conversion attempt.
Also playing at home, Boston College, lost for the first time in five-straight games. The Eagles lost big time too. Virginia Tech knocked off Boston College, 48-22. The Hokies had 600 total yards.
Playing on the road and with a quarterback who was benched earlier in the season, NC State beat Wake Forest, 26-6. The quarterback, Brennan Armstrong, passed for 111 yards and one touchdown and rushed for another 96 yards and one touchdown. Wake Forest only had seven yards rushing.
Oklahoma State, winners of five-straight games, was blown off the field Saturday. UCF beat the Cowboys, 45-3. UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 74 yards. Oklahoma State had four turnovers.
Iowa, who has the worst offense in the country with the best defense, somehow managed to score 22 points. The Hawkeyes beat Rutgers, 22-0. Iowa is sitting atop the Big Ten West Division.
Luke Fickell is having his problems in his first-year coaching Wisconsin. Northwestern knocked off Wisconsin in Madison, 24-10. The Badgers, who annually have a powerhouse ground attack, only had 86 yards rushing.
Syracuse snapped a five-game losing streak. The Orange downed Pitt, 28-13. Pitt had 11 first downs, 60 yards rushing and four turnovers.
Auburn, under first-year coach Hugh Freeze, spanked Arkansas in Fayetteville, 48-10. The score was 48-3 as the fourth quarter began. Auburn had 32 first downs. Arkansas had 10. Will Arkansas coach Sam Pittman survive?
In Pac-12 play, California held on to beat Washington State, 42-39. With less than eight minutes to go in the game, Cal led 42-24. Washington State had four turnovers.
Also, in Pac-12 play, Arizona State upset UCLA, 17-7. It was a home loss for the Bruins. Who said Chip Kelly was an offensive genius?
In the MWC, San Jose State upset Fresno State big time. The Spartans shocked the Bulldogs, 42-18. San Jose State led 42-10 early in the fourth quarter. Fresno State only had 83 yards rushing.
Last week, undefeated Air Force had six turnovers, losing to Army, 23-3. Saturday an 8-1 Air Force, the best team in the MWC, lost to Hawaii, 27-13. Air Force had four turnovers. That’s 10 turnovers in two games.
College football Week 11 resumed Thursday night in Louisville, Kentucky, and Lafayette, Louisiana. In Louisville, the Cardinals rallied in the final 6:20 of the game to down Virginia, 31-24. With less than 7 minutes remaining, Louisville trailed the Cavaliers, 24-17. Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea passed for 314 yards and rushed for 89 yards.
In Lafayette, Southern Miss upended Louisiana, 34-31 (OT). The teams each had 390 total yards. Maybe Louisiana should take Billy Napier back from Florida.
Friday night saw action from Dallas, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In Dallas, SMU stomped North Texas, 45-21. The Mustangs outscored the Mean Green, 28-7, in the second half. SMU racked up 552 total yards. The Mustangs are 8-2.
In Las Vegas, UNLV put in on Wyoming, 34-14. The Rebels outscored the Cowboys, 13-0, in the second half. UNLV is 8-2.
In the three games I said to keep an eye on – One (Arizona at Colorado): Colorado came close but failed to snap its three-game losing streak, which is now a four-game losing streak. Arizona kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to beat Colorado, 34-31. Trailing the Buffaloes, 31-24, at the end of the third quarter, the Wildcats scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Colorado only had 77 yards rushing….. Two (Texas State at Coastal Carolina): Coastal Carolina won its 5th-straight game, beating Texas State, 31-23. Coastal Carolina ked 31-10 early in the fourth quarter….. and Three (Rutgers at Iowa): Iowa skunked Rutgers, 22-0. The score was 3-0 at halftime and 6-0 at the end of the third quarter. Iowa scored 16 of its 22 points in the fourth quarter. Rutgers had a mere 7 first downs, 127 total yards and 34 yards rushing.
Tis the season. Two head coaches and an offensive coordinator were fired yesterday. Texas A&M fired head coach Jimbo Fisher and Boise State fired head coach Andy Avalos. At Penn State, James Franklin fired his offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich.
Fisher’s buyout at A&M is $75 million. It will be paid to him in annual increments through 2031. The first payment is due within 120 days of his termination. Fisher was 45-25 in six seasons at A&M. The Aggies are currently 6-4 (4-3 in the SEC). Texas A&M has not won the SEC West or played in the College Football Playoff during Fisher’s tenure.
In three seasons at Boise State, Avalos was 22-14. Boise State is currently 5-5 (4-2 in the MWC). Avalos is a former player for Boise State.
Yurcich has been Penn State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2021. He is a former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and was a quarterbacks coach at Ohio State.
The College Football Playoff management committee is recommending a change to the composition of the 12-team team playoff. Currently the 12 teams in the playoff consist of the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked at large teams. The recommended change is for the five highest-ranked conference champions and the seven highest-ranked at large teams. The committee also established a new policy requiring a conference to have a minimum of eight members to be eligible for an automatic conference champion bid. This would prevent Oregon State or Washington State from getting an automatic bid. The Pac-12 will remain a two-team conference for the next two years. Oregon State and Washington State could still get a bid if one or both teams is among the seven highest-ranked at large teams. The recommended change now has to be approved by the CFP Board of Managers. They next meet in early December.
We lost two astronauts during the past two weeks. Ken Mattingly, who flew on Apollo 16 and two Space Shuttle missions, died on October 31. Mattingly was a graduate of Auburn University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Mattingly was a naval aviator and test pilot. He was scheduled to fly on Apollo 13, but three days prior to the launch, Mattingly was scratched from the mission because he had been exposed to the German measles. A native of Chicago, Thomas Kenneth Mattingly was 87.
Astronaut Frank Borman, who flew on Apollo 8 which was the first mission to fly around the moon, died on November 7. Borman was a graduate of West Point and California Institute of Technology. Borman was an Air Force pilot and test pilot. Four days before he graduated from West Point in 1950, he was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force. A native of Gary, Indiana, Frank Frederick Borman was 95.
November 13, 2023
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Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Franklin can’t run up the score – Michigan 24, Penn State 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Penn State 20). With 2:13 to go in the first quarter, Penn State took the initial lead at 3-0. Early in the second quarter, Michigan went up 7-3 and never relinquished the lead. The Wolverines led 24-9 with four minutes to go in the game. It was a running game for both teams. Michigan only passed for 60 yards and Penn State passed for 74 yards. The Wolverines Blake Corum rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in University Park: 110,856
RUNNER-UP: Uga licks Kiffin – Georgia 52, Ole Miss 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 34, Ole Miss 24). In the first quarter, the score was tied 7-7. In the second quarter, it was 14-14. Then it was all Georgia, as the Dawgs scored 31 unanswered points, taking a 45-14 lead. Georgia racked up a balanced 611 total yards – 300 rushing and 311 passing. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
REST OF THE BEST: Harry boots the Utes – Washington 35, Utah 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 26, Utah 18). Washington trailed Utah 28-24 at halftime. Then the Huskies scored 11 points in the third quarter. There was no scoring in the fourth quarter. Michael Penix threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Seattle: 70.976
Stunner in Columbia – Missouri 36, Tennessee 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 35, Tennessee 33). Early in the second quarter, Tennessee led 7-3. That was the last time the Vols saw the lead. And they never scored again. Missouri controlled time of possession 39:56 to 20:04. The Tigers racked up 530 total yards. The Vols had three turnovers. Mizzou’s Cody Schrader rushed for 205 yards and one touchdown. Tennessee only had 83 rushing yards. Attendance in Columbia: 62,621
Pond in Eugene – Oregon 36, USC 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 47, USC 38). Early in the fourth quarter, Oregon led 36-14. USC scored 13 points in the final 11:27 of the game. Oregon’s Bo Nix passed for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Oregon had 13 penalties for 120 yards. USC had 73 yards rushing. The Ducks had 552 total yards. Attendance in Eugene: 59,957
War parties in Tallahassee – Florida State 27, Miami (Florida) 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Miami 24). The score was 10-10 at the break. FSU led 27-13 early in the fourth. Miami scored with 8:22 left in the game to make it 27-20. There wasn’t a lot of offense. It was more of a defensive battle. FSU’s Jordan Travis passed for 265 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Tallahassee: 79,560
Bama turns the blue grass red – Alabama 49, Kentucky 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 36, Kentucky 21). Midway through the fourth quarter, Alabama led 49-14. The Tide scored the first three touchdowns of the game – all in the first quarter. Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Kentucky only had 11 first downs and 95 yards rushing. Attendance in Lexington: 61,936
Sooners didn’t fear the Eer – Oklahoma 59, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, West Virginia 27). West Virginia scored first and took a 7-0 lead. Then Oklahoma scored 31 unanswered points, all before halftime. OU also scored the last 21 points of the game. OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 423 yards and five touchdowns. The Sooners racked up 644 total yards. Attendance in Norman: 83,525
Wild finish – North Carolina 47, Duke 45 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Duke 25). The lead changed hands five times in regulation. The score was 36-36 after four. The Tar Heels kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to put the game into overtime. Each team kicked a field goal in the first OT. Both scored a touchdown in the second OT. However, UNC made its two-point conversion, while Duke didn’t. UNC’s Omarion Hampton rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500
UNLV 34, Wyoming 14 (Touchdown Tom said: UNLV 29, Wyoming 22). The Rebels blanked the Cowboys in the second half. UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 232 yards and one touchdown and ran for 40 yards and two more touchdowns. Rebels’ receiver Ricky White had 8 receptions for 144 yards. Attendance in Las Vegas: 25,568
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
A night for Daniels – LSU 52, Florida 35 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 34, Florida 28). LSU scored first and never trailed until 7:16 to go in the third quarter when Florida went up 28-24. LSU scored two touchdowns and went up 38-28. The Gators scored and pulled within 3, trailing 38-35. That was with 10:27 to go in the game. The Tigers scored two touchdowns in the final 9:14 of the game. It was a history making game for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He accounted for 606 total yards and five touchdowns. Daniels became the first quarterback in FBS history to have at least 350 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. Specifically, he had 272 yards passing and 234 yards rushing. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz passed for 311 yards and one touchdown. The teams combined for 1,189 total yards – 701 yards for LSU. Florida actually dominated time of possession 34:29 to 25:31. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321
Enough is enough, Herbie – Maryland 13, Nebraska 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Maryland 24). Eight turnovers in two weeks. Last week the Huskers had three turnovers (2 interceptions). This week the Huskers had five turnovers (three interceptions). Nebraska played three quarterbacks and all three got in on the interception action. Nebraska is going to change its nickname from the Cornhuskers to the Cornovers. Maryland led 7-0 at the break. Nebraska led 10-7 after three. Maryland got two field goals in the fourth quarter. The second field goal was a 24-yarder as time expired. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa passed for 283 yards and one touchdown. The Huskers only had 86 yards passing. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,830
Field goal city – Texas 29, TCU 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, TCU 13). Texas led 26-6 at halftime. TCU rallied in the second half – all in the fourth quarter. The Frogs outscored the Horns, 20-3. There were five field goals in the game – three from Texas and two from TCU. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover passed for 302 yards and two touchdowns. The Horns Quinn Ewers passed for 317 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Fort Worth: 50,812
The Boilers were up – Purdue 49, Minnesota 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 27, Purdue 23). What a wild game! Purdue took its first lead at 14-10 with 1:05 to go before the half. The Boilers led 28-13 late in the second quarter. And the Boilers led 35-20, early in the third quarter. They extended the lead to 42-20 early in the fourth quarter. And 49-23 midway through the fourth quarter. Two Purdue running backs rushed for more than 100 yards. Devin Mockobee had 153 yards and Tyrone Tracy had 122 yards rushing. Boilers quarterback Hudson Card passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Purdue racked up 604 total yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 59,049
Week 11 Results: 12 winners, 2 fumbles (85.7 percent)
For the Season: 114 winners, 39 fumbles (74.5 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUNBD FLORIDA:
South Florida 27, Temple 23 – Attendance in Tampa: 30,938
Bethune-Cookman 31, Alabama A&M 14 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 4,915
Valparaiso 23, Stetson 20 – Attendance in Valparaiso: 1,056
West Florida 52, Chowan 6 – Attendance in Pensacola: 3,979
UCF 45, Oklahoma State 3 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,046
Middle Tennessee 40, FIU 6 – Attendance in Murphysboro: 11,111
East Carolina 22, Florida Atlantic 7 – Attendance in Boca Raton: N/A
Florida A&M 28, Lincoln (CA) 0 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 11,314
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Illinois’ John Paddock – 24-36-1 for 507 yards (4TDs); James Madison’s Jordan McCloud – 33-37-0-457 (4TDs); Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel – 23-36-0-423 (5TDs); Oregon’s Bo Nix 23-31-0-412 (4TDs); Toledo’s Dequan Finn – 23-27-1-407 (3TDs); LSU’s Jayden Daniels – 17-26-0-372 (3TDs); Washington State’s Cameron Ward – 34-59-1-354 (3TDs), and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler – 28-36-1-351 (3TDs).
Also, Tulsa’s Kirk Francis – 22-34-0 for 345 yards (1TD); Ohio State’s Kyle McCord – 24-31-0-335 (3TDs); Western Michigan’s Hayden Wolff – 25-36-1-333 (3TDs); Washington’s Michael Penix – 24-42-0-332 (2TDs); Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 32-48-1-329 (2TDs); Virginia’s Anthony Colandrea – 20-31-1-314 (1TD); Florida’s Graham Mertz – 26-38-0-311 (1TD), and Georgia’s Carson Beck – 18-25-1-306 (2TDs).
Also, TCU’s Josh Hoover – 24-36-1 for 302 yards (2TDs); UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee – 11-18-0-299 (3TDs); Indiana’s Brendan Sorsby – 22-33-1-289 (3TDs); Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato – 18-25-0-275 (4TDs); Sam Houston’s Keegan Shoemaker – 18-28-0-269 (1TD); Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 19-31-0-265 (1TD); Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – 22-35-0-262 (2TDs), and Louisiana’s Chandler Fields – 24-38-0-260 yards (2TDs).
Also, Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar – 14-21-1 for 255 yards (3TDs); Purdue’s Hudson Card – 17-25-0-251 (3TDs); Kansas State’s Will Howard – 19-29-0-235 (3TDs); Louisville’s Jack Plummer – 19-28-1-243 (2TDs); Oregon State’s D.J. Uiagalelei – 12-19-0-240 (2TDs); Alabama’s Jalen Milroe – 15-22-1-234 (3TDs), and UNLV’s Jayden Maiava – 17-24-0-232 (1TD).
Also, Troy’s Gunnar Watson – 24-39-0 for 219 yards (4TDs); Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones – 12-17-0-219 (2TDs); Clemson’s Cade Klubnik – 23-34-1-205 (4TDs); Iowa State’s Rocco Becht – 15-23-0-202 (2TDs); Northwestern’s Ben Bryant – 18-26-0-195 (2TDs); Duke’s Grayson Loftis – 16-28-0-189 (3TDs), and Hawaii’s Braden Schager 22-29-0-176 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
LSU’s Jayden Daniels – 234 yards (2TDs); UCF’s R.J. Harvey – 206 yards (3TDs); Missouri’s Cody Schrader – 205 yards (1TD); San Jose State’s Kairee Robinson – 200 yards (2TDs); Charlotte’s Hahsaun Wilson – 198 yards (3TDs); Utah State’s Rahsul Falson – 181 yards (1TD); Arizona’s Jonah Coleman – 179 yards; North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton – 169 yards (1TD), and California’s Jaydn Ott – 167 yards (1TD).
Also, South Alabama’s La’Damian Webb – 163 yards (1TD); Southern Miss’s Frank Gore – 158 yards; Marshall’s Rasheen Ali – 156 (2TDs); Syracuse’s Dan Villari – 154 yards (1TD); Purdue’s Devin Mockobee – 153 yards (1TD); Central Michigan’s Marion Lukes – 147 yards (1TD); Oregon State’s Damien Martinez – 146 yards (4TDs), and Michigan’s Blake Corum – 145 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“James Franklin is one of the most unimaginative big-name coaches in the game. It didn’t look to me like he was really trying to win the (Michigan) game,” Paul Finebaum, on Penn State coach James Franklin.
Touchdown Tom
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