CFW Week 9 Results – Rice fires Mike Bloomgren
LSU and Navy knocked out
LSU was one of two SEC teams undefeated in conference play. Not anymore. The Tigers were knocked out of the co-lead in the SEC by the other undefeated team in SEC games – Texas A&M.
Navy was one of nine undefeated teams in the country. Not anymore. The Middies were knocked out of the undefeated group by Notre Dame. Now there are eight undefeated teams.
LSU and Navy were two of five ranked teams who lost on Saturday. The other three were Illinois, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Fifteen of the Top 25 teams won. Five had the weekend off.
Initially, LSU (6-2) was looking good against Texas A&M (7-1). The Tigers led the Aggies 10-0 at the 3:51 mark in the first quarter and 17-7 at halftime. But the second half belonged to Texas A&M. The Aggies took their first lead in the game – 21-17 – at the 1:00 mark in the third quarter. Texas A&M never trailed again, increasing its lead to 28-17, 35-23 and ultimately, 38-23. The Aggies now have sole possession of the SEC lead at 5-0 in conference play.
With six turnovers, Navy (6-1) never was in the game with Notre Dame (7-1). The Irish led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-7 at halftime. Notre Dame went on to beat Navy, 51-14. The Middies are no longer undefeated and no longer ranked in the Top 25.
Three other ranked teams lost Saturday. Like Navy, Illinois (6-2) was never in the game with Oregon (8-0). The Ducks led the Banned Indians, 35-3 at halftime, going on to beat Illinois, 38-9. Missouri (6-2) was too banged up to compete with Alabama (6-2). The Tigers lost to the Tide, 34-0. And Vanderbilt (5-3) gave Texas (7-1) a good fight. But ultimately, the Commodores fell to the Longhorns, 27-24.
Like Navy, Vanderbilt also dropped out of the Top 25. LSU, Illinois and Missouri remained in the Top 25 but dropped in the AP Poll. LSU fell from 8th to 16th. Illinois dropped from 20th to 24th. And Missouri fell from 21st to 25th.
The eight remaining undefeated teams are Army (7-0), Miami (8-0), Pitt (7-0), BYU (8-0), Iowa State (7-0), Indiana (8-0), Oregon (8-0) and Penn State (7-0).
College football Week 9 began Tuesday night in Miami, Florida, with what was the dullest and most boring football game ever played. Sam Houston beat FIU, 10-7. Combined, the two teams had 406 total yards. Action continued Tuesday night with the second dullest and most boring game ever played. Louisiana Tech downed UTEP, 14-10. Louisiana Tech had seven yards rushing. UTEP had 85 yards passing. Football in Conference USA is really exciting – not.
Wednesday night saw two more Conference USA games. The first of the two was a major upset. Winless Kennesaw State knocked off undefeated Liberty, 27-24. Kennesaw State got its first FBS victory and ended Liberty’s 17-game, regular-season win streak. In the second game, Jacksonville State racked up 577 total yards, beating Middle Tennessee, 42-20. Jax State quarterback Tyler Huff passed for 137 yards and one touchdown. Huff also rushed for 151 yards and two more touchdowns. Running back Tre Stewart rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown.
On Thursday night, Old Dominion played its best football of the season. The Monarchs blasted Georgia Southern, 47-19. ODU quarterback Colton Joseph was 20-26-0, passing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Joseph also rushed for 66 yards and another touchdown. Old Dominion racked up 560 total yards.
In the other contest Thursday night, Syracuse couldn’t hold onto the football. The Orange had five turnovers. Their opponent had none. As a result, Pitt pummeled Syracuse, 41-13. Syracuse’s five turnovers were all interceptions thrown by quarterback Kyle McCord. You would have thought that Syracuse coach Fran Brown would have pulled McCord at some point.
The Friday night lights of Week 9 gave us three games. In Chestnut Hills, Massachusetts, Louisville trailed Boston College 27-17, entering the fourth quarter. However, in the final quarter, the Cardinals scored two unanswered touchdowns. With 7:12 remaining in the contest, Louisville scored its second of two touchdowns to take its first lead in the game at 31-27. The Cardinals held on to win. Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
The second game Friday night was a thriller too. Trailing UNLV 24-23, Boise State scored a fourth quarter touchdown at the 12:38 mark in the quarter and then held on to beat UNLV, 29-24.
The nightcap wasn’t a thriller. USC built up a 28-12 halftime lead and went on to beat Rutgers, 42-20. USC running back Woody Marks rushed for 94 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Wow! What a turnaround for Nebraska! No, the Huskers didn’t win. But they almost did. Last week Nebraska had its cobs cleaned by Indiana, 56-7. Saturday, the Huskers (5-3) came close to beating Ohio State (6-1). Nebraska lost to the Buckeyes, 21-17. From one week to the next, the Huskers looked like two different teams. Well, not quite. The defense was a different team. Nebraska’s offense was the same ole, same ole.
Indiana (8-0) continues to impress. The Hoosiers beat Washington, 31-17. Minnesota (5-3) found an offense. The Gophers crushed Maryland, 48-23. Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer was 26-33-0, passing for 320 yards and four touchdowns.
Trailing Wisconsin 10-7 at halftime, Penn State (7-0) came to life in the second half to defeat the Badgers, 28-13. Michigan (5-3) downed its intrastate rival. The Wolverines beat Michigan State, 24-17. The Spartans lost despite totally dominating the statistics.
Oklahoma (4-4) had yet another setback. The Sooners led Ole Miss 14-10 at halftime. But the Magnolias outscored Oklahoma 16-0 in the second half. Ole Miss (6-2) beat the Sooners, 26-14.
Virginia Tech (5-3) won its third straight game. The Hokies topped Georgia Tech, 21-6. All the Yellow Jackets could muster was two field goals in the first half. Florida State (1-7) continues to lose. Saturday, Miami (8-0) speared the Noles, 36-14. FSU had 14 first downs; Miami had 31 first downs.
In the most exciting game in the ACC, SMU (7-1) and Duke (6-2) went to overtime, before the Mustangs beat the Dookies, 28-27 (OT).
In the Big 12, BYU (8-0) remained undefeated. The Cougars added to UCF’s problems, beating the Knights, 37-24. BYU dominated time of possession 40:28 to 19:45. UCF (3-5) lost its fifth-straight game. TCU (5-3) and Texas Tech (5-3) were in a shootout. Late in the third quarter, Texas Tech led TCU, 31-14. In the fourth quarter, Tech led the Frogs, 34-21. TCU scored two touchdowns in the final 8:42 of the game to rally and beat Texas Tech, 35-34.
In another thriller in the Big 12, Kansas State (7-1) kicker Chris Tennant kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining to beat Kansas, 29-27. After being on the skids for two weeks, West Virginia (4-4) got back on track, beating Arizona, 31-26.
Colorado (6-2) improved to 4-1 in Big 12 play. The Buffaloes roamed past Cincinnati, 34-23. Shedeur Sanders passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns.
The AAC had two thrilling games. Tulane (6-2) edged North Texas, 45-37. North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris passed for 449 yards and three touchdowns. The two teams combined for 997 total yards. And if that wasn’t enough, Tulsa (3-5) scored two touchdowns in the final 2:26 of the fourth quarter to beat UTSA, 46-45. UTSA quarterback Owen McCown passed for 434 yards and four touchdowns. The two teams combined for 983 total yards.
After you went you went to bed Saturday night, Fresno State (5-3) beat San Jose State, 33-10, and Washington State downed San Diego State, 29-26. Washington State is 7-1.
The first of six weekly CFP rankings will be announced next week – at 7:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, November 5 on ESPN. The CFP rankings will determine the 12 teams making the playoff and the seeding for all 12 teams in the playoff. Remember, five of the 12 teams will be the highest-ranked conference champions. The other seven teams will be the highest-ranked at-large teams. The final rankings will be announced on ESPN at 12 noon ET on Selection Sunday, December 8.
In this week’s AP Poll, Oregon (8-0) remains No. 1, followed by 2. Georgia (6-1), 3. Penn State 7-0), 4. Ohio State (6-1), 5. Miami (8-0) and 6. Texas (7-1). The highest-ranked Group of Five team is Boise State (6-1) at 15. Army (7-0) is 21.
Rice fired head coach Mike Bloomgren yesterday. Bloomgren was 24-52 in six-plus years with the Owls. Assistant head coach Pete Alamar was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Rice (2-6) has four games remaining.
College basketball season starts two weeks from today. The Top 6 teams at preseason are 1. Kansas, 2. Alabama, 3. Connecticut, 4. Houston, 5. Iowa State and 6. Gonzaga. Florida is 21st. There are five Big 12 teams in the Top 10 and six Big 12 teams in the Top 20. The SEC has nine teams in the Top 24. There are no Big Ten teams in the Top 12. Stay tuned!
Singer and actor Jack Jones died last week. Jones won two Grammy Awards and received a total of five nominations. His recordings included “Wives and Lovers” (his biggest hit), “The Race is On,” “Dear Heart,” “The Impossible Dream” and “Call Me Irresponsible,” among others. Jones also sang the opening theme for the television series “The Love Boat.” He frequently did shows in Las Vegas, performed in night clubs and at concerts around the world. Jones appeared in several television shows, specials and films. A native of Los Angeles, California, John Alan Jones was 86.
Musician, singer and songwriter Phil Lesh died last week. Lesh was a founding member of the Grateful Dead. He sang and played bass guitar for the band. A native of Berkeley, California, Philip Chapman Lesh was 84.
Touchdown Tom
October 28, 2024
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 10 Forecast – will be posted on Halloween morning.)
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Looking Ducky – Oregon 38, Illinois 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Illinois 15). Normally, Illinois plays pretty good defense. But the Banned Indians were missing their defense against Oregon. The Ducks racked up 527 total yards on Illinois. It was a balanced attack too – 229 yards rushing and 298 yards passing. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 18-26-1, passing for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Ducks receiver Tez Johnson had six receptions for 102 yards. Attendance in Eugene: 59,830
RUNNER-UP: Never underestimate the Irish Navy – Notre Dame 51, Navy 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Navy 21). It’s hard to win a ballgame when you have six turnovers – five fumbles and one interception. Maybe Navy needed to salt the ball. Notre Dame didn’t have any turnovers, but the Irish did have 466 total yards – 265 rushing and 201 passing. Attendance in East Rutherford: 76,112
REST OF THE BEST: 3-Pick-6 – Pitt 41, Syracuse 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Syracuse 30). Syracuse all but handed the victory to Pitt on a silver platter. The Cuse had five turnovers. Pitt had none. All five of Syracuse’s turnovers were interceptions and Pitt returned three of them for touchdowns. The Orange dominated ball possession 41:12 to 18:48. Neither team had a ground game. Syracuse had six yards rushing, while Pitt had 73. Pitt led 31-0 at halftime. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 47,266
Must have been the 12th man – Texas A&M 38, LSU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 23, Texas A&M 21). The first half belonged to LSU. But the Tigers went to sleep at halftime and the second half was all Aggies. A&M outscored LSU in the second half, 31-6. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko benched starting quarterback Conner Weighman and turned the game over to backup quarterback Marcel Reed. The Aggies’ defense held LSU to 24 yards rushing. LSU fans need to buy Garrett Nussmeier a pair of glasses. Nussmeier threw three interceptions. Texas A&M running back Amari Daniels rushed for 91 yards. Attendance in College Station: 108,852
The Dookies never could ride horses – SMU 28, Duke 27 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 30, Duke 19). Duke scored first and led 7-0. Then SMU scored three unanswered touchdowns and led 21-7 late in the third quarter. Then the Dookies scored two unanswered touchdowns. The score was tied 21-21 with 9:02 to go in the fourth quarter. Neither team could score after that, and the game went to overtime. In the overtime, SMU scored first and led 28-21. Duke scored and went for two. The Dookies failed. SMU had six turnovers – three fumbles and three interceptions – and still managed to win the game. Duke had no turnovers. Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy was 27-48-0, passing for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Durham: 30,241
We don’t need no Allar – Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 24, Wisconsin 18). Penn State all but shut down Wisconsin in the second half. The Nitts outscored the Badgers 21-3 after the halftime break. And that was with their second-string quarterback. First-string quarterback Drew Allar suffered a lower body injury in the first half and didn’t play the second half. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula was 11-13-0, passing for 98 yards and one touchdown. Wisconsin only had 81 yards rushing. Attendance in Madison: 76,403
Close call – Texas 27, Vanderbilt 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 35, Vanderbilt 22). Both quarterbacks – Quinn Ewers and Diego Pavia – threw two interceptions. Ewers passed for 288 yards and Pavia had 143 yards passing. Vandy took the initial lead at 7-0 in the first quarter. Before the quarter was over, Texas went up 14-7 and never trailed for the remainder of the game. Attendance in Nashville: 28,934
Broncos knew when to hold ’em – Boise State 29, UNLV 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, UNLV 29). This game went back and forth. At the end of the first quarter, UNLV led, 10-3. At halftime, Boise State led, 20-10. At the end of the third quarter, UNLV led again, 24-23. In a losing effort, UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams passed for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Williams rushed for 105 yards and another touchdown. Both teams rushed for 189 yards. Boise State had 30 more yards passing. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was held to 128 yards rushing. Jeanty is averaging 197 yards a game. Attendance in Las Vegas: 42,228
The Tigers were rolled – Alabama 34, Missouri 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Missouri 26). Instead of arriving at the stadium on a bus, I think the Missouri team arrived in ambulances. The Tigers had their share of injuries. Missouri quarterback Brady Cook began the game with an ankle injury and left the game in the first half with a hand injury. The Tigers only had 72 yards passing. Mizzou kept things reasonably close in the first half – trailing 13-0 at the break. But Bama wore the Tigers down in the second half. Alabama had 486 total yards – 271 rushing and 215 passing. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077
Ralphie rules – Colorado 34, Cincinnati 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 30, Cincinnati 20). AT the 9:31 mark in the second quarter, the score was 14-14. Then Colorado scored three unanswered touchdowns. At the 5:41 mark in the third quarter, the Buffs led 31-14. There were no turnovers in the game. Colorado receiver Travis Hunter had nine receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Boulder: 53,202
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Redemption in the desert – West Virginia 31, Arizona 26 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 24, Arizona 23) . West Virginia had leads of 24-7 at the 7:59 mark in the third quarter and 31-13 at the 13:31 mark in the fourth quarter. Then Arizona got hot and scored two touchdowns in the final 8:52 of the game. Arizona only had 78 yards rushing. WVU controlled the clock 35:04 to 24:56. WVU played the entire game with backup quarterback Nico Marchiol. Marchiol is from Arizona. He was 18-22-0, passing for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 294 yards. Wildcats' receiver Tetairoa McMillan had 10 receptions for 202 yards. Attendance in Tucson: 49,888
Shell shocked – Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 35, Nebraska 16). Ohio State took the initial lead at 7-0 in the first quarter. The Buckeyes never trailed until the 10:47 mark in the fourth quarter. That’s when Nebraska went up 17-14. The Buckeyes scored their winning touchdown with 6:04 remaining in the game and then held on to win. Both teams had less than 290 total yards each. Ohio State only had 64 yards rushing. Nebraska dominated control of the ball 35:07 to 24:53. Nebraska held Ohio State to its lowest scoring output of the season. The Buckeyes’ previous low was 31 points against Oregon. Attendance in Columbus: 104,830
Week 9 Results: 11 winners, 1 fumble (91.7 percent)
For the Season: 90 winners, 37 fumbles (70.9 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Sam Houston 10, FIU 7 – Attendance in Miami: 10,625
Presbyterian 42, Stetson 14 – Attendance in Deland: 1,777
Jackson State 37, Bethune-Cookman 17 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 10,877
BYU 37, UCF 24 – Attendance in Orlando: 42,144
West Florida 35, Shorter 16 – Attendance in Pensacola: 3,779
Florida A&M 24, Southern 6 – Attendance in Tallahassee: N/A
Miami 36, Florida State 14 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 66,200
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
North Texas’ Chandler Morris – 38-57-0 for 449 yards (3TDs); UTSA’s Owen McCown – 30-40-0-434 (4TDs); California’s Fernando Mendoza – 27-36-0-364 (2TDs); Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman – 28-42-1-359 (1TD), and Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor – 25-41-0-349.
Also, Eastern Michigan’s Cole Snyder – 28-47-0 for 346 yards (2TDs); TCU’s Josh Hoover – 21-32-2-344 (3TDs); Louisville’s Tyler Shough – 28-38-2-333 (2TDs); Tulsa’s Cooper Legas – 16-31-0-333 (5TDs), and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – 25-30-0-323 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter – 278 yards (2TDs); Tulane’s Makhi Hughes – 195 yards (1TD), and Arkansas’ Braylen Russell – 175 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“Travis is the best football player in the country. We all know that. Why are we even deliberating over that,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders, on his receiver Travis Hunter.
“It was a litany of issues, and we just felt like we needed a spark and we pulled the trigger and went with Marcel and what a spark he gave us,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, on replacing quarterback Conner Weighman with Marcel Reed in the third quarter against LSU.
Touchdown Tom
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