CFW Week 19 Results/Forecast –Notre Dame-Georgia postponed to today
Committee got it right, refs got it wrong,
Cook did it again, Beamer loses control
and Skattebo was Mr. Everything
And the Rose Bowl was a dud.
The always adventurous days of holiday bowl games continued to provide us with thrills, chills and excitement. Oh, and some controversy too.
Hindsight, the College Football Playoff selection committee got it right. Alabama didn’t belong in the playoff. All you had to do was watch Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl to figure that out.
Yes, the refs got the targeting review wrong in the Texas-Arizona State game. It was targeting. Late in the game (fourth quarter), ASU had a 3rd-and-15 around their own 39-yard line. The game was tied at 24-24. With about 59 seconds on the clock, ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt completed a 10-yard pass to receiver Melquan Stovall. After catching the ball, Stovall was hit helmet-to-helmet by Texas safety Michael Taafe. The refs ruled targeting, but all targeting calls get reviewed.
After reviewing the call, the booth ruled that there was no targeting. So, with a little less than a minute to go, instead of having a 1st-and-10 in Texas territory, ASU had a 4th-and-5 on their side of the 50-yard line. ASU punted. Even the ESPN rules analyst said the hit met the criteria for targeting. So, the officials played a role in the potential outcome of the game.
Do you remember Missouri quarterback Brady Cook in last year’s Cotton Bowl game against Ohio State. In a low scoring, defensive battle, Ohio State led Missouri 3-0 early in the fourth quarter. Cook led the Tigers on two touchdown drives in the final quarter. Missouri beat Ohio State, 14-3. On New Year’s Eve, in the Music City Bowl, Iowa led Missouri 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. Cook led the Tigers on two drives that resulted in field goals. Missouri beat Iowa, 27-24. Cook finished the game, passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 54 yards.
In the Citrus Bowl game between Illinois and South Carolina, Illinois coach Bret Bielema had some fun with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer. Earlier, Bielema was upset with South Carolina when the Gamecocks pulled a trick after giving the fair catch/touchback signal on a kickoff. Instead of honoring the signal, the South Carolina player returned the ball to the 25-yard line. It’s not against the rules to return the kick after giving the signal in the end zone, as long as you don’t wave a single arm overhead. However, it is considered inappropriate and not honorable to do so.
Later, when an Illinois player was injured, Bielema walked onto the field to check on his player. Then he walked by the South Carolina sideline and taunted them with his arms held straight out like a T-bar – the signal when you fair catch in the end zone. This infuriated Beamer. He had to be restrained from going after Bielema. Beamer was about to explode. Apparently, the two coaches have continued their feud on social media. Maybe Beamer needs to go to anger management school.
Then there was Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo. The Sun Devils lost the game to Texas, but Skattebo was the star of the game. He stole the show. The guy did a little bit of everything. Skattebo rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He caught eight passes for 99 yards. Then of all things, Skattebo threw a 42-yard touchdown pass. He was something else.
I was also impressed by a relatively unknown quarterback, who has a bright future – Washington’s Demond Williams. He was amazing in a losing effort. Washington lost Louisville, 35-34, in the Sun Bowl. A freshman who was making only his second start, Williams was 26-32-1, passing for 374 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 48 yards and another touchdown.
Yes, the Rose Bowl was a dud. Not because Ohio State won or because Oregon lost. It was because of the score. It was a dud because it was the most anticipated game of the postseason, and it flopped. It was billed as one of those “games of the century,” and the score was 41-21. That score – 41-21 – is not my idea of a game of the century.
The College Football Playoff resumed New Year’s Eve with Penn State-Boise State – the first of the four quarterfinal games.
Penn State came out sharp and Boise State didn’t in the Fiesta Bowl. As a result, the Nittany Lions were off to a 14-0 first quarter lead. After the first quarter, the Broncos played the Nittany Lions on fairly even terms, but they never could catch up. The score remained close throughout the second and third quarters. In the fourth quarter when Penn State scored a touchdown at the 4:54 mark, it was all over but the shouting. That fourth quarter touchdown put the Nittany Lions up 31-14.
The quarterfinal action continued on New Year’s Day. In the Peach Bowl, Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo put on an exhibition. Skattebo ran, he caught passes and he threw a touchdown pass. At one point in the fourth quarter, he was responsible for more total yards than the entire Texas team. Unfortunately for Skattebo, his efforts came up short. Texas beat Arizona State in two overtimes – 39-31 (2OT).
In what became the final game of New Year’s Day, Ohio State made mincemeat out of Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes clobbered the Ducks, 41-21. The score was 34-0 near the end of the first half. It was 41-15 when the fourth quarter began.
The Rose Bowl became the final game of the day, because the Sugar Bowl game in New Orleans between Notre Dame and Georgia was postponed to 4 pm ET, today. The game was rightfully and appropriately postponed because of the tragic terror attack in New Orleans that took the lives of 15 people and injured 20 or so more. The postponement was in respect for the dead and injured and also for the safety and security of the people attending the Sugar Bowl. It would have been inappropriate to play the game.
The lead up to the New Year’s Eve and January 1 bowl games began Monday with the Music City Bowl. It was a beautiful day in Nashville with temps in the upper 50s. A perfect day for football. It was a perfect day for Missouri. The Tigers rallied in the second half to beat Iowa, 27-24.
The bowl action resumed on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve in Tampa, Florida. Taking advantage of Alabama miscues, Michigan scored 16 of its 19 points in the first quarter. Then the Wolverines went into a defensive mode for the remainder of the game. Michigan downed Alabama, 19-13, in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Out in Marty Robbins’ town, Louisville and Washington gave us the most exciting game of the day – 35-34. At the end of the third quarter, Washington trailed Louisville, 35-21. The Huskies scored two fourth quarter touchdowns. The second of the two touchdowns came with 0:09 on the clock. Washington went for 2 and failed. Louisville won the Sun Bowl in El Paso, 35-34.
The day’s second matchup between a Big Ten team and an SEC team was much like the first one – a low-scoring defensive game, with the Big Ten team winning. Perhaps the best part of the Citrus Bowl game between Illinois and South Carolina was watching Gamecocks’ coach Shane Beamer’s throw an anger attack. I don’t know if Illinois coach Bret Bielema taunted or haunted Beamer. Maybe both. Whatever, Beamer popped a corpuscle and blew his top. The Gamecocks blew their top too, as Illinois beat South Carolina, 21-17.
The LSU-Baylor game on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve was much like the Louisville-Washington game – high scoring. But it was not as exciting. Not nearly as exciting. LSU downed Baylor, 44-31. Brian Kelly can sleep in peace. Until next season.
Believe it or not, there are still four bowl games remaining to be played. They will be played over the next three days – today through Saturday. The best of the four should be the Gator Bowl game between Ole Miss and Duke – Lane Kiffin vs. Manny Diaz. Mr. Offense against Mr. Defense.
The other interesting game of the four is the Duke’s Mayo Bowl between Minnesota and Virginia Tech. Perhaps more interesting on defense than offense. What coach will have the barrel of mayonnaise dumped on them – P.J. Fleck or Brent Pry.
Actress and singer Linda Lavin died on December 29. Lavin was known for playing the title character in the television sitcom “Alice,” and for her stage performances on Broadway. A native of Portland, Maine, and a graduate of William & Mary, Linda Lavin was 87.
British actress Olivia Hussey died last week. Hussey was known for playing the role of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.” The daughter of an Argentinian father and an English mother, Hussey was married to Dean Paul Martin, the son of Dean Martin, from 1971 to 1978. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Olivia Hussey was 73.
Happy New Year!
Touchdown Tom
January 2, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Review of the Last Five Bowl Games
The Hawkeyes were Cooked – (in the Music City Bowl) – Missouri 27, Iowa 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 24, Iowa 17). That’s exactly what Missouri quarterback Brady Cook did. He cooked the Hawkeyes. Cook passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 54 yards. Trailing Iowa 24-14 late in the third quarter, Missouri scored 13 unanswered points (a touchdown and two field goals) in the final 17 minutes of the game. Iowa basically quit and went home at halftime. Missouri receiver Marquis Johnson had 7 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown. Missouri won the game with only 89 yards rushing. Tigers’ kicker Blake Craig kicked two field goals of 51 and 56 yards. Missouri ended its season at 10-3. Attendance in Nashville: 43,375
Lots of field goals (in the ReliaQuest Bowl) – Michigan 19 Alabama 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 30, Michigan 20). What a flat game this was. Half of the game’s 32 points were scored in the first quarter. Twenty-six of the game’s 32 points were scored in the first half. Eighteen of the game’s 32 points were the result of field goals. There were only two touchdowns in the game. Michigan got lucky and scored 16 points off of Alabama mistakes in the first quarter. The Wolverines never scored again until they kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter. Once Alabama got the mistakes out of its system, the Tide still couldn’t score either. The teams combined for only 450 total yards. Alabama just had 190 of those yards – 75 yards passing. Michigan running back Jordan Marshall rushed for 100 yards. Alabama only had 68 rushing yards. Ball possession went to Michigan big time: 38:12 to 21:48. Attendance in Tampa: 51,439
10 touchdowns – (in the Sun Bowl) – Louisville 35, Washington 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 32, Washington 24). This game was just the opposite of the Michigan-Alabama game. This game had 10 touchdowns and no field goals. It was tied on three occasions – 7-7, 14-14 and 21-21. It would have been tied on a fourth occasion – 35-35 – had Washington not gone for 2. Washington quarterback Demond Williams was 26-32-1, passing for 374 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 48 yards and another touchdown. Huskies’ receiver Giles Jackson had 11 catches for 161 yards. Attendance in El Paso: 40,826
Bielema taunts, flaunts and haunts – (in the Citrus Bowl) Illinois 21, South Carolina 17 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Illinois 21). It was New Year’s Eve and Bret Bielema uncorked Shane Beamer. This game was a reverse of halves from the Michigan-Alabama game – 28 of the game’s 38 points were scored in the second half. Illinois led 7-3 at halftime. The Banned Indians still led at the end of the third quarter – 14-10. Early in the fourth quarter, South Carolina went up 17-14. It was the Gamecocks’ first lead since they led 3-0 at the beginning of the game. The lead changed hands five times. The teams were reasonably close in the stats. Illinois running back Josh McCray rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois ended its season at 10-3. Attendance in Orlando: 47,129
Bears were barely in the game – (in the Texas Bowl) – LSU 44, Baylor 31 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 30, Baylor 27). LSU jumped out to a 28-7 second quarter lead. Baylor played catch up the rest of the game. But the Bears never could catch up. They did make it closer, cutting LSU’s lead to 10 points in the third quarter – 34-24. Both quarterbacks passed for more than 300 yards. Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson was 30-51-1, passing for 445 yards and two touchdowns. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier was 24-34-1, passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Baylor receiver Josh Cameron had 8 catches for 111 yards. Neither team had a running game. Baylor only rushed for 62 yards. LSU ended its season at 9-4. Attendance in Houston: 59,940
Last Five Bowl Game Picks: 3 winners, 2 fumbles (60 percent)
Total Bowl Game Picks To Date: 20 winners, 11 fumbles (64.5 percent)
Review of the College Football Playoff (Quarterfinals)
8-0 (in the Fiesta Bowl) – Penn State 31, Boise State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 30, Boise State 25). Penn State was overwhelming in the first quarter. Boise State appeared to be nervous – unsure of itself. Once the Broncos got the first quarter jitters out of their system, the Fiesta Bowl settled down into a pretty good ball game. However, Penn State’s running game was too strong for Boise State. Kaytron Allen rushed for 134 yards and Nicholas Singleton added 87 yards on the ground. Nitts quarterback Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was held to 104 yards. Quarterback Maddux Madsen threw three interceptions. Boise State had four turnovers in total. That hurt. The game was full of penalties – 23 total. Penn State is now 8-0 in Fiesta Bowl games. Attendance in Glendale: 63,854
Skattebo made it thrilling – (in the Peach Bowl) – Texas 39, Arizona State 31 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Arizona State 20). By the end of the first quarter, Texas had a 14-3 lead over Arizona State. The Longhorns calmed down in the second quarter. They only managed a field goal and led at halftime, 17-3. During the first half, it wasn’t that the Sun Devils couldn’t move the ball. They did. They just couldn’t get it across the goal line. Texas remained quiet in the third quarter, while Arizona State managed five points – a safety and a field goal. The Texas lead was 17-8 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Again, ASU moved the ball, but the Sun Devils couldn’t get it across the goal line. Early in the fourth quarter, Texas scored a touchdown and went up 24-8. At the 6:31 mark in the fourth quarter ASU finally found the end zone. One minute and thirty seconds later, the Sun Devils found the end zone again. The game was tied – 24-24. It was still tied at the end of regulation. Both teams scored in the first overtime – 31-31. Texas scored and converted in the second overtime. Oregon quarterback Sam Leavitt threw an interception. Texas won 39-31 (2OT). Oregon running back Cam Skattebo played an amazing game. He was unbelievable. Skattebo rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He caught 8 passes for 99 yards. And he threw a 42-yard touchdown pass. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Texas receiver Matthew Golden had 7 catches for 149 yards. Attendance in Atlanta: 71,105
Howard to Smith (in the Rose Bowl) – Ohio State 41, Oregon 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 30, Ohio State 28). Ohio State’s Will Howard was 17-26-0, passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith had 7 receptions for 187 yards. Running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 85 yards. Oregon had -23 yards rushing. Ohio State racked up 500 total yards. It was a clean game – only five penalties and no turnovers. Attendance in Pasadena: 90,732
The Notre Dame-Georgia game was postponed to 4 pm ET today (Thursday, January 2).
Quarterfinal CFP Picks: 2 winners, 1 fumble
Total CFP Picks: 5 winners, 2 fumbles
Superlatives
Impressive Passers
Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson – 30-51-1 for 445 yards (2TDs); Washington’s Demond Williams – 26-32-1-374 (4TDs) and Texas’ Quinn Ewers – 20-30-1-322 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers
Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo – 143 yards (2TDs).
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for the Next Four Bowl Games
Duke (9-3) vs. Ole Miss (9-3) – (ACC vs. SEC) – Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Duke had a surprisingly good season at 9-3 under first-year coach Manny Diaz. The defense was generally better than the offense. That’s a good thing, because the Dookies won’t have quarterback Maalik Murphy in the Gator Bowl. After the season, Murphy headed off to the transfer portal. Duke comes in on a three-game winning streak. Extending it to four won’t be easy. Like Duke, Ole Miss had a 9-3 season too. But that was considered a disappointing season for the Magnolias. Ole Miss was supposed to be in the playoff. They missed out. With quarterback Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss averaged 38 points a game. The Magnolias’ defense held opponents to 14 points a game. But they slipped up against Kentucky, LSU and Florida. No slipping in this game – Ole Miss 30, Duke 21.
North Texas (6-6) vs. Texas State (7-5) – (AAC vs. Sun Belt) – First Responder Bowl (Dallas, Texas) – 4 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – North Texas began the season on a bright note. After six games, the Mean Green were 5-1. Then they lost five of their last six games. When North Texas won, it was because quarterback Chandler Morris played well. But Morris is no more. He entered the transfer portal and transferred to Virginia. North Texas could be hurting. Texas State was up-and-down all season – won two, lost two, won two, lost two and so it went. The Bobcats were supposed to have had a better season. The offense measured up. But the defense let the Bobcats down. Quarterback James McCloud was a good one. He passed for 2,915 yards, completing 70% of his passes. Nothing green about the Bobcats – Texas State 35, North Texas 28.
Minnesota (7-5) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6) – (Big Ten vs. ACC) – Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, North Carolina) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN – Minnesota mixes a bad offense with a pretty good defense. During the season, the Gophers only lost to Penn State by one point – 26-25. The defense was 6th in the country in total yards allowed – 291 per game. The Gophers’ best win was over Illinois. Virginia Tech’s season went in streaks – won two, lost two, won three, lost three. The Hokies were a streaky team. Their best wins were over Boston College and Georgia Tech. The Hokies have suffered from injuries to their quarterbacks. The Gophers are golden – Minnesota 23, Virginia Tech 21.
Buffalo (8-4) vs. Liberty (8-3) – (MAC vs. C-USA) – Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas) – 11 am ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – After eight games this season, Buffalo was 4-4. Then the Bulls won their last four games. Buffalo’s offense is good. Its defense is bad. So, it was often a case of can the offense outscore the defense. Most of the time they could. Buffalo was one of the four best teams in the MAC. Liberty had a disappointing season. The Flames were supposed to win Conference USA. Maybe even make the playoff as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. That didn’t happen. Not even close. Quarterback Kaidon Salter was a disappointment. And Kaidon has become a moot point. He transferred to Colorado after the season. The Bulls put out the Flame – Buffalo 27, Liberty 24.
Division III Championship (January 5)
Mount Union (14-0) vs. North Central (14-0)
Quotes of the Week
“There’s nobody out there that can stop me,” Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, before the Sun Devils played Texas.
“Notre Dame is built like an SEC team. I say that as a huge compliment,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart, before the Dawgs played Notre Dame.
“The story isn’t over. See y’all in 2025,” Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, announcing his return to the Tigers next season.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 19 Results – will be posted on Monday morning, January 6.)
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