CFW Week 6 Results – Who is Jerry Neuheisel?
Iamaleava and Napier are alive and well
It was not only a wild and wacky weekend, but it has also been a wild and wacky season.
The wacky weekend: UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. The Bruins, who entered the weekend at 0-4, upset 7th-ranked Penn State, 42-37. The Nittany Lions were 25-point favorites over the Bruins. Prior to the Penn State game, Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to a 10-3 season last year, had been a disappointment in four games with UCLA. Prior to the Penn State game, the Bruins had only scored 57 points, averaging 14 points a game. UCLA may not win another game this season. But for the time being, Iamaleava is alive and well.
The wacky weekend: Florida coach Billy Napier was a dead man walking. His obituary had already been written. His Gators were 1-3. Saturday, Florida upset 9th-ranked Texas, 29-21. Granted, Napier is not out of ICU yet. In the remaining seven games, his Gators still have to play five ranked teams – Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Florida State. But for the time being, Napier is alive and well.
The wacky season: Texas and Penn State, the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams at preseason, both have two losses. After six weeks, neither Texas nor Penn State are in the Top 25. Clemson, the No. 4-ranked team at preseason, has three losses, while Notre Dame, the No. 6-ranked team at preseason has two losses.
The wacky season: Florida State is 0-2 in ACC play and Penn State is 0-2 in Big Ten play. Virginia (3-0), Duke (3-0) and Georgia Tech (2-0) are sitting atop the ACC.
UCLA’s win over Penn State and Florida’s win over Texas were not the only upsets during the weekend. Virginia, who upset Florida State in overtime last weekend, has become the king of overtime upsets. Saturday, the Cavaliers upset Louisville, 30-27 (OT).
Then, 90 miles up the Ohio River from Louisville, Cincinnati upset 14th-ranked Iowa State, 38-30. It was Iowa State’s first loss. Cincinnati, 4-1, (2-0 in Big 12 play) was predicted at preseason to finish near the bottom of the Big 12.
There was no upset in Tallahassee. In what began as a rout – Miami led Florida State 28-3 as the fourth quarter began – ended up a fairly close game. Florida State scored 19 unanswered fourth quarter points, but came up short, losing to Miami, 28-22. I say fairly close because FSU’s final points – a 35-yard field goal – came with 0:20 remaining in the game.
College football Week 6 began Thursday night in, of all places, Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia began his FBS football career. Pavia’s former school, New Mexico State, smashed Sam Houston, 37-10. The Aggies scored 24 points in the fourth quarter.
College football Week 6 continued Friday night with a bundle of games – five in total. Two were early starts and three were later starts. In the two early games, Western Kentucky edged Delaware, 27-24, and South Florida clobbered Charlotte, 54-26. Between the 20s, Delaware outplayed WKU. But the Blue Hens didn’t play well in the red zone. Against Charlotte, South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown passed for 211 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for 162 yards and another touchdown. USF racked up 631 total yards.
Then, after you (but not me) went to bed Friday night, San Jose State beat New Mexico, 35-25, San Diego State downed Colorado State, 45-24, and BYU topped West Virginia, 38-24. San Jose State quarterback Walter Eget passed for 334 yards and three touchdowns. San Diego State tallied 540 total yards against Colorado State.
Saturday had its share of thrillers and chillers. In a game that had two ties and five lead changes, Baylor kicked a 53-yard field goal, with 0:31 remaining, to beat Kansas State, 35-34. The two quarterbacks – Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson – combined for 684 yards passing.
In a game that had four ties, Navy kicked a 34-yard fourth quarter field goal to edge Air Force, 34-31. The Middies and the Falcons combined for 979 total yards. In another game that had four ties, Arkansas State scored a touchdown, with 0:07 remaining, to down Texas State, 31-30.
Washington trailed Maryland 20-0 in the third quarter and 20-3 early in the fourth quarter. The Huskies rallied to score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Terrapins, 24-20.
Trailing UCF 20-13 at halftime, Kansas outscored the Knights 13-0 in the second half to beat UCF, 27-20.
Notre Dame, who began the season 0-2, has now won three straight. The Irish defeated Boise State, 28-7. The score might have been closer, but Boise State had 4 turnovers – all interceptions.
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell remains an endangered species. Fickell’s Badgers (2-3) lost to Michigan, 27-10. And speaking of endangered species, I’m not sure what Bill Belichick is. Last week, someone wrote that Belichick had become “back page-news.” He’s not even making the back page now. Clemson (2-3) beat North Carolina (2-3), 38-10. Chapel Bill has become Chapel Hell.
In Deion Sanders’ third season at Colorado, the Buffaloes (2-4) continue to suffer. TCU beat Colorado, 35-21. Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was tied 21-21. TCU scored two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes of the game.
After you went to bed Saturday night, Duke downed California, 45-21, and Fresno State edged Nevada, 20-17.
Back to UCLA’s upset of Penn State, the Bruins interim offensive coordinator is Jerry Neuheisel, the son of former Colorado, Washington and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. Jerry, a former quarterback at UCLA, became the Bruins play caller last week when interim coach Tim Skipper fired the Bruins OC Tino Sunseri. Neuheisel had been the tight ends coach. The Penn State game was his first, calling the plays for UCLA.
So, after six weeks of football, there remain 15 undefeated teams – 11 Power Four teams and 4 Group of Five teams. The undefeated Power Four teams are Georgia Tech and Miami from the ACC, BYU and Texas Tech from the Big 12, Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon from the Big Ten, and Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M from the SEC. The undefeated Group of Five teams are Memphis, Navy and North Texas from the AC and UNLV from the MWC. C-USA, the MAC and Sun Belt have no undefeated teams.
There are three winless teams – Massachusetts (0-5), Oregon State (0-6), and Sam Houston (0-5).
The Top-5 teams in this week’s AP Poll are 1. Ohio State (5-0), 2. Miami (5-0), 3. Oregon (5-0), 4. Ole Miss (5-0), and 5. Texas A&M (5-0). Two Group of Five teams are in the Top 25 – Memphis at #23 and South Florida #24.
Touchdown Tom
October 6, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: State champs – Miami 28, Florida State 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 34, Florida State 27). Florida State kicked a field goal early in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Then Miami scored four unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-3 third quarter lead. Florida State rallied with 19 unanswered points, but the final points came with only 20 seconds on the clock. The Noles still needed 6 points. Miami’s Carson Beck passed for 241 yards and four touchdowns. FSU’s Tommy Castellanos passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 57 yards. But Castellanos threw two interceptions. FSU dominated the stats, but the Noles had three turnovers. Miami’s defense stopped FSU on seven-straight drives. The Noles were held to a season low of 22 points. Attendance in Tallahassee: 67,277
RUNNER-UP: Vandy back to being candy – Alabama 30, Vanderbilt 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 38, Vanderbilt 20). It was close in the first half. Not in the second half. The game was tied 14-14 at the break. Alabama outscored Vandy 16-0 in the second half. Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia did not have a good game. But Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson did. Simpson was 23-31-1, passing for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Bama running back Jam Miller rushed for 136 yards. Tide receiver Ryan Williams had 6 catches for 98 yards. Bama had a 15-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077
REST OF THE BEST: Reveille rules – Texas A&M 31, Mississippi State 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 27, Mississippi State 9). Miss State kept this game close for most of three quarters. The Bulldogs were up 3-0 at the end of one. A&M led 7-3 at halftime. The score was 14-3 at the end of three. Then the Aggies scored two early fourth quarter touchdowns and it was all over but the shouting. A&M running back Rueben Owens rushed for 142 yards. The Aggies had a 17-minute edge in time of possession. The Aggies had 483 total yards and limited the Bulldogs to just 77 yards rushing. Second-year Miss State coach Jeff Lebby is 0-10 in SEC play. The Bulldogs lost their 14th-straight SEC game, going back to 2023. Attendance in College Station: 108,572
No sweat – Ohio State 42, Minnesota 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 31, Minnesota 9). Close for one quarter, Ohio State opened it up in the second quarter and led 21-3 at halftime. The Buckeyes added 21 more points in the second half. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was 23-27-0, passing for 326 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes finished with 476 total yards to 162 for Minnesota. The Gophers had less than 100 yards passing and less than 100 yards rushing. Attendance in Columbus: 105,114
Cougars were pussy cats – Texas Tech 35, Houston 11 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 35, Houston 17). Houston scored all 11 of its points in the first half. Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton passed for 345 yards and one touchdown. Tech receiver Caleb Douglas had 7 catches for 114 yards. Tech rolled up 552 total yards. The Red Raiders held a 15-minute edge in time of possession. This is the first time Texas Tech has won its first five games since 2013. That year, the Red Raiders started the season at 7-0. Attendance in Houston: 42,806
Bearcat surprise – Cincinnati 38, Iowa State 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 33, Cincinnati 28). Cincinnati jumped out to a 17-point first quarter lead. The Bearcats led 31-7 with 1:08 to go in the second quarter. The Bearcats led 31-15 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, Iowa State closed the gap to 38-30 with 4:01 remaining in the game. But that was the end of the scoring. The teams combined for 943 total yards. Cincinnati had a strong running game – 264 yards rushing. The loss was Iowa State’s first. Attendance in Cincinnati: 38,007
Virginia is for lovers – Virginia 30, Louisville 27 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 34, Virginia 30). The score was tied 7-7 at the end of one and 14-14 at the break. Virginia won the third quarter10-0. Louisville won the fourth quarter 10-0. The Cavaliers won in overtime. Louisville quarterback Miller Moss passed for 329 yards and two touchdowns. Except for rushing, Louisville dominated the stats. But the Cardinals had two turnovers and Virginia had none. Attendance in Louisville: 50,032
Huskies hustle – Washington 24, Maryland 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Maryland 28). For three quarters, this game totally belonged to Maryland. Washington scored three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win. Washington quarterback Demond Williams passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Washington dominated the stats. Maryland suffered its first loss. Attendance in College Park: 46,185
That’s putting the mustard on the runza – Nebraska 38, Michigan State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 34, Michigan State 17). The Huskers couldn’t make up their minds. Nebraska took a 14-0 first quarter lead. Michigan State scored three unanswered touchdowns and took a 21-14 third quarter lead. Nebraska then went on a 24-point rampage to take a 38-21 fourth quarter lead. State added a final touchdown with 2:26 remaining in the game. Michigan State had three turnovers. Neither team was overwhelming on offense. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,496
1-3 – Florida 29, Texas 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Florida 20). Florida came out fired up, taking a 10-0 first quarter lead and a 19-7 halftime lead. Then things got a little tight in the second half, as Texas fought back. Arch Manning passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. Florida’s defense sacked Manning six times. Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Lagway tossed one interception. Florida receiver Dallas Wilson had 6 receptions for 111 yards. The Gators dominated the stats, especially in the running game. Florida had 159 rushing yards to 52 yards for Texas. Florida held a nine-minute edge in time of possession. The Mannings are now 1-3 in The Swamp. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,714
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Mountain time – BYU 38, West Virginia 24 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 45, West Virginia 14). BYU scored five touchdowns and four of those touchdowns were scored in the first half. At the break, BYU led 28-10. There was never a doubt who was going to win this game. But the Cougars could never quite shake the Mountaineers. WVU kept hanging around. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier passed for 351 yards. BYU receiver Chase Roberts had four catches for 161 yards, while Cougars receiver Parker Kingston had four receptions for 111 yards. BYU tallied 518 total yards. There were five turnovers – three by BYU. The Cougars never punted. WVU had three punts. The Mountaineers offense was looking better. The defense was looking worse. Attendance in Provo: 63,917
Devils adjust – Duke 45, California 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, California 24). I think it took the Dookies a while to get used to West Coast time. Cal came out strong and took a 14-0 first quarter lead. The Bears led 21-7 in the second quarter. But the second quarter was when the Dookies woke up, scoring 24 points and taking a 31-21 halftime lead. The third quarter was scoreless. Duke added 14 points in the fourth quarter. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Duke basically dominated the stats. The Duke defense held Cal to 41 yards rushing. They also had three interceptions and six sacks. Attendance in Berkeley: 42,240
Preparing for Auburn – Georgia 35, Kentucky 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Kentucky 10). Georgia led 21-7 at halftime. The Dawgs opened it up to a 35-7 lead in the third quarter. The Wildcats were never in the game. Georgia dominated the stats, especially rushing. The Dawgs had 183 yards rushing to 45 yards for Kentucky. Both teams had two turnovers. Georgia has not lost to Kentucky since 2009. Attendance in Athens: 93,033
Bielema has a few Boilermakers – Illinois 43, Purdue 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 31, Purdue 20). Purdue had a 7-0 first quarter lead. Then Illinois scored 24 unanswered points. It was all over but the shouting. Purdue did close the gap to 30-21 in the third quarter. Illinois responded, scoring 10 points to open up its lead to 40-21. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer passed for 390 yards and one touchdown. The teams combined for 960 total yards. Illinois had 507 of those yards. Purdue suffered from two turnovers. Illinois had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in West Lafayette: 56,551
Week 6 Results: 11 winners, 3 fumbles (78.6 percent)
For the Season: 60 winners, 27 fumbles (69 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
South Florida 54, Charlotte 26 – Attendance in Tampa: 34,577
Stetson 35, Davidson 32 – Attendance in Deland: 1,250
West Florida 31, Northeastern State 24 – Attendance in Tahlequah: 3,129
Alabama State 52, Bethune-Cookman 35 – Attendance in Montgomery: 24,736
Connecticut 51, FIU 10 – Attendance in East Hartford: 27,310
Florida Atlantic 27, Rice 21 – Attendance in Houston: 22,999
Kansas 27, UCF 20 – Attendance in Orlando: 43,229
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Illinois’ Luke Altmyer – 19-22-0 for 390 yards (1TD); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 28-38-1-376 (5TDs); Oregon State’s Malik Murphy – 30-45-2-358 (2TDs); UConn’s Joe Fagnano – 22-28-0-355 (4TDs); BYU’s Bear Bachmeier – 18-25-1-351 (1TD); Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson – 25-39-1-345 (2TDs); Texas Tech’s Behren Morton – 28-40-0-345 (1TD); Alabama’s Ty Simpson – 23-31-1-340 (2TDs); Kansas State’s Avery Johnson – 29-45-1-339 (2TDs); NC State’s C.J. Bailey – 20-23-0-337 (4TDs), and San Jose State’s Walter Eget – 26-30-0-334 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Akron’s Jordan Grant – 176 yards; South Florida’s Byrum Brown – 162 yards (1TD), and Air Force’s Liam Szarke – 152 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“Just when you think you know James Franklin, he surprises you in the worst way,” USA Today sports writer Jordan Mendoza.
“James Franklin should head elsewhere, because he’s not the guy to win big enough at Penn State,” 247 sports writer John Talty.
“The Tar Heels’ decision to hire Bill Belichick was horribly ill-conceived,” CBS Sports writer Will Backus.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in the autumn of October, as the college football season approached its halfway point, the number one song in the country…
…80 years ago, this week in 1940, was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…80 years ago, this week in 1945, was “Till The End Of Time” by Perry Como.
…75 years ago, this week in 1950, was “Goodnight Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra
…70 years ago, this week in 1955, was “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” by The Four Aces
…65 years ago, this week in 1960, was “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” by Connie Francis, and “Mr. Custer” by Larry Verne
…60 years ago, this week in 1965, was “Hang On Snoopy” by The McCoys
…55 years ago, this week in 1970, was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross, and “Cracklin’ Rosie” by Neil Diamond
…50 years ago, this week in 1975, was “Fame” by David Bowie
…45 years ago, this week in 1980, was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen
…40 years ago, this week in 1985, was “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits, and “Oh Sheila” by Ready for the World
…35 years ago, this week in 1990, was “Close To You” by Maxi Priest
No comments:
Post a Comment