CFW Week 14 Results – Conference championship games set
Thanksgiving was great as always,
and so were the football games
Eight coaches were hired, three more were fired. And Lane Kiffin is going to LSU.
Thursday morning, we awoke to what was to be a pleasant day in Fruit Cove – indeed a very pleasant Thanksgiving day.
Gator Babe prepared and cooked our entire Thanksgiving dinner – the turkey and all the trimmings. It was an elegant, delicious and wonderful meal.
Florida lost to TCU in basketball. That wasn’t very pleasant, or wonderful. The Horned Frogs beat the Gators, 84-80. And in the NFL, the Kansas Chiefs lost yet another game. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Chiefs, 31-28. I don’t think the Chiefs are going to make the playoff.
Thursday evening, in college football, Navy sailed into Memphis and swamped the Tigers. Navy beat Memphis, 28-17. The Middies improved to 9-2, while the Tigers dropped to 8-4.
Friday morning we awoke to a nippy 41° in Fruit Cove. The sky was sunny and clear.
Two SEC coaches signed six-year contract extensions with their schools. Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz will have an annual average $10.75 million compensation for the next half dozen years. Likewise Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea got a significant raise in salary and a six-year extension to his contract. Both Drinkwitz and Lea had been mentioned as strong candidates at some of the schools searching for a new coach.
Oregon State hired Alabama co-defensive coordinator JaMarcus Shepard as its new head coach. Shepard is also Alabama’s wide receivers coach.
Early Friday afternoon, reports began surfacing that Florida was backing off of its pursuit of Lane Kiffin. Believing that Kiffin is headed to LSU, the Gators will concentrate on other candidates.
Gator fans immediately took to social media to torch Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, calling for his removal.
Friday’s 12 noon ET college football games were ending. Iowa pulled a stunner, beating Nebraska, 40-16. The Hawkeyes were only favored by 6 points. I’m sure Nebraska fans must be trashing coach Matt Rhule on the Internet. Ole Miss secured its spot in the CFP. The Magnolias downed Mississippi State, 38-19. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passed for 359 yards and 4 touchdowns. After two seasons in Starkville, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby is 1-15 in SEC play.
Utah kept its hopes alive, beating Kansas, 31-21. Ohio, still a contender for the MAC title game, downed Buffalo, 31-26. Ohio quarterback Peter Navarro passed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Navarro ran for 121 yards and one touchdown. The Bobcats racked up 506 total yards.
Reports have Florida targeting Tulane coach Jon Sumrall to be the Gators new coach. That prompted one Florida fan to post, “Gee, we’re going after a coach from a Group of Five school in Louisiana after firing a coach who came from a Group of Five school in Louisiana. That makes a lotta sense.”
Sources say Florida is offering Sumrall $7.6 million per year, plus other bonuses and escalators. And Florida has dispatched Urban Meyer to speak with Sumrall, encouraging him to come to Gainesville. Apparently, Florida is in competition with Auburn for Sumrall’s services. And Florida does not want to lose out on Sumrall after losing out on Lane Kiffin. Stay tuned!
Speaking of Florida, the Gator basketball team bounced back Friday. Florida beat Providence, 90-78.
A former Stanford quarterback was named the new head coach of the Cardinal. Tavita Pritchard, the quarterbacks coach of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, is Stanford’s new coach. Pritchard, 38, was a quarterback at Stanford from 2006 to 2009. His 2007 victory over USC has been cited as one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
In the 3:30 p.m. ET games on Friday, Georgia, in a field goal contest, beat Georgia Tech, 16-9. Six field goals were kicked in the game – three by each team. North Texas is headed to the American Conference title game. The Mean Green blasted Temple, 52-25. It took two overtimes, but New Mexico beat San Diego State, 23-17 (2OT). There is happiness in the Land of Enchantment.
Then there were the three big evening games on Friday. Last year, Indiana beat Purdue 66-0. Friday night, the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers, 56-3. I must say, Purdue is improving. Indiana finished its season undefeated at 12-0.
Next came the big surprise of the night. Texas downed previously undefeated Texas A&M, 27-17. Trailing A&M 10-3 at halftime, Texas outscored the Aggies 24-7 in the second half. In Friday’s nightcap, Arizona took advantage of 5 Arizona State turnovers. The Wildcats beat the Sun Devils, 23-7.
Friday was a long day. Saturday will be longer.
Saturday morning, we awoke to a less nippier 43°. The sky was partly cloudy.
The sky was totally cloudy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The temperature was around 30°, as Ohio State and Michigan kicked off at 12 noon ET in the Game of the Day. After four years of Wolverine victories, the streak came to an end. Ohio State beat Michigan, 27-9. You could say it was a Ryan day in Ann Arbor.
Reports were now confirming that Florida had been eliminated as a possible landing spot for Lane Kiffin. Lane was either going to remain at Ole Miss or go to LSU. His decision was scheduled to be announced later on Saturday.
Miami did all it could to impress the CFP selection committee. The Canes beat Pitt, 38-7. Miami didn’t make the ACC title game so the Canes have to hope the selection committee will rank them high enough. Texas Tech solidified a place in the CFP. The Red Raiders clobbered West Virginia, 49-0. Tech will face BYU in the Big 12 title game. BYU downed UCF, 41-21.
In two of the four ACC-SEC end-of-the-season encounters, Clemson beat South Carolina, 28-14, and Louisville blasted Kentucky, 41-0.
The 3:30 p.m. ET games on Saturday were led by Vanderbilt at Tennessee. The Commodores were serious about the game. The Vols weren’t. Vanderbilt toppled Tennessee, 45-24. Wonder if Vols fans are starting to have second thoughts about Josh Heupel?
Elsewhere in the SEC, Oklahoma survived 3 turnovers, all interceptions thrown by John Mateer, to beat LSU, 17-13. The Sooners may not make the CFP. Missouri beat Arkansas, 31-17. Missouri won in spite of only passing for 25 yards. But Arkansas only had 61 yards rushing. Arkansas failed to win a SEC game this season – 0-8. The Razorbacks are 1-15 in SEC play the last two seasons. Just like Mississippi State.
Also at 3:30 ET, Oregon solidified its place in the CFP. The Ducks downed Washington, 26-14. With less than 8 minutes remaining in the game, Oregon’s lead was just 19-14.
Gator Gabe was busy putting up the outdoor Christmas lights. They look good.
Greg Schiano continues to disappoint at Rutgers. Penn State edged the Scarlet Knights, 40-36. Trailing Rutgers 36-33, the Nittany Lions returned a fumble for less than a yard to score a touchdown and go up 40-36 on the Knights with 7:27 remaining in the game.
In the Big 12, TCU put the hurt on Cincinnati. The Horned Frogs beat the Bearcats, 45-23. TCU racked up 544 total yards. And in the Sun Belt, James Madison sent a message to the CFP selection committee – “Hey don’t overlook us for the Group of Five spot.” JMU walloped Coastal Carlina, 59-10. The Dukes had 525 total yards.
In the third of the four ACC-SEC end-of-the-season encounters, Florida ruined Florida State’s bowl hopes. The Gators trounced the Noles, 40-21. I get a kick out of FSU coach Mike Norvell. On the sideline during the games, he walks around pounding his fist on his chest. You know, like Tarzan. Maybe Norvell is telling his players, “Me Tarzan, you Jane.”
With Georgia’s win over Georgia Tech Friday night, the annual end-of-the-season “Quadfecta” between the ACC and the SEC ended in a tie this year. The ACC won two games. The SEC won two games.
Alabama at Auburn led off the 7:30 pm ET games on Saturday night. I have to tell you, Auburn gave Alabama a scare – a big scare. After trailing Alabama 17-0 in the second quarter, Auburn scored 13 unanswered points and trailed the Tide 17-13 early in the third quarter. Then early in the fourth quarter, Auburn tied Alabama, 20-20. The battle was on. Then with 3:50 remaining in the game, Alabama scored the go ahead and winning touchdown. The Tide beat the Tigers, 27-20.
Saturday evening, there were three interesting games in the ACC – two of which had ACC title game implications. Virginia, who rarely beats Virginia Tech, downed the Hokies, 27-7. The victory assured the Cavaliers of a spot in the conference title game.
Next, there was a big upset on the West Coast. The Mustangs were favored by 14 points. All SMU had to do was beat Cal and the Mustangs were in the ACC title game. But guess what? SMU didn’t beat Cal. With 0:43 remaining in the game, the Bears scored a touchdown and upset SMU, 38-35.
Earlier in the day, Duke shocked Wake Forest, 49-32. The Duke win, along with the SMU loss to Cal, put the Dookies in the ACC title game against Virginia. It was some day in the ACC.
Bill Belichick began the season losing to TCU (TCU 48, North Carolina 14). Saturday evening, Belichick ended the season losing to NC State (NC State 42, North Carolina 19). Such was Belichick’s premier season with the Tar Heels. UNC finished 4-8.
Watching TV Saturday night reminded me of when the Cardinals are gathered at the Vatican to choose a new Pope. Reporters from all the sports services were gathered in Oxford, Mississippi, waiting for Lane Kiffin to announce his choosing – Ole Miss or LSU. Black smoke – there is still no decision. White smoke – we have a decision.
Eventually, late into the evening, the reporters were told that Kiffin had delayed his announcement to Sunday. However, word leaked that Kiffin had chosen LSU. He would not be staying at Ole Miss.
In the Big Ten, USC won the crosstown rivalry in Los Angeles. The Trojans downed UCLA, 29-10. In four seasons, Lincoln Riley is 35-17 with USC.
In a couple of nightcaps on Saturday, Dan Mullen’s UNLV Rebels crushed intrastate rival Nevada, 42-17. UNLV finished the season, Mullen’s first, at 10-2 (6-2 in MWC play). Notre Dame more than likely solidified its place in the CFP with a 49-20 win over Stanford. The Irish rolled up 524 total yards.
After you went to bed Saturday night, Fresno State beat San Jose State, 41-14. There were eight turnovers in the game – three by Fresno State and five by San Jose State. Also, Hawaii downed Wyoming,27-7. Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Sunday morning, we awoke to a balmier 56°, with partly cloudy skies. After a good Thanksgiving visit with Princess Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe, it was time for Swamp Mama and me to head home. We would be back at Christmas.
We hit I-95 around 8:50 a.m. ET, headed South. I’m glad we were headed South. I-95 North was packed solid and barely moving. I think the entire East Coast must have come to Florida for Thanksgiving.
Sunday was the big day for hiring coaches in the SEC – four in all. LSU hired Lane Kiffin. Florida hired Tulane coach Jon Sumrall. Auburn hired South Florida coach Alex Golesh. And Arkansas hired Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield. What synchronization. It was almost like they had it all planned.
One school retained its coach, while another school fired its coach. Following in line with Wisconsin, Maryland, Florida State, Baylor and South Carolina, NC State announced it would retain coach Dave Doeren for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Michigan State announced it had fired second-year head coach Jonathan Smith. The Spartans were 4-8 (1-8 in Big Ten play) this season. In two seasons at Michigan State, Smith was 9-15. Then the Spartans turned around and announced that former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald had been hired to replace Smith. Fitzgerald coached Northwestern for 17 seasons from 2006 to 2022. He had a 110-101 record. Fitzgerald has been out of coaching since 2022.
Reports out of Oxford surfaced around midday Sunday that Lane Kiffin wants to remain at Ole Miss to coach the Magnolias in the CFP game or games before he leaves for LSU. Apparently, if Ole Miss does not let Kiffin stay to coach in the CFP, he is threatening to poach Ole Miss players over to LSU. However, if Ole Miss lets Kiffin stay to coach the games, he won’t poach any of the Ole Miss players. I would think LSU would want Kiffin right away. Stay tuned!
Late Sunday afternoon, Ole Miss, LSU and Lane Kiffin made it official. Kiffin will be the new coach at LSU, and he will not remain at Ole Miss to coach the team in the CFP. Kiffin had this to say: “I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern. My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter (Ole Miss athletic director) despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance."
As soon as Kiffin left the room, Ole Miss introduced Pete Golding as the Magnolias new head coach. Golding has been the Ole Miss defensive coordinator. That didn’t take long.
Coastal Carolina fired head coach Tim Beck on Sunday. In three seasons with the Chanticleers, Beck was 20-18.
And late Sunday evening, we learned that Kentucky fired head coach Mark Stoops. In 13 seasons with the Wildcats, Stoops was 82-80. This year Kentucky was 5-7 (2-6 in SEC play).
With the outcomes of Friday’s and Saturday’s games, the pairings for the nine conference championship games were announced on Sunday.
ACC – Duke (7-5) vs. Virginia (10-2)
Big 12 – BYU (11-1) vs. Texas Tech (11-1)
Big Ten – Indiana (12-0) vs. Ohio State (12-0)
SEC – Georgia (11-1) vs. Alabama (10-2)
AC – North Texas (11-1) vs. Tulane (10-2)
MWC – UNLV (10-2) vs. Boise State (8-4)
Sun Belt – Troy (8-4) vs. James Madison (11-1)
MAC – Miami (Ohio) (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)
C-USA – Kennesaw State (9-3) vs. Jacksonville State (8-4)
The Mountain West Conference ended in a four-way tie between Boise State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. All had 6-2 conference records. The four teams did not all play each other. So, MWC officials used the average rankings from various polls and rating services to select the two teams for the title game. Boise State and UNLV came out ranked the highest.
I will have the times, locations and my predictions for the conference title games in Thursday’s CFW.
For what it is worth, the 12 top teams in this week’s AP Poll are 1. Ohio State (12-0), 2. Indiana (12-0), 3. Georgia (11-1), 4. Oregon (11-1), 5. Texas Tech (11-1), 6. Ole Miss (11-1), 7. Texas A&M (11-1), 8. Oklahoma (10-2), 9. Notre Dame (10-2), 10. Alabama (10-2), 11. BYU (11-1) and 12. Miami (10-2). The highest-ranked Group of Five teams are James Madison at 19th, North Texas at 20th, Tulane at 21st, and Navy at 23rd.
Retired professional golfer Fuzzy Zoeller died on Thursday. Zoeller won 10 PGA Tour events, including two major championships. He is one of three golfers to win the Masters Tournament in his first appearance in the event. That was in 1979. He also won the 1984 U.S. Open. A native of New Albany, Indiana, Frank Urban Zoeller was 74.
Touchdown Tom
December 1, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Ryan had a good day – Ohio State 27, Michigan 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Michigan 20). Finally, after four years of misery, the pain is over at Ohio State. Michigan kept the game reasonably close in the first half. The Buckeyes led at halftime, 17-9. In the second half, Ohio State added 10 more points, while Michigan failed to score. The Ohio State defense got tougher and tougher. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was 19-26-1, passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Sayin threw one interception. On offense, Michigan only had 63 yards passing and only 100 yards rushing. The Wolverines only had 9 first downs. The Buckeyes tallied 419 total yards. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 111,373
RUNNER-UP: Joy in Austin – Texas 27, Texas A&M 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 30, Texas 27). With less than 8 minutes to go in the game, Texas led Texas A&M, 20-17. Then at the 7:04 mark in the fourth quarter, Texas all but sealed the deal. The Longhorns scored on a 35-yard touchdown run by quarterback Arch Manning. Texas was up 27-17. Manning didn’t have his best night passing – 14-for-29. But he ran for a touchdown, and he threw a touchdown pass, and Texas won the game. So all-in-all it was a good game for Manning. Texas receiver Jack Endries had 4 catches for 93 yards. Longhorn running back Quintrevion Wisner had 155 yards rushing. The teams were equal in passing yards. But Texas had 218 rushing yards to 157 for the Aggies. That and two A&M turnovers was the difference in the game. The loss knocked Texas A&M out of the SEC title game. The win may put Texas in the CFP. After losing to Ohio State and Georgia, Texas got the monkey off its back, beating Texas A&M. Attendance in Austin: 103,632
REST OF THE TITLE GAMES: Uga and Buzz were sluggish – Georgia 16, Georgia Tech 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Georgia Tech 27). This game was almost as boring as last week’s Missouri -Oklahoma game. There were 6 field goals and only one touchdown. Neither team could move the ball. Georgia only had 70 yards passing. Tech only had 69 yards rushing. Neither quarterback was inspiring. And throughout the game, you just knew the Dawgs were going to win. Georgia had an 11-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Atlanta: 73,728
The Boat Boys really got on it – Vanderbilt 45, Tennessee 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 33, Vanderbilt 31). I don’t think anyone expected this score. Even those who thought Vandy would win. It was a tight game through the first two quarters. Then all hell broke out in the second half. Vandy outscored Tennessee 24-10. It was all over but the shouting. Basically, Tennessee couldn’t stop Diego Pavia and Sedrick Alexander on the ground. Pavia ran for 165 yards and one touchdown. Alexander ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Pavia also passed for 268 yards. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar had a decent game. He was 29-44-0, passing for 299 yards and one touchdown. Vols receiver Chris Brazzell had 6 catches for 91 yards. The teams combined for 961 total yards. Vandy had 579 of those yards. Vandy won big despite two turnovers. The Commodores had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. Tennessee only had 83 yards rushing. Attendance in Knoxville: 101,915
The Quackers were out – Oregon 26, Washington 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 30, Washington 27). Oregon never trailed in the game. But the Ducks never ran away with it either. The Huskies kept things reasonably close. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was 20-29-0, passing for 286 yards and one touchdown. Oregon receiver Malik Benson had 5 catches for 102 yards. Washington quarterback Demond Williams threw 2 interceptions. Oregon had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Seattle: 72,376
Panthers blown away – Miami 38, Pitt 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, Pitt 24). Miami was definitely out to impress the CFP selection committee. Pitt never had a chance. Following a 7-3 lead by Pitt in the second quarter, the Canes scored 35 unanswered points. Miami quarterback Carson Beck was 23-29-1, passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Miami receiver Malachi Toney had 13 catches for 126 yards. Miami’s defense held Pitt to 11 first downs and 30 yards rushing. Miami had an 11-minute advantage in time of possession. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 49,845
OU was lucky – Oklahoma 17, LSU 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 24, LSU 17). In many ways this was like the Missouri-Oklahoma game. Close to boring. OU quarterback John Mateer threw 3 interceptions. However, Mateer did pass for 318 yards and two touchdowns. OU took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. LSU tied things up at 3-3 in the second quarter. LSU went up 10-3 in the third quarter. After that 3-0 led in the first quarter, OU never led again until 4:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma receiver Isaiah Sategna had 9 catches for 121 yards. There were only 23 first downs in the game. Neither team had a running game. Attendance in Norman: 83,734
Wildcats rule the desert – Arizona 23, Arizona State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 28, Arizona State 24). This game had a slow first half. Arizona State led at halftime, 7-3. It was even slower for the Sun Devils in the second half. They failed to score. But Arizona came alive in the second half, scoring 20 points. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was 28-45-0, passing for 286 yards and one touchdown. Wildcat receiver Kris Hutson had 7 catches for 97 yards. ASU quarterback Jeff Sims threw three interceptions. Arizona had 24 first downs to 12 for ASU. The Wildcats had a 21-minute advantage in time of possession. Arizona capped off a great season, ending on a 5-game winning streak. The Wildcats finished the season at 9-3. ASU dropped to 8-4. Attendance in Tempe: 54,037
The Lobos are grinning – New Mexico 23, San Diego State 17 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: New Mexico 20, San Diego State 17). This game went back and forth. San Diego State led at halftime, 14-10. At the end of 3 quarters, New Mexico led 17-14. At the end of regulation, the score was 17-17. Neither team scored in the first overtime. The Lobos won it in the second overtime. New Mexico running back Lucky Sutton ran for 110 yards and one touchdown. Lobo receiver Donovan Brown had 5 catches for 91 yards. San Diego State dominated the stats, but just barely. New Mexico ended its season on a 6-game winning streak. Attendance in Albuquerque: 30,575
Middies anchor the Tigers – Navy 28, Memphis 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 31, Navy 28). Navy’s offense played as expected. The Middies kept the ball away from Memphis, especially in the second half. Navy’s defense played better than expected – much better. The Middies’ defense played its best game of the season. The Memphis offense played its worst game of the season. They were shut out in the second half. The first and second halves were two entirely different games. The first half was close. The lead changed hands four times. Memphis led 17-14 at halftime. Late in the third quarter, the lead changed a fifth time. Navy went back up 21-17. The lead never changed again. Navy added another touchdown in the fourth quarter. Navy held Memphis to 288 total yards – 172 yards passing and 116 yards rushing. Navy held an 11-minute edge in time of possession. Most of that edge came in the second half. Attendance in Memphis: 27,082
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Disaster for the Eers – Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 35, West Virginia 20). This was an embarrassing loss for West Virginia. And a terrible way to end the season. No one thought WVU was going to win. But the Mounties were expected to put up a bit of a fight. Tech led 28-0 at halftime. Red Raider quarterback Behren Morton was 25-32-0, passing for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tech receiver Caleb Douglas had 5 catches for 127 yards. WVU only had 9 first downs, 180 total yards and 37 yards rushing. Tech had 572 total yards. The Red Raiders had a 20-minute advantage in time of possession. Attendance in Morgantown: 44,250
No bowls Noles – Florida 40, Florida State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Florida State 23). FSU was 5-6 coming into the game. A win would have made the Noles bowl eligible. Not to happen. Florida jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead and never trailed. FSU made it close a couple of times. The Florida lead was just 17-14 at halftime. But the second half was all Gators. Florida extended its lead to 24-14 and it got worse after that. The star of the game was Florida running back Jadan Baugh. Baugh rushed for 266 yards. The Noles couldn’t stop him. Florida had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,007
The Hawkeyes had the better corn – Iowa 40, Nebraska 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Nebraska 24). This started out to be a good game. The lead changed hands three times in the first half. Iowa led 24-16 at halftime. Then it was all Hawkeyes in the second half. Iowa scored 16 unanswered points, while shutting out Nebraska. Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson had a good game. He rushed for 217 yards and one touchdown. But Johnson’s running was the only good thing you could say about Nebraska. Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski passed for 166 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 64 yards and two more touchdowns. Nebraska only had 69 yards passing. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule can’t be a popular man in Lincoln these days. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,410
Wonders never cease – Duke 49, Wake Forest 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 28, Duke 25). The Dookies took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the game. Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford passed for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also threw an interception. Ashford ran for 44 yards and another touchdown. Wake receiver Sawyer Racanelli had 7 catches for 123 yards. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah passed for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. The teams combined for 844 total yards. Wake Forest suffered from 4 turnovers. That definitely hurt the Deacons. Duke had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. The win propels Duke into the ACC championship game. Attendance in Durham: 21,045
Hoosier daddy? – Indiana 56, Purdue 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 38, Purdue 17). A good game in the first quarter. Indiana led 7-3. Purdue was never to be heard from for the remainder of the game. Indiana went on to outscore the Boilermakers 49-0. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw two touchdown passes. Hoosiers running back Roman Hemby ran for 152 yards and one touchdown. Indiana won this game on the ground, racking up 355 rushing yards. Purdue had 44 rushing yards. The Hoosiers ended up with 548 total yards. Purdue is 0-18 in Big Ten play for the past two seasons. Attendance in West Lafayette: 59,807
Week 14 Results: 11 winners, 4 fumbles (73.3 percent)
For the Season: 135 winners, 62 fumbles (68.5 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
East Carolina 42, Florida Atlantic 3 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 14,712
BYU 41, UCF 21 – Attendance in Provo: 60,389
FIU 56, Sam Houston 16 – Attendance in Houston: 4,237
Newberry 24, West Florida 17 – Attendance in Pensacola: 3,251
South Florida 52, Rice 3 – Attendance in Tampa: 28,813
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Maryland’s Malik Washington – 38-61-1 for 459 yards (3TDs); North Texas’ Drew Mastemaker – 20-24-0-366 (3TDs); Arkansas State’s Jalen Raynor – 32-47-1-363 (3TDs); Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss – 23-34-0-359 (4TDs); Wake Forest’s Robby Ashford – 27-43-1-342 (2TDs); Boise State’s Max Cutforth – 26-49-0-341 (2TDs), and Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis – 16-22-0-338 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Liberty’s Evans Dickens – 267 yards (4TDs); Florida’s Jadan Baugh – 266 yards (2TDs); Penn State’s Kaytron Allen – 226 yards (1TD); Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson – 217 yards (1TD); Rutgers’ Antwan Raymond – 189 yards (1TD); North Texas’ Caleb Hawkins – 186 yards (4TDs), and Northern Illinois’ Chavon Wright – 185 yards (2TDs).
Also, Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor – 178 yards; TCU’s Jeremy Payne – 174 yards (2TDs); Louisiana Tech’s Trey Kukuk – 172 yards (3TDs); Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia – 165 yards (1TD); Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy – 157 yards (1TD); Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner – 155 yards; James Madison’s Jobi Malary – 154 yards (1TD); Indiana’s Roman Remby – 152 yards (1TD), and Kent State’s Gavin Garcia – 151 yards (1TD).
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Quotes of the Week
“You know, your dad would tell you to go and take the shot. You accomplished a lot at Ole Miss,” Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll’s advice to Lane Kiffin.
“I will assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn’t optional – it’s mandatory,” new Florida coach Jon Sumrall
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but with the gray skies of early December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. The fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, while the number one song in the country…
…85 years ago, this week in 1940, was “Only Forever” by Bing Crosby
…80 years ago, this week in 1945, was “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” by Henry James and His Orchestra
…75 years ago, this week in 1950, was “Harbor Lights” by Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye
…70 years ago, this week in 1955, was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford
…65 years ago, this week in 1960, was “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley
…60 years ago, this week in 1965, was “Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds
…55 years ago, this week in 1970, was “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family
…50 years ago, this week in 1975, was “Fly, Robin, Fly by Silver Convention
…45 years ago, this week in 1980, was “Lady” by Kenny Rogers
…40 years ago, this week in 1985, was “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, and “Broken wings” by Mr. Mister
…35 years ago, this week in 1990, was “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston
The next CFW – Week 15 Forecast – will be posted Thursday morning, December 4.
