College Football
Week 19 – Texas fires Herman, hires Sarkisian
Interceptions, a smashed
trophy,
hurdling, a brawl to top all brawls, a
maul to top all mauls – what a
week
Uh, Dabo,
who doesn’t belong in the playoff?
Yes, the year
ended on a wild week. The uncanny occurrence of interceptions in bowl games, a
shattered Lenox crystal trophy, Najee Harris running the high hurdles,
the disgusting and disturbing fight between the Mississippi State and Tulsa
players, and, oh my gosh, what Ohio State did to Clemson. It was like Sherman’s
march to the sea.
From the outcome
of the two CFP semifinal games it doesn’t appear that either ACC team – Notre
Dame or Clemson – belonged in the playoff.
Alabama wasted no
time dismantling Notre Dame, jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead that grew
to a 31-7 fourth quarter lead. Ultimately, the Tide dispatched the Irish,
31-14, in the Rose Bowl (that was played in Arlington, Texas).
In the other CFP
semifinal game, Ohio State soared to a 31-14 halftime lead and racked up 639
total yards en route to the Buckeyes 49-28 mauling of Clemson in the Sugar
Bowl. In short, Ohio State’s offense simply overpowered Clemson’s defense. They
mauled them. The Buckeyes were out for revenge and they got it.
Alabama’s terrific
trio of Mac Jones, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith lived up
to their billing. They didn’t disappoint. Jones was 25-for-30, passing for 297
yards and four touchdowns. Harris not only rushed for 125 yards but he also made
a spectacular leap, high-hurdling over a Notre Dame defender en route to a
53-yard run that set up an Alabama touchdown. And Smith had seven receptions
for 130 yards, scoring three touchdowns. Not bad, huh? Even Alabama coach Nick
Saban got in on the action when he was flagged for an unsportsmanlike
conduct penalty.
Well, Ohio State
countered with its own terrific trio – Justin Fields, Trey Sermon
and Chris Olave. They didn’t disappoint either. Fields was 22-for-28,
passing for 385 yards and six touchdowns. Sermon rushed for 193 yards and one
touchdown. And Olave had six receptions for 132 yards, scoring two touchdowns.
Not bad. The only thing missing was Ohio State coach Ryan Day
failing to get called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Or Clemson coach Dabo
Swinney saying, “I think I made a mistake placing Ohio State 11th
on my Coaches Poll ballot.”
So the stage is
set. Ohio State vs. Alabama (Ryan Day vs. Nick Saban) for the
national championship – 8 pm ET, Monday, January 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in
Miami Gardens, Florida. The game will be televised by ESPN. In the opening
odds, Alabama is a 7-point favorite over Ohio State.
Losing to Ohio
State, Clemson suffered its worst bowl loss since West Virginia beat the
Tigers, 70-33, in the 2011 Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has now lost
seven straight BCS/New Year’s Six bowl games since 2000. The Irish have lost
those games by an average of 23 points.
What was up with
all the interceptions that were thrown during some of the bowl games? I mean
weird situations with the interceptions. In the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Wake Forest
quarterback Sam Hartman, who had only thrown five interceptions all
season, threw four interceptions in the game. He not only threw four
interceptions, but he threw them on four successive drives, all in the second
half. Wisconsin capitalized on all four interceptions, scoring four touchdowns.
Midway through the third quarter, Wisconsin was trailing Wake Forest 21-14. By
midway through the fourth quarter, the Badgers were leading the Demon Deacons,
42-21. Wisconsin won the game, 42-28.
In the Cotton Bowl
Classic, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, who had only thrown five
interceptions all season, threw three interceptions in the game. He not only
threw three interceptions, but he threw them on Florida’s first three drives,
all in the first quarter. Oklahoma took advantage of all threw inceptions,
scoring two touchdowns and a field goal. Just like that, Oklahoma was up 17-0.
The Sooners went on to win, 55-20.
In the Arizona
Bowl, San Jose State entered the game undefeated. But Spartans quarterback Nick
Starkel, who had only thrown four interceptions all season, threw three
interceptions in the game. San Jose State lost to Ball State, 34-13. In the
Armed Forces Bowl, Tulsa quarterback Zach Smith threw two interceptions
and favored Tulsa lost by two points to Mississippi State, 28-26.
West Virginia
quarterback Jaret Doege only threw one interception in the Liberty Bowl.
But that interception, plus a fumble, all in the first half, got him benched at
halftime. Doege was replaced by backup quarter Austin Kendall. Trailing
Army, 14-10, at halftime, West Virginia went on to win the game, 24-21.
Wisconsin
quarterback Graham Mertz didn’t throw any interceptions in the Duke’s
Mayo Bowl, but he was responsible for a major fumble. Celebrating the Badgers
victory in the locker room after the game, Mertz dropped the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
trophy. The Lenox crystal trophy hit the floor and shattered into many pieces.
I guess that’s why Mertz is a quarterback and not a receiver.
Unfortunately, the
bowl season experienced an ugly incident following the Armed Forces Bowl
between Mississippi State and Tulsa. It was actually ugly when the teams took
the field to limber up and work out before the game started. The chippiness
continued throughout the game – 18 penalties – and culminated in an all-out
brawl after the game – slugging, punching, stomping, cleating, etc. To make
matters worse, neither coach made any attempt to stop the brawl. Mike Leach
and Philip Montgomery were AWOL. Police had to come onto the field.
College football
can’t tolerate this. There was a bad scene during the season in Gainesville
after the Missouri-Florida game. Not nearly as bad as what happened between
Mississippi State and Tulsa, but bad all the same. Note that these two
incidents involved three SEC teams. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey needs
to have a pow-wow with SEC athletic directors and football coaches. He needs to
lay the law down. He needs to do what has to be done to put an end to it. Mike
Leach and Dan Mullen are loose cannons.
Last week began
with Iowa players and fans taking to social media to torch Missouri coach Eli
Drinkwitz and the Mizzou players for causing the Music City Bowl to be
canceled due to COVID problems at Missouri. Among other things, they attacked
Drinkwitz for allowing the Mizzou players to go home for Christmas, commenting if
you really wanted to play in the bowl game, you shouldn’t have let your players
go home.
Apparently, most
schools going to bowl games didn’t let their players go home for Christmas.
Missouri did and Iowa players and fans interpreted that as a lack of
responsibility. They tweeted if you are going to let your players run lose,
then you never should have accepted a bowl bid in the first place. They
attacked Drinkwitz for not being a leader. Iowa was some kind of pissed. That’s
for sure. And understandably so. After starting the season 0-2, the Hawkeyes
finished up winning their last six games. Iowa was on a winning streak.
Meanwhile, Missouri lost its last two games by a combined 54 points. Yeah,
Missouri never should have accepted a bowl bid.
In this age of
social media and with everyone’s patience running thin and being on edge during
this COVID-plagued year, it became commonplace for college football fans to find
fault with a coach. And with the availability of social media, they found it quickly
and easily. Each week during the season it became routine for a coach, or two,
to be torched on the Internet.
The fans were
emotional, spouting their anger. Sometimes the anger wore off after a week,
especially if the coach won the following week. Fans only remember and react to
the last game. But, unfortunately, for some coaches the anger persisted for most
or all of the season.
One such coach was
South Carolina’s Will Muschamp. After the Gamecocks lost their season
opener, 31-27, at home to Tennessee, Muschamp immediately became a target of
abuse on social media. Four weeks later, when South Carolina lost to LSU,
52-24, Muschamp again was a target. When the Gamecocks lost, 48-3, the next
week at home to Texas A&M, he had become a fixture on social media and not
for positive reasons.
Some coaches just a
made brief appearances on social media. The season had just begun when first-year
Florida State coach Mike Norvell started off on the wrong foot with FSU
fans. At home, in its opener, Florida State was up 10-0 on a weak Georgia Tech
team at halftime. But the Noles had a tough second half. FSU lost to the Georgia
Tech, 16-13. Norvell became the target of abuse on social media. And not once
but twice. Two weeks later, Norvell again was being torched. This time when,
all in the same week, three FSU players announced they were entering the
transfer portal and Norvell announced he had Coronavirus. As a result, Norvell
watched the FSU at Miami (Florida) game from home on the television. A game
Florida State lost, 52-10. Although FSU never improved during the season,
Norvell no longer appeared on social media. Florida State fans became apathetic
about football, resolved to the fact that Florida State is a basketball school
and no longer a football school. That’s what my friend Tim Muth told me.
Occasionally, it
was a school, and not the coach, that was torched on social media. Just ask
Nebraska. When the Big Ten announced it was canceling the football season,
Nebraska screamed like a spoiled little child. The Huskers were going to play
non-conference games. They threatened to join another conference. They threatened
to sue the Big Ten. However, when the Big Ten changed its mind and announced an
eight-game, conference only schedule, Nebraska should have been happy. But,
instead, the Huskers again screamed like a spoiled little child. “We have to
play both Ohio State and Penn State from the Big Ten East Division. That’s not
fair.” College football fans from all over the country flooded social media,
chiding the Huskers. “I thought you wanted to play football, Nebraska. You
should be thankful the Big Ten didn’t make you play Ohio State twice.”
Even winning
coaches known for their victories weren’t always above reproach. They were
subject to the poison pen too. Just ask Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. After
the Sooners lost back to back games to Kansas State, 38-35, and to Iowa State, 37-30,
Riley was the victim of attacks on social media. Fortunately for Riley,
Oklahoma won the rest of its regular season games and beat Iowa State, 27-21,
in a rematch in the Big 12 championship game. The Kansas State and Iowa State
losses were quickly forgotten.
Texas coach Tom
Herman went through his share of abuse on social media. First, when the Longhorns
lost to TCU, 33-31. Then again when Texas lost to Iowa State, 23-20.
Texas A&M’s Jimbo
Fisher even felt the heat on social media, following the Aggies 52-24 loss
to Alabama. Then Texas A&M won the rest of its games and all was forgotten.
But all was not forgotten at Tennessee. It began when the Vols lost to
Kentucky, 34-7. Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt was blasted on social
media. Tennessee went 1-5 after the Kentucky loss and Pruitt continued to be
roasted.
Two defensive
coordinators were subject to torchings on social media. Florida DC Todd
Grantham was feeling the pressure, following Florida’s 41-38 loss to Texas
A&M. And LSU DC Bo Pelini was the target of ridicule, after the
Tigers lost to Missouri, 45-41.
Following Auburn’s
30-22 loss to South Carolina, Tigers coach Gus Malzahn was ripped and torn
to pieces by Auburn fans. After losses to Michigan State (27-24) and to
Wisconsin (49-11), Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh could find no love from
Wolverines fans on the Internet.
West Virginia
coach Neal Brown was subject to ridicule from Mountaineer fans, not once
but twice during the season. Brown faced abuse on social media after the West
Virginia lost to Texas Tech, 17-13, and again when WVU lost to Iowa State,
42-6.
Penn State coach James
Franklin faced rare abuse when from Nittany Lions fans after Penn State fell
to Nebraska, 30-23. And speaking of Nebraska, Huskers coach Scott Frost received
a load of animosity when Nebraska lost to Illinois, 41-23. Husker fans
continued to torch Frost when Nebraska lost to Iowa, 27-20, and to Minnesota,
24-17.
Even Syracuse
coach Dino Babers couldn’t escape the heat on the Internet, when the
Orange fell to NC State, 36-29. Two Big 12 coaches – Kansas State’s Chris
Klieman and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy – were the victims of anger
after the Wildcats suffered an embarrassing loss to Texas, 69-31, and the
Cowboys fell to TCU, 29-22.
Florida coach Dan
Mullen was ripped from one end to the other on social media, following
LSU’s 37-34 upset of the Gators. More recently, Houston coach Dana Holgerson
lost the support of a lot of Cougars fans, when Hawaii beat Houston, 28-14, in
the New Mexico Bowl.
Most recently, Dan
Mullen, again, and the ACC were the targets of abuse and jokes. Mullen, after
Florida’s loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and the ACC for going 0-6 in
bowl games.
Now obviously,
most of those coaches mentioned above had nothing to worry about. Fans will be
fans. But four of the coaches, who lit up social media, weren’t so fortunate.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp was fired before the season was over.
Then, in a bit of a surprise, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn was fired. To
Malzahn’s credit, he did make it to the end of the season. LSU defensive
coordinator Bo Pelini made it to the end of the season too, but
ultimately, he was fired by Ed Orgeron.
Then, in the
shocker, Texas announced on Saturday that Tom Herman had been fired.
After Urban Meyer turned down Texas and the Longhorns ended their season
with big wins over Kansas State (69-31) and Colorado (55-23) in the Alamo Bowl
everyone thought Herman was safe for at least another year. Herman was 32-18 in
four seasons in Austin. Texas even outdid Auburn. The Longhorns are paying $24
million for Herman to go away. Auburn paid $20 million for Malzahn to go away.
The verdict may
not be in for one coach. Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is
on life support in Gainesville. Dan Mullen could be pondering a
decision. However, recent reports say that Grantham is safe. Stay tuned!
Grantham may be
safe, but Florida coach Dan Mullen did fire two of Grantham’s defensive
staff members. Defensive back coaches Torrian Gray and Ron English
were terminated. The Gators finished next to last nationally among FBS teams,
with 28 touchdown passes allowed this season. Florida’s defense gave up 31
points a game.
On Monday, we may
have gotten a precursor to the Heisman Trophy presentation. The Associated
Press named Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith as college football’s player
of the year. He is the first receiver to win the award since it was established
in 1998. In what could be a preview to the Heisman Trophy outcome, Smith
finished ahead of his teammate, quarterback Mac Jones, in the voting. Clemson
quarterback Trevor Lawrence came in third, followed by Florida
quarterback Kyle Trask at fourth. Stay tuned! The Heisman Trophy
ceremony will be a virtual presentation televised at 7 pm ET, Tuesday on ESPN.
Also on Monday, Coastal
Carolina coach Jamie Chadwell was named the Associated Press Coach of
the Year in college football. Chadwell beat out Indiana coach Tom Allen
who came in second in the voting. Allen was followed by Cincinnati coach Luke
Fickell and Alabama coach Nick Saban. San Jose State coach Brent
Brennan was fifth. Of those five coaches, four lost their bowl games. Only
Saban was a winner.
Following a
two-day break, the bowl games resumed on Tuesday, with two contests. One was a
close game; the other was a blowout. In the first encounter, Oklahoma State
held off Miami (Florida), 37-34, in the Cheez-It Bowl.
The second game
was close in the first half but not in the second half. Texas led Colorado,
17-10 at halftime in the Alamo Bowl. But the Longhorns outscored the Buffaloes,
38-13 in the second half. Texas smashed Colorado, 55-23. Longhorns running back
Bijan Robinson rushed for 183 yards.
Two quarterbacks
were injured in the Cheez-It and Alamo Bowls – Miami’s D’Eriq King and
Texas’ Sam Ehlinger. King injured his right knee late in second quarter
and was out for the rest of the game. He will undergo surgery on his knee and
will miss spring practice. King is expected to be back for fall camp in August.
Ehlinger didn’t play in the second half of the Alamo Bowl due to a shoulder
sprain he received in the first half.
The best player on
Wisconsin’s team in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was Wake Forest quarterback Sam
Hartman. With Wisconsin trailing Wake Forest 21-14 in the third quarter,
Hartman threw four successive interceptions on four successive series.
Wisconsin turned each interception into a touchdown. The Badgers scored 28
unanswered points. With 9:24 to go in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin led the
Demon Deacons, 42-21. The Deacs added a touchdown with 0:06 on the clock and
Wisconsin beat Wake Forest, 42-28.
In the second bowl
game on Wednesday, Florida played its worst game of the season in the Cotton
Bowl Classic. Missing his four top receivers, who opted-out of the game, Gators
quarterback Kyle Trask misfired on his passes, throwing three-straight
interceptions on Florida’s first three drives. Oklahoma took advantage of each
one, building up a quick 17-0 lead over the Gators. Florida mounted a mild
rally, pulling within four points. With 6:05 to go in the second quarter, the
Gators trailed, 17-13. Then it was all Oklahoma for the rest of the game. The
Sooners scored 31 unanswered points to take a 55-13 lead with 6:11 to go in the
game. Florida scored one last touchdown, a 27-yard pass from freshman quarterback
Anthony Richardson to Jordan Pouncey. Oklahoma trashed Florida,
55-20.
Remember the
Friday Night Fights that used to be on TV years ago? Brought to you by
Gillette. I know, some of you aren’t old enough. Well, on the afternoon of New
Year’s Eve, Mississippi State and Tulsa gave us the Thursday Afternoon Fights. Brought
to you by ESPN. Instead of a football field, these two teams should have been in
an expanded UFC ring. The whole scene before, during and after the Armed Forces
Bowl was an embarrassment to college football. The SEC should severely punish
and fine Mississippi State and its coach Mike Leach. The AAC should
severely punish and fine Tulsa and its coach Philip Montgomery. The NCAA
should issue punishments and fines too. Both schools should be banned from bowl
games for the next one or two years. Some of the players from the two teams
should be banned from playing college football. Oh yeah, Mississippi State beat
Tulsa, 28-26, in the appropriately named Armed Forces Bowl.
The clock struck
12 for San Jose State. The Spartans perfect season came to an end in the
Arizona Bowl. Entering the game at 7-0, San Jose State lost to Ball State,
34-13. And hats off to Ball State. After losing their opening game of the
season, the Cardinals went on to win seven-straight games and finish at 7-1.
Army scored 14
points in the first half. West Virginia scored 14 points in the second half.
When the game was over, West Virginia beat Army, 24-21, in the Liberty Bowl.
Army came into the game as the 5th best rushing team in the country,
averaging 275 yards a game on offense. WVU’s defense held Army to 182 yards
rushing. Army’s defense came into the game No. 1 in the country in total yards
allowed – 273 yards a game – and 2nd in the country in points
allowed at 15 points a game. WVU had 322 total yards and scored 24 points against
the Cadets.
Army-West Virginia
was the last college football game played in 2020.
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2021.
Cincinnati-Georgia
was the first football game played in 2021. The two teams met in the Peach
Bowl. Cincinnati led Georgia 14-10 at the half, and 21-10 early in the third
quarter. But that was it for the Bearcats. Cincinnati couldn’t handle the
pressure of the Peach Bowl. The Bearcats were an undisciplined team. Then, up
21-19, with 1:34 left in the game, Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell called
the dumbest play in the world. All Cincinnati needed was a first down to win
the game. Georgia had no timeouts left. With a third-and two on their own
40-yard line, Cincinnati attempted a down-field pass. It was incomplete. The
Bearcats defense couldn’t hold Georgia. The Dawgs drove into field goal range
and Jack Podlesny kicked a 53-yard field goal. As time expired, Georgia
got a safety. Georgia beat Cincinnati, 24-21.
Well, this was to
be expected in the Citrus Bowl. Northwestern beat Auburn, 35-19. Auburn came
into the game with an interim coach who wanted to be the full-time coach but
was turned down for the job. I can’t imagine that the interim coach or the Auburn
players were fired up. Obviously, they weren’t. After the game, new Auburn
coach Bryan Harsin revealed that he would not keep Auburn defensive
coordinator and interim head coach Kevin Steele on his staff.
Saturday, we
learned that new Arizona coach Jedd Fisch hired Brennan Carroll
as the Wildcats offensive coordinator. Carroll is the son of Seattle Seahawks
coach Pete Carroll.
Shortly after
hearing that Texas fired Tom Herman, reports surfaced that Alabama
offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had been hired as the new coach at
Texas. Previously, Sarkisian has been a head coach at Washington and USC.
There were four
games on January 2, the last day of the bowl season. It began with the Gator
Bowl where Kentucky survived NC State, 23-21. The Wildcats jumped out to a 13-0
first half lead and then fought off NC State’s rally in the second half.
Next up, also in
Florida at the Outback Bowl, Ole Miss survived a serious Indiana rally. Ole
Miss beat Indiana, 26-20. The Magnolias led the Hoosiers 20-6 in the fourth
quarter. But Indiana rallied to tie the game at 20-20. With 4:12 to go in the
game, Ole Miss scored its winning touchdown on a three-yard pass from Matt
Corral to Dontario Drummond.
In the only game
Saturday that took place outside of Florida on January 2, Iowa State downed
Oregon, 34-17 in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cyclones Breece Hall rushed for
136 yards.
Back in Florida,
for the final bowl game of the season, Texas A&M saved the best for last to
beat North Carolina, 41-27,in the Orange Bowl. Trailing the Tar Heels, 27-20,
with less than 11 minutes to go in the game, the Aggies proceeded to score 21
unanswered points. After the game, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher pulled a
hamstring, running away from the Gatorade bucket.
So when the bowls
were all said and done, the best among the Power Five conferences was the Big
12 at 5-0. The SEC and the Big Ten were also good at 6-2 and 3-1 respectively.
The worst conference among the Power Five in college football this season was
the ACC. The ACC finished 0-6 in bowl games. The Pac-12 was close behind at
0-2.
In the Group of
Five, the Sun Belt Conference had the best record at 4-1. The MAC and MWC were
close behind at 2-0 and 2-1 respectively. At the bottom and the worst among the
Group of Five were C-USA at 0-6 and the AAC at 1-5.
Sunday, Dallas
Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore officially removed himself as
a candidate for the Boise State coaching job. Moore is staying with the Cowboys
program. Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos is now the favorite to
get the Boise State job. Avalos is a former Boise State player.
But speaking of
candidates, apparently former South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is a
strong candidate to be Steve Sarkisian’s defensive coordinator at Texas.
Week 19’s Winners: Oklahoma running
back Rhamondre Stevenson, Ball State coach Mike Neu, and Ohio
State running back Trey Sermon. Week 19’s Losers: Missouri, Wake
Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl trophy, Mississippi
State and Tulsa.
Who can forget
Mary Ann on the TV show “Gilligan’s Island?” Dawn Wells died last week.
Wells was a graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in theater
arts and design. She was Miss Nevada in the 1960 Miss America Pageant. Dawn
Elberta Wells, a native of Reno, Nevada, was 82. Wells death leaves Tina
Louise, who played Ginger on the show, as the last surviving cast member of
“Gilligan’s Island.”
Phyllis McGuire, the lead singer
and last surviving member of the McGuire Sisters trio, died last week. Ten
songs by the McGuire sisters made Billboard’s Top 20 in the 1950s and early 1960s,
including two No. 1 hits “Sincerely” (1955) and “Sugartime” (1957). Phyllis
McGuire, a native of Middletown, Ohio, was 89.
Just yesterday, Gerry
Marsden, the leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers, died.
Gerry and the Pacemakers had a half dozen Top 20 hits in 1964 and 1965,
including “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying,” “How Do You Do It,” “I Like It”
and “Ferry Cross the Mersey.” Gerry Marsden, a
native of Liverpool, England, was 78.
I also remember
when Paul Westphal played basketball for USC. Westphal, a college and
NBA basketball player, coach and commentator, died Saturday. As a player, he
had a 12-year career in the NBA, playing three seasons for the Boston Celtics
and six seasons for the Phoenix Suns. He coached Pepperdine University and
three NBA teams. Paul Douglas Westphal, a native of Torrance,
California, was 70.
And I’m also
remembering Floyd Little, who I saw play when I was in college. Little,
an All-American running back for Syracuse University and an All-Pro running
back for the Denver Broncos of the AFL/NFL, died. He played nine seasons for
the Broncos (1967-1975). Floyd Douglas Little, a native of New Haven,
Connecticut, was 78.
When I was a
freshman at West Virginia, the Mountaineers last game that season was in
Morgantown against Syracuse. It was a cold November day in 1964. There were
snow flurries in the air and the temperature at kickoff was 24. I watched the
game with my friend John Cummings and his girlfriend. John was a
sophomore at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Syracuse entered
the game at 7-2. West Virginia was 5-4. The Syracuse backfield consisted of Jim
Nance and Floyd Little. Nance was a senior and Little was a
sophomore. Syracuse at the time was coached by Ben Schwartzwalder.
Schwartzwalder was a native of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and grew up in
Huntington, West Virginia, my hometown. He graduated from West Virginia
University, where he played football.
At halftime, West
Virginia trailed Syracuse. 21-7. But the Mountaineers put on a rally in the
second half. At the midway point in the fourth quarter, West Virginia trailed
Syracuse, 27-22. With 6:00 to go in the game, WVU quarterback Allen McCune
connected with receiver Bob Dunlevy on a 50-yard touchdown pass. The
two-point conversion attempt failed, but West Virginia led Syracuse 28-27. The
final six minutes were tense, but WVU held on, keeping Syracuse out of the end
zone. In the end, West Virginia won, 28-27. Floyd Little rushed for 96
yards that day. Jim Nance had 163 yards rushing.
Is Urban Meyer
going to the Jacksonville Jaguars?....Is Dan Mullen going to the New
York Jets?....Is Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald going to the NFL?....Wouldn’t
it be ironic if Tom Herman became the offensive coordinator at Alabama?
Stay tuned!
Note: The next College
Football Week – CFW – Week 20 – will be posted on Tuesday morning, January 12,
the morning after the CFP national championship game.
Happy New Year!
Touchdown Tom
January 4, 2021
Review of the
Bowls
Cowboys escape the
Hurricane (in
the Cheez-It Bowl) – Oklahoma State 37, Miami (Florida) 34 (Touchdown
Tom said: Oklahoma State 29, Miami 24). The first quarter was a blowout for
Oklahoma State. As the second quarter began, the Cowboys were up 21-0. But
Miami came back. At halftime, Miami was just trailing by 11 points – 21-10.
Midway through the third quarter, Miami only trailed by two points, 21-19. Then
Okie State woke up and scored 10 unanswered points. Early in the fourth
quarter, the Cowboys led the Canes, 31-19. Miami scored next and trailed,
31-26, with 12:03 to go in the game. Okie State scored. The Cowboys were back
up by 11 – 37-26. But the Canes weren’t finished. With 5:39 on the clock, Miami
scored a touchdown and were successful on a two-point conversion. The Canes
were down by three. Ultimately, Okie State held off Miami in the closing
minutes of the game. In the end, Oklahoma State beat Miami, 37-34. Oklahoma
State quarterback Spencer Sanders was 27-for-40, passing for 305 yards
and four touchdowns. Oklahoma State finished its season at 8-3.
Bevo is a Lone
Star (in
the Alamo Bowl) – Texas 55, Colorado 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33,
Colorado 21). The teams combined for 1,016 total yards. Texas had 638 of those
yards. The Longhorns played two quarterbacks – Sam Ehlinger and Casey
Thompson. Together they passed for 330 yards and five touchdowns. Colorado
was guilty of three turnovers. Texas finished its season at 7-3.
Four picks – (in the Duke’s
Mayo Bowl) – Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin
28, Wake Forest 18). Amazingly, Wake Forest had 518 total yards to just 267 for
Wisconsin. Yet, the Badgers won. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman
threw for 318 yards, but he also threw four interceptions. Wisconsin finished
its season at 4-3.
Canceled (in the Music City
Bowl) Iowa vs. Missouri – (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 33, Missouri 22). The
Music City Bowl between Iowa and Missouri was canceled due to COVID problems at
Missouri.
The Sooners went
Gator hunting (in
the Cotton Bowl Classic) – Oklahoma 55, Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma
41, Florida 40). In short, Florida opted-out of the game. The Gators top four
receivers who accounted for 34 touchdowns this season, didn’t play in the game.
They were opt-outs. The teams combined for 1,205 total yards – 684 by Oklahoma.
The Sooners had 435 yards rushing. OU running back Rhamondre Stevenson
rushed for 186 yards. OU running back Marcus Major had 110 yards
rushing. After Kyle Trask’s three interceptions, Gators quarterback Emory
Jones played much of the game. On Florida’s final drive of the game at the
end of the fourth quarter, Gator fans got a look into Florida’s future.
Freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson led the Gators down the field to
their final touchdown. OU quarterback Spencer Rattler passed for 247
yards and three touchdowns. Oklahoma finished its season at 9-2.
Footbrawl – (in the Armed
Forces Bowl) – Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulsa
27, Mississippi State 20). And it was footbrawl too, as players were using
their feet during the fight, stomping and cleating opponents. Miss State won
the game with only 271 yards of total offense. Tulsa had 484 yards. Tulsa also
had 27 first downs to 16 for Miss State. But the Golden Tornadoes had two
turnovers and the Bulldogs had none. Mississippi State finished its season at
4-7.
Starkel didn’t
sparkle – (in
the Arizona Bowl) – Ball State 34, San Jose State 13 (Touchdown Tom
said: San Jose State 30, Ball State 22). Give Ball State’s defense credit. The
Cardinals held the Spartans to 69 yards rushing and 278 yards passing. Usually,
San Jose State Nick Starkel has well over 300 yards passing. Ball State
finished its season at 7-1.
Defense (in the Liberty
Bowl) – West Virginia 24, Army 21 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27,
Army 22). Neither team displayed much offense. The teams combined for only 561
total yards. WVU only had 42 yards rushing. Trailing Army 14-10 at halftime,
WVU replaced starting quarterback Jarret Doege with second-string
quarterback Austin Kendall at the start of the second half. Doege was
responsible for two turnovers in the first half. Kendall played the rest of the
game. He threw WVU’s winning touchdown pass – a 20-yarder to T.J. Simmons,
with 5:10 to go in the game. West Virginia finished its season at 6-4.
Canceled (in the Texas
Bowl) – TCU vs. Arkansas (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, Arkansas 24). The
Texas Bowl between TCU and Arkansas game was canceled was canceled due to COVID
problems at TCU.
Patience (in the Peach
Bowl) – Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 26,
Cincinnati 22). Georgia’s defense held Cincinnati to 308 total yards. Coming
into the game, Cincinnati was averaging 453 total yards a game. Georgia only
had 46 yards rushing. But the Dawgs had 404 yards passing. Georgia quarterback J.T.
Daniels passed for 392 yards. Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder
was worthless. Georgia finished its season at 8-2.
Aubie’s wasn’t a
Wildcat. He was a Pussycat – (in the Citrus Bowl) – Northwestern 35, Auburn
19 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 25, Auburn 20). Northwestern played
keep away from Auburn. The Wildcats dominated time of possession 35:42 to
24:18. Northwestern had 457 total yards, holding Auburn to just 61 yards
rushing. Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey was 24-for-35, passing
for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Northwestern finished its season at 7-2.
Smithed (in the Rose Bowl)
– Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 38, Notre Dame
17). It was worse than it looks. Alabama was up 31-7 in the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame scored a touchdown with 0:56 left in the game. Both teams had 24
first downs. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones completed 83% of his passes. Alabama’s
record is 12-0, with one game remaining.
Dabo was creamed (in the Sugar
Bowl) – Ohio State 49, Clemson 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 34, Ohio
State 21). The teams combined for 1,083 total yards, but Ohio State had 639 of
those yards. The Buckeyes defense held Clemson to 44 yards rushing. Ohio State
dominated time of possession, 34:05 to 25:55. Clemson had two turnovers; Ohio
State had one. Ohio State’s record is 7-0, with one game remaining.
Oh, the sun shines
bright (in
the Gator Bowl) – Kentucky 23, NC State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State
28, Kentucky 25). Neither team demonstrated much offense. Both played pretty
good defense. Kentucky held NC State to 50 yards rushing. NC State held
Kentucky to 99 yards passing. The Wolfpack had three turnovers. The Wildcats
had none. Kentucky running back Asim Rose rushed for 148 yards. Kentucky
finished its season at 5-6.
Corraled (Outback Bowl) – Ole
Miss 26, Indiana 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 34, Ole Miss 30). Indiana
controlled the ball – 35:41 – but the Hoosiers couldn’t control the outcome.
Indiana also had two turnovers to none for Ole Miss. The Magnolias had 493
total yards. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral passed for 342 of those
yards. Ole Miss finished its season at 5-5.
No quack in the
attack (in
the Fiesta Bowl) – Iowa State 34, Oregon 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa
State 30, Oregon 27). The difference was in the second quarter when Iowa State
outscored Oregon, 21-10. In all other quarters the teams were pretty even. The
Cyclones dominated time of possession – 42:48 to 17:12. Oregon had four
turnovers to none for Iowa State. Iowa State finished its season at 9-3.
Jimbo escapes the
Gatorade (in
the Orange Bowl) – Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27 (Touchdown Tom
said: Texas A&M 35, North Carolina 34). Texas A&M had a running and
passing game. North Carolina only had a passing game. A&M’s Devon Achane
rushed for 140 yards. The Tar Heels only had 90 yards rushing. Aggies receiver Ainias
Smith had six receptions for 125 yards. Texas A&M finished its season
at 9-1.
Week 3 Bowl
Results: 10 winners; 5 fumbles (66.7 percent)
Total Bowl
Results: 16 winners; 9 fumbles (64 percent)
Superlatives
Impressive
Passers:
Clemson’s Trevor
Lawrence – 33-48-1 for 400 yards (2TDs); Georgia’s J.T. Daniels –
26-38-1-393 (1TD); Ohio State’s Justin Fields – 22-28-1-385 (6TDs); Tulsa’s
Zach Smith – 26-46-2-347 (1TD), and Ole Miss’s Matt Corral –
30-44-0-342 (2TDs).
Impressive
Rushers:
Ohio State’s Trey
Sermon – 193 yards (1TD); Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson – 186 yards
(1TD); Texas’ Bijan Robinson – 183 yards (1TD); Kentucky’s Asim Rose
– 148 yards; Texas A&M’s Devon Achane – 140 yards (2TDs), and Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 136 yards
(2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“And so, for us to
be belittled and beleaguered on social media, for our players to be challenged
because they went home for Christmas is unfair. And if they want to direct
that, ultimately as the head coach, you can place that blame on my shoulders.
I’m disappointed and I apologize to Iowa for not getting our guys to the finish
line,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, responding to criticism directed at
Missouri for causing the Music City Bowl to be canceled.
“He seems to
always know what the other team is doing. Why that is I don’t really know. But
I can tell you he’s been doing it for a long time. They’ll steal your signals.
It’s not a very well-kept secret,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day, accusing
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney of stealing the other team’s signals.
“This is a black
eye for the sport. It’s as bad as it can be,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, on
the fight between the Mississippi State and Tulsa players after the Armed
Forces bowl.
“You look at this
fight and it is a bad thing for college football. This shouldn’t happen.
Everybody can understand that. The bigger picture of this, for Mississippi
State particularly first year coach Mike Leach – who are you going to
be? What’s your program going to be about? Is it going to be about making
videos in the locker room, celebrating the fight? Or are you going to be about
football? Mississippi State has some questions to answer about the direction of
its program,” ESPN’s Rece Davis.
“I think we all
agree this is an embarrassment. Not just for these two teams but for college
football. There are fights in college football, but to this level where the
police are coming in and people need to be arrested. There needs to be
consequences to send a message, not just to these coaches and to these players,
but to the entire country that this will not be tolerated. I hope the powers to
be will drop some serious fines on the coaches and drop some suspensions on
some of the players,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.
“It’s embarrassing
for college football. It’s not a good look for either program. Where was Mike
Leach? Where was his coaching staff at the end of the game,?” ESPN’s Desmond
Howard.
“The fact that you
jump up and cleat somebody, you should be kicked out of the sport,” ESPN’s David
Pollack.
“I’m looking
forward to seeing what Dabo’s answer is when they ask him if he still
thinks Ohio State is the 11th best team in the country,” NBA player LeBron
James.
“I love Boise
State. I will always root for them. I hope one day to be a part of the program
again. We are building something special here in Dallas. I am thankful to the Jones
family and Mike McCarthy for providing me with the opportunity to coach
these special players. I am excited for us to put it all together and finish
the job,” Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, on his
decision to remain with the Cowboys and not become the head coach at Boise
State.
Tweet of the Week
“Now that he has
lost Steve Sarkisian, maybe Nick Saban will hire Gus Malzahn
to be his new offensive coordinator.”
Touchdown Tom’s
Prediction for
The National
Championship Game
Ohio State (7-0)
vs. Alabama (12-0)
– (Big Ten vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Monday, ESPN – Both of these teams know
what they have to do to win the game. Ohio State has the daunting task of
trying to stop Mac Jones, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith.
No one else has been able to stop them. On the other hand, Alabama has the
daunting task of trying to stop Justin Fields, Trey Sermon and Chris
Olave. No one else has been able to stop them. Just ask Dabo. And if
Alabama and Ohio State have a weakness, slight as it is, it’s defense. So we
could see a ton of points on the scoreboard. This will be a game of strategy. Sark
goes out a winner – Alabama 31, Ohio State 28.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly
college football related, but on the 4th day of the New Year, as
college football fans were still celebrating bowl wins, commiserating over bowl
losses, worrying about New Year’s resolutions and going back to work or school,
the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this
week in 1946 was “Symphony” by Freddy Mann and His Orchestra, and “I
Can’t Begin To Tell You” by Bing Crosby
…70 years ago this
week in 1951 was “The Tennessee Waltz” by Patti Page
…65 years ago this
week in 1956 was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford, and “Memories
Are Made Of This” by Dean Martin
…60 years ago this
week in 1961 was “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley
…55 years ago this
week in 1966 was “The Sound Of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel
…50 years ago this
week in 1971 was “My Sweet Lord”/”Isn’t It A Pity” by George Harrison
…45 years ago this
week in 1976 was “Saturday Night” by Bay City Rollers
…40 years ago this
week in 1981 was “(Just Like) Starting Over” by John Lennon
…35 years ago this
week in 1986 was “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie
…30 years ago this
week in 1991 was “Justify My Love” by Madonna
