College Football Week 11 – Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly out for season
It was the best of times;
it was the worst of times
Going into the weekend, there were five undefeated teams. When the weekend was over, all of them remained just that – undefeated. It was the best of times, as the five teams had impressive wins.
Facing the toughest competition of the five, Alabama improved to 9-0, as the Crimson Tide beat LSU, 10-0. The Tigers came into the game riding a three-game winning streak. LSU was undefeated under interim coach Ed Orgeron. But Alabama’s defense held the Tigers to 125 total yards – just 33 rushing and 92 passing.
Playing before a home crowd, Clemson improved to 9-0, as the Tigers pummeled Syracuse, 54-0. Clemson played four quarterbacks in the game. Two of the quarterbacks – Deshaun Watson and Nick Schuessler – passed for a combined 346 yards (24-33-0), and each threw two touchdown passes.
Also playing at home, Michigan improved to 9-0, as the Wolverines demolished Maryland, 59-3. Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight passed for 362 yards, throwing two touchdown passes. The Wolverines racked up 660 total yards.
Playing on the road against a tenacious offense, Washington improved to 9-0, as the Huskies slammed California, 66-27. Washington quarterback Jake Browning passed for 378 yards and six touchdowns. The Huskies amassed 704 total yards.
Also on the road, Western Michigan improved to 9-0, as the Broncos rolled by Ball State, 52-20. Western Michigan quarterback Zack Terrell passed for 367 yards, throwing three touchdown passes.
Yes, it was the best of times for Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Washington and Western Michigan.
This week, the challenge is on Washington, as the Huskies will be facing the toughest competition of the five undefeated teams. Washington hosts USC (6-3). The Trojans are riding a five-game winning streak. Michigan is on the road at Iowa (5-4). The Hawkeyes have the potential to give the Wolverines some problems.
Alabama entertains Mississippi State (4-5). The Tide just need to watch out for a letdown after the big win over LSU. Clemson hosts Pitt (5-4). Like Iowa against Michigan, Pitt could cause the Tigers some mild concerns. Western Michigan is on the road at Kent State (3-6). The Broncos should be safe.
Going into the weekend, there were 10 teams with just one loss. When the weekend was over, four of those teams had their second loss. It was the worst of times, as three of the teams were upset and the fourth was slaughtered.
The biggest surprise came in Starkville, Mississippi. Texas A&M fell to 7-2, as the Aggies were knocked off by Mississippi State, 35-28. Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald passed for 209 yards and rushed for 182 yards, scoring two touchdowns passing and two rushing. Miss State running back Aeris Williams added 140 yards rushing. Texas A&M was the No. 4 team in last week’s Playoff Rankings. The Aggies won’t be this week.
Florida ran into a wall in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Gators fell to 6-2, as they were stunned by Arkansas, 31-10. The Razorbacks Rawleigh Williams rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Arkansas’ defense held Florida to a mere 12 yards rushing.
What a shocker in Waco, Texas! Baylor fell to 7-2, as the Bears were humiliated by TCU, 66-22. The Horned Frogs Kyle Hicks rushed for 192 yards. TCU racked up 688 total yards against Baylor.
And what a slaughter in Columbus, Ohio! Nebraska fell to 7-2, as the Huskers were pelted by Ohio State, 62-3. Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 290 yards, throwing four touchdown passes. Ohio State’s defense held Nebraska to 204 total yards – 78 yards rushing and 126 passing.
“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye.”
Yes, it was the worst of times for Texas A&M, Florida and Nebraska.
“Bye bye Baylor, Baylor goodbye.”
And yes, it was the worst of times for Baylor too.
On the positive side, six teams with one loss fared better over the weekend.
Up in Boston, Louisville improved to 8-1, as the Cardinals breezed through Boston College, 52-7. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson scored seven touchdowns, passing for 231 yards and four TDs and rushing for 185 yards and three TDs. The Cardinals held the Eagles to 57 yards rushing.
Ohio State improved to 8-1, as the Buckeyes (mentioned above) dumped Nebraska, 62-3.
On the banks of the Monongahela, West Virginia improved to 7-1, as the Mountaineers crushed Kansas, 48-21. West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns. WVU running backs Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy rushed for 129 yards and 127 yards respectively. The Mountaineers had 605 total yards.
Playing before a home crowd, Boise State improved to 8-1, as the Broncos downed San Jose State, 45-31. Boise State quarterback Jeremy McNichols rushed for 158 yards.
Also playing at home, San Diego State improved to 8-1, as the Aztecs ran over Hawaii, 55-0. San Diego State running backs Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny each rushed for more than 100 yards. The Aztec defense held Hawaii to 50 yards rushing.
And finally, Troy improved to 7-1, as the Trojans spanked Massachusetts, 52-31. Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers passed for 245 yards, throwing three touchdown passes. The Trojans defense held the Minutemen to 44 yards rushing.
Yes, it was the best of times too for Louisville, Ohio State, West Virginia, Boise State, San Diego State and Troy.
Of the six remaining teams with one loss, Troy has the toughest assignment this week. The Trojans host Appalachian State (7-2). West Virginia won’t have it easy either, as the Mountaineers go on the road to face Texas (5-4) in Austin.
Louisville hosts Wake Forest (6-3). Ohio State plays at Maryland (5-4). Boise State travels to Hawaii (4-6), while San Diego State is on the road at Nevada (3-6).
Five undefeated teams and six teams with just one loss. What will the numbers be next week?
So you have to think that the Top 4 teams in this week’s Playoff Poll will be Alabama (1), Clemson (2), Michigan (3) and Washington (4). Ohio State, Louisville and West Virginia should move up. The best Power 5 teams with two losses are Wisconsin (7-2) and Auburn (7-2). The Tigers are riding a six-game winning streak.
Western Michigan should be the highest-ranked among the Group of 5 teams. That ranking would have the Broncos heading to a New Year’s Six bowl. But Boise State, Troy and San Diego State are still hanging in there. And Navy (6-2), Tulsa (7-2), South Florida (7-2), Houston (7-2), Wyoming (7-2), Toledo (7-2) and Appalachian State (7-2) each with two losses, aren’t totally out of it. Stay tuned!
What on earth was going on in the SEC Saturday? Early in the game in the three 12 noon starts, Texas A&M was down to Miss State, 21-7. Auburn trailed Vanderbilt, 10-7, and Ole Miss was losing to Georgia Southern, 14-3.
Auburn and Ole Miss rebounded to win. The Tigers beat Vanderbilt, 23-16, and Ole Miss downed Georgia Southern, 37-27. Ole Miss lost quarterback Chad Kelly for the remainder of the season to a knee injury – torn ACL. Texas A&M, however, rebounded too late. The Aggies lost to Miss State, 35-28.
And what was with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops? Trailing Georgia, 24-21, in the closing minutes, the Wildcats drove down to the Dawgs 10 and then played for an overtime and not a win. For three plays, Kentucky made no serious threat to score. Ultimately, the Wildcats kicked a field goal and tied the game, 24-24. But ultimately, with less than two minutes to play, Georgia drove down the field and kicked a field goal as time expired – Dawgs 27, Wildcats 24.
Butch Jones finally found a team he can beat. Tennessee topped Tennessee Tech, 55-0.
What were Washington, Washington State, TCU and Ohio State drinking in their Kool-Aid? Washington beat California, 66-27. Washington State downed Arizona, 69-7. TCU beat Baylor, 66-22, and Ohio State downed Nebraska, 62-3.
Can anybody explain Michigan State? The Spartans have lost seven-consecutive games. Saturday, lowly Illinois beat Michigan State, 31-27.
Christian McCaffrey bounced back Saturday. The Stanford running back and last year’s runner-up for the Heisman Trophy rushed for 159 yards. Stanford beat Oregon State, 26-15.
Florida State got a scare. Late in the third quarter in Raleigh, the Noles trailed NC State, 20-10. As the quarter ended, FSU scored a touchdown to close the gap to three points – 20-17. Then with only 3:09 on the clock in the fourth, the Noles scored a touchdown to go up 24-20. FSU held on to win.
As time was running down in the Oklahoma State-Kansas State game in Manhattan, the Wildcats were on the Cowboys goal line. But K-State couldn’t punch it in and Oklahoma State held on to win, 43-37.
Among the service academies, Navy beat Notre Dame, 28-27. The game was played in Jacksonville. In West Point, Air Force downed Army, 31-12.
Yes, it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be in Gainesville this weekend for the South Carolina-Florida game. And, of course, we are staying at where else – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com).
We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary of going to Florida football games together. As separate couples, we had been to Florida football games prior to 1991. But we went to our first Florida football game as a foursome in 1991. Together, we have been to at least one or more Florida games every year since.
Enjoy your week!
Touchdown Tom
November 7, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Note: Due to travel and other restrictions, the posting of next week’s CFW (Week 12) will most likely be delayed a couple of days. Stay tuned!
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Making a statement – Ohio State 62, Nebraska 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Nebraska 18). Nebraska was in this game for all of about eight minutes. That’s when the Huskers trailed the Buckeyes, 7-3. Ohio State went on to score 55 unanswered points, including a 24-0 outburst over the Huskers in the third quarter. Nebraska had 9 first downs to 34 for Ohio State. Attendance in Columbus: 108,750
RUNNER UP: Defense! – Alabama 10, LSU 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, LSU 23). Until early in the fourth quarter, this game was deadlocked at 0-0. Finally, with 13:08 on the clock in the fourth, Bama quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 21-yard touchdown run. The Tide later added a 25-yard field goal with less than three minutes on the clock. Bama held LSU to 6 first downs and only 125 total yards – 33 rushing and 92 passing. Hurts finished with 114 yards rushing. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321
REST OF THE BEST: Happy Pigs – Arkansas 31, Florida 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 17, Arkansas 16). Florida’s offense continues to be bad. You wonder why Jim McElwain doesn’t play one of the freshman quarterbacks. Luke Del Rio isn’t getting the job done. The Gators were 5-0 under Del Rio, but the offense didn’t look good in any of those wins. It was the defense that won the games. Then Saturday, there was no defense. Attendance in Fayetteville: 74,432
Bow-wow – Washington 66, California 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 42, California 24). Until midway through the second quarter, this was an exciting game. Washington led 28-20. Then the Huskies proceeded to outscore the Bears, 38-7. Washington had 704 total yards. Attendance in Berkeley: 47,756
Oklahoma State 43, Kansas State 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 23). This was a close game throughout and Kansas State led for most of it. Trailing 37-35, Oklahoma State scored with 1:46 to go in the game to take a 43-37 lead. In the final 100 seconds, K-State got down to the Okie State goal line. But the Cowboys held. Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph passed for 457 yards and five touchdowns. K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz rushed for 153 yards. Attendance in Manhattan: 52,450
Smurf attack – North Carolina 48, Georgia Tech 20 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Georgia Tech 23). The teams combined for 1,154 yards of offence. Tech was the better running team. Carolina was the better passing team. The Heels Mitch Trubisky passed for 329 yards. Running back Elijah Hood rushed for 168 yards. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 58,000
On a roll – Penn State 41, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 29, Iowa 19). Penn State had 599 total yards to 234 for Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes to 30 yards rushing. The Nitts won their fifth-consecutive game. Attendance in University Park: 106,194
Wild ride – TCU 62, Baylor 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 32, TCU 21). Baylor has now dropped two games in a row. Maybe the pressure of the Title IX suits is getting to them. The Bears had no defense. The offense wasn’t much better. TCU’s Kyle Hicks rushed for 192 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Kenny Hill had another 85 yards rushing. The Frogs had 688 total yards. Attendance in Waco: 48,129
Give Bucky a piece of cheese – Wisconsin 21, Northwestern 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 22). Northwestern passed for 277 yards, but Wisconsin held the Wildcats to just 30 yards rushing. The Badgers controlled the clock, holding on to the ball for more than 40 minutes. Attendance in Evanston: 42,016
The Force be with you – Air Force 31, Army 12 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 29, Army 26). Air Force had 444 total yards to 228 for Army. The Falcons Jacobi Owens rushed for 106 yards. Attendance in West Point: 38,443
Uga does his dump on the blue grass – Georgia 27, Kentucky 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 25, Georgia 22). Georgia dominated the statistics, but the Dawgs didn’t really dominate the score until the end. Kentucky deserved to lose as Mark Stoops played for an overtime instead of the win. Georgia’s Jacob Eason passed for 245 yards, and Sony Michel rushed for 12 7 yards. Attendance in Lexington: 62,507
Ain’t over till it’s over – Florida State 24, NC State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, NC State 20). NC State led throughout, until the final three minutes of the game. State dominated the statistics – first downs and total yards – even ball control. But the Noles dominated the score. FSU’s Deondre Francois passed for 330 yards. Attendance in Raleigh: 57,789
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Back in the saddle – Miami (Florida) 51, Pitt 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Miami 30). After losing four consecutive games, Miami bounced back in the winning column. Miami’s Brad Kaaya passed for 356 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Mark Walton rushed for 125 yards. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 51,796
Ralphie rules – Colorado 20, UCLA 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 26, UCLA 17). UCLA led 10-7 at the half, but in the second half, Colorado outscored the Bruins 13-0. The Buffaloes defense held UCLA to only 25 yards rushing and only 14 first downs. Colorado won in spite of suffering four turnovers. Attendance in Boulder: 43,761
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
In spite of the red zone – West Virginia 48, Kansas 21 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 45, Kansas 17). In spite of scoring 48 points, WVU’s offense still has problems scoring in the red zone. Dana Holgorsen goes anal on his play calling in the red zone. Outside the 20, the Mounties are fine. Inside the 20 and they are dyslexic. West Virginia led 31-0 at halftime. Then WVU got a little sloppy on offense and defense in the second half. Attendance in Morgantown: 56,343
Dukes demoted – Virginia Tech 24, Duke 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 32, Duke 19). The teams were about as even as you can get in the statistics. The score was pretty close too. Trailing by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Duke scored with 7:10 on the clock to pull within three at 24-21. It was a stalemate after that. Attendance in Durham: 38,217
The golden touch – Minnesota 44, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 33, Purdue 24). Purdue was in this game in the first half. The Boilers led, 28-23, at the break. Then Minnesota outscored Purdue 21-3 in the second half. The Boilers only had 23 yards rushing, but they passed for 391 yards. Purdue’s David Blough threw four touchdown passes. Minnesota was balanced in its attack – 235 yards rushing and 231 passing. The Boilers suffered three turnovers. Attendance in Minneapolis: 42,832
Week 10 Results: 13 correct picks, 4 fumbles (76.5 percent)
For the Season: 114 correct picks, 60 fumbles (65.5 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Drake 31, Jacksonville U. 27 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 471
Bethune-Cookman 41, Morgan State 10 – Attendance in Baltimore: 3,521
Marist 45, Stetson 38 – Attendance in Deland: 4,032
Florida Tech 45, West Georgia 21 – Attendance in Carrollton: 5,132
Florida Atlantic 42, Rice 25 – Attendance in Houston: 19,892
Western Kentucky 49, Florida International 21 – Attendance in Bowling Green: 15,516
UCF 37, Tulane 0 – Attendance in Orlando: 31,571
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 29-38-2 for 457 yards; Indiana’s Richard Lagow – 28-40-2-394; Purdue’s David Blough – 29-48-1-391; Washington’s Jake Browning – 19-28-0-378; Western Michigan’s Zack Terrell – 23-34-0-367; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 36-59-1-367, and Michigan’s Wilton Speight – 19-24-0-362.
Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 32-47-0 for 356 yards; South Alabama’s Dallas Davis – 25-39-1-336; East Carolina’s Gardner Minshew – 29-46-0-336; Florida State’s Deondre Francois – 22-39-0-330; North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 20-32-0-329; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 25-34-1-328, and Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 26-37-0-327.
Impressive Rushers:
Texas’ D’Onta Foreman – 341 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary – 252 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 228 yards; Old Dominion’s Ray Lawry – 209 yards, and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 199 yards.
TCU’s Kyle Hicks –192 yards; Tulsa’s D’Angelo Brewer – 186 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 185 yards; Charlotte’s Kalif Phillips – 183 yards; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 182 yards, and Tulsa’s James Flanders – 177 yards.
Navy’s Will Worth – 175 yards; Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 173 yards; USC’s Ronald Jones – 171 yards; North Carolina’s Elijah Hood – 168 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 167 yards, and Boise State’s Jeremy McNichols – 158 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I wish I had a better word for weird. It’s a strange deal and not a good situation for the future of Baylor football. That’s for sure,” Waco Midway High School football coach Jim Hulme, on Baylor’s lack of recruiting.
“There’s plenty of time for the Bears’ recruiting to rebound. There will be a lot of kids who want to come to Baylor. But they want to see who’s going to be their coach. As soon as that happens, there will be a lot of kids jumping in the boat,” interim Baylor coach Jim Grobe, on why Baylor is not recruiting.
“I’m looking for a place dedicated to the players’ achievement in the classroom and that wants to win championships. If there’s an athletic director and president that want to do that, I’m in line,” former LSU coach Les Miles, on coaching next season.
“I’m excited to get another opportunity to take a team to the field and fight for victory. Right now that is my focus,” former LSU coach Les Miles, on coaching next season.
“Kansas is called on the opening kickoff for taunting. How can anyone on a 1-7 team taunt anyone,” Morgantown sports columnist Bob Hertzel.
“What I want is for Baylor to act like they have some institutional control and stop allowing the football program to re-victimize the already traumatized survivors. In a show of institutional courage, Harvard just canceled the rest of the men’s soccer season over lewd ratings of female players. If Baylor wanted to do the right thing, they would cancel the rest of the football season for yesterday’s display of deliberate and calculated cruelty,” rape activist Brenda Tracy, on Baylor’s “blackout” at the TCU game in honor of Art Briles.
“It was a deliberate slap in the face to the women who were assaulted and raped on Baylor’s campus and for what? Art Briles? The man who said he knew of a gang rape and did nothing. Or the man who threw all of his assistant coaches under the bus by saying that de delegated down and didn’t know what was happening on his team,” rape activist Brenda Tracy.
Quote from the Past
“In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in Bear Bryant,” Georgia coach Wally Butts.
Sign of the Day
Nick Saban Went As Himself For Halloween
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games….and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. USC (6-3) at Washington (9-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Washington has been an amazing football team this season. More and more believers come aboard each week. Chris Petersen is a good coach. He performed miracles at Boise State. He has turned around the Huskies program. Still, it’s tough for any team to get through a season undefeated. The Trojans will definitely be a challenge for the Huskies. Shaky at the start of the season – USC was 1-3 – the Trojans have won five consecutive games. They would like to make it six against Washington. But they won’t. Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin will see to that – Washington 30, USC 23.
RUNNER UP: 2. Baylor (6-2) at Oklahoma (7-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN – Baylor could be on the cusp of falling apart. The Bears have lost their last two games. Their non-conference competition was weak to begin with and nobody really knew how good Baylor was or wasn’t. I’m thinking here on out they won’t be very good. After a shaky start, Oklahoma is on a mission to have a strong finish and win the Big 12. The Bears won’t stop them – Oklahoma 35, Baylor 24.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Pitt (5-4) at Clemson (9-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Pitt could give Clemson some problems, but the Tigers game would have to be really, really off for the Panthers to win. Pitt has some offensive muscle, but the Panthers lack defense. The Tigers should have another heyday – Clemson 36, Pitt 21.
4. Michigan (9-0) at Iowa (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Iowa has been up and down. The Hawkeyes have a terrible offense, but are capable of playing good defense. After a quarter or two, the Wolverines should toy with the Hawkeyes. Jim Harbaugh is on a mission – Michigan 30, Iowa 17.
5. Minnesota (7-2) at Nebraska (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – How will the Huskers react to the disaster in Columbus. They could fall apart and Minnesota could have its way with them. It won’t be easy, but my feeling is Mike Riley regenerates their pride – Nebraska 28, Minnesota 27.
6. Tulsa (7-2) at Navy (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Now this one could be another one of those high-scoring affairs. Both teams can put up some points – Navy on the ground, Tulsa passing and running. Both teams have good quarterbacks. The Middies pull it out in a squeaker – Navy 35, Tulsa 34.
7. Appalachian State (7-2) at Troy (7-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – This may be the game of the year in the Sun Belt. Although Arkansas State is coming on strong. App State doesn’t play Arkansas State, but Troy does next week. The pressure is on Troy and the Little Mountaineers take advantage of the pressure – Appalachian State 33, Troy 27.
8. South Florida (7-2) at Memphis (6-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – South Florida is having another great season, but Memphis isn’t exactly jelly. Both teams can score, but USF has the better defense. Memphis will be tough at home. The running of the Bulls – South Florida 27, Memphis 24.
9. West Virginia (7-1) at Texas (5-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – West Virginia bounced back from the stumble against Oklahoma State. But Texas is bouncing back too. The Horns have won two straight. Charlie Strong wants to keep his job. It may be too late, but he’ll try. The Mountaineers don’t give him any help – West Virginia 34, Texas 27.
10. Auburn (7-2) at Georgia (5-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Auburn is hot and Georgia is lukewarm. I think Gus Malzahn has saved his job, but it wouldn’t hurt to beat the Dawgs. Aubie gets Smart – Auburn 30, Georgia 20.
11. Utah (7-2) at Arizona State (5-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – Utah is still looking to win the Pac-12 South and get another shot at Washington. It could happen. Arizona State is just trying to keep its head above water. The Sun Devils have some potential, but they rarely put it together. The Utes, however, are together – Utah 36, Arizona State 23.
12. Penn State (7-2) at Indiana (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Penn State is on a roll, but Indiana is the kind of team that could surprise the Nitts. Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson is trying to save his job. A win over the Nitts just might do that. But that is an iffy win. Nothing iffy about the Lions – Penn State 32, Indiana 26.
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Georgia Tech (5-4) at Virginia Tech (7-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Always fun when the Techs get together. The Virginia one is definitely playing the better ball this season. The Georgia one is a very one dimensional team. For some reason, the Hokies always play well when Thanksgiving is near. No exception this year – Virginia Tech 35, Georgia Tech 25.
14. LSU (5-3) at Arkansas (6-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Big question? Will LSU have a big letdown after the tough loss to Alabama? Or will Arkansas still be hung over from the big win against Florida? The other big question is Leonard Fournette. Will he show up this week? Hog heaven – Arkansas 20, LSU 17.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
South Carolina (5-4) at Florida (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBS – Ah, the return of Will Mustake to the Swamp. It should be fun. And the Gamecocks are riding a three-game winning streak. Can’t say the same for Florida. But the Gators should bounce back – the defense, not the offense. The offense doesn’t bounce. It’s out of air. Albert roasts a Chicken – Florida 24, South Carolina 16.
North Carolina (7-2) at Duke (3-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – The Dookies are running out of time. One more loss and no bowl game for the Devils. The Tar Heels are running out of time too. They need Virginia Tech to lose. Otherwise, the Hokies win the Coastal Division of the ACC. So the Heels can’t slip up against Duke or its is curtains for the division title. The Dookies will sit home over the holidays – North Carolina 34, Duke 25.
Northwestern (4-5) at Purdue (3-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – This should be interesting. Northwestern plays good defense, but has no offense. Purdue plays good offense, but has no defense. I think the Wildcats defense wins – Northwestern 26, Purdue 17.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Cincinnati (4-5) at UCF (5-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
Miami (5-4) at Virginia (2-7) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, FSN Affiliates/ACCN….
Jacksonville U. (4-4) at Valparaiso (3-7) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Delta State (4-5) at Florida Tech (7-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson (4-5) at San Diego (7-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Morgan State (2-6) at Florida A&M (3-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
UTEP (3-6) at Florida Atlantic (2-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Boston College (4-5) at Florida State (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….
Florida International (3-7) and Bethune-Cookman (3-5) are off.
Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in early November as the college football season began its final stretch, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “Rumors Are Flying” by Frankie Carle
…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “Cold, Cold Heart” by Tony Bennett
…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley and “Green Door” by Jim Lowe
…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean
…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees
…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves” by Cher
…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “Rock Me” by the Steve Miller Band
…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Private Eyes” by Daryl Hall & John Oates
…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “Amanda” by Boston
…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “Cream” by Prince
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were four passings of note last week – Tammy Grimes, Curly Putman, John Hicks and Kay Starr.
Tammy Grimes, the actress and singer who conquered Broadway at the age of 26, winning a Tony Award for her performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” died last week in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 82. She won a second Tony in 1969 in the revival of Noel Coward’s “Private Lives.” She played the lead in “Look After Lulu” (1958), and in 1964 she appeared in “High Spirits.” Tammy Lee Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on January 30, 1934. She graduated from Stephens College in Missouri. In 1976, she was in “California Suite.” Her films included “Play It as It Lays,” “The Last Unicorn” and “Slaves of New York.” She appeared in dozens of television series, including “The Tammy Grimes Show” (1966). Her last movie role was in “High Art” (1998). Her final Broadway appearance was in “Orpheus Descending” in 1989.
Curly Putman, a songwriter whose ballad “The Green, Green Grass of Home,” became a worldwide hit for Tom Jones in 1967, and whose long string of country classics included “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” for Tammy Wynette and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” for George Jones, died last week at his home in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was 85. Putman turned out hundreds of songs, many of them country chart-toppers. With Sonny Throckmorton, he wrote “It’s A Cheating Situation,” recorded by Moe Bandy and Janie Fricke, which was named country song of the year in 1979. He wrote “Dumb Blonde” (1967), which put Dolly Parton on the country charts for the first time, and “Blood Red and Goin’ Down,” a No. 1 hit for Tanya Tucker in 1973. In addition to Tom Jones, “The Green, Green Grass of Home” was also recorded by Johnny Darrell, Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Dean Martin, Joe Tex and the Grateful Dead. Claude Putman Jr. was born on November 20, 1930, on Putman Mountain near Princeton, Alabama, northeast of Huntsville. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served two tours aboard the aircraft carrier Valley Forge during the Korean War. In 1960, he had a minor hit with “The Prison Song,” and Marion Worth reached the Top 10 with his song “I Think I Know.” Putman wrote hit after hit for the next two decades, including “As Long As the Wind Blows” (1965), “Set Me Free” (1967), “My Elusive Dreams” (1967), “You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith Too” (1967) and “Just For You” (1968). He wrote hits for Johnny Darrell, Charlie Rich, David Houston, the Statler Brothers, T.G. Sheppard, among others.
John Hicks, a standout offensive lineman at Ohio State who became a first-round draft pick and rookie of the year for the New York Giants in 1974, died last week in Columbus, Ohio. He was 65. At Ohio State, Hicks was an offensive tackle and played for Woody Hayes. Hicks was twice named an All-American and in 1973 won the Outland Trophy, for the best interior lineman in college football. That same year he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind Penn State running back John Cappelletti. After a good first year with the Giants in 1974, Hicks career sunk fast. Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978, Hicks never played a game for the Steelers and retired after the 1978 season. John Charles Hicks Jr. was born on March 21, 1951, in Cleveland.
Kay Starr, a hillbilly singer who crisscrossed jazz, country, pop, blues and rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s with hits like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Rock and Roll Waltz,” died last week at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94. She was born Katherine Laverne Starks on July 21, 1922, in Doherty, Oklahoma. Starr’s family moved to Dallas and her singing career began in her childhood. She became a local radio sensation at age 7. When she was 15, her family moved to Memphis, where she began singing at the Peabody Hotel. Starr’s first records were “Baby Me” and “Love with a Capital You,” recorded with the Glenn Miller Orchestra when she was 16. After high school, Starr moved to Los Angeles and performed for World War II soldiers. In 1948, she had a breakthrough hit with “You Were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love),” followed by “Oh Babe” and “Hoop-Dee-Doo.” In 1950, she began recording duets with Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1952, Starr released her best-known hit “Wheel of Fortune,” which was No. 1 for 10 weeks. The next year brought another hit, “Side by Side,” which went to No. 3. In 1955, Starr recorded “Rock and Roll Waltz,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. Her last big hit was “My Heart Reminds Me” in 1957. She toured the country off and on from the 1960s through the 1990s. In the 1980s, Star toured with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O’Connell, Margaret Whiting, Rose Marie and Kaye Ballard. She recorded a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2001 album “Playin’ with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues.”
Monday, November 7, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2016
College Football Week 10 – Playoff rankings released Tuesday
Football and a wedding make for
interesting times in Houston
I make no bones about the fact that I think it is a sacrilege to have a wedding on a Saturday in the fall. Saturdays in the fall are reserved for football – college football.
But sometimes I have to punt.
Swamp Mama and I flew out of Melbourne at 6 a.m. Thursday. We were headed to Houston. More specifically, we were going to Houston for a wedding – a Saturday wedding. I punted.
It was a beautiful day for flying – the entire way. There was not a cloud in the sky. We connected through Atlanta into Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. Over a 20-year stretch, I had been to Houston a handful of times, always on business. My first visit was in 1975, my last in 1995. Yeah, it had been 21 years since I was last in Houston.
Upon arriving Thursday, we picked up the rental car and headed north on I-45. We were on our way to The Heights – The Houston Heights. The Heights is an old area in North Houston that has gone through quite a transformation since the 1990s.
Once a grand area, The Heights declined after World War II. It became decrepit and tired – a low income area of the city. The Heights was not a part of town you wanted to visit. Then in the 1990s, The Heights experienced gentrification – a process that is still going on today. Young highly paid professionals, along with retirees, flocked to the area, purchasing and renovating old historic homes. Others demolished the older homes, building new upscale housing.
Today, The Heights is a funky area. Upscale boutiques and restaurants have opened. New apartment complexes are sprinkled throughout the area.
We were headed to The Heights to satisfy one of Swamp Mama’s favorite pastimes. Every time we visit a new town or city, Swamp Mama has to check out a quilt shop. It’s kinda like me checking out the college football stadiums.
She gets on the Internet and locates a quilt shop she wants to visit. Prior to our trip to Houston, she had picked out “Tea Time Quilting” which is located in The Houston Heights. The shop didn’t disappoint.
Of course, whenever we arrive at a quilt shop, my first question is: “Do you have a husband chair?” After all, I have my priorities too. Once, at a quilt shop in Deland, Florida, I asked and the lady said, “We not only have a husband chair, we have a husband couch. You can stretch out and take a nap.”
I was in heaven. If you only knew how much time Swamp Mama spends in some of these shops, you would understand. I got a good, long nap in at that shop in Deland.
So, first things first – Swamp Mama took care of her quilt-shop habit in Houston. With that out of the way, we were free to explore and check out other things. Upon leaving “Tea Time Quilting,” we had lunch at the Revival Market, a unique and popular eating place in The Heights.
I have two cousins who live in Houston. The cousins are twins – Florence Rutherford and Frances Jones. Thursday evening we visited with them and their husbands and then went to dinner at the River Oaks Country Club. We had so much fun catching up on things. We could have talked all night long.
Friday morning, Swamp Mama and I drove around the campus of Rice University, before checking out some of the shops at the River Oaks Shopping Center. Mid-day, we met Terry Conner for lunch. Terry and I used to work together at Harris. At Terry’s suggestion, we lunched at the Karbach Brewing Company – a gastro pub in Houston. It was good seeing and talking to Terry again. The Karbach Brewing Company was good too.
After lunch, Swamp Mama and I went back to The Heights to check out some of the shops there. Back at the hotel, we mingled with friends from Florida, who had arrived on Friday for the wedding. That evening, we all went to the rehearsal dinner. It was held at El Tiempo Cantina – an upscale Mexican restaurant that did not disappoint. Their margaritas, which were flowing freely all evening, did not disappoint either.
Saturday morning before the wedding, Swamp Mama and I took one last drive around Houston, exploring more areas of the city. Then we returned to the hotel to watch the West Virginia-Oklahoma State game on television.
About this time last year, maybe a week or two earlier, Swamp Mama and I went to a wedding in Las Vegas. I punted then too. The wedding was on the same Saturday that West Virginia played Oklahoma State. I followed the game on my cell phone at the reception. WVU lost to Oklahoma State in overtime, 33-26.
This year, of all things, West Virginia was playing Oklahoma State on the same Saturday as the wedding in Houston. WVU lost to Oklahoma State, 37-20. That’s it for me. I am not attending any more weddings on a Saturday when West Virginia is playing Oklahoma State.
The WVU-Okie State game was an early start and was over prior to the wedding. However, just starting at the same time as the wedding was the Florida-Georgia game. Several of us from Florida sat in the pews of the church during the wedding service with our cell phones on, keeping tabs on the first half of the Florida-Georgia game.
Immediately following the wedding service, we all went to the reception and dinner which was held at Ouisie’s Table on San Felipe Street in the River Oaks section of Houston. The timing was perfect. As we drove from the church to the reception, it was halftime at the Florida-Georgia game.
Upon arriving at the reception, the second half began. With the cell phone in one hand and a beverage of choice in the other hand, we kept tabs on the second half of the Florida-Georgia game. Some of the wedding guests thought we were crazy. We cheered loudly as Florida added 10 points to its 14-10 halftime lead.
My first dirty martini at the reception was to drown my sorrows over the West Virginia loss to Oklahoma State. My second dirty martini was to celebrate Florida’s 24-10 win over Georgia. I stopped counting the martinis after that.
Sunday, Swamp Mama and I flew back to Florida. We had a great three days in Houston. We really did. Punting is good sometimes.
Saturday was an interesting day in college football. Seven of the nine undefeated teams were playing and all seven were on the road. It was not a great day for four of the seven teams. They lost for the first time.
As mentioned above, West Virginia traveled to Stillwater, where the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season. Oklahoma State beat WVU, 37-20. In Laramie, Wyoming, Boise State was upset by the Cowboys, 30-28. A safety in the final two minutes of the game clinched the win for Wyoming. It was a good day for Cowboys.
Baylor was on the road in Austin, Texas. The Bears lost a thriller to the Longhorns, 35-34. Texas kicked a 39-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the game to hand Baylor its first loss. In Madison, Wisconsin, Nebraska suffered its first loss, losing to the Badgers in overtime, 23-17.
The other three undefeated teams playing Saturday, and on the road, were more fortunate. Michigan beat intrastate rival Michigan State, 32-23. In two thrillers, Washington edged Utah, 31-24, and Clemson got by Florida State, 37-34.
Two undefeated teams, Alabama and Western Michigan had the weekend off.
With the four losses, there are now five undefeated teams. Four Power 5 teams – Alabama (8-0), Michigan (8-0), Clemson (8-0) and Washington (8-0), and one Group of 5 team – Western Michigan (8-0).
Of the five teams, Alabama has the toughest assignment this week. The Crimson Tide are on the road at LSU. Michigan hosts Maryland, Clemson entertains Syracuse, Washington is at California and Western Michigan travels to Ball State.
Still clinging to hope are 10 teams with just one loss. Seven Power 5 teams – Louisville (7-1), Ohio State (7-1), Texas A&M (7-1), Florida (6-1), Nebraska (7-1), Baylor (6-1) and West Virginia (6-1), and three Group of 5 teams – San Diego State (7-1), Boise State (7-1) and Troy (6-1).
Ohio State and Nebraska meet this week. Texas A&M is at Mississippi State, while Florida plays at Arkansas. Louisville visits Boston College, Baylor hosts TCU and West Virginia entertains Kansas. San Diego State, Boise State and Troy are all home, hosting Hawaii, San Jose State and Massachusetts respectively.
The first Playoff Poll of the season will be released Tuesday evening. It most likely will have Alabama (1), Michigan (2), Clemson (3) and Washington (4). Look for Louisville, Ohio State and Texas A&M to be breathing down their throats.
Two ACC coaches were fined by their conference on Sunday – both for commenting on officiating. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was fined $20,000 for his comments criticizing the officials in the Clemson game. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was fined $5,000 for similar statements, attacking the officials in the Virginia Tech game.
Bootsie and Rockledge Gator will be at the Vanderbilt-Auburn game Saturday.
Enjoy your week!
Touchdown Tom
October 31, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Can’t get much closer – Washington 31, Utah 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Utah 28). Utah took its first and only lead in the game – 17-14 – with 8:17 on the clock in the third quarter. With 9:07 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Utah tied the score at 24-24. The Huskies scored the winning touchdown with 3:25 left in the game. The teams were almost dead even in the stats. Washington had 9 more total yards than Utah. The Utes Joe Williams rushed for 172 yards. The Huskies Myles Gaskin had 151 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,801
RUNNER UP: Chopless in Tallahassee – Clemson 37, Florida State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Clemson 26). Clemson jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Tigers only led by three – 17-14 – at the half. At the end of the third quarter, FSU led 28-20. Clemson outscored the Noles 17-6 in the fourth quarter. FSU quarterback Deondre Francois completed less than 50% of his passes and was -47 yards rushing. The Tigers Deshaun Watson passed for 378 yards. The Noles Dalvin Cook rushed for 169 yards. Attendance in Tallahassee: 78,025
REST OF THE BEST: Badger tough – Wisconsin 23, Nebraska 17 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 18, Wisconsin 16). A defensive battle, neither team had more than 16 first downs, and neither team had more than 337 total yards. Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong only completed 38% of his passes. He also threw two interceptions. Attendance in Madison: 80,833
Lassoed – Oklahoma State 37, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 25). Will success spoil Dana Holgorsen? I’m not sure Holgorsen can handle success. WVU had 27 first downs to 17 for Okie State. The Mounties had 421 total yards to 358 for the Cowboys. But WVU also had three turnovers to none for Okie State. Attendance in Stillwater: 59,584
Swamped – South Florida 52, Navy 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, South Florida 24). A wild game with a lot of offense. Navy, in particular, had no defense. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls led the Middies, 52-27. Navy scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game. South Florida had three players rush for more than 100 yards – Quinton Flowers (126), Marlon Mack (125) and D’Ernest Johnson (105). Flowers also passed for 219 yards. Navy quarterback Will Worth passed for 299 yards and rushed for 129. The teams combined for 1,245 total yards. Scratch Navy as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Tampa: 31,824
No Thanksgiving in Steel Town – Virginia Tech 39, Pitt 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 22). A wild game – early in the fourth quarter the score was tied 29-29. In the final 10 minutes, Virginia Tech outscored Pitt 10-7. Pitt suffered two turnovers to none for the Hokies. Tech’s Jerod Evans passed for 406 yards. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 40,254
Hope for Strong? – Texas 35, Baylor 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 30, Texas 23). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Texas trailed Baylor 34-26. The Horns scored a touchdown with 7:03 to go in the game, but failed on the 2-point conversion attempt. Texas hung in and clinched the win with a 39-yard field goal by Trent Domingue with 0:45 on the clock. The Horns managed to win in spite of Baylor’s 624 total yards and 31 first downs. Texas’ D’Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards. The Bears Terence Williams rushed for 180 yards. Baylor quarterback Seth Russell added another 132 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 97,822
Uga has no O – Florida 24, Georgia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Georgia 18). Let’s hear it for the Gators defense. Florida held Georgia to 164 total yards – only 21 yards rushing. The Dawgs never scored in the second half. Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason only completed 45% of his passes. Since 1990, Florida is 21-6 against Georgia. Attendance in Jacksonville: 84,681
Shot down in Laramie – Wyoming 30, Boise State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Wyoming 22). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Boise State led 28-20. Wyoming scored 10 points in the final 6:42 of the game. The clincher was a safety with 1:25 on the clock when the Cowboys sacked Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien in the end zone. The teams were even in the stats. Attendance in Laramie: 24,023
No red glare – Ohio 31, Toledo 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 31, Ohio 20). Toledo had the better stats, but Ohio won the game. The Bobcats had a running game, while the Rockets had the passing game. Ohio’s Dorian Brown rushed for 212 yards and Toledo’s Logan Woodside passed for 438 yards. Scratch Toledo as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Toledo: 16,154
Missing Fuente – Tulsa 59, Memphis 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, Tulsa 33). Tulsa outscored Memphis is every quarter – 14-7, 21-17, 10-6 and 14-0. The Hurricanes racked up 596 total yards – 362 of it rushing. Near the end of the third quarter, Tulsa led Memphis 35-30. Then the Hurricanes scored 24 unanswered points. Memphis suffered four turnovers. Tulsa’s James Flanders rushed for 249 yards. Attendance in Memphis: 36,894
A game of miscues – Houston 31, UCF 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 32, UCF 20). UCF led 21-3 at the half. But the Knights were outscored 28-3 in the second half. Both teams suffered four turnovers. UCF only had 195 total yards – just 40 rushing. Attendance in Houston: 35,846
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Second half quitters – Auburn 40, Ole Miss 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 27). Ole Miss led 22-20 at the break and 29-27 at the end of three. But the Rebs were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Chad Kelly passed for 465 yards. But Ole Miss had no ground game. Auburn rushed for 307 yards and passed for 247. The Tigers Kamryn Pettway rushed for 236 yards. Ole Miss has now lost three-consecutive games, while Auburn has won five straight. Attendance in Oxford: 65,927
Hibernating – USC 45, California 24 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 37, California 30). The Trojans got off to a 21-0 lead and the Bears played catch up for the rest of the game. Cal has a pretty good offense, but simply no defense. USC racked up 629 total yards against the Bears. Cal’s Davis Webb passed for 333 yards. The Trojans had two backs rush for more than 100 yards – Ronald Jones (223 yards) and Aca’Cedric Ware (130 yards). Attendance in Los Angeles: 61,725
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Rally falls short – Georgia Tech 38, Duke 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 19). Down 28-7 at the break, the Dookies came alive in the third quarter, outscoring Tech 21-3. The teams exchanged a touchdown each in the fourth quarter. With 8:55 to go in the game, the Dookies led for the first time in the game – 35-31. The Jackets scored the clincher with 5:38 on the clock and held on to win. Tech and Duke combined for 1,164 total yards. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones passed for 305 yards. Tech quarterback Justin Thomas rushed for 195 yards. Attendance in Atlanta: 43,886
Second-half beasts – Penn State 62, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Purdue 17). Tied 17-17 at the break, Penn State outscored Purdue 45-7 in the second half. The Boilers only had 46 yards rushing and suffered four turnovers. State’s Saquon Barkley rushed for 207 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,157
Week 9 Results: 6 correct picks, 10 fumbles (37.5 percent)
For The Season: 101 correct picks, 56 fumbles (64.3 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
North Carolina A&T 42, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Greensboro: 22,150
Jacksonville U. 35, Davidson 17 – Attendance in Davidson: 3,209
Dayton 21, Stetson 10 – Attendance in Dayton: 2,045
Notre Dame 30, Miami 27 – Attendance in South Bend: 80,795
Western Kentucky 52, Florida Atlantic 3 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 9,338
Bethune-Cookman 41, Delaware State 10 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 7,822
Middle Tennessee 42, Florida International 35 – Attendance in Miami: 14,413
Florida Tech 38, Valdosta State 20 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,247
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 36-59-1 for 465 yards; Oregon’s Justin Herbert – 31-42-0-489; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 32-46-1-438; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 20-35-2-417; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 33-46-0-415, and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans – 24-40-0-406.
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – 27-43-2 for 378 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 24-41-1-361; Massachusetts’ Andrew Ford – 25-39-1-355; California’s Davis Webb – 34-53-1-333; Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback – 23-39-1-328, and Oregon State’s Marcus McMaryion – 23-39-0-327.
Impressive Rushers:
Buffalo’s Jordan Johnson – 282 yards; Tulsa’s James Flanders – 249 yards; Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 236 yards; Texas’ D’Onta Foreman – 226 yards, and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 223 yards.
USC’s Ronald Jones – 223 yards; Ohio’s Dorian Brown – 212 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 207 yards; Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas – 195 yards; Kentucky’s Benjamin Snell – 192 yards, and Kentucky’s Stanley Williams – 182 yards.
Baylor’s Terence Williams – 180 yards; South Florida’s Quinton Flowers – 176 yards; Utah’s Joe Williams – 172 yards; Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 169 yards, and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 169 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I always thought of him as a brother. His voice was as musical as a silver bell,” Bob Dylan, on Bobby Vee.
“The man is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic,” CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor, on Washington State coach Mike Leach.
“It was ridiculous. It was not a chop, it was not a chop. I will tell you what. You hold coaches accountable, you hold players accountable, hold the damn officials accountable. It is garbage, and then to call another penalty on the sideline is even more garbage. It’s cowardly, gutless and wrong,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on an illegal block below the waist called on the Seminoles on a play when Dalvin Cook had a long run.
“They can take it, fine it, do whatever they want to do with that. That’s a fact. Look at the film. It’s ridiculous that they do that. That was a huge call in the game. Now, still had chances to win the game after that, but that was ridiculous and the guy wasn’t even in the position to make the call,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on the illegal block call.
Quote from the Past
“I never graduated from Iowa. I was only there for two terms – Truman’s and Eisenhower’s,” Iowa player Alex Karras.
Touchdown Tom’s Picks for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Nebraska (7-1) at Ohio State (7-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, Nebraska goes from Madison, Wisconsin, to Columbus, Ohio. That is a tough two weeks for anybody. The loser here can forget any hopes of making the playoffs. Urban likes his Corn – Ohio State 28, Nebraska 18.
RUNNER UP: 2. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Every time you think Alabama might get beat, the Tide just cruises. I’m not sure anybody in the SEC can touch the Tide. But if anybody can, you got to figure it would be LSU – especially, LSU in Baton Rouge. And that’s just where the Tigers have the Tide. Nick likes his Cajun food – Alabama 32, LSU 23.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Florida (6-1) at Arkansas (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This could be a problem game for the Gators – especially after just beating arch rival Georgia. And you know Arkansas is hungry for a victory. The Gators must rely on their defense again. Albert escapes – Florida 17, Arkansas 16.
4. Washington (8-0) at California (4-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After Utah last week, this should be much easier for the Huskies. Granted, California is always a threat to score. But the Bears have no defense. And Washington does have a good offense. The Huskies knock the calories out of Cal – Washington 42, California 24.
5. Oklahoma State (6-2) at Kansas State (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Okie State will be high coming off the win over West Virginia. The Cowboys could be ripe for K-State to pick them off. This is a tough one for Okie State. Cowboys boot ’em – Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 23.
6. Georgia Tech (5-3) at North Carolina (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – It’s about time for Tar Heel quarterback Mitch Trubisky to have another big game. He could light up the scoreboard in Chapel Hill. Tech is a one-dimensional team. Heels do some kickin’ – North Carolina 30, Georgia Tech 23.
7. Iowa (5-3) at Penn State (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – What got into the Nitts last week? That was quite a second-half performance against Purdue. Iowa is better than the Boilermakers, but not a lot better. The Hawkeyes can play some good defense, but they have no offense. The Nitts keep improving – Penn State 29, Iowa 19.
8. TCU (4-4) at Baylor (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Baylor got a surprise last week. That means the Bears will be mad this week. That doesn’t look good for TCU. The Frogs have taken some hits lately. They are getting another one – Baylor 32, TCU 21.
9. Wisconsin (6-2) at Northwestern (4-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – You would think this should be fairly easy for the Badgers. But you just never know which Northwestern team will show up. The Wildcats can be dangerous. Then again, they can be pussy cats – Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 22.
10. Air Force (5-3) at Army (5-3) – (MWC vs. Ind.) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Air Force has been dominating this series lately. But Army has shown some spunk this year. And the Fly Boys have had their bad moments. Air raid on the Hudson – Air Force 29, Army 26.
11. Georgia (4-4) at Kentucky (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Don’t look now, but Kentucky is hot. Hot enough to beat Georgia. The Wildcats are on a roll. The Dawgs are not – Kentucky 25, Georgia 22.
12. Florida State (5-3) at NC State (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – It is not often Florida State has three losses. The Noles have had a tough season. NC State has had it tougher. Let’s hope the officials don’t make Jimbo mad this week. The Noles will be on the war path – Florida State 33, NC State 20.
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Pitt (5-3) at Miami (Florida) (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Miami has dropped four in a row. Make it five in a row – Pitt 31, Miami 30.
14. UCLA (3-5) at Colorado (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – What a reversal. UCLA was supposed to be good and Colorado – not so good. Jim Mora is even on the hot seat. Who would have thunk it? Ralphie makes Mora’s seat hotter – Colorado 26, UCLA 17.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS
Kansas (1-7) at West Virginia (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This should be a breather for the Mounties. They need one after the Okie State debacle. Kansas can’t dribble a football – West Virginia 45, Kansas 17.
Virginia Tech (6-2) at Duke (3-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Duke did knock off Notre Dame. Virginia Tech was surprised by Syracuse. So there is hope for the Dookies. But not much – Virginia Tech 32, Duke 19.
Purdue (3-5) at Minnesota (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – It’s the Gophers turn this week to dump on Purdue. The Boilers are hurting. They need some help. But Les Miles isn’t there yet – Minnesota 33, Purdue 24.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Drake (4-4) at Jacksonville U. (4-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at Morgan State (2-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Marist (4-4) at Stetson (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (6-2) at West Georgia (6-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Atlantic (1-7) at Rice (1-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida International (3-6) at Western Kentucky (6-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 5:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Tulane (3-5) at UCF (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
South Florida (7-2) and Florida A&M (3-6) are off.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Bobby Vee and Tom Hayden.
Bobby Vee, who became a teenage idol in the early 1960s with hits like “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” died last week in Rogers, Minnesota. He was 73. His show-business baptism came when he was 15 and filled in for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper after they died in a plane crash in 1959. Vee went on to place 38 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1959 to 1970. “Take Good Care of My Baby,” written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, reached No. 1 in 1961. He continued recording until 2014. Some of Vee’s other hits were “Run to Him,” “Come Back When You Grow Up,” “Rubber Ball” and “Walkin’ with My Angel.” In addition to singing, Vee was an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. His breakthrough hit was “Devil or Angel.” It made the Top 10 in 1960 when Vee was only 17. Robert Thomas Velline was born on April 30, 1943, in Fargo, North Dakota. A few months after Vee and his band The Shadows filled in for Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper, they recruited a fledgling pianist who went by the name Elston Gunn. Gunn later left The Shadows, moved to New York and changed his name yet again (he had been born Robert Zimmerman) to Bob Dylan. It was Dylan who suggested that Vee shorten his surname from Velline to Vee.
Tom Hayden, who came out of the 1960s counterculture as a radical leader of America’s civil rights and anti-war movements, but rocked the boat more gently later in life as an author and California state legislator, died last week in Santa Monica, California. He was 76. Hayden was founder of Students for a Democratic Society, a defendant in the Chicago Seven trial after riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and a peace activist who married Jane Fonda. As a civil rights worker, he was beaten in Mississippi and jailed in Georgia. He won a seat in the California Legislature in Sacramento in 1982 where he was an assemblyman then later a state senator until 2000. Thomas Emmet Hayden was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on December 11, 1939. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1961 where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Hayden wrote more than 20 books. His personal papers, more than 120 boxes covering his life, were given to the University of Michigan in 2014.
Football and a wedding make for
interesting times in Houston
I make no bones about the fact that I think it is a sacrilege to have a wedding on a Saturday in the fall. Saturdays in the fall are reserved for football – college football.
But sometimes I have to punt.
Swamp Mama and I flew out of Melbourne at 6 a.m. Thursday. We were headed to Houston. More specifically, we were going to Houston for a wedding – a Saturday wedding. I punted.
It was a beautiful day for flying – the entire way. There was not a cloud in the sky. We connected through Atlanta into Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. Over a 20-year stretch, I had been to Houston a handful of times, always on business. My first visit was in 1975, my last in 1995. Yeah, it had been 21 years since I was last in Houston.
Upon arriving Thursday, we picked up the rental car and headed north on I-45. We were on our way to The Heights – The Houston Heights. The Heights is an old area in North Houston that has gone through quite a transformation since the 1990s.
Once a grand area, The Heights declined after World War II. It became decrepit and tired – a low income area of the city. The Heights was not a part of town you wanted to visit. Then in the 1990s, The Heights experienced gentrification – a process that is still going on today. Young highly paid professionals, along with retirees, flocked to the area, purchasing and renovating old historic homes. Others demolished the older homes, building new upscale housing.
Today, The Heights is a funky area. Upscale boutiques and restaurants have opened. New apartment complexes are sprinkled throughout the area.
We were headed to The Heights to satisfy one of Swamp Mama’s favorite pastimes. Every time we visit a new town or city, Swamp Mama has to check out a quilt shop. It’s kinda like me checking out the college football stadiums.
She gets on the Internet and locates a quilt shop she wants to visit. Prior to our trip to Houston, she had picked out “Tea Time Quilting” which is located in The Houston Heights. The shop didn’t disappoint.
Of course, whenever we arrive at a quilt shop, my first question is: “Do you have a husband chair?” After all, I have my priorities too. Once, at a quilt shop in Deland, Florida, I asked and the lady said, “We not only have a husband chair, we have a husband couch. You can stretch out and take a nap.”
I was in heaven. If you only knew how much time Swamp Mama spends in some of these shops, you would understand. I got a good, long nap in at that shop in Deland.
So, first things first – Swamp Mama took care of her quilt-shop habit in Houston. With that out of the way, we were free to explore and check out other things. Upon leaving “Tea Time Quilting,” we had lunch at the Revival Market, a unique and popular eating place in The Heights.
I have two cousins who live in Houston. The cousins are twins – Florence Rutherford and Frances Jones. Thursday evening we visited with them and their husbands and then went to dinner at the River Oaks Country Club. We had so much fun catching up on things. We could have talked all night long.
Friday morning, Swamp Mama and I drove around the campus of Rice University, before checking out some of the shops at the River Oaks Shopping Center. Mid-day, we met Terry Conner for lunch. Terry and I used to work together at Harris. At Terry’s suggestion, we lunched at the Karbach Brewing Company – a gastro pub in Houston. It was good seeing and talking to Terry again. The Karbach Brewing Company was good too.
After lunch, Swamp Mama and I went back to The Heights to check out some of the shops there. Back at the hotel, we mingled with friends from Florida, who had arrived on Friday for the wedding. That evening, we all went to the rehearsal dinner. It was held at El Tiempo Cantina – an upscale Mexican restaurant that did not disappoint. Their margaritas, which were flowing freely all evening, did not disappoint either.
Saturday morning before the wedding, Swamp Mama and I took one last drive around Houston, exploring more areas of the city. Then we returned to the hotel to watch the West Virginia-Oklahoma State game on television.
About this time last year, maybe a week or two earlier, Swamp Mama and I went to a wedding in Las Vegas. I punted then too. The wedding was on the same Saturday that West Virginia played Oklahoma State. I followed the game on my cell phone at the reception. WVU lost to Oklahoma State in overtime, 33-26.
This year, of all things, West Virginia was playing Oklahoma State on the same Saturday as the wedding in Houston. WVU lost to Oklahoma State, 37-20. That’s it for me. I am not attending any more weddings on a Saturday when West Virginia is playing Oklahoma State.
The WVU-Okie State game was an early start and was over prior to the wedding. However, just starting at the same time as the wedding was the Florida-Georgia game. Several of us from Florida sat in the pews of the church during the wedding service with our cell phones on, keeping tabs on the first half of the Florida-Georgia game.
Immediately following the wedding service, we all went to the reception and dinner which was held at Ouisie’s Table on San Felipe Street in the River Oaks section of Houston. The timing was perfect. As we drove from the church to the reception, it was halftime at the Florida-Georgia game.
Upon arriving at the reception, the second half began. With the cell phone in one hand and a beverage of choice in the other hand, we kept tabs on the second half of the Florida-Georgia game. Some of the wedding guests thought we were crazy. We cheered loudly as Florida added 10 points to its 14-10 halftime lead.
My first dirty martini at the reception was to drown my sorrows over the West Virginia loss to Oklahoma State. My second dirty martini was to celebrate Florida’s 24-10 win over Georgia. I stopped counting the martinis after that.
Sunday, Swamp Mama and I flew back to Florida. We had a great three days in Houston. We really did. Punting is good sometimes.
Saturday was an interesting day in college football. Seven of the nine undefeated teams were playing and all seven were on the road. It was not a great day for four of the seven teams. They lost for the first time.
As mentioned above, West Virginia traveled to Stillwater, where the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season. Oklahoma State beat WVU, 37-20. In Laramie, Wyoming, Boise State was upset by the Cowboys, 30-28. A safety in the final two minutes of the game clinched the win for Wyoming. It was a good day for Cowboys.
Baylor was on the road in Austin, Texas. The Bears lost a thriller to the Longhorns, 35-34. Texas kicked a 39-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the game to hand Baylor its first loss. In Madison, Wisconsin, Nebraska suffered its first loss, losing to the Badgers in overtime, 23-17.
The other three undefeated teams playing Saturday, and on the road, were more fortunate. Michigan beat intrastate rival Michigan State, 32-23. In two thrillers, Washington edged Utah, 31-24, and Clemson got by Florida State, 37-34.
Two undefeated teams, Alabama and Western Michigan had the weekend off.
With the four losses, there are now five undefeated teams. Four Power 5 teams – Alabama (8-0), Michigan (8-0), Clemson (8-0) and Washington (8-0), and one Group of 5 team – Western Michigan (8-0).
Of the five teams, Alabama has the toughest assignment this week. The Crimson Tide are on the road at LSU. Michigan hosts Maryland, Clemson entertains Syracuse, Washington is at California and Western Michigan travels to Ball State.
Still clinging to hope are 10 teams with just one loss. Seven Power 5 teams – Louisville (7-1), Ohio State (7-1), Texas A&M (7-1), Florida (6-1), Nebraska (7-1), Baylor (6-1) and West Virginia (6-1), and three Group of 5 teams – San Diego State (7-1), Boise State (7-1) and Troy (6-1).
Ohio State and Nebraska meet this week. Texas A&M is at Mississippi State, while Florida plays at Arkansas. Louisville visits Boston College, Baylor hosts TCU and West Virginia entertains Kansas. San Diego State, Boise State and Troy are all home, hosting Hawaii, San Jose State and Massachusetts respectively.
The first Playoff Poll of the season will be released Tuesday evening. It most likely will have Alabama (1), Michigan (2), Clemson (3) and Washington (4). Look for Louisville, Ohio State and Texas A&M to be breathing down their throats.
Two ACC coaches were fined by their conference on Sunday – both for commenting on officiating. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was fined $20,000 for his comments criticizing the officials in the Clemson game. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was fined $5,000 for similar statements, attacking the officials in the Virginia Tech game.
Bootsie and Rockledge Gator will be at the Vanderbilt-Auburn game Saturday.
Enjoy your week!
Touchdown Tom
October 31, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Can’t get much closer – Washington 31, Utah 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Utah 28). Utah took its first and only lead in the game – 17-14 – with 8:17 on the clock in the third quarter. With 9:07 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Utah tied the score at 24-24. The Huskies scored the winning touchdown with 3:25 left in the game. The teams were almost dead even in the stats. Washington had 9 more total yards than Utah. The Utes Joe Williams rushed for 172 yards. The Huskies Myles Gaskin had 151 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,801
RUNNER UP: Chopless in Tallahassee – Clemson 37, Florida State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Clemson 26). Clemson jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Tigers only led by three – 17-14 – at the half. At the end of the third quarter, FSU led 28-20. Clemson outscored the Noles 17-6 in the fourth quarter. FSU quarterback Deondre Francois completed less than 50% of his passes and was -47 yards rushing. The Tigers Deshaun Watson passed for 378 yards. The Noles Dalvin Cook rushed for 169 yards. Attendance in Tallahassee: 78,025
REST OF THE BEST: Badger tough – Wisconsin 23, Nebraska 17 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 18, Wisconsin 16). A defensive battle, neither team had more than 16 first downs, and neither team had more than 337 total yards. Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong only completed 38% of his passes. He also threw two interceptions. Attendance in Madison: 80,833
Lassoed – Oklahoma State 37, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 25). Will success spoil Dana Holgorsen? I’m not sure Holgorsen can handle success. WVU had 27 first downs to 17 for Okie State. The Mounties had 421 total yards to 358 for the Cowboys. But WVU also had three turnovers to none for Okie State. Attendance in Stillwater: 59,584
Swamped – South Florida 52, Navy 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, South Florida 24). A wild game with a lot of offense. Navy, in particular, had no defense. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls led the Middies, 52-27. Navy scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game. South Florida had three players rush for more than 100 yards – Quinton Flowers (126), Marlon Mack (125) and D’Ernest Johnson (105). Flowers also passed for 219 yards. Navy quarterback Will Worth passed for 299 yards and rushed for 129. The teams combined for 1,245 total yards. Scratch Navy as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Tampa: 31,824
No Thanksgiving in Steel Town – Virginia Tech 39, Pitt 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 22). A wild game – early in the fourth quarter the score was tied 29-29. In the final 10 minutes, Virginia Tech outscored Pitt 10-7. Pitt suffered two turnovers to none for the Hokies. Tech’s Jerod Evans passed for 406 yards. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 40,254
Hope for Strong? – Texas 35, Baylor 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 30, Texas 23). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Texas trailed Baylor 34-26. The Horns scored a touchdown with 7:03 to go in the game, but failed on the 2-point conversion attempt. Texas hung in and clinched the win with a 39-yard field goal by Trent Domingue with 0:45 on the clock. The Horns managed to win in spite of Baylor’s 624 total yards and 31 first downs. Texas’ D’Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards. The Bears Terence Williams rushed for 180 yards. Baylor quarterback Seth Russell added another 132 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 97,822
Uga has no O – Florida 24, Georgia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Georgia 18). Let’s hear it for the Gators defense. Florida held Georgia to 164 total yards – only 21 yards rushing. The Dawgs never scored in the second half. Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason only completed 45% of his passes. Since 1990, Florida is 21-6 against Georgia. Attendance in Jacksonville: 84,681
Shot down in Laramie – Wyoming 30, Boise State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Wyoming 22). Halfway through the fourth quarter, Boise State led 28-20. Wyoming scored 10 points in the final 6:42 of the game. The clincher was a safety with 1:25 on the clock when the Cowboys sacked Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien in the end zone. The teams were even in the stats. Attendance in Laramie: 24,023
No red glare – Ohio 31, Toledo 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 31, Ohio 20). Toledo had the better stats, but Ohio won the game. The Bobcats had a running game, while the Rockets had the passing game. Ohio’s Dorian Brown rushed for 212 yards and Toledo’s Logan Woodside passed for 438 yards. Scratch Toledo as a serious Group of 5 team. Attendance in Toledo: 16,154
Missing Fuente – Tulsa 59, Memphis 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, Tulsa 33). Tulsa outscored Memphis is every quarter – 14-7, 21-17, 10-6 and 14-0. The Hurricanes racked up 596 total yards – 362 of it rushing. Near the end of the third quarter, Tulsa led Memphis 35-30. Then the Hurricanes scored 24 unanswered points. Memphis suffered four turnovers. Tulsa’s James Flanders rushed for 249 yards. Attendance in Memphis: 36,894
A game of miscues – Houston 31, UCF 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 32, UCF 20). UCF led 21-3 at the half. But the Knights were outscored 28-3 in the second half. Both teams suffered four turnovers. UCF only had 195 total yards – just 40 rushing. Attendance in Houston: 35,846
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Second half quitters – Auburn 40, Ole Miss 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 27). Ole Miss led 22-20 at the break and 29-27 at the end of three. But the Rebs were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Chad Kelly passed for 465 yards. But Ole Miss had no ground game. Auburn rushed for 307 yards and passed for 247. The Tigers Kamryn Pettway rushed for 236 yards. Ole Miss has now lost three-consecutive games, while Auburn has won five straight. Attendance in Oxford: 65,927
Hibernating – USC 45, California 24 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 37, California 30). The Trojans got off to a 21-0 lead and the Bears played catch up for the rest of the game. Cal has a pretty good offense, but simply no defense. USC racked up 629 total yards against the Bears. Cal’s Davis Webb passed for 333 yards. The Trojans had two backs rush for more than 100 yards – Ronald Jones (223 yards) and Aca’Cedric Ware (130 yards). Attendance in Los Angeles: 61,725
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Rally falls short – Georgia Tech 38, Duke 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 19). Down 28-7 at the break, the Dookies came alive in the third quarter, outscoring Tech 21-3. The teams exchanged a touchdown each in the fourth quarter. With 8:55 to go in the game, the Dookies led for the first time in the game – 35-31. The Jackets scored the clincher with 5:38 on the clock and held on to win. Tech and Duke combined for 1,164 total yards. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones passed for 305 yards. Tech quarterback Justin Thomas rushed for 195 yards. Attendance in Atlanta: 43,886
Second-half beasts – Penn State 62, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Purdue 17). Tied 17-17 at the break, Penn State outscored Purdue 45-7 in the second half. The Boilers only had 46 yards rushing and suffered four turnovers. State’s Saquon Barkley rushed for 207 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,157
Week 9 Results: 6 correct picks, 10 fumbles (37.5 percent)
For The Season: 101 correct picks, 56 fumbles (64.3 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
North Carolina A&T 42, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Greensboro: 22,150
Jacksonville U. 35, Davidson 17 – Attendance in Davidson: 3,209
Dayton 21, Stetson 10 – Attendance in Dayton: 2,045
Notre Dame 30, Miami 27 – Attendance in South Bend: 80,795
Western Kentucky 52, Florida Atlantic 3 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 9,338
Bethune-Cookman 41, Delaware State 10 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 7,822
Middle Tennessee 42, Florida International 35 – Attendance in Miami: 14,413
Florida Tech 38, Valdosta State 20 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,247
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 36-59-1 for 465 yards; Oregon’s Justin Herbert – 31-42-0-489; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 32-46-1-438; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 20-35-2-417; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 33-46-0-415, and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans – 24-40-0-406.
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – 27-43-2 for 378 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 24-41-1-361; Massachusetts’ Andrew Ford – 25-39-1-355; California’s Davis Webb – 34-53-1-333; Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback – 23-39-1-328, and Oregon State’s Marcus McMaryion – 23-39-0-327.
Impressive Rushers:
Buffalo’s Jordan Johnson – 282 yards; Tulsa’s James Flanders – 249 yards; Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 236 yards; Texas’ D’Onta Foreman – 226 yards, and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 223 yards.
USC’s Ronald Jones – 223 yards; Ohio’s Dorian Brown – 212 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 207 yards; Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas – 195 yards; Kentucky’s Benjamin Snell – 192 yards, and Kentucky’s Stanley Williams – 182 yards.
Baylor’s Terence Williams – 180 yards; South Florida’s Quinton Flowers – 176 yards; Utah’s Joe Williams – 172 yards; Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 169 yards, and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 169 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I always thought of him as a brother. His voice was as musical as a silver bell,” Bob Dylan, on Bobby Vee.
“The man is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic,” CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor, on Washington State coach Mike Leach.
“It was ridiculous. It was not a chop, it was not a chop. I will tell you what. You hold coaches accountable, you hold players accountable, hold the damn officials accountable. It is garbage, and then to call another penalty on the sideline is even more garbage. It’s cowardly, gutless and wrong,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on an illegal block below the waist called on the Seminoles on a play when Dalvin Cook had a long run.
“They can take it, fine it, do whatever they want to do with that. That’s a fact. Look at the film. It’s ridiculous that they do that. That was a huge call in the game. Now, still had chances to win the game after that, but that was ridiculous and the guy wasn’t even in the position to make the call,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on the illegal block call.
Quote from the Past
“I never graduated from Iowa. I was only there for two terms – Truman’s and Eisenhower’s,” Iowa player Alex Karras.
Touchdown Tom’s Picks for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Nebraska (7-1) at Ohio State (7-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, Nebraska goes from Madison, Wisconsin, to Columbus, Ohio. That is a tough two weeks for anybody. The loser here can forget any hopes of making the playoffs. Urban likes his Corn – Ohio State 28, Nebraska 18.
RUNNER UP: 2. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Every time you think Alabama might get beat, the Tide just cruises. I’m not sure anybody in the SEC can touch the Tide. But if anybody can, you got to figure it would be LSU – especially, LSU in Baton Rouge. And that’s just where the Tigers have the Tide. Nick likes his Cajun food – Alabama 32, LSU 23.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Florida (6-1) at Arkansas (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This could be a problem game for the Gators – especially after just beating arch rival Georgia. And you know Arkansas is hungry for a victory. The Gators must rely on their defense again. Albert escapes – Florida 17, Arkansas 16.
4. Washington (8-0) at California (4-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – After Utah last week, this should be much easier for the Huskies. Granted, California is always a threat to score. But the Bears have no defense. And Washington does have a good offense. The Huskies knock the calories out of Cal – Washington 42, California 24.
5. Oklahoma State (6-2) at Kansas State (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Okie State will be high coming off the win over West Virginia. The Cowboys could be ripe for K-State to pick them off. This is a tough one for Okie State. Cowboys boot ’em – Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 23.
6. Georgia Tech (5-3) at North Carolina (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – It’s about time for Tar Heel quarterback Mitch Trubisky to have another big game. He could light up the scoreboard in Chapel Hill. Tech is a one-dimensional team. Heels do some kickin’ – North Carolina 30, Georgia Tech 23.
7. Iowa (5-3) at Penn State (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – What got into the Nitts last week? That was quite a second-half performance against Purdue. Iowa is better than the Boilermakers, but not a lot better. The Hawkeyes can play some good defense, but they have no offense. The Nitts keep improving – Penn State 29, Iowa 19.
8. TCU (4-4) at Baylor (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Baylor got a surprise last week. That means the Bears will be mad this week. That doesn’t look good for TCU. The Frogs have taken some hits lately. They are getting another one – Baylor 32, TCU 21.
9. Wisconsin (6-2) at Northwestern (4-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – You would think this should be fairly easy for the Badgers. But you just never know which Northwestern team will show up. The Wildcats can be dangerous. Then again, they can be pussy cats – Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 22.
10. Air Force (5-3) at Army (5-3) – (MWC vs. Ind.) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Air Force has been dominating this series lately. But Army has shown some spunk this year. And the Fly Boys have had their bad moments. Air raid on the Hudson – Air Force 29, Army 26.
11. Georgia (4-4) at Kentucky (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Don’t look now, but Kentucky is hot. Hot enough to beat Georgia. The Wildcats are on a roll. The Dawgs are not – Kentucky 25, Georgia 22.
12. Florida State (5-3) at NC State (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – It is not often Florida State has three losses. The Noles have had a tough season. NC State has had it tougher. Let’s hope the officials don’t make Jimbo mad this week. The Noles will be on the war path – Florida State 33, NC State 20.
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Pitt (5-3) at Miami (Florida) (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Miami has dropped four in a row. Make it five in a row – Pitt 31, Miami 30.
14. UCLA (3-5) at Colorado (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – What a reversal. UCLA was supposed to be good and Colorado – not so good. Jim Mora is even on the hot seat. Who would have thunk it? Ralphie makes Mora’s seat hotter – Colorado 26, UCLA 17.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS
Kansas (1-7) at West Virginia (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This should be a breather for the Mounties. They need one after the Okie State debacle. Kansas can’t dribble a football – West Virginia 45, Kansas 17.
Virginia Tech (6-2) at Duke (3-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Duke did knock off Notre Dame. Virginia Tech was surprised by Syracuse. So there is hope for the Dookies. But not much – Virginia Tech 32, Duke 19.
Purdue (3-5) at Minnesota (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – It’s the Gophers turn this week to dump on Purdue. The Boilers are hurting. They need some help. But Les Miles isn’t there yet – Minnesota 33, Purdue 24.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Drake (4-4) at Jacksonville U. (4-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at Morgan State (2-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Marist (4-4) at Stetson (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (6-2) at West Georgia (6-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Atlantic (1-7) at Rice (1-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida International (3-6) at Western Kentucky (6-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 5:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Tulane (3-5) at UCF (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
South Florida (7-2) and Florida A&M (3-6) are off.
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Bobby Vee and Tom Hayden.
Bobby Vee, who became a teenage idol in the early 1960s with hits like “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” died last week in Rogers, Minnesota. He was 73. His show-business baptism came when he was 15 and filled in for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper after they died in a plane crash in 1959. Vee went on to place 38 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1959 to 1970. “Take Good Care of My Baby,” written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, reached No. 1 in 1961. He continued recording until 2014. Some of Vee’s other hits were “Run to Him,” “Come Back When You Grow Up,” “Rubber Ball” and “Walkin’ with My Angel.” In addition to singing, Vee was an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. His breakthrough hit was “Devil or Angel.” It made the Top 10 in 1960 when Vee was only 17. Robert Thomas Velline was born on April 30, 1943, in Fargo, North Dakota. A few months after Vee and his band The Shadows filled in for Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper, they recruited a fledgling pianist who went by the name Elston Gunn. Gunn later left The Shadows, moved to New York and changed his name yet again (he had been born Robert Zimmerman) to Bob Dylan. It was Dylan who suggested that Vee shorten his surname from Velline to Vee.
Tom Hayden, who came out of the 1960s counterculture as a radical leader of America’s civil rights and anti-war movements, but rocked the boat more gently later in life as an author and California state legislator, died last week in Santa Monica, California. He was 76. Hayden was founder of Students for a Democratic Society, a defendant in the Chicago Seven trial after riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and a peace activist who married Jane Fonda. As a civil rights worker, he was beaten in Mississippi and jailed in Georgia. He won a seat in the California Legislature in Sacramento in 1982 where he was an assemblyman then later a state senator until 2000. Thomas Emmet Hayden was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on December 11, 1939. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1961 where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Hayden wrote more than 20 books. His personal papers, more than 120 boxes covering his life, were given to the University of Michigan in 2014.
Monday, October 24, 2016
College Football Week 9 – Fresno State fires coach Tim DeRuyter
Hello life, Goodbye Columbus
“I’ve got a feeling that
You’re gonna hear from us
You’re gonna know
That we’ve taken
The world by surprise
Got that look in our eyes
It’s a lucky day”
That’s exactly what is was for Penn State Saturday night after the Nittany Lions upset Ohio State, 24-21 in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions took the college football world by surprise. Penn State was a 20-point underdog going into the game.
And as the fourth quarter began, it looked like the oddsmakers would be right. Ohio State held a 14-point lead – 21-7 – over the Lions. But early in the fourth, Penn State cut the lead to 7 when Lions’ quarterback Trace McSorley scored on a 2-yard run. Just four minutes later, the lead was cut to 4 when Tyler Davis kicked a 34-yard field goal for Penn State.
“I’ve got a feeling that
You’re gonna hear from us
Barely five minutes later, the Buckeyes heard from the Lions. Penn State safety Marcus Allen blocked an Ohio State field goal attempt. Lions’ cornerback Grant Haley picked up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:27 left to play. The Nittany Lions held on for the win.
You’re gonna know
That we’ve taken
The world by surprise
Penn State’s defense sacked J.T. Barrett six times, and held Ohio State scoreless in the first and fourth quarters. In doing so, the Lions became the first team this season to hold the Buckeyes scoreless for a quarter. The defeat was just Ohio State’s second Big Ten regular-season game lost under fifth-year coach Urban Meyer.
“Yeah, yeah
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus”
Ohio State was one of two undefeated teams that lost Saturday. The other was Texas A&M who suffered its first loss at the hands of undefeated Alabama. The Tide beat the Aggies, 33-14.
So the race for the four playoff spots is on and with Ohio State’s loss, it got a little more interesting. In addition to Alabama (8-0), six other undefeated teams – Michigan (7-0), Washington (7-0), Nebraska (7-0), West Virginia (6-0), Boise State (7-0) and Western Michigan (8-0) – won over the weekend, while two – Clemson (7-0) and Baylor (6-0) – had the day off.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan dumped Illinois, 41-8. The Wolverines held the Banned Indians to only six first downs and less than 100 yards rushing and passing. In Seattle, Jake Browning passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns, as Washington spanked Oregon State, 41-17.
In Lincoln, the Black Shirts held Purdue to 24 yards rushing, as Nebraska beat the Boilers, 27-14. In Morgantown, Skyler Howard threw four touchdown passes and West Virginia’s defense held TCU scoreless in the second half, as the Mountaineers beat the Horned Frogs, 34-10.
On the blue turf, Boise State survived BYU. The Broncos edged the Cougars, 28-27. Jeremy McNichols rushed for 140 yards. In Kalamazoo, Zack Terrell passed for 398 yards and three touchdowns, as Western Michigan downed Eastern Michigan, 45-31.
Three of the 10 “one-loss” teams suffered their second loss over the weekend. South Florida fell to Temple, 46-30, Memphis lost to “one-loss” Navy, 42-28, and Houston was upset by SMU, 38-16. In addition to Navy (5-1), five other “one-loss” teams – Louisville (6-1), Utah (7-1), Toledo (6-1), San Diego State (6-1) and Troy (6-1) – won Saturday, while one team – Florida (5-1) – had the weekend off.
Louisville blasted NC State, 54-13. The Cardinals defense held the Wolfpack to 14 yards rushing. Utah outlasted UCLA, 52-45, as the Utes Joe Williams rushed for 332 yards. Utah’s defense held the Bruins to 46 yards rushing. Toledo’s Logan Woodside passed for 264 yards and four touchdowns, as the Rockets downed Central Michigan, 31-17.
San Diego State kept San Jose State out of the end zone, as the Aztecs dumped the Spartans, 42-3. Troy rallied from an 8-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat South Alabama, 28-21. Brandon Silvers passed for 395 yards and Jordan Chunn rushed for 143 yards.
Going into this weekend, there are nine undefeated teams and nine teams with one loss. Of the nine undefeated teams, Alabama and Western Michigan have the week off. But for the other seven teams, it is going to be interesting. They all are on the road and most are up against formidable opponents.
Michigan is at intrastate rival Michigan State. Washington travels to one-loss Utah. Clemson visits troublesome Florida State. Baylor is at Texas. Nebraska goes up to Wisconsin. West Virginia travels to Oklahoma State and Boise State visits a 5-2 Wyoming.
Among the nine “one-loss” teams, only Troy has the weekend off. Louisville is at Virginia. Ohio State hosts Northwestern. Utah, as mentioned above, entertains Washington. Florida meets Georgia in Jacksonville. Texas A&M has an easy one, hosting New Mexico State. Navy plays at South Florida. Toledo entertains Ohio and San Diego State visits Utah State.
Legitimately, there are 12 teams that are still in contention for the four playoff spots. They are Alabama, Michigan, Clemson, Washington, Louisville, Ohio State, Nebraska, Baylor, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Florida and Utah. Come December, four of those teams will be in the playoffs.
Then there are six Group of 5 teams that are still in contention for the one spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game. They are Boise State, Western Michigan, Navy, Toledo, San Diego State and Troy.
The race is on. And we’re getting close to the final stretch. Stay tuned!
The weekend was full of exciting games. Last winter, Oklahoma’s basketball team went into Lubbock and beat Texas Tech 65-63. Saturday, Oklahoma’s football team went into Lubbock and beat Texas Tech 65-59. The teams combined for 1,708 yards. The Red Raiders Patrick Mahomes passed for 734 yards. The Sooners Baker Mayfield passed for 545 yards. Dizzy yet?
There were only three overtime games during the weekend. But one of the three went to the extreme. UTEP and UTSA played five overtimes before UTEP won 52-49. The score at the end of regulation was 28-28. Oddly enough, one of the other overtime games ended in the same score. But it only took California two overtimes to subdue Oregon, 52-29. In the third overtime game, Hawaii beat Air Force 34-27 (2OT).
There are no more winless teams. Rice, the lone holdout, beat Prairie View A&M, 65-44. (They really do like basketball scores in Texas, don’t they?) Rice is now 1-6. The Owls join 7 other single-win teams: Iowa State (1-6), Kansas (1-6), Florida Atlantic (1-6), Massachusetts (1-7), Buffalo (1-6), Bowling Green (1-7) and Fresno State (1-7).
Speaking of Fresno State, the Bulldogs football coach Tim DeRuyter was fired Sunday. DeRuyter was in his fifth season coaching Fresno State. The Bulldogs won the Mountain West Conference his first two season and went to a bowl game his first three seasons. Last year Fresno State finished 3-9. DeRuyter was 30-30 in four plus years with the Bulldogs.
Eight weeks into the season and four coaches have been fired.
And the agony continues for poor BYU. The Cougars are 3-4 and their four losses are by a combined total of 7 points. BYU lost by one point to Utah, two points to UCLA, three points to West Virginia and Friday night Boise State beat the Cougars by one point – 28-27. BYU’s three wins are over Arizona, Michigan State and Toledo. The Cougars beat Arizona and Toledo by two points. So, six of BYU’s seven games have been settled by three points or less.
Then there are the reversals – teams that have reversed their seasons in one direction or the other. Miami (Florida) began the season 4-0 and is now 4-3. The Canes have dropped three consecutive games. Oregon began the season 2-0. The Ducks are now 2-5. Michigan State started out 2-0. The Spartans have lost five consecutive games and are sitting at 2-5.
Conversely, Northwestern was 1-3. The Wildcats are now 4-3, after winning three-straight games. Washington State began 0-2 and the Cougars are now 5-2. Auburn who was sting at 1-2 is now 5-2. The Tigers have won four consecutive games. Under Les Miles, LSU started 2-2. Under Ed Orgeron, the Tigers have won three-straight games and are 5-2.
Speaking of Orgeron, on the “Paul Finebaum Show” last week, Finebaum said if LSU goes 4-1 in its remaining five games, finishing 9-3, he believes Orgeron will become the full-time head coach. But if LSU goes 3-2 or worse in its remaining five games, then Finebaum thinks Orgeron will be ditched.
Washington State coach Mike Leach was fined $10,000 last week by the Pac-12 Conference for his comments about Arizona State stealing signs.
It was good to hear from Tim Muth and Mike Wright last week. Tim became a grandfather for the first time on October 14. Tim informed me that the day after the birth, his new grandson, Lucas Emerson Ryan, wore a Seminole outfit and watched his first FSU football game.
Mike, from Crossville, Tennessee, reminded me that I failed to mention Rod Temperton in CFW’s “Passings of Note” section. Mike was right. Temperton had quite a background. Rod Temperton, an English songwriter, musician and record producer, died recently. He was 66. Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s funk and disco band Heatwave. The band’s hit songs were “Boogie Nights” and “Always and Forever.” He wrote several well-known songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Rock with You.” Temperton worked with Quincy Jones and also wrote songs for George Benson, Patti Austin and James Ingram, Donna Summer, Herbie Hancock, The Manhattan Transfer, among others.
Bootsie is feeling better this week now that Auburn is 5-2. She’s back on the Gus Bus.
Swamp Mama and I fly to Texas this week. We are attending a wedding in Houston. While there, I look forward to visiting with Terry and Charlotte Conner.
Enjoy your week!
“Yeah, yeah
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus”
Touchdown Tom
October 24, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S. “Goodbye Columbus” was recorded by The Association and written by Jim Yester a member of The Association. The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring and early summer of 1969. Although it got no higher than 80, the song was on the chart for 11 weeks. “Goodbye Columbus” was the theme song from the movie of the same name.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Still perfect (well, one is) – Alabama 33, Texas A&M 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 21). For about two and a half quarters, Texas A&M kept the game interesting. The Aggies led Alabama 14-13 midway through the third. Then the Tide scored 20 unanswered points. The Aggies had no response. The Tide dominated the ground game with 287 rushing yards to 114 for A&M. Neither team passed that well. Bama’s Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions. A&M’s Trevor Knight only completed 45% of his passes – 14-for-31. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
RUNNER UP: The Lion was playing possum – Penn State 24, Ohio State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Penn State 13). Through three quarters, it was all playing out as expected. The Buckeyes were on their way to their seventh win, with a 21-7 lead after three. Then the fourth quarter came along. That’s when Penn State outscored the Bucks, 17-0. The clincher was a blocked field goal that Penn State returned 60 yards for a touchdown. Both teams were even on the ground, but Ohio State dominated the passing game 245 yards to 154. Nitts quarterback Trace McSorley only completed 35% of his passes – 8-for-23. Attendance in University Park: 107,280
REST OF THE BEST: Bird attack – Louisville 54, NC State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 27, NC State 18). Obviously, NC State was wasted after its performance against Clemson last week. The Pack had nothing left for Louisville. The Cardinals led 44-0 at halftime. NC State only had 9 first downs and a mere 14 yards rushing. Louisville had 553 total yards. Lamar Jackson passed for 355 yards. Attendance in: Louisville: 55,218
Dissected – West Virginia 34, TCU 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 38, TCU 30). West Virginia led 21-10 at the half and then proceeded to shut out the Frogs in the second half. The Mounties were a positive 8-for-15 (53%) on third down conversions, while TCU was a negative 2-for-11 (18%). WVU quarterback Skyler Howard threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in: Morgantown: 61,780
Can’t get any closer – Boise State 28, BYU 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 27, BYU 24). At the end of the first quarter the game looked like it was going to be a blowout. Boise State led 14-0. Then BYU scored 17 unanswered points. With 0:35 to go in the second quarter, the Broncos scored to take a 21-17 lead at the half. BYU then scored 10 unanswered points to take a 27-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. Boise State scored with 10:37 to go in the game and held on to win. The Broncos had 571 total yards to 322 for the Cougars. Boise State’s Brett Rypien passed for 442 yards. The Broncos suffered five turnovers and still won the game. Attendance in: Boise: 34,575
Pork, it’s what’s for dinner – Auburn 56, Arkansas 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 33, Auburn 30). Auburn only had 89 yards passing. But the Tigers didn’t need to pass when they could rush for 543 yards. Arkansas only had 25 yards rushing. The Tigers not only dominated, they humiliated the Hogs. It’s been a strange year for both teams. Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway rushed for 192 yards. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451
Baseball? – Colorado 10, Stanford 5 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 20, Stanford 18). Colorado continues to be the surprise team in the Pac-12. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey doesn’t have the quality players around him this year that he had last season. Stanford plays good defense, but the offense is lacking. Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay rushed for 131 yards. Attendance in: Palo Alto: 44,535
Badger persistence – Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 23, Wisconsin 20). Well, we knew this was going to be a defensive battle. Both teams lack the propensity to score a lot, and both have good defenses. Wisconsin was the dominant team – 423 total yards to 236 for Iowa, and 20 first downs to 14 for the Hawkeyes. Iowa was a sad 2-for-13 on third down conversions – 15%. The Badgers Corey Clement rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in: Iowa City: 70,585
Signals, what signals? – Washington State 37, Arizona State 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 37, Washington State 36). Late in the third quarter, Washington State led 31-14. Then in the final 15 minutes of the game, the Cougars were outscored 18-6 by Arizona State. The Cougars won the game in spite of -50 yards rushing. They made up for it with 398 yards passing by Luke Falk. Attendance in: Tempe: 50,582
Worth it – Navy 42, Memphis 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 31, Memphis 30). Navy quarterback Will Worth rushed for 201 yards. It was a big rushing day for the Middies – 447 yards on the ground. Memphis had 333 yards passing. With 10:21 left in the fourth quarter, Navy just had a 7-point lead over the Tigers – 35-28. Attendance in: Annapolis: 35,943
Zack attack – Western Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 30, Eastern Michigan 24). Led by quarterback Zack Terrell, WMU remained undefeated. Terrell completed 83% of his passes, throwing for 398 yards. The Broncos had 561 total yards to 461 for EMU. Eagles quarterback Brogan Roback passed for 319 yards. Attendance in: Kalamazoo: 23,721
Holy – Toledo 31, Central Michigan 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 31, Central Michigan 26). The score was only 3-0 at the half – Toledo leading. Then the teams combined for 45 points in the second half. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside threw four touchdown passes. The Rockets improved to 6-1. Attendance in Toledo: 17,821
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Sheared – Virginia Tech 37, Miami (Florida) 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Miami 23). Halfway through the third quarter, this was still a tight ballgame. Virginia Tech led 23-16 at that point. Then the Hokies poured it on, scoring 14 unanswered points. Miami lost its third consecutive game. Virginia Tech held the Canes to just 42 yards rushing. Tech had 523 total yards and 28 first downs to 15 for Miami. The Canes Brad Kaaya passed for 323 yards. Attendance in Blacksburg: 63,507
He’s back – LSU 38, Ole Miss 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, LSU 27). That would be Leonard Fournette. Fournette returned Saturday and rushed for 284 yards, almost single-handedly defeating Ole Miss. Add on his 25 yards receiving and Fournette had 60% of LSU’s total yards. Actually, this was a good game through the first half. The score was tied 21-21 at the break. Then LSU added 17 unanswered points in the second half. Ole Miss is back to its old tricks. They poop out in the second half. No stamina. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 101,720
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Déjà vu – Nebraska 27, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 34, Purdue 17). This game was almost a carbon copy of Nebraska’s win over Illinois in Lincoln two weeks prior. In that game, the Huskers trailed the Banned Indians 13-10 at the half. In this game, Nebraska trailed Purdue 14-10 at the break. Nebraska went on to beat Illinois 31-16. The Huskers went on to beat Purdue, 27-14. Against Illinois, the Huskers had 23 first downs to 12 for the Banned Indians. Against the Boilers, Nebraska had 22 first downs to 13 for Purdue. Against Illinois, Nebraska had 423 total yards – against Purdue, 409 total yards. Kinda eerie. Purdue quarterback Danny Blough, a sophomore, has a promising future. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,546
Week 8 Results: 10 correct picks, 5 fumbles (66.7 percent)
For the Season: 95 correct picks, 46 fumbles (67.4 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Temple 46, South Florida 30 – Attendance in Philadelphia: 25,950
UCF 24, Connecticut 16 – Attendance in East Hartford: 28,008
Jacksonville U. 61, Morehead State 49 – Attendance in Morehead: 3,055
Bethune-Cookman 21, Norfolk State 14 – Attendance in Norfolk: 3,618
Florida A&M 31, Hampton 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 26,044
West Alabama 45, Florida Tech 35 – Attendance in Livingston: 3,588
Stetson 30, Campbell 24 – Attendance in Buies Creek: 6,673
Louisiana Tech 44, Florida International 24 – Attendance in Miami: 17,061
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 52-88-1 for 734 yards; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 27-36-0-545; Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 25-39-2-442; Syracuse’s Eric Dungey – 32-38-1-434; Rice’s Tyler Stehling – 22-31-0-407; Western Michigan’s Zack Terrell – 29-35-1-398; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 42-53-0-398, and Troy’s Brandon Silvers – 28-42-0-395.
Western Kentucky’s Mike White – 28-32-1 for 378 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 20-34-0-355; Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel – 23-40-0-348; Akron’s Thomas Woodson – 27-40-0-338; Memphis’ Riley Ferguson – 25-40-0-333; California’s Davis Webb – 42-61-0-325, and Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 23-38-1-323.
Impressive Rushers:
Utah’s Joe Williams – 332 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 289 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 284 yards; Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon – 263 yards; Temple’s Ryquell Armstead – 210 yards, and Navy’s Will Worth – 201 yards.
Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 192 yards; Tulsa’s James Flanders – 190 yards; New Mexico’s Tyrone Owens – 171 yards; Tulane’s Josh Rounds – 166 yards; Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill – 162 yards, and North Texas’ Jeffrey Wilson – 160 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“There is no comparison between Ohio State and Michigan fans. Ohio State fans know what they are talking about. They are very knowledgeable. Michigan fans are from another planet,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
I’ve yet to meet a Michigan fan who has a sense of humor or an ounce of objectivity,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
Michigan fans are arrogant. They are a bunch of sniveling, delusional fans,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“Brian will lead this team out of the tunnel opening day next year,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, responding to rumors that Brian Kelly will be sacked at the end of the season.
“I bear responsibility. I’m ultimately responsible for our performance. So, all of us are in this together. But I can tell you I continue to have complete confidence in Brian. I think you really see what you’ve got in a coach with how they manage times like this, and I think he has done a great job of it,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, on his football coach Brian Kelly.
“They tell me, the guy who turned in a pedophile, to stay away from team facilities. And they let him go around there for years after they knew about it not once, but twice. That gets me. That does not make sense to me. It’s wrong,” former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, testifying in the trial of his lawsuit against Penn State.
“I think they still steal signs, and we’ll have to keep an eye on that. That is a very unsavory practice they have. So, we’ll have to do what we can to defend against it,” Washington State coach Mike Leach, on Arizona State.
“What you did in the newspaper is chicken shit. I’ve always respected you. For you to do that is bullshit,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham to Washington State coach Mike Leach, when the two coaches shook hands after the game.
Quote from the Past
“I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn’t recruit me. He said, ‘Well Walt, we took a look at you and you weren’t any good’,” Oklahoma State player Walt Garrison, who was from Texas.
Touchdown Tom’s predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Washington (7-0) at Utah (7-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – These two teams, perhaps the best in the Pac-12, could meet again in the conference championship game in December. However, a loss here would most likely knock Utah out of a potential spot in the playoffs. Washington could lose and conceivably still make the playoffs by winning the Pac-12 with a 12-1 record. Both teams are loaded with talent. Chris’ dogs are better than Kyle’s – Washington 30, Utah 28.
RUNNER UP: 2. Clemson (7-0) at Florida State (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – With two losses, Florida State has been out of the conversation for a while. Another loss and it is curtains for the Noles. Win and FSU is still out of the picture. So the Noles have nothing to lose. Clemson could lose and still survive in the long run. The Tigers don’t know how to play Bingo – Florida State 27, Clemson 26.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Nebraska (7-0) at Wisconsin (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Wisconsin against Nebraska is kinda like Florida State against Clemson. The Badgers don’t have a lot to lose. They already have two losses. The pressure is on the Huskers. Although if the Huskers lose, they could still sneak into things. The Huskers need a big win and this is it – Nebraska 18, Wisconsin 16.
4. West Virginia (6-0) at Oklahoma State (5-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, Fox – Last year I was at a wedding reception in Las Vegas. I followed this game on my cell phone. WVU lost it in a barn burner. I drowned my sorrows in dirty martinis. This year I will be at a wedding and reception in Houston. Guess I have to follow it on my cell phone again. Swamp Mama will be angry. Are the Central Michigan referees available for this game? No, the Mounties should be able to win without those refs. I’m celebrating with dirty martinis at this reception – West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 25.
5. Navy (5-1) at South Florida (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – Navy has a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl. But the Middies have to beat South Florida or their boat is sunk. Both teams can score. The Middies don’t spring a leak – Navy 29, South Florida 24.
6. Virginia Tech (5-2) at Pitt (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – These two are fighting for the Coastal Division title in the ACC. That would put one of them in the ACC title game. The Hokies are playing well under new coach Justin Fuente. But not well enough to beat the Panthers – Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 22.
7. Baylor (6-0) at Texas (3-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 ET, Saturday, ABC – All Texas can do now is play the spoiler role. And if the Horns should beat Baylor, that’s exactly what they would be – the spoilers. The Bears are undefeated but not seriously tested. Texas shouldn’t be a serious test either. The Bears add another nail to Charlie Strong’s coffin – Baylor 30, Texas 23.
8. Florida (5-1) vs. Georgia (4-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Ah, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party – always a good time in Jacksonville. Kirby Smart played for Georgia. He knows what this is all about. Jim McElwain got baptized last year – baptized with a win. Both teams have struggled on offense. Georgia has struggled on defense. The Gators’ defense wins it – Florida 24, Georgia 18.
9. Boise State (7-0) at Wyoming (5-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Boise State appears to be coasting along to a MWC championship. But Wyoming has come on strong of late. The Cowboys have been playing good football. And they have the home field. The Broncos could have some problems. But not that many problems – Boise State 31, Wyoming 22.
10. Ohio (5-3) at Toledo (6-1) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, CBSSN – Toledo still has possibilities. The Rockets could win the MAC. They could get in a New Year’s Six bowl. Lots of possibilities, but they can’t afford to lose. Ohio could be a spoiler. The Bobcats are good. But not that good – Toledo 31, Ohio 20.
11. Tulsa (5-2) at Memphis (5-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN News – Tulsa and Memphis are out of contention for a New Year’s Six bowl, but either could still win the AAC West. And potentially the AAC. Both can score. Both have good quarterbacks. But the Tigers are good at home – Memphis 34, Tulsa 33.
12. UCF (4-3) at Houston (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Scott Frost has the Knights back on track. They have already won four more games than they did last year. They will give Houston a battle. But they won’t win the war – Houston 32, UCF 20.
….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Auburn (5-2) at Ole Miss (3-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Auburn is on a roll – a three-game roll. The Gus Bus is repaired, while the Magnolias are hurtin’. A loss to Arkansas followed by a loss to LSU. But there is still a pulse in the Ole Miss. The Gus Bus gets a flat tire – Ole Miss 30, Auburn 27.
14. California (4-3) at USC (4-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – The Trojans are on a roll. Cal is too. Both are explosive on offense. Sometimes Cal’s defense explodes too. It gives up as many points as the offense scores. It’s not a Sonny day in Los Angeles – USC 37, California 30.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Duke (3-4) at Georgia Tech (4-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ACCN – The Dookies are at the bottom of the ACC Coastal. The Techsters are fighting for Paul Johnson’s life. After Saturday, the Dookies remain at the bottom of the ACC coastal. Paul Johnson lives for another day – Georgia Tech 27, Duke 19.
Penn State (5-2) at Purdue (3-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Now you just know the Nitts will be higher than a kite. You would be too if you beat Urban. They have a right to celebrate – and the time too. You can be high and still beat the Boilers – Penn State 26, Purdue 17.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida A&M (3-5) at North Carolina A&T (6-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Jacksonville U. (3-3) at Davidson (2-6) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson (4-3) at Dayton (6-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Miami (4-3) at Notre Dame (2-5) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC….
Western Kentucky (5-3) at Florida Atlantic (1-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Delaware State (0-7) at Bethune-Cookman (1-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Middle Tennessee (5-2) at Florida International (3-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Valdosta State (6-1) at Florida Tech (5-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but as the days were getting shorter, the nights were getting colder, the leaves were falling, the frost was on the pumpkins, and Halloween was just around the corner, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “To Each His Own” by Eddy Howard
…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “Because of You” by Tony Bennett
…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley
…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Runaround Sue” by Dion
…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “96 Tears” by ? & the Mysterians
…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Maggie May”/“Reason to Believe” by Rod Stewart
…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago
…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Arthur’s Theme (Best that You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross
…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “Emotions” by Mariah Carey
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were three passings of note last week – Fred Slaughter, Dennis Byrd and Eddie Applegate.
Fred Slaughter, who helped UCLA win its first NCAA basketball championship as a senior under coach John Wooden in 1964, died last week at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 74. Slaughter was the Bruins starting center from 1962 to 1964. UCLA was 30-0 in the 1963-64 season. Joining Slaughter in the starting five were guards Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich and forwards Keith Erickson and Jack Hirsch. Slaughter earned a degree in business administration and went on to earn an MBA at UCLA and a law degree from Columbia. As a sports agent and lawyer, he represented professional football and basketball players. Fred Slaughter was born on March 14, 1942, in Topeka, Kansas. He competed in basketball, football and track at Topeka High School.
Dennis Byrd, a former New York Jets defensive lineman, died last week in a two-vehicle crash near Claremore, Oklahoma. He was 50. In 1992, while playing for the Jets, Byrd suffered a career-ending neck injury and made a miraculous recovery. Dennis Byrd was born on October 5, 1966, in Oklahoma City. He played college football for the University of Tulsa. The Jets drafted him in the second round in 1989. Byrd lived in Talala, Oklahoma, about 40 miles northeast of Tulsa.
Eddie Applegate, an actor best-known for playing Patty’s high school sweetheart on the 1960s sitcom “The Patty Duke Show,” died last week in Los Angeles. He was 81. “The Patty Duke Show” ran on ABC from 1963 to 1966. Edward Robert Applegate was born on October 4, 1935, in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. He also appeared on other TV series, including “The Many Love of Dobie Gillis,” “Daktari” and “Gunsmoke.” His movies included “A Ticklish Affair” (1963) and “Easy A” (2010).
Hello life, Goodbye Columbus
“I’ve got a feeling that
You’re gonna hear from us
You’re gonna know
That we’ve taken
The world by surprise
Got that look in our eyes
It’s a lucky day”
That’s exactly what is was for Penn State Saturday night after the Nittany Lions upset Ohio State, 24-21 in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions took the college football world by surprise. Penn State was a 20-point underdog going into the game.
And as the fourth quarter began, it looked like the oddsmakers would be right. Ohio State held a 14-point lead – 21-7 – over the Lions. But early in the fourth, Penn State cut the lead to 7 when Lions’ quarterback Trace McSorley scored on a 2-yard run. Just four minutes later, the lead was cut to 4 when Tyler Davis kicked a 34-yard field goal for Penn State.
“I’ve got a feeling that
You’re gonna hear from us
Barely five minutes later, the Buckeyes heard from the Lions. Penn State safety Marcus Allen blocked an Ohio State field goal attempt. Lions’ cornerback Grant Haley picked up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:27 left to play. The Nittany Lions held on for the win.
You’re gonna know
That we’ve taken
The world by surprise
Penn State’s defense sacked J.T. Barrett six times, and held Ohio State scoreless in the first and fourth quarters. In doing so, the Lions became the first team this season to hold the Buckeyes scoreless for a quarter. The defeat was just Ohio State’s second Big Ten regular-season game lost under fifth-year coach Urban Meyer.
“Yeah, yeah
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus”
Ohio State was one of two undefeated teams that lost Saturday. The other was Texas A&M who suffered its first loss at the hands of undefeated Alabama. The Tide beat the Aggies, 33-14.
So the race for the four playoff spots is on and with Ohio State’s loss, it got a little more interesting. In addition to Alabama (8-0), six other undefeated teams – Michigan (7-0), Washington (7-0), Nebraska (7-0), West Virginia (6-0), Boise State (7-0) and Western Michigan (8-0) – won over the weekend, while two – Clemson (7-0) and Baylor (6-0) – had the day off.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan dumped Illinois, 41-8. The Wolverines held the Banned Indians to only six first downs and less than 100 yards rushing and passing. In Seattle, Jake Browning passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns, as Washington spanked Oregon State, 41-17.
In Lincoln, the Black Shirts held Purdue to 24 yards rushing, as Nebraska beat the Boilers, 27-14. In Morgantown, Skyler Howard threw four touchdown passes and West Virginia’s defense held TCU scoreless in the second half, as the Mountaineers beat the Horned Frogs, 34-10.
On the blue turf, Boise State survived BYU. The Broncos edged the Cougars, 28-27. Jeremy McNichols rushed for 140 yards. In Kalamazoo, Zack Terrell passed for 398 yards and three touchdowns, as Western Michigan downed Eastern Michigan, 45-31.
Three of the 10 “one-loss” teams suffered their second loss over the weekend. South Florida fell to Temple, 46-30, Memphis lost to “one-loss” Navy, 42-28, and Houston was upset by SMU, 38-16. In addition to Navy (5-1), five other “one-loss” teams – Louisville (6-1), Utah (7-1), Toledo (6-1), San Diego State (6-1) and Troy (6-1) – won Saturday, while one team – Florida (5-1) – had the weekend off.
Louisville blasted NC State, 54-13. The Cardinals defense held the Wolfpack to 14 yards rushing. Utah outlasted UCLA, 52-45, as the Utes Joe Williams rushed for 332 yards. Utah’s defense held the Bruins to 46 yards rushing. Toledo’s Logan Woodside passed for 264 yards and four touchdowns, as the Rockets downed Central Michigan, 31-17.
San Diego State kept San Jose State out of the end zone, as the Aztecs dumped the Spartans, 42-3. Troy rallied from an 8-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat South Alabama, 28-21. Brandon Silvers passed for 395 yards and Jordan Chunn rushed for 143 yards.
Going into this weekend, there are nine undefeated teams and nine teams with one loss. Of the nine undefeated teams, Alabama and Western Michigan have the week off. But for the other seven teams, it is going to be interesting. They all are on the road and most are up against formidable opponents.
Michigan is at intrastate rival Michigan State. Washington travels to one-loss Utah. Clemson visits troublesome Florida State. Baylor is at Texas. Nebraska goes up to Wisconsin. West Virginia travels to Oklahoma State and Boise State visits a 5-2 Wyoming.
Among the nine “one-loss” teams, only Troy has the weekend off. Louisville is at Virginia. Ohio State hosts Northwestern. Utah, as mentioned above, entertains Washington. Florida meets Georgia in Jacksonville. Texas A&M has an easy one, hosting New Mexico State. Navy plays at South Florida. Toledo entertains Ohio and San Diego State visits Utah State.
Legitimately, there are 12 teams that are still in contention for the four playoff spots. They are Alabama, Michigan, Clemson, Washington, Louisville, Ohio State, Nebraska, Baylor, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Florida and Utah. Come December, four of those teams will be in the playoffs.
Then there are six Group of 5 teams that are still in contention for the one spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game. They are Boise State, Western Michigan, Navy, Toledo, San Diego State and Troy.
The race is on. And we’re getting close to the final stretch. Stay tuned!
The weekend was full of exciting games. Last winter, Oklahoma’s basketball team went into Lubbock and beat Texas Tech 65-63. Saturday, Oklahoma’s football team went into Lubbock and beat Texas Tech 65-59. The teams combined for 1,708 yards. The Red Raiders Patrick Mahomes passed for 734 yards. The Sooners Baker Mayfield passed for 545 yards. Dizzy yet?
There were only three overtime games during the weekend. But one of the three went to the extreme. UTEP and UTSA played five overtimes before UTEP won 52-49. The score at the end of regulation was 28-28. Oddly enough, one of the other overtime games ended in the same score. But it only took California two overtimes to subdue Oregon, 52-29. In the third overtime game, Hawaii beat Air Force 34-27 (2OT).
There are no more winless teams. Rice, the lone holdout, beat Prairie View A&M, 65-44. (They really do like basketball scores in Texas, don’t they?) Rice is now 1-6. The Owls join 7 other single-win teams: Iowa State (1-6), Kansas (1-6), Florida Atlantic (1-6), Massachusetts (1-7), Buffalo (1-6), Bowling Green (1-7) and Fresno State (1-7).
Speaking of Fresno State, the Bulldogs football coach Tim DeRuyter was fired Sunday. DeRuyter was in his fifth season coaching Fresno State. The Bulldogs won the Mountain West Conference his first two season and went to a bowl game his first three seasons. Last year Fresno State finished 3-9. DeRuyter was 30-30 in four plus years with the Bulldogs.
Eight weeks into the season and four coaches have been fired.
And the agony continues for poor BYU. The Cougars are 3-4 and their four losses are by a combined total of 7 points. BYU lost by one point to Utah, two points to UCLA, three points to West Virginia and Friday night Boise State beat the Cougars by one point – 28-27. BYU’s three wins are over Arizona, Michigan State and Toledo. The Cougars beat Arizona and Toledo by two points. So, six of BYU’s seven games have been settled by three points or less.
Then there are the reversals – teams that have reversed their seasons in one direction or the other. Miami (Florida) began the season 4-0 and is now 4-3. The Canes have dropped three consecutive games. Oregon began the season 2-0. The Ducks are now 2-5. Michigan State started out 2-0. The Spartans have lost five consecutive games and are sitting at 2-5.
Conversely, Northwestern was 1-3. The Wildcats are now 4-3, after winning three-straight games. Washington State began 0-2 and the Cougars are now 5-2. Auburn who was sting at 1-2 is now 5-2. The Tigers have won four consecutive games. Under Les Miles, LSU started 2-2. Under Ed Orgeron, the Tigers have won three-straight games and are 5-2.
Speaking of Orgeron, on the “Paul Finebaum Show” last week, Finebaum said if LSU goes 4-1 in its remaining five games, finishing 9-3, he believes Orgeron will become the full-time head coach. But if LSU goes 3-2 or worse in its remaining five games, then Finebaum thinks Orgeron will be ditched.
Washington State coach Mike Leach was fined $10,000 last week by the Pac-12 Conference for his comments about Arizona State stealing signs.
It was good to hear from Tim Muth and Mike Wright last week. Tim became a grandfather for the first time on October 14. Tim informed me that the day after the birth, his new grandson, Lucas Emerson Ryan, wore a Seminole outfit and watched his first FSU football game.
Mike, from Crossville, Tennessee, reminded me that I failed to mention Rod Temperton in CFW’s “Passings of Note” section. Mike was right. Temperton had quite a background. Rod Temperton, an English songwriter, musician and record producer, died recently. He was 66. Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s funk and disco band Heatwave. The band’s hit songs were “Boogie Nights” and “Always and Forever.” He wrote several well-known songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Rock with You.” Temperton worked with Quincy Jones and also wrote songs for George Benson, Patti Austin and James Ingram, Donna Summer, Herbie Hancock, The Manhattan Transfer, among others.
Bootsie is feeling better this week now that Auburn is 5-2. She’s back on the Gus Bus.
Swamp Mama and I fly to Texas this week. We are attending a wedding in Houston. While there, I look forward to visiting with Terry and Charlotte Conner.
Enjoy your week!
“Yeah, yeah
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus
Goodbye, goodbye Columbus”
Touchdown Tom
October 24, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S. “Goodbye Columbus” was recorded by The Association and written by Jim Yester a member of The Association. The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring and early summer of 1969. Although it got no higher than 80, the song was on the chart for 11 weeks. “Goodbye Columbus” was the theme song from the movie of the same name.
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Still perfect (well, one is) – Alabama 33, Texas A&M 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 21). For about two and a half quarters, Texas A&M kept the game interesting. The Aggies led Alabama 14-13 midway through the third. Then the Tide scored 20 unanswered points. The Aggies had no response. The Tide dominated the ground game with 287 rushing yards to 114 for A&M. Neither team passed that well. Bama’s Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions. A&M’s Trevor Knight only completed 45% of his passes – 14-for-31. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
RUNNER UP: The Lion was playing possum – Penn State 24, Ohio State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Penn State 13). Through three quarters, it was all playing out as expected. The Buckeyes were on their way to their seventh win, with a 21-7 lead after three. Then the fourth quarter came along. That’s when Penn State outscored the Bucks, 17-0. The clincher was a blocked field goal that Penn State returned 60 yards for a touchdown. Both teams were even on the ground, but Ohio State dominated the passing game 245 yards to 154. Nitts quarterback Trace McSorley only completed 35% of his passes – 8-for-23. Attendance in University Park: 107,280
REST OF THE BEST: Bird attack – Louisville 54, NC State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 27, NC State 18). Obviously, NC State was wasted after its performance against Clemson last week. The Pack had nothing left for Louisville. The Cardinals led 44-0 at halftime. NC State only had 9 first downs and a mere 14 yards rushing. Louisville had 553 total yards. Lamar Jackson passed for 355 yards. Attendance in: Louisville: 55,218
Dissected – West Virginia 34, TCU 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 38, TCU 30). West Virginia led 21-10 at the half and then proceeded to shut out the Frogs in the second half. The Mounties were a positive 8-for-15 (53%) on third down conversions, while TCU was a negative 2-for-11 (18%). WVU quarterback Skyler Howard threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in: Morgantown: 61,780
Can’t get any closer – Boise State 28, BYU 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 27, BYU 24). At the end of the first quarter the game looked like it was going to be a blowout. Boise State led 14-0. Then BYU scored 17 unanswered points. With 0:35 to go in the second quarter, the Broncos scored to take a 21-17 lead at the half. BYU then scored 10 unanswered points to take a 27-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. Boise State scored with 10:37 to go in the game and held on to win. The Broncos had 571 total yards to 322 for the Cougars. Boise State’s Brett Rypien passed for 442 yards. The Broncos suffered five turnovers and still won the game. Attendance in: Boise: 34,575
Pork, it’s what’s for dinner – Auburn 56, Arkansas 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 33, Auburn 30). Auburn only had 89 yards passing. But the Tigers didn’t need to pass when they could rush for 543 yards. Arkansas only had 25 yards rushing. The Tigers not only dominated, they humiliated the Hogs. It’s been a strange year for both teams. Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway rushed for 192 yards. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451
Baseball? – Colorado 10, Stanford 5 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 20, Stanford 18). Colorado continues to be the surprise team in the Pac-12. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey doesn’t have the quality players around him this year that he had last season. Stanford plays good defense, but the offense is lacking. Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay rushed for 131 yards. Attendance in: Palo Alto: 44,535
Badger persistence – Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 23, Wisconsin 20). Well, we knew this was going to be a defensive battle. Both teams lack the propensity to score a lot, and both have good defenses. Wisconsin was the dominant team – 423 total yards to 236 for Iowa, and 20 first downs to 14 for the Hawkeyes. Iowa was a sad 2-for-13 on third down conversions – 15%. The Badgers Corey Clement rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in: Iowa City: 70,585
Signals, what signals? – Washington State 37, Arizona State 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 37, Washington State 36). Late in the third quarter, Washington State led 31-14. Then in the final 15 minutes of the game, the Cougars were outscored 18-6 by Arizona State. The Cougars won the game in spite of -50 yards rushing. They made up for it with 398 yards passing by Luke Falk. Attendance in: Tempe: 50,582
Worth it – Navy 42, Memphis 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 31, Memphis 30). Navy quarterback Will Worth rushed for 201 yards. It was a big rushing day for the Middies – 447 yards on the ground. Memphis had 333 yards passing. With 10:21 left in the fourth quarter, Navy just had a 7-point lead over the Tigers – 35-28. Attendance in: Annapolis: 35,943
Zack attack – Western Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 30, Eastern Michigan 24). Led by quarterback Zack Terrell, WMU remained undefeated. Terrell completed 83% of his passes, throwing for 398 yards. The Broncos had 561 total yards to 461 for EMU. Eagles quarterback Brogan Roback passed for 319 yards. Attendance in: Kalamazoo: 23,721
Holy – Toledo 31, Central Michigan 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 31, Central Michigan 26). The score was only 3-0 at the half – Toledo leading. Then the teams combined for 45 points in the second half. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside threw four touchdown passes. The Rockets improved to 6-1. Attendance in Toledo: 17,821
….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Sheared – Virginia Tech 37, Miami (Florida) 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Miami 23). Halfway through the third quarter, this was still a tight ballgame. Virginia Tech led 23-16 at that point. Then the Hokies poured it on, scoring 14 unanswered points. Miami lost its third consecutive game. Virginia Tech held the Canes to just 42 yards rushing. Tech had 523 total yards and 28 first downs to 15 for Miami. The Canes Brad Kaaya passed for 323 yards. Attendance in Blacksburg: 63,507
He’s back – LSU 38, Ole Miss 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, LSU 27). That would be Leonard Fournette. Fournette returned Saturday and rushed for 284 yards, almost single-handedly defeating Ole Miss. Add on his 25 yards receiving and Fournette had 60% of LSU’s total yards. Actually, this was a good game through the first half. The score was tied 21-21 at the break. Then LSU added 17 unanswered points in the second half. Ole Miss is back to its old tricks. They poop out in the second half. No stamina. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 101,720
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Déjà vu – Nebraska 27, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 34, Purdue 17). This game was almost a carbon copy of Nebraska’s win over Illinois in Lincoln two weeks prior. In that game, the Huskers trailed the Banned Indians 13-10 at the half. In this game, Nebraska trailed Purdue 14-10 at the break. Nebraska went on to beat Illinois 31-16. The Huskers went on to beat Purdue, 27-14. Against Illinois, the Huskers had 23 first downs to 12 for the Banned Indians. Against the Boilers, Nebraska had 22 first downs to 13 for Purdue. Against Illinois, Nebraska had 423 total yards – against Purdue, 409 total yards. Kinda eerie. Purdue quarterback Danny Blough, a sophomore, has a promising future. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,546
Week 8 Results: 10 correct picks, 5 fumbles (66.7 percent)
For the Season: 95 correct picks, 46 fumbles (67.4 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Temple 46, South Florida 30 – Attendance in Philadelphia: 25,950
UCF 24, Connecticut 16 – Attendance in East Hartford: 28,008
Jacksonville U. 61, Morehead State 49 – Attendance in Morehead: 3,055
Bethune-Cookman 21, Norfolk State 14 – Attendance in Norfolk: 3,618
Florida A&M 31, Hampton 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 26,044
West Alabama 45, Florida Tech 35 – Attendance in Livingston: 3,588
Stetson 30, Campbell 24 – Attendance in Buies Creek: 6,673
Louisiana Tech 44, Florida International 24 – Attendance in Miami: 17,061
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 52-88-1 for 734 yards; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 27-36-0-545; Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 25-39-2-442; Syracuse’s Eric Dungey – 32-38-1-434; Rice’s Tyler Stehling – 22-31-0-407; Western Michigan’s Zack Terrell – 29-35-1-398; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 42-53-0-398, and Troy’s Brandon Silvers – 28-42-0-395.
Western Kentucky’s Mike White – 28-32-1 for 378 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 20-34-0-355; Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel – 23-40-0-348; Akron’s Thomas Woodson – 27-40-0-338; Memphis’ Riley Ferguson – 25-40-0-333; California’s Davis Webb – 42-61-0-325, and Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 23-38-1-323.
Impressive Rushers:
Utah’s Joe Williams – 332 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 289 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 284 yards; Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon – 263 yards; Temple’s Ryquell Armstead – 210 yards, and Navy’s Will Worth – 201 yards.
Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 192 yards; Tulsa’s James Flanders – 190 yards; New Mexico’s Tyrone Owens – 171 yards; Tulane’s Josh Rounds – 166 yards; Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill – 162 yards, and North Texas’ Jeffrey Wilson – 160 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“There is no comparison between Ohio State and Michigan fans. Ohio State fans know what they are talking about. They are very knowledgeable. Michigan fans are from another planet,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
I’ve yet to meet a Michigan fan who has a sense of humor or an ounce of objectivity,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
Michigan fans are arrogant. They are a bunch of sniveling, delusional fans,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“Brian will lead this team out of the tunnel opening day next year,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, responding to rumors that Brian Kelly will be sacked at the end of the season.
“I bear responsibility. I’m ultimately responsible for our performance. So, all of us are in this together. But I can tell you I continue to have complete confidence in Brian. I think you really see what you’ve got in a coach with how they manage times like this, and I think he has done a great job of it,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, on his football coach Brian Kelly.
“They tell me, the guy who turned in a pedophile, to stay away from team facilities. And they let him go around there for years after they knew about it not once, but twice. That gets me. That does not make sense to me. It’s wrong,” former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, testifying in the trial of his lawsuit against Penn State.
“I think they still steal signs, and we’ll have to keep an eye on that. That is a very unsavory practice they have. So, we’ll have to do what we can to defend against it,” Washington State coach Mike Leach, on Arizona State.
“What you did in the newspaper is chicken shit. I’ve always respected you. For you to do that is bullshit,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham to Washington State coach Mike Leach, when the two coaches shook hands after the game.
Quote from the Past
“I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn’t recruit me. He said, ‘Well Walt, we took a look at you and you weren’t any good’,” Oklahoma State player Walt Garrison, who was from Texas.
Touchdown Tom’s predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Washington (7-0) at Utah (7-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – These two teams, perhaps the best in the Pac-12, could meet again in the conference championship game in December. However, a loss here would most likely knock Utah out of a potential spot in the playoffs. Washington could lose and conceivably still make the playoffs by winning the Pac-12 with a 12-1 record. Both teams are loaded with talent. Chris’ dogs are better than Kyle’s – Washington 30, Utah 28.
RUNNER UP: 2. Clemson (7-0) at Florida State (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – With two losses, Florida State has been out of the conversation for a while. Another loss and it is curtains for the Noles. Win and FSU is still out of the picture. So the Noles have nothing to lose. Clemson could lose and still survive in the long run. The Tigers don’t know how to play Bingo – Florida State 27, Clemson 26.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Nebraska (7-0) at Wisconsin (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Wisconsin against Nebraska is kinda like Florida State against Clemson. The Badgers don’t have a lot to lose. They already have two losses. The pressure is on the Huskers. Although if the Huskers lose, they could still sneak into things. The Huskers need a big win and this is it – Nebraska 18, Wisconsin 16.
4. West Virginia (6-0) at Oklahoma State (5-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, Fox – Last year I was at a wedding reception in Las Vegas. I followed this game on my cell phone. WVU lost it in a barn burner. I drowned my sorrows in dirty martinis. This year I will be at a wedding and reception in Houston. Guess I have to follow it on my cell phone again. Swamp Mama will be angry. Are the Central Michigan referees available for this game? No, the Mounties should be able to win without those refs. I’m celebrating with dirty martinis at this reception – West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 25.
5. Navy (5-1) at South Florida (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – Navy has a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl. But the Middies have to beat South Florida or their boat is sunk. Both teams can score. The Middies don’t spring a leak – Navy 29, South Florida 24.
6. Virginia Tech (5-2) at Pitt (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – These two are fighting for the Coastal Division title in the ACC. That would put one of them in the ACC title game. The Hokies are playing well under new coach Justin Fuente. But not well enough to beat the Panthers – Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 22.
7. Baylor (6-0) at Texas (3-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 ET, Saturday, ABC – All Texas can do now is play the spoiler role. And if the Horns should beat Baylor, that’s exactly what they would be – the spoilers. The Bears are undefeated but not seriously tested. Texas shouldn’t be a serious test either. The Bears add another nail to Charlie Strong’s coffin – Baylor 30, Texas 23.
8. Florida (5-1) vs. Georgia (4-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Ah, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party – always a good time in Jacksonville. Kirby Smart played for Georgia. He knows what this is all about. Jim McElwain got baptized last year – baptized with a win. Both teams have struggled on offense. Georgia has struggled on defense. The Gators’ defense wins it – Florida 24, Georgia 18.
9. Boise State (7-0) at Wyoming (5-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Boise State appears to be coasting along to a MWC championship. But Wyoming has come on strong of late. The Cowboys have been playing good football. And they have the home field. The Broncos could have some problems. But not that many problems – Boise State 31, Wyoming 22.
10. Ohio (5-3) at Toledo (6-1) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, CBSSN – Toledo still has possibilities. The Rockets could win the MAC. They could get in a New Year’s Six bowl. Lots of possibilities, but they can’t afford to lose. Ohio could be a spoiler. The Bobcats are good. But not that good – Toledo 31, Ohio 20.
11. Tulsa (5-2) at Memphis (5-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN News – Tulsa and Memphis are out of contention for a New Year’s Six bowl, but either could still win the AAC West. And potentially the AAC. Both can score. Both have good quarterbacks. But the Tigers are good at home – Memphis 34, Tulsa 33.
12. UCF (4-3) at Houston (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Scott Frost has the Knights back on track. They have already won four more games than they did last year. They will give Houston a battle. But they won’t win the war – Houston 32, UCF 20.
….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
13. Auburn (5-2) at Ole Miss (3-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:15 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Auburn is on a roll – a three-game roll. The Gus Bus is repaired, while the Magnolias are hurtin’. A loss to Arkansas followed by a loss to LSU. But there is still a pulse in the Ole Miss. The Gus Bus gets a flat tire – Ole Miss 30, Auburn 27.
14. California (4-3) at USC (4-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – The Trojans are on a roll. Cal is too. Both are explosive on offense. Sometimes Cal’s defense explodes too. It gives up as many points as the offense scores. It’s not a Sonny day in Los Angeles – USC 37, California 30.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Duke (3-4) at Georgia Tech (4-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ACCN – The Dookies are at the bottom of the ACC Coastal. The Techsters are fighting for Paul Johnson’s life. After Saturday, the Dookies remain at the bottom of the ACC coastal. Paul Johnson lives for another day – Georgia Tech 27, Duke 19.
Penn State (5-2) at Purdue (3-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Now you just know the Nitts will be higher than a kite. You would be too if you beat Urban. They have a right to celebrate – and the time too. You can be high and still beat the Boilers – Penn State 26, Purdue 17.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida A&M (3-5) at North Carolina A&T (6-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Jacksonville U. (3-3) at Davidson (2-6) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson (4-3) at Dayton (6-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Miami (4-3) at Notre Dame (2-5) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC….
Western Kentucky (5-3) at Florida Atlantic (1-6) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Delaware State (0-7) at Bethune-Cookman (1-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Middle Tennessee (5-2) at Florida International (3-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Valdosta State (6-1) at Florida Tech (5-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but as the days were getting shorter, the nights were getting colder, the leaves were falling, the frost was on the pumpkins, and Halloween was just around the corner, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “To Each His Own” by Eddy Howard
…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “Because of You” by Tony Bennett
…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley
…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Runaround Sue” by Dion
…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “96 Tears” by ? & the Mysterians
…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Maggie May”/“Reason to Believe” by Rod Stewart
…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago
…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Arthur’s Theme (Best that You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross
…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “Emotions” by Mariah Carey
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were three passings of note last week – Fred Slaughter, Dennis Byrd and Eddie Applegate.
Fred Slaughter, who helped UCLA win its first NCAA basketball championship as a senior under coach John Wooden in 1964, died last week at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 74. Slaughter was the Bruins starting center from 1962 to 1964. UCLA was 30-0 in the 1963-64 season. Joining Slaughter in the starting five were guards Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich and forwards Keith Erickson and Jack Hirsch. Slaughter earned a degree in business administration and went on to earn an MBA at UCLA and a law degree from Columbia. As a sports agent and lawyer, he represented professional football and basketball players. Fred Slaughter was born on March 14, 1942, in Topeka, Kansas. He competed in basketball, football and track at Topeka High School.
Dennis Byrd, a former New York Jets defensive lineman, died last week in a two-vehicle crash near Claremore, Oklahoma. He was 50. In 1992, while playing for the Jets, Byrd suffered a career-ending neck injury and made a miraculous recovery. Dennis Byrd was born on October 5, 1966, in Oklahoma City. He played college football for the University of Tulsa. The Jets drafted him in the second round in 1989. Byrd lived in Talala, Oklahoma, about 40 miles northeast of Tulsa.
Eddie Applegate, an actor best-known for playing Patty’s high school sweetheart on the 1960s sitcom “The Patty Duke Show,” died last week in Los Angeles. He was 81. “The Patty Duke Show” ran on ABC from 1963 to 1966. Edward Robert Applegate was born on October 4, 1935, in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. He also appeared on other TV series, including “The Many Love of Dobie Gillis,” “Daktari” and “Gunsmoke.” His movies included “A Ticklish Affair” (1963) and “Easy A” (2010).
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