Wow! What a week for upsets! Teams ranked #2, 3, 4, 6, and 8
all fell to unranked or lower ranked teams. Add those further down the list who
lost (#s 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19) to higher ranked teams or unranked teams and
we’re bound to see a whole lot of shuffling in this week’s polls…if not a whole
new deck.I mean, jeez!, that's 11 out of 25 (plus 1) that lost this week including half the Top 10!
Florida State may be the luckiest team in the Top 10. They
haven’t been playing remarkably well and just as it looked like they might lose
their #1 ranking (in fact they had lost it in the Coaches’ Poll), everybody else
loses! Could #5 Auburn threaten the Seminoles for supremacy this week?
(Ranks on the left are those of the AP/Coaches Top 25/CBSSPORTS.COM
128 Polls as reported by CBSSports.com. NR = Not Ranked)
1/2/5 Florida State (5-0) The Seminoles trounced the Wake
Forest Demon Deacons (2-4), 43-3. Okay, Jameis Winston did throw for a TD and
run for another, but this game belonged to kicker Robert Aguayo (five field
goals and four extra points) and the defense which allowed Wake just 126 yards
on offense. Reggie Northrup caused, recovered and returned a fumble 31 yards
for a TD. Wake lead the game 3-0 after the first quarter and trailed just 13-3
at the half—which made many in the FSU home crowd a bit nervous, I’m sure. They
sure looked shaky in the first half.
2/4/2 Oregon (4-1) The Ducks lost to the Arizona Wildcats (5-0)
Thursday night…again. This time it was 31-24. Marcus Mariota completed 20 of 32
passes for 276 yards and two TDs while catching a pass for a third, but he also
lost a fumble in a critical final minutes—his first turnover of the year. Mariota’s
performance was matched by a combination of Amu Solomon (20 of 31 for 287 yards
and 1 TD), a red shirt freshman, and true freshman Nick Wilson (13 rushes for
92 yards and two TDs plus that one TD catch of 34 yards). Terris Jones-Grigsby
had 115 yards rushing and one TD for the Wildcats who succeeded in knocking off
an undefeated Oregon team for the second straight year despite being huge
underdogs.
3/1/1 Alabama (4-1) The Tide were upset the #11 Ole Miss
Rebels (5-0), 23-17. The Rebels trailed 14-3 at the half and 17-10 at the end
of three quarters but Bo Wallace threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter and
the defense stemmed the Tide for a 23-17 victory. Wallace threw for 251 yards
and three TDs in all. Cyrus Jones returned an Ole Miss fumble 13 yards for a TD
on a controversial play at the end of the second quarter, but that was the last
time Alabama crossed the goal line. Alabama did seem to be in control much of
the game with T.J Yeldon rushing for 123 yards on 20 carries and Amari Cooper
catching nine passes for 91 yards, but neither of them got into the endzone.
4/3/3 Oklahoma (4-1) The Sooners lost on the road to the #25
Horned Frogs of TCU (4-0), 37-33. Trevor Knight threw for 309 yards on just 14
completions out of 35 attempts. It didn’t hurt that one of those completions
was a 75 yards TD pass to Sterling Shepard. What did hurt was the two
interceptions he threw. Especially the last one that was returned by Paul
Dawson for the winning TD with about 14 minutes remaining. Trevone Boykin
completed 20 of 38 for 318 yards and ran for another 77 yards on 22 carries.
B.J. Catalone scored twice for the Frogs one on a run and one on a reception.
Some weird play in this one as the teams turned the ball over on three
consecutive plays (TCU fumbled, OK threw an INT, and then TCU fumbled again),
and Oklahoma blocked the extra point attempt after the Dawson score and it was
returned for 2 points making the score 37-33.
5/5/4 Auburn (5-0) The Tigers routed the #15 LSU Tigers (4-2),
41-7. Finally! A Top 10 team playing like a Top 10 team. Auburn dominated this
one from start to finish. Nick Marshall threw two TD passes and ran for two
scores as he finished the day with 326 total yards (207 passing, 119 rushing)
Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 126 yards. The Auburn defense limited LSU to
just 280 net yards.
6/7/6 Texas A&M (5-1) The Aggies got beat by the #12
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-0), 48-31. Dak Prescott threw for two and ran for
three as the Bulldogs jumped out early and never looked back. Kenny Hill did
throw for 365 yards and four touchdowns, but he was picked off three times—all
of them by linebacker Richie Brown who must own an invisibility cloak.
Actually, A&M scored first on a Josh Reynolds 13 yard reception from Kenny
Hill, but then Josh Robinson scored twice on the ground and Dab Prescott ran
for one and threw for one as the Bulldogs reeled off 28 unanswered points
before Josh Lambo hit a 27-yard field goal for the Aggies to make it 28-10 at
the half. Mississippi State pressed on to a 48-17 lead in the fourth quarter
before the Aggies scored twice to close the gap but it was too little too late.
7/6/8 Baylor (5-0) The Bears beat the Texas Longhorns (2-3),
28-7. It wasn’t easy for the Bears. Bryce Petty struggled going just 7 of 22
for 111 yards. But he did connect for two TDs in the second half. While Texas’
defense gave all they had, the Baylor defense went a step further and almost
tossed a shutout against the Longhorns. And on special teams, Terrell Burt
returned a blocked field goal attempt for the first Baylor score. Three Texas
turnovers, including a fumble on the one yard line going in, didn’t help the
Longhorns’ cause.
8/9/9 UCLA (4-1) The Bruins were edged by the Utah Utes (3-2),
30-28. Andy Phillips kicked a 29-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to put the
Utes ahead, but then had to watch as UCLA’s Ka'imi Fairbairn missed two
field-goal attempts with no time on the clock. (A running into the kicker
penalty on a 55-yard attempt as the clock ran out resulted in a 50-yard attempt
that missed.) Brett Hundley did complete 16 of 21 for 269 yards and two TD
passes—including a 93-yarder to Devin Fuller—but he threw an INT and got sacked
10 times by a swarming Utah defense that would bend but not break. Tevin Carter
returned that Hundley interception 27 yards giving Utah the first score of the
day.
9/8/7 Notre Dame (5-0) The Irish edged the #14 Stanford Cardinal
(3-2), 17-14. Stout defense on both sides resulting in a couple of turnovers by
each team and missed/blocked field goals made this a close one. But Everett
Golson tosses a 23-yard TD pass to Ben Koyack to overcome a 14-10 deficit late
in the fourth quarter resulted in an Irish win. ND had 370 yards offense
against a Stanford team that had yielded an average of just 198 yards a game
coming in. Meanwhile, the Irish defense limited the Cardinal to just 205 net
yards.
10/10/10 Michigan State (4-1) The Spartans held off the #19
Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1), 27-22. The
Spartans led 27 to 3 after three quarters and had shut down the Huskers’
rushing offense completely allowing just 47 yards on the ground, but two short
Ameer Abdullah touchdown runs and a 62-yard punt return by De’Mornay Pierson-El
in the fourth quarter made them sweat. Jeremy Langford rushed for 111 yards and
a TD while Tony Lippett scored ona 55-yard pass from Connor Cook and on a 32
yard run for the Spartans. Nebraska turned the ball over four times (two INTs and
two fumbles) and the Spartans returned the favor with three turnovers (one INT
and two fumbles).
11/11/12 Ole Miss (5-0) The Rebels beat the #3 Crimson Tide
of Alabama (4-1), 23-17. See above for more.
12/14/11 Mississippi State (5-0) The Bulldogs beat the #6
Texas A&M (5-1). See above for more.
13/12/14 Georgia (4-1) The Bulldogs routed the Commodores of
Vanderbilt (1-5), 44-17. Todd Gurley ran for 163 yards and two TDs—both in the
first quarter—but his biggest surprise was a 50-yard pass to tight end Jeb
Blazevich. While Blazevich didn’t score on the play, it was another stat for
Gurley’s Heisman resume. Hutson Mason DID throw for two Georgia TDs and Devin
Bowman returned an interception 63 yards for another Georgia score. Vandy was
never really in this one as they trailed 21-0 after the first quarter.
14/13/15 Stanford (3-2) The Cardinal came up short against
the #9 Irish of Notre Dame (5-0) 17-14. See above for more.
15/15/16 LSU (4-2) The Tigers got whipped by the #5 Auburn
Tigers (5-0), 41-7. See above for more.
16/20/18 Southern California (3-2) The Trojans got beat by
the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1), 38-34. Mike Bercovici had already thrown 25
completions for 438 yards but those were preliminaries to the main event. With
the Sun Devils on their own 28 yard line, 23 seconds on the clock, no timeouts
and trailing 34-32, Bercovici completed a 26-yard pass to Gary Chambers and
then launched a Hail Mary to the endzone 46 yards away where Jaelen Strong made
his third TD catch of the night as the clock expired to give the Sun Devils the
win. Bercovici finished the night 27 of 45 for 510 yards and five TDs—three of
them to Strong. USC hadn’t given up a passing touchdown this season until
Bercovici connected with Strong on a 4-yarder, then a 77-yarder—both in the
second quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, he hit D.J. Foster for a 21-yarder
and Cameron Smith for a 73-yarder and, finally, the 46–yarder to Strong to end
the game. Nelson Agholor returned a punt 53 yards for the first Trojan score.
Javorius Allen rushed for 143 yards and two TDs on 29 carries for the Trojans.
17/16/22 Wisconsin (3-2) The Badgers were upset by the
Northwestern Wildcats (3-2), 20-14. Redshirt freshman Godwin Igwebuike made
three interceptions—the team had four—and Justin Jackson rushed for 162 yards
for Northwestern as the Wildcats were in control for much of the game, leading
10-0 at the half and 20-7 late in the fourth quarter. Melvin Gordon rushed for
259 yards and a TD for the Badgers, but those interceptions—two in the
endzone—were fatal.
19/17/13 Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers staged a furious
comeback but failed to overcome the #10 Michigan State Spartans (4-1), 27-22. See
above for more.
20/18/21 Ohio State (4-1) The Buckeyes trounced the Maryland
Terrapins (4-2). 52-24. J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State Buckeyes had little
trouble with the Maryland Terrapins. Barrett threw for 267 yards and four TDs
while also rushing for a fifth. The Buckeye defense harassed the Maryland QBs
intercepting them four times and returning one 19 yards for a TD (Raekwon
McMillan). They also limited the Terrapins to just 66 yards on the ground.
21/23/NR Oklahoma State (4-1) The Cowboys beat the Iowa
State Cyclones (1-4), 37-20. It was 6-6 at the half—until the officials
overturned a call and awarded Desmond Roland a touchdown for the Cowboys making
it 13-6. (Roland would have a second TD run in the fourth quarter.) Then Tyreek
Hill returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for a TD making it 20-6. That
pretty much sums up the Cyclones day and their season. On the positive side,
E.J. Bibbs did have two TD catches for Iowa State.
22/21/23 Eastern Carolina (4-1) The Pirates flogged the SMU
Mustangs (0-5), 45-24. It was 21-0 early in the second quarter before SMU’s
offense got untracked. They matched the Pirates output from then on, but it was
too late. Shane Carden completed 31 of 41 attempts for 410 yards and four
touchdowns. The yardage gives Carden the school record for career passing
yards. Justin Hardy had 8 catches for 120 yards and three TDs while Isaiah
Jones had 9 catches for 130 yards and a score for the Pirates. Garrett Krstitch
was 42 of 67 for 339 yards and two TDs for the Mustangs.
23/22/19 Kansas State (4-1) The Wildcats routed the Red
Raiders of Texas Tech (2-3), 45-13. Jake Waters threw for 290 yards and four
TDs while running for 105 yards and a fifth TD. The run was on a 50-yard
keeper. Tyler Lockett made 12 catches for 125 yards and two TDs while teammate
Curry Sexton had nine catches for 128 yards and two TDs. For the Red Raiders,
Davis Webb threw for 247 yards and two TDs but was intercepted four times.
24/NR/24 Missouri (4-1) The Mizzou Tigers have the weekend
off.
25/25/20 TCU (4-0) The Horned Frogs upset the #4 Oklahoma
Sooners (4-1), 37-33. See above for more.
NR/24/25 Arizona State (4-1) The Sun Devils staged a furious
comeback to beat the #16 USC Trojans (3-2) 38-34. See above for more.
My Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-1) earned their first BIG Ten
win this week as they edged the Michigan Wolverines (2-4), 26-24. Michigan came
into this game with the nation’s ninth best defense allowing an average of just
283.4 yards in the five games. Gary Nova threw for 282 yards—in the first half.
He connected with Andrew Turzilli on an 80-yard TD and with John Tsimis on a 7-yarder
with seconds left in the half. Turzilli made a 14-yard TD catch in the fourth
quarter as Nova finished the night with three TDs on a 22 of 39 for 404 yards.
The three scores add to his school record (now at 74 TD passes) and the 404
yards passing is a career high. Oh, Nova was not intercepted. He had been
intercepted six times this year. Five of them in the Penn State game which was
Rutgers’ only loss. Defense played its part with one interception and several
sacks. (They lead the Big Ten in sacks.) Not to be left out, special teams
blocked a field goal attempts from 56 yards with 3:01 remaining. (Kemoke Turay
made the block…again.) Rutgers has 40 blocked kicks since 2009 best in the
nation. The second place team (San Diego State?) has 26.
In other news, Jared Goff threw for 527 yards and five
touchdowns for California which is a pretty good day, but opposing quarterback
Connor Halliday broke the NCAA passing record with 734 yards and SIX touchdowns
for Washington State. Still, Cal won the game 60-59 when Wazzou missed a field
goal from 19 yards out with 19 seconds left. Talk about a game of big plays!
Halliday had TD passes of 90 yards (to Vince Mayle) and 86 yards (to River
Cracraft). And for Cal, Trevor Davis had one hell of a night! He caught TD
passes of 27 and 51 yards to begin and end Cal’s scoring. BUT in between he
returned kicks 100 and 98 yards for TDs. The game must have left some folks
with sore necks from following the action and the referees on the sidelines
must have been gassed.
No comments:
Post a Comment