College Football: Week 8 Results

Week 8 of the college football season has come to a close and what a week it was! Upsets occurred left right and center. Sure, there were some blowouts as ranked teams beat up on lower ranked or unranked opponents, but there were some huge surprises as well. 

Numbers 3, 6, 7 8, 9, 11, 15, and 20 were among that that group. In addition, #22 Florida lost to a higher ranked team and Northwestern (among the extra teams) lost to a lower ranking team. As a result, we can expect all kinds of movement in the upcoming poll.

The numbers on the right are for the Associated Press, the Coaches’ Poll, the BCS standings and the CBSSports.com 126. NR means that the team was Not Ranked by that particular poll.

1/1/1/1 Alabama (7-0) The Tide predictably whupped the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-5) 52-0. Nothing unexpected here, AJ McCarron tossed three TD passes in three quarters of play. Kenyan Drake rushed for two TDs on eight carries for 104 yards and freshman Derrick Henry rushed for 11 yards on six carries including one 80-yard TD run in the final minute. Alabama rolled up 532 net yards to Arkansas’ 256.

2/2/2/2 Oregon (7-0) The Ducks rolled over the Washington State Cougars (4-4) 62-38. Connor Halliday threw 89 passes and completed 58 of them for 557 yards and four touchdowns for the Cougars but even that wasn’t enough to slow down the Oregon juggernaut. His four INTs didn’t help. Marcus Mariota threw for 327 yards and two TDs and scored a third on the ground. He, too, proved fallible as he fumbled twice—his first two turnovers of the season—and both lead to first-half touchdowns for Wazzou. Xaviar Cooper returned one of those fumbles 29 yards for a score. Terrance Mitchell returned one of Halliday’s INTs 51 yards for an Oregon TD. Washington State ran 101 plays for a net 559 yards and Oregon ran 77 for 719 net yards in a game that must have resembled a tennis match.

3/4/3/5 Clemson (6-1) The Tigers got a whipping from the #5 Florida State Seminoles (6-0) 51-14. Jameis Winston completed 22 of 34 passes for 444 yards and three TDs and ran for another. Tajh Boyd lost a fumble in the first quarter that was returned by Mario Edwards 37 yards for a Seminole TD. Boyd also tossed two INTs as Florida State dominated on both sides of the line.

4/3/5/3 Ohio State (7-0) The Buckeyes continued their winning ways downing the Hawkeyes of Iowa (4-3) 34-24. The Buckeyes trailed 17-10 at the half but stormed back behind the running of Carlos Hyde who finished the day with 24 carries for 149 yards and two TDs. Braxton Miller tossed two TD passes as he completed 22 of 27 for 222 yards and also rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries.

5/5/4/6 Florida State (6-0) The Seminoles trashed the #3 Clemson Tigers (6-1) 51-14. See above for more.

6/8/6/20 LSU (6-2) The Tigers got upset by the Rebels of Ole Miss (4-3) 27-24 when Andrew Ritter converted on a 41-yard field goal as time expired. The Tigers trailed 17-0 early in the third quarter but managed to tie the game with 3:19 remaining when Zach Mettenberger connected with Jarvis Landry for a 4-yard TD. Mettenberger had a rough day as he tossed three INTs including two in the endzone during the first half when LSU did move the ball well against a very inexperienced Ole Miss defense. Seems the rebels learned just enough during that first half, however. Mettenberger finished the day 19 of 33 for 274 yards and the tying touchdown. Bo Wallace, completed 30 of 39 for 346 yards had no INTs or TDs. Jaylen Walton rushed for 105 yards and two Rebel TDs.

7/7/8/11 Texas A&M (5-2) The Aggies lost a close one to the #24 Auburn Tigers (6-1) 45-41. It was no surprise that Johnny Manzeil and the Aggies’ offense scored 41 points. And it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the Aggies’ defense gave up 45. That both happened on the same day did spell defeat for the Aggies. Manziel completed 28 of 38 passes for 454 yards and four TDs—all of them to Mike Evans who had 287 yards receiving on 11 catches. Manziel also had 48 yards rushing—once you deducted the yards lost in sacks—and scored once on the ground. (His two INTs didn’t help the Aggies’ cause.) Still, it wasn’t enough. Auburn’s Tre Mason rushed 27 times for 178 yards and one TD and Nick Marshall 20 times for 100 yards and two TDs. Marshall also completed 11 of 23 passes for 236 yards and two TDs. Manziel hurt his throwing shoulder when he was sacked early in the fourth quarter and sat out a series as the trainers worked on him. When he came back, it was obvious that he was in considerable pain, but he still orchestrated a 70-yard drive that put the Aggies ahead—albeit temporarily—by a score of 41-38.

8/6/9/7 Louisville (6-1) The Cardinals fell to the UCF Knights (5-1) 38-35 on Friday evening. Blake Bortles (who?) out dueled Teddy Bridgewater and tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Godfrey with 26 seconds remaining to carry the Knights over the Cardinals. UCF trailed 28-7 midway through the third quarter but scored three TDs in a little over 7 minutes to tie it and then took the lead on a 34-yard Shawn Moffitt field goal. Louisville went reclaimed the lead with three minutes to go when Dominique Brown scored his second TD of the night from 15 yards out. The Knights went 75 yards to re-retake the lead and then held off the Cardinals final desperate attempt. Bridgewater completed 29 of 38 for 341 yards and a pair of TDs and James Quick returned a fumble 30 yards for a Louisville score in the losing cause. UCF’s Storm Johnson (love that name!) had 18 carries for 109 yards and a TD and also scored on a 20-yard pass from Bortles. William Stanback also scored two rushing TDs for the Knights.

9/10/7/12 UCLA (5-1) The Bruins lost to the #13 Stanford Cardinal (6-1) …again…24-10.  The Cardinal figured the best way to slow down the high scoring Bruins (averaging 45 points per game) was not to let them have the ball. To that end, they handed the ball to Tyler Gaffney again and again. Gaffney carried the ball 36 times for 171 yards and two TDs. Brett Hundley completed 24 of 39 passes for 192 yards, one TD and two INTs for the Bruins who had the ball for just 22:49 compared to the Cardinal 37:11.

10/11/11/13 Miami (Fla.) (6-0) The Hurricanes needed a TD with 16 seconds on the clock to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels (1-5) 27-23 on Thursday night. Miami trailed 23-13 in the fourth quarter before Dallas Crawford (33 carries for 137 yards) scored twice on short runs. Ladarius Gunter returned a blocked field goal 67 yards in the second quarter for a Miami TD. Miami QB Stephen Morris completed 19 of 35 attempts for 322 yards but also had four TDs matching his season total. Marquise Williams (4 of 7 for 98 yards and one INT) and Bryn Renner (28 of 36 for 297 yards and one INT) each tossed a TD pass for the Tar Heels while Eric Ebron had eight receptions for 199 yards.

11/9/12/17 South Carolina (5-2) The Gamecocks lost on a final play field goal by Michael Palardy of the Tennessee Volunteers (4-3) 23-21. South Carolina’s Connor Shaw suffered a knee injury that resulted in his sitting on the sidelines during the final five minutes. Shaw had been just 7 of 21 for 161 yards, one TD and one INT and 19 carries for 78 yards and a TD up to that point. South Carolina trailed 17-7 at the half but rallied to take a 21-17 lead before Palardy kicked a 33-yard field goal to tie and the 19-yarder to win as time expired.

12/12/13/9 Baylor (6-0) The Bears routed the Cyclones of Iowa State (1-5) 71-7. The Cyclones lone score came with 47 second left on the clock. They then had to kick off. At which point Corey Coleman returned the kick 97 yards for the final TD of the game and giving the Bears the 70^th of their 71 points. In five home games, Baylor has averaged 70.5 points per game. Levi Martin returned a punt 52 yards for a TD, Bryce Petty completed 23 of 31 passes for 343 yards and two TDs—both to Antwan Goodley—and rushed for a third, and Lache Seastrunk rushed 18 times for 112 yards and two TDs. Aaron Jones kicked three field goals and six extra points (Kyle Peterson kicked two and had one blocked) and seven different Bears scored TDs.

13/13/10/4 Stanford (6-1) The Cardinal beat the #9 UCLA Bruins (5-1) 24-10. More above.

14/14/14/22 Missouri (7-0) The Tigers roughed up the #22 Florida Gators (4-3) 36-17.  The Tigers lost their starting QB James Franklin to a dislocated shoulder last week but his replacement, Maty Mauk was up to the job. His second pass completion (on his second attempt) went for a TD to Buddy Sasser. Mauk also ran for a 17-yard TD for the final Mizzou score. In between, Andrew Bagget connected on field goals of 43, 19, 39, 33, and 28 yards, Henry Josey rushed 18 times for 136 yards and a TD and the Tigers’ defense shut down the Florida offense limiting the Gators to just 151 net yards. Solomon Patton returned a kickoff 100 yards for a Gator TD.

15/16/15/8 Georgia (4-3) The Bulldogs fell to the Vanderbilt Commodores (4-3) 31-27. Trailing 27-14 in the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt reeled off 17 unanswered points. An already depleted Georgia squad lost one of its key defensive players on targeting call and had saw the final Vandy drive extended on another. (That player was allowed to remain in the game after review.) Shaq Wiggins had a TD on a 39-yard interception return and Aaron Murray scored twice on the ground for the Bulldogs. Vandy held Murray to just 16 of 28 passing for 114 yards and no TDs.

16/15/16/19 Texas Tech (7-0) The Red Raiders remained undefeated as they beat the Mountaineers of West Virginia (3-4) 37-27. In an up-and-down battle, the Red Raiders trailed 27-16 in the third quarter before scoring 21 unanswered points for the win. Davis Webb completed 36 of 50 for 462 yards and two TDs to Jace Amaro and scored on a pair of one-yard runs for Tech. Dreamius Smith scored twice on the ground for the Mountaineers.

17/19/20/20 Fresno State (6-0) The Bulldogs trounced the Rebels of UNLV (4-3) 38-14. Derek Carr completed 33 of 48 for 412 yards and four TDs to Devante Adams (8 catches for 221 yards). Carr became only the third Fresno QB with 10,000 yards passing and set career school records for completions (849) and touchdowns (85)—and they’ve six more regular season games to go.

18/18/17/14 Oklahoma (6-1) The Sooners had little trouble defeating the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) 34-19. Sure, Kansas got out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter, but after that…. The Sooners’ defense held Jake heaps to just five (5) completions on 13 pass attempts for 16 (!) yards. They also scored a safety. And the Sooners’ special teams’ Aaron Colvin returned a blocked extra point for two points. Blake Bell tossed two TD passes and wide receiver Lacoltan Bester tossed a 49-yard TD pass to wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

19/20/18/24 Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies had this weekend off.

20/25/24/16 Washington (4-3) The Huskies got demolished by the Sun Devils of Arizona State (6-2) 53-24. The Sun Devils’ defense held Bishop Sankey to just 22 yards and one TD on 13 carries while limiting Keith Price just 16 completions of 39 attempts for 217 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile Marion Grice gained 158 yards and scored two TDs—he got a third on a 15-yard Taylor Kelly pass—on 21 carries for Arizona State. Taylor Kelly scored on two one-yard runs and Zane Gonzalez connected on field goals of 26, 22, 36, and 21 yards.

21/17/21/25 Oklahoma State (6-1) The Cowboys beat the TCU Horned Frogs (3-4) 24-10. The Cowboys did NOT play a clean game. Starting QB J.W. Walsh threw two interceptions in the first half before being replaced by Clint Chef. Chef went 10 of 25 for 178 yards and threw an interception of his own but led the Cowboys on two scoring drives (one TD one field goal) in the second quarter. Added to Josh Stewart’s first quarter 95-yard punt return that gave the Cowboys a 17-0 halftime advantage that they would not relinquish.

22/22/22/18 Florida (4-3) The Gators got manhandled by the #14 Missouri Tigers (7-0) 36-17. See above for more.

23/23/19/23 Northern Illinois (7-0) The Huskies play at the home of the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-5) 38-17. Jordan Lynch rushed 32 times for 316 yards—a record for an FBS quarterback. He scored three TDs on the ground. He also completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 155 yards and a TD.

24/NR/25/NR Auburn (6-1) The Tigers handed the #7 Aggies of Texas A&M (5-2) their second loss in a close one 45-41. See above for more.

25/NR/NR/NR Wisconsin (5-2) The Badgers had no problem beating the Fighting Illini of Illinois (3-3) 56-32. Melvin Gordon gained 142 yards and scored three touchdowns on 17 carries and James White scored two rushing TDs and one TD receiving for the Badgers.

NR/21/NR/NR Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers had the week off.

NR/24/23/15 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines outscored the Indiana Hoosiers (3-4) 63-47. Fitzgerald Toussaint scored on runs of 2, 7, 1, and 27 yards; Devin Gardner had TD runs of 13, 6 and 6 yards and also tossed TD passes to Jeremy Gallon of 21 and 50 yards for Michigan. Tre Roberson tossed TD passes of 33 and 5 yards (to Shane Wynn) and 67 yards to Kofi Hughes and ran for another TD for the Hoosiers.

NR/NR/NR/21 Northwestern (4-3) The Wildcats got beat by the Minnesota Gophers (5-2) 20-17. James Manuel’s 24-yard interception return gave the Gophers a third-quarter 14-7 lead they would never relinquish. David Cobb carried the ball 20 times for 103 yards for Minnesota.

College Football Week 8: Polls & Schedule

There was a lot of movement in the polls this week. A. Lot. Except for the very, very top that is. The top four are unchanged. The only other team in the same slot that it was in last week is #8 Louisville. Everyone else has moved. Such is the result of upsets and close calls.

This week will see at least one undefeated team fall. (#3 Clemson at 6-0 faces #5 Florida State which is 5-0.) Others play against one loss teams which may give them a run for their money. Only two of the 28 teams listed in the Top 25 ranks are idle this week and virtually all games are within conference so expect more changes next week.

The numbers on the right are for the Associated Press, the Coaches’ Poll, the BCS standings and the CBSSports.com 126. NR means that the team was Not Ranked by that particular poll.

1/1/1/1 Alabama (6-0) The Tide hosts the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-4). Nothing unexpected here. Bama rolls to another victory.

2/2/2/2 Oregon (6-0) The Ducks host the Washington State Cougars (4-3). The Ducks aren’t going to lose this one.

3/4/3/5 Clemson (6-0) The Tigers host the #5 Florida State Seminoles (5-0). Clemson has been stumbling a bit and had a tough time with BC this past weekend. FSU isn’t BC. The Seminoles can score behind the play of freshman QB Jameis Winston and they’ve had two weeks to get healthy and prepare for this game. Tigers are going to lose at home.

4/3/5/3 Ohio State (6-0) The Buckeyes will host the Hawkeyes of Iowa (4-2). Buckeyes win.

5/5/4/6 Florida State (5-0) The Seminoles head north to face the #3 Clemson Tigers (6-0). Pick the Seminoles and see above for why.

6/8/6/20 LSU (6-1) The Tigers head on the road to face the Rebels of Ole Miss (3-3). The Tigers are too deep and too talented for Ole Miss. It won’t be a rout but it will be an LSU win.

7/7/8/11 Texas A&M (5-1) The Aggies host the #24 Auburn Tigers (5-1). Johnny Manzeil does the job as the Aggies offense scores enough to defeat the Tigers…barely.

8/6/9/7 Louisville (6-0) The Cardinals host the UCF Knights (4-1) on Friday evening. Another chance for Bridgewater on a national stage. UCF has been playing good ball, but between Teddy and the defense, they will not win this one. Cardinals by 17.

9/10/7/12 UCLA (5-0) The Bruins play on the road against the #13 Stanford Cardinal (5-1).  Could be the best game of the week. Cardinal looks to rebound. The Bruins look for dominance in the PAC 12. Bruins may be luckier in their quest. Bruins in a close one 34-31.

10/11/11/13 Miami (Fla.) (5-0) The Hurricanes head north to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (1-4) on Thursday night. The Tar Heels get blown out by the Hurricanes.

11/9/12/17 South Carolina (5-1) The Gamecocks head west to face the Tennessee Volunteers (3-3). South Carolina will win but it won’t be easy for them. This will be closer than you might expect.

12/12/13/9 Baylor (5-0) The Bears will host the Cyclones of Iowa State (1-4). Baylor gets back to its high scoring ways. They put over 50 on the board in a lopsided win.

13/13/10/4 Stanford (5-1) The Cardinal host the #9 UCLA Bruins (5-0). Close game but the Cardinal flaws can and will be exploited. Bruins in a close one.

14/14/14/22 Missouri (6-0) The Tigers host the #22 Florida Gators (4-2).  The Tigers lost their starting QB Franklin to a dislocated shoulder and now need to rely upon second stringer Mauk to do the job. The Gators have struggled in games against better teams this year. They will face a defense that will be looking to help as much as possible. The Tigers win with both Mauk and the D doing the job they’re asked to do.

15/16/15/8 Georgia (4-2) The Bulldogs are on the road playing the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-3). Georgia rebounds against Vandy.

16/15/16/19 Texas Tech (6-0) The Red Raiders play on the road against the Mountaineers of West Virginia (3-3). It’s not been a good year for the Mountaineers. It won’t improve in this game. Raiders win on the road.

17/19/20/20 Fresno State (5-0) The Bulldogs host the Rebels of UNLV (4-2). Carr continues his winning ways as Fresno State rolls.

18/18/17/14 Oklahoma (5-1) The Sooners play at the home of the Kansas Jayhawks (2-3). The Sooners rebound against the Jayhawks.

19/20/18/24 Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies have this weekend off.

20/25/24/16 Washington (4-2) The Huskies head south to play the Sun Devils of Arizona State (4-2). The Sun Devils have played tough at home and the Huskies are heading into the Devils Den. They won’t come out unscathed. Arizona State wins.

21/17/21/25 Oklahoma State (4-1) The Cowboys host the TCU Horned Frogs (3-3). If Oklahoma State plays a clean game, they will squish the Frogs.

22/22/22/18 Florida (4-2) The Gators head west o play the #14 Missouri Tigers (6-0). Tigers over Gators…for the second week in a row. This time it’s Missouri. See above for more.

23/23/19/23 Northern Illinois (6-0) The Huskies play at the home of the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-4). NIU proves too much for the Chippewas.

24/NR/25/NR Auburn (5-1) The Tigers head to Texas to play the Aggies of A&M (5-1). Aggies. See above for more.

25/NR/NR/NR Wisconsin (4-2) The Badgers are on the road to play the Fighting Illini of Illinois (3-2). The Badgers came alive this past week. If they stay awake, they will rout the Illini. If they nap it will be close but the Badgers win.

NR/21/NR/NR Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers have the week off.

NR/24/23/15 Michigan (5-1) The Wolverines host the Indiana Hoosiers (3-3). Wolverines got taken by the Nittany Lions—4 OTs. They look to rebound against the Hoosiers—and will.

NR/NR/NR/21 Northwestern (4-2) The Wildcats host the Minnesota Gophers (4-2). Northwestern will roll over the Gophers.

College Football: Week 7 Results

Week 7 of the College Football Season was a week of upsets and near upsets. Critical losses by teams and of VIP players marked the week as one of turning points. Top Ten teams Stanford and Georgia lost and Clemson and Texas A&M had close calls. The rest of the teams weren’t immune from upsetitis either. #18 Michigan and #19 Northwestern went down to unranked opponents. As a result, this week’s rankings will see a lot of shuffling going on.

The numbers on the right are for the Associated Press, the Coaches’ Poll, the BCS standings and the CBSSports.com 126. NR means that the team was Not Ranked by that particular poll.

1/1/1/1 Alabama (6-0) The Crimson Tide got off to a slow start going scoreless in the first quarter (for the first time all season) but so did the Kentucky Wildcats (1-5). The difference is the Tide then began to click as they went on to rout the Wildcats 48-7. AJ McCarron was 21 of 35 passing for 359 yards but just one TD as the Tide scored from the ground. T.J. Yeldon had 16 carries for 124 yards and two TDs and Kenyan Drake had 14 carries for 106 yards and two TDs.

2/2/3/2 Oregon (6-0) The Ducks played the # 16 Washington Huskies (4-2) in an early game that allowed everyone to see what they are about. And that would be plenty as they manhandled a good Huskie team 45-24. Marcus Mariota showed why he should be on a lot of Heisman ballots with a 24 of 31 day for 366 yards and three TD passes AND 13 rushes for 88 yards and one rushing TD. Byron Marshall rushed for 106 yards and two TDs and Bralon Addison had 8 catches for 157 yards and two TDs for the Ducks. Bishop Sankey carried the ball 28 times for the Huskies gaining 167 yards and scoring two TDs on runs of 60 and 25 yards but it wasn’t nearly enough.

3/4/4/5 Clemson (6-0) The Tigers came from behind with a 14-0 fourth quarter to beat the Boston College Eagles (3-3) 24-14. Tajh Boyd scored the go ahead TD and then Vic Beasley scooped up a BC fumble and returned it 13 yards to seal the deal for the Tigers. Although the Eagles gave up twice as many first downs and net offensive yards, the defense bent but didn’t break for much of the game. Boyd was 30 of 44 for 334 yards but just one TD through the air. Clemson may have been looking ahead to this weekend’s game against #6 Florida State.

4/3/6/4 Ohio State (6-0) The Buckeyes had the weekend off.

5/5/2/3 Stanford (5-1) The Cardinal fell to the Utah Utes (4-2) 27-21. The Utes took a 21-14 lead into the halftime locker room and then held on for the win. Travis Wilson completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 234 yards and two TDs and James Poole had 22 carries for 111 yards and 7 catches for 75 yards for the Utes. Tyler Gaffney carried the ball 16 times for 108 yards and a TD while Ty Montgomery returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD. Montgomery also had 8 catches for 131 yards in the losing cause. Stanford will be dropping in the polls this week. The question is, how far.

6/6/5/6 Florida State (5-0) The Seminoles had the weekend off.

7/7/7/7 Georgia (4-2) The Bulldogs were upset by the #25 Missouri Tigers (6-0) 41-26. The Tigers may have won the battle but lost the war as starting QB James Franklin suffered a separated shoulder late in the game. Georgia has suffered from injuries itself but Aaron Murray has been masterful in keeping things going. Yesterday the hole was just too deep. Even so, Murray went 25 of 45 for 290 yards and three TDs.  The niftiest play of the day belonged to the Tigers. After Franklin left the game, Maty Mauk came in as QB. On the Georgia 40 yard line, he tossed an overhand lateral to Bud Sasser on the right sidelines. He, in turn, tossed the first pass of his career to L'Damian Washington in the end zone for a TD. It was Washington’s second TD catch of the day. Michael Sam returned an Aaron Murray fumble 21 yards for a TD.

8/8/10/8 Louisville (6-0) The Cardinals beat the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (4-2) 24-10 on Thursday night with a strong defensive performance. Playing in front of dozens of NFL scouts and on a national stage, Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t terribly impressive. Sure, he completed 21 of 31 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns but he fumbled and was intercepted late in the game to keep Rutgers alive. It was the defense that stepped up. They snatched four interceptions from RU’s Gary Nova and sacked him eight times.  

9/9/12/12 Texas A&M (5-1) The Aggies squeeked by the Ole Miss Rebels (3-3) 41-38 on a last second 33-yard field goal by Josh Lambo. The Aggies also survived a scare when Johnny Manziel rolled on the turf in apparent pain and clutching his knee early in the game. No worries, Manziel came back to throw for 346 yards on 31 completions out of 39 attempts and score two rushing TDs while rushing 18 times for 113 yards. Bo Wallace went 22 of 36 for 301 yards and three TDs for the Rebels

10/11/9/11 LSU (6-1) The Tigers beat the #17 Florida Gators (4-2) 17-6 behind a strong defensive performance that held Florida to just two field goals and the running of Jeremy Hill (19 carries for 121 yards).

11/13/11/9 UCLA (5-0) The Bruins beat the California Golden Bears (1-5) 37-10 in the late night, west coast contest that saw Brett Hundley go 31 of 41 for 410 yards and three TDs. UCLA Will be moving on up the charts this week…if anyone was able to watch them in action.

12/10/8/10 Oklahoma (5-1) The Sooners were finally beaten by the Texas Longhorns (4-2) and in convincing fashion 36-20. The Red River Rivalry. Texas’ Case McCoy (I mistakenly said his older brother, Colt, would start but he’s in the NFL now.) tossed two TD passes for the Longhorns. He also tossed and INT that was returned 54 yards by Geneo Grissom for a late Oklahoma score. The Longhorns’ defense also got an INT that Chris Whaley returned 31 yards for a TD and had Daje Johnson return a punt 85 yards for a TD. Texas held Oklahoma to just 263 yards net offense and 13 first downs while limiting the Sooners to 2 of 13 on third down conversions.

13/14/14/13 Miami (Fla.) (5-0) The Hurricanes had the weekend off.

14/12/13/18 South Carolina (5-1) The Gamecocks played on the road and routed the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-4) 52-7. Connor Shaw ran for one TD and threw for three more before giving over the helm to Dylan Thompson who also tossed a TD pass. Mike Davis rushed for 128 yards and a TD on 19 carries for the Gamecocks. Arkansas had just 30 yards passing and managed just 7 first downs. South Carolina also dominated the clock, holding the ball for 43:25 compared to Arkansas’ 16:35.

15/15/15/14 Baylor (5-0) The Bears had to come from behind—the first time they’ve trailed anyone this year—to beat the Kansas State Wildcats (2-4) 35-25. K-State held Baylor to just half its scoring average over the first four games. K-State held the ball for 39:24 compared to Baylor’s 20:36. K-State had 23 first downs to Baylor’s 15. K-State ran 80 plays to Baylor’s 59. BUT, Baylor doesn’t care about time of possession or any of the rest—and why should they, when the Bears’ Bryce Petty can connect with receivers like Tevin Reese (TDs of 93 and 54 yards) and Antwan Goodley (one TD of 72 yards) and hand off to Glasco Martin (one TD from 21 yards out). The longest Baylor drive was the first of the game and resulted in a 1-yard TD run by Bryce Petty. Daniel Sams didn’t throw a TD pass for K-State but he did rush 30 times for 199 yards and three TDs.

16/19/17/15 Washington (4-1) The Huskies host the #2 Oregon Ducks (5-0). Ducks over the Huskies.

17/17/19/19 Florida (4-2) The Gators fell to the #10 LSU Tigers (6-1) 17-6. See above for more.

18/16/16/16 Michigan (5-1) The Wolverines were upset by the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2) 43-40 in a game that went to four (4) overtime periods. With Michigan ahead by 7 and Penn State without a time out and only second remaining, 18 year-old Christian Hackenberg led the Nittany Lions on an incredible comeback drive with completions to Allen Robinson that put the ball on the Michigan one. From their Hackenberg dove in over right tackle for the tie.  The OT sessions were nail biting too. Missed (by both Sides) and blocked field goals (Michigan by PSU), lost fumbles (PSU) going for it on fourth down instead of kicking (PSU)….they had it all. Hackenberg ended the night 23 of 44 for 305 yards and three TD passes AND that QB sneak for a TD as time was running out. And the kid’s only a freshman? Devin Gardner was 15 of 28 for 240 yards and three TD passes and rushed 24 times for 121 yards for Michigan but he also tossed two INTs.

19/18/21/17 Northwestern (4-2) The Wildcats went on the road to face the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) and probably wish they hadn’t. The Badgers schooled the Wildcats 35-6. Melvin Gordon rushed for 172 yards on 22 carries including a 71-yard TD run for the Badgers and Joel Stave tossed three TD passes while going 17 of 28 for 241 yards.

20/21/18/23 Texas Tech (6-0) The Red Raiders beat the Iowa State Cyclones (1-4) 42-35. Freshman Davis Webb started in the place of injured Baker Mayfield for the Red Raiders. All the kid did was throw for 415 yards and three TDs while completing 35 of 56 attempts. DeAndre Washington (13 carries for 88 yards), SaDale Foster (9 for 87), Kenny Williams (17-80) provided ground support and each scored a TD for the Raiders. Jarvis West returned a kickoff 95 yards for the Cyclones.

21/22/23/21 Fresno State (5-0) The Bulldogs had this weekend off.

22/20/24/24 Oklahoma State (4-1) The Cowboys had the weekend off.

23/23/22/25 Northern Illinois (6-0) The Huskies managed to hold off the Akron Zips (1-6) 27-20. The Huskies were just 1 of 15 on third down conversions. This one was all Jordan Lynch for NIU. He completed just 16 of 35 for 220 yards but two were for TDs. He also led the Huskies in rushing with 83 yards and one TD. Jawon Chisholm rushed for two TDs for the Zips whose 10 penalties for 91 yards certainly hurt their chances for an upset.

24/25/25/NR Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies had to fight off a determined Pitt Panther team (3-3) but emerged victorious 19-9 in a defensive battle. The Hokies held Pitt to just 210 yards net offense while recording eight sacks. Pitt officially had just 23 yards rushing thanks to those sacks. Cody Journell’s four field goals (23, 37, 42 and 47 yards) proved the difference as Pitt also proved tenacious on defense.

25/NR/20/NR Missouri (6-0) The Tigers headed east to play the #7 Georgia Bulldogs (4-2) and came away with the upset 41-26. See above for more.

NR/24/NR/NR Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers were on the road to play the Purdue Boilermakers (1-5). The Huskers won 44-7. Ameer Abdullah rushed 20 times for 126 yards and a TD for the Huskers who had 251 yards on the ground.

NR/NR/NR/20 Arizona State (4-2) The Sun Devils trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (2-3) 54-13. Taylor Kelly completed 9 of 19 pass attempts for 233 yards and two TDs while running for a third to lead the Sun Devils.

NR/NR/NR/22 Maryland (5-1) The Terrapins edged the Virginia Cavaliers (2-4) 27-26 when Alec Vozenilek's 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 10 seconds remaining. Brandon Ross ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns for the Terrapins. Caleb Rowe, making his second career start for Maryland, completed 18 of 34 for 332 yards and the go ahead TD. Alec Vozenilek booted four field goals for Virginia (18, 26, 27 and 28 yards) while Brad Craddock connected on two (32 and 36 yards) for Maryland.

Quiet at the Aerie

Been kind of quiet around here with just me and the cats.

Terry was in Louisville for an Embroiderer's Guild of America convention. She returned last evening and said she had a good time but complained of a knot in her shoulder blades from holding her stitching materials too long.One of her classes was a beading class and she returned with a very pretty necklace.

She'll be hitting the road again next weekend heading to Texas (Smocking Arts Guild of America) and then California (Anaheim for Jess and north of SF Bay for her sister and niece). As we tend to do when not in a rush, she's driving. It's a great way to see the country and appreciate the beauty and size of the US of A. First she took her little yellow Aveo to Kentucky. Next, because she will have to haul some stuff out to Anaheim, she'll be taking the Jeep Compass. And the 4-wheel drive might be necessary as she heads up to American Canyon, CA before turning east and heading through the mountains and the plains to come home in early November.

Me? I'm the stay-at-home cat carer. I've also been rehabbing my knees (12-weks old tomorrow). And they are doing better now that I'm sure to do my exercises daily. I'm still having pain as I head down the stairs, but depending upon the day--and time of day--it's better. Going up stairs is much better but still slow going. Flat surfaces are a piece of cake and even walking over some uneven surfaces (the lawn, not the woods) is relatively painless.

This week I've two sessions of physical therapy, a visit to the surgeon (last follow-up session), an Audubon Club meeting, and the RV has to be taken to get a couple of things done. Other than that, there's not much happening.