Editor's Note: Phil Steele of Northcoast Sports continues to kick out winners in college football, posting a 25-11 (69%) mark for a profit of $1,290 after five weeks. Don't miss out on Saturday's winners or better yet, his discounted Season Package!
WEEK 6
Colt Brennan may have hurt his Heisman chances throwing 5 int's vs Idaho but Hawaii still won comfortably, 48-20...
Texas Tech DC Lyle Sentencich stepped down this past week after Tech allowed 49 points to Oklahoma St. Their new DC is Ruffin McNeill who was the DC at UNLV in '98 and at Appalachian St from '94-'96...
A&M dominated the Baylor game even more than the final would indicate with 31-7 FD and 552-254 yd edges. Baylor came in avg'ing 441 ypg but had just 2 FD's at the half. A&M missed their 3rd FG of the game to start the 4Q up 20-3 and BU got a 68 yd pass to the 4 setting up a TD and actually got under the spread, 20-10 with the ball back with 12:08 left. After BU punted, A&M drove 58/11pl for a TD to get ahead of the spread with 5:39 left, 27-10 and after a fmbl A&M drove 59/7pl for another TD, 34-10 (1:42)...
For the 2nd year in a row, Duke took Miami to the wire. While UM controlled the 1H with a 233-122 yd edge and scored on their first 2 poss, it was just 10-0 at the half. When Duke got a TD with 9:46 left they made it 17-14 and UM was SOD at the Duke 32. Duke got to the UM 30 threatening to take the lead but was sk'd on 4th & 5 and 2 plays later UM got a 33 yd TD pass for some breathing room...
Iowa St had not won in Lincoln since 1977. The Huskers turned the ball over on their first 3 poss and were called for a number of bad penalties while falling behind 10-0 but rallied for a 35-17 win...
Kent St's Eugene Jarvis rushed for 230 yds vs Ohio and like last week, Kent St dominated the game but this week they hung on for the win leading 27-10 after 3Q's...
Louisville bounced back nicely from their embarrassing loss to Syracuse holding NCSt to 334 yds and forcing 5 TO's in their 29-10 win...
Pitt onside kicked to open vs Virginia and in the 1H the two teams had a combined 5 TD's with UVA leading 30-7 but the TD drives were 39, 51, 26, 21 and 28 yds with special teams setting up the short field on all 5...
In the 1H Northwestern had a 308-153 yd edge over Michigan but missed some key scoring opportunities and only led 16-7. Surprisingly Michigan started QB Henne and he led them to a TD on the opening poss but then true frosh Mallett played the rest of the 1H but generated zero points. Henne QB'd the 2H and the Wolves took the lead with 9:53 left and even ended the game on the NW 15 yd line...
Bobby Bowden, who played at Alabama, got a victory over his old school, 21-14. Florida St was in a great situational edge with the Tide off 2 games that came down to the last minute while FSU was off a bye...
Arkansas-Pine Bluff came in just 1-3 in IAA ball and almost got the week's IAA upset as they took New Mexico St to the wire. NMSt needed a FG with :01 left to pull out the 20-17 win...
Last week Cincinnati was ranked for the first time in 31 years and then moved to 5-0 for the first time since 1954 when they whipped San Diego St 52-23. They have now outscored their first 5 opponents 232-53 and still lead the nation in TO margin...
Louisiana Tech lost their 3rd straight game despite a 21-14 FD edge vs Fresno and having just 1 pen and zero TO's yet still lost by 11...
Tulsa appeared on their way to a big win and amassed 695 yds vs UAB leading 38-16 in the 4Q but allowed 2 late drives for TD's. Surprisingly after UAB pulled within 8 they did not onside kick and Tulsa got 3 FD's and ran out the clock...
Arkansas piled up 713 yds vs N Texas in their 66-7 rout despite RB McFadden only playing the 1H. Only 66,343 were on hand, the smallest crowd in Fayetteville since 2005...
New Mexico was done in by 5 TO's vs BYU with 2 int's and 3 fmbl's lost...
Thomas Brown rushed for 180 yds for UGA and helped them break open a game that was tied 17-17 in the 3Q as UGA finished with 328 yds rushing. UGA backup Munzenmaier even tacked on a TD with :44 left. At the half UGA had just a 266-236 yd edge...
Penn St drove deep into Illini terr four times in the 2H and all but one ended in a TO. IL got a 90 yd KR TD in the 1Q. Anthony Morelli appeared to get the key FD on 4th & 13 running inside the Illini 10 but he fumbled with 2:12 left and Morelli's final pass was int'd at the 9 on their next drive.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Two ranked teams lost to the same opponent for the 2nd straight year as Florida lost to Auburn and Texas to Kansas St and the Longhorns cannot cry about playing without an injured Colt McCoy this time (see Blown Opportunites)...
Purdue for the 2nd straight week had a huge halftime lead over an outmanned foe. Last week they led Minnesota big but only won by 14 giving up some late yards. Versus Notre Dame, Purdue led 23-0 at the half and appeared on their way to a blowout. They once again let up and the Irish, which came in avg'ing just 137 per game, would pile up 426 yds with all but 130 in the 2H and actually made a game of it closing to within 26-19 before PU got a TD. Jimmy Clausen was inj'd and Evan Sharpley came off the bench hitting 16 of 26 for 208 yds.
KEY PLAYS OF THE WEEK
Iowa St trailed Nebraska 21-10 in the 3Q and went on a 13 play drive but was not only int'd they were ret'd 93 yds for a TD and instead of pulling within 3, they trailed 28-10. Trailing 28-17 NU got a 41 yd IR to the 3 setting up a TD with 2:25 left and ISU had 20-17 FD & 415-369 yd edges...
Arizona St led just 6-0 late 2Q when they got a 62 yd TD pass and then on the next play from scrimmage got a 29 yd IR TD to make it 21-0 late 2Q and rolled to a 41-3 win. The two TD's came within a span of :09 and ASU is off to their third 5-0 start since 1982...
Houston trailed E Carolina 37-35 but drove for the game winning FG and with 1:55 left missed it from 37 yards. They got the ball back, drove down again and this time with :08 left missed a 38 yd FG and EC hung on for a 37-35 road upset despite Houston having a 484-329 yd edge.
BLOWN OPPORTUNITIES SOMETIMES EQUAL 2H BLOWOUTS
A few weeks back there were numerous underdogs which should have been leading at the half but were not and in the 2H, those close games turned into blowouts. That happened again this past week with Akron and Connecticut. Akron settled for a 28 yd FG after a 69/13pl drive. They got a TD with 4:04 left in the half to lead 10-9 but UC returned the KO 97 yds for a TD. UA then drove 50/11pl and had a 2nd & goal at the 3 with :33 left but their QB was tackled inbounds and they did not get another play off and despite a 170-151 yd edge, they trailed by 6 at the half. Zips QB Jacquemain was pushed OOB but the refs ruled his forward progress stopped and UA did not realize the clock was running and UA lined up for a FG as the UC players were running to the lockerroom.The 2H turned into a blowout and UC got the cover, 44-10...
Texas came in ranked #7. In the 1H they did have a 183-166 yd edge but gave up a 41 yd IR TD, an int set up a 32 yd FG and they also gave up a KR TD and trailed 24-14. UT pulled within 24-21 but KSU, after an int, drove 13 yds for a 44 yd FG then got an 89 yd PR TD to lead 34-21 after 3Q's and the Cats went on to win comfortably beating UT for a 2nd straight year.
INJURIES OF NOTE
Idaho played most of the game vs Hawaii w/o RB Deonte Jackson who came in leading the WAC in rushing. He was listed as doubtful but had 7 carries for 47 yds only playing in the 4Q...
Iowa was missing 4 starters vs Indiana due to injuries as they were missing their top 2 receivers in WR Brodell and TE Moeaki as well as their leading tackler, LB Klinkenborg and S Moylan. Indy was w/o starting WR Bailey who was susp for the game. Iowa had 428-395 yd and 22-17 FD edges but lost at home...
W Virginia star QB Pat White was inj'd late 1H vs USF. It probably wouldn't have affected the outcome, however, as USF was in control and led 14-3 at the half and took their opening drive of the 3Q for a TD, 21-3. The game did have a misleading box score as USF was clearly in control but WV, after trailing big, rallied for some scores and ended up with a 437-274 yd edge. The stats are very surprising because watching the game it appeared USF was in control throughout...
NCSt QB Harrison Beck was inj'd with 5:01 left in the 3Q and did not return...
Middle Tennessee was without their starting QB for a 2nd straight week but frosh Dwight Dasher led the team to 47 points in the 1H vs Florida Int'l and MSTU finished with a 405-145 yd edge. FIU's only TD came when MT mishandled a punt snap in the EZ.
MISLEADING FINALS, FRONTDOOR AND BACKDOOR COVERS
UCLA appears to have had a blowout win over Oregon St at 40-14. OSU led 14-0 after 1Q and 14-6 at the half. They led in the 4Q when UCLA's stagnant offense got a screen pass to Breazell that he broke 3 tackles and raced 69 yds for a TD. OSU amazingly fmbl'd the next 3 KO's, setting up TD drives of 21 & 39 yds and then after a blk'd punt UCLA drove 21 yds for a TD giving them four 4Q TD's with the longest drive being 5 plays...
Florida Atlantic moved the ball well vs Kentucky and appeared to have the cover well in hand. The game was 38-17 after an FA TD with 6:53 left and UK punted with 5:14 left only up by 21. FA was not only int'd, but ret'd 21 yds for a TD with 4:27 left and the Wildcats got the frontdoor cover. FA got to the UK 31 but a 4th & 1 run was stopped short and UK held on...
Special teams were a key in Army's 37-21 win over Temple. The Cadets got an 88 yd KR TD on the opening KO and later an 85 yd PR TD. It was tied 21 at the half and Army added a 69 yd TD pass in the 4Q but Temple had a 463-329 yd edge but also had 5 TO's and the 2 ST TD's allowed...
It appears C Michigan blew out N Illinois 35-10 but NI did have 28-21 FD and 521-381 yd edges. Here is a litany of NI's problems in the game which turned this into a blowout: They went on a 17 pl drive but settled for a 21 yd FG and missed it. They fmbl'd at the CM 1, allowed a 90 yd KR TD, fmbl'd the ensuring KO which set up a 28 yd TD drive and went on a 16 play drive but settled for a 25 yd FG and trailed 35-10 at the half. In the 2H NI was SOD at the CM 12, int'd at the CM 44, 13 and 3 & 32 yd lines and SOD at the CM 3...
Utah was not dominant as they needed a fake punt to set up a TD and got a 75 yd PR for a TD but still led 34-10 late 4Q before Utah St went on a long drive for a TD and 2 pt conversion with 2:33 left to give the Aggies the backdoor cover...
UNLV got a TD on 4th & 10 with 1:02 left to tie it at 20, apparently clinching the cover with Nevada needing just a FG for the win but the Wolf Pack got a 33 yd TD pass with :27 left for their 12th straight cover as a home favorite. UNLV did get to the Nevada 18 yd line but on the final play overthrew 2 rec's in the EZ and was also called for holding...
Mississippi St appeared to have the S Carolina game completely under control leading 21-17 in the 3Q as SC missed a 50 yd FG however SC blk'd a punt and got a TD on the next play to take the lead. After getting another TD in the 4Q SC took over with just 3:22 left trying to run out the clock from their own 36. They got a 25 yd run by Boyd to the 28 and then on 3rd & 2 when a FD would have ended the game got a 12 yd Davis TD run for the frontdoor cover with :58 left.
POINTSPREAD PLAYS OF THE GAME
Colorado St was a 10 or 10' pt dog vs TCU. They trailed 24-6 when at the start of the 4Q they got a 54 yd TD pass. CSU went for 2 which would have pulled it within 10 but failed and they did not score again losing by 12 to TCU.
TOP TEAMS STRUGGLING
Many top teams either lost or struggled with almost all the big boys falling into that category including #1 USC. Washington came out in uniforms that looked like Notre Dame wearing dark blue and gold jerseys and plain gold helmets matching the 1960 team which beat #1 Minnesota in the Rose Bowl, the only time UW beat a top ranked foe. USC did have a 460-190 yd edge and led just 17-14 at the half. At 27-17 UW blk'd a punt setting up a TD with :34 left but USC rec'd the onside kick...
#2 LSU - they actually trailed Tulane 9-7 before getting a FG on the final play of the half for a 10-9 lead. LSU did get a 22 yd 3Q drive for a TD after a fmbl and after an int drove 76/8pl for a TD to get some breathing room in a 34-9 win that was closer than expected...
#3 Oklahoma - Unlike the other ranked teams that fell, OU appeared to have their game in hand. OU led 24-7 late 3Q. OU fmbl'd the punt with 4:44 left on their own 16 setting up CU's tying 15 yd TD pass with 4:05 left then punted and CU got a 45 yd FG on the final play to pull out the win...
#4 Florida - had an 11 game winning streak and had won 18 in a row in The Swamp but both of those streaks were snapped by an Auburn team that came in at just 2-2. UF was held to 312 yds total offense despite Quentin Groves missing a good portion of the game with an inj'd right foot. AU led 17-3 but needed a 43 yd FG as time expired for the upset...
#6 California. The Bears had the toughest test facing #11 ranked Oregon on the road. The Ducks appeared on their way to the win leading by 7 most of the game but needed a TD to tie it with 7:06 left. UO forced a punt but then threw an int which led to a Cal TD. The Ducks immediately came down the field for what appeared to be the tying TD with :22 left but WR Colvin reached the ball out and it came loose and was ruled a TB and Cal escaped winning at Autzen Stadium for the first time since 1987 breaking a 7 game losing streak there...
#8 Ohio St - No struggle here as the Buckeyes had 459 yards and finished a perfect 11-0 in the Metrodome with Michigan being the only other team UM did not defeat in the dome as they move to a new stadium next year...
#9 Wisconsin. Mich St rolled up 564 yds vs the Badgers as UW had their 4th unimpressive win out of 5 games...
#10 Rutgers - Moved into the top 10 for the 2nd time in school history and just like last year, lost. We used Maryland as the as a play on Saturday and the Terps appeared in control leading 14-3 but missed a 39 yd FG with 1:41 left in the half. RU got a TD with :52 left then amazingly got the ball back with :29 left trying for a FG but ended up with a TD and a 17-14 halftime lead. The Terps finished with a 24-19 FD edge and 239 yards rushing and 219 passing in their 34-24 road win...
#13 Clemson - Missed an amazing 4 FG's, had a punt blk'd that set up GT's only TD, fumbled the KO setting up a FG and had a TD called back b/c of a personal foul penalty gave GT an extra shot at TD after pass interference in the EZ and lost to GT 13-3 on the road.
FOOTBALL IS 60:00
Memphis appeared to ice their game vs Arkansas St when they got an 88 yd FR for a TD with 1:00 left in the 1H and led 31-6. An 89 yd PR helped spark ASU in the 2H. They pulled to within 31-21 after 3Q's and scored on their first 2 poss of the 4Q for a 35-31 lead. UM had a 75 yd PR for a TD called back on penalty with 3:16 left and their final 2 drives were SOD at the ASU 30 (3:16) and their own 45 (:49). Tough break for UM as this was a rescheduled game making them play on a Saturday, followed by a Thurs and then again Tuesday for an amazing 3 contests in 11 days.
