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Posted 10/26/2009 at 07:15 AM
Some quick hits of what took place on the field this past week in the colleges.
The week started with a pair of dramatic comebacks. UTEP rallied from a double digit final quarter deficit to overtake Tulsa. Florida State played a sensational second half as they came from way down to get past North Carolina. On Saturday, the big comeback was by Northwestern. The Wildcats were trailing Indiana 28-3 in the second quarter, but scored 26 unanswered points, including a very late FG, to escape with a 29-28 win. Ball State also came from behind with 2 TD’s sandwiched around a safety as they nipped Eastern Michigan by a deuce. San Diego State was down 21-7 at halftime vs. Colorado State, and the Aztecs had lost their best WR to a wrist injury. But Ryan Lindley was awesome after halftime as SDSU outscored the Rams 35-7 in the second stanza en route to an impressive road win. The most important comeback was clearly the one staged by Iowa, as the unbeaten Hawkeyes scored a TD on the final play to defeat Michigan State.
There were also a trio of rallies that fell just short. Buffalo kicked a FG on the final play of regulation to force overtime at Western Michigan. But the Bulls missed a kick in the the extra session, and the Broncos made theirs for a dramatic win. Louisiana Tech dug themselves a hole at Utah State. But the Bulldogs had a chance to forge a tie with a successful two-point conversion. The Aggies turned them away, however, and held on a for the narrow win at Logan. The most noteworthy near miss was in the Tennessee-Alabama game. The Volunteers had two kicks blocked in the final quarter, including one right at the end of the game, and the Crimson Tide escaped with a 12-10 win. By the way, ‘Bama had better fix their pathetic red zone offense or they’re going to get knocked off by someone.
The bad beat of the week was absorbed by those wagering on Northern Illinois. The Huskies had the number covered against Miami Ohio. But the Redhawks hit a 24 yard TD pass on the last play to slip inside the number. The best game of the week had to be Clemson-Miami, which was one of those last time with the ball wins type of games. The Tigers ended up hitting a TD pass on a 3rd and 11 in overtime to get the victory over the Hurricanes in a classic shootout.
Finally, the worst performance of the week was unquestionably the one turned in by Nebraska. Iowa State was without their two best offensive players, and several Cyclones were physically ill with a nasty flu bug that infiltrated the team. But the Cornhuskers managed to blow the game as huge favorites thanks to one of the most inept efforts in that proud program’s history. Nebraska had an astounding eight turnovers in the game, including four inside the Iowa State five-yard line!
I’ll have a couple of special edition blogs the next two days with the focus on the start of the NBA season.
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