In Power Sweep LW we said LSU’s 2nd & 3rd stringers were more talented than NT’s 1st string and they produced a 21-0 margin in the 4Q to get the cover. LSU only led 35-3 after 3Q’s but 2nd string QB Flynn led 3 straight TD drives of 49, 54 and 67 yds as LSU got ahead of the spread with 9:54 left and added an insurance TD...
Two weeks ago Missouri’s offense took on an excellent Nebraska defense but was almost unstoppable rolling up 523 yds. Last week the Kansas D was phenomenal as in the 1Q, with a strong wind in their face, they even turned the ball over twice but the defense limited MO to 3 pts and 75 yds in the 1H and just 180 yds for the game. Spurred on by the KU defense, the Jayhawks were able to get a comfortable home dog outright upset win, 13-3 and thousands of Jayhawks fans stormed the field at the end of the game played in front of a near sellout crowd...
While Colorado led Kansas St 20-10 at the half, it was 20-20 when Colorado punted with just :55 left and KSU fmbl’d the punt on their own 26. That set up CU for the game winning 50 yd FG with :06 left as they escaped with the win. The game was played in winds that gusted up to 32 mph...
Usually when a head coach has his final home game there is a good-sized crowd and a lot of emotion. That was absent when Temple played Miami, Oh as the announced crowd was 11,257 but it appeared more like 2,200 were on hand. TU played with little emotion for their outgoing coach as MU rolled up a 506-195 yd edge and Temple heads for its first winless season since 1959...
NC State’s backfield is loaded with NFL caliber RB’s but Andre Brown, who is 6-2 220 and was PS#10 in 2004, stepped to the forefront this past week with 248 yds rushing, the 2nd most in school history on 32 attempts. NCSt went to backup QB Stone and he hit just 10 of 26 passes for 128 yds but Brown’s running allowed them to escape with a SU win, 21-17. NCSt had a 425-246 yd edge but as usual their mistakes left S Miss in the game...
Brian Calhoun rushed for 197 yds for the Badgers but amazingly Illinois had a season high 538 yds and were able to get the cover, only losing by 17 as a 21 pt home dog...Clemson came into last week’s game as the only Div IA team without a lost fumble but lost 3 vs Georgia Tech with one at the GT 8, another setting up a missed GT 47 yd FG and the 3rd with :49 left in the 1H setting up GT for a 33 yd FG which allowed them to tie it at 3...ULL led Troy 20-0 in the 3Q and 28-14 in the 4Q but allowed a TD with :21 left and won by a FG in OT to get the pointspread push...Miss St’s Jerious Norwood rushed for 121 yds vs Kentucky and became the school’s career leading rusher, topping Walter Packer (1976)...
Arizona QB Willie Tuitama (PS#32) is a true frosh who took off his redshirt last week and in his first career start on the road in Corvallis threw for 335 yds. OSU QB Matt Moore threw for 436 yds but the key was 6 int’s and a fmbl by Moore in a Corey Bramlet-type of game (7 TO’s vs TCU) as OSU lost at home. They trailed 23-10 at the half. Moore now has a 4-16 ratio in Pac 10 play.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES - In the 1H Colorado St, trailing 10-5, went for it on 4th down at midfield and was stopped and New Mexico would get two 1 play TD drives and led 25-12 at the half with a 316‑156 yd edge. CSU’s D took over the 2H holding the Lobos to 7 yds in the 3Q and 35 ttl yds in the 2H. CSU outscored NM 23-0 in the 2H and won 35-25 in the Friday night matchup.
BURN THE JERSEYS - Miami came out in green and gold uniforms circa 1967 and looked more like UAB or Baylor on the field. Their D played like it in the 1H as the #1 rated defense allowed 170 yds and N Carolina actually led 16-7 and dropped a wide open TD pass or would have led 23-7. In the 2H, UM’s D held NC to just 18 ttl yds with 14 of those coming on their final drive with the score 34‑16. UM’s offense may look potent in this game but their 4 scoring drives in the 2H were 26 yds (after 19 yd PR), zero yds with a blk’d punt for a TD, 5 yds (after fmbl) and 41 yds (after 27 yd punt).
POINTS LEFT OFF THE BOARD - Virg Tech could have beaten Boston College by a much wider margin but had some redzone failures. VT had a pair of long drives early but settled for FG’s from the 9 and 15 yd lines and only led 6-0 after the 1Q. After BC got a TD they actually trailed 7-6. They led 20-7 at the half but fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB, settled for a FG from the 14 and missed a FG from the 14 and despite 26-10 FD and 492-183 yd edges, “only” won 30-10.
TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY - Last week Michigan St blew numerous redzone opportunities vs Northwestern with TO’s and ended up losing big. Versus Indy, the TO’s went in their favor. Indy was int’d at the MSU 11, int’d at the 21, fmbl’d at the MSU 25, had a 1st & goal at the 1 but was int’d in the EZ and SOD at the MSU 20, basically leaving 35 pts off the board in the 46-15 loss to the Spartans, only being outFD’d 29-24.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN - Phil Fulmer had to be the world’s biggest Washington Redskins fan for the last couple of years but was likely not too happy when Spurrier decided to return to college coaching with S Carolina. Fulmer had never lost to SC and the last Tennessee coach who did (Johnny Majors) was forced out of his job six days later in 1992. Versus Bama UT fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB, taking away a shot at a TD and it happened again vs SC. On 3rd & 1 from the 13 in the 2Q, RB Foster fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB and UT led just 12-7 at the half. SC would come back in the 2H and finish with a 307-271 yd edge and won in Knoxville for the first time in school history...
Texas trailed Oklahoma St 35-7 2Q last year and then scored 42 unanswered pts for a 56-35 win at home. In 2003, OSU led 16-7 at home before UT had 41 straight pts in a blowout. This time UT could not score enough pts to overcome the large spread deficit as they actually trailed 28-12 at the half despite being a 37’ pt favorite. UT would take over in the 2H outscoring the Cowboys 35-0 and Vince Young set school records for the longest TD run by a QB and most ttl yds offense in a game as he had 267 yds rushing and 239 passing.
MISLEADING FINALS, FRONTDOOR AND BACKDOOR COVERS - Texas Tech appeared to beat Baylor 28-0 in a comfortable win. In actuality, Baylor outplayed TT for the first 3Q’s of the game until Guy Morriss lost it for him by bringing in backup QB Parks. In the 1H, TT got a pair of FG’s while BU was int’d at the TT 36, int’d at the TT 39 and missed a 35 yd FG so with 3 opportunities in the redzone to 2, BU still trailed 6-0. The 1st drive of the 3Q was amazing as BU appeared to score 2 TD’s and a FG on the same drive but ended up with zero pts. On 3rd & goal from the 5, a TD pass to Ziegler saw him get his right foot in but a ref ruled it incomplete. Morriss, rightfully threw the flag but the replay did not overturn it so BU settled for a 22 yd FG which they made. A running into the K penalty saw Morriss take the pts off the board and go for it on 4th & 2. RB Mosley ran to the right and back to the left and dove into the EZ for the TD, 7-6. Unfortunately, the ref spotted the ball at the 1. Morriss, watching the same play, threw the flag again. Amazingly again the review did not overturn it and they gave the ball to TT. BU’s next drive ended on an int at the TT 22. Their 5th drive in the redzone left them with 0 pts. They got the ball back but then Morriss lost the game for BU by bringing in backup QB Terrance Parks. They went 3 & out on the next 3 poss. The D, getting tired with Parks’ inefficiency, allowed a 50 yd TD pass on 3rd & 6 and then a 60 yd run by Henderson to set up a TD with 5:46 left. Parks was int’d at the 2 and ret’d 60 yds with 4:15 left and TT got a 32 yd drive for a TD with 2:48 left. BU ended the game at the TT 3 yd line and had a 20-17 FD edge...
Auburn and Mississippi were in a low scoring ball game and the Tigers led just 20-3 but Mississippi had to punt from its own EZ. Auburn, after punt catch interference, started at the Mississippi 25 with 6:19 left and got a TD 2 plays later for the frontdoor cover. Interestingly LY Tommy Tuberville said afterward “Their defensive front is the best we’ve seen” talking about the Reb’s D-line...
Arizona St was -17 and only led Washington 24-20 when they scored on a 10 yd TD pass with 5:04 left. After an int, ASU got a 10 yd TD run with 1:09 left for the frontdoor cover, 38-20 and then got a 58 yd IR for a TD with no time left on the clock for a very misleading 44-20 win, scoring 20 points in the last 5:04.
MIRACLE FRONTDOOR COVERS - Picture this scenario: You have a 13 point dog that has 9 drives inside the redzone during the course of the game. In fact, your home underdog only punts once all game. For the game they have a 27-17 FD edge. The opponent has drives get into the redzone twice all game. You have to feel pretty good that your team will cover, right? That is precisely what happened in the Hawaii/Fresno St game. UH had 9 trips in the redzone. On their first one QB Brennan on 3rd & 1 from the 15 had 10 yds of open field in front of him as he rolled to the right but instead decided to throw into the EZ where his pass fell incomplete. UH then faked a FG and was SOD. Their next drive they had an incomplete pass on 4th & 1 and it was 0-0 after 1Q. UH settled for a 34 yd FG and drove 80 yds in 6 plays for a TD on their 3rd & 4th drives into the redzone. On the 5th drive they had a 30 yd FG blk’d and they trailed 14-10 at the half as FSU had a 58 yd TD pass and a 49 yd run set up a TD. On their 6th drive in the redzone they settled for a 39 yd FG. Fresno punted on 4th & 12 but roughing the punter allowed FSU to continue on their best drive of the game, 59 yds in 13 plays on what should have been a 3 & out. UH had a 1st & goal at the 8 but was int’d at the 4. After punting for their only time in the game with 2:46 left, they had a 1st & goal at the 4, down by 7, but their 4th & 5 pass fell incomplete with 2:46 left. Fresno just wanted to run the clock and after getting 1 FD ran Mathis into the middle of the line but he broke through numerous missed tackles and raced 78 yds for the TD and the miracle frontdoor cover when they would have taken a knee had he gotten a FD. UH still had a shot and moved to a FD at the 17 yd line with :08 left and would have 2 shots into the EZ but naturally were int’d in the EZ on their 9th drive in the redzone.
ATTRACTIVE COACHING JOB - Coaches looking for an attractive job opportunity should look no further than San Diego St. Even TCU’s Coach Patterson all week long had stressed to the Frogs that this was not like their normal MWC game as the Aztecs had the athleticism to match up to them size and speed-wise. SDSt, once again, should have won a game but ended up losing thanks to a couple of questionable decisions. The Aztecs went for it on 4th & 1 at midfield early and threw a deep pass which fell incomplete. That would set up TCU for a 51 yd, 5 play drive for a TD. The Aztecs did miss a 35 yd FG and settled for 37 & 36 yd FG’s in the 1H and led 13-7. Up by 6, the Aztecs went for it on 4th & 3 at the TCU 37 and were int’d. That gave the Frogs momentum and they drove 55 yds in 6 plays for a TD and then 92 yds in 13 plays for a TD on their next drives to lead 20-13. The Aztecs had a 3rd & goal at the 2 but were int’d in the EZ with 9:28 left on a questionable throw by O’Connell in a game they could have easily have won. The Aztecs lost by 3 and have clinched a losing season and most likely the end of the Craft era at SDSt. Whoever the new coach is, they will inherit a team loaded with talent that has basically underachieved the last two years.
INJURIES OF NOTE - Maryland QB Sam Hollenbach did not start and played just 1 series but was ineffective. Joel Statham, who led the Terps’ upset of Florida St the previous year, did well hitting 15 of 29 for 177 yds and MD actually led FSU 24-14. It was 27-21 in the 4Q when FSU got a 4th & 9 pass interference call for a FD keeping the drive alive and then on 3rd & 13, QB Weatherford scrambled into the EZ for the TD to give them the lead and FSU pulled out the win, 35-27...
New Mexico St QB Royal Gill inj’d his ankle in the 1Q after hitting just 1 of 7 passes for 1 yd. Backup Vincent hit 27 of 43 for a career high 340 yds. It was a tough loss for NMSt as they led 24-14 in the 3Q and Idaho scored with 1:21 left to force OT. In the first OT, NMSt got an int of Idaho QB Wichman so they only had to score to win. WR Dubois caught a pass and headed for the EZ but as he dove for the goal line, he fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB. After each team scored a TD in the 2nd OT, Idaho went for 2 which NMSt stopped. Unfortunately NMSt was offsides and Idaho got a 2nd chance and converted for the 2 pts and the win...
Air Force starting QB Carney left after the 1Q with a cut on his hand and AF trailing 14‑7. Adam Fitch, in relief, did throw for 5 TD’s but the Falcons would trail 41-7 in the 3Q doing most of their damage late as BYU delivered another 4H Key Selection winner for Power Sweep (8-1 on the year!)...
Stevie Hicks ret’d from inj for Iowa St after missing a good portion of the season and rushed for 122 yds. WR Todd Blythe set an ISU record with 4 TD catches as ISU stunned Texas A&M in College Station, 42-14. ISU rolled up 549 yds offense. A&M actually had the 5th largest crowd in Kyle Field history but were sent to the exits early and that loss means the 5-3 Aggies will be an underdog in their final 3 games of which they need to win one to become bowl eligible...
Brian Cupito, who missed the Gophers previous game with an injury, hit 26 of 35 for 396 yds vs possibly the best defense in the country in Ohio St despite having to wear a brace. Cupito is one of 16 Ohio natives on the Gophers roster and the Gophers had a 578-449 yd edge but trailed 45-24 before getting a garbage TD in the final minute...
The Oklahoma offense had clearly been missing Adrian Peterson but he returned with a scintillating 36 yd TD run in the 1Q and finished with 146 yds rushing...Arizona St was without starting QB Keller but Rudy Carpenter hit 27 of 34 for 401 yds despite playing behind an injury depleted O-line...
Omar Jacobs did not play for Bowling Green and Anthony Turner hit 22 of 30 passes for 173 yds as Akron dealt BG the upset at home...
USC, which dropped to #2 in the BCS rankings had everyone talking about their injury-riddled D but they held a potent Wash St team which had been avg’ing 519 ypg and 39 ppg to just 13 FD’s and 13 pts. The folks who played the Over were hurt in this one as USC led 28-6 after the 1Q, almost half way to the 72 pt Total but in the final 3Q’s would only outscore WSU 27-7. Jerome Harrison, the 2nd leading rusher in the country, did rush for 147 yds for the Cougars.
SEASON OVER - Expectations were very high for Purdue at the beginning of the year as they were expected to go undefeated. They led Minnesota by 8 with 2:00 to go but gave up a TD and a 2 pt conversion then in the 1st OT allowed a 4th & 7 TD pass to keep UM hopes alive and ended up losing to the Gophers for the first loss of the season. On the way to the lockerroom after that loss, QB Brandon Kirsch uttered that basically the season was over. As it turns out, that would be prophetic as the Boilermakers would shoot themselves in the foot for the next 5 games and now their season basically IS over as they clinched a losing year and can no longer go to a bowl and have to be rated as the nation's biggest underachievers.
CARDIAC KIDS - UCLA has used up 4 of its 9 lives this year as they have had 4 double digit 4Q deficits trailing Washington by 10, Cal by 14 and Wash St by 17. They saved their best for last week trailing Stanford by 21 in the 4Q. They got 2 TD’s and then a 4th & 2 pass interference resulted in a FD at the 3 with 1:00 to go. They got a TD on the next play to force OT where they prevailed 30-27. SU led 24-3 despite not having starting RB Anthony Kimble who unexpectedly missed the game with injury and then their top WR, Bradford, hurt his ankle early in the game and was on crutches on the sideline.
