NCAA News and Notes

[JEFF]

From Phil Steele ... he always has some good info in here

Houston dominated E Carolina in the Tuesday night game and got off to their best start since 1990 at 4-1. They had a 437-200 yd edge and settled for 21 and 22 yd FG's but were in control throughout...

Nothing fluky about Utah's upset of Oregon in the Friday night game. Utah had a 466-357 yd edge and had 3 trips inside the 10 yd line result in just 3 points in the 1H missing short 24 and 22 yd FG's and at the end of the game were SOD on 4th & a foot from the goal line or it could have been more decisive. Oregon's only TD drive was kept alive by a fake punt...

Gator HC Ron Zook is now 11-8 as head man and his team fell to .500 at the latest point in the season since they were 6-6 in 1987. Florida passed for just 234 yds vs an Ole Miss defense that had yielded 661 yds the week before and came in the #117 pass defense in the country...

NCSt's Philip Rivers set an ACC record with his 14th 300 yd game but it came during garbage time. Rivers had just 278 yds passing when Georgia Tech punted with 1:26 left in the game leading 29-13. Rivers got 66 yds passing in the drive for a garbage TD with :06 left...

Mississippi State snapped a 9 game SEC losing streak and dealt Vandy their 20th straight SEC loss. MSU led 17-7 at the half and 27-14 after 3Q's holding off several late VU drives and had 203-95 rushing yds...

Rutgers drove 29 yds for a TD after a muffed punt to lead 7-0 vs Virg Tech. It was the first time all season VT had trailed. VT got 81, 53, 63 and 58 yd TD drives then added a 55 yd int return for a TD, 35-7 at the half. They were ahead of the spread 41-7 after a 79 yd drive but had consecutive int's, the first started an 88 yd TD drive by Rutgers, the second was returned 47 yds for a TD. Rutgers pulled within 41-22 and eventually got the cover...

W Michigan was leading the NCAA with 363 ypg passing but was held to 93 yds passing in the 1H by E Michigan and trailed 3-0. They finished the game with 15 FD's but got 3 long TD drives in the 2H before getting their final 10 points off turnovers including a 1 play, 16 yd TD pass after an int with just 2:49 left...

Oregon St had a 493-237 yd edge against Cal. In the 1H Cal got a 72 yd int return for a TD and had a 75 yd drive kept alive by three 15 yd penalties and managed to stay within 28-14. RB Steven Jackson rushed for 227 yards which was the second straight year he topped 200 vs Cal and QB Derek Anderson, who had struggled in his previous road starts, hit 18 of 27 for 224 yds...

San Diego St and BYU used to always play in high scoring games but their series has been low scoring as of late and the Total on their game was actually 39' as both have played solid defense with little offense. Big plays were the key as the teams combined for 80 points. There were 3 fumble returns for TD's, 95, 70 and 55 yd TD plays and scoring drives of 39, 17, 19 and 19 yards set up by turnovers. SDS WR Jeff Webb had 10 catches for 253 yds, the most receiving yards by a player in the NCAA this year and the Aztecs got back QB Adam Hall who had missed the previous 5 weeks and he threw for 352 yds...

Oklahoma QB Jason White tied a school record with 5 TD passes and threw for a career high 384 yds. OU dominated Iowa St with 35-10 FD and 613-234 yd edges and ISU only avoided the shutout with a 77 yd int return off backup QB Paul Thompson. OU got another KR for a TD, this one by Mark Bradley, a 100 yd return and their star returnman and CB Antonio Perkins was hurt with 8:20 left in the game, which is surprising that he was in the game that late...

"We were physically dominated early and never really had a chance to get into the game," said Illinois Coach Ron Turner and that sums up the Illini's 43-10 loss to Purdue in which PU had 533-191 yd and 29-11 FD edges...

Bradlee Van Pelt had tried to become more of a pocket passing QB in recent games but the Rams record dropped to 2-3 and Sonny Lubick said he should take more advantage of running opportunities. Van Pelt rushed for 154 yds on 13 carries and that was the key difference in Colorado St's 34-10 win over Fresno St at home...

Oklahoma St trailed 3-0 after 1Q and WR Rashaun Woods, who had 7 TD rec's vs SMU, was held to 2 receptions for 37 yds. ULL also had 20 FD's and 347 yds despite averaging just 237 ypg coming in. OSU got the 56-3 win thanks, in part, to 78 and 59 yd PR's for TD's by Darrent Williams and still managed to get the cover....

Penalties were big for Memphis as they roughed the passer twice and the kicker once to keep different UAB drives alive and also had a couple of 15 yd personal fouls set up other TD's and despite a 20-16 FD edge they lost to UAB 24-10 at home.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS - Texas Tech's BJ Symons has had an incredible three game stretch. He set yet another Big 12 record vs Texas A&M with 8 TD passes and threw for 505 yds despite leaving the game with 11:48 left. It was his 3rd straight 500 yd game and he fell just 47 yds short of the 3 game NCAA record for passing yds of 1,798 set by David Klingler. His feat is even more impressive due to the opponents played in NC State, Mississippi and Texas A&M who are all bowl caliber squads.

MISLEADING FINALS - Cincinnati had a 20-8 FD edge vs S Miss and 319-200 yd edge. SM started true frosh Damion Carter but backup Dustin Almond, who looked so poor against Nebraska, led the team on a 48 yd drive for a FG at the end of the half and a 64 yd drive at the end of the game for a FG for a 22-20 win. During the game SM scored on a 94 yd KR for a TD and a 3 yd drive for a TD after a fumble...

Georgia only defeated Alabama 37-23 but dominated much more than that. UGA built a 37-10 lead at the half which was more pts than the Bulldogs had scored on Bama in any of the previous 62 games. It was also the most pts given up at half since 1933. Bama QB Spencer Pennington started but Shula brought in the injured starting QB Brodie Croyle and he got knocked out of the game in the 3Q with the team trailing by 27. Bama was down to 3rd string Brandon Avalos and got a 30 yd int return for a TD and 10 yd fumble return for a TD to make the final appear closer...

One week after Kent benefitted from 8 UCF turnovers it was turnovers that did KSU in against Ball St. KSU had 21-16 FD and 365-302 yd edges and 17-14 lead in the 3Q. BSU took advantage of 4 KSU TO's including a fumble return for a TD and got the win on the road, 34-17.

 

[JEFF]

part two

part two

Michigan appeared on their way to getting revenge for the previous year's 34-9 loss to Iowa. They dominated the 1H vs the Hawkeyes and had a 290-118 yd edge and a firm 20-10 lead when they punted with 1:46 left in the half. Iowa ret'd the punt 43 yds to the 18 and a personal foul moved it to the 9. They would get a TD with :19 left to pull within 20-17. After an int in the 3Q Iowa got a 25 yd FG then after blocking a punt added a 32 yd FG to take their first lead. After an exchange of TD's, UM had the ball back down by 3 and got to the Iowa 44 but their 4th & 4 pass fell incomplete and the Wolves lost despite a 463-295 yd edge...

Washington dominated the 1Q vs UCLA. Early in the 2Q they had a 12-1 FD edge and a commanding 13-0 lead. UW had outscored their opponents 79-20 in the 2H on the season so the lead looked strong as it was 16-7 at the half. In the 2H UW turned the ball over 4 times with a fumble being recovered for a TD and a 24 yd int return. UCLA also got an 11 yd drive for a TD with 2:05 left to add to the score. Despite UW having a 23-17 FD edge they were pummeled by 30 points in a turnover plagued 2H...

Arizona State drove 80 yds for a TD to open the 3Q and not only led the game 17-10 at this point they had a 17-8 FD edge and were getting double digits. USC had played the 2Q without QB Matt Leinart but he returned and guided the team to a 27-17 lead in the 3Q and USC actually got ahead of the spread with 8:35 left on a FG and then Arizona St went for it on 4th & inches at its own 29 and was stopped and USC tacked on a late TD for the final 20 point margin...

Texas was on top of Kansas State 17-3 at the half and appeared on their way to a rout. Unfortunately they gave up a 39 yd drive for a TD early 3Q and then had a punt blocked for a safety and actually trailed 20-17. UT HC Brown made a gutsy 4th & goal from the 1 call when a FG would have tied it with 5:19 left. Backup QB (soon-to-be-starter) Vince Young took it in for a TD and UT won a big game but did not cover...

UL Monroe led Arkansas St 23-9 at the half and had a 309-105 yd edge. ULM RB Kevin Payne had 227 total yds and QB Steven Jyles would have 330 yds passing. The game turned when Arkansas St RB Shermar Bracey, who rushed for 176 yds, got a 71 yd TD run down the sideline and 2 plays later an int was returned to the 5 and they got a TD to tie. ASU took its first lead of the game with 9:51 left and pulled out the 44-41 win despite ULM finishing with a 28-16 FD edge...

New Mexico St appeared on the verge of blowing out Idaho leading 28-0 early in the 3Q. Idaho QB Brian Lindgren recaptured his starting job and threw for 256 yds including a game wining TD pass with :14 left and Idaho overcame the 28 point deficit vs NMS. NMS fumbled at the Idaho 7 with 1:09 left in the game and Lindgren led the Vandals on a 94 yd, 9 play drive that ended the Aggies 7 game home win streak...

Louisiana Tech led Boise St 23-16 at the half and appeared on their way to an outright upset but Boise came back in the 2H and actually took a 43-30 lead before LT got a 19 yd TD pass with 3:12 to go for the backdoor cover...

Buffalo had 216 yds offense in the 1H but just 55 in the 2H vs UCF. UCF starting QB Ryan Schneider was out and backup QB Jon Rivera rushed for 89 yds but hit just 6 of 14 passes for 59 yds, the lowest total passing in Kruczek's tenure. UCF did finish with a 22-13 FD edge but needed a 52 yd PR for a TD to extend the margin in the 3Q and only won 19-10.

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO (ALMOST ONE) - Heading into last week there were four non-BCS conf teams that were unbeaten but two and almost three, went down to losses this past week. N Illinois was the biggest dragon slayer of the non-BCS schools already beating Maryland and Alabama but struggled vs Ohio U. WR PJ Fleck had a school record 234 yds receiving, none more important than his 4th & 4 catch in the EZ where he dragged his foot in a great catch with 1:42 left to tie the game at 23 and force OT where NI got the win and were able to stay unbeaten. Ohio played almost the entire game without QB Fred Ray who was injured on their 7th play...

Louisville was on the verge of breaking into the Top 25 as they were undefeated but despite leading S Florida 21-14 in the 4Q they gave up a TD with :10 left to force OT. Each team scored a TD in the first OT but L'ville was int'd at the 8 and SF got a 26 yd FG to extend the nation's 2nd longest home winning streak to 21 games and end UL's undefeated season...

TCU QB Tye Gunn returned for 4 series in the 1H vs Army guiding the team to 2 FG's and a 6-0 lead. Brandon Hassell played most of the 2H. TCU managed to stay unbeaten with a lackluster 27-0 win but did have a 447-204 yd edge and 20-10 FD edge vs Army.

TROPHY GAMES - There are a lot of trophy games but probably none more significant than The Commander In Chief Trophy between the service academies. Air Force has taken some of the fun out of it by winning the trophy almost every year. The last time Navy won the trophy (which is won but beating both of the other service academies) was in 1981 but they took a huge step with their 28-25 upset of Air Force. Navy led that game 28-18 and were SOD at the AF 27 with 2:34 left and AF got 73 of their yards on a 13 play drive for a TD with :20 left but Navy rec'd the onside kick and just need to beat Army on December 6th for the trophy.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN - In 2002 Washington St dominated Arizona with a 424-207 yd edge but somehow did not cover as a 12 pt favorite, only winning by 8. Last week WSU had a 294-65 yd edge at the half but settled for 25 and 39 yd FG's and was int'd in the EZ and led just 13-0. They fumbled at the Arizona 25 and 33 and settled for a 23 yd FG and only won the game by 23 while laying 28 despite 513-198 yd and 24-9 FD edges.

JIM FASSEL REVISITED?? - A few years ago Jim Fassel guaranteed the Giants would make the playoffs and his team delivered on his guarantee. Two weeks ago UTEP HC Gary Nord made a guarantee that got very little attention but he did guarantee his lowly team would win their next 3 games. They had no problem vs IAA Sam Houston but were an 8? dog to SMU last week. They trailed 10-0 early after being SOD at the 1 and missing a 28 yd FG but got a punt block that turned around the momentum and went on to a 21-12 lead in the 4Q winning 21-19. It was their first conf road opening win in 16 years. Game 3 of his guarantee is this week and a win there may just keep Nord around for next season when his team will be a lot older than this version which has just 6 seniors.

FRONTDOOR COVERS - In September, Akron had the ball at the Wisconsin 1 trailing by 4 and threatening to take the lead when they were SOD and UW got a 99 yd TD pass and ended up winning by 17. It was Deja Vu all over again for Akron last week. Trailing just 24-20 with :06 left in the 3Q they had a 1st & goal at the Miami 6 but were int'd at the 2. Miami not only drove 98 yds for a TD, they got 2 int's in the final 6:37 and tacked on TD's on drives of 24 and 30 yds to get the frontdoor cover. The final TD came with :39 left....

When Nebraska was a powerhouse in the '90's they were famous for frontdoor covers, games in which they scored TD's in the 4Q after their O-line had wore down their opponents. They shouldn't have needed a frontdoor cover vs Troy St as in the 1H they ran 26 of their 30 offensive plays on the Troy side of the field but settled for a 40 yd FG and then amazingly K David Dyches, who had not missed a FG all year, bounced 29 and 33 yd FG's off the goal posts and they only led 10-0 at the half. It was 23-0 after 3Q's when NU rolled 62 yds for a TD with 9:08 left. In the 1H they were SOD at the Troy 27 and in the 4Q were SOD at the 38 threatening to tack onto the lead but got the cover, 30-0. In Power Sweep LW we called for a shutout and NU did get their first shutout in 39 games.

BIG PLAYS - In the 1Q Northwestern had a 14-0 lead and 146 yds offense while Minnesota did not get a FD until 5:00 into the 2Q and had 8 yds offense at that point. UM got a 96 yd TD pass which completely turned the game around and the Gophers had 564 yds the rest of the game to the Cats' 158 in the final 3Q's. UM not only won but covered, 42-17...

The Virginia/N Carolina game saw the teams settle for some short FG's but still had a shot at going Over as it was 38-13 (51 pts) and the Total 57. UVA got a run to the NC 4 and then another to the 1 and that's where the game ended, 1 yd from the Over...

Baylor led 35-30 when Colorado had a 4th & goal at the BU 1. BU held and then drove 97 yds for a TD to put the game away getting their 3rd straight win for the first time since 1996. CU started backup QB Erik Greenberg but did bring in Joel Klatt late and his first pass of the game was also his first career int and BU had a 22-15 FD edge...

Temple trailed Middle Tennessee 14-0 early but scored 41 unanswered pts and withstood a MT comeback. MT got a TD with 4:21 left to pull within 8 and rec'd the onside kick. They had a 1st & goal at the Owl 6 but their pass fell incomplete in the EZ on 4th down from the 14 and Temple held on for the 8 pt win. MT was led by backup QB's Clint Marks and Josh Harris who combined to hit 14 of 19 passes for 192 yds.

 

[JEFF]

Big Ten Notes

Big Ten Notes

Michigan found out this past Saturday that there?s more to playing football than just offense and defense. The Wolverines? special teams completely broke down. This collapse gave Iowa all it needed to pull out a 30-27 victory. Michigan out gained the Hawkeyes, 463-295, and Michigan QB John Navarre threw for a career-high 369 yards. However, the only stat that really mattered was the one on the scoreboard. The Wolverines broke out early as RB Chris Perry scored the game?s first touchdown on a five-yard run, eight minutes into the contest. On the next possession, Navarre hit WR Braylon Edwards for a 14-yard score. At that point it looked like Michigan might run away with it. After stopping Iowa on the next possession, the Wolverines got the ball back and that series is where the tide turned. Michigan had the ball on the 45-yard line with a second and two situation. They decided to go for two long pass plays, both of which fell incomplete, forcing a Michigan punt. I certainly question the play calling in this situation. From that point on, it seemed like Iowa settled down and started to play the game they wanted. The biggest problem for the Wolverines was their special teams play, as they suffered a blocked punt, a tipped punt and everything in between. For those of you who watched the game, you would probably have to agree. There was awful protection in punting situations. It was one of the craziest things I have seen in football in quite a while. One has to give credit to Iowa for its comeback. However, its victory was more of a case of Michigan giving it to them than them earning it. Iowa has a bye this week and Michigan will be on the road again at Minnesota. This game has been switched and will take place Friday night. The oddsmakers have made this a ?pick?em and right now you would have a hard time convincing me to go against the red-hot Minnesota Golden Gophers, especially at home.

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The Wisconsin Badgers once again displayed their punishing running attack in a 30-23 win at Penn State. The Badgers rushed for 234 yards on 51 carries. Booker Stanley, the third-string RB, rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown. Starting RB Anthony Davis injured his ankle and left the game in the first quarter. His backup, Dwayne Smith also left the game with an injury. Both are very questionable for next week. Like Michigan, Penn State had many problems on special teams. A couple of long punt returns and a key fumble by the returning team certainly put Penn State behind the eight ball. The Nittany Lions did have one bright spot as QB Michael Robinson completed 22 of 43 passes for 379 yards. However, Penn State couldn?t contain the Badgers? running attack and that was the real difference in the game. Wisconsin returns home this week and is now riding a two-game winning streak. The last time the Badgers started the Big Ten 2-0, with both wins on the road, was 1950. The Badgers will face undefeated Ohio State this week. The Buckeyes had the week off and will certainly be ready to roll. This game will be played at night, which is very unusual. The place will be rocking as the game has already been sold out. I would certainly have to take a strong look at the underdog here. However, Wisconsin suffered multiple injuries last week so you may want to wait before making a play on the Badgers.

The game started off all Northwestern but ended up all Minnesota as the Gophers downed the Wildcats, 42-17. Minnesota had just eight yards on its first four possessions, was trailing 14-0 and was backed up to its four-yard line when QB Asad Abdul-Khaliq hit WR Jared Ellerson for a 96-yard touchdown pass. After that play, the momentum changed and the Gophers dominated for the rest of the game. The Wildcats had trouble moving the ball on the ground as they had only 76 yards on 35 carries. The Gophers had no problems in that area as they racked up 241 ground yards to go with 331 yards through the air. Minnesota will be home this week against Michigan.

Are the Michigan State Spartans for real? Or have their opponents made them look really good? It?s probably a little bit of both as the Spartans beat Indiana, 31-3, on Saturday. Michigan State QB Jeff Smoker got his second chance in life and he has made the most of it. Smoker had a big day as he completed 32 of 40 attempts for 351 yards and two touchdowns. He has now increased his team records to 510 for career completions on 858 attempts for 7,044 yards and 50 touchdowns. Indiana, the lowest scoring team in the Big Ten, did not score on five trips into Michigan State territory. They had big problems holding on to the ball. Traditionally, this Spartan team has always had a letdown after a big win. But the last two against Iowa and Notre Dame didn?t seem to bother them in this one. This team has stayed focused and could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. The Spartans are back on the road this week at Illinois. Michigan State has been installed as a six-point favorite. Of all the Big Ten games this week, this one would be the most difficult one for me to take a side on.

My choice for the surprise team in the Big Ten continues to roll as they beat Illinois, 43-10. Of course that team is the Purdue Boilermakers. What surprised most folks about this win was the ground attack of Purdue. Noted for their complicated passing attack, the Boilers got 324 yards on the ground on 67 carries. The big gun for the Boilers was RB Jerod Void, who gained 119 yards on 25 carries. The passing attack was also good as QB Kyle Orton went 13 of 20 for 209 yards. The coaching staff for Purdue was certainly happy with the offensive explosion. The Boilers played a flawless game on both sides of the ball. For the second-straight week the Illinois defense gave up more than 300 yards. Purdue will be back home this week against Penn State. It?s obvious right now that Purdue is balanced on both sides of the ball. It is a pretty steep line going against Penn State, but the favorite is the only one I would consider here.

 

[K-LINE]

Good stuff Jeff very helpful thanks and good luck.