SEC Review: Week 12

The finish line is the next stop, but for now we’ve still got teams positioning themselves in the SEC’s year end pecking order. Here’s what went down this weekend:

Game of the Week

Tennessee 25, Vandy 24 - UT clung to its East lead by the slimmest of margins, and beat Vandy by 1 in a game the Commodores have made a career out of losing. After three quarters, Vandy led 24-9, but the Vols got off the mat with a 7 yard TD toss from Erik Ainge to Josh Briscoe. A few minutes later, Austin Rogers caught a 5 yard pass from Ainge, but a failed 2-point conversion left the Vols down, 24-22. A Daniel Lincoln FG won it with 2 and a half to play. How did Vandy get so bad in the fourth quarter? In the entire fourth, the Commodores got one first down, and that came courtesy of a UT pass interference call. This one is going to sting.

Best of the Rest

Georgia 24, Kentucky 13 - The Bulldogs took another step toward the BCS with a 24-13 win over Kentucky that was never over until the 2 minute mark, when Brandon Coutu hit a 46 yard FG to seal it. Things looked really bleak, as UGA trailed 10-0 late in the first half, but the ‘Dawgs trekked 80 yards in 4 minutes, getting a Knowshon Moreno 1-yard tumble to head to the locker room within 3. Then UGA took command, coming out gangbusters in the second half, forcing two three and outs and getting two quick rushing TDs to take command, 21-10. Moreno and Brown got a perfect 22-22 carry split, while the defense held UK’s rushing game to just 29 yards on 29 carries.

Arkansas 45, Mississippi State 31 - I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Arkansas actually beat a good football team on the strength of its passing game, not the running game. Casey Dick threw 14 of 17 for 199 yards and 4 TDs. Yes, I’m serious. Darren McFadden didn’t even get to 90 yards, but everything Arkansas tried through the air worked to perfection, including a D-Mac TD pass. Jamayel Smith, where have you been all my life? The MSU junior caught 10 balls for 208 yards, doubling his output on the year.

Ho Hum

UL-Monroe 21, Alabama 14 - I just want to go on record saying that this could have happened to any coach at any school. But for some reason, it’s just funnier that it happened to Nick Saban. Thank you, seniors, for your 4 years of toil. As a parting gift - you lose to UL-Monroe, a Sun-Belt squad fighting the war against mediocrity in its own league. Nevertheless, “flat” is a kind word to describe how Alabama played Saturday, turning the ball over 4 times and allowing Monroe to grind out 121 rushing yards. The average wasn’t great, but Monroe kept pounding, and Alabama couldn’t score after the 12 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Ouch.

LSU 41, Ole Miss 24 - The Tigers haven’t been great for awhile, but luckily the brunt of their schedule is over. LSU got outgained by 70 yards and 4 first downs, but Ole Miss gave the ball away 4 times, and LSU benefited from Matt Flynn’s efficient passing. The Rebs got to within 10 with 9 minutes to play, but LSU milked some clock and got a 2 yard Jacob Hester TD run to really put it out of reach. Ole Miss rang up 466 yards of offense, and was solid with the ball in hand all day, but LSU’s attacking defense kept them from turning yards in to points.

Boooooooring

Florida 59, FAU 20 - This game has a scoring summary about as mercurial as they come. Florida scored the first 21 in a 7-minute first quarter flurry, before FAU roared back with 3 scores in 6 minutes to bring the margin to 21-13. By half it was 35-20 Gators, but the Owls wouldn’t score again. Tebow became the first player in college history to run and pass for 20 TDs in the same year, and pretty much wrapped up the Heisman Trophy with the achievement. FAU isn’t an awful football team by any stretch, but the ease with which the Owls scored in the first half has to trouble Gator fans a bit.

C-USA Review: Week 12

We’re coming up on season’s end now, and the final bell tolled for a bunch of teams across the land this Saturday. How did they finish the year, and who lived to tell about it? Check it out:

Game of the Week

Houston 35, Marshall 28 - The Cougars got off the mat following last week’s humiliating shellacking at Tulsa with a close win over Marshall that was still in doubt until the end. For three quarters, the game was quietly subdued, as Houston led 20-14 with 15 minutes to play. Then, the cork popped, as the teams traded TDs throughout the fourth, with the last coming on Kelvin Turner’s 1 yard run with two and a half to go. Marshall couldn’t score again, though, and the Cougs held on. If Todd Graham and Tulsa fail in the homecoming game vs. Rice, UH still grabs the West title.

Best of the Rest

Tulsa 49, Army 39 - It certainly wasn’t a defensive performance to write home about, but the Golden Hurricane dodged a textbook “Trap game” scenario and escaped Army with a win. Tulsa never really had the game wrapped up until 93 seconds remained, when QB Paul Smith ran in from a yard out, making it a 10 point margin for good. Smith dazzled, throwing with sharp efficiency and big play potential (22-32, 390 yards, 2 TD). Tulsa was especially clutch on third downs, grabbing 7 of 12 conversions.

Ho Hum

Southern Miss 56, UTEP 30 - The Miners didn’t just go in the tank during this year’s second half, they crawled in the tank, set up shop, and started getting their mail forwarded there. UTEP completed an epic second half collapse with a 26 point loss at home against Southern Miss, and gave up 40 points on D for the sixth time this year. The way the Miners are going right now, they wouldn’t fare well in the Texas High School Playoffs; all Southern Miss had to do was stay in bounds and not beat themselves; RB Damion Fletcher did that and then some, galloping for 211 yards on 34 carries, along with three scores.


Tulane 45, Rice 31 - Matt Forte is now the single season rushing leader in C-USA history, and there’s still one game left on the ticket. Forte has ripped off 2,007 yards in 2007, with 194 yards on 39 carries in this one, getting his fifth score with a full seven and a half minutes left in the game. Rice cut it to a 14 point game after that, but Ade Tuyo got in from 1 yard out to ice it for Marshall with two minutes to go. Chase Clement broke some records of his own on the Rice side of the ball, with 353 passing yards, setting a school record for 3,319 offensive yards in a season.

Booooooooring

UCF 49, SMU 20 - The Knights drew one step closer to holding C-USA’s annual post season pow wow in Orlando, and that’s what’ll happen if they do to UTEP next week what they did to SMU this Saturday. The Ponies haven’t won since Sept. 8th, and the Phil Bennett farewell tour continued in style, as SMU was once again unable to overcome turnovers and mental letdowns to stay competitive. This is the kind of play that has marked the Bennett regime in Dallas, and it was on display yet again in the second quarter; with SMU just 2 minutes from heading to the locker room competitive, down 28-13, the ‘Stangs let Kevin Smith tromp 80 yards for a score, to send them to the break tails between their legs. Smith finished with 177 on just 20 carries; Kyle Israel was efficient as ever with 11-16 passing for 173 yards.


Memphis 25, UAB 9 - Memphis cracked the ranks of the bowl eligible for the fourth time sine 2003 with a boring win over UAB that brought the Blazers’ abysmal campaign one step closer to a merciful end. The Tigers got their fifth C-USA win of the year thanks to Martin Hankins’ ability to terrorize the UAB defense on a day when he averaged 21 yards per completed pass. He only connected on 14, 4 of which went to rising star Duke Calhoun, but those accounted for 159 yards, including a long of 70. Kicker Matt Reagan nailed four FGs to keep Memphis scoring even when its drives were stalling in the red zone.

C-USA Week 10 Review

Game of the Week:

Rice 56, UTEP 48 – UTEP’s inability to compete for a full four quarters has been the Miners’ undoing all year, and this one, a 28-point fourth quarter gag undid them right out of any hope to win the C-USA West. Rice rattled off three Chase Clement TD passes and and a Clement TD run with 8 minutes in the fourth quarter to turn a 10-point deficit into an 8-point lead. Of course, this was after UTEP dominated the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters with an A-game performance, 39-14. Rice junior Jarrett Dillard is now the conference’s second leading pass catcher on the year.

Best of the Rest:

ECU 56, Memphis 40 – ECU lit the lamp for the fifth straight week against C-USA foes, with at least 37 points against every single opponent in that span. The only conference foe to hold the Pirates below 37 was Southern Miss, and that was way back on September 15^th. Chris Johnson vaulted himself in to the nation’s top 30 rushers with a 301 yard, 4 score performance on just 20 carries. ECU only got 105 yards throwing from Patrick Pinkney, but it didn’t matter, as the swashbucklers out ran the Tigers by a whopping 491-77. Memphis got a big day from Martin Hankins, but they’re not going to win many games where they attempt 60 passes.

Houston 38, SMU 28 – Phil Bennett’s troops came out with an inspired effort in front of the ESPN cameras, stomping on the Cougar logo before the game. I guess when you’ve already gotten your public pink slip, you can just stop caring. Regardless, the buzz wore off faster than a cappuccino, as Houston got 153 rushing yards from Alridge and 117 yards from Avery to win by 10. The tally was 31-14 at half before Houston let up a little bit and allowed the Ponies with 3 before icing it late.

Ho Hum:

Tulsa 49, Tulane 25 – This game was a surprisingly dull affair, but that’s a welcome thing for Tulsa fans after some too-close-for-comfort calls in the last few weeks. Tulsa rolled up 600 yards and kept Matt Forte dutifully in check, limiting the nation’s leading rusher to just 103 yards on 26 tries. Jamad Williams dazzled in his debut as a Tulsa feature back, busting off 153 yards on 31 carries to outduel Forte. Tulsa also won the QB battle, as Paul Smith looked surehanded, throwing for 319 yards on just 27 pass attempts.

Booooooooring

Southern Miss 37, UAB 7 – Man, the Blazers have gone in the tank. Southern Miss blew UAB out of the water, leading 30-nil at the half, and winning by 30. UAB’s leading rusher, Joseph Webb, had just 38 yards, while 5 Southern Miss Golden Eagles topped the half-century mark as part of a smothering rushing attack that netted 362 yards on 56 attempts. Bright spots for the Blazers….mmm…Sylvester Mencer, 4 catches for 65 yards? It’s a stretch, I know. I’m trying.

UCF 47, Marshall 13 – The Herd got back to business after last week’s stirring win with a predictable 34 point loss to UCF. Outside of his 87-yard score, Kevin Smith only had 101 yards on 28 carries, but that’s kind of a classic “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how’d you like the play?” The home run sprint put UCF up 20-0 and really knocked Marshall out of the game. Redshirt freshman Brian Watters caught a couple of TD scores from the arm of Kyle Israel. The Knights looked crisp, without a single penalty all day.

SEC Review: Week Ten

Game of the Week:

LSU 41, Alabama 34 – The Tigers are an instant classic every time they step on the field, and the only ones disappointed Saturday were ‘Bama fans, as the Bayou Bengals kept their national title hopes alive and well by scoring the last 14 points to beat Alabama. Things looked bleak when Javier Arenas returned a punt for 61 yards and a TD to give Bama the lead with 7 and a half to play. But LSU came back as usual, getting a 32-yard TD pass from Matt Flynn to Early Doucet on fourth down to tie it. Then Christmas came early in Baton Rouge, as John Parker Wilson coughed up the ball inside his own 10 with two minutes left, leading to Jacob Hester’s winning 1-yard plunge. Really, LSU should have won by a lot more; they outgained the Tide by 220 yards, but Flynn’s 3 picks and some special teams breakdowns were costly.

Best of the Rest:

Arkansas 48, South Carolina 38 – Darren McFadden finally got uncorked, and just in time for the big stage, going off for an SEC record 323 yards. McFadden threw for a TD, too, and we’ll see if the horse has left the barn on his Heisman candidacy. If the enormous outing gets some run in the national media, he’s got a great chance to be in New York. SC’s offense had no problem, but the Gamecock defense was chicken feed against the Hog rushing game, surrendering 650 total yards, 541 of which came on the ground. This game should serve as some measure of proof that time of possession is the dumbest stat around: Arkansas had the ball just 22 minutes, but they were scoring so quickly, they didn’t have the pig that often.

Georgia 44, Troy 34 – This one got a little dicey for the ‘Dawgs, but in hindsight, Georgia fans should look at this one as a slightly off day against a very sound, talented, motivated opponent. If I had a vote (and I don’t, damn the AP), Knowshon Moreno would be easily a top-three choice for national Freshman of the Year, and a lock for the freshman All-America team. The kid cemented his candidacy with a 26 carry, 196 yard, 3 TD performance that included the put-away score late in the fourth. Omar Haugabook lit up the Bulldog D with 310 passing yards, a figure that has to alarm the Georgia secondary just a little. The only place more exciting to watch this than Stanford was Las Vegas: Troy scored with 5 seconds left to cover the game’s 16 point spread.

Ho Hum:

Florida 49, Vandy 22 – The Gators did what they needed to do, beating up on a less-skilled opponent to the tune of a 2-1 yardage ratio and a 27 point win. Vandy’s defense had been solid to date, but was absolutely no match for a motivated Florida squad. Gator offense got a lift from Percy Harvin and Kestahn Moore, who both rushed for their highest totals since September, as Florida continues to search for ways to leave Tim Tebow with fewer Sunday bruises. Vandy’s offense went pretty much nowhere, but Jeff Jennings looked solid in limited duty, getting 37 yards on 6 tries.

Ole Miss 38, Northwestern State 31 – The Rebs will take whatever they can get right now, and good thing too: this was an ugly old win over a bad, bad opponent at Vaugh-Hemingway. The Rebels led by 17 twice, but couldn’t exorcise the Demons, letting NW State back to within a touchdown on each occasion. Oh, and they were outgained by 112 yards and 9 first downs. The best thing Ole Miss can do for their future right now is to start doing whatever they can to prepare for Mississippi State and the Egg Bowl. Ruining their rival’s season is their best get some attention and public respect this year.

Booooooooooooring:

Tennessee 59, UL-Lafayette 7 – The Vols got a perfectly useless win headed in to next week’s showdown with Arkansas. Tennessee only needed 460 total yards to crush the Ragin’ Cajuns, getting two non-offensive TDs and 100 rushing yards from both Lennon Creer and Adrian Foster to win easily. On the other hand, UT surrendered 234 rushing yards to the Cajuns, a number that doesn’t bode well with Arkansas coming to town next week.

Auburn 35, Tennessee Tech 3 – The Tiger defense is playing absolutely amazingly right now, and even though the opponent wasn’t high quality, it’s still so impressive how the Auburn D seems to bring it week after week. With the exception of the LSU, Auburn hasn’t surrendered more than 7 points since September, and their across the board excellence (3^rd SEC in rush D, 3^rd SEC in pass D, 1^st in scoring D) will present Knowshon Moreno, Matt Stafford and the Georgia offense their stiffest test.

SEC Review: Week Nine

Georgia stole the spotlight from Mississippi State and Tennessee with a big ole’ win in the Cocktail Party to deal Florida its third SEC loss. The eight point dogs got a twelve point win for their third win over the Gators in eighteen tries. What happened around the rest of the league? Check it:

Game of the Week

Georgia 42, Florida 30 – The ‘Dawgs opened a can on Florida with great execution and passion, using a bye week’s fresh legs to outlast the Gators late in the game, outscoring UF in the second half 21-13. Knowshon Moreno was enormous, earning 188 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries and bursting full-force on to the national stage. The Bulldogs looked pretty sharp in all facets, and pounding Tebow to the tune of negative 15 yards rushing. Percy Harvin got free out of the Florida backfield for some nice gains, but Tebow is the key, and Tebow didn’t beat UGA. Huge gameballs to Mark Richt and the entire Georgia team for yet another major league win away from Sanford.

Best of the Rest

Tennessee 27, South Carolina 24 – If this weren’t the UGASports website, this one could easily be game of the week. The Vols surrendered a 21-point halftime lead and got outgained by nearly 200 yards on its home turf, but somehow squeaked out an OT win when kicker Daniel Lincoln outdueled SC booter Ryan Succop in OT. Succop thought he had it won with a FG under 90 seconds to play, but Lincoln answered with just five minutes to go to send it to OT.

Ho Hum

Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 14 – It was a great day for SEC Bulldogs, with Mississippi State getting a landmark road win at Commonwealth and, probably, knocking Andre Woodson out of any Heisman consideration. This is MSU’s third road win of the year, and they got it by forcing 6 UK turnovers, including three Woodson INTs and three Wildcat fumbles. Sophomore Christian Ducre cut loose for 119 rushing yards and freshman Wesley Carroll played very well, with 158 passing yards and two scores against no picks. If MSU goes bowling, and they’re one game away from doing so, this will be the landmark win of the Sylvester Croom era to date.

Vanderbilt 24, Miami 13 – If you want to hold a beauty pageant, ask the Vandy student body, not the football team. It wasn’t glamorous, as the Commodores trailed Miami with five minutes left in the third when Chris Nickson got in from two yards out to give Vandy a four point lead. It wasn’t really over, though, until Jackson-Garrison scored from 15 to give Vanderbilt an 11 point edge with 6 minutes to go. To Vandy’s credit, the front line was dominant, outrushing the Commodores 290-26, but the back end gave up 212 passing yards and got no picks from a struggling Daniel Raudabaugh and the Redhawk passing game. Still, this is Vandy, and a win’s a win; one more, and they’re bowl eligible.

Auburn 17, Ole Miss 3 – This wasn’t quite as close as the score made it look, with Auburn winning the yardage battle by almost 250 yards, and surrendering only a 51-yard field goal at the first half gun to prevent the shut out. The Auburn defense is just so good – 123 passing yards on 28 attempts, 70 yards on 29 carries. Dominant. Auburn was great on third down, perfect on fourth down, and only committed one turnover. Despite the losses, this team is playing like a top 10 squad right now.

Boooooring

Arkansas 58, Florida International 10 – Big deal. Big freaking deal. You’re the SEC West champs, you have two of the best five running backs in the country, you’re an SEC team, BEAT A REAL TEAM. Arkansas beat FIU by 48. Darren McFadden looked fairly average yet again, and even Felix Jones struggled to go in to liftoff, but the Hogs spread it around to several backs and actually got competent passing from Springdale product Nathan Emert. It’s Halloween, and the defending West champs have beaten one BCS football team.

C-USA Review: Week 9

Three out of six games decided by less than a touchdown, a 250 yard passing day, a couple 350 yard passing outings…just par for the course in the C-USA. Let’s take a look at the weekend action.

Game of the Week
Tulsa 29, SMU 23 – The Ponies didn’t look like much on paper, but they just kept plugging away, getting a 52-yard field goal to take the lead with over ten minutes to go. After a Paul Smith fumble and another Tulsa punt, SMU drove to the Tulsa 2-yard line with second and goal. But the Golden Hurricane defense made its biggest goal line stand of the year, stuffing SMU and giving Paul Smith and the offense the ball back, 99 yards from victory. Smith found Charles Clay for a 51 yard score just under minute to go, and Tulsa survived. I thought this one might be closer than the experts thought, but certainly wasn’t prepared for Tulsa to need a 99-yard drive with the game on the line. Golden Hurricane fans have to be pleased that the defense stood up for a big play, but this wasn’t nearly the performance Tulsa needed to build momentum for the stretch drive.

Best of the Rest

Memphis 28, Tulane 27 – Oh, Tulane. Up my six at the Memphis 5, Green Wave kicker Ross Thevenot missed a 22-yard field goal. Memphis took over with five minutes to go, and drove 80 yards down the field, converting three straight third downs as Martin Hankins found Duke Calhoun for a 5-yard score with 36 seconds to play, and an extra point gave the Tigers a win. The Wave lost its third heartbreaker in four weeks while Matt Forte put up another gargantuan outing, getting 278 yards on 44 carries. Forte now leads UCF’s Kevin Smith for the national rushing lead by a whopping 37 yards a game, but it hasn’t been enough to help Tulane win close games. The Tigers got their second straight gutty performance from Martin Hankins, who chucked for 355 and two scores, including the winner.


Houston 34, UTEP 31 – The total score wasn’t quite as high as we would have guessed, but the outcome was just as close. Houston held off UTEP’s late charge to win another barn burner in El Paso, and leaves west Texas the clear-cut division leader. The Miner offense looked like it might post another heroic late drive, but Lorne Sam couldn’t corral a sideline pass on 4th and 1 from the 36 and Houston took over for the W. The Cougars’ QB carousel swung to Case Keenum, who paced UH with a 13-20, 116 yard day. Anthony Aldridge was as great as he’s been all year, topping the 200 yard mark on just 27 carries.

Ho Hum

Marshall 34, Rice 21 – Marshall plowed its way in to the win column with an emphatic 34-21 over Rice, riding a monster dual-threat day from QB Bernard Morris (223 passing yards, 120 rushing yards) and a great start by the defense, which gave Marshall a chance to build a 17-0 lead and get some breathing room. Don’t ask me how Vegas saw this one coming: the Herd was a 9-point favorite despite a rough early season that saw them start 0-7. Now, it’s the Owls looking up at the rest of the C-USA, sitting at 1-7 themselves and ranked 118th nationally in almost every single defensive category. Ouch. Owls fans: Hoo’s looking forward to next year?

UCF 34, Southern Miss 17 – The Knights sent a little message to the East that they aren’t dead yet, winning an easy Sunday night victory over the sometimes-great sometimes-brutal Golden Eagles. Kevin Smith got yards, but QB Kyle Israel is the linchpin to UCF’s late season success, and with very solid outings in his last three C-USA outings, the signal-caller is starting to hit peak form. If the defense plays like it did tonight, forcing four turnovers and making life easier for Israel and the offense. Southern Miss has potential, but when they turn the ball over, like they did tonight, the Eagles are really, really bad.

Boooooooooooooooring

East Carolina 41, UAB 6 – The Pirates now boast what is easily the most impressive bowl resume of any C-USA squad, with wins over North Carolina, UTEP, Houston, UCF and UAB. Get a load of Patrick Pinkney’s QB rating: 370.8. Egads. Pinkney was 6 of 7 for 159 yards and 2TD and the running game rolled to the tune of 216 yards on 35 carries. The bright spot for UAB was…the final gun?

SEC Review: Week 8

This is SEC football, people. No description necessary.

Game of the Week:

LSU 30, Auburn 24 – It probably wouldn’t be a huge stretch to say Auburn has played as well as anyone in the country over the five weeks since it lost to Mississippi State, but LSU won the battle of the Tigers with a huge (no, HUGE) 22 yard touchdown pass from Matt Flynn to Demetrius Byrd with just 1 tick left on the clock Saturday night in the Bayou. Down by 1 at the Auburn 22, Les Miles rolled the dice like he’s done so many times this year already, opting to run another time-consuming play instead of center the ball and set up a field goal. The move paid off as Byrd snuck by the Auburn defender and grabbing the ball tight for an LSU touchdown. This was SEC football at it’s finest. LSU can still win the national title, and the schedule is a lot easier from here on out, with 14 days to prepare for Alabama on October 3^rd.

Best of the Rest:

Florida 45, Kentucky 37 – Everybody in the East now has two losses after just five games, and Florida is probably now the team to beat after winning at Kentucky in a wild game. Tim Tebow had one of his best passing outings yet, throwing for four scores and running for another to lead the Gators to a clutch victory in the newest hostile environment in the league. Andre Woodson was magnificent, tossing 35 of 50 for 415 yards, and if this loss costs him a chance to represent the conference at the Heisman ceremony, it’ll be a crime. Now it’s the Cocktail Party and a well-rested Bulldog squad for Urban Meyer’s Gators. Are they fully Back to Good, or was this an aberration at the Commonwealth?

Vanderbilt 17, South Carolina 6 – I don’t think anybody really objects to seeing Steve Spurrier get a kick in the jaw, and that’s just what the Ol’ Ball Coach got Saturday as he watched his top-ten Gamecocks get smothered by a fast-started Vanderbilt squad and never fully recover. The Commodores poured on 17 points in a crazy first quarter, and somehow kept SC out of the end zone all day; Carolina got just two Ryan Succop field goals. Chris Smelley was pulled for Blake Mitchell after Smelley threw two stinkers for interceptions, but Mitchell wasn’t great either. SC was 1 of 12 on third downs, giving it no chance against a Vandy defense that came strapped in and ready to rumble.

Ho Hum:

Alabama 41, Tennessee 17 – Did we see it coming? Two weeks after Philip Fulmer sprung one on the ‘Dawgs and stayed ahead of the posse for awhile longer, his Vols laid a major league egg against an Alabama squad that is, I promise, not that good. Don’t get me wrong, the Tide are a quality SEC bunch that would be competing for a title in any other conference; but they’ve got at least two more losses on the schedule in LSU and Alabama, and I’m not sure Mississippi State can’t give them a run in Starkville on November 10^th. John Parker Wilson lit up an awful Tennessee secondary for 363 yards and ‘Bama’s best player, DJ Hall, caught 13 balls for 185 yards and two scores. No one from Tennessee deserves to be mentioned by name after this kind of outing.

West Virginia 38, Mississippi State 13 – You can’t find a game in the nation that went more precisely according to plan than this one. West Virginia, a 25-point favorite coming in, won by 25 points by doing what they do best: spreading you out and running you down. Pat White only threw 12 passes for 61 yards, but tossed 2 TDs and ran for a 64 yard TD as well. Steve Slaton galloped 23 times for 127 yards and a score. These two have fallen off the Heisman radar since the USF loss, but they’re still the most fun duo to watch in college football.

Boooooooooooooooooooring:

Arkansas 44, Ole Miss 8 – Here’s the Arkansas you know and love: beating up on ordinary teams, but unable to throw the ball and beat the better ones. Felix Jones outperformed Darren McFadden for the third straight week, and the duo combined for over 200 yards on 37 carries as Ole Miss had basically no chance from the opening gun. The Hogs led 37-nil before the Rebs notched a 37-yard pass from Brent Schaeffer to Mike Wallace late. Frame those three touchdown passes, Casey Dick. Memories are a beautiful thing.

Big Ten Review: Week 8

Another critical week in Big Ten action left a few would-be contenders by the wayside, and gave the nation’s number one team a bit of a scare. Let’s break it down, in order of how much fun these games were to watch:

Game of the Week:

Penn State 36, Indiana 31 – Penn State got one I didn’t expect them to get, knocking off a pesky Indiana squad that really could have and should have won this game. The Hoosiers and Lions were an even match in yardage (387-386) and first downs (25-up), but Indiana couldn’t overcome killer fumbles. Kellen Lewis is quite an athlete, he really is, but he’s not a big-time winner yet because he’s shown an inability to rise to a moment. Case in point: Lewis ripped off a 56-yard touchdown run to bring Indy within 5 with three minutes to play. After the Hoosier D helped get the ball back, Lewis fumbled at his own 29, ending the comeback hope. With Illinois tagged for two Big Ten losses, it looks like the Nittany Lions have the inside track on a 3^rd place finish.

Best of the Rest:

Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17 – Looked like we might have a rout on our hands, eh? This isn’t the John L. Smith edition Spartans, folks. Down 24-zip late in the third, Michigan State raised the collective blood pressure of the state of Ohio with two, count ‘em, two defensive returns for touchdowns in a span of just 56 seconds. MSU closed to 24-14 just like that, but only got three points from two final possessions as the OSU offense was able to run the ball and milk clock despite not reaching paydirt again. This was closer than a lot of people expected, but let’s not sound the alarms just yet – the Spartans deserve credit for showing some moxie, but the Buckeye defense still held them to 3 points, 180 yards and 9 first downs. If offenses can’t score on Ohio State, they can’t beat them.

Ho Hum:

Northwestern 26, Eastern Michigan 14 – Let’s just squint and pretend Northwestern got a road win over the Detroit Lions. OK, not really, but the Wildcats did win on the Lions’ home turf, beating EMU in the Eagles’ once-a-year game at Ford Field. This game was one of those where you’re really not sure if Eastern gagged it away or Northwestern sacked up when it needed to be tough. The ‘Cats forced four turnovers inside their own 10-yard line as Eastern showed why, despite making improvements on both sides of the ball, the Eagles can’t break out of the MAC West cellar. I’m not sure if I tolerated this game because it was mildly entertaining or because it aired on Friday night. Probably better not to ask too many questions.

North Dakota State 27, Minnesota 21 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part One. The Bison have been blowing people up all year, including Central Michigan, a way better squad than the Gophers, who ND State beat by 30! So it shouldn’t have shocked anyone that North Dakota State, now the proud owners of Division I’s longest win streak, outgained Minny by almost three hundred yards and ten first downs. The only thing that surprised me, honestly, was that the Bison didn’t win by more. ND State got 263 yards rushing from Tyler Roehl while about 30 thousand of their fans cheered in the Metrodome. I keep thinking back to how impressive Tim Brewster was at Big Ten Media Day; dude needs to pull a David Copperfield with this defense, and fast.

Boooooooooooooring

Wisconsin 44, Northern Illinois 3 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part 2. On, Wisconsin. To a meaningless rout over the Mid-American Conference’s worst football team, and its second-string, sophomore quarterback. This is how the recent Wisconsin myth was built, folks – on the backs of wins that look better on paper than in reality and with a few close, clutch wins in Big Ten crunch time. We all knew this would happen – the Badgers would come home needing an ego boost after two crushing losses on the road; they’d bruise an undersized, outmanned opponent just like they should, and then they’d blow up the scoreboard until they felt better about themselves. Donovan threw for 91, Hill ran for 184. Blah, blah, blah. With Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan up next, the Badgers might not win again until Nov. 17^th at Minnesota.

Purdue 31, Iowa 6 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part 3. The Iowa defense, gutsy through they are, can’t handle the spread-out passing attack. They can’t. They showed that against Indiana, showed it in stints against Iowa State, and showed it big time in West Lafayette against the Boilers. Purdue didn’t get fancy, they just did what they knew they could do to win, grinding out 29 first downs with 315 passing yards and getting 65+ rushing yards from both Sheets and Taylor. I’m sorry that you lost to the Big Ten’s 10^th best team, Illini fans, but the Hawk D is built for an attack like Illinois’ and, at this point, not much else.

C-USA Review: Week 8

Every week, you can always count on at least one C-USA game to come down to the final play, and this Saturday was no different. Tulsa’s title hopes took a hit and the Green Wave washed away the Ponies. Let’s get at it:

Game of the Week:

Tulane 41, SMU 34 – The conference’s weekly miracle finish/overtime thriller went to Tulane this week, as star back Matt Forte shattered his own C-USA record with 342 rushing yards on 38 attempts. Forte is absolutely annihilating defenses right now, and at this point, has leapt past Paul and Kevin Smith to lead the player of the year race by at least a couple lengths. Forte is the only thing Tulane has going, but man is he something? Sure, the competition isn’t fantastic, but at 180 ypg, he’s the nation’s rushing leader and at this point, who in the C-USA isn’t scared of him? SMU got a career high in passing yards from sophomore QB Justin Willis, but after Forte scored on the first play of OT, Willis and the Pony offense did nothing in the extra session.

Best of the Rest:

Memphis 38, Rice 35 – Rice’s two week lease on the world’s largest rabbit foot ended Saturday, as the Owls finally met a team that wasn’t giving away turnovers like Halloween candy, and couldn’t muster enough points to stay with Memphis. If you want to keep your children busy for a couple hours, give them this puzzle: The Tigers outgained Rice by 150 yards, turned the ball over one less time, got 8 more first downs, committed 1 fewer penalty, and punted the ball 20 yards further per kick. And yet…they only won by 3. How is that even possible?

Ho Hum:

UCF 44, Tulsa 23 – They weren’t Matt Forte numbers from Kevin Smith, but they were good enough. Sadly for Golden Hurricane fans, Tulsa had no answer for Smith, and his success against the Tulsa run D makes the prospect of facing Forte two weeks from now that much scarier. Smith scampered for 170 yards on 33 carries, and Kyle Israel was pretty gosh done good at quarterback, tossing 224 yards and a TD on 29 attempts. Paul Smith won the QB duel, obviously, but his four picks were killer, and Tarrion Adams and the offensive line couldn’t do the job the UCF front men were doing, and Tulsa netted just 64 yards on 24 carries.

NC State 34, East Carolina 20 – Well, the Pirates didn’t get quite the statement game they were looking for, losing 34-20 in a weird game that featured scoring runs of 21, 20 and 13 points. NC State started off with 21 easy points in the first 17 minutes, and blood was definitely in the Greenville water. But ECU bounced back with two second-quarter TDs and two Ben Hartman field goals to close to 21-20 at the end of three. The Wolfpack put on the afterburners, however, notching another three scores in the final period to win going away, 34-20. By C-USA standards, the Pirates have had just a brutal non-conference slate; at season’s start, I thought it helped them. But what’s the merit in a game like this when you’re fighting for your division title in October? I don’t get it.

Booooooooooooring:

Houston 49, UAB 10 – Apologies to all you loyal readers who took my advice that UAB would compete with Houston this weekend. So sorry. The Cougars made short, short work of the Blazers, racing to a 35-10 half time lead and coasting to the final 49-10 margin. Each Cougar QB had almost identical numbers, and Anthony Aldridge looked great running and catching out of the backfield, on his way to 135 yards and 31 fantasy points. UAB got 35 rushing yards total just a week after beating Tulane. The Blazers have a brutal upcoming stretch, with ECU, So. Miss and UCF on the docket, and it will likely send them to 2-8. Well, this is the C-USA…you never know…

SEC Review: Week 7

Week 7 was a classic SEC week; 5 conference games, only one decided by more 6 points. Throw in South Carolina’s 6 point border war win over North Carolina, and this was easily the best played week of the year in conference action. Let’s take a look around the conference:

Game of the Week

Kentucky 43, LSU 37 – Week? Try Year. The LSU-UK throwdown in Lexington represented this college football season in a nutshell. Vintage college power hits the road to take on resurgent upstart; 60 minutes and three overtimes later, upstart emerges victorious. The Wildcats put themselves right back in the SEC title and, frankly national title picture with a major league gut-check win on the backs of Andre Woodson’s 250 yard, 21 of 38 passing performance. Woodson threw a couple picks, but the defense was as good as one could hope, limiting the passing game to 130 yards, and stuffing Jacob Hester to just 61 yards on 18 carries. Wildcat kicker Lonas Seiber definitely gets a game ball for making all seven kicks, including three field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Best of the Rest

Auburn 9, Arkansas 7 – As good as Kentucky/LSU was, this was the quintessential SEC battle of the week. The Tigers got a big time road win in the ‘Ville and kept the Hogs on the conference schneid with a major league defensive effort against Arkansas’ future top-pick tandem, Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. McFadden ran for just 42 yards on 17 carries, and Jones’ 42 yards on 6 carries weren’t enough to keep the chains moving. This is a really, really good Auburn defense, sure, but Arkansas logged just 193 yards and 11 first downs on their home turf. Once again, The Hogs couldn’t throw downfield at all, averaging just 4.4 yards per pass. Freshman Wes Byrum missed two kicks, but nailed his second game winner in three weeks, a 20-yarder with 21 seconds to play. Arkansas is really up against it now, getting all the bad breaks where they got the good ones last year, and sitting at 0-3 in the SEC with dates against South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU yet to come. The Hogs are looking at 6-loss season now, which would likely be the death knell for Houston Nutt.

Alabama 27, Ole Miss 24 – The Rebels outgained Alabama, and had the Tide right where they wanted with ten minutes left, but couldn’t finish, as a big Ole Miss pass play was overturned on replay in the final minute. Underwhelming would be a nice way to describe Alabama’s play in Nick Saban’s first year, but the Tide was able to capitalize on great field position, as their two fourth-quarter scoring drives 21 and negative 4 yards, respectively. Senior D.J. Hall really rose to the occasion, with 11 catches for 140 yards, but the Tide defense had no answer for Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and the Ole Miss running game. Any conference road game is tough, but right now Alabama is .500 squad masquerading as a national power.

Georgia 20, Vanderbilt 17 – The Commodores almost got Georgia two years straight, but the Bulldogs got out of Nashville with a 20-17, come from behind win. It wasn’t pretty at all, but Georgia did what great programs do; eeked out a clutch victory they really needed. Down 17-7 at half, Mark Richt and the staff made the necessary adjustments, and Brandon Coutu knocked home a 37-yard boot as time expired to get the win. The passing game didn’t work too well, but Knowshon Moreno was a rock of ages in the run game, getting 28 carries for 157 yards.

Ho Hum:

South Carolina 21, North Carolina 15 – The Gamecocks are one of a dozen or more teams in the national title mix after all the attrition among top ranked squads. This was a nice, if not glamorous win over a UNC squad that has come to life in the last two weeks. Freshman Chris Smelley was once again pretty efficient, tossing 17 of 26 for 172 yards, 3 scores and a pick, but the USC running game never really got on track like it should have, and the ‘Cocks were outgained by 100 yards on the day. Once again, the star of the show was the SC defense, which got three big interceptions off hot hand T.J. Yates.

Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21 – The Vols kept the ball rolling after last week’s bounce back win over Georgia with a going-away W over Mississippi State. Last week, the Bulldogs blew up a close game with UAB in the fourth quarter; this week, the shoe was on the other foot as the Vols turned a 24-21 lead in to a 33-21 win with a dominating fourth quarter performance and three field goals from Daniel Lincoln. This game really summed up the difficulties Sylvester Croom faces in Starkville. MSU played a good game; they ran well, they passed, they played decent defense. And they got beat by a team with better facilities, recruits, fan support that is underachieving this year.

Boooooring:

Not this week, haven’t you been paying attention?

C-USA Review: Week 7

Want boring? Watch the Big 10. Week after week, the C-USA churns out action-packed weeks with crazy finishes and close games. Week 7 was no exception. Let’s check it out:

Game of the Week

East Carolina 45, UTEP 42 (OT) – Is it just patently against UTEP’s religion to play a game that doesn’t come down to the very last seconds or go to overtime? For the third consecutive week, the Miners played a game where both teams scored in the 40s, and UTEP got a touchdown in the final minute of regulation to either take the lead or send the game to OT. However, this time, East Carolina answered, capping a furious final drive with a 34 yard touchdown pass with no time left on the clock to send the game to OT, where they won it on a Rob Kass touchdown sneak. The Pirates, meanwhile, continued their resurgence on offense, getting 507 yards and 45 points despite throwing 4 picks. Robert Kass won’t have any problem hanging on to the starting job despite a lackluster performance; deposed QB Patrick Pinckney threw an interception on his only pass attempt. I’m telling you – if ESPN wants ratings, they’ll schedule an exhibition game between UTEP and Minnesota, just so we can see the world’s first 100-point fourth quarter.

Best of the Rest

UAB 26, Tulane 21 – The Blazers didn’t score on offense until Joseph Webb caught a 17-yard pass from Sam Hunt with 13 minutes left in the third quarter to give UAB a 20-14 lead. UAB got two quirky second quarter scores, one on Frantrell Forrest’s 92 yard kick return and another when Terence Edge recovered a Tulane fumble for 6. The Tulane D has to be applauded for pitching in that little thing the C-USA hasn’t seen much of this year: defense. Holding the UAB offense to one touchdown would be enough most days, especially with stud back Matt Forte topping the 200 rushing yard mark yet again. This makes three straight crushing losses for Tulane, and the Wave really should have gotten the last two; Swayze Waters with the game ball for UAB, netting two clutch fourth quarter kicks that put the game out of reach.

Houston 56, Rice 48 – When a team drops a fifty spot, is it OK to talk about how many points they left on the field? The Cougars ripped off 56 points and 748 yards of offense, but still needed three fourth quarter scores to overcome five turnovers. Houston WR Donnie Avery set a C-USA record with 346 receiving yards (not a typo) on 13 catches. All in all, Houston put up 474 passing yards, 274 rushing yards and 28 first downs to best a startling offensive outing from Rice. The Owls, who even after this contest rank the 109^th best offense in the land, got 355 yards and 3TD from dual threat QB Chase Clement, but Clement was just 2 of 8 for 36 yards and a pick in the fourth period.

Ho Hum

Tulsa 38, Marshall 31 – The score was close, but this one never seemed in doubt to me, as Tulsa led the whole way and never let the Herd get closer than the final margin in the second half. Paul Smith tossed his 6^th straight 300-yard game and Tarrion Adams pitched in another big effort, running for 134 on just 15 carries. The Herd stayed winless at 0-6, but did get a decent game out of quarterback Bernard Morris, who may be finding a new go-to target in sophomore TE Cody Slate, who registered his fifth straight outing of 5 catches or more. It’s still a tale of two units for Tulsa; the Golden Hurricane now boasts the 2^nd best offense in the nation yardage wise, but merely the 112^th ranked D. With UTEP’s loss, Tulsa’s right back in the hunt.

South Florida 64, UCF 12 – Ever seen one of those shows on the nature channel where a lion is mauling a gazelle, yet the camera won’t cut away, and you just can’t stop watching the carnage? Yeah, that’s what this one was like. Two weeks ago, UCF was looking like the team to beat in C-USA, but after a disappointing loss to ECU and this 52-point Pearl Harbor, the Knights are looking like a mediocre foe at best. USF was up 10-0 by mid first quarter, and the blows just kept coming and coming. It was 29-10 at the half, 43-10 after three, and 64-12 by the end, thanks to two long pass plays by the backups with less than five minutes remaining. Nation’s leading rusher Kevin Smith never got going, mustering just 55 yards on 18 carries and both UCF QBs were bad, combining for just 84 yards throwing on 27 attempts. The Knights aren’t down and out yet in the conference race, but a loss to Tulsa this week would do the trick; better get that pass D shored up in a hurry.

Boooooooring

MTSU 21, Memphis 7 – The Tigers got smacked by a MTSU team that dominated every phase of the game, running, passing, tackling and defending better than Memphis. The Blue Raiders committed four turnovers, but doubled the Memphis yardage total (490-248), as the Tigers looked flat after the emotional week following teammate Taylor Bradford’s murder. After showing promise in the first half, Memphis only crossed midfield once in the second half, running 28 plays for only 110 yards in the second half. The Tigers are capable of scoring points, but QB Will Hudgens has to do better than 13 of 35 passing.

Southern Miss 28, SMU 7 – The Golden Eagles righted the ship, at least for a week, with a nice win over an SMU team that seemed primed for an upset. Committing just 1 turnover after last week’s slippery hands display against Rice, Southern Miss got a badly needed 108 yards from sophomore Damion Fletcher. This week, it was the Ponies who couldn’t shake the turnover bug, with an INT, fumble and two missed field goals all inside the Golden Eagle 40.

Big Ten Review: Week 7

With Illinois’ disappointing loss now 48 hours in the rear view mirror, here’s a rundown of what happened in the rest of the conference this week:

Game of the Week:

Northwestern 49, Minnesota 48 – The Gophers probably lead the nation in “games of the week” for a team that is now 1-6. Separated by just 2 first downs (N28, M26), 9 total yards (N589, M580) and one point, the Wildcats and Gophers played to the death in a 97-point battle that knocked Minnesota from bowl eligibility and kept Northwestern’s fledging hopes alive. Northwestern scored regulation’s last 21 points, including a 4 yard pass from C.J. Bacher to Eric Peterman with 8 seconds remaining. After Minnesota’s touchdown in the second OT, the Gophers went for two, but Adam Weber’s pass fell incomplete, the ‘Cats averted the upset. Minnesota continues to be the nation’s biggest Can’t Change the Channel team. By my count, starting with the beginning of the fourth quarter, the scoreboard in Gophers games this year reads: Minnesota 99, Opponents 90. That’s an average of 15.6 – 15 after the third quarter gun, although I may be wrong – the big numbers are making my brain dizzy.

Best of the Rest:

Uh, none of the other four games were closer than 25 points.

Ho Hum:

Michigan State 52, Indiana 27 – The Spartans made a statement with a pounding of Indiana that will be a key piece of the mid-tier Big Ten puzzle by year’s end. MSU absolutely bloodied the Hoosiers, using their killer tandem of RBs, Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick, to rack up 368 yards on the ground. Ringer is emerging as a bonafide Big Ten superstar, with four straight games of 144 yards or more. Brian Hoyer also had an extremely efficient day under center, going 20-23 for 190 yards and a score. On the Indiana side, this was a lame duck effort. 22 yards rushing? 9 first downs? 1 3^rd down conversion? 18 minutes of possession? Yikes.

Boooooooooooring:

Michigan 48, Purdue 21 – Ladies and gentlemen, the Purdue Boilermakers! In two weeks, Purdue has seen this season go the way of so many others, with a 5-0 start all for naught after getting ripped by two physical teams in Michigan and OSU. The spread throwing game got some yards, but Purdue’s inability to run on the Michigan D (39 yards on 25 tries) stopped it from moving the chains, and sealed the Boilers’ fate. Mike Hart got dinged, but did cross the 100-yard plateau again and kept himself right on track for an invite to the Downtown Athletic Club as a Heisman finalist. This game was 48-7 with ten minutes to go; who knows how long it will take Purdue to get back on track after seeing so much promise squandered yet again.

Ohio State 48, Kent State 3 – The Bucks did what we expected them to, forcing 8 punts and surrendering 3 points, maintaining their season status quo (65 punts forced, 48 points given up). OSU is now the nation’s top ranked team, and you can’t convince me its unwarranted. Sure, last year’s title game is whispering caution in the back of my head, but this OSU bunch is outscoring opponents by 35.7-6.6 ppg, and even though almost no one they’ve played can stop anybody, Purdue, Minnesota, Northwestern and even Kent State can score a few points. No one but Washington has gotten more than a touchdown, and the Huskies got their second score with under a minute to go.

Penn State 38, Wisconsin 7 – Boy, the Badgers have fallen fast and hard, going from possessing the nation’s longest win streak to a Big Ten also ran in just two weeks. The Badgers got a fairly inflated 12 wins in 2006, but this year’s squad is different; they don’t get big stops, and they give up way too many ground yards. Penn State churned out a balanced-as-heck 216 passing yards against 221 rushing yards and the offense showed no signs of missing Austin Scott, with Rodney Kinlaw rushing for 115 behind a nice outing by the offensive line. P.J. Hill never really got on track for Wisconsin, and Tyler Donovan certainly couldn’t carry the load by himself, tossing two costly picks.

SEC Review: Week Six

Another huge week in the SEC saw the Bayou Bengals defend their turf in an Instant Classic, Spurrier send Kentucky packing, and the Cougars give the Tide a scare. Here’s how it went down:

Game of the Week –

LSU 28, Florida 24 – No doubter here. LSU proved their mettle, coming back from ten down in the fourth quarter against a Gator squad some people (stupid ones) had written off after losing to Auburn. This was national championship stuff from LSU, defending their home turf against a Florida team with pride on the line, and doing so with a big 4^th down conversion with two minutes to play. For all the early talk about Matt Flynn looking spectacular, the offense is going to go only as far as Jacob Hester and the running game can carry it. Based on the effort Saturday night, that could be all the way, as Hester got the big yards and the tough yards, and was rewarded with the winning touchdown. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Gators, Tebow and even Urban Meyer respond to the unfamiliar position of a two-game losing streak.

Best of the Rest –

South Carolina 38, Kentucky 23 – The Gamecocks made a statement with a convincing 15-point win over a Kentucky squad tasting the top ten for the first time in a long time. The smart money was on SC in a charged Thursday night atmosphere, but the ‘Cocks surprised me with how easily they handled the Wildcats. South Carolina was opportunistic, pouncing on three Kentucky fumbles, and freshman QB Chris Smelly is making Spurrier look like a genius, with efficient throws and ball security. Andre Woodson and Rafael Little both got their yards for the ‘Cats, but turnovers ruined any chance of a road win. Eric Norwood returned two fumbles for touchdowns for South Carolina. This wasn’t exactly a ‘back to the drawing board’ loss for Kentucky, but with LSU and Florida coming to town, there might be a little ball security work happening in Lexington.

Alabama 30, Houston 24 – Gambling junkies are going to have a field day with ‘Bama until the Saban-mania wears off; the Tide are probably one of the more overrated big name teams out there right now. This isn’t a bad Houston squad they let back in the game late, but getting outscored 24-7 over the last three quarters against a C-USA team? That’s not Alabama football. The Tide built a 23-0 first quarter lead, then put it in cruise control, only to see Houston scratch and claw, giving themselves a chance to win at the gun. Case Keenum’s pass from the 15-yard line was picked off by Simeon Castille, ending the game. Ole Miss should roll over, but Tennessee won’t in two weeks.

Ho Hum –

Tennessee 35, Georgia 14 – It’s hard to beat a team playing to salvage their pride and their head coach’s job, and that’s the buzzsaw Georgia ran in to in Knoxville Saturday. Wins like this have kept Phil Fulmer employed at Tennessee for years; just as the posse starts to catch up, the Vols put the hammer down on a good squad. For what its worth, the Vols did look pretty darn good, with a steady, pounding running game and no mistakes from QB Erik Ainge. The Vols front shut down a Georgia running attack that had started to look very dynamic the last few weeks, putting too much pressure on Matthew Stafford to make plays.

Mississippi State 30, UAB 13 – Down 4 with 8 minutes to go, the Bulldogs finally wore down a pesky Blazer unit, getting two late scores from Anthony Dixon as well as an INT return with 2 minutes left to win going away. The win looks fine in the box score, but this was a disappointing outing, facing a squad that gave up 700 yards of offense against Tulsa the previous week. The Bulldogs didn’t get 300, and were pretty awful in the passing game. MSU has 4 wins now; it has to throw better to get to 7 and a bowl bid.

Arkansas 34, Chattanooga 15 – Its October 8^th, and the defending SEC West champs haven’t beaten a BCS conference team yet, so I’m not getting all excited until they do. The defense came to play, giving up just 7 first downs and 172 passing yards to Tennessee-Chattanooga, but this is a really bad FCS team. That’s what should happen. This was only a 9-point game at the start of the 4^th quarter. That’s shocking to me, and it’s also stunning how, with the kind of outstanding running attack Arkansas has behind McFadden and Felix Jones, they can’t come up with any kind of scheme that involves successful downfield passing.

Booooooooooooring –

Auburn 35, Vanderbilt 7 – Any talks of a letdown after the Shocker in the Swamp were put to bed pretty early, as the Tigers slugged Vandy in the mouth early, often and repeatedly on their way to a convincing 28 point win. Three Auburn backs got 50+ yards and 5+ yards per carry, and Brandon Cox was as efficient as it gets, throwing 14 of 17 for 165 yards. My only complaint with the Auburn performance is 11 penalties for 87 yards. Vandy, well…this column can only be so long.

C-USA Review: Week 6

Wow. What a week in C-USA. Two explosive clashes between division leaders, and every game but one going down to the wire. Let’s check it out.

Game of the Week –

UTEP 48, Tulsa 47 – One week after being unable to step up UAB’s throat, and letting the Blazers back in the game late, Tulsa couldn’t finish off UTEP, and the Miners made them pay. Trevor Vittatoe’s 14-yard touchdown toss to Joe West with just under a minute to go gave UTEP their second straight comeback of more than a touchdown in the fourth quarter. If you liked offense, you were in heaven, with two pretty darn good quarterbacks that don’t get any national love running their squads up and down the field. The Golden Hurricane got a breakout performance from freshman Charles Clay (11 cars, 112 yards), and Paul Smith was good as usual despite a couple of picks (26-43, 383 yards, 2TD, 2INT), but the defense continues to be unable to get key stops. Sitting at 105^th in the nation or worse in rush D, total D and scoring D is not a good place to be with UCF and Houston coming down the pike.

Best of the Rest

East Carolina 52, UCF 38 – The Pirates jumped UCF with a 28 point explosion in the third quarter, and took control of the C-USA East division. ECU might not outgain anyone all year, but they capitalized on the Knights’ awful string of turnovers (five in the third quarter alone), and punched the ball in the end zone over and over, breaking the spirit of a UCF squad that had been rolling. Robert Kass ought to be firmly entrenched now as the Pirate starting QB, with a dynamite 12-23, 201 yard, 3 TD performance. ECU kind of snuck up on me, posting poor results against a brutal non-conference schedule, but if they play like this, they’re the team to beat.

Alabama 30, Houston 24 – Didn’t I warn the Crimson Tide about this Houston squad? In a rare feat of quality prognostication, I called this one almost to the letter (in last week’s column I said ‘Bama 34-26), and the Cougars didn’t disappoint. In fact, Houston got even close than I guessed, having a chance to win on the game’s final play, but being unable to convert a pass to the end zone. Houston fell behind 23-0 in the first, but kept plugging away, thanks to another solid Case Keenum outing, and a defense that was able to lockdown this talented SEC attack for three quarters. Alabama isn’t the most dynamic offensive outfit in the world right now, but holding an SEC squad to 7 points for the last three quarters is an admirable feat. Houston is a bowl team if they stay focused.

Rice 31, Southern Miss 29 – The Owls got their first win of the year in stunning fashion, beating a Golden Eagle squad ravaged by injuries and unable to hang on the football. The injury bug bit So. Miss the hardest at QB, where third string Martevious Young started the game, but broke his ankle on the game’s third play, forcing a return to a badly banged up Stephen Reaves. Reaves battled, but threw four picks and fumbled twice, allowing Rice to stay in the game despite being outgained by almost 200 yards.

Army 20, Tulane 17 – I nailed this one (I said Army 21-17), but couldn’t have possibly predicted how devastating the loss would be for Tulane. The Cadets scored on a tipped pass with no time remaining to send the game to overtime, and Tulane’s Ross Thevenot missed a 34-yard field goal in the extra session, giving Army the win. It’s obvious that Coach Bob Toledo is doing something right at Tulane this year; after last week’s Herculean effort against LSU, Tulane played great on the road for most of the night, and got another 200 yard day from Matt Forte (32 cars, 202 yards, 2 TD). Tulane led the yardage battle 401-240, but hurt itself with 11 penalties for 100 yards. Tulane can win the next two weeks at UAB and SMU if it keeps feeding Forte and stops beating itself.

Memphis 24, Marshall 21 – The Tigers won one for fallen teammate Taylor Bradford, and held off a winless Herd squad that was threatening in Tiger territory with under two minutes to play. With regular starter Martin Hankins out with a hip, junior Will Hudgens made a play for the starting job with an explosive 30-45, 346 yard, 2TD performance in his absence. No matter who’s in there, the Memphis passing attack is really humming, at 25^th nationally. The Tigers are looking like a bunch that could surprise some teams, but they’ve got to get more pressure on opposing QBs.

Ho Hum

Mississippi State 30, UAB 13 – UAB battled, and lead 13-9 midway through the fourth before finally getting worn down and running out of gas. But with eight minutes left, Bulldog RB Anthony Dixon took over, getting two fourth quarter touchdowns on his way to 152 yards total. The Blazers weren’t physical enough to go a full 60 minutes with this underrated SEC outfit, but put up an impressive first half, holding Mississippi State to just 50 yards of total offense before the halftime gun.

Booooooooooooring

If you were bored with the C-USA this week, I don’t know what to tell you.

Big Ten Review: Week Six

The Big Ten is colored Orange now, with the Illini at 3-0 following two straight wins over traditionally great programs. Jeff has the Illinois game covered, but here’s a quick rundown of what happened in the rest of the league:

Game of the Week

Northwestern 48, Michigan State 41 – You thought you knew this Spartan squad. Finally, someone was able to neutralize the Spartan rush, as CJ Bacher threw for a school-record 520 yards, including a fifth touchdown in overtime, as the ‘Cats stunned MSU in East Lansing. As predicted in this space last week, the Northwestern spread attack neutralized MSU’s biggest strength, their pass rush, and helped Bacher complete 38 of 48 passes. The Spartan offense was excellent, but ultimately just couldn’t keep up with the Wildcat attack. Javon Ringer had another stellar week, posting 185 yards on just 12 carries, one of which went for 80 yards, and Brian Hoyer was typically solid, with 190 yards, a TD and no picks. As promising as MSU’s start was this year, they’re now looking at a must-win against Indiana next week to keep any reasonable hopes for a bowl game alive.

Best of the Rest

None.

Ho Hum

Ohio State 23, Purdue 7 – The Buckeyes are starting to define this category with one workmanlike victory after another. OSU will get objections from only Illinois when calling itself the class of the Big Ten right now, as they took every shot Purdue wanted to offer and then some. The Boilers had this one circled on the calendar all year, but OSU held an offense that had been averaging 40+ points per game to a measly touchdown with 7 seconds left. In six contests, only one team (Washington) has put up more than 7 on the Buckeyes. That’s an amazing stat, and with USC going down, and LSU hoeing a tough road up ahead, Ohio State has every right to start thinking they have an inside track to the national championship game. There will be challenges, but OSU should have no problem getting to 10-0 by the time Illinois comes to town.

Indiana 40, Minnesota 20 – The Hoosiers took one step closer to a nice bowl bid with an easy win over hapless Minnesota. Indy struggled a little bit finding the end zone, but 4 Austin Starr FGs kept them rolling to a 33-14 lead at the end of the third. Sophomore Bryan Payton produced a break out effort at RB, snagging 13 carries for 90 yards and 3 scores. Minnesota got another nice passing day from Adam Weber, but the defense is playing so poorly right now, they don’t have a chance to beat anyone. Don’t sleep on this Hoosier squad in the Big Ten race. The defense is never going to be a lock down unit, but athleticism on offense will carry them a long way. After seeing what Illinois did to Wisconsin and Northwestern did to Michigan State, is there any reason this team can’t get 9 wins, considering they dodge both Michigan and Ohio State?

Michigan 33, E. Michigan 23 – The Wolverines gave up 23 points to a terrible offensive football team in the Eagles, and turned this one much closer than it needed to go. Leading by just 2 midway through the third quarter, Mike Hart put the offense on his back yet again, and galloped for TD runs of 24 and 17 yards, giving Michigan a 19 point lead. Hart logged 215 yards on just 22 carries against a defense that is, believe it or not, a pretty decent one with a solid crew of LBs. Hart should be getting tons of Heisman consideration for the way he’s played, and this outing should have him back at the top of the nation’s rushing leaders. It goes without saying that this effort won’t cut it next week against Purdue.

Boooooooooring

Penn State 27, Iowa 7 – The Fighting Paternos got back on the horse after back-to-back losses, beating the brains in of an Iowa squad that is, let’s face it, pretty darn awful. Iowa didn’t cross the 100 offensive yard mark until early in the fourth quarter, and had absolutely no run game, getting just 48 yards on 28 carries. Penn State, meanwhile, got 256 rushing yards against a front four that started the year so dominant. This one could have been worse, too, as PSU had three crucial turnovers, and Iowa held on to the ball all day. The Hawks had just eight first downs. Eight. The Hawks have a relative cupcake schedule, dodging Michigan and OSU, but they could very easily be 0-7 in the Big Ten heading to the October 10^th “showdown” against Northwestern.

C-USA Review: Week Five

Another exciting week featured a lot of scoring, with 8 of 10 C-USA teams scoring 30 points or more, and 3 of the 7 contests featuring C-USA teams decided by 4 points or less. Let’ s see how it shaped up:

Game of the Week:

East Carolina 37, Houston 35 – A wild game in Houston saw 55 points in the middle two quarters, and only 7 scored in the first and fourth. Sophomore Robert Kass made a big push for the ECU starting QB job, leading a couple late drives and throwing 6 of 12 for 110 yards and a score. The real star for the Pirates was senior RB Chris Johnson, who had the biggest game of his career since a freshman year 158 yard performance against Tulane, getting 147 yards on 24 carries. On the other hand, the real, real star for ECU might be Houston PK TJ Lawrence: the senior was 0-3 on field goals, including misses with 2 minutes and three seconds to play.

Best of the Rest:

UTEP 48, SMU 45 (OT) – SMU twice gave away multi-touchdown leads to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for the second straight week. The Ponies led 28-7 in the second quarter and 41-27 with ten minutes to play, but couldn’t get a crucial stop, and gave up a 9 yard TD pass by Trevor Vittatoe with just 7 seconds left to send the game to OT. This makes two in two weeks that SMU dominated most of the game and didn’t win. The defense totally rolled over in the fourth quarter after really manhandling TCU last week. UTEP’s Trevor Vittatoe didn’t sparkle the entire night, but he led two late scoring drives with the help of the game’s star, the Miners’ Marcus Thomas (35 cars, 207 yards, 3 TD).

Tulsa 38, UAB 30 – The scoreboard at the end didn’t necessarily show it, but the Golden Hurricane rolled over the Blazers, dominating in total yardage, 695-403, and building a 38-16 lead midway through the 4^th period before the defense fell asleep at the wheel and let the game get close. Paul Smith threw for 333 with 3 TD; Tulsa could do without his 2 INT, but the offense was in fine form, including RB Tarrion Adams, who blew up for a season-high 183 yards on 24 carries. UAB has kind of a strange offensive attack, with QB Sam Hunt in the game to throw, and Joseph Webb in the game to run, mostly. The attack worked…kind of.

Arkansas State 35, Memphis 31 – The Indians were getting totally manhandled at halftime, and came out of the locker room spitting fire, getting four scores in 16 minutes to seize the lead at the 8 minute mark of the fourth quarter. Indian QB Corey Leonard didn’t throw too many completions (16-37, 255 yards, 3 TD), but when he did, they went for big yardage. QB Martin Hankins had his second straight subpar game, completing just 47% of his passes, and getting 56 of his 119 passing yards on one play. Going forward, the Tiger running game must improve, with key backs Joseph Doss and TJ Pitts combining for just 99 yards on 28 carries.

Ho-Hum:

Boise State 38, Southern Miss 16 – Boise State rolled the Eagles Thursday night in a game that was never really close. This game kind of defines the term “ho-hum.” Southern Miss got 190 passing yards from Jeremy Young and 83 yards on the ground from Damion Fletcher, but couldn’t stop Bronco RB Ian Johnson (22 cars, 111 yards, 3 TDs) or QB Taylor Tharp, who completed 70% of his passes for 307 yards. Southern Miss got outgained by almost 200 yards (506-318) and were fairly fortunate in completing 9 of 18 third downs. This one could have been uglier than it was, and the Eagles would benefit from another run option to share the load with Damion Fletcher.

LSU 34, Tulane 9 – The Green Wave were stunning LSU at halftime, trailing just 10-9 after a Colt David FG gave the Bayou Bengals the lead with 3 seconds left in the half. Tulane wasn’t really out of this game until 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, when LSU put it away with a 35 yard Charles Scott run. Still, Tulane has to get respect for staying in it that long against the team that is now the nation’s top ranked unit. They didn’t muster much on offense, with Anthony Scelfo having absolutely no time to throw, but Matt Forte put up a respectable 73 yards on 16 carries. You think there are no moral victories? Wrong – this was one.

Booooooooooooooooring:

UCF 37, Louisiana-Lafayette 19 – The UCF juggernaut kept rolling, with Kevin Smith reclaiming the national rushing lead with a 3 TD, 223 yard performance. The entire UCF attack looked sharp, with backup Curtis Francis tallying 71 yards on just 9 carries, and QB Kyle Israel leaping to the head of the two-headed quarterback system, completing 11-20 passes for 153 yards and a score. Where’s the weakness on this Knight squad? They’re at the top of the C-USA in most offensive categories, including 1st rushing, scoring, scoring D and pass efficiency D.

SEC Week in Review: Week Five

What a week in the SEC! Auburn bounced back from a disappointing start to remind the world, and the Gators, just how tough this conference is top-to-bottom. Most of the other favorites survived, but not without some fireworks. Here’s a rundown:

Game of the Week

Auburn 20, Florida 17 – The Gators lost to Auburn for the second straight year, losing Urban Meyer’s first game at the Swamp, and finally coming off last year’s National Championship cloud. With 6 of the top 13 teams losing Saturday, Florida’s hopes to repeat aren’t dead, but like last year, they’ll need a lot of help and an unblemished mark the rest of the way, which begins with a brutal three game road stretch through LSU, Kentucky and Georgia. Ben Tate and Mario Fannin combined for 127 yards rushing, and Auburn QB Brandon Cox played a near flawless game, going 17-26 for 227 yards, a great outing for a signal caller that had been criticized endlessly in the last few weeks. Florida’s Tim Tebow was great, as usual, but the Gators got too little production from anyone else to sustain scoring drives until it was too late.

Best of the Rest

Florida State 21, Alabama 14 – Give the cat two weeks to prepare, and ol’ Bobby Bowden can still craft a pretty nice game plan. Xavier Lee played for the first time in 2007, and led the ‘Noles in the air (12-18, 224 yards) and on the ground (11 cars, 59 yards). Lee connected on long pass plays to Greg Carr and De’Cody Fagg. Despite a respectable 677 yards of offense, these teams were scoreless until the 10:50 mark of the third period. Alabama’s John Parker Wilson went 28-53 for 240 yards and two late scores, but you know that Nick Saban isn’t dreaming up 53 pass game plans at night. ‘Bama has to run better to be a championship SEC team. They will run better eventually, with freshman Terry Grant, but that time isn’t now, and Wilson isn’t a QB able to carry a great SEC team.

South Carolina 38, Mississippi State 21 – The visiting Bulldogs led deep into the third period, getting two short Anthony Dixon TD runs to go up 21-17. But new Gamecock QB Chris Smelley kept throwing, and Mike Davis scored twice in the fourth as USC won by 17. MSU was really close in this game, but the defense broke down late and couldn’t stop Carolina on third down, surrendering 9 of 18 on possession downs. The Gamecocks probably found a QB, as Smelley threw pretty well, but K/P Ryan Succop may follow Blake Mitchell to the chopping block: Succop missed a FG and punted weakly, for just 33.5 yards per kick. MSU punter Blake McAdams, by contrast, helped his team’s weak offense stay in the game with a 46 yard average on 6 kicks.

Ho Hum

LSU 34, Tulane 9 – The Tigers struggled with their instate kin, trailing 9-7 before Colt David hit a FG with 3 seconds left in the third. Tulane was still in it until Charles Scott galloped 35 yards with 12 minutes left to give LSU a 27-9 win. The Tigers certainly didn’t overwhelm Tulane, but they fought till the end, and dominated the Green Wave yardage wise, 391-227. Tulane’s Matt Forte, coming off a 303 yard, 5TD outing, mustered a respectable 73 yards on 16 carries, but Tulane had zero success through the air, netting just 12 of 32 completions for 139 yards. Still, the slow start for LSU has to have some in Bayou wondering if this team had some weaknesses exposed, or was just looking ahead a bit to Florida.

Georgia 45, Ole Miss 17 – The ‘Dawgs remained tied in to the third quarter against Ole Miss, the worst team in the nation’s best conference, but Georgia put on the afterburners to win going away, 45-17, with four running TDs in the last 18 minutes of the contest. Thomas Brown ran wild (16 cars, 180 yards), getting almost as many yards on 16 carries against Ole Miss as he had on 54 carries in the first four games. Knowshon Moreno was also solid, going for 90 yards and a score. Georgia could have been a little better on defense, however, as Rebel QB Seth Adams completed almost 70% of his passes for 228 yards, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis got 108 yards on the ground. Still, this was a solid win, an SEC win, and a nice springboard to the tougher battles that lie ahead.

Vanderbilt 30, Eastern Michigan 7 – The score doesn’t look like a total blowout, but Vandy destroyed the Eagles on Parents’ Weekend in Nashville, holding EMU to just 173 yards of total offense, including just 62 yards on 30 carries on the ground. Vandy won on first downs, 23-10 and in total yardage, 341-173. So, the defense looked as much like a bruising SEC unit as it ever will, and QB Chris Nickson ran for 67 yards on 12 carries . But where did all the INT come from? Nickson tossed 4 picks in to the porous Eagle D in just 28 attempts. That’s not gonna fly when the Commodores head to Dixie.

Boooooooring

Kentucky 45, Florida Atlantic 17 – Andre Woodson finally threw an INT, but he was exceptional nonetheless, throwing 26-33 for 301 yards and 5 TDs. Rafael Little was good again, getting 112 yards on 20 carries, but I’d still contend that the Wildcats haven’t faced a real defense, but they’ll get their chance, going to South Carolina next Thursday, and getting LSU and Florida at home to follow. Right now, the Wildcats are the only SEC East team without a loss, and they’ll be chased like a front runner for as long as their lead lasts.

Arkansas 66, North Texas 7 – This was as boring as boring gets, with the Hogs jumping out to a 45-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first half, and the scoring didn’t stop until Jerell Norton returned an INT 100 yards with just 31 seconds left in the contest. Arkansas ripped off 713 yards, including seeing Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Brandon Barnett all hit the century mark on the ground. This team won’t convince me until it can pass against a good defense.

Big Ten Week in Review: Week Five

What a week in the Big Ten! Leaving the big Illini victory to Jeff, let’s take a lot at what went down around the conference:

Game of the Week

Wisconsin 37, Michigan State 34 – The Spartans exposed the weak Badger defense Saturday, but couldn’t shut down PJ Hill or Tyler Donovan enough to get a win. MSU had two chance in the fourth, but missed a field goal with a few minutes left and stalled out on 4^th down in the waning seconds. Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum (10 rec., 132 yds.) had his first real big game of 2007, and Tyler Donovan got another nice win to move to 7-0 as a starter. The Spartans have nothing to be ashamed of; there was no meltdown, just coming up a few points short against a better team on the road. Brian Hoyer was solid (22-36, 323 yds.) and Javon Ringer (10 rec., 145 yds.) showed explosiveness we’ve rarely seen from him. The Badgers’ schedule gets really tough after this, with road trips the next two weeks at Illinois and Penn State; if the defense plays like they did today, they’ll lose one or both of those games.

Best of the Rest

Michigan 28, Northwestern 16 – So, Michigan’s back, right? Maybe not. The Wolverines got beat up at Northwestern for the better part of three quarters before a 5 yard TD pass from Chad Henne to Carson Butler brought them within 2, at 16-14. After a Wildcat fumble, Adrian Arrington caught a TD pass to give Michigan the lead, and UM went on to win, 28-16. Here’s how ridiculous this game was: Northwestern committed 5 turnovers to Michigan’s 0. If someone told you Michigan would win the turnover battle by 5, and not take the lead until the mid-fourth quarter, you would have laughed, right? I have no idea what to expect of Michigan going forward, but Northwestern showed some sparks, with Omar Conteh getting 115 yards rushing to bring his career total to 213.

Ho Hum

Purdue 33, Notre Dame 19 – The Irish are improving and, to their credit, haven’t gone totally in the tank after the embarrassing start. But their best still wasn’t good enough Saturday, as they fell to Purdue 33-19, despite getting great work off the bench from deposed QB Evan Sharpley (16-26, 208 yards). ND’s best effort probably won’t be good enough until they face Navy at 0-8, so until then they’ve got to figure out this QB thing. Sharpley is better right now, but Clausen is obviously the future. Purdue got the win, but disappointed in a couple areas: Curtis Painter threw his second and third picks of the year, and the Boilers surrendered 377 yards to a passing attack that had previously been downright anemic.

Indiana 38, Iowa 20 – Two teams showed their true colors in Iowa City yesterday, as Indiana proved they are a contender for a solid bowl game this season, and the Hawkeyes showed how suspect their secondary really is, and how much they’ve fallen off since the glory days of the Kirk Ferentz era just a few short years ago. Iowa got torched for two long touchdowns in the first half, and fell victim to a flukey 71 yard fumble recovery TD by Indiana’s QB, Kellen Lewis (19-26, 322 yards). In addition to all Iowa’s other problems, they’ve got kicking issues now, as both Daniel Murray and Austin Signor continues their struggles, missing 3 kicks between them. With Penn State, Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State looming, Iowa could very, very easily be 0-6 in Big Ten play by November.

Booooooooooooooring

Ohio State 30, Minnesota 7 – Another workmanlike outing from the Buckeyes, who continue to roll along headed in to next weekend’s showdown in West Lafayette. OSU is giving up 7.2 points per game, and stayed right on course with a lockdown effort on a solid Gopher attack, holding Minny to just 45 yards on the ground. What is there to say about this game? OSU was solid as can be; they got production from QB Todd Boeckman (18-29, 208 yards, 2 TD), RB Chris Wells (24 cars, 116 yards) and, of course, the defense.