Some week 12 recaps and what-not

[s--k]

Let's start with Fun Belt! Some kinda strange games there last week.

Coastal Carolina had a 412-376 TY and 23-15 FD edges with 41-19 TOP; Arkansas State won 28-27. Arkansas State lost 5 TOs, Coastal lost 3. CC’s opening drive was SOD at the A13. CC fumbled their second poss at the C07 leading to an easy ASt 7-0 lead. CC got a 25y FG on a 9p 57y drive then added a 45y FG after a ASt fumble. CC would lead 13-7 HT with a 281 to 142 yard edge. ASt threw INT, then CC threw INT right back which ASt ret’d 66y for TD and a 14-13 lead which they would extend to 21-13 late 3rd Q. ASt would then throw INT and fumble on back-to-back possessions which CC turned into 14 pts off just drives combining for 45 yards. ASt got the go-ahead TD with :32 left in the 28-27. CC’s 412y were their second most vs Sun Belt, ASt’s 376y were their second fewest in league play.

Troy QB Kaleb Barker did throw 6 TDs on 30-43-363y passing vs Texas State in their 63-27 win. But, Troy only had a 471-415 TY edge doing most of their scoring following turnovers on short fields. Troy punted to open and TxSt would get as far as the TR08, but a penalty backed them up and they settled for a 33y FG. Troy scored back-to-back TDs with a TxSt INT in between. TxSt was able to cut it to 14-10 early 2nd Q. Troy would then rattle off 3 straight TDs, one after a TxSt INT to lead 35-10 HT. TxSt was SOD near midfield to open the 2nd H and Troy added another TD. In the 4th Q Troy got their 5th TD following a drive of 53y or less (3 after INTs, 1 after SOD, 1 after punt). Troy added a 64y pick-six with :08 left in the game.

Georgia State came out with a lot of energy home vs App St as Sr QB Dan Ellington decided to play on a torn ACL. GaState led 21-7, but App St would amazingly score 28 straight points including 2 TDs in less than 2minutes to close the half. Earlier in the game GaSt got a pick-six., With 2:18 left it was App St’s turn for a pick-six which made the game 28-21. Ellington then threw another INT at midfield with just :55 left. It was about to be 3rd and 10 at the G48 when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called on GaSt leading to a AppSt TD to cap the 1st H scoring with :22 left at 35-21. Coach Shawn Elliot said his team “could not recover” from the swing in the score and emotion of the 1st H. AppSt owned the 2nd H leading 56-21 before GaSt found the EZ again late 4th. App St finished with 25-13 FD edge and 553-324 (6.9-5.1) TY edge. App St outrushed them 280-186 but both teams had a 6 ypc.

South Alabama outgained ULL 467-391 (7.2-5.3) but lost by 10. USA led 21-17 HT. Special teams were key for ULL to escape Mobile with a win. A 72y punt return and a 89y KO return set up ULL for some easy scores. ULL did kick 3 FGs from inside the 10 yard line. USA missed a 43y FG and had three empty possessions in the 2nd H while ULL scored on their first 4 poss of the 2nd H. USA ran for a program record high 352 yards (Minter 137y 6.2ypc, Davis 122y 12.2ypc).

Georgia Southern won 51-29 yet were outgained 370-325 to ULM. ULM was -3 TOs. GaSo had a 3p 21y drive after an INT, a 2p 6y drive after a fumbled punt and a 42y pick-six. 160 of ULM’s yards were on their final 4 possessions of the game (including 2 of their TDs). 1st H yardage was 235-132 for GaSo who had a 13-5 FD edge in the 1st H. ULM was only 2-of-16 3rd down to GaSo’s 5-of-12. ULM’s normally productive 1000y RB Josh Johnson was held to a ssn low 43y on 12att. GaSo ran for 254y (5.0) with King leading the way 102y (6.4). Werts passed for just 5-10-80-1-0 and added 62y net rushing. This was Evan’s first multi-INT game of the year. GaSo’s 325 yards were actually their lowest output vs Sun Belt.

 

[s--k]

Georgia led 14-0 HT off a 51y TD pass and a 7p 81y drive for TD with just :20sec left in the half. Each team went 3-and-out 4x in the 1st H (plus one 4-and-out for each team). Auburn missed a 46y FG (Gus appeared he was going to go for 4th-and-3 but changed his mind after a UGA timeout), were SOD in UGA territory and fumbled at G37 (1st down run by Nix). First time Auburn had been shut out in the first half since 2015, and the first time ever Gus’ Auburn team has been shutout for first 3 quarters. Georgia went back-to-back 3-and-out to open the 2nd H. Auburn also punted twice, both from UGA territory. Georgia went up 21-0 on a 12p 88y drive end of 3rd Q. Auburn would stage a comeback attempt in the 4th, accumulating 158 yards in the 4th Q. Auburn’s first TD drive as kept alive by a D PI call on 4th down from the G09. Georgia went 3-and-out and Auburn was quickly in scoring position again, this time a Nix TD run, first rushing TD allowed by Georgia all year. 21-14 mid 4th. Georgia again went 3-and-out and Auburn took over at their own 28 6min left. Nix converted 4th down with an 8y run, but the next 4th down play Nix missed a wide open receiver that would’ve easily converted at the G34. Georgia was yet again held to 3-and-out with Auburn using timeouts. Auburn had used up all their comeback magic as Nix was sacked on 4th down at the A22. Auburn would end up outgaining them 329-251 (3.8-3.9). Georgia finished the game just 3-of-15 3rd down (AU 5-of-18) and only 1 3rd down conversion of 9y or more. Nix was only sacked twice but was under a lot of pressure. Fromm 13-28-110-3-0. Swift 17att-106. Nix 30-50-245-1-0, leading rusher 13att-42y-TD.

 

[s--k]

ACC

Georgia Tech was shut out for the first time since 1997. It was as bad as the 45-0 score implies. VT had 18-8 FD and 461-134 TY edges (7.6-2.4). GT QB James Graham had his worst game, throwing 2 INTs, one was returned for TD and the other set up a 4p 19y Hokie TD drive. Graham also fumbled once but GT recovered that. GT did not cross midfield until their final drive of the game. They had 96 of their 134 yards on the last 2 drives of the game.

Syracuse came out hot going 4p 74y and 9p 80y for a 14-0 lead. Duke missed a FG, punted 3x from the 50 or Cuse territory and kicked two 2nd Q FGs for a 14-6 HT game. After their first two drives, Syracuse O went dormant gaining just 31y the next 5 times they touched the ball in the 1st H. Duke turned the ball over 3x to start the 3rd Q! Cuse got a 48y pick-six, then a 6p 42y TD drive after another INT and a 4p 15y TD drive after a fumble to lead 35-6 just past mid-3rd Q! Syracuse had a 395-279 TY edge (6.7-3.3) with a 286-122 (6.7-2.7) rushing yard edge (Neal and Howard each 115y). Duke was 5-of-20 3rd down. Cuse 4-of-12. Cuse D 4 sacks. DeVito passed 6-15-105-2-1. Harris 19-39-157-0-2.

North Carolina St outgained Louisville 377-326 (largely due to garbage yards) but lost 20-34. NCSt was -3 TOs. Scoreless 1st Q (LV missed FG after NCSt fumble), After an NCSt INT LV hit a 43y TD pass, NCSt kicked a 28y FG…7-3. LV had a 17y punt giving NCSt the ball at the L27 leading to a 10-7 Pack 1st H lead. In the 3rd Q LV got a 74y TD pass and then after an NCSt fumble a 42y TD pass to lead 20-10 (xpt no good). LV then went on a 13p 64y TD drive to lead 27-10. With the score 27-17, LV faked a FG for TD to lead 34-17. NCSt would gain 235 of their yards (62%) very late 3rd Q and 4th Q with their final 3 drives resulting in TD, FG and SOD at the L05.

 

[s--k]

MWC

Colorado State looked impressive on their opening drive jumping out 7-0, then ret’d an AF fumble 63y to lead 14-0. CSU struggled the rest of the half, after gaining 75y on their opening drive, they would gain just 57 the rest of the half. CSU squandered good field position after a punt missing a 53y FG. AF took that ensuing drive for TD. CSU fumbled on a sack and AF got a FG out of it. 14-10 HT. AF punted to open the 2nd H, CSU faked a punt that AF sniffed out at midfield, but AF threw INT the next play. CSU had a 1st down at the A31 but could do nothing with it and was forced to punt after a sack. After a scoreless 3rd Q, AF got a 3rd down 50y TD catch and run for their first lead 17-14. With all the momentum AF went on a 8p 58y TD drive converting 4th down along the way 24-14 mid 4th. It was like CSU flicked a switch, showing nothing on O since the first drive of the game, they hit a 58y pass then a 17y TD pass to very quickly get back in it 24-21. AF moved the ball with ease 8p 75y for TD 31-21 2:25 left. CSU again connected for 24 and 39 yard passes (the later appeared to be INT’d and down for AF, but CSU WR wrestled it away by time refs got to the pile). From the A04, CSU ran forward for 3 yards, then a QB sneak attempt was stopped after a bad snap fumble the QB had to fall on. Timeout CSU. O’Brien stared down a receiver flaring out parallel to the goal line with an AF DB eyeing it the entire way, who easily jumped it and raced 99 yards for TD. AF leads 38-21 1:22 left. CSU did move it back into the RZ, dropped one pass in the EZ and the game ended on a sack. Fitting end as AF D got 7 sacks (entered game with 14 on the ssn)(another source actually says 8 sacks in the game). Even after the sacks, CSU still outgained them 386-353 (5.2-5.8). AF’s 4.54 rushing ypc was their lowest on the season outside of the Navy game. They finished 50att-227. Hammond did pass 5-11-126-3-1. O’Brien 28-43-347-2-1 (most of those passing yards were in the 4th Q).

Wyoming D opened with a tipped pass INT deep in Utah St territory but WYO O would fumble it back on a sack. After trading some punts, WYO was back in the RZ, but would be SOD at the U02 end 1st Q. Two plays later WYO LB got a 10y pick-six. 7-0. Traded punts. Utah St got an 80y TD pass to tie. 7-7. WYO punt and USU went up 14-7 following a 45y wheel route TD pass mid 2nd Q. WYO went 5p 61y (aided by two 15y penalty) to tie 14-14. USU scored on their 3rd straight possession kicking a 47y FG…17-14 2min left. WYO threw INT and USU was able to add a 44y FG…20-14 HT. USU had a 308-150 TY edge in the 1st H. WYO drove to the U27 with a first down to open the 3rd Q, but a penalty and sack saw them punt. USU drove 15p 83y (aided again by two 15y penalties) to the W03 but were SOD. WYO punted from their own EZ then late hit USU OOB handing the Aggies the ball at the W14. WYO D held forcing a FG…23-14 late 3rd Q. Through 3 quarters USU had a 414-210 TY edge. USU missed a 50y FG then WYO threw INT which USU ret’d into the RZ. WYO D held again forcing a 23y FG…26-14. WYO scored TD with under 7min left 26-21. WYO forced 2 punt, Cowboy’s final drive got as far as the U39, but was INT’d at the U25. For the game USU outgained them 422-343 (5.3-4.3). WYO was penalized 9x-92y.

Reigning MWC POW Chevin Cordeiro was off the mark early going 4-9-46-0-2. Rolo wasted no time going to McDonald who responded with 20-26-211-0-0, 43y net rushing with 2TD rushing. UH outgained UNLV 442-235 (6.0-4.8) including a 185-117 (4.7-4.3) RY edge. UNLV’s only TD was a short field after a fumble recovery. UNLV did miss a FG and their final drive of the game was INTd at the H01. UH got a pick-six and also missed a FG and were SOD at the LV03.

San Diego State doubled up Fresno in yards 425-206 (5.1-3.9). Season low for Fresno, season high for SDSt. SDSt was SOD at the F29, Fresno scored first keyed by a 53y completion…7-0…SDSt downed a punt inside the 5 and Reyna threw his first of 3 INTs. 2p and 22y later SDSt tied it…7-7. Fresno threw second INT, but SDSt threw INT back. Fresno was SOD at midfield, SDSt had to settle for FG after having 2nd and goal at the F02. 10-7 early 2nd Q. In the final seconds of the 1st H SDSt was on a 11p 49y drive, but had their 42y FG blk’d as time expired. Fresno punted to open the 3rd, SDSt was on a 13p 79y drive, but fumbled at the F02. Scoreless 3rd. SDSt capped a 9p 72y TD drive early 4th to make it 17-7. Fresno was on one of their better drives of the game but were INT’d at the S04. SDSt killed almost 8min on a 13p 86y drive that ended in a SOD at the F13. 17-7 F. Each team only had three 2nd H possessions; SDSt's were fumble at the 2, TD, SOD at the 13. Fresno's punt, punt, INT at the 4.

Boise led 28-0 after the 1st Q thanks to a 24y D TD, 97y drive, 82y drive and a 51y TD pass. New Mexico had their best field position following an INT in Boise territory but were SOD at the B34. Boise then fumbled at the N29..NM fumbled it back from the B22. NM missed a 48y FG to end the half. Boise had a 274-142 1st H yard edge. NM got the on board early 3rd with a 48y FG then Boise scored back-to-back TDs to go up 42-3. Boise was SOD at the N33. NM went 11p 67y for TD, but missed xpt …42-9. Boise ended the game at the N21. Boise 509-292 TY edge (7.7-4.4). Boise outrushed them 215-117 (5.8-2.6). Each team converted about 50% 3rd down (combined 15-of-29).

 

[Frank Costanza]

Thanks for this. Great work, always.

 

[s--k]

AAC

South Florida outgained Cincinnati 438-278 but lost 17-20. USF missed 4 FGs from 50, 53, 43 and 33. USF did have a TD called back by O PI (settled for 28y FG). The missed 33 yarder off the upright came with just 2min left in the game tied at 17-17. UC would go 11p 60y converting 3rd and long twice to make a 37y walk off FG. Special teams hurt USF in other areas as well…allowing long KO returns and having a punt blk’d. UC outrushed them 200-171 (4.2-3.6). McCloud passed 18-27-267-1-0. Ridder 9-18-78-0-0, 18y net rushing (sacked 4x). UC D got just 1 sack.

Tulane fumbled on their first possession at their own 19 which Temple converted into FG. Tulane then missed a FG on their second drive. Tulane punted from just inside Temple territory late 1st Q and Temple would have two long drives for TD and FG to go up 13-0 (Tulane called for D PI on both drives, one kept a drive alive on 3rd down). Tulane’s O continued to struggle until Temple threw INT and Wave took that 8p 55y to get on the board 13-7 2min to go in the half. Tulane got it back, but threw INT in the EZ right before HT. Temple opened with a 11p 73y drive for FG in the 3rd…16-7. Tulane fumbled and Temple converted that into a 9p 47y TD drive…22-7 (xpt no good). Wave made it 22-14 early 4th, Temple got some chunk plays and converting 3rd down twice on their 9p 75y TD drive…29-14. Tulane would convert 4th down twice on their 12p 52y TD drive 29-21 under 7min left. Temple went 3-and-out. Tulane was driving, getting as far as the TM32, but their 4th down pass was incomplete. Tulane forced a punt with 1:34 left, but again were incomplete on 4th down killing comeback hopes. Temple outgained them 402-333 (5.7-4.0). Tulane lost 3 TOs, Temple 1. Tulane went 4-of-6 4th down. Temple was hit with 9penalties for 106y. Temple D got 3 sacks, Tulane 0.

Houston had 1st H leads of 7-0, 14-7, 17-7, 17-14, 20-14 until Memphis took a 21-20 lead and never looked back. Mem led 28-20 HT and extended that to 45-20 before Houston scored on a blk’d punt TD late 4th Q. Each team got a short field score following turnover, FG for UH, TD for Mem. Memphis ended the game at the H14. From late 2nd Q to the end of the game, Houston didn’t run a play on O in Memphis territory. Memphis outgained them 531-256 (7.2-4.9). Mem 9-of-13 3rd down, UH just 3-of-10. Patrick Taylor returned to action but had just 5 carries finishing 3rd rushing behind Gainwell (99) and Watkins (39). White 22-33-341-5-1. Tune 14-22-157-1-0, leading rusher due to a 68y run, finished 65y net. UH only ran for 99y total (3.3).

 

[s--k]

MAC

With a 24 pt 2nd Q, Ball St led 27-11 HT. CM turned it over on 3 straight possessions in the 1st H, all of which Ball St turned into points (17). The first 5 possessions of the 2nd H were all TDs (CM 3, Ball 2). 41-31 entering the 4th Q. Ball St’s O was shut down in the 4th Q with CM outscoring them 14-3 in the quarter to win 45-44. CM had 33-22 FD, total yardage essentially even 499-495 for BallSt with 6.9-6.3 ypp edge. CM lost 3 TOs, BallSt 1.

Toledo lost by 3 to NIU, but outgained them 508-444 (6.7-6.1) thanks to a strong 4th Q. Toledo fumbled at the N17 and the N12 after long drives in the 1st and 3rd quarters. NIU scored on a 4th down QB boot 40y run early 2nd Q to go up 14-7. Toledo was SOD at the N26. NIU went up 21-7 off a 12p 88y drive aided by two 15y penalties. Toledo punted 3-and-out NIU went 8p 65y to make it 28-7 late 3rd Q. Toledo would mount a 4th Q comeback with a 34y TD pass…28-14. NIU punter fumbled setting up Toledo at the N17 and 2 plays later it was 28-21. Toledo then went 10p 91y and tied the game 28-28 with 5min left. NIU worked their way down the field 13p 68y kicking the game winning 25y FG with :41 left. Toledo tried getting into FG range, but ran out of time. Toledo outgained NIU 216-83 (10.8-3.8) in the 4th quarter with going Peters 10-12-157-2-0, 23y net rushing in the final period.

Buffalo scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions to lead 17-0. Kent got on the board with a 23 FG and then UB fumbled a punt with :16 left in the 2nd Q handing Kent a 33y FG…17-6. UB opened the 3rd with a 9min 19p 93y TD drive. UB entered the 4th Q with the ball and a 24-6 lead and added to it with a 31y FG to go up 27-6. Kent had them just where they wanted them. Kent got their first TD off a 11p 76y drive then recovered an onside kick and 2 plays later had a 41y TD to make the score 27-20. Kent then blk’d a UB punt and the Flashes got a 5y TD pass on 4th down to amazingly tie the game 27-27 5min to go. UB moved the ball out to midfield but had to punt with 2min left. Kent moved to the B44 then connected on a 17y pass over the middle with the clock running they were fortunate to have it stop with :01 left. Two icing attempts couldn’t faze Matt Trickett has he nailed his second walk-off FG of the year. 30-27. 172 of Kent’s 284 yards and 10 of their 18 FDs came in the 4th Q. 24 pts were the most pts Kent has scored in a quarter since 2008. It was the largest deficit overcome in the 4th Q this season. UB outgained them 379-284 (5.2-4.4). UB ran for 245 (4.8), but only passed for 9-22-134-1-0. Both teams were strong on 3rd down in the 50% neighborhood. Buffalo D got 5 sacks. Crum threw just his second INT of the season (16-25-165-2-1).

 

[s--k]

Big Xll

Kansas had very little success on O in the 1st H. Ok St led 24-0 HT. KU missed a FG, OSU missed 2 FGs. KU threw 2 INTs at midfield, OSU only converted those into 3 pts. Each team punted twice to start the 2nd H until OSU made it 31-0 late 3rd Q. KU had a 4th down pass INT’d at the O32. OSU got a 30y gain plus a 15y penalty to have 1st and goal at the K10, but with Dru Brown at QB would miss a 26y FG. KU QB Carter came back in the game after not playing the 3rd Q (benched) and led a 13p 80y TD drive, 2pt no good. 31-6. After an OSU punt, KU again went for TD on a 11p 78y drive 31-13 (kicked xpt this time) 1min left…onside kick recovered by OSU. OSU D was active all day, 5 QBH, 2 sacks, 5 PBU and 3 INTs. OSU outgained them 447-290 (6.4-4.1) with 158 of KU’s yards coming in the 4th Q.

TCU outgained Texas Tech 549-402 (5.8-7.9), including 226-69 (4.3-3.8) RY with 28-16 FD edge and had 43-17 TOP but TCU only won 33-31. TCU converted 62.5% 3rd down to TTech’s 5-of-11. TCU started hot scoring on their first 4 possessions and led 24-3 (short field after INT for a TCU FG). TCU’s O slowed scoring just one FG the rest of the half while TTech found the EZ twice…27-16 HT. TCU had 327-215 1st H yard edge (6.3-7.7). TTech scored 2 TDs in the 3rd Q (failed 2pt twice)…28-27 guns up. TCU mounted a drive at the end of the 3rd which stalled in the RZ kicking a 25y FG to retake the lead first play into the 4th…30-28 Frogs. TTech then drove for their own short FG…31-30 Raiders. TCU would then kick even a shorter FG to retake the lead 33-31. With 2min left TTech fumbled at their own 29 recovered by TCU who milked the clock down got one first down to the TT12 before taking knees. TCU was only 2 of 7 RZ getting TDs (4 FGs, 2 TDs, end of game). TTech relied more on big plays, getting into the RZ only twice and settling for FGs on both their trips. Was probably Duggan’s best game of the year going 25-42-323-2-0, 75y net rushing. Duffy 19-33-333-4-1, leading rusher 42y net.

Iowa State lead 7-0 early as Texas O managed to get into ISU territory just once, barely, on 1 of their first 4 drives. ISU was SOD at the T33, then threw INT, but Texas was SOD at the I22. ISU added a 35y FG to lead 10-0. Before the final 1minute of the 1st H Ehlinger had under 50y passing. Taking over with :47 left in the half, UT went 5p 75y to make it 10-7 right before HT. First play of the 2nd H was a 75y TD reception for ISU…17-7. While Texas was busy going 3-and-out 3x to start the half, ISU added a FG…20-7. ISU was SOD at the T31 and then next drive had a 1st down at the T30 but eventually punted on 4th-and-18 (holding set them back). Texas O got some life late 3rd / early 4th with a 10p 80y to make it 20-14. ISU again got into Texas territory, but punted after just crossing the 50. Texas then went 15p 89y with a fantastic 4th down TD pass where Ehlinger scrambled buying time before hitting Epps in the EZ for the go-ahead TD 21-20 under 6min to go. ISU punted and clinging to a 1 pt lead, Texas played conservative on 1st and 2nd down before throwing incomplete on 3rd. ISU took over with 3min left. Texas was called for D PI, but the D held on 3rd down to set up a 42y FG with just over 2min left allowing Texas O time to respond had ISU’s FG been good. But on that FG att, Texas jumped offside giving ISU a first down and allowed them to bleed the clock and set up a 36y game winning FG as time expired. ISU had 26-16 FD edge and outgained them 466-327 (5.9-5.0) including 112-54 (3.7-2.1) RY. ISU did struggle on 3rd down converting just 3-of-14, Texas was 6-of-17. Purdy 30-48-354-2-1. Ehlinger 22-40-273-3-0, leading rusher 12att-27net yards.

Baylor led 14-3 late 1st Q when Hurts was escaping pressure and trying to regain his balance but dropped the ball on the turf which Baylor recovered and 2p 27y later it was 21-3. Next OU possession Hurts threw an INT that was ret’d 71y to the O09 and 1 play later it was 28-3! OU went on a 14p 75y drive to stop the bleeding with a TD. Key moment on that drive, OU was incomplete on 4th down, but Baylor was called for holding keeping the drive alive. In the final seconds of the 1st H Baylor was on a 14p 61y drive, but had to settle for a 28y FG…31-10. Those events in the last half of the 2nd Q gave OU some momentum heading into HT. OU went down 12p 74y for TD…31-17, then on Baylor’s first play of the 2nd H, Hasty fumbled at the end of a 18y run which OU took 11p 55y but Hurts fumbled at the B01 just before crossing the goal line. Baylor would go 3-and-out and OU had a drive spanning the 3rd and 4th Q go 13p 90y for TD…31-24. Baylor goes 3-and-out again and OU again put together a long drive..13p 77y to tie the game 31-31. At this point Baylor had run a total of 7 offensive plays in the 2nd H! Baylor again had to punt, OU ran into the kicker which was not enough for the first down. OU started on their own 27 with 4:15 left. As they had all half, Sooners marched down field 9p 59y setting up a go-ahead 31y FG with 1:45 left. Baylor tried to get something going venturing to the O40, but threw INT to hand OU their biggest comeback ever (previous record was a 21 pt comeback in 1970 and 1981).

Kansas State outgained WVU 421-319 (5.5-5.5). KSt threw 2 INTs while WVU didn’t turn it over. WVU benefitted from new starting QB Jarret Doege who went 20-30-234-3-0. WVU didn’t run the ball great, they haven’t all year, but their 85 yards was actually their 3rd best in Big Xll play and it was effective enough to add some balance. KSt QB Thompson threw for a career high 299, the week after posting a previous career high. Attempting 39x is not what KSt wants to do. WVU D did a good job on 1st and 2nd down vs KSt run forcing KSt to pass more on 3rd and medium to long situations. A couple key moments swung the game for WVU. 1st H WVU missed a 41y FG, but KSt was called for hitting the C too soon, a 15y penalty and instead of zero pts or 3 pts, WVU turned that into a TD. In the 4th, KSt blew a coverage on 3rd-and-22 that left a receiver wide open to walk into the EZ on what would turn out to be the game winning 50y TD reception.

 

[s--k]

PAC12

Oregon got up quick with a 73y TD pass then later in the quarter went on a 6minute 13p 76y drive to get up 14-0. Arizona ran just 1 play on Oregon’s side of the field on their first 4 drives of the game. Zona had 3 first time starters on their OL and it showed with four false starts, an illegal shift, numerous breakdowns and allowing UA QBs to be sacked and hurried often (6 sacks, 4 QBH). Ore outgained them 148-39 1st Q. Ducks missed a 20y FG then hit a 53y TD pass for a 21-0 lead. Taylor set up Zona with good field position from a KO return and UA went 7p 48y for a 23y FG…21-3. Then UA drove 6p 54y for a 42y FG as time expired in the 1st H….21-6. Oregon outgained them by much les 2nd Q 132-100. UA Fr DB Roland-Wallace was beat for 2 of those Duck TDs. UA was backed up twice in the 3rd giving Ducks good field position on punts, Ducks went 4p 41y for TD…28-6 mid 3rd Q. Later Ducks went for a 4th down at the A29, but were INT’d at the A06. Oregon outgained them 85-28 in the 3rd Q. A pair of 33y completions keyed the final TD for Oregon early in the 4th…34-6. UA got to the O13 but were SOD and were also SOD at the A47 on their final drive. Oregon had a 106-73 4th Q yard edge. For the game Oregon outgained them 471-240 (7.0-3.5). Zona started Gunnell who had 3 series, played Tate for the 2nd and 3rd Qs and played Gunnell in the 4th.

Oregon State lost just their second fumble of the season (lost at own 41, ASU punted on the possession), but it was two Arizona State fumbles that impacted the game. Daniels was sacked and fumbled the A28 leading to a 5p 28y TD drive for OreSt putting the Beavs up by 14, 35-21. Then in the 4th Q, ASU was about to tie the game off a 5p 80y drive when Benjamin fumbled fighting for extra yardage near the goal line, OreSt recovered in the EZ for touchback. ASU forced a punt and got the ball back with 6min left. ASU would go 11p 90y scoring 12y TD on 4th down. ASU elected to go for two, a RB throwback to QB, which OreSt blew up and Benjamin desperately threw into the EZ where it was INT’d. OreSt recovered the onside kick. With 1:39 left. ASU used timeouts and forced a 4th down which OreSt opted to go for, ASU was called for PI ending the game. ASU had a 408-393 TY edge (6.7-5.3). OreSt was held to just 98 yards total offense in the 2nd H. Daniels 24-36-334-3-0 (sacked 4x). Luton 26-35-288-4-0 (sacked 3x). ASU WR Aiyuk had 10rec-173-TD and a 63y punt ret TD.

UCLA actually led 3-0 following their 15p 50y drive that ate up 7minutes (UCLA was at the U03 but were sacked back-to-back plays)! Utah had two 70+y drives, added a 68y fumble ret TD then scored on a 38y Moss run to lead 28-3 HT. It was quickly 35-3 on a 69y TD pass and later a 83y TD pas made it 42-3. 49-3 F. UCLA would score on just 1-of-4 RZ trips. UCLA turned it over 5x and Utah D got 5 sacks. Utah outgained them 536-269 (9.4-3.7).

Washington State got up 19-0 (xpt blk’d another xpt missed). WSt converted their first 7 3rd downs (finished 9-of-13). With KJ Costello out, Stanford’s O started slow, but on their 3rd possession got 47y and 28y plays to cut the lead 19-7. WSt was in the RZ but threw INT at the goal line and Stanford would go 9p 99y to make it 19-14. WSt added a 35y FG just before HT. 22-14. Stanford missed a 39y FG to open the 3rd Q then WSt made a 38y FG….25-14. Some big plays by Tree and they scored to make it 25-22. WSt would score the next 24 pts. An 83y KO return set Wazzou up for a 2p 10y TD drive. WSt kicked a 35y FG, then after a Tree INT, added another TD…42-22. Stanford threw another INT in the EZ for touchback. WSt scored their final TD with 3min left. Gordon 44-60-520-5-1. Gordon now has 39 TD passes breaking the season school record. Starting for Costello, Davis Mills passed for a school record 504y on 33-of-50 3-2 ratio in his 4th career start. Stanford only attempted 10 rushes, 2 were by Mills. As a team they rushed for just 6 yards (.6ypc). The 6 yards allowed were 10th fewest allowed in WSt history. Stanford’s RBs were active in the passing game. WSt’s RB Borghi had 111 on15att. WSt Mike Leach was full of praise “It was out most complete game of the season” and on Gordon “Right now he is probably playing better than anyone in the country. He made play after play in that game that other quarterbacks can’t do”. WSt won their 4th straight vs Tree.

USC-Cal was close early with 7-7 and 10-10 scores. Garbers was reinjured on Cal’s FG drive and left the game. USC scored TD with just :43 left in the 1st H to lead 17-10 and Cal wasn’t competitive in the 2nd H with Modster at QB. USC had a 207-111 TY edge in the 1st H. Cal punted then threw back-to-back INTs while USC scored 3 straight possessions to lead 34-10, then 41-10 before Cal got a garbage TD mid 4th Q. USC finished with a 462-263 TY edge (7.5-4.3), although Cal outrushed them 135-56 (4.7-2.1). Slovis 29-35-406-4-0. Garbers 4-10-33-0-0, Modster 11-22-95-0-2. USC D got 5 sacks.

 

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Texas A&M outgained South Carolina 262-158 1st H including 108 to 28 RY edge, but only led 13-3 due to kicking 2 FGs in the RZ. Ags also missed a longer FG. SC was 0-for-6 3rd down in the half (aTm was 3-of-7). In the 2nd H, aTm didn’t get into SC territory until their 4th possession. Then they scored 3 straight drives for 17 pts. SC’s only pts of the 2nd H were following a aTm fumble at the T12 where SC actually lost 9 yards on the possession but made the 38y FG. 30-6 F. aTm outgained them 540-260 (6.8-4.1) and outrushed them 319-45 (6.9-2.6). SC finished 2-of-15 3rd down to aTm’s 6-of-14. Mond 20-33-221-1-0, 47y net rushing. Richardson 6att-130-TD, Spiller 24att-129. Hillinski 16-41-175-0-0.

 

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Done with recaps. just some other things of note:

Minnesota had a 431-290 TY edge and 26-17 FD edge.

Wisconsin only outgained Nebraska 493-482

Indiana outgained Penn St 462-371

Middle Tennessee lost yet outgained Rice 459-377. MTSU was -2 TOs. Rice outrushed them 41att-155 to 30att-116.

Notre Dame won 52-20 with 410-360TY edge. ND ran just 53 plays. Navy fumbled 4x.

Southern Miss won 36-17 but only outgained UTSA 493-422. UTSA was throwing in the EZ at the end of the game.