Labor Day has come and gone and the first real weekend of the college football season has come and gone too. let's take a look back with the column that makes your Tuesdays feel like Saturdays, Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Allan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 27- LSU 20: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV- There was a lot of buildup gong into this game between the two teams that split the 2003 national title. There was also of lot arrogance on LSU's part on how they were going to physically dominate the Trojans. Quite frankly after the last several years of SC teams with very weak defenses who could blame the Tigers for their confidence. What all Trojans and basically all of college football wanted to know was would SC actually have a real defense again under new DC D'Anton Lynn. Things didn't look so hot on the first drive of the game when the Bayou Bengals drove methodically down the field and had a 1st and Goal at the SC eight-yard line. Then the new day dawned for USC when they kept LSU out of the end zone with a goal line stand. A couple of drives later, new USC RB Woody Marks, a transfer from Mississippi State, knifed into the end zone for a TD and a 7-0 lead for the Men of Troy. Then the teams then traded scores to finish the half with a LSU getting a TD on a 21-yard TD toss from QB Garrett Nussmeier to WR Kyren Lacy. Lacy would get penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring and that set SC up for a 35-yard FG from PK Michael Lantz for a 10-7 lead. LSU tied the game on 45-yard FG from PK Damien Ramos with 1:08 left in the half. SC then drove down the field for a possible go ahead score, but Lantz shanked a 29-yarder to end the half and the score stood 10-10. The third quarter wasn't great for SC. They did take the lead, 13-10 on a 35-yard FG from Lantz, but LSU would answer back with a 13-yard scoring strike from Nussmeier to WR Aaron Anderson. LSU controlled the rest of the quarter and held a 17-13 lead. USC looked tired on defense and it looked like the Tigers would take this game. Then something happened that hadn't happened in a long while. SC came back and dominated the fourth quarter to get the win. QB Miller Moss who had been great all game, stepped his game up even more and drove his squad for a go ahead TD when he found WR Ja'Kobi Lane on corner route from 28 yard out for a 20-17 lead. LSU came right back and tied the game 20-20 on a 31-yard FG from Ramos with 1:47 left. Many thought SC would play for overtime at this point. They didn't. Moss as he did in the first half guided the Trojans swiftly down the field with the help of the last of WR Kyron Hudson's briliant catches on the night and the targeting penalty on LSU that came with it. That put SC on the LSU 13-yard line with :18 left. It looked like SC would center the ball for a game-winning FG try. However, Marks ended all that FG talk by rumbling through the Tiger defense to paydirt and a 27-20 lead. Pete's Call of the Game Winner. LSU's last attempt for victory ended when LB Mason Cobb picked off Nussmeier at the LSU 40 with :04 left. One victory formation later and it was Conquest for Troy. For the SC offense, Moss completed 27 of 36 passes for 378 yards and a TD. He threw passes to 10 different receivers. Marks led all rushers with 68 yards on 16 carries and two scores. For the Tigers, Nussmeier complete 29 of 38 passes for 304, two TDs and an interception in defeat. The real story of this game was that USC has a real defense again. The hard hitting and sure tackling was a great sight to see for all Trojans fans.
Telling Stat: Two minute efficiency; QB Miller Moss went 9/11 for 88 yards to put the Trojans in position to score on the drives that ended each half.
Rutgers 44- Howard 7: New Brunswick, NJ- The Big Ten football season's first game was last Thursday night at the state college of New Jersey where the Scarlet Knights relied on their rushing game and a workmanlike effort form new QB to rout the Bison form the FCS. RB Kyle Monangai, last year's Big Ten rushing leader with 1,262 yards, ran through and around the Bison for 165 yards on 19 carries and a TD, while the Knights as team ran for. 329 yards on 46 carries with two TD's. Minnesota transfer QB Athan Kaliakmanis had a good game as he completed 15 of 24 passes for 147 yards and three scores. Rutgers used their size advantage to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Howard QB Ja'Shawn Scroggins threw for 116 yards and ran for 67 more in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Slow and steady builds a rout; Rutgers scored in all four quarters, racking up double digits in the final three to tame the Bison.
Wisconsin 28- Western Michigan 14: Madison, WI- This was quite a battle under the Friday night lights at Camp Randall Stadium. These two squads traded punches all night and dug deep into their playbooks. With 14:15 to play in the fourth quarter WMU RB Jalen Buckley found the end zone from a yard out to give the Broncos a 14-13 lead. WMU then forced Wisconsin to punt only to have P Atticus Bertram's kick take an odd bounce off WMU's DaShon Bussell. It was recovered by the Badgers at the Bronco's 20-yard line. Four plays later, RB Tawee Walker rumbled his way six yards to the end zone for the go ahead score. Add in the two-point conversion and the Badgers held a 21-14 lead. On the next drive, the Wisconsin defense stuffed Buckley on 4th and 1 at mid field to hold for downs. Eight plays after that the game was put firmly into the win column for the kids from. Madison when QB Tyler Van Dyke battled his way into the ned zone from six yards out. Western's last chance to get back into the game ended when QB Hayden Wolff's pass was intercepted by CB Xavier Lewis in the Badgers 22-yard line. Van Dyke led the Badger attack with 21 completions in 36 attempts for 192 yards and 21 yards rushing on eight carries and a TD. RB Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker combined to tote the rock 34 times for 140 yards and two trips to the end zone. Buckley led the WMU rushing attack with 64 yards on 16 carries and two TDs while Wolff threw for 141 yards and an interception in the bitter defeat.
Telling Stat: Move those chains; Wiscsonsin converted 10 of 16 third downs, racked up 27 first downs and held the ball for 35:18 en route to victory.
North Carolina 19- Minnesota 17: Minneapolis, MN- Well folks, the Big Ten went 17-1 this weekend and this is the one in 17-1. The Golden Gophers dropped a heartbreaker in this battle of two evenly matched squads. North Carolina came into this as game one of the post Drake Maye era with Max Johnson named the starter after winning the QB battle with Conner Harrell. Meanwhile, Minnesota was starting Max Brosmer as their signal caller. He's a transfer from New Hampshire of the FCS. Both teams had trouble moving the ball early, but the Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead really in the second period. The drive covered 80 yards in nine plays and was capped off by a three yard scamper into the end zone by Johnson. The drive came after Gophers PK Dragan Kesich missed a 27-yard FG attempt. However, the Maroon and Gold got some rhythm going to finish out the period. Gophers DB Justin Walley picked off Johnson deep in UM territory and returned it 70 yards to UNC six-yard line. Two plays later RB Marcus Major rumbled into the end zone form five yards out to even the game at 7-7. Then on their very next possession Minnesota drove 65 yards in nine plays to take a 14-7 lead on a one-yard plunge by Brosmer. Then came the second half where Tar Heels got just enough offense to mount a four kick comeback. The Gopher defense was great not allowing a TD, but UNC PK Noah Burnette nailed field goals of 29, 52, 42 and 45 yards to give his squad a 19-17 lead with 1:44 to play. All was not lost for UM as they drive into field goal range with :02 left. In came Kesich who missed wide right as time expired and a lot of folks left Huntington Bank Stadium disappointed. Forget all other stats including the Tar Heels losing Johnson for the season with a broken leg in the third quarter. Special teams won this game for North Carolina.
Talking Stat: 4 for 4= W; PK Noah Burnette's perfect kicking from placement won the game for North Carolina.
Illinois 45- Eastern Illinois 0: Champaign- Urbana, IL- Illinois scored early and often, building up a 31-0 halftime lead, a 38-0 lead through three quarters and then emptied the benches for the fourth quarter in this laugher at Memorial Stadium. QB Luke Altmyer completed 19 of 24 passes for 213 yards and four TDs while RB Kaden Feagin lugged the leather 16 times for 108 yards and a trip to the painted grass. WR Pat Bryant was Altmyer's favorite target with five catches for 63 yards and two TDs. EIU QB Pierce Holley completed 16 of 32 passes for 147 yards an two interceptions in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Under 3 = A short day; The Illinois defense was so efficient they were only on the field for only 23:59.
Michigan State 16- Florida Atlantic 10: East Lansing, MI- Most first games with a new HC aren't very pretty, but this one looked uglier than macaroni art left out in the sun for a week. New Spartan HC Jonathan Smith came into this game after escaping Oregon State in the collapse of the Pac 12. Most of his coaching staff came with him and a few of his old players too However, he inherited a depleted, pasted together roster with 61 new players after the disaster that was the Mel Tucker era on the banks of the Red Cedar. So the fact that MSU won this game is a good sign for Smith and his staff. MSU's defense started the scoring off when DT D'Quan House sacked FAU QB Cam Fancher in the end zone for a safety. The defense then set up the first TD of the Smith era when DB Nikai Martinez picked off Fancher and returned it to the FAU 18-yard line. Three plays later QB Aiden Chiles picked his way through the Owls defense for an 11-yard TD run. On the their next possession, MSU RB jetted 63 yards on the first play of the drive for a DT and a 16-0 MSU lead with 9:07 to play in the second quarter. That would be it for the Spartans scoring for the day. The rest of the game would see the Spartan defense bend but not break to hold on for the win. FAU made it close with a 43-yard FG in the second quarter and a 10-yard TD pass from Fancher to WR Jayshon Platt to cut MSU's lead to 16-10. The Spartan defense then held for downs on FAU's final three drives to ensure the victory. Chiles finished the game with 10 completions in 24 attempts for 114 yards and two interceptions. He also ran for 28 yards and score. Fancher completed 12 of 25 passes for 116 yards a TD and two interceptions in the tough loss.
Telling Stat: They survived for a W; MSU won this game despite being held to 248 total yards, converting just 3 of 15 third down attempts and turning the ball over three times.
Penn State 34- West Virginia 12: Morgantown, WV- For the first time in 30 years the Nittany Lions traveled to Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers. Outside of beating WVU, PSU needed to show that they finally had an offense that could compete for a playoff spot this year. It took a little while to get going, but QB Drew Allar had a pretty good day while boosted by a strong rushing game to grab a good first win of the year. The teams fought through a scoreless first quarter then the Blue and White struck first on a 50-yard scoring toss from Allar to WR Harrison Wallace III. The ensuing two-point try failed and PSU held a 6-0 lead. A few minutes later a 40-yard dash by RB Nick Singleton put the Fighting Paternos up 13-0. WVU cut the lead from 13-0 to 13-6 on a pair of FGs from PK Michael Hayes II. The last kick came with :37 left in the half. It looked as though Penn State would just run out the clock and go into the half with the TD lead. They didn't. Allar surprised all when he threw a 55-yard pass to WR Omari Evans that moved the ball to the 'Eeers 18-yard line. on the next play Allar found Wallace III for an 18-yard TD with :06 left in the half. PSU went into the half up 20-6. Then, the rains came. There was a storm delay of two hours and 19 minutes before the third quarter kicked off. The Lions picked up right where they left off and went on a 78 yard march in nine plays that culminated in a 40-yard TD run by Singleton. PSU had control of the game up 27-6. WVU did show signs of life the rest of the way, but never was a serious threat to win. Allar completed 17 of 26 passes for 216 yards and three TDs, while his backfield mate, Singleton led all rushers with 114 yard son 13 carries and a score. For the now 0-1 Mountaineers, QB Garret Green completed 15 of 28 passes for 161 yards.
Telling Stat: 5:21 to Separation; Penn State turned a 13-6 lead into a 27-6 lead by dominating the last :37 of the first half and the first 4:44 of second half to set the stage for victory over West Virginia.
Iowa 40- Illinois State 0: Iowa City, IA- As much as the college football world was waiting to see what impact new DC D'Anton Lynn would have at USC, so was the same crowd waiting to see if new OC Tim Lester could revive Iowa's comatose offense. Well for the first half, it seemed like same old Iowa as they held a 6-0 lead over the Redbirds at the intermission. Only thing really different was that AHC Seth Wallace was the man in charge for the day as HC Kirk Ferentz was serving a one game suspension over the recruitment of QB Cade McNamara. Then third quarter started and Iowa started gaining yards and scoring touchdowns like a real team. McNamara ended drives of 75, 66, and 62 yards with TD passes of 7, 31 and 19 yards to pace the Hawkeyes to a 26-0 lead with 14:54 left to play. Throw in TD jaunts of 64 and 18 yards form RB Kaleb Johnson and Iowa had a Gen-U-Ine offensive explosion at Kinnick Stadium. McNamara led his band with 21 of 31 passing for 245 yards and three scores, while Joshson led all rushers worth 119 yards on 11 carries and two scores. The Iowa defense was its' usual stingy self holding the Redbirds to 189 total yard with just 56 yards rushing. QB Tim Rittenhouse completed 10 of 20 passes for 119 yards a one interception in the mismatch.
Telling Stat: 5 for 6 = An offensive and a W: Iowa had a six drive span in the second half where they scored five TDs and punted once. I can't remember the last time Iowa had a run of drives like that.
Maryland 50- Connecticut 7 : College Park, MD- The Terrapins got almost everyone a little playing time in this rout of the hapless Huskies. The Terps crossed the double stripe on their first two possessions and never looked back as new QB Billy Edwards, Jr. made all Maryland faithful forget about Taulia Tagovailoa. Edwards had huge bowl game to finish the 2023 season and picked up where he left off against UConn. He completed 20 of 27 aerials for 311 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile, eight different Maryland backs combined to rush for 248 yards on 46 carries and three scores. The Terps defense held UConn in check most of the game, only giving up a cosmetic score long after the benches had been emptied and most fans had exited the building. In the defeat, UConn QB Joey Fagano threw for 149 yards and that lone score.
Telling Stat: 3 for 15= L; UConn only crossed the 50-yard line on three of their 15 offensive possessions.
Purdue 49- Indiana State 0: West Lafayette, IN- The Boilermakers were rude hosts to their instate FCS brethren. Purdue forced a punt by the Sycamores on their first drive then took over other own 45-yard line. 55 yards and eight plays later, QB Hudson Card connected with TE Max Klare for a nine-yard scoring aerial and a 7-0 lead. This ended the competitive portion of the contest. The only thing left would be how many points would the Boilermakers score. Purdue was the only team that stropped the Purdue offense with an assortment of errors or they would have score far more than 49 points. OC Grahm Harrell's six plays were too much for ISU to handle. Card finished the day completing 24 of 25 passes for 273 yards and four TDs. ISU QB Elijah Owens completed five of 10 passes for 50 yards in defeat.
Telling Stat: Thy never had a chance; Even if the offense stalled, the Purdue defense was not going to allow an upset to happen. They allowed just 104 total yards.
Ohio State 52- Akron 6: Columbus, OH- With a shade over eight minutes left in the third quarter, TheeeOSU held a slim 17-3 lead on the Zips. A growing sense of unease had hit the Buckeye faithful while HC Ryan Day looked more and more frustrated on the Scarlet and Gray sideline. Then K-State transfer and now TheeOSU QB Will Howard threw 51-yard strike to WR Jeremiah Smith to give his squad a 1st and Goal at the Akron two-yard line. On the next play, RB Quinshon Judkins crossed the double stripe for a 24-17 lead. The drive was a catalyst for a 35-3 Buckeyes run to turn this game into the rout everyone expected. Howard finished the game completing 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three TDs. Smith, the heralded true freshman, finished the game with six catches for 92 yards and two scores. For the Zips, QBs Tahj Bullock and Ben Finley combined to complete 17 of 27 passes for 121 yards and an interception in defeat.
Teling Stat: Defense wins games; TheeOSU's defense held Akron to field goals of 48 and 49 yards which allowed the Buckeye offense to find their legs in this opener at the Horseshoe.
Indiana 31- Florida International 7: Bloomington, IN- Former USC QB Matt Barkley debuted in the booth as the analyst for this game on the Big Ten Network, but the bigger debut was by IU HC Curt Cignetti who coached his first game at Memorial Stadium. It was a pretty good first day for Cignetti's Hooisers as they took an early 14-0 lead on a nine-yard TD pass from QB Kurtis Rourke to TE Zach Horton and a 13-yard scamper by RB Ty Son Lawton. Lawton would find the end zone from two yards out to extend IU's lead to 21-0 in the second quarter. FIU would cut into IU's lead just before the half on seven-yard pass to TE Rocky Beers from QB Keyone Jenkins. The second half was a snooze fest as neither offense could really move the ball. IU PK Nicholas Radicic extended Indiana's lead to 24-7 with a 35-yard FG midway through the third period. Indiana finally put the game away for good when RB Elijah Green raced 51-yards for a score with 1:06 to play. Lawton and Green combined to rush for 156 yards on 21 carries to lead the Indiana offense, while FIU's Jenkins threw for 129 yards, a TD and an interception in defeat.
Telling Stat: 3-2-1-Shutout; Indiana held for downs three times, forced two punts, and watched to clock run out to keep FIU off the scoreboard in the second half.
Nebraska 40- UTEP 7: Lincoln, NE- After one quarter of play, the Cornhuskers and Miners were tied at 7-7 and the Memorial Stadium crowd was eager for highly touted QB Dylan Raiola to shown signs of the brilliance they had been told about all summer. The second quarter saw Raiola lead the Huskers on three TD drives. Two of those drives ended with a TD passes from Raiola that covered 59 and 21 yards. Add in a safety and Nebraska had this game well in hand at the half up 30-7. The young Raiola would then lead the Big Red on one more scoring march that was capped off by a one-yard TD plunge from RB Gabe Irvin, Jr. After that Raiola watched the final quarter and change form the bench as Nebraska let off the gas in the final period of this easy win. Raiola finished his afternoon with 19 completions in 27 attempts for 238 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile the Husker rushing game gained 223 yards on 47 carries with three TDs. 11 different Nebraskans carried the ball. For the overmatched Miners, QB Skyler Locklear connected on 11 of 17 passes for 115 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat; 81 ain't fun; The Nebraska defense made sure their 30-7 halftime lead wasn't threatened by holding UTEP to 81 total yards in the second half.
Northwestern 13- Miami (OH) 6: Evanston, IL- Sunshine and stunning views of Lake Michigan greeted fans at NU's temporary on campus yard as they gutted out a 13-6 win over Miami (OH). Even with 15 starters returning, not a lot is expected out the Wildcats so a win to start the year is a big deal here. The two squads went into the half tied 3-3 as they traded first quarter field goals of 45 and 43 yards. The second half saw NU notch the only TD of the contest on their first drive of the half. The Cats drove 62 yards in eight plays for the score. Vandy transfer QB Mike Wright accounted for 58 of the 62 yards with his arm legs. He completed a 25-yard pass to TE Thomas Gordon which set NU up a the Miami 13-yard line. Then he was forced to scramble on the next play and raced up the middle 13 yards to paydirt for a 13-3 lead. Miami would cut that lead to 13-6 on a 43-yard FG from PK Dom Dzioban. Northwestern's defense then kept the Redhawks off the scoreboard the rest of way.. They sealed the win when they picked off Miami QB Brett Gabbert on their own 25-yard line with :57 left to play. Wright was the game's top passer and rusher completing 18 of 30 tosses for 178 yards and rushing for 65 yards and score on nine carries. For the Redhawks, QB Brett Gabbert connected on 22 of 37 passes for 227 yards and a pair of interceptions.
Telling Stat: 2 picks and miss = W; Northwestern's defense picked off two passes and forced a missed FG to secure a win over The Cradle of Coaches.
Oregon 24- Idaho 14: Eugene: OR- A funny thing happened to the Ducks on their way to world domination. Someone forgot to tell them that they had to actually play the game. A very sloppy bunch of Ducks were close to suffering a very embarrassing loss at the hands of the Vandals. Oregon was expecting a cakewalk and got a back alley brawl. Oregon never got the explosive plays to blowout the Vandals. The saw Idaho mach them punch for punch as the game went on. It wasn't until the 1:48 mark of the final period when Idaho QB Jack Layne was intercepted on his own 13-yard line then Uncle Phil, I mean the Oregon team and fans could breathe a sigh of relief. New UO QB and UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel completed 41 of 49 passes for 380 yards and two TDs while RB Jordan James ran for 95 yards on 15 carries with a TD to lead the Quacks attack. Layne completed 11 of 25 tosses for 168 yards and a TD for Idaho.
Telling Stat: They didn't finish; Oregon dominated every statistical category but almost lost the game because they missed a FG, were held for downs two times and fumbled once.
Michigan 30- Fresno State 10: Ann Arbor, MI- Ok, take Fresno State's ability to make things uncomfortable for big teams at home and pair that with Michigan's good defense and lack of an offense and this game was a lot closer than expected. Don't let the final score fool you, FSU trailed just 16-10 with 10:06 to play before in the words of the late Dan Jenkins, Michigan chose to "win this (bleeping) game." Following FSU's TD to close within six points, the Wolverines put the game in the hands of their running backs. RBs Donovan Edwards and Kale Mullings gained 51 yards on five carries to give the Maize and Blue a 1st and Goal at the Bulldog's six-yard line. Then QB Davis Warren hit TE Colston Loveland with a six-yard TD pass to extend Michigan's lead to 23-10. Then on the next possession, the Sons of Schembechler put the game away when Mickey Keene picked off FSU QB Miley Keene and took it 86 yards to the end zone for a 30-10 lead. A few minutes later, the clock hit triple zeroes and Michigan had the first win for new HC Sherrone Moore. UM's Warren competed 15 of 25 passes for 118 yards, a TD and an interception while backfield mate Kalel Mullings ran for 92 yards on 15 carries. Miley Keene was the Fresno State offense, completing 22 of 36 passes for 235 yards, a TD and two huge interceptions.
Telling Stat: The punchers chance; FSU stayed in this game to the end despite converting on only two of 11 third downs and gaining just nine yards rushing.
UCLA 16- Hawaii 13: Honolulu, HI- The bRuins went to paradise and they played as well as their new HC DeShaun Foster's Big 10 media day press conference went back in August. It was a disaster, but they survived. The Sons of Westwood looked confused at times and sloppy most of the game. The Rainbow Warriors held a 10-0 lead at the half thanks to a 19-yard TD pass from QB Brayden Schafer to WR Pofele Ashcock and a 28-yard FG from PK Kansei Matsuzawa. The bRuins woke up in the third quarter and outscored UH 10-3 on a 39-yard TD pass form QB Ethan Garbers to WR Rico Flores, Jr. and 22-yard FG from PK Mateen Bhaghani. Matsuzawa had a 28-yard FG that gave a UH a 13-10 lead entering the final period. That would be the last points Hawaii would score. UCLA's defense stood strong while Bhaghani hit on FGs of 37 and 32 yards to lift the bRuins to victory. UCLA's only real bright spot aside from Baghani was Garbers who threw for 272 yards and TD. He also ran for 47 yards on seven carries. For the hard luck Warriors, Schager completed 25 of 42 throws for 227 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: Defense for three; UCLA's defense held Hawaii to three second points while forcing three punts and a picking off a pass which allowed their offense to wake up enough to win the game.
Washington 35- Weber State 3: Seattle, WA- The Dawgs under new HC Jedd Fisch got a good workout in as they easily rolled over the Wildcats of the FCS. Yes, the UW offense sputtered to start, but Mississipi State transfer QB Will Rogers arm heated up in the second quarter along with the legs of RB Jonah Coleman. Rogers engineered four scoring drives in the second and third quarters. He threw for one TD pass of 33 yards to TE Decker Degraaf, while Coleman capped off the other three drives with short TD bursts from five, five and one yards away. UW capped off their scoring when backup QB Desmond Williams, Jr. hit WR Denzel Boston with a six-yard scoring toss. UW's defense rendered the Weber State offense inert for most off the contest to ensure the easy win. Rogers finished the day completing 20 of 26 aerials for 250 yards and a TD while Coleman led all rushers with 127 yards on 16 carries and three scores. RB Damon Banskton was the lone highlight for Weber State, rushing for 105 yards on 16 carries.
Telling Stat: Nobody Open; Washington held Webrt State QB to 11 of 32 passing for just 98 yards.
Observations
...Took awhile; Nothing hammers home the reality of SC being in a new conference more than having to eliminate eight former Pac 12 team from your DVR timer, add in 14 new Big Ten opponents to the timer and then prioritize them all so you can get just about every game recorded, Whew.
...A dubious honor; By being the only team int the league to lose this past weekend, Minnesota is the first team to be in sole possession of 18th place in the Big Ten.
...The senior Cam; Miami TE Cam McCormick scored a TD for the Canes in his ninth year of eligibility. Yeah, he's been around longer than QB Cam Rising of Utah. Six for the man in Nine
...The stuff that O-line dreams are made of; The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds rushed for 517 yards and seven TDs on 48 carries in a 63-37 win over the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys.
...Memo to Dabo Swinney; Dude, Jesus saves, but embracing NIL will get Clemson competitive again.
...Just run away; The Big XII is flirting hard with UConn thinking about adding the Huskies as a 17th school. It ain't worth it. Basketball is a no brainer here, but the football is so bad you'll never make it work. Basically, UConn is that kind of hot person you become attracted to, only to learn of all their baggage and you discretely run away.
...You know you did; I know everyone was rooting for Vanderbilt when it became clear that they had legit chance to upset VaTech.
...The Third Man; With Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz serving a one-game suspension over the recruiting of QB Cade McNamara, AHC Seth Wallace was acting HC for the Hawkeyes last Saturday. He joins Hayden Fry and Ferentz as the only three men to be HC for the Hawkeyes since November 25, 1978.
...The unexpected score; Nobody saw UNLV heading to Houston and whipping the Cougars, 27-7 in Willie Fritz's debut as the new HC for UH. Hmmmmmmm.
...New poles not in the budget; Stanford decided to just buy 12 new Stanford flags rather than install new flagpoles and flags for their new ACC opponents on the walk to Stanford Stadium. Cheap Trees
...He said it; LSU HC Brian Kelly after losing to USC, "I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach... it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game." Sorry, not sorry BK.
...Trivia Time: Akron, then known as Buchtel College, beat Ohio State, 12-6 back in 1894. Who was Buchtel's HC back in 1894?
...Not so good; It's time to step up and realize that D.J. Uiagalelei just isn't a good QB. Hey, Dabo Swinney was actually right about something!
...Blowout, who cares; Yeah Penn State whipped West Virginia, but it was cool to watch these two old foes face each other again.
...0-2 and 0-2 on 9/2. Florida State being 0-2 overall and in ACC play on 9/2 is as about as bad as their season could start. Ouch.
...Polls or Playoff; Not the best recording here, but if you have 25 minutes to spare, this old film that advocates for a college football playoff from 1970 is worth the watch just to hear some of the coaching icons of that time, including John McKay, speak on the subject. Playoff Talk From 50 Years Ago McKay comes in at the 19:15 mark. Oh, and the great Jim Murray is in this too.
...No Candy for Billy; I think Florida fires Billy Napier before Halloween.
...The wisdom of the ages; St. Nicholas of Tuscaloosa dropped this truth bomb on College Gameday about the perils of TheeeOSU having a 20 million dollar NIL payroll. Straight from Nick
...Spirit of 76; Ole Miss hammered Furman, 76-0. The Rebels should have saved some of those points for conference play.
...No DirecTV way to watch; Just minutes before USC was set to take on LSU in Las Vegas, DirecTV pulled all Disney owned channels off their lineup after reaching an impasse in negotiations. Disney is the parent company ABC and all the ESPN networks. So, a good chunk of the country had no access to the USC-LSU game, U.S. Open and all the Disney channels. Wow. Clipped Mouse Ears
...Memo to all points east of Pullman; Everyone in the Pac 12 knew how good Cam Ward was. Welcome to the party, latecomers.
…See ya; I’m thinking everyone else in the ACC right now really doesn’t have a problem with Florida State and Clemson wanting to leave the league.
...D-II Quad-Awesome; William Jewell College RB Keanudre McCullough rushed for 402 yards on 25 carries and five TDs to lead the Cardinals to a 35-20 win over the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks.
...Ugliest win; UCLA had the ugliest, sloppiest win of the weekend. This not a very good team.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin also had Furman's busses to the airport cancelled after the game as well beating. the Paladins, 76-0.
...Autumn thought; When the weather turns, you have to wonder what havoc the winds blowing off of Lake Michigan will have on the passers and kickers at Northwestern's temporary stadium. Hmmmmm
...Shelf life; Miami being good again will be fun until they do something that's so Miami that you have to dislike them again.
...Trivia Answer: Bucthel's HC was John Heisman. Yeah, that John Heisman. The guy who has a stiff-arm statue named after him.
...Pancakes served at the buffet; What's a Las Vegas buffet like without pancakes? Here's one served by USC TE Lake McRee. He's #87. Cajun Pancake
Big Ten Overreactions
Michigan needs to pick a QB.
Ohio State will go undefeated.
Indiana fans will die of boredom.
Wisconsin needs six quarterbacks with their offense.
USC is a 10 win team.
Illinois will go bowling.
Washington will improve as the season goes on.
Purdue will only go so far with Graham Harrell as OC.
Nebraska needs receivers.
Penn State has enough offense to make a run at the B10 title.
Maryland is sneaky good.
Iowa with an offense and a defense is a dangerous team.
Oregon's overconfidence is showing.
Rutgers needs a real QB.
Most Gopher faithful are sick of rowing the boat.
Michigan State is a 4-8 team.
Northwestern is a 2-10 team.
UCLA is a 3-9 team.
Keeping Tabs On Your Exes
(A new little feature with a couple of blurbs about former Pac 12 members)
...Hot in the desert; Arizona spanked New Mexico 61-39 and the combo of Wildcats QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan were special. Fifita completed 19 of 31 passes for 422 yards and four TDs. McMillan hauled in 10 of Fifita's passes for 304 yards and four scores.
...Heating up in the desert; ASU showed signs of life by crushing Wyoming, 48-7.
...The Bear is Golden; Cal moved to 1-0 on the season with a 31-13 win over old familiar FCS foe, UC Davis.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
This week's winner is Virginia for their all-orange look v. Richmond. Looking like traffic cones is no way to start the season.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Morehead, KY- We go to the FCS ranks for this game where the Morehead State Eagles got an 18-yard TD run from RB Harris Chance with 11:50 left to win their home opener, 17-10 over Central State (OH). The MSU defense pitched a second half shutout to secure the victory. CSU's last real chance to win the game ended when they were held for downs on their own 47-yard line with 1:51 to play.
Blowout Game of the Week: Nacogdoches, TX- This intrepid reporter was tipped off about this game by our field agent in the desert. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks broke a good sweat walloping the North American University Stallions, 77-0. The Stallions from the Sooner Athletic Conference in the NAIA were no match for the Jacks of the Southland Conference of the FCS. SFA held a 42-0 lead after one quarter of play and a 70- 0 lead at the half. The second half was reduced to 10 minutes with a running clock of five minutes each for the third and fourth quarters. QB Sam Vidlak completed all eight passes he threw for 288 yards and five TDs. All those stats were compiled in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the SFA defense held NAU to 40 total yards and just three first downs.
Razorback Report: Little Rock, AR- The Hogs opened up their 2024 campaign by hosting FCS foe Arkansas- Pine Bluff at old War Memorial Stadium. The plumbing went out, along with other service failures at the stadium, but the Hogs offense hit on all cylinders in a 70-0 rout of the Golden Lions. RB Ja'Quinden Jackson led all rushers with 101 yards on eight carries and a pair of TDs. As a team Arkansas ran for 279 yards on 33 carries and eight TDs. Through the air, QB Taylon Green completed 16 of 23 passes for 279 yards and two scores. Up next for the Razorbacks is a trip to Stillwater to take on Okie State.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts are pretty good.
After a small hint that fall would be coming soon, the annual Labor Day heat wave has hit here.
Why my local grocery store thinks I want to buy five 12 packs of soda at a time is beyond me.
Until Next time folks, remember that defense wins games.
-The Commissioner
