Hey all,
What was supposed to be ho-hum week two in college football with very few marquee games turned into a festival of upsets, scares, close calls and blowouts. Let's take a look back with another edition of Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Bill Jauss.
Summaries
USC 48- Utah State 0: Los Angeles, CA- It was the home opener for the Trojans coming off their great win over LSU last week. Would USC suffer a letdown and fall like others had done earlier in the day? Would they open the door for Aggie QB Bryson Barnes to pull off a win over SC as he did when he subbed for an injured Cam Rising for Utah a couple years ago? The answer to both of those questions was an emphatic NO!. The Trojans led 27-0 at the half, but could have led 42-0 if not for the sloppy play on offense. Several dropped passes and some outs of sync passes from QB Miller Moss resulted in leaving points the field. However, it was quite evident that SC's offense would get the time to start lighting up the scoreboard because the defense wasn't going to let this game turn into the way too close for comfort squeaker it would have been just last year. DC D'Anton Lynn had the Aggie offense shutdown so quickly that it was clear to all in the stands that that end zone was an unattainable goal for the team from Logan. The only real suspense in the second half was whether the whole game would get played. The third quarter started late due to a partial power outage that affected mainly the north side of the Colisuem. The game continued in half light until the 10:12 mark of the fourth quarter when most of whatever lights that were functioning went out. After a 10 minute delay, the banks of lights started coming on one by one and the game was played out. The last two exciting moments of the game was when QB Jayden Maiava scored his first TD as a Trojan in relief of Miller Moss. Maiava was pressured, then scrambled through the Aggie defense for a nine-yard TD run to make the score, 48-0. The last bit of suspense was whether the Trojans would indeed post a shutout. USU PK Elliott Nimord's 52-yard FG attempt sailed wide with 1:08 to play and the shutout was assured. Moss finished the game competing 21 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a TD. Backfield mate Woody Marks led all rushers with 103 yards on 13 carries and a TD to go with three receptions for 39 yards. For the Aggies, Barnes completed 18 of 27 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Telling Stat: Not even that close; Utah State gained 40 of their 190 total yards and made their only serious scoring threat of the game on their final drive which came long after SC had emptied the benches.
Indiana 77- Western Illinois 3: Bloomington, IN- Western Illinois entered this game as an FCS also-ran on a 25-game losing streak. The only question was if IU would let the Fighting Leathernecks hang around or if they would take them out early and let everyone earn their letter for the Hooisers. The Hoosiers went out to a 28-0 lead in the first period to end this one early. 12 different IU backs combined to run the ball 46 times for 325 yards and seven TDs, while three different QBs combined for 19 of 21 passing for 378 yards and three scores. IU QB Kurtis Rourke threw for 268 yards and two scores. Meanwhile the IU defense held WIU to 121 total yards with just 12 of those yards coming on the ground.
Telling Stat: 121-1+ 14-0= Rout; After the first 5:30 of the game, Indiana had outgained Western Illinois 121 yards to 1 and held a 14-0 lead.
Duke 26- Northwestern 20- 2OT: Evanston IL- The beautiful temporary stadium on Lake Michigan saw a thriller under the Friday Night lights. The two evenly matched squads got to overtime tied at 13. Up 13-10 with 2:00 to play, Northwestern gave up a 51-yard, 11-play drive that ended in the shadow of their own goal line with a 22-yard FG by Duke PK Todd Pellino to send the game to OT. The teams traded TDs on the first extra period with RB Cam Porter scoring first for Northwestern on a 10-yard run. Then Duke QB Maalik Murphy threw 25-yard TD pass to WR Jordan Moore send the game to a second OT. The Blue Devils went ahead 26-20 on a three-yard toss from Murphy to TE Eli Pancol. It was NU's turn with the ball and they looked poised to at least tie the game as they faced a 3rd and 1 at the Duke three-yard line. However NU QB Mike Wright was sacked for an eight-yard loss. That left the Wildcats with one last chance. Wright's fourth down pass fell incomplete and Duke had the win. Murphy completed 24 of 39 passes for 243 yards, three TDs and an interception in the win for Duke. Wright finished the game with 156 yards passing, a TD an interception. Porter was the game's top ground gainer with 94 yards on 16 carries and two scores.
Telling Stat: Sack= L; Teams that take a sack in overtime usually lose the game. Northwestern took a sack and lost. It was Duke's only sack of the game.
Texas 31- Michigan 12: Ann Arbor, MI- This game had been circled on many a calendar as one of the games of the year and it turned out to be a Texas sized beatdown of the Wolverines. The Longhorns didn't have much trouble moving the ball through the air or on the ground and turned a 7-0 first quarter lead into a 24-3 halftime advantage that left the Big House a very quiet place for the rest of the afternoon. Meanwhile the Michigan offense just could never get going. A pair of long field goals covering 55 and 42 yards from PK Dominic Zvada were all the Maize & Blue could celebrate while proceeding to turn the ball over three times and being stopped for downs once. The game was basically a glorified scrimmage in the second half with Texas content to run the ball to kill clock and throw when they had to. QB Quinn Ewers completed 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three TDs to lead the Longhorns attack. For those who weren't victors valiant, QB Davis Warren completed 22 of 33 passes for 204 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the chains; Michigan converted only three of 12 third downs against a Longhorn defense that bent, but did not break.
Penn State 34- Bowling Green 27- State College, PA- The Nittany Lions came out flat as pancakes against the Falcons. With 12:48 left in the second quarter the Fighting Paternos found themselves down 17-7 having allowed BGSU QB Connnor Bazelak to engineer scoring marches of 75, 60 and 73 yards. PSU then began the process of mounting a comeback by outscoring Bowling Green 13-7 for the rest of the period to trail just 24-20 at the half. The second half saw the Lions defense assert itself and allow just a late field goal which allowed the PSU offense to put two TDs on the board the escape with a victory. The game clniching score came when RB Nick Singleton sped through the BGSU defense for a 41-yard TD run with 4:09 left in the fourth quarter. The one-two punch of Singleton and fellow RB Kaytron Allen combined for 27 carries for 220 yards and a TD. QB Drew Allar completed 13 of 20 passes for 204 yards and two TDs to further aid the PSU cause. Bazelak completed 25 of 39 aerials for 254 yards, two TDs and two interceptions for the Falcons in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: 3+81= A Comeback; The Penn State defense held Bowling Green to 81 yards and just three second half points to set the stage for victory.
Rutgers 49- Akron 17: Piscataway, NJ- Last week Akron was whipped by TheeeOSU, 52-6 in Columbus. Last Saturday the Zips completed another stop on their Big Ten embarrassment tour by being crushed by Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights game plan was simple. Just let their OL open holes for RB Kyle Monangai and then let him do the rest. Moangai did just that toting the rock 27 times for 208 yards and three TDs. Monangai's running prowess let QB Athan Kaliakmanis have the time to work on his game and he completed 14 of 23 passes for 230 yards with three TDs and an interception. The Rutgers defense kept the Akron offense in check, giving up most of the Zips' 309 yards against the subs. QB Ben Finley completed 14 of 31 passes for 138 yards with a TD and an interception in the blowout loss.
Telling Stat: 373 and 2-0; Rutgers is 2-0 and RB Kyle Monangai already has 373 yards rushing and four TDs in two games this year.
Minnesota 48- Rhode Island 0: Minneapolis, MN- After their heart wrenching loss to North Carolina the Golden Gophers needed something good to happen. That good was the fact that the Rhode Island Rams of the FCS showed up for the game. Gopher QB Max Brosmer shredded the Rams secondary completing 24 of 30 passes for 271 yards and two TDs. UM's rushing attack didn't shine, but RB Darius Taylor gained 64 yards on 14 carries and a score. The Minnesota defense made life miserable for the Rhode Island offense picking off three passes and causing a fumble on the day. They also returned one of those interceptions for a TD.
Telling Stat: Dialing long distance; Minnesota scored on drives that covered 83, 85, 73, 79, and 55 yards.
Iowa State 20- Iowa 19: Iowa City, IA- Last week in Hawkeyeland hearts were bright with and offensive production that they hadn't seen in years. Now there is no joy in Mudville as their offense faded away against arch-rival Iowa State. The first half went all Iowa's way except for the scoreboard. The Hawkeyes built a 13-0 halftime advantage on the strong running of Kaleb Johnson who broke off several runs of 20+ yards. However, the Iowa settled for field goals instead of TDs. That left Iowa State with a puncher's chance in the second half and they took advantage of it. What turned the game around was that the Cyclones remembered that the forward pass was legal. After missing a two-point conversion, Iowa led 19-7 in the the third quarter when ISU QB Rocco Becht on 1st and 10 from his own 25-yard line threw a bomb to WR Jaylen Noel for a 75-yard TD to make the score 19-14. All of a sudden Iowa State was back in the game and had the momentum. However, it looks Iowa would survive to win this game clinging to a 19-17 lead with ISU backed up on their own 22-yard line with just :38 left. That's when Becht and Noel went to work again and suddenly the Cyclones were on the far edge of FG range with :09 left at the Iowa 36-yard line. In came PK Kyle Konrad for a 54-yard FG attempt. Konrad's attempt was a no doubter form the moment his toe met leather and the Cylones pulled off the comeback and took possession of the Cy-Hawk Trophy. For the Cyclones, Becht connected on 23 of 35 passes for 272 yards, a TD and an interception. Hecht's favorite target was Noel who had five grabs for 133 yard and a score. In the stinging defeat, Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson lugged the leather for 187 yards on 25 carries with two TDs.
Telling Stat: 23 twice is nice; After Iowa extended their lead to 19-7, the Iowa State defense held the Hawkeyes to just 23 yards on 23 plays to give their offense shot at victory.
Michigan State 27- Maryland 24: College Park, MD- The Terrapins looked like the team to beat here as QB Billy Edwards, Jr. came into the game riding a personal five-game winning streak while Michigan State struggled just to pull out a win over FAU last week. The teams traded TDs on their opening drives then MSU outscored Maryland 10-7 the rest of the half to take a 17-14 lead into intermission. However, The Green and White saw themselves fall behind 24-17 just a few seconds into the final period when Edwards ,Jr. threw a 28-yard TD pass to TE Dylan Wade. Things looked bleak for MSU as they still trailed with 4:14 left and faced 1st and 10 at their own 23-yard line. Spartan QB Aiden Chile then unleashed a bomb that fell softly into the hands of WR Nick Marsh who managed to hold off a pair of defenders as he raced to the end zone. Suddenly it was 24-24 and the air had been taken out of SECU Stadium. The Terps went 3 and Out on the ensuing drive which set MSU up with a 1st and 10 at their own 16-yard line with 2:12. 12 plays and 65 yards later the Spartans had the ball one the Maryland 19-yard line with :05 left. Out came PK Jonathan Kim who calmly sent a 37-yard FG through the uprights for an MSU victory. Chiles was the Spartan offense for better or worse, competing 24 of 39 passes for 363 yards with three TDs and three interceptions. He also ran for 11 yards on eight carries. Edwards, Jr. finished the game with 253 yards through the air with two TDs and an interception. UM RB Tai Felton was the top ball carrier with 152 yards on 11 carries and a score.
Telling Stat; Lucky to win at -2 and 10; Michigan State was -2 in the turnover department and racked up 10 penalties yet managed to escape with a win.
Washington 30 - Eastern Michigan 9: Seattle, WA- The Huskies got one good quarter and three mediocre quarters from their offense, but that was enough to beat the Eagles from Ypsilanti, MI. The first period saw the Eagles take a 3-0 lead on a 57-yard FG from PK Jesus Gomez. The Dawgs then outscored the Eagles 21-3 in the second quarter to take a 21-6 lead into the half. UW QB Will Rogers accounted for those 21 points on a TD pass to TE Decker DeGraaf and two more scoring tosses to WR Denzel Boston. The UW defense came out in the second half and shutdown the EMU offense while Rogers threw a TD pass to WR Jeremiah Hunter. PK Grady Gross accounted for the his team's final points with a 28-yard FG at the end of the third quarter. EMU would get two more FGs from Gomez, but that woudnlt be enough to tame the Dawgs who now stand at 2-0 under new HC Jedd Fisch. Rogers fished the afternoon on Montlake connecting on 21 of 26 tosses for 261 yards and four scores. EMU QB Cole Snyder completed 16 of 27 passes for 129 yards in defeat.
Telling Stat: 1 in 2= No Comeback; Eastern Michghan never seriously threatened to make a comeback in this one as they only crossed into Washington territory once in the second half.
Wisconsin 27- South Dakota 13: Madison, WI- Playing with a heavy heart RB Chez Mellusi led the Badgers to a win over the Coyotes of the FCS. According to various news outlets, Mellusi's grandfather died on Friday night, but he played the game on Saturday without letting just about anybody know the death had occurred until after the game. All Melluis did was rush for 60 yards on 16 carries and two TDs while catching another pass for a score to lift the Badgers to victory. The win was a little too close for comfort for most Badgers fans as they know that they are hosting Alabama this coming Saturday. The Badgers had trouble sustaining drives and even turned the ball over once. Meanwhile the Coyotes just could not generate enough offense to pull off the upset. They only converted two of 11 third downs and that will have that effect on an offense. USD RB Charles Pierre, Jr. led all rushers with 83 yards on 12 carries in the loss.
Telling Stat: Finishing in style; Wisconsin scored a TD and ran 11:01 off the clock on their final two drives to assure a win over the Coyotes.
Illinois 23- Kansas 17: Champaign-Urbana, IL- The Fighting Illini forged a come form behind win to knock off a ranked non conference opponent at home for the first time since beating Arizona State back in 2011. Thanks to a two TD passes from QB Jaylon Daniels and 29-yard field goal from PK Tabor Allen, Kansas held a 17-13 lead over then Illini as the fourth quarter began. Illinois really had nothing to show form their offense as their 13 points came form a pair of FGs that covered 23 and 50 yards form PK David Olano and a 30-yard pick six from DB Xavier Scott. So, it was a big deal when Orange and Blue marched 80 yards in eight plays to take the lead with 9:34 left on a one-yard plunge into the end zone from RB Kaden Fagin. Then after forcing a Three and Out from Kansas on the ensuing series, the Illini traveled 42 yards in 15 plays and ate 6:46 off the clock before putting the game out of reach with Olano's third FG of the day from 43-yards away. It wasn't an impressive stat line, but it was a winning one for UI QB Luke Altmeyer who completed 16 of 25 passes for 192 yards. In the bad loss, KU's Daniels completed 28 of 32 passes for 141 yards, two TDs and three interceptions.
Telling Stat: Turnovers still kill; Kansas lost a very winnable game by being -3 in turnovers.
Ohio State 56- Western Michigan 0: Columbus, OH- Another week, another blowout for the Buckeyes. As opposed to last week, this one did not have a slow start as the sturdy sons of Ohio went out to an early 21-0 first quarter lead over the Broncos. TheeeOSU then just kept piling up yards and points until emptying the benches near the end of the third quarter. TheeeOSU QB Will Howard completed 18 of 26 passes for 292 yards and a TD, while the RB tandem of Quinshon Jenkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 154 yards on 19 carries and four trips to the end zone. For the hapless Broncos, QB Hayden Wolff completed only eight of 15 throws for 71 yards. That was sadly the highpoint for the WMU offense as the Ohio State defense held them to 99 total yards.
Telling Stat: 45 is fine; TheeeOSU's defense gave up just total 99 yards and was on the field for only 45 plays v. Western Michigan. .
Nebraska 28- Colorado 10: Lincoln, NE- The circus that is Colorado football hit the road last week and was treated very poorly by their Cornhusker hosts. Nebraska physically abused the Buffaloes in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. The sluice gate that is the CU offensive line allowed the Huskers to rack up seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The Nebraska defense pounded on CU QB Shedeur Sanders all night and the watched him leave the game with a little over three minutes to play. As for the Nebraska offense, they rushed for 149 yards on 35 carries total with RB Dante Dowdell gaining 74 yards on 17 carries and two TDs. For Colorado, Shedeur Sanders finished the game completing 28 of 38 throws for 244 yards, a TD and an interception. His favorite target was WR/CB Travis Hunter who caught 10 balls for 110 yards. Cornhusker QB and Patrick Mahomes clone Dylan Raiola completed 23 of 30 passes for 185 yds and a TD en route to the victory.
Telling Stat: No OL = L; Colorado's offensive line couldn't protect their QB allowing seven sacks and they couldn't run block either. CU rushed for just 16 yards.
Oregon 37- Boise State 34: Eugene, OR- The Quacks came out and once again did not impress anyone in this closer than it should have been contest with the Broncos. It's pretty clear that this year's Oregon team ain't last year's Oregon team. Pundits say they are still trying to find their identity. Forget that, they just aren't very good at the line of scrimmage. BSU RB Ashton Jeanty ran all over the Quacks. He racked up 25 carries for 192 yards and three TDs for the Broncos. As for the Ducks, their strength cane from the passing game where QB Dillion Gabriel completed 18 of 21passes for 243 yards and two scores. His favorite target was WR Evan Stewart who grabbed five passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. However UO found themselves down 34-27 after Jeanty's third TD of the night with 10:15 left in the fourth quarter. 16 seconds later the game was tied when KR Noah Whittington took the ensuing kickoff back all the way for a 100-yard touchdown. Or did he? Whittington seemed to let the ball go a little early beef crossing the goal line. The play stood as called and three drives later, PK Atticus Sappington made good from 25 yards out as time expired to give UO the win.
Telling Stat: Special Teams 14 is keen for Quacks; Oregon got an 85-yard punt return for a TD and 100-yard kickoff return for a TD to escape an upset by Boise State.
Observations
...A Spartan honor; By winning the first conference game of the Big Ten season, Michigan State is all alone in first place in the 18 team Big Ten.
...This just in; ND QB Riley Leonard isn't that good.
...Hold that Arch; Texas QB Quinn Ewers has road wins at Alabama and Michigan the last two seasons, Thats pretty darn good.
...College Station blues; Texas A&M team and fans have to be despondent right now.
...The unthinkable in Fayetteville; With Sam Pittman's hot seat getting hotter and hotter could the admin at Arkansas fire Sam and promote current OC Bobby Petrino back to his old job? Hmmmmmm
...A very orange fall; Tennessee is really good.
...Pining for St Nichols of Tuscaloosa; After their sloppy showing against USF, Bama fans are jumping off the bandwagon for new HC Kalen DeBoer. Grow up Bama fans. De Boer has won everywhere he has been and will win for you too. He ain't gonna be another Nick Saban because nobody will be. Get over it.
...Boomless Sooners; Oklahoma must be happy that ND lost because means almost nobody is paying attention to the their decidedly lackluster 16-12 win over a Houston team that UNLV spanked by 21 points one week earlier.
...Fashion update; It's nice to know the Notre Dame Student Section is wearing gold shirts this year.
...Their songs comes first; Colorado is not a serious program. The Colorado band has to wait to play the school fight song after a score by Shedeur Sanders. The band waits for a small part of Shedder's own song to play over the loudspeakers before they can play. They also have to wait for PK Alejandro Mata's song to play after successful kicks. Facepalm.
...It was all good for him; Former USC long snapper Jake Olson wasn't phased by the power outage at the Coliseum last Saturday. Jake has it down
...Can't recall; When was the last time that Auburn was impressive?
...Memo to Oregon; If you're going to punch an opposing player at least do it under the pile like a civilized team. Cheap Shot
...Stop. Burro Time; Colorado Mines has a live burro that they run around the field after touchdowns. A TD Burro
...At their level; Penn State will frustrate all their fans again by playing to the level of their competition every week.
...Sparty is #1; By virtue of winning the first league game of the year, Michigan State sits alone atop the Big Ten Standings.
...What could have been; The teams that once made up the Pac 12 conference are currently a combined 21-2 this year. Only Colorado and Stanford have lost a game.
...Party in DeKalb; The final play call from the Northern Illinois- Notre Dame game by NIU' s announcer on WDKB is pretty epic and the stuff upsets are made of. Blocked!!!
...NFL anger; This rant by Mike Francesa on how bad the New York Giants are is epic. Francesa has had enough in week one! Giant Pains
...NFL history; One of the most controversial plays and epic radio calls of all time occurred 46 years ago on September 10, 1978 when the Holy Roller became a part of NFL lore. Enjoy the call by the great Bill King. it was real
Big Ten Overreactions
Maybe Oregon just isn't that good.
USC will lose a game due to dropped passes.
Michigan needs Connor Stallions back.
Indiana is a 4-8 team.
Maryland is a 7-5 team.
Nebraska wishes they could play Colorado every week.
Ohio State will be on cruise control until November.
Turnovers will cost Michigan State three games.
Wisconsin is a 6-6 team.
Minnesota is just happy to be 1-1.
Indiana is a 4-8 team.
Illinois is gonna ruin somebody's season.
Penn State is an 8 win team.
Iowa needs Kirk Ferentz to be suspended more often.
Washington doesn't have a single deep threat at WR.
Northwestern is a 2-10 team.
Keeping Tabs On Your Exes
...ACC powerhouse; The Golden Bears of Berkeley went to Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn and beat the Tigers, 21-14. QB Fernando Mendoza threw for 233 and two scores while the Cal defense picked off Auburn QB Payton Thorne four times and forced a fumble to shock the Tigers.
...Sparky's hot; ASU is 2-0 after a 30-23 win over Mississippi State.
...Undefetaed and ready; Both Wazzu and OSU are 2-0 and will do everything to make life miserable for UW and UO this week.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Heading to the NFL for this one. The New York Football Giants are in their 100th season and decided to wear throwback uniforms for their game with Minnesota. Throwback uniforms are a great concept until you see them in action. These come off as a possible result of what would happen if Michigan and the Montreal Canadiens mated.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Galesburg, IL- We go to the D-III ranks where the Knox College Prairie Fire got a late score to knock off the Eureka College Red Devils, 7-6. A crowd estimated at 1,000 saw RB Mario Byrd speed his way 28 yards for the game-winning TD with 10:26 left in the fourth quarter. Eureka's lone score happened in. the second quarter when RB Angel Garcia plunged into the end zone from a yard out. However, the Red Devils' PAT was blocked and that was the difference in the game.
Best Game Nobody Saw Last Week: Houghton, MI- Oh, it was a crazy one in D-II where the Michigan Tech Huskies beat the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers, 52-50 in 4 OT. Tech trialed 35-21 entering the fourth quarter, but the Huskies shutout SDM 14-0 down the stretch to force overtime. The schools traded punches in the first two OT's matching each other score for score. From the third OT on each team takes turns with two-point conversion attempts and neither team scored in the third OT. The fourth saw Tech score their two-point conversion on a pass from QB Alex Fries to WR Ethan Champney. Then, the Huskies swatted away the Hardrockers pass on their two-point attempt for the victory. Fries set a school record with 457 yards passing and five TDs. The teams combined for almost 1,110 yards of offense.
Razorback Report: Stillwater, OK- The Razorbacks held a 21-7 lead at the half over the Cowboys and all was happy in Hogland. Then, the second half began and the Hogs found themselves in shootoutnthat ended in a bitter 39-31 double overtime loss. The Hogs outgained OSU by 263 yards, had 12 more first downs and held the ball for 36:14 and lost. Wow. Sigh. Up next for the Razorbacks is a home date with Alabama- Birmingham.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
You know the heat wave here is bad when the sunflowers in your garden tap out.
It's amazing how many people around here just don't stop at stop signs anymore.
I've been running errands these last few days just so I can hang out in someone else's air conditioning.
Until next time folks, remember that turnover margin will usually tell you who won the game.
-The Commissioner
