Hey All,
Time to look back on the week that was in college football with another edition of Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray.
Summaries
Michigan 27- USC 24: Ann Arbor, MI- The Trojans hit the road to the Big House for their first ever Big Ten conference game. SC faced not a small task in trying to beat the defending National Champs at their place. However, as the early season unfolded it was clear that Michigan had problems on offense and USC's defense was much improved. The Wolverines were also changing QBs for this game with Alex Orji replacing stater Davis Warren who had problems moving the offense. What would happen? Nobody really knew but it turned out to be an exciting, hard hitting affair. Michigan dominated the first half. The Wolverine defense, poor field position and epically poor play calling kept the SC offense dormant for most of the half. Meanwhile the SC defense did its' best against a one dimensional UM offense. The Trojans allowed two long TD runs by RBs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards of 53 and 41 yards to fall behind 14-0 midway through the second quarter. The Trojans did manage to kick a FG right before half to cut their deficit to 14-3 going into the intermission. Over the last decade this seemed like another episode of a sad story for SC football. SC doesn't come back from double digit deficits lately. However, this Trojan squad got up off the deck tomopen the second half and drove 75 yards in 12 plays to get within four points of UM when TE Duce Robinson caught a nine-yard scoring strike from QB Miller Moss. Then after forcing a punt, SC had the ball back at their own 41-yard line facing a 3rd and 3. Moss was then beautifully baited into an interception by the Maize and Blue. CB Will Johnson deftly picked off Moss' sideline pass and took it back 42 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was blocked and the Wolverines led 20-10 with 5:26 left in the third period. Then came the weirdest drive of the game. USC moved the ball down to the Michigan two-yard line on a 65-yard run by RB Woody Marks. Then facing 3rd and Goal from the six-yard line, Moss dropped back under pressure and fumbled. DT Kenneth Grant looked like he had a scoop and score goingto put the game away when Marks ran Grant down and then just ripped the ball out of his hands. Suddenly Troy had the ball back with a first down at the UM 27-yard line. Two plays later Moss took advantage of a blown Michigan coverage to find WR Jay Fair for a 16-yard TD pass and SC trailed just 20-17. The teams traded several punts as the Trojan defense shut down the UM offense and SC's OL still wasn't much of a match for UM DL. Then SC got the break that should have won the game. UM's Edwards had broken through the SC line only to have LB Eric Gentry punch the ball out and then recover it on the Wolverines' 18-yard line. Four plays later Moss hit WR Jacob Lane with a 24-yard TD pass and the Trojans now led 24-20 with 7:01 to play. After Michigan was forced to punt again, USC had the ball on their own 38-yard line with 5:01 to play. The Trojans needed to just run clock and make Michigan use their timeouts on the upcoming drive. The Trojans did neither as one run and two useless incomplete shovel passes forced the Trojans to punt with plenty of time on the clock. Michigan got the ball back with 4:02 left and two timeouts. They also had to travel 89 yards to win with an offense that couldn't throw the ball. It was quite evident from the state of the game that Orji couldn't throw a pea in the ocean high tide, much less throw his team down the field. Michigan would need big play on the ground and they got it. Mullings burst through the Trojan line and refused to be tackled. 63 yards later, Michigan had a first down at the USC 16-yard line. Then several,mplays later facing Fourth and Goal from the one, Michigan ran a classic off tackle play and Mullings rumbled into the end zone for the go ahead score. USC's last chance to at least send the game to OT ended when Moss threw to Lane short of the sticks with :12 left. A game that had been won was lost to the frustration of Trojans everywhere. For the one dimensional Wolverines, Mullings led all rushers with 159 yards on 17 carries and two TDs. For the Trojans Moss completed 28 of 51 passes for 283 yards and three TDs while Marks ran the ball 13 times for 100 yards. Last, but definitely not least, the officials were basically non-existent in this game. Two blatant facemarks that should have been called were not, a targeting call was missed and there were many blatant holding calls that were just ignored this pretty awful crew. Michigan ran the ball 46 times and didn't get single holding call. Hmmmmmm.
Telling Stat: Trenches lost= Game lost; SC's absolutely abysmal effort by the offensive line lost this game.
Illinois 31- Nebraska 24 OT: Lincoln, NE- Tim Brando and the Fox crew covering this Friday night affair were all ready to crown Nebraska as being back and Dylan Raiola as the second coming of Patrick Mahomes. Evidently Illinois never got that memo and uglied their way to another win that ended in quite possibly the worst OT period a team could have. Then Fighting Illini struck first with a six-play, 78-yard drive for a TD to go up 7-0 on a 27-yard pass from QB Luke Altmyer to WR Pat Bryant. Nebraska answered back to take a 10-7 lead when they got a 21-yard FG from PK John Hohl and a six-yard TD toss from Railoa to WR Isiah Neyor. Illinois would tie the game at 10 a piece when PK David Olano split the uprights form 26 yards away. NU would the take a 17-10 lead into the half when Raiola and Neylor hooked up again. This time it was form 11 yards out. Early in the third quarter Nebraska stopped the Illini and it looked like the Huskers had the momentum and would takeover the game. Uhhhh, no. UI just kept plugging away and the game was tied with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter at 24-24. Illinois got TDs passes of thee and six yards from Altmyer to TE Tanner Arkin and OL Brandon Henderson. Yes, the big man donned an eligible number and snuck out into the flat on the goal line and rumbled into the end zone for the game tying TD. Nebraska's last score of the night came on Raiola's third TD pass. It was a one-yard flip to WR Janiran Bonner. The Huskers had a chance to win this one in regulation, but Hohl's 39-yarder sailed wide and off to OT they went. This would go down as one of the worst OT periods ever played by any one team. The Huskers stunk up Memorial Stadium. Illinois had the ball first and in two plays scored a TD. The score covered four yards on a pass from Altmyer to Bryant. Then Nebraska got the ball. On first down, NU got called for a false start, then Raiola got sacked for a nine yard loss. On 2nd and 24 Raiola was sacked again for an 18-yard loss. The Huskers now had a 3rd and 42 from their own 43-yard line. They picked up 13 yards on a short pass. Now it was 4th and 29 from the Illinois 44-yard line. Raiola was sacked again to end the game and send the stunned Huskers faithful home wondering if they will ever be back. Altmyer had a great night for Illinois completing 21 of 27 passes for 215 yards and four TDs. Bryant was his favorite target, hauling in five aerials for 74 yards and two scores. Raiola completed 24 of 35 passes for 297 yards, three TDs and an interception in the gut wrenching loss.
Telling Stat: 1 missed kick + 3 sacks = L; Nebraska missed a game-wining field goal, then played the worst overtime period known to man by getting sacked three times to lose a winnable game.
Ohio State 49- Marshall 14: Columbus, OH- The Thundering Herd of Marshall momentarily silenced the crowd at the Horseshoe When RB Ethan Payne capped off a 75-yard drive with a one-yard TD plunge for a 7-0 lead. I say momentarily because three plays later, the Buckeyes tied the game on a 68-yard TD pass from QB Will Howard to WR Emeka Ebuka. Marshall would never lead again as the Scarlet and Gray outclassed their MAC opponent the rest of the way for the easy victory. Howard completed 16 of 20 passes for 275 yards, two TDs and an interception in three quarters worth of work. Buckeye RB Quinshon Judkins toted the rock 14 times for 173 yards and two TDs to lead all rushers. For the overmatched Marshall squad, QB Stone Earle compared 16 of 21 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Telling Stat: The Chip Kelly is your OC stat: Ohio State racked up 49 points and 569 yards of offense in only 23:45 of possession time.
Indiana 52- Charlotte 17: Bloomington, IN- After a triumphant whipping of UCLA last week in Pasadena, it would be natural for the Hoosiers to have a letdown against the Charlotte 49ers. The score stood 17-14 IU ith 5:19 left in the second quarter, after the 49ers pulled within three on a 25-yard pass from QB Trexler Ivey to WR Isiah Myers. The Hoosiers then woke up, put their foot on the gas and dominated the final 35 minutes of the game to stay undefeated on the year. QB Kurtis Rourke competed 16 of 22 passes for 258 yards and a score while RB Ty Son Lawson gained 35 yards and scored two TDs on seven carries. Ivey completed 14 of 23 passes for 119 yards and a TD in defeat.
Telling Stat: 21 in 5 = W; In a 5:52 span covering the end of the first half to the beginning of the second half, Indiana went on a 21-0 run to go form a 17-14 lead to a 38-14 lead and total control of the game.
Maryland 38- Villanova 20: College Park, MD- The Terrapins got to a 24-0 halftime advantage then found themselves having to hold off a feisty bunch Wildcats in the second half before pulling away for the win. The Red, White, Black and Gold jumped out a 17-0 first quarter lead on an 18-yard TD pass from QB Billy Edwards, Jr. to Kaden Prather, a six yard TD jaunt from RB Roman Hemby and a 46-yard FG from PK Jack Howes. RB Nolan Ray gave the Terps a 24-0 when he bulled into the end zone from the one-yard line late in the second period. It could have been a 31-0 lead and clear sailing for Maryland, but a fumble on the Wildcats 15-yard line with :34 left in the half killed that chance. The second half saw Villanova wake up and fight to get back into the game. The Wildcats wrapped a FG of 33 yards from PK Ethan Gettman and a 17-yard TD pass from QB Connor Watkins to WR Devin Smith around a Maryland interception. Suddenly the stadium was a little tense and the crowd was nervous the home team clinging to 24-10 lead over their FCS foe with 4:15 left in the third quarter. UM then eased the crowd's fears with a drive that covered 75 yards in eight plays to go up 31-10 on a nine-yard scoring strike from Edwards, Jr. to WR Tai Felton. Maryland added another score on a 14-yard TD run by RB M.J. Morris. The terrapins had the game well in hand, up 38-13 when Villanova got a cosmetic TD with 1:11 left. Edwards finished the afternoon completing 28 of 32 passes for 328 yards, two TDs and an interception. Felton couldn't be stopped by Villanova. He caught 14 passes for 157 yards and a TD. Watkins threw for 106 yards and score in the loss for the Wildcats.
Telling Stat: Fast Start = W; Maryland raced out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and outgained Villanova 162 yards to nine to pave the way for victory.
Penn State 56- Kent State 0: Happy Valley, PA- The Fighting Paternos figured to have no trouble with the winless Golden Flashes of the MAC. Yes, the same Golden Flahses who were already whipped by Pitt and Tennessee and upset by St. Francis of the FCS. PSU had a gaffe right off the bat with an interception on their opening drive. Then they settled down to take a 28-0 halftime lead and then emptied the benches as they worked towards the final score of 56-0. PSU QB Drew Allar sliced and diced the KSU secondary, completing 17 of 21 tosses for 309 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 26 yards and score on five carries. WR Omar Evens caught four of Allard's throws for 116 yards and a TD. Eight different backs combined to rush 50 times for 309 yards and three TDs. Penn State's defense held KSU to 67 total yards.
Telling Stat: Not even close; This game was never in doubt as the closest Kent State got to scoring was the Penn State 41-yard line.
LSU 34- UCLA 17: Baton Rouge, LA- Nobody, including this intrepid reporter, gave UCLA much of chance to win at LSU after the way the bRuins looked in a rough win at Hawaii and a humiliating loss at the hands of Indiana at the Rose Bowl last week. So when the UCLA went into the break tied at 17-17 with the Bayou Bengals, it sent some shockwaves across the country. LSU's defense then woke up and stuffed the bRuins offense in the second half to allow their offense to grind out a much harder than expected win. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier completed 32 of 44 passes for 352 yards and three TDs while UCLA QB Ethan Garbers completed 22 of 36 passes for 281 yards with two TDs and an interception.
Telling Stat: 96 yards to control; On their first possession of the second half, LSU marched 96 yards in 14 plays in the Baton Rouge heat to take a 24-17 lead and control of the game. UCLA never recovered from this march.
Rutgers 26- Virginia Tech 23: Blacksburg, VA- Lane Stadium is a pretty hostile environment for visitors. so it was pretty shocking to see Rutgers with a 23-7 lead as the fourth quarter began. The Scarlet Knights had a few flubs, but they seemed to be in total control of the game. Then the final quarter began and things fell apart for the kids from New Jersey. The Hokies cut RU's lead to 23-15 with 14:06 to play on a TD run of 14 yards from RB Bhayshul Tuten and two-point conversion pass from QB Kryon Drones to TE Benji Gosnell. On their next possession the Hokies tied the game with the same players. Tuten crossed the double stripe from two yards out and Drones and Gosnell hooked up for another two-point conversion. Lane Stadium was rocking, the Hokies had come back and Rutgers looked shaken and ready to lose. The Scarlet Knights had the ball with 4:33 left on their own 25-yard line. One stunning 68-yard pass from QB Athan Kaliakmains to WR Ian Strong and Rutgers was in FG range. Four plays later PK Jai Patel kicked a 24-yard FG to give Rutgers a 26-23 lead. VaTEch had a chance to tie the game, but that chance ended when Drones was intercepted at Hokies 30-yard line by DB Robert Longerbeam with 1:24 left in the contest. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai gained 84 yards on 26 carries and a TD, but Kaliakmanis had good game completing 16 of 25 passes for 269 yards. In defeat, Tuten rushed for 122 yards on 13 carries with three TDs for the Hokies.
Telling Stat: 3 looks good; Rutgers is 3-0 and that's huge for the Scarlet Knights.
Washington 24- Northwestern 5: Seattle, WA- The Huskies needed a bounce back win after losing the Apple Cup to Wazzu last week. Fortunately for them, the Wildcats and their moribund offense were next on the schedule for UW. The Dawgs took an early 7-0 lead on a 46-yard TD bomb from QB Will Rogers to WR Denzel Boston. PK Grady Gross made it a 10-0 lead on a 21-yard FG. UW went up 17-0 on another TD pass from Rogers to Boston with 10:12 left in the second quarter. Then, while the Northwestern offense continued to sputter throughout the game, the Huskies offense also went into funk. The Wildcats showed some fight, putting five points up on an intentional grounding call in the end zone against Rogers and a 18-yard FG from PK Jack Olsen that followed a Husky turnover. The Husky portion of the fully purple clad crowd on Montlake was getting nervous watching their squad cling to a 17-5 when their team put the game away with 14:02 left to play. RB Jonah Coleman finished off an 11-play, 77-yard drive with an eight-yard scamper to paydirt and a 24-5 lead. The rest of the game was a blurt of turnovers on downs and punts, but the Dawgs did come away with a win and a 1-0 record in the Big Ten standings. Rogers finished the day completing 20n of 28 passes for 223 yards and two TDs. Coleman led all rushers with 67vyards on 15 carries and a score. For the punchless Wildcats offense, QB Jack Lausch completed eight of 27 aerials for 53 yards and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: 9 after 5 = L; After Northwestern cut Washington's lead to 17-5 on a field goal, they were held to nine total yards over the final 20:05 of the game.
Iowa 31- Minnesota 14: Minneapolis, MN- Gopher fans were feeling pretty good up 14-7 at the half last week. It looked like there was a pretty good chance that the coveted Floyd of Rosedale trophy would reside for another year in Minneapolis. Then the second half happened. The Hawkeye offense ran all over the Gophers while the Iowa defense sank Minnesota's offensive boat. The Black and Gold scored the first four times they had the ball in the second half to take a 31-14 lead and send the Golden Gopher fans home early in Minneapolis. Meanwhile the Iowa defense never let the Gophers get closer than their own 37-yard line. Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson had himself a career day, lugging the leather 21 times for 206 yards and three TDs. For the now Floyd-less Maroon and Gold, QB Max Brosmer completed 22 of 37 passes for 209 yards, two TDs and an interception.
Telling Stat: Second Half Beatdown; In the first 15:09 of the second half, Iowa went on a 24-0 run while outgaining Minnesota 226 yards to 14 to put this game firmly in the win column.
Boston College 23- Michigan State 19: Chestnut Hill, MA- It was the annual Red Bandana game at BC. The game that is dedicated each year in. honor of BC alum Welles Crowther who perished while helping others escape death on 9/11 at the Twin Towers. It's always an emotional affair. The Eagles seem to dig. deep and come up with a little extra in this game. Couple that spirit with a prety good team this year under first year HC Bill O'Brien and you have the recipe for a comeback victory. The game stood knotted at 16 with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter when PK Jonathan Kim booted one through form 27 yards away to put the Spartans up 19-16. Boston College got the ball on their own 25-yard line after the ensuing kickoff. In five plays they marched down two the MSU 42-yard line. The next play saw QB Thomas Castellanos find streaking WR Lewis Bond down the right sideline for the game-wining TD. The all-important PAT gave the Fighting Fluties a four point lead with 1:28 to play. The Sons of Sparty had one last chance to pull out the win, but QB Aiden Chiles was picked off in the end zone by BC DB Max Tucker as the rain fell in Chestnut Hill to send MSU to their first defeat of the year. Three kneel downs later and BC had an emotional comeback victory. For the Eagles, RBs Treshaun Ward and Turbo Richard combined to tote the rock 24 times for 102 yards and two TDs while Castellanos completed 10 of 16 passes for 140 yards and a score. Chiles competed 17 of 35 passes with three interceptions in the loss for Michigan State.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill; Michigan State was -3 in turnovers and that cost the Spartans the game.
Oregon State 38- Purdue 21: Corvallis, OR- The last game played in the Big Ten this past week was a battle of teams that had been humiliated by old rivals the week earlier. Oregon State was smashed by Oregon while Purdue gave up more yardage than the Italian army in a drubbing by Notre Dame. The teams stumbled their way through the first 42 minutes of game time. OSU held a 17-7 lead thanks to a pick six by LB Zakaih Saez, a one-yard TD run from RB Anthony Hankerson and a 29-yard FG from PK Everett Hayes. PU's only score came on a 32-yard TD pass from QB Hudson Card to TE Max Klare. The last 18 minutes of play would see both teams combine for 35 points and 317 yards of offense. Both teams did most of their damage on the ground with al, five TDs coining in the ground. Simple story of this points explosion is that whatever Purdue did, Oregon State had an answer. Up 31-21, the Beavers put the game away when Hankerson scampered 12 yards for the TD that put his squad up 38-21 with 1:53 to play. OSU RB Jam Griffin ran for 137 yards on 22 carries with a TD while he combined with teammates Hankerson, Gevani McCoy and Zach Card to run for 337 yards on 54 carries and four scores. For the Boilermakers, RB Devin Mockobee led all rushers with 168 yards and a TD on 16 carries and a TD.
Telling Stat: Not stopping the run = Ls; In their two losses Purdue has given up 703 yards rushing. That'a nifty 351.5 yards per game. Whoa.
Observations
...Fans of a certain age; All the fans of the Sunday game my around my age game grew up on the epic myth making of NFL Films. First day of Fall was Sunday one thing comes to mind. The Autumn Wind Ahhhhh to hear John Facenda aka "The Voice of God."
...Three yards and cloud of field turf; You can't tell me Bo Schembechler isn't smiling somewhere over how Michigan beat USC.
...Need that A-1 sauce; If Illinois' brand of football was a food, they'd be a nickel steak at a diner with a C rating from the board of health. It's tough as hell and rough going down, but it gets the job done and fills you up.
...A lucky 3-1; Michigan State is lucky to be 3-1. This team gives away the ball like it's a free sample at Costco.
...Eyes on Happy Valley; All of a sudden, the Illinois-Penn State game looks a lot more interesting this week. Illinois beat the Nittany Lions the last time they visited Beaver Stadium in 2021, The final was 20-18 in 9 OT. Yes, nine overtimes.
...Quietly making noise; Army and Navy are both 3-0 and are both favored to go 4-0. Both academies haven't been 4-0 in the same season since 1945.
...Thats what the white jerseys are for; Ohio State actually plays a road game this week at Michigan State.
...A pure week; There are only seven games in the Big Ten this week, but all are conference games.
...Mazel Tov in Deseret; BYU has a jewish QB in Jake Retzlaff. That is quite an anomaly for the Cougars, but he isn't the most memorable non-Mormon QB ever to play for BYU. All of us old folks remember when Jim McMahon was the signal caller for HC LaVell Edwards way back when.
...17 years; Alabama is a +2 v. Georgia this week. Bama hasn't been a home underdog since 2007.
...Harsh Reality; USC lost to a Michigan team that literally couldn't throw the ball.
...Merging lane; A good 140 million dollars or so spent on lawyers could have been saved if the Pac 12 and Mountain West had just merged two years ago.
...State of Utah 2- Big XII 0; The Big XII has some buyer's remorse after watching Utah and BYU whip Okie State and K-State.
...Victory Lane; In the battle of former USC HC's Lane Kififin's Ole Miss Rebels while Clay Helton's Georgia Southern Eagles, 52-13. That's really cool.
...Harsh Reality Part II; USC's offensive line is nowhere near where it should be in year three of Lincoln Riley's tenure.
...Irony, thy name is Pac 12; Watching WSU and OSU poach teams from the Mountain West Conference is the definition of irony.
...They ain't that bad; Purdue is awful, but they ain't Kent State. The Golden Flashes are 0-4 and have given up 194 points and 2,420 yards of offense this year. That's 48.5 points and 605 yards per game!
...A sea change of fresh air; San Jose State HC Ken Niumatalolo was a master of old school option football when he was at Navy, throwing the ball around 40 times all year. His SJSU team this year is throwing the ball about 40 times a game.
...Fading fast; Missouri will be out of the top 25 soon. They just aren't that good. SEC bias propped up a weak team here.
Big Ten Overreactions
USC in an 8-4 team.
UCLA is a 4-8 team.
Indiana is bowl bound.
Minnesota will fire HC P.J. Fleck soon.
Nebraska can't have nice things.
Northwestern is a 2-10 team because they just don't have enough players.
Purdue is a 2-10 team because the players they have stink.
Illinois is the can of Keystone Light in a bucket of champagne bottles.
Turnovers will cost Michigan State four more games.
Penn State will James Franklin their way to three losses
Michigan hasn't stopped holding yet.
Ohio State is the only 2-0 team in MAC play.
Maryland will just hang on in enough games to go bowling.
Rutgers is happy to be ignored at 3-0.
Iowa would win every game 3-2 if they could.
Keeping Tabs on Your Exes
...Woo Hoo For Wazzu; With their miracle comeback 2OT win over San Jose State, Wazzu is 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1906-07.
...A leg away; If Cal had a real kicker they would be 4-0.
...Scary Utes; Utah is the team nobody wants to play in the Big XII.
Cool Uniform of the Week:
Colorado State wins for this great looking ensemble that breaks my major rule about uniforms which is stick to your school colors. This one definitely doesn't as CSU is Green and Gold. This is CSU's Salute to the State of Colorado uniform that uses the state flag and its' colors for a model. This is just a great uniform, so they get pass from me this week.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Columbus, OH- We go to the D-II ranks where 1,387 of the folks who couldn't get into the Marshall- Ohio State game watched the Thomas More University Saints down the Ohio Dominican Panthers, 6-0. PK Luke Iden made a 31-yard FG in the first quarter and a 24-yard FG in the fourth quarter to lift the Saints to victory. The Thomas More defense didn't allow a single third or fourth down conversion in the contest. The Saints are now 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Great Midwest Conference play.
Best Game Almost Nobody Saw Last Week: La Verne, CA- AT 11:06 PM last Saturday night, Puget Sound RB Johnson Willsone's three-yard scamper for a TD in the second overtime lifted the Loggers to a 49-41 win over the La Verne Leopards. The game featured almost 1,000 yards of offense and 49 first downs.
Razorback Report: Auburn, AL- The Hogs went Jordan-Hare Stadium and beat the Tigers, 24-14. Neither team handled the ball well but Auburn gave the ball back to Arkansas five times which included four interceptions by their QBs. RB Ja'Quinden Jackson spearheaded the Razorback attack with 75 yards rushing and two TDs. Up0 next for the Hogs is a trip to Jerryworld to face Texas A&M.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Jimmy Buffett's been gone a little over a year, but man it feels like 10.
The tortilla is a staple of SoCal life.
Variety packs of cereal are still cool.
Until next time folks, remember that moral victories aren't victories at all. Moral victories are for the Fresno States the world.
-The Commissioner
