it's time one again for that column of Saturday goodness that fills your Tuesday, Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Mel Durslag.
Summaries
USC 45- Michigan State 31: Los Angeles, CA- This game kicked off at about 8:10 PM PDT or 11:10 PM EDT if your were one of the Spartan faithful who stayed up for this oddball affair at the Coliseum. Once again USC had to come from behind to win. The Trojans started off the game with a 25-yard FG from PK Ryon Sayeri then fell behind 7-3 when a coverage bust led to 42-yard TD pass from MSU QB Aiden Chiles to WR Chrishon McCray. Then own the next drive, a beautiful fake by USC QB Jordan Maiava led to him running untouched to paydirt to put USC up, 10-7 to end the first period. The second quarter took forever and ended up with SC taking 24-10 lead into the break. Rewinding back a few minutes here, MSU LB Jordan Hall was ejected for targeting SC TE Lake McRee. Then on a later drive, two Spartans on defense hit each other and were both forced to exit the game. Then the worst thing happened. MSU LB Wayne Mathews III was injured while tackling SC RB Waymond Jordan deep in MSU territory. Play was halted and Mathews III was placed on a backboard and carted off the field to a waiting ambulance at the edge of the field and then transported to a Level I Trauma Center. After the game it was reported that Mathews III had return of motor functions. He was released in the morning and then made the flight back home with the team. Now, onto the start of the third quarter where The Trojan defense forced the Spartans to go 3 and Out. The Trojans offense then made the score 31-10 when Maiava connected with TE Walker Lyons from 10 yards out for the touchdown. Then then Trojans suffered a team brain cramp. A running into the kicker penalty extended a drive that was further extended by several other needless penalties and MSU was able to cut the lead to 31-17 when QB Aiden Chiles cut through the line for a four-yard TD run. On the ensuing possession USC fumbled the ball right back to MSU when WR DJ Jordan was hit and handed the ball back to the Spartans on the Trojans 32-yard line. Eight plays later, Chiles hooked with TE Jack Veiling for short TD pass and the game was suddenly in doubt at 31-24. Then the fourth quarter began. USC regained control of the game marching 75 yards for a score and taking 7:20 off the clock in the process. The drive did not stall thanks to a miraculous scramble by Maiava for 13 yards on 3rd down and short at the SC 32-yard line and a tipped pass hauled in by McRee at the MSU 41-yard line. After that the defense stopped the Spartans on downs and then Maiava scored on a sneak to extend the Trojans lead to 45-24. A blown coverage by the defense allowed MSU to score a late TD and make the final score 45-31 much to the dismay of gamblers across the nation who took SC and laid the points. When it was over, Maiava completed 20 of 26 passes for 2343 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 31 yards and two more scores. Jordan led all rushers with 157 yards on 18 carries while backfield mate RB Eli Sanders gained 90 yards on 16 carries. WR Makai Lemon was the man once again for SC catching eight balls for 127 yards and a TD. In the loss, Chiles completed 12 of 21 passes for 212 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 31 yards and another score.
Telling Stat: 7 is heaven for SC; The Trojan defense racked up seven sacks and had MSU QB Aiden Chiles harried, hurried and rushed all night.
Indiana 63- Illinois 10: Bloomington, IN- This was the first matchup of ranked teams in this series since 1950. It won't be one that Indiana will ever forget as the Hoosiers did just about anything they wanted to do in this absolute blowout in Bloomington. Yes, the Illinois O-line and Secondary had some injuries, but the Hoosiers seemed to outclass Illinois at every position. Indiana turned a 14-7 first quarter lead into a 35-10 halftime lead on three TD passes from QB Roberto Mendoza. The Hoosiers picked up where they left off in the the second half notching two more TDs in each quarter while their defense shutout the Illini the rest of the game. Mendoza was on fire, completing 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five TDs. The Hoosiers ran the ball well too. RB Khobie Martin gained 107 yards with two TDs on 12 carries. As a team the Hoosiers lugged the leather 49 times for 312 yards. That all went on as the Indiana defense was busy holding the Illini to just 2 yards rushing on 20 carries for not so nifty 1/10 of a yard per rush.
Telling Stat: No movement = Few plays; Indiana held Illinois to a paltry 1 of 10 on 3rd down conversions and allowed them run just 45 offensive plays.
Notre Dame 56- Purdue 30: South Bend, IN- The Fighting Irish were looking for their first win of the year after tough close losses to top ranked teams Miami and Texas A&M in their first two games. It ended up being a big score at the end, but Purdue managed to stay on ND's heels until halftime. ND turned a 35-23 halftime edge into a 56-35 lead by scoring on all three third quarter drives while forcing Purdue to punt on all of theirs. The fourth quarter was a glorified scrimmage with Purdue tacking on a cosmetic score at the end to make this look a little closer than it was. ND QB CJ Carr did not have to throw much but he was efficient completing 10 of 12 passes for 223 yards and a pair of TDs. RB. Jeremiah love toted the rock 19 times for 157 yards and two TDs to further propel the Irish attack. In defeat, PU QB Ryan Browne connected on 21 of 34 aerials for 250 yards, a TD and an interception. His best target was WR Nitro Tuggle who caught three passes for 60 yards and a score.
Telling Stat: 21-0, 212-19= W; Notre Dame's offense racked up 21 points and 212 yard off offense while their defense put a zero on the board while holding Purdue to 19 total yards in the third quarter to put this game firmly in the win column.
Iowa 38- Rutgers 28: Piscataway, NJ- This Friday nighter at the state college of New Jersey was an evenly matched, boring affair with the two squads tied at 21-21 as the game headed to the final period. After an Iowa field goal of 26 yards from PK Drew Stevens made the score 24-21, Rutgers answered right back with a one-yard TD jaunt by RB Antwan Raymond and the Scarlet Knights had a 28-24 lead with 9:44 to play. It was Iowa's turn to answer and they did with a drive that covered 80 yards in seven plays and was capped off by a two-yard plunge into the end zone by QB Mark Gronowski with 5:39 left. Rutgers then shot themselves in the foot. QB Athan Kaliakmanis was picked off by LB Jaxon Rexroth at Rutgers own 35-yard line. Six plays later, Gronowski made a one-yard plunge to paydirt and Iowa owned the game at 38-28 with 2:14 to play. Rutgers was stopped on downs on their last drive and Iowa officially claimed victory. The Iowa offense was balanced and unpsectacular. Gronowski completed 12 of 18 passes for 186 yards and he ran for 55 yards on 13 carries and those two short TD runs. For Rutgers, Kaliakmanis completed 24 of 40 passes for 330 yards and that big interception. However he did run for two TDs.
Telling Stat: 1 was a big 1; The interception by Rutgers QB Kaliakmanis cost his team the game.
Maryland 27- Wisconsin 10: Madison, WI- It got ugly at Camp Randall as the Terps outclassed the Badgers in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated. The Badgers offense was just shutdown by the Terps from the get go. UW's opening drive down to the Maryland 21-yard line ended in a blocked field goal attempt. The Badgers wouldn't get that close to the Maryland end zone again until their final drive of the game when the contest was no longer in doubt. For the Terrapins, true frosh QB Malik Washington got his first ever Big Ten win by completing 18 of 34 passes for 265 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a score. WR Shaleak Knotts caught both of those scoring passes while WR Octavian Smith hauled in six passes for 113 yards. For the hapless Badgers, QB Danny O'Neill completed 14 of 22 passes for 120 yards and an interception in the loss.
Telling Stat: 4 is fine; Maryland is 4-0 and their four wins already match last season's win total.
Michigan 30- Nebraska 27: Lincoln, NE- It was game of big plays over missed plays as the Huskers fell to the Wolverines. Nebraska was stuffed on a 4th Down in the shadow of the Michigan goal line, missed a field goal attempt and then threw an interception in Michigan territory on their third drive. At that point of the game, Nebraska trailed 3-0 yet was winning the statistical battle. Michigan true frosh sensation Bryce Underwood was held in check passing wise by the Blackshirt defense, but they gave up big plays in the running game and that doomed the Huskers to defeat. Despite those shortcomings, the game went into the half tied at 17-17 thanks to a Hail Mary connection from NU QB Dylan Raiola to WR Jacory Barney that covered 52 yards. The third quarter was where Michigan took control of the game. A 56-yard FG from PK Dominic Zvada and a 54-yard TD run from RB Jordan Marshall gave the Wolverines a 27-17 lead to start the final period. The score stood 30-20 after the teams traded field goals. With 1:34 left TE Heinrich Haarberg hauled in a three-yard pass from Raiola to cut Michigan's lead to 30-27. Michigan then recovered the onside kick and walked out of Memorial Stadium with a big win. Underwood only threw for 105 yards, but he did run for a score while the RB combo of Marshall and Justice Haynes combined for 229 yards rushing on 23 carries and two TDs. For the hard luck Huskers, Raiola completed 30 of 42 passes for 308 yards, three TDs and an interception. Barney caught six of Riaola's passes for 120 yards and two TDs in the bitter loss.
Telling Stat: 0 for 3 = L; Nebraska's failure to score on any of their first three drives cost them the game.
Oregon 41- Oregon State 7: Corvallis, OR- This edition of the rivalry once known as the Civil War went decidedly in the Ducks favor after an even first period. Oregon State gave up early TD to fall behind, 7-0 then they stopped Oregon on downs on their next possession. The Beavers used the momentum from that stop and marched 64 yards for a game-tying TD on a one-yard TD plunge from RB Anthony Hankerson. The Ducks then went on a workmanlike 34-0 run over the last three quarters to pull away from the overmatched Beavers. QB Dante Moore connected on 21 of 31 passes for 305 yards and four TDs. He also ran for 53 yards on seven carries as the spearhead of the Webfoots offense. For OSU, Hankerson was their offense, or what passed for offense, gaining 38 yards on 14 carries with a TD.
Telling Stat: 64/83; After giving up 64 yards on OSU's scoring drive to tie the game, the Oregon defense gave up 83 yards total for the rest of the game to easily ensure a win for the Ducks.
Washington 59- Washington State 24: Pullman, WA- The Huskies reclaimed the Apple Cup after they blew the doors off the Cougars in the fourth quarter. This game was surprisingly tight for the first three quarters as Wazzu hung tough with the Dawgs. In fact, the Cougars marched 75 yards in nine plays to cut the Huskies lead to 31-24 with 2:38 to play in the third quarter on a QB sneak by Zevi Eckhaus from one-yard out. Then the roof fell in for the Cougars. In a less than three minute span, the Huskies scored three TDs with the help of two Wazzu turnovers. The first was a seven-yard TD pass from QB Demond Williams, Jr. to WR Denzel Boston. Which was followed by a 47-yard pick six by Alex McLaughlin and then a 34-yard TD run by RB Jonah Coleman to make the score 52-24. At that point the game was essentially over and the Apple Cup was headed back to Seattle. Williams went 16 of 29 passing with 298 yards and four TDs on the afternoon. He also ran for 88 yards on 13 carries with a TD on the ground as well. Eckahaus, who wasn't tabbed as the starting QB until late in the week, completed 25 of 36 passes for 277 yards, two TDs and two huge interceptions.
Telling Stat: Nowhere to run; Washington held Wazzu to 28 yards rushing on 27 carries.
Observations
...The dreaded vote of confidence; Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh pulled a Tammy Wynette after the Badgers were drubbed by Maryland. His words weren't exactly glowing but read it for yourselves. Tammy
...Two-step of pain; Army is 1-2 on the year and both losses were at home in overtime to schools from Texas.
...Cellar on the line; UCLA travels to Northwestern this week where the winner will not occupy a share of 18th place and dead last in the Big Ten standings.
...He's a man, he's fired; I think we all saw this one coming, but Oklahoma State has parted way with HC Mike Gundy after he proclaimed his intention to keep coaching the Cowboys beyond 2025. The Mullet was at Okie State for close to 21 years. So long Mullet
...Feasting on your rival; Not only did Miami stay undefeated with a 26-7 win over Florida they dined BBQ alligator postgame. Just ask Miami DE Rueben Bain, Jr. Chomp Chomp
...Rivalry down; Another rivalry in college football is going away as TCU's 35-24 win over SMU is the last game scheduled in the series for the foreseeable future. Boo.
...Quietly making noise; North Texas is 4-0.
...Game time extremes; USC kicked off after 8 PM PDT at home last week and will kickoff this week on the road at 9 AM PDT. They have the Big Noon Kickoff game this week.
...A big one; Oregon travels to Happy Valley this week to take on Penn State.
...It's a Commodore thing; Vanderbilt has now been ranked for consecutive weeks for only the second time since 1958. How long ago was that? Well, Bear Bryant was in his first year at Alabama, Ara Parseghian was the HC at Northwestern and John McKay was still an assistant coach at Oregon.
...Red Zone power; USC has to run the ball better on the goal line. Sometimes you have to just overpower your opponent to get that score.
...Quietly rebounding; After suffering a zero week loss at Kansas, Fresno State is now 3-1 after hanging on to beat Hawaii, 23-21.
...Not me; Anybody out there feel bad that Clemson is 1-3? Didn't think so.
...Smacked around at home; Utah got whipped at home by Texas Tech, 34-10. The Red Raiders pulled away late for the lopsided win, but even when it was close you never thought the Utes were ever in the game.
...Exiting for success; Wanna have a great year in the NFL? Leave the Giants. RB Saquon Barkley left in free agency last year and now has a Super Bowl ring on his finger. QB Daniel Jones, who was forced out has become a folk hero in Indianapolis after guiding them to a 3-0 to start to the year. He's so much of a folk hero that his new nickname is Indiana Jones.
...Swagger back?; After having a good game v. Sam Houston State, Longhorns Safety, Michael Taffe said of QB Arch Manning, "He got his swagger back." Ummmm it was against Sam Houston State. Let's see that swagger against a real team.
...Yeah, that's illegal; Syracuse was fined $25,000 and the school was publicly reprimanded for faking injures during their 34-21 win at Clemson last week. Falling down Syracuse HC Fran Brown addressed the situation here. Hey, we won
...Illegal and the difference in the game; Oklahoma used an illegal trick play that resulted in a touchdown against Auburn last Saturday. The refs never made the right call and allowed the touchdown to stand. OU went on to beat the Tigers, 24-17. Check it all out here. They got away with it
Big Ten Overreactions
USC's secondary will cost them two games.
USC's lack of discipline on defense will cost them two more.
Indiana doesn't play to win, they play to dominate.
Rutgers still doesn't know how they lost to Iowa.
Iowa doesn't know how they scored 38 points.
You can feel Nebraska fans depression from here.
Michigan will have to throw well to win 10 games.
Wisconsin won't fire Luke Fickell mid season.
Maryland will go bowling.
Illinois wonders what was the number of the truck that hit them.
Michigan State is two years away.
Washington is good and nobody knows it.
Oregon is in cruise control.
UCLA lost to their bye week like no team has in awhile.
Keeping Up With Your Exes
From the high of highs to low of lows are the cycles of this game. Cal followed up last week's win over Minnesota by being smashed, 34-0 at San Diego State and Stanford got worked over at Virginia, 48-20 coming off their win over Boston College.
A Chicle of Wisdom
This week's card from the 1935 National Chicle Football set is #3 George Kenneally. Outside of his really cool helmet you see he has his hands positioned for a reception. Coach Casey gives instructions on how best to catch a ball.
Rip Robert Redford and the Immortal Roy Hobbs
Last week Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89. The actor had one helluva life and played many great roles, but the one that will be spoken of here is that of Roy Hobbs from The Natural. As the original Bernard Malamud book will make you cry, the movie gets the full Hollywood treatment and is an incredible fairy tale. If you love the game and played it anywhere from your own back yard to the Major Leagues, you've wanted to play as well Roy Hobbs. The movie plays to that little boy in me that wanted to be that good. I still love the game. I still dream of hitting that pennant clinching home run and being revered as the greatest that ever was. RIP Mr. Redford, but the legend of Roy Hobbs that you brought to life will live forever. Like another baseball movie tells us, "Heroes get remembered but legends never die." The Stuff of Legends
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: La Grande, OR- Our first trip this year takes us to the NAIA ranks where Freshman PK Walker Brondos split the uprights from 24 yards out with 2:42 left in the third quarter to give the Valley City State Vikings a 3-0 lead over the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers. The Viking defense then made that kick stand up for a 3-0 win. The Vikes held the 'Eers to just 166 total yards and seven first downs on the afternoon.
Crazy Game of the Week: New London, CT- The Coast Guard Academy Bears make another appearance here this year, but this time they are on the right side of 92-60 win over the Nichols College Bison. Yes, 92-60. Coast Guard led 35-14 at the end of the first quarter and it just go crazier from there. Bears QB Sean Burns completed 20 of 24 passes for 384 yards and six TDs and Bears RB Harrison Henley ran the ball 18 times for 153 yards and four TDs. For the Bison, QB Ian Snow completed 28 of 44 passes for 580 yards and seven TDs. The teams combined for 1,412 yards of total offense and 68 first downs. The final score of the game is unique. According to the article on the USCGA athletics website, no other game in all divisions of college football has ever ended with a final score of 92-60.
Razorback Report: Memphis, TN- Another week on the road, another late fumble and another bitter loss as the Razorbacks fell to Memphis, 32-31. Hogs QB Taylen Green was his usual up and down self, 18 of 34 passing for 325 yards, a TD and two interceptions. Up next for the Hogs is a visit from Notre Dame.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Homeowner life; Changing seasons means changing the furnace filter.
It's amazing how many varieties of pumpkins exist.
Officially, the Autumnal Equinox arrived at 11:19 AM PDT on Monday 9/22. Happy Fall Y'all.
Until next time, you have to play a full game every game every game to win consistently.
-The Commissioner
