Let's take a final look back at the week that was in college football with another edition of Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray.
Summaries
Notre Dame 34- USC 24: South Bend, IN- Well, where does one begin in describing another frustrating loss in South Bend for the Trojans? Let's start at the beginning where USC had the ball first and drove right down the field and went up 7-0 on a perfectly thrown ball from QB Jayden Maiava to TE Lake McRee. USC would then be on their heels the rest of the game because the Fighting Irish owned the line scrimmage on both sides of the ball. This was especially true on defense where USC could not stop the ND rushing attack. The defensive line was pushed around and the linebackers were nowhere to be found as ND RB Jeremiyah Love ran for 228 yards on 24 carries with one TD. Love's 228 yards were the most ever rushed for by an Irish player ever at home. In all, the Fighting Irish ran for 306 yards on 44 carries. Still, despite this abject failure by the defense, the Trojans were still in this game in the late third quarter. In fact USC, took a 24-21 when Maiava hit WR Ja'Kobi Lane with a beautiful 59-yard TD pass. Then less than 10 seconds later, Notre Dame was back ahead, 27-24 when RB Jadarian Price took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a TD. After he crossed the goal line you could see the heart drain out of the Trojans. The fourth quarter saw USC blow chances to get back into the game. One time HC Lincoln Riley called a trick play on the ND 37-yard line which resulted in a 13-yard losss on a fumble that ND recovered at midfield. The came a 4th and Inches call where Riley got cute and did not just run a sneak for the first down. Instead he called a pass parallel to the line of scrimmage that the defense was waiting for. All Maiava could do was throw ball away to end SC's last legitimate chance to get back into the game. In addition to the Fighting Irish's great rushing effort, QB C.J. Carr completed 16 of 26 passes for 136 yards, a TD and an interception. For USC, Maiava completed 22 of 42 passes for 328 yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. RB King Miller was Troy's top rusher with 70 yards on 18 carries while Lane caught 6 passes for 111 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 306-68; The Trojans were out rushed 306 yards 68. That tells you all you need to know to figure out how the game went for USC.
Minnesota 24- Nebraska 6: Minneapolis, MN- Was it the rumors swirling around about Nebraska HC Matt Rhule possibly leaving the land of corn for Happy Valley? Rumors that he didn't really squelch in his press conference earlier this week. Did that impact his team adversely or were they just whipped by a superior Minnesota squad? Either way, it was ugly for the Cornhuskers last Friday night. It was really ugly for the Huskers O-line that gave up 9 sacks. Those 9 sacks are a new single-game school record for the Golden Gophers. While the Huskers had no time to throw the ball, they couldn't run it either. Minnesota held the Big Red to just 36 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers put together a balanced attack to grab the win. QB Drake Lindsey completed 16 of 20 passes for 153 yards and TD while RB Darius Taylor rushed for 148 yards on 24 carries with a TD of his own. Even with all this bad play by Nebraska, they still trailed just 7-6 to start the third quarter. After forcing a punt by the Huskers to start the period, the Gophers went on a back breaker of a drive to take control of the game. They marched 98 yards in 14 plays to take a 14-6 lead Lindsey's 20-yard TD pass to WR Le'Meke Brockington. Yes, NU was down just 8 points after the score, but it might as well been 100 as their offense just couldn't muster anything against the Gophers defense. The Maroon and Gold move to 5-2 on the season with the win.
Telling Stat: 9 is fine; Minnesota's 9 sacks paved the way to victory for the Golden Gophers.
Michigan 24- Washington 7: Ann Arbor, MI- The Wolverines hosted the Huskies looking to bounce back after falling last week at USC. They did just that with their usual formula of strong defense and just enough offense to pull away late for the win. The game felt like a Rose Bowl of old as the teams battled to a 7-7 tie in the first half. Both TDs came after missed field goals. In the first quarter, UW PK Grady Gross fired wide on a 36-yard attempt. The Wolverines used the momentum from the missed kick and traveled 80 yards in 7 plays to take a 7-0 lead when QB Bryce Underwood hit WR Andrew Marsh on a jailbreak middle screen and he took it 22 yards untouched to the end zone. Then, late in the second quarter, following a 48-yard missed FG attempt from PK Dominic Zvada, the Dawgs drove for the tying score. RB Jonah Coleman did the honors, bulling his way 1 yard across the double stripe. The third quarter saw the Michigan defense pave the way to victory for the Wolverines. They picked off 2 Husky passes on consecutive drives to change the game. The first one by LB Cole Sullivan gave UM a 1st and 10 at the UW 14-yard line. RB Jordan Marshall then ran the ball 14 yards off left tackle to give his squad a 14-7 lead. The second interception was by LB Jimmy Rolder at the his own 36-yard line. 9 plays later, Underwood hit TE Zack Marshall with a 10-yard TD pass for a 21-7 Wolverine lead. On their next drive, Zvada put one through from 26 yard out and UM had a 24-7 lead. That would be the final score as the Wolverines would pick off one more Washington pass to end the game. When it was over, Underwood had completed 21 of 27 aerials for 230 yards and 2 TDs. Jordan Marshall was the game's top ground gainer toting the rock 25 times for 133 yards and a TD. For the stifled Huskies, QB Demond Williams, Jr. completed 20 of 32 passes for 209 yards and 3 costly interceptions.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill; Washington's three turnovers cost them the game.
Northwestern 19- Purdue 0: Evanston, IL- It was a warmer than expected, but gray and threatening day at Northwestern's temporary home on the shores of Lake Michigan. The gray skies seemed to be the one thing that threatened the Wildcats as their defense easily kept Boilermakers off the scoreboard all afternoon. The Wildcats recorded their first shutout since blanking Minnesota, 39-0 in 2017. The Purple and White dominated the early action, wrapping an opening 27-yard FG from PK Jack Olsen and a 3-yard TD toss form QB Preston Stone to TE Hunter Welcing around a Purdue 3 and Out. The two drives covered 140 yards, in 28 plays and ate 15:25 off the clock. Purdue did not get their second possession of the game until the 13;12 mark of the second period. The NU defense forced another punt and then went up 13-0 on a 38-yard FG from Olsen. Down 13-0 things got worse for Purdue as QB Ryan Browne was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury just a few seconds into the third quarter. Malachi Singleton came in for Browne but was ineffective and Purdue was forced to punt. Northwestern then went on long march, eating up 7:34 and culminating in a 12-yard TD pass from Stone to WR Griffin Wilde for a 19-0 lead. NU then went for two to try and make the score 21-0, but that attempt failed. It really didn't matter much as Purdue couldn't put together a serious scoring threat. Turnovers and turnovers on downs was how this game ended for the Boilermaker offense. For the Wildcats, now winners of 4 games in a row, Stone completed 11 of 26 passes for 132 yards, 2 TDs and an interception. RB Jospeh Himon II ran the ball 22 times for 87 yards to lead all rushers while backfield mate Caleb Komolafe racked up 67 yards on 12 carries before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter. For Purdue, Singleton completed 11 of 20 passes for 187 yards and an interception in relief of the injured Browne.
Telling Stat: Anatomy of a shutout; Purdue's 11 drives ended with 5 punts, 3 turnovers, and being stopped for downs 3 times.
Ohio State 34- Wisconsin 0: Madison, WI- The painful countdown to when Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell will be canned continued as TheeeOSU put in a light workout at Camp Randall Stadium. The Buckeyes raced out to a 17-0 lead after one quarter of play on two TD passes that covered 33 and 10 yard to WR Carnell Tate from QB Justin Sayin and a 38-yard FG from PK Jayden Fielding. The competitive portion of the game was over at this point. Only thing left to see was if the Buckeyes offense would make their defense proud. After a scoreless second quarter, Sayin threw two more TD passes. They were a 2-yard flip to TE Will Kaczmarek and a 13-yard strike to WR Brandon Inniss. The TDs went with a 37-yard FG that Fielding booted earlier in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw the Buckeyes empty the benches with a 34-0 lead. Sayin sliced and diced the Badgers, completing 36 of 42 passes for 393 yards and 4 TDs. For Wisconsin, their offense or what could be called an offense was held to 143 total yards and 9 first downs.
Telling State: There is no O in Wisconsin; The Badgers have scored 93 points all year. Oh, and 42 of those points came in a win over Middle Tennessee State.
Indiana 38- Michigan State 13: Bloomington, IN- The weather mirrored the afternoon for Michigan State in this game. Under gray threatening skies the Spartans played a first half that was threatening to the Hoosiers. The Spartans opened the game with a 55-yard rive that resulted in a 3-0 lead on a 38-yard FG from PK Martin Connington. IU answered right back with a 75-yard drive of their own to take a 7-3 lead on a 13-yard TD pass from QB Francisco Mendoza to WR E.J. Williams, Jr. MSU then retook the lead when QB Aiden Chiles led a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Chiles throwing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Nick Marsh on a well executed post pattern. IU would then forge a 21-10 lead going into intermission as Mendoza hooked up with WR Elijah Sarratt for a 24-yard TD toss and 29-yard run right through the middle of the MSU defense from RB Kaelon Black. Then the weather deteriorated in the second half and so did the Spartans. As the rains came. Mendoza threw two TD passes in the third quarter to put the game away. The first one was 48-yard bomb to WR Omar Cooper, Jr. who easily lost his defender and was wide open on the play. The second one was a precision 27-yard strike on a corner route to Sarratt. The teams then traded field goals in the fourth quarter to finish of the game as rain pounded down. For the Hoosiers, Mendoza was deadly efficient again completing 24 of 28 passes for 332 yards and 4 TDs while Black was the game's top grand gainer with 64 yards on 10 carries and a score of his own. Cooper was Mendoza's favorite target on the day catching eight balls for 115 yards and a TD. In defeat, Chiles was the Spartan offense. He completed 27 of 33 passes for 243 yards and a TD while also rushing for 48 yards on eight carries.
Telling Stat: Bent not Broken; After giving up 10 quick points, the Indiana defense gave up just 3 points over the final 40 minutes of the game to pave the way to victory.
Oregon 56- Rutgers 10: Piscataway, NJ- The three time zone trip didn't dampen the Ducks desire to rebound as they took out a great deal of frustration out on the Scarlet Knights after being manhandled by Indiana last week. It was a come from behind butt-kicking by UO as an early fumble led to a 51-yard FG by PK Jai Patel and an early 3-0 lead for Rutgers. Oregon would then find the end zone on their next six drives to go up 42-3 at the half. The second half was a glorified scrimmage with the Webfoots tacking on two more scores before the Rutgers subs scored a TD on the Oregon subs late in the fourth quarter. QB Dante Moore completed 15 of 20 passes for 290 yards with 4 TDs and an interception. The Quacks ran over, around and through the Rutgers defense to the tune of 415 yards on 36 carries with four TDs. RB Noah Whitington led all rushers with 125 yards on 11 carries and 2 TDs. Rutgers had no offense to speak of.
Telling Stat: 548 eh; 548 isn't just the area code for southwestern Ontario Canada. It's also the number of yards that Oregon outgained Rutgers by in this laugher in New Jersey.
Iowa 25- Penn State 24: Iowa City, IA- It was tumultuous week to say the least for the Nittany Lions as they had to prepare to play at Iowa in the week after HC James Franklin was fired. Interim HC Terry Smith did seem to have his team ready for the challenge. On the opening drive of the game, Iowa QB Mark Gronowksi had his 3rd Down pass tipped and it was intercepted by DB Zakee Wheatley at the Iowa 35-yard line. 10 plays, yes 10 plays later, RB Kaytron Allen got the nose of the ball over the goal line for a TD and a 7-0 lead for the Lions. Iowa came right back on the next possession and picked up a 39-yard FG from PK Drew Stevens to cut PSU's lead to 7-3. After that, the game was a festival of errors for the rest of the first half. Iowa did take a 10-7 lead on after PSU QB Ethan Grunkemeyer was picked off at his own 28-yard line. DB Xavier Nwankpa returned the ball to the 1-yard line. Gronowski then crossed into the end zone from a yard out to take the lead. The Fighting Paternos then took a 14-10 lead into the break when they blocked Steven's 66-yard FG attempt on the final play of the half. CB Elliot Washington II picked up the blocked kick and took it 35 yards for a TD and a 14-10 lead. The Lions opened up the second half with a 75-yard, 10-play drive that ended with Allen finding paydirt from 8 yards out. Iowa was suddenly on the wrong end of a 21-10 score. Iowa needed a big play to get back in the game and they got it from Gronowski. on 3rd and 3 from his own 33, Gronowski took off and ran for 38 yards to the Penn State 28-yard line. Gronowski then capped off the drive with a 4-yard TD jaunt. The 2-point conversion attempt failed and Iowa trailed 21-16. The teams traded FGs to start the final quarter, then Iowa got another big play to take the lead for good. It was Groowski again, this time it was 67-yard run off an option right through the middle of the defense. On the next play WR Connor Wetjen took the handoff on an end around and weaved his way into the end zone. Now up 25-24, The Hawkeyes needed one more stop on defense to secure the victory. They got it when Grunkemeyer's 4th Down pass at midfield fell incomplete with 1:14 left to play. For the now 5-2 Hawkeyes, Gronowski was the focal point of the offense. He only completed 10 of 16 passes for 68 yards and an interception, but he ran for 130 yards on 9 carries with two TDs. For the luckless Lions, Allen once again was their top man, lugging the leather 28 times for 145 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 2 Downs = W; Iowa held Penn State on downs twice in the second half and that was the difference in the game.
UCLA 20- Maryland 17: Pasadena, CA- The Terrapins moral victory tour continued this week with another close, frustrating loss. Maryland did find a way to stop UCLA's offense for the most part. However UCLA shutdown the Terps attack as well. In fact, Maryland had a slim 10-7 lead as the fourth quarter began. UCLA would crack double digits with 3:33 left in regulation as WR Mikey Matthews hauled in a 14-yard TD pass to give the bRuins a 14-10 lead. The action really picked up form here as UCLA then picked off UM QB Malik Washington to set up a FG to take a 17-10 lead with 2:04 left. The the Terps traveled 75 yards in a 1:24 to tie the score at 17-17 on an 8-yard TD pass from Washington to WR Jalil Farooq. That left UCLA with :40 seconds left to try and win the game and not face OT. They did just that. RB Anthony Frias II had the big play when he took the ball and ran 35 yards down to the Terps 5-yard line. In came PK Mateen Bhaghani who booted a 23-yard FG as time ran out for the win. For UCLA, Frias led all rushers with 97 yards on 4 carries, while QB Nico Iamaleava made good on 21 of 35 passes for 221 yards, a TD and 2 interceptions. For the snake-bitten Terps, Washingon completed 23 of 48 passes for 210 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: 13-6 for the win; UCLA outscored Maryland, 13-6 over the final 3:33 to get their third win in a row.
Observations
...He's gone; Florida axed HC Billy Napier after the Gators held off Mississippi State, 23-21 on Saturday. Its was matter of when not if for Napier's ouster as reporting said that several big boosters had demanded the firing occur this week. Here's the boilerplate story on the axing form ESPN. Bye Bye Billy
...Tammy Wynette lives on; FSU HC Mike Norvell has his job for now as AD Michael Alford announced that the football program will face a comprehensive review at the end of the season. He gave lukewarm support for Norvell in his statement. The Seminoles have lost 9 straight ACC games. Just biding his time
...That's one big 5 spot; Curry College RB Monte Quinn just could not be stopped in his team's 71-27 win over Nichols College. He set the NCAA rushing record for all divisions with 522 yards on 20 carries. That's a 26.1 yards per carry average. He scored 7 TDs in the game and 5 of those scoring runs were over 50 yards in length.
...Calling it as it is; USC's linebackers are the worst I've seen in a very very very long time.
...No more flying tortillas; Texas Tech's tradition of tossing tortillas has now fallen by the wayside. The Big XII has cracked down on the Red Raiders for this practice. The fans in Lubbock got the team penalized twice for their actions v. Kansas on 10/11. Now the Tech AD has announced a ban on flingin' tortillas. They just aren't for Tacos
...He's also gone; The lesser of the Norvell's on the hot seat got fired on Sunday as Colorado State canned Jay Norvell. Rocky Mountain Low
...You can't ask for one; Rule one of getting a Tammy Wynette from your AD is you can't ask for one. Yet, Auburn HC Hugh Freeze has done just that. Paging George Jones
...27 and Out; Wisconsin hasn't scored on their last 27 drives. The last time the Badgers scored was when they were down 24-7 and kicked a 39-yard FG v. Michigan with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter on October 4th.
...They need that guy; USC just doesn't have that one assistant coach that bleeds Cardinal & Gold. That coach that knows the value of the rivalry games and can fire up the team to hit the field ready to win. where have you gone, Marv Goux? A wistful Trojan nation turns its' lonely eyes to you.
...Inside track; UNLV still has the inside track to winning the Mountain West crown despite losing at Boise Tate last week. The Rebels don't play contenders SDSU or Fresno State this year.
...The are the worst; If you thought Wisconsin was bad, UMass in 0-7 and has scored 79 points all year.
...Quietly 7-0; Texas A&M is 7-0 and nobody talks about them. It's strange.
...Just a rumor; There's no rumors that an APB was put out for USC's linebackers after they disappeared shortly after kickoff at Notre Dame.
...11-0; Georgia Tech could be 11-0 heading into their finale with Georgia on 11/28.
...Now it is interesting; Funny how UCLA's game at Indiana this week has become interesting.
...A hilariously poor look; The folks at NBC/Peacock need another way to advertise Big Ten Saturday behind their announce team. This looks like a junior high-level prank. Facepalm.
Big Ten Overreactions
USC is a 7-5 team.
Penn State could finish 3-9.
Wisconsin needs an offense donor.
Ohio State will need to win a shootout at some point.
UCLA is still playing with house money.
Iowa is just quietly rolling along.
Northwestern is getting better each week.
Purdue is Purdue.
Uncle Phil loves Oregon again.
Rutgers is hot garbage.
Michigan needs a true passing game.
Minnesota is rowing towards a bowl.
Nebraska might have checked out on HC Matt Rhule.
Michigan State needs WRs and LBs.
Indiana will be in the Big Ten title game.
Washington is an 8-4 team.
Maryland won't make a bowl.
Keeping Up With Your Exes
In ACC after dark action, Cal held on for a 21-18 over North Carolina in Berkeley, while Stanford got a very very very favorable review that upheld a bad call to keep Florida State out of the end zone on the final play of game to beat the Seminoles on The Farm. Oh and BYU beat Utah in the Holy War and ASU knocked Texas Tech from the unbeaten ranks in Big XII action.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Have to go to the NFL this week as the Chargers all-gold ensemble is hideous beyond compare. It's especially ugly when compared to the Colts classic uniform.
A Chicle of Wisdom
This Week's wisdom for the 1935 National Chicle football set comes from card #24 Clark Hinkle. We see the Green Bay Packer HOFer following through on a placekick on the front of the card. On the back, Coach Casey gives tips on how to kick the ball back in the day.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Augusta, Ga- We travel down to the D-II ranks for this game between two HBCU's in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The game billed as the Good Trouble Heritage Classic was a pure defensive struggle between Savannah State and Fort Valley State. With 9:41 left in the first quarter, FVSU PR Donte Curry returned a punt 76 yards for a TD. That would be the only score of the game as FVSU held on for the 7-0 win. The game featured 19 punts, 19 first downs and only 268 Total yards combined for both teams. The teams also combined to convert on only 7 of 31 3rd Downs.
Blowout Game of the Week: This week's game comes from the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin in D-III. The North Central College Cardinals crushed the North Park University Vikings, 75-0. The Cardinals are the #1 ranked D-III team and they ran all over the Vikings rushing for 324 yards on 44 carries with 4 TDs, while QB Garret Wilson completed 11 of 17 throws for 139 yards and 4 TDs as well. The Cardinals held the Vikings to just 5 first downs and 76 total yards offense.
Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- Well, it just another case of next verse, same as the first as the Hogs came up a hair short of a win. QB Taylen Green had another big day completing 19 of 32 passes for 256 yards and 3 TDs, but the Razorback defense once again just could not stop the opposition. Up next for the Hogs is a home game with Auburn.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I feel sorry for the current generation of card collectors that will never know what it's like to get a full box of Topps and just see the fun to be had instead of investment value.
Caplansky's ballpark mustard is really good.
Barbara's Original Cheese Puffs are what Cheetos wish they could be.
Until next time folks, remember that running the ball and stopping the run is the key to playing winning football.
-The Commissioner
