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>Week 7 College Football Observations

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>   For seven weeks, we have been waiting for the so called “Upset Saturday.”  Well this past Saturday, we all got what we have been waiting for: seven Top 25 teams were knocked off by opponents either ranked lower than them or not ranked at all.  The latter was the case in six of the seven upsets.

  • For the second week in a row, the top-ranked team in the nation lost, this time Ohio State losing to Wisconsin on the Badgers’ Homecoming date, 31-18.  Wisconsin hadn’t defeated a No. 1 since 1981, when the Badgers knocked off Michigan 21-14. For Ohio State, its national title hopes are in critical condition after a third straight loss as the No. 1 team in the country. The last two came in the 2007 season, to Illinois in the regular season and in the BCS title game to LSU. That season was also the last time No. 1 in the AP poll lost in consecutive weeks.
  •  Florida lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2003 and dropped three in a row for the first time since the Steve Spurrier era. Urban Meyer has accomplished something that former coach Ron Zook never did. Mississippi State won in Gainesville for the first time since 1965. They snapped a 16-game losing streak at Florida Field.  It is the first time since 2004 that the Gators have not been ranked.
  • Kansas State quarterback Carson Coffman completed 15 passes in 16 attempts Thursday in the Wildcats’ 59-7 romp at Kansas. That 93.8 completion percentage is the best among FBS players this season (min. 15 attempts). Kansas lost 55-7 to Baylor last week and 59-7 to Kansas State tonight. Kansas has been playing football since 1890. Only once before in school history have they have allowed at least 55 points in consecutive games. In 1988 they lost 63-24 to Oklahoma State on November 12 and 55-17 to Missouri on November 19.
  • Missouri has allowed 65 points this season, including a shutout last week and nine points Saturday. That’s the Tigers fewest through six games since 1973, when they allowed 49.  It was the first time since 1967 that Missouri had held conference opponents scoreless for six straight quarters.  Missouri is 6-0 for just the third time in the last 50 years and fifth ever.
  • The Texas defense held Nebraska to 202 yards as the Longhorns beat the Huskers for the ninth time in 10 games since joining the Big 12. Nebraska ran for 125 yards. It was averaging over 337 yards a game on the ground entering Saturday, which ranked second in the nation. Texas ran for 209 yards. It averaged less than 130 on the ground entering the game.  Nebraska had not trailed all season.  Counting sacks, QB Garrett Gilbert entered with 19 career rushing yards. He had 51 in the 1st quarter
  • Eastern Michigan head coach Ron English gets his 1st win. He started his career losing 18 straight games before finally winning on Saturday in overtime at Ball State.  The Eagles trailed 28-7 in the second quarter, before scoring 28 unanswered points
  • Colorado State ended a 10-game conference losing streak with a 43-10 victory over UNLV on Saturday.
  • Auburn QB Cam Newton over 100 yards rushing for the 4th time in 7 games this season.  In that same game, Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett left the game with a  concussion
  • Matt Barkley passed for 352 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, and Southern California roared to a 42-point halftime lead while snapping its first losing streak in nine years with a 48-14 victory against California on Saturday. Cal hasn’t won at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a decade. USC hadn’t lost back-to-back games since early in 2001, former coach Pete Carroll’s first season. The Trojans’ dominant performance brightened a gloomy, gray day at the Coliseum, where USC had lost three of its past five games after a 47-1 stretch.

  • Iowa won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2002 despite allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns.  The Hawkeyes allowed more than seven points for the second time this season. Rich Rodriguez fell to 2-8 against AP top 25 teams as Michigan coach. 
  • SMU ended up losing its 20th consecutive nonconference road game, a streak that began after a win against Navy in 1998.
  • Justin Blackmon had a career-high 207 yards receiving with a touchdown for Oklahoma State, who beat Texas Tech 34-17 on Saturday for its first win in Lubbock since 1944.  Oklahoma State is 6-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Cowboys won their first seven games in 2008 before losing four of their last six. It was the first time the road team has won in this series since 2001 when the Red Raiders won in Stillwater.
  • Ross Jenkins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Louisiana Tech had 678 yards of offense in a 48-35 win over Idaho on Saturday. The Bulldogs needed their fifth-highest offensive total in school history as the Vandals totaled 526 offensive yards. 
  • Kentucky had its first win over a ranked team since beating then-No. 1 LSU in 2007.  South Carolina’s win over Alabama last week was the seventh win at home by a team ranked outside of the top 10 over a conference opponent ranked No. 1. The Gamecocks became the fourth straight such team to lose the following Saturday.
  • T.J. Yates threw for three touchdowns and North Carolina won for the first time since 1981 at Scott Stadium, beating Virginia 44-10 Saturday night.
  •  North Texas is on their fourth starting quarterback of the season, after Chase Baine had to replace Riley Dodge two weeks ago.  Dodge recently had surgery to insert a screw in his broken wrist.
  • The San Diego State Aztecs beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating No. 16 Wyoming 28-24 on Nov. 7, 1996. Since then, they’d lost 25 straight games to ranked opponents. Overall, SDSU is 6-55 against ranked teams dating to 1973.
  • San Jose State was outgained 537-80 by Boise State on the night, the fewest yards in a game for the Spartans since also getting 80 in a 13-12 win Stanford in 1971. The Broncos have the nation’s longest active win streak at 20 straight games. They’ve also won 16 straight road games, 18 straight conference games, and 31 straight regular season games. All of their marks are the longest active streaks in the nation. 
  • Alabama has won 10 straight home games vs. Ole Miss. It’s 24-1 overall in Tuscaloosa against the Rebels.  
  • After an upset loss at Hawaii, Nevada remains winless at Hawaii since joining the WAC in 2000, falling to 0-6 and hasn’t won at Hawaii since 1948

    >College Football Week 3 Observations

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    >Week Three gave us some very exciting games, as at least 11 games were decided in the closing minute(s) of the game. 

    • Missouri struggled with San Diego State, needing a last-minute Blaine Gabbert -to- T.J. Moe 68-yard touchdown pass to win 27-24.  Gabbert seems to have found his two favorite recovers in Moe and Michael Egnew, who had 14 catches for over 130 yards.

    •  Some believe that Georgia may be playing for Mark Richt’s job this year.  If they play as they did against Arkansas in the fourth quarter of last week’s game, that may not be the case.  Up 17-7 and 24-10 at one point, the Bulldogs tied the score and Arkansas needed a last minute Ryan Mallett touchdown to eek out the 31-24 win.  And even after that, the game wasn’t guaranteed a win, as the Razorbacks needed a sack at midfield to close out the game.  Georgia has struggled without star receiver A.J. Green.
    • Temple is now 3-0 for the first time since 1979, when the Owls finished 10-2. It was the first win for the Owls over a BCS opponent since a 34-24 win over Syracuse on November 13, 2004.
    • North Texas is down to their third-string quarterback after losing the starter of that game for the second week in a row.  Riley Dodge, son of coach Todd Dodge, takes over for the Mean Green, who haven’t been too mean as of late.  In his fourth season in Denton, Dodge is 5-34 as head coach.
    • Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas is showing the country what the Big 12 already knew: He is one hell of a running back.  Thomas has 552 yards through three games and has helped lead the Wildcats to their first 3-0 start since 2006.
    • With their win over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt snapped a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to 2008. The Commodores have beaten the Rebels four of the past six seasons. 
    • Wisconsin has started 3-0 in every season under Bret Bielema. Wisconsin is 9-1 in its last 10 games against Pac-10 teams.  The Badgers have won 27 straight nonconference regular-season games, the third-longest active streak (behind LSU and USC). Arizona State had 261 kick-return yards (including a 97-yarder and 95-yarder), more than either its rushing or passing total in the game.  Yet Wisconsin needed a last-second blocked PAT to win.
    • Auburn came back from a 17-0 deficit to defeat Clemson in overtime.  It is the Auburn’s 14th straight win over Clemson.  The game appeared headed to another OT when Chandler Catanzaro made a 27-yarder after a defensive stand kept Clemson shy of a winning touchdown. After a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty on the kick because center Dalton Freeman double-clutched the ball, the redshirt freshman’s second attempt hooked wide left.
    • Ryan Nassib threw a school-record five touchdown passes, and Syracuse pulled away in the second half to beat Maine 38-14 on Saturday night in the Orange’s home opener.  Nassib was 19-for-28 for 260 yards.
    • With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt’s 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win Saturday night.   The Spartans started 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and earned their third win over the Fighting Irish in four years.  Saturday was the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan State that the game was decided by seven points or less and it was the second OT affair since 2005.  The Spartans’ 28 victories against Notre Dame are the second most of any Irish opponent (USC has the most with 34). 
    • Nick Foles hit William Wright with a late 4-yard touchdown pass and No. 24 Arizona held its ground in the national spotlight with a momentum-swinging 34-27 win over ninth-ranked Iowa.  Keyed by their stingy defense and special teams, the Wildcats rushed out to a 27-7 halftime lead before having the Wright touchdown pick up the vital win.  Arizona beat a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10 at home for the first time since 1989. Iowa allowed at least 30 points for the first time since 2007 vs. Purdue, a span of 33 games. Iowa has lost six straight games when playing a regular season game west of the central time zone. The last win came in 1987.  Arizona sacked Ricky Stanzi six times, including three straight times on Iowa’s final drive. 
    • North Texas isn’t the only school with significant quarterback injuries this weekend.  Houston lost their top two QB’s, including Heisman hopeful Case Keenum, in the SAME GAME.  They will now be forced to go to freshmen as their starters.  With the win over Houston, UCLA avoided their first 0-3 start since 1971.  Houston had scored at least 20 points in 29 straight games before Saturday’s game.