Week 4 Recap: The top 2 teams in the country were off last week but there was nothing missing from week 4 of the College Football schedule. The big matchups lived up to their advanced billing and there were a number of exciting games all across the country. There were some surprises but it was mostly a predictable week. Still, week 4 proved that even without the highest ranked teams in the country in action, College Football is not lacking in excitement and drama.
Surprises: While there was no game last week that qualified as an absolute shocker, there were a few notable surprises around the country. The first one occurred on Thursday night when #21 West Virginia lost in overtime at Colorado, 17-14. After getting worked by East Carolina in week 2, the Mountaineers were only 2.5 point favorites on the road against the Buffs. Still, it was a little surprising to see WV’s offense held down again and to see them fall to another unranked team. And it’s now official: the West Virginia of Rich Rodriguez is dead. Ironically, this second straight defeat for the Mountaineers came less than a week after the surprising announcement that Bill Stewart had signed a 6 year contract. Apparently, the West Virginia people are resigned to the fact that they aren’t going to get back what they had with Rodriguez, so they might as well give Stewart a chance as long as he comes cheap (and he does). Still, WV now has 2 losses just 3 games into the season, after they lost 2 games or less in each of the previous 3 seasons. They’ve now lost consecutive games for the first time since late in the 2004 season, and they’re below .500 for the first time since early in the 2003 season. That was also the last time the Mountaineers scored 14 points or less in consecutive games.
West Virginia’s offense was not totally stopped the way it was against East Carolina, but the Buffs did limit WV to just 43 yards passing. The Mountaineers also committed 7 penalties for 91 yards. Like they did against ECU, the Mountaineers got into trouble right away against Colorado, falling behind 14-0 in the first 5 minutes of the game. WV came back quickly, scoring on a 6 yard TD run by Pat White to cut the deficit in half midway through the 1st quarter. The score remained 14-7 late into the 3rd quarter until White broke off a 39 yard run for a score to tie the game at 14-14. It then appeared that West Virginia would survive after all, as the Mountaineers were moving the ball well, and Colorado hadn’t done anything for a long time. Indeed, West Virginia got into Colorado territory on their final 3 possessions of regulation, but each time the drive stalled without the Mountaineers taking the lead. The game went to overtime tied up at 14-14. West Virginia got the ball first in OT and moved inside the Colorado 10 yard line, but on 3rd and 1 from the 4, they were stopped for a loss of 2, and forced to try a FG. Pat McAfee had a 23 yard chip shot to give WV their first lead of the game, but for some reason he clanked it off the left upright and Colorado had its opportunity. The Buffs ran 4 plays to get inside the WV 10, and then walk-on kicker Aric Goodman booted a 25 yarder through to give his team a 17-14 OT win. The fans rushed the field. After the game, Colorado coach Dan Hawkins awarded Goodman a scholarship.
The next major surprise came early on Saturday, and before I go any farther, a big “thank you” to North Carolina State for ending the East Carolina silliness before it went any farther. #15 ECU fell in OT, 30-24, at the hands of the rival NC State Wolfpack. After coming from behind to save themselves against Tulane a week before, the #15 East Carolina Pirates were 7 point favorites on the road against NC State of the ACC this weekend. As a result of their unimpressive performance against Tulane, the Pirates—who had become the Cinderella darlings of the media and others who love Cinderella’s—didn’t seem invincible going into last week. But it was still surprising to see NC State—a team that earlier this year lost 34-0 to South Carolina and was just 4-16 in its last 20 games against FBS opponents—be the one to knock off ECU. And ECU should have won the game but they couldn’t make a play when they needed to and the Wolfpack did. It started off great for ECU, as they returned an INT 23 yards for a TD to open the scoring at 7-0 in the 1st quarter. NC State tied it but in the second quarter, a 34 yard TD pass by Patrick Pinkney put ECU back up 14-7 and they took that lead into halftime. The Pack tied it again but ECU went on top 21-14 on a 42 yard run that silenced the crowd in the third quarter. State got a FG to make it a 21-17 game late in the 3rd but ECU looked to be on the verge of putting the game away early in the 4th quarter as they drove deep into NC State territory. A 3 yard run on 1st and goal gave ECU a 2nd and goal from the 1 yard line but they were stuffed on consecutive plays and left with a 4th down from the 1 yard line. Instead of settling for a FG that would have put them 7 points up with 10 and a half minutes to play, the Pirates chose to go for a TD that would just about put the game away. The Wolfpack stopped ECU for a 3 yard loss on 4th down and took over on downs. Still, ECU stopped NC State for a 3 and out and moved right back into Wolfpack territory. ECU had a 2nd and goal from the 4 with less than 5 and a half minutes to go, but again the Wolfpack held, and this time ECU settled for a FG to make it 24-17 with less then 4 and a half minutes to play. State got a huge kick return to the 45 and on their final drive the ECU defense appeared tired. The Pack drove down and scored on a 5 yard TD pass to tie the game up at 24-24 with 1:12 to go. The score stayed tied into OT and ECU got the ball first. They had a 2nd and 1 at the 16 when NC State defender Shea McKeen came up with the biggest play of the day, sacking Pinkney from behind and forcing a fumble that State recovered. The Wolfpack now had ECU on the ropes and they went for the kill. On 1st and goal from the 10, Andre Brown ran over and through the Pirate defense and then stretched the ball out across the goal line for the game winning TD. The students poured onto the field to celebrate the 30-24 OT victory.
The final big surprise of the weekend came later in the afternoon on Saturday. The #17 Oregon Ducks mounted a rally but came up short, losing at home, 37-32, to the Broncos of Boise State. After needing a frantic 4th quarter comeback to beat Purdue in OT the weekend before, and losing their starting QB to injury, #17 Oregon looked a little vulnerable as they headed into their home game against Boise State this Saturday. Still they were 10 point favorites over the former BCS Busters from Idaho, and Oregon was 17-4 at home since the start of the 05 season, and had won 15 straight against the WAC. But just like they did on the road at Purdue a week before, the Ducks dug themselves a huge hole against Boise State, and this time it was too much to overcome. Despite what the scoreboard said, the Ducks really didn’t get outplayed that badly. They outgained Boise State 464-424, including outrushing the Broncos by nearly 200 yards, 227-38. Also, Oregon had 13 more first downs than Boise State, getting 29 while holding the Broncos to 16. But the Ducks went just 3 for 14 on 3rd down conversions and turned the ball over 4 times, including 3 interceptions.
Much of the loss for Oregon has to be pinned on their injury problems at QB. First string QB Nate Costa was injured just before the start of the season and then Justin Roper hurt his knee in the Ducks’ OT win over Purdue last Saturday. So Junior College transfer Jeremiah Masoli was given the starting duties against Boise State this past Saturday but Masoli was knocked out of the game due to a mild concussion and did not play in the second half. True freshman Chris Harper struggled so badly that Oregon gave Darrion Thomas a try. They had planned on redshirting Thomas.
The Ducks had fallen in a big hole on the road a week before, and they did so once again this weekend at home. But it didn’t start out that badly for Oregon. They drove into Boise State territory on their first drive but missed a 53 yard field goal to keep the game scoreless. Then on their second drive, the Ducks drove 80 yards on 14 plays for a TD to get on the board first but they went for 2 and failed, leaving the score 6-0. Things started to go badly for Oregon in the second quarter. Boise State kicked a 51 yard field goal on its first drive of the 2nd period to cut the deficit in half, and then after a terrible punt by Oregon, the Broncos scored their first TD of the day to take a 10-6 lead with 11 minutes to go in the half. Oregon drove into Bronco territory on the ensuing drive, but Boise State recovered a fumble at its own 41. Boise State capitalized immediately, going 59 yards on just 3 plays and getting in the end zone for a 17-6 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. On their next drive, the Ducks were forced to punt, and Boise State went down the field and scored yet again to take a 24-6 lead late in the half. Oregon marched down the field and got in position for a late score, but on 2nd and 9 from the Boise State 17, Harper was intercepted at the 1. The Broncos took a 24-6 lead on the road into halftime.
The Ducks got back into the game in the 3rd quarter when the Broncos made a mistake on their first second half possession. Boise State QB Kellen Moore was intercepted at his own 19, and the Ducks punched it in to cut the deficit to 24-13 with more than 10 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. It looked like the Ducks might come back to survive again. But on the ensuing Boise State possession, Moore completed a pass to Vinny Perretta on 3rd and 3 that went for a 73 yard TD to make it 31-13. The Broncos stopped the Ducks on their next possession and Boise State moved right back into Oregon territory on their next drive. This time they settled for a FG to make it a 21 point game with less than 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. When Harper was picked off at his own 20 on the ensuing Oregon drive, it looked like the Ducks had finally had their backs broken. But the Oregon defense held and forced Boise State to settle for a FG that made it 37-13 with less than a minute left in the 3rd.
It seemed like Oregon should have been dead as a doornail, but in reality they were down just 3 scores. They got started on a comeback with a 62 yard kickoff return into Boise State territory. Going to the 4th quarter, the Ducks still trailed by 24 points, but they had the ball at the Boise State 32. On 4th and 6, the Ducks decided to try for a 49 yard field goal rather than go for it, and when that missed it looked like the game was over. The Ducks stopped the Broncos on their next drive and took over down 24 with 12 minutes to play. They scored in less than a minute to cut the deficit to 37-20. Oregon stopped Boise State on the ensuing drive and got the ball back with a little less than 9 minutes to play. They scored in less than a minute and a half to cut the score to 37-26, but Ducks kicker Matt Evensen missed the PAT to keep it an 11 point game. On Boise State’s next possession, the Ducks recovered a fumble at their own 45 and took over down 11 with still 6:47 to play. The Ducks got moving and had a 1st down at the Broncos 31 yard line, but Thomas was sacked for an 8 yard loss and then threw incompletions on the next two downs, bringing up 4th and 18 from the Boise State 39. The Ducks went for it on 4th and 18 and Thomas ran for it but came up 6 yards short and the Broncos took over at their own 27. There was still almost 6 minutes to play. Oregon got the ball right back but Thomas was intercepted on 3rd and 15 and the Broncos took over at the Ducks 25 with 3:47 remaining. Oregon held and forced a 38 yard field goal try which the Broncos missed, giving the Ducks the ball at the 21 with nearly 3 and a half minutes remaining. It took the Ducks less than a minute and a half to go 79 yards on 8 plays for a score that made it 37-32. A 2 point conversion would have brought them within a FG but they missed it and remained 5 points behind with 2:07 left and no timeouts. Forced to try for an onsides kick, the Ducks could not recover it, and Boise State was able to run out the clock and hang on for a 37-32 win.
Big Weekend for the ACC: The ACC had been much maligned over the first few weeks of the season and had been the butt of jokes ever since a disastrous opening week for the conference. While it probably won’t gain back the respect that the ACC lost over the first 3 weeks, the conference did come up with a huge weekend in week 4. The conference went undefeated in its 6 games against opposing conferences, including blowout wins against SEC and Big XII teams. The most impressive non-conference win of the week for an ACC team was probably NC State’s 30-24 overtime win over the 15th ranked ECU Pirates. This was a huge win for North Carolina State and a pretty significant win for a conference reeling from Virginia Tech’s defeat at the hands of these same Pirates. Then there was Miami’s 41-23 thrashing of Texas A&M in College Station. While A&M is definitely down this year, it was big for one of the ACC’s marquee programs to beat a team from the Big XII, a conference many consider to be second only to the SEC in terms of conference strength. And speaking of the SEC, Georgia Tech put a 38-7 ass whooping on Mississippi State this past Saturday. During the week leading up to the game, Georgia Tech players were quoted as saying that they definitely felt like they were playing not just for themselves but for the entire conference this weekend. The Jackets were clearly motivated, as they scored the first 38 points of the game, rolling up 500 yards of offense on the Bulldogs despite losing their starting QB on the opening drive of the game. Mississippi State has been a major black mark for the SEC so far this season. As for the ACC, the conference needed a weekend like this after some major embarrassments in front of the nation during the first 3 weeks of the season.
The non-conference wins may have been big for the ACC, but I have to wonder whether Florida State’s loss at home to fellow ACC team Wake Forrest on national TV didn’t just about negate whatever good the wins in the non-conference games had done. Florida State scored just 3 points against WF and lost to the Deacons for the 3rd consecutive season. Florida State is the ACC’s flagship football program and FSU’s fall from the ranks of the best programs in the country has hurt the ACC’s status more than anything else.
Big Time SEC Battles Waged: Week 4 was really the first big week of conference play in the SEC and some major lines were drawn that will affect the rest of the season. #6 LSU and #10 Auburn squared off in the marquee matchup of the week in college football. LSU came in favored by 3 on the road despite the inexperience of its quarterbacks. Auburn came in still trying to figure out the new offensive scheme after eking out an ugly 3-2 win over Mississippi State on the road the week before. This one lived up to its billing and ended up being much more of a high scoring game than many predicted. Initially it looked like the game would indeed be the type of low scoring, defensive struggle that so many anticipated, as the score was just 3-0 in favor of LSU with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Auburn scored to take the lead, 7-3, and the score remained 7-3 late into the second quarter until LSU QB Jarrett Lee made a major mistake with around a minute and 40 seconds until halftime. Lee’s pass was intercepted by Auburn DB Gabe McKenzie at the 24 and returned for a TD to give Auburn what looked like an almost insurmountable 14-3 halftime lead. It looked like the inexperience of LSU’s QB’s would indeed do them in on the road, as Auburn began the 3rd quarter with an 11 point lead and drove into LSU territory on the opening possession of the 2nd half. Auburn had a 1st and 10 at the LSU 19, but on the next 3 plays, Auburn lost 15 yards and ended up punting rather than trying a 51 yard FG. Ryan Shoemaker’s punt was shanked and LSU took over at their own 27. Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch began the drive at QB for LSU but on the 3rd play he took a massive blow to the head and had to come out of the game with concussion symptoms. He would not return. It was now all in the hands of redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, who to this point in the game was 0 for 5 with an INT returned for a touchdown. Lee came into the game and faced a 3rd and 4 from the LSU 45. Lee completed his first pass of the night, good for 16 yards and a first down, and 2 plays later Lee threw a 39 yard strike to Chris Mitchell for LSU’s first TD of the game to cut the score to 14-10.
All of the sudden we had a ball game. On the ensuing kickoff, LSU recovered an onside kick but they wasted it, as Auburn forced a 3 and out and a punt. Auburn drove the ball into LSU territory but QB Chris Todd’s pass was intercepted at the 11 and LSU took over down just 4 with a minute and a half left in the 3rd quarter. LSU moved from its own 11 to the Auburn 22 in 3 plays, and then on 1st and 10 from the 22, Les Miles dialed up a halfback pass, and the Bayou Bengals scored to go ahead 17-14. LSU’s momentum carried on into the 4th quarter and they kicked a FG to go up 20-14 with less than 9 minutes to go. Incredibly, LSU had taken complete control of this battle of Tigers. But on 2nd and 10 from the Auburn 26, Todd hooked up with Tim Hawthorne on a 58 yard reception that got Auburn back in it. Two plays later on 3rd and 9, Todd hit Robert Dunn on a 15 yard TD strike to put Auburn back in front, 21-20. When Auburn stopped LSU for a 3 and out and took over with less than 6 minutes to go, it appeared that the home team would come out on top after all. But LSU’s defense stopped Auburn immediately, and again Ryan Shoemaker came up small, getting off just a 25 yard punt that gave LSU the ball near midfield. Lee marched the LSU Tigers right down the field and fired an 18 yard TD pass to Brandon LeFell that gave the Bayou Bengals the lead again. LSU failed on the 2 point conversion and the score stayed at 26-21 with just over a minute remaining. A roughing the passer penalty gave Auburn a first down inside LSU territory but Todd was sacked on the next play and Auburn was eventually left with a 4th and 25 from their own 38. Rodgerigus Smith caught a desperation pass from Todd but came up 2 yards short of the first down and LSU took over with 21 seconds left and ran out the clock to secure the 26-21 win.
On the other side of the SEC, Florida and Tennessee squared off in a game that was once the biggest game of the year in the SEC. This one is still huge for the SEC East, but it is not what it once was. #4 Florida came into Neyland Stadium as 7 point favorites, having won 3 straight over the Vols, including last year’s 59-20 thrashing in Gainesville. Once again the Vols were not able to keep it competitive, as mistake after mistake made it easy for the Gators. Tennessee actually outgained Florida 258-243 in this game, and tied the Gators in first downs with 16, but they turned the ball over 3 times and committed 9 penalties for 95 yards. Florida didn’t turn the ball over once on Saturday, and the Vols gave up a 78 yard punt return for a TD to Brandon James and a 52 yard kick return. Florida led 20-0 at the half and 27-0 after 3 quarters. By the time UT scored early in the 4th quarter tens of thousands had left the stadium. After James ran the opening kickoff back 52 yards to the Tennessee 44, it took Florida 8 plays to get in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. On their first possession the Vols fumbled the ball back to the Gators at their own 23. The Vols defense held Florida to a FG, but on their next drive Tennessee was forced to punt and James took it back 78 yards for a score to make it 17-0, and from that point on the game was never competitive. Tennessee regrouped and drove deep into Gator territory on their next drive and looked to be about to get back in the game early in the 2nd quarter. But on 2nd and goal from the 1, QB Jonathon Crompton fumbled and Florida recovered to keep the shutout going. Florida then took nearly 7 minutes off the clock as they drove for a FG that made it 20-0. UT flew down the field and had 2nd and goal at the 1 again, but this time the Gators stuffed the run on 2nd down, Crompton threw incomplete on 3rd down from the 1, and on 4th down Crompton was intercepted in the end zone with 2 seconds to go in the half. Again the Vols had come away with no points. As badly as the Vols wanted to score a TD right before the half, coming away with nothing essentially ended the game. Florida kept UT scoreless in the 3rd quarter and added a TD to go up 27-0 and the game was out of reach by the start of the 4th.
Oh, Vandy!: Over the last few years, Vanderbilt has been a much more competitive program, pulling off a few upsets while coming up just short in a score of other games. They’ve come very close to bowl eligibility but with just 9 returning starters and just 9 seniors on the roster, this season looked like a rebuilding year. I know I’m not alone when I say that I did not expect Vandy to be as good as they had been over the last few years. And I know I’m not alone in my surprise that Vandy appears to be even better than they have been over the last few years. In fact, Vanderbilt is 4-0 for just the 4th time since World War II and is ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1984. The Commodores latest surprising win came in Oxford over the improved Ole Miss Rebels. Vandy came in as a 7 point underdog and came away with a thrilling, hard fought 23-17 victory. Vandy won despite turning the ball over twice, going just 3 for 13 on 3rd down conversions, gaining 5 fewer first downs than the Rebels (11-16), and being outgained by 183 yards, 385-202! The Rebs turned the ball over 6 times and committed 7 penalties for 82 yards.
Early on it looked like the Rebs might blowout Vandy, as Ole Miss kicked a FG on its first possession, Vandy QB Chris Nickson’s fumble on the Dores’ second possession was returned 13 yards for a TD, and Vandy’s third possession began with Ole Miss recovering a fumble at the Commodores 20. Leading 10-0 and with the ball at the Vandy 20 barely 10 minutes into the game, Ole Miss appeared headed for a runaway. But after a false start penalty backed the Rebs up to the 25, QB Jevan Snead’s pass on 1st and 15 was intercepted by Ryan Hamilton at the 21 and returned 79 yards for a touchdown to get Vandy back in the game. It was a stunning turn of events, but before anyone could blink, Ole Miss return man Mike Wallace took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a TD to give the Rebels a 10 point advantage again. Still, though Vandy was down 17-7 on the road, they had managed to avoid going down 3 scores and it would take them just a few minutes to march down the field and get into the end zone again to cut the deficit back to 17-14. The first quarter ended with the two teams combining for 31 points, but just 9 total points would be scored the rest of the way.
In the second quarter, the two teams traded punts until Hamilton picked off Snead again to give the Dores the ball at the Ole Miss 37 with less than 5 minutes to play in the half. Vandy converted the turnover into a game tying field goal and the score was tied 17-17 at the half. The Rebels got the ball first in the 3rd quarter, determined to regain control of the game, and they marched right down the field. The Rebs had a 3 and goal at the Vandy 1 but the Commodore defense stuffed the run for no gain. On 4th down Ole Miss went for it and Vanderbilt’s defense stuffed the run again, with Hamilton coming up to make the big hit at the goal line, and Vandy took over on downs with the score still tied. The Ole Miss defense stopped Vandy immediately and forced them to punt from their own 3, but Rebel return man Marshay Green fumbled at the Ole Miss 43, and that man Hamilton recovered it to give Vandy the ball in Rebel territory. Vandy couldn’t do anything with the field position and gave the ball back to Ole Miss but the Rebels were forced to punt again. This time Vandy drove down the field and kicked a FG to take a 20-17 lead early in the 4th quarter. On the ensuing drive, Ole Miss moved into Vandy territory but Joshua Shene missed a 47 yard field goal try that would have tied the game. The Rebel defense forced a punt but Snead was intercepted again at midfield with less than 7 minutes to play. Mississippi’s defense forced another 3 and out and the Rebels took over at their own 13, down 3 points, with 5:10 to play. On 3rd and 12 from the 11, Snead connected with Dexter McCluster on a 23 yard completion for a first down at the 34. Two plays later Snead found McCluster on a big gainer, 56 yards to the Vandy 7. With just minutes remaining, it appeared that the Rebs were about to go in for the go-ahead score, or at the very least kick the tying field goal. But on the very next play, McCluster fumbled at the 2, and Vandy recovered in the end zone for a touchback. The Dores then broke off a pair of big gainers against a beaten Rebel defense and had a first down at the Ole Miss 23 with 2 minutes to go. But that tired Ole Miss defense forced a field goal attempt, and Vandy kicked a 40 yarder to make the score 23-17 with 31 seconds left. It looked over but Mike Wallace had another good return in him and he took the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Mississippi 47. The Rebels had just 23 seconds to try and score a TD. On 3rd down from the Vandy 46, Snead threw up a prayer as the time expired and it was picked off for the 4th time by—you guessed it—Ryan Hamilton at the 14, sealing the win for the Commodores.
Vandy is now 4-0 and 2-0 in the SEC. Vandy beat Miami (Ohio) 34-13 on the road in their season opener; outmanned South Carolina for a 24-17 win at home in week 2; smacked Rice, 38-21, the following week at home; and this past week won their SEC road opener over the Rebels, 23-17. While it’s easy to be impressed by Vandy’s performance in 4 games so far, we should proceed with caution. It actually hasn’t been that long since the last time Vandy started the year 4-0, 2-0 in the SEC, and 2-0 on the road. In 2005, Vandy beat Wake Forrest, 24-20, as an 8 point road dog in the season opener. The next week they were 10 point dogs on the road at Arkansas and came away with a 28-24 win. They beat Ole Miss at home 31-23 the next week and then rolled over Richmond, 37-13, the next week at home to go to 4-0. They needed only to beat Middle Tennessee State at home the next week to go to 5-0, and they were favored by 14, but they somehow lost 17-15. That loss would start them on a 6 game losing streak, during which they lost 4 games by 7 points or less, including one in double OT. They ended the season by upsetting Tennessee in Knoxville to finish 5-6 but they would not go to a bowl game.
Six Winless Sob Stories: With so many teams scheduling games against FCS opponents, there are just 6 winless teams remaining in the entire FBS. All 6 of those teams are having extremely rough and tough luck seasons. Ohio has come close in all 4 of their games this year but has yet to finish off a win. The Bobcats began the year on the road in Wyoming and led 20-14 halfway through the 4th quarter but wound up losing by a point, 21-20. The following week they outplayed #3 Ohio State on the road, at one point leading 14-6, and still led 14-12 at the start of the 4th quarter before eventually losing 26-14. They were done in by 5 turnovers, including a muffed punt that gave Ohio State the ball deep in Bobcat territory late in the 3rd, with Ohio clinging to a 14-12 lead. In week 3, the Bobcats hosted defending MAC Champion Central Michigan and took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Ohio went on to outgain CM but lost 31-28. The Bobcats drove the ball inside the CM 10 with around 7 minutes to go, needing a TD to take the lead or a FG to tie. But QB Boo Jackson fumbled the ball on 3rd down and CM ran out the clock. Last week Ohio played on the road against Northwestern. The Bobcats dominated NW in the second half, but 4 turnovers, a missed FG, and a pair of blocked field goals did them in, as they fell 16-8. Luckily for Ohio, the misery seems almost certain to end this week, as they host VMI
Perhaps the best of the 6 winless teams is Washington, which is 0-3 so far. The Huskies got blown away by Oregon at home in week 1 but came back the following week to give visiting BYU all it could handle. Everyone is aware of what happened at the end of the BYU game. Trailing 28-21, Washington QB Jake Locker scored on a run with 2 seconds left to bring the Huskies within an extra point of tying the game up and sending it to OT. But Locker was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a ridiculous call, forcing the Huskies to try the point from 35 yards out, and the Cougars blocked it to hang on for a 28-27 win. The following week, Washington hosted Oklahoma and got throttled, 55-14. Washington isn’t very good but they are likely the best of the four teams still without a win. Ironically, it may take the Huskies longer than anyone to get a victory. They have nothing but Pac-10 teams and Notre Dame left on the schedule. Fortunately for them, some of their winnable games are at home, including this coming weekend against Stanford. They also have home games against Oregon State, ND, and UCLA.
Of the 6 teams still without a win, the most disappointing has got to be Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were coming into this season off of 3 consecutive winning seasons and 3 consecutive trips to a bowl. Head coach Greg Schiano had turned down offers to leave for more prestigious schools in order to remain at Rutgers, where he had appeared to have built a program that would remain relevant for years to come. Rutgers success in recent years has resulted in the growth of a passionate fan base and the Knights have emerged as the college football team of the mid-Atlantic Coast. But so far life without Ray Rice has been unbearable. The season began with a 24-7 loss at home to Fresno State of the WAC on national TV. Then on September 11th in front of a national TV audience, the Knights were smashed at home by North Carolina, 44-12. And this past Saturday Rutgers fell to Navy, 23-21, on the road. Luckily for Rutgers, they will almost certainly get off the schnide this week when they host Morgan State.
Two of our six winless teams come out of the Sun Belt Conference. The North Texas Mean Green have lost all 3 of their games by at least 30 points. Last season their only 2 wins came in conference and it looks like that will be their only hope this year. Florida International beat North Texas in the final week of the season last year to avoid a winless season. This year the Golden Panthers have gotten off to an 0-3 start but they nearly left the ranks of the winless this past Saturday, losing just 17-9 against South Florida. That would have been a gigantic upset and it's a very respectable loss for the Panthers. A close loss to the Bulls may not mean all that much in the long run, however. In 2006, the Panthers started off the season with a 1 point loss to Middle Tennessee State and then lost by a point to USF. What followed were 21 consecutive losses. So we'll have to take their latest near win with a grain of salt.
The other winless FBS team and easily the worst of the bunch is (sadly) the Army Black Knights. While Ohio, Washington, and Rutgers are really not among the worst teams in college football, Army most definitely is. In fact, I believe Army to be the absolute worst team in the FBS. Army opened the season with a 35-7 loss at home to Temple; then lost 28-10 at home against New Hampshire of the FCS; and this last week the Black Knights lost 22-3 at home against Akron. While Army’s schedule the rest of the way isn’t really all that bad, there aren’t a lot of winnable games left for the Black Knights. In fact, they don’t have a chance in most of their remaining contests. The only game that really stands out as one that Army might have a chance in is their October 11th home game against Eastern Michigan. At this point I would say that it’s highly likely that Army will be the only winless team in the FBS this season.
Last Week’s Notable Scores
Louisville 38, Kansas State 29 (Big XII takes a rare hit.)
Col 17, WV 14 (OT) (Another stunning loss for the Mountaineers.)
Conn 31, Bay 28 (Baylor hangs tough on the road but UConn wins it.)
Ohio St. 28, Troy 10 (The Terrelle Pryor era begins in Columbus.)
NC St. 30, ECU 24 (OT) (ECU’s dream dies at the hands of the Wolfpack.)
PSU 45, Tem 3 (Another impressive rout by the Nittany Lions.)
GT 38, Miss St. 7 (Bulldogs embarrass the SEC.)
NW 16, Ohio 8 (NW stays undefeated.)
Minnesota 37, FAU 3 (Minnesota stays undefeated!)
Pitt 21, Iowa 20 (Must-win game for Panthers.)
Pur 32, CM 25 (Purdue survives to beat CM for third time in 2 years.)
Bama 49, Ark 14 (Another impressive win for the Tide.)
BC 34, CF 7 (Solid win for BC.)
Missouri 42, Buf 21 (Missouri’s offense is certainly impressive.)
BYU 44, Wyo 0 (Second straight white washing for the Cougs.)
Ariz 31, UCLA 10 (Cats get back on track while UCLA’s reality check continues.)
Fla 30, Tenn 6 (Gators rout Vols again.)
Boise State 37, Ore 32 (Huge win for the Broncos in Eugene.)
Mich St. 23, ND 7 (ND’s enthusiasm quickly curbed.)
VT 20, UNC 17 (Great comeback win for the Hokies.)
Cuse 30, NE 21 (Syracuse manages to beat Northeastern to snap 7 game losing streak.)
Mia 41, A&M 23 (Canes blowout Aggies for second year in a row.)
Navy 23, Rut 21 (Rutgers losses third straight to start season.)
Utah 30, AF 23 (Battle of 3-0 MWC teams goes down to the wire.)
Marsh 34, SMiss 27 (Marsh wins big C-USA battle.)
Utah St. 42, ID 17 (Wow! Idaho has got to be in the bottom 5 in the FBS.)
SF 17, FIU 9 (Unimpressive win for the Bulls over one of the worst teams in the FBS.)
Tex 52, Rice 10 (Texas looks nearly unstoppable offensively.)
WF 12, FSU 3 (Huge win for Wake; their 3rd in a row over the Noles.)
BSU 42, Ind 20 (Ball State remains undefeated with blowout of Hoosiers.)
Vandy 23, Miss 17 (Vandy goes to 4-0!)
Ark St. 31, MTS 14 (Ark St. gets big SBC win.)
SC 23, Woff 13 (Gamecocks struggle against Wofford.)
Tulsa 56, NM 14 (Tulsa destroys NM of the MWC.)
Cin 45, Mia (OH) 20 (Bearcats take this rivalry game easily.)
LSU 26, Aub 21 (LSU survives huge SEC West battle.)
UGA 27, ASU 10 (Dawgs more than up to the task in the desert.)
TCU 48, SMU 7 (June Jones’ rough first season in Dallas continues.)
Fresno St. 55, Tol 54 (OT-II) (Bulldogs survive the wildest game of the weekend.)
UNLV 34, Iowa St. 31 (OT) (UNLV pulls off second straight win over BCS team.)
NMS 34, UTEP 33 (NMS wins the Battle of I-10 by a single point.)
This Week’s Notable Games (Last week featured a few interesting non-conference matchups while conference play really got underway in some conferences. The result was a fantastic week. This week will have a hard time living up to the previous 4 weeks, as many of the matchups look lopsided. However, there are still a few intriguing non-conference games, as well as some big intraconference matchups in the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC.)
Thursday
USC @ Oregon St. (The Beavers beat USC at home in 2006 but this is a different year.)
Friday
Conn @ Louisville (First Big East Friday Nighter of the year.)
Saturday
Minn @ Ohio St. (Buckeyes begin Big Ten play.)
Mary @ Clem (Clemson looks to keep recovery from Bama loss going.)
UVA @ Duke (Battle to finish out of last in the ACC Costal.)
Kent St. @ BSU (Ball State looks to stay undefeated.)
NW @ Iowa (NW looks to stay undefeated.)
UNC @ Mia (Following heartbreaker against VT, Heels go to Miami without QB Yates.)
Miss @ Fla (Rebels will be looking to save season after loss to Vandy.)
Ark @ Tex (This battle of former SWC rivals won’t be close.)
Wis @ Mich (Huge game for the Badgers.)
Tenn @ Aub (Both teams need this one badly.)
Fresno St. @ UCLA (This one doesn’t look as sexy as it did after week 1.)
Col @ FSU (FSU needs to win convincingly after getting shutdown by Wake.)
Pur @ ND (Can Purdue knock off the Irish in Tiller’s final year?)
TCU @ Okla (Frogs pulled off the upset in Norman back in 2005.)
Troy @ Ok St. (Last year Troy whipped Oklahoma State by 18.)
SF @ NC St. (Can the Wolfpack make it two big upsets in a row?)
Bama @ UGA (We will know much about both teams after this one.)
Ill @ PSU (Penn State begins Big Ten play after 4 impressive non-con wins.)
VT @ Neb (One of the more intriguing non-con games of the week.)
NM @ NMS (The Battle of I-25.)
Stan @ Wash (Wash looks to get off the schnide against Coach Ty’s former team.)
Nev @ UNLV (Nevada has won last 3 battles for the Fremont Cannon.)
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