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**TheGame** · 10-21-2013, 06:06 PM

College Football Betting News and Notes - Week 8
By Andrew Lange
Sportsmemo.com

In a perfect world, North Carolina's upcoming schedule would serve as an opportunity to "buy low" on the Tar Heels. But Thursday’s loss to Miami was one I don't think this team is going to be able to shake off anytime soon. After a 1-4 start, UNC was given an opportunity to save its season with a primetime game against the top 10 Hurricanes. It was unquestionably UNC's best effort I had seen and a game they probably should have won. But Miami made some plays late and left the Tar Heels 1-5 after relatively high preseason expectations. If North Carolina plays like they did against the 'Canes the rest of the way out (vs. BC, at NCST, vs. UVA, at PITT, vs. ODU, vs. DUKE) they could conceivably finish 7-5. But toughness is an issue with this club and it wouldn't surprise me to see them lose a few of those games outright.

Up 28-7 with 8 minutes to go in the third quarter, it looked like Louisville was going to pull away from UCF and remain undefeated. Instead, the Knights fought back and it was clear that the Cardinals didn't know how to respond to actually being in a competitive football game. It was fitting that the final box score in terms of first down, total yards, and yards per play was dead even – visually, there was really no difference between either squad. Remember, UCF had South Carolina on the ropes in Orlando but couldn't hold on. Win that game and couple it with road wins at Penn State and Louisville and we're talking about a very solid resume. Still work to be done but four home games and road trips to Temple and SMU suggest that the Knights could finish the regular season 11-1.

Last year Northwestern finished 10-3 and a NCAA-best 12-1 ATS. They returned practically everyone from the group and received a ton of preseason respect by oddsmakers and the betting markets (see: Golden Nugget GOY lines). Their stock spiked even more after covering their first two games of the season. Prices though continued to rise, quarterback Kain Colter got hurt, and in a marquee home game against Ohio State, the Wildcats fell short (a well-documented brutal beat ATS). It has resulted in five straight ATS losses, three straight losses SU, and a brutal upcoming slate: at Iowa, at Nebraska, vs. Michigan, vs. Michigan State. Unlike North Carolina, I don't think Northwestern packs it in, but their goals are obviously not going to be met and if Colter doesn't return healthy, we're talking about a 6-6 team.

According to CFBstats.com, Wyoming ranks dead last in time of possession at about 24:30 per game. It looks as if opposing teams have found a chink the Cowboys' armor and that's a porous run defense. Air Force and New Mexico were obviously going to run the football but Texas State and Colorado State had similar success. In those four games, opposing teams ran the ball a clock churning 209 times for 5.5 ypc. The 52-22 home loss to rival Colorado State marked the third straight ATS loss for Wyoming and dropped them to 4-3 overall. The schedule toughens considerably with trips to San Jose, Boise State, and Utah State as well as a home game vs. Fresno. Three weeks ago, we might have seen Wyoming favored at San Jose. Instead SJSU comes in off back-to-back road wins and installed as a 6-point home favorite.

There are very few (if any) teams in the country that can go on the road, put up 47 points, 28 first downs, 572 yards at 7.5 yards per play and not cover a pointspread. That's exactly what happened to Indiana who to its credit trailed Michigan 49-47 early in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines finished with 751 yards (9.0 ypp) en route to the 63-47 win. Dating back to the end of last season, IU has allowed 62, 45, 56, 45, 24, 42, and 63 to its last seven BCS conference opponents.

How good is Kansas State for allowing only 35 to Baylor? The Bears hung another 70 (71 to be exact) last week against Iowa State. After this week’s trip to Kansas the real season starts for BU with Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Texas on the slate.

Speaking of real seasons, we'll see how Oregon State's one dimensional attack stacks up against the upper-half of the PAC-12. The Beavers are averaging 2.92 ypc and 86 ypg in conference play and yet they are 4-0 SU/ATS in those games. They haven't needed it because Sean Mannion has been one of the best passers in the country. But let's also keep in mind the pass defenses in those four games. Utah, Washington State, Colorado, and Cal all rank 95th or worse nationally. Over the next five weeks OSU plays Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Washington, and Oregon. Not the greatest pass defenses in the world, but plenty of speed and athletes and I would expect Mannion's 29-4 TD-to-INT ratio to cool off considerably.

In his last three games Johnny Manziel threw for over 1,000 yards, completed 75% of his passes, rushed for 230 yards, and accounted for nine touchdowns and yet Texas A&M didn't cover a single pointspread.

How does this happen at an SEC school? Over its last four games, Arkansas' passing numbers read 45-of-117, 38%, 141.8 ypg, 3 TDs (all vs. Texas A&M) and six INTs.

**TheGame** · 10-21-2013, 06:06 PM

Top 25 Betting Recap - Week 8
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com

Week 8 of the 2013 NCAA football betting season is in the books, and we're going to take a look at each of the Top 25 teams in the land and see how they did from an ATS perspective this past week.

(Results in parentheses represent SU Result-ATS Result)

1) Alabama (W-W vs. Arkansas 52-0)
The Tide are rolling, and they have to try to not have a letdown next week against Tennessee with LSU on deck.

2) Oregon (W-L vs. Washington State 62-38)
Connor Halliday threw the ball 89 times and had four TDs and four picks in a game he never had a chance in against the Ducks.

3) Clemson (L-L vs. Florida State 51-14)
No one in orange and purple saw Clemson needing a TD with less than 30 seconds left in the game to come within five TDs of the Noles.

4) Ohio State (W-L vs. Iowa 34-24)
The Buckeyes didn't do themselves any favors by struggling with Iowa.

5) Florida State (W-W vs. Clemson 51-14)
If you didn't believe in Jameis Winston and the Seminoles before, you sure as heck do now!

6) LSU (L-L vs. Ole Miss 27-24)
This was only the beginning of the issues for the SEC this week. The Bayou Bengals are finished in the National Championship race and the SEC title race.

7) Texas A&M (L-L vs. Auburn 45-41)
We warned that the Aggies were going to get bitten at some point with their bad defense. That's exactly what happened on Saturday!

8) Louisville (L-L vs. UCF 38-35)
If you can't hang onto a 28-7 lead against an unranked UCF team at home on homecoming, you don't deserve to be in the National Championship discussion.

9) UCLA (L-L vs. Stanford 24-10)
No one figured that UCLA was only going to have 266 yards against Stanford.

10) Miami (W-L vs. North Carolina 27-23)
The Canes turned the ball over a ton against UNC, but the ground game ultimately won it and put "The U" on the verge of the Top 5.

11) South Carolina (L-L vs. Tennessee 23-21)
A last second field goal has probably taken the Gamecocks out of the SEC Championship picture.

12) Baylor (W-W vs. Iowa State 71-7)
The Bears outdid Iowa State by over 500 yards and ultimately are now right on the verge of the Top 5 in the land.

13) Stanford (W-W vs. UCLA 24-10)
The Cardinal had a big week this week, as they got all the way back up to 7th in the AP Poll thanks to the win over UCLA and all of the Top 10 losses.

14) Missouri (W-W vs. Florida 36-17)
The 'Zou ranked in the Top 5 in the land? Believe it after the Tigers beat UF down on Saturday.

15) Georgia (L-L vs. Vanderbilt 31-27)
Losing to Clemson is one thing. Losing to Mizzou at home is another. Losing again against Vandy, though? That could see Head Coach Mark Richt put on a very hot seat.

16) Texas Tech (W-W vs. West Virginia 37-27)
It wasn't easy, but the Red Raiders got the job done against WVU on the road to move into the Top 10.

17) Fresno State (W-L vs. UNLV 38-14)
With all of the carnage on Saturday, the Bulldogs have to be getting a lot closer to the BCS.

18) Oklahoma (W-L vs. Kansas 34-19)
The Sooners didn't look good on Saturday, but they did get a win, which is more than a lot can say.

19) Virginia Tech (Bye)
Nothing like not playing and moving up four spots in the AP Poll as a result.

20) Washington (L-L vs. Arizona State 53-24)
Yuck. That's three straight bad losses for the Huskies, and Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is going to have some explaining to do in Seattle.

21) Oklahoma State (W-W vs. TCU 24-10)
The Cowboys had a great defensive game, but their offense still perplexes us after another bad showing.

22) Florida (L-L vs. Missouri 36-17)
For the second straight game, opposing fans were doing the Gator Chomp at the end of a blowout loss.

23) Northern Illinois (W-W vs. Central Michigan 38-17)
The Huskies put 24 on the board in the second half to put away the Chippies.

24) Auburn (W-W vs. Texas A&M 45-41)
Head Coach Gus Malzahn has the biggest win of his coaching career after finding a way to beat A&M in front of the 12th Man.

25) Wisconsin (W-W vs. Illinois 56-32)
The Badgers dropping 56 points isn't necessarily a show of how good their offense is. It's more of an indictment of how bad the Illini are.

**TheGame** · 10-21-2013, 06:06 PM

UL Lafayette at Arkansas State: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns at Arkansas State Red Wolves (+2.5)

When it comes to offensive production, the Arkansas State Red Wolves have been as inconsistent as it gets. The Red Wolves will need to be at their explosive best Tuesday night as they welcome one of the nation's most formidable offenses in the UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Arkansas State is coming off an impressive 48-24 drubbing of the Idaho Vandals 10 days ago but will be in tough against the Cajuns, who have reeled off four consecutive victories.

When they put points on the board, the Red Wolves have a great deal of success - and when they don't, a loss is nearly automatic. Arkansas State is averaging better than 50 points per game in its three victories - including a 62-11 laugher in its season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff - and fewer than 12 points in its three losses. UL Lafayette has steamrolled its way to the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings, averaging 47.5 points during its winning streak.

LINE: Arkansas State has held steady as a 2.5-point home underdog.

WEATHER: Temperatures at Liberty Bank Stadium will be in the low-50s with clear skies and wind blowing diagonally out of the southwest at 8 mph.

ABOUT LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (4-2, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference): After relying on the arm of standout quarterback Terrance Broadway in consecutive wins over Akron and Texas State, the Ragin' Cajuns used a stout ground attack to subdue the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 37-20 in their previous game. Alonzo Harris led the way with 115 rushing yards and a pair of scores as UL Lafayette finished with three touchdowns on the ground, amassing 198 of its 254 rushing yards in the opening half. Broadway ranks third in the conference in quarterback efficiency, while Harris is third in rushing yards per game.

ABOUT ARKANSAS STATE (3-3, 1-0): Senior quarterback Adam Kennedy had the game of his career last time out, erupting for a career-high 375 passing yards and four touchdowns in the win over the Vandals. The strong performance vaulted the Utah State transfer into third in the Sun Belt in passing yardage while earning him conference offensive player of the week honors. David Oku led the ground attack with 69 yards and a touchdown, the 24th of his four-year collegiate career. The Red Wolves have one of the best third-down conversion rates in the country, making good on 48 percent of their attempts.

TRENDS:

* UL Lafayette is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games following a SU win.
* Arkansas State is 0-4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.
* Over is 18-8 in Ragin' Cajuns' last 26 October games.
* Under is 22-7-2 in Red Wolves' last 31 games against teams with winning records.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The Red Wolves cruised to a 50-27 victory in their previous encounter last season at Lafayette. The Ragin' Cajuns lead the all-time series 21-19-1.

2. Arkansas State has turned the ball over just six times in its first six games.

3. Red Wolves WR Julian Jones needs just 49 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career.

**TheGame** · 10-21-2013, 06:06 PM

LA LAFAYETTE (4 - 2) at ARKANSAS ST (3 - 3) - 10/22/2013, 8:00 PM

Top Trends for this game.
ARKANSAS ST is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ARKANSAS ST is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
ARKANSAS ST is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAFAYETTE is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) in games played on turf since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARKANSAS ST is 1-1 against the spread versus LA LAFAYETTE over the last 3 seasons
ARKANSAS ST is 2-0 straight up against LA LAFAYETTE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE vs. ARKANSAS STATE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 5 games
Louisiana-Lafayette is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Arkansas State is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games
Arkansas State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

**TheGame** · 10-22-2013, 07:00 AM

College football line watch: Keep tabs on Baylor total

Spread to bet now

Utah Utes (+7) @ USC Trojans

The season is not progressing quite as planned for either of these Pac-12 entries, both of which are no guarantee to get to the required number of wins for bowl eligibility (in SC’s case, that means seven wins this season due to the extra game at Hawaii).

But on the disappointment meter, the Trojans score higher, already enduring a coaching dismissal and dealing with a roster shorn of depth thanks to recent NCAA penalties.

More illuminating is the fact that the normally voracious SC support base has gone into seclusion and is not moving numbers in Las Vegas as it did when the Trojans were riding high a few years ago. And for good reason, as Troy is now 5-15 vs. the line since last season.

In addition, sources report that the last possible indicator of an SC turnaround was squandered last week in an unsightly 14-10 loss at Notre Dame, a game in which the Trojans couldn’t capitalize upon a KO of Irish QB Tommy Rees.

And now, with star WR Marqise Lee reinjuring his knee at South Bend, the SC offense could once again be minus its most field-stretching component.

Further, the loss at Notre Dame effectively condemns interim HC Ed Orgeron to caretaker status. Sources report that the only way Orgeron could have emerged as a potential candidate to retain the job on full-time basis would have been to run the table after Lane Kiffin’s late-September dismissal. Now, that’s not going to happen.

In fact, many Pac-12 observers believe SC’s season could possibly go up in a mushroom cloud, with uncertainties about a new regime causing assistants to plan their escape route and many players on scholarship to worry about their place in the upcoming new order. History suggests those sorts can be expected to send out transfer feelers, adding more potential distractions in the last half of this season.

It’s no box of chocolates in Salt Lake City, either, with Utah blowing a fourth quarter lead at Arizona last Saturday and perhaps minus QB Travis Wilson, who was pulled after suffering a hand injury at Tucson. Backup Adam Schulz, however, was serviceable in relief, and if Wilson can’t make the post this week, the effective drop-off at QB for the Utes should be minimal.

We suspect that because of those aforementioned Trojan pointspread shortcomings, there will be some anti-SC money showing up as Saturday approaches. Early in the week, however, several seven's were still available throughout Nevada.

We suggest Utah backers to grab the full seven ASAP, because the price likely drops below that key number as the week progresses, especially with the usual Trojan support base now staying away from the sports book windows in droves.

Spread to wait on

Texas Tech Red Raiders (+7) at Oklahoma Sooners

Not a lot of early movement either way in the sports book action for this key Big 12 battle Saturday at Norman.

But given the parameters and recent history in this series, we suspect the money will be mostly drifting in Oklahoma’s direction at some point during the week.

Specifically, this is a price that we believe the public is likely to move (perhaps unwisely) toward the Sooners as we proceed to the Saturday kickoff.

Though unbeaten, Texas Tech remains a bit of a mystery, having taken advantage of a favorable schedule in the first half of the season.

Fueled by the football media, and aware of past late-season fades in Lubbock, many college football followers are understandably a bit wary of the Red Raiders and new HC Kliff Kingsbury. Popular opinion is that Texas Tech will soon get its comeuppance against a backloaded schedule that begins to toughen considerably this week with the trip to Norman.

And Oklahoma is still, well, Oklahoma, even though Bob Stoops’ troops have burned their backers with recent non-covers vs. Texas and Kansas.

Back home in Norman this week, however, the masses will likely be swayed by the trends in this back-and-forth series in which home field edge has proven a huge benefit.

In fact, the home team has won the last nine meetings between these teams, and covered the spread in seven in a row. That sort of angle is not to be lost on the masses, who could be expected to support the Sooners in greater numbers as the week progresses.

The fact there was no sharp money movement towards the Red Raiders at the onset of wagering suggests that any sharp money interested in Texas Tech is probably waiting until later in the week to make a move. And with the current price mostly sitting at OU -7, any Red Raider-inclined backers would probably rather sit tight and wait for the spread to float higher as we get closer to Saturday.

No reason for Texas Tech supporters to bite on this price as long as it rests on a key number. We’d advise Red Raider money to idle for the moment, as this spread likely moves above that key seven later in the week.

Total to watch

Baylor Bears at Kansas Jayhawks

We remain fascinated by the machinations involving totals on Baylor games, which continue to distort normal oddsmaker etiquette.

Once again last week against Iowa State, there was buy pressure on the Over involving the Bears, even with the oddsmakers hanging an initial total in the mid-to-high 70s for the game against the Cyclones.

Indeed, most books had the first total price at a sky-high 75 or 76 for Cyclones-Bears last week at Waco, but there was still considerable appetite for the Over as there were mostly 78.5s posted around Las Vegas at kickoff time.

The game landed on 78, with Art Briles’ team once again doing almost all of the scoring with 71 points. The Over was the winner on most of the tickets, moving the Waco bunch to 5-1 O/U this season.

As mentioned earlier, oddsmakers are making pre-emptive moves on totals involving video-football teams like Baylor and Oregon, posting heretofore unthinkable totals into the stratosphere from the outset. We suspect another initial total in the 70s for Bears-Jayhawks, with totals perhaps into the 80s for upcoming games vs. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

We’ll be interested to see if there is a bit more caution on the part of the wagering public regarding another Baylor Over this week, simply because the Bears are on the road. That’s because in their one game away from Waco, against Kansas State, Baylor was held to “only” 35 points, a far cry from the 71 ppg it is scoring at home. (The Wildcats were also the stiffest test to date the Bears have faced this season.)

If nothing else, it will be fascinating to see if the public continues to play the Over on Baylor games no matter how high the oddsmakers set the totals price.

**TheGame** · 10-22-2013, 02:09 PM

Week 8 News & Notes – Part 1
Philsteele.com

WKU had a dominating 1H vs Louisiana with a 249-81 yard edge but the game was tied at 13. The key play of the game happened with WKU up 10-0 and having a 4&gl at the 1 yard line. They opted to go for it and the QB, under pressure, forced the ball into the EZ and was not only intercepted, but returned 99 yards for a td and instead of taking a 17-0 lead, WKU only led 10-7. WKU’s next drive ended on a 4&9 fumble at the UL29 and it was returned 45 yards to the 35 setting up a UL td. In the 2H UL turned it over to the run game. They ran 15 times on their opening drive of 3Q but settled for a 23 yard FG. On their next possession, they did pass twice on an 80/9pl drive for a td which put them up 23-13. WKU was SOD on 4&2 at the UL24 with 13:33 left, fumbled at its own 24 and on the next play UL got a 24 yard td pass, 30-13. Each team went on a long td drive to make it 37-20 with 2:37 left and WKU was SOD at its own 35 with 1:17 left. Terrance Broadway hit just 5-10-90 but UL piled up a 254-133 rush edge. Brandon Doughty was injured in the game and Nelson Fishback replaced him and hit 5-6-78 but Doughty did return and finished 18-23-260.

Miami, Fl came into North Carolina undefeated. Miami did put up 556 yards offense while UNC piled up 500 yards offense. In fact, at the half the two teams had 579 yards of offense but had combined for only 30 points. UM suffered 2 big injuries. RB Duke Johnson had 83 yards on 8 carries but then went out (for the game) with injury. Leading receiver, Phillip Dorsett, had 2 catches for 68 yards but then he too was lost (likely out at least a month). Both teams blew numerous opportunities in the redzone. Miami trailed almost the entire game including being down by 10 in the 4Q. UNC was intercepted in the EZ on its 2nd possession. UM went on a 76/10pl drive but settled for a 22 yard FG. Trailing 7-3, the Canes went 72/7pl and again settled for a 20 yard FG after a 1&gl. Two possessions later UNC had a 47 yard FG blocked and UM returned it 67 yards for a td to lead 13-7. UNC drove 71/7pl for a td and UM got down to the UNC32 but was intercepted at the 1. That would set up UNC for a 60/12pl drive but at the 8 they settled for a 25 yard FG to lead 17-13 at the half. UM opened the 3Q with a 54/6pl drive and missed a 43 yard FG. The Tar Heels went 56/10pl and had a FD at the 11 but a clip forced them into a 35 yard FG, 20-13. UM was intercepted at the UNC20 and the Heels drove 76/12pl, but after a 1&gl at the 9, settled for a 21 yard FG to lead 23-13 leaving UM in the game. UM went 75/7pl for a td with 11:29 left and was intercepted at midfield but UNC was then intercepted at the UM11 with 7:51 left. After an exchange of punts, UM took over at its 10 with 4:11 left and went 90/13pl getting a 3 yard td run with :16 left. UNC got to the UM28 and a pass into the EZ was in both hands of Quinshad Davis, but he couldn’t come down with it. When I released my Midseason All-American team prior to the game, I was the first source to list Eric Ebron as a 1st Tm All-American TE and had did not disappoint with 199 yards on 8 catches. Dallas Crawford, filling for in the injured Johnson, was not quite as explosive but did have 137 yards on 33 carries (4.1).

Another week, another upset of a top 10 team. Louisville appeared to have the schedule to go unbeaten this year and was a 2 td favorite over UCF who, on my radio shows last week, I called the Cardinals’ toughest opponent for the entire season. UCF finished with a slight 446-445 yard edge and the FD’s were even at 22. UCF’s opening drive went 60/8pl but UL’s DB Calvin Pryor made a spectacular 1-handed grab in the EZ for an interception and the Cardinals appeared in control. They went 80/11pl for a td, then 67/3pl and fumbled. The ball was originally ruled out of bounds and spotted at the 3 but replays showed it hit the pylon and was a TB. At the half, UL led 14-7 with a 235-172 yard edge, thanks to a 10 yard td pass with :58 left in the half. They used that late score of the 1H to gain momentum and went 75/9pl for a td on their opening drive of the 2H. Then UCF’s P fumbled the snap and they scooped it up and returned it 30 yards for a td and it looked like it was over, 28-7 with 7:52 left in the 3Q. UCF would then score on their next 4 possessions going 74/6pl for a td, 15/1 (after fumble) for a td, 56/3pl for a td to tie and then 52/10pl for a 34 yard FG with 7:36 left to take a 31-28 lead. Teddy Bridgewater appeared to pull UL out of the fire. They converted on 4&5 with a pass interference call on an incomplete pass to get to the UCF35 and would get a td with 3:00 left to get back in the lead. UCF then went 75/11pl. On 3&10 they had a 14 yard pass to the 5, and on 3&gl from the 2, Blake Bortles hit Jeff Godfrey in the back in the EZ for a td. Bridgewater had a shot for a Doug Flutie-type Heisman moment when, from the UCF49 with :05 left, he fired a Hail Mary to the EZ but it didn’t come close. Bridgewater hit 29-38-341 and the slim National Title hopes that UL had are out the window and, most likely, so are Bridgewater’s Heisman hopes.

Michigan St did not make it past the Purdue 32 yard line until the 4Q and their offense, which had been improving the previous 2 weeks, struggled vs lowly PU with just 294 yards. Their only td in the first 3Q’s came when they sacked true frosh Danny Etling causing a fumble and it was scooped up by Denicos Allen and returned for a td. Connor Cook hit 13-25-107 yards but early in the game he had 8 completions for a grand total of 17 yards passing in a conservative game plan. Jeremy Langford did rush for 131 yards. Etling hit 14-25-160. The only offensive scoring threat in the 1Q came when PU was at the MSU37 after converting on 4&1 but on the next play Etling was intercepted in the EZ. At the end of the half, thanks to a 40 yard PR to the MSU44 with :45 left, PU would miss a 51 yard FG 1 play after pass interference gave them a FD on 4&9. At the half PU had a 113-97 yard edge. PU opened the 3Q with a 43 yard pass to the MSU33 but missed a 41 yard FG. The next 6 possessions were punts. MSU took over with 13:02 left and would go 73/9pl for a td with 8:55 left, 14-0. Their last drive went 55/11pl but they took a knee at the PU22.

Minnesota HC Jerry Kill was on hand for the Northwestern game, watching from a private box. NU, which opened up 4-0 and ranked, has now lost 3 in a row and NU did have 328-299 yard and 20-16 FD edges and was playing without RB Venric Mark and without QB Kain Colter due to injuries. Trevor Siemian hit 25-46-234. Philip Nelson hit 8-11-112 for Minnesota and Mitch Leidner 1-3-11. The first 5 possessions of the game were punts and NU went 72/7pl for a td and 53/11pl but punted. UM went 82/8pl for a td with 6:48 left to tie. NU got to the UM48 but was intercepted with 4:49 left in the 1H. After an exchange of punts, UM took over at the NU49 with 1:43 left but missed a 44 yard FG. At the half NU had a 160-144 yard edge. The 3Q opened with 4 punts. UM got a 24 yard IR td with 1:22 left in the 3Q then recovered a fumble at the 23 and would get a 34 yard FG, 17-7. Each team went on a long drive for a short FG with UM’s coming with 5:25 left at the end of 11 plays to make it 20-10. NU went 75/14pl for a td with 2:07 left but UM recovered the onside kick, got 1 FD, then on 3&6, took off on an 8 yard run to the NU21 with 1:12 left and took a knee.

Connecticut HC TJ Weist was an assistant coach at Cincinnati the last 3 years, so he was very familiar with the personnel. Conn put up 377 yards, their best outing of the season but Cincy had 525. True frosh Tim Boyle hit 22-39-310 while Cincy’s Brendon Kay tallied 17-24-300. Cincy’s Jordan Luallen, who has been used as a Wildcat QB the past couple of years, got his first td pass here. It was fairly close with 2:25 left in the 1Q Conn only trailed 14-3 and had the ball but was intercepted and returned 47 yards to their 2 yard line. Cincy would get a td 2pl later with 1:31 left then forced a punt with :44 left and went 55/3pl with a 33 yard td pass with :17 left to blow it open, 27-3. It was 34-3 and at this point in the game Conn had just 169 yards of offense. It was 41-10 when Conn was intercepted in the EZ with 7:36 left but they got a 40 yard FR td with 6:19 left. Cincy went for it on 4&8 at the Conn 12 with 1:04 left and was SOD in the dominating 41-16 win.

While Oklahoma St finished with a 415-325 yard edge vs TCU, both teams replaced their starting QB’s due to ineffectiveness. Trevone Boykin for TCU hit 17-35-188 but had 3 interceptions and J.W. Walsh had 2 key interceptions in the 1H (9-18-115) and was replaced by Clint Chelf. Chelf began the year as the starter and hit 10-25-178. He actually had his first pass of the game intercepted but Mike Gundy stuck with him and there will be a QB battle this week. Tyler Matthews replaced Boykin and fumbled his first snap under center and failed to complete the only pass he attempted. OSU got the scoring started with a 95 yard PR td by Josh Stewart to make it 7-0. On their next drive, the Cowboys had a 1& gl at the 2 but were intercepted in the EZ. On their next drive a deep pass was intercepted at the TCU9. Leading 10-0, after an interception, Chelf guided OSU 37/3pl for a td with 6:03 left in the 2Q, 17-0. OSU was SOD at the TCU19 with 3:33 left in the half, missed a 31 yard FG with 2:12 left in the half and then went 60/8pl and missed a 32 yard FG on the 1H’s last play. OSU had a commanding 268-62 yard edge yet only led 17-0 and it almost came back to bite them. TCU opened the 3Q going 69/11pl but on 4&1 was SOD at the OSU12. OSU fumbled at the TCU15 2 possessions later with 3:58 left in the quarter. TCU got a 69 yard pass down to the 16 then a 35 yard FG with 1:54 left in the 3Q to pull within 17-3. TCU went 77/12pl. On 4&5 they got a FD at the OSU 17 and then on 3&7 a 14 yard td run, 17-10 but OSU got a 50 yard KR to the TCU47 and 4pl later had the clinching td with 6:04 left on a 7 yard run by Rennie Childs. TCU was SOD at the OSU49 and ended the game at its own 49 running out of time.

Talk about a misleading final. A check of the scoreboard at the end shows that SMU only beat Memphis 34-29 and it sounded like a nail-biter. The game was anything but. SMU thoroughly dominated the 1H leading 31-3 with a 282-116 yard edge. UM would score 3 td’s in the 2H trailing 34-3: the first on a 15 yard FR td, the 2nd a 19 yard fumbled PR td, and the 3rd when SMU’s Garrett Gilbert was intercepted and returned 93 yards after he had a 2&8 at the UM9. That set up UM for a short “offensive” td to pull within 34-23. UM took over with 1:12 left and had just 240 yards at the time but gained 80 yards and on 4&3, on the last play with no time left, got an 8 yard garbage td pass. Even with that 80 yard drive SMU finished with a 460-320 yard edge. Gilbert hit 27-43-321.

East Carolina was off a 3-game road trip and a loss and was happy to be back at home. They took on a winless Southern Miss team and dominated with 476-233 yard and 30-12 FD edges. SM converted on 4-of-16 third downs with QB’s Allan Bridgford and Nick Mullens combining to hit 11-28. ECU went 73/12pl and 80/12pl on their first 2 possessions for td’s then 49/6 but fumbled at the SM18. They went 50/10pl and 81/9pl for 2 more td’s and led 31-0 at the half with a 351-94 yard edge. They extended it to 55-0 after 3Q’s with SM gaining 71 yards in 4 plays and 64 in 10 plays for a pair of garbage td’s, the latter with 2:18 left.

I mentioned many times this year that South Carolina had a daunting and rare 3-game SEC road trip–all vs teams which I projected to get to bowls this year. They did pass their first test with flying colors vs Arkansas but came up short vs Tennessee. UT had an 18-17 FD edge and SC had a 384-325 yard edge. SC QB Connor Shaw (? this week) was injured with about 5:00 left in the game and did not return. Mike Davis did rush for 137 yards. UT had not beaten a ranked foe since 2009. About 250 former UT players ran through the T on to the field prior to the game. The Vols took their 2nd drive 33/7pl for a 37 yard FG to lead 3-0. SC didn’t get a FD until their 3rd possession but then fumbled on the next play. SC punted on its next possession but then got a huge play with a 76 yard td pass to Damiere Byrd to actually take the lead, 7-3. UT went 75/10pl for a td and then went 61/7pl for a td and led 17-7 with 6:11 left in the half. SC missed a 45 yard FG with :54 left. In the 2H SC was intercepted but then drove 66/11pl for a td to make it 17-14. It was an odd call by Spurrier as on 4&8 at the UT45 he opted to go for it and they got a QB run by Shaw for the FD to the 36 to keep the drive alive. Had he been stopped, UT would have had the ball midfield up by 10. UT appeared to have a crucial miss. After a 46/9pl drive, they missed a 46 yard FG and SC went 70/6pl for a td and the lead, 21-17. UT drove 67/9pl but settled for a 33 yard FG with 10:11 left to pull within 1. The next 5 possessions were punts. UT took over with 2:48 left and went 63/9pl and had a 1&gl at the 2 and lined up for the 19 yard FG and banged it home for the upset.

There was a lot of talk earlier in the year from the national media about how Tyler Murphy was an upgrade at QB for Florida but their offense has been struggling as of late. Murphy hit 15-28 for just 92 yards in their loss to Missouri. Meanwhile, a rFr QB, Maty Mauk, making his first start taking on the nation’s #1 defense, was an impressive 18-36-295. Henry Josey appears to be as close to 100% as he rushed for 136 yards on just 18 carries in his first start. MO outgained UF 500-151 and it would have been a bigger blowout than 36-17, but they settled for 5 FG’s. MO knocked off its second consecutive ranked foe for the first time since 1972. I’ve mentioned many times recently on Twitter about how MO has had 4 SEC DL of the Week in the past 5 weeks and they recorded 6 sacks and had Murphy under constant pressure throughout. MO had a 200-61 yard edge at the half with UF’s only score of the half being set up by a fumbled punt which they recovered at the MO24 but they settled for a 23 yard FG. MO went on a 68/12pl drive and settled for a 19 yard FG and also had a 43 yard FG plus was intercepted at the UF25 but only led 13-3. UF got a 100 yard KR td to open the 3Q but MO went 75/5pl and 59/7pl for a td and a FG to lead 23-10. UF got as close as 23-17 after 3Q’s with a 70/6pl td drive but MO went 59/9pl for a 33 yard FG, 54/11pl for a 28 yard FG and then after recovering a fumble, got a 17 yard td run by Mauk with 6:30 left for the 36-17 final.

Davis Webb made his first road start for Texas Tech and hit 36-50-462. Clint Trickett hit 27-43-254 for West Virginia. This was a game of swings as TT appeared in control early, then WV was in control of the game and led 27-16 but at the end TT got a td with 1:01 left to win the game by 10. Each team punted to open and TT went 47/4pl for a td, then WV fumbled and TT went 64/11pl for a 21 yard FG to go up 10-0. WV went 63/12pl but on 4&14 fired incomplete. TT went 55/9pl for a 36 yard FG to lead 13-0 with 12:30 left in the 2Q but WV battled back going 73/11pl for a 33 yard FG. TT, after a 69/10pl drive, fumbled at the 1. WV went 99/9pl getting a 38 yard td run with 1:55 left in the half then recovered a fumble on the KO and added a 30 yard FG with :23 left to get back to 13-13. WV had a 288-261 yard edge at the half. The first 4 possessions of the 2H all went for scores with WV leading 27-16 with 4:36 left and TT going 80/8pl for a td to pull within 27-23 with 2:26 left in the 3Q. After 3 punts, TT went 84/7pl for a td with 9:30 left. The teams punted 3 times. TT took over with just 4:30 left at its own 31 needing just a couple of FD’s to run the clock. They not only ran the clock, on 3&6 they got a 27 yard pass to the 5 and on 3&gl from the 10 hit a td pass.

Navy had 514-426 yard and 35-21 FD edges. Toledo’s Terrance Owens struggled again for most of the game hitting just 11-20-105 but UT led by 10 late with Navy forcing OT in the final minute. Each team went on a long drive on their opening possession with Navy getting a td and UT settling for a FG. Navy was SOD at the UT35 on 4&7 and UT was SOD on 4&2 at the N34. UT got a 68 yard FR td and Navy went 69/13pl and missed a 38 yard FG but then went 55/9pl for a td with :56 left in the half to lead 14-10. At the half Navy did have a 271-121 yard edge. The first three possessions of the 3Q were td drives with UT going 79/6pl and 79/7pl for theirs to go up 24-21. Then after forcing a Navy punt, UT went 68/8pl for another td and a 31-21 lead with 12:10 left. Navy punted with 10:09 left and got it back with 8:35 left. They went for it on 4&1 at their own 13 yard line, a huge play, and got it, then, on 3&8, a 32 yard run and went 96/10pl getting a td with 4:37 left. UT got 1 FD and punted with 4:05 left and Navy went 42/14pl getting a 40 yard FG on the final play to send it to OT. The teams each scored td’s in both OT’s and each converted on 4&1 once, but Navy missed an xp in the 2nd OT and UT’s xp won it.

I thought Georgia Tech’s offense would get back on track. The previous 4 games they had: faced a UNC team that had a bye the week before playing (2nd year in a row), taken on VT’s outstanding D (knows how to stop the option), faced a Miami D with an athletic front 7 (also has been doing well shutting down the option), and then took on Bronco Mendenhall, one of the nation’s best at shutting down the option. Last week they took on a Syracuse team getting its first crack at the option. GT was back home, off 3 straight losses and desperate for a win and got it big time with a 56-0 shutout of Cuse, a team that was coming off another ACC road trip. GT had a 482-208 yard edge in the game. At the half GT led 28-0 and then would score on their first 3 possessions of the 2H going 66/4pl, 44/4p and 89/6pl for td’s and as you can tell by the final score and the stats, it was a dominating win. GT did not face a single third down in the 1Q.

Army has played at Lincoln Financial Field 11 times dating back to 2004. Of course, most of their other matchups were vs Navy and they’ve yet to win there. The losing streak continued vs Temple. TU did only have a 361-338 yard edge and in fact, Army had a 22-17 FD edge but TU controlled throughout. Army lost starting QB Angel Santiago in the 2Q. Kelvin White hit 7-16-79. TU went 93/6pl with a 45 yard pass getting them to the 1 then 99/10pl with a 37 yard td pass to lead 14-0 after their first 2 possessions. They would add a 39 yard td pass with 3:43 left in the half and then a 20 yard FR td :17 later made it 26-0. TU did have a 291-93 yard edge. TU recovered a fumble in the 3Q and went 21/2pl for a td to go up 33-0. Army went 78/13pl and 67/9pl for td’s to pull within 33-14 after 3Q’s but was intercepted at the TU19, intercepted at the TU31 and SOD at its own 43 on the final 3 drives.

Vanderbilt got its first victory over Georgia in Nashville since 1991. UGA came in banged up, still missing its top 2 RB’s and 3 of its top 4 receivers but had opportunities. The Commodores lost QB Austyn Carta-Samuels (the 2nd QB UGA has KO’d in 2 weeks) in the 2Q and Patton Robinette took over. UGA got a td with :27 left in the half on 4&1 to lead 24-14 and had a 187-141 yard edge. UGA extended it with a 51/12pl drive but after a 1&gl at the 7, settled for a 23 yard FG leaving VU in the game, 27-14. The key play of the game happened when UGA fumbled the punt at its own 36 at the end of the 3Q and then the 2nd key play happened 4pl later. VU fired incomplete on 4&4 as LB Ramik Wilson lowered his shoulder into the body of the VU WR and knocked the ball loose. Amazingly, they called a targeting penalty. Naturally, they overturned the ejection but could not overturn the penalty and VU got a FD. They would convert on 4&1 and go on a 36/9pl drive for a td with 10:38 left to get back in it. VU went 60/11pl for a 40 yard FG to pull within 27-24 and then UGA’s P fumbled the snap and VU took over at the 13. On the next play the Commodores got a 13 yard td run by Jerron Seymour to lead 31-27 with 2:46 left. UGA fumbled at the end of an 8 yard gain at their own 33 with 1:59 left. VU did finish with a 337-221 yard edge.

Miami stayed within 7 points of Akron but had to feel fortunate to do so. UA blocked a punt on the first drive and would go 13/4pl for a td. MU drove 44/9pl for a td to make it 7-7. UA fumbled at the MU17 at the end of an 8pl drive then went 65/11pl and missed a 39 yard FG with 7:40 left in the half. They then went 71/13pl but on 3&12 had an 11 yard pass but they fumbled into the EZ for a TB with :21 left. It was tied 7-7 with UA having a 206-109 yard edge. UA went 66/8pl for a td then went 67/8pl for another td, 21-7. MU missed a 39 yard FG on a 53/11pl drive then went 26/7pl and was intercepted at the UA45. MU fumbled at its own 5 and UA added a 19 yard FG to make it 24-7 with 8:19 left. MU went 83/9pl including a 4&5 conversion and got a 44 yard td pass on the next play, 24-14. MU recovered the onside kick then went 22/9pl for a 52 yard FG with 1:27 left. This time UA recovered the onside kick and on 4&2 got a FD and took a knee.

Eastern Michigan was playing with a heavy heart as Demarius Reed was tragically lost on Friday night after an apparent robbery and shooting. Reed had started all 6 games and was viewed as a leader of the team. They held a moment of silence before the Ohio game for him and wore helmet decals and jersey patches with his number on it. Reed had returned a punt for a score in 2011 and when EMU returned the opening KO 89 yards for a td, it was the first return td since Reed’s, a fine way to honor their fallen teammate. Bronson Hill rushed for 257 yards on 23 carries for EMU. EMU gave a valiant effort but came up short being outFD’d 24-22 and outgained 547-477. After that KR td, OU drove 63/4pl for a td, recovered a fumble and went 30/6pl for a td then got a 79 yard PR to the 8 setting up a short td drive to lead 21-7 but only led 21-14 at the half with a 217-161 yard edge. EMU went 99/7pl for a 62 yard td pass with 8:19 left 3Q to tie it at 21. EMU had the ball and a 2&gl at the OU4 when the key play of the game happened–they were intercepted in the EZ. On the very next play OU got an 80 yard td pass and instead of EMU leading 28-21, the Bobcats were up 28-21. Then, after a 37 yard PR, OU went 42/5pl for a td, then after an interception, went 63/2pl for another td to make it 42-21. EMU got a td at the start of the 4Q to pull within 14 but OU went 60/8pl for a td with 10:40 left. EMU was stopped on 4&4 at its own 47 and OU went 47/10pl for a td with 1:54 left to close the scoring with a 28 pt win.

Colorado’s opponent, Charleston Southern, came in a perfect 7-0 on the year but had taken on a very light schedule and had not dominated. Sefo Liufau got his first career start for the Buffs and hit 14-20-198. CU finished with a 416-196 yard edge vs the Buccaneers in a game that Colorado had to schedule after their Fresno St game was cancelled. CSU lost its QB Daniel Croghan III (concussion) the previous week and he’d been, by far, the team’s offensive leader. Frosh Kyle Copeland was making his first start. He hit 7-13-48 yards. CU led 22-3 when CSU took over with 9:16 left in the half and went 87/15pl getting a 7 yard td pass on the last play of the half to make it 22-10. CU only had a 165-150 yard edge. The Buffs went 64/13pl to open the 3Q for a td but then punted on their next 2 possessions. They went 54/4pl for a td with 11:15 left, 82/5pl for a 34 yard td run by Michael Adkins II with 6:09 left. Adkins finished with 137 yards rushing on 13 carries in their 43-10 win.

Kapri Bibbs rushed for 29-201 for Colorado St and CSU won the Border War over Wyoming in dominating fashion. They had a 509-416 yard edge and led 24-7 at the half, 38-15 after 3Q’s and 52-22 for the game. UW came in with the #10 offense in the NCAA. At one point in the 2Q CSU had a 220-34 yard edge and if not for being intercepted in the EZ would have been led by more than 21-0. It was 24-7 at the half with a 289-127 yard edge. They opened the 3Q with an interception and drove 26/2pl for a td then 75/12pl for a td to go up 38-15. Trailing 52-15, UW got a 67 yard td run with 3:58 left.

Ball St had 483-368 yard and 25-15 FD edges in their 38-17 win over Western Michigan. WMU took the lead going 68/8pl for a 41 yard FG to go up 3-0 but BS went 54/12pl for a 37 yard FG, 57/9pl but was SOD at the 16, 65/7pl for a td, 68/4pl for a td and led 17-3 with 5:47 left in the half. BS did punt on its next 2 possessions and WMU’s Hail Mary from the BS36 was intercepted in the EZ. BS had a 301-168 yard edge at the half. BS opened the 3Q with a 45/4pl drive for a td and WMU went 89/10pl but was SOD on 4&gl from at the BS4. WMU went 80/11pl and got a 4&4, 8 yard td pass to pull within 24-10. BS went 65/8pl for a td and 76/9pl for a td with 5:07 left to go up by 28. WMU did close the scoring with a 26 yard FR for a td with :35 left.

Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch rushed for an FBS record 316 yards vs Central Michigan and oh, by the way, also hit 20-30 passes although for just 155 yards through the air. The previous record for a QB rushing came in 1990 when NIU’s Stacey Robinson rushed for 308 yards vs Fresno St. This one was not as big of a blowout as the 38-17 final would indicate although NIU did have a 592-346 yard edge. The game was tied 14-14 when CMU fumbled at the NI13 with 4:58 left in the half. At the half NIU had a slim 265-249 yard edge in the tie game. NIU was clinging to a 24-17 lead when they forced a punt with 7:40 left. NIU went 77/6pl for a td with 6:11 left, forced a punt and took over at its own 11 with 5:16 left. Needing a couple FD’s to run the clock, they went 89/7pl and got a 19 yard td run on 2&7 with 1:32 left for their largest lead of the game.

Kent St was coming off a great season last year, but I projected them to have a losing record this year. They are 1-loss away from that. They fell to 2-6 and need to win their final 4 regular season games to avoid it. They were a banged up team coming off some grueling MAC games and had QB Colin Reardon, DL Roosevelt Nix and P/K Anthony Melchiori all sitting out and Trayion Durham was doubtful coming in and had just 5 carries for 8 yards. They were taking on a South Alabama team fresh off a bye and it was almost an unfair situation for them. USA only had a 483-428 yard edge despite the large advantages. David Fisher, who got the start for KS, hit 14-26-181 and Ross Metheny 16-23-224 for USA. KS’s opening drive went 51/8pl but they had a 41 yard FG blocked and USA went 75/6pl for a td. KS was SOD at the SA35 but USA was SOD at the KS45. USA then went 54/9pl for a 45 yard FG and Dri Archer ripped off a 74 yard td run to pull within 10-7. USA went 79/10pl for a td and at the half led 17-7 with a 234-174 yard edge. USA took its second 3Q possession 60/7pl for a td. KS went on a 57/10pl drive but missed a 31 yard FG. USA went 80/11pl for a td to ice it, 31-7. Archer got a 73 yard td run with 14:01 left, 31-14 but USA got a 67 yard KR to set up a 30/4pl drive for a td, 38-14. Each team was SOD, USA with 1:38 left and KS went 85/9pl getting a garbage td with :04 left to make the yardage close.

North Texas had 26 consecutive losses following a win but won a second straight for the first time since 2004 going on the road and beating Louisiana Tech, 28-13. LT had a 404-386 yard edge and the FD’s were even at 20. After an interception, LT drove 25/5pl for a td to lead 7-0. NT was SOD on 4&3 at the LT28. LT went 47/9pl for a 40 yard FG 2 possessions later for a 10-0 lead but NT went 86/5pl capped by a 61 yard td pass then got a 56 yard IR td with 2:05 left in the 1H to make it 14-10. LT went 67/11pl but missed a 25 yard FG. LT had a 200-173 yard edge at the half but trailed by 4. NT took its second 3Q drive 43/4pl for a 3 yard td run, 21-10, then went 66/11pl for a 1 yard td run, 28-10 (:40 3Q). LT went 57/10pl for a td with 12:27 left but was SOD at the NT37 with 9:07 left. Their last drive went 65/9pl but was intercepted at the 10 with 2:00 left.

Oklahoma won for the 15th straight time the week after playing Texas but things didn’t look good early as there was clearly somewhat of a hangover. For the 2nd time in 3 weeks Kansas jumped out to a double-digit lead over their foe. They blew a 10-0 lead over Texas Tech two weeks ago. OU finished with a 415-201 yard edge and 22-12 FD edge. KU lost its 24th straight Big 12 game. KU took its opening drive 70/10pl for a td then after an OU fumble drove 68/4pl for a td to lead 13-0 with 14:49 left 2Q. They forced an OU punt on the next possession. The Sooners, down 13-0, took over with 10:14 left in the half and drove 55/8pl for a td with 7:05 left. They then blocked a punt for a safety and Sterling Shepard returned the free kick 49 yards for a td and stunningly they took a 15-13 lead. After a 25 yard punt, they added a 37 yard FG with :11 left in the half. They had a 204-173 yard edge at half. OU went 58/6pl for a td to open the 3Q, was intercepted at the 25 on its 2nd possession and punted on its next 2. KU blocked a punt and recovered at the OU6 and got a td to apparently pull within 25-19, but the Sooners blocked the xp and returned it for 2 to open up an 8 pt lead with 10:15 left. OU went 75/11pl getting a td with 5:56 left to go up by 15 and KU was SOD at its own 24 with OU running the clock at the 13. Jake Heaps for KU hit just 5-13-16 but KU did rush for 185 yards on 30 carries. Blake Bell hit only 15-25-131 for OU.

**TheGame** · 10-22-2013, 02:10 PM

Week 8 News & Notes – Part 2
Philsteele.com

Stanford came in off a loss taking on an undefeated UCLA team and I thought they would rebound, and they did. They had a 419-266 yard edge and 23-16 FD edge. SU’s Kevin Hogan hit 18-25-227 while UCLA’s Brett Hundley, who was entering Heisman discussions, hit just 24-39-192 passing while rushing for 27 yards on 11 carries vs a staunch Stanford D. This was the teams’ 3rd meeting in less than a year including last year’s Pac-12 Championship game. SU punted on its first drive and on its 3rd went 74/11pl for a 31 yard FG, 3-0. The next 5 possessions were punts. The Cardinal went 62/10pl and had a FD at the LA23 but then Hogan was intercepted at the 6 with :40 left in the half. The interception came when the receiver made a diving grab for the ball, rolled over, and the ball popped into the air and into the hands of the DB. SU had a 207-84 yard edge at the half. The Cardinal went 76/7pl and 40/6pl for td’s on their first two 3Q possessions, 17-3. The Bruins went 75/11pl for a td with 14:56 left to get within 7 and SU, 2 possessions later, missed a 46 yard FG with 6:24 left. UCLA punted with 5:15 left but was intercepted a their own 32 with 2:40 left. SU went 32/5pl for a td with 1:42 left to win by 14.

Ohio St had better hope that all of the other unbeatens lose because they continue to be unimpressive vs a schedule that is far from overwhelming. Last week they took on Iowa and while they had a 495-375 yard edge, they actually were tied 24-24 into the 4Q. CB Bradley Robey is an All-American and was ejected in the 1Q for targeting, but Iowa’s offense was unstoppable. Jake Rudock hit 19-34-245. The first 5 possessions of the game were all scores with Iowa leading 17-10. OSU went 46/9pl but on 4&10 fired incomplete in the EZ. Iowa punted with :32 left in the half but had a 222-189 yard edge. OSU went 75/13pl and 84/11pl and appeared poised to pull away in the 2H leading 24-17 but Iowa, after a holding call, faced a 1&20 back at its own 15 and Rudock hit Jake Duzey with an 85 yard td pass. The TE got behind the defense, caught it at midfield and ran it into the EZ untouched. The Buckeyes went 75/10pl for a td and 64/11pl for a 25 yard FG to go up 34-24 then got an interception at their own 49 and ended the game taking a knee at the UI29 yard line.

Buffalo won its 5th straight game–once again in impressive fashion. Branden Oliver rushed for 216 yards on 43 carries. UB had a 382-247 yard edge over Massachusetts. They were coming off a shutout win vs Western Mich and almost got the shutout here again, winning 32-3. The first 4 possessions were all punts. UB went 21/5pl for a 44 yard FG and punted on its next possession, then got a 35 yard IR td by LB Khalil Mack, 10-0 with 10:13 left in the 1H. UB went 63/13pl for a 36 yard FG to lead 13-0 with :39 left in the half. UM took over at its 39, got a 27 yard pass then a 42 yard FG with :06 left to avoid the shutout, 13-3. In the 2H UB went 45/7pl for a 27 yard FG. UM had a FD at the UB15 but on 3&23 fumbled. UB missed a 43 yard FG, punted, but then pinned UM at the 1 and tackled them for a safety on the next play. After the free kick they went 56/5pl for a td with 13:22 left and after UM was SOD on 4&6, UB went 67/10pl for a td with 5:09 left for the final.

Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe does great following a bye week. Maryland got CJ Brown back, but after he hit 15-24-137 they brought Caleb Rowe in (12-27-207). Nikita Whitlock had a big game harassing the MD QB’s and WF moved to 4-3 with its 2nd straight home upset after knocking off NC State in the last game. In the 1H the Demon Deacons scored on 4 of their 6 possessions to take command. Their star player, WR Michael Campanaro is actually a native of Maryland and caught 11 passes for 217 yards breaking Desmond Clark’s school record of 216 yards receiving. The Terps fell to 1-9 in ACC road games under Randy Edsall and lost both of their top 2 receivers to injury during the game in Deon Long and Stefon Diggs (both out for year). WF got a 23 yard PR by Campanaro to set up a 36/3pl td drive to lead 7-0. MD missed a 35 yard FG. WF got a 51 yard FG to go up 10-0. They got an interception with 6:33 left in the half and returned it 49 yards to the MD18 setting up another td, 17-3 then got another interception and returned that one 9 yards. They drove 40/4pl for a td to go up 24-3 at the half although MD had a 182-132 yard edge. There were 3 punts to open the 3Q then MD brought Rowe off the bench. Rowe hit a 17 yard pass on his first play followed by a 56 yard td pass on his second to make it 24-10. Wake answered with an 88/9pl drive for a td and MD was SOD at the WF15. MD was SOD at the WF42 and WF drove 37/10pl for a 38 yard FG. MD fumbled at the WF22 and was SOD at the WF8 on its final 2 drives.

This is my first year to put out my Inside the Pressbox newsletter. It gives you all kinds of great stats and angles and a complete statical look at the game. After being on Erik Kuselias’ radio show each week, where he asks me for a few of these plays, I decided to include some Best Bets (on a 9-2 run!). Every week Inside the Pressbox also includes a High Scoring Game of the Week. This past week – Indiana/Michigan. Final Score? Michigan 63-47! 110 points. Check out the Inside the Pressbox matchup sheet for this game. UM had 751 yards to IU’s 572 for 1,323 yards of offense and the teams combined for 63 FD’s in what was a shootout until UM pulled away late. Jeremy Gallon had 369 yards receiving which was 2nd most in NCAA history for a single game. The record for most yards receiving in a game is 405 by La Tech’s Troy Edwards in 1998 and Gallon had 343 after 3Q’s. Tre Roberson came off the bench to hit 16-23-288. UM has now won 19 straight games at home, the longest streak of any BCS team. It was 28-17 at the half with UM having a 348-200 yard edge but IU appeared to have a shot at an upset. They got a 67 yard td pass late in the 3Q to make it 42-40 but the 2 pt conversion failed. After they traded td’s, UM fumbled at the IU2 and the Hoosiers, down 2, had the ball. They were intercepted on the next play and UM would drive 5/3pl for a td. After another interception, the Wolverines went 83/6pl for a td with 1:12 left to open up a 16 point lead, their largest of the game.

As expected, Texas A&M and Auburn was a shootout with AU having a 615-602 yard edge and A&M a 29-27 FD edge. Johnny Manziel hit 29-38-454, despite missing a series in the 4Q with an apparent injury, but also had 2 interceptions. Mike Evans set a school record with 287 yards receiving and 4 td’s. As expected, Auburn was able to run the ball on an A&M D that came in yielding 5.7 ypc with Tre Mason rushing for 178 and Nick Marshall 100. Tied at 17, Auburn punted from its own 4 and A&M, with :36 left, got a 42 yard td pass to Evans to go up 24-17. A&M had a 330-282 yard edge at the half. After each team punted to open the 3Q, each scored a td. After an AU punt, A&M went 76/12pl. Manziel was hurt and Matt Joeckel came off the bench, fired incomplete, and they settled for a FG to go up 34-24. AU went 75/7pl for a td and A&M, with Joeckel at QB, went 3&out. AU went 69/5pl for a td to lead 38-34. Manziel came back and guided a 75/13pl drive for a td with 5:05 left but AU answered with a 75/13pl drive getting a td with 1:19 left. A&M got to the AU18 but after a sack on 4&13, Manziel was sacked for a 22 yard loss with :11 left.

Virginia led Duke 22-7 at the half with a 287-176 yard edge. Their opening drive was kept alive by a fake punt on 4&6 from midfield and they went 76/11pl for a td. They got a 56/4pl drive for a td with :32 left in the 1Q to go up 14-0 and 2 possessions later, went 77/7pl for a td and 2 pt conversion, 22-0. Gil Brandt always tells me scores late in the half give a team momentum and Duke got a td on a 62/8pl drive capped by a 6 yard td pass with :46 left in the half to pull within 22-7. Duke dominated the 3Q and in fact, UVA had just 7 yards in the 3Q. Duke was intercepted at the UVA28 after an 8pl drive, went 62/13pl for a 25 yard FG (25-10), then went 53/3pl for a td to get within 22-17. They went 82/9pl and got a 47 yard td pass on 4&1 to go up 25-22. UVA finally got its offense moving again going 52/11pl but missed a 44 yard FG and Duke went 73/9pl for a 24 yard td pass with 4:17 left. After UVA was SOD on 4&7 at its own 19, the Blue Devils added a 32 yard FG with 2:42 left for the 13 point win. Duke finished with a 472-363 yard edge. Anthony Boone hit 21-39-245 and while Brandon Connette was brought in to run after having started some previous games, his one attempt was that 47 yard td pass.

BYU had the most plays in college football so far this year running 115 vs Houston with the UH having 76. As you can tell by the final score, 47-46, this was also a shootout. BYU got an interception on the game’s first play, drove 41/3pl for a td, then went 68/8pl for a 41 yard FG and led 10-0. UH got a 95 yard KR td, a 69 yard td pass and a 29 yard IR td and stormed to a 21-17 lead. UH, from 5:57 left in the 1Q until 12:50 left in the game, did not trail. They had leads of 31-24 and 38-31 getting a td with 1:30 left in the 1H but BYU drove for a 20 yard FG on the final play of the half to pull within 4. At the half BYU had a 461-361 yard edge. Surprisingly in the 2H, BYU was stopped on 4&1 at the UH34 and UH lined up for a 45 yard FG but missed it. The next 3 possessions were punts. BYU, pinned at its own 9, was tackled for a safety, 40-34. UH went 3&out after the free kick and BYU went 97/9pl and took the lead with 12:50 left, 41-40. UH missed another FG, this one from 40 yards out. Two possessions later UH went 84/7pl and got a 10 yard td pass to retake the lead, 46-41 (2 point no good). BYU punted with 3:26 left but UH punted it back with 1:50 left. BYU went 58/3pl getting a td with 1:08 left go up by one. UH was intercepted at midfield and BYU ran the clock.

Arizona St was in a great situation vs Washington–they had a bye on deck and had Colorado last week. UW, meanwhile, was off huge efforts vs both Stanford and Oregon. ASU had struggled vs the run and Bishop Sankey came in as the nation’s leading rusher averaging 156 ypg. I think Coach Graham’s pregame focus was to take away the run and UW was held to -5 yards rushing on 25 carries. Keep in mind sacks are included in the rushing total and they were sacked 7 times. However, Sankey had 13 rushes for 22 yards. ASU finished with commanding 583-212 yard and 31-12 FD edges. UW actually took its opening drive 60/11pl for a td to lead 7-0 and ASU punted on its first 2 possessions. On their 3rd possession they went 76/10pl for a 26 yard FG to get to 7-3. ASU was intercepted on its next possession, but then drove 57/4pl for a td to go up 9-7 (xpng) with 13:20 left in the 2Q. ASU went 57/10pl settling for a 22 yard FG, 12-7. UW fumbled a punt at its own 26 and ASU added a 36 yard FG then went 50/7pl for a td to lead 22-7. The Sun Devils went 60/4pl and got a 14 yard td pass, 29-7. At the half ASU had a commanding 315-74 yard edge. UW got a 70 yard td pass on the 3rd play of the 3Q on 3&16, 29-14. The next 3 possessions were scores with ASU getting a td and a 21 yard FG and UW a 27 yard FG, 39-17. After a personal foul on a PR, ASU went 43/5pl for a td to lead 46-17. ASU fumbled a punt at its own 46 and UW got a 26 yard td pass 3pl later to get within 22. However, 2 possessions later ASU went 73/10pl getting a td with 4:09 left for the 53-24 final.

There were a lot of upsets in college football this past Saturday but Alabama was not one of them. They dominated Arkansas with a 533-256 yard edge including 352-165 on the ground vs a good Hogs’ rushing team. It was the first time Bama had shutout an SEC foe 2 years in a row since 1973-’74 and they are probably still kicking themselves over the td they allowed vs Kentucky last week, which broke a streak of 15 straight quarters without allowing a score. A surprising stat was that Amari Cooper caught his first td pass of the season as he starts to gain health. He had 65 yards on 3 catches. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix returned from a 2 game suspension but they did lose Vinnie Sunseri to a leg injury (out for year). The Crimson Tide went 68/12pl and 38/5pl for td’s to lead 14-0. They punted on their 3rd possession, then went 84/5pl for a td. Ark put together a 67/12pl drive but had a 41 yard FG blocked with 2:54 left in the half and Bama went 72/5pl for a 30 yard td pass to Cooper with 1:07 left, 28-0. At the half they had a 270-137 yard edge. Ark fumbled the opening KO of the 2H and Bama went 30/3pl for a td, then went 72/8pl for another td, 42-0. After an interception, they went 3&out, but a roughing the K penalty gave them a FD and they would get a 48 yard FG, 45-0. Ark was SOD on 4&5 at the Bama15 after a 52/11pl drive with 1:58 left and then Derrick Henry, on 2&5, ripped off an 80 yard td run with :59 left for the 52-0 final.

Ole Miss came in with a banged up D missing 5 defensive starters but Bo Wallace hit 30-39-346. Zach Mettenberger had 3 crucial interceptions, but UM finished with a 525-388 yard edge and led 24-14 when LSU battled back to tie. Mettenberger came in with a 15-2 ratio and all 3 interceptions were thrown into at least double coverage. UM had almost upset LSU on the road last year and now had a crowd of 61,160–their 9th largest in school history–and it was loud throughout. LSU got a 21 yard PR to the UM38 mid-1Q but Mettenberger was intercepted in the EZ. Ole Miss went 69/17pl but settled for a 28 yard FG after a 1&gl at the 5. UM went 83/6pl and got a 3 yard td pass from Barry Brunetti to Nick Parker, 10-0. LSU appeared to answer going 69/11pl but, from the 20, Mettenberger was intercepted in the EZ. On the next possession, LSU got to the UM35 but Mettenberger was again intercepted, this time at the 11. At the half, UM had a 234-178 yard edge and led 10-0. UM opened the 3Q, after a 27 yard punt at the LSU49, with 46/8pl drive getting a 2 yard td run for a 17-0 lead. LSU began to chip away. They went 61/8pl for a td with 6:16 left in the 3Q and, after recovering a fumble, went 51/8pl for another td, 17-14 (3:09). UM went 76/7pl getting a 26 yard td run by Jaylen Walton to retake command 24-14, then forced an LSU punt. UM fumbled a punt at its own 13 but LSU would settle for a 41 yard FG after Mettenberger took a 16 yard sack on 3&4 from the 7. UM went 63/10pl but LSU blocked a FG with 6:29 left keeping them in it and appeared to get back going 80/11pl. They converted on 4&10 at the UM16 for a FD and on 2&gl Mettenberger hit a 4 yard td pass with 3:19 left. UM got 1 FD and on 3&10 a 13 yard pass for a FD. They would get 2 more FD’s and nailed a 41 yard FG with :02 left to pull out the victory.

Iowa St replaced QB Sam B. Richardson in the 2Q as ISU was struggling to move the ball vs Baylor. The Cyclones totaled just 9 FD’s and 174 yards of offense. Of those 174 yards, 57 came on a final drive where they got a 27 yard td pass with :34 left. BU, as usual, was efficient. Bryce Petty, whose been avg about 20 ypc “only” avg 14.9 per completion hitting 23-31-343 yards. Each team punted on its first possessions and BU’s first big play came when Petty threw a backward pass to Levi Norwood, who threw a 41 yard pass to Jay Lee, which keyed an 80/8pl drive for a td. BU followed that drive with: a 29/2pl td drive after a fumble, a 72/10pl drive for a 22 yard FG, and a 90/12pl drive that, once again, ended in a 22 yard FG and only led 20-0 with 8:59 left in the half. BU went 94/8pl and 55/6pl for td’s, the latter with 1:37 left, then added a 51 yard FG in the final play of the half for good measure. They had a 37-0 lead at the half with a 461-74 yard edge. BU opened the 3Q with an 84/10pl td drive, 44-0. ISU did bring Richardson back in for some series in the 2H. BU actually punted on its next possession and was SOD at the ISU2 on its next, but got a 52 yard PR for a td for a 51-0 lead after 3Q’s. BU went 79/14pl getting a td with 3:48 left to go up 64-0. ISU took over at its 43, converted on 4&1 for a FD at the BU27, then Grant Rohach hit DeVondrick Nealy with a 27 yard td pass with :47 left. BU then OVERwelmed fans with a 97 yard KR td with :34 left in the game.

Old Dominion gave Pittsburgh a game with a 25-18 FD edge and 405-370 yard edge. In fact, ODU, at the half, had a 211-182 yard edge and Pitt had to feel fortunate to be up 21-10. ODU took its opening drive 64/10pl for a td and took its 3rd drive 29/8pl for a 54 yard FG and a 10-0 lead. Pitt got a 74/9pl drive for a td to pull within 3, then got a 56 yard PR to the 12 setting up a td to go up 14-10. ODU missed a 54 yard FG with 2:53 left in the 1H and Pitt went 63/6pl for a td to make it 21-10. ODU missed another 54 yarder on the final play of the half. Pitt opened the 3Q with a 77/9pl drive for a 21 yard td pass, 28-10. ODU went 76/7pl for a td. Like he’s done all season, Coach Bobby Wilder called an onside kick and it worked. ODU went 69/5pl for a td to get within 28-24. Pitt punted with 2:21 left in the 3Q, but then went 47/5pl for a td to make it 35-21. ODU was SOD on 4&8 at the Pitt45 with 10:53 left, punted with 6:44 left, and was intercepted at the Pitt35 with 2:35 left. Their final drive got to the Pitt36 where they were SOD.

Texas St’s Robert Lowe rushed for a career high 177 yards. Georgia St actually finished with a 368-343 yard edge and 20-15 FD edge as Ronnie Bell hit 20-36-208. GSt took its opening drive 75/9pl capped by a 1 yard td run. The next 4 possessions were punts and TXSt went 49/4pl with Chris Nutall running 34 yards for a td. TXSt went 60/5pl but settled for a 20 yard FG, 10-7. TXSt got to the GS23 but was intercepted in the EZ. At the half TXSt had a 171-162 yard edge. TXSt opened the 3Q getting SOD at the GS30. After an exchange of punts, GSt went 81/19pl and had a 4&1 at the 2 and settled for a 19 yard FG to tie it. TXSt went 77/8pl for a td with 8:01 left in the game for the lead. GSt punted with 6:55 left and was intercepted at its own 45 with 3:56 left. TXSt returned it 27 yards to the 18 and would go 5pl for a td to get to 24-10. GSt went 85/8pl getting a 5 yard td pass with :01 left to give them the yardage edge in the 24-17 loss.

Notre Dame had lost 5 straight home games to USC, but finally snapped that streak. While USC dropped its 3rd on the year, they could actually be 6-1 if they had a FG kicker. USC had a 330-295 yard edge. The game was just the 3rd night game in Notre Dame Stadium in the last 2 decades. Tommy Rees was injured for ND in the 3Q and Andrew Hendrix attempted just 4 passes, hitting none of them. The Irish’s opening drive of the game went 71/12pl, but on 4&1 they were stuffed for a 3 yard loss and USC went 96/13pl for a td. ND answered right back with a 77/10pl drive gaining 145 yards on the first 2 possessions, but just 150 in the rest of the game. USC would go 45/6pl but missed a 40 yard FG. USC got a 48 yard PR by Nelson Agholor and settled or a 22 yard FG after a 1&gl at the 9, 10-7. ND went 91/6pl getting a td with 1:13 left to go up 14-10. Cam McDaniel was the star of the drive with 24 and 36 yard runs keying it. ND had a 248-209 yard edge at the half. USC was intercepted at the ND41 to open the 3Q. The next 9 possessions were punts. USC was at the ND47, got 1 FD, and missed a 46 yard FG. After missing 2 FG’s, and now being 4 points down, USC faced a 4&15 at the ND26 and passed up a 43 yard FG and was sacked for a 7 yard loss. Vs Washington St earlier this year, USC had opened the 2H with 2 long drives for 2 FG’s and missed both then went for it on 4th down and was SOD in their 3 point loss. ND punted with 1:35 left and USC got a 32 yard pass to Agholor to the ND43. On 4&3 Agholor appeared to catch a FD pass but was hit hard and dropped it and the Irish escaped.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that New Mexico St got back its top WR Austin Franklin and he did have an 85 yard td reception vs Rice which made it 21-12 with 7:46 left in the half. Two possessions later Rice went 59/8pl for a 17 yard td pass to lead 28-12 at the half. At the half Rice had a 323-214 yard edge. Rice punted to open the 3Q, but then went 63/9pl for a td, 35-12. NMSt went 75/11pl and got a 1 yard td run, 35-19. Rice went 43/7pl and got a 50 yard FG, 38-19. NMSt was intercepted at the R33, punted with 8:37 left, and Rice went 56/8pl getting a 4 yard td run with 3:46 left to extend the margin to the largest of the game (26 points). NMSt was intercepted at its own 38 and Rice ended the game taking a knee at the NMS13. Rice finished with a 515-328 yard edge and an outstanding 26-10 FD edge.

Boise St RB Jay Ajayi ran for 222 yards vs Nevada. Joe Southwick was injured on the first play vs Nevada (ankle surgery, out at least 5 weeks) and backup QB Grant Hedrick hit an outstanding 18-21-150 and also rushed for 115 yards on 8 carries. He was the first Broncos’ QB to top 100 yards rushing since Jared Zabransky did it back in 2004. UN jumped out to a 17-7 lead and, in fact, led at half vs Boise for the first time since 1997. At the half UN had a 246-197 yard edge. Boise opened the 3Q going 66/8pl for a td, then got an Ajayi 71 yard td run to go up 20-17. After the teams combined for 3 punts, Boise went 74/11pl for a td, 27-17 then went 77/11pl for another td, 34-17 with 8:28 left. UN did get to the BS10 where they were sacked for a 14 yard loss on 4&10 with 2:28 left and Boise ended the game at the UN34 taking a knee. Boise finished with a 557-373 yard edge although UN had a 27-26 FD edge.

Wisconsin did lose their top defensive player Chris Borland to injury early and actually allowed Illinois 391 yards. Melvin Gordon had another outstanding effort with 142 yards rushing on 17 carries and Jared Abbrederis, who was questionable coming in, had 8 catches for 106 yards. UW led 21-0 after 1Q, but IU got a 31 yard FG, forced a punt, then drove 57/4pl with a 51 yard pass on the first play down to the 6. The td made it 21-10 and when they got a 1 yard td rec with :45 left, pulled within 28-17 with UW only having a 219-175 yard edge. The Badgers opened the 3Q with 75/9pl and 56/5pl drives for td’s to go up 42-17. UI was SOD on 4&gl at the 1 but after a punt, drove 47/4pl for a td and 2 point conversion to get back within 17. UW got a 54 yard KR and went 46/6pl for a td, 49-25. UI fumbled and UW went 39/9 with backup RB Corey Clement in. His 5 yard td made it 56-25. Illinois would go 78/7pl getting a garbage td with :44 left.

Clemson had one of its biggest home games ever and was extremely fired up as a home dog despite being #3 in the country and Florida St #5. The Las Vegas linesmakers evidently knew what they were talking about as FSU not only won the game, but dominated with a 565-326 yard edge. Jameis Winston stepped to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race hitting 22-34-444 and showed unusual poise for a rFr in such a hostile environment. Tajh Boyd, who came in a Heisman frontrunner, hit just 17-37-156 and probably won’t be visiting New York at year’s end. FSU is undefeated after 6 games for the first time since 1999, which happens to be the last time FSU won the National Championship. Lamarcus Joyner is a prime Jim Thorpe candidate this week causing 2 fumbles and snagging an interception. Joyner forced a turnover on the first play of the game and FSU went 34/3pl for a td. They led 27-7 at the half with a commanding 312-141 yard edge even settling for a 24 yard FG with :03 left in the half. In the 3Q they rolled it open to 51-7 then, just like last year, allowed CU a late td to make the final closer than it was. The late score came with :13 left and capped a 71/16pl drive, so FSU “only” won 51-14.

Arizona finished with a 468-329 yard edge. The situation favored Arizona as they were coming off a loss to USC on national tv and needed a win at home. Utah, meanwhile, was off its big upset win over Stanford, the first time they had knocked off a top 5 foe in the regular season and had to travel. UA was SOD at the UU9 with the game tied at 7 but 3pl later got a 14 yard IR td to go up 14-7. Two possessions later Utah was intercepted on a deep pass from its own 12 at the UA28. UA went 72/13pl for a td and appeared in control, 20-7 and that was the score at the half with Utah’s K Andy Phillips, who was a perfect 11-11 on FG’s this year, missing a 42 yarder. UA had a 244-162 yard edge at the half. UA fumbled a punt to start the 3Q and Utah went 17/3pl for a td. UA was SOD on 4&2 at the UU45 and Utah got a 55 yard td pass on the next play to stunningly take the lead, 21-20. UA punted, then went 60/12pl but on 4&9 was SOD at the UU35. UA got it back and went 63/7pl for a td with 13:32 left to make it 28-21. The td came on 3&gl from the 7. Each team punted and Utah went 30/10pl and got a 44 yard FG by Phillips. UA fumbled at its own 39 with 6:29 left only ahead by 4 but Phillips missed a 40 yard FG on 4&4 with 3:49 left. UA got 2 FD, then on 3&5 a 44 yard td run by Ka’Deem Carey gave them an 11 point margin, 35-24. Utah did get to the UA41, gaining 34 yards on their final 9 plays.

Joey DeMartino had a big game for Utah St rushing for 144 yards on 12 carries as the Aggies continued on without their QB Chuckie Keeton. USt had a QB battle and went to true frosh Darell Garretson who hit 15-23-144 and USt led 31-3 at the half. New Mexico QB Cole Gautsche, who had been avg 103 ypg rushing, had just 7 yards and Kasey Carrier, who was leading the MW in rushing, had just 67 on the ground. USt recovered a fumble at the NM8 on the 3rd play of the game and got a DeMartino 8 yard td run on the next play. NM fumbled a punt and USt went 68/10pl for a td, then 58/13pl for a 24 yard FG. NM went 75/13pl but settled for a 24 yard FG. After each team punted, USt went 74/2pl with a DeMartino 32 yard td run and then got a 65 yard PR for a td by Bruce Natson with 1:47 left in the half. Despite their commanding 31-3 lead, USt only had a 230-149 yard edge. DeMartino got a 38 yard td run on the 4th play of the 3Q, 38-3. With Tay Glover-Wright at QB on their third 3Q drive, the Aggies went 75/17 but had a 24 yard FG blocked. USt then got a strange play when P Jaron Bentrude, on 4&6, raced 72 yards down the sideline for a td with 8:00 left on a fake punt, 45-3. NM would go 75/4pl for a td with 6:21 left and after USt was SOD, NM took over at the USt46 and got to the 8 where they fired incomplete with :13 left on 4&2.

Oregon was without De’Anthony Thomas for a 4th straight game. However, Byron Marshall rushed for 192 yards on 21 carries, Thomas Tyner 7-99 and Marcus Mariota, keeping his Heisman hopes alive, 8-67 and hitting 23-32-327 passing. Mariota lost 2 fumbles early. UO had a 719-559 yard edge and Washington St finished with a 35-32 FD edge but got a couple of late td’s when tailing 62-24 in the 4Q. WSU QB Connor Halliday hit 58 of a remarkable 89 passes for a school-record 557 yards, setting a Pac-12 record for attempts (tied FBS record) and completions (broke FBS record–83 by Purdue’s Drew Brees in ‘98), topping Matt Scott from Arizona from last year. However, he also had 4 interceptions. He now leads the nation with 17 interceptions. UO had pink helmets and pink on their uniforms. The Ducks jumped out to a quick 27-7 lead but Mariota fumbled at his own 33 with 7:51 left in the half and on 4&5 Halliday hit a 12 yard td pass. Mariota was sacked and fumbled again and WSU scooped it up and returned it 29 yards for a td and shockingly their 2 td’s in :35 made it 27-21. Tyner got a 66 yard td run with 4:40 left in the half and Halliday, on 2&8 from the 20, was intercepted in the EZ. UO got a 35 yard pass to Byron Marshall but he fumbled at the WSU12 with 1:16 left in the half and the Cougars went 56/8pl for a 49 yard FG to make it 34-24 at the half. At the half UO had a 483-314 yard edge. UO went 80/7pl and 61/4pl for td’s to open the 3Q, 48-24. After a rare punt, the Ducks went 50/6pl for a td and got a 51 yard IR td and appeared on their way to a big win at 62-24 with 13:01 left. WSU punted with 9:43 left but forced UO to punt it back with 7:05 left. The Cougars would go 78/12pl for a td while UO went 3&out. WSU went 55/6pl for another garbage td, this one with :11 left to only lose by 24. As you may have heard, Oregon’s DC Nick Aliotti was not too pleased with Mike Leach after the game.

Sean Mannion hit 35-45-481 vs a banged up Cal defense. Jared Goff hit 21-31-220 but was actually pulled for Zach Kline who hit 11-16-71. Cal settled for a 22 yard FG to pull within 7-3, then was intercepted at its own 34. Oregon St missed a 31 yard FG with 1:54 left in the 1Q. After a fumble, OSU went 15/3pl for a td. Cal went 38/9pl but missed a 45 yard FG. OSU went 72/7pl and on 4&2 got a 15 yard td run by Brandin Cooks on a reverse, 21-3. Cal was SOD at the OSU29 with 6:09 left and the Beavers went 71/5pl for a td. The Beavers went 78/4pl but after a 22 yard pass, fumbled at the 1 with :24 left 1H so they only led 28-3 with a 368-207 yard edge. It was 42-10 when Cal was SOD at the OSU19 with 13:33 left and the Beavers went 81/10pl for a td, 49-10. After an exchange of TO’s, the Bears took over with 7:15 left and went 65/10pl and on 4&1 got a td with 3:44 left to pull within 32. OSU ran the clock.

Derek Carr topped 10,000 career yards passing as he hit 33-48-412 yards vs UNLV. Davante Adams hauled in 221 receiving yards in. Fresno St had 641-294 yard and 33-17 FD edges over UNLV. As usual, FSU got off to its quick start, getting a 75 yard td pass to Adams on the first play then a 28 yard td pass to Adams on the 2nd drive, capping a 79/14pl drive. They went 72/14pl and got a 2 yard td run to go up 21-0 with 12:44 left in the half. Each team missed a 2Q FG and UNLV went 60/9pl getting a 13 yard td pass with 1:07 left to pull within 28-14. FSU got to the LV12, but went for it on 2&12 on the final play and fired incomplete. At half they had a 399-240 yard edge. FSU went 84/11pl for a td on its first 3Q drive and UNLV was SOD at the FSU38. FSU went 48/9pl. A key play of the game happened when, on 2&6 from the 7, they got a td pass but it was called back for offensive pass interference and they settled for a 31 yard FG on 4&18, 38-14. UNLV went 51/14pl but was SOD at the FSU30. FSU, 2 possessions later, went 54/12 but was SOD at the LV29. After forcing a UNLV punt with 3:59 left, the Bulldogs got to the 12 where they took a knee with backup QB Brian Burrell in.

**TheGame** · 10-23-2013, 02:42 PM

Kentucky at Mississippi State
By Joe Nelson
VegasInsider.com

The SEC had a tough weekend last week with many of the high profile contenders taking losses as the league looks much closer top to bottom than in recent years. That theory will be tested Thursday with one of the clear bottom teams Kentucky getting a chance at an upset in primetime Thursday night. Mississippi State is at a critical juncture at 3-3 and this is a must-win game for the program to make a fourth straight bowl game. This is also a rare opportunity to shine on national television for both teams in this week’s Thursday ESPN game.

Matchup: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi (grass)
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2013
Time/TV: 7:30 PM ET – ESPN
Line: Mississippi State -10, Over/Under 56½
Last Meeting: 2012 at Kentucky, Mississippi State (-9½) 27-14

This SEC clash features nearly the exact same spread as each of the last two seasons. In 2011 Mississippi State won 28-16 as a 10-point favorite at Kentucky and last season the Bulldogs won 27-14, also in Lexington as a 9½-point favorite. Both teams were off last week and both programs are in dire need of a win with Mississippi State at 3-3 and Kentucky at 1-5 with both teams still winless in SEC play.

Mississippi State has been in a bowl game three straight seasons but with six games to go finding three wins in the remaining slate will not be easy. Following this game the Bulldogs have road games at South Carolina and Texas A&M in consecutive weeks before the next home game coming against Alabama. Closing the season at Arkansas and hosting Ole Miss might provide better opportunities for wins but the postseason is almost certainly impossible for the Bulldogs if they are upset this week.

While Mississippi State appears to be headed towards another unimpressive season in the fifth year behind Dan Mullen the statistics have been much better this season compared with the previous years. Compared with last season Mississippi State is posting 62 more yards per game on offense while holding foes to 23 fewer yards per game despite nearly identical scoring numbers. Those figures could deteriorate in the coming weeks however with several very difficult matchups ahead.

Mississippi State has an experienced offense with sophomore Dak Prescott seemingly taking on more and more snaps ahead of senior Tyler Russell at quarterback, though both continue to play substantially. The Bulldogs have a veteran offensive line but running the ball has not always come easily with senior running back LaDarius Perkins seeing his numbers drop off substantially from last season. The offense has often been reliant on Prescott to make plays with his legs rather than his arm as he has rushed for 457 yards this season. Leading receiver Jameon Lewis is the only player on the roster with more than 180 receiving yards as there have been few big plays in the passing game.

Mississippi State has allowed just 23 points per game and the numbers should be stronger as LSU’s 59-26 win featured 28 fourth quarter points in a misleading final. The Bulldogs just have not been able to win many of the big games in Mullen’s tenure losing 11 games in a row S/U as an underdog since a minor upset at Florida in 2010. Since 2011 Mississippi State is just 3-9 ATS as an underdog as well. Mississippi State was 6-1 S/U and 5-2 ATS at home last season but they have failed against the spread the last two home games with the loss to LSU and a lackluster win over Bowling Green for homecoming two weeks ago with no points in the second half.

While there is some renewed excitement behind the Kentucky football program with Mark Stoops taking over last winter the expectations were grounded in year one. Opening the season with a loss to Western Kentucky did not help the cause but in week 2 the Wildcats were dominant against Miami, Ohio in the home opener, though that win does not carry much weight. The schedule has been simply brutal since with four losses against prominent ranked teams, Louisville, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. Kentucky was out-gained by triple-digits in each game but outside of the 48-7 loss to Alabama the scores have been respectable, losing by 14, 17, and 7 in the first three games in that gauntlet.

Kentucky is only scoring 20 points per game this season but considering that the numbers were much worse the past two seasons it has been a sign of progress. The back end of the schedule is much lighter than the recent stretch of games that the Wildcats have faced but it will still be an uphill battle to top last year’s two-win season. Next week is homecoming against Alabama State which should allow Kentucky to get a second win and this week’s game is one of the best chances if Kentucky hopes to get a third win this year.

Kentucky is rushing for 150 yards per game this season, a slight improvement over last year with a 4.7 yards per rush average which is the best mark the program has had in many years. Maxwell Smith has had uneven results at quarterback with just 55 percent completions but he has thrown just one interception this season. He gave way completely to sophomore Jalen Whitlow in the South Carolina game after splitting time early in the season and the strong performance from Whitlow sealed the starting role. Whitlow was injured against Alabama however and is still a question mark for this week’s game but he seems to give the team the best chance to compete.

Senior linebacker Avery Williamson leads the SEC in tackles for Kentucky but the defense has struggled as a whole, allowing 6.5 yards per play and 427 yards per game with equal struggles against the run and pass. The defense is very young as a whole and it has shown but the matchups should get slightly easier down the stretch. The Bulldogs should have a fairly substantial edge on defense in this matchup but the Mississippi State offense has gone through a number of long scoring droughts this season so Kentucky should have opportunities to keep this game close.

Last Meeting: Mississippi State moved to 5-0 with a win at Kentucky last season and it was a more lopsided game than the 13-point margin suggests. Early in the third quarter Mississippi State was up 27-7 before Kentucky added a touchdown and neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Mississippi State out-gained Kentucky by almost 200 yards in the game as Tyler Russell had one of his best games.

Series History: Mississippi State is 14-11 S/U but just 11-13-1 ATS since 1984 against Kentucky. Mississippi State has won each of the last four meetings, going 3-0-1 ATS. The last meeting in Starkville was a 24-17 win in 2010 but Kentucky won in an upset 14-13 in 2008 at Mississippi State.

Line Movement: The line opened at -10 and has mostly stayed steady, with a few books jumping to -10½. The total opened at 57 and has fallen to 56½ at most outlets.

Kentucky Historical Trends: The Wildcats have not won S/U in a road game since early 2010 when they beat Louisville, losing 14 in a row with just three ATS road wins in that span. Kentucky is also just 7-16 ATS since 2009 when playing as an underdog of 10 or more points, though they are 2-2 this season.

Mississippi State Historical Trends: The Bulldogs are 9-2 ATS in the last 11 games as a home favorite and Mississippi State has not been upset as a home favorite since 2009 when they lost as a small favorite against Houston. The Bulldogs are 8-3 ATS the last 11 games when favored by double-digits but that has not been a strong historical role for the program, going 21-34 ATS since 1980.

**TheGame** · 10-23-2013, 02:42 PM

KENTUCKY (1 - 5) at MISSISSIPPI ST (3 - 3) - 10/24/2013, 7:30 PM

Top Trends for this game.
KENTUCKY is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
KENTUCKY is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
KENTUCKY is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
KENTUCKY is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MISSISSIPPI ST is 2-0 against the spread versus KENTUCKY over the last 3 seasons
MISSISSIPPI ST is 2-0 straight up against KENTUCKY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

MARSHALL (4 - 2) at MIDDLE TENN ST (3 - 4) - 10/24/2013, 7:30 PM

There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

KENTUCKY vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Kentucky is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games
Kentucky is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games
Mississippi State is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Mississippi State's last 6 games at home

MARSHALL vs. MIDDLE TENNESSEE
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Marshall's last 6 games
Marshall is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Middle Tennessee's last 7 games at home
Middle Tennessee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

Kentucky at Mississippi State
Kentucky: 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) as an underdog
Mississippi St: 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) after scoring 20 points or more in the first half in 2 straight games

Marshall at Middle Tenn St
Marshal: N/A
Middle Tenn St: N/A

**TheGame** · 10-23-2013, 02:42 PM

College Football: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Texas Tech at Oklahoma

Texas Tech Red Raiders are a top-10 team with a 7-0 (5-2 ATS) record highlighted by a 4-0 (3-1 ATS) Big 12 mark that has the team in first place in the conference. Texas Tech's offense hitting on all cylinders during the stretch producing 41.1 PPG on a whopping 548.1 total yards/game split between 416.4 passing, 131.7 rushing yards/game will be tested. Sooners' have the nation's top pass protection (149.7 PYG) and are no slouches at containing the ground game (143.7 RYG). Tested yes. But, TT offensive prowess keeps this one within the spread range or even better, another upset victory like the one on this field back in 2011. Sooners 0-4 ATS in their last 4 conference games, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games, 2-5 ATS against a team with a winning record were recommending Red Raiders.

Stanford at Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers' and Stanford Cardinal chasing Oregon Ducks for top spot in the PAC-12 North Division will both be gunning for a win when they collide at Reser Stadium on Saturday night. As long as Stanford doesn't get caught looking ahead to the Nov 7th home date with Oregon Ducks coach David Shaw's troops will be fine. Stanford lead by QB Hogan and his big-play receiver Ty Montgomery will shred Beavers' leaky secondary allowing 265.0 passing yards/game. Consider sticking with Stanford as they've been brutes in true road games going 15-3 SU, 14-3-1 ATS L18 away and a solid 7-2 ATS on the road vs a Pac-12 opponent.

**TheGame** · 10-23-2013, 02:43 PM

Games to Watch - Week 9
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Vanderbilt at Texas A&M

As of Wednesday morning, most books had Texas A&M (5-2 straight up, 3-4 against the spread) as an 18-point favorite with a total of 68½. Vanderbilt (4-3 SU, 3-4 ATS) rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to upset Georgia 31-27 as a seven-point home underdog this past Saturday. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels was injured in the first half against UGA and isn’t expected to play in College Station. Patton Robinette will get his first career start. He helped orchestrate the comeback against UGA with a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M is coming off a devastating 45-41 home loss to Auburn as a 14-point favorite. Johnny Manziel injured his shoulder in the second half and missed one series. He didn’t practice Monday but is expected to be ready by Saturday. Manziel leads the SEC in passing yards, passing touchdowns (18), total offense and passing efficiency. He is 11th in the conference in rushing yards and has six rushing scores. His favorite target Mike Evans leads the league in receiving yards. The Aggies are 5-4 ATS as home favorites on Kevin Sumlin’s watch. Vandy has compiled a 4-3 spread record as a road underdog during James Franklin’s tenure. The ‘over’ has cashed at a 6-1 overall clip for A&M, going 4-1 in its home games. The ‘over’ is 4-3 overall for the Commodores, 1-1 in their road contests. This is the SEC Game of the Week at 12:20 p.m. Eastern in the South. Viewers elsewhere can get this game as a part of the ESPN Game Plan.

Tennessee at Alabama

As of Wednesday morning, most betting shops had Alabama (7-0 SU, 4-3 ATS) as a 28½-point favorite with a total of 51½. The Crimson Tide trounced Arkansas 52-0 in Tuscaloosa last weekend. An 80-yard TD run by Derrick Henry sent ‘over’ backers to the ticket counter with a winner when all seemed lost after the Razorbacks were stopped on downs in the final two minutes. The total had closed at 49. Senior QB A.J. McCarron improved to 33-2 in 35 career starts. McCarron has a 14/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2013. Butch Jones’s squad is coming off two strong performances at home, taking Georgia to overtime before losing a heartbreaker nearly three weeks ago. In bounce-back mode after an open date, Tennessee (4-3 SU, 4-3 ATS) beat South Carolina 23-21 on a walk-off field goal. They won outright as 7½-point home underdogs. The ‘over’ is 4-3 overall for UT, 2-0 in its road assignments. The ‘under’ is 3-1 in the Tide’s four home outings. ‘Bama has won six in a row over UT, going 5-1 ATS with the lone non-cover coming in Lane Kiffin’s only season with the Vols. CBS will have the telecast at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma

As of early Wednesday, most spots had Oklahoma (6-1 SU, 3-4 ATS) listed as a seven-point home favorite with a total of 58. The Red Raiders are +230 on the money line (risk $100 to win $230). The Sooners are 27-17-1 ATS as home ‘chalk’ since 2006. Texas Tech (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) hasn’t faced a murderer’s row of opponents by any means so far, but new head coach Kliff Kingsbury is doing a masterful job nonetheless. The school’s second all-time leading passer and youngest FBS coach has used a pair of freshmen at QB in leading his squad to an unbeaten start a 4-0 record in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders hooked up their betting supporters in last week’s 37-27 win at West Virginia by outscoring the Mountaineers 14-0 in the final stanza. They took the money thanks to a 10-yard TD pass from Davis Webb to Jace Amaro with 1:01 remaining as 4½-point road favorites. Webb threw for 462 yards and a pair of scores without being intercepted. He and Baker Mayfield have combined to throw for 2,915 yards and nine TDs through seven games. OU won its first five games before getting thumped 36-20 by Texas. Then last week, the Sooners fell down 13-0 at Kansas before rallying for a 33-18 triumph although they failed to cover as 21-point favorites. The ‘over’ is 5-2 for Texas Tech, 3-0 in its previous road assignments. The ‘under’ is 4-3 for OU overall, 3-1 in its home games. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on FOX.

Baylor at Kansas

As of early Wednesday, most books had Baylor (6-0 SU, 5-1 ATS) favored by 35 with a total of 66½. Art Briles’s team trounced Iowa St. by a 71-7 count as a 33-point home ‘chalk’ last weekend. Bryce Petty threw for 343 yards and two TDs without an interception, while RB Lache Seastrunk ran for 118 yards and a pair of scores. For the season, Petty is completing 71.0 percent of his passes for 2,033 yards with a 15/1 TD-INT ratio. And remember, Petty has only gone the distance in a 35-25 win at Kansas St. that was the Bears’ only game that wasn’t decided by halftime. Seastrunk has run for 760 yards in the nation’s No. 1 offense that’s averaging 64.7 points and more than 700 yards of offense per game. The ‘over’ cashed in Baylor’s first four games, but the ‘under’ is 1-0-1 in their last two times out. Kansas (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS) gave OU an early scare and took the cash in last week’s home loss, but second-year head coach Charlie Weis is feeling the heat in Lawrence with just three wins since he took over before the 2012 campaign. The Jayhawks are 4-2 ATS as home underdogs under Weis. The Bears are 2-4 ATS as road favorites during Briles’s tenure. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.

Fresno State at San Diego State

As of early Wednesday, most books had Fresno St. (6-0 SU, 1-5 ATS) favored by 8½ or nine with a total of 61½. The Bulldogs are racking up victories for themselves, but they’re killing their backers. That continued this past Saturday when Fresno St. beat UNLV 38-14 as a 25-point home favorite. Derek Carr is enjoying a stellar senior campaign, completing 70.4 percent of his throws for 2,276 yards with a 23/4 TD-INT ratio. San Diego St. (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) has won three in a row since losing its first three. The Aztecs have had two weeks to prep for this spot after pulling out a 27-20 comeback win at Air Force. They trailed the Falcons 20-6 going into the final stanza before Quinn Kaehler threw a pair of scoring strikes to (almost) tie the game until the PAT failed. Then with 1:39 remaining, Donnel Pumphrey put SDS up for good with a 10-yard TD scamper. As a home underdog under Rocky Long, SDS has a 2-2 spread record. ESPN2 will have the telecast at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

**TheGame** · 10-24-2013, 04:24 AM

Clemson QB Boyd addresses sports betting rumors

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd responded to an internet rumor that he owed more than $80,000 on a gambling debt, telling reporters the rumor is false in his weekly news conference with the press.

"I have no idea where that came from," Boyd told reporters. "It was kind of shocking to me as well. That on top of the loss (to Florida State) made for a rough little weekend."

The rumor has it that Boyd dug himself quite a hole betting on NFL games. According to USA Today, that “brought laughter from Boyd as he cited the fact that his cable provider allows him access to only two games each Sunday.”

"I rarely watch NFL games," Boyd told the media.

Boyd was questioned by his head coach Dabo Sweeney Sunday morning. Sweeny told reporters, “He just shook his head and said, 'No way, coach,'".

"I have no reason not to believe Tajh Boyd,” Sweeney said. “He's never lied to me before. His character and integrity from my view are impeccable, so I'm going to take his word over some website that I've never heard of, ever."

The university is investigating the clams. The rumors originated from the Twitter account @Pregame_Steam, known for posting false information and being an alias account for notorious rumor kick starter "Incarcerated Bob".

Clemson is coming off a loss to Florida State and faces Maryland as a 14-point road favorite Saturday. Boyd heads into Week 9 as a +10,000 long shot to win the Heisman Trophy.

**TheGame** · 10-24-2013, 04:25 AM

Inside the stats: Notre Dame Fighting Irish are leaking oil
By MARC LAWRENCE

Each week we take a look inside the numbers, from both a statistical and a pointspread aspect, on the college football and NFL cards.

Here are this week’s findings:

Behind the 8-ball

Game 8 of the college football season is often a crossroads for teams. Those who have won more games than they have lost are entertaining thoughts of securing a bowl bid. Those who are reeling and going down for the count are disappointed – and their actions on the field confirm those feelings.

According to our powerful database, teams playing Game 8 off three consecutive losses are prime candidates to be dropped into a corner pocket and counted out, especially when they take out as road dogs against an opponent off a loss in this situation. That’s because teams in this scenario are a paltry 14-96 SU and 38-69-3 ATS since 1980.

Better yet, bring them in against an opponent off back-to-back losses and they fall to 10-59 SU and 20-46-2 ATS. This week, we’ll be queuing up against California and Northwestern.

And faster than you can say “break ‘em”, if our qualified “play-against” Game 8 road dog arrives with a wobbly defense allowing 32.5 or more PPG on the season, they scratch like a poison-ivy infected boy scout, going 3-33 SU and 7-27-2 ATS, including 1-37 SU and 3-23-2 ATS as dog of eight or more points.

With that, look for the Bears to get “racked” this week.

Vinegar & oil

In keeping with our “leaking oil” theory (fading favorites who have lost the stats in each of their previous three games), and after a rocky effort last week, these plays are now 8-15 ATS (6-10 CFB; 2-5 NFL) this season.

This week’s Exxon Mobil plays would be against: Louisiana Monroe and Notre Dame in college football, along with San Francisco in the NFL.

In the stats

As a follow up to last week’s accounting of teams that are 100 percent perfect “in the stats” (ITS) in all games played this season, we report these perfect squads:

• Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Florida State, Michigan State, Oregon, and (surprise) Western Kentucky.

• Miami (Ohio) and New Mexico State remain winless.

In the NFL the only perfect ITS team - winless - is Minnesota.

Overwhelming

There have been 57 Overs and 49 Unders in the NFL this season.

Leading the charge have been the totals results in non-conference games (AFC vs. NFC). These games have gone 24-11 O/U.

This week’s potential non-conference Overs would be: Jacksonville vs. San Francisco (London), Buffalo vs. New Orleans and Denver vs. Washington.

Stat of the Week

North Texas has not won three games in a row since 2004, and is 1-24 straight up in games off a previous win.

**TheGame** · 10-24-2013, 09:29 AM

Marshall at Middle Tennessee: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

Marshall Thundering Herd at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (+8.5, 56.5)

The Marshall Thundering Herd have plenty of momentum following a dramatic come-from-behind win over Florida Atlantic, and get a struggling opponent next as they face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Floyd Stadium Thursday night. The Thundering Herd rode Justin Haig's last-second 41-yard field goal to a 24-23 triumph over Florida Atlantic on Oct. 12. The Blue Raiders have lost three in a row and were thumped 34-7 at North Texas in their last game.

The Middle Tennessee offense has scuffled mightily since a 42-35 overtime win over Florida Atlantic, scoring just 34 points during its skid. That's a bad omen for a Blue Raiders team facing off against a Marshall defense that ranks 14th in the nation in points against per game (18.8). It's the first-ever meeting between the teams in Murfeesboro, and the first time they've faced off since Marshall prevailed 49-14 back on Nov. 26, 1994.

LINE: Marshall has held steady as an 8.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 56.5.

WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the high-40s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow diagonally out of the northwest at 5 mph.

ABOUT MARSHALL (4-2, 2-0 Conference USA, 4-2 ATS): Marshall is wrapping up a bizarre scheduling quirk that has it playing just its third game in a 33-day stretch Thursday - with a 34-10 win over UTSA on Oct. 5 and the victory over Owls a week later representing its only game action since Sept. 21. The players admit it's good to have everyone rested but they're itching to hit the field. "Sometimes in practice, you'd see a bunch of (non-contact jerseys)," center Chris Jasperse told the Charleston Gazette. "Now, hey, let's go play. It's good for us to have everybody out there, ready to go."

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (3-4, 1-2, 2-5 ATS): The Blue Raiders know that the Marshall offense revolves around standout quarterback Rakeem Cato, who has looked ordinary since a five-touchdown outburst in Marshall's season opener but is still one of the conference's top QBs. "He is a very dynamic player," Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill told the team's official website. "He can make every throw and he's got a great arm. He's just a phenomenal player." The Blue Raider defense has been impressive, ranking second in the nation with 20 takeaways.

TRENDS

* Marshall is 2-9-2 ATS in its last 13 road games against teams with losing home records.
* Middle Tennessee is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a bye week.
* Over is 11-4 in the Thundering Herd's previous 15 conference games.
* Under is 5-1 in the Blue Raiders' last six games against teams with winning records.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Marshall has won both head-to-head meetings.

2. Cato has thrown four touchdown passes and four interceptions in three road games so far in 2013.

3. Senior QB Logan Kilgore is expected to get the start for Middle Tennessee despite being replaced by Austin Grammer against North Texas.

Announcement

College Football Betting Info. Week 9

College Football Betting Info. Week 9

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