Southern Miss 17 U-A-B 12
UAB actually outgained Southern Miss 376-314 and they held the Golden Eagles to 16 first downs. Four fumbles led to 14 Southern Miss points and a missed 33-yard field goal by Nick Hayes in the beginning of the 4th quarter proved costly.
FRESNO STATE 16 Oregon State 14
The Beavers out yarded Fresno – 406-336 and had 4 more first downs but Derek Anderson completed just 15 of his 44 attempts and threw 5 interceptions. Oregon St. converted just 1 of their 15 3rd down conversions and were 1-3 in the red zone. Two of Anderson’s interceptions occurred in Bulldog territory and another drive was stopped at the 1-yard line on loss of downs.
MEMPHIS 44 Ole Miss 34
Memphis racked up 508 yards of offense and outscored Ole Miss 23-0 in the 4th quarter thanks to a 209-57 yardage advantage. 2 fumbles deep in their own territory led to 10 Rebel points. The teams combined for 9-9 scoring in the red zone.
WAKE FOREST 38 (14) NC State 24
NC State outgained Wake 511-375 but the Demon Deacons held the Wolfpack to only 74 yards rushing on 25 attempts (2.9 ypc). Wake Forest built an early 28-3 lead forcing NC State to throw the majority of the game. The average starting position was a big factor as Wake started from their own 35 on average while the Wolfpack were starting their drives from their own 17-yard line.
(5) MICHIGAN 50 Houston 3
Michigan dominated holding Houston to 138 total yards and only 8 first downs. The Wolverines rushed for 398 yards on 51 carries (7.8 ypc) while gaining over 500 yards for the 2nd consecutive week. The Cougars had only one drive longer than 25 yards while 14 of their 15 drives were 5 plays or less.
Boston College 27 PENN STATE 14
Boston College rushed for 238 yards on 46 attempts (5.2 ypc) and they scored touchdowns on their first 3 possessions putting the Nittany Lions in a big early hole. Penn St. crossed the 50-yard line 3 times in the first half but fumbled once in the red zone and missed a field goal as time expired.
IOWA 56 Buffalo 7
Iowa rolled as they scored touchdowns on their first 6 drives of the game. 2 of those TD’s came off Buffalo turnovers helping the Hawkeyes to start their drives at the Bulls 47 yard line in the 2nd quarter. Buffalo was successful at running the ball, gaining 227 yards on 56 carries (4.1 ypc) and actually converted 9 of 21 3rd and 4th down conversions.
(2) OHIO STATE 16 San Diego St 13
San Diego St. shut down the Buckeyes holding them to 196 total yards and 10 first downs. Ohio St. held the Aztecs to 28 yards rushing on 26 carries (1.1 ypc). The difference was an interception at the Ohio St. goal line that the Buckeyes returned 100 yards for a touchdown. In total, 4 San Diego St. turnovers led to 13 Ohio St. points.
(23) NEBRASKA 31 Utah State 7
After a slow start, Nebraska pulled away from the Aggies thanks to 273 yards on the ground. The Cornhuskers defense buckled down after the 1st quarter as they held Utah St. to 66 yards over the final 3 quarters after allowing 147 in the opening quarter. Nebraska was 8-18 on 3rd down but they had to settle for 4 field goals all 29 yards or less showing they couldn’t convert in the red zone.
SO CAROLINA 31 (15) Virginia 7
South Carolina shocked Virginia with a solid defensive performance holding the Cavs to 170 total yards and 7 first downs. Virginia crossed midfield only 4 times leading to just one touchdown. The Gamecocks amassed 1/3 of their total yards on their last 3 possessions resulting in 3 touchdowns.
(8) GEORGIA 29 Mid Tenn St 10
Georgia held the Blue Raiders to 67 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.5 ypc). Middle Tennessee St. scored their only touchdown with 2 minutes remaining on a 71-yard pass play. Georgia was hurt by 18 penalties totaling 129 yards.
Air Force 22 NORTHWESTERN 21
Northwestern outgained Air Force 452-409 and had 7 more first downs but 4 interceptions led to 10 Air Force points. They were intercepted in three of their last 4 drives with the final drive stalling on downs. The Falcons starting field position was their own 17-yard line in the first half and their own 46-yard line in the second half.
Bowling Green 27 (16) PURDUE 26
A dramatic finish as the Falcons scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:08 remaining to pull out the upset. Josh Harris finished with 357 yards passing and also ran for 57 yards after a sluggish start where Bowling Green punted their first 4 possessions. With less than 2 minutes left, Purdue drove down to the Bowling Green 33-yard line but was unable to convert their 4th and 10 pass.
Connecticut 48 ARMY 21
The Connecticut offense continued its success with 481 yards of offense but the defense was the real story. They held the Cadets to 44 yards rushing on 37 carries (1.2 ypc) and allowed just 2.8 ypp while gaining 7.2 ypp themselves. The defense forced Army to punt in all 8 first half possessions, yielding just 66 yards.
Syracuse 49 NO CAROLINA 47
A wild game that saw 1,020 yards of offense combined ended with Syracuse stopping the Tar Heels on their 2-point conversion attempt in the 3rd overtime. Syracuse had a chance in the 2nd overtime but missed a 37-yard field goal after an interception that stopped North Carolina. Syracuse scored on 5 of their 6 2nd half possessions while holding North Carolina to just 7 points.
IOWA STATE 48 Ohio U 20
The Cyclones racked up 523 yards of offense and held the potent Ohio rushing attack to just 167 yards. Iowa St. scored 17 points off Ohio turnovers and 4th down stops. Ohio had a chance to pull within 7 points in the 4th quarter but the Cyclones stopped them on their 22-yard line and then drove down the field to go up by 21.
(19) NOTRE DAME 29 Washington St 26
Notre Dame overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat the Cougars in overtime. The Irish held Washington St. to 55 yards rushing on 31 carries (1.8 ypc) but allowed 274 yards through the air. Notre Dame penetrated Cougar territory on their last 8 possessions, including overtime. 13 of Washington St.’s 23 points were results of turnovers.
(18) WISCONSIN 48 Akron 31
Another game that saw explosive offenses as the teams combined for 1,125 yards of offense. Wisconsin dominated the rushing game with 310 yards (7.1 ypc) compared to 162 yards (4.1 ypc) for the Zips. Both teams scored 10 points off each others turnovers. Akron made it into Wisconsin territory in all four 4th quarter possessions but came away with just one score.
OREGON 31 Nevada 23
Oregon held off a Nevada charge as their defense stiffened holding the Wolfpack to just 2 yards on their final 2 possessions. The Nevada defense played well in the 2nd half after a bad opening half. They didn’t allow any points and only gave up 115 total yards but an interception return for a touchdown sealed the deal for the Ducks.
(24) COLORADO 16 U-C-L-A 14
A somewhat surprising defensive battle as Colorado rallied for the 2nd consecutive week to pull out the win. The teams combined for just 603 yards of offense no thanks to 21 penalties. Colorado held the Bruins to 38 yards on the ground (1.5 ypc) while gaining only 88 yards (1.9 ypc) themselves. UCLA took a 14-10 lead thanks to a Buffaloes fumble but Colorado drove 63 yards in 11 plays to regain the lead for good with 2:45 remaining.
GEORGIA TECH 17 (17) Auburn 3
Auburn failed to score a touchdown for the 2nd consecutive game while the Yellow Jackets held them to 40 yards rushing (1.1 ypc). Auburn had chances late as they were in Georgia Tech territory on their last 3 drives but walked away with nothing.
MICHIGAN ST 44 Rutgers 28
Michigan St. pulled away by scoring 30 unanswered points while the defense scored once and held Rutgers to 67 yards in a span of 12 straight drives starting in the 2nd quarter and they held them to –2 net rushing yards. All of this while committing 13 penalties for 113 yards. The Spartans also returned a kickoff back for a TD
(12) TENNESSEE 34 Marshall 24
Heading into the 4th quarter with a 28-24 lead, the Tennessee defense stepped up and stopped the Herd on their last 3 possessions. The Volunteers offense eventually wore down the Marshall defense as their last 5 drives were plays of 8,9,11,10 and 8. Tennessee finished with 249 yards on the ground on 40 carries (6.2 ypc).
Missouri 35 BALL STATE 7
Missouri spotted Ball St. the first 7 points of the game and then the defense held the Cardinals to 109 yards the rest of the way not counting a meaningless 75 yard drive late in the 4th quarter against the reserves. Missouri ran for 290 yards on 47 carries (6.2 ypc) while holding Ball St. to 41 yards on 28 carries (1.5 ypc).
(22) WASHINGTON 38 Indiana 13
Washington put up 28 3rd quarter points while gaining over 40% of their 490 total yards in that quarter to put away the Hoosiers. The Huskies gained 195 yards on the ground, a big improvement from a week ago although their average was still unimpressive at 3.8 ypc. Indiana gained just 21 total yards on their final 6 possessions after gaining 261 yards on their first 7 possessions.
Colorado St 23 CALIFORNIA 21
Cal rallied from a 20-7 4th quarter deficit but the Rams kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to give Colorado St. the victory. Both of the Bears last 2 touchdowns came off Colorado St. turnovers. The Rams held Cal to 51 yards rushing (1.7 ypc) and 299 yards in total offense.
(10) PITTSBURGH 43 Kent State 3
Pittsburgh was all over Kent even after going scoreless in the first quarter. They outgained the Flashes 522-161 and had a 26-10 first down advantage. The Panthers responded with 4 touchdowns in 12 minutes in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. The normally potent rushing attack of Kent was held to 73 yards on 36 carries (2.0 ypc).
West Virginia 48 EAST CAROLINA 7
West Virginia piled up 555 yards of offense and benefited from 5 Pirate turnovers, which led to 28 points. The Mountaineers were inside East Carolina territory in 11 of their first 12 drives and only 3 of those drives were less than 20 yards. Surprisingly, East Carolina quarterback Desmond Robinson set a school record by completing 80.8 percent (21-26) of his passes.
ARKANSAS 45 Tulsa 13
Tulsa finished with more first downs, 21-17 and only finished with 111 less yards but Arkansas was able to score on the big play. Three of their touchdowns were over 40 yards long causing their longest drive of the day to be only 9 plays. Tulsa racked up 236 yards on the ground on 39 carries (6.1 ypc)
KANSAS 46 U-N-L-V 24
Kansas scored 33 unanswered points between the 2nd and 4th quarters in racking up 546 yards of total offense. A very balanced attack benefitted the Jayhawks as they gained 276 yards on the ground and 270 yards through the air. They were able to control the clock for nearly 11 minutes longer.
OKLAHOMA STATE 48 Wyoming 24
Oklahoma St. rushed for 334 yards on 50 carries (6.7 ypc) while holding the Cowboys to 75 yards on 29 carries (2.6 ypc). The teams combined for 23 penalties for 198 yards. Wyoming was forced to punt the ball 10 times and scored 2 garbage 4th quarter touchdowns.
TEXAS TECH 42 New Mexico 28
New Mexico dominated, outgaining the Red Raiders 584-456 and holding the ball for over 17 minutes more. Defense and special teams set up Tech's first two scores and the Lobos committed 5 turnovers thus keeping them scoreless in the first half.
(25) T-C-U 17 Navy 3
TCU was held scoreless in the first half thanks to only 82 total yards and 2 turnovers. They failed to cross midfield on any of their 6 first half drives while Navy was in TCU territory on 5 of their 6 first half drives, yet scored only 3 points. After that, the Horned Frogs buckled down and held the Midshipmen to 28 total yards and 2 first downs in the second half.
(11) FLORIDA STATE 35 Maryland 10
Florida St. scored the final 35 points of the game as Maryland generated just 13 first downs and 197 yards of offense. The Terps intercepted a Chris Rix pass for a touchdown but their offense could only score 3 points the whole game. The Seminoles finished with 196 yards rushing on 46 carries (4.3 ypc).
(1) Oklahoma 20 ALABAMA 13
The Alabama defense held Oklahoma to 74 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.7 ypc) and 13 first downs. But Jason White threw two 46-yard touchdown passes, both coming after Alabama scores. The Tide only crossed midfield once in the first half, which led to a field goal.
(3) MIAMI-FLORIDA 38 (21) Florida 33
Miami made the improbable comeback, scoring 28 points in a span of 20 minutes overcoming a 33-10 deficit. The Hurricanes tallied 283 yards on those 4 drives after gaining just 118 yards in the first 2 ½ quarters. Penalties was a problem for both teams as they combined for 29 flags for 227 yards.
(4) U-S-C 35 B-Y-U 18
BYU outyarded the Trojans 359-306 but USC scored the final 2 touchdowns in holding off a ferocious comeback by the Cougars. Leading 21-3, USC let BYU back in the game thanks to the Cougars defense that held USC to 21 yards in the 3rd quarter. A missed field goal by the Trojans to start the 4th quarter led to a BYU field goal to pull them within 3 points but USC put the game away with a 57-yard touchdown drive.
Louisiana Tech 34 UL LAFAYETTE 3
The Bulldogs had 12 more first downs and they held UL-Lafayette to 292 yards of offense. Louisiana Tech used 4 long consecutive drives in the 1st and 2nd quarters to build a 27-3 halftime lead. This is another game where penalties were issues often as they combined for 23 penalties for 197 yards.
TEXAS A&M 28 Utah 26
Utah outgained the Aggies 415-368 and had 6 more first downs but 9 fumbles (3 lost) did them in. They held the ball nearly 15 minutes longer than the Aggies thanks to their balanced but 2 first half fumbles led to 14 Texas A&M points. The Utes scored a touchdown with 8 seconds remained but failed on the two-point conversion try that would have tied the game.
NORTH TEXAS 52 Baylor 14
North Texas held the Bears to 268 total yards and 15 first downs while forcing 6 turnovers. Baylor turned the ball over on their first 6 possessions leading to 17 North Texas points. 4 of those turnovers occurred in Mean Green territory and never could recover. Thanks to good special teams play in the 2nd half, North Texas started their drives at their own 46 yard line on average.
MINNESOTA 48 Troy State 7
The Gophers outgained the Trojans 468-189 with 104 of Troy St.’s yards coming in the 4th quarter. Minnesota’s average starting field position was at their own 46-yard line. The Gophers gained 292 yards on the ground (5.3 ypc) while holding the Trojans to 64 yards though the air on 10-31 passing.
(13) L-S-U 59 ARIZONA 13
LSU scored on their first 7 possessions in racking up 481 total yards while holding the Wildcats to 182 yards and 10 first downs. 82 of those 182 yards came in the 4th quarter. Arizona had 15 drives with none of them being more than 6 plays in length. One of Arizona’s touchdowns came on a 1-yard fumble recovery while the other came late with all reserves in the game.
STANFORD 31 San Jose St 10
Stanford spotted the Spartans the first 10 points of the game but then held them to 147 total yards the rest of the way with 71 of those yards coming in the last 4 minutes of the game. The Cardinal were in San Jose St. territory on 7 of their first 8 drives but 2 missed field goals and an interception limited them to 21 first half points. The 2nd half was identical where they were in Spartans territory 7 of 8 times but only walked away with 10 points in that half so it could have been much worse.
UAB actually outgained Southern Miss 376-314 and they held the Golden Eagles to 16 first downs. Four fumbles led to 14 Southern Miss points and a missed 33-yard field goal by Nick Hayes in the beginning of the 4th quarter proved costly.
FRESNO STATE 16 Oregon State 14
The Beavers out yarded Fresno – 406-336 and had 4 more first downs but Derek Anderson completed just 15 of his 44 attempts and threw 5 interceptions. Oregon St. converted just 1 of their 15 3rd down conversions and were 1-3 in the red zone. Two of Anderson’s interceptions occurred in Bulldog territory and another drive was stopped at the 1-yard line on loss of downs.
MEMPHIS 44 Ole Miss 34
Memphis racked up 508 yards of offense and outscored Ole Miss 23-0 in the 4th quarter thanks to a 209-57 yardage advantage. 2 fumbles deep in their own territory led to 10 Rebel points. The teams combined for 9-9 scoring in the red zone.
WAKE FOREST 38 (14) NC State 24
NC State outgained Wake 511-375 but the Demon Deacons held the Wolfpack to only 74 yards rushing on 25 attempts (2.9 ypc). Wake Forest built an early 28-3 lead forcing NC State to throw the majority of the game. The average starting position was a big factor as Wake started from their own 35 on average while the Wolfpack were starting their drives from their own 17-yard line.
(5) MICHIGAN 50 Houston 3
Michigan dominated holding Houston to 138 total yards and only 8 first downs. The Wolverines rushed for 398 yards on 51 carries (7.8 ypc) while gaining over 500 yards for the 2nd consecutive week. The Cougars had only one drive longer than 25 yards while 14 of their 15 drives were 5 plays or less.
Boston College 27 PENN STATE 14
Boston College rushed for 238 yards on 46 attempts (5.2 ypc) and they scored touchdowns on their first 3 possessions putting the Nittany Lions in a big early hole. Penn St. crossed the 50-yard line 3 times in the first half but fumbled once in the red zone and missed a field goal as time expired.
IOWA 56 Buffalo 7
Iowa rolled as they scored touchdowns on their first 6 drives of the game. 2 of those TD’s came off Buffalo turnovers helping the Hawkeyes to start their drives at the Bulls 47 yard line in the 2nd quarter. Buffalo was successful at running the ball, gaining 227 yards on 56 carries (4.1 ypc) and actually converted 9 of 21 3rd and 4th down conversions.
(2) OHIO STATE 16 San Diego St 13
San Diego St. shut down the Buckeyes holding them to 196 total yards and 10 first downs. Ohio St. held the Aztecs to 28 yards rushing on 26 carries (1.1 ypc). The difference was an interception at the Ohio St. goal line that the Buckeyes returned 100 yards for a touchdown. In total, 4 San Diego St. turnovers led to 13 Ohio St. points.
(23) NEBRASKA 31 Utah State 7
After a slow start, Nebraska pulled away from the Aggies thanks to 273 yards on the ground. The Cornhuskers defense buckled down after the 1st quarter as they held Utah St. to 66 yards over the final 3 quarters after allowing 147 in the opening quarter. Nebraska was 8-18 on 3rd down but they had to settle for 4 field goals all 29 yards or less showing they couldn’t convert in the red zone.
SO CAROLINA 31 (15) Virginia 7
South Carolina shocked Virginia with a solid defensive performance holding the Cavs to 170 total yards and 7 first downs. Virginia crossed midfield only 4 times leading to just one touchdown. The Gamecocks amassed 1/3 of their total yards on their last 3 possessions resulting in 3 touchdowns.
(8) GEORGIA 29 Mid Tenn St 10
Georgia held the Blue Raiders to 67 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.5 ypc). Middle Tennessee St. scored their only touchdown with 2 minutes remaining on a 71-yard pass play. Georgia was hurt by 18 penalties totaling 129 yards.
Air Force 22 NORTHWESTERN 21
Northwestern outgained Air Force 452-409 and had 7 more first downs but 4 interceptions led to 10 Air Force points. They were intercepted in three of their last 4 drives with the final drive stalling on downs. The Falcons starting field position was their own 17-yard line in the first half and their own 46-yard line in the second half.
Bowling Green 27 (16) PURDUE 26
A dramatic finish as the Falcons scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:08 remaining to pull out the upset. Josh Harris finished with 357 yards passing and also ran for 57 yards after a sluggish start where Bowling Green punted their first 4 possessions. With less than 2 minutes left, Purdue drove down to the Bowling Green 33-yard line but was unable to convert their 4th and 10 pass.
Connecticut 48 ARMY 21
The Connecticut offense continued its success with 481 yards of offense but the defense was the real story. They held the Cadets to 44 yards rushing on 37 carries (1.2 ypc) and allowed just 2.8 ypp while gaining 7.2 ypp themselves. The defense forced Army to punt in all 8 first half possessions, yielding just 66 yards.
Syracuse 49 NO CAROLINA 47
A wild game that saw 1,020 yards of offense combined ended with Syracuse stopping the Tar Heels on their 2-point conversion attempt in the 3rd overtime. Syracuse had a chance in the 2nd overtime but missed a 37-yard field goal after an interception that stopped North Carolina. Syracuse scored on 5 of their 6 2nd half possessions while holding North Carolina to just 7 points.
IOWA STATE 48 Ohio U 20
The Cyclones racked up 523 yards of offense and held the potent Ohio rushing attack to just 167 yards. Iowa St. scored 17 points off Ohio turnovers and 4th down stops. Ohio had a chance to pull within 7 points in the 4th quarter but the Cyclones stopped them on their 22-yard line and then drove down the field to go up by 21.
(19) NOTRE DAME 29 Washington St 26
Notre Dame overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat the Cougars in overtime. The Irish held Washington St. to 55 yards rushing on 31 carries (1.8 ypc) but allowed 274 yards through the air. Notre Dame penetrated Cougar territory on their last 8 possessions, including overtime. 13 of Washington St.’s 23 points were results of turnovers.
(18) WISCONSIN 48 Akron 31
Another game that saw explosive offenses as the teams combined for 1,125 yards of offense. Wisconsin dominated the rushing game with 310 yards (7.1 ypc) compared to 162 yards (4.1 ypc) for the Zips. Both teams scored 10 points off each others turnovers. Akron made it into Wisconsin territory in all four 4th quarter possessions but came away with just one score.
OREGON 31 Nevada 23
Oregon held off a Nevada charge as their defense stiffened holding the Wolfpack to just 2 yards on their final 2 possessions. The Nevada defense played well in the 2nd half after a bad opening half. They didn’t allow any points and only gave up 115 total yards but an interception return for a touchdown sealed the deal for the Ducks.
(24) COLORADO 16 U-C-L-A 14
A somewhat surprising defensive battle as Colorado rallied for the 2nd consecutive week to pull out the win. The teams combined for just 603 yards of offense no thanks to 21 penalties. Colorado held the Bruins to 38 yards on the ground (1.5 ypc) while gaining only 88 yards (1.9 ypc) themselves. UCLA took a 14-10 lead thanks to a Buffaloes fumble but Colorado drove 63 yards in 11 plays to regain the lead for good with 2:45 remaining.
GEORGIA TECH 17 (17) Auburn 3
Auburn failed to score a touchdown for the 2nd consecutive game while the Yellow Jackets held them to 40 yards rushing (1.1 ypc). Auburn had chances late as they were in Georgia Tech territory on their last 3 drives but walked away with nothing.
MICHIGAN ST 44 Rutgers 28
Michigan St. pulled away by scoring 30 unanswered points while the defense scored once and held Rutgers to 67 yards in a span of 12 straight drives starting in the 2nd quarter and they held them to –2 net rushing yards. All of this while committing 13 penalties for 113 yards. The Spartans also returned a kickoff back for a TD
(12) TENNESSEE 34 Marshall 24
Heading into the 4th quarter with a 28-24 lead, the Tennessee defense stepped up and stopped the Herd on their last 3 possessions. The Volunteers offense eventually wore down the Marshall defense as their last 5 drives were plays of 8,9,11,10 and 8. Tennessee finished with 249 yards on the ground on 40 carries (6.2 ypc).
Missouri 35 BALL STATE 7
Missouri spotted Ball St. the first 7 points of the game and then the defense held the Cardinals to 109 yards the rest of the way not counting a meaningless 75 yard drive late in the 4th quarter against the reserves. Missouri ran for 290 yards on 47 carries (6.2 ypc) while holding Ball St. to 41 yards on 28 carries (1.5 ypc).
(22) WASHINGTON 38 Indiana 13
Washington put up 28 3rd quarter points while gaining over 40% of their 490 total yards in that quarter to put away the Hoosiers. The Huskies gained 195 yards on the ground, a big improvement from a week ago although their average was still unimpressive at 3.8 ypc. Indiana gained just 21 total yards on their final 6 possessions after gaining 261 yards on their first 7 possessions.
Colorado St 23 CALIFORNIA 21
Cal rallied from a 20-7 4th quarter deficit but the Rams kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to give Colorado St. the victory. Both of the Bears last 2 touchdowns came off Colorado St. turnovers. The Rams held Cal to 51 yards rushing (1.7 ypc) and 299 yards in total offense.
(10) PITTSBURGH 43 Kent State 3
Pittsburgh was all over Kent even after going scoreless in the first quarter. They outgained the Flashes 522-161 and had a 26-10 first down advantage. The Panthers responded with 4 touchdowns in 12 minutes in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. The normally potent rushing attack of Kent was held to 73 yards on 36 carries (2.0 ypc).
West Virginia 48 EAST CAROLINA 7
West Virginia piled up 555 yards of offense and benefited from 5 Pirate turnovers, which led to 28 points. The Mountaineers were inside East Carolina territory in 11 of their first 12 drives and only 3 of those drives were less than 20 yards. Surprisingly, East Carolina quarterback Desmond Robinson set a school record by completing 80.8 percent (21-26) of his passes.
ARKANSAS 45 Tulsa 13
Tulsa finished with more first downs, 21-17 and only finished with 111 less yards but Arkansas was able to score on the big play. Three of their touchdowns were over 40 yards long causing their longest drive of the day to be only 9 plays. Tulsa racked up 236 yards on the ground on 39 carries (6.1 ypc)
KANSAS 46 U-N-L-V 24
Kansas scored 33 unanswered points between the 2nd and 4th quarters in racking up 546 yards of total offense. A very balanced attack benefitted the Jayhawks as they gained 276 yards on the ground and 270 yards through the air. They were able to control the clock for nearly 11 minutes longer.
OKLAHOMA STATE 48 Wyoming 24
Oklahoma St. rushed for 334 yards on 50 carries (6.7 ypc) while holding the Cowboys to 75 yards on 29 carries (2.6 ypc). The teams combined for 23 penalties for 198 yards. Wyoming was forced to punt the ball 10 times and scored 2 garbage 4th quarter touchdowns.
TEXAS TECH 42 New Mexico 28
New Mexico dominated, outgaining the Red Raiders 584-456 and holding the ball for over 17 minutes more. Defense and special teams set up Tech's first two scores and the Lobos committed 5 turnovers thus keeping them scoreless in the first half.
(25) T-C-U 17 Navy 3
TCU was held scoreless in the first half thanks to only 82 total yards and 2 turnovers. They failed to cross midfield on any of their 6 first half drives while Navy was in TCU territory on 5 of their 6 first half drives, yet scored only 3 points. After that, the Horned Frogs buckled down and held the Midshipmen to 28 total yards and 2 first downs in the second half.
(11) FLORIDA STATE 35 Maryland 10
Florida St. scored the final 35 points of the game as Maryland generated just 13 first downs and 197 yards of offense. The Terps intercepted a Chris Rix pass for a touchdown but their offense could only score 3 points the whole game. The Seminoles finished with 196 yards rushing on 46 carries (4.3 ypc).
(1) Oklahoma 20 ALABAMA 13
The Alabama defense held Oklahoma to 74 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.7 ypc) and 13 first downs. But Jason White threw two 46-yard touchdown passes, both coming after Alabama scores. The Tide only crossed midfield once in the first half, which led to a field goal.
(3) MIAMI-FLORIDA 38 (21) Florida 33
Miami made the improbable comeback, scoring 28 points in a span of 20 minutes overcoming a 33-10 deficit. The Hurricanes tallied 283 yards on those 4 drives after gaining just 118 yards in the first 2 ½ quarters. Penalties was a problem for both teams as they combined for 29 flags for 227 yards.
(4) U-S-C 35 B-Y-U 18
BYU outyarded the Trojans 359-306 but USC scored the final 2 touchdowns in holding off a ferocious comeback by the Cougars. Leading 21-3, USC let BYU back in the game thanks to the Cougars defense that held USC to 21 yards in the 3rd quarter. A missed field goal by the Trojans to start the 4th quarter led to a BYU field goal to pull them within 3 points but USC put the game away with a 57-yard touchdown drive.
Louisiana Tech 34 UL LAFAYETTE 3
The Bulldogs had 12 more first downs and they held UL-Lafayette to 292 yards of offense. Louisiana Tech used 4 long consecutive drives in the 1st and 2nd quarters to build a 27-3 halftime lead. This is another game where penalties were issues often as they combined for 23 penalties for 197 yards.
TEXAS A&M 28 Utah 26
Utah outgained the Aggies 415-368 and had 6 more first downs but 9 fumbles (3 lost) did them in. They held the ball nearly 15 minutes longer than the Aggies thanks to their balanced but 2 first half fumbles led to 14 Texas A&M points. The Utes scored a touchdown with 8 seconds remained but failed on the two-point conversion try that would have tied the game.
NORTH TEXAS 52 Baylor 14
North Texas held the Bears to 268 total yards and 15 first downs while forcing 6 turnovers. Baylor turned the ball over on their first 6 possessions leading to 17 North Texas points. 4 of those turnovers occurred in Mean Green territory and never could recover. Thanks to good special teams play in the 2nd half, North Texas started their drives at their own 46 yard line on average.
MINNESOTA 48 Troy State 7
The Gophers outgained the Trojans 468-189 with 104 of Troy St.’s yards coming in the 4th quarter. Minnesota’s average starting field position was at their own 46-yard line. The Gophers gained 292 yards on the ground (5.3 ypc) while holding the Trojans to 64 yards though the air on 10-31 passing.
(13) L-S-U 59 ARIZONA 13
LSU scored on their first 7 possessions in racking up 481 total yards while holding the Wildcats to 182 yards and 10 first downs. 82 of those 182 yards came in the 4th quarter. Arizona had 15 drives with none of them being more than 6 plays in length. One of Arizona’s touchdowns came on a 1-yard fumble recovery while the other came late with all reserves in the game.
STANFORD 31 San Jose St 10
Stanford spotted the Spartans the first 10 points of the game but then held them to 147 total yards the rest of the way with 71 of those yards coming in the last 4 minutes of the game. The Cardinal were in San Jose St. territory on 7 of their first 8 drives but 2 missed field goals and an interception limited them to 21 first half points. The 2nd half was identical where they were in Spartans territory 7 of 8 times but only walked away with 10 points in that half so it could have been much worse.
