Sport Spies: Week 4 College Football Handicapping Report

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Week 3 CFB Recap

-NC State QB Russell Wilson threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns to held the Wolfpack beat Cincinnati 30-19, giving NC State its first 3-0 start since 2002.
-Wilson completed 26-of-40 passes, after going 10-of-30 for 105 yards the previous week against Central Florida. The Wolfpack piled up nearly 500 total yards.
-Defense finished with five sacks and hurried Cincinnati QB Zach Collaros four times.
-Southern Miss QB Austin Davis completed 19 of 24 passes for 155 yards and ran for 61 in the team’s 31-16 win over Kansas.
-Southern Miss has won 10 straight home games dating back to 2008, holding Kansas to 274 total yards.
-Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick ran for 148 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 181 yards and two more scored in the Wolf Pack’s 52-31 win over Cal.
-Cal RB Shane Vereen ran for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns.
-Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 31-24 victory over Georgia.
-Arkansas won on the road for just the second time in nine tries under head coach Bobby Petrino.
-Georgia is 1-2 and 0-2 in the SEC for the first time since 1993. No SEC East team has won the division with an 0-2 conference start.
-Michigan QB Denard Robinson accounted for 345 yards and three TDs, as the Wolverines tallied a 42-37 win against Massachusetts.
-North Carolina was missing 12 players in the 30-24 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday, after missing 13 players versus LSU.
-Georgia Tech QB Joshua Nesbitt ran for 104 yards, helping the Yellow Jackets finish with 372 yards on the ground and 448 overall.
-Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor completed a school-record 16 consecutive passes in a 43-7 victory over Ohio. He finished 22 of 29 for 235 yards and two scores.
-Penn State QB Robert Bolden threw for 217 yards and the team converted on 10 of 16 third-down attempts.
-Penn State got its first shutout since defeating Minnesota 20-0 on October 17 of last season.
-Penn State is 43-1 against current MAC teams under head coach Joe Paterno.
-Kent State fell to 0-3 against Penn State and 0-10 versus teams from the Big 10.
-Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran for 169 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 30-16 victory over Connecticut.
-West Virginia QB Geno Smith threw a career-high four touchdowns and RB Noel Devine rushed for a season-high 131 yards.
-West Virginia is 2-0 against FBS teams while the rest of the league is 2-9. The Mountaineers also picked up the conference’s first win against a automatic qualifier conference, as the rest of the league is 0-6 versus such opponents.
-North Texas entered the game 23rd in the country in passing, but was held to 106 yards by Army.
-Illinois RB Mikel Leshoure rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, as the Fighting Illini picked up a 28-22 victory.
-Illinois had six penalties for 60 yards in the game’s first half hour.
-Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 34 carries. He has gained 552 yards through three games.
-Purdue QB Robert Marve passed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, but he hurt his leg and missed much of the second half in the team’s 24-13 win.
-Vanderbilt picked up a 28-14 win over Mississippi on Saturday, snapping a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to 2008 and also giving coach Robbie Caldwell his first career victory.
-Ole Miss QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 19 of 35 passes for 190 yards. The Rebels lost despite outgaining the Commodores 385-300.
-Virginia Tech rallied from a 10-0 deficit and scored 28 unanswered points in a 49-27 win over East Carolina. RB Ryan Williams injured his right hamstring and didn’t return.
-East Carolina was led by QB Dominque Davis, who completed 30 of 44 for 251 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. Held to just three points and 83 total yards in the second half.
-Florida State defense held BYU to 191 yards and just 39 in the second half, as Cougar quarterbacks were sacked eight times.
-USC scored 19 points over the third and fourth quarters and extended its win streak against the Big Ten to 11 straight games. The Trojans have also won 19 straight non-conference games and a school-record 12 straight non-conference road games.
-Penalties continues to be a problem for USC, coming into the game leading FBS, and committing seven for 72 yards on Saturday.
-Minnesota QB Adam Weber was 15 of 29 for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
-Alabama RB Mark Ingram rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, as the Crimson Tied routed Duke 62-13, winning their 17th straight game.
-Duke QB Sean Renfree was 17 of 37 for 144 yards, as the Blue Devils lost their 41st straight game to a ranked opponent and falling to 0-11 versus No. 11.
-Miami (Ohio) defeated Colorado State 31-10 to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2007.
-Colorado State had more total yardage than Miami, 306 to 299.
-Oklahoma survived despite allowing 458 yards of offense, including 351 on the ground to Air Force. The win extended its home winning streak to 33 games.
-Two of Oklahoma’s three wins this season have been by seven points or less. Last season, the Sooners were 0-4 in such games.
-It was Air Force’s first loss in its last three games against ranked opponents, defeating Houston and BYU over that span.
-Nebraska rushed for 383 yards and netted 533 total yards in a 56-21 win over Washington.
-Washington QB Jake Locker finished 4 of 20 for 71 yards and two interceptions, but added 59 yards rushing and a touchdown.
-Washington never got closer than 14 and the 56 points tied the most ever allowed by the Huskies at home.
-Wisconsin has started 3-0 in every season under Bret Bielema. The Badgers are 9-1 in its last 10 games against Pac-10 teams.
-Wisconsin RB John Clay topped the century mark in rushing for the ninth straight game, the longest active streak in the FBS.
-The Badgers have won 27 straight non-conference regular-season games, the third-longest active streak.
-Arizona State had 261 kick-return yards, more than either its rushing or passing total in the game.
-SMU QB Kyle Padron threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another in a 35-21 win over Washington State.
-SMU picked up its first win against a school from a BCS conference since they defeated Kansas 31-17 in 2000. The Mustangs were 0-17 against BCS schools during that span.
-Washington State has lost 11 straight games against FBS schools with their last win coming against SMU last year.
-Florida picked up a 31-17 victory over Tennessee, winning its sixth straight game in the series. It’s the first time they’ve won three straight in Knoxville.
-Florida QB John Brantley completed 14 of 23 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.
-UAB squandered several scoring opportunities in the first half, committing three turnovers in Troy’s territory and turning the ball over once on downs.
-Central Michigan RB Paris Cotton rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the school’s first 200-yard rusher since 2004.
-TCU scored touchdowns on its first five drives to build a 35-3 before halftime in a 45-10 victory over Baylor.
-TCU has won 15 of its last 18 games against teams from conferences with automatic BCS bids.
-TCU QB Andy Dalton completed his first 11 passes and finished 21-for-23 for 267 yards and two TDs.
-With the 35-point win, none nine of TCU’s last 10 victories have been by at least 27 points.
-Baylor hasn’t had a winning season since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996 and are 2-48 against ranked teams during that span, including an 0-19 mark against top-five teams
-Indiana QB Ben Chappell passed for a career-high 366 yards in a 38-21 win over Western Kentucky, handing the Hilltoppers their 23rd straight defeat.
-Indiana converted 10 of 12 third-down opportunities.
-Oregon State won its ninth straight home opener. The Beavers scored 21 straight points after Louisville tied it at 14 in the second quarter.
-Louisville is 3-2 all-time versus current Pac-10 teams.
-The ACC is 1-8 against teams from non-automatic BCS qualifying conferences this season.
-Saturday was Auburn’s second straight win by three points.
-Kentucky RB Derrick Locke ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-10 win over Akron. Wildcats QB Mike Hartline passed for 250 yards and two scores, leading the team to an 18th straight regular season non-conference game.
-LSU beat Mississippi State for the 11th straight time. The Tigers won its fifth consecutive home opener and improved to 2-0 in SEC play.
-Four of LSU’s five interceptions led to 16 of the Tigers’ 29 points.
-San Diego State had hoped to snap a 22-game losing streak against teams from a Bowl Championship Series conference, but fell to Missouri.
-San Diego State entered the game ranked sixth in the country in total offense and collected 440 yards, the same total as Missouri.
-Oklahoma State and Tulsa combined for 1,150 yards of offense, including 722 by Oklahoma State, breaking the school record of 717.
-Oklahoma State is 3-0 for the 19th time and the fourth time in six seasons under Mike Gundy.
-Since 2003, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane are 0-10 against teams from BCS conferences.
-Northwestern QB Dan Persa threw for 307 yards in a 30-13 road victory over Rice. He completed 24 of 32 passes and was not intercepted.
-Texas A&M was down 20-6 entering the fourth quarter after Johnson threw interceptions on A&M’s first four possessions of the second half.
-Navy QB Ricky Dobbs threw for 219 yards and led the team to 239 yards rushing in the second half.
-Louisiana State scored on five straight possessions to end the first half. QB Colby Cameron completed 22 of 28 passes.

 

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Big East Football

-West Virginia QB Geno Smith completed 19 of 29 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s 31-17 win against Maryland. He started the game by completing his first 10 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
-Since 2006, the conference ranks second among FBS conferences in non-conference winning percentage (150-54, .735).
-All eight Big East teams returned their leading rusher from the 2009 season.
-West Virginia RB Noel Devine leads all active players in career rushing.
-Cincinnati’s 30-19 loss at North Carolina State was the Bearcats’ third game in a span of 12 days.
-Cincinnati has allowed 15 sacks in three games this season. The Bearcats allowed 15 sacks in the entire 2009 season.
-Louisville had a 453-319 advantage in total yards, but came up one touchdown short against Oregon State in its first road game of the season.
-All of Louisville’s scoring has come in the final three quarters this season.
-Rutgers is 2-0 for the first time since 2007 after Saturday’s 19-14 win against Florida International. The team forced five turnovers - all in the first half.
-Rutgers was outgained by a 371-172 margin and had just eight first downs.
-Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib set a school record with five touchdown passes in the team’s 38-14 win against Maine.
-UConn had the edge in first downs (16-13) and total yards (390-356) against Temple in a 30-16 loss. RB Jordan Todman rushed for a career-high 192 yards on 26 carries. He leads the Big East in rushing (149.3 rushing yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (5).
-South Florida was tied 7-7 at halftime with Florida, but the Gators outscored the Bulls by a 31-7 margin in the final 30 minutes.

-Pittsburgh has forced four turnovers in two games and is 8-for-8 in red zone scoring opportunities.
-UConn is looking for its third straight home win. The Huskies have outscored its opponents in each of the first three quarters, but has been outscored 25-7 in the fourth quarter. QB Zach Frazer has completed 40 of 77 passes for 459 yards and two touchdowns and is one of two Big East starters who has not thrown an interception in 2010.
-Since 2005, Rutgers has gone 8-2 after bye weeks with four consecutive wins after idle weeks. The team ranks third nationally and lead the Big East in scoring defense (7.0 points allowed per game). Rutgers has held its last two opponents to 3-for-25 on third down.
-Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones reported that RB Isaiah Pead is expected to return to the regular lineup against Oklahoma.
-West Virginia leads the Big East in passing offense (266.7 ypg), passing efficiency (149.8) and total defense (255.7 ypg).

 

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Miami
-Miami will make its second straight non-conference road trip of the season on Thursday when the Canes visit Pittsburgh.
-The Hurricanes are coming off a 36-24 loss at No. 2 Ohio State, while Pitt is 1-1 with a loss to Utah and a win over New Hampshire.
-Overall, Miami’s defense finished with 11 tackles for a loss at OSU and after two weekend of college football, the team leads the country with a 12.5 tackles for loss average.
-Averaged 5.3 yards per play against Ohio State while the Buckeyes averaged 5.4. Miami actually held the advantage on the ground, averaging 4.3 yards per play compared to OSU’s 3.7.
-Leads the all-time series with Pitt, 21-9-1. The teams regularly met when Miami was a member of the Big East in football. A win on Thursday night would give the team its seven straight win over Pittsburgh.
-Looking to win its 33rd straight win against unranked non-conference opponents in regular season play.
-Ranks second in the ACC in total defense, holding its opposition to an average of 262 yards per game. NC State leads the conference with a 248.5 average.

Pittsburgh
-Quarterback Tino Sunseri has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 459 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
-The Panthers are 21-8 over their last 29 games, the program’s winningest stretch since the 2001-03 seasons.
-Meet for the first time since the 2003 season when both were members of the Big East.
-Pitt is 63-66-2 against current members of the ACC. The Panthers last encounter with the ACC was in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl, when they defeated North Carolina, 19-17.
-Making its 16th appearance on ESPN’s Thursday night package. Pitt has compiled a 6-9 mark in those games, including a 1-3 record against Miami.
-Last four losses have come by an average of just 3.5 points per game.

 

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ACC Football
-Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor leads the ACC in passing efficiency and led the league in the same category in 2009.
-Georgia Tech QB Joshua Nesbitt needs 426 rushing yards to break the ACC career record of rushing yards by a quarterback.
-Florida State running back tandem of Chris Thompson (123) and Ty Jones (95) averaged 9.1 yards per carry in the Seminoles 34-10 win over BYU.
-Boston College has won the last two meetings against Virginia Tech and is 2-0 for the sixth time in the last seven years.
-Maryland WR Torrey Smith is one of the most dynamic players in the nation. He ranks sixth nationally in all-purpose yards, rolling up 242 against WVU.
-Clemson is 2-0 under head coach Dabo Swinney in games following a bye week.
-Florida State is 4-0 during QB Christian Ponder’s career when he runs for 50 or more yards in a single game.
-Wake Forest trails 3-15-1 in all games played in Tallahassee.
-Duke tallied 146 yards on the ground against Alabama, after the Crimson Tide defense allowed more than 140 rushing yards in only one of its previous 20 games dating back to November 2008.
-North Carolina QB T.J. Yates was 18-of-24 for 209 yards and a TD and ranks 13th in the country in total offense (296.5 ypg).

-Virginia Tech owns a 4-3 edge in meetings between the schools as ACC members, including a pair of victories in the 2007 and 2008 ACC Championship games.
-Duke has won 11 of the last 15 games and two straight in the series against Army. Last year’s game in West Point saw then-redshirt freshman and now starting Duke QB Sean Renfree come off the bench to complete 7-of-8 passes for 106 yards and two TDs.
-Three of the Demon Deacons five series wins have come in Tallahassee.
-Georgia Tech has won 10 of the last 12 meetings and had beaten NC State seven straight times in Atlanta until NC State’s victory in its last visit there five years ago.

 

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Conference USA
-Houston head football coach Kevin Sumlin announced that starting quarterback Case Keenum will miss the remainder of the 2010 season after suffering a torn ACL. Additionally, junior backup Cotton Turner suffered a fractured clavicle.
-East Carolina scored on five of their first six possessions and led 24-21 at halftime before falling to Virginia Tech. ECU was 5-for-5 in the red zone, making them 13-for-13 on the season.
-The Pirates have scored following 14 of their last 18 forced turnovers, dating back to 2009.
-Of Marshall’s 47 players who saw action, 15 were freshmen (eight true, seven redshirt).
-All 24 Memphis Tigers points came following MTSU turnovers, as the team forced four miscues for the first time since 2007.
-Southern Miss defense held Kansas to 274 total yards, finishing with 10 tackles for loss, including four sacks.
-UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed 19-of-30 passes for 246 yards and threw five touchdown passes. He now has 83 career touchdown passes, the fifth-best total in Conference history.

 

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Mountain West Conference
-Utah has won 19 consecutive home games, while TCU has won 16 straight. The Utes’ 19-game streak is a new MWC record.
-Air Force’s 351 yards rushing in the 27-24 loss at then No. 9 Oklahoma are the most allowed by the Sooners in the Bob Stoops era. The Falcons currently lead the nation in rushing, averaging 399 yards per game.
-Of the MWC’s 26 touchdowns in Week 3, 13 were scored on the ground, while another 10 were passing touchdowns. Utah and New Mexico combined for three special teams touchdowns in their MWC tilt.
-With three rushing touchdowns at Missouri, San Diego State has 11 touchdowns on the ground in 2010, surpassing the eight rushing scores it recorded in all of 2009.
-TCU has rushed for at least 270 yards in each of their three games this season.
-Three MWC defenses held their opponents to under 100 yards of total rushing on Saturday.
-San Diego State has reached the 400-yard mark in total offense in four consecutive games for the first time since 1996.

 

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Toledo
-Toledo is coming off a 37-24 win at Western Michigan on September 18. Against Western, the Rockets forced six turnovers and limited the Broncos to just 13 rushing yards on 26 carries.
-Rank second in the nation in interceptions (8), fourth in turnovers forced (11) and sixth in turnover margin (+1.7).
-Met in the season opener last season, with the Boilermakers taking a 52-31 decision. Toledo racked up 493 yards of total offense, 423 of it in the air. Purdue’s offense topped that with 535 total yards.
-The team is 5-14 versus the Big Ten, including road victories at Purdue, Penn State and Michigan.
-Attempting to win its third straight road game for the first time since 2002.
-Offensive line has a combined 113 starts spread out among four returning starters.

Purdue
-The Boilermakers have won two straight home games following a 23-12 season-opening loss at Notre Dame, downing Western Illinois and Ball State.
-QB Robert Mavre has completed 69 percent of his passes and thrown for three TDs, but his top target, Keith Smith (18 receptions) is out for the season following an injury.
-Looks to close out September with a winning record for the first time since 2007 when it went 5-0.
-Purdue averages 177.3 offensive rushing yards per game against Toledo’s 54.7 rushing yards per game on defense.
-Offense converted 10 of 17 third-down plays, including its first five in a win over Ball State last time out.
-Lead the Big Ten with nine sacks and share the top spot with 23 tackles for loss.

 

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Bowling Green
-Bowling Green is led by second year head coach Dave Clawson, who is 8-8 overall and 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
-Offensively, the Falcons will be without starting quarterback Matt Schilz, who completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 664 yards and two touchdowns.
-WR Kamar Jorden has been the main target this season, leading the nation with 34 catches.
-Coming off their best defensive performance of the year, recording four interceptions versus Marshall. In week one, the team gave up 474 yards versus Troy and allowed 546 against C-USA opponent Tulsa.
-Since 2001, the Falcons have squared off with a Big Ten opponent nine times, coming away with four wins.
-Since 2001, BGSU has played 20 contests with teams from BCS conferences and the Falcons have held their own, winning 11 of those contests.
-The nine forced turnovers currently rank third in the MAC.
-Since 2002, the Falcons are 52-6 when scoring at least 30 points and just 9-35 when scoring 29 or fewer.

Michigan
-Brings a 3-0 record to Saturday’s contest with a team that has beaten Connecticut (30-10), Notre Dame (28-24) and UMass (42-37).
-The offense is led by quarterback Denard Robinson, who is averaging 223.7 yards through the air and another 183.3 on the ground. He currently leads the country with 410 yards per game of total offense.
-Defensively, the Wolverines are allowing 23.7 points and 439 yards of total offense per game.
-The two schools are separated by 75 miles and this will be the second meeting, with Michigan posting a 42-7 victory in 2000.
-Compiled an impressive 26-1 record against teams currently from the Mid-American Conference. UM has outscored those schools by an 914-250 margin in those 26 games.
-All of the games against MAC schools have been played at Michigan Stadium and head coach Rich Rodriguez has a 3-1 mark.
-Rodriguez has a 9-1 record during the ninth month of the year. He is also 8-3 in non-conference games as Michigan head coach.
-Converted 10-of-11 red zone chances, scoring nine touchdowns and one field goal.

 

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Ball State
-Facing its first nationally ranked opponent since Nov. 4, 2006, when the Cardinals played at Michigan and suffered a 34-26 loss.
-Fifth-year senior RB MiQuale Lewis has rushed for 3,432 yards in his career and needs 571 rushing yards to become the Cardinals all-time leading career rusher.
-QB Kelly Page started the first two games of the season and played at Purdue. He has completed 17-of-29 passes for 166 yards. True freshan Keith Wenning started at Purdue after appearing in the first two games. He has completed 24-of-39 passes for 218 yards.
-Seven offensive linemen combined for 60 starts in 2009 return to the 2010 squad.
-Ball State is 1-20 against the Big Ten Conference, having played seven of the current 11 members. The team fell 24-13 at Purdue last weekend, getting outgained by a 403-256 margin.

Iowa
-This is the second game in the series. Iowa won the previous meeting (56-0) in the 2005 season opener at Kinnick Stadium.
-Iowa has won 17 of its last 20 games and 19 of 23, dating back to the middle of the 2008 season.
-Won 46 of its last 55 games at Kinnick Stadium, dating back to the 2002 season. Iowa’s 44-9 home record from 2002 to 2009 ranked as the 11th-best home winning percentage in the nation and second in the Big Ten to Ohio State.
-Holds an all-time record of 17-2 against current members of the Mid-American Conference.
-Allowed just three opponents to score on their opening drive in its last 29 games.
-Iowa is 20-5 with QB Ricky Stanzi behind center, as he completed 18-of-33 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

 

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Central Michigan
-A win would be the Chippewas’ third straight win over a Big Ten opponent and also be the school’s fifth win all-time against the conference.
-CMU has won its last two meetings against Big Ten opponents: 29-27 at Michigan State in 2009 and 37-34 at Indiana in 2008. The Chippewas are 4-19 all-time against the 11 current members of the Big Ten.
-Defense has been one of the top units in the country through the season’s first two weeks. The Chippewas rank in the Top 10 nationally in points and total yards allowed.
-Nine Chippewas have made their first career start during the season’s first three weeks.
-Since the start of the 2007 season, CMU is 17-6 in 23 appearances on the ESPN family of networks.

Northwestern
-Returns home after picking up its ninth road victory in the team’s last 12 games. Behind a career-best 341 yards of total offense from quarterback Dan Persa, picking up a 30-13 victory at Rice.
-Northwestern and Central Michigan both tout top-10 scoring defenses this season. The Chippewas are allowing 9.0 points per game, which ranks fourth nationally, while the Wildcats are giving up 12.3 ppg.
-On the flip side, both offenses are averaging 30 or more points per game.
-Northwestern is 15-8-1 all-time versus Mid-American schools, having won eight in a row against the league.
-Won 11 of its last 12 non-conference games. The Wildcats are aiming to go 4-0 in non-league play for the second time in three years.
-Recorded four takeaways in the Rice game, upping their season total to nine.