Connecticut 31, Baylor 28
In an entertaining, see-saw game, Connecticut took the lead for good on a three-yard Donald Brown touchdown run with just over six minutes to play, and Baylor couldn't answer. Robert Griffin had a great day for Baylor, throwing thee touchdown passes, but he couldn't get the Bears into field goal range, stalling at the UConn 39 in the final minute. The two teams trades scores in the second half including a two-yard touchdown run from Griffin, answered by a 34-yard touchdown dash from UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen. In the dead-even battle, Baylor outgained Connecticut 377 yards to 350. Griffin was 14-of-25 for 208 yards with 3 TDs. Jay Finley had 11 carries for 85 yards in the loss and Kendall Wright had 6 receptions for 114 yards and a score. For UConn, Tyler Lorenzen was 13-of-23 for 125 yds with 2 INTs, Donald Brown had 34 carries for 150 yards and 2 TDs and Brand Kanuch had 4 grabs for 30 yards. What does it mean.......... Is Baylor past the point of the moral victory? The offense was clicking so well at times against Connecticut that a tough road loss doesn't quite mean the same thing anymore for a program used to getting popped by everyone. The defense wasn't bad, especially against the pass, and the running game was solid even when Robert Griffin wasn't the one taking off. Yes, this was a tough loss, but there's still a lot to be excited about. At least there is until Oklahoma comes to Waco in two weeks.
Colorado 17, West Virginia 14 (OT)
West Virginia's Pat McAfee's field goal attempt in overtime bonked off the upright, and Colorado's Aric Goodman nailed his 25-yard field attempt for the win, and a scholarship, awarded to the walk-on after the game. It marked the end of a strange game for the Mountaineers, who came back after a 14-0 deficit with a six-yard Pat White touchdown run in the first quarter and a 39-yard White dash in the third, but a badly mismanaged final drive killed a chance to get into field goal range at the end of regulation. Colorado started out hot with Cody Hawkins touchdown passes from 38 yards out to Josh Smith on the first drive of the game and from 13 yards away to Patrick Devenney just two minutes later. WVU ran for 311 yards, but was held to 43 passing yards. Hawkins ended the night 22-of-33 for 179 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Rodney Stewart had 28 carries for 166 yards and Josh Smith had 5 grabs for 75 yards and a score. For WVU, Pat White was 10-of-14 for 43 yards and had 19 carries for 148 yards and 2 TDs. Noel Devine had 3 receptions for 11 yards. What does it mean...............The style points might not be there, but Colorado is 3-0 with a win over West Virginia. The program can't ask for much more than that, and while the offense was too shaky after the first five minutes, and more is needed from the passing game, a big win is a big win. The run defense had a nightmare of a time with Pat White and Noel Devine, but the D line came up with its share of big wins on several key downs. With a trip to Jacksonville to face Florida State and the Big 12 opener against Texas up next, this should serve as a big confidence booster.
Kansas 38, Sam Houston State 14
It was the Todd Reesing show for Kansas as the junior ran for a one-yard score, connected with Kerry Meier for a 68-yard touchdown, and came up with a brilliant, twisting scramble to get free to connected with Dezmon Briscoe for a 57-yard touchdown has part of a 21-point second quarter. Sam Houston State and former Oklahoma QB Rhett Bomar kept pressing and made it interesting with an eight-yard Bomar touchdown run and a 46-yard scoring pass to Justin Wells, but the Jayhawks scored the final ten points of the game. SHSU finished with just 45 yards rushing. Reesing ended the day going 23-of-38 for 356 yards and two TDs. Angus Quigley had 16 carries for 61 yards and a score and Kerry Meier had 8 receptions for 136 yards and a TD. For Sam Houston, Rhett Bomar was 26-of-46 for 340 yards and 1 TD with 3 INTs. James Aston had 7 carries for 33 yards and Justin Wells had 8 catches for 111 yards and a TD. What does it mean......................Where would this team be without Todd Reesing? Yeah, he scrambled a bit too much and he didn’t always connect on the short to midrange plays he needed to make, but he did a little bit of everything else for the offense against Sam Houston State. The running game wasn’t bad, with Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford each cranking out some yards, but neither tore off any big runs. It can’t be all Reesing all the time at Iowa State in two weeks.
Louisville 38, Kansas State 29
In a game of big plays, Louisville RB Victor Anderson grabbed hold of the game with touchdown runs of 29, 56 and 27 yards out to give the Cardinals a 35-14 lead early in the forth quarter. Kansas State had tried to keep up with Brandon Banks touchdown catches from 45 yards to start the game, and 59 yards to end the scoring, and Jerod Mastrud took a pass 52 yards to pull within 14 in the fourth. Deon Murphy added an 86 yard punt return for the Wildcats, but two Hunter Cantwell touchdown passes kept the Cardinals ahead. Louisville ran for 303 yards and outgained KSU 577 yards to 343, and never trailed. Josh Freeman ended the day at 22-of-42 for 313 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. He also had 3 carries for 18 yards to lead the Wildcat rushing attack. Brandon Banks had 7 receptions for 153 yards and 2 TDs. For Louisville, Hunter Cantwell was 22-of-33 for 274 yards with 2 TDs, Victor Anderson had 18 carries for 176 yards with 3 TDs and Doug Beaumont had 9 grabs for 119 yards. What does it mean.................It's back to the drawing board. Kansas State's run defense was non-existent against Victor Anderson and Louisville, while its own rushing attack only gained 30 yards. The offense relied too much on the home run, and while Josh Freeman had a nice day, he threw two picks and didn't get the offense moving early on. Defensively, where's Ian Campbell? He was invisible once again.
Miami 41, Texas A&M 23
Texas A&M scored first on a brilliant 62-yard touchdown catch from Mike Goodson, and after two Graig Cooper touchdown runs for Miami, got within four on a 38-yard Riche Bean field goal late in the first quarter. And then it was all Miami with a 27-pount run helped by two Robert Marve touchdown passes and a fumble return for a score from Glenn Cook following a sack. A&M got the final two touchdowns on passes from Jerrod Johnson, including a one-yarder to Goodson, but it was far too little, too late. Cook led the Canes with nine tackles. For A&M, Jerrod Johnson was 19-of-32 for 275 yards with 3 TDs and an INT. Mike Goodson had 12 carries for 67 yards and Jeff Fuller had 5 receptions for 79 yards and a TD. For Miami, Robert Marve was 16-of-22 for 212 yards with 2 TDs and an INT. Graig Cooper had 16 carries for 128 yards and 2 TDs and Kayne Farquharson had 5 catches for 67 yards and a TD. What does it mean.............. On the plus side, Jerrod Johnson showed flashes against Miami that showed he might be the star to build around for the next few years. Mike Goodson was Mike Goodson, making great plays when he got a chance to do something on the move, and there were some decent plays down the field. However, the team was sloppy. It couldn't tackle, it appeared out of position, and there wasn't any consistency to the ground game as the offensive line got beaten up by the Miami defensive front. Until the O line starts to improve, the offense will continue to sputter.
Missouri 42, Buffalo 21
Missouri kept screwing up to keep Buffalo in the game, giving the ball away three times in Bull territory and having a few problems on special teams, but the offense made sure there wouldn't be any problems. Chase Daniel completed a Big 12-record 20 straight passes on his way to a career-high 439 yards with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Danario Alexander and a four-yarder to Chase Coffman, but it was Jeremy Maclin who kept things moving with 14 catches for 168 yards and a 16-yard touchdown dash. But Buffalo stayed alive on a kickoff return for a touchdown from Ernest Jackson, who also caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and ran for a three-yard score. Up just six late in the third quarter, Daniel went to work on two quick touchdown drives to pull away. Mizzou LB Sean Weatherspoon made 20 tackles and Brock Christopher came up with 12. Daniel ended the game going 36-of-43 for 439 yards with 2 TDs. Derrick Washington had 18 carries for 89 yards with 2 TDs and Jeremy Maclin had 14 receptions for 168 yards. For Buffalo, Drew Willy was 22-of-40 for 237 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Mario Henry had 16 carries for 60 yards and Naaman Roosevelt had 9 receptions for 87 yards. What does it mean................How amazing are Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin? Fine, so it was only against Buffalo, but Daniel and Maclin were playing pitch-and-catch like there wasn't anyone else on the field. However, style points count at the moment and the sloppy play with the turnovers and missed plays on special teams might cause some to wonder just how strong the Tigers are compared to the stars of the SEC, USC and Oklahoma. However, lost in the win was how terrific the defense was throughout. After a week off, the real tests will come at Nebraska, at home against Oklahoma State, and at Texas.
Pittsburgh 21, Iowa 20
Pitt got first half touchdown run from Greg Cross and QB Bill Stull, and a 27-yard third quarter scoring dash from Lean McCoy, but it was the defense that came through late not letting Iowa get close to scoring range late. The Hawkeyes pulled within one on a 39-yard Trent Mossbrucker field goal in the fourth quarter, but was stuck with bad field position for the final drives. Iowa's touchdowns came on short runs from Shonn Greene and Jake Christensen to get up 17-14 going into the fourth quarter, but McCoy's touchdown turned into the game-winner. Pitt was outgained 361 yards to 259. For Iowa, Jake Christensen was 12-of-24 for 124 yards, Shonn Greene had 23 carries for 147 yards and a TD and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos had 6 catches for 75 yards. For Pitt, Bill Stull was 11-of-25 for 129 yards and an INT, LeSean McCoy had 18 carries for 78 yards and a TD, and also had 2 catches for 33 yards. What does it mean.......Iowa had its chances against Pitt, but couldn't take advantage. The running game was solid, Shonn Greene had a great game, and Jake Christensen was fine, but there weren't enough big plays and the offense stalled in the fourth quarter. Christensen has to start providing more of a spark. He failed to connect on enough third down chances and the O line struggled against the Pitt pass rush. The formula is simple at the moment for the Hawkeyes: win the turnover battle, keep the chains moving, and get one big play from the defense or special teams. If those three things aren't happening, Iowa will be in trouble against Northwestern and Michigan State over the next two weeks.
Texas 52, Rice 10
Colt McCoy was unstoppable both as a passer and a runner connecting with Jordan Shipley on touchdown passes from 30 and 60 yards out and running for an eight-yard score on the way to a 24-3 halftime lead. McCoy kept the offense going in the third quarter with a five-yard scoring pass to Quan Cosby and a 46-yard touchdown play to Chris Ogbonnaya. Rice gave up 600 yards of total offense and gained 318, including 17 on the ground, and it only managed a 15-yard Jarett Dillard touchdown catch late in the third. McCoy ended going 19-of-23 for 329 yards with 4 TDs and also ran 8 times for 83 yards and a score. Quan Cosby had 7 receptions for 90 yards and a score. For Rice, Chase Clement was 25-of-37 for 254 yards and a TD and also had 14 carries for 20 yards. Jarett Dillard had 9 grabs for 158 yards and a TD. What does it mean..............Is anyone in America playing better than Colt McCoy? Granted, Texas hasn’t played anyone yet, but McCoy is picking everyone apart. The problem is that it’s all about him as a running back hasn’t stepped up to become a star yet. There’s no reason for McCoy and backup QB John Chiles to get 18 of the team’s 44 carries in a layup over Rice. Now comes the date with Arkansas, which should be another blowout if the Longhorns play as well as they’ve been over the first few weeks.
Texas Tech 56, Massachusetts 14
Texas Tech had few problems against UMass getting out to a 42-7 halftime lead thanks to help from the running game. Graham Harrell threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns, while Shannon Woods ran for 108 yards and three scores. UMass got its first half score on a 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Brian Ellis, but that only seemed to sharpen up the Texas Tech attack that much more. Harrell threw two touchdown passes to Eric Morris and connected with Michael Crabtree for a four-yard score, while Woods scored from two, 38 and 18 yards out. The defense got into the act on the first drive of the third quarter when Darcel McBath took a Liam Coen pass 45 yards for a score. Harrell ended the game going 27-of-34 for 322 yards with 4 TDs. Shannon Woods had 10 carries for 108 yards and 3 TDs and Baron Batch had 5 catches for 68 yards. For UMass, Liam Coen was 13-of-20 for 145 yards with 1 INT. Korrey Davis had 15 carries for 51 yards and a TD and Victor Cruz had 5 catches for 54 yards. What does it mean.............Texas Tech got the ground game involved a bit more in the win over UMass, and while Graham Harrell and the passing game did its thing without a problem. It was Shannon Woods and Baron Batch who provided the balance with 163 yards and three scores. Woods got all the touchdowns, but they showed that it’s not always going to ball about Harrell. Finally the team gets a real game with a trip to Kansas State up next.
UNLV 34, Iowa State 31 (OT)
In a wild finish, Iowa State forced overtime with a 28-yard touchdown catch from R.J. Sumrall with just three seconds to play. Grant Mahoney gave the Cyclones the lead with a 37-yard field goal in overtime, and UNLV needed just one play to answer getting a 25-yard Phillip Payne touchdown catch for the win. The Rebels got up 21-0 in the first half on a 20-yard Omar Clayton touchdown run and scoring passes from 48 yards out to Frank Summers and three yards out to Casey Flair. But Iowa State came back with Austen Arnaud throwing two second half touchdown passes and running for two scores, but UNLV stalled the run with a 12-yard Summers scoring run at the end of the third quarter. Iowa State converted a mere 2-of-14 third down chances. UNLV converted 6-of-12. Arnaud ended the day 13-of-23 for 155 yards with 2 TDs and had 10 carries for 51 yards and another two scores. R.J. Sumrall had 4 catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. For the Rebels, Omar Clayton was 15-of-21 for 235 yards and 3 TDs, Frank Summers had 27 carries for 109 yards and a score and Casey Flair had 7 receptions for 92 yards and a TD. What does it mean......................Iowa State lost its 13th straight road game when the comeback attempt against UNLV fell short in overtime. Phillip Bates is still a dangerous weapon, but the offense should stop the quarterback rotation and stick with Austen Arnaud, who showed he could run as well as throw. He might not be as dynamic as Bates, but he’s better. Now a running back has to take over the workload. There are too many talented options to not get more out of the backs.
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Games for Sept. 27
Army at Texas A&M (11:30 a.m. - VERSUS)
Louisiana-Lafayette at Kansas State (2:30 p.m.)
Colorado vs. Florida State (at Jacksonville - 2:30 p.m. - ABC)
Arkansas at Texas (2:30 p.m. - ABC)
Texas Christian at Oklahoma (6:00 p.m. - FSN)
Troy at Oklahoma State (6:00 p.m.)
Virginia Tech at Nebraska (7:00 p.m. - ABC)
Northwestern at Iowa (11:00 a.m. - ESPN Classic)
Bye Week
Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas
Missouri
Texas Tech
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