TWIF Notes 9-26-22
Welcome Back!
What an exciting weekend of football! This was one of those weekends where we had several surprise results, but when we look back at the end of the year, they may not have been surprises after all. Some teams are starting to come into clearer focus, by which I mean we can begin to see whether they are contenders or pretenders. Others are less clear, as they started slow but look much better, or the opposite- started fast but are already falling off the map, so to speak. And for the 3rd week in a row, we had a P5 school fire it's coach. This week, it's Georgia Tech, who has replaced HC Geoff Collins with interim HC Brent Key.
Let's get to the recaps!
Teams Who Defeated FCS Opponents, Just As They Should Have
Illinois defeated Chattanooga 31-0
Pittsburgh defeated Rhode Island 45-24
UTSA defeated Texas Southern 52-24
Texas State defeated Houston Baptist 34-0
Teams Who Escaped An FCS Upset
Ohio had to outscore Fordham 21-3 in the 4th quarter to avoid the upset and get their 2nd win of the year.
Teams Who Lost to FCS Teams
Colorado State was bludgeoned by Sacramento State 41-10. The Rams have now lost 10 straight heading into their off week, and their offense has yet to score more than 19 points in a game this year, with their defense yet to allow less than 34 (those 2 results were in the same game, in case you were wondering).
FBS vs FBS Games
West Virginia routed Virginia Tech 33-10 to defeat the Hokies for the 2nd year in a row. This was VT's worst ever loss to WVU in Lane Stadium.
Coastal Carolina held off Georgia State 41-24. The Chanticleers limited the Panthers, who had rushed for at least 200 yards in 6 straight games, to only 78 yards on the ground. CCU had 28 first downs, controlled the TOP (40:04-19:56), and dropped GSU to 0-4 for the 1st time since 2016.
Syracuse used 5 FGs to defeat Virginia 22-20 and move to 4-0 for the 1st time since 2018, despite committing their 1st 4 turnovers of the season.
Air Force stomped Nevada 48-20. The Falcons completed one pass in the game, an 80-yard TD pass by backup QB Ben Brittain in his 1st and only pass attempt since 2020.
UTEP stunned Boise State 27-10. With the loss, the Broncos drop to 2-2, but they may be in for a long season. Then again, the whole MWC seems to have taken a step back this year, so they still may compete for the division title. The Miners desperately needed this win, as at 2-3, they now have a fighting chance to get to a bowl game for the 2nd year in a row, and perhaps for a 2nd straight winning season. A loss would have made both of those goals much more difficult.
Georgia eased by Kent State 39-22, and though the game was never really in doubt, it wasn't totally comfortable, either. The Dawgs were able to get their running game going, but they seemed a little out of sorts in the passing game, and had their 1st 3 turnovers of the year- and allowed a fake punt conversion for the 2nd week in a row- all of which kept the Golden Flashes in the game and their fans' hopes up. The Bulldogs also displayed some poor tackling, which will need to get better, but they did play a whole lot of people on defense. However, they had to keep their 1st team offense in the entire game, which could be a positive or a negative, depending on your perspective.
Michigan stayed undefeated with a 34-27 victory over Maryland, knocking the Terps from the ranks of the unbeaten. This was the fewest points the Wolverines had scored in a regular season game since only getting 21 at Penn State last year, a span of 6 games of scoring 42 or more. They'll get a sterner test at Iowa this week.
Clemson unleashed it's offense (finally!) and outlasted Wake Forest 51-45 in 2 overtimes. The bad news was this is the most points the Tigers have allowed since giving up 49 to Ohio State in the 2020 Sugar Bowl, and the most in a regular season game since allowing 45 to UGA in the 2014 opener, and the most in an ACC game since allowing 51 to FSU in 2013. WF QB Sam Hartman set a school record with 6 TD passes.
Baylor squeaked by Iowa State 31-24. The win puts the Bears in the early driver's seat to repeat as Big 12 champions.
Penn State scored the last 19 points to break a 14-14 tie and put away Central Michigan 33-14.
Auburn eked out a 17-14 win over Missouri in OT, as the Mizzou kicker missed a chip shot FG on the last play of regulation that would have won the game, and then after AU kicked a FG in OT, the Mizzou RB fumbled the ball going into the end zone with what would have been the winning TD. Auburn recovered the fumble, allowing Missouri to twice snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Mississippi State bowled over Bowling Green 45-14.
TCU held off SMU 42-34 as both teams combined to score 27 points in the 4th quarter. First year TCU HC Sonny Dykes is the 1st new HC to win their 1st 3 games since Francis Schmidt in 1929.
Kansas is 4-0 for the 1st time since 2009 with its 35-27 win over Duke, dropping the Blue Devils to 3-1.
Louisville crushed USF 41-3.
Buffalo got its 1st FBS win, and now sits alone atop the MAC East thanks to defeating Eastern Michigan 50-31. The Bulls outscored the Eagles 20-7 in the 2nd half, scoring the final 20 points after falling behind 31-30 early in the 3rd quarter.
UCLA flattened Colorado 45-17 to stay undefeated. The Bruins have a tough matchup with Washington at home this week. The Buffaloes just may be the worst P5 team in the nation this year, as they are 0-4 for the 1st time since 2006.
Temple shut out UMass 28-0 to get its 1st win over an FBS foe in 2022, and its 1st shutout win since 2016.
Minnesota decimated Michigan State 34-7, giving up a meaningless TD with 17 seconds left as the Spartans avoided the embarrassment of getting shut out. The Golden Gophers appear to be the favorites in the Big Ten West. The Spartans just look like they may be a bottom feeder in the Big Ten East, or at best, middle-of-the-pack.
Middle Tennessee stunned Miami, Fl 45-31, and the game wasn't that close, as every time the Hurricanes would pull within 14, the Blue Raiders would score again. At one point in the game, MT had 6 first downs and 5 TDs! MT QB Chase Cunningham completed passes of 98 (1st play after a goal line stand), 89, 71, and 69 yards in the win.
Tennessee survived a late onside kick recovery by Florida in the 38-33 win at home. The Volunteers are set up to be 5-0 when they host Alabama on Oct 15, if they can get past LSU in 2 weeks.
Texas Tech upset Texas 37-34 in OT. The Red Raiders hit a go ahead FG with 25 seconds left, but the Longhorns were able to tie it with a FG of their own with 2 seconds left to send the game into OT. However, on the 1st play of OT, Texas fumbled the ball, giving TTU the opportunity to win with any type of score, which is what they did, after driving the ball to the 1 yard line.
Cincinnati raced out to a 38-10 halftime lead, then cruised to the 45-24 victory over Indiana, ending the Hoosiers' undefeated season as both teams are now 3-1.
Notre Dame outscored North Carolina 38-13 over the 2nd and 3rd quarters, defeating the Tar Heels 45-32. The Fighting Irish are now 2-2 and UNC is 3-1.
James Madison scored 29 unanswered points to upset Appalachian State 32-28. The Dukes led 3-0 after 1 quarter, but the Mountaineers scored 28 straight in the 2nd, before JMU scored a TD with 2:16 to go before the half. After that, it was all JMU, as the Dukes won their 1st ever SBC game, and they remain one of only 2 undefeated SBC (and G5) teams.
San Diego State scored a TD with 41 seconds left to blunt Toledo's comeback attempt and win 17-14. The Rockets had scored 14 in the 4th quarter, including the go-ahead TD with 2:51 left, but couldn't hold the lead and complete the comeback.
WKU destroyed FIU 73-0. The Panthers are one of the worst teams in FBS, as they have been outscored 114-12 in their 2 FBS games.
Memphis pulled ahead and then held off North Texas 44-34. The 2 teams combined for 31 4th-quarter points.
Ole Miss scored 28 straight in the 2nd quarter, then held off Tulsa as the Golden Hurricane scored 13 unanswered the rest of the way in their 35-27 victory. The Rebels remain undefeated.
Oregon scored 22 points in a 2-minute, 47-second span of the 4th quarter, then allowed a TD on the last play in the 44-41 victory over Washington State. The teams combined for 43 points in the 4th quarter, with the Ducks getting 29 of those.
UCF dismantled Georgia Tech 27-10, winning the 4th quarter by a score of 11-0 to pull away for the win. The Yellow Jackets have been outscored 110-20 by their 3 FBS foes this season.
California blew out Arizona 49-31 in a game that wasn't as close as the score might indicate. The Golden Bears blew the game open in the 2nd half, outscoring the Wildcats 28-7.
Liberty eased by Akron 21-12, scoring a TD with 4:46 left to secure the win.
Navy earned its 1st victory of the 2022 season by escaping East Carolina 23-20 in 2 overtimes. The Midshipmen evened their conference record at 1-1 while the Pirates dropped to 2-2/0-1.
Georgia Southern scored 14 points in the last 7 minutes to overcome a 23-20 deficit in their 34-23 win over Ball State. The Eagles are 3-1 for the 1st time since 2020, and for the 3rd time in the last 5 years.
ODU exploded in the 2nd half to come back and defeat Arkansas State 29-26. The Monarchs trailed 12-0 at the half, as the Red Wolves scored on a safety, a TD, and a FG, all in the 2nd quarter.
Houston held off a strong upset bid by old SWC rival Rice, winning 34-27 as the Cougars scored a TD with 3:40 left for the winning points.
Kentucky survived a late scare from Northern Illinois in their 31-23 victory over the Huskies. The Wildcats led 31-14 with less than 6 minutes to go when NIU scored a FG and a quick TD to pull within the final margin.
Texas A&M defeated Arkansas when the potential winning FG try by the Razorbacks hit on top of the upright and dribbled back into the end zone. Both teams are now 3-1, but UA is 1-1 in the SEC while TAMU is 1-0.
Iowa scored 27 points for the 2nd straight week in beating Rutgers 27-10. It is the 1st time the Hawkeyes have scored as much as 27 points in consecutive weeks since scoring 27+ in 3 in a row toward the end of last season. They have not scored 27+ in 4 or more straight since doing so in 9 straight from the 2020 season into the '21 season.
UNLV is 3-1 for the 1st time since 2008 after pounding Utah State 34-24. The final score was closer than the game, as the Aggies scored a meaningless TD late in the 4th quarter. The Rebels have a pretty decent chance at getting to a bowl this year, which would be their 1st since 2013.
Troy used 3 FGs and a TD to get by Marshall 16-10. Since defeating Notre Dame, the Thundering Herd has lost 2 straight to fall to 2-2, and they're now 0-1 in their new conference. The Trojans are also 2-2, but they're 1-0 in the SBC.
South Alabama pasted La Tech 38-14. The Jaguars are 3-1 for the 2nd year in a row, but are hoping for a better finish than last year.
Alabama blasted Vanderbilt 55-3, which was exactly what was expected.
Ohio State laid waste to Wisconsin by a score of 52-21, as they jumped out to a quick 28-0 lead.
NC State demolished UConn 41-10. The Wolfpack will get a sterner test next week when they visit Clemson.
Miami, Oh scored 10 unanswered points in the final 7:23 of regulation to put away Northwestern 17-14, and it is now apparent that the Wildcats' win over Nebraska in Week Zero was more about how bad the Cornhuskers are than about how good NW is.
LSU squashed New Mexico 38-0. The Tigers just may have found their footing after a rough start to the season, and may be a factor in the SEC. Or not. We'll have to see, I guess.
South Carolina destroyed Charlotte 56-20.
Purdue eked out a 28-26 win over FAU, scoring a TD in each quarter.
Kansas State knocked Oklahoma from the ranks of the unbeaten with a rousing 41-34 upset. The Sooners have more Big 12 championships (14) than home losses (12) since 1999, and 4 of those losses are to the Wildcats. In addition, KSU HC Chris Klieman is now 3-1 in his 4 matchups with OU, and is 2-0 in Norman.
New Mexico State got its 1st win of 2022 with a 45-26 victory over Hawaii. The Aggies are just 9-34 over their last 43 games, and just 5- 33 against FBS teams in that same span. Both teams are now 1-4 on the season.
FSU crushed Boston College 44-14. We'll find out if the Seminoles are legitimate over the next 3 weeks as they take on Wake Forest, NC State in Raleigh, and Clemson. The Eagles will be lucky to get 2 more wins this year- they should beat UConn, but who else?
ULM scored 14 points in the 4th quarter and shut out the Ragin' Cajuns in the 2nd half to upset Louisiana 17-14. The Warhawks had 227 yards on the ground and held UL to just 86.
USC scored a TD with 1:13 left to defeat Oregon State 17-14 and spoil the Beavers' upset bid. The Trojans intercepted 4 passes in the game and now have 11 INTs in 4 games.
It took a while, but BYU finally pulled away from Wyoming, winning 38-24. The Cougars are 3-1 and the Cowboys are 3-2.
Utah stomped Arizona State 34-13, scoring early and often. The Utes are now 5-7 in PAC 12 openers since joining the conference.
Washington cruised to a 40-22 win over Stanford to remain undefeated and drop the Cardinal to 0-2 in the PAC 12.
San Jose State routed Western Michigan 34-6 to move to 2-1 on the season, as the Broncos fall to 1-3.
Comments
Post a Comment