TWIF Notes 9-25-23
Welcome Back!
What another exciting weekend of games! We had a lot of exciting matchups, with upsets, routs, and games that went into one or more OTs. Out of 133 teams, 130 participated, with only Navy, North Texas, and ULM taking the weekend off. Of those 130 teams, just 4 played an FCS team, meaning there were 63 FBS vs FBS games. That's a lot of games to review. So let's get to the recaps!
FBS Teams who Defeated FCS Teams Like They Should Have
FBS Teams Who Struggled With FCS Teams
ODU struggled to get by a winless Texas A&M-Commerce 10-9, as the game was a scoreless tie at halftime.
FBS Teams Who Lost To FCS Teams
There were no losses to FCS teams this week!
FBS vs FBS Games
Georgia State is 4-0 for the 1st time ever after they defeated Coastal Carolina 30-17, and the Panthers have tied their longest ever winning streak at 4 games, which has now been accomplished 4 times. The victory means that the visitor has won all 7 games in this series!
Wisconsin got past Purdue 38-17 to move to 1-0 in the Big Ten, as they are now tied with Northwestern (!!!) atop the West Division. But there's still a long way to go.
NC State kicked a 33-yd FG on the last play of the game to stave off Virginia 24-21. The Cavaliers remain winless, but 2 of their losses are by a combined 4 points.
Boise State held off San Diego State 34-31 to get their 1st FBS win of the season and drop the Aztecs to 2-3.
Air Force routed San Jose State 45-20 to move to 2-0 in the Mountain West, and 4-0 on the season.
Michigan pummeled Rutgers 31-7 to stay unbeaten and hand the Scarlet Knights their 1st loss. The Wolverines haven't allowed more than 7 points in any game, and have given up 23 points total in 4 games.
FSU never led, but won 31-24 in OT when Clemson couldn't convert on 4th down or score in the extra period. The Seminoles remain unbeaten while the Tigers have 2 ACC losses for the 1st time since 2021, and are 2-2 on the season for the 1st time since that same season.
Oklahoma spoiled Cincinnati's 1st Big 12 game, winning 20-6 in Cincinnati. The Sooners remain undefeated, but were held to their lowest point total of the season. The Bearcats fall to 2-2.
Texas A&M stymied Auburn 27-10, holding the Tigers to their fewest points since they scored 10 against UGA last year in Athens.
Troy was able to hold on against a WKU comeback attempt and win 27-24 at home. The Trojans and Hilltoppers are both 2-2.
Kentucky finally looked like the offense everyone expected as they pasted Vanderbilt 45-28, getting revenge for their loss to the Commodores last year. However, the UK defense gave up the most points they have allowed so far this year, almost doubling their season points allowed so far. The Wildcats stay undefeated, but Vandy falls to 2-3 as their dreams of improving on their 5-7 record of a year ago slowly slip away.
Marshall scored 17 points in the 2nd quarter then cruised the rest of the way in a 24-17 victory over Virginia Tech. The Thundering Herd are 3-0; the Hokies are 1-3.
TCU claimed the Battle for the Iron Skillet by soaring past SMU 34-17 for their 2nd straight win in the series.
Tulsa scored 13 unanswered points in the 4th quarter (plus 3 seconds) to defeat Northern Illinois 22-14.
Toledo outscored Western Michigan 35-7 in the 2nd half, including the final 21 points in the last 11 minutes of the game to win 49-31.
Georgia Southern blasted Ball State 40-3.
Alabama dominated the time of possession and Ole Miss struggled to convert 3rd downs (3-14) as the Crimson Tide rolled over the Rebels 24-10. It appears rumors of Alabama's demise were greatly exaggerated.
Utah used a dominating defense to throttle UCLA 14-7. The Utes have allowed only 38 total points in 4 games as they start the season 4-0/1-0, but the Bruins are almost as good at 3-1/0-1, allowing only 44 points in their 4 games.
Oregon destroyed Colorado 42-6, as it appeared the Buffaloes were drained both physically and emotionally from their win last week over rival Colorado State. Plus, it was obvious that the Ducks were just the better team. However, the Buffs have already achieved much more than most thought possible, so anything else they do is just "gravy". CU has a real shot at a bowl game, if they can get wins against Arizona St (on the road), Stanford (home), and Arizona (home), but there isn't much margin for error, as they'll be the underdog in the rest of their games: USC (next week), @UCLA, Oregon St, @Wash St, and @Utah. UO should get by Stanford next week, which will probably set up a massive showdown Oct 14 @Washington after both have an off week.
Duke stomped UConn to stay undefeated and set up one of their biggest games on campus in many years as the Blue Devils will host Notre Dame (and ESPN GameDay) for homecoming this weekend. A win in that game could set them up as a real threat in the ACC, but they still have games vs NC State, @FSU, and @Louisville in consecutive weeks in October.
Miami, FL rolled over Temple 41-7 and the Hurricanes will take a week off before finally getting into conference play in October.
Illinois squeaked by FAU 23-17.
Maryland crushed Michigan State 31-9, and the Terps could be 5-0 haeding into The Horseshoe at Ohio State if they can get past Indiana this weekend.
Nebraska eased past La Tech 28-14 to even their record at 2-2.
Louisville doubled up Boston College in a 56-28 victory over the Eagles. The Cardinals will put their unbeaten record on the line at NC State this weekend before hosting Notre Dame next week.
Kansas welcomed BYU to the Big 12 by outscoring them 24-10 in the 2nd half of a 38-17 win over the Cougars. The Jayhawks are 4-0 for the 2nd straight season for the 1st time since they did it for 3 straight from 1913-1915, though it should be noted they started 2 straight seasons unbeaten on 2 other occasions: 1919 (2-0-2 on their way to a 3-0-3 start) and 1920 (4-0 on their way to 5-0), and 1946 (3-0-1) and 1947 (also 3-0-1, which became 3-0-2, and eventually 8-0-2 before a final 8-1-2 record). The Cougars suffered their 1st loss of the season and will try to earn their 1st Big 12 victory against fellow newcomer Cincinnati this weekend.
West Virginia did just enough to hold off Texas Tech 20-13 as the Red Raiders lost starting QB Tyler Shough to a broken leg in the 1st quarter. The Mountaineers are a surprising 3-1/1-0 while TTU is an equally surprising 1-3/0-1.
New Mexico held UMass to a FG in OT, then scored a TD on their possession to win 34-31. The Lobos had built a 28-14 halftime lead, but the Minutemen kicked to FGs in the 2nd half, and scored a TD and 2-pt conversion with 45 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to OT as UMass shut out UNM in the 2nd half.
Ohio decimated Bowling Green 38-7, as it's fairly clear that the Bobcats are the class of the MAC East. If they can continue to play like this, Ohio could win their 1st MAC Championship since 1968.
Tennessee got back in the winning column by stomping UTSA 45-14. The Roadrunners are 1-3 so far in their 1st season in the AAC.
Iowa State got a lead, then matched Oklahoma State score-for-score in the 2nd half to win 34-27. Both teams are now 2-2, but the Cyclones are 1-0 in the Big 12, the Cowboys 0-1.
USF blew open a close game with 22 straight points in a 42-29 victory over Rice. The Bulls trailed the Owls 21-20 midway through the 3rd quarter, but scored 3 TDs in a span of about 9 minutes of game time before giving up a meaningless TD with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game. Both teams are now 2-2, but USF is 1-0 in the AAC while Rice is 0-1.
Jacksonville State shut out Eastern Michigan 21-0, scoring a TD in each quarter except the 4th. The Eagles were held to only 10 1st downs, 1-15 on 3rd downs, 0-3 on 4th downs, and only 152 total yards as they threw 3 INTs and punted 8 times in losing to a team that was on the FCS level last year. EMU will have to play better if they expect to make any noise in the MAC (other than a thud when they hit the basement of the MAC West), and they need to figure out how to get their offense moving. JSU is 3-1 and has a chance to be 2-0 in CUSA when they travel to Sam Houston this weekend to take on the winless Bearkats.
Central Michigan scored the winning TD with 13 seconds left to pull off the huge upset over South Alabama 34-30. The Jaguars had jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, but the Chippewas recovered to pull ahead 27-17 by early in the 4th quarter. Both teams are now 2-2, but only the Chips are feeling good about that.
Liberty kicked FIU all over the field in a 38-6 win, as the Flames doubled (or more) the Panthers in most major statistical categories, including outrushing FIU 364 yards to 64.
Georgia Tech scored a TD with 1:25 left to seal a 30-16 victory over Wake Forest and hand the Demon Deacons their 1st loss of the season. The Yellow Jackets are 2-2/1-1.
LSU kicked a FG with 8 seconds left to blunt an Arkansas comeback and claim the Golden Boot for the 2nd consecutive year. The win keeps the Tigers in the SEC West race at 3-1/2-0, while the Razorbacks are 2-2/0-1.
Washington State built a 35-14 lead going into the 4th quarter, then held off a tremendous comeback by kicking a FG with just under 10 minutes left to win 38-35 as Oregon State scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to make it a close game in the end. The Beavers are 3-1/0-1, and the Cougars are 4-0/1-0 and can claim the championship of the Pac Two!
Florida slid by Charlotte 22-7, settling for 5 FGs as the Gators were only 1-9 on 3rd downs, and 0-1 on 4th downs, and turned the ball over twice on fumbles.
Houston rolled over Sam Houston 37-7 to even their record at 2-2 and keep the Bearkats winless at 0-3.
Colorado State won 31-23 as they outscored Middle Tennessee 14-6 in the 4th quarter to break a tie. The Rams earned their 1st win of the year, and if they get a win against an FCS team this weekend, should have momentum as they move into conference play at Utah State on Oct 7.
Arizona defeated Stanford 21-20 as the Cardinal fell just short in their upset bid. Stanford has lost their last 2 games by a total of 8 points. The Wildcats are 3-1/1-0.
Wyoming scored the final 15 points to overcome a 12-point deficit in a 22-19 win over Appalachian State. The Cowboys scored the winning TD with 2:02 left in the game, as the Mountaineers had to settle for 4 FGs, 3 from 30 yds and in (but 1 from 50 yds!), as ASU dominated statistically, but lost where it counts. App State had 27 1st downs to Wyoming's 7, was 10-19 on 3rd downs (3-12 for the Cowboys), had 417 total yds to 208, had only 2 penalties to 8 for Wyoming, and had the ball for over 40 minutes. However, the Cowboys did win the turnover battle 2-1, and were close in rushing yards, 177 to 217. The win moves Wyoming to 3-1 as the loss drops ASU to 2-2.
Arkansas State outscored Southern Miss 44-37 as the Red Wolves got their 1st FBS and Sun Belt wins of the season, while the Golden Eagles are still looking for both.
Texas State trailed Nevada 17-0 at the half then came back and won 35-24 as the Bobcats scored 35 straight points in about a 20 minutes of game time, with the Wolf Pack scoring a late TD with less than a minute left.
Georgia followed its usual pattern by "playing with its food" for a while and letting UAB hang around before taking off and winning 49-21. The Dawgs were mostly efficient on offense, amassing 31 first downs, 582 total yards, and going 10-13 on 3rd downs, but they were 0-1 on 4th down, and turned the ball over 3 times on 2 fumbles lost (3 total) and an INT, so there is plenty to work on. They did allow for the Blazers to move the ball quite a bit, but the Bulldogs are dealing with some injuries, and they did get a lot of backups into the game. And they had some receivers drop passes, which is starting to become a pattern, which concerns me a bit. UGA has now won 21 straight games, 31 straight regular season games, and 22 straight home games. They've also won 11 straight true road games, and 19 straight SEC regular season games, and 10 straight SEC road games as they get ready to take on Auburn this weekend on The Plains.
Texas gored Baylor 38-6 to remain unbeaten and set up a big game this weekend with undefeated Kansas.
Ohio State scored a dramatic TD with 1 second left on the clock to disappoint a Notre Dame crowd that believed it was witnessing a huge win. The final score was 17-14, but the halftime score was only 3-0 in favor of the Buckeyes. The win sets OSU up for a big game in 2 weeks when they host a (probably) undefeated Maryland, as the Buckeyes are off this weekend. The Fighting Irish have no time to lick their wounds, as they travel to unbeaten Duke this weekend, then to Louisville, then host USC before they finally get to their off week.
Penn State shut out Iowa 31-0 as the Hawkeyes were held to only 76 total yards- 20 on the ground and 56 through the air. The Nittany Lions held the ball for over 45 minutes, and forced 6 fumbles, recovering 4. All-in-all, it was a dominating performance for Penn State.
It took 4 overtimes, but Indiana finally prevailed over Akron 29-27. The Zips tied the game with a TD with 3:34 remaining in the game, and in the 1st OT, each team scored a TD, with each team kicking a FG in the 2nd OT. When no team scored in the 3rd OT, the Hoosiers converted their 2-point attempt in the 4th, but Akron missed, throwing an incomplete pass. Indiana gets their 1st FBS win of the season.
Missouri raced out to a 24-10 early 3rd quarter lead, then traded scores with Memphis the rest of the way to win 34-27.
Northwestern scored 21 points in the 4th quarter, the final TD with 2 seconds remaining on the clock to tie the game, then scored a TD in OT after Minnesota kicked a FG in their possession to win 37-34. The Wildcats trailed 21-0 late in the 2nd quarter, 24-7 at the half, and 31-10 at the end of the 3rd quarter and into the 4th. The loss drops the Golden Gophers to 2-2/1-1; the win means Northwestern has the same record: 2-2/1-1.
South Carolina broke a 27-all tie with 10 points in the 4th quarter to win 37-30 over Mississippi State. The Gamecocks had traded scores with the Bulldogs all day, but forged ahead when it counted most. Both teams are now 2-2 overall, but SC is 1-1 in the SEC while MSU is 0-2.
Louisiana led 31-7 early in the 3rd quarter, then held off a furious rally from Buffalo in a 45-38 victory. The Ragin' Cajuns are 3-1 while the Bulls remain winless.
Kansas State pulled away from UCF in the 2nd half to win 44-31. All 4 new members to the Big 12 lost in their conference debuts (3 this weekend, Houston last week), as the Knights are 3-1/0-1 and the Wildcats are 3-1/1-0.
North Carolina bullied Pittsburgh 41-24 to remain undefeated and keep the Panthers without an FBS win.
James Madison almost blew a 24-0 lead, as they allowed Utah State to come all the way back and tie the game at 38. However, the Dukes scored a TD with just under 6:00 minutes remaining to prevail 45-38. JMU is now 4-0 for the 2nd year in a row; the Aggies are 1-3, and winless against FBS teams.
UNLV moves to 3-1 for the 2nd consecutive year with a 45-28 win over UTEP. The Rebels need 3 conference wins to get to the 6 wins needed for a bowl, something they were able to do last year (the 3 conference wins, not the 6 wins for a bowl). The Miners are 1-4, one of only a few teams with 4 losses already. It will be difficult for UTEP to get to 6 wins, or even match last year's 5 wins.
USC had a tougher time than expected with Arizona State, but pulled out the 42-28 victory over the Sun Devils to remain unbeaten.
Washington ran out to a 45-12 halftime lead then cruised the rest of the way to prevail 59-32 over California.
Fresno State throttled Kent State 53-10 as the Bulldogs stay undefeated.
Hawaii scored the final 17 points in a 20-17 victory, holding New Mexico State scoreless in the 2nd half.
That's all the games for this week!
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